Thursday, September 06, 2007
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Earlier today, Jay Fisette, a member of the Arlington County Board commented on the alleged "hate crime" reported by Regina Griggs, Executive Director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays. Griggs claimed that a man was physically assaulted at a booth at the Arlington County Fair because he was an ex-gay PFOX volunteer. A subsequent investigation by Ex-Gay Watch found the allegations to be without merit. Fisette weighed in on the widening controversy:
"The alleged incident is a fiction. It makes for a good story, and possibly helps some with fundraising, but remains untrue. Both the Arlington County Police and the County Fair Board state they have no awareness or record of such an incident. Having spent quite a bit of time at the County Fair myself, I’m not sure the PFOX booth received much attention at all over that weekend."
Jay Fisette, Member, Arlington County Board
Truth Wins Out called on Griggs to resign today, as this outrageous falsification of the facts has badly damaged her credibility on gay issues.
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Wednesday, September 05, 2007
TWO CALLS FOR THE RESIGNATION OF PFOX EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REGINA GRIGGS AFTER GROUP FABRICATES HATE CRIME
The Depraved Actions of Griggs Are Sickening And Unconscionable, Says Truth Wins Out's Executive Director Wayne Besen LOS ANGELES - Truth Wins Out called on PFOX Executive Director Regina Griggs to resign today for faking a hate crime incident at a the Arlington County Fair in Virginia. Griggs claimed that a gay activist at the PFOX booth physically attacked an "ex-gay" volunteer. She said that police intervened and ejected the assailant from the event. Ex-Gay Watch editor David Roberts
investigated her claims and found that Griggs' story appears to be a complete fabrication.
"Once we started checking with people who would know, the evidence was overwhelming that it could not have happened the way they claimed," said David Roberts, Editor of Ex-Gay Watch. "Fair officials, the police, eyewitnesses - they all report that no physical attack took place,
police were not involved, and no one was escorted off the property. PFOX claimed all those things, and Focus on the Family and other Christian media repeated the claims."
"Regina Griggs has lost all credibility and must resign in shame for her dishonest behavior," said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. "What PFOX did was warped, twisted and an insult to real hate crime victims."
On Aug. 28, PFOX sent out
a press release with the headline, "Gays Assault Ex-Gays At County Fair." According to the release:
"As happens every year, gay activists disrupted our booth activities. They screamed obscenities, threw our materials from the exhibit table to the ground, insisted we recognize their same-sex 'spouses,' demanded that PFOX leave, and hit a PFOX volunteer because he is ex-gay."
The Ex-Gay Watch investigation revealed that a slight disagreement occurred between a woman and a male PFOX representative. However, Roberts contacted Jackie Abrams, Vice Chair of the Arlington County Fair. Abrams said that no physical altercation occurred, police were never called and no one was ejected from the fairgrounds. According to Roberts, "she was emphatic and certain."
"I was in radio contact with the other board members during the Fair, and definitely would have known if the police had been summoned. It did not happen," Abrams told Roberts.
Following Griggs' bogus account of the supposed hate crime, PFOX implored its members to give money.
"...Our brochures and flyers cost money to print. We also have to pay for exhibit fees and travel. If you would like to help with costs, please make a tax deductible donation."
"The entire notion of ex-gay is a big lie, so I can imagine it is not a difficult leap to take it to the next level and completely manufacture a fraudulent story for political and financial gain," added Besen. "The police, Arlington County Fair officials and eyewitnesses refute Griggs' story. She has a lot of explaining to do if she wants to save her reputation and keep her job."
Truth Wins OUT is a non-profit organization that counters right wing propaganda, exposes the "ex-gay" myth and educates America about gay life. For more information, visit www.TruthWinsOut.org.
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'Ex-Gay' Therapy Is Dangerous And Puts Vulnerable People At Risk, Says Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen NEW YORK - Truth Wins Out expressed relief today that Christopher Austin, an 'ex-gay' counselor in Irving, Texas,
was convicted of sexually assaulting a client. Austin was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but received seven years probation, had to register as a sex offender and was ordered to pay a $2,500 fine. After years of reported abuse - including several alleged victims who testified at the trial - it is welcome news that Austin has finally been put out of business, says TWO.
"We are deeply gratified that this 'ex-gay' predator is no longer in the counseling business, where he exploited his position of authority to sexually abuse vulnerable clients," said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. "Ex-gay therapy is extremely dangerous and places confused clients in the hands of repressed therapists. It is a recipe for disaster."
According to the 283rd Criminal District Court, a jury convicted Austin of a Second Degree felony. Court documents said that the ex-gay leader, "unlawfully, intentionally and knowingly caused penetration of [pseudonym Stephen Trask]."
Austin had started Renew Ministries, a counseling center run out of a church in Irving. He was affiliated with the
National Association For Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). Indeed, Austin taught a seminar at NARTH's 2004 annual convention entitled, "Understanding and Treating Compulsive Sexual Behavior in Men with Value-Incongruent Homosexual Issues: A Multidimensional Approach."
Austin spoke of the "devastating spiritual effects homosexuality has on a man’s heart." However, he failed to take his own advice when he once wrote, "Before addressing the brokenness in others, we must defeat all the responses of our own flesh."
"As we have seen with Christopher Austin, Mark Foley and Larry Craig, gay people who do not learn to accept themselves act out in unhealthy ways," said Besen. "I hope Austin can use this experience to come out and have healthy gay relationships, so he won't have to exploit other people."
Truth Wins OUT is a non-profit organization that counters right wing propaganda, exposes the "ex-gay" myth and educates America about gay life. For more information, visit www.TruthWinsOut.org.
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'Kennedy Caused A Great Deal Of Pain For Gay Americans,' Said Truth Wins Out's Executive Director Wayne Besen
MIAMI BEACH - Televangelist Rev. D. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church
passed away today, only months after he suffered a heart attack. Kennedy was a radical fundamentalist cleric who demonized gay Americans, pioneered fraudulent 'ex-gay' ministries and fought to end the separation of church and state. Truth Wins Out's Executive Director Wayne Besen issued the following statement on Kennedy's passing:
"Truth Wins Out offers its condolences to the Kennedy family in this time of mourning. It is never easy to lose a loved one and those who took comfort in Kennedy's sermons will surely miss him.
However, we must also recognize that Kennedy was a great source of pain for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. In 1998, Coral Ridge spearheaded a national advertising campaign that featured so-called 'ex-gay' ministries. The campaign ended in shame, after Kennedy's HIV+ ex-gay poster boy, Michael Johnston, resigned after allegedly having unsafe sex with men he met on the Internet. Kennedy never apologized for the suffering this deceptive campaign caused for Johnston's victims or the thousands of people duped by the false hope peddled by Coral Ridge.
Kennedy's theocratic vision of America was divisive, exclusionary, sectarian and dangerous. His aim was "reclaiming America for Christ," at the expense of personal freedom and religious liberty. We respect his commitment to his sincerely held beliefs, but are grateful that his radical plan for America never reached fruition.
We believe that a person should be remembered for the totality of his or her achievements and sins. Kennedy undoubtedly helped many people and inspired them to become better human beings. Unfortunately, he also leaves an ignoble legacy of intolerance that divided South Florida, destroyed families in the name of family values and relentlessly assaulted the U.S. Constitution."
Truth Wins OUT is a non-profit organization that counters right wing propaganda, exposes the "ex-gay" myth and educates America about gay life. For more information, visit www.TruthWinsOut.org.
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Tuesday, September 04, 2007
(Weekly Column)About three years ago, I was lounging in a Montreal hotel room when I got a call from activist Mike Rogers. I was unaware of who he was, but this intense stranger began interrogating me for information about - well, I don't even remember what the topic was anymore. But, I do recall that he was about the toughest advocate I had encountered in quite some time. As I hung up the phone I thought, "thank God this guy is on our side."
In an era of softer advocacy, Rogers is decidedly in your face. Yet, he has integrated new media with old school activism to create a stunningly effective hybrid that has brought Capitol Hill to its knees. Well, the hypocritical, anti-gay Congressmen were already on their knees - but until Rogers came along with his "outing" website BlogActive, they were getting away with it. Rogers does not tiptoe (or is it tap foot) around the contentions issue of outing and has a string of successes, including the downfall of closeted former Virginia GOP Congressman Ed Schrock.
Since our initial conversation we have become friends. At his Washington apartment, he is a whirlwind of activity, fighting for a just cause with little reward. While our "mainstream" organizations have reaped a windfall of resources, Rogers, arguably our most effective voice, has had to scrape tooth and nail.
Unfortunately, the veneer of "respectability" often trumps results when it comes to supporting GLBT causes. With little more than willpower, Rogers has become a major powerbroker in our nation's capitol. This week, he was featured in a
Washington Post article under the headline, "The Most Feared Man On The Hill?"
The downfall of Sen. Larry "Wide Stance" Craig has put Rogers in the spotlight, where he is finally getting his due. Months before "potty-gate," Rogers outed Craig for allegedly having sex at Washington's Union Station. Now that he has been vindicated (not the first time), he has gone from a pariah, in some circles, to downright prophetic.
In addition to the Washington Post feature, Rogers has made the rounds on CNN, NBC's Today Show and National Public Radio. He has earned his celebrity and his efforts deserve our full-fledged praise and support.
Still, some opponents - often in the GLBT community - have tried to smear Rogers as radical or loony. Sometimes, these slights are in the media, but more often than not, they are defamatory whispers at cocktail parties by those who feel threatened by his work. Far from radical, however, Rogers is refreshingly contemplative and levelheaded when it comes to the ethics of outing. He has a clear idea of where he stands and has been consistent in his rules of engagement.
"When those private lives are in direct conflict with the public policy that these officials espouse, I think it's fair game that their private lives be brought into this," Rogers told The Washington Post. "And I have a blog to do that with. Here's the question: What community is expected to protect its own enemies? Don't beat up the gay community, and then expect us to protect your secrets and your double life. It's just not right."
When one sits down with Rogers, it is immediately clear that he is unorthodox in his approach, but he is not a wild gunslinger shooting from the hip. He is smart, deliberative and obsessed with getting his facts right. Indeed, he has yet to be wrong in his outing campaigns and has corroborated evidence before he has gone forward. This mix of careful journalism and energetic activism is an exemplary illustration of how one enterprising activist can make a difference and change the world
Indeed, it is not Rogers who is radical, but those who perpetuate or enable the GLBT population's second-class citizenship who are the extremists. He is simply holding elected officials to the standard of truthfulness and trustworthiness they campaigned on to get elected.
According to The Washington Post, there are 33 names on Rogers' list of Congressional charlatans - 30 of them Republicans. If only one-third of these scoundrels get outed in the next two years, the earthquake on Capitol Hill will be so large that it may cause a war between GOP moderates and social conservatives. There is no way the Party can absorb, justify or explain an additional 10-30 closeted gay politicians and still claim to be the party of conservative "family values."
Our community should find a way to come up with at least $333,000 ($10,000 per potential hypocrite) to support Rogers' ongoing investigations. He is one of the few advocates who has consistently backed up his rhetoric and delivered tangible victories. If we do not give this hero what he deserves, then we deserve to be lorded over by Republican hypocrites who have built their careers by bashing queers.
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(Lewis Loses It)Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) President Neil G. Giuliano today criticized Jerry Lewis. on-air use of the word "fag" during the telecast of The Muscular Dystrophy Association's (MDA) 42nd Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, calling on him to apologize and make amends for the use of the slur.
In the 18th hour of his annual MDA Telethon, a visibly weary Lewis
wandered about the stage trying to dodge the cameraman while making comments on various people. At one point, he stopped and referenced the cameraman and his family: "Your family has come to see you ... you remember Bart, your oldest son ... Jesse, the illiterate fag." The audience expressed audible surprise at Lewis' remark.
"Jerry Lewis' on-air use of this kind of anti-gay slur is simply
unacceptable," said Giuliano. "It also feeds a climate of hatred and intolerance that contributes to putting our community in harm's way. Our nation's media have done an admirable job this year holding public figures accountable for their use of anti-gay slurs, and I hope they continue to do so with Mr. Lewis."
Giuliano said that GLAAD is contacting Lewis' representatives today to request a meeting with him. "We want to sit down with him, help him understand why these words are so hurtful, and give him an opportunity to raise public awareness about the destructive impact of these kinds of anti-gay slurs, even more so in attempted humor."
The 21 1/2 -hour event originated live from the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas. Beginning Sunday night, it was broadcast nationwide on 190 stations.
View a clip of the incident here:http://www.tmz.com/2007/09/04/jerry-lewis-drops-f-bomb-during-telethon/
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