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Wayne Besen
PO Box 25491
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According to a New York Times/CBS poll released today, 85-percent of Americans think the country is "seriously off track." President Bush is tied with Truman for the lowest approval rating ever - at a dismal 22-percent.
A majority of Americans think that McCain will "generally continue Bush's policies."
Game. Set. Match.
One more thing. The poll shows that 59% of Americans think Palin is not qualified to be president. She is a drag on the ticket. Wise Republicans and Independents are not comfortable with her leading America if something happens to McCain. This will peel off more votes than people realize.
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Earlier in the year, Alan Chambers, the head of Exodus International, promised that his organization was done with politics.
When I questioned if this was true, his deputy, Randy Thomas, blasted me for not believing Chambers. So, Truth Wins Out wrote a press release praising Chambers for vowing to no longer lobby to take away our rights. Well, he lied. No surprise, really.
The first sign that Chambers went back on his flimsy word was when his organization refused to quit the ultra-political Arlington Group. Now, the slippery sexual engineer is lobbying to change the constitution in California to prohibit marriage equality. Chambers' bizarre reason for opposing marriage is that if he were able to marry a man, he never would have met his wife. So, the only way he can remain with his wife, apparently, is to heap so much discrimination on the gay community that coming out is less desirable.
It is increasingly difficult to deal with Chambers. He is just so truth challenged that his word is essentially meaningless. It is like talking to a spoiled child who gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but claims he is innocent because the cookie jar is actually a vase. Check out his pathetic testimony in California:
Ego maniac James Dobson dedicated his hate broadcast today to explain his sudden decision, to go to California this weekend to join Lou Engel, Tony Perkins and others for a massive "The Call" rally of prayer and fasting in the name of saving "traditional marriage."
Listen to the clip and hear Dobson weep to "save" marriage by discriminating against gay people.
Truth Wins Out released an exclusive video interview today with University of Utah professor, Dr. Lisa Diamond, who said that the National Association of Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) grossly and deliberately distorted her research on sexual orientation. Dr. Diamond's assertion comes one week before NARTH's annual conference in Denver, which will take place Nov. 7-9.
"Dr. Nicolosi, you know exactly what you are doing," said Diamond in the video, addressing NARTH's co-founder Dr. Joseph Nicolosi."This is a willful misuse and distortion of my research. Not an academic disagreement. Not a slight shading of the truth. It's willful distortion. And, it's illegitimate and it's irresponsible and you know that. And you should stop."
"We are fighting back against the gross distortions of our lives by anti-gay organizations who manipulate science for political gain," said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. "These organizations claim to be moral, but often twist scientific research in the most shameless and dishonest ways imaginable. We are committed to exposing these lies and ensuring that science is accurately and honestly presented."
Lisa M. Diamond, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies in the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah. She has won a number of awards for her work. In 2000, Dr. Diamond published a study, "Sexual identity, attractions, and behavior among young sexual minority women over a 2 year period." This study was distorted by NARTH. The anti-gay organization falsely claimed that Dr. Diamond's work shows that sexual orientation is "amenable to change."
Dr. Diamond also produced a second study, "Female Bisexuality From Adolescence to Adulthood: Results From a 10-Year Longitudinal Study" in Developmental Psychology (2008, Vol. 44, No 1., 5-14). NARTH recently cited this study to support its anti-scientific belief that homosexuality is a mental disorder that should be treated. Truth Wins Out informed Dr. Diamond about these misrepresentations of her research, and she agreed to discuss how her work was manipulated.
To see further right wing cherry picking, misquoting, misrepresentations and flat out distortions of genuine science, please visit www.RespectMyResearch.org.
Truth Wins Out is currently working to find examples where right wing organizations have twisted scientific work. If you have a case that is worthy of investigation, please contact TWO at wbesen@truthwinsout.org.
To help counter NARTH in Denver, the organization, Beyond Ex-Gay, will host a regional gathering for ex-gay survivors on Saturday, November 8th. On the same day in Chicago, the Dump Dobson Coalition will protest the induction of Focus on the Family's James Dobson into the Radio Hall of Fame.
I am surprised that some of you are up in arms about my calling Sarah Palin a bitch, or John McCain an ass or even George Bush a jackass. I read your comments about how I should be more respectable and not call Sarah Palin a bitch. Some of you are actually praying for me because I called John McCain an ass. In particular I am struck by the comments that suggest the problem with our country is that we can't have an intelligent conversation to solve our problems without resorting to name calling like when I called George Bush a jackass.
Time Magazine wrote a feature article today about the influence of big gay money in politics.
My take: The money is needed to counter the sugar daddies of the right - the major foundations and the churches. As gay people, we do not have wealthy religious institutions - such as the baptists, Mormons and Catholics (Think Pope Mobile rich). We rely on generous individuals to make up the difference.
My main beef is calling these generous donors "a mafia," when they are just a bunch of benevolent billionaires. Why doesn't Time call it the "Mormon Mafia" when they give millions of dollars to defeat marriage in California?
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Much of John McCain's stump speech is devoted to warning voters about the fiscal dangers that would accompany a Barack Obama presidency, but lately McCain has been picking on a lower-profile bogeyman to make his case: Openly gay congressman Barney Frank.
My name is Barry Reed. I am 45 years old and reside in Knoxville, Tennessee. My story begins a long time ago when I knew I was gay and sought help to be cured. I went to a School of Ministry in Tulsa, Oklahoma where I encountered a city prayer group that sought to deliver me of homosexual demons.
After the deliverance session I was deemed " free." It was a lie.
For many years I fought with the Bible, prayed, sought counsel from religious leaders, married a woman, had two wonderful children. Yet, still, I knew I was gay and finally had the strength to come out of the closet. I was also in ministry for many years.
In 2006, I was divorced and before that had already came out of the closet. I thought I was finally going to be accepted. However, because of coming out my ex-wife remarried a religious bigot. They devised plan to move out of state so my children would not have consistent contact with me except 65 days out of the year. They did this because I was gay and now have a partner.
The court system n Knoxville Tennessee would not hear the gay issue and the ex-wife was being vindictive. Love Won Out Conferences, Exodus International, etc., propel ideas such as my ex-wife's. They preach that homosexuals teach their own children how to be gay. Plus they really do not love gay people as they state. They only do so if gays conform to their image of being "ex-gay."
I have a wonderful partner with an ongoing relationship of now over a year.
My friend Gene Stone has an exciting, new book that all of us need to read. It is called the, "12-Step Bush Recovery Program."
-Do you think that after eight years of George Bush, this country is in good shape? -Do you feel that the U.S. Constitution has too many Amendments? -Do you often dream of George Bush in a flight suit?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then this is the right group for you. Here's a place to share your lowest moments of the last eight years, and read other people's solutions for recovery.
Community leaders in California are asking that we promote the following three items to blog readers:
The greatest need is for money: To move the message, the campaign must push hard in print, radio and television ads. To support the effort we've set up a special bloggers Write to Marry page for contributions. Please go to Act Blue Page (http://www.actblue.com/page/wtm).
If you vote in California go to: Don't Stop at the Top! (http://dontstopatthetop.org/) - Propositions are at the bottom of the ballot. At Don't Stop at the Top you can submit mobile numbers of friends in California so on election day they are reminded to vote down ballot.
To fight her culture war, Sarah Palin needed a cultured wardrobe. The Main Street hockey mom wasted no time trading up to 5th Avenue and found the attire much nicer at Saks. Dressed in her Sunday best, Palin pried herself away from Bergdrof Goodman and ventured into the "real America," where she promptly announced her support for a U.S. constitutional amendment prohibiting gay people from marrying.
Cinderella then appeared on James Dobson's Focus on the Family radio show. Dressed in her exotic new duds, she explained that the McCain/Palin dud of a campaign was on track because she was "putting this in God's hands." Well, if the Lord doesn't come through, at least she has discovered the joys of Lord & Taylor.
While all politicians have skeletons in their closet, finding a walk-in closet stuffed with $150,000 in new GOP-financed clothing, was seen as obscene by voters already furious at Republican excess in a time of economic duress. Scrambling to excuse the inexcusable, the Palin campaign said the clothes would all be donated to charity after the election. So, if you see a bag lady with a Gucci bag in December, you can thank Sarah Palin.
The great irony of wardrobe-gate is that most of Palin's remaining fans are sexually repressed Evangelical men who are undressing the VP candidate with their eyes. The New York Times reports that her rallies are overrun with "dudes" who wear buttons that read, "Proud to be voting for a hot chick."
As Palin brilliantly played the role of Imelda Marcos, her fellow Alaskan, Sen. Ted Stevens, stepped on stage as 2008's Jack Abramoff. At the very moment the McCain campaign was desperately trying to distance itself from corruption on Wall Street, Stevens was convicted of failing to report tens of thousands of dollars in gifts, including extensive renovations on his house. Between Palin's self-improvement and Steven's home improvement, the image of the Republican Party has been solidified one week before Election Day.
On the cusp of a defeat, the GOP ticket has gone from avaricious to just plain vicious. McCain is using so many code words one might think he was running for director of the CIA. For example, he shamefully claimed that Obama would turn the Internal Revenue Service into "a giant welfare agency."
Palin, meanwhile, mocks Obama as a socialist who sees this nation differently from true Americans and pals around with terrorists. (It was actually McCain who was endorsed by Al Qaeda this week) With such a frightening portrait of Obama, is it any surprise that two white supremacists were arrested this week in Tennessee for plotting to assassinate the Senator? The McCain campaign obviously does not wish Obama harm. But, they have irresponsibly pandered to extremists and stoked the passions of violent, angry "patriots" to win their votes.
The specter of an Obama presidency has anti-gay forces in a swivet. Focus on the Family's Dobson sent out a paranoid "hypothetical" letter from the year 2012 that said the election of Obama could lead to terrorist strikes on four American cities, Israel being hit by a nuclear bomb, Gay marriage in every state and hospitals refusing service to anyone over 80 years old.
Meanwhile, in California, a jowly Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, literally morphed into the late Rev. Jerry Falwell. In a video that distorted history and stretched logic, the phony "moderate" strongly urged voters to pass Prop. 8 because, "we should not let two percent of the population determine the change of definition of marriage...that has been supported for 5,000 years."
Of course, this is roughly the same percentage of people who identify as Christian in China. Based on Warren's mob rules philosophy and respect for historical precedent, he should find China's persecution of Christians acceptable in the nation's efforts to uphold and protect thousands of years of Asian history.
No sooner did Warren dehumanize gay people and demean their relationships -- in the name of love - then new FBI statistics were released showing that hate crimes against gays increased in 2007, up 6% from 2006 even though the overall numbers of hate crimes slightly dropped. We can only look forward to more of Warren's contrived compassion after his religion-based bigotry trickles down like a drop of blood into our lives.
With Republican losses likely, the Los Angeles Times reports that ambitions social conservatives are already plotting to take over the Republican National Committee. Like vultures circling the walking dead, these rapacious and repugnant culture warriors are already poised to foist blame on McCain - if he loses - for not being conservative enough.
Palin, it seems, is already laying the groundwork for a presidential run in 2012. With a huge portion of the GOP base and talk radio already in her pocket, she will likely get the nomination. Clearly, Sarah is all dressed up, because conservatives think she has someplace to go. What amazes me about her is that she is a filthy campaigner who is most comfortable in the mud, yet her designer clothes always look fabulous.
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Former NBA star Charles Barkley spoke Monday to CNN's Campbell Brown about politics, gay marriage, race and his plans to run for governor in his boyhood home state of Alabama.
Log Cabin Republican-types often whine that they are disliked in the GLBT community. It is because they have a martyr complex and work against the community's best interests. They often seem to have more issues than a New York magazine stand and live in a surreal world that hardly reflects reality. They believe that if they are just nice enough and smile at those who loathe them, they will be accepted.
While on the Internet, I stumbled upon the ultimate gay Republican - Casey - who supports Prop 8., which would prohibit gay people from marrying in California. If you ever want to meet the perfect, self-loathing, self-absorbed, unpleasant, victim-mongering, bitter gay Republican - check out his website. Apparently, he thinks he is the only decent gay person in America. According to Log Cabin Casey:
When I wake up in the morning, I am eager to start my day with a smile on my face. When I walk down Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood, or Hillcrest in San Diego, or the Castro in SF, I might be the only person in the vicinity with a real smile on his face and who is proud of what he has achieved and what he stands for and who is genuinely happy and content with who he is as a person, but that's just fine with me. I can only control my own attitude and nobody else's. If all of these other gay men want to be bitter and miserable their entire lives, and deprive themselves of the happniess and fulfillment they could and would otherwise achieve, then they in the end are in reality more "homophobic" than any straight person. However, that is really beyond my control, as I can only decide my attitude and my beliefs and no one else's. Believe me, I had to resign myself to that fact a long time ago, but it sure lifted a burden from my shoulders that in hindsight, I never even needed to assume in the first place!
Wow, what a brave hero! What a fantastic martyr! What a shining light in the great cavern of darkness!
I've never done this before, but I am going to recommend Casey go to the "ex-gay" ministries. It is clear that he would be much happier and he could cavort with "good folk" like himself. Clearly, as the only good homosexual in America, Casey should jump ship and be with people he finds more appealing. Or, he could simply stare at himself in the mirror admiringly for hours at a time. But, he probably already does that, as it is clear that he is in love with himself.
Thanks Casey for being a model gay Republican.
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While the battle over same-sex marriage has been all but invisible in the presidential race this year, it is raging like a wind-whipped wildfire in California.
Conservative religious leaders from across the country are pouring time, talent and millions of dollars into the state in support of Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriage. They are hoping to reverse a California Supreme Court ruling in May that gave same-sex couples permission to marry, resulting in thousands of exultant same- sex weddings.
The presidential race won't be the only close vote here next week.
A constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman and deny recognition to any "substantial equivalent" has stirred pocketbook concerns among Florida's seniors and those with domestic partner benefits.
Voters in California and Arizona also will decide Nov. 4 whether to change their constitutions to prevent courts from overturning laws barring same-sex marriage.
The California Supreme Court threw out a ban on same-sex nuptials in May. Since then, more than 11,000 gay couples have wed, says UCLA's Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy. Polls show voters evenly divided.
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