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Wayne Besen
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A month after protesters picketed its annual dinner for inducting Focus on the Family's James Dobson into its Radio Hall of Fame, the Chicago-based Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) announced today that it was selling its half-finished building.
"It is with deep regret that I announce the MBC board on December 10th voted to sell its half-finished building at State and Kinzie in downtown Chicago," said Bruce DuMont, Founder, President and CEO of the MBC. "This is a very disappointing development."
Pandering to extremists doesn't pay and the Museum of Broadcast Communications suffered a catastrophic blow to its reputation by honoring Focus on the Family's James Dobson. Bruce DuMont hoped to cash in by catering to the deep pockets of the religious right, but his prayers weren't answered.
When the nomination of Dobson was announced, Truth Wins Out teamed up with the Gay Liberation Network and launched www.DumpDobson.com to keep Dobson out of the Radio Hall of Fame. These robust efforts culminated with a full-page "Dump Dobson" ad in the Chicago Tribune, an op-ed in the Sun Times, signature ads in the GLBT media and a large demonstration outside of the awards dinner at Chicago's Renaissance Hotel.
DuMont blamed his woes on alleged broken promises by Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the economic downturn. He did not point out that his project lost momentum after it became mired in controversy by cozying up to Dobson.
I can understand the temptation to pin the blame on Blagojevich, as he is not too popular these days. But, DuMont should take responsibility and admit that his project lost its luster and foundered after he chose to bronze the bigotry of James Dobson.
The National Association of Evangelicals' top lobbyist has resigned in a storm of controversy after he said on a Dec. 2 "Fresh Air" NPR broadcast that he had shifted his position on gay relationships. The Associated Press reported that he told Fresh Air, "I'm shifting, I have to admit. In other words, I would willingly say I believe in civil unions. I don't officially support redefining marriage from its traditional definition, I don't think."
I applaud Rich Cizik for opening his mind and speaking from his heart. It would have been easier for Cizik to have remained silent and continued collecting a paycheck. Instead he did what he thought was right and one can only admire such courage.
Not surprisingly, Focus on the Family said they were glad Cizik was stepping down. "It was time for him to go," Tom Minnery, a Focus on the Family senior vice president, told the Associated Press. "He no longer represents the view of evangelicalism. He has not represented those views for some time."
Focus on the Family is going to find that support for their outdated position on gay and lesbian equality is eroding, even among evangelical Christians. As more gay people come out, Americans can see that we are their friends and family members -- and certainly no threat to their lives.
On Thursday, Truth Wins Out placed a hard-hitting full-page ad in The Salt Lake Tribune, under the headline, "Lies in the Name of the Lord." It was in response to an ad in last Friday's New York Times, that portrayed protests against Proposition 8 - a ballot measure in California that prohibited same sex couples from marrying -- as mob violence. One of the people criticized by TWO was Cizik, who signed the ad.
If I someone would have told me that I would have ended the week praising Rich Cizik, I would have told them they were living in a dream world. But, Cizik's evolution on this issue shows that we should never make blanket assumptions that individual evangelical Christians don't support fairness and equality. I call on more fair-minded evangelicals to speak out in the name of equality and fairness for gay and lesbian people, as this courageous man has done.
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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A gay-rights organization says the religious groups that backed California's gay-marriage ban are lying about the nature of campaigns waged against it.
Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Truth Wins Out says it will take out a full-page advertisement Thursday in The Salt Lake Tribune under the headline, "Lies in the Name of the Lord."
It's a response to another full-page ad placed in last Friday's New York Times by supporters of the California constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage that passed on Election Day.
The New York Times ad accused opponents of Proposition 8 of waging mob violence.
Truth Wins Out director Wayne Besen says that ad grossly distorted peaceful protests across the country that followed in the wake of the California vote.
Truth Wins Out (TWO) unveiled a hard-hitting full-page ad today that will be published in The Salt Lake Tribune on Thursday, under the headline, "Lies in the Name of the Lord."
TWO's provocative advertisement is in response to an ad by anti-gay activists in last Friday's New York Times, that falsely portrayed protests against Proposition 8 - a ballot measure in California that prohibited same sex couples from marrying - as mob violence.
Clearly, the goal of anti-gay activists is an orchestrated campaign to rewrite history and vilify the gay and lesbian community. Yet, history teaches us the danger of ignoring the "Big Lie" and we do so at our own peril. This is why I felt Truth Wins Out (TWO) had no choice but to act - and do so decisively. We are a small organization, but not afraid to rise to the challenge when our community is threatened.
Our headline is bold. Truth Wins Out believes that when our opponents defame us, we must strike back - twice as hard. If we do not fight and defend ourselves, we will never gain full equality. No one will hand us our rights -- we must take them.
If you like our ad I need your help.
Even though times are tough, I placed the $6,000 full-page ad because we had to fight back. If you can give a $10 tax-deductible contribution to help cover the cost of this ad, please do so. If you are able to sponsor the entire ad or give a gift of $1,000 - we need your urgent assistance.
Together, we can stand up to anti gay lies and win full equality. We no longer have to sit back and take it. Let's all do our part.
First, there is the "A Day Without Gay," which calls on people to "call out gay" from work. Organizers also want us to avoid spending money and do volunteer work. Can I still get Chinese take-out?
Your thoughts on "A Day Without Gay?" Any of you taking off from work? Let me know.
In this spirit, the New York Times wrote about a new generation of gay activists, that noted writer Rex Wockner calls Stonewall 2.0.
In Iowa, the State Supreme Court considers overturning the gay marriage ban. If Iowa lifts its prohibition on allowing same-sex couples to marry, it would be the first Midwestern state to do so.
Jon Stewart decimates former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on The Daily Show over gay marriage. It is well worth watching.
Truth Wins Out today called singer Pat Boone's comparison of Proposition 8 protests to terrorist attacks on Mumbai "outrageous, shameful, desperate and bizarre." In a column titled, "Hate is hate, in India or America," that was published in the extremist website World Net Daily, Boone wrote, "Have you not seen the awful similarity between what happened in Mumbai and what's happening right now in our cities?"
In making such defamatory charges, Pat Boone's morality has sunk even lower than his career. To compare peaceful protests to the wanton slaughter of innocent civilians, is an act of rhetorical violence on the part of Pat Boone against the gay and lesbian community.
In his op-ed, Boone also wrote, "What troubles me so deeply, and should trouble all thinking Americans, is that there is a real, unbroken line between the jihadist savagery in Mumbai and the hedonistic, irresponsible, blindly selfish goals and tactics of our homegrown sexual jihadists."
Last Friday, a group of cultural warriors under the name "No Mob Veto" took out a full-page ad in the New York Times distorting the Proposition 8 protests, where people were demonstrating over the approval of a ballot measure in California that prohibits same-sex marriage.
It is clear that there is an organized, concerted effort to engage in historical revisionism and distort the Proposition 8 protests for political gain. These were largely peaceful protests where thousands of Americans expressed their First Amendment rights. It is shameful that extremists are distorting the truth and misrepresenting these non-violent actions.
** TWO will announce a major and significant action to counter the Lies About Prop 8 tomorrow....Stay Tuned.
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This weekend I was at the LGBT Blogger's Summit in Washington, DC. It was organized by my friend Mike Rogers and it was a terrific event. Pictured in the photo with me are Pam Spaulding (Pam's House Blend), Joe Jervis (Joe My God) and Bil Browning (The Bilerico Project).
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