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Wayne Besen
PO Box 25491
Brooklyn, NY 11202
The coach apologized, so maybe you don't fire him. However, we do know that if he said a slur against any other minority his ass would be served on a platter. But, how dumb does one have to be to say such phrases in a public setting and surrounded by media?
Should the university can the coach? I'd love to get your opinion.
I often end speaking engagements on the so-called "ex-gay" myth by comparing the charade to a play. I tell audiences that "ex-gays" are "like actors playing a role and in the end the final curtain of reality comes crashing down."
It turns out that in Atlanta, a very surreal curtain will soon be lifted to reveal a bizarre play that promotes "freedom" from homosexuality and trashes gay life. Southern Voice, Atlanta's LGBT publication, says that "Once Upon a Dream," liberally uses the words "faggot," "queer" and "abomination" in a negative way. It will show at the 14th Street Playhouse, conveniently nestled in Midtown, Atlanta's gay neighborhood.
The show's producer, Toni Henson, told Southern Voice in an e-mail that her production company wants to partner with area churches "to reach out to 155 million practicing homosexuals as we launch this unique, bible-based Christian ministry through this dramatic stage play."
Wow, 155 million homosexuals in a country of 3oo million. One would think Gay Pride would have been a bit more crowded given such a surprising surge in our population. Hmm, now we know how Exodus leader Alan Chambers came up with his peculiar figure of "hundreds of thousands" of ex-gays -- he must have employed Henson as his statistician.
Henson's e-mail goes onto say: "'Once Upon a Dream' tackles the tough Issue... 1) Is FREEDOM from homosexuality possible? 2) Can I be gay and Christian? 3) How is same sex marriage & the pro-gay agenda affecting the church? 4) What are the risks if my church does outreach to gays?"
I guess that if one considers "freedom" self-denial, then it is possible. We can only imagine what risks there might be to a wholesome church if it reaches out to cootie-ridden homosexuals. And, what do you bet that the manufactured gay agenda they present won't include the items:
I. Full Equality Under The Law
II. Being Left Alone And Free From Annoying Religious Zealots Who Promote Offensive Plays That Distort Out Lives
There is one thing Henson got right -- seeking advice from "ex-gay" activist and Drama Queen, D.L. Foster, who is best known for his habit of drawing Hitler mustaches onto the pictures political opponents. In June 2006, Foster even drew one on yours truly. According to Exodus testimony, Foster had once engaged in orgies, drank and was hooked on poppers (is that even possible??), until he turned on basic cable late one evening:
"I slumped down in front of the TV and flipped it on," wrote Foster. "When the screen came into focus, I saw an amazing sight: a badly beaten man dragging a heavy wooden cross through the streets of a city. Suddenly, the man stopped, and looked up at me as blood trickled down his face. Then he said, 'I did this all for you.' I began to weep uncontrollably as I realized Jesus had spoken to me."
Given such a theatrical conversion, the play should be entertaining, to say the least. Instead of poppers, Mr. Foster can eat popcorn and watch his twisted vision of Biblical Broadway come to life. And, maybe Henson will win a Tony of Intolerance for her efforts to slime the GLBT community and promote simplistic and fictional versions of our lives.
In Plugging New Book, Exodus' Alan Chambers Sets Low Bar For Exodus
So, "ex-gay" activist Alan Chambers admitted in an interview that he lives in "self-denial." The president of Exodus International also told the conservative online magazine, Citizen Link, that Exodus clients should not expect that "they are going into heterosexuality."
If one reads through all of the convoluted double talk, Chambers is essentially letting potential clients know that they should have very low expectations of what Exodus has to offer. Exodus is basically a support group for suppressing sexuality.
The interview with Chambers promoted his new book, "Leaving Homosexuality", which focuses on intimate details of his private life, such as his inability to perform sexually with his wife on their wedding night. More important, Chambers admits that becoming "ex-gay" is unnatural, a "hard road" and that the nagging "temptations" never end.
"The truth is, I'm in denial, but it is self-denial," Chambers told Citizen Link. "...What I've found is that my freedom, and the freedom of those who've left homosexuality, was centered around denying what might come naturally to us...here is a way out for those who want it, but it doesn't say that they are going into heterosexuality."
Clearly, attempts to 'pray away the gay' don't work and can lead to depression and even suicide. Alan Chambers was forthright when he said 'ex-gay' groups are not about 'going into heterosexuality.' I hope people will grasp this before they waste time and money on ineffective and dangerous programs.
Chambers also said, "The most important thing for someone who doesn't know the Lord is that they know Christ, not that they leave homosexuality."
I hope that Chambers' sentiment translates into more acceptance for gay Christians and religious institutions that support equality. Exodus must realize that the intolerance it preaches has driven away many gay people from all forms of religion.
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On Sunday, The New York Times featured a chilling article on how fundamentalist Christians stalked, harassed and ultimately murdered Wichita abortion provider George Tiller, who they taunted with the nickname, "Tiller the Baby Killer."
A lone gunman, who used the e-mail name "ServantofMessiah", shot Tiller while he ushered at Reformation Lutheran Church, where he and his wife were active members. Prior to Tiller's assassination, the "loving" faithful had put bullets in his arms and bombed his clinic.
Unfortunately, with Tiller's controversial clinic finally out of business, the lesson for the loony may be that lethal force is more effective than lobbying. In the Times article, Mark Geitzen, chairman of the Kansas Coalition for Life, expressed this sentiment when he said during a phone conversation, "God has has is own way...but you can't say our prayers weren't answered."
Tiller's death vividly illustrates the danger posed by the violent language and imagery used by fanatics, who believe they are personally entrusted to enforce God's will. What concerns me is that the aggressive tactics used against abortion providers are slowly seeping into the anti-gay movement.
As the wider culture becomes more accepting, homophobes are growing increasingly frustrated, which has led to bolder and more confrontational actions. Are anti-gay leaders egging on unstable followers to attack gay people or provoking gays to defend themselves so they can manufacture martyrdom and justify retaliation?
At the Dore Alley Fair in San Francisco last weekend, a number of muscular Christians wearing Jesus shirts reportedly tried to march through the event thumping Bibles and waving signs.
In Charlotte, Dr. Michael Brown, (left) the founder of the Coalition of Conscience, organized several hundred followers in red shirts to descend like uninvited locusts on Charlotte Pride last week under the banner, "God Has a Better Way."
Aside from the pompous name of their demonstration, the protesters confronted gay people and browbeat them with cherry picked Bible verses. Brown's ostensible reason for marshaling the troops was to introduce Pride attendees to his angry version of God.
But, of course, the notion that gay people in conservative North Carolina needed Brown to educate them about religious fundamentalism was farcical. Indeed, many of the people at Pride had only found personal acceptance after long journeys to reconcile their spirituality and sexuality.
No, Brown was really there to besiege Charlotte's gay residents with his hostile hordes. His group's in-your-face presence was designed to disrupt peaceful assembly and make Pride attendees feel guilty and uncomfortable so that they might skip future gay events.
Fortunately, the pious proselytizers were on their best behavior after the militant writings and actions of Brown came under intense scrutiny by local Q-Notes editor Matt Comer. In his research, Comer found that Brown started his FIRE School of Ministry to "raise up a holy army of uncompromising spirit-filled radicals who will shake an entire generation with the gospel of Jesus by life or death."
In a vacuum, such religious language may be viewed as a relatively benign rhetorical flourish. However, when followers are portrayed as holy warriors in a life and death struggle against a minority group that is falsely accused of working to undermine freedom of religion, the seeds of potential disaster are intentionally being sown.
In advertising his rally, Brown proclaimed that the "hour is urgent" and that Christians must "turn back the tide of homosexual activism." In a written statement following his intolerance invasion of Pride, Brown wrote, "Enough is enough to the destructive goals of gay activism...we say it stops in Charlotte."
Most alarming are these charlatans' deliberate perpetuation of paranoia by trumpeting alleged religious persecution that exists only in their warped minds. For example, in his statement Brown accused gay people of "trying to put Christians in the closet." And, he capped it off by saying that gay people are "tampering with the foundations of human society."
Brown tries to cover his tracks by sprinkling his apocalyptic rhetoric with calls for non-violence. Good orators, however, understand the principle of "layering" messages. If in one sentence you speak of violence and in the next of non-violence, the listener will almost always embrace the words that support his or her belief system.
Dr. Brown isn't naive and surely understands that the GLBT masses will not retreat into the closet unless events conspire to make coming out a blood sport. Short of extreme bullying and brutality he'll never accomplish his lost cause of "stopping" progress on gay rights in Charlotte.
Brown, of course, doesn't actually have to make an overt pitch for mayhem. Simply by inciting his flock he is setting the stage for future tragedy. It is time for Brown and his comrades to abort their increasingly hostile and combative tactics before it leads to more wanton death in the name of abundant life.
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