Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyApril 2nd, 2008
According to the Dallas Morning News, Justin Nichols is to face an April 15 public hearing before the Collin County Commissioners Court, to discuss his status as coordinator of the county’s teen court program.
Justin is currently running as an openly gay city council candidate for the city of Plano, a Dallas suburb. The Dallas Voice covered the historic race of Plano’s first ever gay candidate. That soon led to anonymous attack emails being sent to Collin County commissioners and other political activists accusing him of being a child molester. That led an unnamed commissioner to call a hearing to determine Nichol’s fate.
Many anti-gay extremists claim that gays are far more likely to sexually abuse children on average. This despite evidence to the contrary. In Nichols’ case, there has not been any allegations brought forward whatsoever — no accusers, no arraignment, charges, no arrest, no trial. And yet Nichols will have to stand before the Commissioners Court and defend his job.
Update: Justin’s hearing before the Commission was canceled. But it doesn’t mean he’s off the hook:
While Mr. Nichols has requested that any discussions related to his job take place in public, the panel has the option of meeting in private about pending litigation, county officials said. The case of Mr. Nichols, who said he has retained legal counsel, could fit that description.
Also, the county had scheduled a job evaluation with Justin on Tuesday, but they canceled the appointment that morning.
Latest Posts
Featured Reports
In this original BTB Investigation, we unveil the tragic story of Kirk Murphy, a four-year-old boy who was treated for “cross-gender disturbance” in 1970 by a young grad student by the name of George Rekers. This story is a stark reminder that there are severe and damaging consequences when therapists try to ensure that boys will be boys.
When we first reported on three American anti-gay activists traveling to Kampala for a three-day conference, we had no idea that it would be the first report of a long string of events leading to a proposal to institute the death penalty for LGBT people. But that is exactly what happened. In this report, we review our collection of more than 500 posts to tell the story of one nation’s embrace of hatred toward gay people. This report will be updated continuously as events continue to unfold. Check here for the latest updates.
In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that “[Paul] Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi Germany.” What the SPLC didn”t know was Cameron doesn’t just “echo” Nazi Germany. He quoted extensively from one of the Final Solution’s architects. This puts his fascination with quarantines, mandatory tattoos, and extermination being a “plausible idea” in a whole new and deeply disturbing light.
On February 10, I attended an all-day “Love Won Out” ex-gay conference in Phoenix, put on by Focus on the Family and Exodus International. In this series of reports, I talk about what I learned there: the people who go to these conferences, the things that they hear, and what this all means for them, their families and for the rest of us.
Prologue: Why I Went To “Love Won Out”
Part 1: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Part 2: Parents Struggle With “No Exceptions”
Part 3: A Whole New Dialect
Part 4: It Depends On How The Meaning of the Word "Change" Changes
Part 5: A Candid Explanation For "Change"
At last, the truth can now be told.
Using the same research methods employed by most anti-gay political pressure groups, we examine the statistics and the case studies that dispel many of the myths about heterosexuality. Download your copy today!
And don‘t miss our companion report, How To Write An Anti-Gay Tract In Fifteen Easy Steps.
Anti-gay activists often charge that gay men and women pose a threat to children. In this report, we explore the supposed connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, the conclusions reached by the most knowledgeable professionals in the field, and how anti-gay activists continue to ignore their findings. This has tremendous consequences, not just for gay men and women, but more importantly for the safety of all our children.
Anti-gay activists often cite the “Dutch Study” to claim that gay unions last only about 1½ years and that the these men have an average of eight additional partners per year outside of their steady relationship. In this report, we will take you step by step into the study to see whether the claims are true.
Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council submitted an Amicus Brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals as that court prepared to consider the issue of gay marriage. We examine just one small section of that brief to reveal the junk science and fraudulent claims of the Family “Research” Council.
The FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.
“Google” is a trademark of Google Inc.
© Box Turtle Bulletin. All Rights Reserved.
Posts 
Posts via daily email:
Jason D
April 2nd, 2008
would this not qualify as slander/libel — the fact that they’re taking these allegations seriously considering there is no evidence?
Johno
April 2nd, 2008
He should sue, absolutely. Though he probably won’t if it will jeopardize his political hopes. This story makes me nauseous.
On a side note, I just wanted to say thank you very much, BTB, for the Testing the Premise article and for keeping it and other vital information linked on the front page. I have linked to these articles more times than I can count in various discussions.
bananie
April 2nd, 2008
“Federal law does not prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, said Stacey L. Sobel, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who specializes in issues related to and advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.”
this is absolutely frightening to me.
Joel
April 2nd, 2008
“Commissioners were initially slated to discuss the issue privately, but Mr. Nichols requested the proceeding take place in public.
“It’s my fundamental belief that your public life and your private life are separate,” Mr. Nichols said. “It’s amazing that we’re having this debate in 2008.”
”
So he considers this flawed charade vs him a public thing… I would say it was more of a private matter(between the accusers and myself). Guess it is OBVIOUS its part of his public life, *shrug.
cooner
April 2nd, 2008
I dunno, Joel. If his accusers are threatening both his job and his candidacy, that’s not very private.
I haven’t read the story extensively beyond this tidbit here, but I would guess if he chose a public proceeding rather than a private one it was probably to put the unfairness and lunacy on display for everyone to see, rather than letting it get swept under the rug.
If I were accused of being a child molester, I think I’d want the opportunity to both prove my innocence and, if possible, publicly expose whoever made the charade of an accusation. *shrug*
Leo
April 2nd, 2008
I didn’t think anything on the web was truly anonymous. I’ve got to believe they could.
That’s what they should be investigating.
Leo
April 2nd, 2008
Boy I screwed up that post.
What I meant to say is, couldn’t they trace the source of the e-mails?
Leave A Comment