Comments on: Family “Research” Council Repeats Benkof’s Distortions

By: Anything but Straight: Extremist Makeover « Nottington News

Anything but Straight: Extremist Makeover « Nottington News — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:53:54 +0000

[...] be about a topic, such as President Bush’s record on AIDS, but the real intention was to smear gay people and make the GLBT community look perverse, untrustworthy, selfish and unworthy of basic human [...]

By: Protect Marriage Equality » Box Turtle Bulletin: FRC Repeats Benkof’s Distortions

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:42:03 +0000

[...] the entire blog entry by Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin. posted by Equality Blogger at 9:40 am filed under Analysis, Strategy, Research, Marriage Equality [...]

By: Regan DuCasse

Regan DuCasse — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:43:15 +0000

Well, seeing the way DB backhanded and flipped our own statements on us, it’s no wonder he would do the same with credible information about gay people that isn’t all negative or fear inducing.

He’s an embarassment to journalism, to gay and straight people who care about the truth. He’s a detriment to helping gay and straight people get along better and he speaks from two faces.

A person of profound emptiness would have to be like that and do what he does. And it’s just plain ugly.
Very.

By: MirrorMan

MirrorMan — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:08:58 +0000

I guess I should have worded that differently. Mea Culpa.
Round two: “I applaud your wish to be fair to Mr. Benkof. If only he understood what that was.”

Better?

By: Jim Burroway

Jim Burroway — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:59:40 +0000

To be fair, fairness doesn’t depend on fairness. It just is. ;-)

Being fair isn’t the same as unilateral disarmament. It’s essential to credibility, which is the core problem with what Benkof writes.

By: MirrorMan

MirrorMan — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:48:18 +0000

To: B. Daniel Blatt
You are most welcome. Unlike Mr. Benkof, I don’t want to be misunderstood, and I will cite full examples of what I am referring to. I do find it odd, however, that you wish to be fair to David, when from his track record it appears he has no interest in returning the favor.

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:28:57 +0000

Excellent Emily. I’ve contacted the Canadian (I live in Toronto) gay press as well as most of the national press… things are a little different here, and most of what he writes would be rejected by the press anyway.

As a brief aside on the power of writing, I belonged to a web site that allowed comments, and the phrase “it’s so gay” and calling people “fags” showed up by posters on a regular basis. The moderators would remove anything with a racial tone, but had no problem with anti-gay slurs. I wrote to them several times, nothing happened. Then I started contacting the advertisers on the site and pasting in he comments that were being left, with the question of ” is this what you want your product associated with?” I would then send a copy of the email to the advertiser to the moderators. It was amazing how fast it changed.

My point is that we do have power, and can use that power to actually make a difference.

By: Emily K

Emily K — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:51:18 +0000

Rob, I’ve been contacting several gay papers to warn them of Benkof’s outright disdain for the truth, and for the gay community he claims membership of. Some have gotten back to me, most haven’t. Those who have gotten back to me do not speak highly of Benkof and refuse to publish his work.

By: B. Daniel Blatt

B. Daniel Blatt — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:42:01 +0000

Thanks for including my letter in its entirety.

To be fair to David (as I said in that letter), he showed me the pre-publication version of his Op-Ed where he accurately summarized my research.

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:37:06 +0000

AJD;

I agree that letters to the editor help to counter the misleading statement in Benkoff’s articles or columns, or whatever he’s calling them these days. However, publishers and advertisers are much more concerned about backlash that affects their distribution numbers and their bottom lines. The anti-gay movements have used the tactics for years (boycott Ford, boycott Disney, etc., etc.) There is no reason that it can’t work the other way as well.

As much as I’m for free speech, people like Benkof need to learn that it comes with a measure of responsibility and sometimes, with consequences.