The Daily Agenda for Sunday, May 26
The Daily Agenda for Saturday, May 25
The Daily Agenda for Friday, May 24
Boy Scouts of America Votes To Allow Gay Members, Retains Ban On Gay Leaders
Nevada House votes to reverse marriage ban
The Daily Agenda for Thursday, May 23
It's Not the Principle, It's the Prejudice
Congratulations Mitch!
Featured Reports
What Are Little Boys Made Of?
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.
Slouching Towards Kampala: Uganda’s Deadly Embrace of Hate
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.
David Benkof: Behind the Mask
At first glance, David Benkof appears to be a young gay man who believes that same-sex marriage will damage the institution of marriage, that there are better options for gay couples than marriage, that the community should join him in prioritizing other more pressing issues, and that the marriage discussion is harming the efforts of gay couples in red states to get recognition for their unions. He also claims that he’s a gay columnist, that he speaks for an influential collection of gay thinkers, and that he is part of the gay and lesbian community and that he shares our goals and dreams. But none of that is true.
“Repeat After Me”: The Reparative Therapy Echo Chamber
The April 2008 edition of the pay-to-publish vanity journal Psychological Reports featured a new report from NARTH. Written by NARTH president A. Dean Byrd, past president Joseph Nicolosi, and Richard W. Potts, the report carries the unwieldy but self-descriptive title, “Clients perceptions of how reorientation therapy and self-help can promote changes in sexual orientation.” While the title describes what the authors meant to show — how clients describe the benefits of reparative therapy — the report itself actually illustrates something very different: the ex-gay movement’s remarkable ability to instill an almost robot-like parroting of ex-gay rhetoric among their clients.
Testing the Premise: Is MRSA The New Gay Plague?
The Toronto Star said that a new study “discover[ed] a new strain” of a super-bug “hitting gay men.” Headlines in Britain screamed, “Flesh-eating bug strikes San Francisco’s gay community,” and anti-gay extremists across America spread the alarm that gays were introducing another plague into “the general population.” But there was a small problem with all of this: None of it is true!
Paul Cameron’s World
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.
From the Inside: Focus on the Family’s “Love Won Out”
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"
The Heterosexual Agenda: Exposing The Myths
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.
Testing The Premise: Are Gays A Threat To Our Children?
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.
Straight From The Source: What the “Dutch Study” Really Says About Gay Couples
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.
The FRC’s Briefs Are Showing
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.
Review: The Gay Report
When Karla Jay and Allan Young published The Gay Report in 1979, it quickly a favorite source of statistics for many anti-gay extremists. But before you accepts these statistic at face value, you should examine the inner workings of this survey very carefully. What you learn might surprise you.
Daniel Fetty Doesn’t Count
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.
News, analysis and fact-checking of anti-gay rhetoric
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Lindoro Almaviva
August 31st, 2009 | LINK
I’m gonna hate myself for this, BUT:
I will say that Miss CA Inc. is in part responsible for Carries woes. Allow me to explain.
Can anyone tell me of ANY CA resident who was NOT asked what their opinion was on the marriage issue? I’m sorry, but we all know how as soon as marriage took center stage (specifically after the debacle in CA), anyone who said they were CA natives were asked what they thought on marriage equality.
Given this fact, Miss CA should’ve expected to have that question thrown at her, either by another contestant(So what you think about all this marriage bullshit? Wasn’t it awful what happened in CA?), a handler or a judge (big surprise coming from Perez /sarcasm).
The people in Miss CA Inc should have prepared her for that eventuality. The fact that she screwed that one and was unprepared for the hatred that was thrown at her afterwards tells me that her handlers didn’t do a thorough job on her preparation. If they had, they would have negotiated answer with her, or would have coached her on the finer points of Beauty Queen 101: How to handle a potentially charging question, specially when your views could be offensive and/or unpopular.
Now, this whole thing about her playing the victim card, well, she’ll learn fast enough that it gets old really fast.
Burr
August 31st, 2009 | LINK
I honestly couldn’t have cared less about what she said at the actual Miss USA pageant. If anything she deserved to lose because it was poorly worded (and because she was losing anyway before that round), not because of the opinion expressed.
My problem was the aftermath with the NOM campaigning and other controversial appearances that were clearly a breach of contract. She has no case.
Richard W. Fitch
August 31st, 2009 | LINK
What a waste of time. Just throw her a roll of quarters so she’s able to make change on her favorite street corner.
Emily K
August 31st, 2009 | LINK
She violated her contract. Then she was given a chance by The Donald himself to get back on track. She violated her contract again anyway.
Seems fairly cut and dry but I’m sure it won’t prevent a waste of a judge’s time from happening as a result anyway.
GreenEyedLilo
August 31st, 2009 | LINK
Oh, to hell with her, no pun intended. Do any of us know the name of the current Miss California? Reigning Miss USA? Miss Universe?
Yeah, I thought not. I can slap Perez Hilton right now for helping to make this woman much more famous than she ever deserved.
One good thing about this recession is that now, maybe you have to do more than whip up fear against people who aren’t hurting anyone and/or look good in a bikini to keep yourself living comfortably and in the public eye.
mwdc
August 31st, 2009 | LINK
“And those who handled her were only interested in advancing their anti-gay advocacy and thought she was the perfect tool.”
She’s a perfect tool, all right.
Christopher Waldrop
September 1st, 2009 | LINK
Darn it, I knew someone would beat me to it. As has been noted repeatedly, Prejean didn’t even answer the question she was asked, but it also seems to have been a question designed to create controversy. Regardless of Prejean’s answer there was going to be an outcry over the question even being asked.
Ben in Oakland
September 1st, 2009 | LINK
She really may not want to open the can o’ worms known as religious discirmination.
Chris McCoy
September 1st, 2009 | LINK
I’m actually more interested now. I would love for this to go all the way to the SCOTUS.
The 2nd Amendment got it’s hey day in court, why not the 1st?
People need to learn that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” does not mean “I can say whatever I want, and then claim religious persecution when it impacts me financially.”
Jason D
September 1st, 2009 | LINK
Lindoro,
just as a point of clarity, the judges don’t ask surprise questions of the contestants. The judge’s questions are written out in advance and all questions are given to the contestants in advance so that they can formulate answers ahead of time — rather than on the spot. Carrie even admitted as much by basically saying she was hoping not to get “that” question.
She was well aware that question was one of the possibilities. So she either failed to craft an articulate response, even with preparation, or she flubbed her own lines — neither one of which is good for someone who’s trying to get a job as a spokesperson.
CLS
September 1st, 2009 | LINK
A media whore is a media whore but this one knows what she is doing. This has nothing to do with the law suit and everything to do with the new antigay book she has coming out. I believe the release date is November and a law suit filed in September will garner publicity that she will use to take to the bank — literally.
She was also sure to sue people who wouldn’t have the resources to fight back without their boss helping them, while not suing the boss who could pay for the best attorneys to smack her down.
Richard W. Fitch
September 1st, 2009 | LINK
@CLS – I’d wager you are right on ALL counts! I’d been waiting to see how they planned to sensationalize the release of her book. Something also tells me The Donald may have had enough of Ms. Prejean by now that he will be more than happy to kick in the bucks it may take to defend his people and his enterprise. First off, though, is the question: Will the judge hear the case or make the paperwork into nice little airplanes???
PnPhD | Former Miss California, a San Diegan, Sues Pageant For Religious Discrimination
September 2nd, 2009 | LINK
[...] of her contract. She refused to show up for official events, for instance, because she was too busy helping out the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), an anti-gay PAC. She’s claiming she was fired [...]
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