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!
Gay Couples Excluded from Immigration Bill Markup
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
Posts 
Posts via daily email:
From the increasingly histrionic Catholic news site, LiveSiteNews:
cowboy
July 10th, 2010 | LINK
Is it coincidental? The Mormon Prophet has sent out a call-to-arms to their Saints in Argentina too. Do those Mormons have a red phone with a direct line to the Vatican?
They are worried aren’t they?
cowboy
July 10th, 2010 | LINK
Oops, I’m sorry to use such inflammatory language as “call-to-arms”. With Utah leading the nation in concealed weapon permits, I have to watch what I say that might be interpreted as terroristic.
But, there will be a letter with the Mormon Prophet’s signature going to be read in all the Churches in Argentina reminding the Mormons there about the sanctity of “marriage” and its implications in our eternal progression.
Perhaps the Mormons are within their rights to preach anything from their pulpits but they might be wary of getting viewed as a political force in some foreign country too.
Interesting.
Emily K
July 10th, 2010 | LINK
cowboy, does this mean that the Prophet is telling the churches to get involved politically- from the pulpit? I don’t get it, what makes this particular religious group SO DAMN TIGHTLY KNIT when it comes to tithing and following the whims of the hierarchy??
cowboy
July 10th, 2010 | LINK
Well…Emily,
Because he is a Prophet. That alone is enough for some people to never question authority (“tight knit” as you say). When the Prophet speaks, you listen. Unquestionably.
Except, I’m happy to say, not all Mormons are so unquestionably subject to the dictates of their Prophet. There are a minority of Mormons who did question the Prophet and the other leaders of the Mormon Church about the same-sex marriage Proposal in California. (Off the top of my head was the wife of Steve Young.)
Plus, the “tight knit” thing is keyed tightly to cultural and/or peer-pressure. We shouldn’t be surprised at how loyal some people can be. A certain Rev. Jones and a Kool-aide incident comes to mind.
I think there is a factor of laziness involved too. It is much easier for people to let other people do their thinking for them. Let other people develop opinions and you just fall in. It’s easier to let other people do the thinking for you. Glenn Beck knows this. He is exploiting this fact of human behavior. (And who just happens to be a convert to Mormonism.)
Emily K
July 10th, 2010 | LINK
But cowboy, i’m always concerned that my opinion of Mormonism – that they “all” are against gays and is a huge political machine in the guise of a religion, forcing their views on others at the ballot box – comes too close to the type of bigotry hurled at Jews to ‘prove’ they all conspire together. (we’re all in the media or finance, the elders of zion are telling us how to infiltrate this or that…)
But it seems Mormons actually DO conspire together.. they have a huge internal internet system, a highly influential Prophet, and people seem to tithe very regularly and loyally.
TampaZeke
July 10th, 2010 | LINK
Does it make me a bad person for getting turned on by that picture of Satan?
Emily K
July 10th, 2010 | LINK
since the art is cliche, boring, and for the most part appears to be lazily done, yes.
Lynn David
July 10th, 2010 | LINK
It’s not LifeSiteNews that’s histrionic, it’s the Catholic Church itself.
AdrianT
July 11th, 2010 | LINK
Is there going to be any counter protest from LGBT people / secualrists / those who are victims of the catholic church (and hopefully, victims of the catholic church sponsored galtieri regime?)).
There needs to be a rainbow alliance of protesters – like the one awaiting the Pope when he visits England in September.
Do not let such a demonstration without an answer. Get on the streets, fight for your rights, and be heard.
dave
July 11th, 2010 | LINK
Religion is a form of mental illness. More proof.
TampaZeke
July 11th, 2010 | LINK
Took a second look with the assumption that it was cliche, boring and for the most part lazily done…STILL think he’s hot.
I guess I’m just not sophisticated enough to know what’s really hot. ;)
paul j stein
July 11th, 2010 | LINK
In NorthCarolina when the “prophet” sent out a “required” ” here is your weekly anti-gay letter to follow” reading to be held before the start of services, the old ladies in the “branch” were up in arms when the church leader read it. The church leader and I had just finished a 14 hour long marathon of semi truck repairs. As I was totally out and attending church regularly in both the “brotherhood” meetings and the “sisterhood” meetings since I handled all the cooking, cleaning, house management duties of our farm. The older ladies were calling on their cell phones and giving “saltLake” hell on earth. They loved their “Sister Joey”. The priesthood guys were not knowing what to do, but did back me up well with good comments on my ability to repair farm equipment and semi trucks. Don’t sell the individuality of the faithful short! They have voices and use them.
Jim Burroway
July 11th, 2010 | LINK
I think a fabulous cape with gold embroidery is de rigueur with red Prada slippers
Emily K
July 11th, 2010 | LINK
TampaZeke,
OR you’re more turned on by poorly done cheesecake art with little attention paid to rendering or anatomy than by something.. well.. something good. More likely you’re not sophisticated enough to know when something’s of quality.
Hunter
July 11th, 2010 | LINK
Doesn’t the Devil wear Prada?
cowboy
July 11th, 2010 | LINK
Emily, we have to be careful of using “all” (and that’s why you used quotation marks). We have radical Mormons who go off script and can take a life of their own. Much like there are various groups of Catholics and groups of Jews who are, shall we say, unorthodox or even ultra-orthodox. There are some very radical Mormons. I’m living in the midst of some of them. Kind of scary sometimes. Some Mormons think there is a divine providence where Mormons will save the Constitution.
Sometimes we have to speak about the “agendas”…by us, by Catholics, by Jews. I have to separate the formal LDS Church with some of the more fundamental Saints. They are driven by a whole different agenda. Some might term them as the “crazies”. Those are the ones we must be vigilant against. They not only don’t want gays to marry they would be happy if we would be afforded a special anti-gay amendment to the U.S. Constitution. But, I don’t box these crazies with the rest of the Mormons.
The LDS Church does have a very effective phone-tree mechanism. They can organize a mob of volunteers with just one texting from the ubiquitous PDAs.
However, I do not think there is a formal agenda for Mormons to take control of the world. (Apart from the students who graduate from BYU’s Master of Accountancy…THAT’s a group you have to keep an eye on.)
Emily K
July 11th, 2010 | LINK
cowboy,
what about the Mormons who “only” want gays to be second class citizens? How many of those type are included in the whole of the Mormon Church? Are these with the “crazies” or are they “regular” folk?
Johnson
July 12th, 2010 | LINK
All I ever learned in Church: When all else fails, blame “Old Scratch”.
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