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 lobbyJune 6th, 2011
TODAY’S AGENDA (OURS):
Education Dept. LGBT Youth Summit: Washington, D.C. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will hold its first ever LGBT Youth Summit today, beginning at 8:30. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will give the opening remarks this morning, Keven Jennings, assistant deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, will introduce Education Secretary Arne Duncan on tomorrow. The summit, hosted by the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, will bring together students, educators, administrators, and heads of federal and nonprofit agencies to provide information and seek solutions to the problem of bullying and violence against LGBT youth. The two-day summit, “Creating and Maintaining Safe and Supportive Environments for LGBT Youth,” will take place today and tomorrow.
Premiere of “Taking A Chance on God”: Rome. The world premiere of the movie, “Taking a chance on God,” by Brendan Fay, takes place today in Rome, as part of a much larger bill of events for Europride taking place this week. The film is about the life of John McNeill, a gay priest who inspired the founding of DignityUSA and has worked tirelessly for equality for LGBT people both inside and outside the Catholic Church. The 85-year-old priest is in Rome today and will be on hand for the premiere.
EQCA Town Hall: Fresno, CA. Equality California will host a “Back to the Ballot?” Town hall meeting in Fresno to discuss whether we should wait for the courts to restore the freedom to marry — a decision which could have a nationwide impact — or whether Californians should try to overturn Prop. 8 through a ballot measure in 2012. The town hall will take place this evening in the Staff Dining Room at Fresno City College, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
TODAY’S AGENDA (THEIRS):
Herman Cain Tours With Iowa Anti-Gay Group: Sioux City, Pella, Iowa City. GOP Presidential aspirant Herman Cain will deliver a series of lectures today in events organized by the anti-gay group Iowa Leader. The tour begins this morning with a lecture at Dordt College in Sioux City at 11:00 a.m., then moves on to Pella Christian High School at 1:30, then to the University of Iowa in Iowa City at 5:00 p.m. He will also be conducting an invitation-only “Leadership Roundtable in each city. Family Leader has been in the forefront of efforts to impeach the state’s Supreme Court and overturn its decision declaring a ban on marriage equality unconstitutional. Previous GOP candidates who have already participated in lecture tours include former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Reps. Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann, and former Sen. Rick Santorum. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will trod that same well-worn path on July 11.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS:
Thomas Mann: 1875. The German author, social critic and 1929 Nobel Prize winner mined the rich material of his own life and family for many of his novels, including the Buddenbrooks, The Magic Mountain, and A Death in Venice, the latter of which is credited with introducing homosexual themes in the general culture. Mann married in 1905 and had six children, but when his diaries were unsealed in 1975, they revealed his struggles with his own homosexuality. Mann’s political views began in the conservative end of the spectrum, having supported the Kaiser Wilhelm II, but after the Great War, his became increasingly liberal and a staunch supporter of democratic principles. This naturally led to his strident denunciations of Nazi policies. When Hitler came to power in 1933, the Manns were vacationing in Switzerland and they never returned. Mann settled in Southern California and recorded several anti-Nazi speeches which were broadcast during World War II by the BBC into Germany. After the war, he returned to Switzerland, where he died in 1955 of atherosclerosis.
Harvey Fierstein: 1952. He‘s most famous as the actor and playwright of the Tony Award-winning Torch Song Trilogy, about a drag-performer’s search for true love and family. He also wrote the book for La Cage aux Folles which garnered him another Tony Award. He also won a Tony for his role as Edna Tumblad in the Broadway version of John Water’s Hairspray. Film credits include his role in the film version of Torch Song Trilogy and Woody Allen’s Bullets over Broadway. He also appeared is Mrs. Doubtfire‘s makeup artist brother. His acting debut was in 1971, when he appeared in Andy Warhol’s only play Pork.
If you know of something that belongs on the agenda, please send it here. PLEASE, don’t forget to include the basics: who, what, when, where, and URL (if available).
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:
Reed Boyer
June 6th, 2011
Of interest re: EQ CA meeting in Fresno – this article from “Gay Fresno” may give some indication of local feeling about the “back to the ballot” idea – and of EQ CA’s passive/agressive approach and process.
http://www.gayfresno.com/news/politics/2140-eqca-should-be-spanked-yet-again#disqus_thread
Wyzdyx
June 6th, 2011
I’m curious; how many people are expected to attend the lecture at Dordt College in Sioux City at 1:00 a.m?
Jim Burroway
June 6th, 2011
Sorry for the typo. That should have read 11:00 a.m.
Mark Cross
June 6th, 2011
Regarding Ron Pauls participation in this lecture series, it is true he stated his position on same sex marriage, but his position would have disappointed any foe of marriage equality. A reporter asked Dr. Paul to state his position on same sex marriage, and, consistent with his libertarian philosophy, he responded that it was a matter of personal, spiritual consideration. He believes the State should not be in the marriage business. Ron Paul was the lone Texas Republican to vote FOR the repeal of DADT, look it up.
Mark Cross
June 6th, 2011
Regarding Ron Pauls participation in this lecture series, it is true he stated his position on same sex marriage, but his position would have disappointed any foe of marriage equality. A reporter asked Dr. Paul to state his position on same sex marriage, and, consistent with his libertarian philosophy, he responded that it was a matter of personal, spiritual consideration. He believes the State should not be in the marriage business. Ron Paul was the lone Texas Republican Congressman to vote FOR the repeal of DADT, look it up. Still though, he shouldnt have used that slur against Bruno…
Timothy Kincaid
June 6th, 2011
Mark,
We need not go far to look it up; BTB covered the votes. To understand who voted for the repeal of DADT, we must recall the rollercoaster that was the DADT repeal.
There were actually two bills. First the repeal was included in Defense funding (as was DADT originally). That failed to get cloture (a vote to end a filibuster and take a vote) in the Senate.
Cloture on the Defense Bill: This bill was called unexpectedly by Majority Leader Reid, without notice to supporters (one of whom was at the dentist) or negotiation with Sen. Collins, who was corralling Republican support. Consequently, Susan Collins (ME) was the only Republican vote for cloture.
This killed the repeal that originated in the House and DADT repeal appeared dead. But then Senators Lieberman and Collins proposed a stand alone bill.
Republicans voted as follows:
Cloture on the Stand alone repeal bill: Scott Brown (MA), Susan Collins (ME), Mark Kirk (IL), Lisa Murkowski, (R-AK), Olympia Snowe (ME), and George Voinovich (OH)
Repeal bill: Scott Brown (MA), Richard Burr (R-NC), Susan Collins (ME), John Ensign (R-NV), Mark Kirk (IL), Lisa Murkowski, (R-AK), Olympia Snowe (ME), and George Voinovich (OH)
In the House, there were two votes: to amend the Defense budget to include the DADT repeal (killed in the Senate), and on the stand alone bill.
Amendment to include DADT repeal in Defense funding: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL), Charles Djou (HI), Judy Biggert (IL), Joseph Cao (LA), and Ron Paul (TX).
Stand alone repeal bill: Judy Biggert (IL), Mary Bono-Mack (CA), John Campbell (CA), Joseph Cao (LA), Michael Castle (DE), Charlie Dent (PA), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL), Charles Djou (HI), David Dreier (CA), Vern Ehlers (MI), Jeff Flake (AZ), Ron Paul (TX), Todd Platts (PA), Dave Reichert (WA), and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL).
Yes, Ron Paul voted to repeal DADT. But, no, he was not the only Republican to do so.
Mark Cross
June 7th, 2011
Timothy, thanks for reminding me there were two bills, and believe me I followed each dramatic twist and turn as BTB covered the repeal. Thanks so much for your excellent coverage of DADT repeal, btw, and for all you do daily at BTB. So it was the standalone bill I was thinking of then…I remember reading the vote tally here at BTB, they were grouped by chamber first then by state and party, I believe, and Ron Pauls name had the only Yes after it of any Texas Republican Congressman. Btw, can you please delete my first post? My second post is the keeper…
Leave A Comment