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For Our Opponents: Talking to Your Kids About Same-Sex Marriage
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The Daily Agenda for Sunday, June 16
The Daily Agenda for Saturday, June 15
The Daily Agenda for Friday, June 14
South Africa Teen’s Death Shows It’s Time to Ban Ex-gay Therapy Everywhere
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.
Timothy (TRiG)
May 30th, 2012 | LINK
waves > waives
Andrew
May 30th, 2012 | LINK
Inadequate, stolid, poorly timed.
If there’s actions behind it, perhaps. But so far, this is just noise and lips flapping.
Boo
May 30th, 2012 | LINK
It’s not a real apology if it’s a lie.
“or desire to hurt, humiliate or embarrass anyone”
If he wasn’t trying to humiliate and embarass his roommate then what was the point of what he did? This guy just learned he can get away with getting someone killed.
Charles
May 30th, 2012 | LINK
“If he wasn’t trying to humiliate and embarass his roommate then what was the point of what he did? This guy just learned he can get away with getting someone killed. – Boo”
I don’t think Ravi ever thought his roommate would commit suicide over his senseless, childish prank of humiliation. Sadly, his roommate had trouble dealing with his homosexuality and very little support from others. Let’s pray things change for the better for all gay teenagers.
Priya Lynn
May 30th, 2012 | LINK
Ravi said “My behavior and actions, which at no time were motivated by hate, bigotry, prejudice or desire to hurt, humiliate or embarrass anyone, were nonetheless the wrong choices and decisions.”.
If he wasn’t motivated by any of those things then its virtually impossible to conceive of any reason he took the actions he did. This apology just isn’t credible.
Regan DuCasse
May 30th, 2012 | LINK
Let me tell you something Charles: Ravi didn’t CARE what Tyler would do. Sociopaths have a keen sense of where and how to hurt someone the most. That is their nature. He knew that Tyler was extremely vulnerable, harbored something that would maximize Ravi’s desire to hurt him as much as possible. He didn’t HAVE to know it would result in suicide, he didn’t give a shit if it COULD.
His motive was mean, it meant to hurt and humiliate Tyler as much as possible. And most of all, the reason was to GET RID of Tyler, who he didn’t like.
Ravi is dangerous. Because sociopaths ARE. They are indifferent to the pain they inflict and they WANT to. And only put on a phony act (and sometimes not convincingly) so that THEY won’t be inconvenienced and NO other reason.
Ravi deserves a year, AND deportation.
He’s tried to appeal the 30 days. Meaning he doesn’t want to have to endure ANY accountability for what he did.
His mother disgusts me too. Her carrying on in court was CRASS and also indifferent to the situation the Clementi’s are in.
This country has plenty of it’s own homegrown sociopaths. We could stand to lose another one to deportation.
That’s WAY past fair.
And trust me, I know a sociopath when I see one.
Charles
May 30th, 2012 | LINK
Regan, Ravi may be a sociopath. I don’t know. And, I don’t think that you can tell by just looking. Frankly, I do think he is totally lying in his apology where he says, “My behavior and actions, which at no time were motivated by hate, bigotry, prejudice or desire to hurt, humiliate or embarrass anyone, ……” but I don’t think that he thought his roommate would commit suicide. Personally, I will never forgive him.
lewlew
May 30th, 2012 | LINK
I agree that he should have to serve more time than he was given.
I don’t want to be the gay man who sees gay folk everywhere, but my gaydar pings loudly at this man. We need to give him room to come out eventually. Maybe he was curious because Clementi knew how to do something that Ravi needed to know.
Regan DuCasse
May 30th, 2012 | LINK
Charles, I don’t make that assessment just by looking.
It’s a professional observation made by knowing what their victims are like, what their typical behavior is like, and how they respond when confronted with it.
I repeat: he didn’t HAVE to know that Tyler would commit suicide. I just told you, that sociopaths exploit vulnerability and deliberately act to HURT and humiliate in the worst way possible.
He is typical of the non confrontational type, but definitely fits the profile of someone who takes pleasure in doing what he can just shy of the physical.
To not minimize his personality type, because of what he didn’t predict.
He wouldn’t have BOTHERED at all, if he hadn’t sensed (as PREDATORS can), what would have hurt Tyler the most.
It’s what I know about how predatory sociopaths behave. And he’s no different just because because he didn’t intend Tyler’s suicide.
That is what is the least important factor.
What is, is his intention to maximize whatever hurt on someone at their weakest and least resistant moment.
It would STILL be appropriate for him to serve a year, then be deported.
He’s still dangerous.
Charles
May 30th, 2012 | LINK
Regan, you were not in the courtroom and you have never met Ravi, yet you make all these grand assumptions. If Ravi is a sociopath, it is not going to matter whether he is in jail for one month or one year. He will still be a sociopath. I assume that Ravi will have a criminal record that will follow him the rest of his life if he decides to remain in this country. In the end it will be up to God to render the final justice in this case.
I can only pray that we can somehow get young gays and lesbians the support system they need in order to deal with people such as Ravi.
Boo
May 31st, 2012 | LINK
Charles- there are two things we can know; his apology was insincere, and a young man is dead.
Disappointed
May 31st, 2012 | LINK
I think the explanation behind this “apology” can be found in this article.
Make of it what you will but this “apology” is just a cynical attempt to try and garner some sympathy for a person who still won’t admit that the choices that he made on those fateful days directly contributed to the death of another human being.
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