News, analysis and fact-checking of anti-gay rhetoric
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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.Today’s Word Is “Stonewalling”
Jim Burroway
June 26th, 2009
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| The Word - Stonewalling | ||||
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Ummm… Perhaps
Timothy Kincaid
June 21st, 2009
Occasionally I’m amused at the disconnect between an article and its headline.
Today the Albany Times-Union has an article about the New York State Bar Association, the statewide organization of attorneys. The lawyer group has endorsed gay marriage as the “only viable way to establish marriage equality.”
The headline reads:
Bar group backs gay marriage right
Although, based on some attorneys I’ve met, they may not be that far off.
A New Wrinkle On Same-Sex Marriage
Jim Burroway
June 18th, 2009
The Onion has the details.
Today In Box Turtles
Jim Burroway
June 7th, 2009
Look in the lower right. Tom Toles’ editorial cartoon in today’s Washington Post warns of the dangers that Box Turtles pose to marriage:
For related information, see Aside, Just For Fun
COMMENTS (3) | LINK
Anti-anti-gay music video
Gabriel Arana
June 5th, 2009
Normally Box Turtle’s brow is a bit higher, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Often I am so engrossed in the discussion about gay rights that I forget how much I like gay people, how proud I am of the people in our community and how happy I am to be a part of it. Of course not all gay people are the same, but could you ever imagine this sort of humor coming out of the other camp? (Language NSFW)
Welcome to My Fraudulent Religion, Please Pay Tithes
Timothy Kincaid
June 4th, 2009
In a moment of bitter spitefulness, Peter LaBarbera sent an email to Jeremy Hooper, our friend who humorously tracks (and mocks) the nuttiness that is the hallmark of anti-gay activism at his site GoodAsYou.org:
After offering his ill-wishes for Jeremy’s upcoming wedding (yes, really), LaBarbera takes a swipe at gay Christians:
Homosexual behavior is always wrong, which is why the phrase “gay Christian” is so odd. Attaching it to the noble institution of marriage only compounds the sin. Just remember that it’s never to late to repent of this behavior, to humble yourself and embrace Jesus Christ through faith – and move on with your life in a way that is pleasing to God. Tim Kincaid’s pro-“gay” version of (c)hristianity is a fraud – don’t believe it. God bless.
Wait, what?
I have my own fraudulent pro-”gay” version of (c)hristianity? Where’s my mega-church? When do I get to buy three mansions and a lear jet?
But no. Alas. I’ve not started my own religion - with or without odd spelling and scare quotes. I just report my observations on the scholarly work of others, the conflict between Christ’s commandments to love and anti-gay theology’s political campaigns to make the lives of gay people more difficult, and the ever growing movement towards full inclusion of gay men and women into the life of the mainstream Christian church.
However, if you feel the need to send tithes to me, I won’t argue with you.
COMMENTS (8) | LINK
Marriage Equality Virtually Everywhere
Timothy Kincaid
June 4th, 2009
Lyle Masaki, posting at After Elton, is reporting that same-sex couples can marry on the newly-released Sims 3 roll playing computer game.
So when I bought my copy of the latest Sims game yesterday, I wanted to find out if gay couples had taken another step forward and now had the ability to get married like any other couple … and after a week of game time, I was able to get a male couple to plan a wedding party and tie the knot.
It’s nice to know that even in those states that have made it perfectly clear that they’d give more rights to chickens than to gay couples, you can still disappear into a world where you have virtual equality.
Betty Bowers Explains Bible-Based Marriage
Jim Burroway
June 4th, 2009
For related information, see Aside, Just For Fun, Marriage
COMMENTS (4) | LINK
Sex With Ducks
Jim Burroway
May 30th, 2009
Building on the “thirty-sexual orientations” lie, Pat Robertson last month asked his “700 Club” audience if passage of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act would protect people having sex with ducks. Garfunkel and Oates has the answer:
For related information, see Advocacy, Aside, Just For Fun
COMMENTS (6) | LINK
Defending Traditional Marriage
Jim Burroway
May 28th, 2009
Bill O’Reilly Endorses Our Site
Timothy Kincaid
May 12th, 2009
Well not really.
But in a debate over marriage equality with Fox News analyst Margaret Hoover, Bill found himself drawn to an argument similar to that which led to the selection of the name of this site.
HOOVER: I don’t buy into the slippery slope argument at all.
O’REILLY: You’d let everybody do whatever they want?
HOOVER: That’s the slippery slope argument. That’s if you allow one thing to happen, then another thing, and another thing.
O’REILLY: Hoover, you would let everybody get married who want to get married. You want to marry a turtle, you can.
For some unknown reason anti-gays just can’t fathom that the union of two people based on shared values, commitment to mutual care, and a deep and abiding love is not the equivalent to a little turtle lovin’.
For related information, see Anti-Gay Activists, Aside, Just For Fun, Marriage
COMMENTS (2) | LINK
Southern Comforts
Jim Burroway
May 3rd, 2009
Researchers at Kansas State University mapped the famous “Seven Deadly Sins” (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride) using various statistics to represent each of the sins. Lust was calculated by compiling the number of sexually transmitted diseases (HIV, AIDS, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea) reported per capita. This is what that looks like:
Is it any wonder some of our best literary figures come from the deep South?
For related information, see Aside, Just For Fun
COMMENTS (11) | LINK
Marriage Foes Need “Blond Bombshells With Nice Boobs”
Jim Burroway
May 2nd, 2009
Won’t you help today?
[Courtesy of Emily K]
For related information, see Advocacy, Aside, Just For Fun
COMMENTS (19) | LINK
Miss California not the Brightest Star in the Galaxy
Timothy Kincaid
April 27th, 2009
Much has been made over the answer given by Miss California, Carrie Prejean, to a gay marriage question from gay blogger Perez Hilton during the April 19 Miss USA Pageant:
Perez Hilton: “Vermont recently became the 4th state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit. Why or why not?”
Prejean: “Well I think its great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you very much.”
This question may well have cost Miss California the title of Miss USA. [See Update Below]
Those who favor marriage equality heaped scorn on her head while those who vision themselves as defenders of traditional marriage saw in her a champion. And that’s a role Carrie was quick to adopt.
But I think with that question specifically, it’s not about being politically correct. For me it was being biblically correct.
Frankly, all I saw was a vapid girl who validated every stereotype about the intellectual challenges of beauty queens.
I was a bit inclined to give her a little break on the factual accuracy of her answer (if not it’s content), assuming she was startled and perhaps a bit underprepared for an unexpected question. But yesterday Rex Wockner interviewed Miss Prejean and the words that tumbled out of her pretty little head left little question about the sophistication of Carrie’s thinking process.
This is Miss California, after a week of preparation about the subject of same-sex marriage, discussing the bases for sexual orientation:
Rex: I understand that you were raised to believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, and I understand that you grew up knowing that you were always going to marry a guy, but you’re heterosexual. Um, some people are born gay, maybe, you think?
Carrie: No, I don’t think so.
Rex: OK, so now we’re getting somewhere.
Carrie: I think it’s a behavior that develops over time.
Rex: Why would someone choose it, given that if you choose that, you get discriminated against?
Carrie: Um, because obviously Perez Hilton doesn’t think that there’s anything wrong with it.
Rex: No, but if being gay is a choice, rather than something you’re born with, why would you choose something that’s going to lead to your being discriminated against? What would be the motivation?
Carrie: I’m not sure what the motivation would be.
Rex: OK. Me either.
And here she is on marriage:
Rex: And, I guess, last question: What would be so wrong with two women who love each other getting married?
Carrie: What would be so wrong with two women that love each other?
Rex: What would be so wrong with that? Yeah.
Carrie: What don’t you see wrong with that?
Rex: I don’t see anything wrong with it.
Carrie: Why?
Poor dear. You can’t really blame folks for having the opinions of their parents when it’s quite clear that they lack the skills necessary to process information and come up with opinions of their own.
And I do think it appropriate that the anti-equality crowd now has a spokesperson whose intellect matches the arguments they make.
UPDATE:
It appears that Carrie Prejean was not the front runner for this competition. This seems to be a fiction spread by both those who wish to view Miss California as being duly punished for her bad behavior as well as by those who wish to see her as a martyr for her faith.
For related information, see Anti-Gay Activists, Just For Fun, Religion
COMMENTS (55) | LINK
There’s Something About Those NOM Commercials
Jim Burroway
April 10th, 2009
… which reminded Swedish blogger Tor Billgren of “The Shining”. The dialog also “brought to mind “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Maybe Maggie Gallagher is a Stanley Kubrick fan.
For related information, see Anti-Gay Activists, Aside, Just For Fun
COMMENTS (2) | LINK
RatziWrappers
Jim Burroway
March 27th, 2009
From the Telegraph:
A woman in Paris holds condoms with a picture of Pope Benedict XVI. This condoms were released to mock the pope after he rejected condoms as a weapon against AIDS during his African trip. (AFP/Getty)
Mel and Mike’s Amazing Race
Timothy Kincaid
March 24th, 2009
In 2000, I caught a screening of Chuck and Buck, a movie that was painfully awkward but memorable. Especially noticeable was Buck, an odd looking emotionally stunted young man living in a dream world of his own desire.
I didn’t pay too much attention to Mike White, the screenwriter and actor who played Buck. I had read that he was bisexual and I would catch his face from time to time in something, but I didn’t realize that he had written Orange County, The Good Girl, School of Rock, and Nacho Libre.
And I had no idea that he is Mel White’s son.
Mel, as many of you will know, is the founder of SoulForce, an organization that works for “freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance”.
Mel is also a former ghostwriter for fellow evangelicals, including Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, Jim Bakker, and Jerry Falwell. Needless to say, that career path stopped when Mel came out as gay.
And now America is being introduced to Mel and Mike on the Amazing Race. And, if comment boards, bloggers, and reviewers are anything to go by, they are among the most liked competitors.
Mel, especially, has been winning over unexpected supporters and giving a human face to a subset of Americans that is not well known to the public: gracious Christians. After decades of watching the self-righteous and the judgmental on television, Mel is a welcome treat.
We’ve seen Mel on a mountain - waiting for the right wind to hang-glide – telling the viewers that it would not be right to pray for divine help in a competition. We’ve seen Mel and Mike both place much higher priority in family support than in winning money.
But this week, we saw Mel snap at a cab driver in India. Only to then declare, “This race certainly isn’t important enough to dehumanize somebody else by yelling and screaming at ’em. So I’m gonna feel bad about it for the rest of the day.”
But they are not without their challenges. Mel suffered a groin injury early on. And at 68, he’s not likely to win many foot races. Yet somehow Mel and Mike keep coming in at the front of the pack. Mel, who found himself hauling water and hay this week, leapt ahead of much younger competitors by using the correct implements.
As a gay man with an evangelical Christian background, I feel a sense of ownership of Mel White. So it delights me to see that not only are they still in game, they are doing well. But I am particularly delighted that it is not Mel’s success but rather his graciousness, humility, dignity and compassion that are winning him support. And I’m glad that finally there is someone on television who doesn’t make me cringe when they say they are a Christian.
Quip of the Day
Timothy Kincaid
March 23rd, 2009
In a Letter to the Editor printed in the Salt Lake Tribune, Christian England concluded as follows:
You may think we’re out to convert your children and run the world, but we’re not the ones with missionaries.
Portia De Rossi Apologizes to Everyone Harmed By Her Marriage
Jim Burroway
March 21st, 2009
It’s about time somebody spoke up:
Look Up “Marriage” In The Dictionary
Jim Burroway
March 18th, 2009
You’ve heard that old canard. “The dictionary defines marriage as…” Well guess what? What’s good for the goose is now good for the gays. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines marriage this way:
Main Entry: mar·riage
Pronunciation: \ˈmer-ij, ˈma-rij\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English mariage, from Anglo-French, from marier to marry
Date: 14th century1 a (1) : the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2): the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage <same-sex marriage> b : the mutual relation of married persons: wedlock c : the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage
2 : an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected; especially: the wedding ceremony and attendant festivities or formalities
3 : an intimate or close union <the marriage of painting and poetry — J. T. Shawcross>
Make a note of it for future reference.
[Hat tip: Joe.My.God]
Update: Rex Wockner sent this in an email: In journalism school, I learned two definitions of “news”: 1) Something that just happened, 2) Something that people don’t know about yet. Today’s “definition of marriage” item falls into the second category. Merriam-Webster changed the definition in 2003, reports their PR guy, Arthur Bicknell. Thanks to my bud Corky at the Daily News for tracking that down. See attached Word document from Arthur. By the end of 2003, if memory serves, same-sex marriage was legal in only three places: the Netherlands, Belgium and the province of Ontario.
