Posts Tagged As: Peter LaBarbera

Peter LaBarbera Calls for “Civil Disobedience on a Massive Scale”

Jim Burroway

October 7th, 2014

From a press release:

Peter LaBarberaYesterday’s action by the Supreme Court only solidifies the idea that the powerful elites who dominate politics, media and culture do not care what the people think, expressed through the ballot box or their elected state legislators. And if “We the People’s” votes do not count, then We live not in freedom but under tyranny.

The notion that nine men and women in black robes know more about what constitutes marriage than 76 percent of Oklahoma’s voters is insulting and preposterous. Now is the time for civil disobedience on a massive scale: we hope that statesmen and citizens alike–in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Indiana, Utah and Virginia—indeed, any state where the people’s will has been robbed by elitist judges—will reassert their state sovereignty against escalating judicial supremacy.

Schadenfreude Alert

Jim Burroway

October 6th, 2014

The Family “Research” Council’s Tony Perkins says the sky is falling:

“Unfortunately, by failing to take up these marriage cases, the High Court will allow rogue lower court judges who have ignored history and true legal precedent to silence the elected representatives of the people and the voice of the people themselves by overturning state provisions on marriage. Even more alarming, lower court judges are undermining our form of government and the rights and freedoms of citizens to govern themselves. This judicially led effort to force same sex ‘marriage’ on people will have negative consequences for our Republic, not only as it relates to natural marriage but also undermining the rule of and respect for law.

“The Court decision ensures that the debate over natural marriage will continue and the good news is that time is not on the side of those who want to redefine marriage. As more states are forced to redefine marriage, contrary to nature and directly in conflict with the will of millions, more Americans will see and experience attacks on their religious freedom. Parents will find a wedge being driven between them and their children as school curriculum is changed to contradict the morals parents are teaching their children. As more and more people lose their livelihoods because they refuse to not just tolerate but celebrate same-sex marriage, Americans will see the true goal, which is for activists to use the Court to impose a redefinition of natural marriage on the entire nation.

Ryan T. Anderson is not throwing in the towel:

This is an unfortunate setback for sound constitutional self-government and a setback for a healthy marriage culture. …Declining to review these cases does not speak one way or the other to the merits of the cases. But it does leave in place bad rulings from lower courts—and it will make it harder for courts to do the right thing in the future.

Nevertheless, as citizens, we must rally in support of our constitutional authority to pass laws making marriage policy. We must insist that law and culture promote the truth about marriage.

Neither is NOM’s Brian Brown:

…[G]iven what the Supreme Court has allowed to happen, the only alternative to letting unelected judges impose their view of marriage on Americans across the country is to pursue a process that will allow the American people to decide for themselves what is marriage. It is critical not only to marriage but to the republican form of government in this country to amend the Constitution to reaffirm the meaning of marriage. We therefore call on the US Congress to move forward immediately to send a federal marriage amendment to the states for ratification.

“We call upon Americans vigorously to contest this development by turning to the political process, starting with the upcoming mid-term elections. We urge voters to hold politicians accountable and demand to know if they will accept the illegitimate act of attempting to redefine marriage or whether they will stand with the American people to resist. In particular, we urge Republicans to hold their party leaders to account, and to demand that they remain true to their belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman which was a pillar of the party’s founding in 1856, and remains essential to society’s well-being today.

Alliance Defending Freedom (formerly the Alliance Defense Fund), which is defending several of these states’ marriage bans, is doing all it can to keep that lipstick on the pig:

US Supreme Court holds off on taking up marriage issue

Monday, October 06, 2014

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Byron Babione regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Monday declining to hear cases involving marriage laws in several states, including petitions ADF attorneys filed in defense of Oklahoma’s and Virginia’s marriage laws:

“The court’s decision not to take up this issue now means that the marriage battle will continue. Several federal courts – including those in the 5th, 6th, 8th, and 11th circuits – still have cases working their way to the Supreme Court. ADF will continue to remain a leader in the critical effort for the freedom of the people. The people should decide this issue, not the courts.”

LaBarbera heads back to Chicago

Timothy Kincaid

April 15th, 2014

The Gazette is reporting that Peter LaBarbera has been released from custody and, in agreement with Canadian border control, has decided to call his stay short and return to the States.

An American anti-gay and pro-life activist has decided to voluntarily cut his visit to Saskatchewan short following another run-in with the Canadian Border Services Agency.

Peter LaBarbera was questioned by CBSA Tuesday morning in relation to his arrest at the University of Regina on Monday.

The Regina Police Service held LaBarbera in custody overnight at CBSA’s request, said police spokeswoman Elizabeth Popowich in an email Tuesday morning.

LaBarbera had been initially denied entry to Canada on April 10 under hate speech laws. He appealed and won, under the agreement he would leave the country by April 17.

It seems that he had scheduled to visit another university today, but decided that the martyr thing was more fun in theory than in practice.

LaBarbera arrested in Canada

Timothy Kincaid

April 15th, 2014


Much to Peter LaBarbera’s disappointment, Canada allowed him to enter the country. It didn’t stop those who are part of the anti-gay industry to rant about how The Peter was languishing in jail, despairing but resilient, but his brief detainment for review just didn’t have quite the impact he was hoping for.

However, the police in Regina, Saskatchewan, obliged The Peter in arresting him and finally awarding him the martyrs crown that he so desperately sought. (CBC)

U.S. anti-gay activist Peter LaBarbera and a Saskatchewan man were arrested on the University of Regina campus on Monday and will be charged with mischief, police said.

At one point, with news cameras rolling, an unidentified university official approached Whatcott, 46, and LaBarbera, 51, and asked them to leave. During that encounter, Whatcott said he had attempted to get permission to set up an information table and, since he was denied, proceeded to set up a table anyway.

“I’m not leaving,” Whatcott told the official, “You guys are intolerant and should be ashamed of yourselves for shutting down our message without even considering it.”

A short while later, several Regina police officers arrived and Whatcott and LaBarbera were handcuffed and taken off campus.

I’m not sure what other option the police had; clearly The Peter and Whatcott were violating an legal request to leave. However, I think the university would have been wiser to let him stand there with his smutty pictures and his vile positions and ignore him.

And the school could probably have done without the following statement, which appears to have been made without the slightest registration of the inherent irony.

“We are a diverse campus, we are a welcoming campus,” Tom Chase, one of the vice presidents of the university said. “We celebrate that diversity and our staff felt that the material and some of the things they had with them simply contravened that policy and we asked them to leave.”

The school is certainly within its rights to deny a public spectacle. But it’s an unfortunate decision when an institution of learning chooses to define “diversity” in such a way as to limit viewpoint or restrict perspective.

LaBarbera will now be questioned by border officials and is scheduled to appear in court on mischief charges on May 26.

UPDATE:

It appears that the t shirt The Peter is wearing says:

NO to HATE CRIMES Against CHRISTIANS who Disagree with HOMOSEXUALITY

and has the picture of Mary Stachowicz, who was murdered in 2002 by a deranged young gay man whom she had been harassing. Because martyrdom.

LaBarbera detained in Canada (Updated)

Timothy Kincaid

April 11th, 2014

Peter LaBarbera of the ironically named Americans for Truth about Homosexuality was scheduled to participate in the Saskatchewan Pro-Life Association this weekend. I’m not sure what Canadian pro-life has to do with American homosexual truth, but this event appears to be a gathering of the religiously disgruntled and The Peter definitely fits in that crowd.

However, something called Intolerance Free Weyburn initiated a complaint to have him barred from entry to Canada. And The Peter is reporting that it worked. (AFTAH)

After questioning me about the purpose of my scheduled presentation at the SPLA event; rifling through my luggage, which contained numerous books and literature related to homosexuality (pro and con); examining the contents of my laptop and my cell phone; playing a DVD of my speech Wednesday at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio; and critically viewing AFTAH’s website–a preliminary decision was made to deny my entrance into Canada on the basis that my speech at the SPLA would violate Canada’s “Hate Propaganda” law (essentially the potential for “public incitement of hatred” against a group of people based on their “sexual orientation”). The Orwellian experience at Customs dragged on for more than three hours as a formal document was issued outlining my denial of entry under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (citing the Hate Propaganda code). Finally, after 1:00 A.M., I was released pending my appeal of the decision today (Friday). My passport was seized until I arrive back at Customs today at noon for my appeal before a “Minister’s Delegate Review.”

I favor freedom of speech. And while I have no say in how Canadians choose to structure their society, I do hope that the US does not go down the road of silencing the voices of those who do not fit current social or political norms.

But irrespective of Canada’s laws, this was not a wise choice.

Peter LaBarbera was scheduled to go talk to people who already agree with him. And should his presentation ever reach those who were not already convinced of the evils of Teh Ghey, that can be a good thing. After a few minutes of The Peter, most decent souls feel a compulsion to wrap themselves in a rainbow flag and march for marriage equality.

This move accomplishes no real tangible advance for our community. It merely feeds the narrative that anti-gay activists are weaving about how homofascists are trying to shut them up and how True Christians are under attack. It gives a physical example to rally around. And for someone who knows nothing about the Peter, he does come across as the sympathetic character in the situation.

Already fellow travelers have taken up the cause of portraying The Peter as a victim of oppression. Over at Matt Barber’s BarbWire, Laurie Higgins is wailing about how he was “detained by the Canadian thought police who searched his luggage, computer, and phone” (though I’ll give her credit for spelling my name correctly).

And though LaBarbera’s undoubtedly elated about his ability to now wear the marty’s suit, it must have been a harrowing experience. And since then, I’m sure that he’s been bored, stuck waiting for a response to his appeal.

But fortunately The Peter brought “literature related to homosexuality” and if he’s been afforded any privacy, I’m sure that the selections from his vast collection of gay porn have been put to good use.

In his ongoing efforts to document the seedier side of gay life.

Update by Jim B: LaBarbera says they’re letting him in after all.

Peter LaBarbera and Scott Lively Are Getting Hitched

Jim Burroway

February 20th, 2014

They’re joining forces to form a new anti-gay organization:

A press conference will be held to announce the formation of a new organization, the Coalition for Family Values, whose purpose is to unify and coordinate pro-family groups around the United States and the world to more effectively oppose the now-global LGBT agenda.

Press Conference Details

When: Friday, February 21, 10:00 a.m.

Where:
National Press Club,
Zenger Room,
529 14th Street N.W.,
Washington, DC

The coalition is being organized by Dr. Scott Lively of Defend the Family International, based in Springfield, Massachusetts, and Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH), based outside Chicago, Illinois — with the assistance of other existing pro-family groups and leaders in the United States and abroad.

The first action of the coalition will be to issue a statement of support for the Russian pro-family laws of 2013 and 2014 — e.g., the prohibition of pro-homosexual propaganda to minors — and to urge other nations of the world to follow the Russian example.

This is the first instance I’ve noticed where Lively has appended the word “International” to the name of his outfit.

Peter LaBarbera Wants to Throw You In Prison

Jim Burroway

December 10th, 2013

Of course, he can’t do that in his home state of Illinois or any of the other states and territories of the United States. But Jamaica still has its colonial-era buggery law which means you can be imprisoned for ten years. That seems to be to LaBarbera’s liking, because he went through the effort and expense to travel there for a conference put on by two anti-gay Jamaican outfits, the Jamaican Coalition for a Healthy Society and the Christian Lawyers’ Association in Kingston to urge them not to rescind their buggery law:

I do not stand with my government. I’m a patriotic American, but I do not stand with the current United States government in its promotion of homosexuality and gender confusion. But I do stand with the Jamaican people … I pray that you will learn from our mistakes and from lessons of history and avoid the inevitable moral corruption and health hazards and the danger to young people that come from capitulating to this sin movement that calls itself gay. It is almost now can be predicted with 100 percent accuracy, if the law is a teacher: If you take down this law, it will only lead to more demands. Appeasement does not work.

A lot of pro-gay web sites are being rather mealy-mouthed about what LaBarbera’s doing. They’re saying things like he went to Jamaica to “export homophobia” or “promote hate.” But he’s doing something much, much more specific: the “if-you-take-down-this-law” in question is the buggery law, the law that threatens gay and lesbian Jamaicans with lengthy prison terms, and which, by that very threat, gives homophobes and police open license to assault LGBT Jamaicans, to rape lesbians, to murder gay men and women in their homes, on the streets, in the stores, or wherever else they find them, and to call on others to do the same or to explain it away. And why not assault them? What can they do? Go to the police and risk arrest and imprisonment? The very same police which is, in some cases either assaulting or standing by while others assault them.

But in case that’s not enough to bring out the vigilantes, LaBarbera threw out some classic red meat to the crowd:

LaBarbera, a longtime activist opposing LGBT rights in America, said he was working on a book on the connection between “homosexual activism and pedophiles.” He said that after winning rights like marriage and protection for gay kids in schools, U.S. activists were now championing the rights of MAPS, or “minor-attracted persons.”

“Homosexuals are always on offense,” he said. “It’s another secret that American activists don’t like to tell is that NAMBLA, the North American Man-Boy Love Association, used to march in gay pride parades.”

LaBarbera is far from alone. On this trip he was joined by Andrea Minichiello Williams, founder of United Kingdom’s Christian Concern. She also wants to throw you in prison, and let there be no mistaking that:

Williams warned that removal of Britain’s sodomy law was the start of a process that has led to more and more permissive laws, including equalizing the age of consent laws for homosexual and heterosexual intercourse.

“Once you strip away all this stuff, what you get is no age consent … nobody ever enforces that law anymore,” she said. “We already have a strong man-boy movement that’s moving in Europe.”

LaBarbera goes for new title

Timothy Kincaid

December 1st, 2013


Peter LaBarbera is probably known best for three things: the vast collection of gay porn he has assembled for his anti-gay research (earning him the nickname “Porno Pete”), his deliciously absurd rantings about The Homosexual Agenda, and his abject failure to get anyone in Illinois to pay attention to him. But now he’s seeking fame for a new accomplishment: the record for the most instances of scare quotes in one article.

In Pete’s writings, gay becomes “gay” (because they aren’t gay at all, they’re miserable godless homosexuals) and gay marriage becomes homosexual “marriage” (because it’s not marriage at all, no, no, no it’s not!). So it’s pretty common for LaBarbera’s rants to have more than their share of misplaced and improperly used quotation marks.

But in his most recent recitation of his record of wrongs, all the instances – real or contrived – in which Christians have been imposed upon in some manner, Pete really outdoes himself.

Now I can’t claim a clean tally, as LaBarbera is rather grammatically challenged to begin with and hasn’t the slightest clue how to use quotations correctly. For example, he puts The Rush Limbaugh Show in quotations, along with his own created Victims of Homosexualism list. And some are questionable; was LaBarbera quoting someone when he insisted that gays are not “civil rights victims”, or does he not believe that such a thing exists?

Anyway, allowing for subjective calls on my part, I get a grand total of 111 separate instances of scare quotes in his article. And that’s pretty impressive.

Perhaps he should now be known as Porno Pete, the King of Scare Quotes.

And look who showed up

Timothy Kincaid

November 21st, 2013

While most protest to the marriage bill was celebrating an exorcism, the Chicago Police cordoned off a space in front of the UIC Forum – where the signing ceremony was being held – for protest, should anyone wish to do so. And look who showed up, our old buddy Peter LaBarbera, the head of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality.

Poor, poor Peter. He looks a bit lonely.

(photo shamelessly stolen from Joe.My.God)

Schadenfreude Alert

Jim Burroway

November 5th, 2013

From an Illinois resident:

Reactions to Exodus’s Closing Continues To Pour In

Jim Burroway

June 20th, 2013

Also, this:

HRC Promotes LaBarbera’s “Press Conference” at HRC HQ

Jim Burroway

June 5th, 2013

Peter LaBarbera, whose sparsely attended press conference yesterday in front of the Human Rights Campaign headquarters (“the world’s most powerful homosexual lobby organization,” he calls it) but hidden away behind a temporary construction wall, “was a success,” so sez The Peter. I guess HRC agrees. They posted video of the event so you don’t have to miss it.

A sad sad day for The Peter

Timothy Kincaid

January 15th, 2013

20130114-224830.jpg

I think this one needs some imaginary context. So picture, if you will, a huge cruise ship pulling away from dock right on schedule. And if I can so direct you mind, place a passenger on the dock stamping his feet, furious that everyone dared, dared, to sail away and leave him behind.

Got it? Okay, now here’s Peter LaBarbera on the court settlement ensuring that (some) gay soldiers get the same discharge pay as heterosexual soldiers. (OneNewsNow)

“When the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ repeal was first proposed, we didn’t hear anything about giving money to past soldiers who were let go under the policy of excluding homosexuals based on their homosexual behavior,” he tells OneNewsNow.

“Now we’re paying for discharged homosexuals as if we did something wrong. We did not do something wrong.”

Ah that’s a good piña colada. But wait, there on the dock, is that a little man screaming and waving his arms and throwing a fit? No, no, I’m sure you’re right. I’m sure it’s nothing.

Peter LaBarbera Reacts

Jim Burroway

November 8th, 2012

His side lost because they weren’t nasty enough:

Pro-family advocates must stop looking for short cuts and return to their principled duty of educating citizens – especially brainwashed youth — on why homosexual behavior is wrong, unnatural, unhealthy and – most important – changeable. (Thousands of former homosexuals like DL Foster testify to the reality of ex-“gay” change.)

Reframing the debate to “defending marriage” – a “positive” approach once seen as the salvation of the pro-family movement – only gave well-organized “gay” activists a big, fat target to shoot at: “Marriage.” And on Tuesday, they scored several direct hits on that target. By pretending that the fight to preserve real marriage is somehow separate from homosexuality, pro-family advocates undermined their core principles – leading to long-term (and even short-term) defeat.

Who are we kidding? This titanic fight has always been about homosexuality, not just “defending marriage.” We need to stop conceding the moral high ground in a fearful bid to appear “tolerant”: one pro-family group, Protect Marriage Maine, asserted that “same-sex couples are entitled to respect” – a claim at odds with historic Scriptural teaching. While Christians should respect all persons as made in God’s image, we must never “respect” behaviors and relationships grounded in sexual sin.

Meanwhile on Twitter…

Jim Burroway

May 8th, 2012

It looks like someone want’s Dan Savage to pay attention to him.

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