The Bilerico Project

Meet the Anti-Gay Woman Who Shredded the Komen Brand

Karen Ocamb — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:00:00 -0500

In a July 14, 2010, former Georgia Sec. of State Karen Handel was on a bus tour for her gubernatorial campaign when she was interviewed by 11Alive reporter Doug Richards. He asked her about a "sponsorship" check she wrote to the Log Cabin Republicans when she was running for Fulton County Commission chair, as well as other LGBT issues. Turns out - surprise, surprise - that the woman who is now considered responsible for the destruction of the Susan G. Koman for the Cure brand has an antigay history.

In this video she explains how she reached out to LCR to avoid them being "adversarial" towards her. She also notes that she not only supporters heterosexual-only marriage but opposes civil unions and domestic partner benefits "or anything like that." She expresses disappointment with the reporter for spending his time as an invited guest on the bus discussing gay issues.

See partial transcript and video after the break.

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Former 'Survivor' Contestant: 'I Don't Talk to Queers'

Michael Hamar — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:00:00 -0500

Living in Hampton Roads, it's impossible to escape the huge military presence and hearing about military related events. One such event was the 50th Anniversary event for the Navy SEALS, which were first organized in January of 1962. In honor of the occasion, more than 150 retired and active Navy SEALs attended a 50th anniversary ceremony Friday at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in nearby Virginia Beach. One of the two two featured speakers at the SEALS' 50th anniversary ceremony was Rudy Boesch, a retired Navy SEAL and locally, best known as a former cast member of the reality TV show Survivor.

Boesch apparently behaved himself until asked if he keeps in touch with any members from Survivor cast; Boesch's response was that "I don't talk to queers -- and when I say queer, I mean homosexuals." Not only was the comment uncalled for and inappropriate, placing those in active military status in an awkward position, it's not true.

First, I have known several gay SEAL team members, so it's all too likely Boesch has in fact spoken to gays in the military. He's simply too ignorant to know it. Moreover, years ago when we lived in the same neighborhood, Boesch spoke with me more than once. I was precinct captain for a political party and every time Boesch went to vote, he spoke to yours truly. Boesch typifies the ignorance of those who think they don't know and interact with gays on a regular basis.

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Research Study: Low IQ Correlates With Prejudice and Bigotry

Michael Hamar — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:00:00 -0500

I've often wondered how Christianists and the Tea Party crowd can cling to beliefs that defy logic and scientific fact. Now, thanks to a study out of Canada, we may have the answer: They're simply stupid. I mean, literally dumb from a low intelligence perspective.

The new study, done by researcher Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario, Canada, finds that those with low intelligence gravitate towards conservatism and are prone to embrace prejudice of things they don't understand or that are different. I can already hear Tony Perkins, Fox News talking heads and the anti-gay professional Christian set howling and bellowing that Hodson's work is biased or slanted.

When you think of about, however, the correlation tracks with a great deal of everyday experience in dealing with people. If you can't think for yourself, you're an easy target for demagogues who like to blame problems and failings on "the other."

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Why Do Legislators Listen to Unindicted Criminal Co-Conspirators?

Michael Hamar — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:30:00 -0500

With same sex marriage legislation now working through the legislatures of Maryland, New Jersey and Washington State, one of the strongest opponents to civil marriage equality will be Roman Catholic bishops. In some instances, perhaps the very same bishops whose dioceses were implicated in the cover up of sexual abuse crimes against children and youth.

I've asked the question before: why does anyone listen to these foul, morally bankrupt clerical bureaucrats? The question takes on new importance now that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has been named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the criminal case now pending in that city against Catholic priests.

CBS News looks at the development with these highlights:

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God Answers Rick Santorum's Prayer [Caption This]

Bil Browning — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:00 -0500

Is this the hands of God after a Rick Santorum prayer? You can see a larger version of the photo at the top here.

Hate Groups to Protest Southern Poverty Law Center

Bil Browning — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:00:00 -0500

Looks like Porno Pete LaBarbera has finally found a cause he can get behind other than trying to get behind leather men at street festivals! The anti-gay nutjob is leading a protest of the Southern Poverty Law Center to denounce the organization for putting his and other far-right extremist anti-LGBT groups on their list of official hate groups.

LaBarbera said the SPLC is engaged in a thinly-veiled, one-sided campaign to demonize adherents of traditional Judeo-Christian morality. He noted that despite the considerable hatred and anti-Christian bigotry emanating from homosexual activists (e.g., Dan Savage's vile hate-site, Santorum[dot]com), the SPLC has never labeled a "gay" organization or website as "hateful."

Could it be because LGBT organizations aren't advocating that Christianity be made illegal, Christians should be refused jobs because of their religion, Christians be stoned for their sins, Christians shouldn't be allowed to adopt because of their violent religion, or Christians be refused the sacrament of marriage since they've mucked it up so badly over the years?

The speakers list is a Who's Who of Mental Illness. LaBarbera is touting the gathering as "black pastors" confronting the prestigious hate group monitoring organization, but he also adds "and pro-family Christian and Jewish leaders" to help provide cover for the real stars like white-as-they-can-be hatemongers Linda Harvey and Matt Barber.

This is the same strategy the far right has used in Indiana. They try to use the African-American community as diversity shields they can hide behind. This allows them to pit minority groups against each other while they stand in the shadows like puppetmasters.

Pope Assigns Us Awesome Task

Leslie Robinson — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:00:00 -0500

Pope Benedict kicked off the new year by declaring gay marriage is a threat to humanity's future.

Apparently the pontiff will not be pussyfooting around in 2012.

On Monday, before an audience of diplomats posted to the Vatican, the pope said same-sex marriage was among several threats to the traditional family.

Glad we're not the only one. That really would be more responsibility than we can handle.

Benedict said that "pride of place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman."

"This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society. Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself."

Lordy. If we're going to destroy humanity, we need to get a move on.

Why God Did Not Write the Bible

Michael Hamar — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:00:00 -0500

I often criticize the Christianists and far right Christians who claim that the Bible is inerrant and engage in a form of idolatry that makes a mockery of their supposed self-professed beliefs in the Gospel message. Likewise, I often attribute the fear and hatred of others to their weak faith and fear of the unknown that pushes them to attack and denigrate anyone who is perceived to threaten their house of cards religious belief construct.

Interestingly enough, two different columns at Religion Dispatches look at the issue. One is in the form of an interview with retired Episcopal Bishop and author, John Shelby Spong, and the other is a column that looks at Rick Santorum's religiously twisted psyche and why he cannot accept that LGBT individuals are entitled to full equality under the nations (and states') civil laws.

I believe that these issues and criticisms of the Christianist mindset need to be pounded home over and over to undecided members of the public so that they will realize that it is the so-called "family values" crowd, not LGBT Americans, who are a threat to the principles of religious freedom upon which this nation was founded.

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Cardinal George Apologizes for Comparing Gays to KKK

John M. Becker — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:15:00 -0500

After Chicago Cardinal Francis George's statements comparing the LGBT movement to the Ku Klux Klan (in an interview airing on Christmas Day, no less) caused a widespread outcry and prompted calls for his resignation, George issued an apology Friday in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. Said the cardinal:

"I am truly sorry for the hurt my remarks have caused, particularly because we all have friends or family members who are gay and lesbian. This has evidently wounded a good number of people. I have family members myself who are gay and lesbian, so it's part of our lives. So I'm sorry for the hurt."

The brouhaha started when organizers of Chicago's annual gay pride parade drew up plans that would route the parade past Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, located on Belmont Avenue in the heart of Boystown, the city's gay district. The decision was absolutely not an adversarial one -- the parade had grown so large (in 2011, for example, it drew over 700,000 people) that its previous route was no longer able to address safety concerns including access for emergency vehicles. City officials and parade organizers worked together to set the new route.

The pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Rev. Thomas Srenn, was concerned that the new route would impede parishoners' access to morning Mass. Rather than contacting pride organizers, though, he instead encouraged his congregants to lobby their local alderperson. When the organizers found out about Rev. Srenn's concerns, they agreed to adjust the parade's start time. The issue appeared to be resolved until Cardinal George made his ill-advised and inflammatory remarks:

"[The pastor is] telling us that they won't be able to have Church services on Sunday, if that's the case. You know, you don't want the Gay Liberation Movement to morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism. So, I think if that's what's happening, and I don't know that it is, but I would respect the local pastor's, you know, position on that. Then I think that's a matter of concern for all of us."

George initially tried to defend the unfounded analogy in the days after his remarks were made public, saying on December 27 that parade organizers' actions "invited" the "obvious comparison." By the looks of Friday's apology, it would appear that the cardinal has changed his tune.

Reaction to George's apology was swift.

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Researcher Complains Anti-Gay Group Distorts Study

Bil Browning — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:30:00 -0500

Yet another researcher is lodging a complaint that an anti-gay group has distorted her work on LGBT people. This time Seton Hall professor Theodora Sirota is calling the National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) to the carpet for blatantly lying about her research.

Sirota studied the effect of gay dads raising girls while in heterosexual marriages. NARTH's Rick Fitzgibbons, however, published an article using Sirota's research to claim that children of same-sex parents don't fare as well as children raised "in stable homes with a mother and a father."

Fitzgibbons claims, "Researchers interviewed 68 women with gay or bisexual fathers and 68 women with heterosexual fathers. The women (average age 29 in both groups) with gay or bisexual fathers had difficulty with adult attachment issues in three areas: they were less comfortable with closeness and intimacy; they were less able to trust and depend on others; and they experienced more anxiety in relationships compared to the women raised by heterosexual fathers."

Sirota counters with this crazy thing called the truth. "[N]o conclusions about gay or lesbian fitness to adopt children or quality of active gay parenting can be drawn from the findings of my research. No conclusions about the well-being of children who are or were actively raised by gay or lesbian parents can be drawn from the findings of my research."

After all, the women studied were raised "with a mother and father" and those fathers are living the lie NARTH wants them to - they were in the closet and pretending to be straight. Same-sex couples aren't mentioned in the study at all.

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Hartford Archdiocese Offers Abstinence Group For Gays

D Gregory Smith — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:00:00 -0500

The Hartford Courant reports that:

The Hartford Archdiocese wants gays and lesbians to practice abstinence in the new year.

On Tuesday, the archdiocese announced it was launching a local chapter of a national ministry called Courage "to support men and women who struggle with homosexual tendencies and to motivate them to live chaste and fruitful lives in accordance with Catholic Church teachings."

In a press release, the archdiocese stated that its Office of Diaconate director, Robert Pallotti, had been working to establish an area program for more than four years. The Courage ministry is based in Norwalk, led by the Rev. Paul Check of the Bridgeport Diocese, and claims to have more than 100 chapters around the country.

Gay attraction is not the sin, the ministry preaches - only when one acts on those feelings is it immoral.

This teaching is based on the "natural law" argument: that sex is only appropriate when it is procreative - as shown/proven in/by the natural world - i.e. animals in nature.

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Even Santorum Didn't Imagine This! [Caption This]

Bil Browning — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:00:00 -0500

Sweet begonia! It looks like those religious nutjobs were right along. I'm guessing even Rick "Man on Dog" Santorum never imagined a wild swinging scene like this. Now the squirrels are kissing dinosaurs!

Which one will Jeebus condemn to the fire and brimstone?!? Dinosaurs totally roamed the land when the Bible was being written, y'all, so they're bound by all of God's laws or something. Totally. Squirrels? That's a little iffey. I hear they weren't on the ark actually; they're a love child from a rat and a weasel. Which, boys and girls, is why rats and weasels are held to the same level of contempt as snakes and why the dinosaur will get the loving retribution of a vengeful God. I'm guessing Jeebus wipes out all his relatives because that T Rex was totally asking for it. Look how's he's dressed.

(Hat tip to Kathy from the Sun. The photographer admits to putting a small seed in the toy dino's mouth.)

VIDEO: Ted Haggard Swaps Wives with Gary Busey

Karen Ocamb — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:00:00 -0500

OK, it's just a reality show - ABC's "Celebrity Wife Swap" - but it's still a little bit like fingernails scratching a blackboard that ABC thinks these dudes are the shining example of marriage not afforded to gay people.

Haggard, you might remember, resigned 5 years ago as leader of the then-important National Association of Evangelicals and pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs after a scandal involving a gay male prostitute and drugs. Haggard admitted to buying the drugs but said he didn't use them - and of course he denied he was gay or had gay sex.

Nonetheless, FoxLA "Good Day LA" co-host and gay favorite Jillian Reynolds talked to Haggard about gay marriage.

On Tuesday, they talked to us about the show via satellite... and let's just say the interview got a little awkward... after Jillian questioned Haggard about his stance on gay marriage.

Video after the break.

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How to Save Marriage: Religious Sex Toys

Michael Hamar — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:00:00 -0500

What makes a vibrator holy? That's a question investigated by an article The Daily Beast which demonstrates not only that (A) someone there has a great sense of humor but (B) the Christianists are truly dysfunctional when it comes to normal sex of any orientation. In particular, the post looks at the growing market for sex toys via online "religious" sex-toy shops.

Having checked out some of the online shops, they are too funny - especially the way in which sex toys are renamed and/or given new descriptions. Sample sites are "Covenant Spice" which describes itself as "Christ honoring sex and romance site for couples," and "Intimacy of Eden" which promises to ignite passion and romance for a healthy, heavenly marriage."

Apparently, the theory behind the products is that good sex will strengthen the marriages of the self-congratulatory pious set. After all, these "godly Christians" have been raised to view all things sexual as nasty and dirty. Even as they lust for it probably all the more in a perverse sort of the forbidden fruit is always more alluring phenomenon.

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Christians Put Gay Couples in the Crosshairs

Bil Browning — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:00:00 -0500

What the hell! Who thought this garbage is a good idea?

I'm guessing there's some Freudian explanation why the North Carolina Family Policy Council went with this imagery to promote the state's upcoming vote on whether or not to ban on same-sex marriage, but, geez, I just can't figure out what it could be...

If you need any further proof that these people don't just want to strip away your rights as American citizens and instead wish us dead, here it is. Don't forget it. This is how fundies show Jeebus' love.