The Gaytheist Agenda

Scott Lively has made it his life’s mission to promote intolerance toward LGBT people. He tours the world spreading virulent lies including his particular brand of Holocaust revisionism. He visited Uganda to push the meme that gay people are a menace to society, and to humanity.

Now that Uganda wants to implement barbaric, lethal anti-gay legislation Lively denies he had anything to do with it, and that he is a victim in all of this.

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For three days, according to participants and audio recordings, thousands of Ugandans, including police officers, teachers and national politicians, listened raptly to the Americans, who were presented as experts on homosexuality. The visitors discussed how to make gay people straight, how gay men often sodomized teenage boys and how “the gay movement is an evil institution” whose goal is “to defeat the marriage-based society and replace it with a culture of sexual promiscuity.”

Now the three Americans are finding themselves on the defensive, saying they had no intention of helping stoke the kind of anger that could lead to what came next: a bill to impose a death sentence for homosexual behavior.
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Donor countries, including the United States, are demanding that Uganda’s government drop the proposed law, saying it violates human rights, though Uganda’s minister of ethics and integrity (who previously tried to ban miniskirts) recently said, “Homosexuals can forget about human rights.”
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The three Americans who spoke at the conference — Scott Lively, a missionary who has written several books against homosexuality, including “7 Steps to Recruit-Proof Your Child”; Caleb Lee Brundidge, a self-described former gay man who leads “healing seminars”; and Don Schmierer, a board member of Exodus International, whose mission is “mobilizing the body of Christ to minister grace and truth to a world impacted by homosexuality” — are now trying to distance themselves from the bill.
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Mr. Lively and Mr. Brundidge have made similar remarks in interviews or statements issued by their organizations. But the Ugandan organizers of the conference admit helping draft the bill, and Mr. Lively has acknowledged meeting with Ugandan lawmakers to discuss it. He even wrote on his blog in March that someone had likened their campaign to “a nuclear bomb against the gay agenda in Uganda.” Later, when confronted with criticism, Mr. Lively said he was very disappointed that the legislation was so harsh.
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Uganda has also become a magnet for American evangelical groups. Some of the best known Christian personalities have recently passed through here, often bringing with them anti-homosexuality messages, including the Rev. Rick Warren, who visited in 2008 and has compared homosexuality to pedophilia. (Mr. Warren recently condemned the anti-homosexuality bill, seeking to correct what he called “lies and errors and false reports” that he played a role in it.)
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Men like Scott Lively and Rick Warren incite genocide in the name of their “deeply held religious beliefs” while pretending it is they who are under attack. How long are people going to allow Lively, Warren and other proponents of anti-gay hate to continue this cycle? How many people have to suffer and die before the rational world declares “enough is enough”?

While this is my first post on the current events in Iran I have been following the situation. There’s so much happening there and so many stories to tell but this one, in particular, struck me. Her name is believed to have been Neda, which translates into “the call” in Farsi, and she was brutally murdered in the streets during a protest in Tehran. ***Warning: Stories and videos contain graphic content (descriptions and depictions of real-life violence). ***

Huffington Post: Iran Updates : Live-Blogging The Uprising

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2:23 PM ET — Neda before she was shot. A reader forwards this video showing Neda (in the black shirt and blue jeans) and her father (blue striped shirt) during the rally. Another reader sends an unconfirmed report of a memorial service for Neda planned for tomorrow at 5PM at Niloufar mosque at Abas Abad, Tehran.

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10:27 AM ET — What Neda’s father said. The image of Neda, a young Iranian woman, being shot and killed in the streets yesterday has become a rallying cry for Iranian reformists and their allies internationally. If you haven’t seen the video, I’m reposting it below, but please be warned, it is very very graphic.

A reader who couldn’t quite make out what her father was saying in the video understood after learning that her name is Neda. He sent in the transcript: “Neda, don’t be afraid. Neda, don’t be afraid. (There is yelling and screaming.) Neda, stay with me. Neda stay with me!”

Time: In Iran, One Woman’s Death May Have Many Consequences

Iran’s revolution has now run through a full cycle. A gruesomely captivating video of a young woman — laid out on a Tehran street after apparently being shot, blood pouring from her mouth and then across her face — swept Twitter, Facebook and other websites this weekend. The woman rapidly became a symbol of Iran’s escalating crisis, from a political confrontation to far more ominous physical clashes. Some sites refer to her as “Neda,” Farsi for the voice or the call. Tributes that incorporate startlingly upclose footage of her dying have started to spring up on YouTube.

Although it is not yet clear who shot “Neda” (a soldier? pro-government militant? an accidental misfiring?), her death may have changed everything. For the cycles of mourning in Shiite Islam actually provide a schedule for political combat — a way to generate or revive momentum. Shiite Muslims mourn their dead on the third, seventh and 40th days after a death, and these commemorations are a pivotal part of Iran’s rich history. During the revolution, the pattern of confrontations between the shah’s security forces and the revolutionaries often played out in 40-day cycles.
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“Neda” is already being hailed as a martyr, a second important concept in Shiism. With the reported deaths of 19 people Saturday, martyrdom also provides a potent force that could further deepen public anger at Iran’s regime.
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Because of Hussein, revolt against tyranny became part of Shiite tradition. Indeed, protest and martyrdom are widely considered duties to God. And nowhere is the practice more honored than in Iran, the world’s largest Shiite country.

The revolutionaries exploited the deep passion about martyrdom as well as the timetable of Shiite mourning in whipping up greater opposition to Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. With the deaths of “Neda” and others, they may now find the same phenomena used against them.

 
Regrettably it’s likely Neda is among the first of many to lose their lives in this revolution.

 

Given Obama’s latest blatant trashing of LGBT rights, and the fact that it is Pride Month, I thought it fitting to write about the Yobyakarta Principles, which “address a broad range of international human rights standards and their application to issues of sexual orientation and gender identity”. I discovered them through ZackFordBlogs.

Overview:

Preamble: The Preamble acknowledges human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, establishes the relevant legal framework, and provides definitions of key terms.

Rights to Universal Enjoyment of Human Rights, Non-Discrimination and Recognition before the Law: Principles 1 to 3 set out the principles of the universality of human rights and their application to all persons without discrimination, as well as the right of all people to recognition before the law.

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Rights to Human and Personal Security: Principles 4 to 11 address fundamental rights to life, freedom from violence and torture, privacy, access to justice and freedom from arbitrary detention.

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Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Principles 12 to 18 set out the importance of non-discrimination in the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, including employment, accommodation, social security, education and health.

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Rights to Expression, Opinion and Association: Principles 19 to 21 emphasise the importance of the freedom to express oneself, one’s identity and one’s sexuality, without State interference based on sexual orientation or gender identity, including the rights to participate peaceably in public assemblies and events and otherwise associate in community with others.

Example:
· A peaceful gathering to promote equality on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity was banned by authorities, and participants were harassed and intimidated by police and extremist nationalists shouting slogans such as “Let’s get the fags” and “We’ll do to you what Hitler did with Jews” (report of the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia & related intolerance).

Freedom of Movement and Asylum: Principles 22 and 23 highlight the rights of persons to seek asylum from persecution based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

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Rights of Participation in Cultural and Family Life: Principles 24 to 26 address the rights of persons to participate in family life, public affairs and the cultural life of their community, without discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Example:
· States have an obligation not to discriminate between different-sex and same-sex relationships in allocating partnership benefits such as survivors’ pensions (decision of the UN Human Rights Committee).

Rights of Human Rights Defenders: Principle 27 recognises the right to defend and promote human rights without discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and the obligation of States to ensure the protection of human rights defenders working in these areas.

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Rights of Redress and Accountability: Principles 28 and 29 affirm the importance of holding rights violators accountable, and ensuring appropriate redress for those who face rights violations.

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Additional Recommendations: The Principles set out 16 additional recommendations to national human rights institutions, professional bodies, funders, NGOs, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN agencies, treaty bodies, Special Procedures, and others.

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Read about the Yogyakarta Principles in detail.

LGBT rights are human rights, and they are civil rights. They are not “one issue”, a “pet issue” or something to be dismissed. They are long overdue and there are no legitimate excuses for denying them. Ever.

 

Today is Blogging Against Disablism Day.

This is the day where all around the world. Disabled and non-disabled people will blog about their experiences, observations and thoughts about disability discrimination. In this way, we hope to raise awareness of inequality, promote equality and celebrate the progress we’ve made.

As frequent readers of TGA may know, I worked for two decades in Human Services with adults who had a variety of disability diagnoses. I also have numerous family members with disabilities. I’m a strong advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and detest all forms of discrimination against them.

I’ve seen many forms of discrimination against people with disabilities, or disablism. Just a few of them include:

*Presuming the disability diagnosis defined the individual/putting the label first instead of seeing the person before the disability.
*Talking to a family member or caregiver rather than the individual based on the assumption that the individual cannot speak for themselves and/or cannot understand.
*Assuming the individual is incompetent rather than presuming competence just as one would with a person who doesn’t have a disability label.
*Ignoring the individual’s expressed desires and needs based on the presumption that they’re “too disabled” to really understand anything.
*Treating the individual as a perpetual child regardless of their chronological age.

For more information: Queers United has a wonderful list of links for the LGBT disabled community and Diary of a Goldfish provides dozens of links to other BAD and disability related posts.

No, I’m afraid I’m not doing it. I got far to little sleep last night. I even had a nightmare with a nasty man screaming in my face “You’re not really married!”. I imagine it was due to the overwhelming anxiety I’ve been experiencing over today’s hearing. But my wife, thankfully, is live blogging the proceedings. Head on over to the Newswire for a frequently updated account. Refresh the page every few minutes for the latest information.

 

Indeed. Why should we be forced to garner the “permission” of millions of voters to marry the individual we love? It’s not only cruel and injust, it’s an affront to human rights and dignity.

 

The detainee abuse at Guantánamo has been in the news for years. Amnesty International will be bringing it to Americans in a way that makes it more real than any photos or video ever could.

Amnesty International is bringing a life-size model of a maximum security cell at Guantánamo to cities across the USA. The tour is a way to enable people in the United States to get a glimpse of the harsh realities of illegal detention and prolonged isolation.

Most of the detainees at Guantánamo are held in isolation, many of them with virtually no access to natural light or contact with other human beings, for up to 24 hours a day. Compounding their suffering is the fact that they have no indication of when or if they will be freed from Guantánamo.
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Starting in Miami on 8 May, the tour will make a stop in Washington D.C. on 26 June, to mark International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

Visitors to the cell are encouraged to enter and to experience the conditions of isolation and then share their experience in a video message. Watch a panoramic photo from inside the model cell to get an idea. And before leaving, they can also take action to end illegal US detentions at Guantánamo and elsewhere.

 


 
The tour has gone to Miami, and plans to visit Philadelphia, Portland (ME), New York, Washington DC and Los Angeles. For more information see the Amnesty International site.

 

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Holocaust Remembrance Day is a day that has been set aside for remembering the victims of the Holocaust and for reminding Americans of what can happen to civilized people when bigotry, hatred and indifference reign. The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, created by act of Congress in 1980, was mandated to lead the nation in civic commemorations and to encourage appropriate Remembrance observances throughout the country. Observances and Remembrance activities can occur during the week of Remembrance that runs from the Sunday before through the Sunday after the actual date.

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The Holocaust is not merely a story of destruction and loss; it is a story of an apathetic world and a few rare individuals of extraordinary courage. It is a remarkable story of the human spirit and the life that flourished before the Holocaust, struggled during its darkest hours, and ultimately prevailed as survivors rebuilt their lives.

Ultimately the death toll reached about:
Six million Jews
2-3 million Soviet POWs
1.8-2 million Poles
220,000–500,000 Roma
200,000–250,000 Disabled
80,000–200,000 Freemasons
5,000–15,000 Gay men
2,500–5,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses

A monument honoring the gay and lesbian victims of the Holocaust is to be built in Meir Garden in Tel Aviv.

A quarter of a million homosexuals were persecuted during the Holocaust, and tens of thousands were murdered because the Nazi Party believed their sexual preference to be deviant. In the concentration camps in which they were imprisoned, gay men were forced to wear a pink triangle while lesbian women wore a black patch.
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The monument is to be the first in Israel to commemorate these victims, though four of its kind exist worldwide, in Sydney, Copenhagen, Berlin, and Amsterdam. It has been designed as an iron triangle, on which the victims’ names are to be inscribed.

I am simply overwhelmed whenever I read or hear about the Holocaust. It is indeed one of the deepest, darkest stains on the history of humankind.

 

The National Day of Silence is a day LGBTs and their allies remain silent to bring attention to the LGBTs who are silenced by anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. This year’s DOS is being held in remembrance of Lawrence King, the 15-year-old boy from Oxnard, CA, who was killed because of his sexual orientation and gender expression.

I’m not a student nor am I in any way affiliated with a school. However I am a lesbian so I obviously support LGBT equality and fight bigotry and bullying in every way I can. Accordingly I will honor the Day of Silence on The Gaytheist Agenda. All posts on April 25th will be made without text, save for the title, and without audio content. It will be somewhat challenging for me, and probably for my readers as well, but the goal is certainly worth it.

 

About a week ago I posted Ask the Gaytheist. My first question comes from thewalrus whose e-mail address is, it seems, fyou@******. Alrighty then, let’s get to the question:

how does an atheist have the odds stacked against him? All the hipster protesters are atheists and everyone hears them practicing their right to free speech. Here is the shocking part though… nobody cares

I’m going to break that down into three separate parts to make things easier. First; how does an atheist have the odds stacked against him?

As you are likely aware, the majority of people in the United States profess belief in God and adherence to a religion. According to a 2001 study 76.5% of adults over age 18 report being members of a Christian faith and 3.7% report being Jewish, Muslim or Buddhist. 13.2% claim “no religion”, 0.5% agnostic and only 0.4% reported being atheist. It’s possible, even probable, that some in the “no religion” category (or even one of the other groups) are atheists who were unwilling to say as much due to societal prejudices. Nonetheless the fact is we are greatly outnumbered by theists and followers of religion.

A 2006 study by the University of Minnesota found that atheists were the most despised group in America. The results from two of the most important questions were:

This group does not at all agree with my vision of American society…

Atheist: 39.6%
Muslims: 26.3%
Homosexuals: 22.6%
Hispanics: 20%
Conservative Christians: 13.5%
Recent Immigrants: 12.5%
Jews: 7.6%

I would disapprove if my child wanted to marry a member of this group….

Atheist: 47.6%
Muslim: 33.5%
African-American 27.2%
Asian-Americans: 18.5%
Hispanics: 18.5%
Jews: 11.8%
Conservative Christians: 6.9%
Whites: 2.3%

Negative attitudes like these stem from a number of common misperceptions about atheists. It is believed, for example, that atheists (because they don’t believe in gods) have no reason to behave morally/ethically, that they want to impose atheism or secularism on America, and that in place of gods atheists worship themselves/money/Satan. While none of these perceptions are even remotely true, they’re widespread and very difficult to change in the eyes of those who hold them.

Thanks to the misperceptions about atheism and atheists, there is a great deal of discrimination toward atheists.

Gray, Tennessee: Carletta Sims joined a financial firm in June 2001. Shortly afterward, two Baptist coworkers took offense upon learning that Sims was an atheist. Management granted the coworkers’ request to be assigned workspaces further from Sims. When Sims complained about a picture of Jesus left on her computer, management discharged her. Sims filed suit, seeking $250,000; U.S. District Judge Thomas Hull ruled that “religious discrimination (or preferential treatment of Christians) can be inferred.” In January 2004, the major bank that had since acquired the firm settled with Sims for an undisclosed amount.

Ada, Oklahoma: A Baptist student told a local newspaper she wouldn’t take professor William Zellner’s classes because he was an atheist, triggering a flurry of abuse. Zellner received harassing notes and telephone calls, some threatening. His car was vandalized, for a time on a daily basis. A local church sold “I am praying for Dr. Zellner” buttons. His children experienced shunning and beatings from religious children.

Minneapolis, Minnesota: First-grader Michael Bristor, an atheist, was denied an honor roll certificate when he refused to participate in an unconstitutional “prayer time” at a public school. For three years, administrators ignored the family’s complaints until a lawsuit was filed.

The case of Chuck Smalkowski of Oklahoma gained national attention. Smalkowski’s daughter refused to pray with her basketball team before games and was then thrown off the team on grounds based on lies. When Smalkowski attempted to discuss the matter with the school principal the principal struck Smalkowski and the two fell to the ground. The principal pressed charges claiming Smalkowski had assaulted him. Smalkowski won in court.

Discrimination against atheists is written into numerous state constitutions effectively restricting atheists from running for public office. Though these restrictions are no longer technically valid, they’re still in the constitutions. More importantly, the societal bias against atheists is so entrenched that it ensures none will be elected to most offices–particularly the presidency. For example, notice in particular how presidential candidates must profess their faith (Christianity, of course) endlessly in order to be considered acceptable. Mitt Romney raised many eyebrows because he is a Mormon, and Barack Obama is continuously under fire with accusations that he is a Muslim. Then there is this article that insists America is right to resist an atheist president. No, an atheist has no chance of becoming president any time soon in America.

It is not uncommon for atheists to lose custody of their children simply because the are atheists, particularly if the other parent is religious and the judge is also religious. It is often felt that an atheist is unfit to raise children and/or that children should be raised in a religion. Atheists also have a harder time adopting children than do their believing counterparts.

Then there are these bigoted quotes from various individuals that show how deeply entrenched anti-atheist sentiments are in America. This is a small sampling, mind you.

“No, I don’t know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.” George H.W. Bush

“No, I agree with her 100 percent. I think that the real discrimination is atheists against Americans who are religious. Listen, we are a Christian nation. I’m not a Christian. I’m Jewish, but I recognize we’re a Christian country and freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom from religion.” Debbie Schlussel

“I don’t mind receiving the atheist hate mail, since I know that in a few years, many of these same people will either be Muslim extremists (redundant) or helping the country fall further in its fight against the creep of Islamic imposition on America . . . or both.
(later on the blog)
THANKS FOR CONFIRMING THAT ALL ATHEISTS ARE IDIOTS IN ADDITION TO BEING FUTURE MUSLIM EXTREMISTS” Debbie Schlussel

“I’d like to eliminate all Atheists. That isn’t such a bad idea.” Captain Windu

(In an argument that went from ‘Atheists are evil’ to ‘we should be able to mix church and state’ back to ‘Atheists are evil’)
“Panzer, if it would have been my business I would have fired you for being an atheist. I just would have found a way to fire you without using your lack of belief as a reason. Bad company corrupts good morals and I wouldnt have a non believer work for me. Plus, why should I have an atheist work for me when there is a christian that needs a job?” Don

“atheists and unfaithfuls are the responsible for all the world disgraces” ximmamrayadj

“To all atheists, you are no better than the worst terrorists ever lived. You are trying to kill human nature physically and morally. But this will not work.” gandovli

“To an atheist, anything that shows respect and etiquette to another person is mindless and meaningless, which is why they refuse to say such simple phrases as “Bless you” and “Thank you” and “Please.” Although atheists (claim to) have high IQs, their EQs are surely in the single digits” MessiahWWWKD

“have any atheists ever done a THING for the betterment of mankind? NAME ONE. They certainly can’t just BE…no they have to FORCE their views on us all by tearing down every decent institution in the country because they are “offended”. They do it so cowardly too by using the bought and paid for court system so that we the people have no say in the matter.” bdn2004

“15.) The theory of evolution is supported almost completely by atheists…and atheists don’t have just a great track record for telling the truth. Lying comes natural for them, as they don’t believe in The 10 Commandments and see nothing wrong with lying, cheating, stealing, murdering, etc….because, hey, we’re all just dumb machines that operate by random chemicals bouncing into each other. To them, (or many of them) telling lies and killing Christians is a good thing because they hate Christians and wish we were dead.” Supersport

“Anyway I would like to make a comment I love god, he speaks to me when I walk down the street he tells me to do good. When ever I see an Atheist I feel like slapping them, however then god gives me this vision of atheists burring, and I think to myself. God will deal with them. ” Kasaova

“Atheists don’t have a church they can join for fellowship, friends, sports, bible readings, bingo, coffee and donuts, education, etc. There are not Atheists organizations that help out the poor, homeless, sick, disabled, hungry, and others less fortunate. When you look at an Atheist organization, most likely than not they are filing civil suits against Religions and trying to get Religious things removed from the public. Not seeing that Religious organizations help out the community. For example the Cub Scouts have a Scouting for Food program, but the ACLU and Atheist Organizations filed civil suits to get the Cub Scouts out of public schools because the Cub Scouts mentions duty to God in their pledge. But because of that the Cub Scouts cannot recruit as many boys to help out in the Scouting for Food program and as a result Fire Stations and Food Pantries only get 50% to 35% of the canned food they used to stock up on thanks to the Cub Scouts for collecting it for them. Now homeless and hungry and poor people go without food, thanks to the ACLU and Atheist Organizations kicking the Cub Scouts out of public places.” OrionBlaster

The last statement in particular is completely inaccurate. The Boy Scouts are not losing access to public places because they mention duty to God in their pledge. They’re losing free access to public places, and complete access to some public places, because they refuse to allow gays, atheists and agnostics to be scouts or scoutmasters. If they want to consider themselves a private group, which gives them the right to practice discrimination based on “religious beliefs”, they can’t benefit from things like free access to public lands and other things that are provided to public groups that are open to all. Essentially they want to have their cake and eat it too. It should be noted that the Girl Scouts don’t discriminate like the Boy Scouts do, and therefore don’t have any such problems.

Moving on now to the second part: All the hipster protesters are atheists and everyone hears them practicing their right to free speech.

It does seem that more atheists are speaking out, particularly of late. Thanks to the Internet even those who have otherwise been “in the closet” due to fear of repercussions have found a voice and the opportunity to use it. Nonetheless atheists are hardly the only ones protesting, and certainly not the only “hipster” protesters (though I’m sure many would be thrilled to be classified as such). We’re just getting more backlash because we (along with those evil gays) are screwing up the status quo when we assert ourselves.

Finally, Here is the shocking part though… nobody cares

On the contrary, many people care. You cared enough to submit your question, whatever the intent behind it may have been. The 600 (and counting) bloggers on the Atheist Blogroll certainly care. Some others who care include:

Rep. Monique Davis, who stated “It’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists!”.

InGodWeTrust.org certainly cares. They couldn’t allow an atheist group to simply run their first-ever billboard campaign without interfering. They had to respond with the outrageous and false claim that “Atheists hate America”.

Karen Hunter cares enough that she thinks atheists need to shut up about their rights/wants, etc. and Debbie Schlussel agrees–because this is a “Christian Nation”.

Yes, many people do care and many of them would like us to shut up and go back in our closets with the LGBT people. That’s just not going to happen. We’re here, we don’t believe, and people are just going to have to get used to it.

That concludes this edition of The Gaytheist Answers.