The Gaytheist Agenda

The lying, whining shills of the RRRW are still gnashing their teeth over HR 1913/ S. 909, the proposed Hate Crimes Bill. The latest from WorldNutDaily:

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says a homosexual activist who is attacked following a Christian minister’s sermon about homosexuality would be protected by a proposed new federal law, but a minister attacked by a homosexual wouldn’t be.
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“This is the question,” Limbaugh said. “[Sen.] Jeff Sessions [R-Ala.] presents a hypothetical where a minister gives a sermon, quotes the Bible about homosexuality and is thereafter attacked … by a gay activist because of what the minister said about his religious beliefs and what Scripture says about homosexuality. Is the minister protected?”

No, said Holder.
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Continued Limbaugh, “In other words: ministers and whites are not covered by the hate crime statute because we’re talking about crimes that have a historic basis, groups who have been targeted for violence as a result of their skin color, sexual orientation. So hate crimes are reserved exclusively for blacks and homosexuals. Everybody else can get to the back of the bus on this one. ”
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The cries of White Christians won’t be protected by this proposed legislation OMG we’re so persecuted are running rampant in the RRRW blogosphere. Either they’re buying the bull or they’re perpetuating the lies.

White people and Christians don’t need to be protected by the proposed legislation because they are already protected under existing federal and state hate crimes legislation, and have been for many years. This is something that the bigots conveniently ignore, and even blatantly deny, in their ceaseless tirades against hate-crimes protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The portion of Section 245 of Title 18 which is primarily enforced by the Criminal Section makes it unlawful to willfully injure, intimidate or interfere with any person, or to attempt to do so, by force or threat of force, because of that other person’s race, color, religion or national origin and because of his/her activity as one of the following:
o A student at or applicant for admission to a public school or public college

o A participant in a benefit, service, privilege, program, facility or activity provided or administered by a state or local government

o An applicant for private or state employment; a private or state employee; a member or applicant for membership in a labor organization or hiring hall; or an applicant for employment through an employment agency, labor organization or hiring hall

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o A patron of a public accommodation or place of exhibition or entertainment, including hotels, motels, restaurants, lunchrooms, bars, gas stations, theaters, concert halls, sports arenas or stadiums.

This statute also prohibits wilful interference, by force or threat of force, with a person because he/she is or was participating in, or aiding or encouraging other persons to participate in any of the benefits or activities listed above without discrimination as to race, color, religion, or national origin.

The offense is punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term, or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury, if any.
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Nearly every state provides separate hate-crimes statutes that protect on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity and/or a variety of other classifications. Some states go so far as to make interference with religious services a criminal act. Religion and religious individuals are very well protected in this nation.

So a Christian would be protected if he was, hypothetically, beaten by a gay man who was screaming “I hate Christians”. He would be protected because there are already hate-crimes laws on both the federal level and in most states that protect people on the basis of their religion. Likewise a Christian would be protected if his attacker were a transgendered man, a transgendered woman, a Satanist, a lesbian atheist vegetarian or even another Christian. Furthermore if a white person were attacked for being white they’d be protected under already existing legislation.

HR 1913/S. 909 does not give LGBT people special rights or elevate them above anybody. It adds sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability to the classes already protected by hate-crimes legislation. Furthermore sexual orientation doesn’t mean only gay/lesbian/bisexual individuals are protected by the law, nor does gender identity mean that only transgender individuals would be. Everybody would–including straight people and those who identify with the genitals they were born with.

Really the bigots should be screaming for this bill to be passed because it protects them as much as it protects the LGBT people they loathe so much. Those millions of straight people being persecuted by LGBTs would finally have the protection they’ve been lacking for so long.

 
Now repeat after me so it’s clear. If you’re dealing with a bigot this is a handy rebuttal. If you are a bigot stop pretending you’re a victim when you aren’t.

Christians and white people are already protected by federal hate-crimes legislation.

Christians and white people are already protected by federal hate-crimes legislation.

Christians and white people are already protected by federal hate-crimes legislation.

 
Related posts:
Traditional Values Coalition Enters Video Age to Spew Lies and Intolerance.

Anti-LGBT Hate Crimes Highest Since 1999.

 

It has been more than ten years since Matthew Shepard was tied to a fence, beaten and left to die on a cold Wyoming night because he was gay. Since then his mother has been fighting for LGBT people to be afforded hate crimes protection.

According to FBI data, in 2007 there were 1,512 hate crimes against LGBT people. However since many cities and states don’t collect such data and even actively discourage reporting the figures are certainly much higher. Furthermore given that passage of anti-gay legislation leads to surges in anti-gay hate crimes, the figures for 2008 will undoubtedly be higher. In one CA county alone (Santa Clara) , hate crimes against gay people went from 15% in 2007 to 56% in 2008, which the DA attributed to the passage of Proposition 8.

2008 saw several high profile anti-gay hate crimes including:
*Angie Zapata, who was brutally beaten to death with a fire extinguisher when her partner discovered she was transgender.
*Lawrence King, a gay boy who was gender non-conforming, shot and killed in school by a classmate.
*Jose and Romel Sucuzhanay went to a church party and stopped at a bar afterward. They were viciously beaten by three men who hurled anti-gay and anti-Latino slurs at them. They’re just two of the many non-LGBT victims of homophobia. (Jose and Romel are brothers.) Anti-gay bigotry harms everybody, not just gay people.

 


 
Of course the usual suspects are feeding their minions, and the public, vile lies about hate crimes protections for LGBT individuals. Take this propaganda piece from Matt Barber, mouthpiece for Liberty Counsel, the legal group dedicated to protecting the “right” of the RRRW to run roughshod over the nation.

Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan) and Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Illinois) have quietly re-introduced the federal thought crimes bill, H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. As has proved to be true in both Europe and Canada, this Orwellian piece of legislation is the direct precursor to freedom killing and speech chilling “hate speech” laws. It represents a thinly veiled effort to ultimately silence – under penalty of law – morally, medically and biblically based opposition to the homosexual lifestyle. The bill is expected to be marked up Wednesday before the full House Judiciary Committee.

Notice Barber makes these outlandish proclamations about the law and expects you to take him at his word. He calls it a “thought crimes” law when it is in actuality a “hate crimes” bill. He goes on to proclaim it will lead to the Bible and Biblical beliefs being outlawed. That’s all pure fabrication of course as there is nothing remotely of the kind in the law. Of course I don’t expect you to take me at my word. Read the bill yourself.

According to the latest FBI statistics, in 2007 there were about 1.4 million violent crimes committed in the U.S. Of those, only 1,512 were reported as “hate crimes” motivated by “sexual orientation” bias. Over two thirds of those were allegations of “hateful” words, touching, intimidation, pushing or shoving. There were a mere 247 cases of aggravated assault (including five deaths) allegedly motivated by “sexual orientation” bias nationwide. In each case, where appropriate, offenders were prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and victims were afforded the exact same justice guaranteed every other American.

Let me play the Matt Barber’s game so you can see how vile it really is:
According to the latest FBI statistics, in 2007 there were about 1.4 million violent crimes in the US. Of those, only 1,628 were reported as “hate crimes” motivated by “anti-religious” bias. And a tiny fraction of those alleged victims–137 individuals–were “Christians”. They should really stop whining.

Why do they always try to make it a numbers game? Do they realize how depraved and heartless they sound by saying “only” so many GLBT people got brutally attacked/killed last year so they don’t warrant attention or protection?

BTW, when Matt Barber claims LGBT people are afforded the exact same protection every other American is afforded he fails to mention that he is afforded hate crimes protection based on the fact that he is a Christian. Funny how he always fails to mention that. The federal government and nearly every state in the union affords people hate crimes protection based on religion, race, ethnicity, disability and a host of other attributes. And if Barber considers hate crimes legislation “thought crimes laws” why isn’t he screaming for them all to be eradicated?

So, if proponents of H.R. 1913 are neither justified nor motivated by an actual need for the bill – as clearly demonstrated – then what drives them? The answer is twofold. First, passage of “hate crimes” legislation would place the behaviorally driven and fluid concepts of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” on an equal footing with legitimate, neutral and immutable “suspect class” characteristics such as skin color or a person’s true gender.

What about that protected “religion” class? People join and leave religions every day–Christians capitalize on this fact by proselytizing and sending out missionaries. People gain and lose faith in god(s) from minute to minute. If anything is fluid it is faith and religion. Religion is clearly a choice, and not in any way immutable, yet it is protected by federal and state hate crimes statutes.

Or is Matt Barber suggesting religious individuals, by his own criteria and logic, not have hate crimes protections?

 


 

This creates both a sociopolitical and legal environment wherein traditional sexual morality officially becomes the new racism. Those who publically express medical, moral or religious opposition to the homosexual lifestyle are tagged by the government as “homophobic bigots” to be treated no differently by law enforcement, the courts or larger society than the KKK or neo-Nazis.

Is Matt as obtuse as he seems to be or is he just hoping his audience will buy that insanity? “The Government” doesn’t care if you want to call gay people perverts, say we’re disgusting and proclaim that we deserve to burn in hell forever compared to morally pure Christians. After all the KKK and Neo-Nazis haven’t been shut down and still spew their hateful rhetoric as much as they want to. Rest assured, anti-gay bigots, you’ll still be able to preach all the homo-hating bile you want to even when the hate crimes bill is passed. All the hate crimes legislation will do is provide appropriate punishment if you commit a violent crime against one of us. If you can’t determine the difference between saying mean things and violent crime go back to school–real school–and get learned.

 
HRC has a new site, Fight Hate Now, dedicated to making H.R. 1913 a reality. Of special importance is their refutation of the myths and lies about the hate crimes bill. Fight Hate Now is a perfect companion to End the Lies, another HRC site dedicated to exposing RRRW anti-gay propaganda for what it is.

Also, Mike Tidmus deftly debunks the ever popular “They’ll put pastors in prison” lie. Be sure to read it so you can refute the lying liars who try to spread it.

 
This is not about special rights for LGBT citizens. It is about LGBT citizens having the same hate crimes protections people have based on race, religion, ethnicity, disability and other characteristics. It is about fairness and equality under the law.

Please take action. Send e-mails, and letters to your elected officials. Ask your friends and family to do the same. Make sure the lies and propaganda of the RRRW don’t win yet again. Make sure H.R. 1913 passes for the good of everybody.

 


 

Make sure you have an empty stomach before watching this video. It’s so full of melodrama, lies, anti-gay propaganda and other vile bull*** (I stopped counting after a minute or so) I can’t be responsible for what happens if you spew on on your computer. Keep in mind the Illinois Family Institute is a certified anti-gay hate group, which explains pretty much everything you’re about to see.

Wow. The teacher ripping the Bible out of the boy’s hand and throwing it in the trash was such a nice touch. Of course it’s complete horse-poo because students can take their Bibles to school any time they want. They can also pray any time they want. But the RRRW has never been one to let facts get in the way of their persecution complex or their anti-gay, anti-freedom, pro-theocracy agenda.

The Illinois “Family” Institute, and other such “pro-family” groups, want LGBT students to be harassed and bullied by anti-gay bigots. They actively advocate against the Day of Silence every year to this end. They want children like Lawrence King, CJ Garber, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover to be harmed and even killed. Then when the statistics on LGBT depression, substance abuse and suicide come out they’ll turn and tout them as “evidence” that homosexuality is harmful, all the while pretending their bigotry isn’t the root causes of those problems.

 
Here’s the thing, though. Allegedly by remaining silent one school day per year LGBT students and their allies are engaging in horrific oppression of Christians. What if all RRRW Christians decided to remain silent all year long. Just imagine how badly they could oppress us through such a hideous assault. I only hope they never come up with that idea or the struggle for LGBT rights would surely be over.

 
Update: It seems the pile of filth has been removed from YouTube by the IFI.

 

Of course there are the obvious ones that are inherent in the specific laws themselves. Legislation banning same-sex marriage prevents gay and lesbian couples from accessing the 1138 federal rights and hundreds of state rights that are automatically granted to married couples. Such laws also reduce same-sex couples and their families to second-class status. LGBT people have many other laws specifically against them and do not enjoy the same protections others do, mostly due to the efforts of the RRRW.

Just as insidious, and often more dangerous, is the way that anti-gay legislation gives to intolerant people implicit permission to engage in hate-crimes against LGBT people. We’re not protected, and we’re not considered worthy of protection, so we’re fair game. What’s more, in cases where such laws have recently been passed the trend is for hate-crimes against LGBT people to surge. Perhaps the bigots are trying to send us a message, like “Now shut the eff up about your rights and get back in the closet you *****”.

LBGT PEOPLE and their supporters, who have turned out in large numbers to protest the narrow passage of the anti-gay Proposition 8 in California, are turning their attention to increasing incidents of horrifying hate crimes.

On December 13, in the Bay Area city of Richmond, a lesbian woman was gang-raped by four men who used homophobic epithets as they violently assaulted her for almost an hour, before leaving her naked in the street.
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Activists note that anti-gay hate crimes are on the rise nationally. According to FBI statistics, hate crimes directed at people because of their sexual orientation have risen over the past two years–1,017 were reported in 2005, 1,195 in 2006 and 1,265 in 2007.

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Avy Skolnik, a coordinator with the New York-based National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, noted, “Anytime there is an anti-LGBT initiative, we tend to see spikes both in the numbers and the severity of attacks. People feel this extra entitlement to act out their prejudice.”

In 2008 alone, there was a spike in violent crime against LGBT people. Overall, the FBI reported a 1 percent decline in hate crimes in the U.S. last year–but a 6 percent increase in hate crimes against gay, lesbian and transgender people.
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In December, in Brooklyn, a 31-year-old Ecuadorian immigrant, Jose Sucuzhanay, was beaten with a baseball bat and kicked by three men, who jumped out of a car yelling anti-gay and anti-Hispanic slurs.

Angie Zapata, an 18-year-old transgender woman in Greeley, Colo., was found dead in her apartment on July 17. She had been beaten with fists and a fire extinguisher, after her assailant discovered she was biologically male.
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On January 6, 11 gay bars in Seattle received letters addressed to the “Owner/Manager” that warned, “Your establishment has been targeted. I have in my possession approximately 67 grams of ricin with which I will indiscriminately target at least five of your clients.” A 12th letter was sent to the alternative weekly, The Stranger, warning that the paper should be “prepared to announce the deaths of approximately 55 individuals.”
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Yet the RRRWers have been wringing their hands over how persecuted they are. Apparently people have been saying less than glowing things about some of them. That’s obviously much worse than what Zapata, Sucuzhanay, the lady in Richmond, and others endured. (Is the sarcasm emoticon really necessary here? )

SO WHY has there been such a spike in in violent crimes against LGBT people?

Society at large has moved in the direction of supporting LGBT rights, as ideas around sexuality have moved to the left in the past decade. One example of this is the fact that in 2004, the anti-gay Prop 22 in California won by a 14 point margin as opposed to the 4 percent margin of Prop 8.

However, as the trend of tolerance and acceptance has been increasing, so has the growth of right-wing religious organizations that have focused on getting anti-gay legislation passed across the U.S.

And the RRRW can’t stand the thought of losing their “right” to keep us mashed firmly under their boot heels. What’s more, if we could no longer be legally discriminated against the leaders of the RRRW would have to concoct a new “enemy” for their minions to engage in battle against. They have no identity unless they are God’s Christian Soldiers fighting some enemy. Should they lose us it would take great deals of money, time and effort to redirect their hatred to another target. It’s such a pity they can’t fight poverty, homelessness and hunger with the zeal they do our rights and our very existence.

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Prop 8 and similar legislation not only deny civil rights to gays and lesbians, but they give a green light to violent attacks against LGBT people. Anti-gay legislation gives credence to the idea that LGBT people are “immoral,” “unequal” and don’t deserve protection from hate. And the silence of politicians like Barack Obama on repealing DOMA gives a free pass to the homophobia expressed in legislation like Prop 8.
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Unfortunately Obama is, IMO, beyond hope. He’s apparently decided to throw LGBT people completely under the bus in favor of alliances with the RRRW. Essentially invisible token gestures and weak words on our behalf are useless and gain nothing.

 
The effects of anti-gay laws go well beyond laws themselves. They give carte blanche to bigots to keep being bigots and to harm LGBT people. They allow society to look the other way when law-abiding human beings are harmed, and their families are destroyed, simply because of who they are. It’s well beyond time we rid ourselves of them for the good of all.

 

That’s what Driving Equality is doing, anyway. What is Driving Equality?

Driving Equality is a trek across America to raise awareness of the various forms of discrimination faced by LGBT people in each state of the nation. Highlighting the differences in rights, laws, and amendments between the states will shed light on the current social standing of queer individuals today. I hope to create a dialogue about the disparities across the nation, and what can be done to end discrimination for all.

During the 100-day trip, I will be meeting with LGBT community organizers, activists, and any citizens willing to talk. Through these interviews, I will gain an understanding of the current political climates, and explore ways of combating discrimination. Throughout my journey, I will make frequent posts on this website, including photos and video clips.

The project will culminate with a documentary of my experience with the aim of activating a discussion about potential strategies for ensuring equality.

Driving Equality is holding a Rick-A-Thon whereby Warren’s appearance at the inauguration will raise money to help fund the 16,000 mile trip. BTW, DE will work to ensure the effort is as environmentally friendly as possible.

We are using Warren’s own bigotry to raise funds for a good cause, one that will help counter the lies that are being spread about LGBT people. Donations will go to Driving Equality, a 100-day trek across America, through all of the lower 48 states, to advance LGBT equality.

More, including embedded videos of Warren preaching intolerance, at the link.

You can pledge a particular amount of money per second Warren speaks or a flat amount for the entire time he’s on stage. See the pledge form for details and to sign up. Driving Equality also has Facebook and MySpace groups for anybody who would like to join.

Not that this hasn’t happened countless times before, but it’s always nice to have another documented case of it. The more we have, the stronger our case is against these “pro-family” groups that seek only to harm.

Dr. Gary Remafedi Says Conservative Group Guilty of “Gross Misrepresentation” And Questions If Focus Actually Read His Article Before Misquoting It

NEW YORK – Truth Wins Out published a letter today from a researcher who claims Focus on the Family twisted his work. In the letter, Gary Remafedi, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, asked Focus on the Family’s leader James Dobson to stop misrepresenting his findings from a key 1992 study.

“I want to draw your attention to a gross misrepresentation of our research at the website of Focus on the Family,” Remafedi wrote in his letter to Dobson. “More important, had the authors of “Myths and Facts” actually read the article, they would have found no support for their contention that ‘many children experience a period of sexual-identity confusion when they can be influenced in either direction.’”

(Full Text of Letter Below)

Remafedi’s report was published in Pediatrics in 1992. The study explored patterns of sexual orientation in a representative sample of more than 34,000 Minnesota students in grades 7 to 12. Focus on the Family distorted his findings to make the case that young people should not learn about homosexuality because they were sexually confused, and could thus be influenced by educational material.

“Focus on the Family has engaged in a disturbing pattern of misrepresenting the work of legitimate researchers to further their anti-gay agenda,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of TruthWinsOut.org. “We call on Focus on the Family to immediately expunge all falsehoods and fallacies presented as‘facts’ from their past and present literature.”

Focus on the Family has an ignoble history of manipulating or cherry picking the research of genuine scientists. Last year, several researchers held Dobson accountable for misrepresenting their work. Letters and videos from these scientists can be viewed at www.RespectMyResearch.org.

TruthWinsOut.org is currently working to find examples where right wing organizations have twisted scientific work. If you have a case that is worthy of investigation, please contact TWO’s Director of Research, Peter Cabrera, at petercabrera74@yahoo.com

FULL TEXT OF LETTER

Dr. James Dobson
Focus on the Family
Colorado Springs, CO 80995

April 30, 2008

Dear Dr. Dobson,

I want to draw your attention to a gross misrepresentation of our research at the website of “Focus on the Family” (see here). In the third paragraph of the article, “Myths and Facts,” our research is cited in support of the statement: “During early adolescence, many children experience a period of sexual-identity confusion when they can easily be influenced in either direction.”

First, please note that the citation itself is incorrect. The original article was published in Pediatrics, not Journal of Pediatrics. The correct reference is: Remafedi G, Resnick M, Blum R, Harris L. Demography of sexual orientation in adolescents. Pediatrics. 89(4):714-721, 1992. More important, had the authors of “Myths and Facts” actually read the article, they would have found no support for their contention that “many children experience a period of sexual-identity confusion when they can be influenced in either direction.” The word confusion does not appear in our article; nor did we find that anyone can influence a young person’s sexual identity.

The purpose of our study was to explore patterns of sexual orientation in a representative sample of more than 34,000 Minnesota students in grades 7 to 12. We found that the percentage of student who reported being “unsure” about their orientation steadily declined with age from 25.9% in 12-year-old persons to 5% in 18 year-old students (p. 716). Youth who were “unsure” were more likely than others to entertain homosexual fantasies and attractions and less likely to have had heterosexual experiences (p. 720). These and other data suggested that uncertainty about sexual orientation “gradually gives way to heterosexual or homosexual identification with the passage of time and/or with increasing sexual experience” (p. 720).

Please ask the authors of the misstatements to correct them as soon as possible. In the interest of accurate translation of research into practice, a copy of this letter will be posted at Truth Wins Out. Thank you for your attention.
Respectfully yours,

Gary Remafedi, M.D., M.P.H.
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
University of Minnesota
428 Oak Grove St.
Minneapolis, MN 55403

cc: Truth Wins Out

That’s the question so many people ask. It’s also the question discussed by this intriguing and amusing video.