The Gaytheist Agenda

I never imagined I could find something that would make Thomas Kinkade’s work look tasteful. I thought nothing could be more tawdry than AFA’s blazing cross. I was wrong on both counts.

From the related press release:

Boss Creations, a new holiday decor company, has introduced the new “CHRIST-mas” Tree, featuring the unique trait of a trunk in the shape of a wooden cross. Company owner Marsha Boggs says the tree was specifically designed to counter the “war on Christmas.”

“When I became a Christian a few years ago,” says Boggs, “I was appalled by the secularization of the Christmas holiday. When retail stores started substituting ‘Happy Holidays’ for ‘Merry Christmas,’ and schools began calling their Christmas programs ‘Winter Plays,’ it all seemed ridiculous to me. That’s why we have created products that remind people what the Christmas season is really all about - the birth of Christ.”
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Strange, because I recall that giant wooden cross was all about the death of Christ. At least that’s how I read it in the Bible.

…..
Boggs says Boss Creations’ mission is to uphold the traditional meaning of the Christmas season,
…..

Yeah, nothing says “Merry Christmas, Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward Men”, like a fake pine tree with a giant death fetish crammed into the center of it.

 

This is good news.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 3, 2009

CONTACT: Vaishalee Raja, Equality California
PHONE: 916-284-9187 EMAIL: vaishalee@eqca.org
California Assembly Passes Harvey Milk Day Bill

Equality California-sponsored bill now heads back to Senate for final vote before reaching Governor’s desk

Sacramento — The California State Assembly today passed the Harvey Milk Day bill by a 45-27 vote. The bill, authored by Senator Mark Leno (D - San Francisco) and sponsored by Equality California (EQCA), calls for a “day of special significance” in honor of slain civil rights leader Harvey Milk. The bill seeks to educate Californians about the former San Francisco City Supervisor, who became the nation’s first openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) person elected to political office in a major city.

Recently, President Obama posthumously honored Harvey Milk with the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, and Governor Schwarzenegger announced that the global icon will be inducted into the California Hall of Fame, which was conceived by First Lady Maria Shriver.

“Harvey Milk was a champion for seniors, for working people and for those who didn’t have a voice, and his courageous work set the stage for many of the key civil rights advances we enjoy today,” said Geoff Kors, Equality California executive director. “His remarkable legacy is still felt far beyond San Francisco. As such, we urge Governor Schwarzenegger to recognize Harvey Milk’s tremendous contributions to our state and to our nation, just as President Obama has, by signing the Harvey Milk Day bill into law.”

Despite the national and international recognition Harvey Milk has garnered this year, the Governor’s Secretary of Education recently expressed opposition to the bill in a letter that reads:

“As you know, the Governor vetoed a substantially similar bill last year. The veto message stated that Harvey Milk’s contributions should continue to be recognized at the local level by those who were most impacted by his contributions. Since this bill is nearly identical, the veto message remains applicable.”

The legislation was originally introduced last year by Senator Leno, but Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed the measure at the time, claiming Harvey Milk was not well known enough beyond San Francisco. Since then, however, Harvey Milk has become a focal point of national conversation following the release of the successful biographical film Milk, for which both actor Sean Penn and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black received an Academy Award. In March, Penn joined Equality California’s campaign publicly advocating for the bill, and Black testified before a Senate committee on the need to appropriately honor the civil rights leader.

Milk’s groundbreaking service as an openly gay official helped bring LGBT people out of the closet and into civic life. During his time in office, he was responsible for both passing San Francisco’s first gay-rights ordinance and helping to defeat the controversial Briggs Initiative, which sought to ban gay and lesbian teachers from public schools. Milk, along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, was assassinated in November 1978.

“Although he vetoed a similar bill last year with the message that Harvey Milk should be recognized only at the local level, I am confident Governor Schwarzenegger now understands the historic and international nature of Harvey’s legacy,” said Senator Leno. “Last week the Governor contradicted his 2008 veto message when he and the First Lady announced that Harvey will be inducted into the California Hall of Fame, acknowledging that Harvey and the other inductees touched the ‘lives of millions of people — not just in this state, but around the world.’”

The bill has already passed the Senate by a 24-14 vote, including bipartisan support. The bill must now return to the Senate for a routine concurrence vote before it advances to the Governor’s desk.

 
Hopefully Governor Schwarzenegger will do the right thing this time.

 

It appears the RRRW has been caught, once again, distorting research to promote anti-gay lies. According to a June 16 press release by Truth Wins Out:

Anti-Gay Organization Drew False Link Between Sexual Abuse and Homosexuality

NEW YORK – In a letter made available to Truth Wins Out, the authors of a book on the health of gay men have accused Focus on the Family of distorting their research. The researchers publicly repudiated an article written by “ex-gay” activist Jeff Johnston in Focus on the Family’s web magazine, Citizen Link, which falsely linked homosexuality to childhood sexual abuse. This letter marks the tenth researcher in two years who has claimed that Focus on the Family misrepresented their work.

“Focus on the Family has zero credibility when it comes to interpreting or analyzing scientific research,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. “This group has serially distorted legitimate studies on human sexuality to score political points and demean gay and lesbian people. We thank these researchers for having the courage to come forward and set the record straight.”

In the article, “Childhood Sexual Abuse and Male Homosexuality”, Johnston wrote, “Many pro-gay researchers, activists and theorists deny that there could be a connection between child sexual abuse and adult homosexuality.” As proof of a supposed connection, he cited a 2008 book, “Unequal Opportunity: Health Disparities Affecting Gay and Bisexual Men in the United States”, edited by Professors Richard J. Wolitski, Ron Stall (pictured), and Ronald O. Valdiserri.

When approached by Truth Wins Out, the researchers were surprised by the manipulation of their data and agreed to respond.

“We want to respond to a recent Focus on the Family characterization of scientific findings reported in our book, ‘Unequal Opportunity: Health Disparities Affecting Gay and Bisexual Men in the United States’ that misrepresented findings in the book to suggest that childhood sexual abuse causes male homosexuality,” Stall and Valdiseri wrote in their letter. “The Focus on the Family description of the findings reported in Unequal Opportunity is inaccurate and, in our opinion, a distortion of the scientific literature.”

Focus on the Family has made a habit out of twisting science to back its anti-gay agenda. Melissa Fryrear, a Love Won Out speaker, has also repeated the phony link between abuse and homosexuality.

“I never met one woman who had not been sexually violated or sexually threatened in her life,” said Fryrear at a 2007 Love Won Out conference in Phoenix. “I never met one woman. And I never met one man either, that had not been sexually violated or sexually seduced in his life.”

“We call on the media to stop quoting an organization on gay issues which has proven to be untrustworthy and unethical in its use of research,” said Besen. “It is abundantly clear that this organization will do and say anything in its effort to misrepresent the lives of gay and lesbian people.”

The editors of the book have released the following statement to Truth Wins Out regarding Focus’ portrayal of their publication’s research:

We want to respond to a recent Focus on the Family characterization of scientific findings reported in our book, Unequal Opportunity: Health Disparities Affecting Gay and Bisexual Men in the United States (Oxford University Press) that misrepresented findings in the book to suggest that childhood sexual abuse causes male homosexuality. The Focus on the Family description of the findings reported in Unequal Opportunity is inaccurate and, in our opinion, a distortion of the scientific literature.

Most basically, the Focus on the Family characterization of the literature on childhood sexual abuse among gay men represents a misunderstanding of scientific approaches to distinguishing between correlation and causation. The book chapter in question reports that gay men are more likely to report childhood sexual abuse by men than are heterosexual men. This correlation does not mean that the reported abuse caused the adult sexual orientation. If that were the case, then the fact that some heterosexual men report sexual abuse by women means that sexual abuse by women “causes” heterosexuality in men. It is also worth noting that the argument that childhood sexual abuse causes homosexuality in gay men is undermined by the fact that the vast majority of gay men are not sexually abused as children.

One potential partial explanation for this correlation, and one that makes the most sense when you consider people of all orientations, is that some youth, particularly post-pubertal youth (who still cannot legally consent to sexual activity) have sexual experiences with males or females, depending on their pre-existing orientation. Let’s be very clear that this does not mean that these experiences are appropriate or healthy. However, it also does not mean that these experiences caused the sexual orientation of the youth. The development of a person’s sexual orientation is a complex and multifaceted process. The research into these processes has barely begun, and the development of sexuality is very difficult to study. Mischaracterizations of the scientific literature on the development of sexual orientation is not helpful to science.

Rather than mischaracterize these findings, we would like to point out the harm to health that can be caused by childhood sexual abuse among boys and girls of all sexual orientations. Childhood sexual abuse occurs to far too many young Americans and a large and growing literature supports that this abuse can cause lifelong damage to the physical and mental health and well-being of men and women of all sexual orientations. We suggest that Focus on the Family and other concerned organizations focus on how to work to ensure that all of our children remain safe from unwanted sexual experiences– whether heterosexual or homosexual.

That said, we want to state clearly that the published research does not support the claim that the development of a homosexual orientation is caused by childhood sexual abuse. Furthermore, adult homosexual orientation is no longer considered a pathology or a maladjustment. We urge those who are interested in trying to better understand some of these complex issues from a scientific perspective to read the discussions in our book, as well as the scientific literature on childhood sexual abuse, and not rely on second-hand interpretations.

Ron Stall
Ron Valdiserri

Prior distortions of scientific data can be viewed at Respect My Research, a project of Truth Wins Out. Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that counters right wing propaganda, exposes the “ex-gay” myth and educates America about gay life.

 

Breaking news:

Domestic Partnership Initiative Enters Circulation

Substitutes Domestic Partnership for Marriage in
California Law. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.

SACRAMENTO — March 10, 2009 — Secretary of State Debra Bowen today announced that the proponents of a new initiative may begin collecting petition signatures for their measure.

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponents and to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State then provides calendar deadlines to the proponents and to county elections officials, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

 
SUBSTITUTES DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP FOR MARRIAGE IN CALIFORNIA LAW. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT AND STATUTE. Replaces the term “marriage” with the term “domestic partnership” throughout California law, but preserves the rights provided in marriage. Applies equally to all couples, regardless of sexual orientation. Repeals the provision in California’s Constitution that states only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: This measure would have an unknown fiscal effect on state and local governments. (09-0003.)

 
The proponents for this measure, Kaelan Housewright and Ali Shams, must collect signatures of 694,354 registered voters — the number equal to 8% of the total votes cast for governor in the 2006 gubernatorial election — in order to qualify it for the ballot. The proponents have 150 days to circulate petitions for this measure, meaning the signatures must be collected by August 6, 2009.

 

Nothing new here. The RRRW is notoriously allergic to the truth, and they certainly don’t have it on their side so they constantly resort to distortions, propaganda and outright lies. This time they’re being accused of misrepresenting the research of Gary Remafedi, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota. Here is the press release from Truth Wins Out.

Dr. Gary Remafedi Says ‘Ex-Gay’ Group Manipulated His Study And Should Immediately Take The Distortions Off Its Website

NEW YORK – TruthWinsOut.org published exclusive comments today by Gary Remafedi, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, who claimed the “ex-gay” organization PFOX distorted his research findings.

On its website, PFOX expressed its displeasure with The Washington Post for publishing what it called “a sympathetic article about a 15-year-old boy named Saro who described his homosexual feelings and how Gay Straight Alliance student clubs help such gay teens to deal with discrimination and bullying in high school and middle school.”

“What the article failed to describe,” said PFOX Executive Director Regina Griggs, “is the danger of young sexually confused teens self-identifying as gays at an early age. Research has shown that the risk of suicide decreases by 20% each year that a person delays homosexual or bisexual self-labeling.* Early self-identification is dangerous to kids.”

Dr. Remafedi’s study was the one cited by PFOX to back their unfounded conclusions. Today, Dr. Reamafedi released the following comments to Truth Wins Out:

“My work has been cited by PFOX in response to a Washington Post article on gay-straight alliances (GSA),” wrote Dr. Remafedi. “PFOX misuses one of my studies on suicide attempts in gay youth to argue that people should not identify their sexual orientation at young ages. Our findings do not support the contention that young people choose their identity or the timing of events in identity formation. Nor is there any evidence that the availability of GSAs influences those developmental processes.”

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. PFOX, as well as 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.

Last year, several researchers held Dobson accountable for misrepresenting their work. Letters and videos from these scientists can be viewed at RespectMyResearch.org

“We thank Dr. Remafedi for stepping forward and not allowing his research to be manipulated for political gain,” said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. “The right wing thrives on twisting legitimate research in its efforts to confuse people. We are doing everything in our power to stop this insidious practice.”

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 .

 

Here are the latest press releases from some important groups, all in one handy place:

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State

Obama Support For Expansion Of ‘Faith-Based’ Program Is Disappointing, Says Americans United

Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Rather than try to correct the defects of the Bush “faith-based” initiative, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama would do better to shut it down, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Obama today announced a proposal to expand faith-based funding during a speech in Zanesville, Ohio.

“I am disappointed,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “This initiative has been a failure on all counts, and it ought to be shut down, not expanded.”

However, Lynn said he was pleased to hear Obama express support for church-state separation and say that he would bar government-funded proselytism and religious discrimination in hiring when tax dollars are involved.

“It is imperative that public funds not pay for proselytizing or subsidize discrimination in hiring,” said Lynn. “Obama has promised that he will not support publicly funded proselytism or discrimination in hiring, and that’s an important commitment.”
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Americans United Will Monitor Implementation Of New Louisiana Anti-Evolution Law

Friday, June 27, 2008
Americans United for Separation of Church and State today warned Louisiana officials that lawsuits will result if the state’s new anti-evolution law is used to introduce religion into public school classrooms.

Gov. Bobby Jindal this week signed the legislation (SB 733), which allows teachers to use “supplemental materials” when discussing evolution. The measure was pushed by the Louisiana Family Forum and the Discovery Institute, two Religious Right groups that advocate creationist concepts, and is widely seen as an effort to water down instruction about evolution.

“I am very disappointed that Gov. Jindal signed this unwise and unnecessary measure,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “Louisiana has a long and unfortunate history of trying to substitute dogma for science in public school classrooms. Let me state clearly and upfront that any attempts to use this law to sneak religion into public schools through the back door will not be tolerated.”
….. more

 

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

Task Force Action Fund applauds Congress for today’s historic hearing on transgender discrimination in the workplace

WASHINGTON, June 26 — The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund applauds the House of Representatives for holding its first-ever hearing today on transgender discrimination in the workplace. In addition to submitting written testimony documenting the urgent need for inclusion of gender identity in federal employment protection, the Action Fund has worked closely with the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) to prepare for the hearing.

Several studies have shown widespread employment discrimination against transgender people, as documented in the Action Fund’s written testimony. Later this summer, the Task Force Policy Institute will be adding to the existing body of research with the launch of the largest-ever study of transgender people’s experiences of discrimination in their daily lives, including within the workplace.

Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund

“Discrimination against transgender people is pervasive and current laws and employer policies are insufficient to protect their rights. For far too long, transgender people have lived with the fear of losing their job simply because of who they are. Today’s hearing marks a critical step in addressing this travesty once and for all.

“We applaud the House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions for holding today’s hearing, and we urge lawmakers to pass federal employment protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”
….. more

National leader says passage of Runaway and Homeless Youth Protection Act is critical to saving lives of LGBT youth

WASHINGTON, June 19 — The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (H.R. 5524) earlier this month, and the Senate is expected to consider companion legislation (S. 2982) later this summer. This legislation would reauthorize the program for an additional five years.

The Runaway and Homeless Youth Protection Act connects youth to family reunification programs, outreach workers on the streets, emergency shelter, longer-term housing and myriad additional support systems, including workplace preparation, education, health and behavioral health services, and other opportunities to ensure the safety and well-being of this vulnerable population. In fiscal year 2007, runaway and homeless youth programs served more than 740,000 youth in crisis situations.

“LGBT youth make up a disproportionate number of runaway and homeless youth, as many as 40 percent. It is a national disgrace that youth are turned out of their homes and communities based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. These homeless youth deserve the same safety, food, shelter, access to education and opportunity to a bright future that is the right of every child,” said Rea Carey, acting executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund. “The Runaway and Homeless Youth Protection Act is a vital part of helping this segment of our community. We praise the House for its reauthorization of this important legislation and call on the Senate for equally swift passage.”

…..

“This legislation, and the programs it funds, really can make the difference for many LGBT young people who have been rejected by their families and society. By providing a roof over their heads and reliable support and encouragement, they can begin to focus on their long-term futures rather than on the prospect of another night on the street,” said study author Nick Ray.
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American Atheists

Texas Supreme Court Ruling Paves the Way for Religious Abuse Nationwide

American Atheists stated today that the 6/27/08 Texas Supreme Court ruling in the case of a victim of religious exorcism set a bad legal precedent for all of America. The religious laws in place set up to protect churches and other religious groups from prosecution for crimes they commit while expressing their religion go too far. But they usually don’t go this far!

The violent actions of the Pleasant Glade Assembly of God’s staff, who were performing an “exorcism” on one of their own 17-year-old congregants, should not go unpunished. They harmed her, physically and mentally, and should be held accountable.

In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that the violence that came to that young congregant was allowed under laws on the books today that protect “religious expression.” To call this violent incident “religious expression” is to indict religion, but to insist that any law absolves anyone of consequences for violent and harmful acts is just plain irresponsible.
…..
Texas State Director for American Atheists, Joe Zamecki, said “Any law that specifically protects a religious group from appropriate legal action is a special privilege, especially when that religious group has clearly harmed someone in the course of their religious activities. I’m finding that more and more religious groups in America want blanket protection from any kind of consequences for violating peoples’ rights and actually harming them.”
….. more

 

 

The Radio Hall of Fame Should Not Reward Intolerance and Lies, Says TWO

 
NEW YORK - TruthWinsOut.org (TWO) launched a campaign today to keep Focus on the Family founder James Dobson out of the Radio Hall of Fame. The Museum of Broadcast Communications nominated the anti-gay leader even though Dobson has been accused of distorting research and smearing gay and lesbian people for political gain. For example, Dobson told The Daily Oklahoman on Oct. 23, 2004, “Homosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth.”

“It is outrageous and insulting that James Dobson would be nominated for the Radio Hall of Fame,” said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. “We believe that character counts and nominees should have careers based on honesty and integrity - not discrimination, distorting research and outright lying.”

“Incredibly, the Museum of Broadcast Communications has also nominated Dr. Laura Schlessinger to its Radio Hall of Fame and Rush Limbaugh was inducted in 1993. The pattern is clear.”

To fight back against this offensive decision, TWO strongly urges fair-minded people to take three actions. First, sign TWO’s formal request to have James Dobson removed from consideration. Second, contact Museum of Broadcast Communications CEO Bruce DuMont directly, brucedumont@museum.tv, to express your displeasure. Third, as an option, vote for nominees other than James Dobson or Laura Schlessinger (the general public may vote, and the other nominees are Bob Costas and Howard Stern). It is urgent to act now, as voting comes to a close on July 15.

 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE LETTER!!!

 
In the past two years, at least seven researchers have accused Dobson of manipulating or cherry picking their results to back his anti-gay teachings. Letters and videos documenting the concerns of these respected professors can be viewed at TruthWinsOut.org.

Dobson also profits from intolerance. He founded a ministry, Love Won Out, that promises to “cure” homosexuals - even though the so-called “ex-gay” leader of Love Won Out, John Paulk, was photographed in a gay bar. Dobson also continues to promote dishonest psychological theories about gay people that are rejected by every respected medical and mental health association in America, including the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association.

TruthWinsOut.org is a non-profit organization that counters right wing propaganda, exposes the “ex-gay” myth and educates America about gay life. For more information, visit TruthWinsOut.org.

 

Today Americans United for the Separation of Church and State Filed a lawsuit against South Carolina over their I Believe license plates. Here is the press release from AU:

Americans United for Separation of Church and State today filed a lawsuit in federal district court on behalf of several religious leaders and a religious organization whose First Amendment rights are violated by South Carolina’s “I Believe” license plate.

The new plate features the words, “I Believe,” accompanied by a depiction of a large, bright-yellow Christian cross superimposed on a multicolored stained glass church window.

Plaintiffs in the case include four South Carolina clergy the Rev. Dr. Thomas A. Summers, Rabbi Sanford T. Marcus, the Rev. Dr. Robert M. Knight and the Rev. Dr. Neal Jones as well as the Hindu American Foundation.

The Summers v. Adams lawsuit charges that the Christian plate gives preferential government treatment to one faith. It asks the court to prevent South Carolina officials from producing the plates.

“The state has clearly given preferential treatment to Christianity with this license plate,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “I can’t think of a more flagrant violation of the First Amendment’s promise of equal treatment for all faiths. I believe these plates will not see the light of day.”

The South Carolina legislature unanimously passed legislation to produce the license plate, and South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer said he is willing to put up the required $4,000 to produce the plate, with the money to be reimbursed by the state later. The legislature has not proposed or made available a similar specialty plate for any other faith.

Gov. Mark Sanford allowed the bill to become law without his signature.

In South Carolina, an individual can apply for a vanity plate less than seven characters long, but symbols and emblems are not permitted. Other specialty plates are created either by DMV approval or through the legislature. Plates approved by the DMV are subject to signification regulations, including “no slogans, names or other text.”

The Americans United lawsuit says the Christian license plate violates the separation of church and state as well as freedom of speech. It notes that other religions will not be able to get similar license plates expressing differing viewpoints, nor can a comparable “I Don’t Believe” license plate be issued.

The lawsuit was filed in Columbia, S.C., in the U.S. District Court for South Carolina.

“The state has made believers of non-Christian faiths feel that they are second-class citizens,” Lynn said. “Under our Constitution, that’s impermissible.”

Attorneys working on the case include AU Legal Director Ayesha N. Khan, AU Litigation Counsel Heather Weaver and AU Madison Fellow Nancy Leong. Aaron J. Kozloski of Capitol Counsel, a Columbia, S.C. law firm, is serving as local counsel.

I wish them success. I notice how none of the states that have these religious plates ever offer such plates to any religion but Christianity, nor do they offer any plates to atheists. What’s more, according to Think Progress, SC is planning on offering the I Believe plates at cost rather than the usual $70 fee they charge for specialty plates. It’s obvious they are promoting Christianity, and that is completely inappropriate.

 

Addendum. A comment has arrived. Ebon said:

I’m curious: Would you object if they also offered plates (at the usual price) to atheists and those of minority faiths? I can just see an atheist plate with the Darwin fish or perhaps that lovely “Coexist” logo I’ve seen you use here.

If they made it fair by offering plates to people of other faiths, and of no faith, (at the same cost, of course) I’d be satisfied. But they insist on only offering plates to Christians, which is a blatant promotion of one religion over another.

 

Here is the latest press release from Truth Wins Out, and they have a new video!

In Exclusive New TWO Video, A Survivor Tells Of His Escape From ‘Ex-Gay’ Ministries

ORLANDO - A coalition of gay and lesbian community leaders held a media conference today to counter Focus on the Family’s ex-gay Love Won Out symposium, which will take place on Saturday. The ex-gay road show was specifically planned to coincide with Gay Days at Disney and to push Focus on the Family’s election year political agenda, says TruthWinsOut.org(TWO).

“Love Won Out distorts gay life and confuses stereotypes with science, while selling false hope to vulnerable people,” said TruthWinsOut.org’s Executive Director Wayne Besen, at the media conference. “The symposium promotes outdated ideas that are rejected by every reputable mental health association in America. Unfortunately, the real goal of this conference is to pass anti-gay laws and stigmatize gay men and women.”

The conference is strategically timed in a presidential year that will include a constitutional amendment on the Florida ballot that seeks to prohibit same-sex marriage and domestic partnership benefits. The event also coincides with Gay Days at Disney and takes place in the shadow of the monumental California Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. Focus on the Family has exploited these opportunities and promoted this conference by placing offensive billboards in Orlando.

“This is a hurtful symposium that sends the toxic message that some people are inferior and need to change,” said Besen. “Love Won Out divides communities and pits people against each other for political gain.”

To highlight the trauma ex-gay ministries often cause families, TWO released an exclusive video today documenting the story of “ex-gay” survivor Robert Elster, who participated in ex-gay programs for 20 years. Convinced by these groups that he was cured, he married his wife Judy for 15 years and they had two children. Unfortunately, the marriage ended because Robert had not become straight. He had been sold false hope and bought into what he now calls his “inauthentic self.” Today, he lives as an out, proud openly gay man in California.

Additionally, TWO will participate in a Saturday PFLAG-sponsored prayer vigil in front of the Love Won Out conference at 7AM. (First Presbyterian Church of Orlando, 106 East Church Street).

Today’s media conference was held at The Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Community Center of Central Florida. Speakers included: Dr. Kathryn Norsworthy, licensed psychologist; Garrett Granger, Survivor of ex-gay ministries; Rev. John Middleton, Joy Metropolitan Community Church; Pastor Brei Taylor, Oasis Ministries; Linn Possell; Hope Unites United Church of Christ; Wayne Besen, Executive Director, TruthWinsOut.org.

Love Won Out is a quarterly ex-gay symposium that preys on vulnerable and desperate parents. John Paulk, an ex-gay leader who was on the cover of Newsweek, founded the program. Love Won Out suffered a major setback after Paulk was photographed inside a Washington, DC gay bar by Besen in 2000.

TruthWinsOut.org is a non-profit organization that counters right wing propaganda, exposes the “ex-gay” myth and educates America about gay life.

I met Mr. Elster at the vigil and panel discussion here in California. He struck me as a wonderful man, and I’m thrilled he was able to escape the clutches of the “ex-gay” industry and get his life on track. I am also glad he was able to create this video for TWO so more people can learn the insidious truth about the “ex-gay” ministries.

 

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