Withers: Inhofe thinks straight soldiers will not fight for gay soldiers

[1]

Let’s play a “what if” game. Supposing there is your standard tree-hugging liberal pol out there. Loved by the ACLU and NPR. Gets perfect marks from Planned Parenthood, HRC, the NAACP, and PETA. This theoretical politician talks to a liberal organization and muses about his military days. Says there is no way good American soldiers will put their lives on the the line for their nasty, church going, “abortion is a sin” conservative comrades.

Got the image? What do you think the response would be? How would conservatives respond? Outrage? Disgust? Glenn Beck crying and whimpering about his fears for the republic (well he does that all the time)? The blogosphere would be afire. Even Volvo loving liberals would pounce.

Back to the real world. Here is Sen. James Inhofe [2], from the great state of Oklahoma, opining how straight troops will act if they have to serve alongside the gays.

“And you know — you hear the stories all the time. A military guy — I happen to be Army, and Army and Marines always feel that when we’re out there, we’re not doing it for the flag or the country; we’re doing it for the guy in the next foxhole. And that would dramatically change that.”

Allow that hot mess to sit with you for a minute. Gays serving openly means the very values of the military will end. Inhofe’s estimation of our serving men and women is surpringly low. Sort of sad that a guy, who extols his military service, thinks so little of soldiers like Spcs. Zachary Boyd, Cecil Montgomery, and Jordan Custer [3].

[1] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/Inofe-top.jpg
[2] http://thinkprogress.org/2010/05/13/inhofe-gay-foxhole/
[3] http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104493189

Daniel Radcliffe slams ‘stupid’ homophobes

Daniel Radcliffe hates homophobia.

The ‘Harry Potter’ actor – who is dating actress Laura O’Toole – was raised to treat everyone equally and he thinks singling someone out because of their sexuality is wrong.

He said: “I just loathe homophobia. It’s just disgusting and animal and stupid and it’s just thick people who can’t get their heads around it and are just scared.

“I grew up around gay people entirely. I was the only child in my class who had any experience of homosexuality or anything like that.

“I hate any type of prejudice.”

The 20-year-old British star also spoke of his political beliefs and called on people to follow his decision to vote Liberal Democrat in the next election.

He added to Britain’s Attitude magazine: “At the next election I will almost certainly vote Liberal Democrat. See Daniel Radcliffe slams ‘stupid’ homophobes

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Old Game, New Buzz, Gay Community Outraged

Pink News reports on gay groups becoming re-outraged over a game which requires players to shoot gay men. The game is called “Watch Out Behind You, Hunter”, and was originally launched in 2002 by frenchie Stéphane Aguie. The game is banned in France, but that hasn’t stopped it from making the rounds and finding a new host.

The gay group Gay Armenia said it was “completely disgusted” by the game, adding that it was created by “those religious-minded people in Tbilisi, Georgia… who constantly cite Bible to ‘justify’ their homophobia and hatred. A post on the gay group’s blog added: “Is this their ‘orthodox’ way of bringing up children by creating an image of an enemy and teaching them how to deal with it?”
The website’s owner, Jean Christophe Calvet, has rebuked claims of prejudice, saying that he “really didn’t understand why the association was attacking us” . He told news site France24.com: “The guy who came up with the game, Stéphane Aguie, wanted to mock hunters and rednecks, not gay men”.

He continued: “Our games are not politically correct. They’re aimed at teenagers and it’s true that they’re of a juvenile humour”. Mr Calvet said that while the game was removed from French websites after legal action from gay rights groups, it is “impossible to wipe it from all foreign sites too”.

He added: “Incidentally, not everyone in the gay community was supportive of banning the game. “I realise now that this one in particular could be found shocking, but I believe that you should be able to make this kind of joke in the name of freedom of speech.” The site has faced backlash for its games before. In 2001 it was criticised by American groups for a game entitled ‘New York Defender’ where the object was to protect the Twin Towers from plane attacks.

Mr Calvet also commented that the site was attacked over its depiction of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the leader of the French National Front. He took the creators to court after the game involved users throwing axes at his face. He was not the only celebrity depicted in the game, but for him, the axes were changed to swastikas. He added: “In the end, its all a bit of fun.”

See Old Game, New Buzz, Gay Community Outraged

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An Exorcism of Hate

A recently posted YouTube video shows church members in southern Connecticut performing an exorcism on a 16-year-old boy in order to remove the “homosexual demons” from his body. The video is horrifying to watch — the church audience screams at the supposed evil spirits as the boy convulses on the ground.

The logic and belief set behind this act are so far beyond my comprehension that it defies comment. What I do find compelling, however, is the church’s response to the uproar that the video created. “We have nothing against homosexuals,” protested the Reverend Patricia McKinney. “I just don’t agree with their lifestyle.” I frequently hear comments such as this from those who oppose equality for homosexuals. These people say they love gay people — they even have gay friends and family! — but it’s unfortunately “against their beliefs” to treat homosexuals equally. This video, however, is a perfect example of how this explanation is a blatant lie.

The phrase “I just don’t agree with,” connotes a mild dislike. I don’t agree with mustard, but I can still enjoy my dinner to the fullest when it’s present at the table. What people such as Reverend McKinney feel toward homosexuals is nothing short of loathing. It is impossible for her to argue she respects gays when she believes that demonic spirits live inside their bodies. She could preach tolerance to her parish every Sunday, but her actions unambiguously declare that being gay is a sinful, satanic state that must be cured. McKinney clearly has something very big against homosexuals, and it’s insulting for her to suggest otherwise.

Politicians are guilty of similar dishonesty, but they tend to be more subtle. A senator who opposes gay marriage shouldn’t be able to say that he’s protecting “family values.” He should say that he believes that gay couples are incapable of raising the kinds of families that our society accepts. A congresswoman who disqualifies a lesbian couple from adopting children should proclaim that two women will irreparably damage a child should their adoption request succeed. It’s the typical political non-speak, but it’s even more damaging when those who say it can claim that they aren’t prejudiced.

Outright homophobia has become socially unacceptable in most circumstances. This is momentous progress from a hatred that had until now been painfully public. But, ironically, this political correctness is now hurting the gay rights movement.

Homophobic people, such as Reverend McKinney, should have to state their beliefs openly, without duplicitous assertions that they “have nothing against homosexuals.” What they should really be saying is that homosexuality is disgusting and perverted — that any person practicing it is a sinner who needs to be saved now before suffering an eternity in Hell. Judging from their comments and actions, that’s what they believe, and they should own up to those principles.

Polls have shown that young people as a whole have a more liberal view regarding homosexuality than their parents. It stands to reason that, as a society, we’re marching on a path towards equality and tolerance for gay people. But I hope this liberalization permeates far deeper than the blatant dishonesty of people such as Reverend McKinney and her congregation. Those of us who actually have nothing against homosexuals — who feel no need to cast the ‘homosexual demons’ from their body— should reject such flagrant duplicity.

See An Exorcism of Hate The Dartmouth

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KRXQ Sacramento Radio Hosts Have History of Obscenity Involving Children: FCC Report

In the wake of the media and Internet firestorm which followed a call to action by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and coverage in The Huffington Post, which broke this story nationally, ten major American corporate advertisers have pulled their accounts from Rob, Arnie & Dawn in the Morning on KRXQ 98.55 in Sacramento.
For its part, the station has taken the May 28th broadcast down off the station’s public website and removed its list of advertisers and sponsors.
On the day in question, two of the show’s three hosts, Rob Williams and Arnie States, spent approximately thirty minutes of the segment berating transgender children as “idiots,” “freaks,” and “freaks of nature,” who were “just out for attention.” They compared the children to “fat bastard kids on Maury” who just needed to be put in their places with verbal abuse and even physical punishment if necessary. States said that if he had a male child who put on a pair of high heels, he would discipline him by striking the little boy with his own shoe.
“I’m going to go, ‘You know what? You’re a little idiot! You little dumbass!” he seethed, later addng, “I look forward to the day when [the transgender children] go out into society and society beats them down. And they wind up in therapy.” If the transgender-identified child “gets to eighteen,” States urged, throw them out of the house. “You say, ‘Get out! Go be a freak! And understand, SON, that society will never accept you because we will have some moral judgment.”
Apparently a significant chunk of corporate America also has “some moral judgment,” and, in this case, they decided that Rob, Arnie & Dawn’s in the Morning’s abusive tirade against transgender children, some as young as five, crossed the line.
As of this writing, at least ten national companies have withdrawn, cancelled, or decided not to renew their advertising contracts with KRXQ. They include Chipotle restaurants, the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, SONIC, Verizon, the Carl’s Jr. restaurant chain, Wells Fargo, Nissan, AT&T, and McDonalds. Citing the depravity of the content, spokespeople for the various companies were united in their disgust with KRXQ and Rob, Arnie, & Dawn in the Morning.
A statement sent to GLAAD from the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group read, “We found the segment to be offensive, and as a result we are pulling our Snapple advertising from the station.” The sentiment was echoed by SONIC, who asserted flatly that “SONIC in no way condones violence toward children and does not wish to be associated with media content that condones or promotes such activity in any way.” See KRXQ Sacramento Radio Hosts Have History of Obscenity Involving Children: FCC Report
Michael Rowe, 06.06.2009
Award-winning journalist and author of Other Men’s Sons

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Students protest anti-gay activists

NEW BRITAIN — Students from New Britain High School started their day earlier than usual Wednesday as they engaged in an unplanned class on the constitution, equal rights and free speech.

About 40 students began gathering about a block south of Mill Street and South Main Street at 6:50 a.m. as a small contingent of out-of-town anti-gay protesters arrived.

Joseph Ellzey, a 16-year-old sophomore, said he was shocked to see the group so near the school.

“What they’re doing is an insult and disgusting,” he said, as schoolmates cheered him on. “People have the right to say things, but this is just hate.”

The anti-gay group, members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., is well-known for its virulent attacks on homosexuals, the U.S. Supreme Court and, with the recent codification in the Legislature on a gay marriage law, the state of Connecticut.
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If we don’t act decisively, America’s next Proposition 8 could happen in Iowa.

In the six days since Iowa lesbian and gay couples won the freedom to marry, powerful right-wing groups have been mounting a campaign to REVERSE this historic decision.

They are pushing for a constitutional ban on marriage for lesbian and gay couples in Iowa – just like California’s Proposition 8.
While key Iowa leaders have been defending this decision, successfully staving off a marriage ban for now, it’s critical that they hear public support as the right-wing onslaught continues – fueled by this week’s marriage victory in Vermont. Send a message thanking Iowa’s leaders and urging them to resist right-wing pressure.

Tell Iowa’s legislative leaders to stay strong – and stop the next Prop. 8!

Iowa state leaders, led by Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and House Speaker Pat Murphy, have been heroic in recent days. HRC played an instrumental role in electing and protecting fair-minded majorities in the Iowa legislature, and we are seeing the fruits of our labors: so far, these courageous lawmakers have been successful in stopping a marriage ban, which would need to be placed on the ballot by the state legislature.
But the right wing campaign isn’t stopping – and if it happened in California, it can happen in Iowa.

Yesterday, the opposition launched a national TV ad campaign using the same lies that helped pass Prop. 8 (be sure to watch it, along with the secret audition tapes we found). It’s a clear example of the lies they’ll continue to use in every state facing a decision on marriage equality.
They are reportedly out-emailing us two to one in Iowa. They’ve held rallies in front of the state capitol. And with every email, phone call, editorial, or ad, it becomes more politically difficult for lawmakers to stay strong. That’s why we need to act now.

Ultraconservative groups are using disgusting lies – saying that “infidelity, promiscuity and insecurity” are the hallmarks of same-sex relationships and suggesting gay parents are more likely to engage in abuse and incest.

We cannot allow this hateful deception to take center stage. We must thank these lawmakers loudly and proudly – and demonstrate that support for marriage equality runs deep.

Thank Iowa’s legislative leaders – and make sure they defend the right of loving couples to marry, now and in the future!

Then, please pass this along to every fair-minded person you know in Iowa and across the country.

The lies must not prevail. Thank you for helping us defend the truth – for Iowans and for all of America.

Warmly,

Joe Solmonese
President, HRC

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The dish on ‘Ratatouille’: Remy was gay!

Remember Remy, the affable rodent chef of “Ratatouille“? Gay. No, really. Here’s an excerpt of what Betty Hallock writes at Daily Dish, the esteemed food blog, about a UCLA lecture on Thursday called “Queering Ratatouille“:

Laure Murat of the UCLA Department of French and Francophone Studies takes the exploration of this topic much further in her lecture Thursday, in which she delves into Remy’s embodiment of “the lonely gay, both refined and the object of disgust, excluded and successful” and the animated movie as “the story of the Oedipus conflict, mixed with issues of race and species…. If ‘anyone can cook,’ any queer guy has a role to play in this world — at least in Paris.”

The dish on ‘Ratatouille’: Remy was gay! Los Angeles Times