The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend: "a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."
He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior."
(CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)
Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego).
"Pam is a 'twisted lesbian sister' and an 'embittered lesbian' of the 'self-imposed gutteral experiences of the gay ghetto.'" -- 9/5/2008
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:
A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist." (Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)
"A nutty lesbian blogger." (MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)
Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
--Impeach Bush
who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
Microsoft made a big splash a few weeks ago by donating $100,000 to the Approve 71 campaign. Indeed it was a significant and much-needed contribution by a major Washington employer. But the really big story is that Microsoft's gift was only one of 4,175 donations made by Washingtonians from across the state (see map). In fact, 85% of all cash donations to Approve 71 have been made by Washingtonians for a total of $1.16 million. Excluding the Microsoft gift, 89% of WA donations were for amounts below the average donation of $253. In the main, the Approve 71 campaign has been funded by small Washington donors.
In stark contrast, only 34% of donations to the anti-domestic partnership campaign totaling $104,233 have come from Washingtonians. The other 66% comes from James Dobson's Colorado-based Focus on the Family (FOTF) and National Organization for Marriage. FOTF made two cash dumps into Washington state. The first was $200,000 into the PAC Vote Reject on R-71 via the local FOTF affiliate Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW). The second was last-minute direct independent spending of $91,852 on radio ads, etc. by Focus on the Family Action. Is it fair to say that James Dobson is the reject campaign?
The anti-domestic partnership campaign has also received an undisclosed amount of in-kind assistance from the undisclosed entity that paid for Protect Marriage Washington's signature gatherers.
~~~Reminder from WAFST: Only 20% of voters have mailed their ballots. Your vote and those of your friends can make the difference. Don't hold onto your ballot, mail it today. Remind your friends. VOTE APPROVE ON REFERENDUM 71
Update: Added some additional related information regarding Lindsey Douthit, who wrote the Concerned Women For America piece excerpted in this diary.
~~Autumn~~
Sometimes, the diaries write themselves. Of course since lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights are in discussion regarding the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) -- the hearing in the House Labor & Education Committee had a committee hearing regarding ENDA on September 23rd -- some conservative "Christian" organizations have already expressed their unhappy feelings related to the ENDA, and especially the ENDA hearing.
So let's feel our happy feelings in reading their unhappy feelings, shall we?
...Only one conservative voice was allowed on the panel: Craig Parshall, senior vice president and general counsel of National Religious Broadcasters.
"ENDA, if passed into law would impose a substantial and crippling burden on religious organizations," he said. "In the cases I reviewed recently where there's a clash between homosexual rights -- sexual orientation being protected under discrimination laws on one hand and Christian religious liberties on the other -- Christian liberties lose and the homosexual rights win." ...
Well, "we" (royal version of me) get tired of hearing this tired dribble. We have a First Amendment in the United States, and as long as they can self-fund their messages to their audiences, the government will not silence them and their messages.
[Below the fold, what the Family Research Council, the Traditional Values Coalition, and the Concerned Women For America have to say about ENDA/the ENDA hearings.]
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is on the fast track in Congress. The bill will get a full committee hearing on Sept. 23 in the U.S. House of Representatives.
For the first time, the measure includes special rights based on "transgenderism."
Family advocates say the bill would put undue burdens on Christian employers by forcing them to hire people whose views are at odds with the company's values.
Gay activists are also pushing to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act, but with other pressing issues facing Congress, it doesn't look like it will get a vote this year...
Note that the anonymous writer of this piece doesn't put quotations marks around the term gay, but does around the term transgenderism.
In a world where lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people tangibly exist, Focus On The Family and other conservative "Christian" people and organizations otherize all of us LGBT people. But, just as I use quotation marks around the Christian in conservative "Christian" to say these self-identified Christians aren't really Christians, these religious right folk use quotations around trans terms to say my trans peers and I don't really exist.
In the same vein, by the way, Peter LaBarbera and OneNewsNow/the American Family Association (AFA) attempt to do a similar thing in the piece Dems focus on homosexual agenda. In that piece, the phrase "so-called 'fully inclusive' version of ENDA" is used. I believe the quotation marks around the phrase "fully inclusive" there is meant with the same intent regarding trans people and community as the quotation marks around the term "transgenderism" in the FOTF/CitizenLink piece.
Gays should perhaps at least take some small comfort in knowing that the conservative "Christian" group Focus On The Family believes that gays exist, and actually refers to gay people by the term gay. The AFA apparently believe gay people exist, but intentionally medicalize and otherize gay people by using the term homosexuals.
Trans people exist; I exist. We aren't others to be erased or otherized quietly with quotation marks; we are human beings that are now on the radar of conservative "Christian" people and organizations.
As much as conservative "Christians" want to erase my peers and I with quotation marks, just as I want to erase their version of Christianity with my quotation marks -- well, the reality is no one is really erasing the existance or identities of anyone else with quotation marks. It's something to note in these days before the official National Punctuation Day®.
Bring out the tiny violin...Joe at Amplify received a letter from a desperate Focus On Your Family begging for cash:
"Right now we're facing a serious budget shortfall that threatens our ability to reach out to parents, families and married couples who count on our help. Income is down nearly $6 million from what we expected and planned for this year."
Oh my, why isn't God looking out for the organization founded by Daddy D to save America from the evils of ho-mo-sexuality, fornication and reproductive rights?! Damn, are they not praying enough? Oh that's right, they are so busy peeping into everyone's business that they forgot to drop on their knees to ask for protection of "the God-ordained covenant between one man and one woman."
The other problem is the FOTF's donor base is now probably on the dole and eating Alpo because of the sh*tty shape Holy Dear Leader left the economy in when he took off in the helicopter to fly back to Texas and away from the mess he made.
Bay Windows posted an interesting piece yesterday -- their article Local media swallows 'bathroom bill' rhetoric talks about how local media markets in Massachusetts have adopted the biased language of the religious right -- of conservative "Christian"s -- when its come to the current civil rights legislation that's pending in the state. Associate Editor Ethan Jacobs began his piece this way:
On July 14, the day of a legislative hearing on the transgender rights bill currently on Beacon Hill, WCVB's NewsCenter 5 ran a story about the bill on its evening newscast. Anchor Liz Brunner introduced the story by saying, "It's being called the bathroom bill, [and it] is essentially meant to end discrimination based on transgender status." Behind Brunner was an image of the traditional male and female stick figures found on restroom doors, positioned next to the State House dome and above the tagline, "Bathroom Bill." Yet the only people calling the trans rights bill, House Bill 1728, a "bathroom bill" are its opponents, and the label is a misnomer by any objective criteria.
H.B. 1728 adds trans-inclusive language to the state's non-discrimination laws in the areas of employment, public accommodations, credit, housing, and education, as well as to the state's hate-crimes laws, going far beyond simply allowing transgender people to use bathrooms that match their gender identity or expression. Opponents of the legislation, led by the Massachusetts Family Institute (MFI), claim that the bill will allow male sexual predators to masquerade as women and sneak into women's restrooms and locker rooms. WCVB's coverage of the transgender rights bill, as well as the coverage by some other local media outlets, suggests that the work of the bill's opponents to label the legislation a bathroom bill in public discourse has been at least somewhat successful...
The article goes on to say...
..[The Massachusetts Family Institute (MFI)], an offshoot of the national Christian right advocacy group Focus on the Family, has spent the past year working to re-brand H.B. 1728 as the "bathroom bill." In April, around the time when both supporters and opponents of the bill held back-to-back lobby days on Beacon Hill, the group created a Web site, NoBathroomBill.com, to provide supporters with talking points against the bill and to direct them to contact their lawmakers. MFI began running ads on WBZ NewsRadio this summer referring to the legislation as the bathroom bill and featuring a conversation between two mothers who believe that their children will not be safe in pubic bathrooms if the bill passes. Activists in other states, including New Hampshire and Colorado, have used similar tactics to advocate against state and local transgender rights bills.
Gunner Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), which is leading the effort to pass the transgender rights bill, said he was disappointed by the media coverage of the hearing. He said even in outlets that did not refer to the bill as a bathroom bill, the issue of bathrooms dominated the coverage.
...And, we've seen ads like the Citizens For Good Public Policy's ad that portrays civil rights based on gender identity or expression as a bathroom predator issue...
It's nice to see Daddy D's organization is still chugging along in a different century from the rest of the world. Do you want to know what the plan is for today's woman?
May 29, 2009
God designed a husband to be a provider, protector and leader for his wife. What unique role did God design for her?
What does it look like when a wife lives out her godly calling? Today, Dorothy Patterson, a professor of theology in women's studies, offers scriptural insights drawn from the Bible's creation account. She describes the value and uniqueness of a woman's role in marriage and explains how women were created with equal worth to men. Listen in as the author and speaker also shares personal stories illustrating how she submits to her husband's roles as a provider, protector and leader.
"The home [is] God's first institution, and it's the one most precious to His heart because the home is [where] God chose ... to reveal Himself to us." — Dorothy Patterson
Today, during the Focus on the Family daily broadcast, Dr. Dobson and a panel of experts express grave concern over hate-crimes legislation that recently passed in the U.S. House.
The dangerous bill, awaiting Senate consideration, would create a new class of crimes based on the victim's "actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Those who speak out against homosexuality, including pastors, could face prosecution for "inciting" violence against gay individuals.
Even more concerning, the legislation could create special protection for pedophiles. Democrats voted down an amendment to the bill that would have excluded pedophilia from the definition of "sexual orientation."
..."Legislation that should shock the nation - if people were paying attention - is being rushed into law," he said. "Things are being done that will undermine the rule of law and seriously damage morality and decency in the culture."
So, my belief sill is the misrepresentations by conservative "Christian" leaders -- leaders which now directly include James Dobson -- of how federal hate crime legislation is "thought crime" legislation are reprehensible.
We can now add James Dobson to those who now really own convicted bias crime murder Allen Ray Andrade's "Gay things must die" and "It's not like I went up to a schoolteacher and shot her in the head or ... killed a law-abiding straight citizen." The "free speech" of the man convicted of the bias motivated, first degree murder of Angie Zapata is exactly the kind of "thought crime" speech connected to a brutal killing that Dr. Dobson wants to protect.
You too, Mr. Dobson, can now choke on Allen Ray Andrade's "free speech."
Thanks to Jeremy at Good As You, Daddy D's shop had to admit it lied about a poll conducted by Cornerstone Policy Research and cited by Focus on the Family, that claimed it "surveyed every New Hampshire household" on the subject of marriage equality. Jeremy said:
Now, keep in mind that they're not saying they attempted to contact every household. They're not saying that they're using a representative sample that approximates the full spectrum of NH households. They, without any margin of error or qualifiers, are claiming that every single household in the Live Free or Die state weighed in on this subject, with 64% adding a caveat to the the first part of that state motto.
With a claim that bold pointed out publicly, Focus's Gary Schneeberger had to fess up (Jeremy has the letter) to an "inaccuracy" on the part of the anti-gay organization. How convenient. A snippet of the excuse:
I'm not a teleemarketing export so I don't know the technical meaning of "survey" as it applies to the industry. But as a communications professional, I do know the word implies a connectino beyond placing a phone call, and I have confirmed today in follow-up conversations that it is inaccurate to say all households in New Hampshire responded to the survey questions.
FNIF made and error -- not one of malice, but of insufficient due diligence in reporting a story.
Jesus. This is how these organizations operate, particularly when polls like this and junk science are concerned. This time they were caught with their pants down because the claim was so outrageous.
But what if no one had challenged Focus on this? This lie would have continued to circulate, get repeated by fundie talking heads on news shows, turn up on winger blogs, etc. You know the deal. This is particularly true of the folks like Maggie Gallagher, Tony Perkins, etc. -- they are popular with these chat shows, and can go on-air and spout off false statistics and quote slanted, questionable research as fact, because they know the under-prepared host or moderator won't challenge the veracity of their statements.
"There is no evidence of an epidemic of sexual-orientation 'hate crimes' in this country," said Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst at Focus on the Family Action. "So, what's the real reason for this bill? Gay activists want to silence those who speak out against homosexuality."
When I read that, I remember the words I heard spoken in recorded telephone call by Allen Ray Andrade, the convicted hate crime committing murderer of Angie Zapata:
"It's not like I went up to a schoolteacher and shot her in the head or ... killed a law-abiding straight citizen."
Well, Ashley Horne, federal hate crime legislation isn't about wanting to "...silence those who speak out against homosexuality," unless it's speech connected to violent crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, with the victims ove these violent crimes selected specifically because the victim is lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
You know, victims like Angie Zapata. Her killer, Allen Ray Andrade, was convicted of both a murder and a hate crime after stating in a recorded, jailhouse phone call that no one would care much about Angie's death because she wasn't a schoolteacher or law-abiding straight citizen.
So let me personally impugn the motives of Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst at Focus on the Family Action with a quote of my own:
"There is evidence of hate crimes in this America, where victims are selected because of their perceived sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression.
"So, what's the real reason that Ashley Horne of Focus On The Family and her conservative 'Christian' cohorts want to protect the 'free speech' of convicted killers like Allen Ray Andrade in their effort to defeat hate all crime legislation? It's because they want people like Andrade to have the 'free speech' connected to their bias motivated, violent crimes protected when they terrorize lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual people to be protected 'free speech' -- 'free speech' statements such as Andrade's 'Gay things must die' and 'It's not like I went up to a schoolteacher and shot her in the head or ... killed a law-abiding straight citizen.'"
That's right, I said it, and I believe it. Ashley Horne of Focus On The Family, and all of her cohorts Focus On The Family are arguing to protect the horrid 'free speech' of killers like Allen Ray Andrade, who brutally beat Angie Zapata to death last July 16th with a fire extinguisher specifically because she was transgender.
Ashley Horne must own the "free speech" of Allen Ray Andrade in her opposition to hate crimes legislation, since "free speech" is what she's claiming lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people like me want to suppress.
As you can see by this partial rundown, we're hard at work safeguarding the family - and that's thanks to your faithful prayers and financial support. Most of these issues are fast-breaking, so I encourage you to take advantage of the many resources Focus Action produces to educate, motivate and activate like-minded Americans to engage in our government "of the people, by the people and for the people."
I thank you for your prayers for our nation, and I certainly appreciate your prayers for Focus Action, too. If you haven't supported Focus Action financially in a while, this would be a great time to help us deal with a mountain of challenges and opportunities. And if you're a regular contributor, God bless you for making what we do possible.
Focus On The Family Action™ is again asking for donations, and of course they're doing it on the backs of marriage equality and, to quote them, "bathroom bills." From the text of their email on their "accomplishments" they want you to continue to support with your financial donations:
Playing defense--and offense--all over the country
But our nation's capital is not the only source of concern for the welfare of the family. Our staff (and budget) has been put to the test this year with a nonstop barrage of anti-family legislation in state after state. I couldn't be prouder of how our team has risen to the challenge of addressing each situation. And I'm so thankful for friends like you who have prayed for us or who have given to support our work on behalf of the family.
• Homosexual activists are pushing their agenda in state after state.
º Same-sex marriage: Four states (New York, New Hampshire, Maine and Minnesota) are facing full-fledged same-sex "marriage" bills, and an attempt is expected in New Jersey before the end of the year. Vermont recently legalized gay marriage by a vote of its Legislature. And Iowa started issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples this week following a state Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that created gay marriage.
º Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships: Bills in Hawaii and New Mexico were defeated this spring, thanks to citizen involvement. Unfortunately, a bill to extend all rights and benefits of marriage to domestic partners in Washington state is expected to be signed into law; and a bill to grant benefits for the same-sex partners of Colorado state employees is heading to the governor's desk.
º "Bathroom Bills": We're thrilled to report that "bathroom bills" - which would allow men to use women's restrooms in the name of preventing discrimination against transgendered individuals - failed in North Dakota, New York and New Hampshire. These victories are due to the diligent work of state-based, pro-family groups, as well as resources we were able to deliver because of your support.
I would feel sorry for Tom Minnery and his peers at Focus On The Family -- in how they don't get Christ's messages on love -- but it's hard to feel sorry for Minnery and his peers when they raise money in God's name to accomplish bigotry and harm real people...real human beings.
A trial to determine the constitutionality of a California law that provides special status based on "gender identity" is set to begin April 14 in Sacramento.
You would think from the headline and first paragraph that this is a law that specifically and only deals with gender identity or expression, trans people, or crossdressed/transgender predators using the bathrooms/locker rooms. Oh no, it certainly isn't. From the next paragraph of the article:
SB 777, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2008, prohibits teaching or any activity that "reflects adversely upon" or "promotes a discriminatory bias" because of sexual orientation or gender.
To cast this bill as a gender identity bill is to intentionally change the focus of the bill. Here's what SB 777, per Equality California, was written to do. Pay close attention to the Why Is This Bill Important? section :
PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSED LAW
Under existing law, Education Code Section 220, students are protected from discrimination in all publicly-funded educational institutions based on actual or perceived disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or association with a person who has any of these characteristics. However, other nondiscrimination provisions in the Education Code, which govern programs and activities that are also covered by Section 220, vary in the types of protections they explicitly provide. Senate Bill 777 would correct such inconsistencies by referencing a single, comprehensive nondiscrimination standard throughout these various laws.
BACKGROUND
AB 537 (Kuehl), the Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000, created an expansive law banning discrimination in schools against individuals who are members of specified categories known as "protected classes." This law applies to all publicly-funded educational programs and activities and includes a prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and association with another person who is protected under these categories.
Despite the broad protections created by AB 537, there are several additional nondiscrimination statutes in the Education Code that vary in the lists of protected classes they cover. For example, a provision relating to charter schools prohibits "racial, sex or ethnic discrimination." Another statute prohibits the adoption of instructional materials that contain matter reflecting adversely on persons because of their "race, sex, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, handicap or occupation." Such inconsistencies lead to deficiencies in protection for students and confusion for teachers and school personnel who are responsible for implementing and complying with the law.
WHY IS THIS BILL IMPORTANT?
Students in California report significant harassment because of actual or perceived sexual orientation. Data from the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS, 2000-2001), the largest study of students in California schools, shows that every year over 200,000 students are harassed because they are gay or lesbian or someone thought they were. This harassment is linked to higher levels of academic, health and safety risk.
This law went into effect on January 1, 2008. This is what Focus On Teh Family is telling their flock is the negative effect of the law:
The effects of the legislation are playing out in schools across the state. In one Northern California school, a boy was forced to change clothes in a boys' locker room where a girl was dressing.
"Of course, that would have a significant impact on kids, particularly kids going through puberty," said Robert Tyler, founder of Advocates for Faith and Freedom. "It's a perfect example of how ridiculous this law is."
So, take note of this: Focus On The Family is using gender identity as their new anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil rights and protections talking point. I believe this is a trend for future culture war battles -- the battles will be cast in terms of gender identity, transgender, and of course the crossdressed/transgender bathroom meme. Focus On Teh Family used the terminology of gender identity this time to argue against a bill that is a LGBT civil rights bill...
...Much as the crossdressed/transgender bathroom meme was unsuccessfully used in Gainesville a few weeks ago in an attempt to erase the rights of the entire lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
In the wrong kind of way, trans is the new gay in the culture war's battle against basic civil rights and protections for the whole of LGBT people.
UPDATE: This guy is a real freakshow. Via Colorado Independent, the affidavit (right). Here's proof that fundie repression can turn into perversion.
My, my, those family values out there in the pious part of Colorado Springs. You can't make this stuff up -- this dude narrated the Bible for Christian CDs. (Denver Post):
Juan Alberto Ovalle, 42, thought he was corresponding with a girl under the age of 15, but instead it was undercover officers with the Jefferson County district attorney's office, according to court documents.
Ovalle works for a Spanish-speaking arm of the Colorado Springs Christian group Focus on the Family and narrates Biblical text for CDs, according to Internet websites that sell the products.
"We're shocked," said Gary Schneeberger, a spokesman with Focus.
Schneeberger said the group "is beginning its own process of looking into the allegations" and that it "will work with authorities" if asked.
...Ovalle asked the teen specific sexual questions and told her about sex acts he would perform with her, according to an arrest affidavit. According to the affidavit, during one exchange, Ovalle asked: "Would you like to meet?"
The undercover officer told Ovalle that her "mom" was working and she was home alone.
Ovalle responded by saying he was "horny" and that he'd come to the home.
Bleh. He has been charged with criminal attempted sexual assault on a child and Internet luring of a child.
Apparently, trans people and issues are the new, and apparently key focus of "traditional values" organizations.
This e-letter from the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) is the third attack from religious right/"traditional values" organizations this week -- the other two from the Family Research Council (FRC) and Focus On The Family Action (FOTF Action) (both of which used the crossdressed/transgender bathroom predator meme). This time the issue over medical and psychological treatment of gender variant youth.
And, along with the Focus On The Family Action e-letter, NARTH too engaged in fundraising over trans people.
I believe this is a sign of desperation -- they are losing the larger LGB basic civil rights "war," and so they are trying to build extreme hysteria over T's. And to them, this is a war -- the FRC said this...
Anyone who has predicted an end to the culture war needs only to look toward New Hampshire this week. There, state leaders are debating a radical menu of issues that could forever change the landscape of the family in New England.
And from FOTF:
Every year, Focus Action engages directly in several of these state battles to help stop such legislation in its tracks. If you've been supporting us for any length of time, then you've had a part in defeating these schemes. Your support allows us to activate pro-family citizens through mailings, e-mail blasts, telephone calls and advertising campaigns
And in the email below from NARTH, there's a section subheader entitled The Battle for GID Children -- They're even using war related terminology regarding trans and gay youth.
Next to marriage equality, it seems to me that trans people and issues are rising to the top of the "traditional values" organizations' memes against LGBT civil rights -- and these "traditional values" organizations have essentially declared war on trans people in the process.
The section of the findraising e-letter from NARTH that talks about transyouth is below the fold -- select the images of the e-leter to read a PDF of the whole e-letter. The PDF includes the request for funds by NARTH's president, Julie Harren Hamilton, Ph. D.
Daddy D may have retired, but the utter batsh*ttery continues. As we saw with the American Family Association, these professional fundie organizations are attempting to fill their dwindling coffers at the expense of the LGBT community. After all, it's probably the only thing left that can raise some dough from the low-information public.
Below the fold, you will have to hold your nose and cover your keyboards as Tom Minnery picks up where Dobson left off as the Transgender Agenda attempts to engulf American society.
Not surprisingly, a number of alarming incidents have already been reported to us:
* A female intern at Focus on the Family® encountered a man in a women’s restroom in a local airport.6
* A teen girl saw a man in a women’s restroom at a Colorado Springs-area Wal-Mart. The man then exposed his genitals to the girl.7
* Two teenage girls discovered a man undressing in a women’s locker room in a Denver-area fitness facility.8
* A mother and daughter in a Colorado mall bathroom were intruded upon by a man who spent several minutes in the bathroom.9
I'm not kidding you. As I said the rest is below the fold.
The Lone Star State's public policy council liaison for Focus On Your Family, the Free Market Foundation, finally came to the realization that its name sounds more like a Beltway econ think tank and has asked its fundie membership for some help with a new moniker. (Texas Freedom Network):
They've been around since 1972 and just figured that out?
Moreover, the word "foundation" leads people to think we dole out money to other worthy causes.
And lastly, it is challenging to build grassroots momentum by promoting two names - Free Market Foundation and our legal division, Liberty Legal Institute.
We believe we would be more efficient, reduce confusion and have greater impact by adopting ONE name.
We agree. And being generous folks here at Texas Freedom Network, we're happy to help. So how about:
Focus on the Family-Texas (Truth in advertising, at least.)
Texans for the Right Religion
Lawsuits-R-Us: Suing Schools for Jesus since 1972
SOS: Sue Our Schools Coalition
Texans for Merging Church and State
Fund More Fundamentalists (They wouldn't have to change their initials!)
OK, Blenders, be creative and help the bible beaters out. Feel free to come up with new names for your local wingnut orgs as well.
• 85.1% of transgender students reported being verbally harassed based on their sexual orientation and gender/gender expression
• 96.1% of students heard negative comments related to students' gender expression
• 38.4% of students reported feeling unsafe at school because of their gender expression.
• Transgender students reported experiencing higher levels of harassment and assault related to various personal characteristics than other students.
It seems pretty wonderful to me that GLSEN has set aside a day for students to think about the school experiences of transyouth.
TransAction Day, of course, has been noticed by conservative "Christians." CitizenLink (a Focus On The Family subsidiary) and Exodus International have paid attention to this day:
We have to be completely vigilant about what our children are being taught in schools. Parents need to pay attention and raise concerns with their school districts as well as teach their children healthy, biblical role-modeling of their gender.
Gender is not a social construct. It's a biological fact. We have men and women and that's been the case since the beginning of Creation.
The Lifetime Channel is airing a controversial new movie this weekend in which conservative Christian parents shoulder the blame after their gay-identified son commits suicide. "Prayers for Bobby," based on a true story from the 1970s, stars Sigourney Weaver.
Family advocates are concerned the film tells only half of the story, leaving out the redemptive power of Jesus Christ.
The article quotes Terri Brown, a mother that's been praying for 17 years that her son would find freedom from the homosexual identity:
I can understand a mother's despair, especially a Christian mother's despair. Because we know what the Bible says about homosexuality.
My heart goes out to people that struggle with homosexuality. They did not ask for that struggle. What do we do with our sin nature? We take it to the Lord and let Him renew our minds and hearts.
Again, from the article:
Jeff Johnston, gender analyst at Focus on the Family, said the movie's message runs contrary to God's.
...No matter where the movie lands, Johnston said, people can and do change their sexual orientation -- he's living proof.
I'm always a little skeptical of folk who have a personal set of experiences, and then try to globalize the experience to everyone else -- such as Focus On The Family putting Jeff Johnston putting himself up as the "living proof" that one can, by effort and God's help, change one's sexual orientation. Even allowing that it's true for Johnston, it doesn't mean it's true for every other lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender person.
This all sounds like "you homosexuals can change your sexual orientation with God's help." But, you have to look at the rest of the FOTF message, and look at how they spent millions for the Yes On Prop 8 campaign, and then laying off employees for lack of cash in December of last year.
These protests are the ugly face of a pansexual ideology that will not allow for honest disagreement or dissenting viewpoints. And even though it claims to be all about tolerance and diversity, laws are coming that will enforce the politically correct view that homosexuality must be celebrated, embraced and affirmed in every arena of society.
Make no mistake: From "hate crimes" and "nondiscrimination" laws - which enshrine homosexuality, bisexuality and "transgenderism" as protected classes - to a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, it will soon be difficult for Bible-believing Christians to stand up for God's created intent for sexuality, gender, marriage and the family.
-- Focus on the Anus Citzenlink's Research Analyst Caleb H. Price, in his column "Whatever Happened to the Marketplace of Ideas?"
Bring out the tiny violin...
