Pam Spaulding's Blog, page 92

Too juicy: Audience Member AT CPAC Yells To Cheney 'You're A War Criminal'

As a Blender on Facebook said, "whoops... they can't even screen CPAC-goers for non-Kool-aid-drinkers anymore."

CBS:

The annual convention has attracted about 11,000 conservatives to the nation's capital, many of them young supporters of libertarian icon Ron Paul. They were ready this afternoon to show their opposition to the Bush administration when former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was presented with the conference's "Defenders of the Constitution" award.

Loud boos resounded through the convention hall as Rumsfeld's name was announced on stage. The numerous young attendees got up from their seats and filed out of the room in protest.

The commotion only grew when former Vice President Dick Cheney surprised the audience by showing up to honor his longtime friend and White House colleague.

The crowd was on its feet, some cheering "Cheney for president!" The boos from CPAC's libertarian contigent continued and at times interrupted Cheney's remarks. "America is stronger and more secure" because of Rumsfeld's service, Cheney said, prompting one person to loudly shout, "Where's bin Laden at!"

Mubarak sets up potential bloodbath with speech; hands over limited power to VP

Is it me or is aging, out-of-touch, egomaniac dictator Hosni Mubarak asking for a bloodbath coup with a speech that basically says he's still in charge?

In what looks like a bone-headed, stubborn and potentially deadly political move, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, who apparently hasn't been looking at the teeming crowds of people in the streets calling for him to get lost, today digged in his heels. The speech clearly caught everyone -- including the White House -- off guard, as most figured the guy was going to resign and jet off to some paradise to live out the rest of his years. You know, something that would make sense for the garden variety dictator.

But egomaniacs like to hold on to power, so he handed over some responsibilities to his VP:

I am telling you, as a president of the country, I do not find it a mistake to listen to you and to respond to your requests and demands. But it is shameful and I will not, nor will ever accept to hear foreign dictations, whatever the source might be or whatever the context it came in.

...I have delegated to the vice president some of the power - the powers of the president according to the constitution. I am aware, fully aware, that Egypt will overcome the crisis and the resolve of its people will not be deflected and will [inaudible] again because of the - and will deflect the arrows of the enemies and those who [inaudible] against Egypt.

But Mubarak still holds power over the country's constitution and ability to dismiss Parliament, according to CNN.

The White House has yet to respond. Who knows what the Egypt's army will do.

Below the fold is the transcript.

 

In the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate, dear fellow citizens, my sons, the youth of Egypt, and daughters, I am addressing you tonight to the youth of Egypt in Tahrir Square, with all of its diversity.

I am addressing all of you from the heart, a speech from the father to his sons and daughters. I am telling you that I am very grateful and am so proud of you for being a symbolic generation that is calling for change to the better, that is dreaming for a better future, and is making the future.

I am telling you before anything, that the blood of the martyrs and the injured will not go in vain. And I would like to affirm, I will not hesitate to punish those who are responsible fiercely. I will hold those in charge who have violated the rights of our youth with the harshest punishment stipulated in the law.

I am telling families of the innocent victims that I have been so much in pain for their pain, and my heart ached for your heartache.

I am telling you that my response to your demands and your messages and your requests is my commitment that I will never go back on to. I am determined to fulfill what I have promised you in all honesty, and I'm determined to execute and carry out what I have promised without going back to the past.

This commitment is out of my conviction of your honesty and your movement and that your demands are the demands - legitimate and just demands. Any regime could make mistakes in any country, but what is more important is to acknowledge these mistakes and reform and correct them in a timely manner, and to hold those responsible for it accountable.

I am telling you, as a president of the country, I do not find it a mistake to listen to you and to respond to your requests and demands. But it is shameful and I will not, nor will ever accept to hear foreign dictations, whatever the source might be or whatever the context it came in.

My sons and daughters, the youth of Egypt, dear fellow citizens, I have announced, without any doubt, that I will not run for the next presidential elections and have said that I have given the country and served the country for 60 years in public service, during wartime and during peacetime.

I have told you my determination that I will hold steadfast to continue to take on my responsibility to protect the constitution and the rights of people until power is transferred to whomever the people choose during September, the upcoming September, and free and impartial elections that will be safeguarded by the freedom - the call for freedom.

This is the oath that I have taken before God and before you. And I will protect it and keep it until we reach - we take Egypt to the safety and security.

I have given you my vision to get out of this current situation, to accomplish what the youth and the people called for, within the respect for the legitimacy and the constitution in a way that will accomplish security, and security for our future and the demands of our people, and at the same time will guarantee a framework of peaceful transition of power.

Through a responsible dialogue between all factions in the society, with all honesty and transparency, I have given you this vision under commitment to take the country out of this current crisis, and I will continue to accomplish it. And I'm monitoring the situation hour by hour.

I'm looking forward to the support of all those who are careful about the security and want a secure Egypt, within a tangible time, with the harmony of the broad base of all Egyptians that will stay watchful to guard Egypt and under the command of its military forces.

We have started a national dialogue, a constructive one, that included the youth who have called for change and reform, and also with all the factions of opposition and of society. And this dialogue resulted in harmony, and preliminary harmony in opinions that has placed us on the beginning of the road to transfer to a better future that we have agreed on.

We also have agreed on a road map - a road map with a timetable. Day after day, we will continue the transition of power from now until September. This national dialogue has -- has met and was formed under a constitutional committee that have looked into the constitution and what was required - and looked into what is required, and the constitution reforms that is demanded [inaudible].

We will also monitor the execution - the honest execution of what I have promised my people. I was careful that both committees that were formed - to be formed from Egyptians who are honorable and who are independent and impartial, and who are well-versed in law and constitution.

In addition to that, in reference to the loss of many Egyptians during these sad situations that have pained the hearts of all of us and have ached the conscience of all Egyptians. I have also requested to expedite investigations and to refer all investigations to the attorney general to take the necessary measures and steps - decisive steps.

I also received the first reports yesterday about the required constitutional reform - reforms that was suggested by the constitutional and law experts regarding the legislative reforms that were requested. I am also responding to what the committee has suggested. And based on the powers given to me according to the constitution, I have presented today a request asking the amendment of six constitutional articles, which is 76, 77, 88, 93 and 187, in addition to abolishing article number 79 in the constitution, with the affirmation and conviction that later on we can also amend the other articles that would be suggested by that constitutional committee, according to what it sees right.

Our priority now is to facilitate free election - free presidential elections and to stipulate a number of terms in the constitution and to guarantee a supervision of the upcoming elections to make sure it will be conducted in a free manner.

We - I have also looked into the provisions and the steps to look into the parliamentary elections, but those who have suggested to abolish article number 179 in the constitution will guarantee the balance between the constitution and between our security and the threat of terror, which will open the door to stopping the martial law, as soon as we regain stability and security and as soon as these circumstances -- circumstances assure the stability.

Our priority now is to regain confidence between citizens among themselves and to regain confidence in the international arena and to regain confidence about the reforms that we have pledged.

Egypt is going through some difficult times, and it is not right to continue in this discourse because it has affected our economy and we have lost day after day, and it is in danger -- it is putting Egypt through a situation where people who have called for reform will be the first ones to be affected by it.

This time is not about me. It's not about Hosni Mubarak. But the situation now is about Egypt and its present and the future of its citizens.

All Egyptians are in the same spot now, and we have to continue our national dialogue that we have started in the spirit of one team and away from disagreements and fighting so that we can take Egypt to the next step and to regain confidence in our economy and to let people feel secure and to stabilize the Egyptian street so that people can resume their daily life.

I was a young man, a youth just like all these youth, when I have learned the honor of the military system and to sacrifice for the country. I have spent my entire life defending its land and its sovereignty. I have witnessed and attended its wars with all its defeats and victories. I have lived during defeat and victory.

During the victory in 1973, my happiest days were when I lifted the Egyptian flag over Sinai. I have faced death several times when I was a pilot. I also faced it in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and elsewhere. I did not submit nor yield to foreign dictations or others. I have kept the peace. I worked towards the Egyptian stability and security. I have worked to the revival in Egypt and the prosperity.

I did not seek authority. I trust that the majority -- the vast majority of the Egyptian people know who is Hosni Mubarak, and it pains me to what I have -- what I see today from some of my fellow citizens. And anyway, I am completely aware of the -- what we are facing and I am convinced that Egypt is going through a historical -- a historical moment that necessitates we should look into the higher and superior aspirations of the nation over any other goal or interest.

I have delegated to the vice president some of the power - the powers of the president according to the constitution. I am aware, fully aware, that Egypt will overcome the crisis and the resolve of its people will not be deflected and will [inaudible] again because of the - and will deflect the arrows of the enemies and those who [inaudible] against Egypt.

We will stand as Egyptians and we will prove our power and our resolve to overcome this through national dialogue. We will prove that we are not followers or puppets of anybody, nor we are receiving orders or dictations from anybody -- any entity, and no one is making the decision for us except for the [inaudible] of the Egyptian [inaudible].

We will prove that with the spirit and the resolve of the Egyptian people, and with the unity and steadfastness of its people and with our resolve and to our glory and pride.

These are the main foundations of our civilization that have started over 7,000 years ago. That spirit will live in us as long as the Egyptian people - as long as the Egyptian people remain, that spirit will remain in us.

It will live amongst all of our people, farmers, intellectuals, workers. It will remain in the hearts of our senior citizens, our women, our children, Christians and Muslims alike, and in the hearts and minds of all those who are not born yet.

Let me say again that I have lived for this nation. I have kept my responsibilities. And Egypt will remain, above all, and above any individuals -- Egypt will remain until I deliver and surrender its -- it to others. This will be the land of my living and my death. It will remain a dear land to me. I will not leave it nor depart it until I am buried in the ground. Its people will remain in my heart, and it will remain -- its people will remain upright and lifting up their heads.

May God keep Egypt secure and may God defend its people. And peace be upon you.

SLDN Calls For Executive Order Banning Discrimination Based On Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) released a press release of note yesterday, entitled .

SLDN CALLS FOR EXECUTIVE ORDER BANNING DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

February 9, 2011

Paul DeMiglio: (202) 621-5408 or paul@sldn.org

SLDN CALLS ON PRESIDENT TO ISSUE EXECUTIVE ORDER BANNING DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY

Washington, D.C. -- In a letter sent to the White House today, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) urged President Obama to issue an executive order prohibiting discrimination in the armed forces based on sexual orientation and gender identity. SLDN recommends that the executive order go into effect on the date of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) repeal, which is 60 days after certification by the President, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen.

"Signing legislation that allows for repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was a necessary first step, but it is not sufficient for ensuring equality in the military. We call upon the President to issue an executive order so that sexual orientation and gender identity are not barriers to applying for a job or advancing in your career," said Aubrey Sarvis, Army veteran and executive director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

The explicit anti-discrimination provision that was part of legislation to repeal DADT was dropped from the bill passed by Congress and signed into law by the President last December. An executive order is therefore needed to give service members recourse outside their chain of command if they are experiencing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

"Every service member deserves equal respect and a safe work environment. President Obama now has an opportunity to demonstrate the same leadership that President Truman did when he issued an executive order to end racial segregation in the military, and issue an executive order that protects all patriots regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The President recognizes that it will take more than just repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' to end discrimination against LGBT service members, and we couldn't agree more," Sarvis said.

To read the full text of the letter, click here.

##

STILL AT RISK: Despite the President signing the bill authorizing repeal of DADT, it is still unsafe for service members to come out until 60 days after certification by President Obama, Secretary Gates, and Admiral Mullen. Warning to service members: www.SLDN.org/StillAtRisk

SLDN FREE HOTLINE: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members with questions are urged to contact the SLDN hotline to speak with a staff attorney: 202-328-3244 x100.

ABOUT SLDN: Servicemembers Legal Defense Network was established in 1993 when "Don't Ask" originally passed. In addition to working on repeal, SLDN offers free, confidential legal services to those impacted by the discriminatory law. Last year the organization received its 10,000th call for assistance to its legal hotline.

[The text of the SLDN's policy letter on LGBT antidiscrimination in the military services to President Obama is below the fold.]
The letter sent to President Obama from the SLDN -- signed by their executive director Aubrey Sarvis:

February 9, 2011

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama:

Last month, you signed legislation that provided for the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". This was a major accomplishment for the United States military, for gay and lesbian Americans, and for your Administration and the United States Congress. We look forward to the certification by you, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff that will bring this unwise and discriminatory law to an end.

But you have recognized that repeal of this law, while necessary, is not sufficient. You said, "The eradication of this policy will require more than just eliminating one statute. It will require the implementation of anti-harassment policies and protocols for dealing with abusive or discriminatory behavior as we transition our armed forces away from a policy of discrimination." With this, we completely agree.

And yet, recent statements by some leaders in the Department of Defense indicate that they see no need for such policies and protocols -- that business as usual is enough. With this, we do not agree. A mechanism should be put in place so that service members have a place to turn, independent of their chain of command, if they are subject to discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Being able to apply for a job and advance in one's career, free from discrimination, is not, as some have termed, a "special right". And a workplace free from discrimination does not happen just because our leadership says it must.

We, therefore, call on you to show the leadership President Truman did when he issued an Executive Order banning racial discrimination in the armed services and to issue an Executive Order prohibiting discrimination in the armed services based on sexual orientation and gender identity to be effective on the date of repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". Bills introduced in the past three Congresses that included an explicit anti-discrimination provision to accompany "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal attracted hundreds of co-sponsors, but this language was dropped from the bill that passed last year. Your Executive Order can ensure that the military adopts the necessary nondiscrimination policies coincident with repeal of the discriminatory law.

Sincerely,

Aubrey Sarvis

Executive Director

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network

What the inclusion of gender identity in the SLDN's messaging means is unclear to me. Perhaps we'll find out in coming days.

.

Video break: Santorum at CPAC: "America Belongs to God"

Potential GOP Clown Car occupant Rick Santorum mounted the stage at CPAC today, and bleated his "family values" schtick. via Right Wing Watch:

Santorum stood up for the importance of social issues and blasts the judiciary, claiming it has no right to redefine life and marriage before declaring that "American belongs to God"

Guest column by Sara Beth Brooks: 'Discussing Asexuality & Creating Change'

This is an interesting topic; one we have not discussed on the Blend before (that I can recall). I look forward to hearing your comments. -- Pam

Discussing Asexuality & Creating Change

By Sara Beth Brooks

When I signed up online to attend last year's Creating Change conference in Dallas, I was asked to fill in my sexual orientation. I checked "queer," but that isn't wholly accurate; Asexuality wasn't listed as one of the orientations that you could select.

Throughout the 2010 Conference, I found and bonded with several other asexual LGBT organizers. Each of us expressed concern about the lack of discussion about asexuality at the conference, so we went as a group to the feedback session when the conference ended. I stood up and spoke about the fragmentation of the asexual community, and how useful it would be to collect that demographic at registration so that we could connect to each other. Another person got up and talked about how he's seen the evolution of LGBT language over time to include the transgender community, and now he hopes it will be no different with the asexual community.

The group of us exchanged information and agreed to get together to submit curriculum for next year's conference. We recruited David Jay, a preeminent voice in the asexual community, to help create and co-present a workshop which was tailored for the LGBT activist audience.

While we were organizing last summer, a letter surfaced on the internet from an asexual youth, Andi (read the full version here):

"From three o'clock that evening to basically ten o'clock at night I was grilled over my involvement with the Asexual and LGBTQAXYZ communities. After about three hours, I confessed I was asexual. At about five hours, I gave them links to all my account. By the end of the night, almost every account I have online had been purged of asexual references..."

What you don't know (unless you've already clicked through) was that prior to hir parents finding out that ze was asexual, Andi was the visionary leading the charge on what would become the most successful asexuality project of last year, Hot Pieces of Ace. Andi, who prefers gender neutral pronouns, goes on: "Ever since that day, the internet connection from my personal computer has been cut off.... I am no longer allowed to see certain friends... Church service, which I used to enjoy, has become a prison sentence of sorts. I am required to sit next to them during services, and they have to witness my daily prayers and bible readings... My mom is always bringing up just how natural sex is, or "trying to make me feel like a girl" by buying me frivolous things that I never wanted... I love God, and I try to love my parents, but it's hard."

Andi's story is not unique; it serves as solemn reminder of the need for support for asexual youth. Partially in response we built a second workshop about creating safe space for youth to talk about asexuality, called "Asex Positive."

In September, both workshops were submitted for the 2011 conference. My orientation was asked when submitting the workshops and again I picked queer, because asexuality was nowhere to be found. I was (and am) disappointed that the Task Force did not provide asexuality as an option in their drop-down menu choices this year.

If you attended Creating Change, you did not see these workshops on the schedule. Both were rejected. Despite our best efforts there wasn't anything at Creating Change this year about the asexual community. Asexual organizers have been excited to engage with LGBT organizations like the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force but they have been hesitant to invite us to the table.  We don't really understand why that is.

There is a lot of crossover between our communities (I make a full case for including asexuals in the LGBT community here). Asexuals often experience a feeling of being different in puberty and have a coming out process that is similar to the LGBT one. There are many transgender and gender non-conforming people, including youth, among us. We talk about our relationships outside of the hetero-normative scope. Many of us identify with the queer movement.

It's time for the queer movement to be discussing asexuality. We hope that organizations like the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force will include our curriculum at conferences like Creating Change in the future. We're excited that a workshop by another presenter was accepted to the Western Regional LGBTQIA Conference in Berkeley this spring and we look forward to more opportunities to work with the LGBT community toward our common goals.

Sara Beth Brooks is a student and activist based in Sacramento, California. She helps produce Asexual Awareness Week which happens in the fall. You can reach her via twitter @sarabethbrooks. For more information about asexuality, please visit the Asexuality and Visibility Education Network at www.asexuality.org.

Canadian Transgender Rights Bill Passes House Of Commons

Early in the day on February 9th, 2011, a press release entitled Ontario Federation of Labour Calls on Federal Members of Parliament to Support Bill C-389 to Enshrine Trans Human Rights was published. From the press release:

As Private Members' Bill C-389, An Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code (gender identity and gender expression), is put to third and final reading today, the Ontario Federation of Labour is calling on all members of parliament to vote in favour of the bill to protect the rights of trans-identified Canadians.

"This bill is about extending human rights to some of the most vulnerable among us," said Sid Ryan, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL). "Denying the rights of some has never protected our society and has always undermined our integrity. It is past time that we extend human rights and criminal code protections to trans-identified people."

The Canadian Human Rights Act and federal hate crimes laws do not explicitly protect people from discrimination based on gender identity or expression. Bill C-389, proposed by NDP MP Bill Siksay (Burnaby-Douglas, B.C.), seeks to correct that by amending legislation to include gender identity and gender expression as prohibited grounds of discrimination and adding crimes motivated by transphobia to the list of crimes treated as potential hate crimes.

"How many assaults, how many suicides will be enough to make us take action? One is too many," said Ryan. "It is a national shame that trans-identified people have been allowed to experience discrimination and harassment for this long."

The bill passed, although not with the numbers the OFL would have liked to have seen. The Vancouver Sun, in their article Human Rights Act to shield transgender, transsexual Canadians from persecution, reported this:

OTTAWA -- The House of Commons passed a bill Wednesday that will amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code to protect transgender and transsexual Canadians from discrimination.

"It's a great day," said the bill's author, NDP MP Bill Siksay. "It's been in the works for six years, and it's great to see people from all parties supporting the bill. This is not a partisan issue, it's a human rights issue."

When all heads were counted, 143 MPs voted for Bill C-389 and 135 voted against.

The bill was numbered Bill C-389. Suite 101 reported the following in Bill to Protect Transgendered Passes House of Commons:

[More below the fold.]

Bill C-389, introduced by NDP MP Bill Saskay and read for the first time in May 2009, provides rights and protections to the transgendered. The bill, opposed by the Conservative government but supported by the three opposition parties, passed third and final reading by a vote of 143-135.

...The purpose of the bill is to extend the concept of equality to transgendered persons in respect to all matters that fall within the jurisdiction of the federal government. The legislation is to ensure the transgendered have equal opportunity and equal access in order to better meets their needs.

...Currently the Canadian Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination based upon race, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, disability and conviction for which a pardon has been issued. The amendments add both "gender identity" and "gender expression" to the prohibited grounds of discrimination.

Two sections of the Criminal Code were also amended. Section 318 of the Criminal Code makes it an offence to advocate genocide. Genocide is defined as killing a group or inflicting harm on an identifiable group with the intent to bring about its destruction. An identifiable group is defined as any section of the public that is distinguished by colour, race, religion, ethnic origin or sexual orientation. Bill C-389 amends the definition of identifiable group to include "gender identity" and "gender expression."

The Toronto Sun, in their piece MPs pass bill to protect ill-defined group, chose a headline that reflected a social conservative arguments against the equality bill. One of the first paragraphs from their piece reads as follows:

The bill, which never defines what gender expression or gender identity are, amends both the criminal code and the human rights act to make it a crime to discriminate on those grounds. Those who do would face harsher sentences for any crimes or could face a complaint through the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Of course, there were some opposed to the bill, and this opposition is using the same religious right talking points that they do in the United States.

Another excerpt from the Toronto Sun piece cites the bathroom, and the "danger to children":

Pastor Charles McVety, a family advocate and head of Canada Christian College, called the bill a danger to children.

"If 'gender identity' is enshrined in the criminal code of Canada, any male at any time will be permitted in girls bathrooms, showers and change rooms as long as they have an "innate feeling" of being female," McVety said. "If I then try to stop such a man from showering with my little girl at the local pool I will be in breach of the criminal code of Canada and could face imprisonment for two years."

McVety added that passing the bill will mean transgendered issues will end up in school lesson plans across Canada.

The religious right LifeSiteNews provided more on what the opposition to the bill states regarding C-889:

We find the whole thing appalling," said Jim Hughes, national president of Campaign Life Coalition.  "We find the lack of opposition from church leaders especially was deafening.  The people are ignorant of it and what is going to happen next."

"Hopefully the Senate votes it down or Parliament dissolves before it is signed into law," he added.

The bill has been opposed by numerous religious and pro-family organizations including the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the Catholic Organization for Life and Family, Campaign Life Coalition, REAL Women of Canada, and the Canada Family Action Coalition.

It has been dubbed a 'bathroom bill' because it would allow men who say they are women to use women's washrooms, with a danger of increasing bathroom attacks against women.

Pro-family leaders also warn that the federal government will be forced to hire gender-confused individuals, which could cause big problems for the military and the RCMP, for example.  The government could even be required to pay for sex-change operations, and businesses could be obliged to hire transsexuals or install washrooms to accommodate cross-dressers.

And there is this looming regarding the bill becoming law: From Suite 101 article Bill to Protect Transgendered Passes House of Commons:

Although Bill C-389 passed the House of Commons, the Conservative dominated Senate is likely to prevent the bill from passing into law.

Equality seems never to be easy, and civil rights protections for transgender people seems to me to be where the most contentious and difficult battles for freedom, equality, and justice are being fought.

The civil rights work required for passing protections for transsexual people, transgender people, and those who identify as both transgender and transsexual in Canada isn't over yet.

.

Peter Sprigg, Family Research Council comes out with another distorted study

crossposted on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Family Research Council should be considered  an anti-gay hate group because it passes along and repeats propaganda and falsehoods that have been refuted by legitimate science.

Now the Family Research Council claims that they are being attacked for espousing  "mere" Christian opposition to homosexuality and marriage equality.

It seems to me that if the organization wants to continue that line, then someone needs to put a kibosh on the work of FRC member Peter Sprigg.

Sprigg, who has said that gays and lesbians should be deported and  that "homosexual behavior" should be criminalized, is also known for his "reports" and "studies" about the supposed dangers of homosexuality.

However on more than one occasion, it has been pointed out that Sprigg distorts legitimate work and relies on out-and-out lies to further  his theories.

In two reports he authored - The Top Ten Myths About Homosexuality and Getting it Straight - it has been pointed out that (amongst other things) that Sprigg distorted credible research to make his point. It's obvious to Sprigg that complaints by doctors and researchers as to how their work is being distorted is a minor thing that should be ignored.

Specifically in Top Ten Myths, Sprigg cites legitimate research in order to demonize lgbts, but makes it a point to omit the part of said research which refutes his general argument about homosexuality being a "dangerous lifestyle." 

He outdoes himself in his new paper, The Top Ten Harms of Same Sex Marriage . Sprigg fills this pamphlet with information and extensive footnotes. However, based on his past tendency to play loose with facts, one has to doubt the credibility of this pamphlet.

And Sprigg gives folks plenty of reason.

Amongst the errors, Sprigg:

1. distorts the work of Harvard professor Dr. Kyle Pruett and Judith Stacey. Both have complained on more than one occasion about how folks like Sprigg distort their work.

2. In page 10 and 11 of the pamphlet, Sprigg cites a study done by Maria Xiridou as proof that marriage will not stop alleged promiscuity amongst gay couples.

However, none of the couples in Xiridou's study were married. Her study did not look at gay marriage but was designed to "access the relative contribution of steady and casual partnerships to the incidence of HIV infection among homosexual men in Amsterdam and to determine the effect of increasing sexually risky behaviours among both types of partnerships in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy."
 
For this study, Dr. Xiridou received her information from the Amsterdam Cohort Study of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and AIDS Among Homosexual Men. To gain this information, researchers studied 1,800 gay men between the years of 1984- 2000.

Same sex marriage was legalized in the Netherlands in 2001, thus making the information irrelevant to points about gay marriage. Information for the Amsterdam Cohort Study is found here.

Furthermore, lesbians were not included in the study

3. Sprigg recounts the story of Massachusetts parent David Parker who was arrested for trespassing for not leaving his son's school after a meeting with school officials. Parker claimed that the school would not "allow him to opt his child out of discussions about homosexuality."  Supposedly the school was breaking state law that said parents have a right to opt out their child when it comes to discussions of human sexuality.

Of course Sprigg inaccurately condensed the story. The school had already assured Parker that discussions of human sexuality were not a part of his child's curriculum, but - and they checked with district policy on this - discussions about differing families was not a human sexuality issue AND  since several students in the school came from same sex households, they couldn't control these students talking amongst themselves about their families.

Sprigg also omitted the fact that the entire Parker controversy was conjured up by Parker and a Massachusetts anti-gay group Mass Resistance, i.e. Parker's goal was to be arrested in order to create  controversy.

By the way, Mass Resistance is also designated as an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

These are just three errors in Sprigg's pamphlet. And I will bet my tax refund that there are several more.

The sad thing is that Sprigg probably knows fully well what he is doing.

And the thing sadder than that is he probably justifies what he is doing as "clean Christian behavior."

Lastly, it's important to remember that more than once, Sprigg (or Tony Perkins of the FRC) has been invited in front of Congress to testify on lgbt issues.

Now I know some who reads this will be complaining about how can the Democrats allow this to happen. But the question should be how can the lgbt community allow this to happen?

Perhaps those in Congress who control such matters don't question FRC's participation in Congressional hearings because the lgbt community on the whole isn't raising sufficient hell about it.

How can we complain about members of Congress not holding Sprigg and the FRC accountable for the lies they tell when we aren't doing it?

It's definitely something to ponder. 

Again, What Repeal Of DADT Won't Do: Allow Out Transgender Servicemembers

WorldNetDaily is promoted continued ignorance regarding what repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) will do for transgender people. And, the quoted, chief of the Center For Military Readiness -- Elaine Donnelly -- and her organizations appear either to be genuinely ignorant about how repeal of DADT doesn't impact transgender people, or she and her organizations are conscientiously stupid on the subject.

Geez, a simple Google search with the keywords "DADT" and  "transgender" could answer the question conclusively for her and her peers: the answer is "Zippity-doo-dah."

[image error]From the WorldNetDaily article Grilling to get tough over 'gays' in ranks; Armed Services supporters want answers about pending social plan (emphasis added):

"Congress rushed to repeal the 1993 law during the lame-duck session last December, following superficial hearings in the Senate and no House hearings at all on the findings of a Pentagon report on the subject that was released on Nov. 30, 2010," [Elaine Donnelly, chief of the Center For Military Readiness] wrote in the [Center For Military Readiness] report.

"Most observers have no idea how the new 'non-discrimination' law and policies would work in actual practice."

...The broad topics of questioning, the report suggests, should include the purposes of the 1993 law and the new LGBT plan, the practical consequences of the change, morale and discipline, training and tolerance issues, military effectiveness, religious liberties, sustaining the force, family-social-medical concerns, required changes in the military's law, and others.

"The general public has yet to understand the full consequences of the LGBT law, an unprecedented policy that opens the military to professed lesbian, gay, bisexual and, by implication, transgendered personnel," the report said.

There is also a series of questions posed from a group called the Military Culture Coalition. Lest you think the Military Culture Coalition is a significantly different group than Elaine Donnelly's Center For Military Readiness, you need to read the Military Culture Coalition's About Us webpage:

The Military Culture Coalition (MCC) is a network of organizations and opinion leaders who have joined with the Center for Military Readiness in supporting high standards and sound priorities in the making of military personnel policies.  CMR organized the MCC in February 2010 as a forum to share and communicate information in support of the current law regarding homosexuals in the military (Section 654, Title 10, U.S.C.), which is usually mislabeled "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

In the Military Culture Coalition's "separate" set of questions regarding DADT and transgender people include this one:

"Will recruits be required to induct transgendered persons or individuals who desire 'gender reassignment' treatment and surgery? If not, what would the rationale be?"

The exact quote from the Support Plan for Implementation; Report of the Comprehensive Review of the Issues Associated with a Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is on page 70, and is found in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) of the report. The FAQ question and answer is as follows:

Can transgender or transsexual individuals join the Military Services?

No. Transgender and transsexual individuals are not permitted to join the Military Services. The repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell has no effect on these policies.

None. Zip. Nothing for transgender people changed with the repeal of DADT. The mistruths about what repeal of DADT from the religious right and social conservatives -- some of which I linked to here and here -- continues on in the social conservatives' fact devoid echo chamber.

The religious right and social conservatives could easily know the answer to questions about how DADT effected open military service by transgender people, but they choose sincere, echo chamber inspired ignorance, or conscientious stupidity.

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

~Martin Luther King Jr.

And seeing how those on the religious right and social conservatives in the Republican Party are now running one of the two houses of the United State's legislative branch, the danger to lesbian, gay and bisexual people's equality under the law, as well as to military readiness, isn't completely imaginary.

~~~~~

Related:

* What About "Transvestite Clothing" In The Military?

* THE SKY IS FALLING! ...Again.

Manhattan, Kansas Includes the LGB and the T in City Ordinance

Cross-posted from A Musing.

Good queer news out of Kansas! The city commission of Manhattan, KS (aka The Little Apple) voted in favor of extending its anti-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation AND gender identity. In other words they have moved to protect people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual . My friend Jonathan Mertz wrote to tell me the good news,

Last night the Manhattan city commission voted 3-2 to add sexual orientation AND gender identity to the city's human rights ordinance! Yes, a 5-0 vote would have been better, but we'll take it.

We are particularly proud because Manhattan is the first city in Kansas to include gender identity as a protected class. I should say proud to be the first, embarrassed that we are the first. The good news we may not be the last.

Earlier today on the Queer and Queerer podcast, Zack Ford and I shared how trangender people have often been excluded in the "gay rights" struggle. In 2007 the gay backers of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, ENDA, stripped gender identity and expression from the bill even after promises to keep it in.

 

In our program we reference PHB blogger, LGBT activist, Navy veteran, and transgender woman, Autumn Sandeen, and her work towards the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. She points out that the way has been opened for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people to serve openly in the military, but not yet transgender people. Autumn advocates non-violent action to shame LGB(t) organizations into putting  money and action behind the lip service they play to the transgender community.

What is heartening about this LGBT rights victory in Manhattan, KS is that the backers of the ordinance remained committed to the inclusion of transgender people even though that meant they had to work harder to get it passed. Jonathan goes on to explain,

I'm chair of the board of the Flint Hills Human Rights Project, the group that lead the charge to get the ordinance passed. One of our first questions we considered was "Would we support an ordinance that just included sexual orientation?" The board was unanimous that we would only support an ordinance that included sexual orientation and gender identity. It did make it more of a challenge, but it passed!

The Topeka Capitol-Journey has a short piece about the ordinance. Warning: Some of the comments are cruel and stupid. If you are up for it, add some light and insight. Better yet, share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and your blog. It's good news.

How NOT to keep your Craigslist trolling on the DL

 

"Hope I'm not a toad. :) i'm a very fit fun classy guy. Live in Cap Hill area. 6ft 190lbs blond/blue. 39.. Lobbyist. I promise not to disappoint."

-- former Rep. Christopher Lee (R-NY), apparently itching to get busy with someone other than his wife. Lee has a five year old child. Talk about family values.

Perhaps the fastest GOP sexual hypocrite deep-sixing I've seen in a long while, via Gawker:

Rep. Christopher Lee is a married Republican congressman serving the 26th District of New York. But when he trolls Craigslist's "Women Seeking Men" forum, he's Christopher Lee, "divorced" "lobbyist" and "fit fun classy guy." One object of his flirtation told us her story.

Make that former Congressman. I'm surprised at the quick resignation, given he was trolling for opposite sex encounters. Anyway, there's really not much more to add to this story, save that the dumbass used his own Gmail account to do his "socializing" online.

He and Bishop Eddie Long need to compare notes about pumping iron and posing in the mirror.

"It has been a tremendous honor to serve the people of Western New York. I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents. I deeply and sincerely apologize to them all. I have made profound mistakes and I promise to work as hard as I can to seek their forgiveness...The challenges we face in Western New York and across the country are too serious for me to allow this distraction to continue, and so I am announcing that I have resigned my seat in Congress effective immediately."