Dobson on gays

From a 2004 Slate profile:

In “Bringing Up Boys,” he gleefully reprints a letter he received from a 13-year-old boy who describes wiggling his naked body in front of the mirror to “make my genitals bounce up and down” and admits to having “tried more than once to suck my own penis (to be frank).” Dobson believes that such adolescents suffer from what he calls “pre-homosexuality,” a formative stage which results from having a weak father figure. Dobson further contends that homosexuality, especially in such an early stage, can be “cured.” His ministry runs a program called Love Won Out that seeks to convert “ex-gays” to heterosexuality. (Alas, the program’s director, a self-proclaimed “ex-gay” himself, was spotted at a gay bar in 2000, an episode Dobson downplayed as “a momentary setback.”)

To Dobson, gay marriage is a looming catastrophe of epic proportions. He has compared the recent steps toward gay marriage to Pearl Harbor and likens the battle against it to D-Day.

Much has been written about the danger of gay conversion therapy — rightly so. Fathers of gay sons are also victimized by Dobson’s warped “science”; I resent this kook calling my dad a weak father figure. It’s neither fair nor honest.

“You have meddled with the primal forces of nature. And you will atone”

If James Dobson is as powerful as he thinks he is (likely so), then Rudy Giuliani best be concerned. The fundamentalist Christian leader writes he will not support a pro-choice candidate. Period.

If neither of the two major political parties nominates an individual who pledges himself or herself to the sanctity of human life, we will join others in voting for a minor-party candidate.

Is that a cackling Hillbot I hear? She oughta be happy — Rudy is widely considered to be her most formidable foe, but if a significant bloc of GOP voters support a fringe candidate instead, how could Hillary possibly lose? (see Gore, Al and Nader, Ralph) 

I firmly believe that the selection of a president should begin with a recommitment to traditional moral values and beliefs. Those include the sanctity of human life, the institution of marriage, and other inviolable pro-family principles. Only after that determination is made can the acceptability of a nominee be assessed.

According kingmaking power to fanatics like Dobson helped lead the GOP to irrelevance. And isn’t it revealing that he considers it more important to oppose gay marriage than Muslim extremism?

*Note: the quote in the headline comes via “Network,” the most prophetic movie ever filmed.

Talking about trannies

The Petty Queer Establishment is not happy with Congress’ decision to remove language relating to gender identity from the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Sexual orientation remains within the bill being pushed by Barney Frank, among others.

This controversy has brought to the fore what many gay people have been saying privately for years: why are transgendereds included within the gay community (GLBT)? It’s not that anyone wants to exclude them necessarily, but is their struggle the same? And who exactly made the decision to affix that “T” to the acronym?

Before the bigot card is dealt, let me repeat: I endorse equality for everyone. But should gay people lose workplace protection just because America isn’t ready to accept transgendereds? Is the PQE making a principled stand or simply a politcally correct one? Most likely the latter, since no one thought EDNA would pass with gender identity included, according to John Aravosis:

I have no insider information leading me to this conclusion, but, I think that gender identity was finally added to ENDA out of shame and fear. Neither the Congress nor the lead gay groups wanted to be seen as anti-trans, even though some of them clearly knew that adding trans was a death-blow to ENDA. So they did it anyway.

As is so often the case with special interest groups, the people they’re alleged to represent have little say in how they’re being represented.   

I would argue that the gay community never collectively and overwhelmingly decided to include the T in LGB (or GLB). It happened because a few groups like NGLTF and GLAAD starting using it, and they and a handful of vocal activists and transgender leaders pretty much shamed everyone else into doing it. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that the T shouldn’t have been added. I’m just saying that I don’t think the T was added because there was a groundswell of demand in the gay community that we add T to LGB. I think it happened through pressure, organizational fiat, shame, and osmosis.

It’s a conversation that needs to be had, even if the PQ(T)E has closed the debate. 

Dobson on gays

From a 2004 Slate profile:

In “Bringing Up Boys,” he gleefully reprints a letter he received from a 13-year-old boy who describes wiggling his naked body in front of the mirror to “make my genitals bounce up and down” and admits to having “tried more than once to suck my own penis (to be frank).” Dobson believes that such adolescents suffer from what he calls “pre-homosexuality,” a formative stage which results from having a weak father figure. Dobson further contends that homosexuality, especially in such an early stage, can be “cured.” His ministry runs a program called Love Won Out that seeks to convert “ex-gays” to heterosexuality. (Alas, the program’s director, a self-proclaimed “ex-gay” himself, was spotted at a gay bar in 2000, an episode Dobson downplayed as “a momentary setback.”)

To Dobson, gay marriage is a looming catastrophe of epic proportions. He has compared the recent steps toward gay marriage to Pearl Harbor and likens the battle against it to D-Day.

Much has been written about the danger of gay conversion therapy — rightly so. Fathers of gay sons are also victimized by Dobson’s warped “science”; I resent this kook calling my dad a weak father figure. It’s neither fair nor honest.

“You have meddled with the primal forces of nature. And you will atone”

If James Dobson is as powerful as he thinks he is (likely so), then Rudy Giuliani best be concerned. The fundamentalist Christian leader writes he will not support a pro-choice candidate. Period.

If neither of the two major political parties nominates an individual who pledges himself or herself to the sanctity of human life, we will join others in voting for a minor-party candidate.

Is that a cackling Hillbot I hear? She oughta be happy — Rudy is widely considered to be her most formidable foe, but if a significant bloc of GOP voters support a fringe candidate instead, how could Hillary possibly lose? (see Gore, Al and Nader, Ralph) 

I firmly believe that the selection of a president should begin with a recommitment to traditional moral values and beliefs. Those include the sanctity of human life, the institution of marriage, and other inviolable pro-family principles. Only after that determination is made can the acceptability of a nominee be assessed.

According kingmaking power to fanatics like Dobson helped lead the GOP to irrelevance. And isn’t it revealing that he considers it more important to oppose gay marriage than Muslim extremism?

*Note: the quote in the headline comes via "Network," the most prophetic movie ever filmed.

Talking about trannies

The Petty Queer Establishment is not happy with Congress’ decision to remove language relating to gender identity from the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Sexual orientation remains within the bill being pushed by Barney Frank, among others.

This controversy has brought to the fore what many gay people have been saying privately for years: why are transgendereds included within the gay community (GLBT)? It’s not that anyone wants to exclude them necessarily, but is their struggle the same? And who exactly made the decision to affix that "T" to the acronym?

Before the bigot card is dealt, let me repeat: I endorse equality for everyone. But should gay people lose workplace protection just because America isn’t ready to accept transgendereds? Is the PQE making a principled stand or simply a politcally correct one? Most likely the latter, since no one thought EDNA would pass with gender identity included, according to John Aravosis:

I have no insider information leading me to this conclusion, but, I think that gender identity was finally added to ENDA out of shame and fear. Neither the Congress nor the lead gay groups wanted to be seen as anti-trans, even though some of them clearly knew that adding trans was a death-blow to ENDA. So they did it anyway.

As is so often the case with special interest groups, the people they’re alleged to represent have little say in how they’re being represented.   

I would argue that the gay community never collectively and overwhelmingly decided to include the T in LGB (or GLB). It happened because a few groups like NGLTF and GLAAD starting using it, and they and a handful of vocal activists and transgender leaders pretty much shamed everyone else into doing it. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that the T shouldn’t have been added. I’m just saying that I don’t think the T was added because there was a groundswell of demand in the gay community that we add T to LGB. I think it happened through pressure, organizational fiat, shame, and osmosis.

It’s a conversation that needs to be had, even if the PQ(T)E has closed the debate. 

The blogosphere says what?

(A parody, for the uninitiated)

Hey, ya’ll. I know it’s been awhile, but for a change life’s been good. AMAZING, even.

I’ve fallen in love. And no, I haven’t gone back to Rand-O. After what he did to me at the beach, I couldn’t go back. Fortunately, I found Chris Crocker, Britney’s famous YouTube defender, otherwise known as my soulmate.

I sent him an e-mail thanking him for speaking for me in his video, and then we started chatting online. It was like talking to myself. I asked him who he liked better, ‘N Sync or Backstreet (a trick question). Chris didn’t bite — he answered O-Town, which is my favorite band EVER. And yes, we both adore Ashley Angel. Randy was always the ying to my yang. With Chris, it’s nothing but yang. On top of everything else, he’s famous. I always dreamed of being friends with a celebrity; I can’t believe I might actually swap bodily fluids with one.

Neither of us are afraid to cry. We love Britney, of course. And we’re very sensitive about people calling us sensitive.

Face it, haters, we’re meant to be. The first time we chatted on the phone, we cried. Then we talked about how much we admire Harvey Fierstein. Then we cried some more. Then we sent each other our fave Ashley pics. Then we … well, you can guess the rest.

I’m flying out to visit him at his grandmother’s house this weekend. I’m soooo excited! I’ve taken a leave of absence from my job as diversity coordinator at Initech. Chris and I are talking about starting our own Web site, a celeb-friendly version of Perez Hilton. And we hope to find out where Britney is, so we can send her a message of love and support.

We’ll write it together, ’cause we are one.

*This is dedicated to my baby Chris, from Orlando’s finest:

All for love, baby
Girl what I do, I’ll do it for you
All for love, baby
Baby, my love, it’s all for you

Noted and quoted, decider edition

“I got a lot of Ph.D.-types and smart people around me who come into the Oval Office and say, ‘Mr. President, here’s what’s on my mind.’ And I listen carefully to their advice. But having gathered the device (sic), I decide, you know, I say, ‘This is what we’re going to do.’ And it’s ‘Yes, sir, Mr. President.’ And then we get after it, implement policy.”

–W., reminding us that it’s a long time until November 2008

Where’s Jan Kemp when you need her?

More embarrassment for Georgia: UGA’s football program ranks last in the SEC in graduating its football players. Behind Alabama. Behind Auburn. Behind Ole Miss.

Only 41 percent of Bulldogs (who originally enrolled from 1997-2000) received their diplomas. Conversely, the University of Florida — which has won 15 of the last 17 games against my alma mater — graduated 72 percent of its players.

Georgia Tech’s football program didn’t fare much better, ranking last in the ACC with a 51 percent graduation rate. Keep in mind that Clemson, Miami and Florida State are also in the ACC.

I’m sure Gov. Sonny is busy preparing another editorial blasting the AJC for its negative coverage of his beloved Dawgs.

Remember this?

From the front page to the business page and now to the sports page, it is as if the AJC gleefully awaits lousy news about all things Georgia and pounces with their poison pens whenever bad things happen to the good people of our state.

Other cities celebrate the successes and mourn the losses of local businesses, individuals and sports teams. The AJC takes the opposite position and — instead of boosterism — criticizes, investigates and ridicules all things Georgia.

Your book sucks

I enjoy Chris Matthews’ combative style, but Jon Stewart makes him look like Alan Colmes here:

The best of Judge Smails

Ted Knight is vastly underrated — enjoy.

Extremists are all the same

I’ve argued before that the far left and far right have much in common. Namely, they have difficulty co-existing with those who think differently. Evidence:

Tired of foreign wars and what they consider right-wing courts, the Middlebury Institute wants liberal states like Vermont to be able to secede peacefully.

That sounds just fine to the League of the South, a conservative group that refuses to give up on Southern independence. …

Separated by hundreds of miles and divergent political philosophies, the Middlebury Institute and the League of the South are hosting a two-day Secessionist Convention starting Wednesday in Chattanooga …

Harry Watson, director of the Center For the Study of the American South and a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said it was a surprise to see The Middlebury Institute conferring with the League of the South, “an organization that’s associated with a cause that many of us associate with the preservation of slavery.”

He said the unlikely partnering “represents the far left and far right of American politics coming together.”

Getting worse in Burma

Government authorities are initiating a media campaign targeting citizen journalists who took footage of government brutality during the recent protests in Rangoon and distributed it to foreign media, according to journalists and reporters in Burma’s former capital.

The government has called upon state-run media agencies and government supporters to publish photographs of citizen journalists and take action against them.

That will make receiving pictures as the one above more difficult; the junta has also shut down the Internet. This much we know: the massacre continues unabated while China — which purchases oil, natural gas, timber, gems and minerals from Burma — remains silent.