BEYOND HOMOPHOBIA: 'licensed' by preachers they've heard to do "God's work" by murdering gays

Arthur Dong's PrizeWinning Documentary of Convicted Anti-Gay Killers*

Award winner of 2 prestigious Sundance Film Festival awards, the Directors & the Filmmakers Trophies, Arthur Dong has become more renowned since producing "Licensed to Kill." His documentary goes beyond the pale of simple-minded media headlines (that miss hundreds of brutal anti-gay hate crimes in the US each year) of anti-gay murders by scrutinizing the killers themselves. To no one's surprise, many claim they feel 'licensed' by preachers they've heard to do "God's work": murder gays.


While others claim they's been violently &/or sexually abused as children (usually by their own straight, white fathers-97% of the time).


In 1977, gaybashers attacked filmmaker Arthur Dong. Perhaps this event led to his personal reason for filming face-to-face cell block interviews with murderers convicted & sentenced to death for killing gay men. Cutting to the chase, Dong asks on-point, "Why did you do it?" These death row inmates use the typical variety of lame excuses:


1) The number 1 reason is the 'God told me to' anti-gay hate-crime defense party line. Considering what key televangelists the late Jerry Falwell, James Dobson, J.D. Kennedy, Pat Robertson et al, publicly instigate through their anti-gay sexually obsessed 'sermons', it's no wonder blaming God for murdering gays is hate-criminals' top ranked sense of being 'licensed to kill' by US anti-gay sexual supremacists.

2) Claims they are justified to kill gays as protection from his murder victim's sexual advances is the number 2 gay murderers' defense party line. This popular excuse among lawyers is known as the "gay panic" defense. Apparently, anti-gay murderers don't know how to say the easy word, "No," & walk away, if a same-gender person flirts with them! Instead they go ballistic & kill. Note: this is specific to anti-gay men who murder gay men & has nothing to do with women.

3) The claim that 'I am a victim of child abuse who fears losing my manhood', is the number 3 most likely excuse these murderers & their defense lawyers use. Sometimes law enforcers collaborate with this defense.

4) The 'homeboys' depraved mentality that stalks for "easy prey' excuse; straight men who go out of their way to guess & stalk men they perceive are gay; pretend to be gay themselves & pick up gay men; then, kill them for sport.

5) The 'I don't want gays in the military with me' excuse. These unfortunate soldiers have no clue they're already serving with thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender people in the US & other nations' militaries! Many of the anti-gay murderers are delusional enough to believe they're righteously doing a murderous God's & a sexually-supremacist US government's authorized work by ridding the world of non-heterosexual people.


It's scary & intriguing that believing in this propaganda has already led to murders of many heterosexuals who were perceived to be gay!


*Director & writer of a startling documentary, Arthur Dong, does great research of anti-gay hate crime murderers; some of whom are currently on US death rows: Donald Aldrich (Killer); Corey Burley (Killer); Raymond Childs (Killer); William Cross (Killer); Kenneth French (Killer); Jay Johnson (Killer); Jeffrey Swinford (Killer).

(See Dr. Gregory Herek's research on anti-gay hate crimes for more stats & do view this starling true (1997) film. It reveals how anti-gay murderers are victims of untruth: especially US neo-Christian-fundamentalist-supremacist politicized propaganda).¨ read it all, click HERE

Archbishop Henri Orombi of Uganda, pontificates about the IMPORTED Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender evil takeover threat that is wildly spreading it´s way through all levels of society in Uganda. Meanwhile, Orombi, arrogantly and dishonorably crosses Provincial borders at The Anglican Communion and leads puritan/fundamentalist extremist Men´s ¨Christian¨ retreats in Southern California. Apparently being in Uganda during the entire ¨witch hunt¨ (he helped initiate) isn´t pastoral/profitable enough for +Henri and it may appear ¨unseemly¨ for him to get blood on his ¨fast moving¨ hands.

UPDATE, ¨BEYOND HOMOPHOBIA¨ MONDAY, JUNE 1, 2009

Eliminating homosexuality: Modern Uganda and Nazi Germany

By W.Throckmorton

¨Scott Lively has made a career of drawing parallels from Nazi Germany to modern homosexuality. He has gone around the world with the message that homosexuals were responsible for Nazi totalitarianism. Throughout the next month or so, I will provide counter arguments to Lively’s thesis.


Scott Lively, delivers his around the world message that homosexuals were responsible for ¨Nazi totalitarianism¨

In this post, however, I raise the thesis that anti-gay groups in places like Uganda (encouraged by the American led conference in March, 2009 where Lively was one of the speakers) use rhetoric that is disturbingly akin to rhetoric used by Nazis regarding homosexuality. First, examine these developments in Uganda. From an Ugandan news report today¨:

‘Investigate homosexuality’
Sunday, 31st May, 2009

KAMPALA - ¨The Peoples Development Party (PDP) wants the Government to establish an independent commission of inquiry on homosexual activities to eliminate the practice. Addressing journalists on Thursday, party president Abed Bwanika said the evil is spreading to every section of the public and that the Government needed to make critical intervention.

He called upon church leaders to guide the country on the matter and said some NGOs were supporting people involved in the act.¨ read it all, click HERE

Exclusive Video: Stephen Langa Whips Up Anti-Gay Sentiment, Violence Ahead

¨On March 15, 2009, Stephen Landga of the Family Life Network in Kampala, Uganda, held a meeting to follow up on the conference from a couple of weeks prior. Approximately 60 people attended the talk in which Langa attempts to blur the line between pedophilia and homosexuality. While nothing especially new in the history of homophobia, the tactic is still both disgusting and dangerous, particularly in that region of the world.¨ read it all, view the video, click HERE


Archbishop Henri Luke Orombi´s Priorities

BISHOP Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira (not pictured) was consecrated yesterday by moderate Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda. Evangelical Orombi has his priorities right. First, he wants to rid the world of gays who are a scourge upon God's earth. Next, he has a few local difficulties which are less abhorrent to God than perverts. Orombi castigated the practice of human sacrifice, abduction and killing of women and children which is common in his Province.

He noted there were many challenges to be grappled with in the country, such as poverty, wrangles, laziness, mob justice, human sacrifice and accidents. The Anglican Communion hasn't torn itself apart over human sacrifice and accidents. These minor matters are hardly worth causing a schism. Accidents happen all over the place. And human sacrifice has long been part of Ugandan culture. But nothing causes Orombi more distress than a man who loves a man.¨ read it all at Anglican Priest Father David Heron, click HERE

·Thanks to IMDbPro
·Thanks to Arthur Dong, "Licensed to Kill"
·Thanks to Sundance Film Festival, Winner (two catagories)
·Thanks to Ex-Gay Watch, at the right sidebar
·Thanks to Anglican Priest Father David Heron, at the right side bar
·Thanks to Flickr Photosharing

HOMOPHOBIA: Part Two, ¨Will the Antichrist be a Homosexual?¨

FLAMING DAMNATION PRESS!

SARAH PALIN´S HOMETOWN ´RELIGIOUS VIEW´ ARTICLE IN THE NEWSPAPER ASKS READERS IF THE ´ANTICHRIST´ WILL MOST LIKELY BE A HOMOSEXUAL?

By Ron Hamman, Baptist Pastor
The Frontiersman Newspaper, Religion Views
Monday, May 25, 2009

¨While the word “homosexual” is not in the Bible, the behavior of those who practice homosexuality, and God’s estimation of them, very definitely is. When the word came into existence I cannot tell you, but what we can say for sure is that when Noah Webster published his first dictionary in 1828, it was not included. This means that homosexuality is a modern word invented to replace the word Noah Webster did include, sodomy, defined as a crime against nature. This is historical revisionism in action.


Sodomy is defined in scripture by two things, the first being that of where it began: Sodom. In Genesis 13:13 we have the first mention of the men of Sodom, pronouncing that they “were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.” Their saga is continued in chapters 18 and 19 with their sin being so great that not only does God say that it “is very grievous,” but he himself comes down to destroy them with fire, the rubble of which still stands as a warning to us today.


While the Genesis account does not graphically describe their sin, leading some to deny it as being the same as homosexuality, their sin is obviously just that by how it is described: lying with mankind as with womankind. What other conclusion can be reached when they want to “know” the men who were in Lot’s house, the same word the Bible uses in Genesis 4 in relation to the conception of Cain? And that Lot himself understood their intentions is clear; not only did he call such behavior wicked, but he also offered his virgin daughters as substitutes, which the men of Sodom refused.

And one more thing: Sodomy is the only sin for which God came down from heaven to destroy. Though God dealt with many other sins in various ways, there is no other for which he came down from heaven to verify and destroy. In the New Testament, sodomy is declared to be “against nature.” And of the men, Paul in Romans 1 says they leave “the natural use of the woman....” In effect, there is no greater sin against God than to reject how he made you, and no greater sin against women than to reject how God made them.


But will the Antichrist be a homosexual? Having seen what the Bible says of sodomy, we have no further to look than the book of Daniel, chapter 11 to find our answer. It says, “Neither shall he [Antichrist] regard... the desire of women....” As I said at the onset, I am not the first to draw attention to this, but the verbiage is clear.


From a lost perspective, the reason sex sells, pornography is profitable, and prostitution is “the world’s oldest profession” is mankind’s desire of women. From Christianity’s position, it is part of the glue for the bond of marriage and the propagation of a godly heritage. But homosexuality does not regard this — in their unbridled lusts they burn for their own gender.


But consider this: The time is ripe for such a leader. Indeed, it should not be surprising that the one who is against everything Biblical and Christian should be a partaker of so great a sin; there is no greater way to reject the Creator than to reject your gender and his design for it. And at what other time have we seen such perversion come out of the closets onto our streets, threatening violence if we do not accept their ways?


Is it any wonder that Revelation 13 says that this same Antichrist will make war with the saints of the tribulation, and overcome them? Are they not now readying themselves to make it illegal to “offend” them in any way, calling it hatred to preach against their sin? Is it because they love us? The time is ripe for such a man.

But remember that sodomy is the one sin that God left heaven and came to earth to destroy. Could it be that this will be the predominate sin on earth when Christ descends from the clouds to fight against the armies of wickedness? And will it be just a coincidence that the Antichrist will be the very first occupant of the lake of fire, tasting eternal death 1,000 years before even the devil himself?¨

¨YOU BE THE JUDGE¨

To ¨judge¨ LGBT Christians, our families and our friends/coworkers CLICK HERE to read it all by Ron Hamman, Independent Baptist Church, Wasilla, Alaska (or contact him directly at 907-357-4229)

CULTURE WARS LOST

¨Dr James Dobson of Focus on the Family, one of the leaders of the anti Modern movement in USA and the World, the one who de-nounced Harry Potter as witchcraft ;=) who resigned a couple of years ago as chair of FoF, one of the bigger lobby groups over there, recently said to his staff in his farewell speech that the Culture Wars are lost and the USA is "awash in Evil" read it all from The Reverend Göran Koch-Swahne, click HERE

UPDATED SATURDAY MAY 30, 2009 (read the Comment Section here too)

Claiming the Antichrist Will be Gay can Make You Look Like an Idiot

¨Alas, poor Hamman. Had he gone to Divinity School, or picked up any study reference, or discussed it with any literate Christian, he would have known that he was basing his entire claim on a misreading of a single verse taken out of context.¨...

Now he just looks like an idiot

...Hamman forgot about context. And original meaning. And the fact that this verse was written in Hebrew. Had he just taken a second to go online and check another translation, he would have realized that this had nothing to do with sexuality at all.¨ read it all, By Timothy Kincaid, click HERE

Sarah Palin’s hometown of Wasilla, Alaska is the gift that keeps on giving. Who knew that the Antichrist was lurking among the gay population?

¨Pastor Ron Hamman, of the Independent Baptist Church of Wasilla alerted his flock to the danger in an editorial in the local paper on Saturday, where he asked the question: “Will the Antichrist be a homosexual?”

Writing in the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman in an 800 word rant, Pastor Ron Hamman, makes his absurd homophobic case by cherry picking various passages from the Bible, including II Thessalonians, where he quoted Paul talking about the one called “that Wicked.”

Noting that homosexuals aren’t mentioned in the Bible, but sodomy sure is, Pastor Hamman has a field day with his Bible references. Don’t you know that Jesus Christ reigned hellfire down on the wicked folks of the City of Sodom?¨ read it all, click HERE

UPDATE SUNDAY MAY 31, 2009

Antichrist à la Wasilla

A Pastor Hamman, Independent Baptist Church in Wasilla, Alaska, has an article in the local paper Monday claiming that the Anti-christ in the Book of Daniel is a Homosexual. Click on the headline! Don’t forget the comments section, which shows that the good people of Wasilla has better judgement than the Pastor...

...I must add a reflection. The unfortunate pastor's Bible-reading is only of one half verse. Almost nothing. Further, the verse only says what it says and means what it means. It shouldn't give cause for any mis-understandings or mis-interpretations. Yet it does.

And I think that this is what generally happens and has happened, not only in our latter day, but for the last Millennium.¨ read it all by The Reverend Göran Koch-Swahne, click HERE

·Thanks to Joe.My.God, at the right side bar
·Thanks to The Frontiersman Newspaper, Wasilla, Alaska
·Thanks to The Reverend Göran Koch-Swahne, at the right side bar
·Thanks to Timothy Kindcaid
·Thanks to Box Turtle Bulletin, at the right side bar
·Thanks to Chattah Box
·Thanks to Flickr Photosharing

HOMOPHOBIA: Part One, Abdellah Taia and his ¨mission to win acceptance for homosexuals throughout the Muslim world¨

Gay Moroccan writer takes on homophobia


By Jenny Barchfield, The Associated Press
May 27, 2009

(Paris) ¨A soft-spoken slip of a young man, Abdellah Taia hardly looks the part of an iconoclast. But as Morocco’s first high-profile, openly gay man, Taia has made it his mission to win acceptance for homosexuals throughout the Muslim world.

Taia has defied Moroccan society’s don’t-ask, don’t-tell attitude toward homosexuality - and prison sentences that are still on the books in the North African kingdom - to write five autobiographical novels about growing up poor and gay in the northern coastal city of Sale.


The novels, peppered with sexually explicit passages, have catapulted him to fame in his native country and made him the de-facto poster child of its budding gay rights movement.

His work has sparked harsh criticism. Taia said some outraged critics have called on him to renounce Moroccan citizenship so as “not to bring shame” on the country.

It’s also alienated him from his parents and eight siblings, who figure extensively in the books and complain that Taia has publicly humiliated them.

But the 35-year-old author insists he’s never been cowed by fallout from his work.

“When I write, I feel a sense of urgency, as if my life depended on it,” Taia said in an interview in Paris, where he has lived for almost a decade. “When I first started writing, it never occurred to me to invent some fictional character and talk about made-up things.”

His latest novel, “L’armee du Salut,” or “Salvation Army,” focuses on his decision to move to Europe. An English translation recently came out in the United States, with an introduction by author Edmund White.

Though Taia immigrated legally - he was awarded a scholarship to study in Switzerland - his experiences in Geneva paralleled those of thousands Moroccans living in Europe without papers.

After his older Swiss lover who was supposed to pick him up at the Geneva airport never shows up, a penniless Taia seeks refuge at the Salvation Army, where he lives among illegal immigrants from throughout the developing world.

In the book, he also talks about his blooming sexuality, describing teenage trysts in the back of dark movie theaters and flings with European tourists looking for more than sun on their Moroccan holidays.

Like nearly all Arab countries, Morocco considers homosexual relations a crime, punishable by fines and prison sentences of six months to three years. Such penalties are rarely applied, though, and in practice, Morocco has a long history of leniency toward homosexuality and other practices forbidden by Islam.

Asked whether he sees himself as courageous, Taia said, “The most difficult thing was to work up the courage to pick up the pen and write for the first time.”

He grew up with a family of 11 sharing a two-room house. His father, a petty civil servant, and a his mother, an illiterate housewife, emphasized their children’s education, sending five to college.

That was where Taia began to write. Surrounded at Rabat University by children of Morocco’s French-speaking elite, he began to keep a diary to improve his written French.

His journals now serve as the foundation of his novels, which are written in French and have been translated into seven languages, including Arabic and now English.¨ read it all, click HERE


Biography
By The English Pen World Atlas

¨Abdellah Taïa was born in Sale, Morocco, in 1973. He is renowned as the first openly gay autobiographical writer published in Morocco. He has lived in Paris for the last eight years after studying French literature at the University of Rabat. His short stories and novels (Mon Maroc, 2000; Le rouge du tarbouche, 2005; and Salvation Army, which was published in French in 2006) have been translated into Dutch and Spanish. He also appeared in Rémi Lange's 2004 film Tarik el Hob (released in English as The Road to Love).¨read all about Abdellah Taïa, click HERE

·Thanks to The Associated Press
·Thanks to 365 Gay News, at the right side bar
·Thanks to The English Pen World Atlas
·Thanks to Flickr Photosharing
·Thanks to Jenny Barchfield
·Thanks to Abdellah Taïa

FELICIDADES ALERT: Judge Sonia Sotomayor, a sign of "Equal justice under law"

Puerto Rican Americans marching and celebrating on 5th Avenue, New York City, during the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade

Sen. Patrick Leahy
U.S. Senator from Vermont

¨While visiting with our troops in Afghanistan today, President Obama called to inform me that he will nominate Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be the next Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

President Obama and Judge Sonia Sotomayor

Judge Sotomayor has a long and distinguished career on the federal bench. She has been nominated by both Democratic and Republican presidents, and she was twice confirmed by the Senate with strong, bipartisan support. Her record is exemplary.

Federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor

Judge Sotomayor's nomination is an historic one, and when confirmed she will become the first Hispanic Justice, and just the third woman to sit on the nation's highest court. Having a Supreme Court that better reflects the diversity of America helps ensure that we keep faith with the words engraved in Vermont marble over the entrance of the Supreme Court: "Equal justice under law" read it all, click HERE


UPDATE, SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2009

¨Obama comes out swinging for his justice¨ read it all, click HERE

· Thanks to The Huffington Post, at the right side bar
· Thanks to President Barack Obama
· Thanks to Senator Patrick Leahy, Vermont
· Thanks to Federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor
· Thanks to Daily Kos, at the right side bar
· Thanks to Susan G. at Daily Kos
· Thanks to Flickr Photosharing

REAL PEOPLE, REAL SAINTS: The Rev. Lawrence Rosebaugh, Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, worker amongst the poorest of the poor--murdered

·The Reverend Lawrence Rosebaugh· ¨served the poorest of the poor¨


The Rev. Lawrence Rosebaugh, a 74-year-old priest who studied at a seminary in Belleville but spent most of his life living among the poor in Central and South America, was shot to death Monday during a robbery in Guatemala.


"As a priest, he was not the collar type of priest," said his close friend, Sam Hladyshewsky, of Shiloh, who attended the former St. Henry's Preparatory Seminary in Belleville with Rosebaugh during the late 1950s.

"When you looked at him, you'd think he was the poorest of the poor. And those are the ones he served," said Hladyshewsky, a former priest.

The funeral will be today in Guatemala City, according to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, of which Rosebaugh had long been a member. The international missions group operates the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville.


"He lived on the street most of the time because he ministered to the homeless," said the Rev. Allen Maes, an Oblate priest at the shrine.

Rosebaugh, of Milwaukee, was shot multiple times by masked gunmen who stopped a car carrying him and four other missionaries en route to a meeting in Playa Grande, Guatemala. The attackers took about $125, a cellular telephone and religious ornaments. A spokeswoman at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City said she could not legally provide any information about Rosebaugh's death.

"Lorenzo's violent and unexpected death has given us another saint," said the Rev. Felix Garcia, a member of Rosebaugh's missionary group in Guatemala. Rosebaugh had served as a missionary for about 10 years in the Central America country.

Rosebaugh, whose late mother, Mildred Rosebaugh, lived for years in the apartment community at the shrine, often returned to the metro-east and was looking forward to retiring here within a few years. He published his autobiography, "To Wisdom Through Failure," in 2006.

In April, Rosebaugh, who signed his letters "Lorenzo," sent e-mails to Hladyshewsky, telling his friend about his work at a Guatemala hospital ministering to AIDS victims and helping street people. He also spoke of working with the sisters of Mother Teresa and of providing a liturgy at a vigil for two boys, ages 13 and 16, murdered by gangs in one of the poorest sections of Guatemala City.

In another recent message, Rosebaugh wrote: "This Holy Week I had three good days of retreat by myself in a great quiet place with beautiful trees and nature, only to view the devastated living conditions of the poorest just across the way. To have that reality so close made for an even better Holy Week for me." read it all, the full story regarding the life of Padre Lorenzo, click HERE


"To Wisdom Through Failure" By Lawrence Rosebaugh, OMI

“Larry Rosebaugh is a modern-day St. Francis, and meeting him years ago was a great blessing in my life. His gentle spirit, brave heart and deep love for the poor and oppressed give us hope in today’s struggle for peace and justice. To Wisdom Through Failure is a wonderful book that will inspire, challenge and touch your heart deeply.” — Fr. Roy Bourgeois, MM, School of the Americas Watch


¨This week, we found out that a very dear friend was killed in Guatemala. Fr. Lorenzo has been working in Guatemala ministering to the poor in the hospitals and the children with aids. He was on his way to a meeting on Monday when robbers shot him. Just the Monday before, he was visiting us and telling us of his plans to return to work in St. Louis. He was 74 years old and has led a very humble life style. Fr. Lorenzo has celebrated the Mass with us on special occasions. We have no doubt that he is receiving the true blessings of his holy life, but we will feel the sadness and the loss of a friend.¨ Elizabeth and Tom McCullough

"To Wisdom Through Failure," 2006, by The Reverend Lawrence Rosebaugh, click HERE to find out the details on how to secure a copy of his book


·Thanks to The Associated Press
·Thanks to George Pawlaczyk, News-Democrat
·Thanks to The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
·Thanks to Flickr Photosharing

UNHINGED, PART FIVE: Archbishop Jensen, Sydney, stirs up trouble at home or abroad. Who pays for +Peters FOCA jaunts?

Archbishop Pete Jensen of Sydney

By Brian
¨Noble Wolf¨
Australia

¨I have just learned, thanks to Grandmere Mimi HERE, that Peter Jensen who styles himself Anglican Archbishop of Sydney will be at a conference in London on July 6.


It is only a few weeks since I read he was stirring up trouble while speaking in Ireland, I do not know if he has been back in the meantime or is just enjoying the English Spring.


We know he was gallivanting around Jerusalem and the United Kingdom although avoiding Lambeth last (Australian) winter. Must be a nice job.


Guess he does not want to spend too much time on mundane Diocesan matters, I do not believe he ever ran a parish so pastoral care isn´t his forte

¿Que pastoral forte?

However it sickens me to think that the cost of all his jaunts are being paid by Diocesan funds which are supported by the dues from my parish and therefore my weekly offerings. The thought that just one cent of my church donation could be used to pay for the jet travel of this hate filled little man to meet his homophobic mates and support him while he works to destroy the Anglican communion makes me want to retch.

I think I will put an empty envelope in the plate in future and direct my money in other ways.

Maithri's work of love in Swaziland HERE and Medecins Sans Frontiers or perhaps the work of Red Cross in Sri Lanka are obvious alternatives.

I stopped donating to Anglicare (Sydney) when Jensen became President of that organisation and wrote to tell them so. That money now goes to Anglicoord in Melbourne.¨

The FOCA´S at leisure in London (innocently plotting more ¨Godly¨ inspired destruction of The Anglican Communion on July 6th).

¨If Jensen is so fond of his travels, why doesn't he resign and concentrate on running the FOCAS or whatever they now call themselves and stop embarrassing the real Anglicans of Sydney he pretends to lead. Unfortunately most of his henchmen who are running the diocese in his absence are worse than him if you can believe it.¨ read it all from Noble Wolf in Australia, click HERE

·Thanks to Noble Wolf, at the right side bar
·Thanks to Wounded Bird, at the right side bar
·Thanks to Soaring Impulse, blogspot.com
·Thanks to Maithri Goonetilleke
·Thanks to Flickr Photosharing

UNHINGED, PART FOUR: Once Again, the Religious Right Lies About Hate Crimes Law

Once Again, the Religious Right Lies About Hate Crimes Law

by Casey Sanchez

¨A proposed new federal hate crimes law would allow prosecution of crimes motivated by bias against homosexuality or “gender identity,” among other characteristics, and provide funding for the feds to go after hate criminals who local authorities fail to investigate or prosecute.

But in their alternate universe, religious-right anti-gay groups have seized upon the act’s language protecting Americans of all “sexual orientations” to claim that it’s all a stealth operation aimed at legally protecting people with deviant sexual fetishes, including necrophilia and bestiality.


No, we’re not. If any of these groups took as much time to read the hate crimes bill — or even newspaper accounts of it — as they did skimming psychiatric diagnostic manuals, they would know the Matthew Shepard Act does no such thing. But truth has not been of much interest to religious-right, anti-gay groups in their struggle against the perils of homosexuality. Most of these groups also have claimed that the proposed law would allow authorities to throw into prison pastors who made statements from the pulpit opposing homosexuality. That, too, is completely false. What the act would really do includes:

• Authorize federal authorities to investigate hate crimes when state or local authorities fail to do so.

• Increase funding to state and local authorities to prosecute hate crimes, including those based on religion, race, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.¨


¨The act is named after Matthew Shepard, a college student in Wyoming who in 1998 was beaten, tied to a fence, tortured and left in a coma to die by his assailants. Prosecutors and police showed that Shepard was targeted because he was gay — something that some religious right groups have also falsely claimed is untrue.¨ read it all, click HERE

UPDATE: President Barack Obama meets with Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard, in the Oval Office Wednesday, May 20, 2009.


¨This week, the House of Representatives is expected to consider H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. I urge members on both sides of the aisle to act on this important civil rights issue by passing this legislation to protect all of our citizens from violent acts of intolerance - legislation that will enhance civil rights protections, while also protecting our freedom of speech and association. I also urge the Senate to work with my Administration to finalize this bill and to take swift action.¨ The White House press release also urged reporters to take note of the President's position on the legislation.


FURTHER UPDATE: Strange Bedfellows: Like Christian Right Groups, Anti-Semitic Imam Lies About Hate Crime Bill

It’s not only the religious right that’s telling tall tales about a proposed new federal hate crimes law.

Amir Abdel Malik Ali, a Muslim cleric who frequently speaks on California campuses, falsely claimed last week that the law would prevent Americans from expressing negative views about Israel or Jews. As Ali tells it, none other than “the Zionists” are behind this attempt to crush free speech.¨ read it all, by Sonia Scherr, click HERE

·Thanks to Southern Poverty Law Center
·Thanks to Keeping An Eye On The Radical Right
·Thanks to Hatewatch, at the right side bar
·Thanks to Casey Sanchez
·Thanks to Pete Souzas Official White House Photo
·Thanks to Sonia Scherr
·Thanks to Flickr Photosharing

ALERT People resisting rights for all have ¨stolen the language of religion¨

Today: International Day Against Homophobia 2009


Religious and non-religious unite to combat homophobia and transphobia

By Savi Hensman
17 May 2009

¨People resisting progress towards rights for all have stolen the language of religion, warned Peter Purton of the Trades Union Congress. He was opening a conference on faith, homophobia, transphobia and human rights, held on 16 May at the Institute of Education in London.


Delegates from diverse organisations in different parts of the country – including trades unions, educational and faith groups – gathered to hear about developments in the struggle for equal rights and to discuss the way forward.


¨The conference was organised by Interfaith Alliance UK, the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM) and the TUC LGBT Committee, with support from some thirty other organisations. read it all, click HERE

¨One Message One Voice¨

Today: International Day Against Homophobia 2009, read it all, view the video clip, click HERE

·Thanks to Peter Purton
·Thanks to The Trade Union Conference
·Thanks to Savi Hensman
·Thanks to Ekklesia, at the right side bar
·Thanks to Joe.My.God., at the right side bar
·Thanks to Flickr Photosharing