October 31, 2007

Big & Rich & Homophobic

If the country-western duo Big & Rich needed publicity (and, considering how low they’ve been flying under our radar until today, they did), they’ve got it now:

In a 10/25 throwaway piece in the Tennessean, “John Rich is a Fred-like conservative,” Rich tells how he’s endorsing Fred Thompson, because he doesn’t want to see “Hillary Clinton go trotting into the White House”:

The preacher’s son says many are surprised to learn that he’s conservative.

“Big & Rich music is so out of the box and so wild and unrestrained,” John tells me. “They probably just make assumptions that you’re that way with everything. One reason why we are able to be so untethered in country music is because we have a really strong base and strong beliefs and core values.”

Then comes the money quote:

The pro-lifer is against gay marriage.

“I think if you legalize that, you’ve got to legalize some other things that are pretty unsavory,” he says. “You can call me a radical, but how can you tell an aunt that she can’t marry her nephew if they are really in love and sharing the bills? How can you tell them they can’t get married, but something else that’s unnatural can happen?”

Ah, the ol’ slippery slope.

A few blogs covered Rich’s “radical” remarks, but Howie Klein seems to have the inside scoop (and it’s a good read in full, so click the link):

John Rich of Big & Rich Does a Rick Santorum Impersonation on Nashville Radio — A Nail In His Professional Coffin?

I had already left Warner Bros by the time our Nashville division had released its first album with Big Kenny (Alphin) and John Rich (pka, Big & Rich). When I first heard Warners had a hit artist called Big & Rich I thought they had finally broken into the rap business. They hadn’t.

I was vaguely aware they had a big, albeit humdrum, wedding song last year called “Lost in This Moment,” and that the first album, Horse of a Different Color went platinum a couple times. Other than that, I wasn’t hearing much about them… until Thursday. Thursday I started getting barraged with e-mails from distraught former employees of mine all complaining about Big & Rich being homophobic.

It stems from half the duo, John Rich, going on a gay-bashing, Santorum-like jag for his political hero, Frederick of Hollywood. Rich is a regular commentator on Steve Gill’s radio show in Nashville, where he spouts his Limbaughesque nonsense to an audience where marrying one’s cousins and aunts is a lot more common than gay marriage. After a thorough tequila-fueled search for the most backward of the pathetic pygmies™ vying to personify a third George W Bush term, Rich has endorsed Thompson. And in a slap at the cousin-marrying Rudy Giuliani and at gay-Americans, he spouted off about gay marriage on Wednesday…

. . .

I suppose far more “natural” would be Rich’s own lifestyle as an embarrassing and philandering slob. He may be hysterical and obsessive about his irrational zombie-like hatred for Hillary Clinton but reports from the road are that when he’s got enough substances in him there isn’t a woman breathing he doesn’t try to jump on.

Gay employees and straight non-bigots at Warner Bros, and that pretty much accounts for almost everyone who works there, are pretty disappointed, to put it mildly… and I’m not the only one getting complaints. …

. . .

I spoke with one of Tennessee’s most influential and respected radio programmers. He was still dismayed today and he said most everyone he knows in the music business is as well. This is what he told me:

“Much of the Nashville music scene is ashamed of John. We have felt betrayed because many of us had embraced him and his mantra of love everybody. John has made a career on the backs of many people, and a lot of them are gay. …”

That sounds like a very sensible suggestion.

The reason this came to our attention today is that Rich issued a backhanded non-apology:

Big & Rich Star Retracts Offensive Gay Marriage Comments

“My earlier comments on same-sex marriage don’t reflect my full views on the broader issues regarding tolerance and the treatment of gays and lesbians in our society. I apologize for that and wish to state clearly my views. I oppose same-sex marriage because my father and minister brought me up to believe that marriage is an institution for the union of a man and a woman.”

“However, I also believe that intolerance, bigotry and hatred are wrong. People should be judged based on their merits, not on their sexual orientation. We are all children of God and should be valued and respected.”

Rich also says “his views were not properly clarified.”

Oh, they seem pretty “clarified to us,” John-Boy: You’re hiding behind your Daddy and your Bible to justify your homophobia.

And if you don’t believe intolerance is wrong, then you’re saying you’re wrong. Which you are. Is that “clarified” enough?

Tweet This Post!

Obama Won’t Budge on Marriage Equality

The man who says he’s the best candidate for LGBT rights still doesn’t want to give us the same rights he has.

Obama: No Gay Marriage

In two appearances on Monday [Barack Obama] said he still opposes same-sex marriage, preferring civil unions for gays and lesbians. His position is the same as the other Democratic frontrunners but the tone of the questioning is an indication the fallout continues from Sunday’s appearance at an Obama gospel rally that featured outspoken “ex-gay” Donnie McClurkin.

. . .

Obama said that he believed same-sex couples should have the same rights as married couples but that their relationships should be called civil unions rather than marriage.

He also said stressed the importance of his Christian faith, but said there has to be a clear separation between church and state.

. . .

Appearing at the Cedar Rapids Public Library, Abbi Swanson whose son is gay, asked what he would do to give him the same rights as opposite-sex couples.

“You want the word marriage and I believe that the issue of marriage has become so entangled - the word marriage has become so entangled with religion - that it makes more sense for me as president, with that authority, to talk about the civil rights that are conferred [with civil unions]” he told her.

Try telling that to the more than 300 same-sex couples joined in civil unions in New Jersey who have learned the hard way that civil unions just aren’t good enough.

Tweet This Post!

Poll: 2/3 of New Jersey Not as Bigoted as Arkansas, But Still Cling to Heterosexual Privilege

Narrow majority in NJ favors gay marriage

New Jersey voters remain evenly divided about whether gay couples should be given the right to marry in the state, according to a poll released today.

Voters are clearly comfortable, however, with something the state already does: allow gay couples to join in civil unions, which offer the legal benefits of marriage, but not the title. According to the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll, two-thirds of poll respondents said they favor civil unions.

. . .

Overall, 48 percent of the adults who responded favored gay marriage, while 44 percent opposed it.

Nearly three in five people between 18 and 29 favor gay marriage, compared with about half of voters between 30 and 64, and one-third of those over 65.

Tweet This Post!

Poll: 53 Percent of Arkansans Are Homophobic Bigots

Poll: Most Arkansans favor law to ban adoption, foster parenting by gays

A slim majority of Arkansans - 53 percent - favor laws that would prohibit gays and lesbians from adopting or serving as foster parents, results of a poll conducted by University of Arkansas researchers show.

The annual Arkansas Poll also shows 41 percent of Arkansans favor laws that would make it more difficult to get an abortion and 57 percent are convinced global warming is for real.

. . .

“This is good news for our effort,” said Jerry Cox, executive director of the Family Council. The conservative Christian group is seeking to place an initiated act on the 2008 general election ballot that would prohibit unmarried couples from adopting or serving as foster parents in Arkansas

The Family Council’s proposal is worded differently from the poll questions - it would apply to all unmarried couples regardless of sexual orientation - but Cox said the poll results bode well for the proposal’s chances.

Tweet This Post!

When You Can’t Get A Date In Your Own Country…

…without taking the chance of being put to death, maybe rejection makes you crazy enough to beat the crap out of the object of your lust so he won’t tell your brother you violated Sharia law:

UAE sheikh to stand trial for ’sexually motivated’ assault

The brother of the ruler of the United Arab Emirates, one of the richest men in the world, is to stand trial in Switzerland for an alleged assault on an Italian-American businessman in the bar of an exclusive Geneva hotel [four years ago].

. . .

[Silvano Orsi], 39, claims that he was repeatedly attacked after refusing homosexual advances from [37-year-old Sheikh Falah bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan] and has since been unable to work because of his injuries. The sheikh, in evidence to a pre-trial closed hearing last year, claimed that he merely had a 30-second scuffle after he was accused of being gay.

. . .

Mr Orsi, of Rochester, New York, says he was having a late evening drink with a Saudi friend when the sheikh sent over an unsolicited bottle of champagne. It remained unopened on the table and a few minutes later, according to Mr Orsi, the shiekh came over and accosted him. When he resisted, the sheikh attacked him and beat him savagely his belt.

Despite the sheikh’s bodyguards trying to intervene Mr Orsi says the assault continued as he retreated to the reservation desk. He says he sustained a herniated disc, nerve damage in his right leg and post-traumatic stress disorder. Before he left the hotel, Mr Orsi says, the Emirate’s consul in Geneva arrived at the hotel and offered him €13,000 to keep quiet.

Tweet This Post!

October 30, 2007

U.K.: Who Cares About Human Rights? It’s the Money, Stupid!

Saudi King jeered as controversial visit begins

King Abdullah II of Saudi Arabia was greeted by jeers and placards as he began his state visit to Britain this afternoon as dozens of demonstrators turned out to protest at his country’s human rights record.

About 50 human rights protestors and anti-arms trade activists mingled with the crowds lining The Mall as the monarch accompanied the Queen in a carriage on their way to Buckingham Palace.

King Abdullah’s visit has been shrouded in controversy over oppressive policies against women and gays in the Middle Eastern kingdom and the war on terror.

Protesters, including Peter Tatchell, the gay rights activist, chanted “King Abdullah, torturer, murderer” and held banners marked “Put human rights before BAe profits” and “You can’t do this in Riyadh” as the procession went past.

. . .

Symon Hill, of the Campaign Against The Arms Trade, said: “I think the visit sends the message that the UK Government isn’t concerned about human rights in Saudi Arabia. It also sends the message that the Government will put the arms trade and BAe ahead of human rights.”

He criticised Gordon Brown for condemning human rights abuses in Burma and Zimbabwe, but saying nothing about the Saudis. …

As Tyo wisely observes: “Let’s face it, there are bad badguys and good badguys and the Saudis are one of the ultimate teflon coated good badguy states. As long as the oil and the business ties are there they can have their public beheadings and their lashings and fund all the terrorists that they want and no matter who occupies #10 Downing St or the White House there won’t be an official word said against them.”

See also:
Translation: The U.K. is Scared Britless That the Saudis Will Pull Their Money Out of the Country

Tweet This Post!

NBJC Commentary: Gays and Gospel Music

Sylvia Rhue, Director of Religious Affairs for the National Black Justice Coalition, writes:

Gospel is in the news because Senator Barack Obama has chosen Donnie McClurkin, Mary Mary, Hezekiah Walker and others to tour in the South to connect with Black voters with the power of gospel music. These three are on record making homophobic remarks with McClurkin being the most outrageous. Donnie claims to be “ex-gay” and tours with Benny Hinn who in the early 90’s predicted that God would “destroy the homosexual community” in America by fire by the year 1995. Chilling cheers followed his prediction. Donny himself has declared “war” on homosexuals.

From my experience as a former gospel singer and having friends who are currently on the gospel music scene, I believe that the gospel singing culture, in addition to being stalwartly heterosexual, is also decidedly bisexual, avidly homosexual and deeply closeted in seriously high numbers. We hear reports, here and there, of a gospel singer/minister giving sermons against homosexuality, and after the sermon handing out his hotel keys to men he wants to pursue for that evening. We hear reports of two nationally known, famous gospel singing homophobes who are actually lovers.

An openly gay minister in Washington DC relates the story of going to gospel music events and hearing homophobic remarks from the stage in the daytime, and yet some of those same clergy and gospel singers knock on his door at night.

We know of the closeted lesbians. We know who is gay in gospel and who is not. How do we know? They ask our un-closeted gospel singing friends for sex. Or their bitter wives spill the beans. Or they protest wa-y-y too much, which is a behavior that healthy heterosexuals don’t engage in. …

Tweet This Post!

Fred Thompson’s Latest Stupid Answer

Answering questions from New Hampshire voters Monday, grumpy bulldog and mediocre actor Fred Thompson called the fight for marriage equality across statelines a “judge-made controversy.”

Whatever. This is where it gets good:

Edward Paul, an employee of the Delta Dental Plans Association, asked the question Monday, but had trouble being understood.

“I’m proud to say that in January 2008 New Hampshire has passed a law facilitating civil unions here. … What is your belief for federal civil unions to be passed?” Paul asked.

“Soviet Union?” Thompson responded.

“No, civil unions,” Paul said.

“Oh. No, I would not be in support of that,” Thompson said.

Paul said he wasn’t surprised, or impressed.

“Soviet Union”? Gee, maybe that’s why Fred’s against it — he thinks same-sex marriage is a Communist plot!

Tweet This Post!

We Knew Buju Banton Was Full of Bull. Sometimes, We Just Hate Being Right.

So much for gay-murder advocate Buju Banton “coming out against anti-gay lyrics“:

Buju sings controversial tune at music festival

It had all the ingredients of a good show - quality performances, massive support and mostly clean music - but the highly anticipated Guyana Music Festival clearly lacked the core item of local talent, which was in very short supply.

But even that was insufficient to put a damper on things and when the curtains came down at around 3 am yesterday morning, the $3000 that the majority of persons parted with, was exhausted mainly due to one man and a band with a music career much older than three quarters of the huge crowd.

‘Gargamel’ Buju Banton and Third World rocked the show so hard the vibrations probably shifted a few seats in the Guyana National Stadium. Combined the two powerhouses belted out sounds so sweet and conscious it was difficult to determine the best reggae performance of the night. But the night certainly belonged to the dreadlocked, still very much homophobic Jamaican dancehall star, who had no apologies for his discriminatory lyrics lashing the gay community.

“Buju nah like no batty boy and dem batty boy attack Buju”, the singer said to an adulating audience who seemed to have been waiting for that exact moment. And perhaps feeling the vibes of the embracing crowd and the urge to sing his controversial song, “Boom boom bye”, the singer belted out a few of the lyrics nearing the close of his performance.

But Buju was not the only performer to have walked that line. Kiprich, another Jamaican star who appeared much earlier in the night also sang out against the gay community and the audience largely enjoyed it.

It doesn’t make us happy to say we told you so. But we told you so.

Tweet This Post!

October 29, 2007

The HomObamaPhobia Tour: Preacher Donnie Takes the Stage

Jesus wept.

Well, that seals it.

Believe it or not, some of us most appalled by Barack Obama’s refusal to dump Donnie McClurkin (not to mention all the other homophobes) from his “gospel concert tour” really did not expect McClurkin to sink below our lowest expectations during last night’s performance in South Carolina.

Some of us thought that somebody in Obama’s campaign (er, maybe Obama, who’s supposed to be calling the shots?) would have, at the very least, taken the little self-loathing homophobe aside and said, “No, we’re not dumping you, but listen — if you start spouting that ‘I’ve been saved from the curse of homosexuality by the grace of my Lord Jesus Christ!’ you’re gonna do Brother Obama more harm than good. So just can the ‘ex-gay’ sermon, sing your songs, and get your ass offstage.”

But did that happen? Nope. Pastor Donnie was given free rein, and free rein he took. He used half an hour of stage time to do the one thing this writer never thought he would do: After whining about being “maligned” for his virulently anti-gay views, he began to preach from St. Donnie’s Gospel of Homophobia.

Donnie McClurkin…

…served as master of ceremonies of a gospel concert promoting [Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama] Sunday night.

Master of ceremonies.

So much for the many arguments from Obama supporters that McClurkin was just going to sing a little and get offstage.

He approached the subject gingerly at first. Then, just when the concert had seemed to reach its pitch and about to end….

Rev. Donnie McClurkin, who headlined the final installment of the Obama campaign’s “Embrace the Change” Gospel concert series, did not comment on the controversy until the just before the concert’s finish, when he told the crowd of about 2,500 African-Americans: “I’m going to say something that’s going to get me in trouble.”

“They accuse me of being anti-gay and a bigot,” McClurkin said. “We don’t believe in discrimination. We don’t believe in hatred, and if you do you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s the whole premise of God. That’s the whole premise of Christ is love, love, love. But there is a side of Christ that deals in judgment, and all sin is against God.”

McClurkin has said that homosexuality is a choice and that he overcame homosexual desires through prayer, comments that drew fire from gay and lesbian activists and caught the Obama campaign, which has been using faith to reach out to African-American voters, off guard.

The Grammy-winning singer said Sunday his words had been “twisted.”

In between sermonizing, singing, and raving about Obama, McClurkin repeatedly defended himself.

“I just said yes,” he said of his invitation by the Obama campaign. “I didn’t know so much was going to happen. I didn’t know my yes was going to mean I was misunderstood and vilified. .. . Sometimes people can take your words and do this with them,” he said, making a twisting motion with his hands as the crowd shouted Amens and cheered for him.

After another song, he specially addressed the issue of homosexuality, saying he had been “touched by the same feelings.”

“Don’t call me a bigot or anti-gay, when I have been touched by the same feelings,” McClurkin went on. “When I have suffered with the same feelings. Don’t call me a homophobe, when I love everybody … Don’t tell me that I stand up and I say vile words against the gay community because I don’t. I don’t speak against the homosexual. I tell you that God delivered me from homosexuality.”

So much for the argument that Obama wasn’t going to be giving McClurkin “a platform for his views, or that he wouldn’t be “supporting the campaign as a spokesperson on these issues.”

McClurkin’s words drew raucous applause from the crowd, who had lined up around the block to get into the Township Auditorium in Columbia.

So much for the argument that McClurkin’s participation would “attract a large number of Democratic voters who are attracted to his voice, not necessarily his viewpoints (which presumably he won’t be given the opportunity to voice at the concert).”

Nearly all of the African-American concert-goers interviewed by CNN expressed support for McClurkin. Some referenced the First Amendment, saying McClurkin had the right to say what he pleased. Others agreed with McClurkin and said that homosexuality is a choice. Several more invoked the Bible and said homosexuality is simply wrong.

So much for building a bridge between homophobic Southern black churchgoers and the LGBT community.

Obama, while not present, appeared on a videotaped message to the crowd, saying, “The artists you’re going to hear from are some of the best in the world, and favorites of Michelle and myself.”

So much for Obama distancing himself from McClurkin and his hateful rhetoric.

Rick Wade, an Obama adviser who focuses on black outreach, gave what amounted to a sermon on Obama’s electability at the start of the concert.

“There are believers and there are non-believers,” Wade said. “Non-believers would say he’s the most qualified…but they won’t vote for him. He won’t win. Believers would say he will win. Non-believers would say ‘what can we do?’ Believers would say ‘we can do all things,’” he said, and paused before the crowd loudly responded “through Christ Jesus.”

He continued, “Non-believers would say America is not ready, believers would say we are ready.”

So much for the argument that Obama doesn’t inject religion into the political arena.

Obama’s campaign is making religious appeals a huge part of their South Carolina strategy. The concerts were the last part of a “40 Days of Faith and Family” that emphasized Obama’s faith as he seeks to win black voters, who could comprise up to half of the electorate in the Democratic primary. The concert was full of black women, who have become a key contested group between Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Obama’s campaign has also held “faith forums” in the state where people hear from campaign aides about how the candidate’s faith plays a role in his life and then discuss how faith informs their own lives and their politics.

So much for Obama’s commitment to separation of church and state.

Aides gave reporters a three-page memo detailing McClurkin’s and Obama’s views on gay rights that noted in capital letters “MCCLURKIN DOES NOT WANT TO CHANGE GAYS AND LESBIANS WHO ARE HAPPY WITH THEIR LIVES AND HAS CRITICIZED CHURCH LEADERS WHO DEMONIZE HOMOSEXUALS,” with quotes detailing those statements from the singer.

The next paragraph then stated “OBAMA DOES NOT AGREE WITH MCCLURKIN’S VIEWS ON GAYS.”

So, if McClurkin doesn’t want to change happy gays, and Obama doesn’t agree with him, does that mean Obama does want to change happy gays? Into what, happy straights? Or unhappy gays?

That Obama’s campaign is so bollixed up, they didn’t even catch the irony in the juxtaposition of those two paragraphs is indicative of the hamfisted manner in which they’ve mishandled every step (or rather, misstep) of this whole ugly fiasco.

And what of Rev. Andy Sidden…

…the white, gay pastor added to the concert bill as a last minute compromise by the Obama campaign. Sidden’s appearance was notably brief and anti-climactic: He said a short prayer to the auditorium at the very beginning of the program, when the arena was only about half full, and then he left.

And this comes on the heels of the news that Barack Rejected Black Gay Ministers:

Rumor has it the presidential candidate’s incompetent staffers rejected at least two popular black gay ministers in favor of their current cracker, Andy Sidden. Via Rod 2.0:

Several sources inside and outside the campaign confirm the names of TWO openly gay black pastors suggested by the National Black Justice Coalition and the Human Rights Campaign were rejected in favor of Rev. Sidden. Those names are: Bishop Yvette Flunder, an outstanding pastor and orator from San Francisco and Bishop Tonyia Rawls of Unity Fellowship in North Carolina.

In addition, Bishop Carlton Pearson of Oklahoma, whose inclusive ministry welcomes the LGBT community, was also rejected.

As Sapphocrat wrote on DU today, Pearson:

• was dumped by the Church of God in Christ, and is now a bishop in the United Church of Christ — Obama’s own church!

• recorded with Beverly Crawford, one of the performers at this concert. I may not know much about gospel music, but it sure sounds to me like Pearson is hardly unknown to the gospel community.

Pearson pisses off a lot of people with his “Gospel of Inclusion” (he says queers are going to heaven, too! Oh, the horror! ) — but he would have been THE perfect preacher to offset at least some of the taint of the Bigot Tour. (And he’s not even gay.)

Plus:

A campaign source says Rev. Michael Eric Dyson, the so-called hip-hop intellectual, reportedly volunteered and was also rejected. Dyson is a prominent Obama supporter and very popular in hip-hop and with youth.

And:

On a somewhat related note, Obama disinvited his personal pastor from his presidential announcement. Why? Because his campaign feared pissing off white people and Jews.

This is so not over, folks. This is so not over.

Tip o’ the hat to ruggerson for coining “homobamaphobia”!

See also:
What’s The Matter With Obama. (This Is Not A Question.) Part 1.
Donnie McClurkin and the Unmasking of Black Hypocrisy
Mr. sniffa Goes to Boston
Barack Obama Attempts Damage Control, Comes Up Short. Way Short.
What Were We Saying Again About the Company Obama Keeps?
Memo to Obama: You’re Only Making It Worse
Obama On Imus Back In April: No Racists On My Staff
Obama Gospel Tour: Homophobes: 5, Undecided: 2, Draw: 1
Obama: Gays, Democrats “Hermetically Sealed” From “Faith Community”
Guess It Didn’t “Fly Under The National Radar” After All

Tweet This Post!

“The sticks and stones are on the way”

swimboy penned this flawless “Short Editorial answering to charges of oversensitivity, etc“:

Conventional Wisdom:

Sticks and stones may break my bones
But words will never hurt me.

My response:

Those hurtful names are just to say
The sticks and stones are on the way.

That’s why we care about the name-calling. And because there can be no law against name-calling we work hard to activate the societal tool of shame against the name-callers. Certain derogatory terms that used to be commonplace are no longer used in polite society due to the shame attached to their use, not because their use is illegal. We’d like to retire derogatory terms for GLBT persons, send them to the same societal dustbin. But we will never be able to do that as long as they are in use by our allies.

So call me over-sensitive if you must, but don’t call me or my siblings those other names. Language gives form to thought and thought gives rise to action. So please, watch your language.

Tweet This Post!

October 28, 2007

Translation: The U.K. is Scared Britless That the Saudis Will Pull Their Money Out of the Country

Saudi king’s state visit to Britain faces protests, boycotts

Britain’s most sensitive and controversial relationship in the Middle East faces protests and boycotts during a state visit by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, just weeks after a lucrative new defence contract made clear that it was business as usual between the two countries.

The Saudi monarch and his most senior ministers will be the guests of the Queen at Buckingham Palace during a visit that will include a ceremonial welcome on Horse Guards Parade, two banquets and meetings with Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Prince Charles.

But Vince Cable, the acting Liberal Democrat leader, announced yesterday that he would boycott the rare visit because of the Saudi record on human rights, including its maltreatment of British citizens. “It is quite wrong for the British government to have proposed a state visit at this time,” Mr Cable said. Other groups plan protests over weapons sales, the kingdom’s human rights abuses and its homophobic laws.

King Abdullah, 82, came to the throne two years ago. Known as “the Custodian of the Two Holy Places” (of Mecca and Medina) he has reformist instincts, but progress in the kingdom has been halting.

Saudi Arabia is Britain’s biggest trading partner in the Middle East and the UK is its second biggest foreign investor.

The four-day visit, which begins today, was announced months after the Serious Fraud Office was forced by Tony Blair’s government to drop - on alleged national security grounds - an investigation into alleged corruption tied to BAE arms sales to Saudi Arabia, part of the massive al-Yamamah deal. …

Tweet This Post!

Feh! The Tighty-Righties Weren’t Letting Their Spawn Read Harry Potter Anyway

JK Rowling under fire from US Bible belt after outing Dumbledore as gay

JK Rowling may be a saint to millions of children and their parents, but today she is a sinner to a large slice of middle America.

The 42-year-old Harry Potter author has become a hate figure to Christian evangelicals in the US since she outed Albus Dumbledore as gay.

The mother-of three, who is worth £545 million, told a New York audience that the much loved head of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizadry was homosexual.

Talk shows in the Bible Belt have condemned her, web-sites have reviled her, and newspaper letter columns have been filled with complaints.

And there are fears it may affect profits at Warner Bros who have a further two films to make and a dvd on sale this Christmas.

Roberta Combs, president of the two million strong Christian Coalition of America, said: “It’s very disappointing that the author would have to make one of the characters gay.

“It’s not a good example for our children, who really like the books and the movies. I think it encourages homosexuality.”

She called for a ban on the books, saying: “I would never allow my own children or grandchildren to read the books or watch the movies, and other parents should do so too.”

Honestly, we never had a lot of interest in Harry Potter (we’re too busy fighting the bigots who try to censor Harry Potter) — but this makes us want to run right out and buy every Harry Potter book, DVD, and action figure on the market.

Brava, Ms. Rowling!

See also:
Whole New Reason for the Fundies to Pile On the Eeeeeeeevil Harry Potter

Tweet This Post!

Who is this arrogant, ignorant homophobe, and why does the Chicago Sun-Times pay her money to pollute its pages with this garbage?

Gay rights don’t trump faith

Deborah Douglas ddouglas@suntimes.com

Gay activists made a big hairy deal this week when Sen. Barack Obama hired formerly gay gospel singer Donnie McClurkin to lead some fund-raising concerts in South Carolina this weekend.

So what.

McClurkin doesn’t have to stay gay if he doesn’t want to.

For gays who insist they are born that way and that’s the end of it, suggesting that someone could choose not to be homosexual is a slap in the face. The science on this isn’t clear. The search for the gay gene is ongoing, and while doubt remains, individuals continue to make up their own minds about the nature of being gay.

. . .

…McClurkin told Ebony magazine he battled homosexuality for 20 years after several episodes of sexual abuse. Anyone should be able to understand how a child who was abused that way could grow to be confused about the role of sex and sexual identity.

. . .

I thought about my gay friends and was torn. Then I got over it. Gay people must not stop fighting for their right to equal access and treatment. Nobody has a right to deny a gay person a job or a home, or kick him in the head because they don’t like the way he lives and loves. But society’s rules stop at the church-house doors, folks.

We cannot let our passion for civil rights negate the right for people to hold their heartfelt religious beliefs. Despite what gay activists insist, believing the Bible’s admonitions against homosexuality does not make Christians homophobic. It is not an either/or proposition. If it were, guess who would lose? Christianity has a better PR machine, considering it has a best-selling book attached to it. Ultimately, those who denigrated McClurkin and Obama (who says he does not hold the singer’s views) were really condemning people of faith. …

. . .

Gays smarting over McClurkin’s transformation should know the rest of us sinners get talked about, too. For most Bible believers, sin is sin. Whether it’s lying (even white ones), heavy drinking (free drinks!), stealing (pilfering office supplies) or fornication (the heterosexual and gay kind), it is not acceptable.

Besides, anybody who has been to a black church with good gospel music knows gay guys are always singing in the choir.

Sapphocrat writes:

“So what?”

I can’t believe a generally decent paper like the Chicago Sun-Times would print this garbage — and worse: “Deborah Douglas is a Sun-Times editorial board writer.”

Somebody’s getting a LTTE from me today. Ther only problem is that there are so many things wrong here, I don’t know where to begin — with the “there are more of us than there are of you, so like or lump it” attitude, with the molestation-turns-you-gay myth, with the gays-can-change lie (the only “ex-gays” are in denial — or dead), with the equation of homosexuality with drinking, stealing, “fornication,” and other “sins” (what, no comparison to murderers and prostitutes?), with the mindboggling denial inherent in the notion that condemning homosexuality doesn’t make one homophobic (!)… or with the nasty swipe at gay men (why didn’t she just come out and say “fags”?) in the very last line.

But I think my LTTE will go something like this:

- - -

Ms. Douglas’s disingenuousness is breathtaking: “Ultimately, those who denigrated McClurkin and Obama (who says he does not hold the singer’s views) were really condemning people of faith.” Observe how Ms. Douglas manages to twist this story into yet another tired claim of “Christian persecution.” Yes, those nasty old gays — all 4% to 10% of the population — are piling on the poor, persecuted Christians who make up some 80% of the population.

And where does that leave gay, lesbian, and bisexual Christians (yes, they do exist) who “denigrated” McClurkin and Obama? Are they condemning themselves?

Ayn Rand — no more a friend to gay people than Ms. Douglas — once wrote: “Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual).” Our greatest leaders, from Thomas Jefferson to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by word and action, have agreed; it is this simple idea — and not some narrow, elitist corruption of Christianity — on which our nation was founded, and only by which it can progress.

Ms. Douglas’s double standard is equally astounding: “We cannot let our passion for civil rights negate the right for people to hold their heartfelt religious beliefs.” Hold whatever “heartfelt religious beliefs” you like — but religion does not confer the right to stand on the heads of those who do not believe as you do, just so that you can retain your precious — and tenuous — position at the top of the heap.

Sorry, but civil rights do trump faith — and Ms. Douglas had better hope they do; by some twist of fate, I may one day be a member of the majority that decides to strip her of the rights (or rather, privileges) she so blithely takes for granted.

Society’s rules may stop at the church-house doors, Ms. Douglas, but the church’s rules must stop at the sidewalk.

Tweet This Post!

October 27, 2007

Guess It Didn’t “Fly Under The National Radar” After All

Somebody, somewhere, said that the Obama-McClurkin fiasco was being ignored by the MSM.

Well, guess what? It’s been picked up by AP, and, as this is being posted, is the number-one story on CNN Politics:

Obama’s gospel concerts raise hornet’s nest of a dilemma

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama kicked off a series of local outreach gospel concerts Friday in Charleston, South Carolina, that unexpectedly came back to bite his campaign.

The concerts were meant to boost black voters’ support for his presidential nominee bid — the kind of events that would normally fly under the national radar.

The ensuing controversy highlighted that Obama’s desire to unite disparate voting blocs — especially religious voters — under his umbrella of “change” is not without some serious pitfalls.

. . .

When the story bubbled up into the mainstream media, it took the Obama campaign by surprise.

. . .

The campaign has vigorously promoted the candidate’s faith … Campaigners have run three radio ads, one of which called Obama a “Christian family man,” that aired on gospel stations across the state.

. . .

But on Tuesday, Obama was forced to confront the uncomfortable truth that some Christians and gays are a little more than just strange bedfellows, especially among blacks. …

Tweet This Post!

October 26, 2007

Obama: Gays, Democrats “Hermetically Sealed” From “Faith Community”

Or: Just When You Think He Can’t Step Into It Any Deeper…

Hot off the new issue of The Advocate:

Obama Explains Why He’s the Best Candidate for LGBT Americans

When the Obama campaign announced that Donnie McClurkin would be among the featured singers on the presidential candidate’s gospel tour in South Carolina this weekend, it inadvertently ventured into the void between African-American Christians and gays and lesbians.

. . .

For LGBT people, it prompts the question, Weren’t Obama and, by extension, the people who run his campaign versed enough in the pain of the people he calls his “gay brothers and sisters” to see the McClurkin land mine before they rolled over it?

And can Obama really, as he claims, create the “big tent” movement he’s been selling, where voters who vehemently disagree on something as fundamental as what constitutes love put aside their differences to rally around a single candidate?

The Advocate: How did this happen? Was Mr. McClurkin vetted?

Senator Obama: Obviously, not vetted to the extent that people were aware of his attitudes with respect to gay and lesbians, LGBT issues — at least not vetted as well as I would have liked to see.

Having said that, we viewed this simply as an opportunity to have a gospel concert as part of our overall outreach, and since he was singing at a concert along with a number of other artists, as opposed to being a spokesperson for us, probably it didn’t undergo the same kind of vet that someone who was serving as a surrogate for me might have.

Some black gay activists I’ve spoken to say this doesn’t make them question Obama the senator, but it does make them question the campaign — do they really understand the nuances of these issues, are they really sitting down and talking with gay folks, because it seems like this decision came purely through the lens of faith?

Look, these kinds of issues are going to crop up inevitably through the course of campaigns. It’s important to recognize that these are issues that every Democratic candidate who has African-American ministers as supporters may have to confront. It just so happened that it popped up on the screen in this particular instance. But I assure you, I am not the only candidate who’s got a black minister or a white minister who’s supporting them prominently who subscribes to similar views.

Part of the reason that we have had a faith outreach in our campaigns is precisely because I don’t think the LGBT community or the Democratic Party is served by being hermetically sealed from the faith community and not in dialogue with a substantial portion of the electorate, even though we may disagree with them. …

And then he goes on to tell us how “Black folks in South Carolina frequent barbershops and beauty shops…”

Oy vey! How much worse can it get?

“hermetically sealed from the faith community”?! He believes that? Shows how much he knows about the LGBT community (newsflash: there are queer Christians, and lots of them) — and at this point, we don’t think he knows much about the Democratic Party, either.

Nice work, Obama: You’ve not only alienated the LGBT community — you just insulted Christian Democrats!

Tweet This Post!

Obama Gospel Tour: Homophobes: 5, Undecided: 2, Draw: 1

The (presumably) final line-up for Barack Obama’s “gospel concert your” fundraiser is up at barackobama.com:

EMBRACE THE CHANGE!

Charleston

Friday, October 26, 2007

North Charleston Performing Arts Center
5001 Coliseum Drive
North Charleston, SC 29418

Gospel Performances by:
Mary Mary, Hezekiah Walker, Beverly Crawford

Mary Mary, in an interview with Clay Cane: “I feel how God feels about it … I don’t agree with the lifestyle, but I love them. … They have issues and need someone to encourage them like everybody else — just like the murderer, just like the one full of pride, just like the prostitute … hopefully our music impacts them in a way that makes them want to change it.”

Mary Mary. Anti-gay. Check. √

Hezekiah Walker says: Homosexuality is a “sin,” a “shame,” and “the worst”; the rumor of homosexuality is “character assassination”.

Hezekiah Walker. Anti-gay. Check. √

Beverly Crawford: One one hand, Crawford has “recorded some albums with Bishop Carlton Pearson” — the Oral Roberts alum whose radical “Gospel of Inclusion” got him kicked out of the Church of God in Christ (the nation’s largest African-American Pentecostal denomination); he’s now a bishop in the undeniably pro-gay United Church of Christ.

On the other hand, she’s also appeared with radically anti-gay Trinity Broadcasting Network televangelist T.D. Jakes — who “has called homosexuality a ‘brokenness’ and said he would not hire a sexually active gay person” and “endorsed the so-called Truth for Youth campaign, which is distributing specially-made anti-gay Bibles to high school students all across the country” — and is signed with Jakes’ record label.

Beverly Crawford. Anti-gay? Well, certainly not an ally. A draw. √

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Greenwood Civic Center
1620 Hwy 72 221 E.
Greenwood, SC 29649

Gospel Performances by:
Byron Cage, Mighty Clouds of Joy, Vanessa Bell Armstrong

Byron Cage, in a 2006 radio interview on “La Gospel Talk” (listen to MP3 audio here), agreed with NARTH “ex-gay” founder Joseph Nicolosi that homosexuality is in essence a defect. Cage said that “there’s an interesting passage” in the New Testament in which the disciples (we think he means the Apostles) asked Jesus why a child would be “born lame”; Cage’s answer was that God doesn’t make mistakes — but that God creates such a defect so that “Jesus could heal it.” (Kind of like the argument that Jesus needed Judas Iscariot to betray him, or else he couldn’t have been crucified, and then risen from the dead.)

Cage also said: “I agree with Dr. Nicolosi that there are choices people make to be one way or the other” — and then compared homosexuality to being overweight, as the sort of choice “that could kill us.” Cage then went on to say that one of his mentors had died of AIDS, and another had died of a heart attack, and asked, “Which is worse?”

Byron Cage. Anti-gay. Check. √

We honestly don’t know if Mighty Clouds of Joy, or any of its members are devout homophobes, but we did discover something very unsettling: The group’s choice in the company it keeps.

In 2004, Mighty Clouds of Joy appeared at an event that, by its name alone, sounds like something all nice and peaceful and Kumbaya-like: the Fourth World Summit on Leadership and Good Governance, sponsored by the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace and the Interreligious and International Peace Council, of which the International Peace Federation is part.

Problem is, the International Peace Federation is one of the organizations of the scary, extreme-right-wing, extremely anti-gay Washington Times publisher Rev. Sun Myung Moon (he of “Moonie” fame). In fact, Moon himself…

…took to the podium to deliver a profound ecumenical message, entitled “Our Mission in the Last Days of Providential History.” Having worked for decades to confront the threat of atheistic communism, Dr. Moon noted that with the conclusion of the Cold War, the fear and insecurity of this global conflict is thankfully past. “And yet,” he asked, how secure and happy are we? Young people now liberated from the yoke of communism are enjoying their freedom to such an extent that they are in danger of running off the cliff of debauchery.”

Selfish individualism and slavery to free sex has led to unthinkable calls for homosexual “marriage.” “Imagine for a moment,” he asked, “the world that would result from what they advocate. Humanity would become extinct within two generations.”

But that’s hardly all. Earlier in the summit:

…IIFWP conference participants were treated to breakfast courtesy of the Washington Times Foundation. They joined a total of roughly 3000 participants coming not only from the surrounding Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, but also from two conferences sponsored by IIFWP affiliated organizations—the American Family Coalition, and the American Clergy Leadership Conference.

. . .

The prelude to breakfast was concluded by an intimate video presentation from former president George Herbert Walker Bush. He remembered fondly the Washington Times, before speaking at some length about the importance of faith and family for the country, and for himself, his wife, and his children, including the current U.S. president.

As breakfast wound down, a performance by the noted gospel music group Mighty Clouds of Joy drew attention back to the central stage, where they were followed by the Honorable Robert J. Dole, former U.S. Senator from Kansas. The man who had once lost a bitter competition with George H.W. Bush for the Republican nomination for president was magnanimous and humorous as he, too, spoke in support of the breakfast’s themes.

In lead up to the keynote address, Dr. Chung Hwan Kwak introduced IIFWP founder, the Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, by mentioning three key points. First, that Dr. Moon knows God’s heart… Second, that Dr. Moon intimately knows God as the invisible creator who is the True Parent of humankind. Third, that Dr. Moon is the king of peace…

. . .

The Mighty Clouds of Joy brought the house to its feet in thanks and praise as they led the assembly in singing “Amazing Grace,” and the concluding prayer was delivered.

Mighty Clouds of Joy. Anti-gay? We think so — among other things. √

Vanessa Bell Armstrong. We don’t know.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

The Township Auditorium
1703 Taylor Street
Columbia, SC 29202

Gospel performances by:
Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, Deitrick Haddon, Mighty Clouds of Joy

Deitrick Haddon. We don’t know.

Donnie McClurkin. You have to ask?

See also:
What’s The Matter With Obama. (This Is Not A Question.) Part 1.
Donnie McClurkin and the Unmasking of Black Hypocrisy
Barack Obama Attempts Damage Control, Comes Up Short. Way Short.
What Were We Saying Again About the Company Obama Keeps?
Memo to Obama: You’re Only Making It Worse
Obama On Imus Back In April: No Racists On My Staff

Tweet This Post!

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Duane Wells explains Why Barack Obama Can’t Have It Both Ways:

. . .

At issue is the question of whether or not Mr. Obama will go forward with plans to have a gospel singer by the name of Donnie McClurkin, who has written about being an ‘ex-gay’ and openly condemned homosexuality, perform at a series of fundraising concerts scheduled to be held in South Carolina this weekend.

. . .

It’s quite a predicament the Obama camp has gotten itself into. On the one hand you have a candidate sweeping through a very conservative Christian state with a “40 Days of Faith & Family” campaign that has the kind of marquee value destined to appeal to the state’s core voters. It seems like a smart enough move. On the other hand you have a campaign committing political suicide by allowing a character as controversial as McClurkin to slip into the well orchestrated-mix… a move that threatens to alienate a significant segment of the gay constituency.

Now if Obama backs down and cancels this McClurkin character’s appearance, he runs the risk of coming out too strongly in favor of gay and lesbian issues. That may not sit well with the very group of people for whom this forty day song and dance has been designed to appeal. Meanwhile, if he doesn’t back down, the Senator from Illinois will have shown himself to be as much a panhandler for the votes of Christian right as his Republican counterparts. Oh dear. What to do?

. . .

Yes, there is a lot riding on this decision from Obama, because as far as I’m concerned, it could be like pulling a thread and watching an entire seam unravel. Gay and lesbian support is too important to Obama’s campaign. …

. . .

More importantly for me though, this is a test of character.

. . .

Either the Senator from Illinois respects and values human rights in general and the gay and lesbian community in particular or he just sees both as pawns to be played to his advantage in a political game where winner takes all.

How the Senator handles this situation is likely to indicate how he will handle similar trials in the future. Will he stand for what he says he believes in, or will he kowtow to the shifting interests of whatever constituency he happens to be addressing at the time? One way or another, by the end of this weekend, we will have our answer.

See also:
What’s The Matter With Obama. (This Is Not A Question.) Part 1.
Donnie McClurkin and the Unmasking of Black Hypocrisy
Barack Obama Attempts Damage Control, Comes Up Short. Way Short.
What Were We Saying Again About the Company Obama Keeps?

Tweet This Post!

Obama On Imus Back In April: No Racists On My Staff

How ironic.

AKATheKorman found a remarkable illustration of Barack Obama’s double standard when it comes to racism versus homophobia, and comments:

Remember this? When Obama called for CBS to fire Don Imus?

In an interview with ABC News Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., called for the firing of talk radio host Don Imus. Obama said he would never again appear on Imus’ show, which is broadcast on CBS Radio and MSNBC television.

“I understand MSNBC has suspended Mr. Imus,” Obama told ABC News, “but I would also say that there’s nobody on my staff who would still be working for me if they made a comment like that about anybody of any ethnic group. And I would hope that NBC ends up having that same attitude.”

Obama said he appeared once on Imus’ show two years ago, and “I have no intention of returning.”

Oh, I see.

So you would immediately dissociate your campaign from media figures who made racist remarks by firing them, because racism is abhorrent and cannot be tolerated. But bigotry against gay people is just a difference of opinion, right Barack? Besides, you need the homophobic vote!

You won’t “exclude from {your} campaign the many Americans including many in the African American community who believe the same as Pastor McClurkin,” (see here), because after all we need to focus on “unity,” and we need to keep expanding the big tent. But at the same time you wouldn’t even talk to Imus, because that would be associating with someone who had said hateful things about a racial minority. Where was your big tent then, Barack? What about establishing a “dialogue?”

Or is it just that you don’t believe homophobia is real and that it hurts a politically vulnerable group of people the same way that racism does? Which is it, Senator?

See also:
What’s The Matter With Obama. (This Is Not A Question.) Part 1.
Donnie McClurkin and the Unmasking of Black Hypocrisy
Barack Obama Attempts Damage Control, Comes Up Short. Way Short.
What Were We Saying Again About the Company Obama Keeps?
Memo to Obama: You’re Only Making It Worse

Tweet This Post!

Oral Roberts Battles the Devil for ORU

ORU in debt $52.5 million

Oral Roberts University is $52.5 million in debt — an amount on the decline but a burden keeping the college from improving its campus, university representatives said Wednesday.

The debt accumulated from “years and years and years and years of . . . borrowing,” said board of regents Chairman George Pearsons, who still was gathering information on the sources of debt.

. . .

ORU is paying its bills on the debt and working on strategies to reduce the debt and increase income, he said Wednesday.

“We’re not crippled,” he said. “We could use more finances just like any university could use more finances.”

The board is adopting a more hands-on role at ORU and is investigating the school’s use of money and other practices after learning of allegations of misspending, misuse of power and inappropriate relationships that later were made public in a lawsuit filed Oct. 2 by three former professors alleging wrongful termination or forced resignation.

More from Tulsa World

“years and years and years and years of . . . borrowing” *snort*

Why doesn’t Brother Oral just go on TV and tell his flock God’s threatening to kill him again if he doesn’t come up with the cash?

Meanwhile, Brother Oral returns to the scene of the cri– er, the probe, blames Sonny Boy’s indiscretions on the devil, and swears Old Scratch is not going to steal ORU:

Oral Roberts back at ORU

Oral Roberts returned to his namesake university for the first time in three years Monday and told a chapel packed with ORU employees and students fresh off fall break that no one would take away ORU.

Students had heard rumors that Roberts had returned to campus, but when he slipped into the chapel as George Pearsons, ORU board of regents chairman, was speaking, students nearby recognized him and let out a roar of a cheer that became the first of many standing ovations.

Roberts told the crowd that every allegation raised by a lawsuit against ORU and his son, university President Richard Roberts, was false. He said he was proud of ORU and its accomplishments “for the word of God,” and he said “the devil has come in to steal it away.”

“The devil is not going to steal ORU,” he said.

Oral Roberts said the university was born out of a healing ministry, and so ORU would turn to mediation this week to resolve the lawsuit.

“This will be over and behind us, and my son will be back and be president of Oral Roberts University,” he said.

. . .

Pearsons said in a written statement from ORU that whether Richard Roberts will return as president is undetermined.

More from Tulsa World

Mind you, that’s Christian mediation Brother Oral’s talking about. Funny, innit, how religious folks rail against the interference of the state in church affairs — but when it comes time to face the music in a purely civil (or criminal) matter, they want it all settled through Christian means.

But, just in case God forces ORU through the court system:

ORU hires law firm for probe

Oral Roberts University has hired the Washington, D.C., law firm of Miller & Chevalier Chartered to investigate allegations of misspent money and more made in a lawsuit that three former professors filed Oct. 2 against ORU, its board of regents and four administrators.

. . .

The review will result in a report to ORU regents, “who will take appropriate action,” the statement said.

ORU regents Chairman George Pearsons said this week that the board looked for a law firm that was high-profile, out-of-state and had not worked for ORU.

Pearsons said last week that ORU President Richard Roberts’ leave of absence during the investigation would help assure the public of the independence of the review.

More from Tulsa World

See also:
Everything You Need to Know About the Oral Roberts Scandal… So Far
Oral Roberts U Scandal: Exit Richie, Enter “Convicted Sexual Deviant”

More discussions in the Lavender Liberal Forums:
Scandal hits TV preacher’s academy
Oral Roberts University facing huge scandal
University leader requests leave amid lawsuit

Tweet This Post!

October 25, 2007

Memo to Obama: You’re Only Making It Worse

Barack Obama just doesn’t get it. He thinks that adding a gay minister to his gospel concert is going to make up for Donnie McClurkin, Mary Mary, and Hezekiah Walker — and for the most obvious fact that this concert is meant to increase Obama’s appeal to southern black homophobes.

The latest, from the New York Times:

Senator Barack Obama is trying to tamp down a growing uproar over his plans to include a controversial gospel singer at a campaign concert this weekend in South Carolina and says he will feature an openly gay minister before the concert.

. . .

But in a phone call that just concluded, Mr. Obama told Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, that he intended to keep Mr. McClurkin in the lineup. He is to appear Sunday in Columbia as part of a three-day gospel tour to help Mr. Obama reach out to black evangelicals.

Dear Senator Obama:

What a lame, transparent attempt at appeasement.

You wax poetic about “reaching out” to everyone, when all you’re doing is overreaching. If you’re so bent on bringing everybody into the “big tent,” what’s next — a community singalong with White Stormfront?

If all your rhetoric about your support for the LGBT community were based in reality, you would have taken the time to get to know us well enough to realize what a hurtful affront this whole stupid idea was in the first place — and then you wouldn’t have done it.

But, having made this grave error, you might have repaired the damage by dumping the ‘phobes from the tour. But you wouldn’t, and you won’t. So, instead, you think you’re going to offset the damage by throwing a gay preacher into the mix.

Wrong. You’re only making it worse. The saddest part is that you don’t even understanding how you’re compounding the damage, no matter how many times, or in how many ways, we explain it to you.

Finally — and oh so typically — it never occurred to you that adding a gay minister to the bill is also going to piss off the very homophobes you’re “reaching out” to. Do you think they’re as stupid as you seem to think we are? They’re not.

See also:
What’s The Matter With Obama. (This Is Not A Question.) Part 1.
Donnie McClurkin and the Unmasking of Black Hypocrisy
Barack Obama Attempts Damage Control, Comes Up Short. Way Short.

Tweet This Post!

October 24, 2007

What Were We Saying Again About the Company Obama Keeps?

Barack Obama hasn’t just alienated us throwaway queer voters this time — when this story gets more traction, he’s gonna find he’s pissed off an awful lot of women.

Note that this really is breaking news, dated today — not some old chestnut dug up from long ago — and it’s from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which is as mainstream a newspaper as the MSM gets:

POTENTIAL BLACK EYE: Boxer in Obama’s corner

When Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama launches his group of black supporters in Nevada today, the headliner will be a superstar: a boxer who won the biggest title fight in recent history, a flamboyant personality who’s been on “Dancing With the Stars.”

But Floyd Mayweather Jr. is also a convicted batterer with a history of arrests in Las Vegas and elsewhere.

In 2004, Mayweather was convicted on two counts of battery for punching two women at a Las Vegas nightclub the previous year. He was given suspended prison sentences, $1,000 in fines and ordered to complete impulse control counseling.

Mayweather in 2002 pleaded guilty to two counts of domestic violence in one case and battery in another. In 2005, a jury acquitted him of a third domestic violence charge, a felony, after his accuser changed her story. He reportedly was convicted of battery in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich., and he has also been the subject of civil lawsuits accusing him of battery.

An Obama spokeswoman said Mayweather has paid for what she termed his “mistakes.”

. . .

“This is not about Floyd Mayweather, this is about the growing grass-roots support for Barack Obama in the African American community,” [Shannon Gilson] said. “This story for us is really about grass-roots activism, and it’s a shame that’s not going to be the focus.”

University of Nevada, Reno, political scientist Eric Herzik said the Obama campaign made a bad choice in associating itself with someone with such a dicey past. “You’re dealing with legal problems, and domestic violence in particular,” he said. “No candidate wants to be associated with that. You’d think his staffers would have raised a red flag about this.”

Candidates, he said, should be careful which stars they pick to lend their glamor to the campaign. “There are plenty of sports stars you wouldn’t want to tap (for support). There are plenty of celebrities you might think twice about,” he said, mentioning Mel Gibson and Britney Spears as examples.

Hey, we’re all for giving anybody (except child molesters and serial killers, who have more than a wee bit of a problem with recidivism) who has paid his debt to society a second chance.

But this is a really, really dumb thing for Obama to do, especially when the Donnie McClurkin fiasco hasn’t even begun to die down (and seems only to be picking up steam).

Is somebody in Obama’s camp trying to destroy the campaign from within? If so, that’s still no excuse; Obama is the one who should be calling the shots.

And if Obama called this shot, then… Stupid decision, Obama. Really, really stupid. Again.

Tweet This Post!

So, “The Facts of Life” Boasts TWO Bigots Among Its Alumnae?

Everybody who’s done anything anti-gay, wear red!

We think it’s common knowledge that Lisa Whelchel, “Blair” from “The Facts of Life,” is a fanatical born-again — the type who hears voices (or, at least, the Voice-O’-God, personally… we wonder if she’s seen any 900-foot-tall Jesuses lately?), and no friend to queers.

For instance, last year, she appeared on Sirius Radio’s OutQ, and freaked out mid-interview when she finally realized it was a — gasp! — gay channel! And she’s a big fan of “American Idol” finalist (who in turn is a big fan of “ex-gay” activist and writer Beth Moore) Mandisa… among other horrors.

Oh, we’re sure she tries to pray our gay away — in her advice column for “Today’s Christian Woman,” when consulted by a parent whose son showed no interest in girls (”With all the publicity about homosexuality today, we can’t help but worry our son could be gay” — yep, it’s all that darned publicity about homosexuality that’s turning Little Johnny queer!), Whelchel responded:

Two common threads exist among those who struggle with homosexual tendencies. First, does your son exhibit any signs of childhood molestation or incest? If you suspect this is the case, seek help from a local Christian counselor.

Then look at the father/son (and for girls, the mother/daughter) relationship. Does your son feel accepted by his father? Is your husband a jock who rejects or even ridicules your son’s interest in the arts? Perhaps your son’s father isn’t even in the picture, either by divorce, absence, death, or passivity.

The father holds the key to affirming a boy’s manhood. Without that blessing, a gaping hole is left in a young man’s life. Fortunately, a healing substitute often can be found in a strong father figure. If not, some young men attempt to “cannibalize” other men through homosexual actions to fill that void.

I know from personal friendships it’s possible for someone who struggles with homosexual temptation or who has embraced that lifestyle to find freedom and strength to change. The answer is first found in receiving redemption through Jesus Christ. From there I recommend logging onto www.exodus-international.org or www.lovewonout.com for further information and direction.

For oodles more, you can read Whelchel’s delusional ramblings on the train wreck that is her blog, learn how she fell in love with Jesus at age ten, pick up nifty tips about homeschooling, and much more, at www.lisawhelchel.com.

Yes, that’s really her, all airbrushed and anorexic-looking. (Oh, she’s not anorexic — it’s just that God personally told her to fast, which wasn’t much fun, but she sure did like losing a few pounds in the process! No, really — she actually says so.)

But instead of polluting your mind at the source, we suggest you read this blog entry from Diner Girl, which creams some of Whelchel’s freakiest posts, with commentary; it’s far less likely to have you running for the nearest bottle of Pepto Bismol:

I bet Charlotte Rae hates her

. . .

Here’s some iPod publicity Apple is probably queasy about:

By the time I finished I was eager to hop on the computer and get working. But I felt the Lord say that He wanted to spend a bit more time with me. So, this time, I grabbed my iPod and headed into my walk-in closet to worship Him without embarrassing everyone in the house. I sat on the floor to sing, only to discover that my iPod was dead. Instead, I sat in silence. After a while I realized that a worship chorus was playing in my head. I tuned in to recognize the song but I couldn’t remember what the name of it was. I knew this was a song that my Spirit was singing to the Holy Spirit and I was so frustrated because I couldn’t remember the lyrics. I looked down beside me and found a stack of papers that I had brought into my closet a while back. I thought, “No way. Are the lyrics to this particular song on one of these papers?” I leafed through the papers and guess what? On the last page was the song I was singing. I immediately fell down on my face and wept. More than anything, what I needed today was to know that the Lord was near. It wouldn’t even have mattered what the lyrics were to that song. The miracle for me was the intimate touch of the Lord.

Yes, the Lord touched you intimately. Or maybe it was the psychosis.

So, why are we picking on a has-been teen idol who’s descended to the absolute nadir of religious delusion? Just to make the point that Lisa Whelchel is the sort of “Christian” you probably wouldn’t want in your home — and the sort who really wouldn’t want you in her home — and to explain the title of this post.

In digging up some old articles on Donnie McClurkin, we found this little item from July, 2007:

Kim Fields aka “Tootie” from the Facts of Life, has just married her longtime boyfriend and the father of her child - Broadway dancer/actor Christopher Morgan. The wedding was officiated by former gospel singer Donnie McClurkin. Pastor McClurkin’s ministry specializes in counseling men that homosexuality can be “overcome” through Bible study and intense prayer.

So, Tootie is an anti-gay religious zealot too? Sounds like it… but even if she’s not a homophobe, having Pastor Donnie officiate is an implied endorsement of McClurkin’s rabidly anti-gay views — yep, just as it is with having Donnie headline for a Barack Obama fundraiser.

What sounds even more interesting is the persistent rumor that Fields’ new hubby is gay. But we’re not going there. If it’s true, that’s her problem. What bugs us is that Tootie (who, by the way, popped out her and Morgan’s kid a couple of months before the wedding — but we’re guessing she’s been forgiven) had her marriage “blessed” by creepy little ‘phobe McClurkin.

So, “The Facts of Life” boasts two bigots among its alumnae. Or at least one frothing homophobe, and one whose judgment in the company she keeps is just as ill-conceived as Barack Obama’s — and for the same reason.

Let’s just hope Nancy McKeon (who is neither gay, nor nuts, or so we’re told by folks in The Biz) and Mindy Cohn never go over the edge — or we’ll never be able to watch another “Lifetime” made-for-TV movie again.

Tweet This Post!

October 23, 2007

Barack Obama Attempts Damage Control, Comes Up Short. Way Short.

Issued late Monday, and hidden away in the gay subsection of barackobama.com:

I have clearly stated my belief that gays and lesbians are our brothers and sisters and should be provided the respect, dignity, and rights of all other citizens. I have consistently spoken directly to African-American religious leaders about the need to overcome the homophobia that persists in some parts of our community so that we can confront issues like HIV/AIDS and broaden the reach of equal rights in this country.

I strongly believe that African Americans and the LGBT community must stand together in the fight for equal rights. And so I strongly disagree with Reverend McClurkin’s views and will continue to fight for these rights as President of the United States to ensure that America is a country that spreads tolerance instead of division.

What’s wrong with that?

For starters, no one really gives a hoot if Obama “believes” that gays and lesbians “should be provided the respect, dignity, and rights of all other citizens.” Our rights do not hinge on anyone’s “beliefs.” (If you stop believing homosexuality exists, will we disappear?)

But that’s rather nit-picky, isn’t it? More telling is that Obama refuses to dump Donnie McClurkin from his Homophobia Gospel Tour. (It’s safe to assume Mary Mary and Hezekiah Walker are still on the bill, too.)

John Aravosis says it best:

That’s nice, Senator. You strongly disagree with the bigot who thinks I need to be cured, and who has declared “war” on me and my people, but you’re going to put the guy on stage with you anyway in order to make a few bucks. Nice. I wonder what Obama would say if Hillary invited David Duke to speak at an event but then said, not to worry, she really loves black people - kisses!

If you’re afraid to lead, Senator, then maybe you’re not the leader we thought you were.

Huge mistake.

More to come. Much more. All week.

PS You know Obama’s campaign was fully aware of just who this bigot was - this wasn’t a mistake. The bigot has been in the news, a lot, for his virulent homophobia. Obama simply didn’t care. And he doesn’t care now.

See also:
What’s The Matter With Obama. (This Is Not A Question.) Part 1.
Donnie McClurkin and the Unmasking of Black Hypocrisy

Tweet This Post!

Mr. sniffa Goes to Boston

See also:
What’s The Matter With Obama. (This Is Not A Question.) Part 1.
Donnie McClurkin and the Unmasking of Black Hypocrisy

Discuss this post

Tweet This Post!