The Religious Right: Wrong on how to help gay kids

4/20: The 'Truth' is that their booking will rightfully raise some eyebrows [Good As You]

Orlando, FL- Two Christian organizations are teaming up to empower youth to express their views on sexuality by co-sponsoring this year's annual Day of Truth event held April 20 on high school campuses nationwide. Exodus International, a ministry that helps those affected by same-sex attraction to live a life that reflects their biblical beliefs and Alliance Defense Fund, a legal support organization, are co-sponsoring the event this year and are hoping for a record turnout that will continue ongoing dialogue on issues surrounding faith and sexuality.

Originally designed to give students an opportunity to openly voice their views regarding theGLSEN-driven Day of Silence event, the Alliance Defense Fund first launched the Day of Truth four years ago. The event has grown from a handful of students to over 13,000 participants in all 50 states. As the movement has grown, the vision has expanded beyond providing legal assistance to ensure student rights to providing practical resources to students wanting to help peers dealing with same-sex attraction. The relational aspect of this event has become the dominant focus and as such, Exodus International will assume leadership in the future...

[ Full Story: Exodus International & Alliance Defense Fund Team Up For Day of Truth Event ]

This stuff really bothers me. Now, obviously you can't take away kids' right to free speech. But it's really troubling to me that the materials they had out support such disproved (and proven to be harmful) programs as those associated with Exodus International. This is not what kids in high school struggling with their identity need. One line really irritates me above all the others:

As the movement has grown, the vision has expanded beyond providing legal assistance to ensure student rights to providing practical resources to students wanting to help peers dealing with same-sex attraction.

Geez! I can tell you how to do that. Are you ready? It's very simple:

ACCEPT THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE.

Like I said, simple, no? And yet these people who claim to be fighting for what's best for kids continually ignore study after study that shows acceptance, by themselves and others, of an LGB or T identity is healthy for kids who are LGB or T. It has been show to reduce suicides, and, according to my experience, allows a person to live a much fuller and more normal live in relation to other people.

But why listen to that? Let's, instead, plow ahead with our agenda-driven pursuits, to hell with the kids who get hurt.

HEADLINE: Mat Staver Supports Westboro Baptist Church, Apparently

Audio: You connected these dots, Mat, not us! [Good As You]:

Wherein Mat Staver of the "Liberty Counsel" supports the wonderfully "pro-family" actions of Westboro Baptist Church. I wonder if his listeners know just who he was verbally supporting. I wonder if he does. Or is he just spouting off without thinking, as per the usual.

Really, I see little difference besides the amount that each is willing to say...and the viciousness with which they say it.

New Twitter Avatar?

So, currently, I'm using a photo of Taft as my profile picture on Twitter. I think it's quite amusing, personally. Not quite sure why. I have some others lying around, however, which I was considering giving a whirl in that most coveted spot.

First up Chester A. Arthur, mostly because he has the best mutton chops of any major U.S. politician* in history:



Next up we have Tom Baker, in his role as the Fourth Doctor. This is on the list more or less because he is making an exceedingly silly face:



Also in the running is Charles Babbage. Who, I admit, does not look funny. But, I ask you, what other man has baked himself in an oven? (Not to mention creating massive steam-driven mechanical computers, and designing the first Turing Complete computer. He was also very eccentric.)



So, why have I written this? Mostly so I could post a bunch of pictures which amuse me. And also so I could mention Charles Babbage again.


* Clearly this man has the best mutton chops ever:

Apparently he didn't embarrass them quite enough

Box Turtle Bulletin: More Proof: Buttars Sanctioned for Being An Embarrasment, Not for Being A Bigot

See also these posts:

• One Cheer For Senator Buttars?

• Sen. Buttars Responds (It's about what you'd expect.)

I think I see a "God Hates the UK" website in the works...

Fred Phelps, Daughter Barred From Entering U.K. [Advocate.com]

According to London's Daily Telegraph, Phelps and his daughter have been barred from entering the country because their church has called for violence against gays.

[...]

"Both these individuals have engaged in unacceptable behavior by inciting hatred against a number of communities,” a U.K. Border Agency spokesperson told the Telegraph. “The Government has made it clear it opposes extremism in all its forms.

This is clearly just another Intolerable Act by the britons against us. They could have taken them off our hands for at least a couple days.

I vote we pull a slight historical reverse and protest by throwing the Phelpses into Boston Harbor.

Everyone wins, including the Phelps clan, who could probably do with the free bath. (And they get something new to complain about.)

UPDATE: Maybe no "God Hates the UK" site after all. Wesboro Baptist apparently just has a catch-all site for this stuff now: God Hates the World, but I'm sure as hell not linking it. I guess all the individual ones for each separate country that God apparently hates just got to be too much.

However, you can watch what I'm sure is a charming video about how "God Hates the UK". Thanks, Westboro, for not disappointing!

Sen. Buttars Responds (It's about what you'd expect.)

Quote via Latter-day Chino: Chris Buttars YouTube Dump. He's got a load of videos of the guy saying offensive things. He also commented on my last post, so you should totally check his blog out.

"I was disappointed to learn of the Utah State Senates censure on February 20, 2009. However, this action will not discourage me from defending marriage from an increasingly vocal and radical segment of the homosexual community.

In recent years, registering opposition to the homosexual agenda has become almost impossible. Political correctness has replaced open and energetic debate. Those who dare to disagree with the homosexual agenda are labeled "haters" and "bigots," and are censured by their peers.

The media contributes to the problem. Increasingly, individuals with conservative beliefs are targeted by a left leaning media that uses their position of public trust as a bully pulpit. This pattern of intimidation suppresses free speech.

For the record, I do not agree with the censure. I see it as an attempt to shy away from controversy. In particular, I disagree with my removal as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, since my work there is entirely unrelated to my opposition to the homosexual agenda.

Still, I'm a grown man and I can take my knocks. When it comes right down to it, I would rather be censured for doing what I think is right, than be honored by my colleagues for bowing to the pressure of a special interest group that has been allowed to act with impunity.

Thanks to the many citizens who have written and called to express their support. Please know that I'll live through this to fight another day. In years to come, we'll all look back at this point in history and see it as a crossroads. I have no intention of resigning."

One Cheer For Senator Buttars?

By now you may have heard a bit about what is going on in Utah. Or not. First we have the utter failure of every one of the Common Ground bills. These were launched after Prop 8, to try to get the Mormon church to make good on its statements that it did supported at least some kind of minimal benefits for LGBT couples. I think we can all see how far that support went:

No Common Ground In Utah [BTB]

Utah House Business and Labor Committee Endorses Anti-Gay Discrimination in Employment and Housing [BTB]

Utah Legislators Show Blatant Contempt for LGBT People [BTB]

And then we had the astoundingly bilious comments made by the titular (in this post) Utah state senator Chris Buttars (Box Turtle Bulletin has a full transcript and audio.)



Well, now we have some more news about Buttars:

Utah Senate May Sanction Buttars [BTB]

Now, there's not much info now, according to Jim Burroway:

It’s unknown right now what the GOP leadership will announce tomorrow. They may strip Buttars of his committee chairmanships, or they may extract some sort of apology. Resignation, at the moment, appears unlikely. But whatever the move, it seems to be an attempt to head off threats by minority Senate Democrats to bring the embarrassing episode to the Senate floor.

But there is this interesting tidbit that has come out of the whole thing:

A Republican senator told the Deseret News that GOP leadership is already asking that work get under way on a new version of the Common Ground bills intended to secure rights for gay and other nontraditional couples. The package of bills carried by Democrats has failed this session, but the senator said leadership is interested in seeing if “a common point of reference” can be found on issues including the ability to file a wrongful death suit and secure health insurance benefits.

Perhaps this lends itself to a new strategy. I don't know if it would be repeatable or not, but maybe a good way to get at least some basic protections in places where the odds are stacked against us is to get ragingly homophobic politicians to speak out and give their tirades, thereby shaming their more humane colleagues into taking at least minimal action.

So, while I'm not going to give you three cheers (or any, like as not), I would thank you, Sen. Buttars, for being a big enough public asshat to inspire shame in your party members. (And, of course, for once more showing people what the anti-gay movement tends to look like when the mask slips a bit.)

The Swedish Chef

So, one of the people I follow on Twitter posted a link to a YouTube video of the Swedish Chef. This resulted in a protracted bout of Chef video watching. I found a few classics. But I was also surprised about how violent some of the videos were...I mean, not horrendously or graphically violent, but there's this sort of dramatic cartoon violence. It doesn't help that most of the food appears to be sentient, I suppose.

For example, I am very glad that my bread dough never moans and growls at me. That would be deeply creepy:



And then there's this murderous spaghetti:



And next time you make cake, don't forget your cake smoosher, in case it speaks...Japanese?



And then there's this, which speaks for itself:



And there are quite a few instances of him chasing something with a meat cleaver:



Also, he can butcher music (hehe):



Really, though, the Swedish Chef is one of my favorite Muppets, hands down. And this was pretty much just an excuse to post some videos. And to make a blog post for @pishkinn, who complains (just about whenever I see her) about how little I blog.

I've actually been gathering them into a playlist on YouTube, too. You can find that here.