PFOX Complains to School Board
The Montgomery County, Maryland, Public School District has been distributing flyers for Parents and Freinds of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), an anti-gay group, for several years, saying they were legally required to. Now the district is considering a policy that does not allow distribution of any flyers by nonprofit groups, including PFOX. In the debate, the Superintendent of Schools made some statements of his opinions on the subject.
Now PFOX has filed a complaint with the school board.
Keep in mind that PFOX is essentially a one-person organization. It is made up of Regina Griggs, the mother of a gay man, who strongly wishes that gay people would just stop being so gay, and several spokespersons, a couple of whom claim to have stopped being gay.
Press release posted at ChristianNewsWire:
ROCKVILLE, Md., May 16, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) has filed a sexual orientation discrimination complaint http://pfox.org/complaint.html with the Montgomery County (Maryland) Board of Education against its School Superintendent Joshua Starr.I will guarantee one thing. No matter how badly PFOX loses in this, they will claim victory in the end.
After PFOX distributed ex-gay flyers to high school students as part of the schools' flyer distribution program for non-profit organizations, Superintendent Starr publicly denigrated PFOX and former homosexuals by calling the actions of PFOX "reprehensible and deplorable" and labeling the flyer's sexual orientation content as "a really, really disgusting message."
"PFOX's flyers provided information on unwanted same-sex attractions, discouraged student name calling and labeling, and urged tolerance for former homosexuals," said Regina Griggs of PFOX.
"Starr does not respect diversity and is creating an unsafe school environment. As School Superintendent, Starr's actions make it impossible for Montgomery County public schools to provide an atmosphere where differences are understood and appreciated, or where everyone is treated fairly and with respect free of discrimination and abuse, as mandated by its Nondiscrimination Policy ACB."
"The School Superintendent is a vital role model. When the School Superintendent promotes intolerance of former homosexuals and organizations that support them, students and teachers will follow his example and learn to also disrespect sexual minorities like the ex-gay community."
"Superintendent Starr cannot be allowed to use his official position to display hate against any group of people because he disagrees with their sexual orientation. Starr's flagrant violation of the Nondiscrimination Policy demonstrates that he is a prime candidate to receive ex-gay tolerance training and diversity education."
"I am sad that Superintendent Starr has called me and other ex-gays names like 'deplorable' and 'disgusting,' said Grace Harley, a former lesbian who testified before the School Board. "What saddens me more is that the Board of Education has not reprimanded Superintendent Starr. If he had said the same things about gays, they would have fired him by now. But because he hates people like me, they support him."
"I have suffered more discrimination and intolerance as an ex-gay than I ever did when I was gay. Please stop hating us. Follow your own Non-Discrimination Policy. If you stop hating former homosexuals, our students will not learn to hate either. Starr's behavior proves that our schools need diversity training on tolerance for the ex-gay community."
PFOX supports the ex-gay community.
Ex-Gays File Complaint Against School Superintendent for Sexual Orientation Discrimination
posted by JimK at 9:26 AM
39 Comments:
What PFOX advocates, whether they call it "reparative therapy", "sexual orientation change efforts," "transformational ministry", or whatever name they've come up with this week, is intrinsically harmful.
The message that something as fundamental as a person's sexual orientation should be changed is not an idea that can be helpful children, be they lgbt or not.
Beyond that basic but overwhelming fallacy, Ms. Grigg's claim that PFOX is simply a support group for "ex-gays" and the parents of lgbt people is dishonest. One simply has to go to her website (www.pfox.org)or read her blog to see that PFOX is in essence an anti-lgbt organization.
This claim that "liberals" and "homosexuals" are intolerant, and that anti-lgbt organizations and people are the real victims, seems to be the new chapter in the anti-gay playbook (read almost anything by Maggie Gallagher and you'll see what I mean).
If it weren't so serious it would be funny.
rrjr
Gosh darn it Superintendent Starr! You ruined my plans to distribute PFOXES (Parents and Friends of eX Straights) flyers!
PFOXES is my new organization set up to help those trying to rid themselves of unwanted heterosexual attractions. There is HOPE for these people! And they shouldn’t be discriminated against! No one should disrespect sexual minorities like ex-straights! We need more diversity training!
That’s it Starr, I’m calling up Regina and we’re BOTH going to sue your shiny little star. I’m sure she’d be glad to help me out.
Have a nice day,
Cynthia
"This claim that "liberals" and "homosexuals" are intolerant, and that anti-lgbt organizations and people are the real victims, seems to be the new chapter in the anti-gay playbook"
that's what you've been saying for years
has the gay agenda crowd now come up with an alternative definition of "new" too?
Robert, you know as well as me that any person who was running with the gay crowd who decides they didn't want to be gay and told everyone they were getting therapy to overcome their bad desires would come under whithering attack by gays for bringing a key doctrine of the gay cult into question
Starr had no right, as a public servant, to attack these people
furthermore, when a local government enacts a policy targeting certain individuals, there are constitutional questions
there are ample statements by the liberals to prove that their sole purpose in passing this policy was to stop the PFOX message from being disseminated
not the way America works
Sorry anonymous, but the info that PFOX is pushing is no different than pushing lobotomies. It's junk science at best. No school should be forced to allow someone to push junk science.
allowing a distribution system is not "pushing"
more gay adventures with the English language
"the info that PFOX is pushing is no different than pushing lobotomies"
lobotomies are physical alterations, one might say physical assaults, on the body
lobotomies are irreversible
lobotomies have more in common with gender reassignment therapy than reparative therapy
reparative therapy is just talk
I realize gays are not fans of free speech but this is ridiculous
the strategy of the gay agenda is always the same:
find legal maneuvers to try to restrict the free speech of their oppoenents
just shows how intellectually bankrupt the argument for the gay agenda is when the only hope is to stop discussion
"It's junk science at best"
no more so than the assertion that you make all the time:
it's impossible to cure same gender attraction affliction
not a shred of empirical evidence supporting this, nor could there ever be
could you imagine if someone said it's impossible to cure cancer and we should stop trying?
ridiculous, right?
btw, Alvin, I don't think Gamecock country will be seeing gay "marriage" anytime soon- or ever
I hope someone is archiving Anonymous's diatribes for historical purposes.
To quote a viral meme, imagine how stupid they're going to look in 40 years. (And, here's hoping, much sooner!)
They can't just make a policy that says that if a nonprofit tries to pass around fliers that claim outright falsehoods as truth/and or work to harm their students than they can discard those fliers?
Actually, "must" should probably be in that policy somewhere.
A policy that says they must pass around all information is obviously flawed, at least without some exceptions, but banning them all is unnecessarily far in the other direction.
PFOX fliers try to harm students, and tell lies. That's the reason they don't want to pass them. It makes them notably different from most other nonprofit's fliers.
So this one factor that makes them bad, which sets them apart, gets everybody banned?
Eh, whatever, as long as PFOX is thwarted.
I do like the doublespeak. It's fascinating how they're accusing the school board of following their own mission statement.
MCPS puts a disclaimer on every flier saying they are not responsible for its content, then they put them in students' hands and send them home. To their way of thinking, that absolves them of any need for discriminating whether something they give to children is appropriate. It is a pathetic lesson to the kids.
It's not therapy if it has been shown to be ineffective at best and outright dangerous at worst. Trying to frame distribution of quack medicine as some kind of right is ridiculous.
the strategy of the gay agenda is always the same:
find legal maneuvers to try to restrict the free speech of their oppoenents
The fact that your comments have been allowed to stand here contradicts that claim rather poignantly, if you ask me.
could you imagine if someone said it's impossible to cure cancer and we should stop trying?
Let's see here, I know several people who have actually died of cancer. I know several others who would have died if they had not gone through difficult treatments involving chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery.
Contrary to what discredited researchers like Paul Cameron might try to push, there is no evidence that being gay in itself is life-threatening or constitutes any other health problems.
So your argument is based on an obvious false equivalency.
There's a reason we don't allow the KKK to distribute flyers telling students how superior the white race is. Our society knows that's a lie. Likewise, we've known for half a century that sexual orientation is immutable. Not acting out on your sexuality doesn't mean that your sexual orientation has changed. It just makes you a really good actor.
Pastor Swilley knows what it's like to live a false life:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/14/jim-swilley-gay-pastor_n_783279.html
Sure, he had every right to live his life in a non-authentic fashion. But that was simply a choice. He didn't create a new sexual orientation; and just because he married a woman doesn't mean his sexual orientation had somehow changed. Twenty years later he still knew he was a gay man.
"it's impossible to cure same gender attraction affliction
not a shred of empirical evidence supporting this, nor could there ever be"
You're right, because there's no such ailment or disorder by the name of "same gender attraction affliction".
A 'homosexual' who is cured, and then engages in sex with the opposite sex, was never 'homosexual' to begin with, but a bisexual.
But those are the exception to the rule. In many cases - even from one of PFOX's poster 'ex-gays' - a 'cured homosexual' replaces all desire for sex with celibacy and a mental aversion to sex.
Don't get me wrong, I don't hate those people. I pity them, and I don't agree with their decision, but it was their decision to make, not mine; however, when they consider it a viable alternative for EVERYONE, and attempt to present it in such a way as to paint homosexuality as a disease, THEN there's a problem.
Blake High School Gay-Straight Alliance sends tolerance message around the world
Students at James Hubert Blake High School launched a new kind of diplomacy this year to spread a message of tolerance for gays and lesbians : Call it rainbow diplomacy.
The school’s Gay-Straight Alliance created a rainbow-colored paper doll and sent her around the world. “Allie the Ally” can be printed out and photographed anywhere and with anyone who wants to show support for gay youth.
George Lopez with Allie The Ally, a paper doll created by Blake High School students to spread the message of tolerance. ( Mary Wagner)
Since her official debut in November, Allie has become increasingly popular and enjoyed a jet-setting lifestyle.
“Allie’s been to Vietnam and Poland and Australia,” said Jenna Beers, a junior and president of the group. “She’s met celebrities.”
Ally was photographed on the set of “CSI” in Hollywood with Ted Danson, and at George Lopez’s celebrity golf tournament. She’s been glimpsed on a mountain top in Austria and outside the opera house in Sydney. She was also visible in Annapolis this year with Governor Martin O’ Malley (D) and Del. Anne R. Kaiser (D-Montgomery) when the legislature passed a measure to legalize same-sex marriage. Her many travels have been documented online.
This week, Allie helped the Silver Spring student-led group win a national leadership award.
Eliza Byard, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, said in a press statement that the newly created award “recognizes the profound impact peer leadership can have on creating a safer school climate.”
The group’s advocacy efforts have “not only transformed its school community, but also reached countless people across the country and around the world,” the statement said.
The award singles out Blake High School’s group from among about 4,000 Gay-Straight Alliances around the country.
Like many GSA’s, the group which has a few dozen members, also organizes a No-Name-Calling week and a Day of Silence to raise awareness about hurtful language and anti-gay bullying.
This year, the students have also been learning about the political process and have plans to organize in the fall to encourage voters to quash a referendum that would repeal the same-sex marriage law, said the group’s long-time faculty advisor Mary Wagner.
"hope someone is archiving Anonymous's diatribes for historical purposes, imagine how stupid they're going to look in 40 years"
me too
btw, what will look stupid?
you mean how stupid people who lived in San Francisco in the 70s look now for tolerating random homosexual activity in bathhouses and public parks, incubating a brand new invariably fatal disease and spreading through our country?
"They can't just make a policy that says that if a nonprofit tries to pass around fliers that claim outright falsehoods as truth/and or work to harm their students than they can discard those fliers?"
no, Evill, they can't do that
for one simple reason:
they'd have to prove in court that the claims are false and harm students
and no such proof exists
"A policy that says they must pass around all information is obviously flawed, at least without some exceptions, but banning them all is unnecessarily far in the other direction."
yes, that is too far
problem is that the local government is too liberal to be trusted with such a decision
there would be constant litigation over their partisan decisions
"Eh, whatever, as long as PFOX is thwarted."
this is the attitude that the school board has expressed which gives the PFOX suit a real chance of succeeding
Americans are guaranteed equal protection under the law so anytime a government action is targeted at a specific individual and says "whatever" about any other consequence, there are constitutional problems
I do like the doublespeak. It's fascinating how they're accusing PFOX of harming students while putting students at danger by teaching that homosexuality is safe to practice
"MCPS puts a disclaimer on every flier saying they are not responsible for its content, then they put them in students' hands and send them home. To their way of thinking, that absolves them of any need for discriminating whether something they give to children is appropriate. It is a pathetic lesson to the kids."
yes, kids should learn that any speech that contradicts the gay agenda should be outlawed
"It's not therapy if it has been shown to be ineffective at best and outright dangerous at worst."
"ineffective" is a subjective assessment
the goal is to find strategies to overcome same sex attraction
"dangerous" is disingenuous
the "danger" is the same for any attempt at self-improvement
"Trying to frame distribution of quack medicine as some kind of right is ridiculous."
PFOX isn't distributing any quack medicine
that would be doctors who treat sexual identity syndrome by mutilating patients' bodies on the operating table
PFOX is making students aware that there are counselors willing to help them cope with and avoid same gender attraction affliction
this is sin and the counseling offered is religious in nature
which the courts ruled is appropriate to distribute in schools
"The fact that your comments have been allowed to stand here contradicts that claim rather poignantly, if you ask me"
no one asked you but the record is clear
admittedly, Jim is an outlier in the gay advocacy community
"Contrary to what discredited researchers like Paul Cameron might try to push, there is no evidence that being gay in itself is life-threatening or constitutes any other health problems."
well, it's not dangerous if you don't engage in homosexual behavior
there is plenty of evidence that homosexual behavior is dangerous
"There's a reason we don't allow the KKK to distribute flyers telling students how superior the white race is. Our society knows that's a lie."
has KKK proposed doing this?
"Likewise, we've known for half a century that sexual orientation is immutable."
no, this is false, which is why this statement is not included in the curriculum
it hasn't been proven, and probably can't be
"Not acting out on your sexuality doesn't mean that your sexual orientation has changed. It just makes you a really good actor."
and are people who want to rob banks but don't actually thieves who are just good actors?
"You're right, because there's no such ailment or disorder by the name of "same gender attraction affliction"."
that's a matter of opinion
"A 'homosexual' who is cured, and then engages in sex with the opposite sex, was never 'homosexual' to begin with, but a bisexual."
a statement without any basis in factual evidence
"Don't get me wrong, I don't hate those people. I pity them, and I don't agree with their decision, but it was their decision to make, not mine; however, when they consider it a viable alternative for EVERYONE, and attempt to present it in such a way as to paint homosexuality as a disease, THEN there's a problem."
if speech is a problem, the solution is speech that counters it
not preventing speech
admittedly, Jim is an outlier in the gay advocacy community
The standard non-debate tactic: If something doesn't fit your claims, declare it an "exception." The problem is, I can name several LGBT blogs that allow dissenting opinions to stand. It's not nearly as unusual as you'd like to pretend.
well, it's not dangerous if you don't engage in homosexual behavior
Actually, homosexual sexual activity is no more risky than heterosexual risky activity. (And yet, no one cares to claim that heterosexual behavior is inherently dangerous.) And the same precautions can greatly reduce the risks in both cases.
there is plenty of evidence that homosexual behavior is dangerous
No. You cannot name one risk involved in homosexual sexual activity that does not also apply to heterosexual activity.
that's a matter of opinion
No, that's a matter of fact. Members of the APA did extensive research to find a link between homosexuality and mental illness and came up blank. Furthermore, the APA invited those who insisted that homosexuality was a mental illness to present their research and findings. Years later, no one has taken them up on that invitation. (I guess everyone's too busy crying about how political the APA is to put together a presentation of their scientific research.)
I hadn't really thought about it, Anonymous, but you completely follow the meme of anti-lgbt people claiming to be victims.
My experience has always been that bullies see themselves as victims, thus justifying their bullying.
Jarred's right, all the lgbt blogs I read allow anti-gay comments. No one such as NOM or PFOX allows civil, considered discussion by queerr-positive people.
Alas.
David, I actually think that under the ruling in CEF v. MCPS (the court case that enables PFOX to distribute their flyers), if the KKK wanted the school district to hand out materials to students, they would have to comply.
The eventual result of PFOX's efforts will be that legitimate non-profits will be denied access, along with the dangerous ones. This is what has happened in other systems that PFOX has sued.
MCPS can make the case, though, that PFOX has definite animus against lgbt people. One simply has to look at their website.
A 'homosexual' who is cured, and then engages in sex with the opposite sex, was never 'homosexual' to begin with, but a bisexual.
Really? You have just changed the meaning of bisexual.
"Contrary to what discredited researchers like Paul Cameron might try to push, there is no evidence that being gay in itself is life-threatening or constitutes any other health problems."
Can’t argue with the CDC, Gay and Lesbian Medical Associaion. The latest for CDC and HIV It keeps going up for MSM. The statistics include 13 yr olds in this group. How does a 13 year old get the HIV infection? CDC quote:
“Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM represent approximately 2% of the US population, yet are the population most severely affected by HIV and are the only risk group in which new HIV infections have been increasing steadily since the early 1990s.” “CDC estimates that MSM account for just 2% of the U.S. population, but accounted for 61% of all new HIV infections in 2009.” “In 2010, among adult and adolescent males diagnosed with HIV infection in the 46 states and 5 U.S. dependent areas with long-term confidential name-based HIV infection reporting, an estimated 77% of infections were attributed to male-to-male sexual contact…” Approximately 12% of diagnosed infections were attributed to heterosexual contact…”
I don't have to argue with the CDC. The CDC isn't saying what you're trying to twist their report to say. The problem with the HIV epidemic in the gay male (and let's face it, you're completely ignoring lesbians in your arguments) community is not that men are gay. The problem is that some gay men engage in risky practices that drastically increase their chances of becoming HIV infected. The problem is, anti-gay people try to claim that risky sexual behavior is inherent to being gay. It's not. You completely ignore the massive number of sexually active gay men (and again, let's not forget the lesbians) who are HIV negative.
And quite frankly, the report also notes that heterosexual people get HIV too, proving my point that HIV is not a health problem that is exclusive to homosexual sexual activity. (And remember, there has still been no documented case of HIV infection through lesbian sex. So apparently, lesbians are safer than gay men and heterosexuals alike.)
hey, Jarred
welcome to conversation
glad to see a TTF supporter with the courage to try to defend their positions
don't have as much free time to engage you today as I have the last couple days but will definitely get to it tonight
I love to argue with TTFers!!
TTF?
Today is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Read about progress being made to counter that both phobias at IDAHO's website:
-Social network GRINDR sends IDAHO message to 3.5 millions users in 192 countries
-Iranian activists release balloons in Tehran for IDAHO
-British politicians make statement for IDAHO
-GEELONG raises the rainbow flag for IDAHO
-French IDAHO programme includes first-ever public LGBT march in French Caribbean
-Irish politicians make strong statement against bullying for IDAHO
-European Leaders mark IDAHO by releasing "It Gets Better" video
-Historic day of action in Montenegro for IDAHO
--East Anglian NHS Trust raises rainbow flag in support of IDAHO
Also in the news
Hillary Clinton Marks International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia
Burma to Hold First-Ever Public LGBT Pride
UNESCO Meets to Discuss Anti-LGBT Bullying
Italian Political Party: "Say Yes" to Gay Marriage
And the Mark Twain Prize Goes to...Ellen!
Transgender Rights Are A Feminist Issue
Why Schools Need To Teach About Sexuality & LGBT History
An LGBT History Lesson: People Who Changed History
No, it is the kind of activity that homosexuals engage in that is risky.
Just what kind of sexual activity do massive number of homosexual men engage in that is not risky?
it's also the pool of possible participants
say what you want but the truth is start going out with someone and go home with them one night and sexual relations, the chances are pretty high you'll contract an invariably fatal disease if the relationship is a homosexual one
teach the facts, baby!:
"Breitbart.com on Tuesday published a copy of a promotional booklet from Obama's former literary agency. According to a brief biography in the 1991 booklet, Obama was "born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii," fueling fire to the idea that the president is not a natural-born American citizen.
As New York magazine noted, the article caused a stir, drawing commentary from the Drudge Report and other popular websites.
Miriam Goderich, the literary agent who wrote Obama's biography in the pamphlet tried to cover it up and said Thursday that she had just misidentified Obama's place of birth.
The issue of Obama's birthplace has been raised frequently since his initial presidential run in 2008, gaining momentum when the White House realeased a document they claimed was his birth certificate but which identified him as "African American", a term not used until the 1980s.
Andrew Breitbart, the founder of Breitbart.com, who died earlier this year, never subscribed to birther theories.
"Andrew Breitbart was never a 'Birther,' and Breitbart News is a site that has never advocated the narrative of 'Birtherism,'" said a spokesman, lending credibility to the story."
Birthers: lol
Robert: insane
keep laughing but this is the latest unexplained anomaly to go with the grandmother who says she saw him born in Kenya to the "birth certificate" that uses terms that weren't used in the early 60s
say what you want but the truth is start going out with someone and go home with them one night and sexual relations, the chances are pretty high you'll contract an invariably fatal disease if the relationship is a homosexual one
Let's see here, if I have sexual relationship with a guy, there is only a 20% chance that he's even positive. So there's an 80% chance I'm at no risk at all.
If I properly use a condom, my risk of transmission is reduced to 3%. Remember, that's 3% of the 20% chance that my partner is even positive. So overall, that means my chances of infection are now 0.06%.
Even if my partner is infected and the condom breaks or otherwise fails, infection is not absolutely certain. The virus still needs to get into my bloodstream and attack my cells. What exactly I do with my partner and whether I take certain precautions (such as using lube during anal sex to reduce the likelihood of tissue trauma that often helps transfer the virus to the blood stream), that chance is small. So overall, my chances of infection are less than 0.06%
In short, you have a pretty strange definition of the word "high" if you think it's a word that applies to a value that is less than 0.06%.
Also, you might want to look into the recent breakthroughs in HIV treatment made over the past decade or so. HIV-positive people are now able to keep the effects of the virus at bay for years and even decades. So continuing to refer to HIV is "invariably fatal" is a bit out of touch with the reality these days.
et's see here, if I have sexual relationship with a guy, there is only a 20% chance that he's even positive
Where did you get that number from?
The CDC:
Overall, one in five MSM participating in the
study was infected (19 percent). While MSM of
all races and ethnicities were severely affected,
black MSM were particularly impacted.
Here's the full Breitbart.com disclaimer:
Note from Senior Management:
Andrew Breitbart was never a "Birther," and Breitbart News is a site that has never advocated the narrative of "Birtherism." In fact, Andrew believed, as we do, that President Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 4, 1961.
Yet Andrew also believed that the complicit mainstream media had refused to examine President Obama's ideological past, or the carefully crafted persona he and his advisers had constructed for him.
It is for that reason that we launched "The Vetting," an ongoing series in which we explore the ideological background of President Obama (and other presidential candidates)--not to re-litigate 2008, but because ideas and actions have consequences.
It is also in that spirit that we discovered, and now present, the booklet described below--one that includes a marketing pitch for a forthcoming book by a then-young, otherwise unknown former president of the Harvard Law Review.
It is evidence--not of the President's foreign origin, but that Barack Obama's public persona has perhaps been presented differently at different times.
Breitbart.com admits:
"Breitbart News attempted to reach Goderich by telephone several times over several days. Her calls are screened by an automated service that requires callers to state their name and company, which we did. She never answered."
HuffPo reports:
"....the woman who wrote Obama's biography in the pamphlet said Thursday that she had misidentified Obama's place of birth.
"This was nothing more than a fact-checking error by me -- an agency assistant at the time," Miriam Goderich, who worked for the literary agency Acton & Dystel, told Yahoo News. "There was never any information given to us by Obama in any of his correspondence or other communications suggesting in any way that he was born in Kenya and not Hawaii.""
PPP reported in March 2012:
"Sheriff Joe Arpaio's press conference last week put the birther issue back in the news and our polling in these [three battleground] states finds that the birther contingent is still pretty strong within the Republican Party:
-In Tennessee only 33% of GOP primary voters think Barack Obama was born in the United States, while 45% do not.
-In Georgia 40% of Republican primary voters think Obama was born in the United States, while 38% do not.
-In Ohio 42% of Republican primary voters think Obama was born in the United States, while 37% do not.
If Romney ends up coming short on his late charge in Tennessee it may be due to his inability to compete with this fringe group. Among non-Birthers he trails Santorum only 34-33. But with the birther contingent he's in a distant third at 24% to Santorum's 35% and Gingrich's 32%."
Birtherism is the 2012 Southern Strategy.
Southerners supports birtherism by a margin of 3:1 or better over all other groups.
Birthers want the first African-American's name erased from the list of Presidents. Even an impeached President or an assassinated President or a 30 day President remains on the books.
Harrison who served 30 days is #9. Garfield, shot after 120 days, is #20. The resigned Nixon is #37.
So the only way to make the fact that we elected a black President go away is to prove he was ineligible in the first place. In their fevered hopes, he is then removed from office, a white guy takes over, and Barack Obama is either not listed as President at all or is listed with an asterisk.
That is what the birther movement is all about. These people simply cannot live with the fact that America elected an African-American and they know that not even the very worst thing that could happen to him will not change that fact.
Here's how the numbers break down:
Do you believe that Barack Obama was born in the United States of America or not?
Yes 77
No 11
Not sure 12
When asked "Do you believe Obama was born in Hawaii?" respondents broke down this way:
Democrats 93% Yes, 4% No, 3% Not Sure
Republican 42% Yes, 28% No, 30% Not Sure
Independents 83% Yes, 8% No, 9% Not Sure
Northeast 93% Yes, 4% No, 3% Not Sure
South 47% Yes, 23% No, 30% Not Sure
Midwest 90% Yes, 6% No, 4% Not Sure
West 87% Yes, 7% No, 6% Not Sure
The NYTimes published more of Dr. Spitzer's clarifications of his poorly designed study on reparative therapy.
"...The study had serious problems. It was based on what people remembered feeling years before — an often fuzzy record. It included some ex-gay advocates, who were politically active. And it didn’t test any particular therapy; only half of the participants engaged with a therapist at all, while the others worked with pastoral counselors, or in independent Bible study.
Several colleagues tried to stop the study in its tracks, and urged him not to publish it, Dr. Spitzer said.
Yet, heavily invested after all the work, he turned to a friend and former collaborator, Dr. Kenneth J. Zucker, psychologist in chief at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto and editor of the Archives of Sexual Behavior, another influential journal.
“I knew Bob and the quality of his work, and I agreed to publish it,” Dr. Zucker said in an interview last week. The paper did not go through the usual peer-review process, in which unnamed experts critique a manuscript before publication. “But I told him I would do it only if I also published commentaries” of response from other scientists to accompany the study, Dr. Zucker said.
Those commentaries, with a few exceptions, were merciless. One cited the Nuremberg Code of ethics to denounce the study as not only flawed but morally wrong. “We fear the repercussions of this study, including an increase in suffering, prejudice, and discrimination,” concluded a group of 15 researchers at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, where Dr. Spitzer was affiliated.
Dr. Spitzer in no way implied in the study that being gay was a choice, or that it was possible for anyone who wanted to change to do so in therapy. But that didn’t stop socially conservative groups from citing the paper in support of just those points, according to Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out, a nonprofit that fights antigay bias.
On one occasion, a politician in Finland held up the study in Parliament to argue against civil unions, according to Dr. Drescher.
“It needs to be said that when this study was misused for political purposes to say that gays should be cured — as it was, many times — Bob responded immediately, to correct misperceptions,” said Dr. Drescher, who is gay.
But Dr. Spitzer couldn’t control how his study was interpreted by everyone, and he could not erase the biggest scientific flaw of them all, roundly attacked in many of the commentaries: Simply asking people whether they’ve changed is no evidence at all of real change. People lie, to themselves and others. They continually change their stories, to suit their needs and moods.
By almost any measure, in short, the study failed the test of scientific rigor that Dr. Spitzer himself was so instrumental in enforcing for so many years.
“As I read these commentaries, I knew this was a problem, a big problem, and one I couldn’t answer,” Dr. Spitzer said. “How do you know someone has really changed?”..."
very common:
"Police in Douglas County, Colorado are saying that two women who claimed to be victims of a hate crime last year are faking it.
Aimee Whitchurch, 37 and Christel Conklin, 29, reported in October of 2011 that the words "Kill the Gay" were spray-painted in red on their Parker condominium's garage door. The next day police were called back to the house after the women claimed someone left a noose to their front door handle.
But after working on the case with the FBI because of the hate crime element to the incidents, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office has determined that the incidents were false.
Both Whitchurch and Conklin, who are reportedly a lesbian couple, were issued arrest warrants Thursday and charged with criminal mischief and false reporting."
Jack Conkling, a Prairie Hills Middle School social studies teacher and Buhler High School assistant women's basketball coach in Buhler, Kan., has drawn attention after equating being gay to being a murderer on his Facebook profile.
In his post, Conkling comments on gay marriage, writing that homosexuality "ranks in God's eyes the same as murder, lying, stealing, or cheating."
Several of his students who were also his Facebook friends left comments on the post, something that led the school to eventually take notice.
"I wrote what I wrote for my Facebook friends who understand my heart and my intent," Conkling said. "I understand that there were some folks who didn't understand my heart, and while that's sad, it is what it is."
In a news release, Kansas Equality Coalition Executive Director Thomas Witt condemned Conkling's public sentiments.
The full text of Conkling's Facebook post:
"All this talk in the news about gay marriage recently has finally driven me to write. Gay marriage is wrong because homosexuality is wrong. The Bible clearly states it is sin. Now I do not claim it to be a sin any worse than other sins. It ranks in God's eyes the same as murder, lying, stealing, or cheating. His standards are perfect and ALL have sinned and fallen short of His glory. Sin is sin and we all deserve hell. Only those who accept Christ as Lord and daily with the help of the Spirit do their best to turn from sin will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. There aren't multiple ways to get to Heaven. There is one. To many this may seem close minded and antagonistic, but it doesn't make it any less true. Folks I am willing to admit that my depravity is just as great as anyone else's, and without Christ I'd be destined for hell, if not for the undeserved grace of God. I'm not condemning gay marriage because I hate gay people. I am doing it because those who embrace it will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. And I desire that for no one."
As more are embracing social media as a regular method of communication and information sharing, online interactions among students and teachers is opening up dialogue.
Viki Knox, a special education teacher in New Jersey, last fall for posted her view of homosexuality on Facebook. She wrote on the site that homosexuality is "a perverted spirit that has existed from the beginning of creation," and a "sin" that "breeds like cancer."
Last fall, Florida teacher Jerry Buell denounced New York's decision to allow same-sex marriage. Buell wrote that he "almost threw up" when he heard the news.
"If they want to call it a union, go ahead," Buell wrote. "But don't insult a man and woman's marriage by throwing it in the same cesspool as same-sex whatever! God will not be mocked. When did this sin become acceptable???"
"very common:
"Police in Douglas County, Colorado are saying that two women who claimed to be victims of a hate crime last year are faking it. "
This is a very common occurrence? Really? Then let's see all the other examples you can find of this "very common" occurrence of fake hate crime claims involving lesbian couples.
<crickets>
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