The Progressive Puppy

Something Disturbing, Something Amusing (videos)

1.  Disturbing - Trailer for the upcoming documentary "Kidnapped For Christ."  American teens are abducted by their families and sent abroad to be de-gayed - in Jesus' name, of course.
2.  Amusing - "Every Sperm is Sacred" from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.  This really should be the theme song for the "pro-life" movement.

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According to HuffPo, a Democratic state senator in Oklahoma has countered all this zygote personhood nonsense with a satirical measure which would make male masturbation as well as any non-procreative ejaculation a crime.  Doesn't each precious squiggly-wiggly deserve protection against casual spillage?  (Wet dreams, one assumes, would merely result in a fine and perhaps community service.)  Progressive lawmaker Constance Johnson reasons that any sperm not intended to fertilize an egg is an "an action against an unborn child."  What's good for the goose and all that, dontcha know. 

Fundie "Humor" - Mincing Jesus Adored By Hollywood Execs (video)

Below is an example of evangelical "humor" from a TV program produced by Willie George Ministries in Oklahoma.  In this scene on the variety show Fire by Nite, liberal Hollywood-types are searching for an actor to play Jesus and, being liberal Hollywood-types who hate religion, they're blown away by the audition of an effeminate, lisping, mincing, stereotypical gay male.  Backstage, two supposedly "real men" assure themselves that the "true Christ" is "tougher than nails." 

Interestingly, Fire by Nite was broadcast over conservative Christian networks during the height of the AIDS epidemic.  I suppose that made mocking gays even funnier to the show's target audience.

At the end of the sketch, you'll notice glaring similarities to the intro of Saturday Night Live.   (Hat Tip: Thrift Store Religion)

Related Post - In Texas Hell House, Girl Deserved Rape

California's Prop 8 Declared Unconstitutional by Appeals Court

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has declared that Judge Vaughn Walker ruled correctly in his 2010 decision which said California's Proposition 8 violated the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the state's constitution.  Below is a snippet from Judge Stephen Reindhardt's majority opinion:

"Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples. The Constitution simply does not allow for laws of this sort.  The People may not employ the initiative power to single out a disfavored group for unequal treatment and strip them, without a legitimate justification, of a right as important as the right to marry."

As reported by the Huffington Post:  A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that a lower court judge correctly interpreted the U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court precedents when he declared in 2010 that Proposition 8 – a response to an earlier state court decision that legalized gay marriage – was a violation of the civil rights of gays and lesbians.  However, the appeals court said gay marriages cannot resume in the state until the deadline passes for Proposition 8 sponsors to appeal to a larger panel of the 9th Circuit. If such an appeal is filed, gay marriages will remain on hold until it's resolved...  Backers of Proposition 8 said they would ask the Supreme Court to overturn the 9th Circuit ruling.

Of course they will.  Do you suppose social conservatives ever wonder why they're always on the wrong side of history?

Tony Perkins of the odious Family Research Council just sent out a toxic email blast that duplicitously refers to the battle over Prop 8 as a "Hollywood-funded lawsuit which seeks to impose San Francisco values on the entire country." 

Sometimes I regret adding ProPup's email address to this creepy Christofascist's "friends list."  Still, I suppose, we must keep track of the latest fearmongering tactics devised by hate groups.  Perkins continues his anal-retentive tirade: 

"This ruling substitutes judicial tyranny for the will of the people, who in the majority of states have amended their constitutions, as California did, to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman.  However, we remain confident that in the end, the Supreme Court will reject the absurd argument that the authors of our Constitution created or even implied a 'right' to homosexual 'marriage,' and will instead uphold the right of the people to govern themselves."

Grab the gospel and release the gas.

Related Post - FRC's Solution To Gay Teen Suicides: Stay Closeted
Related Post - Anti-Gay FRC Seethes Over Hate Group Designation  (I guess the truth hurts.)

Washington State Lawmakers vs Haters Like Joseph Backholm

That sound of wailing and gnashing teeth you hear is coming from anti-gay bigots on the West Coast ...

It appears that Washington will become the seventh state to allow same-sex nuptials, following in the footsteps of Iowa, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut - not to mention the forward-thinking District of Columbia.  On VerdictJustia.com, Joanna Grossman, law professor at Hoffstra University, reports that Marriage Equality is all but assured for committed gay and lesbian couples living in the Evergreen State:  The state senate passed Bill 6239, by a vote of 28-21.  That bill would repeal an existing statutory ban on same-sex marriage and replace it with an explicit authorization of such marriages.  The state’s house of representatives is expected to pass the bill by a wide margin, and the state’s governor, Christine Gregoire, has stated publicly that she will sign the bill...  (O)ne might have predicted that older legislators would have had to be gradually replaced with younger ones, for the legislature to accept same-sex marriage. (Young people are dramatically more likely to support same-sex marriage than older ones, regardless of political affiliation.)  That Washington State was able to embrace same-sex marriage now is thus surprising, as well as heartening.  Meanwhile, same-sex marriage bills are working their way through a variety of other state legislatures, including New Jersey’s and Maryland’s.  Same-sex marriage is an inevitable, eventual reality.  But as in a game of Othello, the chips are starting to flip.  Polls show ever-growing support for same-sex marriage, and even deeply entrenched opposition may dissipate sooner than we thought.

America's anti-equality forces, hopped up on hate, are coiled and ready to strike.  From USA Today:  Washington's bill may be challenged by opponents, who are expected to make a push to have the question of same-sex marriage put on the ballot in November, Murray said.  Pastor Joe Fuiten, one of the leaders of a campaign for a referendum that would overturn the bill, said he and others oppose the measure because it would change the definition of marriage and affect what children are taught in schools...  Fuiten said the opponents' camp in Washington is made up of about 40 organizations...

Let's take a look at one of those anti-gay hate groups.  Like the Southern Policy Law Center, The Progressive Puppy only uses the word "haters" to describe individuals, advocacy groups, or religious denominations that knowingly lie in order to smear LGBT citizens.  (Examples:  Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown of NOM are haters.  OK Rep. Sally Kern is a hater.  Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council is a hater.  The Two Ricks, Perry and Santorum, are haters.  Donald and Tim Wildmon are father/son tag team haters.  The leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention are haters.)  These homobigots realize that they're spreading misinformation about committed same-sex couples.  They are aware that they're breaking the 9th Commandment by bearing false witness against their neighbors, but they do this willingly for two reasons:  One, they believe in the old adage;  "The ends justify the means."  And secondly, perhaps more to the point, seasoned propagandists and Religious Right zealots earn BIG paychecks by fleecing their sheeple.  Fair-minded Americans shouldn't expect them to give up those cash cows anytime soon.

There are few more mean-spirited and deceitful anti-equality orgs in the country than Washington's Family Policy Institute, led by homo-obsessed Christian extremist Joseph Backholm (picture above).  FPIW squandered $200,000 of its donors' hard-earned money to defeat Referendum 71, which merely added a few basic civil rights to domestic partnerships.  The referendum passed by a wide majority.

Carlos Maza writes on Equality Matters:  Although FPIW presents itself as a typical “pro-family” organization, the group openly promotes anti-gay propaganda has ties to some of the country’s most notorious anti-gay hate groups.  On its website, FPIW offers visitors a number of “Marriage Legislation Resources” explaining “why you should care” about the threat posed by marriage equality. The page links to a number of documents containing typical anti-equality talking points, including a list of classic horror stories about gay marriage and religious liberty.  Also included in the “Resources” page is an article by George Dent – Professor of Law at Case Western Reserve University – titled “No Difference?: An Analysis Of Same-Sex Parenting.” The article contains a number of anti-gay smears, including the myth that homosexuals molest children at higher rates than heterosexuals.  (Below are a few sickening blurbs from that pdf document:)

The claim that living with a same-sex couple does not affect a child’s sexuality is implausible. It would be surprising indeed if children’s own sexual identities were unaffected by the sexual identities of their parents.  (This assertion is really ignorant.  Gay and lesbian youngsters of my generation - and I blush to admit I'm referring to the sixties - were all raised by moms and dads in a traditional family structure.  So why didn't our folks' heterosexuality make us straight?)  The tendency of male homosexual acts to spread disease may help explain the revulsion many people feel about them.  Lesbians also suffer high rates of certain diseases and drug abuse. Homosexuals also have higher rates of suicide, mental illness, and drug and substance abuse.  (All of these spurious claims are linked to a discredited researcher/clinician named Paul Cameron who was thrown out of the American Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association for his unceasing ethical violations and for misrepresenting the findings of legitimate scientists.)  Every child raised by a gay male couple has at least one unrelated male adult in the home. There is no reason to think that such a child will fare better than a child living with an unrelated heterosexual male. The high rates of child sex abuse among homosexuals and bisexuals are also a cause for concern.  (This is perhaps the vilest lie of all, and anybody with an LGBT friend or family member knows it to be false.)

FPIW directs its readers to the websites of similar SPLC-designated hate groups.  Bigotry loves company.

CNN's Roland Martin Tweets In Support Of Anti-Gay Violence

But he claims he was "joking" when he Tweeted that sports fans should beat the shit "ish" out of gay males ...

Trudy Ring reports for The Advocate:  CNN commentator Roland Martin made it a not-so-super Sunday with a tweet and a Facebook posting widely perceived to be homophobic, and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has called on the network to fire him.  GLAAD reports that after retailer H&M’s Super Bowl commercial featuring soccer player David Beckham, Martin tweeted to his nearly 95,000 Twitter followers, "If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl."

Equality activists at the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation quickly responded to Martin's call for violence toward "dudes" who appreciate Beckham's pecs and abs by tweeting: "Advocates of gay bashing have no place at @CNN."  The organization is now asking for Martin's resignation.  (Sign the petition at Change.org.)

Heterosexists watching the game might snort and ask what's the big deal.  It's not complicated:  Roland Martin has every right to act icky and holier-than-thou around queer folk - but crude statements that appear to promote violence can incite hate crimes and lead to anti-gay bullying in schools. 

In any event, this isn't Martin's first stroll down Homophobia Lane.  From GLAAD:  

Last year, Tracy Morgan said during a stand-up routine that if his son were gay he would 'stab him.' Morgan later apologized and worked with GLAAD to send positive messages to parents and LGBT youth.  Morgan understood how his words could influence his fans and put youth in danger, while Martin defended Tracy Morgan's original remarks...  At a time when the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs found that violence against LGBT people was up 23%, we need people in the public eye to speak out against the dangers of anti-LGBT violence, not openly encourage it.  Martin also has used his platform to misrepresent religious views about LGBT people. Far from the church being uniformly anti-gay, as Martin has claimed, LGBT people are welcomed just as they are into the full life of the church, in congregations and entire denominations across the United States. Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Episcopal denominations welcome LGBT folks, as well as many congregations from a variety of denominations.

Perhaps Martin would feel more appreciated spreading his anti-LGBT views for Rupert Murdoch's GOP-pandering media consortium.  (That would be Fox News, home of far right pundits, climate change deniers, religious fanatics, conspiracy theorists, anti-choice zealots, Obama haters, and of course run-of-the-mill homobigots.)

Gay Kids Still Living in Hell (and Dying) at Anoka-Hennepin

Thanks to the efforts Christian conservatives, the abuse never stops.

In One Town's War On Gay Teens, Rolling Stone Magazine offers an in-depth look at the Anoka-Hennepin School District (Republican Michele Bachmann's beloved alma hater mater) and how religion-fueled bullying, cavalierly dismissed by board members and ultraconservative educators, leads to the suicides of so many LGBTQ youngsters. In the midst of these sadly preventable tragedies (and the relentless bullying that preceded them), a handful of students had attempted to form a Gay-Straight Alliance Club - but of course that idea was shot down by local pastors and school administrators.  From there, circumstances quickly deteriorated ...

Sabrina Rubin Erderly writes in the article:  Sam's death lit the fuse of a suicide epidemic that would take the lives of nine local students in under two years, a rate so high that child psychologist Dan Reidenberg, executive director of the Minnesota-based Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, declared the Anoka-Hennepin school district the site of a "suicide cluster," adding that the crisis might hold an element of contagion...  At churches like First Baptist Church of Anoka, parishioners believe that homosexuality is a form of mental illness caused by family dysfunction, childhood trauma and exposure to pornography – a perversion curable through intensive therapy.  It's a point of view shared by their congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who has called homosexuality a form of "sexual dysfunction" that amounts to "personal enslavement."

Erderly observes that when the district's sex-ed curriculum was being considered in 1994, born-again evangelicals infiltrated the review committee and decreed that tolerance for students who identified as gay was "an insidious means of promoting homosexuality."  Sanctimonious and inflexible, the decision-makers at Anoka-Hennepin devised the district's now-infamous "No Homo Promo" policy, which effectively paints targets on the backs of LGBTQ kids and provides anti-gay bullies with tacit encouragement and scripture-based motivations. 

In response to the actions of this tight-knit community, the Southern Poverty Law Center and National Center for Lesbian Rights have filed a lawsuit on behalf of five students, alleging that the current policies on gay, lesbian, and transgender teens are not only discriminatory but also foster an environment of hatred and prejudice.  "The Department of Justice has begun a civil rights investigation as well. The Anoka-Hennepin school district declined to comment on any specific incidences but denies any discrimination..."  (That's what holy hypocrites do.  They deny their bigotry.)

In situations like this, the worst offenders can usually be found spitting venom from behind pulpits or trumpeting propaganda beneath the GOP's circus tent.  As progressives know, politics these days - particularly Republican politics - are so intertwined with religious dogma that the two are virtually indistinguishable.  Notes Erderly:  Though Bachmann doesn't live within Anoka-Hennepin's boundaries anymore, she has a dowdier doppelgänger there in the form of anti-gay crusader Barb Anderson...  Her agenda mimics that of Focus on the Family (including) promoting prayer in public spaces, "defending marriage" by lobbying for anti-gay legislation, and fighting gay tolerance in public schools under the guise of preserving parental authority...  The policy became unofficially known as "No Homo Promo" and passed unannounced to parents and unpublished in the policy handbooks; most teachers were told about it by their principals.  Teachers say it had a chilling effect and they became concerned about mentioning gays in any context.  Discussion of homosexuality gradually disappeared from classes. "If you can't talk about it in any context, which is how teachers interpret district policies, kids internalize that to mean that being gay must be so shameful and wrong," says Anoka High School teacher Mary Jo Merrick-Lockett. "And that has created a climate of fear and repression and harassment."   (I hope you'll take the time to read the entire piece.) 

There are few things more despicable than religious zealots who loathe gay, lesbian, bisexual and non-gender normative youths so much that they gleefully set the stage for ostracization, verbal harassment, and physical assault.  Then they sit back and enjoy the Theatre of Suicides they've produced and directed.  This they do in Jesus' name - or so they delude themselves into believing.

Pictured Top:  Anoka-Hennepin School Superintendent Dennis Carlson, editorial cartoon courtesy Adam Zyglis
Pictured Middle:  Homobigot Barb Anderson and Michele Bachmann caricature via Donkey Hotey @ Flickr