05/02/2005
ABC is airing an ad from anti-gay Christian group Focus on the Family during tonight's finale of Supernanny. (via americablog)
Pioneering gay activist Jack Nichols dies at 67. Nichols founded the early radical gay rights organization Mattachine Society of Washington. He also edited a variety of early gay publications and wrote prolifically on gay-oriented topics.
Top Vatican official says adoption by gays "destroys the future of children, (and) they suffer moral violence." Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo: "People say these children adopted by same sex couples are very happy. Maybe, when they are one or two years old. But when they are able to think for themselves, when they grow up, what a tragedy when they have to say 'my parents are two men, or two women'. Their personality, their stability is put at risk."
Posted 3:33 PM EST by Andy in Elsewhere | Permalink
Comments
When will this stop? The Vatican has a right as a religious voice to provide guidance to their followers, but to just proclaim things like gay parents "destroy the future of children" with no basis is just wrong! It causes homophobia, encourages Catholic politicians to enact anti-gay laws. Such strong words must be backed by evidence. Philosophically with a person of almost any belief you can logically argue and convince them of the 'immorality' of actions like murder, etc. They know they're on tenous ground with issues like gays but still they press on.
Posted by: Bobby | May 2, 2005 4:47:07 PM
I know it's an obvious response, but where do the men in the Vatican get off giving the world child-rearing advice? Who could be more separated from the practicalities of raising children than a bunch of old men in dresses walled up together in the gilded halls of the Vatican? When have these old coots observed the workings of any family, much less a family headed by same-sex parents? And really, it's a bit disingenuous for a bunch of child rapers and their accomplices at the institution arguably most responsible for violence against children to claim authority for championing the rights and protecting the well-being of children.
Posted by: Tom | May 2, 2005 4:49:11 PM
Odd how ABC would not run an ad by the United Church of Christ that tried to bring people together but they will run and ad from a group that seeks to tear people apart. Some liberal bias. The media is so afraid of the right because they are so loud. We, on the left need to learn how to make some noise.
Posted by: Donald | May 2, 2005 4:56:32 PM
Tom hits on my biggest problem with the Vatican. Where do they get the cojones to tell people how to protect children? The American Catholic Church spent years shuffling pedophile priests around!
Posted by: Joel | May 2, 2005 4:58:57 PM
Isn't it time some of the gay and lesbian activists banded together and organized a new march on Washington this year? Haven't we suffered enough from the neoconservatives and the religious hypocrites of the right? What's going on? Why is everybody so complacent?
Posted by: Ratboy | May 2, 2005 7:14:53 PM
ive really had with all of these brainwashed religious assholes out there. i can stand,(will) stand toe to toe with all of those worthless fathers that dont know how to be a real dad.
Posted by: judge | May 2, 2005 8:58:38 PM
i know family values as much or more than any politican or reigous prick. the GOD I KNOW loves everone, lets not forget that...
Posted by: judge | May 2, 2005 9:06:27 PM
When have these old coots observed the workings of any family, much less a family headed by same-sex parents?
Never. But that doesn't matter to these fanatics. They don't care what the facts are. They just care what their bigoted interepretations of the Bible require them to say. And, the truly fucked up things is that this faith based approach to reality is on the ascendancy with the American public.
Posted by: Tony in SF | May 2, 2005 11:04:35 PM
Becoming more active [and agitated] is definitely LONG overdue, but, with all due respect, another march on Washington would just be a circle jerk, albeit a large one. Such massive gatherings long ago lost their power and now do little more than make the participants feel good. There is demonstrable evidence that success that can come from making OTHERS feel BAD. From the "zaps" by NYC's Gay Activists Alliance in the '70s which, among other things revolutionized the way the media covered us to ACT UP's disrupting demonstrations in the '80s and '90s which revolutionized medical treatment and drug programs not just for AIDS patients but the ill generally. IF ABC did run this ad [I was on a plane], there should be demonstrations at their headquarters: block the doors, block the streets, embarrass the hell out of them [it SHOULD have been done in December after their shameless smear of Matthew Shepard--produced, BTW, some will recall, by a network open fag].
I was on a plane returning from the Equality Forum in Philadelphia [alas, the City of Unbrotherly Blowing Cigarette Smoke in Your Face Everywhere]. It was an incredible experience: everyone from Frank Kameny and Barbara Gittings who demonstrated in front of Independence hall in 1965 to current local gays and lesbians, some who came out and GOT ACTIVE at 13; from Barney Frank to Patrick Guerriero. I am a card carrying atheist, so I did not expect some of the most moving moments of the weekend to arise from those who believe. Scene: a group of LGBT faithful surrounding the homo hating religious nuts who showed up to protest the awards ceremony [Phelps failed to keep his threat to appear]. And, in front of the building housing the Liberty Bell, Kameny, Jim Hormel and his partner Tim Wu, and Chip Arndt joined arm-in-arm with MCC pastor Karla Fleshman in holding a sign affirming gay love, and the Forum crowd's cheers drowned out the droning poison pouring from Repent America's bullhorn. And later, from Christ Church, founded in 1695, a huge, multiracial, gay and nongay crowd poured out of an ecumenical service [featuring a Catholic nun, a Jewish cantor, an Imam, just reinstated lesbian Methodist pastor Beth Stroud, and gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson] only to find the hater's sick signs had followed them. The congregants joined the counter demonstrators in singing "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...." Simple, and simply breathtaking.
But other tactics are needed in other places, and I am thrilled to read about the protests at Focus on the Family.
Posted by: Leland | May 3, 2005 4:08:44 AM
As I've thought about it over the past 24 hours or so, the angrier I've gotten about ABC accepting advertising from this antigay hate group masquerading as a family advocacy organization. What does it take for us to get really angry? Like battered spouses, the boys will be tuning in to ABC without fail next Sunday for the newest episode of "Desperate Housewives," even after the network has sold airtime to Focus on the Family--airtime they would have denied any of our organizations.
Posted by: Tom | May 3, 2005 11:40:50 AM
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