Holland, Michigan is considering an anti-discrimination ordinance that would cover sexual orientation and gender identity. On July 23, Tony Perkins' Family Research Council and Request Foods took out a full page ad in the Holland Sentinel broadcasting untruths based on a fraudulent, discredited pamphlet. Gay groups are strategizing on how to respond.
"A steering committee for the group Holland Is Ready, which is supporting efforts to pass the anti-discrimination ordinance, planned to meet Wednesday morning to decide its course of action.
'I was sad to see this ad in our local paper, but it's typical of groups like the FRC, who are becoming more and more desperate in their communication,' said Jennifer Adams, an organizer of the group. 'Their approach is to engender fear by spreading blatant untruths about LGBT people.'
Adams said it would not alter the work of Holland Is Ready. 'Our work will continue to remain focused on equality for all based on actions of justice, awareness and love," she said.
Among other things, the ad said homosexuals can be changed into heterosexuals "sometimes spontaneously, and sometimes as a result of therapeutic interventions,' that homosexuals experience considerably higher levels of mental illness and substance abuse than heterosexuals and that gay people are not seriously disadvantaged by discrimination."
They add: "Request Foods is a frozen-food maker that has received millions in grants from the state of Michigan. One of its biggest clients is Campbell's Soup. Request Foods President Jack DeWitt has also contributed thousands to Family Research Council's political action committee."
Alvin McEwen notes that the claims made in FRC's ad are based on a discredited pamphlet called "The Top Ten Myths About Homosexuality" which uses research from George Rekers' "ex-gay" group NARTH.
"Most importantly, Ten Myths intentionally distorts information to make it seem that negative behaviors, i.e. drug and alcohol abuse, are indicative of the lgbt orientation. The pamphlet accomplishes this by citing data in regards to the lgbt community and such negative behaviors while omitting the fact that much of the data places the blame on homophobia for these negative behaviors.
It is apparent that in the fictional world inhabited by the Family Research Council, lgbts being able to live without fear of discrimination is a sin, but lying about the lgbt community is allowed."
