NOM Targets Orthodox Jews in NY Special Election

Following the passage of same-sex marriage in New York, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) vowed to make examples of the politicians who supported the bill. On September 13th there will be a special election to fill the seat left by former Congressman Anthony Weiner, and the race is between NOM-backed Bob Turner and marriage equality supporter David Weprin. So far, NOM pledged to spend up to $75,000 in an effort to defeat Weprin and has begun targeting members of the Orthodox Jewish community with ads and postcards such as the one above. Weprin, of course, is merely the first of several politicians NOM is targeting in the Empire State.

More of NOM's mailers can be viewed here.

Rep. James Forrester Calls Gays "Unhealthy"

Rep. James Forrester (R-NC), the primary sponsor of an amendment to the North Carolina constitution which would prohibit same-sex marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships, recently gave an anti-gay speech at a town hall meeting in which he claimed that gays are "unhealthy" and have shorter lifespans than heterosexuals:

"At least 20 years is taken off a homosexual's life, if they practice homosexuality, due to the increased death rate from AIDS, and hepatitis, and all of the other related factors to that. That doesn't seem to discourage them from practicing this unhealthy lifestyle. I'm trying to talk with them. And I've got a few homosexual patients, and I treat them just the same as anybody else. I love them. Perhaps even more, because I know they're going to die at least 20 years earlier. We need to reach out to them and try to get them to change their lifestyle back to the normal lifestyle which we can accept. It's a new day in Raleigh. This could really make a mark on society as we know it."

However, in spite of the audience giving Forrester a standing ovation and his assurances that his marriage amendment will pass, 57% of North Carolinians support same-sex marriage or civil unions according to a recent Elon University Poll.

Dr. Keith Ablow Says Watching Chaz Bono on Television Harms Children

Fox News pundit Dr. Keith Ablow, who recently penned an article urging parents to prohibit their children from watching Dancing with the Stars contestant Chaz Bono, appeared on Fox Business' America's Nightly Scoreboard to proclaim that seeing a transman on television will cause kids to question and change their gender:

"This tour, this 'fame tour' of Chaz Bono, promoting transgenderism as if it's a civil right. There are a lot of kids who will be watching. Look. Kids go through phases. Adolescents. There may be tomboys watching who are girls. They don't really need to be encouraged to say 'hey wait what a second.' Maybe I'm not just a tomboy. Maybe I'm a boy!....This is a guy who has had a terrible run of things. An incredibly tortuous path and it's not over. So I don't like the idea that you'd suggest to adolescents and young people a surgical remedy at the plastic surgeon's office for a psychiatric condition!"

U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke Honors Homophobic Artist

At the recent “Reggae Rhythm and Blues Festival”, Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) presented reggae singer Beenie Man with an award and welcomed him to the U.S., calling him an "outstanding performer" and saying he "made all Jamaicans proud." Beenie Man, like fellow murder musician Buju Banton, is well-known for his intensely homophobic views and song lyrics. From the "Dancehall Dossier":

"Han Up Deh":

Han chi chi gal wid a long piece of rope

[Hang lesbians with a long piece of rope]

"Damn":

I'm dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays

"Batty Man Fi Dead" [Queers Must Be Killed]:

All batty men fi dead!

[All faggots must be killed!]

From you f--- batty den a coppa and lead

[If you f--- ass, then you get copper and lead [bullets]]

Nuh man nuh fi have a another man in a him bed.

[No man must have another man in his bed.]

"Roll Deep":

Roll deep motherf-----, kill p-----sucker

[P---- -sucker: a lesbian.]

Tek a Bazooka and kill batty-f---er

[Take a bazooka and kill bum-f---ers [gay men]]

Beenie Man remains unapologetic for his violent, anti-LGBT song lyrics. You can watch the video of the award presentation here:

Male Partner of Slain Mississippi Man Cannot Join in Wrongful Death Suit

On June 26th, 2011, a black auto plant worker in Jackson, Mississippi was brutally murdered by a group of white teenagers. The perpetrators, apparently on the prowl looking for a black person to hurt, spotted 48-year-old James Craig Anderson standing in a parking lot next to his car. The group proceeded to viciously beat Anderson, while yelling "White Power!" and calling him a "nigger." The teens then got into their Ford F250 pickup truck and drove it over Anderson, instantly killing him. Now, the victim's family has filed a wrongful-death suit against the group of teens the police say is responsible. However, one family member cannot join the suit: James Bradfield, Anderson's partner of 17 years. According to Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center, under Mississippi law "same-sex partners have no claim in civil actions like this."

CNN article on the murder:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/08/06/mississippi.hate.crime/index.html

New York Times article concerning the wrongful-death suit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/07/us/07jackson.html?_r=2&hpw

10 Anti-Gay Myths Debunked

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a prominent civil rights organization, thoroughly debunks ten of the most pernicious anti-gay myths used by the far-right, including the notions that homosexuals molest children at higher rates than heterosexuals, that no one is born homosexual and that people who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual were often abused as children. Certainly worth reading:
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2010/winter/10-myths

Three Men Executed for Sodomy in Iran

On September 4th, six men were hanged in Iran's Karoun prison, three of whom were convicted of sodomy. According to human rights groups, Iranian authorities often try to prevent international controversy by claiming those who are executed for homosexual relations are actually being executed for rape. In this case, the men in question were found to have violated articles 108 and 110 of the Iranian Islamic penal code. The text of both articles makes it clear that the executions were indeed for homosexuality:

Article 108: "Sodomy (or Lavat) is sexual intercourse between men"

Article 110: "Punishment for sodomy is killing; the Sharia judge decides on how to carry out the killing"

Full story at Iran Human Rights:
http://iranhr.net/spip.php?article2227

New Study: Anti-Gay Prejudice Increases Health Risks for Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals

A new study by the Williams Institute suggests that lesbians, gays and bisexuals have an increased risk of physical health problems as a result of prejudice-related stress. According to the senior author of the report, Dr. Ilan H. Meyer, the study shows that "stigma and prejudice have a great toll on the health of LGB people. Prejudice-related life events are more damaging to the physical health of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals than any other kind of stressful life event." Dr. David M. Frost states that the findings demonstrate "a clear need for interventions and policy change to reduce the stigma surrounded sexual minorities that is still prevalent in society."

http://www.sdgln.com/health/2011/09/05/new-studyanti-gay-prejudice-increases-health-risks-gays-lesbians-and-bisexuals

Anti-Gay Hysteria in Ghana

It was only two months ago that a Ghanaian minister, Paul Evans Aidoo, began urging the citizens of Ghana to report suspected homosexuals to the police in an effort to "get rid of these people in the society." In August, the Presbyterian Church of Ghana began stepping up efforts to "cure" homosexuals through the pseudo-science of reparative therapy. Sam P. Yalley, former Ghana Deputy Minister, has recently compared homosexuality to genocide, saying:

"Genocide results in the extermination of the human race and if you expand the meaning of homosexuality to mean that a man cannot have a child with another man then it means that that practice would lead to the extermination of mankind and therefore for me if I am to charge anybody apart from having unnatural carnal knowledge, I would also charge him with genocide and see how he can get out of that situation. If you are a man and you are having carnal knowledge with a man how are you going to have a child?"

Now, GhanaWeb is reporting an unprecedented anti-gay propaganda campaign, with prominent religious leaders calling gays "unbiblical, un-African, abnormal and filthy" and a Ghanaian legislator saying that gays could legally be lynched just like robbers. If this trend continues, Ghana could become the next Uganda for the LGBT community.

"Paul Evans Aidoo's Ghana gay spy call 'promotes hatred'":
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14250170
"Ghanaian Church Aims to Pray Away the Gay":
http://www.care2.com/causes/ghanan-church-aims-to-pray-away-the-gay.html
"Ghana: Homosexuals Commit Genocide By Having Sex And Must Be Arrested":
http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/ghana-homosexuals-commit-genocide-by-having-sex-and-must-be-arrested/politics/2011/09/03/26352
"Ghana’s Growing Gay Pride Faces Evangelical Backlash":
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=217497

Rep. Duncan Hunter Attempts to Obstruct DADT Repeal

In yet another effort to hinder the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) has drafted a bill which would protect troops who openly express anti-gay views. The text of the bill, known as the "Don't Pressure Me!" bill, is as follows:

To amend Public Law 111-321 (Dont’ Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010) to require that… members of the Armed Forces are not pressured to approve of another person’s sexual conduct if that sexual conduct is contrary to the personal principles of the members.

Yet while this amendment would certainly have a negative effect on unit cohesion, The Army Times notes that it probably will not pass: "Hunter has tried several times to block or undermine repeal of the ban on open service by gays but has been blocked at every step by the Senate’s refusal to take up any legislation modifying the repeal law."

Think Progress article on the bill here:
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2011/09/01/310195/duncan-hunter-discourages-unit-cohesion-dont-pressure-troops-to-accept-gay-conduct/

Army Times article here:
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/08/military-hunter-dont-ask-dont-tell-083011w/