Claudia Contrada: New Poster Child For The Cruelties Of The Right-Wing

Last week I told you about Massachusetts teen Claudia Contrada, who bravely came out despite her mother's anti-gay activism with the loathsome MassResistance. Claudia's story caused a flurry of interest from local gay rights organizations. She was invited to appear at a Massachusetts Youth Pride event and publications such as Bay Windows and the Boston Globe requested interviews. Claudia even got an email from Brandeis University's queer student group, suggesting she consider attending Brandeis for its vibrant LGBT community.

And how did Claudia's mother, Amy Contrada respond? By pulling her out of school and by creating an entire page on the MassResistance site in which she announces that Claudia was adopted (horrors!) and that she is a special-needs student. What a vile, despicable revelation of a private health issue, transparently made to in attempt to demonize the gay people who have supported Claudia, casting us as opportunistic predators of sick children. (Nothing new there, eh?) She also reprints the emails from the various publications and gay groups (all of which are carefully worded and respectful) with sidebar commentaries call them "sleazy" and accusing them of "trolling" for teenagers.

Near the top of the post Amy Contrada posts a photo of Claudia's bedroom wall, plastered with Teen Beat-type photos of boys, as proof that Claudia has been lured and confused into declaring her gayness. "Of course, Claudia is no more a lesbian than the man in the moon. She's always had crushes on boys, and her bedroom has always been (and still is) plastered with pictures of boys." Uh, yeah, Amy? My bedroom wall had posters of Farrah Fawcett and Wonder Woman. Which made ME as straight as the man in moon.

The page finishes:

As usual, the homosexual activists cruelly use other people's children, leaving the parents to pick up the pieces. This is ultimately all about the selfish, self-centered nature of the homosexual movement and its obsession with children. It's sick and disgusting. Maybe evil is a better word. But this story isn't all that unique. We've observed for years that homosexual activists first push their way into schools, then seek out the most vulnerable and emotionally unstable kids, befriend them, give them positive attention, and persuade them to "come out" and adopt a "gay" identity. It happens in every school. This is possibly happening to your own children or their friends. You'd better wake up.

I worry for Claudia Contrada. If she is indeed "vulnerable and emotionally unstable" (and there's nothing to indicate that she is, so far), I am quite confident that Amy Contrada MADE HER THAT WAY. Perhaps gay folks should back off Claudia, at least for awhile. She shouldn't be a political football - for either side. On the other hand, maybe she needs us now more than ever. I really don't know about that....but I do know that somebody out there needs to get Massachusetts' Child Protective Services to drop in at the Contrada home. Immediately.
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