The Sissy Boy Experiment, Part 4

A follow-up with Box Turtle Bulletin blogger Jim Burroway.

HomoQuotable - Jim Burroway

"This [Westboro] ruling is important for many reasons. First and foremost, it preserves the primacy of free speech in America, which benefits us all. But from a parochial pro-LGBT narrative, it’s equally important to note that it proves the lie to the multiple instances when anti-gay activists falsely claimed that advances in LGBT equality and protections — whether they come in the form of marriage equality or hate crimes protections — will result in the infringement of religious and speech rights. They never have and, if this ruling is any indication, it reaffirms the fact that they never will. So the next time someone claims that marriage equality will result in pastors being prosecuted for hate speech, make a note of it: Snyder v Phelps." - Jim Burroway, writing for Box Turtle Bulletin.

HomoQuotable - Jim Burroway

"This was never a serious attempt to pass legislation in the best interests of the American people. It was nothing but political theater, and everyone on both sides were eager actors in the drama. All the Senators had a role to play, and everyone played to the audience. Even the White House was given a bit part. They issued a statement calling for an end to the filibuster, but according to SLDN’s Trevor Thomas, there was no lobbying behind the scenes.

"And now that the vote has been taken, the play moves on to its second act: everyone now gets to go home and use it on the campaign trail. Republicans, even those who support DADT’s repeal, will be able to brag that they stood up to the evil Democratic machine. Democrats will be able to blame the evil Republican machine for blocking legislation that three-fourths of the American population agree on." - Box Turtle Bulletin blogger Jim Burroway.

AMFAR To Domain Host Go Daddy: Take Down Neil Horsely's Anti-Gay Site

Two days ago infamous Georgia nutcase Neil Horsely was arrested for making death threats to Elton John over his comment that Jesus Christ was gay. Today Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin reports that Horsely is also responsible for a campaign in Kenya that calls for the death of homosexuals.

Horsley is not only calling for Elton John’s death, but we have learned that he is also the operator of a Kenyan site known as ProjectSEE. That web site is responsible for placing posters written in Swahili in parts of Kenya containing photos and identifying information for LGBT people, and encouraging Kenyans to follow the Levitical law calling for their death. The anonymous blogger GayUganda received an email from an American in Kenya saying that ProjectSEE is placing posters in the Rift Valley area of Kenya:

First, it explicitly encourages the broad public posting of images of individuals, with a Swahili translation that basically advocates their harm through a Swahili Leviticus ‘quote’ that says death is in order. Encouraging these postings in a place like Kenya presents a very real and potentially harmful threat to their targets. Secondly, they have put individual faces and in some cases contact information on the posters, placing some people at potentially immediate risk. Third, this campaign and website appears to be organized and financed by U.S. citizens based on U.S. soil.

This morning I got a call from amFAR's NYC offices and after putting them in touch with Jim Burroway, amFAR has issued the following letter to the CEO of Horsely's internet host Go Daddy, demanding that they take down his vile website.

Dear Mr. Parsons,

I am writing to make a specific complaint regarding the website www.projectsee.com which is in clear violation of GoDaddy.com terms of service. In section 5 under the heading "NO UNLAWFUL CONDUCT OR IMPROPER USE," it states: "Except as set forth below, Go Daddy may also cancel Your use of the Services, after thirty (30) days, if You are using the Services, as determined by Go Daddy in its sole discretion, in association with spam or morally objectionable activities. Morally objectionable activities will include, but not be limited to:

* activities designed to defame, embarrass, harm, abuse, threaten, slander or harass third parties;
* activities prohibited by the laws of the United States and/or foreign territories in which You conduct business;
* activities designed to encourage unlawful behavior by others, such as hate crimes, terrorism and child pornography;
* activities that are tortuous, vulgar, obscene, invasive of the privacy of a third party, racially, ethnically, or otherwise objectionable;
* activities designed to impersonate the identity of a third party;
* illegal access to other computers or networks (i.e., hacking);
* distribution of Internet viruses or similar destructive activities;
* activities designed to harm or use unethically minors in any way; and
* activities associated with the sale or distribution of prescription medication without a valid prescription.

The website in question clearly shows the names, phone numbers, and emails of individuals whom the authors believe should be targeted in their home country of Kenya. This very personal attack constitutes a direct threat to the safety and well-being of these individuals and is morally reprehensible. Were the individuals Americans, and targeted in the US, this would constitute a clear violation of US law. It is my sincere hope that Go Daddy will take immediate action to remove this website.

The proprietor of this website is one Neal Horsley. Mr. Horsley was arrested on March 10, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia for making a threat on the life of the entertainer Elton John. The story can be found at this link. It may sound hyperbolic to state, but people's lives in Kenya are in immediate danger. Time is of the essence. Go Daddy must act with expedience if this injustice is to be rectified before it is too late. It is my sincere hope you will see fit to act immediately.

Kevin Robert Frost, CEO, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research

Contact Go Daddy yourself and request that this murderous site be taken down at once.

Uganda's Gay Witchhunt Continues With The Help Of U.S. "Ex-Gay" Group Exodus

Check out this story from Uganda's New Vision Online.

EIGHT more men yesterday confessed involvement in homosexuality and gay activities, which they said they had abandoned. Speaking to journalists at the Grand Imperial Hotel in Kampala, the youthful men described homosexuality as abnormal and anti-Christian, and declared war against it. The tough-talking men were accompanied by George Oundo, who earlier in the week denounced homosexuality and confessed recruiting school children into the practice. “We have been involved in recruiting homosexuals, spreading the gospel of homosexuality, and we know the operations of homosexuals,” said 27-year-old Emma Matovu, who took to homosexuality 13 years ago. “We shall do all it takes to eliminate the practice in Uganda.”

Matovu, who said he abandoned the practice two weeks ago, asserted: “Homosexuality is dangerous and dehumanising but is growing fast in Uganda.” He urged the Government and all concerned citizens to “wake up now before this abnormal practice is made to appear normal as the case has been in the West”. Another former homosexual, Charles Asiimwe, said the practice had spread to government offices, churches, schools and hotels. “Many business moguls are involved,” Asiimwe said. Oundo said the eight men would fight the vice because they were victims with a tormenting experience.

You must now click over to Jim Burroway's piece at Box Turtle Bulletin, where he exposes how American members of the "ex-gay" group Exodus are touring Uganda to support the government's crackdown on LGBT citizens. Exodus members have endorsed the proposed life sentence for gay sex in Uganda. It's an astonishing series of heavily researched articles.

Mormons Taking Over Arizona's Anti-Gay Marriage Fight

Via Jim Burroway of Box Turtle Bulletin comes word that the Mormon Church, already leading the fight against marriage equality in California, is now taking aim at Arizona:

The campaign over whether marriage should be defined — and limited — in the state constitution could soon start to look like a fight between two politically polarizing groups: gays and Mormons. Those who want to define marriage as between one man and one woman will try to convince voters that without the constitutional amendment, courts could overturn Arizona's law banning on same-sex marriage and allow gays to wed, citing such an occurrence in California.

Meanwhile, opponents are crafting a strategy to label the amendment an attempt by the Mormon church to clean up its image after a series of polygamy scandals by fringe groups that are not actually affiliated with the church.

Backers of the amendment call that claim "religious bigotry" and a political "scare tactic," pointing to support from other denominations — although members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do appear to be providing much of the cash fueling the campaign.

Burroway:

Last June, just as the Arizona Legislature voted to place Prop 102 on the ballot, the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) sent a letter to California churches to be read during Sunday services which asked its members to “do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time.” I have it on good authority from Mormon colleagues that a similar campaign has been underway in Arizona since July.

Burroway further reports that 70 of the 190 contributors of more than $10,000 to Prop 102 come from Mesa, home to Arizona's oldest LDS temple and a large Mormon population.

NLGJA Convention: In Which I Get Called A Stalinist

This weekend's trip to the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists convention in DC turned out to be a lot of fun. Friday night I met my pal, personal blogger Jimbo Barrett, who treated me to dinner and cosmos at gay fave Duplex before we headed to a party at the Adams Morgan home of outing kingpin Mike Rogers, author of BlogACTIVE and PageOneQ.

Tons of bloggerati and LGBT activism stars were in the house, including Truth Wins Out author and anti-ex-gay activist Wayne Besen, Mark Foley's outer Lane Hudson, SiriusXM radio host Michelangelo Signorile, Box Turtle Bulletin author Jim Burroway, North Carolina activist and Soulforce rider Matt Comer, Advocate editor Jon Barrett, Sen. Larry Craig's one-time rentboy David Phillips, and furniture mogul Mitchell Gold. Many more folks were in attendance, but looking at all the business cards on my hotel room desk the next morning, I was having a hard time connecting faces and names.ABOVE: SiriusXM producer David Guggenheim, Michelangelo Signorile, David Phillips. BELOW: Mitchell Gold and Lane Hudson.
BELOW: Matt Comer (L), Wayne Besen (R).












The next morning I spoke on the convention's ENDA panel where award winning journalist and panel moderator Michael Triplett did a fantastic job of keeping Log Cabin Republicans head Patrick Sammon and I from strangling each other. All seemed to be in agreement that the gay press and blogosphere had done a poor job in educating the public about the true ramifications of a trans-exclusive ENDA.

Aside from the utter unfairness of ditching our trans friends, another point I tried to drive home was that without gender identity and gender expression protections, only Jimmy Jock and Suzie Creamcheese would have true job protection. Non-trans but feminine men or masculine women could still be fired for presenting what their employers considered a "non-professional" image. We'd be protecting the "passable", but not the people at the fringes of traditional gender behaviors, even though they are not transgender.

Triplett turned the conversation to the other big divisive issue, gay Republicans, and LCR head Sammon spoke with the measured eloquence of the television reporter he used to be. Triplett then pointed out that whenever the gay press mentioned the LCR, it tended to be in a "let's take a trip to the zoo and look at the funny gays" sort of vein. (Guilty!) Advocate editor Jon Barrett promised an end to that sort of treatment of the LCRs, much to Sammon's satisfaction. (Barrett also revealed that the Advocate's ENDA cover story issue had been the lowest selling of the year, another example of the work that needs to be done there.)

And then we came to the McCain/Manhunt story. Sammon said that it was "Stalinist" of bloggers (looks at me) to rebuke a private businessman for his personal political opinions and complained about a double standard, saying (paraphrasing here), "If a Democrat was fired from the board of directors of Walmart for his party affiliation, you guys would scream bloody murder." I countered that you can't compare a publicly-held non-gay business to one that is not only entirely funded by gay men, but is arguably largely responsible for a massive redrawing of modern gay culture. Sammon: "Oh, so you'd refuse to patronize a gay bar owned by a gay Republican?" Me: "If I knew in advance, yes I'd refuse." Sammon: "Well, at least you're consistent."

Triplett then asked me about some of the hot buttons here on JMG, including his impression that any time I quote Andrew Sullivan, some you folks completely lose your shit at the mere mention of his name. He also wondered why this here website thingy has the most vociferous commenting community of the LGBT blogosphere. I lamely said something like, "Oh, they're just a bunch of really chatty people." (I should have said "smarter" instead of "chatty", but there were other bloggers in the room. I kid, I kid.) After the panel ended, I had to ask Triplett about the seating arrangement on the dais, but he swore it was pure coincidence that Sammon and I were placed at opposite ends of the podium. Hmm.

That evening I attended the Not So Silent Auction party in the host hotel's ballroom, the same room where the White House Press Correspondents Dinner is held every year. The rear exit of the ballroom is where Reagan was shot, hence the hotel's moniker, "the Hinckley Hilton." At the auction party I met lots of gay folks from the MSM, including reporters from the NYTimes and Washington Post. Again, I can't match faces to names, so no photos of those people.

After the best burger I've had in a long, long time, I did a quick change at the hotel and headed for the DC Eagle to meet up with longtime pal Mike, author of Manhattan Chowder, and JMG reader Rich, a handsome funny fellow with a great laugh, despite his seemingly grim job working at the National Institute of Drug Abuse, where he works on drug-related HIV infections. Towards the end of the evening, we had a very amusing encounter with a spectacularly drunk twink, but that story is not quite suitable for this post. All in all a fantastic weekend and I give much thanks to the NLGJA and Michael Triplett for having me.