TWO Fights Back Against Anti-Gay Lie Campaign With Hard-Hitting Full Page Ad In Salt Lake

[FreeState]

Much need response to an ad placed in the NYT last Friday.

http://www.truthwinsout.org/pressreleases/two-fights-back-against-lie-campaign-with-hard-hitting-full-page-ad-in-the-salt-lake-tribune/

‘We Refuse To Allow Anti-Gay Activists To Rewrite History and Pose As Beacons of Religious Tolerance,’ Says TWO

NEW YORK – Truth Wins Out (TWO) unveiled a hard-hitting full-page ad today that will be published in The Salt Lake Tribune on Thursday, under the headline, “Lies in the Name of the Lord.” TWO’s provocative advertisement is in response to an ad by anti-gay activists in last Friday’s New York Times, that falsely portrayed protests against Proposition 8 - a ballot measure in California that prohibited same sex couples from marrying – as mob violence. The TWO ad also criticized the culture warriors who ran the Times ad under the name, “No Mob Veto,” for their disingenuous claim of religious tolerance and their posture as staunch defenders of the Mormon Church.

“These anti-gay activists are crying wolf on the Proposition 8 protests, but they actually are a wolf in sheep’s clothing that preaches religious tolerance while practicing the most defamatory form of religious bigotry,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. “We refuse to permit this orchestrated campaign to rewrite history, nor will we allow some of the most notorious Mormon bashers in America to pose as friends of the Latter-day Saints.”

TWO exposes “No Mob Veto’s” hypocrisy, after the group wrote in the Times, “Beginning today, we commit ourselves to opposing and publicly shaming anyone who resorts to the rhetoric of anti-religious bigotry, against any faith, on any side of the cause, for any reason.” In its ad, TWO agreed to take the signers of the “No Mob Veto” ad at their word, including convicted felon Chuck Colson, Prison Fellowship; Rich Cizik, National Association of Evangelicals; and William Donohue, The Catholic League, and remind America of their past incendiary statements against other religions, particularly the Mormon church.

[FreeState]

1. ant-sink kick :) n/t

[bluedawg12]

8. Thank you for posting this, I have been wondering when someone

would step up and refute the on going lies from the reich wing. Good for TWO.

[dickthegrouch]

2. Very glad to see this

In the heart of LDS land too.
I can't quite work out why the "Mob" advert was posted in the NYT, perhaps precisely because so few New Yorkers would recognize it as a bunch of lies whereas anyone in California would have denounced it as such instantly.

[mondo joe]

3. More on "The Becket Fund" - gang of asshole bigots.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty's full page ad in the New York Times signatories claim to “differ about a great many important things” including “the wisdom and justice of California’s Proposition 8”.

They include:

* Kevin “Seamus” Hasson - the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
* Nathan Diament - Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations in America
* Rick Cizik - National Association of Evangelicals.
* Ronald J. Sider - Evangelicals for Social Action
* Chuck Colson - Prison Fellowship
* Chris Seiple - Institute for Global Engagement
* Dr. Alveda King - civil rights activist
* William J. Donohue - Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
* Robert Seiple - Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom
* Douglas Laycock - University of Michigan Law School
* Marvin Olasky - The King’s College, New York City
* Roger Scruton - writer and philosopher
* Armando Valladares - former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Commission


But if you look at the signatories you find a lot of assholes who agree about a lot:

Kevin “Seamus” Hasson has on several occasions stated his opinion (and that of his organization) that marriage equality is “very expensive in terms of religious liberty”, has an impact that is “severe and pervasive”, and that he opposed the court’s actions legalizing same-sex marriage.

Alveda King, Chuck Colson, Roger Scruton, and William Donohue, represent the extreme of anti-gay activists – those who not only oppose marriage equality but any rights or freedoms granted to gay persons.

Armando Valladares and Nathan Diament, while not outright haters, are on record in opposition to gay marriage as well as other rights and freedoms.

Others are lesser known and some are liberal on environmental or economic issues. Douglas Laycock advocates for the separation of religious and civil recognition. And Marvin Olasky advocates that “same-sex marriage be opposed only in ways that treat gays as still possessing human dignity”. Rick Civik supports some civil unions recognition.

See anyone who "disagrees" on Prop 8? Don't think so.


Thanks to the Box Turtle Bulletin for this analysis.

[bluedawg12]

7. Shining the spot light one by one brings the vermin out of hiding.

I recall how when Michelle Bachman made her comments calling for congress to pony up to her version of “national loyalty oaths” that shining the harsh light of public scrutiny on her words, which probably passed for causal cocktail banter among repugs, suddenly seemed less palatable and mainstream and she had to walk them back.

These folks thrive on secrecy and innuendo and smears, exposing them and their motives is extremely important.

I remember screaming Bill very well from the church sex scandal days.

http://rationalwiki.com/wiki/Bill_Donohue

>>"Donohue opposed a bill which would have required clergy to report suspected child abuse. Instead he wanted to see consensual sex between teenagers included as child abuse. If the Roman Catholic Church is serious about stopping priests from covering up child abuse this action from a prominent Roman Catholic is surprising." <<

Check out scraming Bill's intolerance displays:
http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/tags/william_donohue

Some history:

http://www.actupny.org/reports/catholicleague.html

[Karenina]

4. ...

[bluedawg12]

5. Dangerous and inflammatory right wing propaganda lies must be answered

Dangerous right wing propaganda and lies that lawful gay right protests are violent must be answered in the strongest and clearest and most public of terms.

I congratulate TWO for taking an effective public stand against and refuting rw lies and propaganda.


These rw lies that have consequences if left unanswered:

They seek to discredit and silence legitimate civil rights protests.
They form the basis for rw extermist rhetoric that conflates civil rights with “terrorism.”
They incite rw hmophobes to perpetrate violent hate crimes against innocent GLBTQ people, including beatings and murder.
They lead to statements by public figures which propose placing gay people into internment camps and involuntary medical treatment to “cure,” them.

http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/oklahoma-city-mayor-pastor-team-up-to-purge-libraries-detain-gays-in-ex-gay-re-education-camps/

>>Oklahoma Baptist Pastor Steve Kern, husband of notorious Oklahoma state Rep. Sally Kern, reportedly believes gay Americans should be incarcerated and forcibly “cured.”

“We have to get rid of that and start curing those sinners. It’s past time that this nation stopped placating sin and start putting them in education programs. Courts can force drug offenders into treatment centers and violent people into anger management. There’s no reason our courts can’t do that with homos.”<<

Thanks for posting this K&R.

[medeak]

6. can't wait for Sundance Film Festival

mass demonstrations planned. Although most think of Park City a huge amt of films are in SLC due to lack of room.

[FreeState]

9. I think I read somewhere everything was being shown in two theaters so people

could choose not to see it in a boycotted theater.

Protests will be great - thats one thing the GLBT community in Utah is good at - getting everyone together. When I was there I remember going to bars that were mixed (gay and lesbian) - thats something you dont see everywhere. I think the high proportion of LDS glbt people helps there - the well known LDS work ethic carries through to the community.

Wish I could be in Park City for it...