Pimp My Wry

Prop 8: Using Religion To Legalize Discrimination

Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker lifted the stay on Proposition 8, but postponed official same-sex marriages until next Wednesday, Aug. 18. By delaying gay marriages, Walker is simply allowing the legal process to play out. And I think it's a good call.

Given that the religious proponents of Prop 8 (and their supporters) want to crucify Walker for his rulings so far, it's best that he err on the side of caution.

But that is not to suggest that I believe Prop 8 proponents have a legitimate defense. In my view, anyone who supports Prop 8 has only one goal in mind — to legalize discrimination.

I've written many times before about the ways in which religion is used to justify homophobia, how gays and lesbians are demonized in religious arguments that are based on faith and not facts, and how American history is steeped with the "family values" of bigots and hypocrites, and I'll continue to do so until gays and lesbians achieve full equality.

Below is my latest essay on the efforts to block equal rights and legalize discrimination via religion. It was published in my local paper, the Sonoma Index-Tribune, this week in two parts — part one is here; part two is here. But because it's easier to read in one chunk, I've pasted it in its entirety below:

Do You Like Porn, Take Cold Showers? The Catholic Church Wants To Know

The New York Times reported today on the "sexuality hurdles" prospective priests face:

“When was the last time you had sex?” all candidates for the seminary are asked. (The preferred answer: not for three years or more.)

“What kind of sexual experiences have you had?” is another common question. “Do you like pornography?”

Depending on the replies, and the results of standardized psychological tests, the interview may proceed into deeper waters: “Do you like children?” and “Do you like children more than you like people your own age?” ...

Most candidates are likely to be asked not only about past sexual activities but also about masturbation fantasies, consumption of alcohol, relationships with parents and the causes of romantic breakups. ...

In seminaries that seek to hew closely to the Vatican rules, a candidate may be measured by the extent to which he defines himself as gay..."

Measured. Heh, heh.

Read the full story here.

Meet The Journalists Who Exposed George Rekers

South Florida Gay News introduces the world to Brandon K. Thorp and Penn Bullock, the men who exposed George Rekers.  Bravo, boys!

Wilton Manors residents Brandon K. Thorp, 27, and Penn Bullock, 21, met on My Space three years ago but only in the last week has their relationship reached the cosmos.

Last week, Thorp, who usually writes the theater column for Miami New Times, joined with his partner, Bullock, to break the story that a young male hooker from Miami had gone on a ten day European vacation with Dr. George Rekers, a founder of the rabidly anti-gay Family Research Council, and a board member of NARTH, the notorious National Association for the Research and Treatment of Homosexuality.

Dr. Rekers is not just anyone. He is a nationally reputed leader of the ex-gay movement who has authored books and campaigned vigorously that homosexuality can be cured. Republican Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum actually paid him almost $120,000.00 of taxpayer money to be a star witness for the State of Florida in the legal case seeking to defend state statutes banning gay adoption.

Will Gheen To Sen. Graham: Let's Make A Deal — You Be Gay And I'll Be A Racist Dick

On April 17, William Gheen (pictured, right), a racist clown and the president of an organization called Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC), spoke at a Greenville, South Carolina, Tea Party rally about illegal immigration, border control and how South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham's sexuality figures into the immigration 'problem.'  

You see, in the interest of political integrity and national security, Gheen addressed Graham's homosexuality in his speech, demanding that Graham, the lone Republican in the Senate trying to lobby other Republicans to sponsor the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Amnesty bill, come out publicly.

In the clip below, which according to RightWingWatch.org  "is out of proper context ... has already gone viral on YouTube and been reported by Keith Olbermann on MSNBC without proper permissions or attributions," Gheen says the following (at around 7:10 in):

Hey, Pope, You Have The Right To Remain Silent — Something You're Already Good At

Should the pope be arrested for his part in the cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church?

The Vatican, of course, says that he is immune to prosecution because he is a head of state — a far, far cry from declaring the pope innocent of any involvement in the scandal. But two of the world's most famous atheists and smarty-pants, Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, believe he should be arrested. (Dawkins denies the assertion made by The Sunday Times that he would arrest the pope himself, however.) 

But does the question really require a lot of thought and debate?

Nah.

Common sense dictates that if the pope was the head of any other large organization caught up in the same scandal, his ass would have been led to a chair in an interrogation room a long time ago. Allowing him preferential treatment simply because of his "state" position and/or his believed proximity to God is ludicrous. The man has made some very bad decisions in his life, some that have deeply hurt others and have now caught up to him. He can pray all he wants for forgiveness, promise never to ignore/conceal abuse again, pinky-swear to use his power for good and not evil, but he shouldn't be allowed to duck punishment and hide from responsibility behind the walls of the Vatican.

What Bristol Palin Should Have Said

Bristol Palin and her son Tripp appear in a new public service announcement made in an effort to decrease teen pregnancy (video below). Sponsored by the Candie's Foundation, and apparently written by a fan of  "Dynasty," the much-hyped PSA leaves much to be desired.

I don't doubt that the producers of the ad were aiming for "dramatic" results, but what they actually created is an eye-roll inducing, condescending piece of foolishness.

In the ad, Bristol, who seems to have raided "The Golden Girls" wardrobe trailer for her outfit, tells viewers that being a teen mother is no picnic ... unless you're her, the product of a "famous family" that "supports" her and provides her with "opportunities." She wants all those less fortunate girls who are on the road to getting knocked-up to know that she enjoys an education, built-in baby-holders, make-up, furniture, and clothes that, although ugly, aren't made of denim, and they won't.

Granted, no matter what this girl tries to do with her life, she'll be criticized for it simply because she's related to an imbecile. I know it, and you know it. So, why don't the people handling her know it?

Is Jamie Foxx Gay?

Jamie Foxx and Howard Stern are having a feud.

It all started when Stern had some unflattering things to say about "Precious" star Gabourey Sidibe on his Sirius Radio show.  From there it just got worse, when the team at Foxx's "Foxxhole" (also on Sirius radio) went after Stern, calling him a guy who hates fat black people.

Stern, who couldn't let the criticism go because he's a 13-year-old in a 56-year-old body, responded by insinuating that Foxx is gay and that he has "dirt" on the star (audio below). 

By the way, Stern didn't just pull this rumor out of his giant bag of high-school insults. Speculation as to Foxx's sexuality goes back to the dawn of gaydar, around the same time Jesus rode a dinosaur to the first White Party.

When Foxx heard what Stern had spewed, he got pissy pissed!  He insisted that he and Stern are "on the same team" and proved that he, too, has some growing up do (audio here):  "I'm not gay. ... A lot of people say that I'm gay ... but I can eat a pizza in a male shower and not feel anything..."

I don't even know what that means.

At The Vatican, "Generously Serve" Is Latin For "Hide The Salami"

Yesterday, Cardinal Angelo Sodano defended Pope Benedict during the  pontiff's Easter Sunday Mass. Addressing the Pope directly, Sodano said that the Church would not be intimidated by "petty gossip" about sexual abuse of children by priests:

The people of God are with you and will not let themselves be influenced by the petty gossip of the moment, by the trials that sometimes assail the community of believers.

He also defended  "the 400,000 priests who generously serve" in schools, hospitals and missions around the world.

A wordsmith, he's not.