Proclaiming that we're under attack from evil alien subhumans

Is an historically proven way to unite and ignite the base and consolidate power. The words used bring to mind what was said about Jews by the Nazis:

Gays and lesbians, like other enemies of Christ, are not fully human. They are “unnatural.” And preachers in the movement argue that if America does not act soon to eradicate homosexual behavior, God will punish the nation. These attacks mask a sinister agenda that has nothing to do with sexuality. It has to do with power.

The radical Christian right—the most dangerous mass movement in American history—has built a binary worldview of command and submission wherein male leaders, who cannot be questioned and claim to speak for God, are in control and all others must follow. Any lifestyle outside the traditional model of male and female is a threat to this hierarchical male power structure. Women who do not depend on men for their identity and their sexuality, who live outside a male power relationship, challenge this pervasive cult of masculinity, as do men who find tenderness and love with other men as equals. The lifestyle of gays and lesbians is intolerable to the Christian right because its existence is a threat to the movement’s chain of command, one they insist was ordained by God.

Didn't they just claim that being gay was a choice?

Then why are they trying to change the fetus?

One of the nation's leading Southern Baptists has called for a policy that would support medical treatment, if it were to become available, to change the sexual orientation of a fetus inside its mother's womb from homosexual to heterosexual. This latest assault on our dignity and existence comes from no less a personage than Rev. R. Albert Mohler, the president of the prominent and influential Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world.

Acknowleding the strides that genetic science is making in identifying and isolating genetic abnormalities, defects and diseases, Mohler embraces this advance in medical science as yet another tool in the war to root out and cleanse sin. The good reverend explains that "Given the consequences of the Fall and the effects of human sin, we should not be surprised that such a causation or link is found. After all, the human genetic structure, along with every other aspect of creation, shows the pernicious effects of the Fall and of God's judgment."

So, how about making people who will not question authority, not be unfaithful, not be greedy, not lie, or... how about: not be massive idiots?

For those who fret that someone somewhere is gay

And is unconcerned with what others think, Mustang Bobby will explain it for you:

As far as how or why people are gay, I don't know how to make it any plainer: no one chooses to be gay any more than one chooses to be left-handed, blonde, or six feet tall. The research into the science on the subject and the search for the "gay gene" goes on, but overwhelming empirical evidence points to the probability that sexual orientation is hard-wired at the factory and the tired old explanations of a domineering mother and distant father plus all the other grasps at straws that the fundamentalists and other anti-gay forces use have been relegated to the trash heap of reputable psychiatric medicine along with leeches. Yes, the idea of a gay gene is a theory, but since no one has come up with any other explanation, I'm willing to accept it. If it was environmental or parenting, how come my three siblings are all straight?

Fundies jump on the word "theory" as if it leaves open the possibility that there are other explanations; evolution is only a theory, they say, so there's no real proof that it happens...as opposed to the story in Genesis, which, according to them, is incontrovertible. But, to quote Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." A scientific theory is arrived at when all other possibilities have been excluded. Gravity is a theory. No one can prove to an absolute certainty how it works, but science has pretty much ruled out "intelligent falling." Real science is always subject to debate and new ideas; it does not possess the insecure absolutism of mythology. And even if it's proven that there are other reasons why some people are attracted to those of their own gender, what does it matter, and why does it matter to an absolute stranger like James Dobson, Pat Robertson, or any of the other people who can't seem to mind their own business?

Mustang Bobby is brilliant as usual. Go and read the whole thing and then rejoice that people like him are on this earth.

Ted Haggard and his miracle cure

Mustang Bobby explains it all:

So, how did they prove that he's "completely heterosexual" now? Wait; on second thought, I don't want to know.

Take it from someone who's been "acting-out" (interesting choice of words) for most of his adult life; just because you only did it with one guy doesn't mean anything. It's the thought that counts, and as most folks who are raised Catholic will tell you, when you think about it, you might as well be doing it; the thought of the sin is just as good (or bad) as the sin itself. I'm willing to bet that the same applies to the evangelicals as well. And I'll also bet you five bucks that if you ran a copy of Blueboy or Drummer past Rev. Ted today, he'd fire up the old Evinrude.

I'm also sure that once he's pronounced "cured" he's going to go around the country hawking some snake-oil DVD on how to stop being gay. Yes, for only $89.95, you too can stop being gay! Throw away those Speedo catalogues and your Pier One credit card and discover the joys of Spike TV! Here, have a Snickers.

And then again in comments in response to a comment:

[snip]
But apparently most of the right wing of the Republican Party (which seems to be redundant) cares a great deal about who's gay and who isn't. They run for office by trying to frighten the bejesus out of Americans by telling them that the Radical Homosexuals are bent (no pun intended) on recruiting teens and destroying the country by doing such terrible things as getting married and raising children. Horrors!

I don't know about your friend in person, but if my experience is any guide, she was probably gay from birth. She just didn't admit it to herself and do anything about it she was 26. I know a lot of men who didn't come out of the closet until their 40's or 50's. The difference between them and me was that I knew I was gay from the git-go and was honest about it.

You don't get to choose to be gay any more than you choose to be black (Michael Jackson notwithstanding). Sure, the Religious Reich claims that it's a choice, but they have to; if it can be proved that being gay is innate, then all their vile prejudice and propaganda becomes no different than racism. And they know that every time there's a story about gay marriage or a gay celebrity coming out, they can send out a fund-raising letter to the foolish and the weak and meet their quota for the quarter. Isn't it funny how everyone they ask whether they think being gay is something you're born with is straight. Ask us sometime. I don't know a gay person who claims that they actually chose it, and I don't know anyone who would actually chose to "switch back."

Being gay isn't just about sex any more than being straight is. The problem is that the anti-gay crowd -- of which Rev. Ted was a strong and vocal leader until he got busted -- is that they are the ones who are obsessed with gay sex; far more than anyone I know on this side of the street.
Mustang Bobby | Homepage | 02.06.07 - 5:28 pm | #