276. AMERICAN FAMILY (AND SPECIOUS REASONING) ASSOCIATION

From the Archive (8 May 2007) The American (Very Narrowly Defined) Family (and Specious Reasoning) Association forwarded to me a "list of representatives who voted to give homosexuals special rights," along with this message:

Dear Demiurgicgrrrl,
Below is a list of representatives who voted in favor of the Hate Crimes Act which gives homosexuals special rights not given to others. Homosexuals are considered a “protected class” under the bill.

An attempt was made to add senior citizens, pregnant women, prior victims, children under 18, the unborn, court witnesses and members of our armed forces to the bill, giving them the same “protected class” given homosexuals. The Democrats defeated all amendments, reserving the “protected class” for homosexuals only.

If your representative is listed below, please call and let him or her know that you will remember the vote in the next election.

You can reach your representative by calling 202-224-3121. Ask to be connected to your previously? representative. If you don’t know your representative, give the operator your address and you will be connect directly to his or her office.

Umm. Where do I begin?

Senior citizens, children, and pregnant women are perhaps more vulnerable to physical assault, but this is generally based on perceived vulnerabilities, not hate.

People would perhaps be more prone to assault these folks because of a perceived belief that they would be unable to defend themselves, but such a case does not involve assaulting a person because of his or her political views or life choices.

Court witnesses are, of course, already protected.

And, lookie, here's yet another example of the repugs trying to classify the unborn as viable human beings.

(Acorn. Tree. They're the same, right?)

The Christianists clearly knew that these unparallel groups were inappropriate for this legislation too, otherwise they would NEVER have considered throwing in pregnant women.

I mean, come on, do they WANT to be charged with a hate crime every time they harass a woman who wishes to end her pregnancy?

If this legislation passes, then could they be charged with a hate-crime assault every time they attempt to bar a woman entrance to a Planned Parenthood clinic. Inquiring minds want to know.

275. NOW THAT'S A REAL HATE CRIME!

From the Archives (5 May 2007) I subscribe to the American Family Association's (AFA) action alert service so that I can alert my progressive friends to the need to counter fundie protests. Hence I know that the Christianists really have their panties in a wad this week.

The fundies are worried SICK about the possibility of the Hate Crimes Act actually passing, so yesterday they urged folks to ask PrezBush to veto the act should it reach his desk.

The AFA also warned religious brethren that they will no longer be able to spew their hatred in church or on the Web or in a public setting without being arrested unless if they fail to successfully defeat this act.

Reasonable people would say that folks who target victims because of their sexual orientation should be charged with a hate crime, since these people are committing an act of hatred—remind me to tell you all about the joys of having queer spray-painted onto your car when you’re sixteen years old and living in a small southern town if you doubt that—but the AFA insists that "liberal leaders" just want to extend special rights to us queer folks.

(No. No. You're confused. Special rights are those things that you and your ilk extend only to heterosexuals who fall in love.)

So. Today the AFA has taken a particularly dishonorable stand and resorted to equating pedophilia with queer love.

(Yes, yes, I suppose you could get the two confused, since the government insists on placing the names of queers who engage in consensual sex on the same sex0offender lists as the men who kidnap and molest your toddlers.)

Yep. Today's Action Alert warns that, since the definition of sexual orientation is not spelled out in the act, Christians will be forced to stop discriminating against ANY form of sexual orientation.

Then (because they're nothing if not thorough), the AFA includes the following list of sexual orientations (er sex crimes)—a list that the logic-challenged will no doubt assume lists acts that will be protected under the Hate Crimes Act.

(Note how many times queer people crop up, when most sex crimes are committed by heterosexual men.)

Interesting that lewdness is defined as a sexual orientation too.

SEXUAL ORIENTATIONS
Coprophilia—sexual arousal associated with feces

Exhibitionism—the act of exposing one's genitals to an unwilling observer to obtain sexual gratification

Fetishism/Sexual Fetishism—obtaining sexual excitement primarily or exclusively from an inanimate object or a particular part of the body

Frotteurism—approaching an unknown woman from the rear and pressing or rubbing the penis against her buttocks

Gay/Homosexual—people who form sexual relationships primarily or exclusively with members of their own gender

Gerontosexuality—distinct preference for sexual relationships primarily or exclusively with an elderly partner

Incest—sex with a sibling or parent

Kleptophilia—obtaining sexual excitement from stealing

Klismaphilia—erotic pleasure derived from enemas

Lesbian—a homosexual female

Lewdness—sexually unchaste; inciting to lust or debauchery

Masturbation—erotic stimulation of one's own genitals

Necrophilia—sexual arousal and/or activity with a corpse

Paraphilia—a condition in which a person's sexual arousal and gratification depend on fantasizing about and engaging in sexual behavior that is atypical and extreme

Partialism—A fetish in which a person is sexually attracted to a specific body part exclusive of the person

Pederasty—Sex between an adult and a child, usually an adult male and a male child

Pedophilia—Sexual contact between an adult and a child—Bisexual Pedophilia—term used for an adult who derives sexual gratification from sexual contact with a child without regard to the sex of the child

Heterosexual Pedophilia—term used for an adult who derives sexual gratification from sexual contact with a child of the opposite sex

Gay Pedophilia—term used for a male adult who derives sexual gratification from sexual contact with a child of the same sex

Lesbian Pedophilia—term used for a female adult who derives sexual gratification from sexual contact with a child of the same sex

Prostitution—the act or practice of offering sexual stimulation or intercourse for money

Sexual Masochism—obtaining sexual gratification by being subjected to pain or humiliation

Sexual Sadism—the intentional infliction of pain or humiliation on another person in order to achieve sexual excitement

Telephone Scatalogia—sexual arousal associated with making or receiving obscene phone calls

Toucherism—characterized by a strong desire to touch the breast or genitals of an unknown woman without her consent; often occurs in conjunction with other paraphilia

Transsexual—a person whose gender identity is different from his or her anatomical gender

Transvestite—a person who is sexually stimulated or gratified by wearing the clothes of the other gender

Urophilia—sexual arousal associated with urine

Voyeurism—obtaining sexual arousal by observing people without their consent when they are undressed or engaged in sexual activity

Zoophilia/Bestiality—engaging in sexual activity with animals

The um good folks at Don Wildmon's wet-n-wild ranch would have you believe that this is really a 'Thought Control Bill," but no one is saying that people can be charged with a hate crime for what they think.

So listen up, Bubba: we're talking actions here.

It's your ACTIONS, how you express your bigotry, that are being put on notice. Spewing hatred has real consequences and your campaign against queers causes real crimes.

And you don't get to violate other people's rights just because you don't approve of their choices.

Capiche?

Okay. Life will be saner after this weekend, when my chorus's concert and my (gulp) duet are behind me.

(The first performance went fine, despite my stage fright, and a woman in the audience even told me that my cello-rich voice brought tears to her eyes.)

Sweet, huh?

258. WORSHIPPING AT THE HOUSE OF LABIA LOVE, OR, FAREWELL HABEAS CORPUS, WE HARDLY KNEW THEE

From the Archives. (October 2006) Huh. Someone just sent this to me:

Love that goes UPWARD is WORSHIP.
Love that goes OUTWARD is AFFECTION.
Love that STOOPS is GRACE. (DG Barnhouse)

Apt, really, since my singing group performed at a queer event held at a local progressive church last night and, when we went out to our cars, found this on our windshields:

NEVER DOUBT GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU
The Bible makes it clear that “God is Love” (1st John 4:8). This is a true character trait of God that is widely spoken of within the gay community. But did you know that there are other character traits of God which are equally true, yet hardly spoken of at all within gay circles? Namely, that God is a holy, righteous, and just God who, by his very nature, must administer punishment for sin?

You may have wondered, “If God is a loving God, how could He punish people in such a way?” Because God is perfect and His standard is perfection (the 10 commandments). Have you ever lied, stolen something (even if it was something trivial and small), used God’s name in vain, or lusted after another person (Jesus calls this “adultery” in Matthew 5:28)? Then you have broken God’s law, and the Bible make it clear that “He who stumbles at one point of the Law is guilty of breaking it all” (James 2:10), and “The soul that sins shall die” (Ezekiel 28:10). Be honest with yourself; you’re in big trouble on judgment day, DESPITE YOUR HOMOSEXUAL LIFESTYLE.

But God’s mercy can triumph over judgment in your life. God loves you, and has made a way for you to escape His wrath. Do you know what God did for you so that you wouldn’t have to go to hell? He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross to receive your punishment. Jesus satisfied God’s justice and wrath against sin, so that when you stand before God on the day of judgment, you won’t have to receive His justice and wrath. This, my friend, is the greatest expression of love, Jesus died a substitute death so you could live (Romans 5:8). Then He rose from the dead, defeating death and proving Himself to be who He says He is; the Son of God and Savior of the world.

So, God has made a way for all men to be forgiven, and to receive the gift of everlasting life, Now the only question that remains is if you are willing to receive this gift. The Bible makes it perfectly clear that God commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30-31, Mark 6:12, Luke 13;3, Acts 3;19, Acts 26:20), and to trust in Jesus as Savior, since there is no way you could save yourself (John 3:16-21, John 8:24, John 14:6, Acts 4;12).

So please don’t be guilty of creating a God after your own imagination to suit yourself that you are more comfortable with; a God who is comfortable with your sins, including your homosexual lifestyle. The Bible warns, “Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, no idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God,” and, “the cowardly, unbelieving, adominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death: (Revelation 21:8). It’s been appointed for man once to die, and after this, the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). By this time, it will be too late to repent and make things right. Humble yourself before God, turn from your sin, and put your trust in Jesus as your Savior...today! Whether you walk down an aisle of a Church to make your peace with God of just kneel beside your bed at night does not matter...God is more concerned with the attitude of your heart than the place where you accept His gift of salvation. Tell Him you are sorry for your sins and turn from them. Ask Him to fill your heart with His presence so you can live above the power of sin, Tell Him you’re putting your trust in Jesus as your Savior from this day forward. God promised to forgive all that repent and put their trust in Jesus! Then read your Bible daily and obey what you read. And find a church to plug into that has not compromised the Word of God. God will never let you down. For more information, check out http://www.wayofthe master.com/goodperson.shtml

Well, my friend, you clearly failed your grammar courses, but at least you know to leave the second e out of judgment. You have also misunderstood a crucial aspect of adultery if you believe that lusting after another person alone qualifies.

My hunch, however, is that you are in such desperate need of some earth-shattering guilt-free lust that this was probably a Freudian slip. In fact, given your homophobic tendencies and desire to be around the fabulous when we congregate, I am guessing that you are, at this very moment, struggling mightily with your attraction to people of the same gender.

Let me remind you that the group with the highest incidence of divorce in our country is evangelical Christians.

Now some would say that it follows that your god hates evangelical Christians more than he hates, say, homosexuals. But, hey, you're the one who insists that your god is a loving god, so maybe he just wants to free your women from their oppression.

I guess I better be careful about sharing my honest opinions now though, since the rule of law that we’ve lived by for so many years is now officially dead—or will be once Bush signs the terrorist bill into law.

Goodbye Bill of Rights. Hello rightless people who can be deprived of life, liberty, and property without due process based purely on our president's suspicions about you.

Susie Bright points out that "everyone who watches TV knows all about Foley's boxer shorts, but the loss of one's right to privacy, or a jury trial, doesn't seem to make anyone's dick hard.”

Yeah.

What frightens me most though is that this bill not only gives Bush the right to determine the application of the Geneva Conventions but actually denies the courts the jurisdiction to hear any challenges to his interpretations.

In other words, we now have a dictator in what was a democracy, and a coke-snortin' one whose GPA was a low C, at that.