Rainbow Sash Movement Disagrees With GLAAD’s “Anti-Gay” CNN Petition

Petition

by Alex Alvarez | 12:40 pm, January 7th, 2011

» 15 comments

The Rainbow Sash Movement, a national Catholic GLBT movement, has announced that it disagrees with the petition organized by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation that aims to convince CNN to stop inviting guests and commenters from the “anti-gay industry.”

Here is the Rainbow Sash Movement’s full statement on the issue, emailed to us earlier today:

Like most communities we are very diverse. I just read your article on GLAAD’s attempt to control who may or may not appear on CNN. I think it is important to say that GLAAD has every right to its opinion as do other national LGBT organizations.

The Rainbow Sash Movement is a national LGBT Catholic Organization who disagrees with the GLAAD view, and will not support its petition. We believe that censorship is inappropriate when dealing with the hate in our society. Only by recognizing it, and making it visible can we begin to deal with it. In our opinion, hiding hate from public view can be very dangerous to life of healthy society. Ignoring hate will only enable it. Putting the media spotlight on it allows for a response from reasonable people.

We are opposed any form of censorship, and would encourage CNN to continue inviting who it chooses to address the issues of the day.

The petition – and the discussion surrounding it – brings up an important question when it comes to presenting – and, more specifically, curating – news for public consumption. Should media outlets create a clear, enforced outline for what, exactly, constitutes an expert? Does having a background in politics, or media, or academia automatically render a guest an expert on a particular subject, or should these qualifications be more specifically defined in light of a person’s, say, history or personal experience? And, then, what role does emotion and personal stake in an issue have on an individual’s ability to be a reliable and trustworthy spokesperson or advocate?

The discussion also calls to mind the recent trend of pundits and writers (Juan Williams, David Weigel, Octavia Nasr…) being penalized and losing their jobs for airing personal – and often controversial – opinions as experts. The real issue, then, is not whether CNN – or anyone else, for that matter – invites people who are qualified, professionally, to discuss contentious issues in an intelligent and thoughtful manner, but the role these people’s personal convictions should have in discussions presumably based on reason rather than emotion and personal passion, and whether suggesting that such views should be filtered or banned altogether works to, at best, silence voices that are vital and meaningful to such discussions or, at worst, censors and violates free speech.

Alternately, GLAAD’s petition can be read, in a more general sense, as an attempt to take media outlets to task for relying on sensationalism, hatred and hysteria to bring in viewers and amp up news stories, and for parading what amounts to entertainment as hard news worthy of debate and discussion.

Anti-Gay, CNN, GLAAD, Petition, Rainbow Sash Movement

skyfet

Gay group vs Gay Group. Whose going to win the duel?
Atticus Draco

‘
okay,, forgive me but,,
who is gayer..
Rainbow Sash Movement or GLAAD?
Alex Alvarez

skyfet said:
Gay group vs Gay Group. Whose going to win the duel?

The Media™
http://twitter.com/SailRabbits Magister

This post may need a “Columnists” banner, up top.
Dem4Ever

CAT FIGHT!
chatmandu002

Yeah, lets go with the new MSNBC slogan. “LEAN all the way FORWARD and spread them”. LMAO
murphy0071

The best way to expose those who have negative attitudes and disseminate false information related to sexual orientation, it to allow them to challenged by facts. Here are just some of those facts: Based on decades of research, clinical practice, and more than 450 authoritative references, homosexuality is not a “lifestyle.” Homosexuality and sexual behavior differences result from sexual center variations in the brain. Homosexuality, excepting adult onsets caused by brain changes due to viruses, tumors, and injuries, are related to hormonal conditioning of the developing brain during fetal development. Homosexuals, when compared to heterosexuals, differ in hormonal differences and responses, uncontrollable reflexes, functional MRI readings, neuroanatomy, etc. Using thousands of subjects, Bell and Weinberg, social psychologists, state “Among both men and women in our study, there is a powerful link between gender nonconformity and the development or homosexuality.” . . . “At the moment, a large body of convincing research appears to suggest a biological foundation for homosexuality.” Same-sexed partnerships are known to exist in higher mammals and in many intelligent species. Over 250 species show same-sexed attraction and some life long bonding.

Using blind analysis, using modern psycho-physiological, neurophysiological, and hormonal response analysis and direct assay, homosexuals can be separated from heterosexuals with much greater accuracy than Hitler could separate Jews from Aryans. When it was done in Canada, the courts found it unconstitutional. At Auschwitz, homosexuals, along with Slavs, Gypsies, nuns and priests both Roman Catholic and Protestant, and other non-Jewish dead and alive, etc. were cremated in crematory #4 with a sign that read: “Juden Verboten.”

Heterosexuals significantly predominate as sex offenders, regardless of victim age, sex or gender. While there are a limited number of homosexual phebophiles (love of adolescents), those who are predatory towards other males at this age and above are almost exclusively heterosexual. In prison populations, based on percentage of their population in the community at large, homosexuals are significantly under-represented among child molesters and violence offenders..

Many who are negative to homosexuality are in no manner homophobes. Particularly during adolescence and early adult phases, homophobia presents itself mostly among those who fear their own homosexuality. Research shows many “heterosexuals” vehemently opposed to homosexuality, using scientific measures, respond the same as homosexuals. Physicians and psychologists tend to see these individuals as self-loathing homosexuals. Anti-homosexual religious zealots are either unfamiliar with or deny the voluminous scientific research on sexual orientation.

People who oppose homosexuality are often extremely vocal and few shy away from making homosexuals the target of mean spirited attacks. Christ never mentions homosexuals in the New Testament or the Book of Mormon. Early church scholars with unbridled disdain for homosexuals, Saint John Chrysostom and St. Augustine, who with anguish admits to homosexual practice, discuss I Cor. 6.9-10 and homosexuality is never mentioned. The passage discusses pagan temple practices. In the early Christian church, the punishment for homosexual behavior ranged from penance to excommunication. The word “ἀρσενοκοὶται” which some translate as “homosexual” is best translated, as did Martin Luther, “knabenchänder” or child molester. Until A.D. 656 Christians debated whether women had souls and the Counci l of Trent “condemned to anathema anyone who said marriage was as virtuous as celibacy.” Marriage is a sacrament of the church not related to the state. It seems the proper religious viewpoint should be only churches can perform “marriages.” The state, not being an arbiter for the church, should issue declarations of domestic partnership regardless of the sex of couples.

A “homosexual agenda” does not exist. Homosexuals are extremely diverse politically and many do not identify with the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered) community or consider themselves homosexual. Being part of the GLTB is a social process necessary to help disenfranchised GLTB individuals express their opinions, helping reduce prejudice and discrimination in an anti-GLBT mileu. GLBT emphasize positive image and self-acceptance and are active in numerous charities.

The GLBT tend to rely on scientific studies that show other than sexual orientation, there are few differences between GLBTs and heterosexuals. The GLBT community appears to be advocating for issues like: same-sexed marriage, full citizens’ rights, hate crimes legislation and support for all GLBT persons. The GLBT community supports heterosexuals and appropriate sexual behavior between consenting adults regardless of sexuality.

While social process is involved in sexual expression, it does not determine sexual orientation. To avoid stigma, some become pseudo-heterosexuals. Religiously motivated conversion therapy has never been scientifically documented to change a persons natural underlying sexual orientation. Pseudo-heterosexuality is the objective of such therapies. Many unable to change are significantly depressed and suicidal. “Two of Exodus International’s founders, Michael Bussee and Garry Cooper, fell in love and left the organization in 1979.”

Sexual orientation should not form the basis for discrimination or inequality. It should remind us of God’s variant creation. Could homosexuality be a means of population control as suggested by Carl Jung? The opposition to GLBT persons is contrary to the compassionate and loving teachings of Jesus Christ (Mt 7.1-5).

Dr. Murphy is a retired Cal Poly psychologist, lectured at international universities, did medical research at the University of Washington, and was a consulting forensic psychologist for the State of California criminal justice system. He has presented authoritative scientific papers on sexual orientation internationally to professional organizations, the public, legislative officials, and the courts. For a scientific article with references, email murphy.phd@sbcglobal.net.
The Tea Weasel

I think fuses are blowing in conservative brains all across Mediaite.
Sue

” A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.
Oppressive, dictatorial control… Fascism”. The Left says they are for free speech.
Welcome to the world of the progressive left….does anyone remember when a
progressive Supreme Court Judge said sterilization was o.k. and necessary? How
close we still are to losing our country to thugs.
Sue

murphy0071. You don’t need a book to tell us what your point is. We are approaching that time in which the entire country (not the world) will understand that homosexuality was wrong for millions of years of evolution because e reproduction of the species was a more important role of the human. That homosexuals were denied in religions is the same thing. Family was what it was…it is no longer in Western countries whatever your opinion. Would it not make more sense for these groups to quit trying to force their points of view on others? Wouldn’t it be better time and money spent trying to prevent Islam from the torture and hangings of homosexuals, as well as any other culture where homosexuals are persecuted? They may force this down the throats of Americans, but if they had any guts they would go to the places that will not change for decades, of not hundreds of years. BTW, where are the outcries of “homosexuals” over the deaths of 50 million unborn babies in the past forty years? I hear no on on the left ever discuss that subject…the left is all about gay, but how about murder?
CAconservative

Murphy0071:

So, can we deduce from your rather lengthy dissertation on the “sexual center variations”, that the opposite may be inherent in heterosexuals, hence, the overall repulsion and disdain felt by heterosexuals? No doubt it’s mental but then, what isn’t? The overall population at large excepts homosexuality, we just don’t condone it, and never will. I think it has something to do with our “sexual center variations”! Don’t you?
http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Madison/1012002171 John Madison

It is not “censorship” merely to ask that professional anti-gay activists not be called on to comment on stories about which they have no expertise or understanding. The only way that GLAAD could engage in censorship of CNN would be if GLAAD had any actual power to enforce the request. GLAAD does not. Professional anti-gay activists have plenty of available media outlets through which they can spread their message. Granting them access to CNN when their input is without value is unnecessary.
njoy-d-ride

John Madison said:
It is not “censorship” merely to ask that professional anti-gay activists not be called on to comment on stories about which they have no expertise or understanding.

OK, technically it’s not censorship to get up a petition asking CNN not to invite anti-gay folks to comment. But it is an attempt to get “actual power” by showing that they are displeasing a percent of their listener base. So I guess that makes it an attempt at actual censorship.

Well, I don’t think it’s going to work. Just think of all those lovely, lovely arguments they would be leaving behind, and their power to draw people in…
writer

I heard the ‘anti-gay industry’ had moved to Mexico, where they could pay lower wages.
west504

Where is the gay community’s response to the Penn State scandal where one of their own sodomites was molesting boys? They are eerily quiet. Why is that? The fact is that most homosexuals are molesters and have sex with the underaged and recruit them openly on a regular basis. The media must investigate if they are truly concerned about children. The reason for the petition and all quashing of conservative views is that gays (a misnomer since most are miserable) don’t want the truth to be told about the spread of AIDS in this country and the world and their responsibilty for it. Gay isn’t a lifestyle, but a deathstyle. Tell the truth, sodomites. Go to the Dead Sea and study its history. That used to be Sodom and Gomorrah. God says no and He means it.