Matthew Shepard: December 1, 1976 -- October 12, 1998

Buffy from “The Gaytheist Agenda” reminds us that today is the 11th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death:

In Memorariam: Matthew Shepard (December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998)

Linked to is an AP article on the event, and this YouTube video below:



The poster of that video, Michelle5451, writes:

This is for all you hate filled people who feel the need to spew your venom at people who live their lives different than your own. There is no bigger indication of self-hatred and deeply rooted fear than when a person throws hate and anger upon the world.

As if the story of Matthew Shepard isn't terrible enough - picture this, sit with it for awhile and bring it to mind the next time you want to attack a "fag," "dyke" or "homo" - when Matt was found 18 hours after his beating, his head and face were caked with dried blood, and in the blood on his face was a trail leading down his cheeks from his eyes. This tells us Matt had been awake at some point after his beating and before he fell into a coma, he knew what had been done to him, he was in pain, he was scared and perhaps, he knew he was going to die - and so, he cried. Tied to a fence, unable to move, brain damaged and dying - this man cried. Does that break your heart? It should...if you have one. If the story of Matt Shepard doesn't shock and disgust you far greater than the idea of two people of the same gender loving each other, you're the one not right with God.

Song written and performed by Melissa Etheridge. She wrote the song in memory of Matt Shepard.

And who can forget congresswoman, Virginia Foxx's, unconscionably callous remarks (note, Judy Shepard was on the House floor at the time):



Here’s what Exodus International has to say on the matter of hate crimes:

Thought Crimes Laws*

Exodus International believes that every human being is of equal value and worthy of the same treatment under the law. While Exodus International strongly opposes violent crimes and acts of aggression against any individual or group of individuals, thought crimes laws offer more legal protection to certain citizens based on their sexual preference alone. In addition, these laws pave the way to prosecute biblical beliefs about homosexuality, instead of prosecuting illegal actions that harm others.

* often called "hate crimes" laws by proponents

They want their religious hatred---and the consequences of it---protected at the expense of the safety of their LGBT brothers and sisters.

Excuse me while I vomit.

For more information see The Matthew Shepard Foundation.

How hate speech leads to violence - Frank Schaeffer: "We knew full well"

This conversation between Rachel Maddow and Frank Schaeffer is about anti-abortion extremism in regard to Dr. George Tiller's death. But it could be in regard to any extremist language that leads to violence.

The anti-gay industry and it's employees always say they're against violence against us, especially in response to well publicized hate crimes. This interview articulates quite otherwise.

June 1: Frank Schaeffer, author, Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of it Back” explains to MSNBC’S Rachel Maddow how hateful speech leads to violent acts.



You can find the full transcript to this segment, here.

Paraphrased:

@3:45 And when you look at what happened to Dr. Tiller, there‘s a direct line connecting the rhetoric that I was part of as a young man and this murder. And so, people, like me, are responsible for what we said and what we did and the way we raised the temperature on this debate out of all bounds...

@4:40 But I also think that pretending that you can call abortion murder and Tiller the baby killer, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera—and that these worlds don‘ words don‘t have an impact, is crazy.

So, this is what helps unhinge a society, talking like this.

@6:15 ...we took the movement from its early stages when it was more a moral concern, not so much about politics and not so much about changing the law, and radicalized that movement. I follow the step by step process...

And what we did is we talked one game to the large public and we talked another game amongst ourselves… …tonight, there are people who are publicly saying, “This is terrible, we never advocated killing, abortion is murder, but we didn‘t mean people to take us this seriously.” But in private, you know, if these folks popped champion bottles, they would be drinking a toast to this murder tonight.

I know that this is the case because of the fact that I was part of the movement... ...on a private side, we also were egging people on to first pick at abortion clinics, then chain themselves to fences, then go to jail.

We knew full well...what we were also doing was opening a gate here...We live in a country in which guns are all over the place. We have plenty of people with a screw loose, plenty of people on the edge. It only takes one.

And what scare me is that I see the rhetoric of the Republican Party right now…about our newly elected African-American president…Some Christians in the same groups that are pro-life groups are running around saying he‘s the anti-Christ.

They also know full well that we have people out there who will take it to the next step and say, “Well, gee, if he‘s the anti-Christ, if he‘s anti-American, if he‘s a communist, maybe the best thing we can do is pull another trigger some other day.”

James Dobson: "We are shocked by the murder of George Tiller, and we categorically condemn the act of vigilantism and violence that took his life."

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council: Scripture could not be clearer: "For anyone to intentionally murder another human being is wrong," he wrote to supporters. "...We strongly condemn the actions of this vigilante killer

Al Mohler: "But violence in the name of protesting abortion is immoral, unjustified, and horribly harmful to the pro-life cause."

Carrie Gordon Earll of Focus on the Family Action: "It was shocking news to find that this man was murdered in the foyer of his church, it has to be condemned. It is the sort of act that you hear about and you just almost go into shock, so it must be condemned."

A few "unrelated" quotables for the road:
Peter LaBarbera Americans For Truth About Homosexuality: "While we certainly don’t condone violence against anyone..."

Scott Lively: “We do not promote or condone violence.”

Watchmen on the Walls: "We are the Watchmen on the Walls…We do not promote or condone violence."

People for the Way, Truth and Life does not condone persecution, harassment, violence or disrespectful behavior...In no way does PWTL condone violence or ridicule towards homosexuals.

Randy Thomas: Each time we visit an office, our team was very clear that we do not condone violence.

And our winner...

James Dobson, Marriage Under Fire, P68: “In twenty-seven years I have never said anything hateful about homosexuals on our broadcasts, and I do not condone violence or disrespect for anyone.”

So it's true when they say they love us, they just love to hate us to death.

Boycott Jamaica 2

From BoycottJamaica.org

"NO GAYS" says Jamaica's primeminister on bbc's hard talk
May 20th 2008:


Transcript (as always, feel free to copy):

Stephen Sackur of BBC’s HARDtalk: I suppose there’s this intangible question of image, and Jamaica’s image arguably right now is not altogether positive. And one other aspect of that I’ll put to you…

Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica: We have one major problem, one major problem so far as that image is concerned, our crime rate. We have to bring that down. We have to use whatever resources we can to bring that down.

Stephen Sackur: We’ve talked extensively about that, let me put another to you, and that is, Jamaica’s attitude to homosexuality. That is a problem. If you listen to human rights watch’s Rebecca shleifer, she says “homophobia in Jamaica is the worst she has ever seen.” The New York Times just ran a big story just a couple of months ago, there was a case in Mandeville, a crowd storming a house, four men having dinner were trapped and brutally assaulted because they were believed to be gay, and that was not unusual. What are you doing about it?

PM Bruce Golding: Well, we have given instruction that crimes against persons because of their sexual orientation must be pursued with the same vigor that any other crime is pursued.

Stephen Sackur: But they’re not, are they?

PM Bruce Golding: Generally speaking they are, they are now. We do have a long standing culture that is very opposed to homosexuality. I believe that that is changing, I believe there is greater acceptance now, that people have different lifestyles. That they must be-- there privacy must be respected, but it’s a process that’s going to take time.

Stephen Sackur: Are you, Prime Minister, more accepting now? Because in 2006 you were quoted in the Sunday Herald Newspaper as saying, quote “Homosexuals will find no solace in any cabinet formed by me.”

PM Bruce Golding: Well, in appointing a cabinet, a prime minister exercises judgment. He exercises--that is his exclusive responsibility. There’s no right to be in a cabinet.

Stephen Sackur: No but you just told me that you believe that Jamaica is on track to give real equality before the law to homosexuals, but you yourself have said that ‘homosexuals find no solace in any cabinet formed by me.’

PM Bruce Golding: That has nothing to do with equality before the law. People…

Stephen Sackur: Do you not have a duty to consider people on their merits, for cabinet positions, indeed in any part of government?

PM Bruce Golding: No, I consider people in terms of their ability, and the extent to which they are going to be able to exercise their functions with independence.

Stephen Sackur: You also clearly and patently consider them in terms of their sexuality.

PM Bruce Golding: No no, but that’s a decision that I make. That’s a decision that every prime minister makes. A prime minister must decide what he feels would represent to the Jamaican people. A cabinet of ministers who will be able to discharge their functions without fear, without favor, without intimidation. That’s a choice that I have made, I made that choice.

Stephen Sackur: What kind of signal does that send about Jamaica to the outside world, indeed to potential investors, the countries that look at Jamaica and…

PM Bruce Golding: One signal that it sends is that Jamaica is not going to allow values to be imposed on it from outside. We’re going to have to determine that ourselves. And we’re going to have to determine to what extent those values will adapt over time, to change, to change in perceptions, and to change in understanding as to how people live. But it can’t be on the basis that lobby groups, far and away from Jamaica, are going to start to define for Jamaica how it would must establish it’s standards and it’s own morals.

Stephen Sackur: Do you want to live in a Jamaica, in the future, where homosexuals can be a part of your cabinet or any cabinet?

PM Bruce Golding: I want to live in a Jamaica where persons are free to conduct their private relations. But I’m not talking about leading Jamaica in a direction where it’s own values are going to be assaulted by others. And the same…

Stephen Sackur: With respect, that was not an answer to my question, let me put it to you one more time. Do you in the future, want to live in a Jamaica, where a gay man or a gay woman can be in the cabinet?

PM Bruce Golding: Sure they can be in the cabinet, not mine.

Stephen Sackur: Well they can’t be in yours.

PM Bruce Golding: Not mine.

Stephen Sackur: No, but do want--do you think…

PM Bruce Golding: Not mine.

Stephen Sackur: Do you want to live in a Jamaica where they can be and they should be, and it would be entirely natural for them to be so.

PM Bruce Golding: I do not know that that is necessarily the direction which I want my country to go.

Stephen Sackur: We talked a little bit about poverty, before we finish, do you believe, and you’ve said you can deliver on some of these security issues, other issues, can you deliver for the people in Kingston and other cities who are living in urban poverty right now, can you lift them out over the next few years?

PM Bruce Golding: It’s particularly challenging, it would be challenging in any circumstances, particularly challenging now because the global economic situation as you know, is so hostile to countries like Jamaica. What we intend to do is to amass all of the resources that we have available to us, to pull together all of the government agencies and to see on the basis of prioritizing, to see how much we can impact on those social conditions.

Stephen Sackur: Bruce Golding, thank you very much for being on HARDtalk.

PM Bruce Golding: Thank you too.

Click on image to go to site

Jamaican Government Minister Outraged about Gay Police!

From the Boycott Jamaica site:

(Credit to YouTube’s brianmaxw / Brianmaxnews)


Transcript (as always, feel free to use):

Newscaster: Meanwhile, a member of parliament from South West St. Ann, (an express?) was made of what some consider a surprising and stinging attack on the country’s gay community. Expressing his dismay that not only do they portray a negative aspect in society, but he is worried some of them have been granted firearm licenses.

Earnest Smith; MP, South West St. Ann: I am very concerned that homosexuals in Jamaica have become so (____?). They have formed themselves into organizations. They are in the street, in fact they’re abusive, they are violent, and something that the Minister of National Security must look into---why is it that so many homosexuals are holders of licensed firearms?

Newscaster: Now, the outspoken Mr. Smith was contributing to a debate on a sexual offenders registry in Parliament yesterday. He also went on to mention what could be construed as a recent and potentially contentious media report, which he argues proves his point, that homosexuals dominate some of our essential services.

MP Earnest Smith: There was a report recently which has never been challenged. Which speaks to the fact that our security forces, particularly the Jamaica constable force, has been overrun with homosexuals.

There’s a report, a front page report in one of our newspapers - it has never been challenged.

According to BoxTurtleBulletin (re Human Rights Watch):

Human rights defenders who spoke to the victims also reported that police arrived half an hour after the mob had broken into the house – 90 minutes after the men first called for help.

From that same Human Rights Watch article:

April 8, 2007 … the crowd broke the windows with bottles and shouted … “We want no battyman [gay] funeral here. Leave or else we’re going to kill you. … But instead of protecting the mourners, police socialized with the mob, laughing along at the situation.

February 14, 2007 ... The men took refuge in a store … while a crowd of at least 200 people gathered outside, calling for the men to be beaten to death because they were gay. The men called local police … When officers arrived, instead of protecting them, they verbally abused the victims, calling them “nasty battymen,” and struck one in the face, head, and stomach.

And once again:

MP Earnest Smith of South West St. Ann: Why is it that so many homosexuals are holders of licensed firearms?

I now see how that could be a problem. Clearly these homosexual firearm holders aren’t using them against gay people often enough.

Research Shows Bible Potentially 100% Wrong 100% of the time.

The Real Title, as per August 11, 2008 by gcmwatch (AKA D.L. Foster) :

Research shows homosexuality 100% wrong, 100% of the time

( Ya'll , I can't help it, and l apologize, but I still think tha title's pretty funny.)

He goes on...

Thanks to Scripture Refiners Fire, GCM Watch was made aware of an incredible body of biblical research on homosexuality by David Root, Jr. of Layhands.com.

Its amazing what an honest study of the scriptures will produce when you allow them to speak and the Holy Spirit to illuminate the logos. David has done an outstanding job writing this and more than ever it is clear that there is no justification whatsoever found in any of the 66 books of the Bible for homosexual conduct. Not even for those who self identify as so-called ”gay and celibate”.

~~~~
Okey Dokey DL. But the problem is, who are you, and more importantly, WHY are you so adamant about the "BIBLE" being against same-sex attraction.

If God were to approve, would you then approve of homosexuality?

Would you go also then go out out and lie cheat steal and murder if if the Bible told you to do so - or because you no longer believed in the Bible?

Are you asking these questions of us, or of yourself?

And what happens to you when God blesses us our relationships?

Do you truly fear that you would struck with the urge to rape rob steal and murder?