My initial goal was to create an ongoing timeline of instances where religious right groups defame the lgbt community through lies. But I had to stop in 2009 because frankly, I couldn't keep up with the consistency and the rapidity of their lies.
1977
Anita Bryant successfully leads a campaign to overturn a pro-gay ordinance in Dade County, FL. Using a simplistic, rudimentary view of Biblical scripture against homosexuality and fear stories of gay men molesting children, Bryant campaigned heavily to repeal the ordinance. She named her campaign “Save Our Children” and based it on the notion that “homosexuals cannot reproduce—so they must recruit . . . the youth of America.” Helping Bryant in her crusade is the Rev. Jerry Falwell.
John Birch Society trainer and "family activist" Tim LaHaye publishes The Unhappy Gays (later retitled What Everyone Should Know About Homosexuality). Calling gay people "militant, organized" and "vile," LaHaye anticipates anti-gay arguments to come. His wife, Beverly, exceeds him in audacity and lies when she later helps to found Concerned Women for America.
California State Sen. John Briggs floats a ballot initiative allowing local school boards to ban gay teachers. "One third of San Francisco teachers are homosexual," Briggs says. "I assume most of them are seducing young boys in toilets." The initiative is defeated, but the campaign inspires anti-gay crusaders like the Rev. Lou Sheldon, who will found the Traditional Values Coalition in 1981.
1979
Alan Bell and Martin Weinberg publishes Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity Among Men and Women. This was a study looking at gay men in the city of San Francisco in the early 1970s. Over 30 years later, the anti-gay industry cites the book as a correct representation of the sexual habits of the entire gay community. They do this despite the fact that Bell and Weinberg clearly said - “. . . given the variety of circumstances which discourage homosexuals from participating in research studies, it is unlikely that any investigator will ever be in a position to say that this or that is true of a given percentage of all homosexuals.”
The Gay Report is published. This book, looking at the sex habits of gays and lesbians, was based on 1,900 sex survey responses from gay men; 1,000 from lesbians; and 2,500 responses from a gay magazine questionnaire. The authors even say, “We agreed at the outset not to pretend that these percentages represented the practices and views of all gay people—they reflected only our respondents.” However, just like Homosexualities (see above entry), The Gay Report will be used to generalize about the sexual habits of all lgbts even 30 years after its publishing.
1981
Moral Majority allies in Congress propose the Family Protection Act, which would bar giving federal funds to "any organization that suggests that homosexuality can be an acceptable alternative lifestyle." Despite President Reagan's endorsement, the bill is defeated.
The Council for National Policy, a highly secretive club of America's most powerful far-right religious activists, begins meeting quarterly at undisclosed locations. Among the members will be R.J. Rushdoony, who calls for death penalty for homosexuals, and anti-gay crusaders James Dobson, Beverly and Tim LaHaye, Jerry Falwell, Tony Perkins and Phyllis Schlafly. George W. Bush will meet with the Council during his first campaign for president.
1982
Researcher Paul Cameron tells the audience of the University of Nebraska Lutheran Church that a four-year-old boy was recently castrated due to a sexual attack by a gay man. Cameron told this story as part of an attempt to defeat an anti-discrimination law in Lincoln, NB. Police investigated and discovered the story to be false. But the anti-discrimination law was defeated. Encouraged by that victory, Cameron publishes several pamphlets claiming amongst other things, that gay men eat feces, insert gerbils up their rectums, have a short life span, molest children at a high rate and are basically violent and sociopathic. He also travels across the country as an "expert" on homosexuality.
Six researchers complain that Paul Cameron distorts their work to prove negative theories about gay men. The American Psychological Association launches an investigation that looks at Cameron's methods.
1983
Paul Cameron completes the 1983 ISIS Survey. The survey contained many errors. Of over 4,000 people asked questions regarding sexual behavior, only 65 claimed to be gay or lesbian. Also, even before the study was completed, Cameron had publicly said it will prove negatives about gays and lesbians. This survey forms the basis of Cameron's future "studies" and pamphlets regarding the gay and lesbian community.
The American Psychological Assocation dismisses Paul Cameron for not cooperating with their investigation into alleged distortion of his colleagues' work.
1984
The Male Couple: How Relationships Develop is published. Authors David McWhirter and Andrew Mattison clearly say - “We always have been very careful to explain that the very nature of our research sample, its size (156 couples), its narrow geographic location, and the natural selectiveness of the participants prevents the findings from being applicable and generalizable to the entire gay male community.”However, over 30 years later, anti-gay industry groups (such as the Family Research Council) cites the book as the best representation of gay relationships.
A. Nicholas Groth, director of the Sex Offender Program at the Connecticut Department of Corrections, complained to the Nebraska Board of Examiners of Psychologists about Paul Cameron’s usage of his work to make the claim that gays molest children at a high rate.
The Nebraska Psychological Association passes a resolution that dissociates itself from Paul Cameron and his work.
1985
The Midwest Sociological Society censures Paul Cameron. Also, the American Sociological Association and the Society for the Study of Social Problems both pass resolutions against him. Despite all of these rebukes (and future others), the anti-gay industry will freely cite Paul Cameron and his "studies" in efforts to turn back pro-gay legislation.
Former California Congressman William Dannemeyer hires Paul Cameron to advise him on issues regarding gays and AIDS.
1986
A man named Dick Hafer publishes Homosexuality: A Legitimate Alternate Deathstyle, an offensive comic book that liberally cites Paul Cameron’s studies as well as other inaccuracies about gay men. The book is made more offensive by the nasty caricatures Hafer creates to represent gay men.
Colorado's Summit Ministries publishes Special Report: AIDS. Co-authored by Paul Cameron, the pamphlet blames gay men for the epidemic and calls for a national crackdown on homosexuals.
1987
After the Ball: How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Loathing of Gays in the 90’s is published. Authors Marshall Kirk and Erastes Pill wrote the book to give their opinion of how the lgbt community can gain equality. Despite the fact that many gays and lesbians have never heard of this book, its name will come up repeatedly in anti-gay industry books and press releases and will be cited by anti-gay industry spokespeople as proof that lgbts are conspiring to overturn "traditional values."
Boston's Gay Community News publishes a satirical column by someone using the psuedonym of Michael Swift. The column paints a picture of gays taking over the world and causing all sorts of havoc. Despite the fact that the piece is satirical (this is said at the beginning of the column), anti-gay industry spokespeople will repeatedly cite it as proof of a gay conspiracy. Some anti-gay industry press releases even omit the beginning of the column that plainly describes it as a satire.
1988
After a ferocious campaign by the fundamentalist Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA), Oregon voters overturn their governor's executive order banning anti-gay discrimination in state hiring. Led by anti-gay crusader Lon Mabon, OCA claims "promiscuous sodomite activists" have called for "the closing of all churches that oppose them and the total destruction of the family."
1989
U.S. Rep. William Dannemeyer (R-Calif.) publishes a landmark anti-gay tome, Shadow in the Land: Homosexuality in America. Calling lesbians and gay men "the ultimate enemy," Dannemeyer accuses straight people of "surrendering to this growing army without a shot," and predicts gay rights will "plunge our people, and indeed the entire West, into a dark night of the soul that could last hundreds of years."
1991
A Colorado amendment is created to ban gay-rights ordinances. Backers of this amendment, Amendment 2, uses Paul Cameron’s data in their position statement.
A lawsuit is lodged against the Kinsey Institute by "researcher" Judith Reisman for defamation of character and slander. In a 1990 book, Kinsey, Sex, and Fraud, Reisman claimed that much of Alfred Kinsey's research into sexual issues had to do with the sexual exploitation of children. The Institute is not only able to refute Reisman's claims, but her defamation lawsuit is also dismissed in 1994. Reisman becomes a cause celebre to several anti-gay industry groups despite the fact that many of them use Kinsey Institute's research to demonize lgbts. (see 1979 entry on Homosexualities. The book was produced by the Kinsey Institute.)
1992
During the anti-gay referendum campaign in Colorado, Paul Cameron was the “chief scientific consultant” for organizations backing the anti-gay ordinance.
A week before the Colorado vote, over 100,000 copies of one of Paul Cameron's pamphlets, What Homosexuals Do, is sent across the state. The amendment passes but is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1996.
1993
During the "gays in the military" debate, the video The Gay Agenda is given to members of Congress by the anti-gay industry. Cameron's phony statistics about the gay community is often cited in this video. General Carl Mundy, chief of the U.S. Marine Corps, showed a copy to members of the Pentagon, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Senator Sam Nunn, chairman of the Armed Services Committee.
1994
When gays and lesbians challenged the validity of Colorado's ordinance, state Attorney General Gail Norton paid Paul Cameron $15,649 for his research and wanted to use him as an “expert witness.” When informed of his reputation, Norton used neither him nor his research.
Joanne Hall, Ph.D. of the University of Tennessee’s College of Nursing publishes a study looking at the patterns of behavior for 35 lesbians who had self-identified alcohol problems. Her study is later used by various anti-gay industry groups to claim that lesbians in general have a problem with alcohol abuse and that gay adoption is not a good idea. Hall later writes a letter of complaint to one of the groups distorting her study (the Family Research Council). Her complaint is ignored.
1996
The Board of Directors of the Canadian Psychological Association approves a position statement disassociating the organization from Paul Cameron's work on sexuality, stating that he had "consistently misinterpreted and misrepresented research on sexuality, homosexuality, and lesbianism"
1997
Former Education Secretary William Bennett uses Paul Cameron’s study on the life span of gay men during an appearance on ABC’s This Week.
1998
William Bennett admits in an issue of The New Republic that he was incorrect in citing Paul Cameron's study, saying, “Given what I now know, I believe there are flaws with Paul Cameron’s study. One cannot extrapolate from his methodology and say that the average male homosexual life span is 43 years.”
15 anti-gay industry group band together in a huge media campaign claiming that people can "seek freedom from homosexuality." The campaign includes television commercials and full page ads in major newspapers (the Washington Post, New York Times, and USA Today). The campaign is a huge failure mostly because the homophobic murder of Matthew Shepard caused the groups to lose credibility when they claimed their campaign was about "hope, not hatred." Also, the campaign's head, Janet Folger, admits publicly that she supports gays being arrested via the sodomy laws.
Pediatrician Robert Garafalo complains that the anti-gay industry distorted his study regarding at-risk behavior amongst gay youth. He said the groups omitted the part of his study that said the at-risk behavior is the result of a homophobic society.
Assistant Professor of Sociology Lisa Waldner tells Frank Rich of the New York Times that the anti-gay industry is distorting a study she wrote while in 1992 in order to claim that lesbians relationships have a high rate of domestic violence.
2000
NEW ENTRY - Massachusetts anti-gay group Mass Resistance illegally tapes a state conference, "Teach-Out," that was sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Education, the Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, and the GLSEN (Gay Straight Lesbian Education Network). This conference was held at Tufts University. Students were allowed to ask questions about sex in a safe environment. One student asked what fisting was, and was answered with an explanation. This led the incident to be dubbed "Fistgate" by Mass Resistance when the group distributed the tape. As a result of the outcry that was generated when parents heard tapes of the event, Margot Abels, a state employee who participated in the discussion, and two other state employees were fired. Abels later sued the Massachusetts Department of Education and members of Mass Resistance for "violating her civil rights and the state's anti-wiretapping law." In 2001, she was not only reinstated but was also given back pay via arbitration. This incident would later haunt GLSEN founder Kevin Jennings in 2009 as various religious right groups and figures would use it in an attempt to get him dismissed as U.S. Assistant Deputy Secretary in the Office of Safe Schools.
Ex-gay spokesperson John Paulk is caught inside of a gay bar. In 1998, Paulk was a part of the massive media campaign conducted by anti-gay industry groups claiming that people can be "freed from homosexuality." This campaign included him being featured on the cover of Newsweek magazine and an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Initially, Paulk claimed that he was just using the bathroom. However, reports said he was in the bar for over an hour. Paulk is chaperoned on future speaking engagements and is also removed from the Board Chair position of Exodus International (an ex-gay group). He remained on the board under probationary status only and was not allowed to attend meetings or vote. In 2003, Paulk leaves Exodus International and becomes a chef.
2001
Six researchers (Robert S Hogg, Stefan A Strathdee, Kevin JP Craib, Michael V. O’ Shaughnessy, Julio Montaner, and Martin T Schechter) write a letter to the editor to the International Journal of Epidemiology accusing the anti-gay industry of distorting a study they published in 1997 in order to claim that gay men have a short life span. They said they were speaking of a hypothetical outcome that would take place if there were not better practices regarding safe sex in that particular area. They also said that conditions have improved; therefore the outcome they predicted (i.e. gay men not reaching their sixty-fifth birthday) had been averted.
Maria Xiridou of the Amsterdam Municipal Health Service completes a study which will be published in 2003. The study's objective was “to access the relative contribution of steady and casual partnerships to the incidence of HIV infection among homosexual men in Amsterdam and to determine the effect of increasing sexually risky behaviours among both types of partnerships in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).” Despite the fact that this study was situated in a foreign city, only looked at casual relationships, was completed before same-sex marriage was legalized in the Netherlands, had nothing to do with lesbian relationships or children in same-sex households, it will be cited by the anti-gay industry to speak against gay relationships, same-sex marriage, lesbian relationships, gay adoption, etc. etc.
Patrick Letellier complains that Gary Glenn of the American Family Association cherry picked passages from his book (Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them) in order to assert that domestic violence is high in gay relationships. Years after this, the book continues to be cited by the anti-gay industry in the same way Glenn cited it.
Robert Spitzer publishes a study that says a small number of people can change their sexual orientation. The anti-gay industry cites the study as proof that homosexuality is a choice. Spitzer complains as to how his work was being used, even publishing a piece in the Wall Street Journal complaining about how his work was being distorted.
Minister Jerry Falwell makes the following claim about the 911 attacks - "I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'" He later tries to retract the statement after intense media scrutiny.
2002
A. Nicholas Groth writes a letter to the Family Research Council claiming that the group distorted his work in a study to prove that gays molest children at a high level. Groth, in 1983, complained that Paul Cameron had done the same thing. The study published by the Family Research Council is almost similar to the one published by Cameron.
Several times during the year, American Family Association's Agape Press (now One News Now) cites Paul Cameron as a "family advocate." The publication does not say one word about his sordid history.
2003
By a vote of 6-3, the U.S. Supreme Court rules against sodomy laws in the case of Lawrence vs. Texas. Members of the anti-gay industry accuse the court of bias and the phrase "activist judges" begins a long run into the public consciousness. In demonizing the court, the anti-gay industry skips over several truths including the fact that four of the judges ruling against the sodomy laws were appointed by Republican presidents.
Ex-gay spokesperson Michael Johnston is caught having drug fueled orgies in hotels with men and potentially infecting them with HIV. Johnston was the founder of Kerusso Ministries and the founder of National Coming out of Homosexuality Day. In 1998, he took part in the massive media campaign claiming people can be "freed from homosexuality." He even filmed a commercial with his mother. After the discovery, Kerusso Ministries closes. Johnston is yet to face to legal consequences for his actions.
2004
Stanley Kurtz of the Hoover Institute (a right-wing think tank) publishes a theory that says when gay marriage was introduced in the Netherlands, it destroyed marriage in general by leading to more out-of-wedlock births. However, when later question by Democratic member of the House Judiciary Committee, Kurtz admitted he had no proof that same-sex marriage led to out of wedlock births in the Netherlands. He said he was merely making a systematic argument. In other words, he took two events and said that one (same-sex marriage) led to the other (out of wedlock births) without providing any evidence of such. The anti-gay industry and their allies continue to cite Kurtz's theory while omitting what he said in the testimony in front of Congress.
Repent America (a religious conservative group) are arrested for a number of charges due to their activity at a gay pride festival in Philadelphia, PA. Repent America members claim that they were merely handing out pamphlets and preaching the Gospel. This claim is echoed by various anti-gay industry groups and spokespersons. However, the truth is more complicated. Repent America members began shouting in order to drown out events happening on stage at the events. When the police attempted to get them to move to an area at the edge of the festival, they not only went deeper into the crowd of gays but also began using a bullhorn to condemn festival-goers. They also “insulted individual attendees, blocked access to vendors, and disobeyed direct orders from the police, who were trying to preserve order and keep the peace.” Nevertheless, the anti-gay industry omitted these details as they attempted to use the Repent America situation to kill hate crimes legislation.
President George Bush benefits greatly from state constitutional amendments to bar same-sex marriage when he gets re-elected. The amendment votes were key to getting so-called "value voters" out to the polls where they also vote to re-elect Bush.
2005
In Arkansas, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Timothy White rules that the state does not have justifiable grounds to keep gays from adopting children. The Arkansas court specifically calls out the state's "expert witness," George A. Rekers, saying that Dr. Rekers’ willingness to prioritize his personal beliefs over his functions as an expert provider of fact rendered his testimony extremely suspect and little, if any, assistance to the court and Dr. Rekers' personal agenda caused him to have inconsistent testimony on several issues. Rekers has been known to freely cite Paul Cameronesque distortions about the gay community in his "research." Strangely enough, Rekers is called by the state of Florida three years later to defend its ban on gay adoption. The judge in the case, Cindy Lederman, comes to the same conclusion as did Judge White regarding Rekers' testimony.
Paul Cameron is an expert witness in front of the Virginia legislature in an attempt to make sure a bill keeping gays from adopting children was passed. His appearance has the opposite effect because members of the legislature researched his background. They ask him pointed questions about his history and even gets him to admit that he was dismissed from the American Psychological Association.
Paul Cameron announces the completion of another study that supposedly proves homosexuality to be more dangerous than cigarette smoking and being overweight. What he did was take over 10,000 obituaries from the gay newspaper the Washington Blade and compare them to a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report entitled AIDS Cases in Adolescents and Adults, by Age—United States, 1994-2000. Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, said Cameron's study is wrong because he uses bad methodology. Several "conservative Christian" webpages and news services repeats Cameron's press release almost word for word while omitting the CDC's rebuke of his study.
Referring to Paul Cameron's study, Rev. Bill Banuchi, head of the New York chapter of the Christian Coalition, says gays should wear warning labels.
Texas Governor Rick Perry signs a bill against same-sex marriage. Accompanying him is televangelist and "Values Voter" activist Rod Parsley. In talking to the press, Parsley cites Paul Cameron's discredited gay life span study.
Rod Parsley again cites the study in an interview with a so-called "pro-family" publication.
The Southern Baptist Convention looks at a resolution issued by evangelist Voddie Baucham, Jr. calling for churches to “investigate whether their local school district has a ‘gay/straight’ alliance or other homosexual clubs.” The resolution also tells churches to “encourage parents’ removal of their children from schools that have curricula or programs that treat homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle.” Part of this resolution refers to Paul Cameron’s recently published study:
“Whereas, there is evidence that the homosexual lifestyle reduces life expectancy more than smoking . . .”
David Parker is arrested for trespassing at his son's school, Joseph Estabrook Elementary, in Massachusetts. Parker claims that he refused to leave a meeting unless he got assurances that his son would be opted out of discussions involving homosexuality. School officials claimed they told Parker that homosexuality was not a part of his child's curriculum but since his classmates had gay parents, they could not control all discussions regarding homosexuality (i.e. they could not control what students talked about amongst themselves). Parker subsequently sued the school but the lawsuit was dismissed.
Traditional Values Coalition spokesperson Daniella Lopez tells the Boston Globe that the organization has removed Paul Cameron's research from its webpage. She says the research had been placed there by mistake. However, even after this admission, the Traditional Values Coalition continues to sell the book, The Agenda. In The Agenda, Sheldon makes several references to Cameron and his work.
2006
Anti-gay activist and Renew America columnist Guy Adams says the following outrageous statement - “The newest thing in Chicago, it’s becoming a trend, and you’re gonna find this hard to believe . . . sex with infants . . . It’s not enough that they have . . . you know when you engage in perversion, and homosexuality is perversion, we don’t hate the gays mind you, we don’t hate them, we hate what they’re doing . . . pretty soon that perversion is like addiction, it’s not enough, so you need to graduate to something else. You need to move on. So now they’re having sex with animals, a small group that’s getting bigger, sex with infants, sex in the street in Chicago out in the open, it’s just getting more and more perverted."
Adams admits that he has no proof of his claims and is later forced to retract his comments.
David Parker's son gets into a fight at his school. Parker and various anti-gay industry groups and blogs claim that his son was beaten up by a group of students who was angry at Parker's lawsuit against the school regarding gays issues. An investigation proves that the fight had nothing to do with Parker's lawsuit but over a cafeteria seat between Parker's son and the child's friend. Not only was Parker was aware of the incident before it became posted on the blogs and webpages, but even after the truth was discovered, very few blogs and webpages corrected their version of the events.
Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition drops all pretenses of "loving the sinner but hating the sin" during a conference of so-called "values voters." When asked what should "Christians" refer to lgbts as, Sheldon is said to have shouted: “SODOMITES – and perverted ones!” He reportedly receives thunderous applause.
At the same conference, activist Peter LaBarbera, founder of Americans for Truth, (who makes a name for himself by attending subcultural functions such as leather conventions and ignoring the actions of heterosexuals in attendance while focusing on gay men) tells attendees that they need to focus on "discussing the ‘grossness’ of homosexual behavior and begin pushing for legislation declaring such behavior a social disorder. "
Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc of the University of British Columbia complains that Focus on the Family distorted her study on lesbian teen suicide.
Dr. Kyle Pruett, a clinical professor of psychiatry in the Yale Child Study Center and School of Nursing accuses Focus on the Family head James Dobson of distorting his work.
New York University educational psychologist Carol Gilligan, Ph.D. writes Focus on the Family head James Dobson a blistering letter accusing him of distorting her work.
Robert Spitzer gives an interview with the Los Angeles Times in which he says he now believes that some of those he interviewed for his 2001 study may have been either lying to him or themselves.
Robert Spitzer teams up with Dr. Judith Stacey, Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc and Soulforce, a group that combats “spiritual violence” against the gay and lesbian community, in a press release demanding that Focus on the Family stop distorting their research.
2007
The American Family Association continues to sell the video "It's Not Gay," featuring the testimony of Michael Johnston claiming to be "freed from homosexuality." Johnston was discovered in 2003 to be having drug fueled homosexual orgies, potentially infecting his partners with HIV.
Deerfield High School in Illinois is accused of making students sign a "confidentiality agreement" regarding a panel of homosexuality. The claim is a false. As it turns out, the panel discussion is a part of a larger orientation program geared to helping students adjust to high school. Parents were able to opt their children out of the program. And the confidentiality agreement was a part of a list of rules that students agreed to, including not discussing issues with other students who did not participate in the program and being courteous to each other's opinion. The agreement said nothing about keeping details from parents.
The Traditional Values Coalition passes out a flyer featuring a "wanted" poster of Jesus. The group claims that Jesus would be arrested under hate crimes legislation. This is a lie for several reasons, including the fact that Jesus never said a word about lgbts.
The Traditional Values Coalition passes out another flyer claiming (with ugly, rude images) that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) will lead to flamboyant "she-males" (their words) demanding to be employed at Christian daycare centers.
The Traditional Values Coalition is caught distorting a transcript of a Congressional hearing regarding hate crimes legislation. The organization tries to claim that hate crimes legislation will lead to pastors being arrested for preaching against homosexuality. In a press release sent to its members, the group omitted a crucial part of the transcript in order to misinterpret what was said.
African-American members team up with members of the anti-gay industry to further the distortion of the Congressional hearing regarding hate crimes legislation. A flyer is created featuring an African-American minister with handkerchief tied over his mouth.
The Eastern Psychological Association rebukes Paul Cameron for misrepresenting his appearance at one of their meetings. Cameron claimed he presented a paper when in actuality, he took part in a 70-person poster presentation.
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth cite a Paul Cameron study (i.e. the same one he falsely claimed to have presented at the Eastern Psychological Association's meeting) irregardless of his history of distortions.
Exodus International claims to have removed Paul Cameron's work from its webpage.
Francis Collins, a respected genticist and director of the Human Genome Project, accuses NARTH of misquoting him on whether or not homosexuality is "hardwired."
Fox commentator Bill O'Reilly helps spread the story about 150 lesbian gangs running havoc in Washington, D.C. O'Reilly later admits that the story was false.
The Ninth Circuit Court rules against the Allied Defense Fund in a lawsuit it brought on behalf on employees of the city of Oakland, CA. The employees sued because they were told to take down a flyer advertising the formation of Christian group. The group was formed in response to other employees starting a gay tolerance group. Members of the anti-gay industry and unfortunately members of the legitimate media (i.e. Pulitzer Prize winning columnist George Will) spin the story as one of Christians being denied their rights. However, all omitted a few facts: the employees were still permitted to start the group. They were told to take down the flyer because it contained language that bashed other employees for starting the gay tolerance group. In addition, the employees starting the Christian group made it a point to post the flyer outside the cubicle of a lesbian employee. The Ninth Circuit Court ruled that the city of Oakland was well within its rights to prevent a hostile working environment.
President Bush’s choice for Surgeon General, James Holsinger, is derailed after is it discovered that he wrote a 1991 paper that called gay sex “unhealthy.” In this paper, Holsinger allegedly used religious right techniques for applying research, including taking other research out of context. Congress never votes on Holsinger.
Sandy Rios of Concerned Women for America cites the Paul Cameron study regarding "gay lifespans and cigarette smoking" on an episode of the O'Reilly Factor.
Paul Cameron is the guest speaker at a meeting of the Christian Council of Britian. The group has a known racist reputation in England.
In attempts to keep cities and towns from passing laws that would bar discrimination against the transgender community, various anti-gay industry groups claim that the laws would allow male predators to gain access to women's bathrooms and locker rooms. They assert that all the predators have to do is state that they "feel like the other gender."
A January issue of the New Yorker magazine says that according to the CDC’s National Survey for Family Growth, released in 2006, 38.2 percent of men between 20 and 39 and 32.6 percent of women ages 18 to 44 engage in heterosexual anal sex. Interestingly enough, anti-gay industry groups ignore this article as they continue to assert and infer that anal sex is strictly “destructive homosexual behavior.”
2008
Paul Cameron’s discredited study on “gay criminal habits” is cited as fact by supermarket tabloid magazine National Examiner.
Members of the anti-gay industry (i.e. Concerned Women for America, etc.) claim that a possible outbreak of staph infections amongst gay men in San Francisco is the result of a “politically correct” doctrine of not telling people about the so-called dangers of homosexuality. Some even infer that it is the new AIDS crisis. However, the Centers for Disease Control quickly issues a statement that will hopefully reign in future hyperbole. Amongst other things, the statement says: The strains of MRSA described in the recent Annals of Internal Medicine have mostly been identified in certain groups of men who have sex with men (MSM), but have also been found in some persons who are not MSM. It is important to note that the groups of MSM in which these isolates have been described are not representative of all MSM, so conclusions can not be drawn about the prevalence of these strains among all MSM.
In a show of unmitigated gall, anti-gay industry groups led by Concerned Women for America and Americans for Truth do not address their distortions of the MRSA infection. Instead, they try reverse psychology in claiming that they want to help gay rights group stop the infection.
Concerned Women for America leads the charge of anti-gay industry groups claiming that gay rights groups “strong armed” the medical community to play down the MRSA story. They do not offer any proof of their claims. In addition, Matt Barber (Concerned Women for America) and Peter LaBarbera (Americans for Truth) deny that they linked the MRSA infection to the AIDS crisis in their original spins. However, comments they originally said about the MRSA infection show otherwise.
An anti-gay industry group in Maryland hoping to get petition signatures against a law protecting the transgender community from discrimination are the recipients of an “interesting” media opportunity. They had complained that new law could lead to men “dressed as women” entering women’s locker rooms and bathrooms. Conveniently, there is a report of an incident of this situation taking place at a local gym. However it is highly suspicious. The woman reporting the incident just happens to be a member of the group attempting to get petition signatures. For this reason and others, the incident is dismissed by many as a publicity stunt. However the stunt and claims are successful. The group forces a referendum on the bill.
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force head Matt Foreman says in a speech that the gay community must take more of a responsibility in fighting AIDS. He says that AIDS is a gay disease. Despite the fact that NAACP member Julian Bond has said pretty much the same thing about AIDS and the black community, members of the anti-gay industry trumpet Foreman's speech as proof that homosexuality leads to AIDS.
Concerned Women for America member Matt Barber claims to reveal the "gay agenda." His "revelation" is an old one; it is the claim that the gay community is trying to take over America through points of attack from After the Ball (see the year 1987).
An article in a Focus on the Family magazine cites the 1984 book The Male Couple to make the case that gay relationships involve promiscuity. However the article does not give the name of the book. This means of course it omits the caveat by the authors that their research was not meant to be the best representation of all gay couples.
Focus on the Family member Glenn Stanton says that there is a "clear consensus" among anthropologists that "A family is a unit that draws from the two types of humanity, male and female." Stanton, who is not an anthropologist, is quickly challenged by legitimate people in the field such as American Anthropologists Association. They call his claim a "gross misrepresentation of the position of the anthropological community on gay marriage"
Deerfield High School is again accused by the anti-gay industry of "indoctrinating students into the homosexual agenda." This accusation involves a book, Angels in America, that was recommended as an assigned book in a senior AP English class. The book details the early days of the AIDS crisis and contains sexually graphic language. However, many lodging the accusation against Deerfield omitted that the book was not required for reading. Also, parents had to opt-in their children in the class, which means they knew fully well what the reading choices would be.
Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern gives a talk to a local Republican group where she says homosexuality is worse than terrorism. She also cites Paul Cameronesque statistics on the alleged gay life span and claims that gays are trying to "indoctrinate" two-year olds.
In defending Sally Kern, Concerned Women for America brings up the 1987 book
After The Ball. The organization accuses the gay community of relying on tactics in the book to "bully" Kern. The organization also does not give any proof as to an orchestrated plan by the gay community to do such.
Mary Frances Forrester, wife of a North Carolina state representative, writes a column for a right-wing publication in which she pushes forth the hackneyed claim that gays are plotting to undermine "Christian values." In her column, she cites the work of discredited researcher Paul Cameron. She also cites the Michael Swift piece from 1987, omitting the part of the piece that clearly called it satire. She even gets Michael Swift's name wrong, calling him "Mark Swift."
Concerned Women for America accuses Human Rights Campaign head Joe Solmonese of potentially "risking lives in pursuit of a political agenda." The organization claims that Solmonese "recklessly" demanded that the Food And Drug Administration's ban on blood donations by men having sex with men be lifted. However the group omits that Solmonese was merely commenting on testimony by American Red Cross, the American Association of Blood Banks and America’s Blood Centers that the ban should be lifted. Concerned Women for America also does not comment on these organizations' testimony. The press release sent out by the organization focuses solely on attacking Solmonese.
Janet Folger, in a column defending Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern's statements about homosexuality, refers to the 1997 Canadian study as proof that gays have a short life span. However, in 2001
(see entry), the authors of the study complained on record that the anti-gay industry have been distorted this study.
Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council, in an interview about immigration laws denying the foreign partners of gay Americans the ability to immigrate to the U.S. unlike their heterosexually-married counterparts, says that he would prefer the United States deport gays and lesbians. He later apologizes for the comment.
Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern writes a letter to the editor to a local newspaper defending her comments about homosexuality. Amongst other things, she cites a study by Paul Cameron. She also distorts the 1997 Canadian study as proof that gays have a short life span. She does this despite the fact that in 2001
(see entry), the authors of the study went on record complaining how it has been distorted by the anti-gay industry.
Matt Barber of Concerned Women for America falsely claims that
"multiple studies have established that homosexual conduct, especially among males, is considerably more hazardous to one’s health than a lifetime of chain smoking." Barber also refers to the 1997 Canadian study to claim that gays have a short lifespan. He addresses the 2001 complaint by the researchers of the study regarding the misusage of their work
(see entry). Barber tries to dismiss the complaint as "worthless fluff." He also claims that the researchers were under "tremendous pressure" to complain. However, he neglects to go into detail as to what pressure was "exerted" on the researchers. Pleasantly for a change, he is taken to task for this distortion on many left-wing and right-wing webpages and blogs.
Conservative columnist Kevin McCullough falsely claims that ENDA (Employee Non-Discrimination Act) would make it difficult for churches to fire youth ministers found to be having inappropriate relationships with young boys in church programs.
Janelle Hallman, a researcher from NARTH (National Association for the Research and Treatment of Homosexuality), an organization pushing discredited ex-gay therapy, cites Paul Cameron in her book,
The Heart of Female Same-Sex Attraction: A Comprehensive Counseling Resource.
Lifesite News, a Roman Catholic "news" site, refers to a discredited Paul Cameron study that he falsely claimed to have presented to the Eastern Psychological Association in 2007
(see entry).
Discredited researcher Paul Cameron tours Russia where his history of distortions is virtually unknown. He speaks at Moscow State University and repeats much of his discredited work, including lie about gays and child molestation.
Insure.com, a publicly traded insurance company continues to cite work from discredited researcher Paul Cameron even after it is alerted on his many censures and breaches of professional ethics.
Click to read a list of those who still cite Cameron's work.
In a brochure,
The Slippery Slope of Same Sex Marriage, the Family Research Council cites the 2001 Dutch study by Maria Xiridou
(see entry) despite the fact that the study had nothing to do with same sex marriage.
Click to read a list of those who continue to distort Xiridou's study.
In an article published in the American Family Association's
One News Now, ex-gay organization PFOX claims that a "recent study" says that "the increased risk of suicide that is linked with young people who identify themselves as homosexuals before achieving full maturity -- a process encouraged by many homosexual high school clubs." The study in question,
Risk Factors for Attempted Suicide in Gay and Bisexual Youth by Remafedi, Farrow, and Deisher, is not recent because it was published in 1991.
Gary Remafedi, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota and one of the authors of the study mentioned by PFOX
(see above entry), claims the "ex-gay" organization distorted his research findings.
The Palm Center announces that a Duke University law review will be publishing a critique of a 2007 article by Elaine Donnelly. Donnelly is the president of the Center for Military Readiness, a traditional values interest group with no military or academic affiliation. According to Palm Center Director Aaron Belkin, Donelly's article is riddled with mistakes and misreadings of both Palm Center work and the "don't ask, don't tell" law and policy that governs gay service.
Elaine Donnelly testifies in front of a Congressional committee looking at the Don't Ask, Don't Tell law that deals with gays in the military. Her testimony, rife with fear stories of transgenders in the military, lesbians taking pictures of women in the shower, and gay men with AIDS, does nothing to help her argument in the eyes of the Congressional committee.
Robert Knight, now with the right-wing Media Research Center, attempts to spin Donnelly's failed testimony as that of a "valiant woman facing an ultra liberal committee."
"Ex-gay" Greg Quinlan inaccurately claims that the director of the Human Genome Project, Dr. Francis Collins, said that homosexuality is not hardwired. Dr. Francis has gone on record in 2007 declaring that he never made that statment. When confronted with his inaccuracy by the webpage ExGay Watch, Quinlan accuses ExGay Watch of making up Dr. Collins's rebuke.
Dr. Collins confirms that he did complain about the inaccuracy of the "hardwired" quote.
The Maryland anti-gay industry group pushing the referendum against the anti-discrimination law protecting transgendered citizens is dealt a death blow when a court decision stops their efforts. The law goes into effect immediately afterwards.
One News Now, however, inaccurately claims that the anti-gay industry group gained 900,00 valid signatures. They are off by a huge amount. The group only received 26, 813 valid signatures.
Professor Michael King of University College in the United Kingdom accuses the Catholic website
LifeSite and
One News Now of distorting his work on the rate of depression and suicide in the gay community.
While misrepresenting Dr. King's work,
One News Now adds to the distortion by citing the work of the discredited Paul Cameron.
Lisa Diamond, University of Utah professor, accuses anti-gay group NARTH of grossly and deliberately distorting her work on sexual orientation.
In a successful attempt to pass Proposition 8, a law that would outlaw gay marriage in California, the religious right group 'Yes on 8' spreads the following stories - not passing Proposition 8 will lead to pastors being arrested for not performing gay marriage and children will be forced to learn about homosexuality. On that last point, the group gets an assist from David Parker who films an interview with Family Research Council head Tony Perkins. Parker exaggerates his tale of being arresting including claiming that his son brought home a book about homosexuality. The book in question was about differing families and only one family featured in the book was of a same sex nature.
Members of the religious right make the claim that the gay community is conducting an organized campaign of violence and intimidation against the voters of Proposition 8. To prove this, they cite an incident of a 69-year-old woman who has a styrofoam cross ripped out of her hand during a silent vigil protesting Proposition 8. They omit the fact that the woman, Phyllis Burgess, pushed her way through the crowd of protestors to be on camera even at the point of knocking down a disabled man.
An uncoordinated wildcat gay rights group in Michigan, Bash Back, invade a local church where they allegedly pull a fire alarm, make out at the pulpit, and shout blasphemies in front of children. However, area police say the church exaggerated some details of the story. Also some religious right groups incorrectly link the group Bash Back with the Proposition 8 protests, which have been peaceful.
Mike Heath, head of the Main Family Policy Council, accuses the gay community of "hate crimes against Christians" because of the Proposition 8 vote, including a bomb sent to a missionary in Vancouver, British Columbia. This is a blatant lie because the incident and the organization the missionary was involved in had nothing to do with gays, Proposition 8, California, the Mormon church, etc.
Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Cindy Lederman declares that Florida's ban on gay adoption is unconstitutional. She especially criticizes the testimony of George A. Rekers, an expert that the state called on to testify about its ban. Lederman says
Dr. Rekers’ beliefs are motivated by his strong ideological and theological convictions that are not consistent with the science. Based on his testimony and demeanor at trial, the court can not consider his testimony to be credible nor worthy of forming the basis of public policy. This is the same conclusion that a judge in Arkansas reached regarding Rekers' testimony regarding that state's adoption ban in 2005. During his Florida testimony, Rekers repeated Paul Cameronesque lies about the gay community and even said he would consider banning Native Americans from adopting children for the same reasons he would consider banning gays.
President-Elect Barack Obama faces a firestorm of criticism from the lgbt community due to his selection of prominent pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration. Warren faces criticism due to his support of Proposition 8 in California and his comparing lgbt relationships to incest and pedophilia. In an address on his church’s website, Warren accuses his critics of “Christophobia” and claims that he never compared lgbt relationships to incest and pedophilia. However, an interview on Beliefnet.com clearly shows that Warren
did compare lgbt relationships to incest and pedophilia.
The American Family Association complains that Campbell Soup is lending support to the alleged “homosexual agenda” because the company ran an ad in two issues of the lgbt-oriented
Advocate magazine. The AFA is especially critical of the ad content because it features two lesbians and their son. This complaint comes at the same time the AFA’s newsite,
One News Now, are calling lgbts “intolerant” for their anger over Rick Warren.
An investigation by the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights finds that there is reason to pursue anti-discrimination charges against the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association for denying Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Paster permission to rent its Boardwalk Pavilion for their civil union ceremony. While the religious right spins this case as one of religious liberties at danger, they omit the fact that the pavilion was receiving tax breaks under a law which said the property had to be open and nondiscriminatory for all.
2009
Gary Glenn and the American Family Association seeks to repeal a City of Kalamazoo expanded human rights ordinance on the grounds that the ordinance is an attack on religious beliefs and will lead to men invading women's restrooms. These are the same fear tactics used by a Maryland group in 2008 during their failed attempt to overturn an ordinance there.
The phony claim that the lgbt community is using the book
After The Ball (see 1987) as a blueprint to take over America makes an appearance at least three times in the early months of 2009. Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern makes the claim at a conference of the far right group The John Birch Society. The American Family Association refers to the book in its documentary "Silencing Christians." And Focus on the Family accuses actor Sean Penn of "taking a page" from the book in his acceptance speech after winning an Oscar for his portrayal of lgbt icon Harvey Milk.
A group in Utah, America Forever, uses the Michael Swift column
(see 1987) in a hideously inaccurate, stereotype-ridden full page newspaper ad criticizing pending pro-gay state legislation.
Utah legislator Chris Buttars attacks gay community, calling them America's biggest threat and comparing them to "radical Muslims." When gays complain, spokespeople for the religious right accuse them of being "intolerant."
The book
After the Ball (see 1987) is mentioned yet again. This time, it is Massachusetts anti-gay group Mass Resistance who claim that their being labeled as a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center is in accordance to the plan put forth by the book.
Voters in Gainesville, FL reject a ballot initiative designed to overturn the city's transgender-inclusive nondiscrimination law. Organizers of the ballot initiative claimed that the law would lead to "predators" invading women's restrooms and locker rooms. They even created a commercial claiming this point.
The Illinois Family Institute protests being labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. However for all of its complaining, the group does not remove the material from its webpage (i.e. a press release featuring discredited work by Paul Cameron) that led to its labeling in the first place.
A columnist for
One News Now, Peter Heck, refers to Paul Cameron's discredited gay life span study as proof that homosexuality is a "so-called dangerous lifestyle."
The National Organization for Marriage unveils a commercial, "A Gathering Storm," claiming that same sex marriage will lead to freedoms being curtailed. In the commercial, they repeat many distortions, including that of the Ocean Grove Pavilion
(see 2008) and the David Parker controversy
(see 2005). The Gathering Storm ad is quickly lambasted due to these distortions and its bad production values.
Miss California Carrie Prejean becomes a cause celebre of the religious right because of her answer in the Miss America pageant that she does not support gay marriage. In the middle of the controversy, it is discovered that Prejean’s church,The Rock Church of San Diego, cites the studies of Paul Cameron in its claims about the lgbt community.
The National Organization for Marriage teams up with Miss California, Carrie Prejean, in an attempt to take advantage of Prejean’s notoriety. However, after semi-nude photos of Prejean surfaces, the organization distances itself from her.
Various religious right groups and figures claim that the American Psychological Association has “abandoned” the belief that homosexuality is caused by a “gay gene.” However the APA never asserted this belief in the first place.
The religious right continues to lie about adding lgbts to hate crimes legislation, including claiming that pastors will be arrested for preaching against homosexuality and claiming that the bill protects pedophiles. They even try to coin a name for it -The Pedophilie Protection Bill.
Paul Cameron attempts to push his discredited studies via a tour of Poland. However, he gets turned away from various speaking venues after
Gazeta Wyborcza, a Polish newspaper, makes people aware of his negative reputation.
The National Organization for Marriage pushes another television ad against gay marriage, this one being against gay marriage in New York. However the organization is skewered again as the ad contains several errors, including a mispelling of the word “marriage.”
Authors of the book
Unequal Opportunity: Health Disparities Affecting Gay and Bisexual Men in the United States (Professors Richard J. Wolitski, Ron Stall, and Ronald O. Valdiserri) accuse Focus on the Family of distorting their research in an attempt to claim a connection between child sexual abuse and adult homosexuality.
The Family Research Council and various other religious right groups and figures campaign to get GLSEN (Gay Straight Lesbian Education Network) founder Kevin Jennings removed from his position as U.S. Assistant Secretary Deputy Secretary in the Office of Safe Schools, even pulling out the “Fistgate” lie.
(see 2000)
Scott Lively, author of the discredited book the
Pink Swastika (a book that tries to link gays to the Nazi Party) publishes with a “textbook,”
Redeeming the Rainbow: A Christian Response to the Gay Agenda. This “textbook” is basically a rehash of infamous anti-gay claims, including the “Michael Swift lie” and the “The Overhauling of Straight America” lie
(see 1987 for both). Specifically, Lively not only cites Paul Cameron’s studies, but he also tries to sanitize Cameron’s reputation.
South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint sends a letter out to various religious leaders claiming that the possible addition of lgbts to hate crimes legislation will lead to pastors being arrested in pulpits for calling homosexuality a sin.
I stand by everything in this time line. I gleaned this information from various news articles and other sources. You can find my citations in my book, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters. However, if anyone wants further proof, they can reach me and I will gladly provide my sources.
Some information also taken from A Thirty Years War and Anything But Straight
Linda Harvey - the former advertising executive who "found Jesus" and founded the religious right group Mission America. Subsequently this supposedly entitles her to become an "expert" of all things regarding the lgbt community. It allows her to say the following mess:
Kevin McCullough - conservative columnist, leader of the so-called "Musclehead Revolution" and an all-around strange character who feels that since he is a man who has fathered a son whose skin is darker than the average African American (his exact words), he can tell the black community just how "evil" Obama is.
Guy Adams - Rounding out the lower echeleon list of anti-gay nobodies is this mean looking fellow, Guy Adams. If you are not familiar with him there is a reason for that. In 2006, the one-time bodyguard of Alan Keyes said probably the most ugly, rudest thing ever about lgbts. It was so nasty that I don't think that Peter LaBarbera or Matt Barber at their most logically gymnastic could defend it: 
Ken Hutcherson - Of course this list must be multi-racial because ignorant, homophobic comments are like diseases; they know no color, gender, or religion. And who better to put in this list than perennial Microsoft stock threatener Ken Hutcherson. Hutcherson has never met a self-aggrandizing comment that he didn't like.
Chris Buttars - This lovely Utah representative who looks as if he has a low tolerance for gassy people doesn't necessarily like lgbts. But the folks in Utah seem to like him because they keep electing him to office. Maybe some folks like to hear such comments as: 
Anita Bryant - Come on guys. You know that girlfriend was going to be included. Anita Bryant who galvanized both sides of the aisle of gay rights in her successful attempt to get a Florida non-discrimination ordinance repealed in . She claimed to do it because she was worried that gays "recruit" children. I bet you all think that her quote about gays supposedly recruiting children is the reason why she made this list. It isn't. She had a funnier quote in Playboy magazine:
Reverend Gregory Daniels - Daniels was a black minister in Chicago. In 2004, he made the following comment: