Academic Freedom

Canadian Judge Finds LaBarbera, Whatcott Not Guilty of ‘Mischief’ Charge for Protesting at University of Regina

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2014
AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera being arrested at the University of Regina. Yesterday, Judge MaryLynne Beaton rejected the university's claim that a peaceful protest at U-R against abortion and sodomy somehow interfered with students' education.

JUDGE SAYS NO TO CAMPUS CENSORS: AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera being arrested at the University of Regina last April. Yesterday, Saskatchewan Provincial Judge MaryLynne Beaton rejected the university’s claim that a peaceful protest at U-R against abortion and sodomy somehow interfered with students’ education. Canadian pro-family advocate Bill Whatcott–who with LaBarbera was arrested on a “Mischief” charge–says he will return to the camps to disseminate biblical truth.

“I find that the purpose of (their) attending the University of Regina was to communicate information and their actions were passive and non-aggressive,” Judge Beaton wrote. “The university’s response was disproportionate to the peaceful distribution of flyers.” [page 14, decision]

_________________________

Saskatchewan Provincial Court Judge Marylynne Beaton ruled yesterday that AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera and Canadian pro-family advocate Bill Whatcott are not guilty of criminal “mischief” after being arrested and jailed April 14, 2014 after peacefully protesting and disseminating factual literature at the University of Regina–against the wishes of school administrators.

In the 27-page decision, available HERE, Judge Beaton relied heavily on Whatcott’s claim under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms that he had a right to disseminate his religious views–and rejected the notion put forth by the prosecution that the two pro-family activists disrupted the educational mission of U-Regina.

Below is YouTube of a Regina Leader Post audio-story with Whatcott’s reaction to the decision, and beneath that the print report by the Leader-Post. You can go to Whatcott’s website HERE, and beneath that an excerpt the Leader-Post’s story on the decision.

Said LaBarbera in response to the ruling:

“I am gratified by Judge Beaton’s well-reasoned decision, and I congratulate my friend Bill Whatcott for once again leading the way in challenging Canada to live up to her ideals of liberty and freedom of conscience. It is preposterous in a country that claims to be free to criminalize dissenting speech at a public university. Yet this is what University of Regina administrators sought to do by cowardly attempting to banish Bill Whatcott and me from their campus. In the process they dishonored their students–who deserved better than clumsy attempts at censorship justified by condescending and odious appeals to ‘protect’ them from ‘hate.’

“Hopefully, this ruling will open up the door to a resurgence of true tolerance and freedom in Canada. The Left in Canada, as in the United States, does not want debate but rather control. They fear unfettered exposure to moral truth and compelling facts about homosexuality–hence their campaign to silence Christians and others who speak out against sexual immorality and gender rebellion.

“The very fact that I was detained and searched at length twice by Border police upon entering Canada–merely because I and AFTAH espouse historic, biblical, Judeo-Christian teachings on homosexuality–reflects escalating ‘thought tyranny’ and anti-intellectualism in Canada which, if allowed to take root, will only lead to more rigid repression against believers in this great land.”

More coming from AFTAH on this story; here is Whatcott’s reaction [order his book “Born in a Graveyard” HERE]:

Read the rest of this article »

Gina Miller Dissects Libelous Kate Geiselman Salon Hit-Piece on Peter LaBarbera

Tuesday, May 13th, 2014
The liberal online magazine Salon became the conduit for Kate Geiselman's absurd "effing" lie.

SALON SPREADS A LIE: the liberal online magazine Salon became the conduit for Kate Geiselman’s absurd “effing” lie. See AFTAH attorney Charles LiMandri’s letter demanding a retraction and apology from Geiselman HERE.

Thank you to my friend and conservative columnist Gina Miller for deconstructing this libelous Salon piece based on an absurd lie concocted by Sinclair Community College professor Kate Geiselman. We hope that she and Salon do the right thing and retract this story.–Peter LaBarbera, AFTAH

See pro-family attorney Charles LiMandri’s letter demanding a public retraction and apology HERE:

Watch the videos of the walkout and LaBarbera’s SCC speech HERE

Gina Miller writes:

____________________________

Salon Publishes Libelous Hit Piece on Peter LaBarbera

By Gina Miller

Spring has sprung with a vengeance on Americans for Truth About Homosexuality’s Peter LaBarbera, although it’s not Spring’s fault, nor is it Mr. LaBarbera’s.  The vengeance comes from anti-Christian activists and purveyors of “tolerance” and lies who have caused Mr. LaBarbera quite a bit of trouble since April.  After being invited to Canada to speak to a pro-life group, and overcoming efforts to block his entry into the country, he was then arrested there for “trespassing” while he was standing for free speech on a public college campus, a charge which was later changed to “mischief” and is still pending.  You see, our neighbor Canada has laws against “hate speech,” and they consider telling the truth about homosexual behavior to be “hate speech,” and that’s why they targeted Mr. LaBarbera.

On April 9th, just before he left for Canada, he was invited by the Traditional Values Club to give a speech at Sinclair Community College (SCC) in Dayton, Ohio on the topic of the radical homosexual movement.  A couple of intolerant, pro-homosexual teachers, who are apparently obsessed with hatred for the Traditional Values Club, organized a large walk-out of his speech, which he handled with an abundance of grace.  One of the teachers, Kate Geiselman, subsequently decided to write a column, published on April 16th by Salon.com, which calls him an “anti-gay bigot” in the headline.  In it, she claims he was “angry” at the walk-out, and as the teachers and students filed out of the room, she declares that he said, “You’re leaving?  Are you effing kidding?”

One small, but important detail, however:  Peter LaBarbera never said that, which makes her column pure, actionable libel.  He did say “effing,” but it was in response to a heckler who flung the actual F-word at him during the walk-out, and Mr. LaBarbera was repeating to the audience what he heard the guy say (replacing the guy’s F-word with the euphemistic “effing”) in illustration of the “tolerance” of those walking out.

Another of the teacher collaborators, Rebecca Morean, posted a comment at the Salon column, stating in part:

LaBarbera certainly said “Effing.” I, and many others heard it, as we were the first to eject ourselves. I’d rather be accused of saying that btw than being a bigot.  Odd sense of outrage.  There are other tapes, and the fact that the one posted means he didn’t say it is silly.  The mic wasn’t by his face.

Another small, but large, detail:  a two-minute clip of the walk-out reveals that Mr. LaBarbera was holding the mic and speaking into it the entire time, so the mic was indeed “by his face.”  It would appear that Ms. Morean is not concerned with telling the truth, because videos of it also reveal what Mr. LaBarbera said, which does not include, “You’re leaving?  Are you effing kidding?”

Here is what he said, as transcribed from video recordings:

“I suppose this is a walk-out.  Well, this is, this is what I say, not, not even people willing to hear from the other side.  I think this is, this is regretful. [heckler interjects F-word]  ‘Your message is ‘effing’ garbage,’ that guy just said.  Yeah, yeah this is a shame, but, well, those of you who remained are exhibiting true tolerance…  I mean this is—this is the Left in action; I’m sorry.  You know, tolerance for me but not for you.  Don’t even want to hear a viewpoint.  That’s their right, and I just think it’s immature…”

So, a heckler flings the real “F-word” at Mr. LaBarbera, and he responds to the heckler by saying, “‘Your message is ‘effing’ garbage,’ that guy just said.”  This is quite a different story than what Ms. Geiselman claims, as does Salon in publishing her column.

I also obtained statements from witnesses who were in the audience and testified that Mr. LaBarbera did not say what the two teachers claim.

Al Giambrone, a co-founder of the Traditional Values Club, wrote:

I was present for the entire event…  I was sitting in the third or fourth row on the end seat next to the center aisle directly behind one of the instructors who lead the walkout.  I had a perfect view and was well within earshot of Mr. LaBarbera (even if he hadn’t had a mike) when the walkout occurred.  I paid careful attention to his reaction and what he said when they walked out because I was curious to see how he would handle it. I knew it was coming.  I was quite impressed by the way in which he responded, by his presence of mind and by his effective but respectful demeanor, not only during the walkout but through the entire event.  At no time did I hear him use any inappropriate language nor did I see him display any contentious reaction even when hostile members in the audience gave him what many would consider good reason to do so.

Read the rest of this article »

U. of Texas Dismisses Homosexual Extremist Scott Rose’s Misconduct Complaint against Prof. Mark Regenerus, Author of ‘Gay Parenting’ Study

Friday, August 31st, 2012

Rose smeared MN pro-family leader as “spokes-turd” and Maggie Gallagher as “Gagginwhore”

WARNING: Vulgar and highly offensive hate graphic (created by Scott Rose)

The above malicious and sophomoric hate-graphic attacking (Minnesota-based) Parents Action League leader Laurie Thompson, was created by homosexual activist Scott Rose — for his now-defunct blog, “AntiGay Bigotry Scares Me.” It was the same Rose who filed a “professional misconduct” complaint against U. of Texas scholar Mark Regnerus, whose landmark study exposed the negative effects of “gay parenting.” U-T rejected Rose’s complaint, finding no grounds for a formal ethics investigation of Regnerus. Click on graphic to enlarge in separate window.

By Peter LaBarbera, AFTAH

The University of Texas has cleared its scholar, Sociology Prof. Mark Regnerus, of any “professional misconduct” related to his landmark study implicating homosexual parenting. Thus U-T rejects the tendentious ethics complaint by Scott Rose (aka Scott Rosenweig), who bills himself as an “investigative reporter,” but is in reality a hateful homosexual activist who viciously and crudely demonizes pro-family leaders.

How hateful and vindictive is Rose? Above is a malicious graphic created by Rose for an attack-piece (since scrubbed from his own blog, which has been down for weeks). Its target is Laurie Thompson, a leader of the Parents Action League, a pro-family group that opposes pro-homosexual policies and curricula in Minneapolis schools. AFTAH has also acquired e-mail correspondence between Thomson and Rose that exposes his abusive tactics, e.g., calling Thompson a “gay-bashing monster.” (Rose writes for a homosexual advocacy website, “The New Civil Rights Movement.”)

In a further demonstration of Rose’s cruelty and penchant for nasty attacks, see the graphic further below in this article — in which he labels pro-marriage leader Maggie Gallagher, a founder of the National Organization for Marriage, as “Maggie Gagginwhore,” under a photo of a pig. This original post also has been taken offline [see graphic at bottom of this article], undoubtedly to hide Rose’s true nature as an extreme LGBT militant willing to go to absurd and lengths to vilify his opponents.

Read the rest of this article »

Illinois High School Allows Display Celebrating Homosexual ‘Civil Unions’ Law

Monday, March 28th, 2011

Display prominently celebrating new Illinois "Civil Unions" law put up by a pro-homosexual student club at Lyons Township High School. Photo: Earl Gough. Click on photo to enlarge.

Dear Readers, each pro-homosexual law makes it easier for school administrators and teachers to allow the one-sided promotion of homosexuality in their school, as occurred recently at Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, Illinois (see photo). The state’s Democrat-dominated General Assembly passed a “Civil Unions” bill in a lame-duck session last year (before a new elected, more conservative legislature could take office) — and Gov. Pat Quinn (D) signed it into law January 31. (The bill, which also allows heterosexual “civil unions,” thus further undermining marriage, takes effect June 1.)

America’s public schools are becoming de facto “Homosexuality-Promotion Zones” — directly undermining the authority of parents to guide their children’s moral upbringing — and subjecting Christian and moral-minded students to one-sided pro-homosexuality propaganda like the above. — Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org; [Send news about your children’s or local schools to americansfortruth@gmail.com.]

Read the rest of this article »

Catholic Professor Kenneth Howell Reinstated by U. of Illinois

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Questions remain about secular, pro-“gay” bias at Champaign-Urbana

Dr. Kenneth Howell will continue to teach at the University of Illinois.

We are relieved that Prof. Kenneth Howell has been reinstated at the University of Illinois, but serious questions remain about the U. of I.’s secular bias against people of faith and in favor of aggressive homosexual activism. There needs to be an independent, outside investigation into how this travesty happened at a taxpayer-funded university — and the department heads and administrators who put political correctness above academic freedom and basic fairness should pay a price. If the larger problem persists of celebrating homosexuality at the expense of others’ fundamental rights, there will be many more Kenneth Howells in Illinois and across the nation.    — Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org

The following is a LifeSiteNews article about Prof. Howell’s reinstatement:

By Kathleen Gilbert

URBANA, Illinois, July 29, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Dr. Kenneth Howell, the professor barred from teaching after a student complained about his explanation of the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality, in a class on Catholicism, has been reinstated by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).

News spread rapidly of the censure earlier this month of Dr. Howell, whose scheduled classes next fall had been cancelled based on one student’s complaint that an email from the professor to students in the class explaining how homosexuality is incompatible with the natural moral law amounted to “hate speech.”

The university was soon deluged with opposition from within UIUC and beyond. Even the school’s Atheists, Agnostics, & Freethinkers group expressed outrage at the professor’s silencing. Howell, who had taught “Introduction to Catholicism and Modern Catholic Thought” at the university’s Department of Religion since 2001, had also taught at the school’s diocesan-run Newman Center for 12 years.

Read the rest of this article »

Gay Liberation Network Leader Bob Schwartz Applauds U-I’s Firing of Catholic Professor

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Gay Liberation Network's Bob Schwartz supports the University of Illinois' firing of Catholic professor Kenneth Howell. Imagine how different his reaction would be if it were a "gay" professor fired for explaining "gay rights" to his students.

I received the following note yesterday from Bob Schwartz, a leader of the Gay Liberation Network in Chicago. Schwartz is a self-described Trotskyite (communist) and is the fellow who bragged that he worked to get AFTAH’s website labeled as a “hate site” by the Southern Poverty Law Center:

From: [Bob Schwartz, Gay Liberation Network]
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 20:55:16 -0400
To: <
americansfortruth@comcast.net>
Subject: Kenneth Howell

Here are AFTAH’s two stories on Howell’s firing:

Just a note to advise you that I asked the new U of I president to support the termination of antigay bigot “natural law” [Prof. Kenneth] Howell.

Bob Schwartz

Here is my reply to Schwartz:

From: [Peter LaBarbera} americansfortruth@comcast.net to [Schwartz]
Date: July 13, 2010
Subject: Re: Kenneth Howell

Bob…If this happened to a homosexual prof who affirmed gay rights to his students (in a class about the GLBT Movement), you and GLN would be crying “discrimination!” to the media and holding protest vigils at U of I. But I’ve come to expect such hypocrisy from you guys. “Tolerance for me but not for thee.”…

Peter LaBarbera, Americans For Truth About Homosexuality

Here are two AFTAH articles on the University of Illinois-Howell termination scandal:

VIDEO: Rachel Maddow and Liberty University’s Democratic Club — Does Rachel Understand Freedom?

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

Would Smarty Pants Lesbian U. be required to endorse an ex-gay evangelical campus club?

rachel_maddow-liberty-democrats.jpgIf Rachel Maddow were to form Smarty Pants Lesbian University (SPLU), would it be forced to recognize a Christian ex-“gay” student club? At left, the openly lesbian MSNBC talker interviews Brian Diaz, head of a student Democratic club that was denied recognition by Liberty University. See YouTube video at bottom of this story.

By Peter LaBarbera

Nobody has mastered the art of snide inflections and biased liberal hit “journalism” as quickly and masterfully as MSNBC’s resident smarty-pants lesbian talker, Rachel Maddow (see this lesbian site’s story). Check out Maddow’s exaggerated pronunciation of “LGBT” in the YouTube video below as she attempts to skewer Liberty University for banning a campus Democratic Club. (Read the Democratic Party Platform HERE.) Now, at the risk of not knowing my place at the back of the bus as an Idiot Evangelical in Maddow’s World, I’d like to help her understand the principle of American liberty at stake in this case:

Let’s say for the sake of argument that the mannish Maddow and her female partner established the Smarty Pants Lesbian Liberal Party (SPLLP) for the purpose of mobilizing snarky lesbians and liberal fellow travelers to influence government and culture. Furthermore, the determined duo also create (with a Tim Gill financial assist) Smarty Pants Lesbian University (SPLU) to train up annual cadres of mini-Maddows to permeate the media and other culture-influencing institutions. (We’re not sure if non-lesbian feminists or males would be admitted to SPLU.)

Now, here’s our questions for Ms. Maddow: let’s say a covert SPLLP member were to trick her way past Liberty U.’s faith-based admission process, become a Liberty student and then suddenly apply for recognition of her SPLLP club on campus. (I envision a special appearance on MSNBC and sympathetic interviews in all the liberal media.) Would Liberty U.  be obligated to recognize the Smarty Pants Lesbian Party? Of course not — it would impinge upon and undermine Liberty’s right to propagate its own belief system to students. In fact, Liberty would be within its rights to expel the troublemaking student, at the risk of making her even a bigger star in Maddow’s World.

In the same vein, take a lesbian student who finds Christ at Maddow’s Smarty Pants Lesbian U. (someone smuggled a Bible to her inside a lesbian magazine). The reborn, ex-“gay” woman now desires to form an Ex-Lesbians for Christ Club (ELCC) on campus. Would Maddow and Smarty Pants Lesbian U. be required to recognize the evangelical, homosexuality-opposing Christian club? Certainly not. That would violate their right to propagate their bitter, snide, left-wing, pro-homosexual, Christian- and Republican-hating ideology — thus jeopardizing their master-plan to spawn Rachel Maddow clones across America! And yes, Smarty Pants U. would be within its rights to expel the righteous former lesbian.

Young Democrat Club president Brian Diaz does not understand the difference between liberty and (state-enforced) egalitarianism (“I think that you should definitely be equal and show both sides of the issue equally,” he tells Maddow). Apparently Liberty University accepts federal student aid and loan dollars (as Maddow mentions on air) but if that ultimately translates into being forced to accept groups like the Democratic Club that defy its foundational Christian beliefs, then we believe it would be time to refuse federal monies — like Hillsdale College does — for the sake of freedom. Now watch the Rachel Maddow video (conservatives: brace yourselves):

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Have Universities Become the Enemy of a Free Society?

Sunday, January 6th, 2008

alan_kors.jpg University of Pennsylvania History Professor Alan Kors defends freedom against the camps Left.

Click this link: http://www.isi.org/lectures/flvplayer/lectureplayer.aspx?file=v000114_cicero_050807.flv, or go to this Intercollegiate Studies Institute web page and chose the video (or audio MP3), “Have Universities Become the Enemy of a Free Society?” The debate is between Alan C. Kors, Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania, and William Galston, Professor, School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland. It occurred at the University of Delaware, Trabant Theater, on May 8, 2007.

Kors is brilliant. Our condolences to Professor Galston. 


Support Americans for Truth about Homosexuality

Americans For Truth
P.O. Box 340743
Columbus, OH 43234

Peter's Lifesite News Articles'

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Peter's Lifesite News Articles'


Americans for Truth Radio Hour

Americans for Truth Academy

Peter's Lifesite News Articles'