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Freedom Under Fire
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015
Following is an important opinion piece by our friend Gina Miller providing background about a court case that poses a direct threat to Americans’ freedom. The pro-homosexual Left–in this case the well-heeled “hate” manipulators at Southern Poverty Law Center–are attempting to use the courts to shut down ex-“gay” therapists–who help men and women overcome unwanted same-sex attractions. (Next they will be going after ex-“gay” ministries and church- or religiously-affiliated counselors.) Leftists are totalitarians at heart, as more and more they move to squelch dissent on the “gay” issue (in the name of “equality” and “protecting” people, of course–liberals know how to package their tyranny). This column first ran about a year ago in Renew America, an excellent website for patriots. Please do all you can to help JONAH and Chuck LiMandri’s Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund, as literally is liberty are on the line in this case. — Peter LaBarbera, AFTAH
February 16, 2014
By Gina Miller
Listen to an audio version of this column at Renew America
As we continue to watch insanity reign in our nation on far too many levels, yet another activist federal judge, an Obama appointee who apparently does not know the difference between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, has overruled the will of the people in the State of Virginia and declared its ban on same-sex “marriage” to be “unconstitutional.” So continues the warped, vicious assault on truth, reason, the family and our freedoms.
We also have an example of what a Godless, morally relativistic university system produces. A third-year law student at Yale has written an opinion piece published on Wednesday in the New York Times. Jacob Victor’s column titled, “Ending ‘Gay Conversion’ for Good,” demonstrates the standard, leftist talking-point lies used against those who help people overcome unwanted same-sex attraction.
His piece begins:
Therapy programs that purport to “convert” lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender kids have caused immeasurable harm since they became prominent in the 1970s. Rigorous studies have shown again and again that efforts to change young people’s sexual orientation not only fail, but are also linked to suicidal behavior, depression, anxiety, drug use and risky sexual behavior.
These are lies. I am not aware of any therapists who guarantee conversion, any kind of therapists. When sin has a powerful hold on someone, it’s never easy to let it go, but it is possible. Countless people have escaped the grip of homosexuality and have gone on to live normal lives. To say that change from homosexuality is not possible is to lie.
Read the rest of this article »
Posted in "Sexual Orientation"/"Gender Identity" and the Law, Christian Persecution, Freedom Under Fire, News |
Saturday, January 24th, 2015
Did America’s “conservative network” violate its anchor Bret Baier’s religious rights in forcing Legatus pullout?
Did Fox News violate anchor Bret Baier’s religious rights by pressing him to pull out as a speaker at the Catholic Legatus summit? Go to 23:40 mark in the video below. Read HERE about how Baier confirmed that Fox “requested” he withdraw as a speaker. And go HERE for Peter LaBarbera’s in-depth report for America’s Survival on Fox News’ escalating pro-homosexual bias,
America’s Survival TV led by veteran conservative media observer Cliff Kincad interviewed AFTAH’s Peter LaBarbera January 21, 2015 about Fox News “requesting” that anchor Bret Baier, a Catholic, pull out as a speaker from a Jan. 28-29 conference by the Catholic group Legatus. [See AFTAH stories HERE and HERE.] Note at about the 24:00 mark how Jerry Kenney raises the specter of whether Fox violated Baier’s religious rights, citing a potential Title VII violation under the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)-enforced code. Here is AS’s write-up:
Published on YouTube Jan 24, 2015
The pressure to conform to the left-wing homosexual agenda has scored a direct hit on the Fox News Channel. Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth discusses the scandal surrounding Bret Baier’s forced withdrawal from a Catholic conference. Jerry Kenney and Cliff Kincaid join Peter LaBarbera to discuss whether Bret Baier’s rights to free speech and religious expression were violated by his corporate bosses. Can a legal case be brought against Fox News?
Posted in "Sexual Orientation"/"Gender Identity" and the Law, Catholic general, Catholic Pro-Family, Christian Persecution, FOX News, Freedom Under Fire, Media Promotion, News, YouTube videos |
Wednesday, January 21st, 2015
Folks, I know we’re three weeks into 2015, but these videos get my award for the smartest pro-family activism of 2014. Congrats to Theodore Shoebat–the son of ex-radical-Muslim-turned-Christian Walid Shoebat–for exposing the hypocrisy of homosexual activists, or at least those who would force Christian and moral-minded small businessmen to violate their conscience in the name of “gay equality.” Watch it on YouTube HERE.
Shoebat asks pro-homosexual bakeries to make anti-homosexual “marriage” cakes (that say, “Gay Marriage Is Wrong”) and watch what happens. And for the record, AFTAH completely supports the right of bakers of any political or religious persuasion to refuse to bake cakes that convey ideas with which they disagree. It’s called Freedom. Of course, that includes Christian, Orthodox Jewish or Muslim bakers who are asked to celebrate homo-sexual immorality (e.g., “Gay Pride”) and counterfeit, sodomy-based “marriage.” This is Part 1, and Part 2 follows after the jump; they were published December 12, 2014.–Peter LaBarbera, AFTAH.org; Twitter: @PeterLaBarbera
Read the rest of this article »
Posted in "Civil Unions" & "Gay Marriage", "Civil Unions" & "Gay Marriage", "Sexual Orientation"/"Gender Identity" and the Law, Biblical Truth, Christian Persecution, Freedom Under Fire, News, Tolerance? |
Friday, January 16th, 2015
Actor Gary Sinise, beer exec Pete Coors join Baier in withdrawing as speakers from Catholic businessmen’s group after homosexual blogger says Legatus is “very anti-gay”
Fox News’ pro-homosexual bias continues: A homosexual activist blogger charged the Catholic group Legatus with being “very anti-gay,” and within days Fox anchor Bret Baier pulled out as a speaker at a Legatus event scheduled for Jan. 28-29. Did the “conservative” network push Baier to pull out? In contrast to Baier (and actor Gary Sinise, who also cancelled as a speaker), Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal ignored political correctness and is fulfilling his promise to speak at the same Catholic event. Call Fox News at 888-369-4762 (ext. #3); contact Baier HERE. Commend Gov. Jindal HERE (225-342-7015). And read Peter LaBarbera’s in-depth report on Fox News’ growing pro-homosexual bias HERE.
[Update: in an email sent to a subscriber to AFTAH’s e-newsletter, Bret Baier confirmed that his employer, Fox News, had asked him to pull out as a speaker at the Legatus summit. Baier said he agreed with the decision (story upcoming….)]
[Correction: we failed to note that Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York joined Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal as among the original “big-name” speakers who did NOT pull out of the Legatus event.]
_______________________
TAKE ACTION: Liberty Is At Stake:
1) Contact Fox News and Bret Baier: Call 888-369-4762; hit ext. #3. Contact Page (no form) HERE. E-mail: comments@foxnewsinsider.com. Contact Bret Baier [web page HERE] at special@foxnews.com. Express your deep concern at Fox and Special Report anchor Baier buckling to pro-homosexual activists by pulling out of the Catholic businessmen’s group Legatus’ Jan. 28-29 conference following a homosexual activist blogger’s report that the group is “very anti-gay.” AFTAH is speculating that Fox News—which annually gives sizeable donations to a homosexual journalists association—pressured Baier to withdraw from the Legatus event.
2) Thank Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal: Call 225-342-7015 [Contact page form HERE.] Of the big-name [secular] speakers invited by Legatus, Jindal is the only one not to cave in to the “Gay Thought Police.” Commend him for honoring his commitment and not capitulating like the others:
3) Contact Gary Sinise through his foundation: [Click HERE; Sinise’s Facebook page is HERE.] Sinise does wonderful work raising support for America’s veterans and defending freedom—but what good is liberty if Americans cower before Political Correctness and morality-phobic (and often anti-Christian) “gay” activists?
4) Contact Pete Coors through Coors Brewing: [Contact Page HERE] Coors was once known as the favorite beer of conservatives, but self-censorship and in the face of leftist pressure campaigns—rather than standing up for one’s beliefs–is hardly conservative.
5) Read my in-depth 2013 report on Fox News’ growing pro-“gay” bias – “Unfair, Unbalance & Afraid: Fox News Growing Pro-Homosexual Bias” –which I wrote for America’s Survival. The report documents Fox News’ troubling drift away from providing even balanced coverage on homosexual issues like —as well as the pro-homosexual remarks of Fox News contributors like Bernie Goldberg–who wrote an awful piece saying Jesus would probably support homosexual “marriage.” Read the report on PDF HERE and in standard web (HTML) format HERE.
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Fox News Throws Catholic Businessmen’s Group Legatus Under the Bus
By Peter LaBarbera; Twitter: @PeterLaBarbera
Dear AFTAH Readers,
It grieves me to report that Fox News “Special Report” anchor Bret Baier—of whom I am a fan–has pulled out of a speaking engagement for the conservative Catholic businessmen’s group Legatus–following a report by a homosexual activist blogger who labeled the organization “very anti-gay.”
Joining the Fox News “Special Report” anchor in withdrawing from the annual Legatus summit January 28-29 in Naples, Florida were conservative actor Gary Sinese and Coors Brewing Company Pete Coors. Louisiana Gov. Unlike these three men, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is honoring his commitment to address the Legatus summit [thank Jindal HERE; call him at the Louisiana governor’s office at 225-342-7015].
Legatus is a national Catholic businessmen’s organization with many local chapters across the nation, devoted to fostering “spiritual growth, formation and commitment” among its members. “Legatus” is the Latin word for “ambassador,” and the group seeks to help its members become “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
The Catholic Canadian pro-family website LifeSiteNews.com, which broke the story on the Fox News/Baier/Sinise capitulations, reported this about Legatus:
Legatus, which was begun by Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan in 1987 to network Catholic business leaders, is faithful to the Church’s Magisterium and therefore upholds the Church’s teachings on all moral matters including homosexuality.
But none of that mattered to New York City homosexual blogger and GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) writer Jeremy Hooper. What concerned Hooper as a professional “gay” activist is that Legatus upholds the longstanding Catholic teachings that homosexual behavior is “intrinsically disordered” and “contrary to the natural law.” The Catholic Church Catechism cites “Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity.” Such acts “do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity,” it states. “Under no circumstances can they be approved.” Regarding marriage: “Holy Scripture affirms that man and woman were created for one another.”
Hooper’s “Good As You” web post cites two Legatus writings: one opposing homosexual “civil unions,” the other defending ex-“gay” therapy for people trying to overcome homosexual feelings and temptations. Both of Hooper’s examples align with traditional Catholic teachings, and are reproduced at the bottom of this story.
Fox: Baier “unaware” of “controversy”
Fox News issued the following statement on behalf of Baier, as reported Tuesday by the website Raw Story (note the odd Raw Story headline intended to make the Legatus meeting look extreme):
“Bret Baier has withdrawn his participation as a speaker at the upcoming Legatus Summit due to the controversy surrounding some editorial stances in the organization’s magazine,” a statement from Fox News said. “Bret accepted the invitation to speak about his book, his faith, and his son’s congenital heart disease. He was unaware of these articles or the controversy surrounding them.”
Like many conservatives, I am an avid consumer of Fox News, and a fan of Baier’s evening show “Special Report,” with its “all star panel” including Charles Krauthammer—having watched easily over a thousand episodes. However, I have also exposed and documented the growing pro-homosexual bias at Fox News—in contradiction of its slogan (repeated nightly by Baier) to be “Fair, Balanced and Unafraid.” [See my report for America’s Survival HERE.]
Why would a professional journalist like Baier be “afraid” to honor his commitment to speak at a conservative Catholic event—especially since Baier himself is conservative and Catholic? And what do these latest capitulations say about the “Gay Thought Police’s” ability to intimidate people from living out their faith or moral worldview in the Public Square.
Read the rest of this article »
Posted in A - What does the Bible say about homosexuality?, Biblical Truth, Catholic general, Catholic Pro-Family, FOX News, Freedom Under Fire, Media Promotion, Morality and Moral Judgments, Natural Moral Law, News, Political Correctness vs. Truth, The Bible, Churches, & Homosexuality |
Wednesday, January 14th, 2015
Walmart’s “Gay Pride”: Retail giant Walmart’s foray into subsidizing homosexual activism was one of the biggest AFTAH stories of 2014. See AFTAH story HERE.
This radio show featuring VCY America’s Jim Schneider interviewing AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera is an excellent recap of 2014. It aired on VCY’s “Crosstalk” on December 29. 2014. Click on the link below to listen to the 50-minute program. The Crosstalk description follows the link (you can click the “Order” link provided to purchase CD copy of the show):
Listen: Crosstalk America-Jim Schneider & Peter LaBarbera,Year In Review-LGBTQ Issues,12-29-14 (50 min)
_________________________________
Crosstalk Show Information
Air Date: December 29, 2014
Host: Jim Schneider
Guest: Peter LaBarbera
Listen: MP3|Order
Peter LaBarbera is the founder and president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality.
This Crosstalk began with news that on December 22nd, a judge issued a ruling in a case involving Peter who was arrested while protesting with Bill Whatcott at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan. Peter was put in jail for one night and charged with criminal mischief. The charge was thrown out in the recent ruling. [See AFTAH article HERE.]
Jim then updated listeners with a statement from the pro-homosexual organization known as the Human Rights Campaign as they looked back at 2014. Peter followed up by noting that what the homosexual community couldn’t pass through the people, they attempted to obtain via the courts.
As the program continued, Jim had Peter comment on the following:
- Same-sex divorce;
- The increasing acceptance of polyamory;
- The push for special rights for transgender individuals;
- The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA);
- Homosexual bakers refusing to bake cakes for Christian weddings;
- Support for alternative family lifestyles through the product known as Tylenol and LGBT support from Walmart [see AFTAH story HERE];
- Tim Cook at Apple references God to justify his homosexuality [see AFTAH stories HERE and HERE];
- The Obama FDA and their desire to modify the homosexual blood donor rules;
- The arrest of homosexual activist (and Human Rights Campaign and Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund co-founder) Terry Bean for allegedly sodomizing a 15-year-old boy;[see AFTAH stories HERE]
- The LGBT influence in sports.
Posted in "Civil Unions" & "Gay Marriage", "Sexual Orientation"/"Gender Identity" and the Law, A - What does the Bible say about homosexuality?, Americans for Truth Hour, Biblical Truth, Christian Persecution, Freedom Under Fire, Government Promotion, News, The Bible, Churches, & Homosexuality |
Friday, January 9th, 2015
DISCRIMINATING IN THE NAME OF ‘NON-DISCRIMINATION”: Former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran was fired by Mayor Kasim Reed after Cochran self-published a book that contained a couple of paragraphs explaining biblical sexual purity, which prohibits homosexual practice and sex outside of marriage. Support Cochran by buying his book, “Who Told You that You Were Naked?” on Amazon HERE.
TAKE ACTION: Support former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran–who was fired under pressure from the city’s “gay” lobby after self-publishing a Christian book that defends biblical sexual purity. Buy his book, “Who Told You that You Were Naked?” on Amazon HERE. I just bought it for about $13. — Peter LaBarbera, AFTAH
LISTEN: I discussed Cochran’s firing and the inevitable battle between “gay rights” and religious freedom on Janet Mefferd’s radio show Thursday (1/8/15); [listen to it online HERE]
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Folks, the firing of Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran Tuesday adds his name to the long and growing list of Christians who have suffered in the name of pro-“gay” nondiscrimination policies and laws.
Here is a link to an excellent article by FoxNews’ Todd Starnes on Cochran’s firing.
The excerpt below from Starnes’ piece cuts to the essence of why Cochran was first suspended and then fired by Atlanda Mayor Kasim Reed–a couple of paragraphs expressing biblical teachings on sexual purity! Starnes writes:
So what in the world did Cochran write that was so offensive to the mayor and the LGBT community?
According to the GA Voice, a publication that covers the LGBT community, there were two items that caused concern:
“Uncleanness – whatever is opposite of purity; including sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism, pederasty, bestiality, all other forms of sexual perversion.”
“Naked men refuse to give in, so they pursue sexual fulfillment through multiple partners, with the opposite sex, the same sex, and sex outside of marriage and many other vile, vulgar and inappropriate ways which defile their body – temple and dishonor God.”
Cochran said he referenced homosexuality on less than a half a page in the 160-page book.
“I did not single out homosexuality,” he said. ‘I simply spoke to sex being created by God for pro-creation and He intended it to be between a man and a woman in holy matrimony – and that any other sex outside of that is sin.”
Cochran told me that someone within the department obtained a copy of the book and took it to openly-gay city council member Alex Wan.
Wan released a statement supporting Cochran’s termination and said it “sends a strong message to employees about how much we value diversity and how we adhere to a non-discriminatory environment.”
Read the rest of this article »
Posted in "Sexual Orientation"/"Gender Identity" and the Law, A - What does the Bible say about homosexuality?, Biblical Truth, Christian Persecution, Freedom Under Fire, Government Promotion, News, The Bible, Churches, & Homosexuality |
Tuesday, November 11th, 2014
Thanks to the guys at LiberalLogic101.com for this cartoon:
Posted in "Civil Unions" & "Gay Marriage", "Gay" Subversion of Institutions, "Sexual Orientation"/"Gender Identity" and the Law, Christian Persecution, Freedom Under Fire, News, The Bible, Churches, & Homosexuality |
Tuesday, October 28th, 2014
LaBarbera allowed provisional entry into Canada for ‘Mischief’ trial Oct. 30 stemming from April protest at public university
Canada’s “Hate” Police: Above is an excerpt of the Border Services Agency document issued against Peter LaBarbera when he was originally denied entry into Canada in April on the basis that he and AFTAH “incite hate” in violation of the nation’s Hate Propaganda” law. LaBarbera was subsequently allowed into the country, but later arrested at a peaceful pro-life/pro-family protest at the University of Regina. Click to enlarge.
By Peter LaBarbera
UPDATE from author: After a short meeting in Regina with a Border Services official this morning, I was allowed to travel and speak in Canada until the completion of my trial Thursday upon agreeing to these two provisions:
“While in Canada:
- “If I am on private property, and am asked to leave that property by the owner for any reason, I must leave the property immediately;
- “If I am issued a direction or command by a police officer or other person in authority, follow that direction immediately.”
REGINA, Saskatchewan, Canada–Customs agents detained this writer (AFTAH president Peter LaBarbera) and did an intense search of my phone, laptop and belongings–as I arrived at Calgary International Airport late last night on the first leg of a trip to Regina, Saskatchewan for my trial on “mischief” charges October 30.
The mischief charges were filed against me and Canadian pro-family activist Bill Whatcott after Whatcott, and then me, refused on free speech grounds to abandon a peaceful protest April 12 against abortion and sodomy at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, a public university. [See AFTAH article HERE and LifeSiteNews article HERE on how I was almost refused entry into Canada on the basis of AFTAH’s alleged “hate.”]
The Calgary Border Services agents confiscated a DVD copy of a new Russian documentary called “Sodom” as potential “hate propaganda” in violation of Canadian law banning material or people who could potentially “incite hate” based on “sexual orientation.”
Ironically, “Sodom”–which I have yet to watch–is available and easily accessible in Canada (and worldwide) on YouTube. Whatcott told me that he had already shared the documentary with his network of Canadian supporters across the country. “Sodom” features an interview with American pro-family leader Scott Lively of Defend the Family International. Lively, who received AFTAH’s American Truth-Teller Award on 2011, is currently running for governor as an independent in Massachusetts.
If the Russian film is deemed “hate propaganda” by the government’s “Prohibited Importation Unit” in Ottawa, it will be destroyed, two border agents informed me. If “Sodom” does not meet that designation, it will be mailed back to my home in Illinois.
Either way, the seizure of the film would make it impossible for me to view and/or present it to others in Canada–were it not easily accessible to everybody with a web connection on YouTube. Such is the folly of state censorship in an Internet age.
Customs hearing today
Canadian pro-family activist Bill Whatcott and AFTAH’s Peter LaBarbera.
Despite my two-and-a-half hour detainment in Calgary, agents ordered me to attend another hearing today (Tuesday) with Immigration officials in Regina at 11:00 A.M.–for “further examination” on my “admissibility” into Canada. Nevertheless, Border Services agents told me that I would be able to attend my “Mischief” trial in Regina on Thursday and that I am “innocent until proven guilty” under Canadian law.
A border agent named Shane Paul (I called him “Paul” because that was on his uniform and I presumed that was his first name) asked me questions about a small speaking engagement I was to have with Whatcott and others this (Tuesday) evening. I was unsure of the location of the meeting, as the venue has been changed three times already–because skittish Canadians pulled out from hosting the event fearing leftist protests. You can read about one cancellation in the Regina Leader-Post HERE (Note: not included in the story is Whatcott’s assertion that the prospective host, Greg Kulak, was not telling the truth when he claimed NOT to know the nature of the event.) By the way, Whatcott distributed thousands of fliers advertising the event–which Kulak’s cowardly pullout rendered meaningless by abandoning the listed location for it.
As an American, let me say that it is remarkable how far official political correctness – enforced and encouraged by sometimes fanatical left-wing activists and abetted by an anti-conservative media – has not only shut down conservative speech in Canada but succeeded in punishing people who run afoul of various liberal ideologies—not limited to pro-homosexualism. For example, the Canadian owners of a conservative website, “Free Dominion,” shut it down after 13 years of operation in January after losing a defamation lawsuit to “human rights” legal activist Richard Warman. They were fined a total of $107,000 and ordered not to print anything negative about the leftist Warman—effectively censoring them as a public forum [See LifeSite article HERE].
In the two years that I have worked closely with Bill Whatcott, I have seen the extraordinary harassment and soft (and hard) tyranny he has had to endure in his quest to get out biblical truth and facts about homosexuality and abortion. Whatcott, who distributes tens of thousands of fliers door-to-door every year, was found guilty of Canada’s “Hate Propaganda” law by Canada’s highest court. Earlier this year, he was denied service by Aaron Rubin, a computer shop in Weybourn because the owner did not like Bill’s views; Whatcott sued under the “human rights” laws and won and–in a demonstration of Christian grace–did not push for a big financial judgment but instead asked Rubin to do volunteer service for a local pro-life group. Rubin opted not to do the service and paid a mere $200 to have it done.
Recently, Whatcott tried to submit a simple ad for his event tonight (where I am to speak) to the Regina Leader-Post newspaper. The ad’s innocuous headline was “Bringing the Light of Christ to Our Culture”–but that did not matter; it was refused anyway. He could have another “human rights” victory in store if he sues the liberal paper for anti-religious discrimination. (Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms ostensibly protects religious freedom.) But even if the ad had run, Whatcott would have been chased out of the venue for the event.
With such relentless leftist pressure led by a few fanatics like Warman, it is only the rare, brave soul like Whatcott who fights on for Truth in Canada, while so many others fall away in fear. (Note that in the Chicago area, AFTAH, too, has been chased out of venues after the leftist activists with the Gay Liberation Network wielded their spurious “hate group” accusation against us.)
Searching my phone, laptop, books and papers–again
Anyway, I cooperated fully with the Border Services “investigation” of me at the Calgary airport, as I did in April at the Regina International Airport. Agent Paul and another Agent with the last name of Meehan went through—as in April—my:
- Phone
- Laptop
- Books (including Dr. Michael Brown’s “Can You Be Gay and Christian?”; his book, “Something Queer Happened to America”; Robert Reilly’s book, “Making Gay OK”; and Frank Turek’s “Correct, Not Politically Corrrect: How Same-Sex Marriage Hurts Everyone”)
- Tracts: I brought a bunch of ex-“gay” Stephen Bennett’s tract “I WAS ‘Gay’”; and
- Papers
When Shane asked me about Westboro Baptist Church (with its “God Hates Fags” message), I told him that AFTAH has always condemned Westboro, as has every other pro-family group I have worked with. I told them that AFTAH has long condemned violence and genuine hatred against homosexuals or anyone, for that matter.
At one point in the search, Shane asked me if I had children and then I asked him if he had children. He asked me as if offended: “Why do you ask that?” and then said, “I’m gay.” I told him I meant nothing by it and that I ask a lot of people that question. I told him my five children are a tremendous blessing and he said he may want to adopt children some day.
Once Shane’s “gayness” was out in the open, it was almost easier to have a conversation about my work and the larger homosexual issue. I told him that disagreement with homosexuality does not equal “hate,” despite the best efforts of LGBT activists to conflate the two. He and Meehan laughed when I told them that I couldn’t be a “homophobe” because if I truly “feared” homosexuals, I could not do AFTAH’s work, which requires me to be around many homosexuals.
Despite the awkwardness of the situation, it helped this time, compared to my April airport search in Regina, that Shane and Meehan, the two fellows handling my entry at Calgary, were actually interested in my explanation of what I and AFTAH do. They appreciated my defense of civility in the “gay” debate and I think Shane was satisfied that I didn’t hate him or homosexuals in general. I thanked him for his professionalism.
Shane asked me if anything i would present on Wednesday could be construed as “hateful.” I told him no, but explained that they’re is a lively debate going on in the culture about what constitutes “hate” on this question. I explained, and he agreed, that we could have a civil discussion about homosexuality and yet agree to disagree.
Paul discovered in my belongings the Human Right Campaign report, “Exporting Hate,” with its highly unflattering graphics of me and Michael Brown, and Mat Staver. (Others are targeted in the “Hate” booklet, but I only taken copies of the pages with the shadowy images of myself, Brown and Staver.)
He asked me about this quotation accurately attributed to me by the HRC “Export of Hate” hit-piece:
“Kids would ‘be better off in a single-parent household [compared to a homosexual-led household]…because you’re not modeling homosexual behavior. When you have two men raising a young child, that child grows up learning, basically, dysfunction and a sexual perversion as normality.” (Alan Colmes Show, 1/7/14)
Shane seemed especially concerned about my use of the word “perversion” and suggested in so many words that there is no religious (biblical) case for that word. I explained that historically the word has been used in association with homosexuality and that we also make the case that Natural Law opposes homosexuality.
Stay tuned for updates. Please pray for my meeting with Immigration officials today, and for our meeting (if it happens) this evening—and lastly, for Bill’s and my trial Thursday in Regina on the ridiculous “Mischief” charge leveled against us for defending life and sexual morality at—of all places—a public university.
Posted in "Civil Unions" & "Gay Marriage", "Sexual Orientation"/"Gender Identity" and the Law, (Pro-) Gay Thought Police, Canada, Christian Persecution, Freedom Under Fire, Government Promotion, Hate Crimes Prosecution, Hate Speech (Laws), International, News |
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