It was unusually satisfying to watch beauty contestant turned Bible-thumper Carrie Prejean crash and burn. In the bat of an eyelash, she went from Christian role model to wannabe underwear model after racy pictures of her surfaced. “They were quite inappropriate and certainly not photos befitting a beauty queen,” Alicia Jacobs, a Miss USA judge, told NBC’s Today Show.

The verb “strip” is the one most associated with Prejean’s name these days. She stripped her clothes, may be stripped of her Miss California crown and was certainly stripped of her moral authority as a spokesperson for marriage. In her brief stint as America’s scold, she forgot to memorize one Bible passage: “Judge not lest thou be judged.”

What’s amazing is that the circus-like antics of Prejean are the rule, not the exception for today’s anti-gay activists. There has clearly been a brain drain among our opponents – with the conservative intelligentsia largely running from GLBT issues. Filling the vacuum, are the vacuous – with little to offer, other than comedic relief. (Read More)

Delaware Online
By Doug Marshall-Steele

Despite all scientific evidence to the contrary, many religious conservatives insist that gay people can and must become heterosexual, since they think homosexuality is a sinful choice rather than a human variant.

Ex-gay “reparative therapy” or “conversion therapy” proponents assert that counseling, prayer and sometimes aversion therapy, exorcisms, fasting and lipstick-application seminars for lesbians are sufficient for flipping sexual orientation.

The scientific community, however, resoundingly agrees that sexual orientation cannot be changed, and such “therapies” may in fact be harmful.

The American Medical Association stated, “Most of the emotional disturbance experienced by gay men and lesbians around their sexual identity is … due more to a sense of alienation in an unaccepting environment. For this reason, aversion therapy … is no longer recommended.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics warned, “Therapy directed at specifically changing sexual orientation is contraindicated, since it can provoke guilt and anxiety while having little or no potential for achieving changes in orientation.”

The American Psychiatric Association went further: “There is no published scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of ‘reparative therapy’ as a treatment to change one’s sexual orientation.” And again, “The potential risks of ‘reparative therapy’ are great, including depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior.”

The American Psychological Association agreed: “Medical and mental health professionals also now know that sexual orientation is not a choice and cannot be altered. Groups who try to change the sexual orientation of people through so-called ‘conversion therapy’ are misguided and run the risk of causing a great deal of psychological harm to those they say they are trying to help.”

The “ex-gay ministries” answer these bristling position papers by carefully parsing their definition of success. Rather than sexual orientation transformation resulting in, say, heterosexual marriage, they define success as the ability to resist homosexual urges. Critics see this as temporary suppression of one’s sexuality, nothing more.

Also, these groups curiously keep no long-term follow-up records to scientifically validate their success rates, relying only upon anecdotal evidence. That has been problematic, though, as many founders, successive leaders and clients of these organizations have first claimed to be sexually reoriented and then reverted to homosexuality. Such persons often denounce “conversion therapy” as quackery.

But there is evidence that “ex-gay” proponents are becoming even more extremist.

Exodus International, the largest of these groups, was represented by board member Don Schmierer at an anti-gay hate conference in Uganda this month. The conference promoted such human-rights abuses as forced “ex-gay therapy,” life imprisonment for people convicted of homosexuality and the creation of an organization designed to “wipe out” homosexuality in Uganda through police action, forced re-education, life imprisonment and vigilantism. The conference also featured one Scott Lively, who blamed both the Holocaust and the 1994 Rwandan genocide on gays.

Neither Schmierer nor Exodus International president Alan Chambers spoke up at the conference, to protest any of the recommendations, nor did they denounce the Holocaust revisionist.

Another increasingly shrill and extremist proponent is James Dobson, co-founder of Focus on the Family, a conservative religious ministry. Over the years, Dobson has become obsessed with gay people and believes that one can simply “pray away the gay.”

But according to “ex-gay” watchdog group Truth Wins Out, “In the past year alone, Dobson has conflated, purposely misconstrued or cherry-picked research from at least six esteemed academic scholars, who have publicly condemned him for misusing their work.” In October 2004, he actually told the The Daily Oklahoman, “Homosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth.”

Yikes! Not only are they unscientific, these people are downright scary.

I would especially implore the parents of gay kids everywhere to heed the advice of respected, science-based professionals and avoid exposing your child to the psychologically dangerous “reparative therapies.”

Your child may differ from you, but is not broken and does not need repair.

By Wayne Besen

I always begin my traveling presentation on the “ex-gay” industry with a Daily Show segment (view video at bottom of this link) featuring Richard Cohen, former president of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX). No matter the audience – activists, university students or medical professionals – his antics are sure to bring uproarious laughter. This is because the “therapy” promoted by Cohen and PFOX is outright bizarre. Even conservatives in attendance will often admit they are witnessing quackery at its finest.

Unfortunately, PFOX is nothing to laugh about these days. It is teaming up with an anti-gay legal organization to bully GLBT university groups. This unholy alliance is ordering these gay resource centers to hand out ex-gay materials or face possible lawsuits.

If PFOX and their lawyers are harassing your GLBT Center, Truth Wins Out advises you to do the following:

1. Contact Truth Wins Out and let us know about your situation. If you can provide us with the materials used by PFOX, it would be most helpful. (wbesen@truthwinsout.org)

2. Immediately contact Lambda Legal for advice on your specific legal circumstances. (hgorenberg@lambdalegal.org)

3. Make sure that all students in your group and relevant administrators are aware that PFOX’s therapy models are rejected by every major medical and mental health organization in America. This includes the American Psychological Association, American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The American Psychiatric Association says that attempts to change sexual orientation can lead to anxiety, depression and self-destructive behavior.

4. Because PFOX practices a fringe therapy considered potentially dangerous, it should be rejected, unless legal counsel specifically and unequivocally says otherwise. In the rare instance that such material is displayed, consider stamping it with the following words: WARNING: THE AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION SAYS THAT ATTEMPTS TO CHANGE SEXUAL ORIENTATION CAN CAUSE ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND SELF-DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR. Ex-gay literature should be treated like a package of cigarettes and those exposed deserve to be warned of the potentially harmful side effects.

5. University groups should consider rejecting PFOX’s materials because it puts students at risk. This is because the organization refers clients to Richard Cohen, who founded the International Healing Foundation. Mr. Cohen was expelled for life from the American Counseling Association in 2002 for multiple ethics violations.

His work includes a controversial method called “touch therapy.” (See Video) This technique includes lying in the lap of a person of the same sex while they caress you. It is supposed to be non-sexual, but some consider it a gateway to sexual abuse. There have been several instances where this method has been exploited to harm vulnerable clients. Based on PFOX’s promotion of this technique, we strongly advise universities to keep all PFOX materials off campus.

6. Caleb Brundidge is a protege of Richard Cohen. Brundidge is also affiliated with Extreme Prophetic ministries, which takes groups to mortuaries to attempt to raise the dead. Clearly, any university or affiliated groups should be very careful before they place students in the hands of people with such extreme views.

7. Please refer all relevant college and university staff to videos of Richard Cohen. It is crucial to see this man in action before deciding if PFOX materials are appropriate for campuses. Administrators must be asked point blank: “Do you want our students in Richard Cohen’s hands?”

8. PFOX is already represented in all schools, since so-called ex-gays are allegedly heterosexual. There is no “ex-gay” sexual orientation in the medical or psychological literature. It is a term invented by anti-gay activists whose goal is to pass anti-gay legislation. Indeed, PFOX was founded in 1998 with an $80,000 grant from the Family Research Council, a Washington, DC lobby group.

9. Another primary resource of PFOX is the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). This organization has been accused of distorting research. It also published an essay that claimed gender variant children should be “ridiculed” and another one that seemed to justify slavery. NARTH has also widely quoted Holocaust revisionist Scott Lively.

10. If someone at your college or university has been harmed by the ex-gay industry – including PFOX – there may be legal options. Please download “Ex-Gay & the Law” to find out more. Or, request that hard copies be sent to your school.

Finally, this is not about free speech as PFOX contends. This is about rational people studying the medical and psychological literature and concluding that PFOX’s methods are peculiar and possibly dangerous. The first role of a college or university is to protect its students. Based on the methods promoted by PFOX and the dubious people associated with the organization, it is reasonable to conclude that their content is unfit for schools.

By Wayne Besen

It is an odd time to be gay in America. Whether you are celebrated or despised depends on where you stand at any given moment.

The most dramatic example of this dichotomy occurred on Sunday evening at the Academy Awards. To attend the glamorous event, one had to drive past anti-gay protesters shouting vile condemnations of homosexuality. Once inside, guests were treated to perhaps the most pro-gay Oscar extravaganza in history.

First, openly gay Dustin Lance Black won Best Original Screenplay for “Milk”. Black gave a moving acceptance speech to thunderous applause and told GLBT youth that they were “beautiful, wonderful creatures of value…no matter what anyone tells you.”

The icing on the cake was superstar Sean Penn’s remarks after winning an Oscar for his role as Harvey Milk.

“For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, and, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that way of support.”

The GLBT community has come a long way. It is now acceptable for top tier straight men to play gay roles without it negatively impacting their careers. This is no small achievement and we should be quite grateful to have obliterated this barrier that once seemed insurmountable. (Let’s not forget Tom Hanks who played a gay man with AIDS in Philadelphia.)

Before we sip the Champagne, we should remember that there is still an ongoing taboo against openly gay actors playing leading men in Hollywood. On the morning of the Oscars, the New York Times Magazine wrote a profile on actor Rupert Everett discussing the obstacles he faced as a result of coming out. The article spoke of the time he was turned down for a major movie role because of his sexual orientation. An MGM executive told his agent, “to all intents and purposes, a homosexual was a pervert in the eyes of America.”

Clearly, some glass ceilings still need to be shattered. It should be a major priority among GLBT activists to make sure this breakthrough in Hollywood comes to fruition.

Equally jarring was my experience in Charlotte, North Carolina this past week. My organization, Truth Wins Out, traveled there to counter Focus on the Family’s “Love Won Out” conference, where they teach people to “pray away the gay.”

On a beautiful Saturday morning, I broke away from our protest group to attend a seminar at Love Won Out. It was heartbreaking to see more young people than I ever had before at this traveling “ex-gay” road show. There was a cardboard sign that read “Youth Track”, and several teenagers – some that appeared not much older than 13 – were being taken inside by their desperate and confused parents.

Outside the conference were many dedicated local activists, such as Matt Comer, who organized our protest. Counter-protesters from Operation Save America greeted us. They preached that in 1973 the Lord turned against America. In this year, they said, God was angered by Roe v. Wade, the American Psychiatric Association removing homosexuality from its list of mental disorders and Israel’s war with the Arabs. Yeah – this is a bizarre conclusion to draw, but one that compelled about one dozen troglodytes to bring signs calling us “whoremongers.”

On the other side of town, the Human Rights Campaign held its annual North Carolina dinner. Much like those who attended the Academy Awards, attendees were greeted by belligerent Bible-thumpers who shouted Scripture into megaphones.

The dinner itself was an elegant affair that featured an excellent motivational speech by HRC Executive Director Joe Solmonese and a keynote address by Sen. Kay Hagen (D-NC). It was truly inspiring to hear Sen. Hagen, who occupied the seat once held by the notorious Jesse Helms. (R-NC).

The week ended with a hateful ad by The Policy Council of West Virginia, which compares same-sex marriage supporters to snipers targeting families. The more we progress, it seems the more our opponents regress and resort to shrill and bombastic attacks.

At any given moment, GLBT people are portrayed as either wonderful or wicked. While it is still painful to be put down, I can’t help but notice that when it counts – whether in Hollywood or Charlotte – it is we who are increasingly on the inside. While our opponents could win Oscars for their dramatic protest performances, they certainly can’t like the way the script is unfolding.

(Published In The Charlotte Observer, Feb. 21, 2009)

By Wayne Besen

As long as prejudice and discrimination exist, some gay men and lesbians will feel pressure to try to change their sexual orientation. Unfortunately, there are organizations, such as Focus on the Family, that exploit such vulnerable people and their fears of rejection by family, church and society. On Saturday, Focus on the Family will roll into town with its much-hyped road show, “Love Won Out,” which offers false hope and broken promises.

It is important that one realize that such efforts are rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organization in America, such as the American Psychological Association, American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The America Psychiatric Association says that attempts to change sexual orientation can cause, “Anxiety, depression and self-destructive behavior.”

Without science on their side, Focus on the Family has taken to distorting research. In the past two years, eight scientists have accused this group of manipulating their studies. The testimonies of these experts can be viewed at www.Respectmyresearch.org.

The empirical evidence also suggests that people can’t “pray away the gay.” For example, I photographed the “ex-gay” founder of Love Won Out, John Paulk, in a gay bar in 2001. Two of the founders of Exodus International, Michael Bussee and Gary Cooper, divorced their wives after they fell in love.

This week Truth Wins Out and Lambda Legal released a publication, “Ex-Gay & The Law,” to help victims of such “therapies” understand their legal rights. There is also the problem of broken families. Focus on the Family loves to show people wedding photos. But, it would be more honest if they showed the divorce papers, which are a common outcome of such sexual engineering efforts.

More disturbing are conversion techniques. These include exorcisms and encouraging masculinity in male clients by suggesting they drink Gatorade and call friends “dude”. Sadly, these groups even take clients as young as three years old!

A new study by Caitlin Ryan shows that gay teens who experienced “negative feedback” by family members were more than eight times as likely to have attempted suicide, nearly six times as vulnerable to severe depression and more than three times at risk of drug use. Clearly, Love Won Out is the very negative feedback that can produce such harmful results.

Love will truly win out when gay and lesbian people can live out of the closet with the unconditional acceptance, love and support they deserve.

Wayne Besen is the founder of Truth Wins Out (www.TruthWinsOut.org). He is also the author of “Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth.”

In a breathtaking display of lies and hypocrisy, a group of anti-gay culture warriors and long-time Mormon bashers placed a full page ad in the New York Times pretending to be both victims of alleged homosexual “mobs” and staunch defenders of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons). Both claims are absurd and a cruel attempt for the victimizers to claim the mantle of the victimhood – which is a manipulative and cynical political ploy.

The dishonest Times ad essentially claimed that violent mobs of gay protesters were attacking the Mormon Church and its followers in the aftermath of California voters narrowly approving Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in that state. They even launched a website www.NoMobVeto.org. (It seems they forget that they put basic human rights up for a vote, which is essentially mob rule)

This Times ad is full of blatant lies – much like the immoral television ads attacking same-sex families during the Prop. 8 campaign. The fact is, the vast majority of the rallies across America were peaceful. Considering gay families just got stripped of their basic rights by deception and deceit, the protests were remarkably tame. If any other group had been subject to such humiliation through a multi-million dollar smear operation, there would likely have been riots in the streets – not the fake “violence” conjured in the bogus Times ad.

The anti-gay organizations and individuals who sponsored this “Big Lie” ad are trying to pull off a remarkable feat: They are both crying wolf, while being the wolf in sheep’s clothing. The degree of chutzpah is remarkable and eye-popping. (Read More)

By Wayne Besen

On Sunday, New York Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof discussed religious and cultural extremism in Pakistan, where a new cabinet member, Israr Ullah Zardari, defended the torture-murder of five women and girls who were buried alive (three girls wanted to choose their own husbands, and two women wanted to protect them.) The Times had another article on Monday about an all-girl rock band in Saudi Arabia that is forbidden from playing live concerts because of their gender.

At home, former Arkansas governor and pastor, Mike Huckabee, appeared on ABC’s “The View” and said that gay and lesbian equality was not the same as civil rights because homosexuals have not had their skulls cracked and were not hosed down by police. Apparently, he is unaware of the latest FBI hate crime statistics that show bias attacks based on sexual orientation making up 15.5 percent of all reported hate crimes.

In Rome, Pope Benedict XVI is being criticized this week for questioning the usefulness of Interfaith dialogue in a letter he wrote to Italian politician Marcello Pera. What the Pope fails to point out is that thanks to intransigent absolutists, like the pontiff, finding common ground is nearly impossible.

How can we expect interfaith dialogue when we can’t even have Interstate dialogue between two Mormon universities 45 miles apart because they have literally turned religion into a political football? When the secular University of Utah played its religious school rival, Brigham Young University (BYU), last weekend, the teams treated the End Zone as if it were the Promised Land.

“It’s like a lot of other rivalries, except for those at the extremes,” Michael Anastasi, managing editor of the Salt Lake Tribune told the New York Times. “For them, it’s not only that your school is weak, you’re going to Hell too.”

Two years ago, the rivalry was further soured after BYU quarterback John Beck threw a touchdown pass to receiver Jonny Harline, who sank to his knees – as if in prayer – to make the winning catch. Describing the “miraculous” play, another B.Y.U. receiver, Austin Collie, concluded it occurred because students at the religious school lived cleaner lives.

“Obviously, if you do what’s right on and off the field, I think the Lord steps in and plays a part in it,” said Collie. (For the record, the holier-than-thou BYU was crushed 48-24 in this weekend’s game. I’m guessing the Lord was upset at Mormon involvement in California’s Prop. 8 banning same-sex marriages)

If religious groups become fratricidal based on football allegiance, it seems there is little hope for genuine reconciliation with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. We must still work to enlighten the flock where we can, but fundamentalist leaders will only transform their anti-gay views when popular opinion decidedly turns against them – as it did with race relations in the 1960s and 1970’s.

The strategy for the GLBT movement has been to circumvent the ideologues and create change within mainline denominations. I wholeheartedly support such efforts and have contributed to them. Unfortunately, there is scant evidence to suggest that these religious institutions will thrive and form a substantial bulwark against fundamentalism.

In “America Theocracy,” author Kevin Phillips documents the steep decline of reasonable religion in favor of the rabble-rousing variety.

“Between 1940 and 1985 mainline Protestantism’s share of all U.S. religious adherents was steadily plummeting…Between 1960 and 1997 – the Presbyterian Church, The Episcopal Church, The United Church of Christ and the Methodists lost between 500,000 and 2 million members each. In the meantime, the Southern Baptist Convention added 6 million, the Mormons 3.3 million, the Pentacostal Assemblies of God 2 million and the Church of God (Tennessee) some 600,000.”

The implications are that the GLBT movement may be placing its eggs in a basket that is rapidly fraying. It seems that people are either gravitating towards religious extremism or secular humanism, with little appetite for mainline faith. The Internet also offers easy access to eclectic spiritual beliefs that one can follow without organized religion. So, the hope that mainstream religion, as we know it, will supplant anti-gay denominations seems far-fetched.

The trends of urbanization and the discrediting of corporate Republican-style religion will lead, in my view, to more people losing their faith. However, fundamentalist sects will continue to consolidate market share for those who feel estranged or displaced by modernity. In other words, America will look much like Europe in the coming decades – with a secular majority and a small, but still vocal, fundamentalist minority. (Mostly Islamic in Europe)

I can hear objections from those who rightfully point out that America is more religious than Europe. But, Kevin Phillips reminds us that Europe was once was hyper-religious too – but circumstances change over time.

“As the 21st Century began,” writes Phillips. “None of the western countries in which Reformation Protestantism bred its radical or anarchic sects nearly five hundred years earlier – England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands — still had congregations of any great magnitude adhering to that theology.”

Few people at the three Proposition 8 protest rallies I attended — two in New York and one in Chicago – were familiar. The ones I recognized were the hardcore advocates and tireless workhorses who have long carried the GLBT movement. However, these semi-spontaneous rallies had a different flavor. There was an injection of raw energy and an infusion of new inspiration that has eluded our movement for more than a decade. I peered into the great expanse and saw a wide-eyed sea of fresh new faces — neophytes who needed help to complete the old chant, Hey, hey, Ho Ho…(Homophobia’s got to go).

There has been a paradigm shift in the movement following marriage defeats in California, Florida and Arizona — as well as an anti-gay adoption measure passing in Arkansas. From seemingly out of nowhere, people who have sat on the sidelines are now making headlines at rallies across America.

The leaders of what is being billed as Stonewall 2.0 are not coming from large, established organizations, but Internet savvy activists who can use a mouse to mobilize the masses. While Internet activism is nothing new, the fact that this huge outpouring of organic outrage is not being channeled through official organizational channels has enormous implications.

Up until two weeks ago, major GLBT groups instructed people to write a check and then essentially instructed donors to check their activism at the door. Sometimes, one was asked to take their commitment a step further by sending e-mail or attending a dinner. I think this week’s protests mark the end of the Passive Era of gay politics. A sign at protests, “No More Mr. Nice Gay”, highlighted this monumental change. (Read More)

The Chicago-Sun Times ran the following op-ed on the Dump Dobson Coalition’s efforts to keep James Dobson out of the Radio Hall of Fame.

INDUCTING ANTI-GAY DOBSON WOULD TAINT BROADCAST MUSEUM

Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications is making a regrettable mistake if it follows through on its plan to induct Focus on the Family’s James Dobson into its Radio Hall of Fame on Nov. 8.

To do so would tarnish the reputation of the museum, erode its respectability and make it a monument to intolerance. The prospect of celebrating this anti-gay figure has united the entire gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in Chicago and beyond.

To LGBT people, Dobson is a dangerous demagogue who has repeatedly dehumanized our very existence. He has lied about our lives, distorted science to back his falsehoods and peddled destructive stereotypes. Dobson has lobbied to pass anti-gay laws, divided families in the name of family values and said that allowing gay people to marry will “end the earth.”

Hate crimes against gay people still regularly occur. Yet despite violence, Dobson tells his millions of listeners that gay activists have “sought to implement a master plan that has had as its centerpiece the utter destruction of the family.”

Dobson also runs a traveling “ex-gay” conference, Love Won Out, where sexual engineers teach people to “pray away the gay.” He gives a platform to people who believe that homosexuality is demonic and say that gay people don’t truly exist, but are, “heterosexuals with a homosexual problem.”

What Dobson fails to tell conference-goers is that attempts to change sexual orientation are considered harmful by every respected medical and mental health organization in the nation.

There are also serious questions about Dobson’s integrity. In the past two years, seven prominent scientists and authors have demanded that he stop citing their work because he misrepresented their conclusions on homosexuality.

If just one professor was upset, it could be chalked up to a misunderstanding. If two had come forward, this could be a mere coincidence. But when seven leading academics from three countries have stepped out of the ivory tower to publicly give Dobson failing marks, it is clear that a deliberate pattern of deception has emerged. A full list of scientists can be verified at www.RespectMyResearch.org.

Given this dubious record, it is astounding that the Museum of Broadcast Communications would elect to honor Dobson. MBC’s Director, Bruce Dumont, defends this amoral decision by saying that the views and actions of the 2008 inductees were not taken under consideration. This is a cop out. If Dobson had insulted another minority in the same way, he never would have been nominated in the first place. It is clear there is a double standard, where smearing the LGBT community can be overlooked if doing so helps bring the MBC conservative donors.

While the Radio Hall of Fame has the right to pay tribute to anyone of its choosing, we urge them to act responsibly and wisely. By honoring a notorious individual who has built his radio empire on the backs of LGBT people, the organization is in jeopardy of sullying its name and being known as the Radio Hall of Shame.

(The Radio Hall of Shame’s Bruce DuMont, Left)

I once had a revealing conversation with an A-list news reporter, when I was trying to convince him to cover the scientific distortions of Focus on the Family’s James Dobson. He declined to do so because he felt that Dobson lies so frequently that it wasn’t news.

With the media inured to Dobson’s Fib Factory and its assembly line of lies, it is difficult for the truth to gain traction. I believe, however, that the press has it backwards. Each nugget of nonsense peddled by ideologues, such as Dobson, should be on the front page of every newspaper and lead daily newscasts. Allowing falsehoods to fester has created a cynical political climate where truth is whatever a press release says it is.

This lack of accountability has allowed Dobson, and others of his ilk, to portray themselves as spokespersons for morality, even though they are regularly engaged in glaring examples of moral turpitude. Occasionally, they are even honored for their sinister “success” and showered with undeserved adulation.

For example, on Nov. 8, the Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) is scheduled to induct Dobson into its Radio Hall of Fame in celebration of his unquestionable broadcasting achievements. He regularly appears on 3,000 radio stations across the world and has built a $150 million anti-gay empire in Colorado Springs.

The MBC says that Dobson’s longevity and success qualify him for honors, even though they will essentially be bronzing his bigotry. In my view, the Radio Hall of Fame devalues its worth when it blithely honors a broadcaster with an amoral indifference to content and good character. Dobson’s self-righteous ranting about gay people overrides his ratings and the prejudice he perpetuates overshadows his popularity. If Major League Baseball can keep superstar Pete Rose out of its Hall of Fame because of integrity issues, its broadcasting counterpart can rescind its invitation to Dobson.

The MBC takes the antiseptic, hands-off view that Dobson’s red meat is meaningless blather that affects no one. They seem to believe that gay people are not harmed when the millions of devout listeners hear Dobson bellow that gay marriage will, “destroy the earth.” Or, that no one will seek revenge on gay people after Dobson shrieks, “For more than 40 years, the homosexual activist movement has sought to implement a master plan that has had as its centerpiece the utter destruction of the family.”

Thanks to such inflammatory rhetoric, hate crimes against gay people still occur daily. According to 2006 FBI statistics, hate crimes based on sexual orientation constituted the third highest category reported and made up 15.5 percent of all reported hate crimes. Only race-based and religion-based prejudice crimes were more prevalent than hate crimes based on sexual orientation.

While Dobson does not outright call for violence, he does use his “ex-gay” ministry, Love Won Out, to portray GLBT people, as immoral reprobates who could choose to change if they weren’t too stubborn to accept God. By positioning homosexuality as a behavior that can be prayed away, he is offering people a way to justify discriminatory and even violent behavior — all in the guise of loving the sinner.

What Dobson fails to tell his listeners is that efforts to alter sexual orientation are considered damaging by the American Psychiatric Association, The American Medical Association, The American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

One also wonders why the MBC would honor Dobson until it had fully investigated serious allegations that he distorted scientific research. In the past two years, seven prominent scientists have demanded that he stop citing their work because he misrepresented their conclusions on homosexuality. New York University educational psychologist, Carol Gilligan, PhD., appeared in a video saying that Dobson “was not truthful” and that he should “refrain from ever quoting me again.” Dr. Kyle Pruett, a professor of child psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine claimed Dobson “cherry picked” his conclusions. University of Minnesota’s Gary Remafedi, M.D., M.P.H. wrote a letter to Dobson that clamed he engaged in “a gross misrepresentation of our research.”

Finally, Andrew Colvin, 16, contacted me a week ago. He had recently come out to his mother who he says listens to James Dobson’s radio show. Instead of accepting her son, she gave Andrew Focus on the Family’s anti-gay books. Thanks to Dobson, things became so tense that Andrew moved out of his mother’s home in Colorado to live with his father in Arizona.

Sadly, America is littered with stories, such as Andrew’s, where Dobson has taken his microphone and turned it into a club to bludgeon families. The pain is raw and the scars are real. Yet, this cruel reality will be supplanted by a Disneyfied version in the Radio Hall of Fame, where Dobson’s viciousness will be euphemized as “virtues” and “values.”

The MBC should stop pandering to the right wing and do the right thing by dumping Dobson from its Radio Hall of Fame. And, the media should start doing its job by holding Dobson accountable. Let’s focus on the facts and stop peddling the fiction that James Dobson’s actions are worthy of anything but condemnation.