Former Miss America [haha, sic, because she totally lost] and current gay marriage foe Carrie Prejean and her boyfriend, NFL player Kyle Boller got married in what must have been the straightest wedding ever yesterday in San Diego. This wedding was so straight that they made everyone in attendance have sex with an opposite-gender member of the party before entering the chapel, just so they were sure no gay people were in the audience. The wedding was so straight, that Kyle Boller got iced by his bros three times while he was reciting his vows. The wedding was so straight that… whatever.
And that’s all the time we need to spend on that, because to do otherwise would be inappropriate, like Larry King.
No, not for movies or whatever, but (I think?) those are coming soon.*
Peter LaBarbera has been nominating people for his inaugural “Gay Grinch” award**. He’s picked all kinds of people, like our own Wayne Besen, some couple in California whose Halloween decorations aren’t to Pete’s liking, Rachel Maddow…just, you know, random people who have messed with Peter’s mind over the past year. Or whenever. The meaning of the Grinch reference isn’t clear, unless, in Peter’s mind, it’s actually the gays who have stolen Christmas. Anyway, it’s boring, who cares?
The point is that Joe Jervis (another Grinch nominee) is having his own contest, and unlike The Peter, Joe believes in deciding the winner democratically, so here are your choices for the Anti-Gay Douchebag Bigot of 2009:
Bishop Richard Malone
Carrie Prejean
Harry Jackson Jr.
Maggie Gallagher
Matt Barber
Peter LaBarbera
Pope Benedict XVI
Tony Perkins
Now, they’re all fame-seeking malcontents, obviously (especially Ratzi), so we don’t really want to encourage them, but this is funny, so GO VOTE.
*I know, I know, I need to turn in my gay card and be put on probation.
**Ceremony to be held at some hitherto unannounced bathhouse/leather convention, I presume. Stay tuned, I guess?
A February 2008 poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that 16 percent of America’s 225 million adults are unaffiliated with any religion. According to the report, “When “childhood religion’ is compared against “current religion,’ the unaffiliated show a net increase of 8.8 percentage points, compared to a 7.5 point loss among Catholics, for example, or a 2.6 percent loss among Protestants.”
It is my belief that outrageously hypocritical behavior by conservative religious authorities is directly responsible for the surge in non-believers or those who shun organized religion. The ubiquitous scolds who dominate cable TV and Republican politics are too often conservatives of convenience, who believe they are exempt from practicing the strident rules that they preach.
For example, South Carolina’ First Lady, Jenny Sanford, filed for divorce last week after her husband, Gov. Mark Sanford (R), admitted an affair with a woman from Argentina. Until the scandal broke, Mark and Jenny posed as a beacon of Christian family values.
I can understand Jenny’ disgust with her husband, who left his four sons to cheat with his mistress on Father’ Day. But one can’t masquerade as a Bible-thumper when it comes to gay rights and other issues, and then say that the Bible is suddenly irrelevant when it comes to divorce.
Both Jenny and Mark profited from their charade, yet jilted Jenny wants to conveniently abandon biblical absolutism and utilize liberal divorce laws because her feelings are hurt. Sorry Jenny, but a mistress does not negate your marriage vows. Anyone can embrace the “sanctity of marriage” in good times. A true person of fundamentalist faith stays with the vows even when the relationship sours.
To highlight such hypocrisy, John Marcoa, a Sacramento Web-designer, has drafted a 2010 parody ballot measure that would ban divorce in California. Tellingly, the right wing organizations that fought to save marriage from gay couples have not lined up to support it.
From mega-churches to suburban strip mall ministries, fundamentalist youth rail against the secular culture, even as they ape it. They sport gaudy tattoos of Jesus, wear earrings in their noses and play imitation rock. On their fingers are silly chastity rings, when they really need chastity belts.
A recent New York Times magazine article points out that “More government money has been spent on the cause of sexual abstinence in Texas than any other state, but it still has the third-highest teen birth rate in the country and the highest percentage of teen mothers giving birth more than once.”
Former beauty queen Carrie Prejean is the perfect spokesperson for liberal bashing libertines. She moralized over same-sex marriage, but expected forgiveness and understanding when, thanks to tabloid pictures, America got to know her in the biblical sense.
Perhaps the most amusing part of studying conservatives is their absurd claim that America is a Christian nation, which is impossible, because no two people can define what it means to be Christian. A new Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life report entitled, “Many Americans Mix Multiple Faiths,” concludes that people are now choosing to “blend Christianity with Eastern or New Age beliefs”. Who knew crystals and Christ went so well together?
Last month, Watergate felon Chuck Colson joined a batch of wing nuts to write “The Manhattan Declaration”. This supposedly conservative manifesto began by shamelessly co-opting historical liberal successes. The Declaration reads:
“It was Christians who combated the evil of slavery…Christian women stood at the vanguard of the suffrage movement…The great civil rights crusades of the 1950s and 60s were led by Christians…
It is true that Christians played a role in these movements. However, it was non-believers teaming up with liberal Christians to overcome the opposition of conservative Christians. The anti-gay signers of The Manhattan Declaration are the ideological heirs to those on the wrong side of history. It was remarkable how efficiently they scrubbed their own embarrassing past and replaced their monumental failures with liberal accomplishments.
Social conservatives are a loud bunch, but their power is slipping. I think back to Middle school, when I attended a Houston Rockets basketball game with my father. During a time out the “Voice of God” announced that a gay rights measure had been crushed. The enthusiastic crowd burst out in to loud cheers, which was quite devastating to a thirteen-year old coming to terms with his sexual orientation.
On Monday, Houston voters elected openly gay Annise Parker as mayor. Unlike my youth, I watched a Houston crowd cheer for progress instead of prejudice. No doubt there were countless social conservatives across the city slamming beers, ogling women who weren’t their wives and betting on sports — while bemoaning the city’ fallen values.
This is the lifestyle of today’ conservatives of convenience. They are all creed and no deed.
Carrie Prejean continues to sabotage her long-term career prospects by whining and screaming “victim.” The truth is, she made the bed in which she now sleeps. Her ignorant views are compounded by her self-absorption and hypocrisy with sex tapes surfacing, even while she was building a facade of a holier-than-thou fundamentalist. Prejean makes the excuse that she was young and innocent when she shot the video, but she also said that her opposition to same-sex marriage came from her traditional upbringing. Her story is quite inconsistent and she is extremely selective with the morality from her childhood that she chooses to adopt.
Prejean justifies her nude hypocrisy by claiming, “Christians aren’t perfect.” No, fundamentalists like Prejean are not perfect and clearly do as they please. But they expect other people to be perfect and have no problem being judgmental when it suits their purposes.
Prejean also wants us to give her a pass on her sex tape because she is young. Yet, the beauty contestant demands we treat her like an adult and take her anti-gay political viewpoint seriously. Sorry, you can’t have it both ways Ms. Prejean.
Anti-gay activism is a slowly dying profession in America. With her new book, Prejean may think she hit the jackpot. But, it is an illusion, with her long-term career prospects quite dim. In 15-20 years, homophobia will be considered socially unacceptable. Prejean will have to apologize or end up like Anita Bryant, who lost her stardom over her homophobic tirades. And, Bryant didn’t even have a sex tape. Perhaps Prejean should reconsider the path she is on and stop digging herself into a hole she will have trouble escaping.
Is it just me or does Sean Hannity seem awfully flirtatious with Ms. Prejean.
Fresh off its wing nut wingding on the National Mall, the far-out fringe held its “Values Voter” summit in Washington last week. The highlight was jilted former Miss California, Carrie Prejean, starting a brand new religion — “MEvangelical Christianity”. In her remarkably self-centered, narcissistic speech, she cast herself as a martyr on a mission and repeatedly had to remind the audience that she wasn’t as stuck up as she appeared on stage.
Prejean’s introspective idolatry was almost outdone by Michael Schwartz, the chief of staff for Sen. Tom Coburn. For those who do not remember, Coburn is the Oklahoma Republican who once criticized the movie Schindler’s List for its nudity. Thank God for our watchdog, Senator Coburn, or lusting after malnourished and gaunt holocaust victims might have caught on.
With a mentor like Coburn, it was only natural for Schwartz to become an expert on pornography, and we were fortunate to have him share his wisdom at a Values Voter discussion on “The New Masculinity”.
On the cusp of insulting gay people, Schwartz told the rabid right crowd that he was about to get “politically incorrect.” Why bother with a disclaimer, as if gay bashing is actually controversial at such rallies? If he really wanted to shock the crowd, he would have introduced “Schwartz’ List” — naming all the social conservatives caught in tawdry sex scandals. But, alas he only had an hour, clearly not enough time for this endeavor.
Schwartz called pornography a “blight” and a “disease”. Although he failed to point out it disproportionally afflicts Republicans, with “Red States” having the highest rates of pornography subscriptions. The porno politico then agreed with an “ex-gay” friend of his that said, “‘All pornography is homosexual pornography because all pornography turns your sexual drive inwards.’ Now think about that. And if you, if you tell an 11-year-old boy about that, do you think he’s going to want to go out and get a copy of Playboy? I’m pretty sure he’ll lose interest. That’s the last thing he wants.’ You know, that’s a, that’s a good comment. It’s a good point and it’s a good thing to teach young people.”
So, straight porn will turn you gay and holocaust nudity is erotic. Just plain, homespun common sense.
Now that the loons have finally left DC, there is the question of whether the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community should march on Washington. The main event is scheduled for October 11th and it is highly anticipated by a new breed of Internet-age activists.
There is, however, opposition from many local GLBT organizations and movement activists who believe that resources spent in Washington would be put to better use fighting battles in the states.
I am highly sympathetic to statewide leaders who have performed heroic work, even though they lack crucial resources. And they are correct that the GLBT movement needs to continue fighting and educating at the local level. This will not only bring us victory in the states, but will change the facts on the ground in congressional districts, increasing the chance Congress will vote for equality.
Still, I agree with Equality Across America organizer Cleve Jones and long-time activist David Mixner that now is the time to go to Washington. No matter how much state organizers would prefer we march on state capitols, it is not the same. A rally in sleepy towns like Tallahassee or Albany changes your afternoon plans, while a trip to DC changes your life. (Read More)
Miss California USA announced today that it has fired Carrie Prejean for contract violations, CNN reported.
Prejean’s violations began in April when she was a no-show for numerous pageant assignments. Instead of performing her duties, Prejean appeared on Focus on the Family radio programs and in other antigay evangelical media to denounce California gay couples. Prejean claimed that her egocentric religious views were being somehow suppressed by those who expect a pageant winner to represent all Californians, not just self-important fundamentalists.
While Prejean presented herself to antigay evangelicals as a pro-family advocate, news emerged that Prejean had posed with baredbreasts for photos taken shortly before the Miss California pageant. Pleased with Prejean’s pro-family rhetoric, Focus on the Family suppressed news of the photos.
Meanwhile, pageant officials tried to contact Prejean about her absenteeism, but she refused their calls.
Outside the echo chamber of antigay evangelical media, Prejean became known — and will be remembered — as a liar. As Truth Wins Out noted in April:
Roger Neal, a San Diego public relations representative who advised Prejean, said she was untruthful. “She chose to stand up in church and in front of the media and say something that was a lie,” Neal said. “No one ever said, “You must apologize to the gay community,’ and no one ever said, “Don’t talk about your faith or your religion.’ Those two things never came out of anybody’ mouth.”
Prejean was not the pro-family advocate that she claimed to be; she was what antigay evangelicals frequently label their critics: A “false prophet.” A promoter of moral hypocrisy. A profiteer. And a poseur.
Donald Trump was wrong to excuse Prejean’s unprofessional behavior in April — and right to terminate her now.
Focus on the Family today welcomed what it called “good news” that Carrie Prejean would not lose her Miss California USA crown. However, the organization continued to conceal news of Carrie Prejean’s repeated and recent erotic-photo shoots as well as a permanent demotion that Prejean received from California pageant officials, after she discarded her pageant duties in favor of photo-ops with the religious right.
Instead of discussing the facts, Focus on the Family promoted a two-part radio broadcast in which Dr. James Dobson talked with Prejean about her perceptions of persecution and her stand against marriage.
The purpose of inviting Miss California to Focus on the Family was not to “debate the merits of beauty pageants, or the swimsuit competition or the profession of modeling,” Dr. Dobson said. “We agree with those in the audience who oppose that kind of sensuality.
“That’s not our purpose here. I want everyone to know the behind-the-scenes story related to the answer Carrie gave.”
Unknown to Focus readers and listeners, Prejean refused to participate with other pageant winners in a Miss California USA public service announcement that promoted civility, respect and diversity. Instead, Prejean assured Focus on the Family that she is the role model for these values:
“I hope I have inspired others to maintain compassion, civility, respect and tolerance while staying true to your convictions, and to never, ever compromise your beliefs … regardless of the consequences.”
Even as Donald Trump prepared to give Carrie Prejean a second chance as Miss California USA, Prejean continued on Monday to use her title as a soapbox for fundamentalist bigotry — appearing on James Dobson’s daily Focus on the Family’s radio program and playing hooky from official pageant assignments such as this one:
While other pageant winners were promoting California’s diversity, Prejean was promoting her own superiority. According to U.S. News’ God & Country blog, Prejean told Dobson on Monday:
I felt as though Satan was trying to tempt me in asking me this question [about allowing gay Americans to marry]. And then God was in my head and in my heart saying, “Do not compromise this. You need to stand up for me and you need to share with all these people . . . you need to witness to them and you need to show that you’re not willing to compromise that for this title of Miss USA.”
In other words, it seems:
Perez Hilton is Satanic for asking a reasonable question and following it up with a sexist slur
it’s Satanic to affirm marriage, as equality advocates do, and
it’s Satanic to oppose the bigotry, sleaze, and compromise that Prejean represents.
The great compromiser in the scandal is, of course, Prejean herself: She freely mixes pro-family rhetoric with erotic photos, contractual infidelity with talk of integrity, icons of women’s progress with stunning ignorance, demands for one-way tolerance with contempt for diversity.
