I hope no vulnerable LGBT teens see Tony Perkin’s latest fundraising screed.  I assume he sent this out to the true believers he built off of David Duke’s warm list.  [Click to embiggen, of course.]

Well, then. Let’s dissect this load of unadulterated, hateful crap, shall we?

If you’ve not yet heard about this true story, get ready to be shocked–and to take action.

For President Obama to use the power of his office to promote such aims is truly appalling. I was especially disappointed to see pro-homosexual videos aimed directly at young people recorded at the White House. They were made in partnership with Dan Savage, a homosexual extremist who built a career on hatred of Christians and their values.

The videos are titled “It Gets Better.” They are aimed at persuading kids that although they’ll face struggles and perhaps bullying for “coming out” as homosexual (or transgendered or some other perversion), life will get better.

Horrors! Can you imagine telling kids that, “although they’ll face struggles and perhaps bullying” for simply being who they are, life will get better?! Moreover, it’s TRUE! Millions of happy LGBT people are living proof!

Can you imagine George Washington, Ronald Reagan, or any other president telling school children that it’s okay to be immoral and that they’ll eventually feel better about it?

Oh, but they’re not, you lying toad. And neither is Barack Obama. You see, the only way anyone would ever get the idea that being gay is “immoral” is by listening to the uneducated fever ramblings of fearfully, not-so-wonderfully made bigots like Tony Perkins. If a child grows up and is LGBT, and is surrounded by love and support, they will not feel “sinful,” because there is no sane reason to believe such an asinine thing. However, if they’re raised around people like Tony Perkins, they’re, sadly, a lot more likely to become statistics.

What a lovely confirmation bias racket Tony and his cohort have worked out. They drive kids to suicide, and then when the bodies are still warm, they point and say “Look there! Being gay is obviously awful!”

I mean, those of us with souls, who actually care about human beings, could never do anything like that, but it seems to work for Religious Right hate groups.

It’s disgusting. And it’s part of a concerted effort to persuade kids that homosexuality is okay and actually to recruit them into that “lifestyle.”

Uh, no, there’s no “recruiting.” But we understand that the average Family Research Council donor can’t put on shoes without flinging poo at the protective glass, so you have to say stuff like that. Republicans use dogwhistles because they work on idiots, you see.

Anyway, Tony ends up with an appeal to his donors to please give all your munnies to the Family Research Council, so that they can continue injecting hatred against vulnerable kids into the national discourse, a dying gasp of a dinosaur sort of mythology that we can all [read: the other 80% of the nation who thinks the Religious Right is batsh*t crazy] be grateful is losing its influence more and more each day.

The LGBT kids who will go on to lead happy, fulfilled, productive lives are especially grateful.

Since Tony is asking for money, Truth Wins Out does our best with three staff members to fight against and rebut this kind of hate every single day, so if you appreciate what we do and want to see more of it, please consider helping us out with a donation. Thanks!

A Truth Wins Out undercover operation exposed Michele and Marcus Bachmann this week for the charlatans that they truly are – and just in time for election season. The couple had claimed that their “Christian” clinic, Bachmann & Associates, did not try to convert LGBT people into heterosexuals.

Truth Wins Out proved that they lied.

Our investigation consisted of attending five therapy sessions at Bachmann & Associates with hidden cameras. At the clinic, TWO’s John Becker was directed by a counselor to act more masculine, pray to Jesus, and start appreciating women’s breasts. The results of our operation unmasked the Bachmann family and definitively proved that their clinic counseled clients to “pray away the gay.”

The results of our investigation broke in The Nation magazine and ABC World News with Diane Sawyer. TWO spokespeople were interviewed by: ABC’s Nightline and Good Morning America, NBC’s Today Show, MSNBC’s Live with Al Sharpton and Hardball with Chris Mathews, The Ed Schultz Show, MSNBC News with Thomas Roberts and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell. A dialogue about our investigation was aired on several other shows including CNN’s AC360, Comedy Central’s Colbert Report and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. On Sunday, The New York Times will discuss our investigation and on Tuesday, I will appear on HLN’s The Joy Behar Show.

I want to take a brief timeout from our work exposing people like Michele and Marcus Bachmann to ask for your generous support. Truth Wins Out isn’t just talk – we work tirelessly and get the job done. We turn information into action and our results are tangible.

Please consider a tax-deductible gift to Truth Wins Out today.

In 2011, we have consistently broken major stories and effectively advocated for LGBT equality:

• TWO launched a Change.org petition gathering 160,000 signatures that led to Apple dumping an Exodus International “ex-gay” iPhone app.
• TWO broke the story of comedian Tracy Morgan’s recent homophobic rant in Nashville – which led to Morgan publicly apologizing.

We are excited by what we have accomplished (with only three staff members) – but there is so much more to do! Truth Wins Out wants to continue fighting anti-gay lies and spotlighting religious extremists like Michele and Marcus Bachmann.

However, we can only do so with your commitment to and investment in Truth Wins Out. If you can give a tax-deductible gift of $1,000, $500, $100, or $35 we’d greatly appreciate it. If your budget allows $25 or $15 – we need your help today.

Your support in any amount is the cornerstone of our success. Be part of the next victory now!

Truth Wins Out
Post Office Box 96
Burlington, VT 05402

ABC World News covered Truth Wins Out’s investigation of Marcus Bachmann’s therapy practice, where John Becker discovered that Bachmann indeed does utilize discredited, scientifically fraudulent “ex-gay” reparative therapy.

Also, if you value and appreciate the sort of work Truth Wins Out does, we need your help, as we are funded by donations.  Please consider a tax deductible contribution to Truth Wins Out so that we may continue to expose the harmful “ex-gay” industry and continue the fight for LGBT people against religious extremism in all its forms.  Thanks!

Truth Wins Out is very proud of the enemies it has made and wears their condemnation with a badge of honor – because it proves we are doing our job.

Concerned Women for America called TWO a “full blown attack on the ex-gay ministries.” Focus on the Family called us its “most vociferous opponent”. And I won the 2010 “Gay Grinch Award” from Americans for Truth About Homosexuality. We have always pissed off the right people…but now we have angered the extreme right.

The other day, the Ku Klux Klan slammed Truth Wins Out for our opposition to the Catholic iphone “Confession App.” They even called me a “sodomite”. Here is what the KKK had to say on its website:

Wayne Besen is the executive director of Truth Wins Out and he is an out and proud Sodomite. Yes, the very same type of Sodomite that God condemned by raining fire and brimstone upon that ancient city of Sodom. He has been reported to have said that the mention of homosexual sin in the confession app would, “create neurotic individuals who are ashamed of who they are.”

So Mr. Besen doesn’t want to be reminded of his sin and he doesn’t like the idea of other sodomites being reminded of their sin. Instead, he thinks the church should support homosexuality and other deviant lifestyles as normal and healthy. But is it really the job of the church to make everyone feel good about whatever choice they make? No. It is the job of the church, to teach the word of God and to have no company, friendship, affiliation, or contact whatsoever with those who would commit such grievous offenses against the faith.

To continue standing up and speaking out against such bigotry, Truth Wins Out needs your generous support. Please make the KKK pay by giving a tax-deductible contribution to Truth Wins Out today!

Truth Wins Out
Post Office Box 96
Burlington, VT 05402

Here is a story in The Edge about TWO’s recent Philadelphia protest against NARTH:

When members of a so-called “ex-gay” organization arrived in Philadelphia this past weekend, a number of LGBT activists armed with the message “you can’t pray the gay away” were on hand to greet them.

In conjunction with Soulforce’s Life Rally! and annual symposium, Truth Wins Out held a protest outside of the site of the National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality’s annual conference. More than 40 protesters clutched pink suitcases in recognition of the controversy surrounding former NARTH official George Rekers, who was caught with a male escort he claimed was helping carry his luggage in Miami International Airport.

Wayne Besen, author and founder of Truth Wins Out, is confident protesters effectively delivered their message to NARTH and onlookers.

“We got the message out that these are disreputable therapists in a very funny and entertaining way,” Besen told EDGE. “It’s important to speak out against NARTH because what they want to do is be seen as mainstream and they want to be seen as people who are legitimate-when, in fact, their illegitimate and on the far fringe of psychology. They are rejected by every respectable medical organization out there. I think our efforts drove that home in a very vivid way.”

If you are thankful for such efforts and want them to continue, please consider a tax-deductible Thanksgiving Day gift to Truth Wins Out today. Together, we can continue fighting anti-gay lies and religious extremism. It is even more important than ever, now that Exodus is planning to target youth in 2011 with “ex-gay” lies. Their destructive message can be effectively countered — but only with your help and generosity.

We appreciate your support and have a happy Thanksgiving.

Truth Wins Out
337 College Street, #12
Burlington, Vt. 05401

Today, I’m going to make a rare and radical request. I’m going to ask you directly for a tax-deductible donation to Truth Wins Out based on the unique idea of rewarding RESULTS.

This week, Truth Wins Out forced the “ex-gay” therapy group Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH) to change its name to Jews Offering New Alternatives to Healing. They did so after Truth Wins Out’s investigative work uncovered two devastating scandals.

The first scandal revealed that the co-founder of JONAH, Arthur Abba Goldberg, was a convicted felon who stole millions of dollars on Wall Street. The second expose revealed that JONAH’s senior “life coach”, Alan Downing, was allegedly making clients undress and touch themselves.

Investigating and exposing the “ex-gay” industry takes money. We can only continue to undermine these groups with your kindness and generosity.

I understand that there are many groups that you may want to support. Some of these groups engage in direct action. Others deal with the dissemination of information. But, Truth Wins Out is a unique organization and deserves your support because we uncover original information – and then we know how to turn it into action.  Few other groups have the capacity to monitor anti-gay organizations and then make them pay dearly when damning data is found.

Can you think of another LGBT organization that has so damaged an anti-gay group that they were forced to rebrand and change their name and logo?

I didn’t think so.

I’m not asking you to fund pie-in-the sky promises, a fancy mission statement, or a slick brochure to tell you what we plan to do. I’m asking you to invest in an organization that has had a tremendously successful year in activism. Aside from the JONAH scandal, here are a few more of our accomplishments in the first half of 2010:

1) Truth Wins Out created the American Prayer Hour (APH) and worked with key organizations to organize a successful event. The APH shined a harsh spotlight on Uganda’s infamous “Kill the Gays” bill. It showed how American evangelicals who host the National Prayer Breakfast were directly tied to this deadly legislation. The result was massive media coverage, as well as President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton speaking out against this bill.

2) Truth Wins Out has infiltrated several major religious right events or gatherings and provided “special reports.” These include: Pastor Lou Engle’s revival in St. Louis, The Awakening conference in Lynchburg, The May Day rally in Washington, DC, and radio host Linda Harvey’s presentation in Michigan.

3) Wherever “ex-gay” organizations or activists are having major appearances or conferences, Truth Wins Out is there, on the ground, to meet their lies with facts. In 2010, Truth Wins Out has worked with local advocates to counter “ex-gay” lies across the country.

4) Each day, Truth Wins Out’s expert researchers monitor and study anti-gay organizations and the ex-gay industry. In the past year, our website traffic is up 150%, making us a major resource for information.

In a world full of broken promises and disappointing politicians – Truth Wins Out stands out because it has delivered. We are having an impact, making a difference and providing tangible results in front of your eyes.

Please help us make the second half of 2010 as productive and successful as the first half. If you can donate $25, please do so today. If you would like to offer a substantial investment in our future, $250 or $1,000, or more, please do so.

Without your help, the “ex-gay” industry will continue its dishonest and destructive ways and not be held accountable. With your assistance, we will keep exposing these charlatans and hypocrites for the scam artists that they truly are.

At Truth Wins Out, we do exactly what we say we are going to do. We believe that results matter and should be rewarded.

Please support our vital work at Truth Wins Out today.

Truth Wins Out
Post Office Box 20221
New York, NY 10011