Truth Wins Out applauds Montgomery County Superintendent Joshua Starr for telling the truth about the message of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX). He was moved to comment after TWO criticized his school system for allowing PFOX to distribute 8,000 fliers to students. According to Pink News Starr reportedly told pupils: “This group has figured out how to use that law to spread what I find to be a really, really disgusting message, frankly.”

PFOX Executive Director Regina Griggs responded with a typically foolish statement: “We call on the Montgomery County Board of Education to enforce its Nondiscrimination Policy and censure Starr immediately. The Policy mandates that schools provide ‘an atmosphere where differences are understood and appreciated, and where all persons are treated fairly and with respect in an environment free of discrimination and … abuse.’ Clearly Superintendent Starr has violated the Board’s Policy. Starr’s verbal abuse, disrespectful behavior, and slurs against the ex-gay community amount to hate and illegal sexual orientation discrimination, which are all forbidden by the Policy.”

You have got to be kidding me. The president of PFOX, Greg Quinlan, refers to LGBT people as “flaming faggots” and a board member, Peter Sprigg, supports imprisoning LGBT people and once claimed we should be “exporting” homosexuals. The despicable organization even has a “prayer” on its site that says: “Father, I want to thank you for the awesome change you have wrought in MY life. How you allowed me to survive while I was trapped under the deception of homosexuality, that it even resembled ‘life’.”

PFOX’s former President, Richard Cohen, was permanently expelled from the American Counseling Association for multiple ethics violations. Prior to his stint at PFOX, Cohen was a Moonie and once even belonged to the Wesleyan Community Church, a Vashon Island cult that practiced naked “therapy” in churches. Cohen’s therapy outfit, The International Healing Foundation, sent a representative to Uganda to speak alongside a holocaust revisionist at a conference with the goal of “wiping out” homosexuality.

The man who is currently listed on the group’s Speaker’s Bureau, Arthur Abba Goldberg, is a convicted felon who was jailed for billion dollar bond schemes. The founder of PFOX, Anthony Falzarano once told CBS News, “AIDS comes from the devil, directly from Satan. He uses homosexuals as pawns and then he kills them.” Another time, he called hate crime victim Matthew Shepard a “predator to heterosexual men.”

Clearly, these are just lovely people at PFOX who exist to oppose discrimination and appreciate and understand differences in humanity. (Yes, you can stop laughing anytime)  Montgomery County Superintendent Joshua Starr should just ignore these clowns.

Earlier in the week, TWO sent an open letter to Starr urging him to stop the distribution of PFOX fliers. While non-profit literature must not be blocked based on viewpoint, it can and should be prohibited if it contains blatant misinformation that jeopardizes the health and well being of students. The PFOX flier easily fits this description and the group has a dubious history that includes bizarre and bigoted practices that have no place in the public school system.

Truth Wins Out will soon be suing PFOX and Greg Quinlan for defamation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 29, 2010

Contact: Wayne Besen, TWO Executive Director
Phone: 917-691-5118
E-Mail: wbesen@truthwinsout.org
Web: www.TruthWinsOut.org

We are Relieved That The Mayor Did Not Honor A Hate Group, Says TWO

NEW YORK — Truth Wins Out (TWO) thanked Washington, DC mayor Adrian Fenty today for quickly clarifying that a certificate of appreciation given to Regina Griggs, an activist with Parents & Friends of Ex-Gays, (PFOX) was a clerical error. PFOX had breathlessly touted the certificate in a press release and proudly displayed a copy of it on its website. Today, the mayor’ office issued the following statement

A staff level error was made when the request for the certificate in question was fulfilled. We apologize for the error as it runs contrary to the Mayor’ vision of a more open and inclusive city.

The Mayor is proud of his ardent support of the LGBT community as illustrated in his championing of the Marriage Equality legislation which he signed into law on December 18, 2009.

“We appreciate Mayor Fenty’ rapid response and for clarifying this troubling issue,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. “The mayor took an affirmative step to stop PFOX from touting the certificate as a stamp of approval from the DC government. We are pleased that no such recognition was given and that the mayor did not endorse a hate group that deliberately spreads misinformation against LGBT people. Additionally, we thank GLAA’ Richard Rosendall for bringing the issue to our attention and for their efforts to resolve this matter.”

According to a gushing PFOX press release:

The government of the District of Columbia has awarded a certificate of appreciation to Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX). The certificate, signed by D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty, recognizes Griggs for her “dedication, commitment, and outstanding contributions as Executive Director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays.”

Truth Wins Out also took PFOX to task for its overwrought excitement over a certificate it was mistakenly given.

“This pathetic publicity stunt shows how desperate PFOX is for attention and how delusional they truly are,” said TWO’ Besen. “Now they look doubly ridiculous, because the they were never meant to have this certificate.”

UPDATE: Mayoral candidate and Council Chair Vince Gray today issued the following statement about Mayor Fenty’ Certificate of Appreciation honoring the work of Parents and Friends of ExGays and Gays:

“For the Mayor to issue a certificate of appreciation honoring an organization that has done so much to alienate so many is not only an insult to the LGBT community, it is yet another example of the insensitivity of his administration. It is an embarrassment to our city that he would make such an offensive mistake. It was the Mayor’ signature on the certificate, not a staff-member’, and I hope the Mayor will personally take responsibility.”

Adrian Fenty, the mayor of Washington, D.C., was a strong ally in the successful fight for marriage equality in DC. However, there is word that the mayor signed a certificate of appreciation for PFOX leader Regina Griggs. According to a gushing PFOX press release:

The government of the District of Columbia has awarded a certificate of appreciation to Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX). The certificate, signed by D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty, recognizes Griggs for her “dedication, commitment, and outstanding contributions as Executive Director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays.”

“Regina’ award is well-deserved,” said Greg Quinlan, President of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays. PFOX presented the award to Griggs last week in honor of her ten years of volunteer service to parents and the ex-gay community.

“Regina has served as executive director without pay. Instead, she prefers that donations be used to develop resources for families and teens, to promote unconditional love for all regardless of sexual orientation, and to seek equal access and protection for the ex-gay community,” said Quinlan. “Her dedication is unparalleled.”

GLAA’s Richard Rosendall is looking into this astounding story. More at The Edge. Let us hope that this all turns out to be nothing. It would be remarkably offensive and surreal for DC to celebrate a purveyor of hate and misinformation.