FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Wayne Besen, Executive Director
Phone: 917-691-5118
Email: wbesen@truthwinsout.org

More than 4,000 People Have Already Signed TWO’s Petition Urging George to Step Down For Comparing LGBT Community to Ku Klux Klan

CHICAGO – Truth Wins Out stepped up its campaign calling on Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Francis George to resign today by placing a full-page ad in this upcoming Sunday’s Chicago Tribune. The ad is headlined, “Hey, Cardinal Francis George, Gay is not like the KKK,” and slams the Cardinal for foolishly comparing the LGBT community to the Ku Klux Klan. It satirically includes a picture of a rainbow-robed Klansman and debunks the lies and misinformation disseminated by the Archbishop about the LGBT community. The ad comes as an online TWO petition calling on George to step down has reached more than 4,000 signatures.

“We felt compelled to place this ad after Cardinal George compounded his initial smear with further insults disguised as an apology,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “It seems the sin of pride is keeping George from saying he is sorry for his outrageous and misleading remarks about Gay Pride. At this point, the only road to redemption is his resignation.”

George’s offensive remarks first came during a dispute over the scheduled starting time of the annual gay pride parade in June. The event was originally set to begin at 10am, but a priest bitterly complained that the starting time would interfere with morning services. In an interview with Fox News in Chicago, Cardinal George said: “You know, you don’t want the Gay Liberation Movement to morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism.”

Instead of backtracking this week, George tried to rationalize his below the belt smear with an offensive statement from the Archdiocese: “When the pastor’s request for reconsideration of the plans was ignored, the organizers invited an obvious comparison to other groups who have historically attempted to stifle the religious freedom of the Catholic Church. One such organization is the Ku Klux Klan which, well into the 1940′s, paraded through American cities not only to interfere with Catholic worship but also to demonstrate that Catholics stand outside of the American consensus. It is not a precedent anyone should want to emulate.”

“This is not a legitimate fight over religious liberty as George wrongly implies, but a vivid example of religious bigotry fueled by a mean-spirited analogy that linked innocent, law abiding families with the KKK,” said Besen. “We will stand up against such lies and speak out when LGBT people are unfairly maligned.”

Earlier in the year, TWO launched a 160,000-signature Change.org petition that helped persuade Apple, Inc. to eliminate an “ex-gay” iPhone app by the group Exodus International.

Truth Wins Out (TWO) is a nonprofit that fights anti-LGBT religious extremism. TWO specializes in turning information into action by organizing, advocating and fighting for LGBT equality.

Sign TWO’s Petition

The Catholic League’ Bill Donahue Is More Interested In Scapegoats Than Solutions, Says TWO

NEW YORK – Truth Wins Out today harshly condemned the Catholic League and its President Bill Donohue for its full-page New York Times ad in which the organization served as an enabler for sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and sought to deflect blame for the crisis by smearing the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

The offensive ad sought to exonerate the Pope and other priests of blame who are ensnared in a widening sexual abuse scandal that reaches across the globe. Instead of offering an apology for sinful behavior, the Catholic League served as apologists and used the ad to try to deflect the crisis by attacking gay priests.

“This was a disgraceful ad and an unconscionable attempt to smear gay and lesbian people,” said Truth Wins Out’ Executive Director Wayne Besen. “Clearly, the Catholic League is more interested in finding scapegoats than solutions.”

In today’ ad, entitled, “Going for the Vatican Jugular”, Donohue wrote, “The Times continues to editorialize about the “pedophilia crisis,’ when all along it has been a homosexual crisis.”

“We should remind Donohue that there is no child sexual abuse crisis in gay community centers, neighborhoods, churches or social organizations,” said TWO’ Besen. “This nightmare has to do with Catholic pedophile priests and those who served as their enablers. The Catholic League thinks it is mounting a defense, but it is only exacerbating the pain felt by the defenseless who were taken advantage of by authority figures in the church.”

Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that defends the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community against anti-gay misinformation campaigns, counters the so-called “ex-gay” industry and educates about the lives of LGBT people. Our goal is to help individuals be true to themselves and lead genuine lives of honesty and integrity.

Religious “morality” is once again on open display with the news that more than 500 people have filed claims accusing Jesuits of sexually abusing children across the Northwest.

The Jesuits claim to have so far spent about $25 million and have settled 200 sex-abuse claims. In bankruptcy documents the Jesuits claim to have $4.8 million in assets and liabilities of $61.8 million.

The amount of money they are spending to clean up this moral mess is staggering. And, all the cases aren’t even settled!

In other news, the New York Times reports on the disgusting cover-up of sexual abuse in Connecticut and the lengths the Catholic Church went to in their unholy efforts to conceal documents related to the cases. This went to the top of the chain and even included Bishop Edward Egan.

Interestingly, while settlements on child seduction, abuse and rape are occurring, The Catholic League’s Bill Donohue is in a tizzy over a PETA ad that features model Joanna Krupa holding a crucifix over some dogs with the caption, “Be an angel for the animals. Always Adopt. Never Buy.”

“The fact is that cats and dogs are a lot safer in pet stores than they are in the hands of PETA employees,” Catholic League President Bill Donohue said in a statement. “Moreover, pet stores don’t rip off Christian iconography and engage in cheap irreligious claims. PETA is a fraud.”

How typical of Donohue and his useless organization, which is no more than a PR firm for hypocrisy. The Catholic League always finds fluffy pet issues, no pun intended, instead of fixing the moral depravity within the church’s walls. Deflection is the specialty of The Catholic League, which is used to stifle genuine reflection and having to face up to the unspeakable facts.

Millions of dollars are being shelled out because of priest scandals and the main thing Donohue is concerned about is finding a sensational issue so he can get his mug on TV.

Outrageous, isn’t it?

It shows you what The Catholic League truly values – and it’s not families. I’m not saying one has to agree with the PETA ads. But, I am pointing out that Donohue and the Catholic hierarchy in general under Pope Benedict has their priorities skewed.

I never again want to hear a Catholic priest lecture GLBT people on sexual morality. There simply is no moral authority for these priests – or Donohue – to discuss sexuality of any kind. It is time they clean up their own act before pointing fingers.

Short of murder, there is nothing worse than child sexual abuse – the primary sin of this Church. Given their sordid history, it is astounding that they would even consider entering the debate on allowing healthy gay couples the freedom to marry.

Have these “holy men” no shame? Have they no sense of decency and honor? I think the answer is self-evident.

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 on Friday 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, says TWO.

“These new defenders of the Mormon faith have long been the most prolific Mormon bashers in the nation, so it is remarkable to see their defense of the LDS church,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. “The only thing they have in common with the Mormons is an uncommon desire to discriminate against gay and lesbian Americans. The degree of chutzpah and hypocrisy in this ad is eye-popping.”

The 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. We should also question the unctuous defense of Mormons by the ad’s signers (Kevin Hasson, Nathan Diament, Rich Cizik, Ronald Sider, Chuck Colson, Chris Seiple, Dr. Alveda King, William Donahue, Robert Seiple, Douglas Laycock, Marvin Olasky, Roger Scruton and Armando Valladares).
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