Contest Preview!

Hi all, just wanted to give you a heads up. Massresistance Watch will be sponsoring a contest. Information and contest rules will be revealed within the next week or so. Final preparations are being made so stay tuned!

Yup, She's Still Gay! Even 10 Years Later

Set that VCR, DVR, and/or TiVo! Monday, April 30th is 10 years to the gay, I mean, day, that Ellen's "The Puppy" episode aired and Oxygen TV is celebrating by running an Ellen marathon. From 8am til 2pm you can catch all those espisodes leading up to the 1pm showing of "The Puppy".

Wow, I can't believe it has been 1o years. I was an avid watcher in the beginning of the series. I started watching more regularly about a year before she came out because the show had become really hilarious. One of my favorite episodes was when Martha Stewart came over for dinner (I think it might have been Thanksgiving) and any time Jeremy Piven was on (he was hot when he didn't have hair, still can't figure out where all the hair he has now came from)


If you've never seen it, catch it, if you have, watch it again, you'll be glad you did. "The Puppy" episode features an all star cast including Laura Dern, Melissa Etheridge, k.d. Lange and even Oprah.

For those people in the Boston area, Oxygen is on channel 216.

The Prom is Ruined Because the Bisexual is Dancing with the Boys AND the Girls!

If you happened to read the Boston Globe today, you might have read the story about the Catholic school girl who wanted to bring a same sex date to the prom but was told no.

If this was the end of the story it would have been fine since the high school, after all, is part of a religious institution and by law can discriminate against anyone they want because they are exempt (because they are a religious institution and not accepting public funds). You would think that the people responsible for the school would issue a statement with something about Catholic teachings and beliefs about gay people, etc... But nooooooooooooooo! Instead we get some hack spouting ridiculousness:

Administrators say they have banned same-sex couples because they want the prom to remain traditional.

"We're not looking for trouble at our prom," George A. Milot, superintendent of schools in the Diocese of Fall River, said yesterday. "Having boys bring boys or girls bring girls opens the door to all kinds of scenarios that could lead to problems. We're not willing to open the door. We're sticking with tradition; we have enough problems as it is."

He insisted the diocesean schools are not discriminating against gays and lesbians.

Where to start...? Did you hear about the prom's theme? It's 007: Diamonds are Forever. You know, 007, James Bond, that ladies' man who, when he's not objectifying women, is an trained assassin. Ah, I get it now, they want it to remain THAT traditional where men are in charge and women know their place.

His response also got me wondering about what kind of trouble they were going to get with having one girl bring another girl to the prom? Are the students so tough in Catholic high school nowadays that the two women were going to jump on the tables and start destroying the place?

And then there's that comment about "Having boys bring boys ...could lead to problems. We're not willing to open the door." Open the door to what? Everyone being treated equal? Gay bashing? What problems?

A Catholic school is free to discriminate against anyone they want. It's legal as long as they are not taking state or federal money. All these made up excuses just highlight the blatant hatred of gay people they have. It may be legal but it's certainly not Christian like.

Congrats New Hampshire!

New Hampshire will become the first state to adopt civil unions for gay and lesbian couples without a court order or the threat of one:

The Senate passed the bill 14-10 on straight party lines, Democrats in favor, Republicans against.

"I'm kind of am speechless," said Democratic state Rep. Bette Lasky, who shepherded civil unions through the House. "I'm delighted this is the result and I'm proud of both the House and Senate for upholding New Hampshire's tradition of advancing minority rights."

The bill goes to Gov. John Lynch, who announced last week he will sign it.
"This legislation is a matter of conscience, fairness and of preventing discrimination," said Lynch spokesman Colin Manning.

It was only a few short years ago when Vermont adopted civil unions. There was supposed to be a huge backlash against the people who voted for it but it didn't happen. In NH, like VT there are some lawmakers trying to confuse the people:

"Let's just call it what it really is, no sugarcoating," said Republican Sen. Robert Letourneau, of Derry. "This creates same-sex marriage. There is no right to marriage in either the New Hampshire Constitution or the federal Constitution."

"We don't let blind people drive or felons vote, all for good and obvious reasons," he said.

Good and obvious reasons? The NH legislature voted to give the people civil unions, not civil marriage! By the way Senator, blind people can hunt in over 14 states.

Don't you think Senator Letourneau should list exactly what those good and obvious reasons are?

Kentucky, Unbridled Spirit: To Discriminate?

News from Kentucky:

Gov. Ernie Fletcher said he doesn't expect to call a special session of the General Assembly until after the May 22 primary election and confirmed that he's considering asking lawmakers to block public universities from offering domestic partner benefits to employees.

It seems those darn public universities want to offer domestic partner benefits to its unmarried opposite sex couples and "can't ever get married because we put it in the constitution" same sex couples. The university says they only wants to attract the best and the brightest (who wants to move to a state where they discriminate against a minority?) They want your tourism dollars though.

Even though Kentucky passed that ban on equal marriage that wasn't enough. It appears they want to make sure that any couple that can get married does and any couple banned from marriages gets no benefits EVER.

Fletcher said he is receiving "push-back" from Kentuckians who voted for a constitutional amendment in 2004 banning same-sex marriage. Gay and lesbian couples would benefit from domestic partnership benefits.

"At this point, yes, I don't support domestic partnership benefits for this reason: We're taking tax dollars from citizens who voted and said they don't support same-sex marriage and putting that into benefits that could be used to hold down tuition costs and other things," Fletcher said. "We're getting a lot of push-back from the citizens across the commonwealth."

Note to the Massachusetts Legislators: When these groups, such as the Vote on Marriage people, claim that it's about marriage, DON'T BELIEVE THEM. It's really about stripping every possible protection away from gay couples. They talk a kind and civil game but in reality they just want us gone.

AmericanBlog has a great summary:

I do find it amazing that the religious right claimed that these anti-gay state constitutional amendments (and the federal one) would have no impact on anything else other than gay marriage. Now we're finding out otherwise, from the horses' own mouths. Now they're telling us that when the states banned gay marriage they also banned providing health insurance, inheritance, hospital visitation and more to gay couples. Funny, but I don't recall hearing any of that when the religious right was pushing these things. Of course, we also know from Ohio that these state amendments have also outlawed domestic violence laws. I'm not kidding. Women who have been abused by their boyfriends, fiancees, etc., can now no longer seek the protection of domestic violence laws because in Ohio you can't be given rights unless you're married. Now we're talking targeting straight women who are victims of violence.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

What Homosexuals Do Behind Closed Doors…

My husband went to the dentist the other day for his 6 month check-up and cleaning. Like most people, he detests going but was happy to find a new hygienist who he absolutely adores.

During the examination he asked her about a topic that we (he and I) discuss often behind at home: Should you floss or brush first? I've always been sure I was right (after all, I was one of the first Boy Scouts in the county to earn the dentistry merit badge so I had to be correct, right?) Well, in the eyes of my husband’s dental hygienist, I was right, but, she admitted that people can go either way, no studies have confirmed any perfect way.

After hearing this, my husband made her take a loyalty vow. He told her if word got out that gay people were discussing brushing and flossing in the privacy of their bedrooms instead of living fabulously exotic lives and planning the moral decline of civilization, then, well, people would think we were just plain ole boring.

Day of Silence

Massachusetts Institute Against Gays

The editor of Bay Windows wrote a very poignant piece last week about the Massachusetts "Family" Institute (MFI). As an aside, I have always listed them with Family in quotes because MFI does not care about the family however, Susan Ryan-Vollmar has hit the nail on the head:

Honestly, what is the Massachusetts Family Institute doing for families in Massachusetts? If you click on the “Issues in Focus” link on the MFI website, you’ll get their 10 priorities for “strengthening the family”: dealing with child abuse, cohabitation, gambling, pornography, media violence, Internet safety and statutory rape; promoting marriage; strengthening parental rights; and fighting same-sex marriage. MFI, remarkably, manages to blame LGBT people as the cause — either directly or indirectly — of at least five of their issues: child abuse, cohabitation, pornography, strengthening parental rights and, of course, same-sex marriage. It’s remarkable that a political movement claiming to care about families and children spends more time and talent demonizing LGBT people than actually working for families and children.

Her last paragraph inspired me to change the link to them (and all future references to them):

There’s no question that families with children, particularly those at lower-income levels, need strong advocates working for them. Access to quality health care, child care and public education are crucial issues facing us all. Given what little work the Massachusetts Family Institute does in this regard, maybe they should change their name. The Massachusetts Institute Against Gays seems fitting.

Courting Equality

There's a wonderful new book out called "Courting Equality". It's by Patricia A. Gozemba (Author), Karen Kahn (Author), Marilyn Humphries (Photographer). My husband and I looked through the book this past weekend at the Now Voyager bookstore on Commercial St in Provincetown. I didn't even think copies were available yet!

Browsing through the book brought back some beautiful memories of the struggle we've gone through here in Massachusetts. Some of the pictures even brought back the painful memories of those groups out there who hate us simply because of who we are. I got misty when I found a picture of my husband and myself at one of the Constitutional conventions. (We were both shouting and crying over the defeat of the anti-gay Phil Travis amendment.) We felt really proud to be featured alongside our brothers and sisters in the fight for full equality.

Check out the events page on the website for places where the authors and photographer will be signing books. There will be a special book signing at the Cambridge YWCA on May 16th on the eve of the 3rd anniversary of the Equal Marriage:

May 16, 6:30-8:30 pm, Cambridge YWCA, Hannum Hall, 7 Temple Street (Central Square, one block from Mass. Ave.), Cambridge, MA. Launch of Courting Equality! Meet the photographer, authors, and people in the book. Have them sign your copy. Books will be for sale at the event.

See slides from Courting Equality telling the story of the MA achievement in bringing justice for all. Featured guests Mary Bonauto of GLAD, lead attorney in the Goodridge case, the Goodridge plaintiffs, and MA legislators. Celebrate with wedding cake! Special thanks to Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU-MA.

Sponsored by the ACLU-MA, the Center for New Words, Beacon Press, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, MassEquality, Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays, Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry, the Mass Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, Freedom to Mary Coalition of MA, The History Project: Documenting LGBT Boston and our media sponsor Bay Windows.

I've also provided a link at the left to the "Courting Equality" website

So Much News So Little Time

This has been a week of highs and lows.

The week started with Brian Camenker's favorite adjectives: "horrific and chilling." Yes, Massresistance, THOSE are the adjectives that describe the events that happened in Virginia. Although I could never imagine Massresistance using those words to describe anything horrible. They're still talking up the 2nd Amendment on their sites.

It does make me wonder where Virginia has its priorities when they can craft a constitutional amendment to destroy any kind of contract or agreement between same sex couples yet also allow people, who have been committed to hospitals for psychiatric reasons, to buy firearms (interesting side note I learned this past week: you can buy one firearm a month in Virginia). "No Gay people are allowed to form unions but here's your gun and 50 rounds of bullets" disgusting!

Unbelievable as it is, this all happened days from the 8th anniversary of the Columbine shootings. With all this that happened I thought I couldn't be shocked anymore, well, that is until I received the latest email update from Massresistance:

=== 1. FIGHTING BACK: High school students organizing "Day of Defiance" in several Massachusetts high schools to confront "Day of Silence"! Parents and others also invited to get involved on Wednesday April 25. ===

In Massachusetts the dreaded "Day of Silence" takes place in schools on Wednesday April 25 -- a week later than the rest of the country (because of Patriots Day and school vacation week). And here in Massachusetts, it's not only the parents who've had enough -- it's the students. And they are organizing to fight back. A group is mobilizing for a "Day of Defiance" at five of state's most aggressively pro-homosexual high schools, as all-day events at the same time the Day of Silence is taking place.

"Have they No shame?" In the middle of the nation's pain they are promoting divisiveness and causing more pain among the children.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the people affected by these horrific acts this week.

UPDATE: It should come as no surprise to you who exactly is behind this "Day of Defiance" (from the Day of Defiance website, hurry because I can bet they are going to taken it down soon):

The Day of Defiance was initiated by the Massachusetts grassroots conservative groups MassResistance and the Massachusetts Federation of Conservative Bloggers to stand up for taxpaying parents' rights in public education, while also offering an alternative view of the issues to Massachusetts students (a rare occurrence, undoubtedly the first for many).

More Hate Propaganda from the Homophobes

As usual, Ms. Massresistance is attacking a foundation who's sole mission is to "secure equal opportunity for all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression." Ironically, the Gill foundation was started because of people like Ms. Massresistance. A bit of history that you would never learn from Massresistance/Article 8/Parent's Right etc...:

The Gill Foundation arose out of a battle for equality. A 1992 Colorado ballot initiative denying lesbians and gay men equal protection in the state provoked outrage among fair-minded citizens across Colorado and the nation. One such citizen was Tim Gill, a Coloradan since boyhood, a graduate of Jefferson County's Wheat Ridge High School, and a gay man. Tim was moved to action by the attack on his and other Coloradans' civil rights. As founder of Denver-based software company Quark, Inc., Tim was in a position to invest in efforts to defeat Amendment 2, and contributed $40,000.

And I'm sure the Gill foundation files ALL its necessary taxes and paperwork too. They also operate in the light of the day and not in dark corners hidden behind cameras or tape recorders. I can just imagine the drool oozing out of Brian and Amy's mouths when they think about all the money the Gill foundation has given to worthy causes when Massresistance/Article 8 could have used it to publicize photos of Macy's mannequins. Her post reminded of another post I had read recently about "putting "fear of God" into the Flocks:

Christianity was never about persecuting those who aren't Christians. Jesusistan is all about demonizing and persecuting people not like them. The favorite whipping boy of the Jesusistani is the gay American. The icons of Jesusistan spend a lot of time framing the gay American as a rich leftist elitist, loaded up with diseases and ready to lead your children into the world of perversion that they inhabit.

The charge that gays are high-income plays to the resentment a lot of lower-class Americans are feeling about their continued slip down the economic ladder. It's a theme the Jesusistanis have played on for years, as we will see from the quotes below:Homosexuals are the wealthiest extremists of the amoral left.-Andrea Sheldon Lafferty of the Traditional Values Coalition

You find survey after survey showing gays are far better off than the general population in terms of college degrees, discretionary income, frequent flyer miles - Virtually every indicator of luxury.-Robert Knight, of the Family Research Council.

The post goes on:

Demonizing your fellow citizen, and making stuff up to bolster your hatred. This is the constant tactic of the totalitarian. Hitler had his Jews, Stalin had his Kulaks, Lester Maddox had his Negroes. However, the Jesusistani demonization is mostly a play on the old Hitler theme, because Maddox didn't allege that Black citizens were money-hoarding leeches, and Stalin didn't accuse the Kulaks of being child molesting perverts. However, Hitler accused Jews of being both greedy and perverted. He also had his statistics to "prove" it. If you just substitute "gay" or "homosexual" in place of "Jew" in most Nazi publications, you wind up seeing very little difference in the Streicher/Goebbels propaganda of old and the FRC/FOF publications of today. The reason for this is simple-demonizing minorities works. Take a society where people see their standard of living in a near constant decline, and give them a devil to hate and blame. A lot of scared, confused people will happily latch onto the devil you
provide them, if you screech long enough. The Jesusistan leadership has gotten a lot of traction out of demonizing gay people.

Massresistance's 15 minutes were up a long time ago, I just think their watch broke and they're being delusional to think that people still care about what they have to say (they're so popular that they have been bumped at least twice already on their radio show, once for a "Car Doctor" program and now for a program that interviews chefs and travel agents).

After viewing WTTT's website it has come to my attention that AAA is sponsoring the program that was on before Massresistance and is still airing WTTT. I guess I will just have to cancel my AAA membership tomorrow knowing that they support the bigotry of WTTT and Massresistance.

Money for Nothing

Ethan Jacobs of Bay Windows does a splendid job of exposing the financial dealings of Massresistance, Article 8, Parent's Right Coalition, et al. Should we be shocked that Brian Camenker's assortment of groups have failed to submit the necessary financial information to the government? Ethan reports that they submitted some documentation in 2006:

At the end of last year Camenker’s Parents’ Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that under IRS regulations can do public education work but only minimal lobbying, filed its first Form 990 with the IRS, which is publicly available on the website of the non-profit web resource Guidestar. The MassResistance website tells potential donors that those who want to make a tax-deductible donation to their efforts can make a donation to the Parents Education Foundation.

According to the 990, the Parents Education Foundation took in more than $80,000 in revenue from mid-2005 to mid-2006. That figure was the highpoint in the organization’s history; the year before it raised only about $22,000, and the year before that it took in just $8000. In 2002, the year Camenker founded Parents education Foundation, the organization raised just over $32,000.

The article goes on to say that the money this hate group generates goes mainly into Camenker's own dirty pockets. Oh, and the "volunteer" named Amy , she rakes in $6,000 a year from her 10 hours a week (is that a new definition of volunteer? Is volunteer even defined?)

The Massachusetts Secretary of State's office requires groups like the Parent Education Foundation (the "educational" part of Brian's groups) to file annual reports yet, as Jacobs reports, Camenker's group failed to file those reports in 2003 and 2004.

Don't you think its about time the Massachusetts Secretary of State looked into this matter?

MFI Pimps for Homophobia

Mass "Family" Institute, quite over their respect for the "other side" is now coming out of the closet with its support of the Parker's and the Wirthin's (in case you forgot they are the couples in Lexington who sued practically everyone in the town to stop the spread of children stories which included might or might not include gay characters):

In case you can't read it:

Legacy Law Foundation launches appeal to help Parkers and Wirthlins

MFI continues to follow the lawsuit filed by David and Tonia Parker and Robb and Robin Wirthlin over their parental rights, and we will report to you on any developments on the appeal of their dismissal by a federal judge last month. However, we feel this case is so important that we want to remind you once again that they are not just fighting for their own parental rights, but for the rights of every parent in America to raise their children according to certain morals. This is why we are forwarding along this appeal to you.

The Legacy Law Foundation, a leading public interest law firm and education foundation that provides pro bono legal assistance, has launched an appeal to raise funds to help support the Parkers and the Wirthlins in their fight against the ACLU. A donation to the fund set up by the foundation will directly benefit these two families who have incurred over $220,000 in legal expenses so far. Any donations are tax deductible, and all money raised in this special appeal will go directly to fund legal expenses incurred by the Parkers and the Wirthlins as they continue their fight.

You can make a secure online donation by CLICKING HERE.

There are so many things about these paragraphs that I've been thinking about:

• I thought I heard someone bragging that the Parker's/Wirthin's were getting all their legal fees paid for because this was such an important parent's rights issue. If that's the case why do they need money?
• A quick search of the Legacy Law Foundation shows that it is out of Utah and has someone on their board with a familiar name (Victoria Romney) could it be a relative?
• The Parkers/Wirthins are the people who initiated this lawsuit against the town the Lexington, why, all of a sudden is MFI saying this is a fight against the ACLU? What kind of smoke and mirrors are they trying to throw up?
• I hope they explain to their children, when they can't pay for their advanced education, that mommy and daddy spent a lot of money so you wouldn't have to hear/read stories about real families with real people dealing with the reality of living in a world with hateful and bigoted people.