Connect with us

New York Times Whitewashes Yet Another Top Anti-Gay Group. Why?

Published

on

Two years ago, the New York Times, as The New Civil Rights Movement reported then, “published a 1232 word glowing tribute to the anti-gay, anti-Islam SPLC-certified hate group, American Family Association, without any mention of the official hate group designation.”

Today, the Times forgot that lesson in journalistic malpractice, and published a whitewashed look at Focus On The Family, an organization that, while not a certified hate group, was created by anti-gay hate group founder and LGBT-demonizer Dr. James Dobson — who also founded the more rabid anti-gay hate group, Family Research Council, now headed by Tony Perkins.

There’s no doubt people, and organizations, can change — some things. But there’s no way a rabidly anti-gay group, regardless of whatever new marketing they use, can stop being a rabidly anti-gay source of hated that contributes to the dramatically high rate of LGBT youth and teen suicide.

READ: Gay And Straight Teen Suicide Attempts Higher In Conservative Regions

And the New York Times and author  Samuel G. Freedman are now complicit in this farce.

In “Focus on the Family Works to Change Its Message,” Samuel G. Freedman ignores that Focus On The Family since its inception in 1977 has worked to portray gay people as pedophiles, sick, twisted, and peddles other heinous falsehoods.

READ:

Gay Marriage A ‘Pernicious Lie Of Satan’ Says Focus On The Family

Gay Marriage Is ‘Actually About Silencing Christian Voices’ Says Focus On The Family

Freedman writes a slim profile of Focus On The Family president Jim Daly, whom he claims is trying “to turn down the rhetorical temperature on the debate” on LGBT people, same-sex marriage, and other civil rights issues.

“We’ve created an animosity,” he said in one emblematic moment of self-criticism. “We’ve said we hate the sin and love the sinner. But when you peel it back, sometimes we hated the sinner, too. And that’s not the Gospel.”

Oh, indeed you have.

Daly, not so long ago, said legalizing same-sex marriage would bring down civilization. A year later, Daly characterized the work of LGBT activists as “fascism.”

And just last year, Right Wing Watch reported that “Daly claimed that Satan himself is promoting same-sex marriage since ‘he hates marriage because it’s a reflection of God’s image.’ ‘The Enemy hates that, it’s disgusting to him,’ Daly said, “and with that, he wants to break it down, he wants to destroy it.’”

Apparently, the Times didn’t have the column inches to include those quotes, or the time to do any research.

To this day, Focus On The Family’s website promotes so-called “ex-gay” reparative therapy that has been deemed harmful by major medical organizations, as in their publication, Homosexuality Resources.

And then there’s Focus On The Family’s position statement on Civil Unions, Domestic Partnerships, and Reciprocal Beneficiary Contracts:

Focus on the Family maintains that the institution of marriage is intended by God to be a relationship between the two halves of humanity: a man and a woman. Further, nature attempts to provide every child with a mother and a a father, and social science agrees that this is the family structure in which children thrive. For these reasons, we oppose any other legal definition of marriage.

The articulated goal of the homosexual‐bisexual‐transgender advocacy movement is same‐sex marriage. In the meantime, it has been clearly stated that Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships are stepping stones to that end. Given the goal of redefining marriage, Focus on the Family opposes the legal creation of Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships as counterfeit policy attempts to imitate marriage. We further do not support the creation of special categories of rights based on sexual expression or gender identity.

Focus on the Family’s position is strengthened by threats to the religious liberty rights of groups that disagree with this movement. In some instances, faith‐based adoption and foster care agencies have decided to stop offering services due to the passage of civil union (or same‐sex marriage) laws that require these agencies to place children in same‐sex households — an act that would violate the organization’s religious views.

Additionally, we view Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships as discriminatory. Civil union and Domestic partnership arrangements are based on sexual expression and are therefore unfair to non‐ sexual domestic situations with equally legitimate claims to contractual provisions. Government policies should not discriminate against any member of society in regard to housing, employment, inheritance rights or medical decision‐making.

Caring for unmarried members of society does not require the redefinition of one‐man, one‐woman marriage. In lieu of Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships, a better approach may be Reciprocal Beneficiary Contracts that streamline existing benefits found in contract law, such as legal arrangements to co‐own or inherit property, medical visitation and decision‐making, guardianship of children, and medical benefits, if an employer allows. Such arrangements are equally available to any persons in domestic circumstances who do not qualify to marry. Furthermore, these contracts are not premised on the rights or privileges of marriage, sexual expression or gender identity.

Then there’s this disgusting anti-gay lie Focus On The Family promotes:

Homosexuality is a controversial issue today not because of an epidemic of hate toward gays but because activists have used a small number of reprehensible acts of violence against homosexuals to press for a government-imposed “normalization” of the homosexual lifestyle. This movement, breathtaking in its audacity and aided by a number of favor- able court decisions, is steamrolling over the moral traditions of Western civilization. All objections are labeled as “hate” and used as further evidence that more government action is needed.

The Times piece does point to Focus On The Family’s Citizen Link action center, which features these assaults on same-sex couples and LGBT people:

Ask Your U.S. Senators to Protect Marriage

Urge Your Senators to Co-Sponsor and Support the Military Religious Freedom Act (S. 3526)

Take Action to Protect Marriage

Take Action: Boy Scouts of America

Focus On The Family exists to marginalize and demonize the LGBT community. That they’ve found a new marketing slant makes their mission no less evil.

That the Times gives them the platform to deceive even more people is unacceptable.

Hat tip: Jeremy Hooper

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment
 
 

Enjoy this piece?

… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.

NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.

Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.

News

‘Repercussions’: Democrats and Republicans Stand Against ‘Pro-Putin’ House GOP Faction

Published

7 hours ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

Some House Democrats and House Republicans are coming together toward a common opponent: far-right “pro-Putin” hardliners in the House Republican conference, who appear to be led by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).

Congresswoman Greene has been threatening to oust the Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. Last month she filed a “motion to vacate the chair.” If she chooses to call it up she could force a vote on the House floor to try to remove Speaker Johnson.

House Democrats say they are willing to vote against ousting Johnson, as long as the Speaker puts on the floor desperately needed and long-awaited legislation to fund aid to Ukraine and Israel. Johnson has refused to put the Ukraine aid bill on the floor for months, but after Iran attacked Israel Johnson switched gears. Almost all Democrats and a seemingly large number of Republicans want to pass the Ukraine and Israel aid packages.

RELATED: Marjorie Taylor Greene, ‘Putin’s Envoy’? Democrat’s Bills Mock Republican’s Actions

Forgoing the possibility of installing Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker, which is conceivable given Johnson’s now one-vote majority, Democrats say if Johnson does the right thing, they will throw him their support.

“I think he’ll be in good shape,” to get Democrats to support him, if he puts the Ukraine aid bill on the floor, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) told CNN Thursday. “I would say that there’s a lot of support for the underlying bills. I think those are vital.”

“If these bills were delivered favorably, and the aid was favorably voted upon, and Marjorie Taylor Greene went up there with a motion to remove him, for instance, I think there’s gonna be a lot of Democrats that move to kill that motion,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “They don’t want to see him getting punished for doing the right thing.”

“I think it is a very bad policy of the House to allow one individual such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is an arsonist to this House of Representatives,” U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) told CBS News’ Scott MacFarlane, when asked about intervening to save Johnson. He added he doesn’t want her “to have so much influence.”

U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, one of several Republicans who won their New York districts in 2022, districts that were previously held by Democrats, opposes Greene’s motion to vacate – although he praised the Georgia GOP congresswoman.

CNN’s Manu Raju reports Republicans “say it’s time to marginalize hardliners blocking [their] agenda.”

D’Esposito, speaking to Raju, called for “repercussions for those who completely alienate the will of the conference. The people gave us the majority because they wanted Republicans to govern.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, like D’Esposito is another New York Republican who won a previously Democratic seat in 2022. Lawler spoke out against the co-sponsor of Greene’s motion to vacate, U.S. Rep. Tim Massie (R-KY), along with two other House Republicans who are working to block the Ukraine aid bill via their powerful seats on the Rules Committee.

U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), a former Navy pilot, blasted Congresswoman Greene.

RELATED: ‘They Want Russia to Win So Badly’: GOP Congressman Blasts Far-Right House Republicans

“Time is of the essence” for Ukraine, Rep. Sherrill told CNN Wednesday night. “The least we can do is support our Democratic allies, especially given what we know Putin to do. To watch a report and to think there are people like Marjorie Taylor Greene on the right that are pro-Putin? That are pro-Russia? It is really shocking.”

U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), as NCRM reported Thursday, had denounced Greene.

“I guess their reasoning is they want Russia to win so badly that they want to oust the Speaker over it,” he said, referring to the Ukraine aid bill Greene and her cohorts want to tank. “I mean that’s a strange position to take.”

The far-right hardliners are also causing chaos in the House.

“Things just got very heated on the House floor,” NBC News’ Julie Tsirkin reported earlier Thursday. “Group of hardliners were trying to pressure Johnson to only put Israel aid on the floor and hold Ukraine aid until the Senate passed HR2.”

HR2 is the House Republicans’ extremist anti-immigrant legislation that has n o chance of passage in the Senate nor would it be signed into law by President Biden.

“Johnson said he couldn’t do it, and [U.S. Rep. Derrick] Van Orden,” a far-right Republican from Wisconsin “called him ‘tubby’ and vowed to bring on the MTV [Motion to Vacate.]”

“No one in the group (Gaetz, Boebert, Burchett, Higgins, Donalds et al.) were threatening Johnson with an MTV,” Tsirkin added. “Van Orden seemed to escalate things dramatically…”

Despite Greene’s pro-Putin and anti-Ukraine positions, her falsehoods about “Ukrainian Nazis,” and Russians not slaughtering Ukrainian clergy, reporters continue to “swarm”:

Watch the videos above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Afraid and Intimidated’: Trump Trial Juror Targeted by Fox News Dismissed

Continue Reading

News

‘They Want Russia to Win So Badly’: GOP Congressman Blasts Far-Right House Republicans

Published

11 hours ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

A sitting Republican Congressman is harshly criticizing far-right House Republicans over their apparent support of Russia.

“I guess their reasoning is they want Russia to win so badly that they want to oust the Speaker over it. I mean that’s a strange position to take,” U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a three-term Texas Republican rated a hard-core conservative told CNN’s Manu Raju, in video posted Thursday. “I think they want to be in the minority too. I think that’s an obvious reality.”

Congressman Crenshaw was referring to the movement led by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), now joined by U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), over the Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s decision to finally put legislation on the floor to provide funding to Ukraine to support that sovereign nation in its fight against Russia.

“I’m still trying to process all the b*llsh*t,” Crenshaw added.

Crenshaw on Thursday also commented on Speaker Johnson’s remarks, stating he will hold the Ukraine funding vote regardless of attempts to oust him over it.

“To be clear, he’s being threatened for even allowing a vote to come to the floor. For allowing the constitutional process to play out as intended by our Founders. That’s a wild thing to consider, especially when his enemies consider themselves ‘conservative.’ Not conserving the painstaking constitutional process our Founders created, that’s for sure. Conserving Putin’s gains on the battlefield, more like it.”

Journalist Brian Beutler, a former editor-in-chief at Crooked Media, called it, “darkly funny to me that a pincer movement of MAGAns and leftists mock liberals for claiming the GOP works hand in glove with Russia, and then multiple conservative Republican dissenters are like ‘no it’s true, we’re lousy with Russian influence.'”

Watch Crenshaw’s remarks below or at this link.

READ MORE: Marjorie Taylor Greene, ‘Putin’s Envoy’? Democrat’s Bills Mock Republican’s Actions

Continue Reading

OPINION

Marjorie Taylor Greene, ‘Putin’s Envoy’? Democrat’s Bills Mock Republican’s Actions

Published

12 hours ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

For years U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has been called “Pro-Putin.” As far back as 2021, her first year as a member of Congress, the question had been raised on social media: “Is Marjorie Taylor Greene a Russian asset?”

In 2022 The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s FactCheck.org reported: “Marjorie Taylor Greene Parrots Russian Talking Point on Ukraine.”

Back then, as the article highlighted, Greene had said, “there is no doubt that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s actions in Ukraine are despicable and evil.”

Now, she promotes a far more favorable view of President Vladimir Putin and his illegal war against Ukraine, a sovereign nation which the Russian autocrat wants to incorporate – at least partly – into Russia.

Just last week Greene spread demonstrably false pro-Russia talking points about a “war on Christianity” while defending and promoting President Vladimir Putin.

READ MORE: ‘Afraid and Intimidated’: Trump Trial Juror Targeted by Fox News Dismissed

“This is a war on Christianity,” Greene told far-right propagandist Steve Bannon. “The Ukrainian government is attacking Christians, the Ukrainian government is executing priests. Russia is not doing that.”

That’s just plain false, as NCRM reported.

Largely in response to her strong opposition to the U.S. supporting Ukraine, and her spreading Russian disinformation and flat-out pro-Putin falsehoods, Greene’s fondness for Putin and Russia has been making headlines.

“Republicans Who Like Putin,” was the headline last month at The New York Times, which observed: “A few Republicans have gone so far as [to] speak about Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in ways that mimic Russian propaganda. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has accused Ukraine of having ‘a Nazi army,’ echoing language Putin used to justify the invasion.”

“The Putin Republicans Have the Upper Hand” warned Washington Monthly‘s David Atkins on Wednesday, reporting on “conservative extremists led by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.”

“They admire the strongman as a Christian nationalist leader, and won’t support Ukraine. The global consequences of their besotted love affair with the Russian strongman could be cataclysmic.”

“Russia Is Buying Politicians in Europe. Is It Happening Here Too?” The New Republic‘s Alex Finley wrote last week. The photo at the top of the page? Marjorie Taylor Greene.

READ MORE: ‘Used by the Russians’: Moskowitz Mocks Comer’s Biden Impeachment Failure

Finley pointed to Greene’s interview with Bannon, “about Ukraine’s persecution of Christians, which is a Kremlin talking point aimed at boosting the pro-Moscow wing of Ukraine’s Orthodox Church. The U.S. should be spending money on the border with Mexico, not on Ukraine aid? That’s a Kremlin talking point. Russia invaded Ukraine to defend itself against an expanding NATO? That’s a Kremlin talking point. Call for a cease-fire, and give Russia Crimea and eastern Ukraine? That’s a Kremlin talking point.”

Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post last week ran this headline: “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she ‘seriously hates’ people who support sending more aid to Ukraine: ‘Most repulsive, disgusting thing happening’.”

Then there is Greene’s obsession with Nazis. Specifically, equating Ukrainians with Nazis, which she did several times over the past week, including on Wednesday. That earned her the condemnation and wrath of U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), who demanded: “Stop bringing up Nazis and Hitler.”

Wednesday night, Congressman Moskowitz, known for his use of humor and sarcasm to make his points, declared: “Just submitted an amendment to Bill drafting appointing MTG [Marjorie Taylor Greene] as Putin’s Special Envoy to the United States Congress.”

Moskowitz’s amendment was in response to Congresswoman Greene’s amendments requiring members to “conscript in the Ukrainian military” if they vote for the Ukraine military funding bill, as Juliegrace Brufke reported.

READ MORE: ‘Big Journalism Fail’: Mainstream Media Blasted Over Coverage of Historic Trump Trial

The Florida Democrat wasn’t joking, as Axios’ Andrew Solender pointed out Thursday morning.

Moskowitz did not stop there.

He drafted legislation on Thursday to name the Capitol Hill offices occupied by Congresswoman Greene after the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, infamous for promoting appeasement in dealing with Adolf Hitler.

Chamberlain also signed the Munich Agreement, which allowed Hitler to annex part of Czechoslovakia.

See the social media posts above or at this link.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2020 AlterNet Media.