This is pretty disgusting:
Please see exchange below between glaad/WaPo on Twitter today. They point to a live chat with It Gets Better as justification for the Perkins op-ed.GLAAD’s initial tweet:
The @WashingtonPost Gives Platform to Anti-Gay Activist http://bit.ly/crX6q5 #LGBT #gayWashington Post reply:
Hi @glaad, we’re working to cover both sides. Earlier, we hosted Dan Savage of It Gets Better in a live chat. http://wapo.st/aA8SXXGLAAD’s reply:
@WashingtonPost There are not “both sides” to this issue. Teen suicide isn’t a debate-it’s a tragedy. http://bit.ly/crX6q5 #LGBT
So, to ‘balance’ a live chat by Dan Savage on bullying and teen suicide the Washington Post published a piece by Tony Perkins that basically states that such bullying isn’t the problem and really they should be bullied:
Some homosexuals may recognize intuitively that their same-sex attractions are abnormal–yet they have been told by the homosexual movement, and their allies in the media and the educational establishment, that they are “born gay” and can never change. This–and not society’s disapproval–may create a sense of despair that can lead to suicide.
…
For a parent to encourage a child to indulge their every desire would not be love, but its very opposite. The same is true of self-destructive behaviors in which adults may engage–whether it is the excessive use of alcohol, drugs, reckless driving, or heterosexual activity outside of marriage.
For some reason, Dan Savage is not amused. To make the timing impeccable, Perkin’s column came out on National Coming Out Day.
You might think that after an outcry, the Post might change things. Not yet:
Gay rights groups acknowledge that it is impossible to fully know why someone commits suicide. However, they say the confusion, isolation and bullying that gay youths often experience can contribute to depression and self-destructive thoughts. They say intolerant remarks by community leaders do not help.
…
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group, has argued that it is unfair to blame society for the actions of a misguided bully, or a single troubled teen driven by unknown forces to take his or her own life. He blamed gay rights groups that encourage youths to embrace homosexuality at an early age.
“Some homosexuals may recognize intuitively that their same-sex attractions are abnormal – yet they have been told by the homosexual movement, and their allies in the media and the educational establishment, that they are ‘born gay’ and can never change,” he wrote in a column published by The Washington Post. “This – and not society’s disapproval – may create a sense of despair that can lead to suicide.”
In case you wonder if any of the crap Perkins says is true, here’s a link that talks about it (also here).
