Tag: anti-gay

Atlanta Eagle raid reponse: I’m calling bullshit

The Chief of the Atlanta police says that the reason the Eagle was raided is because of complaints of (as well as undercover cops witnessing) sex acts and drugs being used. Yet, interestingly enough, no drugs were found when the raid happened. Perhaps most importantly, and why I am calling total and utter bullshit on that half-assed “excuse”, is that upon arriving at the bar, if sex acts would have been occurring, the undercover officers would have clearly seen them; yet, again, those too were absent.

So why was the raid even carried out? If the undercover officers were present prior to the raid, as was reported by the police, they would have been able to observe that NO sex acts were occurring, right? Yet, they continued with the raid; which makes this excuse invalid. Additionally, after the raid, and even after no drugs were found (the other so-called reason for the raid), they checked each person’s ID, and ran background checks in what seems like a clear attempt to “find something”. At best, the only claim that they have, is that undercover cops should have arrested someone having sex or using drugs at the time they witnessed it; otherwise, it’s a moot point, and frankly, a half-assed excuse that does not justify the events that occurred last Thursday night.

Now, I am not saying the Eagle is perfect by any means, but if you give two reasons why you raided a bar, and the treatment of its customers was harsh and anti-gay at best, you have to at least substantiate those claims in your explanation, Officer Pennington. Saying that it was “suspicion” isn’t good enough, especially when you again, consider the treatment of the patrons. This statement is essentially admitting that the police involved illegally detained people, searched them, and then illegally ran background checks on them; and that it is okay, even though they lacked the proper lawful permission to do so. I just want to know why the police, who are supposed to be bound by the law, are apparently above it?

This is the part of his statement that probably angers me the most (from the article linked above):

He also expressed regret that Danni Lynn Harris, the department’s liaison with the gay and lesbian community, had not been notified of the raid.

“She should have been invited,” Pennington said. If she had been there, the chief said, any inappropriate behavior by the officers could have been curtailed.

“This is very unfortunate this incident occurred,” Pennington said. “I’m sorry for what happened.”

So, Officer Pennington, their behavior should only be kept in check when another gay officer is around? I don’t know what bothers me more; the fact that she wasn’t there to “keep them in line”, or the fact that these officers are apparently such bigots at heart, that these checks and balances are even necessary. I thought policemen and policewomen were supposed to protect us, all of us; regardless of race, gender, religion, or orientation? Apparently, that only applies when your community liaison is present.

Again, I’m calling bullshit, Officer Pennington. I only hope the investigation of these events, is not over run with the deception that already clearly blankets this situation in fog. This was a clear violation of the rights of those involved, and I hope that the Atlanta police are held responsible for their actions. It boggles the mind to see that crime is escalating in the manner in which it is throughout Atlanta, yet, in a 1960’s fashion, police officers are beating down the doors of a gay bar because of suspicion that “something unsavory is going on in the dark”. It’s good to know that my tax dollars are hard at work.

Yelp: a(nother) soapbox for bigots?

Imagine my surprise when someone requested to be friends with me on Yelp today, and I find out that he is writing extremely hurtful and bigoted remarks about me in one of his “reviews”. Not only did he post the review, but after it was taken down, he was allowed to remain member of Yelp, AND, re-posted a similar version of the review just a few minutes later.

Here’s what he said (the first time around), in “response” to my review of my experience at Green’s Liquor store:

After reading Duane M. review of Green’s Beverage Store, I had to fire back. I visit Green’s Beverage store once or twice a month. Everyone there has always been very nice and helpful.
However, I have never carried a purse and I don’t understand why a man would. You said you are not a woman, but after reading all your reviews you sure do act and bitch like a woman. Come on, we all know that someone that wants to homosexualize America likes to pretend that he is a woman. Perhaps Duane should take the dildo out of his ass!! Fucking pussys like you make me sick. When you choose to suck another man’s dick or take some guys cock up your ass, you become a 2nd class citizen. You have no right to ever bitch. Please keep your mouth shut and get back into the closet.
hmmmm, and you wonder why most of America hates gays.

So eloquent. Let’s look at the face of a true bigot, and oh so clearly one of the highest forms of complete and total asshole, Jake P. of Dacula, GA, shall we:


Just take it in… all that asshole-ishness is almost too much to contain. By the way, nice lip gloss, Jake.

Now, the review was flagged, and eventually taken down, and I didn’t even know about it until I randomly read this thread. However, Yelp allowed him to post another review, very similarly filled hate speech as the first one:

After reading Duane M. review that he likes to dress up like a woman and wants to homesexualize American, I had to do something. I go into Green’s a few times a month and everyone is very nice and helpful.
But, Duane with his fag bag is acting like a little bitchy woman.
Perhaps if Duane got his dildo out of his ass, all of America would be a better place to live in. Duane what you wrote about Green’s was pure hateful, you being a little light in the loafers should understand what is it to be hated.
You are not a woman, your worse. Your a 2nd class citizen, start acting like one.

That second review was even better, Jake flexes his superior knowledge of all things grammar (um, it’s you’re, sweetness, not your).

While this will probably be taken down as well (I’m fairly certain it has of this posting), I can’t help but question why Yelp would allow someone like this to remain a member of their site? As a member of Yelp for YEARS, I was honestly considering deleting everyone of my reviews and publicly declaring myself against their organization; especially because they did not initially seem to have much concern for their members (if only because this guy was allowed to go on posting hate speech, even after he was “punished” for doing it the first time). Not only am I extremely offended by the bigot that was allowed to spread his hate about me without any repercussion (on a public website that I am willingly a part of), but I am even more upset that they there was very slow response to one member of their site clearly gay bashing another (my point being that he was allowed to continue using the site with no restriction).

Well, I sent this post to the Atlanta Ambassador for Yelp, and I got an answer and a clear and expected response, and they are taking care of it. That is a major plus in the Yelp column. As I mentioned above, I considered severing ties with Yelp, because I have had enough people call me a faggot to my face during my lifetime, to continue supporting a web service that just gives someone the platform to do it to me on the internet. However, because of Yelp’s positive and proactive actions, I will not go that far. HOWEVER, and that is a BIG however, I still think that people like this should be banned from the site after a post as bad as his was; 3 strikes is clearly 2 too many with things like this. A first offense of this nature should not be tolerated. If you are clearly bashing another member of the site, do you really deserve a chance to keep contributing? It honestly destroys my hope for humanity when people like this rear their ugly heads, and spread their hatred for all to see.

UPDATE: BANNED. Yelp wins. AWESOME. Thank you YELP!!! I really makes me happy that Yelp takes things like this seriously.

Yeah, you’re right… being gay isn’t all that bad anymore. Being second class isn’t that big of a deal. Things are just swell for us, and we should stop complaining. RIIIIGHT.

with a “role model” like this…

Who needs enemies? ESPECIALLY when this particular “role model” is nothing but a non-celebrity that is using his crass, bitchy, and bitter attitude to do nothing but bring the rest of us down to his level. Unfortunately, the person I am speaking of, is faux-celebrity blogger, Perez Hilton, and his latest stunt that is bringing even more shame on the gay community.

Yes, the dumb ass got punched in the face by someone he refers to as a “thug”, and I will go on record as saying that I personally do not approve of anyone being assaulted for any reason. However, one must account for the fact that he has made a career out of exploiting and making stuff up about other people (as well as continued betrayal of our community from within), and in this instance, he escalated the situation himself, even though he claims he would never resort to violence (Um, Perez, dear, violence can definitely be verbal; perhaps you need some education on that subject?). While I may not think that it was right for him to get assaulted, I hope that this incident can give him some foresight into just what he is doing to the gay community as one of its representatives (even though I am sure I am not alone in saying that we don’t want him).

With people like Perez Hilton being just one of the many faces of the gay community, we are completely going backwards in helping our struggle of gaining acceptance and credibility in this world. We can never expect to be taken serious about equal rights, especially with regards to the diminished use of hate speech, when loud mouthed hypocrites like Perez continually throw around the very hate speech that we are fighting to stop.

So I say:

Perez, from one gay person to another, can you PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP and go away, for the sake of the VERY community that you SAY you are so concerned about? Your incredibly long 15 minutes of fame has done nothing but shine a bad light on our community, and your continued self defamation has not been, nor will no longer be, welcome; especially from me.

Do I need to remind you that this month marks the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots; which is rightly regarded as the first time gays and lesbians took a stand and fought back, which in turn, became a symbol of the beginning of the fight for gay rights? Do I need to point out that 40 years in, and representatives of our community, such as yourself, are continuing to bring us down? Is this how you honor the fight, and the anniversary of our struggle this month?

I’m not glad that you got punched in the face, but the fact that you, a gay man, got punched in the face because you antagonized someone (whose sexuality is irrelevant), by calling him a faggot is beyond reprehension. You should be deeply ashamed of yourself. If you truly care for your community, as you say that you do, why not be a good example, instead of continuing to be a thorn in our paw? Your behavior has consequences, and continuing down the road of ignorance you so willingly travel just is not acceptable.

YOU are causing harm to our community, and YOU need to stop it. Calling out others, like Ms. California, was a “nice gesture”, but you are doing far more damage by continuing to fan the flames of your incredibly self-unaware hypocrisy.

I want equal rights, Perez, I really do. I believe in my heart that you do to. So why not be a voice for the gay community that is anything but utterly destructive? Do you have it in you to be anything other than hypocritical and bitter? For the sake of our public image, I certainly hope so.

another, this time local, victim of hate

This completely breaks my heart: 11 year old boy named Jaheem Herrera, commits suicide to escape bullying and taunting from fellow classmates (h/t to my friend Joey who posted the link earlier this afternoon).

I don’t know if anyone even read the piece that I wrote last week about this EXACT thing happening to another 11 year old boy, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, but I will not let this go silently either.

This is sickening. This is outrageous. This is infuriating. This specifically made my already upset stomach turn: Jaheem’s mother, concerned, had talked to Jaheem’s best friend the prior week, who said,

Yes ma’am. He told me that he’s tired of everybody always messing with him in school. He is tired of telling the teachers and the staff, and they never do anything about the problems. So, the only way out is by killing himself.

I’ll say it again; DO SOMETHING if you see this happening. You CAN stop your children from being bigots. EVERYONE must stop the “playful” use of faggot and gay as derogatory terms; it isn’t a joke. ANOTHER 11 year old child is dead because people take this issue so flippantly. Taunting and teasing is not just “kids being kids”, and EVERY time this happens, it adds to the problem.

Our society of “subversive” hate and the fervent anti-homosexuality campaign in this country must stop. This should be a country were an 11 year old child can go to school without fear of being taunted, teased, and bullied to the point that the only way he feels he can escape is to kill himself. It just isn’t right, and I can’t believe that less than a week after writing about a horrible case of this happening, it shows up again, practically at my doorstep.

My heart goes out to Jaheem’s family. Jaheem, I am so sorry for what they put you through, and I am even more sorry that no one with the power to stop them stood up for you. They should be thoroughly ashamed.

Clearly, there is a major problem with anti-gay sentiment and outright hatred for gays in this country. I have to wonder how many children we need to lose before we start doing something about it? Sadly, many have gone before Carl and Jaheem, and many more will go before the judgment and hatred subside. What’s the WORST, is that it doesn’t even matter if these two boys were gay or not; their peers used the hatred and disgust behind words like ‘faggot’ to hurt them so badly, that they couldn’t take it anymore. It disgusts me that people continue to let this happen around them.

A final thought: I will never understand how the very people that stand there, pointing their fingers in our faces, saying that they are morally superior, pass the judgment that causes things like this to happen. Shame on you all. Your “feelings” about homosexuality are far more dangerous than homosexuality itself could ever be.

a concrete example of how the anti-gay movement in this country is so dangerous

“Hey Faggot”.
“You are such a little pussy”.
“Look, he’s not even a boy, he’s definitely a sissy little girl”.
“You’re gay”.

These are all phrases that I despise hearing, but I heard them, and several other colorful variations, MANY times all throughout my 12 years of public school. There were many times I would come home and just be so upset that I couldn’t even speak to anyone, because of the taunts that I received pretty much every day from other students. I dared not tell my parents, because of how embarrassed I felt that I was continually labeled in this way; I honestly didn’t want this seemingly horrible thing to be true about me. As I look back, I honestly don’t know how I made it, but I did. However, I did not escape completely unscathed. The damage was done, and I didn’t come out until I was 22; all because I feared being the very thing that I was accused of, and was convinced was so bad when I was younger because of the taunting and teasing that I received. I consider myself one of the lucky ones, because despite it all, I did make it, and it has, in part, made me who I am today.

My point in writing this is not to preach or even elicit sympathy; as I said, I am a grown man who made it through that hell and I am stronger for it. However, there are thousands of kids out there that are going through this same torture right now, and unfortunately, a bunch of them won’t make it. The torture of being taunted and teased by your peers day in and day out is enough for many gay (as well as kids that aren’t even gay, but are just different, and therefore labeled as such) kids to desire so strongly to escape that hell that they take their own lives.

Recently, this very thing tragically happened to Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover. He was taunted and teased, and in order to escape it, he only saw suicide as his way out. Suicide rates amongst gay youth is staggeringly high, and I honestly believe that if our society wasn’t so dismissive of the hateful way in which we are treated, it could be significantly lowered. Carl didn’t have to die in vain; we can change. We can teach our children that hate and bullying is extremely harmful, and that by doing so, you are emotionally scarring someone. Teachers and administrators can also take a huge role in this change by suppressing this behavior as it is seen and reported; unfortunately in this case, Carl’s mother complained to the school and no action was taken.

I am extremely saddened, and I feel horrible for Carl’s entire family. This young boy should not have had to endure the torture that he did, and no other child should have to endure it either. If you or someone you know is close-minded about homosexuality, and perpetuates any level of the hatred and bigotry that this form of torture stems from, tell them about Carl, and how he was an innocent 11 year old boy who was taken from this world far too soon. Tell them that the very hate that they feel inside themselves for homosexuals, or homosexuality, is what drove Carl to take his own life. The time for this mindset is over, and it has got to change.

Perhaps if we all stopped being so hateful with one another, and stopped pointing fingers and judging those around us, less kids will feel like they have to end it all to escape the torture. I for one, hope that with gay rights laws passing in many states recently, and the potential for it to continue to gain momentum ensues, that we will hopefully grow as a society, and stories like this can be a thing of the past. Carl deserves that, and nothing less. We all do. I’m so sorry Carl.

another wacko religious fanatic gets the mic…

I don’t know if you have all heard about this Republican representative named Sally Kern, and the speech that she gave about her views on homosexuality, but it is apparently all over the interwebs. I heard about it last week, but didn’t really feel a need to shine a light on yet another hateful rant that someone felt the need to give showing their bigoted views against homosexuality. However, after seeing the following clip, I felt compelled to say something:


First things first, I honestly feel that Sally Kern has every right to say whatever she wants; that is her right as a citizen of this country. However, as a state elected politician, there is a time and a place for everything. She represents people as a leader, and as such, she should keep her personal religious beliefs restricted to her religion. If she disagrees with homosexuality, that is fine, but speaking out, as a politician and a leader, and saying that homosexuality is worse than terrorism and that our “agenda” is to indoctrinate 2 year olds and to infiltrate our schools in spreading homosexuality, is spreading not only hate speech, but blatant lies as well.

Clearly, she is confused. Clearly, she has her facts wrong, and it becomes rapidly apparent when you hear just how deluded she is in stating the aforementioned items as fact. Yet, again, she has the right to say it. However, as a public figure, and as a representative, it isn’t her place to preach such hate. If she wants to open up her own church and spread as much religious fanaticism as she wants, so be it, but there is no place for elected people to be spreading such misinformation, and passing it off as fact.

I am frustrated by this woman, mostly because of the video above. She clearly has been called out, yet refuses to acknowledge that what she has done is spread misinformation, while representing herself as an elected public figure. I just think there should be some boundaries, and she clearly doesn’t agree. I personally hope that this is the, as she put it, “death knell” in the coffin of her public service career. Nutjobs like this belong in backwoods churches and not public office. Unfortunately, it is this type of message that leads to the killing of gays and lesbians, like the young boy who was murdered for wanting his classmate to be his valentine. It is sickening to be reminded by little things like this, that we live in a country where the people that hate us so vehemently don’t just live outside of our borders.

I personally think that it is sad that people have such little value in living their own lives, that they must find reasons to attack others. That they must find so much hate inside themselves, that they feel compelled to spread lies and further hateful ideas about certain people that they don’t “agree” with. I feel sorry for people like Sally. It must be difficult to live in a world where you are so clouded by the religious beliefs that you have chosen to use in shrouding you from truth, so much so, that you really and truly believe such ridiculous things as she said. Furthermore, I think that other Christians, more than we gays, should be (and probably are) completely ashamed that someone so clearly deranged is speaking out and representing them. It is just incredibly frustrating that people can wrap themselves in the Bible, and then become the biggest possible hypocrite in the world, by calling you a faggot at the same time. Where’s the love that your religion preaches Sally? Clearly, it isn’t in you.

Sally, you are worse than we. We don’t harm America; people like you do. Your speech shows an inability to learn or grow, and a mindset that fuels the very terrorism that you are so against. People like you are, and will remain, one of the biggest problems that plagues this nation. I sincerely hope that this is the last time that you are given the mic, and that soon, you will no longer be representing your religious fanaticism as an elected official.

In order to lighten the mood a bit, here’s a lovely clip from Ellen, who called Sally:


I love Ellen so much… she makes me proud to be a part of the gay community. I wonder how many Christians would say the same about Sally.

that “gay” snickers ad

I am sure that everyone has seen, or heard of, the Snickers “gay kiss” ad from the Superbowl. Most of what I heard about the ad, is the fact that many people thought it was funny. I for one, know that the people at the party I was at laughed hysterically when it aired, and I honestly thought it was at a minimum, pushing the boundaries of being completely anti-gay, even though I didn’t initially get upset about it. But, I am still wondering; what about that scenario is funny?

So, two straight men kiss accidentally, ala “Lady and the Tramp”. So what? Why is that funny? And why is it portrayed as something funny?

Now, while I wasn’t personally offended by the ad, I have to admit that I did get a little uncomfortable when everyone busted out laughing. Again, why is this so funny? I mean, they kissed accidentally, right? If it were a man and a woman, it wouldn’t have been anything to laugh at; which must mean that the reason it is funny, is because it is making fun of gay men. And what about when they feel it necessary to do something to assert their “manliness”, in essence, to prove to each other that, “hey, I’m not a fag”? This too must mean that the reason it is funny, is because gay men aren’t seen as manly; which again, is making fun of gay men.

I am pretty sure that if this scenario did happen in real life, and if those two men were as homo-scared as their characters indicated by their actions after their accidental kiss (ripping out chest hair to prove that they were “real men”), then things probably wouldn’t have been so funny to either of those men; and it would have potentially been upsetting to them. But why? It was an accident, not a full on sexual encounter! Now, I know that I can’t say how individual men should react to kissing another man, but it shouldn’t be something that is so queer and “wrong” that one would need to go so far as to “cover up” that action with another one, one that somehow “asserts” the fact that they are indeed, not gay. After all, just because the two men kissed, it doesn’t mean that they are instantly gay; and by ripping their chest hair out to prove to each other that they aren’t gay is both stupid (ouch!!!) and insensitive to gay men. It is acting out and furthering the belief that gay men aren’t really men.

Basically, what Snickers has done, is they have taken something innocent, such as an accidental kiss between two men, and used it to get a cheap laugh by making fun of gay men. Then, they went a step further, and reinforced the societal belief that being a gay man must mean that you are effeminate, or un-manly, because in order to “feel better” about their kiss, the men had to do something “manly” like rip out chest hair; instead of just ignore it and go on with life.

While the commercial itself was seemingly “innocent”, as I look back, I believe that it reinforces what a lot of people wrongly think about gay men, by showing that if two straight men were to kiss, that it would mean something other than just a kiss. They have shown that two men kissing is essentially something to laugh at, or something to make fun of. They have shown that if two straight men were to accidentally kiss, that they would need to assert the fact that they weren’t gay, by doing something “manly” to cover up their previous actions; which again, reinforces the belief that gay men aren’t really men at all. The more I think about the ad, the more I don’t like it, and honestly, I can see where people would be offended. I guess even more than that, I wonder why we, as a society, still cling to these covert anti-gay messages, and continually portray gay men in this light? All it does is encourage people to continue to make fun of gay people, which trickles down to children, who then use these stereotypes to seek out and torture gay kids. It’s a vicious cycle, one that uses “humor” to hurt a particular group of people.

So what do you think? Do you think that I am overreacting? Keep in mind that I am not trying to rant here, but I am trying to observe that yes, the ad was pretty anti-gay, and typical of a less than accepting society. I am saying that I see how people would be offended by something that seemed innocent to most; simply because it covertly reinforces the belief that gay men aren’t really men at all, and that kissing another man is wrong. Tell me what you think/thought about the ad! Were you offended? Do you see where the media continually makes fun of being gay?

Also, if you are interested in more thoughts on this ad, here’s a link to commecial closet, a website dedicated to GLBT portrayals in the media; they seem to agree with me.

God doesn’t hate anyone, Donnie

Earlier this morning, I saw a link on a friend’s LJ to a website that listed “gay bands” that should be avoided (at least according to the anti-gay website). While the list is certainly funny, like how they write “(really gay)” next to Elton John’s name, and how the Indigo Girls made it on there twice (perhaps because there are two of them?), curiosity over things like this got the better of me, and so I thought I would take a look at what the rest of this site had to offer. After clicking through a few different pages (including the safe artist list; which includes Cyndi Lauper, so I guess they don’t know about her love for the gays), I got pretty much what I was expecting; the same old song and dance that should always be expected from these anti-gay “preachers”. All they have to offer is hate, hate which they disguise in the word love.

What I did find interesting about this particular “ministry”, is that Donnie Davies, the founder of the CHOPS program (more on that in a moment), is a self-professed “reformed homosexual”. Here’s what he has to say:

I am in fact a Reformed Homosexual and I’m trying to let people know that there is an escape from being Gay. By letting people know that “God hates a Fag” I am doing Gods work, I’m preaching.

When I was in highschool I kept having feelings for the boys I was in school with. Often I would let these feelings take over. I got into lots of trouble when I was Gay.

I stopped listening to secular music and started going to my fathers church services. I was so miserable, being gay, something had to happen. I found Jesus! I found Jesus and He showed me the way. The right way to live that is. Loving, Gods Way!

(from his website)

According to Donnie, who also cites his personal hero as being Oscar Wilde, who he mistakingly thinks also denounced homosexuality, by saying that “God Hates Fags”, he is actually spreading “Love”. But Donnie, you professed that you were a “Fag” in high school… so does that mean God hates you? Of course not! Because God doesn’t hate anyone… at least, not anyone that “chooses” to go against the ways of homosexuality! Eureka! What a revelation, Donnie. I am so happy that there are people out there like you with their tiny little minds, and their even smaller grasp of grammar and language to proselytize about your narrow-minded beliefs, bringing other narrow-minded automatons into your little program of hate.

And what a program it is. Donnie has developed what he calls CHOPS; Changing Homosexuals (into) Ordinary People. The logo, which I got at his website, just gives me a hard on looking at it. Seriously, this thing is homo-genius! The devil is in your underpants, but God is in your mind! I am almost on my way to being saved! Coming down from my cynicism, and despite the uber-gay logo, I don’t see how his “innovative” “new” strategy of forcing God down my throat to make me hate myself is going to “change” me, or anyone into an “ordinary” person (I already am ordinary?!). Perhaps there is something I don’t know… like maybe Donnie is a wizard or something, because according to his site, he implies that his program has the ability to change the feelings you have towards people of the same sex, and help you to stop acting on those feelings. I mean, he did it! To be honest, that sounds like magic to me, because I am pretty sure that Donnie’s program won’t do anything more teach the same self-hatred he has had for himself all these years. I would love to ask him if he still feels sexual feelings about other men, because I can bet the farm he does (and remember Donnie, lying is a sin!).

What you forget, Donnie, is that according to your Bible, God doesn’t hate “fags” (in fact, I don’t think that word is in the Bible), and He actually says that he loves everyone… oh wait, that’s Jesus, but since Jesus is God, there is no need to split hairs. Perhaps God may hate things like ingrown hairs, mosquitoes, and melted ice cream, but I am pretty sure he doesn’t hate homosexuals; because if he created us, how could an infallible God (under the Bible’s definition) do something wrong? Whatever God said and did is why we are here the way we are, right? And he isn’t wrong, right? So being gay is a-okay! Right? In fact, he probably doesn’t hate those other things either… since, according to your Bible, He created them!! Woohoo! God is awesome. God likes everything. What a swell supreme being. I sure as hell am glad he made me the way I am!! Thanks dude!

Seriously, I don’t care whether you “agree” with homosexuality or not, Donnie, but at least have the guts to stop hiding behind religious oppression, as an excuse for your natural feelings about men (trust me… been there, done that. Not fun). If you don’t want to act on them, fine, but don’t go around spreading hateful messages about those of us that choose to act on our natural feelings. Well, you know what, actually, I take that back. You should go on doing what you are doing, because if you keep it up in the way that you have started (via the spotty, poorly developed website), the majority of people that can think for themselves will just see you as an idiot anyway; especially those that have any level of education, and have a reading level above the 2nd grade.

I honestly feel sorry for people like Donnie, who just can’t be happy, and because of their denial and self-hatred, have to “go on a mission” to “save” the world from the thing they are most afraid of: being themselves. Why don’t you just focus on making the world a better place for everyone, without the hate part, Donnie? Because I am pretty sure that would be more of what God would want. I just hate that there are people out there that will think programs like this can change them, and so they will go down that road of self hatred, right along with Donnie. What I wouldn’t give to help people realize that being gay is okay; I know that someone helping me would have been great… luckily, I came to be happy with myself on my own.

A final aside: I find it incredibly hilarious that this site (his ministry site) goes on and on about censorship, because MySpace took down his hateful site, when one of the main goals of people like Donnie is to stop certain things from reaching the public (via things like free speech and freedom of expression). I for one am glad to see that MySpace does have some standards in the content (well, that may be going a bit far) they allow, but do believe that Donnie has the right to say what he wants; so long as he realizes that with the right to freedom, you get the whole shebang… not just the little niche that protects racists and bigots from screaming their hate all over the world. (which a lot of you pointed out when I got all pissy about the anti-gay billboard)

I wrote this post mainly because it was a silly example of the craziness that goes on in this world, and I had a good laugh at the ignorance of this person; and thought you might as well. I honestly feel sorry for Donnie, and others like him, because one of the worst things you can do to yourself is deny who you are and turn that into self hatred. What a pity.