The point-blank murder of Mark Carson, who was targeted specifically because he was gay, has shaken the LGBT community nationwide, particularly in New York City. After a vigil Saturday night and huge march on Monday, not one conservative group had yet spoken about the incident. This prompted Daily Kos blogger Scott Wooledge to point out a harsh juxtaposition, noting that mere hours after a shooter opened fire at the Family Research Council in August, wounding a security guard, a large coalition of LGBT groups issued a joint statement condemning the violence. Through his infographics studio Memeographs, he produced the image at right criticizing the anti-gay groups.

Only after its viral distribution did conservative groups begin to issue statements. Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage was first, though he tried to distance the homophobia that prompted the crime from the homophobia NOM promotes daily. He also suggested that opponents of marriage equality are equally persecuted:

We condemn in the strongest possible way the murder of a gay man in New York by a killer who apparently hurled anti-gay insults at him moments before the killing. This senseless act cannot be condoned in America or anywhere, and we urge that the perpetrator be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Our heart goes out to the family of the victim, and we hold them in our prayers. While this killing appears to have no connection to the current debate about redefining marriage, there is no room for violence toward any American — whether they support traditional marriage or not. No person should be subjected to violence because they are gay or lesbian or because they believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. There is no place for violence, period.

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council followed suit, issuing a statement that was narrowly distributed via email and has since been published:

We denounce any and all acts of unprovoked violence. No American should be the target of violence – period. We hope and trust that justice will be served in that the perpetrator of this senseless act of violence will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Other conservatives were more cruel in their response. Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel chose to chide LGBT activists for politicizing the shooting, tweeting Monday, “That didn’t take long. Let no tragedy go to waste, eh?”He did condemn the murder, describing the murderer not as homophobic, but as psychotic. Of course, he has done plenty to politicize the FRC shooting, using it to target the Southern Poverty Law Center’s labeling of hate groups — a label he once wore as a “badge of honor.”

The American Family Association has yet to say anything about Carson’s murder or the rash of anti-gay hate crimes in New York. Instead, its OneNewsNow service ran a story Tuesday about Christians being persecuted in China. OneNewsNow regularly includes content fed from the Associated Press and outside sources, so it’s likely an editorial decision was made to feature one and not the other.  Violent persecution anywhere is wrong, but it seems AFA, which also attacked the SPLC over the FRC shooting, prioritizes some stories over others.

Homophobia and transphobia stem from notions that LGBT people are weak, less than, deviant, harmful to society, and deserve to be ostracized because of their identities. These are the very messages promoted by these conservative groups, which is why many of them have been labeled as hate groups. That they had to be prodded over several days to condemn a murderous hate crime — and many still haven’t — could indicate a lack of concern about anti-LGBT violence, but it could also suggest a subtle acknowledgment that the rhetoric they promote bears some responsibility in the first place.

AARP strives to serve the interests of all people over the age of 50, and that includes members of the LGBT community. The organization has a webpage dedicated to AARP Pride, with resources related to issues like marriage equality’s legal benefits, nondiscrimination protections in nursing homes, and unique health concerns like HIV. Because of AARP’s inclusiveness, the American Family Association is specifically targeting the retirement group for contributing money to the “homosexual agenda.” AFA Executive Vice President Buddy Smith offered this warning:

SMITH: When you reach the age of a person like myself and you begin to get information from the AARP saying that they will represent you and your values and standards, you’d better be careful. This group is a very, very powerful Washington lobby, and you just may be very surprised and disappointed to see those things that they are promoting and those things they are opposing.

Be very careful that you know what your fees are going for because the AARP is not on your side. If you are a Christian and believe in Biblical values, you can pretty much count on the fact that everything that you are in favor of, the AARP is opposing.

LGBT older adults face many unique challenges, especially in regards to their very economic well-being. Because of discrimination and alienation throughout their lifetime, as well as their inability to claim partner benefits like Social Security, LGBT older adults are much more likely to be living in isolation and poverty. It makes perfect sense that AARP would recognize that a segment of its constituency experiences particularly troubling circumstances and could use additional support. Conservatives, like AFA’s own Bryan Fischer, have long claimed that gay men die early because of HIV and other supposed consequences of “homosexual behavior,” so perhaps Smith thinks AARP should be a straights-only organization because he believes it already is.

If AARP is supporting the “homosexual agenda,” then that agenda is merely survival.

'Noted Geneticist' Bryan Fischer

Bryan Fischer, mouthpiece for the anti-gay American Family Association, is not thrilled about Jason Collins coming out. On his radio show Monday, Fischer urged NBA teams not to sign Collins because he will be “eyeballing” them in the shower. In a new post published today, Fischer tried to appropriate his coming out as evidence that gay people are not “born that way,” because Collins’ twin is not gay:

One other significant, significant piece of this story is that Jason Collins is absolute proof that homosexuals aren’t “born that way,” despite the bloviations of that noted geneticist Lady Gaga.

Jason Collins has an identical twin, Jaron, who was “astounded” to discover that his brother had entered into the homosexual lifestyle. He, despite sharing Jason’s identical DNA, is as straight as a laser beam. Identical twins share straits that are genetically determined: height, skin color, eye color, hair color and so forth. If homosexuality is a genetically-caused sexual preference, Jaron Collins should be as gay as his brother. He’s not.

It’s true that twin studies suggest that sexual orientation is not hard-wired into DNA, but of course this has always been obvious because sexual orientation is not inherited — a remarkable number of gay people have straight parents. But just because homosexuality is a bit more complex than a particular gene prescription doesn’t mean Fischer’s point has any validity.

The latest research suggests that variations in sexual orientation can be influenced — not by the genes themselves, but by how certain markers (“epi-marks”) on the genes interact with hormones inside the womb. These epigenetic markers act as switches that can be activated during fetal development, affecting how DNA expresses itself. The end result is the same: an individual’s orientation is determined before birth and cannot be changed. This actually jibes with some recent twin studies, which suggest that even identical twins who share a hormonal environment in the womb can still experience different levels of blood during development. Thus, even twins with identical DNA can have differences in how that DNA is expressed.

Fischer can continue to claim that gay people have “entered into the homosexual lifestyle,” but it’s his word against millions of people like Collins who know that their orientations are innate, not chosen.

Marriage equality became law today for the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians in Michigan when Chairman Dennis McNamara signed a new marriage equality measure passed by the tribal council on March 3^rd. Not only did he sign the bill, but McNamara then presided over the wedding of two of his longtime friends who met three decades ago in the Navy.  The Chairman told the Associated Press:

MCNAMARA: There should not be a dividing line, and we should all be able to seek a good life.

Unfortunately, those who will now be able to marry through the Little Traverse system still face legal questions in the state of Michigan due to a constitutional ban on gay marriage in the state.  Though the Tribe has the sovereign authority to enact its own marriage laws, it is unlikely that the state will recognize them.

Bryan Fisher, Director of Issues Analysis for the right-wing American Family Association, not only derided the tribe’s decision, but went a step further to prescribe their cultural values to the tribe:

FISCHER: We think it would be a serious mistake for any sovereign nation to legalize same sex marriage…Homosexual behavior itself is immoral, it is unnatural and it is unhealthy, and it is a mistake for any culture to normalize that kind of behavior.

Two other Tribal nations have legalized same-sex marriage, the Coquille Tribe in Oregon, and the Suquamish Tribe in Washington.  And, the LGBT legal equality movement is growing with the launch of a new Tribal equality toolkit, now being shared with interested tribal leaders.

Our guest blogger is Erik Stegman, Manager for the Half in Ten campaign at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

The American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer is not thrilled by Sen. Rob Portman’s (R-OH) announcement that he now supports marriage equality because of what he has learned from his son being gay. Fischer explained that just because a child is something doesn’t mean a parent should support it. His comparison? Robbing a bank:

While a story like this naturally stirs our emotions with sympathy for the family, and even fear for the future of his son, we still must ask the question as to whether such a revelation should be a basis to change our collective mind about the cornerstone institution of Western Civilization. The answer to this question must surely be “No.”

Public policy should be based on reason, not emotion. If it turned out my son was a bank robber, I would not love my son any less. I might even have great sympathy for the circumstances that drove him to steal. I would come alongside him and help him in any way that was in my power. But I would not change my mind about the morality of bank robbing.

Fischer noticeably avoids addressing Portman’s son directly. Indeed, conservatives regularly ignore the reality of the lives LGBT people are already living in favor of ideals and and principles that they apply without regard for consequence. Bank robbers go to prison, and apparently that’s exactly where Fischer believes Portman’s son belongs.

On Monday, the Defense Department released a new list of benefits that the same-sex partners of military servicemembers could access in spite of the limitations imposed by the Defense of Marriage Act. One spousal benefit that was not specifically mentioned was eligibility to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, but that didn’t stop the American Family Association from making that its primary complaint. In an action alert sent out after the Pentagon’s announcement, the anti-gay hate group warned that same-sex partners would violate the cemetery’s “hallowed grounds,” complete with the misspelled graphic pictured at right:

This means the military will recognize homosexual lovers as “married” and will give a full slate of benefits, including burial in Arlington National Cemetery.

Panetta, at every turn, has exposed the military to open homosexuality, which presents an unacceptable risk to good order, discipline, morale and unit cohesion – qualities essential for combat readiness.

Actually, the new guidance allows the military to recognize same-sex domestic partnerships specifically so it doesn’t have to recognize same-sex marriages. Nevertheless, AFA is encouraging supporters to send the following letter to members of Congress:

Under your watch, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has effectively devastated our nation’s military by allowing the “gay agenda” to take priority over national defense.

This week, his decision to grant “marriage” benefits to homosexuals in the military presents an unacceptable risk to good order, discipline, morale and unit cohesion – qualities essential for combat readiness.

Most disturbing is his decision to allow homosexual partners to be buried on the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.

I urge you to do your part in restoring sanity to the Department of Defense and stop social experimentation in the military.

Besides the fact that plenty of gay people are surely already buried in Arlington National Cemetery, repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell had no consequential impact on the military’s “good order, discipline, morale, and unit cohesion.” DADT was the social experiment, and all that came of it was the firing of soldiers. The social experiment of shame and discrimination is over.

Bryan Fischer, voice of the AFA.

Conservatives did not take kindly to Monday’s news that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) will consider lifting its national ban on gay scouts and scout leaders next week. Unsurprisingly, they immediately began drawing correlations between homosexuality and pedophilia.

The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins called the potential move “devastating” and suggested it would undercut the “well-being of the Scouts.” The Liberty Counsel’s Matt Barber ranted on Twitter that “No caring father will leave his son in the Boy Scouts if they cave on perversion.” And outdoing his peers at the other anti-gay hate groups, the American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer penned a lengthy screed claiming that Jerry Sandusky, the Penn State University football coach convicted of child molestation, is “the new poster boy for Scouting“:

If the Scouts do not reverse themselves, we will soon be reading the kind of horror stories about Scouting that we have read about in the Catholic Church. Homosexual pedophiles already seek to infiltrate scouting because it provides a target rich environment for their twisted desires. Abolishing the sexual orientation standard will turn every Boy Scout in America into vulnerable prey for the sexually deviant.

And while the Church had resources that enabled it to weather the storm, the Scouts do not. The Scouts as an organization will wither and die, winding up as a dessicated shell of its former self if it exists at all.

There are three serious flaws with this argument. First, and most importantly, there is absolutely nothing that links a same-sex orientation to the disorder of pedophilia. And because sexual orientation is such an unreliable predictor for pedophilia, the BSA has significantly struggled to protect scouts from sexual abuse even with a ban on openly gay scout leaders, so if that’s its purpose, it’s not working anyway. Lastly, this argument only addresses the policy’s impact on gay male scout leaders; lesbian women like Jen Tyrrell who support the organization and the many scouts who may be coming out don’t factor in at all.

News stories like this reveal the raw candor of what those who oppose LGBT equality actually believe. Perkins, Barber, Fischer, and others are all servants to decades-old defamatory myths that bear no reflection on reality.

FRC envisions a military with soldiers who cry because of marriage equality.

Anti-gay conservatives continue to be outraged that two same-sex weddings took place at West Point this weekend, including one in the academy’s Cadet Chapel. Many though, are now making a false claim that the marriages somehow are a violation of federal law. Along with an image of a crying soldier, Tony Perkins argued in the Family Research Council’s Washington Update Monday that the weddings were inconsistent with the Defense of Marriage Act:

In September of last year, the Pentagon did issue a memo giving military bases the power to decide whether or not to host same-sex “weddings.” Of course, that guidance came from Jeh Johnson, general counsel for the Department of Defense–not Congress. According to Johnson, decisions about military facilities should be made on a “sexual-orientation neutral basis.” And while the “wedding” may have been consistent with Johnson’s memo, the DOD’s general counsel is no substitute for the 427 elected members of Congress who voted to define marriage as the union of a man and woman for the government’s purposes. That means it affects federal employees (which Fulton is) and federal property (where West Point resides). The President may vehemently disagree with the law–but until the Supreme Court overturns it or Congress rejects it, DOMA is still the law of the land.

Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness, whose life seems to be dedicated to opposing open service in the military, similarly argued that the marriages violated DOMA:

DONNELLY: Even though Congress made it very clear and it’s in the legislation that they intended the Defense of Marriage Act to be respected and honored on military bases, several times now the administration has allowed various branches of the service to disregard that. This is the most blatant example.

The American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer was more direct with this tweet:

Military breaks the law, allows homosexual “wedding” at West Point. So much for honoring their oath.

All of these interpretations distort was DOMA actually says. The law has two components. The first (Section 2) says that no state shall have to recognize a same-sex marriage performed elsewhere. The second (Section 3) simply states that for any federal regulation or Act of Congress, “the word ‘marriage’ means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.” It is an incredible stretch to interpret this language such that a same-sex wedding is somehow illegal merely because the resulting union is not recognized by the federal government. Plenty of activities are legal that are not accounted for in written law, many of which can also take place on government property. There’s no question that DOMA applies to these couples’ marriages, but it’s a very different question to try to apply it to their weddings.

What Perkins, Donnelly, Fischer, Robertson, and others really want is for the military academies to blatantly discriminate against gays and lesbians. If any graduate of the Academy is welcome to hold a wedding in the Cadet Chapel, then Brenda Sue Fulton should not be have been exempted merely because of who she was marrying.

David Pakman sat down with the American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer to discuss the recent marriage equality wins and other LGBT issues. Fischer claimed he is “for homosexuals, but against homosexuality,” wanting to help them “leave that lifestyle.” He compared homosexuality to drug use — an addiction that people can escape — and he agreed that exorcism could assist in that process:

FISCHER: I think there’s no question that there are spiritual factors at work in this —

PAKMAN: Are they demons?

FISCHER: — that using spiritual weapons of our warfare according to the New Testament can be effective. We know that people can get delivered from homosexual behavior. The former president of the American Psychological Association, Nathan Cummings — he’s seen that happen in his own private clinical practice. He’s seen people get free of homosexual behavior and change their sexual orientation, so it certainly is possible. There may be spiritual factors at work. If there are, then the power of the Gospel, the name of Jesus Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit can be of enormous help.

PAKMAN: And an exorcism might be a way to do that?

FISCHER: Well we believe in the reality of spiritual forces just like Jesus did. [If] you got a problem with demons, David, your problem’s not with me, it’s with Jesus Christ, because he believed in them.

Watch it:

Exorcisms or other forms of spiritual warfare against LGBT people are one of the most extreme forms of ex-gay ministry. Unfortunately, their provocative nature often distract from the psychological abuse of more common forms of ex-gay “therapy” that target vulnerable young people (and their parents).

Fischer went on to cite the fraudulent Regnerus study to claim that same-sex couples can never be good parents. When asked when he decided to be straight or if he could change his attractions, Fischer refused to answer, choosing instead to simply erase the experiences of millions of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals by reducing their lives to “sexual behavior.”