Wednesday, April 16, 2008

A history of 'worthless fluff' courtesy of the anti-gay industry

Two days ago, Matt Barber (Concerned Women for America) dismissed a 2001 letter from six researchers. The researchers had complained the anti-gay industry was distorting a 1997 study they conducted in order to say that gays have a short life span.

Among other things, Barber said the letter was "worthless fluff."

I will not speculate how Barber, who has no training in such matters, can dismiss the complaints of researchers about the misusage of their work.

I want to examine the history of "worthless fluff."

In this case, "worthless fluff" is defined as all the times legitimate researchers and physicians have complained that the anti-gay industry has distorted their work.

Let's take a trip down the timeline:

1998 - Pediatrician Robert Garafalo complains that the anti-gay industry distorted his study regarding at-risk behavior amongst gay youth. He said the groups omitted the part of his study that said the at-risk behavior is the result of a homophobic society. Curiously enough, Robert Knight (Barber's predecessor in Concerned Women for America) dismissed Garafalo's complaint, calling him a "thrall of political correctness."

- Assistant Professor of Sociology Lisa Waldner tells Frank Rich of the New York Times that the anti-gay industry is distorting a study she wrote while in 1992 in order to claim that lesbians relationships have a high rate of domestic violence.

2001 - Patrick Letellier complains that Gary Glenn of the American Family Association cherry picked passages from his book (Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them) in order to assert that domestic violence is high in gay relationships. Years after this, the book continues to be cited by the anti-gay industry in the same way Glenn cited it.

- Robert Spitzer publishes a study that says a small number of people can change their sexual orientation. The anti-gay industry cites the study as proof that homosexuality is a choice. Spitzer complains as to how his work was being used, even publishing a piece in the Wall Street Journal complaining about how his work was being distorted.

2002 - A. Nicholas Groth writes a letter to the Family Research Council claiming that the group distorted his work in a study to prove that gays molest children at a high level. Groth, in 1983, complained that anti-gay researcher Paul Cameron had done the same thing. The study published by the Family Research Council is almost similar to the one published by Cameron.

2006 - Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc of the University of British Columbia complains that Focus on the Family distorted her study on lesbian teen suicide.

- Dr. Kyle Pruett, a clinical professor of psychiatry in the Yale Child Study Center and School of Nursing accuses Focus on the Family head James Dobson of distorting his work.

- New York University educational psychologist Carol Gilligan, Ph.D. writes Focus on the Family head James Dobson a blistering letter accusing him of distorting her work.

Gotta love the "worthless fluff."

Sooner or later, it will be the very thing that exposes the anti-gay industry for the liars they are.

UPDATE: Definition of pitiful

A commentator disagreed with what I said. And he took it upon himself to try and correct me.
What makes it so funny is that he repeats the same error that Gary Glenn made when distorting Patrick Lettelier's work.

Apparently he wasn't aware that I have in my possession a letter by Mr. Letellier outlining just HOW Gary Glenn distorted his work.

It's all in the comments section of this post.

First Kevin McCullough's flimsy defense of his ENDA lie and now this.


These so-called "Christians" can't accept the fact that their beliefs can't turn their bullshit into facts.