Utahns opening their Sunday editions of The Salt Lake Tribune or the Deseret Morning News were shocked to discover a full-page ad, created by the group America Forever, imploring them to “Stand Up & Stop the Homosexual Movement”. The ad’s a response of Utah’s Common Ground Initiative, which aims to provide some basic rights to gays and lesbians, based on the Mormon Church’s earlier statements last year that they supported such rights, even if they didn’t support marriage. The ad is chock-a-block with crazy nutjob phrases like “Homosexuality is not a race!!”, “We should not be forced to associate and accept homosexuality!” and reprints something called ‘The Homosexual Declaration of War’, which begins, “We will sodomize your children” and devolves from there.
We’d refute those statements if we understood what they were talking about. In any event, some conservatives are worried that crazies might be too extreme, even for Utah, and are worried about a backlash. Republican Rep. Carl Wimmer tells the Salt Lake Tribune:
“Everything they’re doing crosses the line,” Wimmer said Monday, noting he helped to eject members of America Forever from an Equality Utah news conference last week after they became confrontational.
“There’s no need to have hateful discourse,” Wimmer said. “Quite frankly, they make those of us who are on the side of traditional marriage — they make a lot of us — look bad.”
Tribune columnist Rebbecca Walsh welcomes the backlash, saying:
” I still like the idea of America Forever buying full-price newspaper ads. That’s a nice chunk of change for The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News .
And, in the end, Rodrigues and Filho’s tactics will backfire. Despite their reputations, most Utahns are moderates. They are uncomfortable with America Forever’s over-the-top homophobia. Years ago, when lawmakers considered hate-crimes legislation that listed “sexual orientation” as a protected class, Rodrigues and Filho passed out white roses with baby’s breath — for purity, get it? Their strategy since has become much more vile: A week ago, Rodrigues told lesbian lawmaker Christine Johnson, a Salt Lake City Democrat, that her vagina is wasted.
More ads from Rodrigues and Filho can only drive public opinion to the center.
“It took me a while to realize I should be grateful for Chris Buttars,” says Johnson. “He’s giving me allies. This group is the same.”
But for gay rights activists in Utah, the ad is just another distraction from the work at hand. Says Mike Thompson of Equality Utah:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“There’s no reason to respond directly to the content of the ad because it’s just ridiculous. The conversation should be focused on the Common Ground Initiative and the bills that are part of that.”
Darth Paul
Take that sh!t to Westboro.
Sebbe
The was posted in the comments of another post I believe by conservativerepublican?? with some screen shots, most of what is written is enough to turn most moderates off and that is a good thing.
Here is one quote from the ad-
“In 10 years, 10 generations of voting children of today will be voting adults and because they have been taught to believe that disagreeing with homosexuality is discrimination, they will vote to remove amendment 3”
Well they are right about that, but, I’m confused, I know that they reproduce young and often, but how is 10 “generations” produced in 10 years? Am I missing something? Does the definition of generation change when you reproduce with relatives?
Also they say they need to be as “outspoken” and as “STRAIGHTFORWARD” as we are? Is that a complement? Straightforward?
Sebbe
here was CR’s original post:
ConservativeRepublican
@Sebbe:
This is totally off-topic, but if you want something that will really piss you off (and may make for a good blog post), check this out: http://serendipitystr8wife.blo…..-this.html Obviously, click the two pics to enlarge. The text is unbelievable!
Posted: Feb 16, 2009 at 5:09 pm
http://serendipitystr8wife.blogspot.com/2009/02/can-you-even-believe-this.html
dizzyspins
As horrid as the ad is, as poined out in the post, at least it gives the newspaper some much-needed revenue. (And they must have paid quite a bit to get the Deseret News to go along with printing the piece).
I think it will help, not hinder, our cause. Mormons are conservative in tone as well as politics. Even if they’re against gay marriage, such a rude and graphic display will turn them off as well. And it makes the anti-gay forces look like loose-cannon nutjobs
mtb
The ad was $15,000.00 according to other articles. Can you imagine, $15,000.00? These people who value marriage and come from the God Fearing State of Utah will spend $15,000.00 so that I can’t have a marriage license in Utha! Married couples with children throughout the country face foreclosure, hunger, unemployment, homelessness and this person felt stopping me from saying I DO is worth $15,000.00. Wonder how many families that amount of money could have helped?
Travis
Reminds me of this van that goes around with all these anti-gay sayings on it whit a big picture of two guys kissing with a big x across it like the one in the newspaper. Everyone pretty much ignores them because they seem a little crazy. I always love their hypocritical statement in bold letter “This is not about hate or civil rights?” Hate is okay as long as its Christian hate.
Kid A
“This is not about hate or civil rights.”
It’s kinda like bragging about your huge cock. If you have to say it, it’s probably not true.
Alan down in Florida
Spamed?
Disgusted American
whoever the 2 men’s images USED in that disgusting ad…should SUE ASAP!
Robert, NYC
This only proves that in Utah and elsewhere, right wing nutjobs and christian fundamentalists haven’t evolved, but as a friend of mine once said also proves that “devolution does not exist”, at least in their case. Why do they obsess so much about our sex lives anyway, more than any others?
KPC
@Sebbe: A generation is commonly considered to be 10 years long (but not within a single family). Therefore, when speaking of society in general and referencing the previous generation, think 10 years.
Charles J. Mueller
Mike Thompson of Equality Utah said “There’s no reason to respond directly to the content of the ad because it’s just ridiculous. The conversation should be focused on the Common Ground Initiative and the bills that are part of that.”
I would be inclined to ask if Mike Thompson was also on the board of Equality for California?
They too opted to dismiss a lot of things as ridiculous and look what happened, kids?
Never underestimate your enemy.
Darth Paul
@Kid A: How astute.
Sebbe
@Kid A – best point in the fewest words, love it!!
@Alan down in Florida – I didn’t agree with the use of the word spammed either.
@KPC – Good point, and now that I think about it, of course cultural generations are getting shorter and shorter. My generation would have very little similarities to those 10 years older (probably less) than us, mostly due to technological and cultural differences growing up. Where the silent (?) generation and baby boomers cover more years and arguably have more similarities??
Charles J. Mueller
@Sebbe:
Yep yep. Those of us who are 70 or older, all know what a “surrey with the fringe on top is.”
Oh…and we all know where the term “dashboard” originated too. lol
Sebbe
@Charles – I don’t know what either of those things mean.
Charles J. Mueller
@Sebbe:
HeeHee. Sorry about that. it was a wee bit before your time. lol
A surrey with the fringe on top was a horse-drawn means of transportation in the “olden days” and before the age of automobiles, that was venerated in the musical Oklahoma.
And from Dictionary.com;
dash?board
? ?/?dæ??b?rd, -?bo?rd/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [dash-bawrd, -bohrd] Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. (in an automobile or similar vehicle) a panel beneath the front window having various gauges and accessories for the use of the driver; instrument panel.
2. a board or panel at the front of an open carriage or the like to protect the occupants from mud or dirt cast up by the hoofs of the animals drawing the vehicle.
Origin:
1840–50; dash 1 + board
Definition number 2 is what definition 1 came to be in modern times. It was also the place where the riders of the surrey or “buck board” as it was also known, could rest their feet while driving.
And, of course, the newest definition of dashboard, is a Widget computer application like that offered by Apple.
http://www.apple.com/search/?q=Dashboard
Cheers.
Sebbe
oh I know all the definitions of dashboard, I assumed these were slang for something else when u mentioned them. Thanks though.
Katelyn
The fact that the homophobes seem completely unable to recruit decent graphic designers gives me some hope.
getreal
@Katelyn: LOL
Mike
All this does is present certain common sense facts which our liberal society prefers to make unspeakable.
There’s nothing in this article which attacks homosexuals. It simply asks for public decency.
The homo band waggon is obsessed with itself and it’s own perversions. This article simply points that out, which most normal people understand anyway.
Sebbe
@Mike (from America Forever) – please enlighten us with your definition of normal.
Robert, NYC
@Mike:
Mike, since you are a straight male, what are you doing on a gay blogsite? How did you hear about it?
Secondly, if LGBT people have “perversions”, are you so sure your fellow straight breeders don’t have any, such as straight pedophilia (majority of pedophilia crimes are committed by straights if you look at government sex crime statistics); prostitution, primarily a straight phenomenon; sex-trafficking (importing straight women from Asia for sex ad prostitution, yet again, a straight phenomenon); crimes of rape overwhelmingly committed by straight men, how many gay men are in jail on rape charges?); swingers clubs (all straight), wife-swapping (all straight), incest….overwhelmingly straight in orientation (usually male to female), adulterers who oppose marriage equality and claim we’re a threat to marriage, single straight mothers with children fathered by different men? I could go on but I think you get the drift and if you don’t, then you’re even more stupid, bigoted and hypocritical for making such a crass statement about gay people few or none of which you know.