Last week we mentioned that LGBT Activist Wayne Besen had threatened to sue Greg Quinlan, the President of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX), for claiming on TV that Besen had publicly called for Quinlan’s death via AIDS needle or runaway bus. This week, Quinlan has responded to Besen’s threat with just the right (and expected) amount of sarcastic glee and self-victimization.
Here’s Quinlan’s response:
“Wayne, if you really feel you must waste money you could be using to bash ex-gays, bully Christian churchgoers and spread the lie that people who are trapped in unwanted homosexuality can never escape it, I say knock yourself out. We’re happy to countersue and expose the hundreds of smears you and Truth Wins Out have lodged against me and other pro-family advocates. Smears that actually amount to defamation. Little man, I’m calling your bluff.”
And Besen responded to Quinlan’s response with this responsive response:
“We are preparing a lawsuit and PFOX will soon realize that this is no bluff. PFOX will not be able to pray away this lawsuit any more than they can pray away the gay. The outcome of this disturbing matter will be settled in a court of law.”
We can’t wait to see the long-time LGBT activist slug it out against a practitioner of psychologically-harmful quackery. We got the Jiffy Pop and the Diet Shasta ready to go.
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Wordsmith
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Hyhybt
“hundreds of smears you and Truth Wins Out have lodged against me and other pro-family advocates”
Examples, please?
bagooka
Ex-gay PFOX is such a blowhard.
ewe
One cannot go around saying that someone has threatened their life. Wayne Besen could very well have a successful outcome should he choose to bring this tease into court. I think he should start by bringing all of Quinlans comments to his local police dept. and file a complaint. All he has to prove is repetitiveness and intent. Words do speak for themselves. At the very least Quinlan won’t be pounding his chest with his false bravado should he be forced to answer before a Judge.
ewe
I am convinced this is a very common way straight men act gay. It is their own dysfunctional display of respect. It’s bizarre i know. I think i am right. Quinlan is really hot to trot for Wayne Besen.
B
No. 4 · ewe wrote, “One cannot go around saying that someone has threatened their life. Wayne Besen could very well have a successful outcome should he choose to bring this tease into court.”
You’d have to follow the links to get to the video, but the whole flap is a tempest in a teapot. Quinlan was being interviewed and was asked about Wayne Besen’s organization but Quinlan didn’t seem to initiate it (at least, not on camera). If anything, the interviewer seemed hostile to him. Quinlan’s statement appeared 10 minutes and 38 seconds into the interview (according to Besen’s web site) and can be found at http://www.dc50tv.com/news/newsplus/wdcw-greg-quinlan-full-interview-story-20111007,0,3475797.story (the bad news – I couldn’t seem to fast-forward, which meant listening to Quinlan spout for nearly 11 minutes). He said that Besen said that someone should run over him [Quilan] with a bus and inject him with AIDS, but he also called that “hateful rhetoric,” not a threat. Given how factually challenged much of what he said is, Quinlan has a reasonable defense – nobody in his right mind would take what he said in that interview seriously.
Otherwise, Quinlan tried to pretend that ex-gays are subject to discrimination for being ex-gays. He claimed he was “molested” at the age of 10 by a 13 year old boy living across the street (while they were both looking at an issue of Playboy). He claims he was assaulted for being an ex-gay (punched for giving someone an “ex-gay” pamphlet that the recipient didn’t like). It’s hard to take him seriously – he’s obviously spinning things. I won’t go through all the misrepresentations he made – it would take far too long.
I think Besen is overreacting to Quinlan (mainly because Quinlan came across as a clown). Of course, they both come out ahead if Besen does that, under the theory that it doesn’t matter if you get good publicity or bad publicity, as long as you get publicity.
FreddyMertz
“PFOX will not be able to pray away this lawsuit….”…love every thing about it! LOL
B
No. 7 · FreddyMertz wrote, ““PFOX will not be able to pray away this lawsuit….”…love every thing about it! LOL” PFOX may have the last laugh (actually, the spectators watching these two groups figuratively slug it out will have the last laugh).
Ultimately it depends on whether Besen or Quinlan (which depends on who is suing whom) are “public figures” or “limited-purpose public figures” – the requirements for proving defamation in that case is more stringent.
According to http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/defamation “defamation (of character) n. the act of making untrue statements about another which damages his/her reputation. If the defamatory statement is printed or broadcast over the media it is libel and, if only oral, it is slander. Public figures, including officeholders and candidates have to show that the defamation was made with malicious intent and was not just fair comment. Damages for slander may be limited to actual (special) damages unless there is malice. Some statements such as an accusation of having committed a crime, having a feared disease, or being unable to perform one’s occupation are called libel per se or slander and can more easily lead to large money awards in court and even punitive damage recovery by the person harmed. Most states provide for a demand for a printed retraction of defamation and only allow a lawsuit if there is no such admission of error. (See: fair comment)”
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/fair%20comment “fair comment n. a statement of opinion (no matter how ludicrous) based on facts which are correctly stated, and which does not allege dishonorable motives on the part of the target of the comment. The U. S. Supreme Court has ruled that to protect free speech, statements made about a public person (politician, officeholder, movie star, author, etc.), even though untrue and harmful, are fair comment unless the victim can prove the opinions were stated maliciously—with hate, dislike, intent and/or desire to harm. Thus, a public figure may not sue for defamation based on published opinions or alleged information which would be the basis of a lawsuit if said or published about a private person not worthy of opinion or comment. Fair comment is a crucial defense against libel suits which is put up by members of the media.”
randy
If Quinlan countersues, then that opens up a whole can of worms. It means that Wayne can do extensive discovery on the files of PFox. A lot of dirt could be uncovered.
For that reason, a countersuit is an empty threat, and Quinlan knows it. He’s just trying to bully Wayne into backing down. IT would be a fun and epic battle, though, to get Pfox to admit that it really doesn’t work.
B
No. 9 · randy wrote, “He’s just trying to bully Wayne into backing down.”
A cynic would claim that they are trying to bully each other! You know, sort of a cat fight. I’m half imagining the scene from Destry Rides Again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mlPgSHXpNs (the video is hilarious, with Marlene Dietrich as a very feisty disreputable bar entertainer and Jimmy Steward as a milk-drinking sheriff who refuses to carry a gun but was hired to clean up a tough town.)
Maybe Quinlan and Besen can do a video together, but then anyone would be hard pressed to upstage Marlene Dietrich’s performance in that film clip!
kawneekwa
How he be ex-gay and so drama. Run over by a bus. Shit! I no dat nothin’ but a drama queen.