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Wayne Besen
PO Box 25491
Brooklyn, NY 11202
America's queerest "ex-gay" Stephen Bennett is pissed off because Brokeback Mountain and TransAmerica did well at the Golden Globes.
"Conservatives and middle America are frankly sick of having the homosexual agenda continually shoved down our throats by the media."
What we are witnessing is a frightened man who is acting out because he feels threatened by these movies. He is afraid that he may leave his wife after seeing Brokeback and shove 7 inches of the homosexual agenda down his throat. It seems to me that that this clown is protesting a bit too much. If his "cure" is so weak, maybe it doesn't work at all?
It is time Stephen Bennett stops projecting his own fears onto Hollywood. If he doesn't want to see these movies - he should stay home. But, then again, the issue might be that he desperately wants to see them - even more than he wants to see his wife.
Bennett isn't the only so-called ex-gay in a tizzy. Alan Chambers, the queen who runs Exodus International, is also afraid Hollywood may convince him to go astray. And the American Family Association is afraid that men may leave their wives in droves if the gay movies keep coming.
With thousands of hetero love stories, how can a few movies with gay content cause these right wingers to want to go down on a guy? It makes absolutely no sense to me. Would someone on the far right please explain this? Help me out here, will you?
18 Comments:
Now Steven Bennett knows how the rest of us feel about having his mythological invisible friend pushed on US all the time (read "Christianity").
The country is leaving people like Bennett behind. Brokeback Mountain was a great picture. Of course, there will be many who cannot appreciate its beauty due to their ignorance. Let us pity those types. Bennett is one.
posted by Chris L., at
1/19/2006 5:48 PM
Wow...this is all it takes to take over the country. Be the harbinger of the fall of civilization as we know it?
This isn't new. Movies have been movies for a long time. This doesn't mean a movie like this shouldn't have been made. It's past time it was. And by a quality creative team. The public has spoken, and it's obvious that the Bennett's and Chambers of the world don't control it, and can't speak for all of it. They thought they'd cornered that market when they hitched their wagon to a heterosexual majority. But the SECULAR heterosexual majority likes to have it's cake in all kinds of flavors. The Bennetts and Chambers of the world only come in vanilla.
posted by Regan, at
1/19/2006 8:28 PM
I'm still waiting for Alan Chambers to provide raw data on the "Hundreds of Thousands" of ex-gays he talks about in all of his press releases.
posted by Scott, at
1/19/2006 8:44 PM
That dude's ex-gay??? Don't make me laugh. What a genuine cocksucker. I know because I love dick. But this Bennett? He could suck the white off a golf ball.
"Don't Shove Homosexuality Down My Throat"?! Princess Steven looks like a bottom if I ever saw one and would clearly rather have it 'shoved up his ass'! Gary (NJ)
posted by Anonymous, at
1/19/2006 10:20 PM
From a communications perspective I don't feel so assured that Bennet's words will have negligible effect. I feel the opposite. Many people responding to this excellent post are not aware of the cognitive science. I feel most Americans will respond well to the astute framing in Bennet's article. Bennet has stated what he's against, what he's for, and a solution to the situation.
Gay media is preaching effectively to our choir. Bennet is reaching beyond the choir.
This is challenging to explain in a few sentences.
Pay attention to the seemingly simplistic myths he states. We see through them. The average American buys into them. He seems reasonable to them. The innuendo is designed to stimulate the limbic brain - in branding this is called a Limbic Hot Button. Once he's done this he has their attention, and can insert his own frame. He's reshaping their brains, and he's done it with very simple sounding language.
With the millions that groups like the AFA and Focus on the Family, to name just two, pour into focus group testing and message development we are not gaining, despite what appears at the moment to be progress.
Conservative Christian Radio grew by 33% in the last five years, faster than any other format. One network alone has 7 times the number of affiliated stations as NPR. Almost half of Americans listen to conservative Christian broadcast. And it's growing.
Where is the progressive faith based media? What is the state of progressive media? Who is the blogosphere reaching? Be afraid. Get training. Rally for media and communications directors at every progressive group. Pay close attention.
Wayne's doing a fantastic job. We need to do the same. Fortunately groups like GLAAD are onto this already. We need more and they need our support.
posted by Anonymous, at
1/20/2006 1:35 AM
We know an actor (older, semi-famous) in Hollywood who is a so-called "ex-gay." He's a lunatic.
I've not met a lot of ex-gays, but the few I have come in contact with seem very disturbed and unhappy. .
posted by Christopher, at
1/20/2006 8:40 AM
So I'm looking at this picture associated with this post and all I can think is "What the hell does David Cassidy circa 1985 have to do with all of this?"
I think the religious right is realizing that their strategy of ignoring Brokeback and assuming that it would flop outside of gay ghettos has backfired. This week, it's the No. 1 movie in America and it's doing well in places like ultra conservative Plano, TX. The culture wars are over and the far right has lost. There will be many more battles, but they have lost the war.
posted by Sam, at
1/20/2006 10:08 AM
If he doesn't like it, He should NOT go looking for screenings and shows were he is in touch with it. I sugest him to watch every day "the Passion of the Christ" and to leave the rest of normal society alone... Does anyone ask him to keep his weir agenda to himself? NO! this is a free country (so far) and he should respect that.
posted by Anonymous, at
1/20/2006 10:48 AM
Hi Paul in Houston what you say is true, but there is hope. Al Franken on Air America radio beat Rush Limbaugh in the ratings and Randi Rhodes of the same station beat out Sean Hannity in the same ratings. Also, maybe half of the people in the 'red' areas like Texas listen to conservative christian radio, but i can assure you that up here in the blue northeast, that is *not* the case! Gary (NJ)
posted by Anonymous, at
1/20/2006 1:25 PM
Paul, you're right on the money on this one. When Dr. Phil interviewed a former ex-gay and a young man who tried to convert to heterosexuality, the audience seemed inclined to believe that gays could be "cured" according to the ex-gay ministers statements. Heterosexuals in general really believe this, we'd be foolish to think they they don't, but they do in vast numbers, far more than those who don't. We have much work to do on this.
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