As anticipated, the groups identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as “hate groups” have reacted with defensive distraction. Instead of responding directly to the charges made by the SPLC, they have organized a significant effort to change the subject. Called Start Debating/Stop Hating, the website consists of endorsements from some prominent conservative activists, politicians and ministers. The website also asks visitors to sign a petition which reads:
“We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with Family Research Council, American Family Association, Concerned Women of America, National Organization for Marriage, Liberty Counsel and other pro-family organizations that are working to protect and promote natural marriage and family. We support the vigorous but responsible exercise of the First Amendment rights of free speech and religious liberty that are the birthright of all Americans.”
That sounds fine until you realize that the SPLC did not place groups on the list because they favored “natural marriage and family.” There are other unlisted organizations (e.g., Focus on the Family, Alliance Defense Fund) which clearly and publicly oppose gay marriage. The SPLC clearly stated reasons why the new groups, including the FRC and the AFA were listed. The issue is a systematic effort to vilify gays, such as this gem from American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer:
Homosexuality gave us Adolph Hitler, and homosexuals in the military gave us the Brown Shirts, the Nazi war machine and six million dead Jews. Gays in the military is an experiment that has been tried and found disastrously and tragically wanting. Maybe it’s time for Congress to learn a lesson from history.
That is SPLC myth #5. For this post, I am going to look at myth #4 which focuses on the claim that gays don’t live as long as straights. I have addressed this before extensively and so I am only going to point out again that the groups and their defenders are changing the subject instead of addressing actual problems in the information they present to their constituents.
A recent case in point is a column by Bryan Fischer of the AFA where he did exactly what the SPLC complained about in myth #4. Watch:
While drugs have been found to mitigate the damage done by HIV, there is no cure. Once someone contracts it, he has it for life, a life often tragically shortened by between eight and 20 years, according to the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Smoking will cut six to seven years from the lifespan of the smoker, meaning a cigarette habit is less dangerous to human health and longevity than gay sex.
Given the reference, I assume he is referring to the 1997 study by Hogg et al in the International Journal of Epidemiology which found the following:
In a major Canadian centre, life expectancy at age 20 years for gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men.
Does Mr. Fischer have a get-off-the-hate-list-free card because he cited a peer reviewed journal? Those who really want to support these groups might be inclined to stop right there and cease their investigation of the question. Indeed, that is what the American College of Pediatricians do on their Facts About Youth website. They say:
The only epidemiological study to date on the life span of gay men concluded that gay and bisexual men lose up to 20 years of life expectancy.
I have pointed out to the people who put that website together that Hogg et al is not the “only epidemiological study to date on the life span of gay men” but they have not changed their website. In any case, the point is that people who count on these organizations for accurate information would not get it by trusting them and reading their claims.
The Hogg et al study was conducted using data from 1987 – 1992 when AIDS claimed many lives. In 2001, Hogg et al countered the incorrect use of their study – the same study that Bryan Fischer and ACPED cites as current information – by noting that life expectancy had improved significantly, saying:
In contrast, if we were to repeat this analysis today the life expectancy of gay and bisexual men would be greatly improved. Deaths from HIV infection have declined dramatically in this population since 1996. As we have previously reported there has been a threefold decrease in mortality in Vancouver as well as in other parts of British Columbia.
This is not reported on the ACPED site nor is it referred to by Bryan Fischer. Why not? If these groups were interested in presenting accurate information in debating and not hating, then why not present the whole picture?
However, there is more. A more recent 2008 studyby Danish epidemiologist Morten Frisch and statistician Henrik Brønnum-Hansen found that the trajectory of gay mortality is improving there to the point where, according to these researchers,
Despite recent marked reduction in mortality among gay men, Danish men and women in same-sex marriages still have mortality rates that exceed those of the general population. The excess mortality is restricted to the first few years after a marriage, presumably reflecting preexisting illness at the time of marriage. Although further study is needed, the claims of drastically increased overall mortality in gay men and lesbians appear unjustified.
The authors found that mortality improved dramatically with the introduction of antiretroviral treatments and while the mortality rates were still not as favorable for gays and lesbians, they were not compatible with the claims of a 20 year difference. Indeed, the Danish researchers found that the mortality picture of married GLB people is improving over time.
More research needs to be done and these studies need replication but the accurate picture is that life span differences are not dramatic and are not comparable to those produced by smoking. If anything, the mortality picture is improving substantially, not declining. If this new effort from the FRC is supposed to be about debate and dialogue then, please discuss this.
Here is a question:
Why haven’t the groups (or their supporters) singled out by the SPLC disclosed the update provided by Hogg et al in 2001 or the study by Frisch and Brønnum-Hansen in 2008?
Regarding mortality, the truth is more in line with what Hogg et al noted in their 2001 update:
It is essential to note that the life expectancy of any population is a descriptive and not a prescriptive mesaure. Death is a product of the way a person lives and what physical and environmental hazards he or she faces everyday. It cannot be attributed solely to their sexual orientation or any other ethnic or social factor. If estimates of an individual gay and bisexual man’s risk of death is truly needed for legal or other purposes, then people making these estimates should use the same actuarial tables that are used for all other males in that population. Gay and bisexual men are included in the construction of official population-based tables and therefore these tables for all males are the appropriate ones to be used.
In addition to avoiding information inconsistent with their premise, the groups identified by the SPLC often use the information they do disclose in an incorrect manner. If these groups want to debate, then I suggest they use all of the information available and they use it in accord with accepted scientific standards. For instance, generalizing from Hogg et al in 1997 to all gay people everywhere in 2010 is improper and can easily lead to charges of purposeful negative stereotyping. Instead of changing the subject, I would like to see these groups change the way they defend their views.
GROUPS SUPPORTING HATRED & LIES TOWARDS GAY PEOPLES
Those who agree with the hatred engendered in the lies told concerning gay peoples by the Family Research Council, American Family Association, Concerned Women of America, National Organization for Marriage, and Liberty Counsel
• TheCall Louis Engle – President
• Citizens for Community Values of Indiana Patrick Mangan – Executive Director
• CCV of Indiana PAC Joseph Sergio, Ph.D – Chairman
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Kevin McCarthy – (R-CA)
• The Family Foundation of Virginia Victoria Cobb – President
• Wisconsin Family Action Julaine Appling – President
• National Organization for Marriage – Rhode IslandChristopher Plante – Ex. Dir.
• New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms Rev. Jason McGuire
• New Yorker’s Family Research Foundation Rev. Tom Stiles
• National Organization for Marriage Maggie Gallagher – Chairman
• Landmark Legal Foundation Mark Levin – President
• Design4 Marketing Communications Clint Cline – President
• Family Institute of Connecticut Peter Wolfgang – Executive Director
• CitizenLInk Tom Minnery – Senior Vice President, Public Policy
• New Jersey Family First Len Deo – Founder & President
• National Organization for Marriage Brian Brown – President
• American Family Association Tim Wildmon – President
• Concerned Women for American Wendy Wright – President
• The Diana Davis Spencer Foundation Abby Moffat – Vice President and COO
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Peter Roskam – (R-IL)
• The Oak Inititative Rick Joyner – President
• Christian Civic League of Maine Carroll Conley – Executive Director
• Louisiana Family Forum Action Gene Mills – President
• Nevada Concerned Citizens Richard Ziser – Director
• Judicial Action Group Phillip Jauregui – President
• Alaska Family Council Jim Minnery – President
• Coral Ridge Ministries Hector Padron – Executive Vice President
• North Dakota Family Alliance Tom Freier – Executive Director
• Public Service Research Foundation David Denholm – President
• Liberty Institute Kelly Shackelford
• Mike Huckabee Mike Huckabee – Former Governor, TV/ Radio Commentator
• Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Com. Dr. Richard Land – President
• Louisiana Bobby Jindal – Governor
• Family Action Council of Tennessee David Fowler – President
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Fred Upton – (R-MI)
• American Principles Poject Andresen Blom – Executive Director
• Traditional Values Coalition Andrea Lafferty – Executive Director
• Minnesota Family Council John Helmberger – Chief Executive Officer
• Traditional Values Coalition Jody Hutchens – Regional Director
• Center for Law and Social Strategy Mark Spengler – Executive Director
• RightMarch.com William Greene – President
• American Values Gary Bauer – President
• Concerned Citizens for Family Values of Connecticut Ray Kastner – President
• Committee for Justice Curt Levey – Executive Director
• Minnesota Family Council David Eaton – Chairman
• Center for Urban Renewal and Education Star Parker – President
• Leadership Institute Morton Blackwell – President
• Media Research Center L. Brent Bozell – Founder and President
• Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation E. Calvin Beisner, Ph.D.
• American College of Pediatricians Tom Benton, MD – President
• American Conservative Union Foundation Cleta Mitchell – Chairman
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Jeb Henserling – (R-TX)
• Priests For LifeFr. Frank Pavone – National Director
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Jim Jordan – (R-OH)
• Calvary Chapel Jack Hibbs – Senior Pastor
• Missouri Family Policy Council Joe Ortwerth – Executive Director
• Tradition, Family, Property, Inc. C. Preston Noell III – President
• Retired Rensselaer Broekhuizen – Pastor
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Steve Scalise – (R-LA)
• Association of Maryland Families Derek McCoy – President
• Generals International Cindy Jacobs – President
• State of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty – Governor
• Ethics and Public Policy Center Rick Santorum – Senior Fellow
• U.S. House of Representatives Congresswoman Michele Bachmann – (R-MN)
• U.S. House of Representatives Speaker-designate John Boehner – (R-OH)
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Donald Manzullo – (R-IL)
• THE New Voice, Inc. Herman Cain – CEO and President
• Prison Fellowship & Colson Center for Christian Worldview Chuck Colson
• Concerned Women For America Penny Nance – CEO
• Kansas Sam Brownback – Governor-elect
• Colorado Family Action Jessica Haverkate – Director
• Republican Party of Louisiana Roger Villere,Jr. – Chairman
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman-elect Alan Nunnelee – (R-MS)
• Delaware Family Policy Council Nicole Theis – Executive Director
• Massachusetts Family Institute Kris Mineau – President
• Christian Medical Association David Stevens – CEO
• Kingdom warriors Ministry William Boykin – LTG(R) USArmy
• U.S. Congress Senator David Vitter – (R-LA)
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Joe Pitts – (R-PA)
• United States Senate Jim DeMint – Senator
• U.S. CongressSenator Roger Wicker – (R-MS)
• Virginia Ken Cuccinelli – Attorney General
• Eagle Forum Phyllis Schlafly – President
• Illinois Family Institute David Smith – Executive Director
• WyWatch Family Action Becky Vandeberghe – President
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman John Fleming, M.D. – (R-LA)
• Best-Selling Author and Host of Morning in America Dr. William J. Bennett
• Cornerstone Action, NH Kevin Smith – Executive Director
• The Family Policy Council of WVJ eremiah Dys, Esq. – President
• Family First (Nebraska FPC) Dave Bydalek Bydalek – Executive Director
• Restore America David Crowe – President
• Cornerstone Family Council of ID Julie Lynde – Executive Director
• Center for Arizona Policy Cathi Herrod – President
• Kansas Family Policy Council Donna Lippoldt – Executive Director
• Iowa Family Policy Center Chuck Hurley – President
• High Impact Leadership Coalition Bishop Harry Jackson – President
• King for America Alveda King – President
• Best-selling Author and Political Commentator David Limbaugh
• Council for National Policy Becky Norton Dunlop – President
• Virginia Robert McDonnell – Governor
• United States Edwin Meese III – former Attorney General
• U.S. House Congressman John Carter – Secretary (R-TX)
• National Religious Broadcasters Frank Wright, Ph.D. – President & CEO
• U.S. CongressSenator James Inhofe – (R-OK)
• Media Research Center Kyle Drennen – News Analyst
•
• The Washington Examiner Mark Tapscott – Editorial Page Editor
• Shirley & Banister Public Affairs Diana Banister – Vice President
• The American Spectator Alfred Regnery – Publisher
• Media Research Center Matthew Balan – news analyst
• WND.com Joseph Farah – Chief Executive Officer
• Nationally Syndicated Radio Talkshow Host Janet Parshall
• Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights Bill Donohue – President
• Let Freedom Ring Colin Hanna – President
• CNSNews.com Eric Scheiner – Senior Video Producer
• ForAmerica David Bozell – Executive Director
• CNSNews.com Chris Johnson – News Correspondant
• Conservative HQ.com Richard Viguerie – Chairman
• RedState Erick-Woods Erickson – Editor
• Media Research Center Matthew Hadro
• American Decency Association Bill Johnson – President
• Western Center for Journalism Floyd Brown – President
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Mike Pence – (R-IN)
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Steve King – (R-IA)
• Radio America Franklin Raff – Sr. Executive Producer
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Trent Franks – (R-AZ)
• Cardinal Newman Society Patrick Reilly – President
• National Review Rich Lowry – Editor
• Center for Security Policy Frank Gaffney – President and CEO
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Louie Gohmert – (R-TX)
• Rappahannock Ventures WillIam Walton – Chairman
• Ohio Faith and Freedom Coalition Ken Blackwell – Chairman
• WMtek Corp. Dan Pennell – CEO
• Renewing American Leadership Jim Garlow – Chairman
• U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader-elect Eric Cantor – (R-VA)
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Lamar Smith – (R-TX)
• Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality Elaine Silodor Berk – Director
• Florida Family Policy Council John Stemberger – President and General Counsel
• The National Legal Foundation Steven Fitschen – President
• Coral Ridge Ministries Robert Knight – Senior Writer
• The Coalition of Conscience Michael Brown, Ph.D. – Director
• American Family Association of Pennsylvania Diane Gramley – President
• Faith Christian Fellowship Church The Rev Dr. R. Edgar Bonniwell – Sr. Pastor
• Mission America Linda Harvey – President
• Citizens for Community Values Phil Burress – President
• Liberty Counsel Mathew Staver – Founder and Chairman
• Liberty Center for Law and Policy Mandi Campbell – Legal Director
• Coalition for Marriage and Family Tom Shields – Chairman
• Liberty Counsel Matt Barber – Director of Cultural Affairs
• ReAL Action Rick Tyler – Chairman
If I missed anyone, I apologize.
…
Well, at least we now know who those are who sympathise with hatred and lies directed towards gays and lesbians.
GROUPS SUPPORTING HATRED & LIES TOWARDS GAY PEOPLES
Those who agree with the hatred engendered in the lies told concerning gay peoples by the Family Research Council, American Family Association, Concerned Women of America, National Organization for Marriage, and Liberty Counsel
• TheCall Louis Engle – President
• Citizens for Community Values of Indiana Patrick Mangan – Executive Director
• CCV of Indiana PAC Joseph Sergio, Ph.D – Chairman
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Kevin McCarthy – (R-CA)
• The Family Foundation of Virginia Victoria Cobb – President
• Wisconsin Family Action Julaine Appling – President
• National Organization for Marriage – Rhode IslandChristopher Plante – Ex. Dir.
• New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms Rev. Jason McGuire
• New Yorker’s Family Research Foundation Rev. Tom Stiles
• National Organization for Marriage Maggie Gallagher – Chairman
• Landmark Legal Foundation Mark Levin – President
• Design4 Marketing Communications Clint Cline – President
• Family Institute of Connecticut Peter Wolfgang – Executive Director
• CitizenLInk Tom Minnery – Senior Vice President, Public Policy
• New Jersey Family First Len Deo – Founder & President
• National Organization for Marriage Brian Brown – President
• American Family Association Tim Wildmon – President
• Concerned Women for American Wendy Wright – President
• The Diana Davis Spencer Foundation Abby Moffat – Vice President and COO
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Peter Roskam – (R-IL)
• The Oak Inititative Rick Joyner – President
• Christian Civic League of Maine Carroll Conley – Executive Director
• Louisiana Family Forum Action Gene Mills – President
• Nevada Concerned Citizens Richard Ziser – Director
• Judicial Action Group Phillip Jauregui – President
• Alaska Family Council Jim Minnery – President
• Coral Ridge Ministries Hector Padron – Executive Vice President
• North Dakota Family Alliance Tom Freier – Executive Director
• Public Service Research Foundation David Denholm – President
• Liberty Institute Kelly Shackelford
• Mike Huckabee Mike Huckabee – Former Governor, TV/ Radio Commentator
• Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Com. Dr. Richard Land – President
• Louisiana Bobby Jindal – Governor
• Family Action Council of Tennessee David Fowler – President
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Fred Upton – (R-MI)
• American Principles Poject Andresen Blom – Executive Director
• Traditional Values Coalition Andrea Lafferty – Executive Director
• Minnesota Family Council John Helmberger – Chief Executive Officer
• Traditional Values Coalition Jody Hutchens – Regional Director
• Center for Law and Social Strategy Mark Spengler – Executive Director
• RightMarch.com William Greene – President
• American Values Gary Bauer – President
• Concerned Citizens for Family Values of Connecticut Ray Kastner – President
• Committee for Justice Curt Levey – Executive Director
• Minnesota Family Council David Eaton – Chairman
• Center for Urban Renewal and Education Star Parker – President
• Leadership Institute Morton Blackwell – President
• Media Research Center L. Brent Bozell – Founder and President
• Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation E. Calvin Beisner, Ph.D.
• American College of Pediatricians Tom Benton, MD – President
• American Conservative Union Foundation Cleta Mitchell – Chairman
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Jeb Henserling – (R-TX)
• Priests For LifeFr. Frank Pavone – National Director
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Jim Jordan – (R-OH)
• Calvary Chapel Jack Hibbs – Senior Pastor
• Missouri Family Policy Council Joe Ortwerth – Executive Director
• Tradition, Family, Property, Inc. C. Preston Noell III – President
• Retired Rensselaer Broekhuizen – Pastor
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Steve Scalise – (R-LA)
• Association of Maryland Families Derek McCoy – President
• Generals International Cindy Jacobs – President
• State of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty – Governor
• Ethics and Public Policy Center Rick Santorum – Senior Fellow
• U.S. House of Representatives Congresswoman Michele Bachmann – (R-MN)
• U.S. House of Representatives Speaker-designate John Boehner – (R-OH)
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Donald Manzullo – (R-IL)
• THE New Voice, Inc. Herman Cain – CEO and President
• Prison Fellowship & Colson Center for Christian Worldview Chuck Colson
• Concerned Women For America Penny Nance – CEO
• Kansas Sam Brownback – Governor-elect
• Colorado Family Action Jessica Haverkate – Director
• Republican Party of Louisiana Roger Villere,Jr. – Chairman
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman-elect Alan Nunnelee – (R-MS)
• Delaware Family Policy Council Nicole Theis – Executive Director
• Massachusetts Family Institute Kris Mineau – President
• Christian Medical Association David Stevens – CEO
• Kingdom warriors Ministry William Boykin – LTG(R) USArmy
• U.S. Congress Senator David Vitter – (R-LA)
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Joe Pitts – (R-PA)
• United States Senate Jim DeMint – Senator
• U.S. CongressSenator Roger Wicker – (R-MS)
• Virginia Ken Cuccinelli – Attorney General
• Eagle Forum Phyllis Schlafly – President
• Illinois Family Institute David Smith – Executive Director
• WyWatch Family Action Becky Vandeberghe – President
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman John Fleming, M.D. – (R-LA)
• Best-Selling Author and Host of Morning in America Dr. William J. Bennett
• Cornerstone Action, NH Kevin Smith – Executive Director
• The Family Policy Council of WVJ eremiah Dys, Esq. – President
• Family First (Nebraska FPC) Dave Bydalek Bydalek – Executive Director
• Restore America David Crowe – President
• Cornerstone Family Council of ID Julie Lynde – Executive Director
• Center for Arizona Policy Cathi Herrod – President
• Kansas Family Policy Council Donna Lippoldt – Executive Director
• Iowa Family Policy Center Chuck Hurley – President
• High Impact Leadership Coalition Bishop Harry Jackson – President
• King for America Alveda King – President
• Best-selling Author and Political Commentator David Limbaugh
• Council for National Policy Becky Norton Dunlop – President
• Virginia Robert McDonnell – Governor
• United States Edwin Meese III – former Attorney General
• U.S. House Congressman John Carter – Secretary (R-TX)
• National Religious Broadcasters Frank Wright, Ph.D. – President & CEO
• U.S. CongressSenator James Inhofe – (R-OK)
• Media Research Center Kyle Drennen – News Analyst
•
• The Washington Examiner Mark Tapscott – Editorial Page Editor
• Shirley & Banister Public Affairs Diana Banister – Vice President
• The American Spectator Alfred Regnery – Publisher
• Media Research Center Matthew Balan – news analyst
• WND.com Joseph Farah – Chief Executive Officer
• Nationally Syndicated Radio Talkshow Host Janet Parshall
• Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights Bill Donohue – President
• Let Freedom Ring Colin Hanna – President
• CNSNews.com Eric Scheiner – Senior Video Producer
• ForAmerica David Bozell – Executive Director
• CNSNews.com Chris Johnson – News Correspondant
• Conservative HQ.com Richard Viguerie – Chairman
• RedState Erick-Woods Erickson – Editor
• Media Research Center Matthew Hadro
• American Decency Association Bill Johnson – President
• Western Center for Journalism Floyd Brown – President
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Mike Pence – (R-IN)
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Steve King – (R-IA)
• Radio America Franklin Raff – Sr. Executive Producer
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Trent Franks – (R-AZ)
• Cardinal Newman Society Patrick Reilly – President
• National Review Rich Lowry – Editor
• Center for Security Policy Frank Gaffney – President and CEO
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Louie Gohmert – (R-TX)
• Rappahannock Ventures WillIam Walton – Chairman
• Ohio Faith and Freedom Coalition Ken Blackwell – Chairman
• WMtek Corp. Dan Pennell – CEO
• Renewing American Leadership Jim Garlow – Chairman
• U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader-elect Eric Cantor – (R-VA)
• U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Lamar Smith – (R-TX)
• Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality Elaine Silodor Berk – Director
• Florida Family Policy Council John Stemberger – President and General Counsel
• The National Legal Foundation Steven Fitschen – President
• Coral Ridge Ministries Robert Knight – Senior Writer
• The Coalition of Conscience Michael Brown, Ph.D. – Director
• American Family Association of Pennsylvania Diane Gramley – President
• Faith Christian Fellowship Church The Rev Dr. R. Edgar Bonniwell – Sr. Pastor
• Mission America Linda Harvey – President
• Citizens for Community Values Phil Burress – President
• Liberty Counsel Mathew Staver – Founder and Chairman
• Liberty Center for Law and Policy Mandi Campbell – Legal Director
• Coalition for Marriage and Family Tom Shields – Chairman
• Liberty Counsel Matt Barber – Director of Cultural Affairs
• ReAL Action Rick Tyler – Chairman
If I missed anyone, I apologize.
…
Well, at least we now know who those are who sympathise with hatred and lies directed towards gays and lesbians.