Commentary Tidbits

Politics Plus: Would Churches Care for the Poor?

The Wall of Separation: Cross Purpose: Religious Right Lawyers Secularize Christian Symbol To Get Utah Case Before Supreme Court

John Corvino at 365 Gay: What the Bible Doesn't Say

RH Reality Check: The Authoritarian Agenda Behind Attacks on Contraception

Talking Points Memo: Terry Jones Threatens To Sue MI Officials After Arrest Over $1 Peace Bond

Village Voice: Hip, Edgy Evangelicals Come to Godless East Village 

Right Wing Watch: Creationists Warn That Teaching Evolution Leads To "Homosexual Indoctrination"

News Tidbits

New York Times: Pastor Is Accused of Helping to Kidnap Girl at Center of Lesbian Custody Fight

Kathryn Joyce at the Nation: The Evangelical Adoption Crusade

Connecticut Post: Judge: Agreement is near in Bishop Eddie Long case

Minnesota Independent: During abortion hearing, Cornish calls pastor, ACLU ‘disgusting’

Florida Independent: Jeb Bush endorses Hogan for Jacksonville mayor, despite abortion clinic bomb ‘joke’

Florida Independent: Even the KKK deplores Terry Jones

What on Earth is Pat Robertson Talking About?

Note: This post contains graphic language.

The April 25th edition of The 700 Club started with a segment on abortion and Planned Parenthood. Beginning at the 1:46 mark of the episode, the segment noted President Obama's refusal to cut Title X funding for Planned Parenthood. Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony list painted Planned Parenthood as a profit-driven abortion provider, while the narrator suggested that the organization's dominant activity is abortion (failing to note that abortions make up only a small percentage of their services). In short, The 700 Club lobbed the usual attacks at Planned Parenthood.

Commentary Tidbits -- Easter Edition

Happy Easter to all my readers!

Politicus USA: An Easter Lesson from a Small Church that Defied the Agenda of Hate

Talk to Action: Extreme Over Easter: AFA Declares War on Ohio Town's Spring Egg Hunt

Daily Kos: The War on Easter?

Religion Dispatches: Eddie Long Off the Cross in Time for Easter?

Earth Day and its Detractors

Stop worshipping that blue heron!
What is it with you Earth Day types!?

Today, April 22nd, is Earth Day. Established by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970, Earth Day is now an international event devoted to environmental issues. Earth Day events abound, intended to raise consciousness about our relationship with the natural world.

Predictably, some Religious Right figures have voiced their displeasure with Earth Day and environmentalism, which they brand as allegedly anti-Christian. As we celebrate Earth Day, we should also be aware of its detractors and the myths circulating about environmentalism.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

You were worshipping this bird,
weren't you? Knock it off.
I mean it.

First, at his Vision Forum blog, Doug Phillips posted a commentary entitled "A Christian Response to Earth Day: Understanding the 4 Lies of the Radical Environmental Movement." Phillips insists that many modern people are "earth worshippers" and "sanitized pantheists" in their alleged religious devotion to the natural world. Pantheism, he claims, is not only at the core of the green movement, but has also seeped into entertainment, advertising, politics, and schools. Earth Day, supposedly, is a holy day in honor of the "earth God". In other worlds, Phillips associates environmentalism with pagan Earth worship and pantheism, assuming that it is antithetical to Christianity. The fact that most environmentalists are not pagans, and that plenty of green Christians and ecotheologians have reconciled faith and environmental awareness seems to have escaped him. To boot, he assumes that Earth worship is automatically negative, which many modern-day neo-pagans would disagree with!

Phillips accuses the environmental movement of promoting four lies: (1) Earth is our mother, (2) human life holds no greater intrinsic value than animal life, (3) environmental harm is the greatest crisis facing humanity, and (4) environmental problems will lead to an end of life on Earth unless public policy and private practices change. In doing so, Phillips makes sweeping assumptions about the environmental movement that do not necessary reflect reality. For instance, not all environmentalists would agree with statement #2, which is reflective of biocentric ethics (i.e., deep ecology) but not of anthropocentric or virtue ethics approaches to the environment.

News Tidbits

KGET 17: Did pro-life activist go too far?

Action News Jacksonville: Kimberly Daniels responds to new controversial video

Knoxnews.com: "Don't Say Gay" Bill Clears Tennessee Senate Panel

Beliefnet: Poll: Americans See Clash Between Christianity, Capitalism

Physorg.com: Religion continues to impact voter decision, study finds

The Advocate: Antigay Group Boycotts Transgender MTV Character

The Wichita Eagle: Judge rejects injunction for anti-abortion activist

Los Angeles Times: Billboards that highlight black abortion disparity spark debate

Los Angeles Times: New York artist satirizes Westboro Baptist Church leaders in painting

American Independent: Young Conservatives of Texas claims responsibility for ‘family and traditional values’ centers amendment

Texas Independent: Rep. Christian: GLBT centers at A&M, UT ‘are about promoting a certain life style and culture’

Texas Independent: Effects of Texas House legislation unclear for GLBT programs at A&M, A&M-Commerce

Commentary Tidbits

The DV8: South Carolina Republicans

Truth Wins Out: Anti-Semitic ‘Demon-Buster’ Runs For Jacksonville City Council

Talk to Action: A Kim Daniels "Demon Buster" Quote Base

Freak Out Nation: Mike Huckabee Slams Glenn Beck

Good As You: NOM's Ruth Institute Now Pushing "Ex-Gay" Therapy

Think Progress Wonk Room: Pawlenty Unsure If Homosexuality Is A Health Risk /

The American Prospect: Submitting to the Christian Right

Media Matters: Referencing Genesis, Beck Advises Listeners To Spend On Food Insurance Rather Than Save Money

Religion Dispatches: Dialogue or Demonization? Where Gays are Concerned, Focus on the Family Wants it Both Ways

Right Wing Watch: Harvey And LaBarbera Accuse LGBT Community And Glee Of Using "Demonic Manipulation" To Make Kids Gay

More Highlights from Awakening 2011

(To read an earlier post on LGBT issues at Awakening 2011, click here.)

Awakening 2011, held at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA on April 8-9, drew attention not only because of homophobic comments made by attendees, but also because of conference speakers stances on education and reproductive issues.

As mentioned earlier, the conference held several workshops with anti-abortion and anti-Planned Parenthood content. (See freedomfederation[dot]org/content/awakening_2011_schedule)

- "Exposing Planned Parenthood and Sex Trafficking"

- "Abortion: Ending the Holocaust and Defunding Planned Parenthood"

- "Hooking Up, Homosexuality, Pornography, Abortion, Sex Trafficking, and Cultural Engagement"

- Screenings of the film Maafa 21

Anti-abortion advocate Lila Rose, founder of LiveAction, spoke at Awakening 2011. According to the American Independent, Rose urged students to join the anti-abortion movement, which she called "the winning side" and "the side of life." The article also states that Rose accused Planned Parenthood of allegedly skirting mandatory reporting laws. When asked why LiveAction uses manufactured video evidence on its website, Rose asked if they should use real victims of abuse.

News Tidbits

New York Times: Even on Religious Campuses, Students Fight for Gay Identity

Detroit Free Press: Prosecutors seek to stop rally outside Dearborn mosque by Florida pastor

American Independent: Focus on the Family happy with Boehner plan to shell out $500K to defend DOMA

American Independent: Arizona Gov. Brewer signs bill allowing churches political power

Florida Independent: ‘Catholic Services’ restricts birth control despite overwhelming number of Catholic women using it

Florida Independent: Palin to speak at yet another Heroic Media-sponsored event

Commentary Tidbits

Right Wing Watch: Jackson: Gay Marriage Part of a "Satanic Plot" to Destroy the Family

Daily Kos: Religious Right Attacks Paralysis Research Bill

Salon: Revisiting the murder of Dr. George Tiller

People for the American Way: Barton’s Bunk: Religious Right ‘Historian’ Hits the Big Time in Tea Party 

Media Matters: Doocy's Response To CA Bill That Would Require Teaching LGBT Contributions To History: "Homeschool!"

Religion Dispatches: Vatican: Gay Rights Opponents Are Real Victims

RH Reality Check: The Anti-Choice Movement: A Dangerous Place for African American Women

Awakening 2011 Retrospective -- LGBT Issues

I've been blogging at a snail's pace recently . . .

Man, I'm really off my game. My busy schedule kept me from blogging about Awakening 2011 until this weekend, so I offer my regrets for this delayed post. 
-- Ahab

On April 8-9, Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA hosted Awakening 2011, an annual gathering of conservatives sponsored by the Freedom Federation. Featuring speakers such as Newt Gingrich, Lila Rose, Matt Barber, Matt Staver, and Rick Scarborough, Awakening 2011 was a veritable who's who of Religious Right figures. The titles of some of its workshops provide a taste of the conference's tone. (See freedomfederation[dot]org/content/awakening_2011_schedule)

- "Exposing Planned Parenthood and Sex Trafficking"

- "Abortion: Ending the Holocaust and Defunding Planned Parenthood"

- "The Kinsey Fraud, Child Prostitution and Sex Trafficking: The Problem and Possible Solutions"

- "Hooking Up, Homosexuality, Pornography, Abortion, Sex Trafficking, and Cultural Engagement"

- "Religious Liberty and the LGBT Agenda: A Zero Sum Game in the Military and Beyond"

- "Sharia Law and the Constitution"

- "ObamaCare: Dismantling the Monstrosity in the Courts, in Congress, and in the States"

- Screenings of the film Maafa 21

We owe a debt of gratitude to the American Independent for its exhaustive coverage of the event, as well as Right Wing Watch for capturing excerpts of the conference on video.

Commentary Tidbits

Politics Plus: Would Jesus Forgive Republican Supply-Side Jesus?

Americans United for Separation of Church and State: Hospital Mergers And Heavy-Handed Tactics Are Giving The Catholic Hierarchy An Increasingly Problematic Role In American Health Care

Box Turtle Bulletin: Laurie Higgins hates the sinner

Ms. Magazine: New Line of Tween Panties Promotes … Abstinence?

Religion Dispatches: The Evangelical Sex Disconnect

Alternet: Tea Party Jesus: Koch's Americans for Prosperity Sidles Up to Religious Right for 2012 Campaign

* Not to be confused with the humor site Tea Party Jesus     :)

News Tidbits

Huffington Post: Evangelicals Named to Ministry Watchdog Panel

Minnesota Independent: School district: Alliance Defense Fund confused about anti-abortion student group

CNN: New abortion laws show Christian Right's continued power

The Advocate: Rep. Frank: Antigay Hatred Losing Steam

Edge Boston: Anti-Gay Right Responds to California Gay History Bill

IndoctriNation

Right Wing Watch recently highlighted a new documentary by Colin Gunn entitled IndoctriNation: Public Schools and the Decline of Christianity in America. Due for release on June 28th, IndoctriNation follows Gunn (a homeschooling father), his wife, and seven children on a bus trip across the U.S. as they examine American public education. The project was financed by several Christian homeschool organizations, including Christian Liberty Academy School System and Exodus Mandate, according to Mother Jones and the film's website.

IndoctriNation is not the first Gunn film to promote right-wing ideas. As Mother Jones reminds readers, Colin Gunn and his brother Euan were the filmmakers behind The Monstrous Regiment of Women, an anti-feminist film that won an award at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. (See www[dot]monstrousregiment[dot]com) The Gunn brothers also released a film entitled Shaky Town, which alleges that Christians are under attack from homosexuals in San Fransisco. (See www[dot]shakytown[dot]com)

The latest trailer for the film offers a taste of the movie's content, which revolves around the allegedly un-Christian messages being taught to children in public schools. Messages about how schools are supposedly failing and how Christians have lost the culture wars portray public schools in a negative light.

At the 0:48 mark, viewers briefly see a scene from the documentary It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School, in which a teacher asks her students to write about what comes to mind when they hear "gay" or "lesbian" -- presumably shown to evoke horror in viewers assumed to be anti-LGBT. A statistic alleging that 88% of Christian children deny their faith by graduation flashes on the screen, amidst sound bites from fundamentalist Christian commentators. For example, at the 0:16 mark, Charles Stanley, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, claims that parents are sending their children into "a pagan society" when they send them to school. At the 0:58 mark, Erwin Lutzer of Moody Church laments that "they are stealing our children." At the 1:40 mark, Brian Rohrbough, former president of American Right to Life who has linked school shootings to abortion and the teaching of evolution, spoke of the "dangers" that threaten to destroy children. In short, the IndoctriNation trailer depicts public schools as ominous, anti-Christian environments.

Watch the full trailer below. (Click here if you're having trouble viewing the video.)


IndoctriNation Trailer from IndoctriNation on Vimeo.

The Day of Silence Draws Fire from the Religious Right

Friday, April 15th was the National Day of Silence, an annual event sponsored by GLSEN in which students take a day-long vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying. Given the pervasive anti-LGBT bullying reported in schools, as well as numerous high-profile cases of LGBT youth suicides linked to bullying, the Day of Silence is more relevant than ever.

Unfortunately, some Religious Right groups have used the Day of Silence as an opportunity to disparage the LGBT community and downplay bullying against LGBT youth. People for the American Way highlighted these efforts in their recent article, "Big Bullies: How the Religious Right Is Trying to Make Schools Safe for Bullies and Dangerous for Gay Kids." I'd also like to list some of the Religious Right counter-initiatives on the Day of Silence to remind readers that homophobia and transphobia are very much alive.

News Tidbits

Beliefnet: Court Dismisses Challenge to National Day of Prayer

Pennlive: Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum takes next step toward 2012 Republican presidential primary

Daily Monitor: Ugandan cabinet wants gays bill dropped

New York Times: Uganda: Pulling Out All the Stops to Push an Antigay Bill

The Advocate: Message to Gay Conservatives: Be Less Gay

Politics.co.uk: UK Government hands services for trafficked women to religious evangelicals

American Independent: Archbishop Chaput pushes to deny communion to pro-abortion rights Catholic politicians

American Independent: Colorado Christian group gave suspect civil unions poll data to Judiciary Committee

Edge Boston: Illinois Lawmakers Seek to ’Blindside’ GLBT Families with Anti-Gay Amendment

Florida Independent: Resolution would allow voters to repeal ban on state funding for religious organizations

Commentary Tidbits

Telling Secrets: 1 + 0 = 1

Life as a Reader: Mormonism and Marriage

Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion: Jim Bakker Predicts

RH Reality Check: There's Little Balm in Comparing Ourselves to Gilead

Religion Dispatches: American Prosperity Gospel Makes South Sudan "Ripe for Exploitation"

Truth Wins Out: Hate Group Leaders Encourage Truancy As Salve For Hurt Fee Fees

Talk to Action: `Bleeding Kansas' Threatened with Bloodshed by Anti-Abortion Extremists

Media Matters: Apocalypse Now: Beck Cites Prophecy From Isaiah To Describe Effects Of Japan Earthquakes

Right Wing Watch: Barton's Deepening Dominionism

Commentary Tidbits

The Gaytheist Agenda: Bill Donohue Whines and Spews More BS While Trying to Deflect Accusations of Abuse in Catholic Church

Louis J. Marinelli: The illusion that makes up NOM's base of support

Right Wing Watch: NOM Spokesman: Marriage Equality Will Ban Preaching

Good Reason: EXPELLED from Creation Ministries International!

Politicus USA: For Idaho Republicans, Rape is Part of God's Plan

Dispatches from the Culture Wars: Saddest Video You'll See Today

Talk to Action: All of the Bigotry, None of the Book Burning

Mother Jones: Tennessee House Passes Creationism Bill

The Atlantic: Why College Students Are Losing Their Religion 

News Tidbits

Times Free Press: Tennessee House OKs bill shielding teachers who doubt evolution, global warming

Times of India: Historian says gays caused downfall of Rome, sparks row

News Times: ACLU Asks Info on Rapides' Ten Commandments Vote

American Independent: Texas pays higher rate for abortion alternatives counselors/mentors than for family planning nurses

Minnesota Independent: Bachmann: Dem ‘elites’ have ‘declared war’ on marriage, families, fertility, faith

Minnesota Independent: Bachmann to join Gingrich at Minnesota Family Council event

A Review of 12TH AND DELAWARE

I recently watched the documentary 12th and Delaware, a 2010 film by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady of Loki Films, the filmmakers behind Jesus Camp. In the wake of Operation Rescue and the Maryland Coalition for Life setting up a "pro-life center" across from Dr. LeRoy Carhart's late-term abortion clinic in Germantown, MD, a review of 12th and Delaware seems timely.

Shot in Fort Pierce, Florida, 12th and Delaware focuses on A Woman's World, a reproductive health center that provides abortions, and Pregnancy Care Center, an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center (CPC) right across the street. Here, at the corner of S. 12th Street and Delaware Avenue, an ongoing drama plays out between the abortion clinic, the anti-abortion CPC, and a cluster of passionate anti-abortion protesters.

Anti-Abortion Groups Rent Space Near Dr. Carhart's Clinic

According to the Washington Post, Operation Rescue and the Maryland Coalition for Life have rented office space in Germantown, MD, across from a clinic where Dr. LeRoy Carhart performs late-term abortions. The anti-abortion website Kick Carhart Out of Maryland is gleeful about this development, given its resistance to Dr. Carhart ever since he began performing procedures in Germantown.

The Maryland Coalition for Life's website describes the new space as a resource and referral center for both women who are considering abortion and for women who have already undergone abortion. The Washington Post article quotes Operation President president Troy Newman describing the new center as a place where pregnant women can find friendship and assistance. The Germantown Patch reports that a local physician will be providing free ultrasounds to "abortion-vulnerable women" at the office.

The NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland blog does not believe that the new center's intentions are noble. In an April 1st post, NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland described the center as a fake clinic and warned readers about its anticipated tactics.

"Operation Rescue has tried this tactic in the past, opening up a fake pregnancy clinic across from Dr. Tiller’s Wichita Kansas clinic. The fake clinic operates exactly as a Crisis Pregnancy center would, with the intent to misinform, manipulate, and mislead women from making their own reproductive choices."

Operation Rescue and the Maryland Coalition for Life are not referring to this office as a "crisis pregnancy center," but rather as a "pro-life center."* Since the facility is anti-abortion and will reportedly offer resources, referrals, and ultrasounds to pregnant women, I'm confused about what distinguishes it from a crisis pregnancy center.

I am deeply concerned about this development, given that some crisis pregnancy centers near abortion clinics have been accused of misinforming women about their pregnancy options. The National Abortion Federation, NARAL, NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland, Legal Momentum, the Guttmacher Institute, and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform have written about the misinformative tactics of some crisis pregnancy centers in trying to prevent female clients from seeking abortions. The hard-hitting documentary 12th and Delaware demonstrates how one crisis pregnancy center in Florida used manipulative tactics to goad women out of procuring abortions at a nearby abortion clinic. Whether "crisis pregnancy center" or "pro-life center" is the correct term for this new center, I worry about the implications for women who want to make informed reproductive decisions in Germantown.


For additional news and commentary, visit the following links.

Montgomery Village Patch: Pro-Life Groups Set Up Shop Near Germantown Abortion Clinic

Ms. Magazine: Anti-Abortion Center Opens Near Dr. Carhart's Clinic

RH Reality Check: Operation Rescue Moving in Across the Street from Carhart

Amanda Hess: Crisis Pregnancy Center Opens Across from LeRoy Carhart's Germantown Abortion Clinic

Commentary Tidbits

Media Matters: Glenn Beck’s Fox News Show Ending

Media Matters: Pat  Robertson: "The Problem Is" Ivory Coast "Has Been Run By A Christian That's Going To Be Into The Hands Of Muslims"

Salon: Christian right stands by its man in Ivory Coast

Salon: Evangelical Liberty University received half a billion dollars in federal aid money

Politicus USA: David Barton's Plan for Biblical Slavery for America

Texas Freedom Network Insider: The Chuck Norris Amendment

RH Reality Check: Fame Comes with Anti-Choice Shift

John Culhane at 365 Gay: How the National Organization for Marriage rewrote my words

Religion Dispatches: Coming Out on a Christian Campus, Then and Now

Towleroad: Newt Gingrich Confronted About Funding Anti-Gay Hate Group

Dispatches from the Culture Wars: Trump Could Get Religious Right Support

News Tidbits

Voice of America: Religious Groups Demand Debate on Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill

WPBF: Bill Gives Florida School Districts Right To Allow Prayer

Chicago Pride: Wal-Mart Harassment Policy upheld in case of gay harassment 

New York Times: An Iowa Stop in a Broad Effort to Revitalize the Religious Right

Sydney Morning Herald: Australia school bans 'homosexuality cure' seminar

Seattle Times: File shows threats on abortion doctor George Tiller

Beliefnet: Group Says Park Service Stalling on Religious Displays

Beliefnet: Supreme Court Takes Dim View of Church-State Challenges 

American Independent: Huckabee is questioned about his support for David Barton on The Daily Show

American Independent: Using KKK symbol, ‘Black Genocide’ groups protest abortion outside Boehner’s office

Florida Independent: Amendments to shift taxpayer funding from crisis pregnancy centers to family planning fail

Texas Independent: Christian’s Western civilization mandate sparks heated debate in Texas House

Minnesota Independent: Herman Cain slams Ellison, says he supports Sharia law

Colorado Independent: Denver Archbishop Chaput praises lawmakers for killing civil unions

The Advocate: Lady Gaga Confronts Christian Fundamentalist

On Top Magazine: FRC's Peter Sprigg Says His Group Debates Policy, Doesn't Hate Gay Folks

News Tidbits

The Advocate: Hate Messages for Prop. 8 Plaintiffs

The Advocate: Pastor: Ricky Martin Will Drag Us to Hell

CNN: Timeline of Florida's Quran-Burning Pastor

CNN: Tax Credits for Religious School Scholarships Ruled Constitutional

Washington Post: Anti-abortion rights groups rent space near controversial abortion provider 

American Independent: Group administers Indiana federally-funded marriage program while leading push for anti-gay marriage amendment

Commentary Tidbits

The Wild Hunt: Huckabee's Troubling Barton Fandom

Good As You: Apple's Well-Stocked iGospel

Salon: Before Bachmann: The 5 Craziest GOP Candidates of the Modern Era

Salon: Why the Christian Right Is Backing a Brutal Despot

Mother Jones: The Religious Right's Anti-Union Crusade

Ms. Magazine: My Church Is Against Battered Women’s Shelters?!

Religion Dispatches: Ken Ham Uninvited for Mocking Fellow Speaker's Version of Creationism

How to Have Sex in Texas: Texas to Require "Traditional Values Centers" at State-Funded Universities

Right Wing Watch: Focus on the Family Slams Day of Silence as a "Media Opportunity"

On Saturday, Demonstrators Protest the Social Transformation Conference

As this blog reported earlier (see here and here), several New Apostolic Reformation figures were scheduled to speak at the Social Transformation Conference at Harvard University on April 1-2. Controversy erupted over past statements from several speakers -- including Lance Wallnau, Os Hillman, and Pat Francis -- demonizing homosexuality, Islam, and witchcraft. Additionally, several speakers embrace Seven Mountains theology, which urges Christians to take dominion over major spheres of society.

Harvard administration has at least acknowledged criticism of the Social Transformation Conference, which was reportedly organized and facilitated by students. In an online statement, the Harvard Extension Student Association stressed that it does not endorse the views of any student group, adding that students and student clubs are welcome to engage in an open and free exchange of ideas.  According to a March 31st article in the Harvard Crimson, the Harvard Extension Service and Leadership Society said that the speakers assured them they have not and would not make hateful statements. In a March 31st commentary at Truth Wins Out, however, Wayne Besen condemned such words as disingenuous.

This is outrageous and totally unacceptable. It is the equivalent of hosting David Duke on campus, but prohibiting him from talking about race. If these anti-everything bigots are going to stand on the soap box, they ought to have the courage to express their radical views — and Harvard should encourage them to do so. If they believe they are superior and have designs on taking over the world by expelling lists of “demonic” people — they ought to express this viewpoint without reservation.

It is infinitely more harmful to have these theocratic “Seven Mountains Movement” presenters sanitize their militancy and madness for public consumption. Sweeping the rougher edges under the carpet will allow these speakers to make the disingenuous claim that are not as extreme as opponents said they were.  And rest assured, there will be gullible students and faculty on the left who attend this event and also conclude that this group is not a dangerous threat to liberty and freedom.

Truth Wins Out and Join the Impact Massachusetts hosted a protest at the Social Transformation Conference on Saturday, April 2nd. According to Truth Wins Out, approximately fifty demonstrators protested at Harvard, holding signs criticizing homophobia and calling for love. Wayne Besen, Ann Coleman of Join the Impact, Sue Hyde of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and Rev. Kapya Kaoma of Zambia spoke at the demonstration, lambasting the speakers' homophobia and support for theocracy.