WaPo celebrates "National Coming Out Day" by publishing Perkins's anti-gay screed

[babylonsister]

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201010120003


Washington Post celebrates "National Coming Out Day" by publishing Perkins's anti-gay screed

October 12, 2010 7:59 am ET by Julie Millican


Continuing the paper's tradition of giving a platform to bigots, the Washington Post felt it appropriate to open its arms to Tony Perkins's anti-gay bigotry on "National Coming Out Day."

In a column on the paper's On Faith blog, Perkins complained that "homosexual activist groups like GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) are exploiting" recent incidents of gay youth committing suicide after anti-gay "bullying." Perkins suggests that these tragedies are not caused by the homophobic attacks these individuals were subjected to, but rather because "homosexuals experience higher rates of mental health problems in general, including depression," and, according to Perkins, there's no "evidence to link this with society's general disapproval of homosexual conduct." Unfortunately for Perkins, the article he links to says no such thing.

snip//

Undaunted that research completely undermines his bigoted claims, Perkins goes on to blame the "homosexual movement" for the contributing to the "sense of despair" that could have led to the recent suicides that have gripped headlines nationwide:

Some homosexuals may recognize intuitively that their same-sex attractions are abnormal--yet they have been told by the homosexual movement, and their allies in the media and the educational establishment, that they are "born gay" and can never change. This--and not society's disapproval--may create a sense of despair that can lead to suicide.

Perkins goes on to declare that being gay is a "self-destructive behavior," like "the excessive use of alcohol, drugs, reckless driving, or heterosexual activity outside of marriage." He announced that "homosexual conduct... qualifies as a behavior that is harmful to the people who engage in it and to society at large. It is not loving to encourage someone to indulge in such activities, no matter how much sensual pleasure they may derive from them."

National Coming Out Day, brought to you by the Washington Post.

[jaxx]

1. Anyone associated politically with Dobson has mental problems.

Perkins is disgusting, he will always be divisive and bigoted. WaPo shouldn't give him the time of day.

[Botany]

2. That would be Tony Perkins on the left

I guarantee that anybody who spends this much time on "gay sex" has either had gay sex or
is very interested in the idea.

[GodlessBiker]

3. And now I'll wait for WaPo to give space to some neo-Nazi on Holocaust Remembrance Day. Fuckheads.

This guy is an uber-asshole, and my gaydar seriously goes off when I see pictures of him or hear him speak.

[tanyev]

4. I'm convinced there's a Tony Perkins scandal out there waiting to erupt.