The Spectrum Cafe

UPDATE: The date and time of the protest mentioned below has changed. From Andy Thayer at Pam’s House Blend,
The August 4th banquet that was to have led off AFTAH’s anti-gay “academy” has apparently been canceled. Therefore, our protest that was scheduled for that night has been moved to the following night at the site of the “academy”:

7:30 PM Sharp
Thursday, August 5th
In front of “Christian Liberty Academy”
502 W. Euclid Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL

For those traveling from Chicago, please meet in front of the Ogilvie Transportation Center Metra Station, 500 W. Madison Street, Chicago at 6 PM Sharp — just look for the Pride flag!

For more info, email or call the Gay Liberation Network at LGBTliberation@aol.com or 773.209.1187 (which is also day-of cell phone contact).
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It seems the United States may slowly be turning around in its attitudes about gay and lesbian acceptance. Polls and popular media are all shifting to a more Gay/Lesbian friendly attitude, one that has the “religious” right wing homo haters rushing towards their fainting couches. Of course, the rhetoric from that group of propagandists has become more and more strident as their mendacious veneer of respectability wears thin and their obvious animosity becomes more and more apparent. They are getting more and more desperate, it seems, as their cash cow begins to run dry.

Some weeks ago, Peter Labarbera, from the “Americans for Truth about Homosexuality” hit upon a new scheme to separate his followers from their cash. He introduced an “Americans For Truth Academy” that, for a fee of course, would teach adults and kids as young as 14 how to engage in his brand of bigotry.

“Adults: $149 for 3-day conference; Single day rate: $50/day; Married couples discount: $199 for full conference; Youth: $99 (scholarships available to attendees ages 14-25)”

Two of the scheduled seminars in this laff fest are:

- Matt Barber, Liberty Counsel; Board Member, AFTAH: “Masculine Christianity: a non-defensive approach to the Culture War over homosexuality”

- Arthur Goldberg, JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality: “The gender confusion agenda: ‘transgender rights’”

First of all, I have to question how and where “masculine Christianity” is defined in the Bible, as opposed to “feminine Christianity.” Isn’t pretty much all of the Bible written by, for and generally about men? Calling his brand of Christianity “masculine” smacks of overcompensation and misogyny, two things that we are all too familiar with as motivations for hate crimes. In addition, what could “non-defensive” mean except “offensive?” The dog whistles are too loud in this workshop advertisement to ignore. I hope and pray the effect of its teaching doesn’t manifest itself into violence.  If, God forbid, violence is perpetrated by someone who has attended this seminar, I certainly hope accountability will be applied to the fullest.

After lunch on the second day, (“Light lunch provided” – for $50 per day they damn well better feed their “students.” I wonder what they will spike the Koolaid with this time?) we have Arthur Goldberg talking about,“The gender confusion agenda: ‘transgender rights.’” I was unfamiliar with Mr. Goldberg and his qualifications regarding his knowledge of trans people. AFTAH doesn’t have any biographical information on him, or any of the other presenters, other than the groups they are part of so I went a’searchin’.

It seems that Mr. Goldberg has little apparent knowledge, education or experience with trans people and their life experiences. The AFTAH website mentions that he’s the founder of JONAH, (Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality) a Jewish ex-gay ministry. It turns out he started this organization in 1999, after finishing his probation. What was he convicted of? Karen Ocamb tells us,

An investigation by Truth Wins Out, an antigay-watching site headed by longtime Religious Right watcher Wayne Besen and the South Florida Gay News revealed that Arthur Goldberg, co-foundeder of Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH) and president of Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality (PATH), is also “Abba Dabba Do,” who the investigators say was “the Wall Street criminal mastermind who was convicted in 1987 and went to prison for ”fraud of spectacular scope” that included “bilking poor communities with complicated bond schemes.”

Wayne Besen, at Truth Wins Out tells us a bit more,

Upon completing his parole, Goldberg dropped his conspicuous middle name, Abba, and co-founded Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH) in 1999. He is currently the president of Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality (PATH), an umbrella group for “ex-gay” referrals and the Executive Secretary of the notorious National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). He is also the President of Congregation Mount Sinai, a temple in Jersey City and a Principal for the International Center for Gender Affirming Processes (CGAP). Goldberg is a key ex-gay industry insider and viewed as an architect of its strategy and message machine.

So it seems this guy is qualified to talk about trans people – as long as honesty and real knowledge aren’t required. Was J. Michael Bailey unavailable? At least he can claim to have done some research about trans people, even if it is just on a few that went to the same bars he did. Hmm, must be nice work if ya kin getit!

Peter Labarbera, calls the trans community, “the crazy cousin of the ‘gay’ movement.” I guess he figures we’re so incapacitated we won’t be able to recognize and call him on the brand of crap he’s peddling. A protest is being planned to take place outside the location of this farce on August 4^th. We need a sizable part of that protest come from the trans community. More info can be found at this facebook page. I wish I could be there in body as well as in spirit.