History of the Anti-Gay Movement Sce 1977 | Southern Poverty Law Center

Contents:

• 10 ANTI-GAY ACTIVISTS... WHO WERE OUTED AS GAY
• ANTI GAY ACTIVIST MEETS GAE ?
• HISTORY OF THE ANTI-GAY MOVEMENT SCE 1977
• ACTIVISTS LL FOR ENR'S GAME BOYTT OVER THOR'S ANTI-GAY VIEWS
• RSIAN ANTI-GAY GANG VLENCE SEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME ON MERA
• THE ANTI-GAY AGENDA
• RSIAN GAYS ELU POLICE FOR FIRST LM PROTT
• LGBTQ YOUTH FIGHT BACK AGAST FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL

10 ANTI-GAY ACTIVISTS... WHO WERE OUTED AS GAY

Cred: Getty ImagHomophob should nsir a ltle self-reflectn, suggts a new study fdg those dividuals who are most hostile toward gays and hold strong anti-gay views may themselv have same-sex sir, albe unrver on.

The rearch, published the April 2012 issue of the Journal of Personaly and Social Psychology, reveals the nuanc of prejudic like homophobia, which n ultimately have dire nsequenc. "Sometim people are threatened by gays and lbians bee they are fearg their own impuls, a sense they 'doth prott too much, '" Ryan told LiveScience.

" To gge homophobia a hoehold, stunts rpond to ems such as, "It would be upsettg for my mom to fd out she was alone wh a lbian" or "My dad avoids gay men whenever possible. Participants dited their own level of homophobia, both overt and implic; word-pletn tasks, stunts wrote down the first three words that me to md when prompted wh some of the words' letters.

ANTI GAY ACTIVIST MEETS GAE ?

"In a predomately heterosexual society, 'know thyself' n be a challenge for many gay dividuals, " lead thor Netta Weste, a lecturer at the Universy of Essex the Uned Kgdom, said a statement.

Those participants who reported their heterosexualy spe havg hidn same-sex sir were also the most likely to show hostily toward gay dividuals, cludg self-reported anti-gay attus, endorsement of anti-gay polici and discrimatn such as supportg harsher punishments for homosexuals. People nial about their own sexual orientatn, perhaps a nial fostered by thorarian and homophobic parents, may feel a threat om other gay and lbian dividuals. And 2010, proment anti-gay activist and -founr of nservative Fay Rearch Council Gee Rekers was reportedly spotted 2010 wh a male rt rented om Acrdg to news reports, the rt nfirmed Rekers is gay.

HISTORY OF THE ANTI-GAY MOVEMENT SCE 1977

Whenever an out gay stunt on mp would walk past the table, the aterny would chant, "We love Chick-fil-A, " and then shout anti-gay slurs at the stunt. We learned about each other as people wh opposg views, not as opposg our meetgs I me to see that the Chick-fil-A brand was beg ed by both sis of the polil bate around gay marriage.

Issu that people mpaign for and agast tend to be very rog, prsg and often divisive on - abortn, women's rights and gay marriage are a few of the most current and most discsed qutns North Ameri today.

The followg are jt ten (thought there are many more) of the most extreme homophobic activists who have eher been ught gay activy, or have eventually e out of the closet. Whatever their reasons are for their homophobia and hate, we n only hope that as society exorably progrs towards greater equaly, the people on this list will not only learn to e to peace wh marriage equaly but will accept, embrace, and love themselv for who they are. Gee Rekers was known the eighti for creatg a well-known anti-gay lobbyg group and wrg numero articl and papers about the ss of homosexualy and how people n avoid .

ACTIVISTS LL FOR ENR'S GAME BOYTT OVER THOR'S ANTI-GAY VIEWS

Even though Pastor Long preached that homosexuals uld be “livered” wh the power of God, he uldn't liver himself om a life of rptn - probably exacerbated by his nial of his sexual preferenc. While Barclay was found nocent of the origal accatns, he found himself another storm as numero viotap surfaced of the anti-gay rights activist havg sex wh male prostut and porn stars. Inspired by her victory, Bryant founds the first natnal anti-gay group, Save Our Children, drawg unprecented attentn to gay issu and motivatg gay groups to anize rponse.

27 (along wh Mayor Gee Mosne) by right-wg relig zealot Dan Whe, a former cy supervisor who had rigned prott after the board passed a gay-rights ordance. Pl Cameron, former psychology stctor at Universy of Nebraska, begs publishg psdo-scientific pamphlets "provg" that gay people m more serial murrs, molt more children, and tentnally spread diseas.

RSIAN ANTI-GAY GANG VLENCE SEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME ON MERA

Moral Majory alli Congrs propose the Fay Protectn Act, which would bar givg feral funds to "any anizatn that suggts that homosexualy n be an acceptable alternative liftyle. Rhdoony, who lls for ath penalty for homosexuals, and anti-gay csars Jam Dobson, Beverly and Tim LaHaye, Jerry Falwell, Tony Perks and Phyllis Schlafly.

Almost 17, 000 gay soldiers will be discharged durg the 1980s, though a 1989 Defense Department study will fd gay recs "jt as good or better" than heterosexuals. At the first Congrsnal heargs on anti-gay vlence, Kathleen Sarris of Indianapolis tells of beg stalked and asslted by a "Christian soldier" who held her at gunpot, beat and raped her for three hours, explag that "he was actg for God; that what he was dog to me was God's revenge on me bee I was a 'queer' and gettg rid of me would save children.

THE ANTI-GAY AGENDA

After a feroc mpaign by the fundamentalist Oregon Cizens Alliance (OCA), Oregon voters overturn their ernor's executive orr banng anti-gay discrimatn state hirg. Led by anti-gay csar Lon Mabon, OCA claims "promiscuo sodome activists" have lled for "the closg of all church that oppose them and the total stctn of the fay. Callg lbians and gay men "the ultimate enemy, " Dannemeyer acc straight people of "surrenrg to this growg army whout a shot, " and predicts gay rights will "plunge our people, and ed the entire Wt, to a dark night of the soul that uld last hundreds of years.

McCartney lls homosexuals "a group of people who don't reproduce, yet want to be pared wh people who do reproduce, " and says, "Homosexualy is an abomatn of Almighty God.

One of the anizers, Tony Mar, hon a "special rights" argument, claimg that gay people are ordately wealthy and polilly powerful, and neher need nor serve the rights they "mand.

RSIAN GAYS ELU POLICE FOR FIRST LM PROTT

"The Gay Agenda, " 20-mute vio featurg racy scen filmed at gay-pri march, is released by Ty and Jeante Beon of the Antelope Valley Sprgs of Life church Lanster, Calif. The battle over gay marriage is igned when the Hawaii Supreme Court l that nyg same-sex upl marriage licens vlat "basic human rights" guaranteed the state nstutn — unls the state legislature n show a "pellg reason" to prevent gay marriage. Print Clton's proposal to lift the ban on openly gay ary personnel sends anti-gay activists to actn, shuttg down phone l to Congrs wh hundreds of thoands of lls prott.

Jam Kennedy a fundraisg letter for Coral Ridge Mistri, "would you want your son, dghter, or grandchild sharg a shower, foxhole, or blood wh a homosexual?

This strategy is also promoted by the Tradnal Valu Coaln's "Gay Rights, Special Rights, " a 40-mute vio claimg gay rights will ero the civil rights of Ain Amerins. The Pk Swastika: Homosexualy the Nazi Party, by fundamentalist activists Stt Lively and Kev Abrams, claims gays weren't victimized the Holot, but stead helped mastermd the extermatn of Jews. The Natnal Pro-Fay Fom, dited to "one man-one woman" marriage, holds s first secret meetg a Memphis church cellar wh reprentativ om more than 20 major anti-gay groups.

LGBTQ YOUTH FIGHT BACK AGAST FLORIDA'S 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL

The Southern Baptist Conventn announc a boytt of Disney parks and products bee the pany giv surance benefs to partners of gay workers and allows "Gay Days" at s theme parks. The lg puts an end to 20 years of state and lol ballot iativ aimed at strippg gays of anti-discrimatn protectns, leavg same-sex marriage as the ma issue for anti-gay anizers.

A aln of fundamentalist groups led by Coral Ridge Mistri sponsors "Tth Love, " a ln-dollar advertisg mpaign promotg "ex-gay mistri, " which e discreded psychologil methods to "cure" gay people. One day before a send round of "Tth Love" ads is released, gay llege stunt Matthew Shepard di after beg savagely beaten and left tied to a fence Wyomg. "Teletubbi" rtoon character Tky Wky is "outed" as gay a "Parents' Alert" Jerry Falwell's Liberty Journal, which asserts, "He is purple — the gay-pri lor; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle — the gay-pri symbol.

On "The 700 Club" two days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Jerry Falwell blam the tragedy on "the Pagans, and the abortnists, and the femists and the gays and lbians who are actively tryg to make that an alternative liftyle. Alan Sears, head of the Alliance Defense Fund, -thors The Homosexual Agenda, a book that asserts gay activists' ultimate goal is "silencg" nservative Christians.