Another in our series on the 14 Characteristics of Fascism and how BushCo and the extreme right use them. This post was authored by SweetPea, a member of the Coalition for a Republican-Free America

The 14 Characteristics of Fascism

Part III, Identification of Scapegoats

(Distorted Facts: The Cultural War Against Gays)

by SweetPea

SECTION 2

As an out-of-the-closet gay male I am getting a little sick and tired of being compared to everyone and everything from Typhoid Mary to Jeffrey Dahmer. For all intents and purposes gay males are compared to the worst kinds of people that you could ever possibly imagine and the sad truth of the matter is that all too often what the far right promotes as the truth is often picked at random out of their proverbial, theocratic asses.

This is the kind of garbage that we hear on an all to regular basis.

Gays Are Diseased

First let’s get something straight. Homosexuality is not a disease. Countless respected, mainstream organizations will tell you this, including: The American Psychiatric Association, the American Law Institute, American Bar Association, the World Health Organization, The American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, the Academy of Pediatrics, and the Council on Child and Adolescent Health. Moreover, in 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, American the Association of School Administrators, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Psychological Association, the American School Health Association, the Interfaith Alliance Foundation, the National Association of school psychologists, the National Association of Social Workers and the National Education Association, issued a document called Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation in which they:

“Expressed concern about harassment of gay and lesbian youth; condemned reparative therapy as potentially harmful and of little or no effectiveness, and describe transformational ministries as representing only one part of Christianity–those faith groups which view homosexuality as outside God’s will. and incompatible with Christianity. The site other denominations as supporting equal rights, and protection against discrimination, for gays and lesbians.”[7]

The idea that gays are either diseased or the disease itself is nothing more than a reworking of what Nazi propaganda had to say about the Jews during the 1920s and 1930s. In the Nazi propaganda film, The Eternal Jew, Jews were described as disease spreading rats: “In this way, they (the rats) spread disease, plague, leprosy, typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery, and so on. They are cunning, cowardly, and cruel, and are found mostly in large packs. Among the animals, they represent the rudiment of an insidious and underground destruction - just like the Jews among human beings.” [8]

Today, right wing theocrats describe gays as carriers of STDs, as disproportionately diseased, as more likely to carry syphilis than straight men. “The disgusting details of the homosexual lifestyle explain why so many diseases are present in the homosexual community.” [9] That from The American Family Association.

Gays Are a Powerful Elite

In this very weak argument, the percentage of gays in the overall American population is reduced to a mere one percent. Having dramatically reduced our numbers, the would be theocrats then go on to accuse us of running the entire country! Haven’t you heard? We control Hollywood, we’re wealthy, we control television and radio. We’re more powerful than other Americans. Does that sound familiar?

It should.

It was the same thing that the Nazis said about Jews in the first half of the 20th Century. Again, from The Eternal Jew:: “At the beginning of the Twentieth century, the Jews sit at the junction of the world financial markets. They are an international power. Although only one per cent of the world’s population, with the help of their capital, they terrorize the world stock exchanges, world opinion, and world politics. New York is today the center of Jewish power.” [10]

Gays Are Richer and More Educated

According to the late James Kennedy, “The homosexual community does not fit the bill (of a legitimate minority) Homosexuals as a whole, are better educated and better off financially than Average Americans. n fact, homosexuals hold a disproportionate number of professional and management positions in our economy!” [11] Robert Knight of the Family Research Council agrees: “Homosexuals are among the most economically advantaged people in our country. Research by marketing firms shows that as a group homosexuals have higher than average per-capita annual incomes ($36,800 vs. $12,287), are more likely to hold college degrees ( 59.6 percent vs. 18 percent), have professional or managerial positions (49 percent vs. 15.9 percent…” [12].

But then again, so did the Nazi Propaganda machine.”Fifty-two out of every 100 doctors were Jews. Of every 100 merchants, 60 were Jews. The average wealth of Germans was 810 marks; the average wealth of Jews 10,000 marks.” [13]

To all of that I would ask one question: “So what?” Isn’t that the American Dream? Work hard. Get a good education. Move aheadi n life. That’s what the far right itself spews whenever it wants to slash or eliminate spending programs for the weak and the needy, but when gays, lesbians, and Jews actually succeed suddenly the American dream becomes a matter of being a powerful elite or over privileged. The message could no be more clear. The American Dream can only be dreamed by white, male, reactionary Christians who can pass a theocratic litmus test. Why am I not surprised?

Gays Threaten Christians

“Fundamentalist Christians see homosexuals as the primary threat to the Christian Church as well. Says (James) Kennedy: ‘It’s obvious that many in the homosexual community feel intolerance, even contempt for the Christian faith.’ Dobson: ‘For more than forty years the homosexual activist movement has sought to implement a master plan with goals that include muzzling the clergy and the Christian media.’ Falwell: ‘Complete elimination of God and Christianity from American society is being designed by homosexual activists) righ now.’Robertson: ‘Just like what Nazi Germany did to Jews, so liberal America is doing to evangelical Christians. Its no different. It is the same thing. It is happening all over again. It is the Democratic Congress, the liberal-based media, and the homosexuals who want to destroy the Christians.” [14}

Those are rather interesting statements, when you consider the fact that Robertson calls for the assassination of foreign leaders and makes knee jerk predictions in which he almost salivates at the idea of mass destruction. As for Jerry Falwell's remark, what can I say? The man certainly has guts, because this is the same person who asked his if his followers would join him in a declaration of war, stating explicitly that "There is no middle ground... For Christians there can be no peaceful coexistence with these sodomites whom God has given over to a reprobate mind." [15]

And would it surprise you to know that the Nazi propaganda film,The Eternal Jew, would have agreed with all of the above statements? “What does the ancient Talmud law teach? Let us hear some quotes… (now supposedly quoting the Talmud) Praise to the Lord who has set apart the holy Israelites from other people. The heathen, who do not keep the law, will be destroyed.” [16]

Gays Are a Threat to Children

Ah yes. The age old myth that all homosexuals want to do is molest children. Considering some of the sex scandals that rocked the televangelist community in the 1980s, plus the Ted Haggard fiasco, you’d think that this would be the last thing our beloved Theocrats would talk about, but you have to say one thing–our beloved theocrats certainly have chutzpah, because this allegation simply is not true. It’s another scare tactic in the right wing war against the other, against the dissident. According to Doctor Nicholas A. Groth: “The research to date all points to there being no significant relationship between a homosexual lifestylea nd child molestation. There appears to be practically no reportage of sexual molestation of girls by lesbian adults, and the adult male who sexually molests young boys is not likely to be homosexual .” [17]

But that doesn’t stop the far right from spreading the same old package of prevarications. “They commit over 33% of the sex acts with children. Of the pupil molestations, homosexual teachers commit as many as 80% of those acts.” [18] Or, if you prefer the delusional rantings of Jerry Falwell: “‘Mark my words,” he writes. (The homosexual’s) primary target is the nation’s public schools and our impressionistic children.” Translated into modern English, homosexuals want to indoctrinate and convert children (an ironic statement when you consider the fact that it is the radical religious right which has obsessed over the idea of indoctrinating homosexuals through restorative or conversion therapy until they behave like heterosexuals). Does anyone besides yours truly see the similarity between this tactic, this particular example of revision and the manner in which the Nazis dehumanized Jews? “This parasitical Jewish race is responsible fpr most international crime. In 1932, Jews, only 1 percent of the world’s population accunted for… 47 percent of crooked games of choice–82 percent of international crime organzations–98 percent of prostitution.” [19] Sighhhhh.

Gays Are Unnatural, Perverted, Pathological

How do you answer something like this? According to a majority of the psychiatric and psychological organizations, homosexuality is not pathological. That isn’t to say that gays and lesbians don’t suffer from other disorders such as depression as a result of constant persecution and harassment by their indefatigable opponents, but would humbly suggest that those who argue that homosexuals, gays and lesbians, are by nature perverted and/or pathological shouldtake a few long strides into the 21st century.

“Some psychologists and psychiatrists still hold negative personal attitudes toward homosexuality. However, empirical evidence and professional norms do not support the idea that homosexuality is a form of mental illness or is inherently linked to psychopathology.

“The foregoing should not be construed as an argument that sexual minority individuals are free from mental illness and psychological distress. Indeed, given the stresses created by sexual stigma and prejudice, it would be surprising if some of them did not manifest psychological problems (Meyer, 2003). The data from some studies suggest that, although most sexual minority individuals are wella djusted, nonheterosexuals may be at somewhat heightened risk for depression, anxiety, and related problems, compared to exclusive heterosexuals.” [20]

To be continued

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