crossposted on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters
Did you hear the one about the church that was forced to allow lesbians to hold a commitment ceremony on its property?
How about the father who was dragged away from his son's school in handcuffs because he wouldn't let teachers "indoctrinate" his child in the alleged gay agenda?
Well how about the secret plan of gays to take over America via a six-point plan put out by a 1980's book?
I can't believe you haven't heard of these things? Haven't you been keeping up with the news? There is a HUGE conspiracy by gays to silence Christians.
I kid you not and I know for certain that this is true because the American Family Association and other religious right groups created a "documentary" proving it.
Okay, realistically, this claim about gays trying to silence Christians is an unadulterated fraud not unlike the equally phony "War on Christmas" moral panic perpetrated by religious right groups every December.
And like the "War on Christmas," this lie about gays plotting to silence Christians is built on deceit, intentionally misrepresented anecdotes, and the inherent laziness of the media and public in general for not seeking out the truth behind said anecdotes.
Creating a moral panic about the gay community is nothing new to the American Family Association (AFA) or any other religious right group for that matter. In the 80s and early 90s (and even now), these groups pushed shockingly inaccurate studies that masqueraded as scientific facts. The purpose of these studies was to give the false impression of gays as diseased hordes obsessed with gerbils, carrots, public sex, blood, and children.
And the idea of presenting anti-gay innuendoes in a "documentary" (thereby giving them a fake air of truth) isn't a new concept either. Religious right groups (AFA included) took those pre-mentioned studies and packaged them into propaganda films such as The Gay Agenda and Gay Rights/Special Rights.
So what's happening now is just a new version of the same tired game. In the past, the religious right tried to make the issue of gay rights into that of a public health menace. Apparently the gay community have gotten savvy to this game so they are now trying to slink their lies into another inaccurate talking point - gay rights will increase religious persecution.
Now all that is left is for a public religious right figure (i.e. Mike Huckabee) to push these lies with an unassuming frame of mind and say things like "you gays can't seem to understand that we Christians don't hate you" while his friends in the background (AFA and company) accuse gays of everything BUT attempting to bring back the Spanish Inquisition.
It's a nifty way to poison the case for gay rights in the eyes of the public while at the same time leave gays sputtering in anger over the wanton evasiveness of such tactics.
The end result being gays will look pushy and threatening while Huckabee and company will come across looking like St. Peter and smelling like a Rose of Sharon.
And let's not forget the anecodotes because they play a crucial part in this game. No matter how farfetched or deceptive they are, random stories about gays allegedly persecuting Christians are effective. No matter how many times they are discredited, there is always a crowd ready to believe them - especially when these anecdotes take centerstage in "documentaries" that will repeat them ad naseum.
But for the sake of bringing things back to the beginning, let me return to the anecdotes I mentioned at the beginning of this piece:
The incident involving the church had to do with the church receiving tax breaks for a pavilion it owned. But a requirement of the tax breaks was that the pavilion had to be open to all, gays included.
And that father allegedly dragged away in handcuffs? Well he objected to his son bringing home a book on different families on the grounds that one family in the book was of a same sex nature. The school accommodated his anger via private meetings, but he used the occasion to orchestrate his arrest - even to the point of having people waiting outside to take pictures when the police led him away in handcuffs.
Lastly, that book about gays taking over America? The majority of gays have never heard of it.
And that's the true story behind just three of the stories regarding gays allegedly persecuting Christians. But you won't find this truth featured in any religious right "documentary."
And that's a shame because it's proof that to some people who claim to fight for moral values, truth is an expendable casualty.
Mark also gives a good thumbnail of the work of House Speaker Joe Hackney, who has deep-sixed the amendments in committees, noting that Speaker Hackney gave the bill four serial referrals. What does that mean?
Since Hackney took over as Speaker, bills usually get a hearing in two committees. That can be a pretty tall order, particularly at the end of session, when committee time is short. But the idea is that if two committees sign off on something, it's been given a thorough going over.And we have to hope that outside pressure on the chairs from the bible-beaters will not be given the time of day, and that the Dems always retain control of the General Assembly. Mark also has a few photos from today's marriage rally.On rare occasions, a bill will get three referrals, especially if it has a tax component. The bill to ban smoking, which was written by the House majority leader, may end up with three referrals before it hits the House floor.
Four referrals is just, well, it's a long road to walk. Even if all the committee chairmen were enthusiastic about passing such a bill, it would take the measure at least a month to clear out of committee were it to move at a quick but normal pace. And since committee chairmen serve at the please of the Speaker, perhaps their enthusiasm for this measure is less than ardent.
Related:
* NC: Thousand(s) show up to 'protect' marriage
* Fundies rallying in Raleigh today to 'protect' marriage
The changes will recalibrate what it means when a company scores a 100 on the Index, most notably by raising the bar regarding transgender rights and benefits.
The new criteria will require that all employees have access to at least one insurance plan that contains no exclusions for transgender-specific care and recognizes internationally-accepted medical standards of care. The current criteria, announced in 2004 and implemented in 2006, require insurance plans to cover at least one out of five categories of treatment and were designed to educate employers and their insurance carriers about the insurance needs of transgender people. Employers have been required to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity to achieve a 100 percent rating since the CEI began in 2002.Businesses will be rewarded for demonstrated, ongoing supplier diversity programs that include LGBT-owned suppliers, public support for equal rights legislation and sustained sponsorship and philanthropy. The new system also enhances requirements for diversity training, resources and accountability."These new criteria get right to the core issues of how insurance plans exclude transgender employees. By aligning the new requirements to 'medically necessary' coverage defined by recognized standards of care and removing transgender-related exclusions from healthcare plans, we have significantly raised the bar allowing businesses to enhance their commitment to all employees," said Meghan Stabler, national transgender activist and HRC Business Council member. "Right now, hundreds of businesses will begin working to expand coverage to transgender employees. With this powerful new tool, our community must set out to educate human resource and benefits professionals about why these benefits are needed, not just for individual employees and their dependents, but to secure employer-of-choice status in the LGBT community."
..."With these new standards, the CEI will continue to be a powerful incentive for businesses to make real change that will impact the everyday lives of LGBT Americans in every corner of our country," said Daryl Herrschaft, Director of the HRC Foundation Workplace Project. "But it will not happen by itself. Between now and 2011, it will take the coordinated effort of employees and LGBT advocates to make these policy changes reality."
Rating Criteria 3.0
Underlined text indicates new or revised criteria.
- Equal employment opportunity policy includes:
- Gender identity or expression
- Sexual orientation
- Employment benefits
- Organizational LGBT competency
- Public commitment
External LGBT-specific efforts, including at least three of the following: recruiting, supplier diversity, marketing or advertising, philanthropy or public support for legal LGBT equality (more info)- Responsible citizenship
No known activity that would undermine LGBT equality
The new points allocation will be announced by March 2010, with, as Herrschaft noted, the full criteria applied in 2011. The timeline is below the fold.
Key DatesThe logical reason for the rollout as described above, Daryl Herrschaft noted, was that the changes require renegotiations of insurance contracts (usually renewed annually). However, the reality is many companies that previously received a 100 and will not under the new criteria will start working now to maintain their ranking. Many of the 500 companies in response to changes in the Index have already contacted HRC to find out how they could best comply and modify internal policies. Meghan Stabler underscored that the benefits organizations and HR departments will take some time to work out details in those new health insurance contracts -- for instance, the definition of "medically necessary" is quite broad, and that in itself will raise questions that corporations have to consider. An example that was cited -- rhinoplasty for MTFs, supported by the WPATH standards of care, should not be restricted in an insurance policy offered by a company if it is to receive at 100% score. That's one of many items to be negotiated, and many insurance companies are not yet well-versed in T issues to write an inclusive policy.
2009: Mar. 31: 2010 CEI Survey released to participants (includes clearly marked questions that will count toward the current and/or the new criteria).2010: Mar. 31: 2011 CEI Survey released to participants (includes clearly marked questions that will count toward the current and/or the new criteria). Point allocations for new criteria will be announced. Participants will receive preliminary rating evaluations under the current and new criteria upon survey submission.
2011: * Mar.31: 2012 CEI Survey released to participants (includes clearly marked questions that will count toward the new criteria only).
Participants will receive preliminary rating evaluations using new criteria only.
* Jun. 30: 2012 CEI Survey must be submitted to HRC Foundation by the end of June.
* Jul. 29: Participants must demonstrate that all new non-benefits criteria have been met and that all new benefits criteria will be met by Jan. 1, 2012.
* Sep. 1: 2012 CEI Report released to public with new criteria only.2012: Jan. 1: Because benefits typically operate on an annual cycle, all benefits changes must be effective by Jan. 1, 2012.
While this news is positive, there are concerns. The CEI would display a 100 rating for multi-national companies that may have progressive LGBT policies stateside, but an overseas operations in a country that is allowed to discriminate against LGBT employees. We were told that the Index only rates operations based in the U.S.but that the inequity would be noted. Bil Browning:
Daryl Herrschaft responded to my question by stating the CEI is "one indicator and people should look at others that are important to them." HRC currently questions respondents about their policies overseas, and make the occasional note on their website but abuses of LGBT people in other countries will not affect the company's score on the CEI because it only focuses on the US.This is obviously a step forward in terms of transparancy and accountability for corporations participating in the CEI. Do you think it will result in a more accurate assessment tool?Speaking of the inordinate amount of research and follow-up that an international scale would necessarily require, Herrschaft told me, "HRC doesn't have the level of competency to do a good job of that. We're not set up like that."
He continued, "If there was a company that was firing people at will in Brazil we would raise that and it would be a huge deal. The CEI has enormous influence - especially for human resources officials (most of them straight) who are dedicated to educating themselves and their companies. But the CEI is not the end-all-be-all of how a company should be viewed."
Also: Samir Luther has a column on the Index up at Bilerico.
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