'We Are Thinking': Exgay PAC Seeks to Splinter Civil-Rights Movements
Mike Airhart printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Mon Jul 10, 2006 at 01:01:27 PM EST
There has never been just one civil rights movement; there have been numerous movements: for Jews and other religious minorities, for blacks, for women, for Japanese-Americans after World War II, and for gays since approximately the 1950s.

Nevertheless, it has become a mantra among the religious right that certain groups are "hijacking" the one solitary civil rights movement. Meanwhile, in the small universe of web sites that advertise the existence of "former homosexuals," there are many exgay sites that join the religious right in promoting antigay discrimination -- but few sites that offer sound, clinically proven advice to people who strive to overcome or moderate unwanted sexual attractions and behaviors.

The year-old exgay web site WeAreThinking.com is marketed via Wikipedia as "Ex Gay Political PAC, Focused on Ex Gay Civil Rights." But WeAreThinking has no declared owners, operators, or sponsors, no specific entity to accept responsibilty for its content. In short, the public is not intended to know the identity of "We" in the site name "We Are Thinking."

Here's another irony: The site does not propose an exgay civil rights movement; it undermines existing civil-rights movements.

[ editor : Talk To Action guest contributor Mike Airhart is the editor of Ex Gay Watch ]

The site's linked articles target existing religious, ethnic, and gender-based civil rights movements, turning each movement's members against one another by inflaming some members' off-topic antigay sentiments. Let's briefly examine how WeAreThinking does this.

The front page loads an animation featuring dramatic music and a threatening voice that sets African-Americans against gay Americans:

"Today in America, civil rights are being hijacked. Civil rights are being hijacked. Think about it."

A closer examination of the site's interior uncovers a series of rhetorical ploys and evasions by people who appear not to be the blacks, feminists and Democrats that they suggest themselves to be. Furthermore, the site is designed using Adobe Flash in a manner that not only precludes external links to its internal pages, but also prevents search engines and web archives from properly recording its content. A question arises: If it's not designed to be found via search engines, then is the site intended for public consumption, or is publicity for the site being targeted at certain volatile interest groups?

As questions begin accumulate, it would be nice to know whom to consult for answers.

But unlike most sites' About pages, this site's About page does not disclose the site's ownership or leadership. It instead profiles two young "representatives" -- writers with no history, employed by mystery bosses. One writer, Ashley Perryman, claims to be a "women's rights activist" and yet asserts that "the gay agenda" harms women by allegedly blurring gender identity. This is a common argument of gender conformists and religious rightists, not liberty-affirming women. The other writer, Shaun Kurian, claims that "gay rights" (his quotes) harm the Democratic Party. A Google search of Kurian turns up nothing to suggest Democratic political affiliation or even past writing samples.

The Facts page of WeAreThinking consists of a series of opinion pieces that:

  • encourage schism among Jewish congregations and moderate churches that have sought to balance spiritual tradition, sexual realism, fidelity, compassion and justice;
  • accuse unspecified media of overlooking a 2004 Atlanta antigay black protest (a linked article fails to substantiate the charge); and
  • steer black Democrats toward the GOP.

An Exgay topical page opens not to a constructive profile or knowledge base for exgays, but rather to a four-year-old assertion by religious rightists that a Chicago woman, Mary Stachowicz, was murdered because of her supposedly exgay Catholic identity. The Illinois Family Institute and other religious rightists equated Stachowicz's death with that of Matthew Shepard of Wyoming, who was killed in 1998, allegedly because he was homosexual.

Whatever one's views might be toward hate-crime laws, the facts did not support the religious-rightists' accusation that Stachowicz was killed for being Catholic or exgay. The crime was reported locally and in gay and antigay media in 2002: Stachowicz was attacked after she preached the sinfulness of homosexuality at the office janitor, who then reacted violently to memories of his mother's condemnations of homosexuality. Stachowicz was not killed because she was Catholic or exgay, she was killed because she reminded a deranged individual of his mother. Furthermore, it seems unlikely that Stachowicz even identified as exgay. Same-sex-attracted conservative Catholics -- in particular, those affiliated with Courage, an antigay support group for same-sex-attracted Catholics -- generally do not identify as exgay. Disliking the misleading political and sexual connotations of "exgay" that have been fostered by Protestant evangelicals, they identify instead as "chaste" or as celibate gay or lesbian.

Other articles that are linked from WeAreThinking's Exgay page accuse generic "gay activists" of menacing, attacking, and stifling generic exgays. But details are left sketchy, some supporting links have broken, and the site's news section is more than two months out of date, suggesting either a financial crunch or an apathy toward the notion of supporting documentation.

Oddly enough, for all the ill-documented talk of censorship, the allegedly suppressed message of exgays is not conveyed by this pro-exgay site, either. A question naturally arises: Are exgay activists suppressed, or are they devoting so many resources to antigay discrimination and to religious-right efforts to deter civil rights for others, that a positive message about exgays never emerges? Are exgays really suppressing themselves?

The website's Exgay page links to the following exgay organizations: the reparative-therapy advocacy group NARTH, the antigay Catholic group Courage, the pseudo-Jewish/evangelical group JONAH, exgay activist D.L. Foster's "Powerful Change" nameplate, the nonreligious People Can Change, and the exgay network Exodus International. More questions arise: Did these organizations assent to an affiliation with the WeAreThinking political action committee, do they know the identity of the PAC's operators, and why would they wish to be associated with a site that seeks to splinter other civil rights movements?

These unanswered questions draw us full circle, back to the identity of those working behind the scenes at WeAreThinking.

Like the About page, the Contact page offers no phone number and no names of officials or employees. The given office address is 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 816, Washington. But there is no suite 816. In fact there are no suites at 2020 Penn. That location is a UPS Store located in the lobby of a prestigious downtown office building and mini-mall, in a neighborhood that hosts some of the city's leading lobbyists and think-tankers. Suite 816 is one of many private mailbox located in the store. So WeAreThinking PAC has a prestigious-sounding address -- but no office, at least not one that the public is intended to know about.

An examination of the website's domain name registration turns up no useful information, either -- just a proxy name, e-mail address, and false street address in the Northern Marianas Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. The name, phone number and e-mail address each turn up zero results via Google.

If there are some actual antigay same-sex-attracted persons in existence who really hope to form a genuine and constructive civil rights organization for themselves, then this site poses a threat to that hope. Veteran civil rights activists know that:

  • A group that fails to promote a positive message and identity for itself does not win many friends,
  • A group that undermines the rights of others will lose support among civil-rights allies, and
  • A group so surreptitious that it cannot identify its principals, lacks the visible constituency that is necessary to grant it legitimacy.

related stories: Wikipedia summarizes the Mary Stachowicz case. Jody Wheeler and Good As You discuss the exploitation of Mary Stachowicz and similar cases by the religious right. The pro-tolerance religious group Soulforce reacted to the murder by saying that if Stachowicz was murdered in an attempt to intimidate all Christians, then the case should qualify as a hate crime.




Display:
Mike Ditto at ProgressNow responds:

I can't find this PAC in any campaign finance database. If they have been operating for over a year and have not filed a disclosure report with the FEC, is this not a violation of federal campaign finance laws?

Election law experts and netizens, please chip in. I want to know who is funding this group. And I want to know if they are skirting or directly violating campaign finance laws.


by Mike Airhart on Mon Jul 10, 2006 at 06:13:08 PM EST

There's a lot going on in the building including this fellow's operation.

by Bruce Wilson on Mon Jul 10, 2006 at 06:27:06 PM EST


WWW Talk To Action


Cognitive Dissonance & Dominionism Denial
There is new research on why people are averse to hearing or learning about the views of ideological opponents. Based on evaluation of five......
By Frederick Clarkson (375 comments)
Will the Air Force Do Anything To Rein In Its Dynamic Duo of Gay-Bashing, Misogynistic Bloggers?
"I always get nervous when I see female pastors/chaplains. Here is why everyone should as well: "First, women are not called to be pastors,......
By Chris Rodda (203 comments)
The Legacy of Big Oil
The media is ablaze with the upcoming publication of David Grann's book, Killers of the Flower Moon. The shocking non fiction account of the......
By wilkyjr (111 comments)
Gimme That Old Time Dominionism Denial
Over the years, I have written a great deal here and in other venues about the explicitly theocratic movement called dominionism -- which has......
By Frederick Clarkson (101 comments)
History Advisor to Members of Congress Completely Twists Jefferson's Words to Support Muslim Ban
Pseudo-historian David Barton, best known for his misquoting of our country's founders to promote the notion that America was founded as a Christian nation,......
By Chris Rodda (113 comments)
"Christian Fighter Pilot" Calls First Lesbian Air Force Academy Commandant a Liar
In a new post on his "Christian Fighter Pilot" blog titled "BGen Kristin Goodwin and the USAFA Honor Code," Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan......
By Chris Rodda (144 comments)
Catholic Right Leader Unapologetic about Call for 'Death to Liberal Professors' -- UPDATED
Today, Donald Trump appointed C-FAM Executive Vice President Lisa Correnti to the US Delegation To UN Commission On Status Of Women. (C-FAM is a......
By Frederick Clarkson (126 comments)
Controlling Information
     Yesterday I listened to Russ Limbaugh.  Rush advised listeners it would be best that they not listen to CNN,MSNBC, ABC, CBS and......
By wilkyjr (118 comments)
Is Bannon Fifth-Columning the Pope?
In December 2016 I wrote about how White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who likes to flash his Catholic credentials when it comes to......
By Frank Cocozzelli (251 comments)
Ross Douthat's Hackery on the Seemingly Incongruous Alliance of Bannon & Burke
Conservative Catholic writer Ross Douthat has dissembled again. This time, in a February 15, 2017 New York Times op-ed titled The Trump Era's Catholic......
By Frank Cocozzelli (65 comments)
`So-Called Patriots' Attack The Rule Of Law
Every so often, right-wing commentator Pat Buchanan lurches out of the far-right fever swamp where he has resided for the past 50 years to......
By Rob Boston (161 comments)
Bad Faith from Focus on the Family
Here is one from the archives, Feb 12, 2011, that serves as a reminder of how deeply disingenuous people can be. Appeals to seek......
By Frederick Clarkson (177 comments)
The Legacy of George Wallace
"One need not accept any of those views to agree that they had appealed to real concerns of real people, not to mindless, unreasoning......
By wilkyjr (70 comments)
Betsy DeVos's Mudsill View of Public Education
My Talk to Action colleague Rachel Tabachnick has been doing yeoman's work in explaining Betsy DeVos's long-term strategy for decimating universal public education. If......
By Frank Cocozzelli (80 comments)
Prince and DeVos Families at Intersection of Radical Free Market Privatizers and Religious Right
This post from 2011 surfaces important information about President-Elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. -- FC Erik Prince, Brother of Betsy......
By Rachel Tabachnick (218 comments)

Respect for Others? or Political Correctness?
The term "political correctness" as used by Conservatives and Republicans has often puzzled me: what exactly do they mean by it? After reading Chip Berlin's piece here-- http://www.talk2action.org/story/2016/7/21/04356/9417 I thought about what he explained......
MTOLincoln (253 comments)
Fear
What I'm feeling now is fear.  I swear that it seems my nightmares are coming true with this new "president".  I'm also frustrated because so many people are not connecting all the dots! I've......
ArchaeoBob (107 comments)
"America - love it or LEAVE!"
I've been hearing that and similar sentiments fairly frequently in the last few days - far FAR more often than ever before.  Hearing about "consequences for burning the flag (actions) from Trump is chilling!......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)
"Faked!" Meme
Keep your eyes and ears open for a possible move to try to discredit the people openly opposing Trump and the bigots, especially people who have experienced terrorism from the "Right"  (Christian Terrorism is......
ArchaeoBob (165 comments)
More aggressive proselytizing
My wife told me today of an experience she had this last week, where she was proselytized by a McDonald's employee while in the store. ......
ArchaeoBob (163 comments)
See if you recognize names on this list
This comes from the local newspaper, which was conservative before and took a hard right turn after it was sold. Hint: Sarah Palin's name is on it!  (It's also connected to Trump.) ......
ArchaeoBob (169 comments)
Unions: A Labor Day Discussion
This is a revision of an article which I posted on my personal board and also on Dailykos. I had an interesting discussion on a discussion board concerning Unions. I tried to piece it......
Xulon (180 comments)
Extremely obnoxious protesters at WitchsFest NYC: connected to NAR?
In July of this year, some extremely loud, obnoxious Christian-identified protesters showed up at WitchsFest, an annual Pagan street fair here in NYC.  Here's an account of the protest by Pagan writer Heather Greene......
Diane Vera (130 comments)
Capitalism and the Attack on the Imago Dei
I joined this site today, having been linked here by Crooksandliars' Blog Roundup. I thought I'd put up something I put up previously on my Wordpress blog and also at the DailyKos. As will......
Xulon (331 comments)
History of attitudes towards poverty and the churches.
Jesus is said to have stated that "The Poor will always be with you" and some Christians have used that to refuse to try to help the poor, because "they will always be with......
ArchaeoBob (149 comments)
Alternate economy medical treatment
Dogemperor wrote several times about the alternate economy structure that dominionists have built.  Well, it's actually made the news.  Pretty good article, although it doesn't get into how bad people could be (have been)......
ArchaeoBob (90 comments)
Evidence violence is more common than believed
Think I've been making things up about experiencing Christian Terrorism or exaggerating, or that it was an isolated incident?  I suggest you read this article (linked below in body), which is about our great......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)

More Diaries...




All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective companies. Comments, posts, stories, and all other content are owned by the authors. Everything else © 2005 Talk to Action, LLC.