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Anti-Gay Ads
by Nicole Newton
As of 1996, gay, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered people still do not have constitutional protection from discrimination in the Unites States. Conservatives distort this fact by claiming that the fight for equal rights is a battle for "special rights." Dr. Mark Draper, former Executive Director of the Right-wing think-tank Accuracy in Academia (AIA), states in his article "Hooray for Homophobia" featured in AIA's Campus Report, "Perhaps more cunningly than any other radical misfit group, they [homosexuals] have exploited our society's inherent tolerance. They have used our dislike of being called names or of being thought intolerant to intimidate and silence us."
Exactly the opposite is true. As recently as March 1996, conservative campus groups have stopped queer identity groups from attaining recognition as official campus organizations. Conservative disdain for the "homosexual lifestyle" has prompted groups like The Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) to purchase ads in student dailies denouncing homosexuality. It is important to note that anti-Semitic organizations have purchased similarly intimidating ads denying the Holocaust in publications nationwide.
On October 3 and 4, 1995, just days before the annual celebrations for National Coming Out Day, testimonial ads appeared in The Daily Star, a Southwest Texas State University newspaper. The following are excerpts:
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"I Know What It's Like to be Rejected by the Men I Should Have Been Able to Trust the Most" by Anthony Falzarano, husband, father, former homosexual I was lonely and isolated as a child. My father was psychologically absent, and my older brother would taunt me for being intelligent and not very athletic.... I was so desperate for male affirmation and touch that when a school teacher showed me attention, I was easy prey. I was sexually abused by at least four others by the time I hit 18.... [W]hen I went to college, there were those who were ready to help this broken kid accept a gay identity. And I bought it hook, line and sinker.... until a Christian man helped me see that I would never be satisfied in any life outside of God's purpose for me... So, don't buy the lie. You don't have to be gay.
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"Being Lesbian Wasn't an Issue for Me. I Was Happy. But Then Someone Changed My Life Forever" by Dawn Killion, former lesbian activist ...I'd been rejected by men, ridiculed all my life for being a tomboy.... As a lesbian, it was great to finally have an identity that fit. I loved being gay but down deep inside, I wondered if living like this was right. Of course, I didn't think there was any way out. I mean, I was born this way, right? So why did I feel the doubt? When I let Christ into my life,... I learned how He had a different purpose for my life and saw how His unconditional love helped me to heal the pain I'd covered for so long I really thought I belonged before, but believe me, there's no better life than being with God.
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These "testimonies" promote anti-gay sentiments and the propagandized myth that child sexual molestation is commonly committed by gay men. Both ads end with the slogan "there is another way out" and are part of a project called "Every Student's Choice," a distortion of gay rights campaign rhetoric. They also portray homosexuality as a voluntary (and therefore reversible) choice that defies "God's natural law." Wielding such rhetoric, Exodus International (EI) and other groups are dedicated to "converting" homosexuals to heterosexuality.
Fighting anti-gay rhetoric on your campus can be tough, especially when many progressive organizations are not committed to advancing equality for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people. However, effective tools for education and organizing are available from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute at (202) 332-6483. You can also call the "Every Student's Choice" at 1-800-236-9238 to let them know what you think about their attempts to promote homophobia on college campuses.
Additional resources include the documentary film "One Nation Under God," which exposes EI and their agenda, and When Hate Groups Come to Town: A Handbook of Effective Community Responses, 2nd Edition, 1992, published by the Center for Democratic Renewal.
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