Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Are They Lying About That Lawsuit?

These guys are unbelievable. Monday we wrote about how the Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX-GAG) had a press release saying they were suing the District of Columbia to get "ex-gays" added to DC's nondiscrimination law. Whatever, typical dumb thing for them to do, as if there is a problem with discrimination against straight people.

Then, this morning Mike Airhart left a comment on that post linking to an interesting entry at Wayne Besen's Truth Wins Out blog. Wayne's been trying to find out if PFOX-GAG really did file a suit, and he is coming to the conclusion that they're lying about it.
Truth Wins Out (TWO) today called on Parents and Friends of ‘Ex-Gays’ (PFOX) to clarify whether it actually filed a frivolous lawsuit against the Washington, DC Office of Human Rights. PFOX claimed it launched its alleged suit because so-called “ex-gays” are not protected under its sexual orientation anti-discrimination law.

At the request of a reporter, D.C. Superior Court looked through all the court’s case records and could find no “lawsuit” filed by PFOX against the D.C. Office of Human Rights. What they found was a filing called a “Petition for Review of Agency Decision.” The court does not consider this a lawsuit.

“PFOX needs to clarify whether they filed an actual lawsuit, or was this simply another one of their bizarre publicity stunts,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. “This is one of the most outrageously dishonest organizations in America, so nothing would surprise me.”

PFOX is a political organization that sells the idea that people can “pray away the gay.” It was founded by lawyer Roy Cohn’s ex-boyfriend, Anthony Falzarono, and bankrolled by the Family Research Council. It was later run by therapist Richard Cohen, who was banned for life by the American Counseling Association. The current leader is Regina Griggs, who has an openly gay son. Did PFOX Lie About Lawsuit?

What a weird thing to do. I mean, first of all it's a crazy and obvious publicity stunt that goes against reason, trying to whine complain that straight people who used to be gay are discriminated against. How would anybody know what you used to be? But then, besides that, to tell everybody you've filed a lawsuit when you haven't -- the bizarre stories just keep coming.

15 Comments:

Anonymous Robert said...

I looked around about this last night. What I could find about PFOX and the Office of Human Rights was that they filed a complaint that the NEA was discriminating against ex-gay people in denying PFOX exhibit space at their conventions. The DC Office of Human Rights denied to take action on the complaint.

Here's a link to some commentary about that complaint, and apparently the text of what the Office of Human Rights responded to PFOX's complaint:

The Volokh Conspiracy

So is PFOX conflating "complaint" with "lawsuit?" Or did they file a suit based on their displeasure with the result of their complaint?

Inquiring minds want to know.

October 21, 2008 11:34 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why would you even care? Why waste your time. Don't you have better things to do with your time? YOu sound like a bunch of old women.

October 21, 2008 7:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The erudite GWU/Battleground poll has Obama's lead down to 1 point with a 3.5 margin of error.

It's a wrap!

October 21, 2008 8:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.citizenlink.org/videofeatures/A000008486.cfm

October 21, 2008 8:32 PM  
Blogger Lisa Harney said...

Bad anonymous,

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27297013/

With voters’ increased confidence in his ability to serve as commander
in chief, as well as a majority who now believe he would do a good job
as president, Barack Obama has opened up his biggest advantage over
John McCain in the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

With two weeks to go until Election Day, Obama now leads his
Republican rival by 10 points among registered voters, 52 to 42
percent, up from 49 to 43 percent two weeks ago...

October 21, 2008 9:41 PM  
Anonymous Derrick said...

AnonBigot said, "It's a wrap".

The expression is, "THAT'S a wrap".

When you say, "It's a wrap", you are referring to food or a covering of some sort.

If you say, "That's a wrap", you are referring to something that is complete.

It is not November 5th yet, the day after election day,
so NOTHING is yet complete.

Here is another idiomatic expression for you:

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch".

Good night.

October 21, 2008 10:34 PM  
Anonymous Derrick said...

FYI:

Obama leads by 9-10 points.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/21/cnn-poll-of-polls-obama-leads-by-nine-points/

October 21, 2008 10:38 PM  
Anonymous Robert said...

Having read the PFOX press release on the 'lawsuit', this is what Warren Throckmorton, a sometime apologist for the 'ex-gay' political movement, has to say:

"Having been involved with this group in years past, I can tell you that, in my opinion, this is an effort to use the language of civil rights to gain publicity."

I know a lot of old women, BTW. I think old women are fabulous.

rrjr

October 22, 2008 7:48 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

andrea- not anon
Maybe Warren and Regina can have a debate. Not that I think Regina knows enough to make any sense.

October 22, 2008 7:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm not one for diverting from the topic of the discussion (in this case the bogus PFOX group), but "Anonymous" said this: "The erudite GWU/Battleground poll has Obama's lead down to 1 point with a 3.5 margin of error.It's a wrap!"
Here's something to think about, "Anonymous":
Obama leads in all 10 national polls today. His average lead is 7.6%.

- Battleground (Obama +1)
- Diageo (Obama +6)
- Gallup expanded (Obama +8)
- IBD (Obama +6)
- Ipsos (Obama +8)
- Pew (Obama +14)
- Rasmussen (Obama +4)
- WSJ/NBC (Obama +10)
- WaPo/ABC (Obama +9)
- Zogby (Obama +8)
Gee...even your pollster idol, Zogby, seems to have uncovered the truth!
Also:
"Pollster Steve Lombardo also has a nice analysis of where the presidential election stands now. His major points: (1) Obama won the debates big time, (2) Obama is playing offense all over the map while McCain is playing defense, (3) Obama's massive fundraising is a huge advantage, and (4) more people identify as Democrats than as Republicans by an 8% margin. None of these factors look good for McCain." and "Stu Rothenberg, another political analyst, wrote a column saying that not only does McCain appear to have no coattails, he appears to be badly hurting downticket Republicans and could end up causing a number of them to go down to defeat. While the effect is biggest in swing districts, it is also causing problems in relatively solid Republican districts."
(http://www.electoral-vote.com/)
A HUGE landslide is in the offing!
RT

October 22, 2008 9:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes, Obama has pulled ahead in the last three days. The question now will be if he's peaking too early. It's going to be interesting because he has a large number supporters who have never voted before and his margins are highest among those groups.

If the media portrays it as a forgone landslide for the next two weeks, will a large numbers of his supporters revert to old habits and not show up, reasoning that he's going to win anyway?

It's going to be interesting.

October 22, 2008 9:48 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

AP has released a poll this afternoon which confirms the finding by the GWU/Battleground poll that the race is essentially tied with less than two weeks to go.

"By LIZ SIDOTI, AP

-The presidential race tightened after the final debate, with John McCain gaining among whites and people earning less than $50,000, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll that shows McCain and Barack Obama essentially running even among likely voters in the election homestretch.

The poll, which found Obama at 44 percent and McCain at 43 percent, supports what some Republicans and Democrats privately have said in recent days: that the race narrowed after the third debate as GOP-leaning voters drifted home to their party and McCain's "Joe the plumber" analogy struck a chord.

Three weeks ago, an AP-GfK survey found that Obama had surged to a seven-point lead over McCain, lifted by voters who thought the Democrat was better suited to lead the nation through its sudden economic crisis.

The contest is still volatile, and the split among voters is apparent less than two weeks before Election Day.

"I trust McCain more, and I do feel that he has more experience in government than Obama. I don't think Obama has been around long enough," said Angela Decker, 44, of La Porte, Ind.

The new AP-GfK head-to-head result is a departure from some, but not all, recent national polls.

Obama and McCain were essentially tied among likely voters in the latest George Washington University Battleground Poll, conducted by Republican strategist Ed Goeas and Democratic pollster Celinda Lake."

It's a wrap!

October 22, 2008 1:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The latest story is that internal polling done by the Obama campaign has the race tied in Pennsylvania and the governor in Pennsylvania has sent a message to Obama urging him to campaign there. And yet all public opinion polls by traditional polling shows Obama with a double digit lead.

In addition to the latest AP poll, realclearpolitics lists 11 other national polls. Here's the margin of the Obama lead in the dozen polls, all released in the last three days: 1-2-5-5-5-6-6-8-9-10-10-14.

Has it occurred to anybody that these pollsters don't know what they're talking about?

October 22, 2008 2:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes, the race is either tied or Obama leads by 14 or it's anywhere in betweeen.

I say we should all thank the "experts" for clearing that up!

October 22, 2008 2:25 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wayne Besen TWO as a source?

Remember that Besen called PFOX liars, and "demanded" Griggs resign last summer due to a "false claim" about an assault by a gay supporter on an ex-gay volunteer at Arlington fair last year.

For days Besen ranted but then it didn't matter when the police department ultimately confirmed the incident did take place.

Besen continues the lie that PFOX advocates "praying away the gay" which appears nowhere in any of their materials or website.

Besen also continues the lie with multiple variation that PFOX is bankrolled by FRC. Also false.

But then, Besen is “one of the most outrageously dishonest haters in America, so nothing would surprise me.”

Just what would self deluded mentally ill Besen have left to do if not to spew hatred?

October 24, 2008 6:05 PM  

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