The legitimization of the homosexual lifestyle has made enormous strides in America in the past 30 years. The first reference to homosexuality in the AIM Report was in July 1978. It was a critique of an NBC entertainment program, Policewoman, starring Angie Dickinson. The villain of the program was an attractive female activist modeled after Anita Bryant, the singer whose outspoken criticism of homosexuality evoked vicious attacks that eventually destroyed her career.

The Policewoman program was a good example of the vicious attacks on those who dare exercise their freedom of speech to criticize behavior that for generations had been treated as immoral and illegal throughout the United States. The NBC program’s message was that those who are against equal -rights laws for homosexuals have Nazi mentalities. One of the characters in the program spoke ominously of “the Hitlers, the McCarthys and the lunatic fringe.” In those days, referenda on homosexual rights ordinances were overwhelmingly defeated, generally by about 2 to 1.

The AIM Report did not mention homosexuality again until April 1987, when we ran an article titled “The Deadliest Cover-up: AIDS.” This discussed the scandals surrounding the spread of this new deadly disease, principally the failure of public health authorities to take the steps necessary to curb its spread because the homosexuals vehemently objected to them. They didn’t want the carriers to be identified, much less quarantined. They didn’t want their “bathhouses” closed down even though they facilitated the rapid spread of the disease. Thousands have died unnecessarily because the authorities and the media were guided by the demands of the homosexuals, not the rules that had been applied previously to control contagious diseases.

Nightline Solicits Homosexual Help

What the homosexuals wanted was not in the best interests of society or their own best interests. Since then, their influence on the media has increased immensely. They are aggressively trying to spread their dangerous and often self-destructive life-style. This was demonstrated at the annual conference of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) in Dallas on Sept. 8. Tom Bettag, the executive producer of ABC’s Nightline, and two other spokesmen for ABC News were there to take part in a panel to discuss a five-part series on Nightline scheduled to air in the first week of October. (It was postponed and had not aired as of Oct. 8.) The title of the series, “A Matter of Choice? Gay Life in America,” came under fire from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which insists that homosexuality is not a matter of choice.

Bettag had responded prior to the conference, saying, “There should, indeed, be concern about the notion of homosexuality and choice. The presumed ability to choose is regularly invoked by people who are responsible for serious acts of bigotry and hate crimes.” Addressing some 400 journalists and homosexual activists, Bettag appealed for their help in advising Ted Koppel how to handle claims that homosexuals are more likely than heterosexuals to sexually abuse young children. He said it was important that this be addressed by Nightline because it was the root of a lot of the fear of homosexuals.

Facts From A Foe

Bettag got “help” at the conference from an unexpected source, Peter LaBarbera, senior policy analyst of the Culture and Family Institute and editor of the CFI Report. He was there to discuss media bias favoring homosexuals on a panel he got the NLGJA to include in its program. LaBarbera told Bettag that boys are disproportionately victims of sex abuse, and the abuse is disproportionately committed by homosexuals. Bettag asked him to send him the figures, and he has done so. The data show that it is misleading to say that most child molesters are heterosexual males. According to a 1994 University of Chicago study, only 2.8 percent of the adult males are homo-sexual. Over 97 percent are straight. A study by the National Assn. of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality makes the point that homosexual men appear to be three times more likely than straight men to have sex with minors, counting only cases that are reported. It says some studies indicate that about 35 percent of pedophiles are homosexuals.

The media, instead of informing the public about the behavior of homosexuals, are helping them realize their goals, as shown in the following article by Linda P. Harvey, the founder of Mission America, a pro-family group based in Columbus, Ohio.

ABUSING THE CENSUS DATA
By Linda P. Harvey

The 2000 census included for the first time a count of households consisting of unmarried partners, heterosexual and homosexual. This was seized upon by homosexual activists as an opportunity to give the impression that stable same-sex partnerships are numerous and growing, fueling the drive for legalizing same-sex marriage.

My review of 37 articles from newspapers across the country published between June 1 and August 27 found that the reporting on the census data was heavily influenced by national homosexual activist groups. The fingerprints of their public relations campaign were seen everywhere. The same sources were quoted repeatedly. There was a marked lack of balance, with only a handful of papers including comments from as much as one conservative source. There were numerous pro-homosexual comments in virtually every article. And in most cases, the homosexual household issue dominated the paper’s analysis of the census findings. The papers failed their readers by neglecting to provide objective analysis of the census data.

What The Census Data Show

The census data revealed that less than one percent of the nation’s households fall into the same-sex unmarried-partner category. The highest percentage of such households was found in San Francisco, where the percentage was 2.7 percent. Columbus, the capital of Ohio, has the highest percentage of same-sex households in the state, but in Franklin County, where Columbus is located, less than one percent of the households fall in that category. Nevertheless, the Columbus Dispatch treated the number of homosexual households as the big news of the census.

The Dispatch illustrated its front-page story with a large photo above the fold of a homosexual male couple cooking breakfast together. It ran a smaller photo of a lesbian couple below the fold. Similar photos of smiling homosexual couples illustrated similar articles in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Orlando Sentinel, the Omaha World-Herald, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Akron Beacon-Journal, the Baltimore Sun, the Tampa Tribune and the Philadelphia Inquirer. All these papers were showing their willingness to aid the homosexual cause with photos that are important in attracting attention to the story and conveying positive images. The Miami Herald threw in the added touch of children in its photo spread.

All the articles were uniformly respectful of the homosexuals. Many of the stories were congratulatory in tone, and quotes were chosen that depicted same-sex couples and homosexual activists in a positive light. Contrary views were muted or totally excluded. The Baltimore Sun, for example, devoted a lot of its story to three homosexual couples, emphasizing the need for “statewide legislation to protect them from discrimination in jobs, housing and accommodations.” Two homosexual activists were quoted in the article. No comments from opponents of such legislation were included even though a state-wide group in Maryland has gathered enough signatures to put a measure on the ballot that, if approved, would stop a homosexual “non-discrimination” law from taking effect.

The Baltimore Sun devoted three-fourths of its story to the alleged victim status of homosexuals. Maryland’s 11,000 homosexual couples account for less than two percent of Maryland households. The Sun only casually mentioned more significant findings of the census that concern a lot more Marylanders, such as the 118,000 children in Maryland now living with grandparents.

The Homosexual Campaign

Press releases and material from a campaign called “Make Your Family Count” had been distributed by national homosexual advocacy groups since March 2000, and their influence on the newspapers was obvious. David Smith, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, HRC, was quoted in ten articles. Gary Gates of the Urban Institute, which had contracted with the HRC to prepare an analysis of the census data, was quoted in eight. Staff from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, NGLTF, were quoted in seven and at least one local homosexual activist was quoted in virtually every story.

By contrast, national pro-family groups were quoted in only three stories. The Denver Post story included a comment from Focus on the Family, which is headquartered in Colorado. The Washington Post quoted a statement by the Family Research Council, headquartered in Washington. The Nashville Tennessean reported the reaction of the Southern Baptist Convention. Only five of the papers took the trouble to obtain and quote contrary views from other individuals in their own communities. Most papers featured representatives of the minuscule number of same-sex partners. They ignored normal parents who are concerned about the efforts to persuade their kids that homosexuality is normal and that they should try it.

The newspapers cooperated beautifully in spreading that theme. The Dallas Morning News quoted David Smith’s statement in the HRC and NGLTF press releases, “Gay families are living in nearly every neighborhood of every county in the United States.” The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Denver Post used the same statement, but they attributed it to Gary Gates. The Associated Press story, which also appeared in the New York Times, used a statement that was virtually identical without attributing it to anyone. USA Today ran its story under the headline, “Most U.S. counties include gay families.”

Some focused on their own state. The Wisconsin State Journal quoted Smith as saying, “Gay and lesbian families live in every corner of Wisconsin.” In the Miami Herald he said: “This shows that gay families live in every corner of every county in Florida.” Here are some others. The Omaha World-Herald: “…same sex couples lived in every part of the state.” The Detroit Free Press: “Gays and lesbians live in every one of Michigan’s 83 counties.” The Portland Press Herald: “Gay couples live in every county in Maine.” The Baltimore Sun: “Gays and lesbians live in all Maryland counties.”

The stories were crafted to give the impression that there is nothing threatening about the ubiquity of these homosexual couples. The Orlando Sentinel began its story saying, “When Mike Trexler and Rick Moore bought a dilapidated white house in Orlando’s Colonialtown neighborhood in 1991, they figured they would renovate it?” The Philadelphia Inquirer also used home-ownership to give the impression of stability, saying, “When Jesse Walters and David Traupman bought their house in Chestnut Hill six years ago?”

The Louisville Courier-Journal, seeking to show there is nothing shameful about these relationships, said, “When Bobby Simpson and Morgan Ransdell filled out their census form last year, they proudly identified themselves as a gay couple.” The Honolulu Advertiser wanted to emphasize the stability and loving nature of the relationship of Ward Stewart and George Vye by mentioning their “?dozen years of evening promenades along Waikiki Beach.”

Possibly, Ward and George, strolling hand-in-hand, may glance behind them one evening to see the American press corps doing the same with the homosexual lobby in their determination to convince straight parents and children that homo-sexual couples are just like everyone else.

Traditional Views Short-changed

In 26 of the 37 articles, no conservative was quoted. Moreover, in several of these articles, acknowledgment of conservative sentiment was summarized by the reporter within the text and then quickly dismissed. This follows the guidelines given out at the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association annual meeting last year to the many representatives from U.S. newspapers who attended. To demonstrate solid support of homosexuality, reporters were advised to exclude traditional views or have a homosexual summarize and then dismiss them.

The Honolulu Advertiser reporter followed that advice in his story on the census. In 1998, Hawaii had a vote on the legali-zation of same-sex marriages. Two-thirds of the voters rejected it. The Advertiser reporter quoted a homosexual as saying, “When they got into the voting booths, we found out what was in their hearts?You get kind of seduced into pineapple juice,?and you scratch the surface and there’s lemon juice.” No comment from anyone representative of the two-thirds of the voters opposed to same-sex marriage made it into the article.

The Denver Post quoted Amy Desai, a representative of Focus on the Family, as saying: “We are troubled by the increase in some of these trends?We know that marriage results in happier, healthier and more financially stable people. It’s better for adults, better for children.” This was followed by a response from an academic saying this is a myth, since there has “never been a kind of normative American family.” This will come as news to the millions of Americans raised by moms and dads. And in Nashville’s Tennessean, a Southern Baptist Convention spokesman’s view was followed by a homosexual rebuttal. In the Kansas City Star, a pro-family leader was heavily edited and limited to the comment that yes, indeed, same-sex households were more visible now.

The Omaha World-Herald census article used the term “gay rights” seven times, never in quotation marks. It described Initiative 416 on the Nebraska ballot last year as having been “pushed by ‘pro-family’ groups.” The article failed to mention that the measure, which barred the recognition of homosexual marriage, was approved by over two-thirds of the voters. The census count of unmarried-partner households in Nebraska showed that they comprise less than 1 percent of all families.

My experience with the Columbus Dispatch indicates that even when those defending traditional views were quoted in the census stories, they were short-changed. My comments were heavily edited, omitting what I said about the problems with homosexual behavior and the lack of evidence that homosexuality is genetic. The paper published three letters criticizing the three sentences of mine that were printed. Two of them falsely accused me of being bisexual or an ex-homosexual, and the paper has failed to publish my response. The editor responded to callers who criticized his front-page pro-homosexual cover-age with a column claiming it was neutral and balanced.

Hiding The Truth About Homosexuality

The newspaper coverage of the census findings about same-sex partnerships shows why Americans cannot depend on their media to tell the truth about homosexuality. Even newspapers in the famous “red” states, those that voted for Bush in 2000, are influenced by the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association and the power of the homosexual public relations machine. If they cannot be relied upon to see through the spin of the homosexual organizations and put the census findings about homosexual households in proper perspective, they can-not be relied upon to investigate and report the facts discussed below that the public should know.

Disease – The campaign to portray homosexuals as just like everyone else overlooks the fact that their risky promiscuous conduct is primarily responsible for the spread of AIDS. Their refusal to accept the measures necessary to prevent the spread of the AIDS epidemic resulted in the loss of thousands of lives that could have been saved if they had been willing to change their behavior. Costly medicines have prolonged the lives of those who are HIV positive, but they have also encouraged a reversion to the risky behavior that started the AIDS epidemic and contributed to the spread of other sexually transmitted diseases.

Will the legalization of homosexual partnerships solve this problem? Can one assume that male homosexuals living in pairs reduce the number who seek promiscuous sex in bathhouses, bars, homosexual bookstores and public parks? Will lesbians, having been publicly “outed” as couples, change their heavy substance abuse patterns?

Homosexual writers have admitted that promiscuity is a constant and widely accepted reality among homosexual men. It’s very common to hear of one male partner dying of AIDS, while the other is not. It’s a sad specter these couples face all the time, and it helps explain why obtaining hospital visitation rights is a big issue for these men. Settling down does not mean the same thing to homosexuals as it means to most heterosexuals. The image-massaging by the media cannot mask the reality that homosexual practices pose serious health dangers, both physical and mental. The homosexual lifestyle reduces life-expectancy among males far more than smoking, and the media should say so. Those who try to get kids to adopt the homosexual lifestyle should be condemned just as tobacco companies are condemned for trying to get them to smoke.

Duration of relationships – Another important issue is the length of time that homosexual pairings last. A long-term committed relationship for homosexuals turns out to be about two to three years on average for men, a little longer for women. In the census stories there were frequent statements along the lines of, “We’re real people living real lives,” but all too often these relationships begin with high hopes but fade quickly and often end disastrously. This is true of many heterosexual relationships and marriages as well, but far less frequently. This should be investigated and reported by the media.

Domestic violence – The high incidence of homosexual domestic violence also deserves greater attention from the news media. The August 8th San Francisco Chronicle story on the census data followed a story a week earlier reporting a 29 percent rise in domestic violence in homosexual relationships. This is understandable in a culture where promiscuity is common. It has been reported in several books and has been tracked by anti-violence groups.

How many homosexuals are there? – The census data should have prompted questions about the number of homosexuals in the U.S. Homosexual activists frequently claim that they constitute 10% of the population. Several surveys show that the correct figure is only 2 to 3 percent. The vast majority of the census articles completely missed this or deliberately bypassed the question.

The Tampa Tribune article quoted a local activist who repeated the 10% claim. The Chicago Tribune went into the most depth on this, and revealed part of the truth-that the Kinsey studies where the ten-percent number originated have been discredited. It cited a University of Chicago study in 1994 which put the figure at 2.8% of men and 1.4% of women. It also quoted Dave Elliot of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force as saying, “The biggest problem with counting gays and lesbians is establishing who’s gay or lesbian?How do you define it? Some people go through phases. Sometimes they’re bisexual, sometimes they’re married. Sexuality is complicated.”

How true! In recent months the tabloids have reported that Anne Heche, the famous partner of Ellen DeGeneres, and Julie Cypher, former partner of rock star Melissa Etheridge, have decided to choose normal heterosexual relations with men.

Freedom of expression and religion – Another big question absent from the news coverage is the impact on religious freedom when society accepts homosexual house-holds. A June 14th decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals points the way to what affirming “domestic partnerships” may mean for Americans. The court upheld a limited reading of San Francisco’s ordinance requiring that any company doing business with the city offer same-sex partnership coverage for its employees. S.D. Myers, a Tallmadge, Ohio producer of electrical transformers, challenged the law. They had been the low bidder on a contract with the city, but their bid was rejected because they did not offer such coverage. Citing religious and moral beliefs of the owners, the company refused to add it.

The court limited the requirement to seven employees directly involved with the items covered by the San Francisco contract, but that was not acceptable to S.D. Myers. Los Angeles and Seattle have similar ordinances, modeled after San Francisco’s. S.D. Myers and other firms owned by individuals with similar strong religious beliefs will be barred from doing business with all three cities because they refuse to compromise their principles and bow to the homosexual agenda.

Many parents are becoming alarmed about the growing promotion of homosexuality in public schools and the corresponding moves to silence opponents. Posters decrying “heterosexism” (i.e., too much emphasis on traditional male-female sexuality and marriage) adorn the halls of many schools. Over 800 schools nationally have succumbed to pressure to allow homosexual clubs that breed hostility to traditional values and combat “homophobia.” Increasingly, this is defined as silencing all criticism of homosexuality. The Safe and Drug Free Schools Act provides federal funds to combat speech critical of homosexuality, which is labeled “hate speech.”

The survey of the press coverage of the census data on homosexual households shows that the press, supposedly the great defender of freedom of speech, has boarded the homosexual bandwagon. We cannot realistically expect journalists to investigate and report what America will be like if the homosexuals succeed in realizing their agenda. Those who would like to do so would be putting their careers in danger if they tried to carry out such a project. The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association would see to that.

What You Can Do

Send the enclosed cards or your own cards or letters to Tom Bettag, the executive producer of Nightline, and to the editor of your choice of two of the newspapers cited in Linda Harvey’s article in this report about newspaper reports of the census findings. You can get the addresses by looking up the papers on the Internet or by calling a reference library.

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