Yes, Discrimination Against HIV+ Employees Still Exists

The US has laws on the books that prevent on-the-job discrimination against employees working in the States who are living with HIV. It's fantastic legislation that I have been grateful for since my positive test result in January, 2009. I have felt secure since then because I felt that I would be be protected in the workplace.  Maybe I shouldn't have that false sense of security, as it is plain that discrimination is still taking place.

One former employee isn't smiling.

One HIV-positive man in a Michigan dental office called Great Expressions is now alleging that his employees and coworkers, once they found out he carried the virus, created a horribly uncomfortable environment at work. They sprayed him with Lysol, ordered him to not touch doorknobs, and eventually fired him over his serostatus.

Lawyers for James White have called his case the worst case of alleged HIV-related job discrimination they have ever handled. According to White, who was an office assistant at Great Expressions Dental Center, his superiors leaked news of his HIV-positive status to fellow coworkers, several of whom began spraying White with Lysol, prohibiting him from touching doorknobs, and wiping down office furniture and equipment after he used it. Finally, during a stint in the hospital to seek care for his HIV, Great Expressions allegedly called White and told him not to return to work.

White has already sought legal action against Great Expressions, with the Detroit chapter of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruling that there was probable cause to believe that the office discriminated against him because of his serostatus. Great Expressions has ignored the ruling, however a Change.org petition has been created with 37,500 signatures at the time of this writing demanding an apology from the administrators of the office.

Just to be clear about the law in the US regarding HIV-positive employees, I got this clarification from the website for the National Association of Social Workers:

Individuals with disabilities are protected under the Americans with DisabilitiesAct (ADA). Persons with HIV, whether they have outwardly manifested symptoms or not, are considered to have physical impairments that substantially limit one or more major life activities. Therefore, the ADA covers them.The ADA gives federal civil rights protection to individuals with disabilities. It also guarantees equal opportunity in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services and telecommunications. Recent court decisions and pending legislation may affect this protection of HIV-positive people against discrimination.

Equal Employment Opportunity Laws (EEOP) cover all private employers, state and local governments, and education institutions that employ 15 or more individuals. They also cover private and public employment agencies, labor organizations, and joint labor management committees controlling apprenticeship and training.

[Employment practices covered by the ADA] include hiring, firing, job application procedures, job interviews, job assignment, training and promotions, and wage benefits, including health insurance, leave, and other employment related activities.Employers who know an employee is HIV-positive are required to make "reasonable accommodations" for that person.

Great Expressions is clearly violating the law as mandated by the federal government.

People are often taken aback with my willingness to disclose my status, and James White is a perfect example why. People can't hold prejudices or unfair stigma against people living with HIV when someone they like or respect is open about their serostatus. I look forward to the day when this sort of disgusting harassment ends.

 

 

US Senate Votes To Allow Military To Indefinitely Detain American Citizens

Fuck you, US Senate.

In a move that has many Americans stunned, the US Senate has voted to approve an amendment in the most recent Defense appropriations bill which would allow the military to detain American citizens on US soil indefinitely, a drastic expansion of powers which first were used to hold, without trial, enemy combatants in Afghanistan.

Could this be your new home?

In light of the Obama administration's failure to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, the White House was quick to denounce the amendment and has threatened veto twice.  I assume the Republican controlled House of Representatives will pass this disgusting piece of legislation, assuring a showdown between the White House and Congress:

The measure, part of the massive National Defense Authorization Act, was also opposed by civil libertarians on the left and right. But 16 Democrats and an independent joined with Republicans to defeatan amendment by Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) that would have killed the provision, voting it down with 61 against, and 37 for it. 

"I'm very, very, concerned about having U.S. citizens sent to Guantanamo Bay for indefinite detention," said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), one of the Senate's most conservative members.
Rand's top complaint is that a terrorism suspect would get just one hearing where the military could assert that the person is a suspected terrorist -- and then they could be locked up for life, without ever formally being charged. The only safety valve is a waiver from the secretary of defense.

The division of Senators who voted for and against the provision is a bit bewildering, with a sizable Republican contingent (to include Paul) voting against it and a significant bloc of Democrats siding for the amendment, to include Sens. Bob Casey (Pa.), Kent Conrad (N.D.), Kay Hagan (N.C.), Daniel Inouye (Hawaii), Herb Kohl (Wis.), Mary Landrieu (La.), Carl Levin (Mich.), Joe Manchin (W. Va.), Clair McCaskill (Mo.), Robert Menendez (N.J.), Ben Nelson (Neb.), Mark Pryor (Ark.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.). The White House is staunch in its criticism of the amendment:

This unnecessary, untested, and legally controversial restriction of the President's authority to defend the Nation from terrorist threats would tie the hands of our intelligence and law enforcement professionals. Moreover, applying this military custody requirement to individuals inside the United States, as some Members of Congress have suggested is their intention, would raise serious and unsettled legal questions and would be inconsistent with the fundamental American principle that our military does not patrol our streets. We have spent ten years since September 11, 2001, breaking down the walls between intelligence, military, and law enforcement professionals; Congress should not now rebuild those walls and unnecessarily make the job of preventing terrorist attacks more difficult.

 I'm a bit concerned that the White House didn't include in its statement: "Also, this is unconstitutional and a gross abuse of power."

I know I might be a bit "conspiracy theorist" in supposing that this is a well-timed provision coinciding with nationally coordinated attacks on Occupy Wall Street encampments.  Who knows when some governor is going to decide that OWS protesters are terrorists and calls in the National Guard?  Should Congress overturns the President's veto, will Occupiers run the risk that they will be moved, without justification, to Gitmo?

OneAngryClotheshorse: Don't do gymnastics - you'll get hurt and catch the gay.

Bon Apres-midi, mes amis! I awoke today from my post breakfast, pre brunch nap to read this story from the Daily Mail (a UK publication prone to scandalmongering): "Burly rugby player has a stroke after freak gym accident…wakes up gay and becomes a hairdresser". Apparently a large heterosexual in Wales was attempting a backflip to impress his friends and botched it, breaking his neck and causing a stroke. When he woke up everything had changed, including his sexuality. Well, now...That's very convenient for him, but it invites so many questions. Were you gay before, and are you just lying about it now? Was the stroke responsible for your questionable styling decisions (pun definitely intended)? Would it work for various Tea Party politicians, who could CLEARLY use a good stroking? His massive weight loss - going from 19st to 11st (nearly 115 lbs) is also problematic, contributing to the unfair stereotype that all gay men are in fabulous shape.

Obviously we need to research this dubious claim in the name of science, so the Liberal Media Elite can add "stroke recruiting" to its Gay Agenda. As soon as we figure out how to fix the ensuing fashion disaster apparently innate to this technique.

Bisous,

Wesley

The White House Loses Its Freaking Mind, Trashes Environmentalists

Barack Obama's administration doesn't appear to care whether it stays or goes, as they've now chosen to attack one of the longest-held bastions of liberalism and the Democratic Party: environmentalism. 

The right has been very busily attempting to deconstruct the image of green business, with candidates like Rick Perry painting environmental protections as harmful to job creation.  Then, Barack Obama appeared to have caved to demands from conservatives on the EPA, ordering a halt to tighter smog restrictions which would have improved the air quality of millions of Americans (and saved who knows how much in health care costs). 

Nobel prizewinning economist Paul Krugman has lambasted the decision, stating that stricter EPA regulations would actually have stimulated the economy and driven job creation:

And now you can see why tighter ozone regulation would actually have created jobs: it would have forced firms to spend on upgrading or replacing equipment, helping to boost demand. Yes, it would have cost money — but that’s the point! And with corporations sitting on lots of idle cash, the money spent would not, to any significant extent, come at the expense of other investment.

More broadly, if you’re going to do environmental investments — things that are worth doing even in flush times — it’s hard to think of a better time to do them than when the resources needed to make those investments would otherwise have been idle.

 But now, finally, the White House has completely lost its mind, with one spokesperson comparing environmental movement's claims to GOP insanity and calling its point of view "silly":

Finding a middle ground is difficult, especially in the midst of heated political wrangling over how to cope with the sputtering economy. Businesses are focusing almost entirely on the costs. Environmental groups, meanwhile, tally up the benefits without paying much heed to the costs.

“My view is that the Republican claim that ‘job-killing regulation’ is a redundancy is as ridiculous as the left-wing view that ‘job-killing regulation’ is an oxymoron,” said Cass Sunstein, head of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. “Both are silly political claims that have no place in a serious discussion.”

This is, to be quite frank, shocking.  At this point, who does Barack Obama think is going to campaign for him?  He's drawn the ire of the LGBTs, infuriated economists and social program advocates, and is now foolishly alienating the enviro movement.   2012 is looking bleaker than ever.

Newest Defense In Anti-Gay Harassment Suit: "She's Too Ugly."

Holy cow.

A Brooklyn real estate agent is suing the office where she previously worked insisting that it's basically a wretched hive of scum and villainy, where "raunchy sexcapades" and anti-gay harassment is the norm.  At People's Choice Realty, Priscilla Agosto alleges she was exposed over 14 months to verbal and physical assaults at the hands of her coworkers.  Even after she complained to her bosses, up to seven male coworkers made sexual advances, with employees offering her $500 to watch her have sex with her girlfriend.

In response to the suit, her former employers took an unfortunate and idiotic approach to defending themselves from her allegations:

"Who would touch her? She's an ugly girl anyway," she said of the former secretary. "She made up a story because she didn't want to work." 

Agosto's lawyer Brendan Chao said another former employee corroborated much of his client's account. 

He only brought the suit recently, he added, because a complaint had to be first filed with the city's Commission of Human Rights. 

Agosto worked in real estate office from January 2008 until March 2009. 

The discrimination suit seeks unspecified back pay and benefits. 

"People attacked her ethnicity, her gender, her sexual orientation," said Chao.

Um.  HAVE FUN LOSING YOUR CASE, ASSHOLES.

Yeah, America Is Still Effed Financially. Nice Try, Though, Ricky

Rick Perry's call to prayer, "The Response," drew about 30,000 fasting and praying Christians to the Reliant Stadium on Saturday, with protesters outside and plenty of crazy on the inside.

GetEQUAL was there to protest the event, which drew such nutjobs as Sam Brownback (who insists that Rainbow Flags are dangerous weapons) and John Hagee (who thinks Hurricane Katrina is the gays' fault).

Right Wing Watch compiled a video of the various whackjob speakers, half of whom were SPLC certified hate-group representatives:



Of course, the whole fasting thing didn't seem to work out well, with Perry himself having breakfast and dinner plans, while the concession stands at the stadium were busy:

"It was billed as a day of prayer and fasting to halt America’s national decline, and about 30,000 answered the call, flooding into Houston’s Reliant stadium for a seven-hour marathon which blended Christian revivalism with hard-headed electoral campaigning.

"There was plenty of prayer: some of the faithful stood with arms held high in supplication, others danced trancelike in the aisles and still more lay spreadeagled on the floor.

"The fasting was less conspicuous: long queues formed at Prince’s Hamburgers, Tejas Nachos, Five Star Dogs and other fast-food stands inside the cavernous arena.

"The rally on Saturday marked another step towards the launch of Rick Perry’s presidential campaign, giving the governor of Texas a national platform for the first time, with 250 reporters and camera crews covering it."

Maybe that's why America wasn't miraculously saved from disaster!  Rick Perry ate too much and God is punishing us!  

I mean, it's just as plausible as God punishing America because I'm marrying a man, right?

Continuing TP Stupidity In Wisconsin

Tea Party Nation's CEO, Judson Phillips, speaking at a Republican event in Wisconsin:

"I will tell you ladies and gentlemen, I detest and despise everything the left stands for. How anybody can endorse and embrace an ideology that has killed a billion people in the last century is beyond me."

What is he referring to?  Well, he's continuing the "liberals are Nazis" meme he previously illustrated by referring to Walker protesters as "brownshirts" and "stormtroopers," clear references to Hitler's minions in World War Two.  Which is funny, of course, because fascism is a clear extreme right-wing ideology, seeing as how Hitler's brownshirts were charged with union-busting.  And since when did liberalism espouse ethnic cleansing (undoubtedly the reference here being the millions of Jews massacred in the Holocaust)?  

Tea Partiers Are Fucking Crazy

Right now, recall elections in Wisconsin, geared toward reclaiming that state's government in order to repair some of the heinous damage done by nepotist and would-be despot Scott Walker and his cronies, are in high gear.  As part of that media/political extravaganza, the Tea Party Express has several bus tour stops in Wisconsin in order to bolster the voter bases that placed those madmen in office.

It's not a surprise some of the crazy things that are being said on the Tea Party Express, but what's even crazier is the response from the audience.  At this stop in Fond du Lac, Florida talk show host Andrea Shea King took the stage and told attendees that the S&P downgrade was being blamed on the Tea Party.  Far from the response sane people might expect, the crowd reacted positively, cheering the announcement:

SHEA KING: This week—I wrote it down—they are blaming the credit downgrade on the tea party movement. 

CROWD: Yeah! [Cheers, clapping] 

SHEA KING: They are calling it "the tea party downgrade." They are objectivizing [sic] us.

I can't decide, at this point, if this is indicative of some dastardly plan perpetrated on the American people by nefarious, shadowy supervillains intent on destroying the US or if this is just some dumbfucks in a small town cheering some shit they don't understand.  Either way, this, ladies and gentlemen, is the Tea Party: clapping for the destruction of our good fiscal name.

Scott Walker Continues War On Liberal Voters

Shah Walker of Wisconsistan is once more attacking Democratic voters' ability to cast their ballots, having already limited voting to residents who have a picture ID and now limiting their ability to get those IDs.

Citing budget shortfalls (what?  Taking away collective bargaining hasn't saved the economy in Wisconsin?!  Weird) Walker's office now has announced the closure of 10 DMV offices in the state, shuttering locations where people can get the crucial IDs necessary to vote.

Michael Schatz, a Wisconsin blogger, points out the crux of Walker's newest nefarious plan to maintain control of what he appears to consider his personal fiefdom: those 10 DMVs?  All in Democratic districts.

"This story shows just how stupid neoconservatives think the public really is. Walker and his ilk pass a bill requiring voters to present valid photo identification at the polls. Then, in the same breath, Walker and his ilk propose a bill to close the identification issuing centers (the DMV’s) in the Democratic districts, making ID’s more difficult for low-income voters to obtain.

"And then, when the Democrats call foul, Walker and his ilk shrug and claim their motivation is purely economic, not political. And we just shake our heads and move on, because, really, what can we do?"

Which, of course, is how the legislature and governor's office is treating it:

"A high-ranking DOT official rejected that claim, saying the changes were based on economics, not politics.

"Rep. Andy Jorgensen, D-Fort Atkinson, called on the state Department of Transportation to reconsider its plants to close the Fort Atkinson DMV center. The department plans to expand by four hours a week the hours of a center about 30 minutes away in Watertown.

"Jorgensen said he was concerned doing that would discourage people from Fort Atkinson from participating in elections.

"'What the heck is going on here?' Jorgensen said. 'Is politics at play here?'

"Transportation Department executive assistant Reggie Newson denied that politics was behind the office closure plan, saying the decisions were being made based on what made the most economic sense."

Dear Scott Walker: quit fucking with our most sacred rights.  

Congressman Allen West Gets Cranky, E-mails Ridic Tirade To Coworker

I once got fired in a corporate environment for calling someone a "dumbass" using company e-mail.  Luckily for Representative Allen West (R-FL), he gets to keep his job after firing off a monumental hissy fit to DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz after she repeated Democratic stances regarding his attacks on Medicare.  She made the statements after he had left the House floor, and boy did he get mad!  First, her remarks on the floor via Politico:

"'The gentleman from Florida. who represents thousands of Medicare beneficiaries, as do I, is supportive of this plan that would increase costs for Medicare beneficiaries, unbelievable from a Member from South Florida,' Wasserman Schultz said, saying the legislation 'slashes Medicaid and critical investments essential to winning the future in favor of protecting tax breaks for Big Oil, millionaires, and companies who ship American jobs overseas.'

"Her criticism of the legislation -- more or less what most Democrats are saying today -- provoked a furious response. West copied members of House Republican and Democratic leadership on the email, as well as his chief-of-staff, Jonathan Blyth."

His e-mail is TRULY hilarious.  He calls her vile, despicable, and then tells her she is NOT a Lady.  

"Look, Debbie, I understand that after I departed the House floor you directed your floor speech comments directly towards me. Let me make myself perfectly clear, you want a personal fight, I am happy to oblige. You are the most vile, unprofessional ,and despicable member of the US House of Representatives. If you have something to say to me, stop being a coward and say it to my face, otherwise, shut the heck up. Focus on your own congressional district!

"I am bringing your actions today to our Majority Leader and Majority Whip and from this time forward, understand that I shall defend myself forthright against your heinous characterless behavior……which dates back to the disgusting protest you ordered at my campaign hqs, October 2010 in Deerfield Beach.

"You have proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady, therefore, shall not be afforded due respect from me!"

Golly gee whiz!  Did he really tell Debbie to shut the heck up?  Such shocking language!  

Aside from the fact that he chose to criticize her ladyhood, thus reinforcing stereotypical ideals of how a lady should behave, he is overreacting, using childish language, and being incredibly unprofessional.  Plus, I laughed super hard at his e-mail.  I kinda want to get elected to office just so I can piss him off and watch my e-mail inbox fill up with his hilarious batshittery.

Sister Sunshine: Dumb

This video blogger took time out from signaling at the intersection to deliver a very important message: teaching LGBT history in schools will lead to Fudgepacking 101.  Duh!  They already teach that class at Berkeley.  Also: let's not vlog while driving, I can see up your nose.

GOProud Signs Onto The Crazytrain

How many anti-gay candidates does GOProud need to endorse?  This is starting to be embarrassing.

A statement from GOProud Executive Director Jimmy LaSalvia was released today outlining the organization's intention to meet with all the Republican contenders for the nomination.  While they have already met with some of the candidates, they have yet to get face time with Michele Bachmann but are hopeful.

LaSalvia, like Bachmann, earns my admiration because he has really good hair.

LaSalvia hopes to address his organization's legislative agenda with Ol' Crazy Eyes, one item being the intended defeat of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.  Passing an amendment, of course, is a legislative goal that Bachmann has used as a pillar of her career.

"The confab between GOProud and Bachmann is not as unlikely as it might seem at first blush. GOProud's website lists 10 legislative priorities, and only one--the opposition to a federal marriage amendment--concerns gay rights. The other nine focus on issues that could appear on any conservative group's website, such as lower taxes, support for Second Amendment rights and repealing the 2010 health care law.

"While the three-term Minnesota congresswoman has largely confined her basic campaign-trail message to economic issues, her past statements and policy positions regarding gay issues face ongoing scrutiny. As a Minnesota state legislator, Bachmann was a strong opponent of gay marriage, and this month, an advocacy group posted a video of a counselor at a Bachmann family-owned clinic telling a gay patient that he can be 'cured' of homosexuality."

I feel bad for Jimmy, in a sort of limited way.  Think of the crazy that he has to deal with in his own party.  

Dear Jimmy:  Just don't try to corner her in a bathroom.

My concern for GOProud, however, sort of evaporates once Chairman Chris Barron and LaSalvia asserted they would support Bachmann regardless of her anti-gay agenda should she win the nomination:

"In an interview with Politico, GOProud Chairman Christopher Barron said he was 'concerned' and 'troubled' by Bachmann's record and past statements about gay issues, but would not "be part of any 'war against Michele Bachmann.'" GOProud officials generally stress that sending a Republican to the White House trumps a candidate's view on one issue. 'We are committed to defeating Barrack Obama in 2012,' LaSalvia said. 'And want to be helpful to whoever secures the GOP nomination.'"

Le sigh.

Bachmann Dodges Questions About Reparative Therapy-- Uh, Bitch, I Don't Think So

ABC News caught up with Michele Bachmann in Iowa amid revelations that Marcus Bachmann's counseling practice does indeed encourage patients to "pray the gay away."  The good folks over at Truth Wins Out actually planted a patient inside the clinic who, within five sessions, was told that it was possible to become heterosexual through prayer.

This claim, of course, is patently false, as confirmed by just about every medical professional in the country. In fact, studies claim that reparative therapy is harmful to those patients and can lead to suicide attempts.

So when ABC News attempted to pin Bachmann down on the issue, she clumsily tried to sidestep the issue by talking about jobs.  From ThinkProgress:

"HOST: What is your opinion on reparative therapy and is it something that’s conducted in that center?

"BACHMANN: Well, I’m running for the Presidency of the United States and I’m here to talk about job creation and that we do have a business that deals with job creation. I’m very proud of the business that we created and I’m here today in Indianola, Iowa….

"HOST: But of course the issue today is about this reparative therapy and about what this hidden camera caught and their opinions are going to be aired on tonight’s news. And you don’t want to comment on that and give your side?

"BACHMANN: Well, I’m here to talk about the Presidency of the United States. As I said again, we’re very proud of our business and we’re proud of all job creators in the United States. That’s what people really care about."

You're right, Michele.  What people care about is job creation!  However, you built your career on something entirely different.  Up until this point, since she very first started her career in politics as a State Senator, Bachmann has built the core of her platform on anti-gay policy.  Jeremy Hooper from GoodAsYou (the hottest news nerd I know) succinctly and thoroughly put it all together:

"But wait a second -- this is someone who sent around a mass email saying that those Minnesota senators who ignored her warnings about same-sex marriage would be like those soldiers who ignored warnings regarding Pearl Harbor. Someone who went on radio shows claiming that same-sex marriage legalizes 'sexual anarchy.' Someone who's said, 'If you’re involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle, it’s bondage. It is personal bondage, personal despair and personal enslavement.' Someone who proudly endorses 'ex-gays' who've escaped the 'bondage of sin.' Someone who has quite literally fostered a career on these kinds of misplaced priorities."

Jeremy Hooper (right) with Pam Spaulding.  No, really, he's that hot.

Seriously, Bachmann?  Now that you've built a career out of anti-LGBT politics and tainted money from the oppression of suffering homosexuals, you think you can just ditch it all and pretend you never said this shit?  Uh, uh, honey.  That ain't gonna fly, not in this election.

Lou Engle: Tornadoes Are Totes Cuz Of Abortion

At least it's not the gays this time.

Religious Cult Leader Faces Death Penalty For Murdering Two, One Due To Suspected Homosexuality

Peter Lucas Moses, 27, of Durham, NC faces two charges of murder stemming from his time leading a cult.  One, a woman, was allegedly killed in retaliation for leaving their group marriage.  Even sadder, the other death was a four year old boy that Moses suspected might be gay.

The cases came to the attention of the police when a woman escaped the house where the organization lived, to include Moses, four other women, and eight foster children.  The women were considered to be in a marriage-type situation and called Moses "Lord."

The victims: Jadon Higganbothan and Antoinetta Yvonne McKoy.

"Sometime in October 2010, Smith told Moses that Jadon had hit another child's bottom, and Moses became angry and started walking around the house with a gun that belonged to Sisk, prosecutors said.

"'He starts screaming, "I told you to get rid of him!"' and told Sisk, "How am I going to do this?"' Cline recalled the witness' account.

"Moses ordered two of the women to set up computers and speakers in the garage, prosecutors said they were told by the witness. They said he started playing music with the Lord's Prayer in Hebrew, took Jadon in the garage and shut the door, and the women then heard a gunshot."

This is depraved.  I normally shy away from knocking religion-- I'm religious myself-- but this illustrates perfectly how religion can be abused to exploit, oppress, and harm people.

South Africa: AIDS Conspiracy Theorists Less Likely To Use Condoms

It's sad that South Africa, a country ravaged by HIV/AIDS, still has these kinds of misconceptions floating around.

A recent study done suggests that people who adhere to conspiracy theories about HIV-- that it was created by scientists, for example-- are half as likely to use condoms.  Even more disturbing is a trend among young, black South Africans to believe this sort of rot.  Respondents in the 20-29 range were 8 to 10 times more likely to believe an HIV conspiracy theory than others.

From Plus News:

"Among black respondents, 20 percent believed that HIV was man-made and created by scientists as an attack on people of African descent, according to a University of Cape Town (UCT) study.

"New research by Nicoli Nattrass, director of the AIDS and Society Research Unit at UCT, also found that AIDS conspiracy believers are 50 percent less likely to report having used a condom the last time they had sex than non-believers. Respondents with traditional values, and those who had lower socio-economic status but were not religious, were more likely to believe there was a conspiracy."

Even though we here at home consider ourselves far more educated, conspiracy theories about the virus abound in America as well, propagated by hate groups and white supremacists.  The very idea that God uses HIV to punish sinners is a very popular one, and can lead to false and dangerous suppositions about the disease.  After all, if you don't believe you're a sinner, you can't get HIV, right?

The study's data seems to provide a solution, however: respondents who had heard of the Treatment Action Campaign (an HIV/AIDS issues-based lobbying group) were more educated and reported a higher rate of use of condoms.  The key here?  Education and talking about the issue.  Given the recent decline of HIV/AIDS in American political discussions, I worry that we're robbing a generation of youth (gay and straight) of the necessary tools to remain HIV-free.

Marcus Bachmann: Gays Are Barbarians

As if we needed anything else to convince us that the Bachmanns are looneytunes, ThinkProgress unearthed this clip of Michele's husband Marcus, who runs a faith-based counseling center now rumored to feature anti-gay reparative "therapy."

"We have to understand: barbarians need to be educated. They need to be disciplined. Just because someone feels it or thinks it doesn’t mean that we are supposed to go down that road. That’s what is called the sinful nature. We have a responsibility as parents and as authority figures not to encourage such thoughts and feelings from moving into the action steps…"

Right.  I like dick because I haven't been educated enough.  I guess I'm just so dumb that I have to go do some sodomy.  Also: I'm pretty sure the most barbaric thing about this whole story is his shirt/tie combo.  It kind of gives me a "Dark Lord of the Sith goes to church" impression.

Tea Party Leader: Bullying Is "Healthy Peer Pressure"

So let me get this straight: bullying is now an endorsed social tactic from the right?

Rich Swier, a Tea Party activist involved with anti-muslim group ACT! For America who previously stated America was facing a "white extinction," responded to a study released from charity group Gulf Coast Gives which states that 77% of bullying victims were tormented based on their sexual orientation, real or perceived. His take? That bullying is a healthy means for peers to dissuade youth from following an unhealthy lifestyle.

So is racism a healthy method of dissuading people from being black?

"This is not bullying. It is peer pressure and is healthy. There are many bad behaviors such as smoking, under age drinking and drug abuse that are behaviors that cannot be condoned. Homosexuality falls into this category. Homosexuality is simply bad behavior that youth see as such and rightly pressure their peers to stop it. In Sarasota County over 70% of all HIV/AIDS cases are due to male sex with males."

He then goes on to compare smoking and underage drinking to homosexuality and calls the founder of GLSEN, one of the more respected gay organizations in the country, a "radical gay activist."

Let me be clear: shielding our children from anti-gay bias is not radical. It's necessary. I doubt the victims of bullying who have killed themselves to escape their tormentors would call the emotional torture they faced "healthy peer pressure." This guy is disgusting.

Bachmann Fans Follow Her Lead, Attempt To Rewrite History

In a bizarre interview on GMA in which she asserted that abolishing minimum wage requirements would benefit the economy, OAQ favorite Michele Bachmann tried to back up her statements that the Founding Fathers were tireless advocates against slavery.

"'Now with respect, Congresswoman, that’s just not true,' Stephanopoulos said. 'Many of them including Jefferson and Washington were actually slave holders and slavery didn’t end until the Civil War.'

"Bachmann dodged the question, answering, 'Well, you know what’s marvelous is that in this country and under our Constitution, we have the ability when we recognize that something is wrong to change it. And that’s what we did in our country. We changed it. We no longer have slavery. That’s a good thing. And what our Constitution has done for our nation, is to give us the basis of freedom unparalleled in the rest of the world.'"

Even more amusingly, she then painted John Quincy Adams, the sixth President, as one of the Founding Fathers.  Never mind, of course, that he was a small child during the Revolutionary War.  That didn't stop Bachmann supporters from going on Wikipedia and literally attempting to rewrite history on the open-source encyclopedia, adding "a founding father" to John Quincy Adams' page:

Luckily the wiki moderators caught the rewrite, and the page has been restored.  

Are You Serious, Rick Perry?

Riddle me this: if you were trying to court Hispanic votes, would you get up in front of a huge Latino crowd and then crack jokes about a politician whose name sounds like Jose Cuervo?

Yeah, dude, you're pretty much dumb. Just FYI.

Rick Perry would! From the NYT:

"Gov. Rick Perry received a tepid response when he addressed the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials on Thursday, joking about the pronunciation of a Hispanic appointee's last name and frequently staring blankly at the audience when they failed to respond to his conservative applause lines.

"In his defense, Hispanic politicians had earlier spoken passionately against his policies, deriding them as hurtful to Hispanics. Perry chose to ignore those topics and instead touted his appointments of the first Hispanic women to serve as secretary of state and to both of the state's highest courts.

"But a joke about how perfect it was to appoint Jose Cuevas to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission because his name sounds like Jose Cuervo — a brand of tequila — fell flat. Perry struggled to regain his confidence as he described Texas as a land of opportunity."

It's almost as if he wants to lose. Congratulations, Rick Perry! Your attempts at race-based humor have earned you the title of OneAngryQueer's "Comedian of the Week!"