Comments on: Palm Springs Unity Rally Spokesperson Misleads Readers

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 00:58:00 +0000

A friend of mine attended the conference in the morning and the rally in the afternoon. He commented that it seemed to him that at “mission field was outside while Focus on the Family stayed inside preaching to the choir.”

By: Michael Bussee

Michael Bussee — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 21:07:00 +0000

I talked to 100-150 people that day in a number of different settings to get their impressions of the day’s FOTF event. I talked to people on the protest bus, “marchers” in front of the chruch, rally organizers, some media reps and people in the crowd. Later that day, I also hit a gay resort and talked to some guys “hanging out” poolside, some folks at dinner and some patrons at Toucan’s bar that night.

Here is what I found:

(1) With the execption on the organizers, the guys from “Exgay Watch”, some local gay affirming clergy and myself, very few people really KNEW or CARED much.

(2) Those who did know, definitely thought of the conference as a “Focus On the Family Event”.

(3) No one liked FOTF.

(4) Very few knew of EXODUS — except some who had “survived” an “ex-gay” group and some others who “knew someone who got really messed up by one”.

(5) “NARTH what?” No one knew or CARED what NARTH was. The word reminded some of “DARTH VADER” — the Star Wars villian.

(6) They were all going to be relieved when the circus left town. No one, except some Rally Speakers, used the word HATE. “STUPID” was the term I heard most often.

Overall, I got the feeling that most people who DID know werre irritated, but not angry, the FOTF roadshow had hit town. They seemed to have better things to do — like enjoying their lives, their families, their gay-friendly valley and all its natural beauty. Maybe, I should do the same.

By: Jim Burroway

Jim Burroway — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 07:31:00 +0000

Re: Jim, feel free to post a link here when you post on your site. Thanks for the invitation. My post is now up.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 02:51:00 +0000

Ex-gay watch has photos of anti-gay marriage pamphlets on the conference attendee’s chairs. Perhaps, in all fairness, you should start a new thread on how LWO and FOTF misleads reporters.

http://www.family.org/cforum/pdfs/fosi/marriage/Why_Not_Gay_Marriage.pdf appears to be the pamplet in question.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 02:07:00 +0000

Apparently, LWO tends to “mislead” folks as well. This rom the Desert Sun:

“Love Won Out media director Gary Schneeberger said the event was not aimed at influencing political decisions on gay marriage, domestic partner benefits or gay adoption. But in at least one of the conference sessions the speaker highlighted gay marriage ballot initiatives and told the audience arguments they could use against gay marriage advocates.”

“National same-sex marriage could also mean a very real threat to our religious freedom,” Bill Maier, a Focus on the Family vice president, told the group.