The spokesman for much of the ex-gay movement wants America’s workers to resent gay couples because, he says, they’re AIDS-infected and will cost their co-workers a fortune in health premiums.
In an April 16 article, Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ to Drive Up Health-Care Costs, Focus on the Family quotes Exodus International spokesman Randy Thomas:
Said Randy Thomas, of Exodus International: “The (health-care costs) of homosexual males and homosexual females, when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases and other issues, run a lot higher in those communities.”
Thomas says to mandate “spousal” health coverage for those communities is to mandate higher bills for us all.
No one quoted in the article — not Focus, nor Exodus, nor FRC’s Tony Perkins — cites any studies to support their allegation that homosexual Americans overall have higher health costs. They simply assume, without evidence, that many or most homosexuals have AIDS. Then they assume, again without evidence, that people with HIV/AIDS are unemployed (or should be) and therefore must rely on a partner’s insurance benefits. Then they decide that all homosexuals should be set aside as a special class, deserving of special penalties, and charged high premiums for the actions of a few.
Baseless reasoning, harsh verdict, not an ounce of compassion — par for the course, for Focus on the Family. The boards of both Exodus and FRC are dominated by Focus operatives, and much of their marketing is performed by Focus operations such as “Love Won Out.”
This is truly astonishing. Making statements about actuarial issues and political economy without even looking at established conservative thought and findings. Costs do not determine prices; prices determine costs, as any rightwing economist could tell them. Exodus leaders seem incapable of understanding their own ideology. Also, health costs are related to aging processes and having children. Not to sexual orientation.
Also, Randy seems to say that treating STD’s among costs more for the same disease depending on the gender of one’s partners. In otherwords, gay men pay more for syphillis treatment than straight men. Is this at all credible? And I believe, figures show lesbian are at the LEAST risk of STD’s.
Perhaps Exodus leaders could better spend their time mastering English grammar and syntax.
At the end of the article, it states: “Another problem: Some faith-based groups may be unfairly forced to offer benefits to homosexual couples.”
I’m confused by this. I thought faith-based groups didn’t have to hire homosexuals. I thought they were exempt from laws regarding that? Or is that just non-profit faith-based groups?
At any rate, I find all this disgusting. I haven’t seen any love coming from Exodus circles for a long, long time.
In addition, like Dale pointed out, I’m one of the many lesbians that hasn’t ever had any STDs. However, I do have lingering chronic health problems that stem from untreated illnesses as a child (my parents believed mainly in faith-healing only). Maybe someone should look into that.
If gay marriage became legal in a given state, antigay organizations in that state would generally have the option to rewrite their benefits rules so that the benefits are offered only to heterosexual marriages.
I am aware of no federal laws requiring private employers to offer benefits to their workers or the workers’ relatives. Benefits are generally offered because employers that offer no benefits to their workers put themselves at a disadvantage in hiring.
No state requires that private employers offer benefits to partners of gay workers. Focus on the family admits here that Minneapolis and San Francisco are the only two cities attempting to require city contractors to provide benefits to gay family members.
Yeah, I heard that story on Family News in Focus and found it somewhat odd they didn’t interview anyone in an actuarial position (ie whos job it is to calculate insurance rates)
But while I’m on the topic of FNiF, I love how last week they ran a story discussing a voter survey of the top five election issues. OF COURSE gay marriage didn’t even register, a fact I pointed out to Bob Ditmer by email and asking why if the American public doesn’t care about gay marriage, why is FNiF so preoccupied with it. His only rebuff was that “apparently gay marriage is your top issue.”
Weak Bob, weak.
What I find odd is the fact that these groups will yell and scream that gays are “1-3% of the population”, a number too small to allow any change in marriage laws.
Yet, they’ll turn around and say that this “small number” will bankrupt the insurance industry as well as cause the downfall of all civilization.
They remind me of roaches running to the next available dark place when the light hits them. Scurrying from arguement to arguement in hopes that one of them will eventually stick.
Pathetic at best.
Remember, it’s not about truth; it’s all about fleecing the faithful!
No more Commies to rally the troops against, so raise the pink menace instead; always good for a couple tens of thousands in revenue!
I really wish there was a convenient resource that would tell people exactly how much “non-profit” ministers and ex-gay spokesholes make.
Anytime I’ve looked up FOTF or Exodus’ finances it shows how much “non-profit” money they take in but it never details how much their staff is actually making a year to tour the country.
I did a quick Google on “health care costs domestic partner benefits” and found a few articles. This (https://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/Business/Living/gay_marriage_Forbes_040408-1.html) recent ABC news analysis states that adding domestic partner health benefits rises costs about 1 – 2 percent (the higher figure comes in when employers offer benefits to opposite-sex unmarried couples as well). However, the true costs of adding the full benefits of same-sex marriage are not calculated, and the study cited did not appear to take into account the reduction in costs that employers may see as their gay employees drop their own employer’s coverage for their partner’s.