Borndifferent.org is seeking to let Colorado Springs meet Norman, a dog that says “Moo”. It’s part of an effort to encourage discussion about the biological bases for sexual orientation.
According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, they are running ads on television and have banners around town featuring Norman and have information on their website.
The facts they quote on their site, particularly about twin studies, are overly broad and may be outdated, but their purpose is to initiate dialog, not “offer conclusive scientific proof one way or the other”.
Of course Focus on the Family was ready to downplay the scientific community’s position, change the subject, and play the marriage card:
Even if the ads aren’t supposed to start technical, scientific discussions, a psychologist for Focus on the Family said the campaign gives the false impression of a consensus among experts. Bill Maier, vice president and psychologist in residence at Focus, said scientists have reached no conclusions on a biological basis for homosexuality.
Maier said he suspects the campaign is a cloaked effort to advance political agendas such as legal gay marriage.
“What saddens me the most about this is that gays and lesbians themselves are being kept in the dark about the true nature of sexuality,” he said.
Is that what saddens you most, Bill? Somehow I doubt it. If you really cared about gay people being told the “true nature” of sexuality you wouldn’t try to spin, twist, or deny the results of scientific studies such as those about a mother’s chromosomes or the orientation of younger brothers. If the interests of gays and lesbians themselves were that high of a priority to you, Bill, you wouldn’t lobby for legislation that makes their day to day lives more difficult or takes away their health care.
I think you are just trying to say something that will sound sympathetic in the press but which you don’t really believe. Old-fashioned conservative folk like me have a name for that.
C’mon, Tim!
If you expect something serious and scientific from Bill Maier, you’re in for big disappointment.
Methinks you weren’t expecting something serious and scientific 🙂
If the facts are outdated then why use them? I’ve said it before here – the pro-gay stance does a lot better, and gains more credibility in the constituency that this kind of advertising is trying to reach, when it deals with the GOOD research.
Peter O said:
If the facts are outdated then why use them?
Hard to argue with that 🙂 Cute site though, would make a good PSA for television.
David Roberts
I think that its only a matter of time till human scientific mind come to see that we are born gay.
Penguins are cute. 🙂
And so is this site.
Poor, poor Bill Maier’s probably just sad that there’s no way he can make his hate look that cute.
RE: The borndifferent.org dog mooing campaign, I don’t know about anyone else, but the next mooing dog I see will be the first … the campaign seems to reinforce the opposite point it sets out to make.
Speaking of which, this site offers a humorous counterpoint the nonsensical mooing dog effort:
http://www.no-moo-lies.com
… the next mooing dog I see will be the first
Zooooommm! Right over your head, eh? Someone at Focus got it and felt the need to create their own site just to counter it. Keep watching, you may get it yet 😉
I don’t find Sherman humorous. Focus really didn’t try to be cute. There main focus is that marriage amendment. Norman just asks you to accept the loveable him. There’s nothing loveable about Sherman. Dog’s bark. Tell us something we don’t know.
It just goes to show what an incredibly unoriginal and re-active organizations like Focus are.
There is an ACLU – make a kristian one, the ADF.
There is PFLAG – make PFOX.
Pro-gay dog – come up with an anti-gay dog.
Not very creative or effective marketing.
I don’t know, I have mixed emotions on this topic.
I’m not mixed on the topic of gay rights. I believe 100% in the rights of gays to marry, adopt, and generally be treated like the human beings they are.
The portion I feel mixed on is the part about it being 100% genetic. I believe genetics can play a part in it, I believe people can be born gay.
That being said, even a cursory examination of human sexuality will show that saying it’s ALL genetics and that ALL gays are born that way is as foolish as saying it’s all a sinful choice.
As with any nature-vs-nurture debate, BOTH sides are wrong in the very fact that they have TAKEN a side. Logic and parsimony dictate that a wide amalgam of factors effect the final outcome.
In addition to my intellectual distaste for the, “It’s obviously ALL genetics”, argument; I feel it will lead to INCREASED predjudice in the future.
There are already numerous bi-sexuals who have faced persecution as viciously at gay hands as straight. (I have counted myself in those numbers in the past) The predjudice from gays against bis increases whenever a new potential genetic evidence comes forth. In addition, if we did prove WHAT the genetic factor is, it will only embolden the folks that try to “fix” gays.
(Do you really think it will make them leave you alone? No, it will give them more ammo.)
Only when we acknowledge that the factors involved are varied, can we destroy the anti-gay movement.