Welcome to 1985. That’s what it seems like if you listen to “pro-family activist” Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality. LaBarbera is calling on President Obama to shut down the gay bathhouses to stop the spread of AIDS.
OneNewsNow, a “Christian” news media outlet, ran this story Wednesday on LaBarbera’s reaction to the International AIDS Conference held last week in Vienna, Austria:
- Peter LaBarbera
“At last week’s International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, the Obama administration pledged the support of the U.S. in the global fight against AIDS. But one pro-family activist points out that an important aspect is missing from the undertaking.
“Both President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made prerecorded speeches at the close of the conference, committing the nation’s dedication to fight the disease. However, one key factor seemed to be absent from the rhetoric, says a prominent pro-family activist.
“‘It’s not a big mystery about what helps cause AIDS, and yet one key portion — homosexual practice, homosexual sex — is just off the table,’ notes Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH). ‘And then we wonder why we can’t keep this disease in check.’
“He compares this issue to the Wizard of Oz or the emperor who has no clothes. ‘There’s a lot of talk about fighting AIDS, but they’re not really serious about one of the key causes, which is homosexual behavior,’ he laments.
“Instead, LaBarbera says, President Obama promotes it. He wishes the president would take serious action to combat the disease — like shutting down homosexual bathhouses.
“‘Bathhouses are places where men can go practice this dangerous sexual activity in secret,’ the AFTAH president explains. ‘They can bring it home. If they’re bisexual, they can bring it back to their wife or their girlfriend and be the conduit for AIDS into the heterosexual community.’
“Based on the fact that the Obama administration has avoided the issue, the pro-family activist concludes that it is politically incorrect to talk about the dangers of homosexual behavior.”
OK, so once I wiped the tears of hysterical laughter from my eyes, I read this again and realized just how NOT funny it really is. Not funny for so many, many reasons.
First of all, this guy is trying to take us back to the dark ages of the AIDS epidemic, when fear and misinformation ruled.
I mean, c’mon, “homosexual behavior” does not CAUSE AIDS. Yes, HIV can be transmitted through sexual contact, whether it be homosexual or heterosexual sexual contact. But there is a big difference in means of transmission and cause. AIDS is CAUSED by a virus. And guess what, that virus does not discriminate based on sexual orientation.
And the reason we can’t “keep this disease in check” is because of people like LaBarbera and his ilk who are spreading hate and lies and misinformation. I mean, how many men actually believe this guy and think they won’t get AIDS as long as they never have sex with another guy?! THAT’s what adds to the spread of the virus.
I just want to make sure that Ol’ Pete knows HIV is already spreading like wildfire through the hetero community, and has been for years, and it is because of people like him who spout this kind of shit instead of actually paying attention to science and fact and reality.
We need to stop letting LaBarbera and others of his ilk get away with their crap about “the dangers of homosexual behavior” and we need to start talking even more about the very real dangers of stupidity. And of hate. And of shame. And of lies. LaBarbera and others like him are so full of hatred or self-hate or whatever, that they are putting lives at risk with their stupidity. We can’t stop them from talking, but we do have to call them on their lies.
So hey, Pete. I’m calling bullshit. You want to hate LGBT people, that’s fine. That’s your right. But your stupidity on AIDS/HIV is putting lives at risk. So either learn the facts or shut the hell up.
