Setting Anderson Cooper straight

By Michael Brown

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Dear Anderson,

On your Ridiculist segment on Monday night, you addressed my friend Larry Tomczak, whom Ellen Dengeres also addressed, taking strong exception to his comments in a recent editorial.

Please allow me to respond to some of your remarks.

You ridicule the idea that there is such a thing as a gay agenda, noting sarcastically, “Now, I’ve never actually been to the secret meeting where the gays plot their agenda, though I imagine the catering is quite amazing.”

Anderson, who said there was anything secret about it? And what’s so bad about having an agenda?

Everyone has an agenda – conservatives, liberals, libertarians, animal rights activists, environmentalists.

Are you telling me gay activists have no agenda?

With all the massively funded gay activist organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, the Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Lamda Legal, GLSEN and GLAAD, are you saying there is no gay agenda? That all the major changes that have taken place in our society in the last 40 years have just happened by chance, from the redefining of marriage to gay adoption of children to gay-themed TV shows to anti-discrimination laws?

Of course, I’m aware that GLAAD once featured a section on its website listing “Offensive Terminology to Avoid,” explaining that terms like “gay agenda” or “homosexual agenda” were “OFFENSIVE,” suggesting that “PREFERRED” terms would be “lesbian and gay civil rights movement” or “lesbian and gay movement.”

So, yes, I know that part of the agenda of gay activists was to deny that there was an agenda. But at this point in American history, who can deny that there has been and continues to be a gay agenda, and a highly successful one at that?

Back on Nov. 10, 2006, Matt Foreman, then the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said, “The agenda and vision that we must proudly articulate is that yes, indeed, we intend to change society.”

Anderson, as a very well-informed journalist, surely this is not news to you.

But if it is, then I have some great news. I’ve carefully documented the goals of the gay activist agenda in my book “A Queer Thing Happened to America,” and it’s yours for the asking. (I bet that just made your day!)

You take exception to Larry’s claim that, “The indoctrination and propaganda coming from those advocating a gay lifestyle in our country, classrooms and culture are increasing,” explaining that you don’t know what is meant by a “gay lifestyle” any more than you know what is meant by a “straight lifestyle,” since the many gays you do know, just like the many straights, live all kinds of different lives, from cops to ministers to news anchors.

Of course, Larry would agree with that, as would I, and some of the most caring, kind, sensitive, hardworking and honest people in our society – not to mention in some of our own families – identify as gay.

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At the same time, many gays would freely admit that their relationships are not exactly the same as heterosexual relationships, with prominent voices like Dan Savage and Jay Michaelson advocating being more “open” in our relationships – Dan Savage calls it being “monogamish” – since we heterosexuals are just too hung up over old-fashioned, impossible to keep, non-adulterous visions of complete marital faithfulness.

To be sure, we’ve got more than our share of heterosexual problems when it comes to marriage and sexuality, but perhaps there’s some truth to the idea that homosexual relationships are not exactly the same as heterosexual relationships?

More importantly, I find it hard to understand how you can deny that there is a “bombardment” – to use Larry’s word – of gay indoctrination and propaganda through the media and classroom.

Should I tell the parents that their kids are lying to them when they come home from school with their latest stories of gay indoctrination? Are the teachers making things up when they tell me about the pressure they’re under to concur with gay-activist talking points? And if there’s not an attempt to introduce gay-affirming curricula in the schools, then what else does GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) do?

I stand with you in opposing the bullying and mistreating of all kids – high on that list would be kids who identify as LGBT – but I believe you can teach that bullying is bad without teaching that gay is good.

As for the larger indoctrination through the media, putting aside “Will and Grace,” “The L Word,” “Queer As Folk” and a host of other shows, things have gotten to the point where even Billy Crystal, who played a gay character 40 years ago, recently said that gay sex scenes on TV were pushing things a little too far for him. (He later clarified that he felt all graphic sex scenes were going too far, but why did he first single out the gay scenes unless those scenes are really being pushed?)

And what do you make of this announcement? “Out TV writer/producer Peter Nowalk is using the gay character in the show he created, “How To Get Away With Murder,” to push his gay agenda. And that is a wonderful thing since equality is his agenda.”

And let’s not forget that GLAAD monitors the content of the movies and TV to ensure it is gay positive.

I’m almost out of space, though, so let me address one last point.

You say that gays, just like straights, are having kids and that gay men are also called “Daddy.”

I don’t doubt that many gays are super devoted parents who are madly in love with their kids and that their hearts melt when they hear the words “Daddy” or “Mommy.”

But it’s a sad fact that you will never be able to look into your gay partner’s eyes, come together in an act of conjugal love and produce the unique offspring of your relationship, with that child calling you Daddy.

That strikes me as a very real loss.

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Michael Brown

Dr. Michael Brown (https://thelineoffire.org/) is the host of the nationally syndicated "The Line of Fire" radio show. He is the author of over 40 books, including "Can You be Gay and Christian," "Our Hands are Stained with Blood," and "Seizing the Moment: How to Fuel the Fires of Revival." Dr. Brown is dedicated to equipping you with hope, engaging your faith, and empowering you to become a voice for Moral Sanity and Spiritual Clarity. You can connect with him on Facebook, X, or YouTube. Read more of Michael Brown's articles here.


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