Extremist Christians For Dishonesty, Hate, and Misinformation

That should be the title of Peter LaBarbera’s Americans for Truth (AFT) website. His latest post attacks sports reporter Christine Penner.

“I challenge ‘Mike/Christine’ to do a column describing, in detail, ‘sex-reassignment surgery’ – whereby a penis is turned into a makeshift ‘vagina’ — assuming he is one day going to go that route. (‘Transitioning’ people are required to live one year as the opposite sex before undergoing the horrifying operation.) Then we’ll see just how ‘natural’ all of this is.”

Is breast augmentation or a vasectomy natural? How about putting people on ventilators when they are ill, is that natural? As far as the operation being horrifying, who would it horrify (certainly not me! Give me $16,000 and I’ll have it done tomorrow)? If it isn’t horrifying to the person having it, then who does it horrify?

If you want to get technical, the first SRS surgery was done by God.

“So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh.Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.” – Genesis 2:21-22

He continues:

“Transsexualism is perhaps one of the most extreme manifestations of the modern philosophy of “I feel, therefore I am.” Just because men (and women) caught up in gender confusion FEEL that society should “respect” their gender-twisting choices, doesn’t mean that it is healthy for society to do so.”

Going against the majority of therapists in this country, Mr. LaBarbera inserts his OPINION. The success rate of sex reassignment surgery is somewhere between 68%-86%. The same cannot be said for the “reparative therapy” his side claims is the answer. While there are no official studies of transgender reparative therapy, the success rate for reparative therapy for sexual orientation is less than .5%.

“Nor should taxpayers and corporations be forced to subsidize the radical ‘sex-change’ operations — another goal of many in the ‘trans’ movement.”

The Harry Benjamin Standards of Care is accepted by the majority of mainstream therapists and surgeons. The HBSOC states:

“Sex Reassignment is Effective and Medically Indicated in Severe GID. In persons diagnosed with transsexualism or profound GID, sex reassignment surgery, along with hormone therapy and real life experience, is a treatment that has proven to be effective. Such a therapeutic regimen, when prescribed or recommended by qualified practitioners, is medically indicated and medically necessary. Sex reassignment is not “experimental,” “investigational,” “elective,” “cosmetic,” or optional in any meaningful sense. It constitutes very effective and appropriate treatment for transsexualism or profound GID.”

Withholding treatment for something that modern medicine treats as a “mental disorder” is cruel. There is much debate on both sides about IF it should be included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). But the fact that it is a currently accept diagnosis should compel insurance carriers to cover it.

“Granting newfangled “civil rights” based on “transgender” identities has it completely backwards: a healthy society would discourage gender confusion as much as possible, rather than celebrate it. And we haven’t even started talking about supposed “transgender” children, the “T” in the “GLBTQ” (”Q” is for “Questioning”) acronym tossed around by pro-homosexual activists and educationists who work with youth”

Notice the use of the word “gender confusion”? In evangelical circles this is a kind of “politically correct” language is used to mock transgender people. The confusion for most transgender people is why their gender identity and birth sex don’t match. The process of transition removes the “confusion.”

If you look at Christian blogs posts (including AFT’s posts) concerning the the recent hate crimes bill, you’ll notice that most of the time they will refer to it as the “Thought Crime” bill. I guess “politically correct” language is only offensive when it’s coming from the mouth of a liberal atheist.

This kind of dishonesty shouldn’t surprise me. This is an organization that uses and supports the work of Ted Pike. Ted thinks that the Jews rule Hollywood, support pedophilia, created Bolshevism, and are the originators of the “Thought Crimes” bill.

Of course AFT’s just worried about free speech, right? That’s why AFT use the WordPress blogging platform, but have removed the comment feature.

Postcript: I’ve been shocked by the amount of lies and deceit by these so called Christian organizations. Some good posts on just how much these folks out and out lied here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Christ was right:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'”

Marti Abernathey is the founder of the Transadvocate and the previous managing editor. Abernathey has worn many different hats, including that of podcaster, activist, and radiologic technologist. She's been a part of various internet radio ventures such as TSR Live!, The T-Party, and The Radical Trannies, TransFM, and Sodium Pentathol Sunday. As an advocate she's previously been involved with the Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy Alliance, Rock Indiana Campaign for Equality, and the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition. She's taken vital roles as a grass roots community organizer in The Indianapolis Tax Day Protest (2003), The Indy Pride HRC Protest (2004), Transgender Day of Remembrance (2004), Indiana's Witch Hunt (2005), and the Rally At The Statehouse (the largest ever GLBT protest in Indiana - 3/2005). In 2008 she was a delegate from Indiana to the Democratic National Convention and a member of Barack Obama's LGBT Steering and Policy Committee. Abernathey currently hosts the Youtube Channel "The T-Party with Marti Abernathey."

4 Comments

  1. Mark 9:43-47 (King James Version)
    And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
    Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
    And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
    Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
    And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire

    i’ve always liked this one; it seems to say it all, and perfectly disputes and casts out the idea that body modification is “mutilation”, but instead, one of god’s approved and encouraged methods by which his followers can become closer to him.

  2. Mark 9:43-47 (King James Version)
    And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
    Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
    And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
    Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
    And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire

    i’ve always liked this one; it seems to say it all, and perfectly disputes and casts out the idea that body modification is “mutilation”, but instead, one of god’s approved and encouraged methods by which his followers can become closer to him.

  3. Marti, luv you luv your blog. May I ‘tag team’ off of it?

    First quote on desciribing the operation. Isn’t it more appropriate for a competent surgeon to answer such a question, rather than Christine? Isn’t that information readily available on Google to anyone with a computer, and at any public library? What’s your point, AFT? And Marti’s ‘who does it horrify” is great. Hitler’s concentration camp medical procedures were horrifying, becasue the victims were just that, victims. One might argue that the nuclear tests in the 1950’s, with soldiers in nearby trenches, were horrifying, and the soldiers, victims.. No person in America seeking cosmetic surgery, be it a breast augmentation, nose job, face lift, SRS, eyebrow lift or whatever, is a victim. Who does it horrify?

    Third quote, on how it “doesn’t mean that it is healthy for society to [feel] so.” Nor does it “mean that it is UNhealthy for society to [feel] so.” Where’s the logical connection?

    Marti, you’ve done a great job demolishing LaBarbera’s arguments, and finding countering Biblical verses as well. There are other comments I might make, but I can’t really add anything more, so I’ll spare the readers. Thanks for your post.

  4. Marti, luv you luv your blog. May I ‘tag team’ off of it?

    First quote on desciribing the operation. Isn’t it more appropriate for a competent surgeon to answer such a question, rather than Christine? Isn’t that information readily available on Google to anyone with a computer, and at any public library? What’s your point, AFT? And Marti’s ‘who does it horrify” is great. Hitler’s concentration camp medical procedures were horrifying, becasue the victims were just that, victims. One might argue that the nuclear tests in the 1950’s, with soldiers in nearby trenches, were horrifying, and the soldiers, victims.. No person in America seeking cosmetic surgery, be it a breast augmentation, nose job, face lift, SRS, eyebrow lift or whatever, is a victim. Who does it horrify?

    Third quote, on how it “doesn’t mean that it is healthy for society to [feel] so.” Nor does it “mean that it is UNhealthy for society to [feel] so.” Where’s the logical connection?

    Marti, you’ve done a great job demolishing LaBarbera’s arguments, and finding countering Biblical verses as well. There are other comments I might make, but I can’t really add anything more, so I’ll spare the readers. Thanks for your post.

Comments are closed.