Date: Fri, 14 May 99 18:27:47 -0500 From: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Subject: [NGLTF PRESS] TASK FORCE CONDEMNS ANTI-GAY ADS AS POLITICAL PLOY *********************************************** NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE PRESS RELEASE Contact: Betsy Gressler, Deputy Political Director 202-332-6483 ext. 3306 800-757-6476 pager bgressler@ngltf.org 1700 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20009 www.ngltf.org *********************************************** TASK FORCE CONDEMNS ANTI-GAY ADS AS POLITICAL PLOY "It is bankrupt of the very virtues it espouses -- love and compassion. -- Kerry Lobel, executive director, NGLTF WASHINGTON, DC---May 14, 1999--- The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) today sharply criticized the latest attack by right-wing groups against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. This week, right wing groups have run television advertisements entitled the "Truth In Love" campaign, produced by Coral Ridge Ministries and the Center for Reclaiming America. Running on Mother's Day in the Washington, DC media market, the ad featured the mother of an alleged "ex-gay" recalling her and her son's struggle with his homosexuality. The multi-million dollar "Truth in Love" political campaign began last summer with a series of full-page print ads in national newspapers including the New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. The so-called "ex-gay" movement asserts that people can be "converted" to heterosexuality by embracing fundamentalist doctrine or through "reparative therapy." These claims have been rejected by the medical community and repudiated by most national religious organizations. "This ad campaign is simply one more weapon in the conservative arsenal of those who want to wage war against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people," said Kerry Lobel, executive director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "It is bankrupt of the very virtues it espouses -- love and compassion." According to the report "Calculated Compassion: How the Ex-Gay Movement Serves The Right's Attack on Democracy," the movement "provides political cover for a significant new phase of the Christian Right's long-running anti-gay campaign." The three-year study is the first comprehensive examination of the political role of this movement. It was commissioned by the Boston-based research center Political Research Associates (PRA), the Policy Institute of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Washington, D.C., and Equal Partners in Faith, a national network of religious leaders. Calculated Compassion is available online at http://www.ngltf.org/downloads/calccomp.pdf. -30- _____________________________________________________________________ Founded in 1973, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force works to eliminate prejudice, violence and injustice against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people at the local, state and national level. As part of a broader social justice movement for freedom, justice and equality, NGLTF is creating a world that respects and celebrates the diversity of human expression and identity where all people may fully participate in society. _________________________________________ This message was issued by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Media Department. If you have a question regarding this post, please direct it to the contact at the top of this message. If you wish to UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, please send an email with "UNSUBSCRIBE PRESSLIST" in the subject and body of your email message to . You may also unsubscribe by visiting http://www.ngltf.org.