Anti-Gay Advocate, Scott Lively, Award Ceremony Attacked

Homophobe Scott Lively

On October 15th, Scott Lively, long-time advocate and supporter of harsh anti-gay laws in Uganda, was awarded by Americans For Truth About Homosexuality(AFTAH). This is not the first we've seen this group publicly push its hateful agenda at the Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights. In the past they have hosted a public seminar warning students and others about the 'homosexual agenda'. But many will not sit around quietly as homophobia rears its ugly head. The Gay Liberation Network called for a public demonstration against the 'award ceremony', which was attended by many allies; while the night before militants took extra action against the unrelenting den of homophobes. Lively says "In my 20 plus years of pro-family activism, I have never seen such a brazen act of ‘gay’ militancy.’

Here is a communique from an Anonymous  cell found on Chicago Indymedia:

In the early morning hours of October 15th, we put two chunks of concrete through the glass windows and doors of the Christian liberty academy(502 W. Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights, IL)We did this because at 6pm today they will be hosting an event organized by the homophobic hate group Americans For Truth About Homosexuality that will be presenting an award to Scott Lively. Lively is an American preacher and founder of the hate group Watchmen on the Walls. 

Christian Liberty Academy - Post Attack- Chicago Tribune

In 2009, Lively and other American homophobes spoke at a conference in Uganda called “Exposing the Truth About Homosexuality and the Homosexual Agenda”. This conference stirred the anti-gay atmosphere that already exists in Uganda, a country with laws that punish homosexual acts with up to 14 years in prison. As a direct result of this conference, participants have drafted a bill that, if passed, would increase the sentencing for homosexual acts to life sentences and execution and make it a legal responsibility to report homosexuals in the community. Lively has also co-written a book called “The Pink Swastika” which claims that homosexuals created the Nazi Party and were responsible for the Holocaust, a book that has been repeatedly denounced as inaccurate by historians.
Americans For Truth About Homosexuality is another U.S-based hate group that is based in Naperville, IL. Run by Peter Labarbera, the organization has previously organized day-trainings for youth anti-gay organizers on how to counter the “Homosexual Agenda” at the Christian liberty academy. Americans For Truth About Homosexuality lost their non-profit status this past summer. 

On January 26, 2011, Ugandan gay rights activist David Kisule was murdered after being outed in a newspaper ad that listed names and photos of queer people in the community as a part of an anti-gay campaign that is a result of Scott Lively’s visit. 

These chunks of concrete were thrown through these windows and doors for two reasons: to show that there is a consequence for hatred and homophobia in our community and to directly cause this event to be shut down. If this event is not shut down, and the homophobic day trainings do not end, the Christian liberty academy will continue to be under constant attack. 

Please call scott lively, Christian liberty academy and peter Labarbera and tell them how you feel 

Lively: 1-951-834-5933 Peter: (630)546-4439Christian Liberty Academy: 847 385-2125

Here is a report back of the public protest from Chicago Indymedia by GLN:

Activist Who Promotes Imprisoning of Gays Protested in Suburban Chicago 

ARLINGTON HTS., IL — Pro-LGBT picketers greeted notorious anti-gay activist Scott Lively in suburban Chicago last night at the annual banquet of "Americans For Truth About Homosexuality" (AFTAH), an organization designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as a "hate group."  

The protest was sponsored by the Gay Liberation Network (www.GayLiberation.net) and supported by South Side Anti-Racist Action.Though he denies it, Lively is widely seen as a principal promoter of Uganda's "kill the gays bill" which would institute the death penalty for what it terms "serial homosexuality" and prison sentences for those who defend gays or fail to report them to the police. In 2009 Lively and two other U.S. evangelicals traveled to Uganda and spoke at a conference which, he boasted, someone likened to launching "a nuclear bomb against the gay agenda in Uganda."
The New York Times reported that "the Ugandan organizers of the conference admit helping draft the bill, and Mr. Lively has acknowledged meeting with Ugandan lawmakers to discuss it."  

ABC News reported in March 2010 that Lively said of his Ugandan counterparts, "These are good Christians; better Christians than there are here in the states. They care about each other. And I think the reason they're pushing so hard on this law is that they don't want to see what happened to our country happen over there."  

This isn't the first time that Lively had tried to promote his anti-LGBT bigotry abroad. In 2007 he traveled to Russia, a country already riven with anti-gay violence and government repression, and wrote an article advocating that Russians should "criminalize the public advocacy of homosexuality… The easiest way to discourage 'gay pride' parades and other homosexual advocacy is to make such activity illegal in the interest of public health and morality."

Some one Claiming KC IWW Promotes Platform For The Fascists

An update 10/06/11: 

I, Brianna Holmes-Burton, when making the statement below, was not speaking for the IWW as a whole, nor was I speaking for the Kansas City Branch of the IWW. I have asked other branch members if someone else can manage the Kansas City IWW facebook page and will not be using it except to check for IWW inquiries so that no one is ignored while we are waiting for someone else to volunteer to keep up with the page. I consent to being named publicly as the source of this problem and concede to all points against my statement. I offer no defense for any contested point whatsoever. This is entirely my fault and I should never have posted a personal opinion on the Kansas City IWW page. I did not seek input from my branch or any member of the IWW before making the statement. Also, on a personal note, I do not condone racism or any other similar forms of hate in any way whatsoever. That was not my intent in any shape, form or fashion.  I am so sorry. 
 Please contact me if there is anything else I can do to help fix this

Since the politics of the occupy movement are pretty vague/up in theair at the moment, most of the discussion we have seen has been of thenature of liberal vs. radical/anti-capitalist tug-of-war. However,there is another crew (or handful of crews) that also want in - thefar right. 

This is from a blog entry aboutOccupy KC, where someone posting as the KC IWW on facebook said:

 KansasCity IwwOccupations, please do not fall for divide and conquer tactics! thisis not about partisan politics, this is about class solidarity amongthe 99%. Tea Party members are part of the 99%. If we reject eachother based on political affiliation, we will fail. We need to focuson what we have in common as 99% of the world population who issuffering at the hands of the 1%. Find one demand that we can allembrace. It is there. Find it. Turn no one away. Explain to theracists why race is not the problem, explain to liberals why the TeaParty is not the problem, explain to conservatives why Obama is notthe problem. Tell everyone, the 1% is the problem. We are the 99% 

There are multiple problems with this:

1)"this is not about partisan politics, this is about class solidarityamong the 99%" - Not sure we're down with this 99% thing, as itseems to imply a broad class front that includes everyone but therichest of the rich. There are plenty of people left out of thecategory of the super-rich that I don't want solidarity with, likefascists, white nationalists, police/FBI, politicians, Stalinists, thebourgeoisie and some of the petty bourgeoisie that make up the bossesand landlords that we have so many problems with, etc.

2) "Tea Party members are part of the 99%" - White nationalistsseeking to push the Republican Party back to the days of lynching.Fuck 'em, they may technically be part of the 99%, but they want to bepart of the 1%.

3) "If we reject each other based on political affiliation, we willfail". -  Couldn't disagree more with this.

4) "Find one demand that we can all embrace" - Overly simplistic andclass-reductionist, the 99% is much to diverse for this (especially ifit includes people that are not part of the working-class). Wateringdown our messages/goals is not a good idea. Furthermore, we should not begging for scraps. Attack the root of oppression;capitalism. Do not beg for the improvement of the issues created by it.

5) "Turn no one away" - This is probably our  biggest issue with all ofthis. Within ARA we do anti-fascism from the "No Platform" approach,which means we don't allow fascists (or others on the far right) tohave a public say. To do so is to allow a victory for fascists, asthey get a chance to get their message out to the audience or organizein a community and possibly make some new contacts. We don't preferto peacefully protest, we shut events down or prevent them fromhappening in the first place. This "turn no one away" approach meansa passive approach to neo-nazis, Klansmen, Minutemen, etc., but italso means a passive approach to white nationalists, Tea Partiers,third-positionists, anti-semites, conspiracy theorists, and othershitheads that can pass off their ideas as mainstream and legitimatebecause they don't wear SS uniforms or white sheets.

6) "Explain to the racists why race is not the problem" - This one isalso bullshit. We get what they are going for, but racial oppressionis a major problem in this country and needs to be directly addressedand not pushed to the side. Open discussion of race and whitesupremacy is something that should be at the front of our organizing,just like class, gender, the environment, and other issues that wehave identified.The other example cited was of a 9/11 Truther passing on anti-semiticpropaganda through facebook on a page related to Occupy KC. APennsylvania Tea Party group has already public stated: "Listen upPatriots! We have access to over 50,000 kids on Occupy Together! Goeducate them to the truth". These two examples should be enough toprove our points, but we're sure we are going to see more. It is sort ofsimilar to the way Tea Partiers deny they are racist, but consistentlyattract Nazis, Klansmen, and other white nationalists to their eventsbut don't really seem to have an answer as to why it happens. If theOccupy Movement situation is made repugnant to anyone that would wantto push oppressive ideas, they will be much less likely to participate(or successfully participate) that if we allow them their say.

 The other recent post on OPP details Occupy Boston's creation of ananti-oppression policy early on, which looks like a much better ideathan being tolerant of fascists and white nationalists if they wantthis movement to be liberatory and not just another populist agendathat is divisive on class issues.