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Popular Culture Review
On November 10, 2004, Traditional Values Coalition’s executive
director Andrea Lafferty spoke at the “Regeneration” conference. Regeneration
is a Christian ministry dedicated to “curing” homosexuals. Ms. Lafferty claimed
homosexuals have targeted and recruited children for the past twenty years in
public schools and urged the attendees to work to stop the recruitment of
children into homosexuality. She also encouraged parents to remove their
children from “pro-homosexual teachings.” Her accusations relied heavily on
the recruiting molester stereotype delivered with McCarthy-like flare. In Ms.
Lafferty’s own words, “What most parents don’t realize is that homosexual
teachers have included recruitment materials into nearly every subject—from
math problems to English assignments” (www.traditionalvalues.org).
Ms. Lafferty’s repertoire is not limited to the recruiting molester
stereotype. In early June 2004, TVC issued a statement claiming “Federal AIDS
Funding Fuels AIDS Epidemic.” Lafferty was TVC’s spokeswoman:
On Sunday afternoon (June 3), hundreds of homosexual AIDS
activist groups will descend upon Washington, DC to demand
cheaper AIDS drugs, taxpayer-funded AIDS programs
overseas, and more federal funding o f AIDS educational
programs.
“This coalition is demanding more money for AIDS
education, yet it never advocates discouraging the main cause
o f AIDS infection: homosexual sex,"" said Andrea Lafferty,
Executive Director of Traditional Values Coalition today.
(italics mine)
Ms. Lafferty seems unaware that the HIV virus is the only “cause” of AIDS
infection and that AIDS afflicts millions of heterosexuals and children in this
country and abroad. Nevertheless, her McCarthy-like attack and use of
stereotypes and myths intensified with the non sequitur assertions that
“homosexual activism” spreads AIDS and those activists involved in the fight
against the disease are like drug dealers:
TVC believes the federal government should prohibit
homosexual AIDS activist groups or health organizations
controlled by homosexuals from receiving tax dollars. “This
money is fueling homosexual activism and spreading AIDS. It
should only go to AIDS organizations that do not have a
homosexual agenda,” said Lafferty. “We don’t give money to
drug traffickers to stop the flow of drugs into our country. Nor
should we be giving AIDS money to homosexuals who