Popular Culture Review
94
teenagers in the U.S. have tested positive fo r HIV, and that
touching
a
person's
genitals
can
result
in
pregnancy,. . . (italics mine)
To state as “fact” that half of all gay male teenagers—^presumably those
in and out of the closet—^have been tested is preposterous enough, but to
compound it with the assertion that “half tested positive for HTV” is almost
beyond belief. . . until one considers another “fact” these government-sponsored
faith-based programs offers as “education”: “touching a person’s genitals can
result in pregnancy.” In a Crossfire program broadcast on CNN in December
2004, Genevieve Wood of the Family Research Council"* repeatedly refused—
five times, according to the transcript—to disown the idea that masturbation can
cause pregnancy (www.cnn.com).
From Causes to Effects
There is no act that is not the coronation of an infinite series of
causes and the source of an infinite series of effects.
—Jorge Luis Borges
The increasingly stereotyped antigay rhetoric coming from the
Christian Right and their political minions has had and continues to have an
effect. The Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies (IGLSS) “is an
independent think tank that bridges the gap between the world of research and
the world of policy debate and public opinion.” A report entitled “The Dangers
of a Same-Sex Marriage Referendum for Community and Individual WellBeing: A Summary of Research Findings” by Dr. Glenda M. Russell appeared in
the June 2004 edition of IGLSS’s Policy Journal and was featured on their web
site (www.iglss.org). Some of the main findings included:
•
•
•
•
Elections that call into questions the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) people create sharp divisions in communities. People
who have managed to disagree but live in peaceful coexistence become
enemies in a public battle.Hostile and extreme rhetoric becomes common in
the political arena.
Stereotypes and untruths about both sides become staples of the formal and
informal campaigns and of everyday conversation.
Some of the most damaging impact occurs within families in which
members are divided in their opinions and can no longer live comfortably
vsdth those differences.
When a particular group is the subject of political debate, group members
often exhibit a variety of negative outcomes including anxiety, depression,
alienation, fear, and anger.