Christian group books anti-gay ads to appear on buses - Polidicks

[quote][IMG]http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/4/12/1334243979103/Core-Issues-Trusts-advert-009.jpg[/IMG] [SUB]Core Issues Trust's advert states: 'Not gay! Post-gay, ex-gay and proud. Get over it!' mimicking the style of Stonewall's: 'Some people are gay. Get over it' advertising campaign which has run recently.[/SUB] London buses have been booked to carry a Christianadvertising campaign expected to start next week, which asserts the power of therapy to change the sexual orientation of gay people. The full length advert, which will appear on five different routes in the capital, is backed by the Core Issues Trust whose leader, Mike Davies, believes "homoerotic behaviour is sinful". His charity funds "reparative therapy" for gay Christians who believe that they have homosexual feelings but want to become straight. The campaign is also backed by Anglican Mainstream, an worldwide orthodox Anglican group whose supporters have equated homosexuality with alcoholism. The advert will say: "Not gay! Post-gay, ex-gay and proud. Get over it!" Post-gay and ex-gay are terms used by Christians and some psychotherapists and psychiatrists to refer to homosexual people who have undergone spiritual or pastoral therapy and, according to an Anglican Mainstream definition, have "now left a homosexual lifestyle [and experienced] an increased emotional and sexual attraction to the opposite biological gender and possibly a reduction in or loss of same-sex attraction." The buses are due to roll out on Monday morning on some of the most popular routes. They will be seen for two weeks travelling past St Paul's Cathedral, down Oxford Street, round Trafalgar Square and through Piccadilly Circus as well as across other parts of the capital. The campaign is an explicit attempt to hit back at gay rights group Stonewall, which ran its own bus advert saying: "Some people are gay. Get over it." The Christian groups have used the same black, red and white colour scheme as Stonewall and accuses it of promoting the "false idea that there is indisputable scientific evidence that people are born gay". The Rev Lynda Rose, a spokesperson for the UK branch of Anglican Mainstream said because her group adheres to scripture that all fornication outside marriage is prohibited, it believes that homosexuals are "not being fully the people God intended us to be". It has sparked an angry response from gay rights campaigners. The former Europe minister and gay ex-vicar, Chris Bryant MP, said the advert was cruel, particularly to teenagers struggling to come to terms with their sexuality, for promoting the idea that you could become "ex-gay". "The emotional damage that is done to the individuals who try to suppress their sexuality, the women they marry and the children they might have is immeasurable," he said. "Most sane Christians believe that homosexuality is not a lifestyle or a choice but is a fact to be discovered or not. The pretence that homosexuality is something you can be weaned off in some way is a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of creation." Ben Summerskill, the chief executive of Stonewall, said the adverts were clearly homophobic and added: "The only reason some gay people might want to stop being gay is because of the prejudice of the people who are publishing the ad. "The promotion of this voodoo therapy is hugely irresponsible given the damage that it appears to do to some people." Attempts to "treat" or alter sexual orientation have been strongly condemned by leading medical organisations. The Royal College of Psychiatrists has warned that "so-called treatments of homosexuality create a setting in which prejudice and discrimination flourish" and concluded in 2010 that "there is no sound evidence that sexual orientation can be changed". The British Medical Association has also attacked "conversion therapy", a related field to reparation therapy, passing a motion asserting that it is "discredited and harmful to those 'treated' ". Rose said therapies endorsed by Anglican Mainstream and Core Issues were not coercive and stressed that they are appropriate for people who want to change their sexual attractions, for example if they are married and are worried about the impact of a gay lifestyle on their children. "Reparative therapy works to help men, who want to change their sexual orientation, naturally dissipate their homoerotic feelings and maximise their heterosexual potential," she said. In a statement, Anglican Mainstream and Core Issues said Stonewall's slogan is "merely another attempt to close down the critical debate about being gay, and marriage 'equality' ". They accused Stonewall of riding roughshod over individuals who chose to "move out of homosexuality". The statement continued: "Both organisations recognise the rights of individuals to identify as gay, and to live according to their own values. But by the same token, they believe individuals – such as married men and women unhappy with their homosexuality – should be supported in developing their heterosexual potential where this is the appropriate life choice for them … Current scientific research says there is no gay gene and that sexuality is far more fluid than has hitherto been thought." Assuming that the campaign prompts complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority it is likely to be investigated against the advertising code rules relating to harm and offence and potentially to truthfulness and substantiation. According to the code an advertisement must not contain content that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence. However the fact that a campaign is offensive to some people does not mean it will necessarily be banned. "Particular care must be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age," rule 4.1 of the code states. "Compliance will be judged on the context, medium, audience, product and prevailing standards" The campaign could also prompt complaints about whether or not the statements that relate to "reparative therapy" – "post-gay, ex-gay" – can be substantiated by the Christian group.[/quote] [URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/12/christian-anti-gay-ads-buses"]Source[/URL]

The pro-gay groups should retaliate with this next to the ads: [img]http://i.imgur.com/qy0Sh.jpg[/img]

i dont get what an advert like that is supposed to do other than express irrational hatred will gays see it and think, "oh shit i guess i better get over it now thanks to this poorly made advert"

I don't think they understand the meaning of the term "get over it". The Stonewall ad is saying "Other people are different from you, stop caring about it so much and stop interfering with other peoples lives." This one is saying "You're sinful and just acting on a choice, so discrimination against you is fine, especially if backed up by faulty 'science'. Let us keep discriminating against you." That makes no fucking sense. Then again, I'm talking about an ad that claims that you can change your sexuality, so it's not like there was much sense to begin with. Let me guess, if there was a similar sign for, say, atheism, or Islam, or switching it back to homosexuality (Not Christian/Straight! Ex-Christian/Straight, Post-Christian/Straight, Get over it) would have a huge fucking backlash.

[QUOTE=Last or First;35541525] Let me guess, if there was a similar sign for, say, atheism, or Islam, or switching it back to homosexuality (Not Christian/Straight! Ex-Christian/Straight, Post-Christian/Straight, Get over it) would have a huge fucking backlash.[/QUOTE] lmao thats like every sensationalist headlines thread where an atheist group does anything.

Excuse me but there is a difference between change and suppression. The sooner the anti-gay bigots learn that the better. [QUOTE]"The emotional damage that is done to the individuals who try to suppress their sexuality, the women they marry and the children they might have is immeasurable,"[/QUOTE] Being told your wrong for who you are is emotionally scaring and wrong on every moral level in my opinion.

Holy shit, "ex-gay"? That made me laugh my ass off

What a bunch of idiotic shitbirds.

this annoys me deeply

Hey Lynda Rose, since you love using shit from the Bible to get your way, check this out. Deuteronomy 22:28-29: [i]If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.[/i] If I rape you then we have to get married, but only after I give your dad a $50. This is why I have Anti-Gay activists, they use their religious freedom to cherry pick quotes from their favorite book, and then use that to justify their hatred towards gays.

"Post-Gay" sounds like an Ikea product

This must of made some gays get over the fact they were gay and move on with their lives. yeah, it's a pretty stupid ad.

I would love to see the reaction the general (idiotic and closed-view) public would have if these buses, then had the next week something that discriminates against Christians and Anti-Gay protesters. Am I the only one that sees it as really weird that they (The General Public) are discriminating the minority of whatever and are receiving little to no backlash hate?

[QUOTE=BANNED USER;35541668]Hey Lynda Rose, since you love using shit from the Bible to get your way, check this out. Deuteronomy 22:28-29: [i]If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.[/i] If I rape you then we have to get married, but only after I give your dad a $50. This is why I have Anti-Gay activists, they use their religious freedom to cherry pick quotes from their favorite book, and then use that to justify their hatred towards gays.[/QUOTE] you have anti-gay activists ;p

[QUOTE=cjone2;35541691]"Post-Gay" sounds like an Ikea product[/QUOTE] now announcing the POSTGE line of products! seriously though fuck religious persecution

[quote]Anglican Mainstream[/quote] perversions of language like this infuriate me. this isn't mainstream or anglican in any sense

Those adverts are probably going to be extremely counter-productive to their cause. Hopefully educated people will see them and be disgusted and in future be more vocal in their support when it comes to gay-based issues.

You know what I call it when a gay person is given therapy in an attempt to make them straight? Manipulative brainwashing resulting in (if its even works) an extremely confused individual that doesn't know what the hell they're supposed to be thinking. Also do they really think that a bus advert (prime place to centre your attention on) is going to change anything? All they are doing is spreading hateful views around. If Christianity is about loving thy neighbour then what do these people think they are doing antagonizing homosexuals and pushing them further away. If they truly believe therapy can "cure" a gay person and make them right before God and able to go to heaven and all that jazz they could make the effort to seem caring and compassionate; but no instead they just piss off everyone and come across as complete arseholes.

I thought discrimination was illegal?

post-gay sounds like a musical genre

[QUOTE=Ylsid;35542033]I thought discrimination was illegal?[/QUOTE] It is. This ad doesn't really discriminate as it only says "I'm proud of not being gay", it is just very tasteless.

So, according to that scientific study, these so called Christians are actually closet homosexuals, as are all homophobes.

[QUOTE=Uber|nooB;35542072]post-gay sounds like a musical genre[/QUOTE] post-david bowie

What the fuck? Isn't that illegal?

[QUOTE=Beaverlake;35542137]What the fuck? Isn't that illegal?[/QUOTE] It's less offensive than the WBC and it doesn't riot at dead kids, dead soldiers or disaster zones. Yeah, it's legal. Even if it's bad.

This should be illegal, it clearly words it like being gay was an addiction or a disease. Anyone up for covering that shit in rainbows with spraypaint?

why do these assholes exist [QUOTE=BANNED USER;35541668]long post[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkXOwBIRX7Y[/url]

Oh, thank you very much. I will end the relationship with the man I love and who makes me feel the best I felt all my life for most of the year, now... I will end the love which I found to bring the actual joy to my life, I will end the dreams that brighten any shadows of life that appeared since I am with him... I will end the endless source of inspiration in everyday life, as well as in my work and my humble artistic attempts, as well as one of the only real motivations I ever encountered in my life... I will end the thing I would cite as one of the main reasons for why I really want to live... ... just to placate your perverse and completely wrong urge to influence others to fit [I]your[/I] picture of the good world. Your little minds, driven by fear and angst, unable or unwilling to comprehend both the pointlessness and at the same time cruelty of your requests completely disgust me. Your absolutely wrong and inexcusable feel of entitlement and will over others are literally something out of centuries back. I hate to share this world and this age with you, and hope I will have to interfere with people like you as little as possible.

i'm christian and this is the most stupid, bigoted thing i've seen. (okay maybe not the worst but close)

can ignorant fucks just get over peoples choice of sexuality already? its part of todays society i mean god damn.