Intimidatin' for God

On Saturday, Pam wrote about her ongoing feud with Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality and the recent escalation in his campaign to silence her. In a recent interview, he had this to say:

Pam Spaulding … is quite open with her anti-Christian bigotry. She's a hater, through and through. … Spaulding heaps the most vile accusations against Christians…

It sounds like he ripped that right from Bill Donohue's press release about Amanda and me. Apparently "anti-Christian bigotry" is their new mantra, to be lobbed at anyone who has a problem with religion, or a single interpretation of a single holy text, being used to justify discriminatory legislation. And when the mendacious invective fails to silence someone, then it's time to go after her livelihood:

Peter and Co. had to move on another front -- to try to discredit me by mounting a media/email/calling campaign to my employer about me, painting the portrait of this "fanatical lesbian anti-Christian activist" to them, hoping to 1) get a response/condemnation, or 2) get me fired, or 3) both. Never mind that my employer is not connected to the Blend's content in any way, shape or form.

Pam's employer has stood behind her and refused to give LaBarbera an inch. (As I write, I just received from them a note responding positively to a letter of support I had written on Pam's behalf.) Not everyone would be so fortunate. I don't for a moment believe that LaBarbera is daft enough not to know that Pam's blog and her job have nothing to do with each other—she's not the public face of her employer, nor is she a paid advocate, nor is she a public figure—and yet he nevertheless has no compunction whatsoever about trying to get her fired. The more fraught they get, the more vicious and unrestrained people like Donohue and LaBarbera become—and it's only going to get worse, because they are losing this battle big time.

Recently, Mama Shakes had the occasion to interview a local student, and asked her what she thought the biggest issue for her generation will be in 20 years. The girl replied (paraphrasing): "You know how taking so long to end slavery is a shameful part of our history, and how long it took us to give the vote to women is a shameful part of our history? Well, I think in 20 years, we're going to think that denying marriage to gays for so long is one of the great shames of our nation, too." That's from a teenager in Redneckville. She's our future—and Donohue, LaBarbera, and company are just desperate dinosaurs.

And you don't even have to believe in dinosaurs to share their fate.