“Yes, I have purchased numerous gay magazine subscriptions and books over the years as part of my efforts to research the movement–just like some gay researchers peruse the writings of the Family Research Council or Dr. James Dobson. (Should we accuse “Ex-Gay Watch” of secretly supporting Christian conservatives because they spend a lot of time and energy researching them?)”
==Petey Labarbera.
Yes, and many men claim to read Playboy for the articles. What’s odd about Petey’s protestations is that you’d think he’d learn that this sort of thing only keeps the joke going. I’m also pretty sure that if straight men could pick up women in a bathhouse, there’d be a hell of a lot of bathhouses.
Fun context at Wayne Besen’s in a couple places.
Here’s the full text:
Subject: FOR RAY DELGADO…Ray, before you reported that I “earned” Wayne’s nasty nickname…
… (“Porno Pete”), why didn’t you contact me first? Or do you always run with the most vicious smears just because a prominent gay activist uses them? Usually I get fair treatment in the gay press; not this time.
Yes, I once researched gay events, and still do occasionally, by attending them to get firsthand info. I sometimes went undercover so as not to get kicked out by “tolerant” gay activists (what are they trying to hide?), but other times I went openly, such as at the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Ass’n, where I once spoke at a panel debate opposite gay journalists dealing with whether the media has a pro-gay bias.
No, I do not “collect” porn–never have–and I am not interested in or enjoy gay pornography. Frankly, it’s pretty sick stuff, in my view. And no, I am not a homosexual nor did I ever struggle with those desires. (Isn’t it funny how gay activists accuse their opponents of being homosexual as if that’s the biggest slur they can come up with?)
Wayne Besen relied on the false testimony of a former “ex-gay,” Wade Richards, who worked a while for Americans for Truth before we (foolishly) urged him to speak at a press conference. Besen attended the event and apparently helped to recruit young Wade back into the gay life. Wade knew full well that my interests were as a critical researcher, but he wanted to strike back at me, so he accused me of collecting gay “porn.”
Yes, I have purchased numerous gay magazine subscriptions and books over the years as part of my efforts to research the movement–just like some gay researchers peruse the writings of the Family Research Council or Dr. James Dobson. (Should we accuse “Ex-Gay Watch” of secretly supporting Christian conservatives because they spend a lot of time and energy researching them?)
But, no, I don’t “collect” gay porn. Wade lied to smear me, and Wayne never bothered to check his new recruit’s “facts” because that would have gotten in the way of him slamming a right-winger, I suppose.
The fact is, porn is a prominent part of the gay male world, and some magazines I collected had pornographic content (surprise!). (Most were simply gay publications like the Washington Blade.) On my side of the issue, we think porn use/addiction is a big problem; hopefully some gays will agree with us, but regardless, the endless effort to portray ME as a gay perv because I try to expose the wrongs of your movement makes about as much sense as saying GLAAD supports the Federal Marriage Amendment because they write about it a lot.
I’ll cc this to Wayne Besen for publication (full letter only, Wayne), but I’m quite sure it won’t deter him from spreading lies about me in his crusade to nail the “religious right.”
Best–Peter LaBarbera
It’s all research you see.
For extra fun, Daniel Gonzalez at Ex-Gay Watch has made a mock-up membership card for Petey at SteamWorks.
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