What
is the purpose of this site?
Several right wing organizations, particularly Focus on the
Family, traffic in disinformation. It is time that those who
would manipulate science for political advantage be held accountable.
We are asking researchers who have had their work distorted,
cherry-picked or exaggerated to report infractions, so we can
help put and end to such academic abuses. This site is also
a wake-up call to some media outlets that do not demand accountability.
Reporters must begin to tell their right wing sources: If you
can’t prove it, don’t use it.
Is
this an attempt to limit free speech?
While we respect the right to free speech, we reject the idea
that false speech should not be vigorously challenged. The U.S.
Constitution, for example, does not guarantee a TIME Magazine
guest column or multiple appearances on Larry King Live, as
James Dobson has had. If accuracy and standards still matter,
how can the media present a spokesperson, of any viewpoint,
which has serially been accused of lying by the very people
he or she cites to make a reasonable case?
There are
many spokespeople who presumably can make a conservative argument
without resorting to an inaccurate presentation of research.
It is time the mainstream media found such principled conservatives,
instead of relying on tainted or truth challenged sources.
Finally,
while we vehemently disagree with people who oppose homosexuality
on religious grounds, we defend the rights of those who hold
such views to speak out. However, it is immoral and unconscionable
for Dobson, and others, to say their anti-gay views are supported
by medical or social science. They clearly are not, and any
assertion to the contrary is a willful misstating of the most
reliable contemporary factual information available.
How
long will this campaign last?
This campaign will continue until it is no longer considered
business as usual for political organizations to misrepresent
the legitimate work of others. It is wrong to allow right wing
demagogues to debase, dehumanize and demean GLBT people with
bogus statistics, phony studies and the manipulation of respected
research.
Is
this a campaign by mean liberals and radical homosexuals?
In the case of Dobson, it was the very researchers he cited
in his own work that challenged his academic integrity - not
liberal or gay activists. It is clear by the very fact that
he quotes these scholars that he respects their work. So efforts
to now dismiss their criticisms or demonize them will prove
ineffective.
It would
also be nice to see Dobson act with the conservative principles
that he professes. He can start by taking personal responsibility
for his actions and apologizing to the academics whose work
he has butchered for political gain.
Why
do we care?
Until GLBT youth are no longer committing suicide, hate crimes
are no longer occurring and discrimination is a relic of the
past, we have an obligation to counter the Big Lie and create
a better world for the next generation.
What
does Truth Wins Out do?
Truth Wins OUT is a non-profit think tank and educational organization
that counters right wing disinformation campaigns, debunks the
"ex-gay" myth, and provides accurate information about
the lives of GLBT people.
Our work includes:
** Providing opposition research
on the "ex-gay" myth
** Discrediting right wing propaganda
** Educating America about the
GLBT community
