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In recent weeks I have seen several petitions circulating asking for signatures in an effort to get the attention of MSNBC producers, asking them to stop embracing a hate-speak political Christian – Tony Perkins – who is the head of the Family Research Council. He spews bigotry and misinformation about homosexuals decrying that gays are the root of America’s problems. He is a hideous example of a Christian and mainstream Christians are voicing their outrage along with secular Americans that Perkins has been a representative of Christians in general on numerous MSNBC shows such as Rachel Maddow, The Ed Show, Hardball with Chris Mathews…you name it.

There is nothing remotely okay about promoting this bigot. The chumminess is nauseating, and the total lack of acknowledgement for what a horribly hate-filled false Christian this man and his ilk are is inexcusable. Their efforts to oppose hate crimes legislation is evidence of their desire to whip up ongoing violence against gay members of our society and promote discrimination.

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I am well aware of the power of their rhetoric as I write this on the eve of going in for dental surgery to have a tooth extracted after being attacked by a representative of “The Watchmen on the Walls” in Seattle in 2009. This is the 3rd and last tooth that was damaged after the attack on me..one was capped, another required a veneer and my dentist did his best to patch this molar in every attempt to save it, but the fracture was through and through. The hairline fracture to my cheekbone and the daily pain haunts me everyday and reminds me of this horrible event with no repair in sight. I remember attending a “meet and greet” with radio show personality Thom Hartmann within a couple of weeks after this attack and the damage and discoloring of my face overshadowed our conversation as he was appalled at what had happened to me.

I have spoken about the attack on me a few times, and this is not about eliciting sympathy, it is about telling my story so that people understand that I am not viewing this on the periphery…I am living the hate. Friends tell me now that I “look too serious and don’t smile”…there is a physical reason for that.

My own mother fell victim to this Dominionist theology in the early 1960s when the missionaries swept through Alaska and in later years refused to stay in my home -even when I was single. She told my 4 year old daughter that they would eventually end up in heaven but I would not. Devastating for a child! I am telling you this because people like Perkins and all those who espouse this faux Christianity have done more to push people away from Christianity and the teachings of Christ than any secular humanist, atheist, pagan, Wiccan could ever have done as they so blatantly assert. Their adherence to hate is repelling – even to young minds – because it is antithetical to the doctrine of love, compassion and acceptance. I am a proud mother and grandmother. The rhetoric by these extremists about the supremacy of heterosexual parenting it simply not true. Their desperate messages are riddled with the spread of fear and paranoia…and as we have seen…that unfortunately works with the low-information voters.

The following is from the Southern Poverty Law Center article on what made them conclude that Perkins and the FRC had earned the distinction of being added to their list of Hate Groups…a despicable honor to be sure.

In Its Own Words

“Gaining access to children has been a long-term goal of the homosexual movement.”

— Robert Knight, FRC director of cultural studies, and Frank York, 1999 “[Homosexuality] … embodies a deep-seated hatred against true religion.”

— Steven Schwalm, FRC senior writer and analyst, in “Desecrating Corpus Christi,” 1999 “One of the primary goals of the homosexual rights movement is to abolish all age of consent laws and to eventually recognize pedophiles as the ‘prophets of a new sexual order.’”

–1999 FRC pamphlet, Homosexual Activists Work to Normalize Sex with Boys. “[T]he evidence indicates that disproportionate numbers of gay men seek adolescent males or boys as sexual partners.”

— Timothy Dailey, senior research fellow, “Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse,” 2002 “While activists like to claim that pedophilia is a completely distinct orientation from homosexuality, evidence shows a disproportionate overlap between the two. … It is a homosexual problem.”

— FRC President Tony Perkins, FRC website, 2010

What producer or host at MSNBC would think that this bible-based cult leader deserves any mention at all? His appearances only serve to repeatedly draw attention to the hate that he perpetuates in the name of Jesus Christ. I am furious that we have this type of pandering happening under the guise of journalism. What it comes down to is backroom dealings with advertisers and the almighty dollar always wins out over decency, authenticity and a conscience of duty to your fellow Americans.

I ask – please – that as many of you as possible take a moment and call the MSNBC Corporation at 212-664-2456 and add your voice to this protest. It must stop – we can stop it – hate in any form is not an American value.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not so naive as to believe that there is truly any such thing as real news in the mainstream media on the right or the left. Occasionally we are given actual news, but it has all become infotainment. I understand that…but a lot of people take these shows seriously and believe that they are newsworthy, so when they invite representatives such as Perkins on, touting him as a representative of America’s Christians…people falsely give him a nod of acceptance. This is woefully negligent!

The following video is a great compilation of why we are imploring MSNBC to stop inviting this monster on their shows as a representative of Christians. I am a mainstream Christian and I speak for the majority in America who want to stop being represented by these haters. Please watch this short video before reading the end of my blog post…it speaks for itself.

Bigots like Perkins are obsessed with homosexuality. Obsessed and ignorant. If only they would take their sanctimonious outrage and apply it to say…the molestation, rape and devastation that has been occurring in the Catholic church forever. Heterosexual Catholic priests, bishops and others in positions of authority who have used their positions to lord over these innocent young boys. How about that? Where is the outrage?

Too often, those as obsessed with homosexuality as the ‘Tony Perkins’ of the world are self-loathing and terrified that they themselves may feel an attraction to the same sex. The way that they manifest their insecurities is to attack what they loathe within themselves. We have seen this time and time again.

My advice? Get help! Hold your beliefs, your hate, your bigotry…but leave the rest of us alone. It is not easy for me to repeatedly share the photos of what I endured by an amateur “curbstomper”, but it is necessary to emphasize the extent of the damage that these people are capable of after listening to the sick hate regurgitated by the likes of Tony Perkins, Bryan Fischer and Rick Santorum.

About the author Leah Burton