This is the article that appeared in the July/August 2023 edition of Catalyst, our monthly journal. The date that prints out
reflects the day that it was uploaded to our website. For a more accurate date of when the article was first published, check out the news release, here.
There is a widespread hoax campaign underway by radical queer and trans activists trying to scare the public into thinking they are “under attack.” Buying into this lie is the United States military.
On June 9, Bill Donohue wrote the following letter to Rep. Jim Banks, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, asking him to launch a hearing on this manipulation of the military. We contacted all members of the armed services committees in the House and Senate.
Dear Rep. Banks:
Your critical comments on the Pentagon’s diversity and inclusion policies are very much appreciated.
As a Catholic civil rights leader, and as a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, I am appealing to you and your colleagues to launch a hearing on the Pentagon’s latest irresponsible statement on this issue. On June 7, Gil Cisneros, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for personnel and readiness, was quoted as saying that the “LGBTQ plus and other diverse communities are under attack, just because they are different (my italics).”
This is patently false. Not a single attack was cited by Cisneros nor any other military spokesperson. Space Force Chief Operating Officer Lt. Gen. DeAnna was more pointed, saying, “more than 400 anti-LGBTQ-plus laws” have been introduced in the states this year.
In other words, laws passed by state legislators protecting children from sex-reassignment surgery, and irreversible hormonal damage, are now considered by the U.S. armed forces to be an “attack” on queer and trans persons.
Where is the military getting this propaganda?
At the same time these two Pentagon comments were made, the two most prominent LGBT organizations in the nation were making similar remarks. On June 6, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) said, “LGBTQ+ Americans are living in a state of emergency (my emphasis).”
HRC cited a new report, LGBTQ+ Americans Under Attack, to buttress its point. What is the basis of this alleged “attack”? It cites “more than 75 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that have been signed into law this year alone….” Again, attempts to stop children from having their genitals mutilated are now considered by the U.S. military to be an “attack” on queers and trans persons.
Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, chimed in, referencing the same legislative effort to safeguard the health and wellbeing of children. She said, “This is a terror campaign against our community (my italics).” She provided no examples of terrorism against anyone.
This is an invidious scare campaign. It is designed to impugn the motives of lawmakers who want to protect children from chemical castration, and similar kinds of operations. In the name of human rights, these activists are falsely screaming that their constituents are “under attack” by those waging a “terror campaign” against them, triggering a “state of emergency.”
It is all a pernicious lie.
I urge the Armed Services Committee in the House and Senate to inquire why the military is taking its cues on this issue from extremists. These activists are working against the best interests of children, and that of the United States. Someone in the military must be held accountable.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
William A. Donohue, Ph.D.
President
cc: Members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees
