The Background
Dear Catholic Exchange,
Our picket of the Bisexual Men's Conference at the Holiday Inn Select in
Mission Valley, San Diego yesterday was a success. Friday afternoon and again Saturday morning we dropped a press release with several news agencies, including the Associated Press and the hotel, about the event from “San Diegans for Family Values” denouncing the secretive nature of the event and Holiday Inn's participation in it. Although no news crews showed up, we are satisfied that we accomplished our desired objective of exposing this event that the Men's Awareness Institute and Holiday Inn wanted to keep “discreet.”
Five people participated in the protest while many others prayed for us. One of our members drove a van back and forth in front of the hotel that was outfitted with signs that said “Sodomy is a Sin” and the Ten Commandments while the remaining four stood on the sidewalk in front of the hotel with signs that said “AIDS is Death,” “Holiday Inn Sponsors Perversion Events,” “Bisexual Men Spread AIDS,” and “Bisexual Men Victimize Women.”
I was the first sidewalk picketer to arrive. As I stood with two signs, four
young men came out of the hotel. I turned toward the main entrance so they
could read the signs, and one began pointing his finger at me and motioning his buddies to also look. They got into a car, then drove around, pulled up next to me. One guy got out and began walking toward me. At first I was afraid, thinking they were conference-goers and were going to beat me up, but instead he asked, “What's going on here?” I showed him my signs and told him about the event. He was amazed and asked, “You mean here in this hotel? I'm staying here!” He went back to the car and told the other guys about it, then he and one other came back and took pictures with me, with me holding a different sign for each photo. Talk about a surprise!
A passerby asked what was going on; when we told him, he gave us the “thumbs up” and thanked us for what we were doing. Another couple walked by; the wife, who wore a Cross necklace, said they would never stay at Holiday Inn again. Several others said the same thing.
Of course, we also received the usual share of “middle-finger salutes” and horn honks because the picket site was very close to the San Diego homosexual
neighborhood of Hillcrest. A few cars circled around us, one stopping to take
our photos. We also saw a man some distance away, partially hiding in tree
branches, photographing us. Another man walked up to us and expressed his
disgust with our signs and said he couldn't believe this was going on in “my neighborhood.”
Now, Sunday, we have just received a call from the local Fox TV affiliate
asking for a group member to debate the topic of homosexual adoptions this
Tuesday as a result of the press release we dropped. This will be my first “professional spokesperson” appearance ever on TV, and apparently I'll be going up against a representative from the ACLU. Please pray for this debate. Any and all advice on appearing on television, arguments against same-sex adoptions, and debating the ACLU will be gratefully accepted.
Thanks and all God's blessings once again to all who helped and prayed for our picket. May we have many more — but better yet, may perversion groups (and their hotel facilitators) cease such events entirely.
Allyson Smith
allysons@wans.net
— Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them (Ephesians 5:11).
Support from Catholic Exchange
Dear Allyson,
Congratulations on your successful picket. Here are some tips for your TV appearance:
1) Sit up straight, don't move your head much, and maintain a bright, kindly, composed demeanor throughout.
2) Work up a short list of talking points and stick to them. Do not allow the ACLU debater to sidetrack you or get you off message. If you're not conversant in a point he or she raises, return to your talking points.
3) Lead with your best argument. The TV format is short so you'll want to take your best shot right away and repeat it several times. Make sure to repeat it one more time at the conclusion of the debate.
4) Here are some resources to help you work up your set of talking points and anticipate the arguments of your opponent:
http://www.dadi.org/aw_adopt.htm
http://www.cathchild.org.uk/GAYADOPT.HTML
http://www.adoptionfamilycenter.org/resources/adoption
http://www.cwfa.org/library/family/1998-01-14_homo-adopt.shtml
Best of luck. Our prayers are with you.
Tom Allen
Editor
A Thank You from Allyson
Dear Tom,
You are a doll, this is exactly what I need. I've been trying to find
arguments “against” homosexual adoption, but they are minimal compared to the number of “for” arguments on the Net. Thanks so much for this info and especially your prayers.
The Web page looks great, by the way. Thanks so much for publicizing this. I pray it will encourage others to join the fight against sexual perversion because it's very bad out there and we need all the activists we can get. People have been so beaten down from the abortion fights of the past few decades that there are far fewer who want to take on the fight against grown men and women who have freely chosen to engage in sexual perversion. However, these people are in need of truth spoken in love, and we must be the ones to say it to them.
Allyson
Hi Christine and Miranda,
I have a big bone to pick with you two.
I was told on the phone Sunday by you, Christine, that I would be debating one person from either the ACLU or the local gay community. Then on Monday you told me I would be debating two people including well-known lesbian activist attorney Barbara Cox.
I called back later on Monday and spoke to you, Miranda, about my concerns
regarding Barbara Cox whom I know from firsthand experience to be a major
proponent of AB 25 and AB 1338, the domestic partnership rights and civil
unions bills respectively, and you assured me on the phone and in your e-mail, below, that she would be there simply to provide an unbiased source of legal counsel regarding the homosexual adoption ruling that took place here last week. I asked if I could have a conservative attorney accompany me in order to make the debate more fair, and you refused. You also said in your e-mail that I would be going up against one partnered homosexual man, Robert Rainwater.
So imagine my surprise and dismay when I arrived at your studio yesterday to
find the following:
• That Robert Rainwater had brought his partner, Maben Smith, and that both were allowed to be part of the debate (making it a three-on-one “gang bang” against me.)
• That Barbara Cox arrived with some gal named Frankie who is Cal Western Law's media relations person.
• That the debate lasted approximately 40 minutes, or the entire second half of your noon newscast, until 1:00 p.m., instead of 10 minutes from 12:20 to 12:30 p.m.
• That Barbara Cox tried to skewer me with accusations of hatred when she was supposedly only there to be an “unbiased” source of legal information.
• That Robert Rainwater and Maben Smith were given “cushy” soft chairs while I was given a hard barstool to sit on (which some of my viewing friends noticed.) During one of the breaks, Smith made a comment — not jokingly — about wanting to pick up his chair and throw it at me.
Although everyone at your studio was kind to me, you guys really sandbagged me and I do not appreciate it at all. Many friends who watched yesterday's debate told me that it was totally unfair and obvious that Fox set me up for a lynching. In the future, should I ever be invited to appear on another of your broadcasts with this same type of format, I will insist on legal counsel being allowed to accompany me on the air. In the meantime, I am telling all on my subscriber lists about your pro-homosexual bias and unfair treatment of
conservatives.
Thank you,
Allyson Smith
San Diegans for Family Values
Fox's Original Invitation
On Monday, October 29, 2001 6:30 PM, Miranda Brown [SMTP:mirandab@fox6.com] wrote:
Allyson, the guests booked for tomorrow are Barbara Cox, and Robert
Rainwater. Robert is a gay man with a partner. They have two adopted children. I have spoken with Barbara and have been assured that she will be there tomorrow strictly to handle any legal concerns with AB25 and the same-sex adoption ruling from last Thurs. I do not have room for another person on the show. However, the Anchors are good mediators and they will be made aware of your concerns with Barbara Cox. We also will be taking emails on the matter throughout the broadcast. Our like-minded viewers usually share their
opinion as well.
I think it will be a well rounded panel. Please let me know of any more concerns. Looking forward to meeting you tomorrow.
Thank you,
Miranda Brown
Producer, Fox 6 News at Noon
(619) 993-3510
(818) 650-5416
Peter LaBarbera Weighs In
Dear Fox,
Hey, I don't even know you guys, but why did you ambush my friend Allyson?
This is why so few Americans trust the media. And the gays cry like they're the “victims.” Give me a break! When they say “Jump!” the media ask, “How high?”
Why don't you make it up to Allyson by giving her a fair shot at another debate (or, God forbid, have a 3-against-1 with the pro-family guys in the majority)? C'mon. How would you like it if someone jerked you around like this?
Sincerely,
Peter LaBarbera
Culture and Family Institute
Washington, DC
www.cultureandfamily.org
202-488-7000
