TWO Thanks DC Mayor For Explaining That PFOX Honor Was a Mistake

Wayne Besen of TWO issued this statement:

We are Relieved That The Mayor Did Not Honor A Hate Group, Says TWO

NEW YORK -Truth Wins Out (TWO) thanked Washington, DC mayor Adrian Fenty today for quickly clarifying that a certificate of appreciation given to Regina Griggs, an activist with Parents & Friends of Ex-Gays, (PFOX) was a clerical error. PFOX had breathlessly touted the certificate in a press release and proudly displayed a copy of it on its website. Today, the mayor's office issued the following statement:

"A staff level error was made when the request for the certificate in question was fulfilled. We apologize for the error as it runs contrary to the Mayor's vision of a more open and inclusive city.

"The Mayor is proud of his ardent support of the LGBT community as illustrated in his championing of the Marriage Equality legislation which he signed into law on December 18, 2009."

"We appreciate Mayor Fenty's rapid response and for clarifying this troubling issue," said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. "The mayor took an affirmative step to stop PFOX from touting the certificate as a stamp of approval from the DC government. We are pleased that no such recognition was given and that the mayor did not endorse a hate group that deliberately spreads misinformation against LGBT people. Additionally, we thank GLAA's Richard Rosendall for bringing the issue to our attention and for their efforts to resolve this matter."

Truth Wins Out also took PFOX to task for its overwrought excitement over a certificate it was mistakenly given.

"This pathetic publicity stunt shows how desperate PFOX is for attention and how delusional they truly are," said TWO's Besen. "Now they look doubly ridiculous, because the they were never meant to have this certificate."

As I just said in a note to Besen, I don't see how the terse message from the Mayor's office is "an affirmative step to stop PFOX from touting the certificate as a stamp of approval from the DC government." I don't even know if Mafara Hobson or anyone else in Fenty's office has communicated with PFOX. Leaving that us and the press is rather lame. Also, as Bob Summersgill notes in a blog post this morning, Hobson did not answer all my questions — and now she has invoked "a personnel issue" to justify refusing to explain their managerial incompetence (as Bob puts it). But I certainly agree with Besen's criticism of PFOX.

Update: See Bob Summersgill's remarks under Comments.

Update 2: Wayne Besen has posted a good explanation of TWO's position under Comments. And thanks to Wayne for his postings on this and his continuing work to expose the "ex-gay" fraud.

Comments

[Bob Summersgill]

It is factually incorect for Truth Wins Out to say that no such recognition was given.

“We are pleased that no such recognition was given and that the mayor did not endorse a hate group that deliberately spreads misinformation against LGBT people.”

While the Mayor’s staff did apologize for issuing the certificate, Mayor Fenty did in fact issue the Certificate of Appreciation. His office has not attempted to rescind it. And the Mayor has not condemned the ex-gay movement or their ideas.

[Wayne Besen]

The intent of the certificate giver – made clear by the mayor’s office – matters as much as what was erroneously received by PFOX. Thus I believe our statement is accurate if read in the context of the situation.

From our narrow point of interest - countering "ex-gay" programs at a national level - the mayor's statement was adequate. Rick and Bob do raise very important points that we encourage the mayor's office to promptly address. However, these are primarily key questions that pertain to DC politics and are best asked by GLAA and not Truth Wins Out.

We thank GLAA for leading on this issue, informing us about it, and greatly appreciate their continued efforts to hold the local government accountable for their actions on this matter.

Wayne Besen
Executive Director
Truth Wins Out