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crossposted on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters
In the midst of the hoopla about ballot initiatives that we have to put up with today, it's “touching” that religious right groups take time out of their busy schedule of trying to deny us marriage equality and non-discrimination rights to make the case that we are so rich that we don't deserve any employment protection at all.
Take the case of Lou Sheldon and the Traditional Values Coalition's push against upcoming ENDA hearings:
ENDA is designed to get homosexuals, bisexuals, cross-dressers, and transsexuals added to the list of federally-protected minorities. If this is accomplished, the LGBT agenda will be imposed on businesses, local, state and federal governments, including public schools K-12, Christian day care centers and camps, plus religious broadcasters with more than 15 employees.
This legislation is based on the false premise that gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered individuals are victims of widespread and systematic discrimination in the workplace.
Marketing statistics from gay marketing companies indicate that the average income for a gay or lesbian is $80,000 a year. The U.S. Census notes that the median income in 2008 for blacks was $34,218; for Hispanics it was $37,913; for Asians it was $65,637. Median income for non-Hispanic white households was $55,530.
In addition, gay marketers say that gays and lesbians spend an estimated $45 to $65 billion a year on travel!
The first part of this statement is a mishmash of bad talking points, distortions, and aggressive semantical words.
We've heard it all before. And what else should we expect from a man who has no shame in referring to lgbts as “sodomites.”
But that claim regarding lgbt income is sure to come up again.
It's a huge distortion but an old strategy used by religious right groups to make the case against non-discrimination protection for lgbts.
In looking at lgbt income, Sheldon cites research done by “marketing companies,” but in looking at African-American, Asian, and Hispanic income, he cites the U.S. Census.
The problem with this is that work done by marketing companies is totally different from the work done by the U.S. Census. Marketing companies are generally hired by businesses in order to find where the appeal would be for their product. Of course their work is geared to folks with money, whether they be lgbt or not.
The U.S. Census is mainly an objective way to count numbers and income to gain an idea of how large a population is and what their needs are.
Let me put it this way.
According to religioustolerance.org
A number of surveys promoted by conservative Christian organizations claim that gays and lesbians have higher incomes than heterosexuals, and thus have no need of civil rights protection in employment.
Perhaps the most famous survey is the one conducted by the Simmons Market Research Bureau in 1988-OCT. It is commonly promoted by the American Family Association, Focus on the Family, Freedom Heritage Forum and other conservative Christian groups. The conclusions were reported in The Wall Street Journal in 1991-JUL. The raw data looks impressive:
Average household Income: Homosexuals: $55,430; National Average: $32,286/yr
Percent College Graduates: Homosexuals: 60%; National Average: 18%
Workers in Professional or Management Jobs: Homosexuals: 49%; National Average: 16%
Taking overseas vacations: Homosexuals: 66%; national average: 14%
The problem with the data is that the values quoted for “homosexuals” are in no way representative of the average gay and lesbian. the survey was taken among homosexuals who subscribe to one of 8 leading gay newspapers; they thus belong to a select group within the les/gay community.
Media Matters.org puts it this way:
The survey's findings, however, did not reflect a representative sample of the national gay population. The Simmons survey polled only readers of popular gay-oriented magazines and those who filled out sign-up sheets for the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. As the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals Inc. (NOGLSTP) noted, “People who buy and read newspapers and magazines tend to have more education and higher incomes. Gay events attract people who can afford to travel or pay an entrance fee.”
Media Matters goes on to bring up a fact that is sure to put a kink in Sheldon's obvious attempt to play the lgbt and African-American community against each other:
Indeed, as NOGLSTP also noted, a 1989 study by Simmons found that readers of African-American-oriented magazines like Jet, Ebony, and Essence earned 41 to 82 percent more than the average African-American.
So Sheldon and the Traditional Values Coalition is misappropriating “marketing research” to make a false case against ENDA.
Why that's almost as bad as distorting studies that looked at non-married gay couples to make a case against marriage equality.
Wait a minute. TVC was already beaten to the punch on that one by the Family Research Council.
In all honesty though, truncating credible studies, i.e. distorting their conclusions, the information included in the study, or the purpose of the study, is a religious right hallmark.
So much so that it obviously must be approved Christian behavior according to that new Conservapedia version of the Bible I keep hearing about.
One of these days, I'm going to have to read that thing.
Related posts and articles:
Another flawed piece of work courtesy of the Family Research Council
What are the top religious right lies about the gay community?
Researchers complain about religious right distortion of their work
Family Research Council head misrepresents credible information to hurt ENDA
Bathrooms, Church Exemptions, and Lies: Five ways the religious right misrepresents ENDA
20 Comments
$80,000?Someone owes me a whole lot of money!
Hmmmmmm….
Average income for a transsexual woman…………?
The Census Bureau has better data than some marketing company, whydon’t they cite that? I will tell you why, because it will show that the median income of gay men is 39K a year.
Where was the data for trans people’s incomes?Of course, TVC never factors trans people’s incomes into their calculation. The data are probably nonexistent and their inclusion would probably drop the average significantly.
The Washington Transgender Needs Assessment SurveyMany socioeconomic factors in the transgender population negatively impact access to all forms of health care and housing. Unemployment rate is 42%; 40% have not finished high school; 29% have no income and 31% have incomes of under $10,000/year; 47% lack health insurance; and 43% report being victims of violence or crime. The most common barriers to all care types are economic situation, lack of insurance, failure of insurance to cover care, caregiver insensitivity or hostility to transgendered people, and fear of their transgendered status being revealed. Only 26% of the participants are satisfied with their current living situation, with employment, hostility and insensitivity of housing staff and other residents as the most common barriers to housing.
http://transhealth.transadvoca…
# # # # #
Studies of employment discrimination against transgendered persons
San Francisco, CA: A 2006 survey of 194 members of the San Francisco transgender community found:
* 40 percent of respondents believed they were discriminated against
when applying for work.
* Over 24 percent of people reported that they were sexually harassed
at work.
* 19 percent experienced trouble in advancing in their company or
department.
* 18 percent were fired from a job due to gender identity discrimination.
Washington state: A study conducted between 2006 and 2007 found that
* 41.5 percent of transgender people surveyed had been denied employment, fired or otherwise discriminated against on the job because of their gender identity and/or expression.
http://www.religioustolerance….
it actually makes no differencewhat set of statistics are cited, the whole issue of income is totally irrelevant to the real issue at hand: employment discrimination. that someone makes X dollars a year is not, by definition, proof positive that no discrimination exists, which is the correlation they’re attempting to draw.
dragging down the averagemust say i’m one of those who continues to drag down the gay salary average. if all those entities from the past and present that i was told were funding my radical work would actually pay up i might do better (i’m talking to you ussr, n. korea, cuba, russia, george soros)
i had to take a marketing class this semester, and yes, the census statistics are massaged to make the numbers look better for the purpose of either attracting business or perhaps convincing a bank your loan should be approved. as my classmates were considering whether they should use the ‘household’ column or perhaps just the family with father in the house column, i pointed out if they wanted accurate numbers they’d better use the household. of course, the two income household in a hetero marriage is higher than the lower forms of life, i.e. single or not recognized family households. i made sure i reminded them that queer families weren’t included anywhere other than households, but that the 2010 census will have more accurate info for folks to use for our final business plans post graduation.
and so far, the hetero couple income far exceeds any other categories.
Urban vs. Rural Issue as wellI haven’t seen hard numbers on this, but I would bet that newspaper and magazine subscribers, particularly LGBT ones, are more likely to live in major metropolitan areas, where both salaries and costs are higher.
I think Lou Sheldon is giving himself too much creditWhat self-respecting queer person would WANT to work at a christian day care center or camp? I’d rather shoot myself in the gut than listen to “Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam” screeched by the Duggar brood all day long.
I should write him a letterbut they usually require a return address. I need to figure how to list one when I’m living out of my car (like I had to do several times this year).
It Worked for Hitler“The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed.” – Joseph Goebbels (Hitler’s Propaganda Minister)
What amazes me is that these “Christians” have no problem lying despite it being in direct violation with their God’s commandment not to bear false witness.
Use 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Wash., DC
Christine, the “Christians” who do lie are either in it for the $$$$ or prestige of the community, or some other reason other than being christ-like. The problem with that particular religion is it is full of contradiction in their bible and full of chicanery at the leader level. I bet if you ask good ole Beck or Hannity or Limbaugh, they would say they are good christians, and look at the hot messes they are.
LouYour face should freeze like that.
What a frightening psychopath.
Stop taking the bait….These comments have me shaking my head. Gay income is a non-issue. What is at issue here is our opponents have waged an all out calling campaign to every Senator. So as we debate income data sources, they are once again way ahead of us. Please contact your Senator. Senate hearings on ENDA are scheduled for Thursday. We need some pressure on Sen.Kay Hagan (D-NC) 202.224.6342, and Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) 202.224.2353.
Please, give these two a call. Encourage them to be a co-sponsor of S-1584.
It doesI worked with plenty of blue collar fundies and haters. They can’t stand ANYONE doing better (especially money-wise) than them. Double that with successful/rich gays.
Being white collar pisses them off too.
Look at it this wayGay income IS an issue as a tactic. The religious right is obviously trying to distort lgbt income to exploit possible resentments and give an “excuse” to oppose ENDA.
It’s not a case of debating income sources, it’s making a case that those who oppose ENDA are stooping to intentional distortive tactics because they have no legitimate basis to oppose it.
Our biggest problem is when we ignore the tactics of the religious right rather than expose them. When we do this, we find ourselves on the defensive rather than putting THEM on the defensive.
BullUse “My car, which I have to move constantly, so I don’t get rousted by the cops or get stolen”, City, state.
I willSadly, I’m sure I’ll need to do that. Again.
Dena
Well, bait or not, lolIT’s patently a lie, as I make very clear every tie I talk about such.
I live on 400 a month in the 5th largest city in the country.
All I ever ask when the subject comes up is:
“Think you could do it and still advocate?”