Media back-peddling on spin of Pope's statements on gays

The media is back-peddling rapidly on their spin on Pope Francis' statements on the subject of homosexuality. 

Compare this MSN tagline:

Pope says “If someone is gay…, who am I to judge?”

Or this caption from the BBC:
Pope Francis: Who am I to judge gay people?

And what he actually was saying:  (my translation)

Pope says who am I to judge priests who have some level of same-sex sexual attractions and who are celibate since the tendencies of same-sex sexual attractions are not sinful. 

Hear now how the media is now changing its spin:

MSN:  Pope Francis is reaching out to gays, saying he won't judge priests for their sexual orientation.” 

AP's Matt Freedman's distorted spin on Pope Francis' words

Notice here how the AP verbally in their News clip, spins the story.  Precisely what I predicted. 
Points they try to make:

• shift in tone toward gays
• won't judge gay priests (when "a gay person" is referring to more than priests)
• if someone is gay and searches for the Lord, who am I to judge...  (but what was the if? - exactly...)  Who was he talking about when he said, "If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge?"  There is a difference between someone accepting the Lord and someone searching for the Lord.  It's not just about priests.  He was referring to "a gay person," as he phrased it.  What did he mean by accepting the Lord?  What does Lord mean?  It means more than just Savior.  And what does he mean by goodwill?  There is sure a difference between these two statements:  1.) Matt's spin of what the Pope said: "if someone is gay and searches for the Lord, who am I to judge?"  2.) Pope Francis' words, "If they [a gay person] accept the Lord and have good will, who am I to judge?"

National Catholic Reporter article on Pope's plane interview

This is the National Catholic Reporter article explaining some of the details of Pope Francis' hour+ interview with reporters on his plane flight back from Brazil.

I posted this comment to their article:

You have quoted Pope Francis as saying:

"There's a lot of talk about the gay lobby, but I've never seen it on the Vatican ID card."  "When I meet a gay person, I have to distinguish between their being gay and being part of a lobby. If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them? They shouldn't be marginalized. The tendency [to homosexuality] is not the problem ... they're our brothers."

Do you think he is clear enough here?  What does Pope Francis mean when he uses the term, gay person?  I think he also needs to distinguish between the general term of, a gay

Chicago Tribune accurately explains Pope Francis' position on gay individuals

This is a much more accurate article on Pope Francis and people who have sexual attractions toward those of the same sex.

I posted this comment to The Chicago Tribune today:

Congratulations. This article is more accurate than the article at USA Today in terms of what Pope Francis is communicating about people who experience sexual attractions for those of the same sex. Compare the two articles and see just how much more accurate this article is, and thus in comparison how agenda oriented the USA Today article is: I've put the other article up at:
http://ethnologystudy.blogspot.com/2013/07/pope-francis-definition-of-gay-clergyman.html

Pope Francis' definition of gay clergyman

It's hard to know from this article what Pope Francis' definition of gay clergymen is

Or, for that matter, what the writers' definition of key terms he uses is either.

 

Another pesky word to define – judge.

I’ve done several studies on judging is and what it isn’t biblically.  I wonder what Pope Francis is thinking when he says he won’t judge.

What does the biblical concept of an individual person judging mean?  How is this different than the idea of judging from the standpoint of a defense or prosecuting attorney perspective?  As Christians are we as people ever to be more than lawyers and be court room judges?  From my study, I do not think so. 

Adam Levine, Chris Pine and Steve Grand

Adam Levine or Chris Pine could have been Steve Grand's All-American Boy

After catching the CBS Sunday Morning segment today on Adam Levine, I was inspired to write this post.  I’ve written about Chris Pine elsewhere in one of my blog posts here at Our Culture and Society.  I’ve followed Adam for a number of years.   I’ve grown to really respect him.  It was nice to see Adam be able to be so open and relaxed and honest here – much like how I saw Steve Grand be in Matt Rettenmund’s interview in the Boy Culture Blog.

I think Steve could have asked men like Adam and Chris to portray his supposedly straight male crush where Steve is pleased the straight man didn’t reject him if he made a pass at him.  You could possibly mistake both Adam and Chris as being men who are free enough in who they are that they might be interested in a gay man’s advances. 

I think both of these guys would have had the response that Matt mentioned in his recent comment  - "Not for me, but we're cool."

But I get it why Steve didn't ask one of these guys.  They would have been too expensive...

  
Adam's brother, Michael, is openly gay.  And as I said, I respect

My conclusion, Steve needed his ideal gay All-American Boy

My conclusion. As an openly gay man, Steve needed his ideal gay All-American Boy to portray the straight male AAB role in his video so he could get the scenes just right.   

 

Porn free version:
 
Yeah, some guys are G4P.  Others, just gay all the way.  After doing a bunch of research.  Here’s my take.  Steve Grand needed his ideal gay AAB to portray the straight guy role so he could get the scenes just right.  What’s your take? 
Click at your own risk.  This is art.  What influential gay news blog sites are saying:
 *some hotlinks disabled (copy, paste and add back the www to activate these URLs)

·         www.boyculture.com/boy_culture/about.html    (background doc)

Last section of my comments to Matt's article

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My thoughts, mostly about the BuzzFeed article on Steve Grand

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On the first 25 comments to the Boy Culture Blog article

From my email/journal to myself

My email/journal thoughts regarding the first 25 comments that were there when I began to read the Boy Culture Blog article on Steve Grand.  And Steve's answer to the key question I have been asking. 

Coming Out Of Somewhere: A Q&A With And Gay Pop Cultural Opinion Of Steve GrandComments (25)   

First, some points about what the commenters have said:  (When there were 25 comments)  (Since the article seemed so long, I first read through the comments to see how people were reacting to it)

Musings about Kevin Griffin's Examiner article

My musings after reading Kevin Griffin’s article in the Examiner on Steve Grand

 

First some thoughts:

Why does Steve play piano and sing for his church?  Because he likes music.  Not that he likes what the Catholic church teaches him on a number of fronts.  It’s just what he grew up with being exposed to.  He may still be having some tough times relationally.  He didn’t have enough relational skills to be able to apply what his counselor was offering him.  So, what he needed the most was just someone to listen to him and someone to talk with.  He goes to extremes with things, but he doesn’t centered enough in himself yet.  He is so much more fragile than Nick is.  Nick seems to love it that Steve is infatuated with him.  Like a younger man to follow him and worship him.  I think it plays right into Nick’s personality.  Steve doesn’t want his faith to set limits on him, he seems to want it for the ways that please him, at least at this point in his life. 

                                                                                                               

What is Steve referring to when Kevin Griffin quotes him as saying: 

“That was the idea, to cure me of that. It wasn’t like Exodus—I wasn’t getting shocked.”

 

Reflections from reading the Boy Culture Blog

My thoughts on where Steve is at in his life now

Steve becomes deeply engaged with what he throws himself into:

·         Age ?-12 – desiring a connection with male role models; isolating from peers; reflective

·         age 13 – positive Scout camp experience with a straight older youth counselor; takes on a gay identity

·         ages 14-18 – interacting with his clinical psychologist counselor; become an Eagle Scout; express self through music

·         ages 19-20 – diving into the gay culture; one year in college; modeling photos for Ausse DNA magazine

·         ages 21-22 – pulling back and reflecting on his life; meeting Nicholas Alan, his AAB

·         age 23 - performing music, making AAB music video; continue long career of playing and singing for church

One segment from Steve’s extensive interview with Matt Rettenmund:

* I see in the comments there, that they are beginning to discuss Nick's work as Taylor. 

Matthew Rettenmund's interview with Steve Grand

Boy Culture Blog article

And a reply to a commenter...

This is probably the most in-depth interview I've seen with Steve.

The link to the BuzzFeed site is also extensive
The link to the QueerMeNow site is sexually graphic

§  Boy Culture Blog article

* I was also asked why I am looking at the connection between Steve Grand and Nicholas Alan
In short, Steve said it this way in the interview:

"Nick just so perfectly embodied the story I was trying to tell."

So, I answered:
 

Hello _______  I’m glad that you asked.  Sorry, no crush on Nicholas Alan.  I had a sense that what I was picking up on with Nick was that of someone who had acted in straight acting gay-for-porn work.  There was just something in how he was interacting with Steve.  I wasn’t clear on what point Steve was attempting to make in the video.  Was he wanting to portray that Nick’s character was a s

Drake Jensen, Steve Grand, Eli Lieb

All are openly gay singers

They each have music videos on YouTube

Contrast these three openly gay men who make music for a living:  Drake Jensen, Steve Grand and Eli Lieb.

·         Who is more country?

·         Who talks about their current relationships?

·         Who bears their chest in their music videos?

·         Who has a bonfire, swims and kisses in their videos?

·         Who is a gay activist?

·         Who is promoting their video as them being gay?

·         Who is had been transparent about being gay?

·         Who is telling a story with their music?

·         Who talks about faith in their videos?

·         Who is in a relationship?

·         Does age make a difference?

·         Who grew up in a rural context?

·         Who sings country music?

·         Who has done other than country music?

·         What did coming out as a gay man mean to each of them?

 

Here are some links to help you:

o   http://www.out.com/out-exclusives/2011/11/11/face-face-eli-lieb

Steve Grand's live interview with CNN

After viewing the CNN interview "A New Kind of Country"

I sent a News Tip to CNN using their email option:

Nicholas Alan portrayed Steve Grand's straight male love interest in the music video All-American Boy.  Here is how he, going by his stage name of Taylor, is using the All-American Boy video to promote his projects:  Click the video, “What is? USA CAM GUYS.”   The usacamguys project is promoted as not being pornography. The Gaydemon review says: “USA Cam Guys isn't exactly a porn site”

I also sent this comment to Steve's Facebook page:
Here is how Nicholas Alan, as Taylor, is using Steve’s All-American Boy music video. The usacamguys project is promoted as not being pornography……. The Gaydemon review says: “USA Cam Guys isn't exactly a porn site” Here is how they are using Steve’s AAB video:   Click the video, “What is? USA CAM GUYS”

See also the post here on Taylor using AAB video to promote the USA CAM GUYS  project

This is my take on the interview:

I can see why people liked the interview.  He came across as being a nice guy.  And he wasn’t overly polished, but he had his stick down that he wanted to say.  Yet, I wasn’t surprised.  I’ve worked through the interview, point by point.  And as much as there are a lot of good things about the interview, Steve’s deception about Nick still profoundly takes away from my appreciation and respect for what the interview communicates. 

Taylor using AAB video to promote the USA CAM GUYS project

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Steve Grand's radio interview with Kiss 92.5 Toronto

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RNS article on JONAH lawsuit

article on JONAH lawsuit also published at Huff Post

My second comment on the RNS website

*the first comment I posted there is at the end here as well 

Mike Jones

Jul 19, 2013 at 8:35 pm MarcoD is referring to point #9 in the legal document linked to in this article. I’ve worked through the first 32 of the 116 points in that document for your review and consideration. So as not to use up further space here, please see my blog. The Google Blogger blog post there is entitled, “RNS article on JONAH lawsuit.”
 

So, working through the link provided in the RNS article:  The Plaintiffs’ Complaint, etc., by Lite DePalma Greenberg, LLC.

 §  RE: 1.) Purporting? 

§  From gay to straight – (please define these terms)

§  RE: 2.) So they suggest that it’s all the same – ex-gay, reparative, conversion.  All the same therapy.  So, this means that they are saying that changing an identity is what they are challenging,

Key statements of Steve Grand in interview articles

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Final comment posted to the Washington Blade

My last post about the article on Steve Grand to the Washington Blade

RE:  Michael K. Lavers article on July 10th

Mike Jones

Rob, I’ve attempted to present in the comments that I have posted here that I wish Steve was telling the story of a straight male friend who was respecting him and not rebuffing him for his advances. And while we know of many straight men who do this for us, Steve chose to not ask a straight man to perform that role in his video. Steve needed the man in his video to be his straight acting gay male

Selected tweets from Taylor (Nicholas Alan)

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Comments to Bolerico Project RE: Mark King's article

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Tweets I'd like to send to Steve Grand

I still have some questions that I'm thinking of asking Steve.  However, it's hard to know how many tweets he is able to reply to. 

@SteveGrandMusic Was your goal to cleverly deceive people without technically saying what was untrue? Is this your morality?

 

@SteveGrandMusic So, what exactly does the term, straight male, mean to you? 

Facebook posts and tweets to Steve Grand

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My email to Michael K. Lavers of the Washington Blade

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Five comments posted at Towleroad RE: Steve Grand article

The five comments posted at Towleroad:

*they repeatedly remove two of the five comments.

  So, I'm coping all five of them here.

I posted these two comments originally:

Yes I also think we were duped about All-American Boy. To Scott on July 8th.: I think this research that I did and put together in my email to Mike Lennox will help confirm that you are correct. see: http://ethnologystudy.blogspot.com/2013/07/to-michael-lennox-re-your-article-about.html

Email to Michael Lennox RE article on All-American Boy video

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