However, in my travels researching Mr. Kempling's case (in particular, hunting for the original text of his letters), I found a few things that I thought were rather revealing of the right wing(nut)s arguments towards GLBT people.
First, I find only a few articles on Worldnet Daily that mentioned Mr. Kempling at all - and but one with an excerpt of his letter in it.
Then, I ran into this little piece of testimony provided to the State of Massacheusetts legislature.
In general, what is striking about both Kempling and DeSerre's arguments is this - not a single verifiable fact is presented. It's all inference and allusion. I'll only take a few highlights to make my point here:
From Kempling:
Gay people are seriously at risk, not because of heterosexual attitudes but because of their sexual behaviour, and I challenge the gay community to show some real evidence that they are trying to protect their own community members by making attempts to promote monogamous, long-lasting relationships to combat sexual addictions.
This is just loaded with assertions, not one of which appear to actually be substantiated:
a. Gays are promiscuous.
b. Sexually active gays are at risk for disease. (so are heterosexuals)
c. Gays are "sexual addicts". (wow - that's an assumption!)
From DeSerre:
2- Research demonstrates conclusively that heterosexual marriage serves children's best interests. There is no such evidence for same-sex marriage. The French National Assembly Commission was presented with "research on children raised by same sex couples concluding the absence of any ill effects on the children. Their scientific nature and the representation of the samples of the populations studied were broadly criticized and contested during the hearings... the lack of objectivity in this area was flagrant." One presumes that the very best research would have been presented. These conclusions are consistent with other studies here in the U.S..
More stupid assertions.
1. "Research demonstrates ..." Really - what research, pray tell?
2. "there is no such evidence for same-sex marriage" - False. Very False. The American Psychological Association has published numerous papers on the outcomes of homosexual couples raising children.
3. The research that's out there on same-sex families is biased. Really? I might accept the criticism that the sample sizes are very small, but unless the peer review system in academe has seriously failed since the early 1970s, I suspect that the research is at least reasonably objective.
4. The research presented was "not the best available". It might have been imperfect, but it might also be all that is available. We are talking about a very small population here, and one that for the most part can be very hard for researchers to access as they will try to stay "out of sight" much of the time.
Note, that again, not a single source for the assertions is actually cited. I could not practically go back to DeSerres' original sources and validate the analysis made.
Now, returning to the allegation that the Religious Right likes to make that the freedom of religion and right to freedom of speech are being curtailed. This is actually a false allegation. Please note that in neither example I have presented is there a single reference to the scriptural foundation of those assertions. Instead, both Kempling and Serres have made assumptions about how they believe a small subpopulation conducts itself, and then railed against that conduct. I believe in logical terms, that's known as a "straw man" argument.
The religious right starts their arguments from a number of assumptions, and then bully their way forward as if their assumptions are mystically based upon facts. Like the proverbial "Emperor's New Clothes", nobody watching can actually seem to see these alleged facts.
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