YAF Brings in Anti-Gay Speaker: Ryan Sorba

Philip Rodney Moon

On Tuesday MSU’s Young Americans for Freedom (YAF)started their year’s activities off with an anti-gay speaker. Ryan Sorba, a recent graduate of California State University in San Bernardino with a bachelor in psychology, spoke about his upcoming book “The Born Gay Hoax.” His purpose at the event was to counter the view held by many activists, psychologists, and gay people that individuals can be born gay.

Kyle Bristow, Chairman of the YAF, introduced Sorba. On the Spartan Spectator blog YAF lists “All MSU Sexual Deviant Clubs” and “In Between the Lines (A Sexual Deviant Magazine)” as hate groups. Both are video by Donnie Davies and the Evening Service titled “The Bible Says.” The chorus of the video goes “God hates a fag.”

Bristow even admitted he is anti-gay.

Ryan Sorba and Kyle Bristow have more than anti-LGBT sentiments that make them homogenous bedfellows. In 2004 Sorba was asked by the California State San Bernadino College Republicans to resign as president of the group after he posted anti-gay signs on campus. In 2006 Kyle Bristow was removed from his post as Secretary of the MSU College Republicans after he announced plans for running a “Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day” event. Kyle Bristow was recalled from his seat in ASMSU, MSU’s student government, by James Madison College students.

The attendance was made up almost entirely of protesters. The group comprised of LGBT students and allies from various groups. Before the event began organizer Rachel Loskill gave a talk, explaining what could be expected from the speech and told the protesters to watch their body language.

“If it does get overwhelming, definitely watch yourself. Because what we are doing is we’re coming to do is just bear witness, which means just sitting there, having our faces there,” Loskill said.

Several groups came in support of the LGBT students. Students for Economic Justice and Young Democratic Socialists (both on YAF’s “hate group” list) were present to show support for the LGBT students.

“YDS, Young Democratic Socialist is a multi-issue organization here on campus. We are anti-racist, we are pro-environmental justice, pro-economic justice, pro-civil rights,” said Doug Schraufnagle. “This is most certainly a civil rights issue, so we’ve come out to show our support for these people.”

Present at the event was Derek Smiertka of Michigan Alliance. Michigan Alliance was running a “Ryan Sorba Penny A Word Speech”, where they asked people to pledge a penny for every word that Ryan Sorba said.

“Everytime he says “uh”, or “welcome” or “hello” or any of the rest of the racist, anti-LGBT, homophobic statements, we receive one penny.” Smiertka said.

Smiertka also commented on an earlier version of the speech that was available online.

“[The arguments are} weak. Weak and tired. He literally pulls facts out of the air. Has no basis for his argument. Just a continuation of misstatements, mistruths that these,” Smiertka said.

A little after 7 p.m. the doors of the room opened and protesters filed in.

The event opened with the pledge of allegiance. Several of the gathered protesters repeated the line “with Liberty and Justice for all” after the completion of the pledge.

Sorba began the speech warning against “indiscriminate tolerance.” He claimed that if those who indiscriminately tolerate certain behavior we couldn’t pass judgment on anyone, including Hitler. The “tolerance = supporting Hitler” strawman argument was set up to legitimate intolerance of gays.

(Godwin’s Law states “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.” It has been taken by many to mean that once someone in an argument uses Nazis or Hitler, they have generally lost the debate. An article in the Economist said “A good rule in most discussions is that the first person to call the other a Nazi automatically loses the argument.")

Sorba said that the born gay idea didn’t exist before 150 years ago. He gave a history of what he considered the gay development and hoax of being born gay. He spoke of several old arguments of a gay agenda and gays having sex in public places. One of the most controversial claims was that the Stonewall Riots, in which a raid on a gay bar turned into several days of violence and galvanized the gay rights movement, was an act of terrorism by gay rights advocates.

He went on to attack the ‘born gay” idea as a hoax, claiming gays had used threatening tactics to get the American Psychiatric Association to no longer list homosexuality as a mental disorder. He claimed that the gay agenda included the use of propaganda and the use of the media and Hollywood to spread a pro-gay message.

During the question and answer portion of the event, Sorba was asked by one participant what the purpose of the speech was. The questioner asked if the purpose was to reinstate anti-sodomy laws that had been struck down by the 2003 Lawrence V. Texas Supreme Court Ruling.

“Under directive law yes, recriminalize sodomy.” Sorba said.

Sorba said directive law, which has less penalties than punitive law, would send a right wrong message and have a socializing force. It would serve to fit Sorba’s message that heterosexuality is normal and homosexuality was irrational.

Sorba had earlier called consensual heterosexual relationships outside of marriage sodomy and confirmed that under anti-sodomy laws he proposed, such behavior would be criminalized. He did not have answer when asked whether masturbation was sodomy.

In several points during the speech Sorba dodged questions, often suggesting the questioner e-mail him. Other times he gave other answers that did not answer the question.

One person raised the issue that Native Americans believe in a “two spirit” identity, where a person had both a male and female side. Sorba asked that the person to send an e-mail. Another person spoke up, saying her girlfriend worked at a Native American Center and that almost all tribes had the idea of a two spirit identity.

Sorba’s answer was to name a series of civilizations that had normal homosexual behavior, including 14 of the first 15 Roman emperors. The answer didn’t address Native Americans and seemed to say homosexuality had been part of all the great empires throughout time.

When another person questioned Sorba’s stance on abstinence only education, Sorba attempted to explain. After botching a sex education metaphor involving a horse and a carrot, Sorba resorted to attacking the hygiene of the questioner, who was a health education worker.

Another questioner suggested Sorab read the book “Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity” by Bruce Bagemihl.

“That’s not a correct study”, Sorba said.

Sorba later admitted he didn’t know about the study. Sorba went on to say because the study was not cited in another work by Paul Vasey and Volker Sommer.

“If you want to discredit activist promoting your lifestyle, well then, that’s your thing,” Sorba said.

After the event one protester, Christine Johnson, gave her opinion of the protesters.

“I don’t believe it was effective as it could have been.  I think it would have been more effective if we had dead silence.

He [Sorba} was feeding off the negative energy,” Johnson said.

She did say she thought it was a success and thought the turnout of LGBT students and allies was great.