Oh, for Dog's Sake!

You may be familiar with Norman (above, left), the adorable Brittany spaniel who moos. Why does he moo? He was born that way.

Norman is the star of the Born Different campaign, a $900,000 marketing effort designed to kickstart dialogue about gays among the good people of what many have come to regard as the axis of anti-gay evil: Colorado Springs, Colorado. The campaign is funded by the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado/The Gill Foundation.

Born Different seeks to answer the question about whether or not we gays are "born gay." Several rather adorable videos were produced showing Norman just being himself, wanting and needing love in his life, a dog like every other dog -- save for the fact that he talks like a cow. And I mean that in a loving way.

Not surprisingly, right-wingers in "the Springs" practically started molting when they saw Norman's gay-positive message. Bad dog! Focus on the Family (FOF), the right-wing activist organization headed by James Dobson and headquartered in Colororado Springs, was no more willing to let moo-ing dogs moo than to let sleeping dogs lie gay people be gay. That's where Sherman comes in. Sherman is the star of their counter-campaign, No-Moo-Lies. Sherman (above right) barks. Why does he bark? Because heeeee's normal.

Sherman is barking up the wrong tree on his Web site, however. He professes to know about all things gay, opining that people choose to be gay, or that, at the very least, gays can choose to become straight. He claims to know some gay penguins who chose to become straight penguins.

Sherman is against gay marriage and domestic partnerships. His owners warn: "If he could talk, he'd tell you to keep your eyes and ears open between now and November to make sure you hear the truth about what marriage should mean in Colorado. Sure, making a dog sound like a cow is cute, but messing with marriage, the building block of all societies, is not. Indeed, it would be a dog-gone shame."

Sherman, who knows not to bite the hand that feeds him, obeys his masters' commands to refer site visitors to Love Won Out, an ex-gay program of FOF. And what does Love Won Out believe? That "homosexuality is preventable and treatable" and that through its program, you will "be reminded of the power of God’s love and His desire to transform the life of a struggling homosexual to find freedom in Jesus Christ."

To which I say, Christ! Get over it. You cannot change someone's sexual orientation. Fortunately for us, most thinking people today know this.

Frankly, I think we need a Save Sherman campaign. Sherman sets off my doggie-gaydar big time. You can tell that dog is gay, but is depressed as hell (just look at him) because his handlers keep trying to tell him he can choose to be something he's not.

Somebody ... Please call PETA before James Dobson has the chance to tell children everywhere that Sherman was "sent away to live on a farm" where there is lots of room for him to play.

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Tags: Born Different, Gay Rights, Gay, Gill Foundation, Colorado