News Release:
For Immediate Release: August 26, 2010
Contact: Diane Gramley 1.814.271.9078 or 1.814.437.5355
Coudersport Showdown: Gramley Given Opportunity to Set Record Straight
(Harrisburg) – Homosexual activists Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer have been traveling Pennsylvania’s highways and byways promoting their documentary “Out in the Silence” as evidence that homosexuals live under a reign of terror in small towns across the Commonwealth. The villain in the documentary is the American Family Association of Pennsylvania (AFA of PA) and specifically Diane Gramley, president of the AFA of PA. Last evening Diane Gramley was given an opportunity to set the record straight. The setting was the same – the Coudersport Public Library – that Wilson and Hamer used on July 28th to show their documentary and vilify the AFA of PA and Gramley.
“We were very pleased to be given the opportunity to set the record straight about what really happened during the filming of this so-called documentary and what the AFA of PA letters referred to in the documentary actually said. We appreciate Dr. Wagner’s invitation,” Gramley responded.
Wednesday night’s event occurred because of the actions of the filmmakers – the filing of false police reports accusing area pastors of creating a dangerous situation for the July 28th screening, creating a sense of hysteria simply to promote their film. Additionally, the AFA of PA was accused of being the one behind the effort to get the showing derailed. However, the AFA of PA did not even know of the showing until the day before the event when we received a phone call from a concerned citizen. Throughout the months Wilson and Hamer have shown the documentary, the AFA of PA has chosen to not confront the filmmakers with their lies.
A local reporter went away from the July 28th screening appalled at what he had witnessed. Rather than being an open and honest debate about the issues of homosexuality, as was advertised, anyone with an opposing view was shut out.
Some of the testimony given by Gramley Wednesday evening during the “Christian Response to Out in the Silence” included this from an interested witness:
“At the station WAWN 89.5 fm The producers of this said documentary Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer arrived at the radio station WAWN in Franklin, Pa and asked the Station Manager Jane Richey if she would be willing to answer some questions on film for the documentary. To which she declined to speak on film but she did not mind off film to answer some questions. I was sitting in the production studio adjacent the reception area of the station with the door open where I could see Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer. Jane was a little uncomfortable and asked if the camera was indeed off to which both Dean and Joe assured her that indeed it is off. I noticed that Dean was holding the camera at his side but would occasionally look down to adjust its angle in an upward fashion toward Jane. I also noticed a red light was on which I thought meant it was recording. Noticing this and being aware of Joe and Dean both assuring Jane it was off I moved out into the reception area and stood in front of the camera blocking its ability to record any video.
The Oil Heritage Parade 2006 AFA of Pa attended the Oil Heritage parade with informational banners to assist Mr. Rendell with constituent communications, not at his request of course but we wanted him to know some of the things we knew. During most of the parade Mr. Rendell was accompanied by Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer and their trusty camera. When near the end of the parade Joe and Dean spotted Diane Gramley; leaving the Governor’s side they (Joe and Dean) swooped down on Diane and what I mean is they took place of her shadow Joe at her side with mic in hand and asking question after question while Dean was within inches of the back of Diane’s head and face with the camera. Diane did well at handling herself in the midst of intimidation and harassment.
The National day of Prayer event; At the national day of prayer event Joe showed up, passed out flyers and filmed the attendees as well as the presenters, It is a free country at least for now, but they crossed the line as the event had come to a close and Diane Gramley left to go home with Joe replacing her shadow once again just as they did at the Oil Heritage parade last year within inches of her physical person and badgering question after question the entire walkto her car. Others who witnessed this inquired as to what was going on and they were disgusted that any person would have to put up with such treatment.
At the church This was the one that made me begin suggesting to Diane Gramley that she file harassment charges…one Sunday afternoon as I was returning home from Church and was at the last intersection before my home where I would turn left to go to my home, I noticed to the right out in front of The Fox Street Church of God Joe Wilson was waiting outside the church with camera and microphone in hand. I just sat at the stop sign of this intersection dumbfounded at what I was witnessing. Church must have still been going on as the parking lot was full and Joe was the only person visible. So I turned right and drove up to Joe and said, “Joe come on don’t you think this is going a bit too far?” To which he got excited to see some activity and put his camera on me and began asking me questions to which I said this is wrong what you are doing here and you ought to pack up. Seeing that he had no intention of leaving I drove down the road to turn around and parked between Joe and the Church waiting for Diane to come out and when she did I escorted her to her car keeping my car between the circus and Diane. We discovered later that Joe had place on the cars in the parking lot, posters with Diane Gramley and Jane Richey on one side and comparing them with Nazis/the KKK on the back. “
As Gramley stated during the August 25th meeting and many other times, the AFA of PA believes all students should be provided a safe learning environment. However, passage of anti-bullying laws with a “list” of those to be protected does not do the job – ALL students should be protected, not just homosexual students. The AFA of PA stands by that commitment.
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