As the Ex-Gay Watch blog is reporting, Exodus International President Alan Chambers organized a Nov. 16 meeting in an effort to keep the struggling Florida-based organization afloat. Among those who attended were Exodus officials, other prominent religious leaders (including Gabe Lyons) and many lay people, including those who once counted themselves in the so-called "ex-gay" camp but may now be fully "gay affirming," according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity to the blog's staff.
The blog had previously speculated about problems at Exodus International, noting that staff cuts, the loss of key alliances and shifting views on homosexuality among the American public had been contributing to its demise. In recent years, the organization -- whose goal is "Mobilizing the body of Christ to minister grace and truth to a world impacted by homosexuality," according to its mission statement -- has increased its international efforts, allegedly finding less opposition to their message abroad.
The movement as a whole suffered another blow last month, when John Smid, former director of the ex-gay Christian ministry Love in Action (a Exodus affiliate), came forward saying that not only that he is gay, but that it is impossible to change one's sexual orientation. "For me, I am married, I've been married for 22 years, I love my wife dearly, we have an amazing relationship," said Smid, who resigned as Love In Action's executive director in 2008. "But at the same time, I do experience homosexuality...it's a part of my history, it's a part of the life that I live."
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Barney Frank Caused Millions To Become Gay and Contract HIV/AIDS
Congressman Barney Frank, 71, who announced Monday after 30 years in office he will not seek another term, is the subject of a rant by Bryan Fischer, the public face of the certified anti-gay hate group, American Family Association, who suggested on his radio program yesterday that Barney Frank is responsible for millions of people contracting HIV/AIDS.
“Who knows how many people were drawn or encouraged in some way by Barney Frank’s example to dabble in a lifestyle that eventually cost them their health and maybe even cost them their lives,” Fischer said.
Congressman Frank, while imperfect, has done more good for America than Bryan Fischer could ever hope to achieve
Tennessee Tea Party Says Good-bye to Barney Frank
The Tennessee Tea Party bids a fond farewell to Barney Frank:
Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2011/11/tennessee-tea-party-says-good-bye-to-barney-frank.html#ixzz1f8IOCfPD
Today show host Savannah Guthrie began a series of questions for Congressman Barney Frank about this retirement announcement which ultimately had him offering a sarcastic congratulations.
Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2011/11/tennessee-tea-party-says-good-bye-to-barney-frank.html#ixzz1f8IOCfPD
Today show host Savannah Guthrie began a series of questions for Congressman Barney Frank about this retirement announcement which ultimately had him offering a sarcastic congratulations.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Anti-gay activists launch new efforts to overturn California’s gay history law
Not one but two anti-gay initiatives have been submitted to state officials in an effort to thwart Senate Bill 48, the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act.
In the first proposal, opponents are trying to alter the law so that California school students don’t have to learn about LGBT Americans’ historical contributions.
Anti-gay activists are also proposing a second initiative that would allow parents to opt their children out of school instruction in social science and family life that conflicts with their moral convictions. Parents can already opt their children out of health lessons.
The proposals, received by the state attorney general’s office November 16, come at a time when Equality California, a key SB 48 sponsor, has been weakened by leadership and financial troubles, and appears unprepared to protect the legislation.
The new law is set to take effect January 1.
In the first proposal, opponents are trying to alter the law so that California school students don’t have to learn about LGBT Americans’ historical contributions.
Anti-gay activists are also proposing a second initiative that would allow parents to opt their children out of school instruction in social science and family life that conflicts with their moral convictions. Parents can already opt their children out of health lessons.
The proposals, received by the state attorney general’s office November 16, come at a time when Equality California, a key SB 48 sponsor, has been weakened by leadership and financial troubles, and appears unprepared to protect the legislation.
The new law is set to take effect January 1.
Massachusetts Governor signs transgender equality rights bill
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick on Wednesday signed an historic transgender rights bill, giving the state’s estimated 33,000 transgender citizens vital protections against discrimination in employment, housing, education, credit and hate crimes law.
The Transgender Equal Rights Bill passed in the Massachusetts House on Nov. 15 by a vote of 95-58 vote, and cleared the state’s Senate the following morning when Senators approved the measure on a voice vote and with no opposition.
The approved version of the bill adds “gender identity” to employment, education, housing, and credit non-discrimination law, as well as to hate crimes law. It did not address public accommodations, however.
The Transgender Equal Rights Bill passed in the Massachusetts House on Nov. 15 by a vote of 95-58 vote, and cleared the state’s Senate the following morning when Senators approved the measure on a voice vote and with no opposition.
The approved version of the bill adds “gender identity” to employment, education, housing, and credit non-discrimination law, as well as to hate crimes law. It did not address public accommodations, however.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Pickets Outside Lassen's Stop Some Shoppers
Many were upset when they heard organic food mart Nature Mart--based there for four decades--would be closing its doors.
Some became outraged when they heard Lassen's would take over Nov.1.
The family-owned chain had donated at least $30,000 to the campaign to support Proposition 8, a 2008 voter initiative that would have banned single-sex marriage.
Many in the Lassen's family--including president Peter Lassen--are Mormons, who had been very active in campaigning for and funding Prop 8.
More than 1,500 people have now signed an online pledge to boycott the store.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Harvey Milk
On this day, 33 years ago, former San Francisco City Supervisor Dan White took a gun to City Hall and shot openly-gay Supervisor Harvey Milk five times — the final two shots had White pressing his gun directly at Milk’s skull, according to the medical examiner.
"Harvey Milk left us a legacy. He profoundly influenced gay and lesbian politics, and was a champion of human rights. Milk once said, “…you’ve got to keep electing gay people…to know there is better hope for tomorrow. Not only for gays, but for blacks, Asians, the disabled, our senior citizens and us. Without hope, we give up. I know you cannot live on hope alone, but without it life is not worth living. You and you and you have got to see that the promise does not fade.”
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Marcus Bachmann Calls Undercover Gay Activist, Demands Money for Unused 'Ex-Gay' Therapy Sessions
You may recall that back in July, John Becker, from Truth Wins Out, a group that works to expose the "ex-gay" movement, paid an undercover visit to Marcus Bachmann for a set of "pray away the gay" therapy sessions which he then wrote up to apply pressure to the Bachmanns for accepting public funds for this discredited and damaging practice.
Writes Becker:
Before patients at Bachmann & Associates start services, they’re required to sign a paper acknowledging that they’ve been made aware of the clinic’s no-show policy. According to said policy, patients are assessed a $75 no-show fee for each appointment that they miss without giving prior notification. I always booked the maximum number of appointments in advance that I could (3) in order to avoid suspicion — after all, it was to be a 4-6 month course of treatment — so when I went back to Vermont, I called the clinic to cancel them. However, I didn’t want to give them any kind of a heads up about the story that was about to break in the media, so I said that a member of my immediate family “back home in Wisconsin” (they had seen and photocopied my Wisconsin ID) had had a health crisis, and that I needed to go out of state but didn’t know when I’d be back. On the voicemail I left at the clinic, I told them to cancel all three of my appointments and that I’d schedule my next sessions when I knew when I’d be back in the Twin Cities.
Apparently the receptionist only canceled the first appointment, and now Marcus himself is calling to collect for the two outstanding "pray away the gay" sessions.
Voicemail from Marcus Bachmann by user6446359
Writes Becker:
Before patients at Bachmann & Associates start services, they’re required to sign a paper acknowledging that they’ve been made aware of the clinic’s no-show policy. According to said policy, patients are assessed a $75 no-show fee for each appointment that they miss without giving prior notification. I always booked the maximum number of appointments in advance that I could (3) in order to avoid suspicion — after all, it was to be a 4-6 month course of treatment — so when I went back to Vermont, I called the clinic to cancel them. However, I didn’t want to give them any kind of a heads up about the story that was about to break in the media, so I said that a member of my immediate family “back home in Wisconsin” (they had seen and photocopied my Wisconsin ID) had had a health crisis, and that I needed to go out of state but didn’t know when I’d be back. On the voicemail I left at the clinic, I told them to cancel all three of my appointments and that I’d schedule my next sessions when I knew when I’d be back in the Twin Cities.
Apparently the receptionist only canceled the first appointment, and now Marcus himself is calling to collect for the two outstanding "pray away the gay" sessions.
Voicemail from Marcus Bachmann by user6446359
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Gay Kiss Upstages Al-Jazeera Reporter on Spain's Elections
The victory of Spain's Mariano Rajoy and his conservative People's Party is already generating concerns from Spanish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights advocates, who fear the prime minister-elect could repeal the nation's marriage equality legislation.
One couple certainly got their message across in an unusual way by "videobombing" an Al Jazeera reporter, kissing passionately as the hapless correspondent spoke on the election.
Marrying Your Partner Like Marrying Eiffel Tower?
Michele Bachmann's Iowa campaign chair Tamara Scott tells Bob Vander Plaats that legalizing gay marriage will lead to legalizing marriage with inanimate objects, like the Eiffel Tower.
At Google, a Transgender "Gold Standard"
In a move predicted by one advocate to become the gold standard for LGBT health, Google has significantly increased coverage of transgender health care benefits for its U.S. employees, and other companies are soon expected to follow suit.
The updated benefits, announced internally by company officials on Friday and effective immediately, cover transitioning procedures and treatment in accordance with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s (WPATH) Standards of Care, and include gender reassignment surgical procedures determined to be medically necessary by a doctor.
The updated benefits, announced internally by company officials on Friday and effective immediately, cover transitioning procedures and treatment in accordance with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s (WPATH) Standards of Care, and include gender reassignment surgical procedures determined to be medically necessary by a doctor.
Supreme Court Won't Help NOM Ally Hide Its Supporters
Petitioners had supported adding Referendum 71 to the ballot and succeeded in putting Washington's domestic partnership law up to a vote. The public ended up voting to keep the law.
And ever since, the group Protect Marriage Washington has been trying to keep the petitioners' names out of the public eye, claiming they feared harassment. When a lower court ruled that the names were part of the public record, they began being released. For example, Seattle Weekly had posted approximately 100,000 of them on its website in October.
Protect Marriage Washington had appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the leaks until they could launch an appeal of the lower court's ruling. But the nation's highest court decided to stay out of it, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports, and now the state plans to release more of the names.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Fox News Viewers Know Less Than People Who Don't Watch Any News
Fox News viewers are less informed than people who don't watch any news, according to a new poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
The poll surveyed New Jersey residents about the uprisings in Egypt and the Middle East, and where they get their news sources. The study, which controlled for demographic factors like education and partisanship, found that "people who watch Fox News are 18-points less likely to know that Egyptians overthrew their government" and "6-points less likely to know that Syrians have not yet overthrown their government" compared to those who watch no news.
Overall, 53% of all respondents knew that Egyptians successfully overthrew Hosni Mubarak and 48% knew that Syrians have yet to overthrow their government.
Dan Cassino, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson, explained in a statement, "Because of the controls for partisanship, we know these results are not just driven by Republicans or other groups being more likely to watch Fox News. Rather, the results show us that there is something about watching Fox News that leads people to do worse on these questions than those who don’t watch any news at all."
This isn't the first study that has found that Fox News viewers more misinformed in comparison to others. Last year, a study from the University of Maryland found that Fox News viewers were more likely to believe false information about politics.
The poll surveyed New Jersey residents about the uprisings in Egypt and the Middle East, and where they get their news sources. The study, which controlled for demographic factors like education and partisanship, found that "people who watch Fox News are 18-points less likely to know that Egyptians overthrew their government" and "6-points less likely to know that Syrians have not yet overthrown their government" compared to those who watch no news.
Overall, 53% of all respondents knew that Egyptians successfully overthrew Hosni Mubarak and 48% knew that Syrians have yet to overthrow their government.
Dan Cassino, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson, explained in a statement, "Because of the controls for partisanship, we know these results are not just driven by Republicans or other groups being more likely to watch Fox News. Rather, the results show us that there is something about watching Fox News that leads people to do worse on these questions than those who don’t watch any news at all."
This isn't the first study that has found that Fox News viewers more misinformed in comparison to others. Last year, a study from the University of Maryland found that Fox News viewers were more likely to believe false information about politics.
Monday, November 21, 2011
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