Mount Si High School Principal defends DOS

WASHINGTON: Despite some parents' and students' objections to the Day of Silence, Mount Si High School Principal Randy Taylor told the Snoqualmie Valley School District board last week that the high school's Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) had begun planning this year's event, scheduled for April 25.

Taylor said organizers were working to set expectations of respect for all students - participants and non-participants - on the Day of Silence, which is part of a nationwide effort to raise awareness of gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans-gendered and questioning (LGBTQ) students and allies who do not feel safe enough to speak their true voice.

"The Day of Silence is just one [of many school activities] that sends a powerful message that all students are respected and have the right to learn regardless of the label they wear at school, at home or in the community. We are a better school because of activities like the Day of Silence," Taylor said at the standing-room-only meeting Thursday, March 6.

He said the GSA was working to address "the blatant misconception that participating or not participating in the Day of Silence is about choosing a side and drawing lines over GLBTQ rights."

Taylor added that staff members and students would be educated on expectations for the day, and communication with parents would remain open. Aune said that participating in the Day of Silence is within students' right to free expression, and that "any form of bullying will not be tolerated."

Mount Si parents and other community members belonging to a group called the Coalition to Defend Education (CoDE) wrote in a letter to the school board and Mount Si administration that the Day of Silence creates an unsafe environment for non-participating students, whom they claim are labeled as anti-gay. They also wrote that the Day of Silence is a distraction to learning, and shapes a school environment where school employees feel emboldened to advocate their personal opinions.

Tom's personal opinion:

I find it very telling how the anti-gay community is screaming and yelling about their children having to feel offended if they are non-supportive of DOS.

GLBTQIA's are asking the non-supportive community to feel, for one single day, what the GLBTQIA community feels EVERYDAY!

It seems the non-supportive community can't handle it for even one day. Now who are the weak and pathetic?

Lesbian AWOL in Canada

Skyler and her friend Jeremy Daniel (also a soldier) had just driven for over 40 hours without a break, from the Fort Campbell military base in Louisville, Kentucky, to Cornwall, Ontario, where they finally ran out of gas and money.

Skyler, like the 36 war resisters known to be now residing in Canada, chose to desert the US Army after hearing horror stories from fellow soldiers who had recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"People would sit around and tell stories about what they did, and someone else would say, 'Oh, that's not as bad as what I did.' They were talking about how they would injure or kill people in Iraq," she said.

You would think that by disclosing her identity, Skyler would have received a "get out of the army free" card. By outing herself, she was clearing contravening regulations in a way that should have earned her a discharge. But according to Skyler, it isn't that easy. The US military is so desperate to enlist more troops to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, that they are willing to turn a blind eye to even the most blatant homosexual conduct — leaving people like Skyler to endure the double injustice of fighting in wars they don't agree with, while also being subjected to harassment and intimidation from their fellow soldiers.

Weeks after we first spoke, Skyler has perked up considerably. In a video she posted on YouTube she sends a message to other queer soldiers who might be considering a similar journey.

POLITICS: Record number of gay candidates

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund has announced ten new endorsements, increasing the organization’s number of supported candidates to 71 for the 2007 political season. The number sets a new record for an odd-numbered year--years in which there are no scheduled federal elections. Of the 71 candidates endorsed this year, 45 still face a general election on November 6.

“In 2007, dozens of pro-equality laws were passed in cities and states where openly gay elected officials served as powerful examples for their colleagues. Being there makes a difference,” Wolfe said. The Victory Fund expects to endorse more than 100 candidates in 2008.

Gay animals publicly exhibit sexual tendencies

In the first exhibit of it's kind, the University of Oslo's Natural History Museum presents 51 species of animals exhibiting homosexuality. The display is called "Against Nature?"

"Homosexuality has been observed in more than 1,500 species, and the phenomenon has been well described for 500 of them," said Petter Bockman, project coordinator of the exhibition.

MSNBC.com adequately points out that "homosexuality" and "heterosexuality" are terms defined by societal boundaries, invisible in the animal kingdom.

"I think to some extent people don't think it's important because we went through all this time period in sociobiology where everything had to be tied to reproduction and reproductive success," said Linda Wolfe, who heads the Department of Anthropology at East Carolina University. "If it doesn't have [something to do] with reproduction it's not important."

The argument that a homosexual way of living cannot be accepted because it is against the "laws of nature" can now be rejected scientifically, said Geir Soli, project leader for the exhibition.

Reparative Therapy is wrong

Most of the world "jumps through hoops" to avoid harm to an individual. In other words, "if we harm one individual we have failed".

The religious groups who support reparative/conversion therapy take a different approach. They feel it is okay to harm someone because "if we help one individual we have succeeded".

This is dangerous and unacceptable. Once again, religion is being used to oppress.

"Ex-Gay" Ministries and “Reparative Therapy”

Ex-gay ministries use out-of-date and scientifically disproved medical theories to justify trying to “cure” gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) peoples' natural sexual orientation or gender identity.

Originally, these ministries were a small group of religious people who were virtually unknown. However, because of high-profile ad campaigns and conferences sponsored by the religious right these ministries have become a political tool in the ongoing fight to deny GLBT civil rights.

Ex-gay ministries believe three main things:
They are called to love GLBT people who are "struggling with sexual orientation and gender identity"

Homosexual orientation and transgender identity are chosen or are the result of bad childhood experiences

They cannot condone this "sinful" behavior and are therefore called on to change the sexual orientation of GLBT people.

Such attempts originate from cultural bias based on myth, misperception and misunderstanding.

We encourage all professional, educational and religious organizations to work towards changing cultural biases rather than embarking on futile and damaging efforts to change sexual orientation.


"Facts Regarding "Reparative Therapy"

The record shows that “reparative therapy” has no support from the major medical and mental health professional organizations.

In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed the term "homosexuality" from the list of mental and emotional disorders. Sexual orientation is not a disorder; therefore, it does not need to be cured.

In 1990, the American Psychological Association stated that scientific evidence shows that reparative therapy does not work and that it can do more harm than good.

In 1998, the American Psychiatric Association stated it was opposed to reparative therapy, stating "psychiatric literature strongly demonstrates that treatment attempts to change sexual orientation are ineffective. However, the potential risks are great, including depression, anxiety and self-destructive [suicidal] behavior..."

The American Medical Association, states in its policy number H-160.991, that it “opposes, the use of ‘reparative’ or ‘conversion’ therapy that is based upon the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based upon the a priori assumption that the patient should change his/her homosexual orientation”.

In 2001, The U.S. Surgeon General's Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior asserted that homosexuality is not "a reversible lifestyle choice”.

Richard Cohen, one of the main reparative therapists, is permanently excluded from the American Counseling Association (ACA).

“Reparative therapy” is unethical. It does not work and it is dangerous and destructive. The damage that can be done by this practice is real. It can destroy someone's self esteem and faith and may lead to self-destructive and suicidal behavior.
Resources on Reparative Therapy and the Ex-Gay Movement:
Professional Organization Statements on Reparative Therapy
American Psychological Association Statement
American Psychiatric Association Statement

American Medical Association Resolution

UPDATE: Sandy murder (hate crime)

A man who tried to fend off gay-bashing charges by telling a jury that he is also gay was convicted of manslaughter as a hate crime Thursday in an attack at a remote city beach.

Jurors deliberated several days before convicting Anthony Fortunato in the death of Michael Sandy, who was beaten and then chased into the path of a moving car on Oct. 8, 2006.

A second man charged in the attack, John Fox, was convicted of manslaughter and hate crime charges last week by a separate jury. Another attacker, Gary Timmins, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and testified for prosecutors.

A fourth suspect, Ilye Shurov, is awaiting trial.

VIDEO: WISCONSIN: PSA warning

A warning for Wisconsin citizens that banning civil unions affect ALL UNMARRIED COUPLES, not only gays.

USC will not tolerate homophobia

When two men marched around the Free Speech Zone on Wednesday carrying signs declaring "Homo sex is sin," students proved we are a campus with a conscience. We demonstrated our abilities as thoughtful citizens beyond the classroom, protesting these men's hateful words.

Students nearby were promoting a different message - one of acceptance and unity as part of National Coming Out Week.

Five-hundred T-shirts with the words, "Gay? Fine by me" sprawled across the front flew off Program Board's table in just 15 minutes.

Students, gay and straight, proudly wore the shirts; some followed with pink signs and marched up to the protestors, questioning and challenging intolerance at its human roots.

We demonstrated that straight people can have gay pride, too. On Wednesday, people of different sexual orientations loudly proclaimed that USC will not tolerate homophobia.

Help at any cost?

In the past I've stated my anger at the "help at any cost" mentality. Mostly directed towards "reparative therapy".

Unlike our legal system, which "jumps through hoops" to avoid harm/conviction of a single innocent person, this "help at any cost" mentality takes the exact opposite approach.

Instead of worrying about any injustice or harm to an individual they only focus on the people it "helps". Tossing the harmed individuals to the side as if they don't matter. We are talking about people committing suicide due to a "therapy", not to mention the ones which will be mentally scarred for life.

Now it's happening to teens as well.

Congress is finally looking into the "troubled teen" industry and the deaths, human rights abuses and other problems that have occurred in teen "boot camps" "wilderness programs" and other "tough love" residential settings. In many states, these institutions are less regulated than dog kennels and nail salons.

This "throw away" attitude is a scourge, an assault on society.

I suppose we shouldn't be shocked since our society feels it's okay to watch men injure each other (boxing, football, etc) and are repulsed by men who love each other!

National coming out day: University of Tennessee

The Lambda Student Union will be tabling at the Pedestrian Walkway on October 9 from 10 A.M to 3 P.M. in support of National Coming Out Day. There will be literature available to students, including a guide to those who wish to 'come out', a guide for straight allies of the LGBTQ community, and a guide regarding transgender issues. There will also be a phamplet about the Lambda Student Union available, as well as goodies for passersby. The official date of National Coming Out Day is October 11.