You can purchase an autographed copy of Anything But Straight by sending a $35 check or money order to:
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Wayne Besen
PO Box 25491
Brooklyn, NY 11202
The fortieth anniversary of Stonewall, the 1969 bar riot that kicked off the modern gay rights movement, was supposed to be a time of reflection. Judging from the gushing media coverage and flowery political speeches, it momentarily seemed that the struggle for equality had ended in victory. Out with marches and in with museums, where gay and straight people could walk the marble corridors and gasp in astonishment, "The police actually used to raid gay bars?"
When the Fort Worth police stormed the gay Rainbow Lounge at 1AM on Sunday, June 28, the patrons could be forgiven for thinking it was a quaint cabaret show in memory of Stonewall -- very much like the Civil War reenactments so popular in the south. But, no, this was the real deal -- a gang of gun-wielding thugs using their badges to badger helpless patrons who committed the crime of drinking beer while gay.
It was the third such raid of the night by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and Fort Worth police. They were allegedly harassing bar customers to crack down on public intoxication, which is as ridiculous as raiding the mall for public displays of shopping. While they claim they were carrying out their duty, it sure seems to me like a band of good ole boys with too much time on their hands. Instead of fighting real crime, becoming the criminals must have provided a greater adrenaline rush.
By the time these taxpayer supported public servants reached the gay bar, they unleashed a viciousness and violence not seen at the other establishments. According to the Dallas Voice, seven bar patrons were arrested on charges of public intoxication. One customer, Chad Gibson, suffered brain injuries during the raid and is still hospitalized, reportedly suffering from bleeding on his brain, which may require surgery.
The armed hooligans tried to excuse their thuggish behavior by reviving the stereotype of gay men as sexual predators. Incredibly, they claimed that as they stormed the bar, patrons made sexual advances.
Yeah, right.
They actually want people to believe that their magnetic, sexual appeal triggered the insatiable sexual appetites of the drunken gays, who thought they were being rushed by the Village People. That's odd, because the patrons describe the invasion as more terrifying than titillating.
Clearly, the police are insulting the public's intelligence by offering a lame, implausible excuse, based on bigotry. As they used to say when I lived in Texas: "They are shoveling ten pounds of shit into a five pound bag."
And, quite frankly, it is irrelevant whether sexual advances were made. If Gibson had chased the officers across the dance floor with a male blow up doll, they are still guilty of excessive use of force. The police don't have the authority to mug people -- and when they do so, they transform from protectors to perpetrators.
In many ways, such actions are worse than hate crimes. We can accept the fact that wild-eyed, crazy extremists will always exist. But, when the cops become the criminals, it creates an insecurity and raw vulnerability that affects the entire GLBT community in a substantial way.
What is troubling is that Fort Worth is a sophisticated town teeming with gays. If a raid can happen here, it can happen anywhere. The city needs to quickly investigate this outrage and punish those who planned and participated in this brutal attack on innocent beer drinkers.
This week, President Obama met with gay leaders and offered more pretty words. He should be applauded for this meeting, because it does send the right message and adds to an atmosphere of acceptance that transcends policy.
Still, we need this president to make history because the discrimination faced by gay people is not a relic of the past. The hatred is alive, it is sometimes deadly and our lives -- no matter how enchanted - can take a lethal turn if we are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
While I am thrilled that Obama recognized the rainbow flag, he and Congress must take action to end discrimination, because the Rainbow Lounge is a grim reminder that the fight for justice is far from over.
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A new report by the website, "Ex-Gay Watch", has cast a dark cloud of skepticism over "ex-gay" activist Matthew Manning's tale of being "delivered" from homosexuality and AIDS. According to the report, Manning has been repeatedly dragged into court for allegations of inappropriate behavior and was even banned from a popular gym after improper sexual advances were made on a 22-year-old heterosexual male. Manning, a frequent television guest and the founder of Lighthouse World Evangelism Inc., based in Santa Rosa, California, has yet to comment on the allegations made in the investigative report.
"The 'ex-gay' myth is one of the largest frauds ever foisted on the American consumer," said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. "We call on Manning to immediately close down his snake oil shop. We also urge those in the media who promoted his fake miracle to apologize and update their audience on the sordid facts that have been revealed."
According to an older version of Manning's website: "Matthew was delivered from homosexuality in 1989 and miraculously healed from HIV/AIDS in 1994. Matthew's experience not only enables him to minister effectively to those seeking deliverance from homosexuality, but to all people seeking to know Jesus Christ in a deeper way."
Ex-Gay Watch discovered that Manning found his way into the courthouse three times, all for activity that contradicted his testimony as an "ex-gay" born again Christian. On September 2, 2005, a complaint was filed with the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma, accusing Manning of one count of violating CA Penal Code 243.4(e)(1), which states:
"Any person who touches an intimate part of another person, if the touching is against the will of the person touched, and is for the specific purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, or sexual abuse, is guilty of misdemeanor sexual battery, punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment."
Manning pleaded "no contest" to a lesser charge. Still, as a result of this incident, Manning was ordered to stay away from the 22-year-old victim for one year, and also ordered to stay away from one of the 24 Hour Fitness locations in Santa Rosa for the same length of time. There were also two other incidents, one in 2000 and another in 1998, according to Ex-Gay Watch.
Manning first burst on the scene several years ago when he claimed, while in the studio audience of the Roseanne Show, that God delivered him from AIDS and homosexuality. Actress Sharon Stone was also in the audience and mocked him as a modern miracle who defied logic and modern medicine.
Since then, he has appeared on several Christian broadcasts, including at least five episodes of The Joni Show and Pat Robertson's 700 Club. Exodus President Alan Chambers, lauded Manning's story on the Joni Show as "amazing" and "unbelievable".
"It just goes to show you how 'ex-gay' activists continue to dupe gullible people and promote fake miracles to gain new followers," said Besen.
I understand the magnetic allure of Washington, DC. I worked there for several years and it could, at times, be mesmerizing. I've attended press conferences on the steps of Capitol Hill with Ted Kennedy and marveled that I was standing next to the real icon, not a replica from Madame Tussauds wax museum. I have stood only a stone's throw from President Clinton, as he greeted foreign dignitaries on the White House lawn. (I might have actually thrown the stones at Bush)
It makes one feel, well, important.
From a media perspective, there is also nothing like being swept into the tidal wave of presidential politics. Last year, I made national news by slamming candidate Barack Obama for sponsoring a South Carolina gospel tour featuring "ex-gay" singer Donnie McClurkin. My second foray into the spotlight involved Sarah Palin's church promotion of an "ex-gay" conference in Anchorage.
Getting thrust into the national storyline means hundreds of news stories that feature your name and the bright lights of television. Of course, such massive media hits are important and serve a larger purpose. But, the downside is our movement can become intoxicated with Washington at the expense of broader issues.
Let me be clear, it is crucial that the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender movement have a strong voice in Washington. It is vital that we support our national lobby groups. Solutions at the federal level are often preferable because they apply to conservative states where it may take decades to achieve equality.
Still, this past week underscored how the gay movement's engagement with Washington has become an unhealthy obsession. I have seen hundreds of articles and e-mails with people opining on Obama, the Democrats and the gay movement. (I'm as guilty as anyone else. Indeed, my column last week was about the administration's timidity on gay issues)
It seems every person wants to be the star of Meet the Press, every activist is now Chris Matthews and we are all experts at political chess, prattling endlessly in the cyber salon about the machinations of the administration. Everyone with a computer is now a master strategist and can regurgitate the records of previously obscure members of Congress.
Political discourse has become an aphrodisiac that has seduced our community away from equally important issues. Perhaps it is time we go into rehab and free ourselves from the Washington crack pipe. It is a cheap high that rarely lasts and often leaves us broke and unsatisfied.
We all wanted King Obama to sweep into office, wave his magic wand and make discrimination disappear. I really wish he would, but it is clear that he won't -- or at least not as quick as we desire. So, why don't we pry ourselves away from DC for a moment and try using our resources in alternative ways?
Anyone remember AIDS?
Ever hear of the multi-million dollar ex-gay industry that pumps out reams of propaganda to portray gay people as sick and "sexually broken?" Few people seem to notice, even though these groups spread harmful myths and poisonous stereotypes that impact our daily lives.
What about increasing funds to help GLBT youths who are thrown out of their homes? Or, scholarships, so these teens can succeed in life and maybe one day run for Congress?
How about focusing on the abuses against GLBT people overseas?
The aforementioned issues will not get you on a Congressman's speed dial. It is unlikely that you will win a sparkling trophy or have a marble bust made of your head. The cable shows may not be dialing you at a frenzied pace. But, you might have a disproportionately positive impact and even save a few lives.
The other problem with our political addiction is that it breeds bad messaging. We are coming across as a powerful lobby that is demanding action as payback for money and votes. While there is a place for such muscle flexing, it masks our true agenda.
The immediacy of our cause has to do with the trauma we all faced as children. Now that we are strong, we don't want one more GLBT teen to commit suicide while Congress dithers. It is unconscionable for another youth who dreams of serving his or her country to be turned away while Obama plots his reelection. It is an insult -- right down to the core of our soul -- when our government tells us that we can't marry the person we love.
Our movement is not about Obama's career, nor the happenings in Congress. What we seek is to reclaim our basic dignity and end needless suffering -- both goals that one is unlikely to achieve solely in the glamorous quicksand of Washington.
While our fate in DC hangs in the balance, how about returning some balance to the GLBT movement by ending our fatalistic fixation on all-things political?
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Selena Blake has a great project. She wants to stop anti-gay violence in Jamaica. She is producing a film to help make this happen. Please contribute to this film and attend her screening in New York City.
Event: Taboo Yardies, Film in Progress Screening. Date: Thursday June 27th 2009 Location: 74 Trinity Place More Info: www.TabooYardies.com
After years of posing as "Mr. Values" and making a career out of supposed moral superiority, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) is resigning from a key post after admitting an affair with a staffer. The woman with whom Ensign had the affair, Cynthia Hampton, the former treasurer of Ensign's political committees, came forward yesterday to acknowledge the affair. Her husband, Douglas Hampton, served as a senior aide to Ensign in his Senate office.
As the Washington Post story notes today, Cynthia Hampton's salary doubled in 2008 during the time she had the affair with Ensign. Her husband got an additional two weeks of pay in April 2008 (two months before the affair ended) and their son was put on the payroll until the affair ended in mid August 2008. The Las Vegas Sun asked today, "Were payments to the Hamptons, documented in Senate and federal election records, intended to ensure their silence about the affair?"
Yet, another Republican hypocrite preaching to others, while not living as advertised. When will the party of "family values" learn to stop preaching and start practicing the values they allegedly hold dear? When will they stop defiling the institution of marriage and allow solid gay couples to marry?
I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being judged by a party of two-faced, two-timing liars, who can't keep their zippers up, but tell me that there is something immoral about my relationship.
This latest scandal is emblematic of the implosion of the Republican Party. It is now led by:
Newt Gingrich: The thrice married Congressman who left his first wife in the hospital when she had cancer. Nice.
Rush Limbaugh: A race-baiting, pill popping junkie - who is rabidly against drugs. Go figure that one out.
Sarah Palin: A preachy woman who promotes abstinence while her own family is a mess and far from "conservative."
I really wish a moderate GOP would emerge. That way, there would be two parties, giving the gay community more political bargaining leverage. But, this latest disaster with Ensign, underscores that the Republicans are no more than a sad joke and a party of pious poseurs.
In case you are wondering, Ensign scored a ZERO on the Human Rights Campaign's last scorecard.
A debate is raging on whether to have a national gay March on Washington in October. Most leaders I have spoken with are against the idea, preferring to keep scarce financial and human resources in the states. Others, such as myself, are largely ambivalent. A galvanizing force, however, is giving new life to this idea and his name is Barack Obama.
The President is in serious danger of motivating a huge mass of gay people to stream into Washington for the simple joy of standing in front of the White House and giving him a piece of their minds. This frustration may lead to an embarrassing situation for the President, where former supporters mount the largest anti-Obama pep rally not fronted by Sarah Palin.
Today, an array of GLBT leaders expressed their dismay with the President by pulling out of a Democratic National Committee fundraiser. The action is in protest of a noxious legal brief submitted by the Department of Justice. It implausibly defended the heinous Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) by using anti-gay arguments that likely drew a standing ovation from Rev. Pat Robertson.
DOJ's paper included a comparison of gay relationships to incest and opposed same-sex relationships on the absurd basis that it would cost taxpayers money (Don't gay people pay taxes?). HRC also sent a pointed letter to Obama highlighting the betrayal felt by the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
"I cannot overstate the pain that we feel as human beings and as families when we read an argument, presented in federal court, implying that our own marriages have no more constitutional standing than incestuous ones," wrote HRC's President, Joe Solmonese.
The deteriorating situation is exacerbated by confusion about who will push for equality. The Obama administration claims to be awaiting congressional action on a number of issues, including ending employment discrimination, eliminating DOMA and repealing Don't Ask/Don't Tell. Meanwhile, Senate majority leader Harry Reid is waiting for Obama to act, as well as the House of Representatives. The GLBT community has become a hot potato that the Democrats do not seem to want to touch.
Aggravating matters was John Berry, the highest-ranking gay official in the administration. In an interview with The Advocate, he said that Obama's timetable to enact his pro-gay campaign promises is "before the sun sets on this administration." So, now we have to wait 4-8 years, while watching him suck up to Rick Warren on Day 1?
For what seemed like forever, Democrats told us that when the big bad Republicans went away, our lives would improve. Well, the Republican nightmare is over, so why do I still feel like I'm in the middle of a political Friday the 13th movie?
The Democrats took our money, our votes and our volunteer hours and now they tell us to wait patiently, like good little gays. As far as I'm concerned, if the donkeys can't deliver now, they can kiss my ass. The Democrats run the show in Washington and if they will not act like a majority party, then they do not deserve to be one.
This is not about making unreasonable policy demands, but about the Democrats recognizing the daily struggles faced by gay people. A new report by The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs said, "violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people increased 2% from 2007 to 2008, continuing the trend of a 24% total increase in 2007."
Yesterday, I read about a lesbian who was barred from visiting her partner in a Fresno hospital, and as a result her partner received the wrong medication. Last week, I was in conservative Western Michigan where I spoke to young people who were nearly driven to suicide as a result of anti-gay attitudes.
We need a president who recognizes these evils and demonstrates the courage and leadership to enact the change he so eloquently promised during his campaign.
If Obama continues down the current path it will come at a steep price. When Bill Clinton settled for Don't Ask/Don't Tell, it solidified the growing perception that he was "Slick Willie." By turning his back on the gay community, Obama will play into the idea, stoked by Hillary Clinton and exploited by John McCain, that he is a man of beautiful, yet empty words.
What Obama fails to understand is that when poetry does not translate into policy, and hope turns hollow, the American people will begin to tune him out.
I'm still undecided about the wisdom of a march on Washington, but I am decidedly fed up with my political "friends" marching all over my dignity and taking my support for granted. If the majority party does not cough up the votes to protect our families, we should close down our generous coffers.
Update: Today, Obama will sign a presidential memorandum to extend benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, but he will stop short of pledging full health insurance coverage.
This is a good start. Of course, the health care thing is perplexing, as gay people have been known to come down with colds too. However, let's not be ungrateful. Thank you Mr. President for this wise step. We do appreciate it and your action today has not gone unnoticed.
That said, we are not satisfied. If you agree that we are human beings and American citizens - than why should we not share in equal rights and be able to protect our families - just like anyone else? Why must we have any laws on the books that single out GLBT people and discriminate? Why not work in a swift manner to end discrimination and have it be your legacy? Why must another day pass where we are second class citizens?
Mr. President, we know you are capable of greatness. You are already an historic figure and a man of enormous achievements. We want to celebrate your administration and help reelect you.
But, the time has come to move beyond the campaign trail and do what is moral and just. We are watching and waiting and we hope we can celebrate you as the fierce advocate that you portrayed yourself as to gain our support.
I'm on my way to Grand Rapids, Michigan to give a presentation at Grand Valley State University on the harm caused by the "ex-gay" industry. My speech, followed by a panel discussion, is in response to Focus on the Family's traveling road show, Love Won Out, which will be in town on Saturday. Having countered several of these conferences, I must confess, I still don't understand what point they are trying to make.
If Focus on the Family's goal is to convert gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people into evangelical Christians, they are doing a lousy job. It seems convincing gay people to end their relationships is a far higher priority to this ministry than having gay people develop personal relationships with Jesus Christ.
For every guilt-ridden homosexual who temporarily falls under their spell, they lose hundreds, if not thousands, of gay people who view their conversion program as intolerant. If your ministry causes many gay people to write off not just Christianity, but all religion, by what measurement can you consider your evangelizing a success?
At Love Won Out, speakers go to great lengths to profess their deep concern over the mental and physical well being of homosexuals. It turns out, however, that the anti-gay sentiment expressed at these conferences may be hazardous to the health of GLBT people.
A new Emory University study concludes that the bans on same-sex marriage pushed by Focus on the Family can be tied to a rise in the rate of HIV infection. The scientists found that a constitutional ban on marriage equality raised the rate by four cases per 100,000 people.
"We found the effects of tolerance for gays on HIV to be statistically significant and robust, they hold up under a range of empirical models," says Hugo Mialon, an assistant professor of economics. "Intolerance is deadly," Mialon said. "Bans on gay marriage codify intolerance, causing more gay people to shift to underground sexual behaviors that carry more risk."
Earlier this year, a study by San Francisco State's Caitlin Ryan concluded that "teens who experienced negative feedback (when they came out) were more than eight times as likely to have attempted suicide, nearly six times as vulnerable to severe depression and more than three times at risk of drug use."
So, if Love Won Out is truly concerned about the health of gay people, particularly teenagers, it will transform into a gay affirming ministry. To continue down their destructive path of judgmental condemnation is senseless and significantly harmful to the very GLBT people that Focus purports to want to help.
Of course, Focus on the Family will insist that they love gay people and just want to help those who are unhappy. But, isn't it a conflict of interest when you lobby to pass anti-gay laws that make gay people miserable and then offer yourself up as the panacea to the pain? Is it not hypocritical to sponsor a conference supposedly about love, where the main speaker is Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International?
Chambers hosts a Christian television show, Pure Passion, which pollutes the airwaves by repeatedly calling gay people "sexually broken" and "perverse." Exodus also sells "Pursuing Sexual Wholeness" a book authored by Andy Comiskey that says, "Satan delights in homosexual perversion." Such pronouncements are often accompanied by exorcisms given by churches affiliated with ex-gay ministries. Obviously, such extreme actions are anathema to creating a welcoming church environment for GLBT people.
Focus on the Family also claims its conferences are for parents, friends, family members or ministry leaders who want to "lovingly reach out with uncompromised faith."
Genuine love, of course, requires making the very compromises and sacrifices that Love Won Out is telling people are unnecessary. Rejecting a friend or family member's innate sexual orientation as sinful and defective, rarely leads to a healthy relationship based on trust and mutual respect.
Finally, the investigative reporter Thomas Maier just released a groundbreaking book, "Masters of Sex." In it, he reveals that the famed sex research team, Masters and Johnson, had fabricated claims of curing gay people in their 1979 book, "Homosexuality in Perspective." Given this vital new information, why hasn't Focus on the Family taken the opportunity to review and question the validity of its program? Wouldn't that be the moral course of action to take?
The hard truth is, Focus on the Family's leaders are only capable of loving people exactly like themselves, which explains their tremendous efforts to remake gays in their image. While their splashy road show may get high marks for good theatre, it's ultimately futile because their transparent version of "love" rarely wins converts and succeeds only at convincing most gay people to run out of the church door.
The gross hypocrisy and outright cynicism is difficult to believe.
Focus on the Family is bringing their notorious ex-gay road show, Love Won Out, to Grand Rapids, Michigan this week. In response, Grand Valley State University is hosting my presentation, followed by a panel discussion on the danger of ex-gay programs.
Focus on the Family is livid and demands that the panel include anti-gay Focus on the Family speaker Michael Brown. They are urging their huge mailing list to complain and bully university officials.
"The 'Religion and Homophobia' panel discussion seems awfully one-sided for an event sponsored by the school's 'inclusion and equity' department," wrote Gary Schneeberger, vice president of media and public relations at Focus on the Family.
Focus on the Family might be taken seriously if they had actually extended an invitation to gay advocates and pro-gay preachers to speak at Love Won Out. I'd be more than happy to present my slide show, "Pray Away The Gay" on Saturday, at the Focus on the Family event. I'd even bring along the original photograph I took of Love Won Out's ex-gay founder, John Paulk, fleeing a gay bar.
Unfortunately, no such invitation was forthcoming. It seems that Focus on the Family has a double standard when it comes to inclusion and diversity. They demand representation, yet do not have the decency, manners and common courtesy to extend an invitation of their own. And, they wonder why their assertions of "love" and "morality" are deemed politically motivated and insincere.
If you are encouraged that Grand Valley is offering this program -- "Religion and Homophobia: Spiritual Violence in our Community" -- then let the university know: 616-331-2221.
If you are in Michigan and would like to attend the panel, please visit www.TruthWinsOut.org for more information.
Wayne Besen Executive Director Truth Wins Out
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For decades, anti-gay organizations have gleefully pointed to a Masters & Johnson study that claimed to cure homosexuality. It has also been used by the so-called "ex-gay" industry to "prove" gays could go straight, if they just tried hard enough.
In a groundbreaking book, "Masters of Sex", author Thomas Maier discovered through investigative reporting that the results of Masters & Johnson's study were fabricated.
One can not overstate the importance of his findings. They undo the very underpinnings of the so-called "ex-gay" therapy movement, further showing that there is no scientific evidence to support the outdated idea that gay people can become heterosexual through therapy.
Indeed, many people who have undergone such "treatment" claim the experience was harmful and that they were psychologically damaged. The American Psychiatric Association says that attempts to change sexual orientation can lead to "anxiety, depression and self-destructive behavior."
National Organization of Women Plans Protest Response To 'Love Won Out'
NEW YORK -- Truth Wins Out announced today that its Executive Director, Wayne Besen, would be in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to participate in actions to educate the public about the dangers of the "ex-gay" industry. Besen is the author of "Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Ex-Gay Myth". The educational events coincide with Love Won Out, Focus on the Family's "pray away the gay" road show, which will be held on June 13.
"The community response has been incredible and we are looking forward to countering the misinformation that Focus on the Family will import into Grand Rapids," said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. "It is important that people know that you can't pray away the gay, but you can learn to love people for who they truly are."
Grand Valley State University departments have teamed up to host a panel discussion on religion and homophobia that will feature national and local experts.
"Religion and Homophobia: Spiritual Violence in Our Community" is set for Thursday, June 11, from 7-9 p.m. in the Eberhard Center, room 215, on Grand Valley's Pew Grand Rapids Campus at 301 W. Fulton St. The event is free and open to the public.
Besen will begin the discussion with a presentation about the validity of "ex-gay" reparative ministries or therapies. Truth Wins Out is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to defending the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community against anti-gay misinformation campaigns.
Panel members will include the following: ** John Corvino, Wayne State University professor, author and lecturer; ** Milt Ford, director of Grand Valley's LGBT Resource Center; ** Judith Snow, Grand Rapids area forensic therapist and author; ** Doug Van Doren, pastor of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ; ** Josh Sleutel, GVSU student, previous reparative therapy patient.
The event is sponsored by Grand Valley's Division of Inclusion and Equity, Dean of Students Office, LGBT Resource Center, Women's Center, Women and Gender Studies Department, Office of Multicultural Affairs, Liberal Studies Department, Allies and Advocates, and the LGBT Faculty and Staff Association.
Additionally, the National Organization of Women is planning a protest response to "Love Won Out". It will take place on June 13 at the Calder Plaza from noon-1pm.
