tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101815052009-07-04T20:15:15.205-04:00WayneBesen.com is one of the fastest-growing liberal blogs in the nation. Each day, Wayne Besen touches on hot button issues, with a GLBT-twist, offering wit and wisdom - and you always know where he stands. Besen, a well-known author and activist, takes on the far right and pulls no punches. He is a four-star General in the culture wars and is leading the charge to fight back against the right wing! If you dislike Jerry Falwell, you'll love this blog.Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.comBlogger1910125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-50655972247919919522009-06-30T14:02:00.003-04:002009-06-30T14:12:54.962-04:00

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

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-83896227117908244712009-06-24T16:59:00.002-04:002009-06-24T17:01:52.035-04:00

Watch the video. Then you will see why the Traditional Values Coalition is labled an official hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-21719557943021932542009-06-24T16:00:00.003-04:002009-06-24T16:07:05.998-04:00

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

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-19570561662045558902009-06-22T18:45:00.003-04:002009-06-22T18:51:32.873-04:00

(Weekly Column)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

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-29317259728801428012009-06-18T13:59:00.004-04:002009-06-19T16:50:42.554-04:00

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 2009Location: 74 Trinity PlaceMore Info: www.TabooYardies.com

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-12984569443139095462009-06-18T13:28:00.000-04:002009-06-18T13:29:31.231-04:00

I will appear live on the John Gibson National Radio Show at 2:10 ET.The topic will be Obama and the GLBT community.Tune in and listen.

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-25794622249033004362009-06-18T11:52:00.003-04:002009-06-18T11:59:38.862-04:00

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

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-34201214955924045192009-06-17T13:45:00.003-04:002009-06-17T14:17:04.766-04:00

(Weekly Column)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

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-39013000065183628402009-06-09T16:04:00.003-04:002009-06-09T16:19:23.248-04:00

(Weekly Column)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

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-74818098318711855702009-06-09T11:08:00.002-04:002009-06-09T11:17:16.248-04:00

(John Paulk, Left, Leaving Gay Bar)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

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-81570959374283125142009-06-02T21:49:00.004-04:002009-06-05T10:57:58.241-04:00

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

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-23930935735877466812009-06-02T16:18:00.003-04:002009-06-02T16:23:49.338-04:00

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

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-79495327451429714232009-06-01T21:15:00.003-04:002009-06-02T18:21:56.822-04:00

(Weekly Column)Like flowers in spring, the culture war is in full bloom. The most explosive flashpoint this past week was President Obama's pick for the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor. She is under fire for saying, "I would hope a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."Her comments

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-29346644351068562682009-05-31T13:25:00.000-04:002009-05-31T13:26:01.505-04:00

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-38000304726507667202009-05-31T13:16:00.000-04:002009-05-31T13:17:16.703-04:00

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-2571124743793311282009-05-26T23:04:00.004-04:002009-05-26T23:22:12.591-04:00

(Weekly Column)Having watched the court proceedings on television, I was pretty certain that the California Supreme Court was going to uphold Proposition 8, the ballot initiative to overturn an earlier court ruling allowing gay couples the freedom to marry.Still, knowing that a punch to the gut is coming does not make it hurt any less. The 6-1 ruling was degrading, humiliating and a shameful day

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-38055159623606128792009-05-26T15:26:00.004-04:002009-05-26T15:43:33.156-04:00

Court Favors Mob Rule By Allowing Majority to Dictate Basic RightsTruth Wins Out expressed deep dismay over the California Supreme Court's split 6-1 ruling today that upheld Proposition 8, a ballot measure which abolished the freedom to marry for same-sex couples. The court did, however, allow the 18,000 marriages that took place in California, while marriage equality existed, to stand."This was

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-40600372516390736732009-05-20T17:01:00.002-04:002009-05-20T17:05:48.502-04:00

Author and activist David Mixner writes:I adore President Obama but not enough to allow his team to delay my freedom for political convenience or comfort. It is unacceptable.My plea is for our LGBT leaders to call a March on Washington for Marriage Equality this November and if they won't do it, I appeal to our young to come together and provide the leadership.We need to come together in a

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-23103463152634975642009-05-19T16:34:00.001-04:002009-05-19T16:34:43.048-04:00

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-90312443827655008122009-05-18T22:37:00.003-04:002009-05-18T22:51:05.992-04:00

(Weekly Column)There are days when I am infatuated with Obama's very existence. These moments usually coincide with vivid reminders of our previous president. For example, GQ magazine revealed last week that Donald Rumsfeld's presidential defense briefings began with warrior Bible verses. Here is a sample:"Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-28934855358471080112009-05-13T15:16:00.000-04:002009-05-13T15:17:13.188-04:00

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-16822108619331582602009-05-13T14:22:00.003-04:002009-05-13T14:27:06.781-04:00

Please join me in attending a rally in Midtown Manhattan for the freedom to marry. The New York House just passed a marriage bill last night. It is now in the hands of the Senate. And if you are not political, there will be more stars than a planetarium to keep you occupied.Sunday, May 17, 2009 5:00pm - 7:00pm 45th & Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave.) New York, NYJoin: Audra McDonald, Cheyenne

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-62078958174815600652009-05-13T13:57:00.002-04:002009-05-13T14:12:04.781-04:00

Sarah Palin has a new book deal.She says that it is her opportunity to tell her "side" of the story without the "media filter."What she is really saying, however, is that she will get a chance to filter the truth from her less than bright followers with minimal questioning from pesky reporters. We all saw Palin when she was on the national stage. She repeatedly failed when asked tough questions

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-10847157017314867222009-05-11T18:49:00.003-04:002009-05-11T18:59:55.515-04:00

(Weekly Column)It was unusually satisfying to watch beauty contestant turned Bible-thumper Carrie Prejean crash and burn. In the bat of an eyelash, she went from Christian role model to wannabe underwear model after racy pictures of her surfaced. "They were quite inappropriate and certainly not photos befitting a beauty queen," Alicia Jacobs, a Miss USA judge, told NBC's Today Show.The verb "

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10181505.post-67785862526772220112009-05-06T14:05:00.002-04:002009-05-06T14:29:24.440-04:00

Maine's governor (pictured) signed a freshly passed bill Wednesday approving gay marriage, making it the fifth state to approve the practice and moving New England closer to allowing it throughout the region. New Hampshire legislators were also poised to send a gay marriage bill to their governor, who hasn't indicated whether he'll sign it. If he does, Rhode Island would be the region's sole

Wayne Besenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192706148737021956noreply@blogger.com8