Wayne Besen - Weekly Columns

In Defense of Liberalism

2008-08-05T08:35:00.002-04:00

(Weekly Column) It is campaign season, once again, which means conservatives, will try to paint Democrats as "liberals," as if it were a dirty word. I, for one, am proud to be a liberal and believe we should stand up against these conservative smears. One of the great fallacies in modern lore is that liberalism stands for nothing and liberals have no core beliefs. The right wing, from the Pope

Messages That Lead To Murder

2008-07-29T14:17:00.001-04:00

(Weekly Column) (Jim Adkisson, Conservative Frankenstein, Left) This week, I attended the Commercial Closet's Images In Advertising Awards in Manhattan, which honored corporations that produced gay affirming ads. The pro-gay plugs showed genuine progress and highlighted that many leading companies "get it." The work of Commercial Closet is vital because images matter and repeated exposure to

Exodus: A 'Loving' Call To Battle

2008-07-20T00:37:00.002-04:00

Sporting a fog machine for its smoke and mirrors routine and an extravagant stage that would make The Rolling Stones blush, the "ex-gay" group Exodus International held its glitzy annual conference in Asheville, North Carolina. I was in town all week to partner with regional and state organizations to oppose the meeting and its dizzying array of distortions. A dark cloud hovered over the Exodus

The 'Pro-Family' Scam

2008-07-08T18:52:00.001-04:00

(Weekly Column) The last few weeks have shown that so-called pro-family organizations are some of the most useless, money-sucking scams in the world. With real families suffering from economic hardship in America, a declining birthrate in Europe and Google doubling the price of daycare for employees, the only thing right wing family groups want to discuss is their

The Ugly Phase Begins

2008-07-01T17:26:00.001-04:00

For a brief moment, it looked as if the GLBT community might escape gratuitous gay baiting in the 2008 presidential campaign. Unlike the past few election cycles where the strategy was to secure the base at all costs, McCain and Obama were vigorously vying for moderate and Independent swing voters. The pro-gay Obama was competing in all 50 states - thus tailoring his general election message to

The Distortions of James Dobson

2008-06-24T18:44:00.002-04:00

(Weekly Column) It is remarkable that Focus on the Family's James Dobson would accuse anyone of "distortions" considering his ignoble record. But, that is exactly what the right wing ideologue did this week when he said on his daily radio show that democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama distorted the Bible. "I think he's deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible

City of the Future?

2008-06-10T16:42:00.003-04:00

(Weekly Column) The United Arab Emirates has ambitions of being the New York City of the Middle East. Dubai already boasts the world's tallest building, the first indoor ski resort, the world's largest manmade island and upscale shopping malls that dwarf Super Wal Marts. Brad Pitt is even designing an eco-friendly hotel, one project in Dubai's $381 billion worth of new construction. Abu Dhabi,

I'm Having Nunn Of It

2008-05-27T18:38:00.001-04:00

When former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA) endorsed Barack Obama in April and announced he would serve as a national security advisor, pundits naturally began speculating on his vice presidential prospects. The argument in favor of Nunn is that he is a former Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, which would help negate one of the McCain campaign's largest advantages. Nunn's position is strengthened

The Question of Choice Matters

2008-04-23T06:17:00.001-04:00

In 2002, a large gay rights organization was hosting a luncheon that featured a transgender speaker. During the Q&A, there was discussion on the merits of adding "gender identity" to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) - which, if passed, would protect people from being fired because of their sexual orientation. In the middle of a serious debate, a new staffer, who was just hired from

Observations

2008-04-16T13:32:00.001-04:00

(Weekly Column) California: The Huffington Post reports that the California Supreme Court may overturn Proposition 22, a referendum passed in 2000 that prohibits gay people from marrying. The article suggests that the court may also come out in favor of same-sex marriage as early as May 23. Anticipating a favorable ruling, the right wing is working to place a constitutional amendment on the

Standing Up to the Stand-Up Comics

2008-04-09T09:00:00.001-04:00

(Weekly Column) It was business as usual when Tonight Show host Jay Leno asked his guest, Ryan Phillippe, to give his "gayest look" because he once played a gay character on the soap opera "One Life to Live." The mortified reaction of Phillippe, however, combined with the outrage of gay rights groups, hopefully

Repressed Virgin Clubs Invade Ivy League

2008-04-02T11:34:00.001-04:00

If the empty mantra, "Just Say No," failed to keep teenagers off of drugs, it certainly is not going to work for sex. Yet, our government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on "abstinence only" programs that promote ignorance over education, while offering a warped view of sexuality. Like all programs steeped in religious extremism, these are fear-based, anti-science and prone to great

A New Stage for the Sultan of Stigma

2008-03-25T12:21:00.000-04:00

(Weekly Column) -- The symposium will be at 2:00 p.m. on Monday afternoon (5/5/08) in lecture halls 159 A & B in the Washington DC Convention Center -- Since 1973, the once dreaded American Psychiatric Association has become an ally of gay and lesbian equality. They have consistently withstood outside pressure from right wing organizations and instead chose to do what was in the best interest

Obama: From Crisis to Crowning Achievement

2008-03-19T12:33:00.001-04:00

It had been a devastating week for Barack Obama. The rationale for his entire campaign was hope and reconciliation. Yet, for days, his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, was shown on television delivering rabid and racially insensitive sermons denouncing America. Rightfully sensing his candidacy may be history if he did not respond, Obama answered with a spine-tingling, tear-evoking

Week in Review

2008-03-11T14:03:00.001-04:00

- Kooky Kern, Left - (Weekly Column) Spitzer Sputters: Republicans, it seems, account for the majority of sleazy sex scandals, but the Democrats do the illicit affair with theatrical flare. Who will ever forget presidential hopeful Gary Hart on the yacht "Monkey Business" with Donna Rice sitting in his lap or Bill

The Arch-Butcher of Nigeria

2008-03-03T18:31:00.003-05:00

When openly gay Gene Robinson was elected Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003, the Nigerian Archbishop, Peter J. Akinola, called the event "Satanic." However, after reading the latest issue of Atlantic Magazine, it appears that Akinola is the one whose behavior is modeled on the devil. According to the article, Muslim fanatics attacked Christian worshippers in the Nigerian town of Yelwa

Boycott Jamaica

2008-02-26T11:56:00.000-05:00

Gay bashing in Jamaica is so prevalent that in 2006 Time Magazine wrote an article about the island headlined, "The Most Homophobic Place On Earth?" The New York Times this week showed that the anti-gay climate has only worsened, with the island caught in a downward spiral of outright psychosis. It is time to hand an ultimatum to Jamaica's public officials: Stop allowing rampant abuse of gay

Throckmorton's UnHoly War

2008-02-20T10:08:00.001-05:00

Dr. Warren Throckmorton, the shamelessly self-promoting "ex-gay" therapist, has stepped up his holy war against gay people. This week, he organized a pack of fundamentalist quacks to file a formal written complaint with the American Counseling Association. Throckmorton's crew is upset because they believe the ACA is inhibiting their ability to destroy the mental health of gay and lesbian people

Stop Blaming Hillary For Culture Wars

2008-01-30T11:42:00.000-05:00

(Weekly Column) I caught the political bug while in college in 1992, seduced by the charming optimism of Bill Clinton's presidential campaign. At the time, I was interning as a radio news reporter at KQED in San Francisco. One of my assignments was to cover a Clinton visit. Although I was still a political neophyte, there was something special about this candidate. With a central theme of "

Obama's Tightrope Act

2008-01-22T19:37:00.001-05:00

A few months ago, my organization TuthWinsOut.org caused a national uproar after we criticized Barack Obama for embracing "ex-gay" singer Donnie McClurkin. The Christian crooner was part of Obama's gospel tour of South Carolina, which was an attempt to lure African American voters away from the Clinton campaign. Since then, Obama has shown himself to be a legitimate contender and, as a result,

Robots Need Not Apply

2008-01-14T13:44:00.001-05:00

- The Cry Could Not Be Polled - (Weekly Column) The most notable legacy of the New Hampshire primary will be the soiled reputations of leading pollsters and political consultants. For at least the past two decades we have worshiped at the altar of these glorified statisticians. Now the truth is out - these

Is Mike Huckabee A Closeted Stoner?

2008-01-09T12:04:00.000-05:00

(Weekly Column) Is former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee a closeted stoner? This is the question that many people are asking, while the mainstream media has looked the other way. Of course, what I am talking about has nothing to do with drugs, but is potentially more dangerous. Unfortunately, one needs a headline that includes drugs, sex or Britney Spears to get anyone to pay attention. Simply

Presidential Race

2008-01-02T13:00:00.001-05:00

- Go get them gosh darn varmints Mitt - (left) (Weekly Column) The presidential marathon has now become a sprint. With the coming of the New Year Americans are now sizing up the candidates. The Democrats are generally excited about their choices, however, the uncertainly of having no clear frontrunner has caused a

A Feckless Leader

2007-12-17T10:19:00.000-05:00

Has there ever been a more feckless, less respected religious figure than the "Arch-Baby" of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams? Liberals ignore him, conservatives walk over him and through his stunning lack of leadership he has lost control of the Anglican Church. The wheels came off the car in 2003 when openly gay V. Gene Robinson was selected as Bishop of New Hampshire. Since then,

Dumbfounded and Dumb

2007-12-11T10:36:00.000-05:00

(Weekly Column) Perhaps, if the largest newspaper in Little Rock were called the Arkansas Republican-Gazette instead of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Mike "Huck-a-Bible" might have bothered to read the news. America was shocked to learn that the rising GOP political star was blissfully unaware of the National Intelligence Estimate that found Iran abandoned its nuclear weapons program in 2003.