The Exodus From Exodus

Exodus International holds out the promise that anyone experiencing same-sex attractions can find a way out of homosexuality into the glorious world of heterosexuality, where milk and honey flow freely down streets of gold. They use a combination of faith and quack science in order to convince those conflicted over their sexuality that change is possible.

The problem....

Their claim is complete crap and does not work. While some people are able to deny their sexuality for a number of years...which exodus will be quick to tout as a success story....still others find the emotional pain to much to bear and  leave the program and their faith behind. Still others lose all hope that they will be o.k. and chose to end their lives. The damage that ex-gay programs do to their members is incalculable yet they continue to operate despite evidence of the harm they cause. How much will it take before they are completely discredited to the extent that no one will seek out their services? How about one of the founders of Exodus who, having fought his own sexuality through exodus, has come out to say that the program doesn't work....at all....not even a tiny little bit. Michael Bussee, one of Exodus co-founders, is attempting to set the record straight regarding the organization and the harm it can do....including the fact that the program never helped even its original founders...Michaels words after the jump.

DADT...Stepping Up The Pressure

Nothing breaks President Obama's facade of diplomatic neutrality...nothing. That man could outstare an iceberg and stay cooler longer. That fact has been true about our President in the face of some very vitriolic attacks over the course of the last year. He has been heckled on the senate floor, faced down teabaggers, and swam in  the shark tank of wall street without so much as wrinkling his lapel. So then, it came as a great suprise to see the Presidents air of nonchalance slip a notch when Get Equal protesters shouted out during a fundraising speach for Barbara Boxer in Los Angeles. Video after the jump.

Greene Vs. Sonoma County....Why Marriage Equality Is Important

What would you do if, in your golden years, you found yourself suddenly without you life long partner or spouse? Now add to that, county officials swooping in to claim your home and belongings because they do not recognize your relationship as valid even though you drew up all those "iron clad" documents meant to protect against such events. Would you feel rage? Would fight to protect what is yours by right? Who would stand with you?

That is exactly what happened here in my home of Sonoma County to Clay Greene and his partner of 20 years Harold. When faced with a health crisis, the county swooped in, confined them both in separate nursing homes, assumed control of both of their finances, sold all their combined property, and surrendered their home back to the landlord. All the while trying to explain away their relationship to each other as "roommates", even though they all appropriate legal documents naming each other as beneficiaries should something happen to the other. All this resulting in Harolds death three months later leaving clay little more than memories of their life together. Their lives together where very nearly erased....and it happened in my back yard.

Exact Change

President Obama offered us the slogan "Change we can believe in" but was all of that just smoke and mirrors to earn him the Presidential seat? Certainly, many promises were made. Not only to the gay community but to the nation at large. So many, in fact, that it left many of us wondering how the hell any President could accomplish them all within their time in office. Which in turn begs the question, "Did he intend to?" This time...his promise to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell is again in doubt. Leading many, myself included, to question the sincerity of his promises and to consider a proper course of action if they turn out to be intentionally false.

Tshirt Pundits

What does gay pride mean to you? Do you see it as an expression of healthy respect for yourself and the way you were born into the world or as a flaunting of something private... that should have continued to remain private? I know I have my own specific answer to that question but, first some backround to why I ask it.

Today I ran across an article in Queerty in which the Teabaggers(*snicker* sorry...can't help it) are now selling "Straight Pride" Tshirts. The overall tone of the article suggests that these tshirts are a homo-bashing version of "white pride" style propaganda. This had queerty commenters and the heads of several large gay organizations all kinds of upset.

My City Gets A LGBT Retirement Community

Yup, you read that right. A few years ago it was announced that My City.....Santa Rosa was considering building an LGBT retirement community...a most rare of beasts.

The project was initially announced five years ago and immediately saw resistance from the surrounding community in which it was to be built. Since that first anouncement, I had heard nothing more and had assumed that the protest it recieved from the community had overwhelved the developer...Aegis...who packed up and moved somewhere else. Well....I did a double take when I saw in my Edgewire news widgit a story called, "California city Approved Gay Retirement Community". Looking a little further I noticed Santa Rosa was mentioned....I was shocked...Just a few days before I had been thinking about that project and why we had heard nothing more about it. I had assumed it was dead. Not so, it seems.

I Married A Type A

O.k....blogging has not been so reliable these days...as I sure my frustrated readers are all too aware of. Part of this has had to do with the recent additions to our family. Raising five kids keeps you constantly moving after all. But....What you may not know about us, and about Jay more specifically, is that he is a super A-type personality. Once he gets a wild hare to do something, all other activities stop, as his project sucks up all time and attention. Lately we are building a closet. Build a closet you say? Not such a big deal. surely theres time for other things?...you know, like regular meals, daiper changes, .....breathing. But sadly, such is not the case.

Conservative Christians “with a heart for the homosexual” still don’t get it

Every once in a while an article comes along that blows my socks off. today on Box Turtle Bulletin was just such a post relating to conservative Christianity and the gay community. I found it to be so clear and powerfull in its message that I have asked, and recieved, permission to reprint it in its entirety. Whether or not you agree with it. It may give words to feelings we sometimes can not express. Even with my beliefs and religious upbringing, I resonated with this article. I hope it will be of value for you as well. Without further ado:

By: Timothy Kincaid

With the growing openness of gay men and women and as they become more incorporated into the fabric of the culture, conservative Christianity has been challenged to rethink their position.

For years the only visible response was “it’s a vile sin”. As gay people slowly became visible, up sprang vitriolic “family” groups dedicated to fighting for the civil subjugation of gay people and the denial of social equality or even basic civil rights.

Although this approach was often phrased as “love the sinner, hate the sin”, there was little evidence that the “sinner” was much loved at all. Rather, she was reviled as being immoral, militant, radical, anti-family, and a threat to children, the church, and all of Western civilization. Advertising campaigns, legislation, rallies, and political movements were generated to take away his children, deny his employment or housing, ban him from civil service, tax him more heavily, incarcerate him if he dare fight back, and in all ways keep him a second class citizen.

But over time, secular voices were joined by mainline Christians in calling such treatment barbarian and un-Christian. And some of the younger conservative Christians had a hard time aligning the “evil homosexual” image with those gay men and women they know.

So a new face of conservative Christianity is arising calling for more tolerance and seeking to share a loving God with their gay neighbors, to welcome them and love them rather than loudly condemn them.

And almost without exception, they get it entirely, completely, and miserably wrong.

A Day For Silence and A Day For Truth

April is a very busy month. First the Easter bunny has to bring me a basket full of chocolate goodies, then dye all those eggs and hide them for the kids....then he can spray himself down with floor polish and hippity hp his way to cleaning  my floors while also doing  my laundry...preferably, without multicolored dye....*sigh*...I can dream can't I?

Also happening In the Month of April is Day Of Silence, sponsered by GLSEN. The Day Of Silence is a non-violent protest in which teens do not talk during the school day (does texting count?) to help bring awareness to the struggles of LGBT teens with name calling, bullying, and harassment. Since its beginning it has grown in popularity as more teens become aware of the impact of these issues.

In response, the religious community has created The Day Of Truth. You can guess what this is about. Its a direct attempt to counter efforts like GLSEN's with their own religious viewpoints on homosexuality. Except heres they difference....where GLSEN is NOT trying to encourage more people to try homosexuality...they are attacking bullying and harrasment. Thats a worthy cause you would think anyone could get behind. However, Day of Truth itself is directed at negating homosexuality.