Another Rent Boy Comes Forward

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German Bishop Resigns over Allegations

The bad news and bad press continues for the Roman Catholic Church as the sex abuse scandal in Europe shows no sign of abating. The significant difference from eight years ago when the scandal in the USA first exploded in Boston is that in Europe a number of bishops are resigning rather than arrogantly remaining in office. It is an interesting testament about U.S. Catholics - and not a positive one - that unlike their European counterparts, they never strenuously demand and/or threaten to vote with their feet that tainted and guilty high clerics be required to suffer for their misdeeds. The latest bishop in Europe to resign is Bishop Walter Mixa of Augsburg (pictured at right). Mixa had been accused of hitting children in his care and misusing money donated to an orphanage. Here are highlights from CNN on Mixa's resignation:
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The pope has accepted the resignation of a German bishop who had offered to step down last month after he was accused of hitting children in his care and misusing money donated to an orphanage. A statement from the Vatican on Saturday confirmed the resignation of Bishop Walter Mixa of Augsburg.
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In accepting the resignation, the Vatican cited a section of canon law that allows a member of the clergy to resign "because of illness or some other grave reason" or if he has "become unsuited for the fulfillment of his office."
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The Catholic Church across Europe has been reeling from accusations of physical and sexual abuse by clergy members, and Mixa is the latest in a string of bishops to resign.

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One can hope that Mixa is given some plush appointment as was the case with Cardinal Law formerly Archbishop of Boston. Sadly, too many U.S. bishops implicated in the enabling of and cover up of sexual predator priests failed to do the right thing and resign.

Saturday Male Beauty

Another Wedding Wedding Weekend

UPDATED: The wedding was indeed a wonderful affair and the ceremony in the Wren Chapel (pictured above) was beautifuly done. The Chapel is part of the Sir Christopher Wren building at William & Mary and dates from 1695, making it the oldest university building in the United States. The reception back at the Williamsburg Winery was both elegant and a great party. As is usual, the boyfriend had many clients there besides the bride.

The boyfriend is doing hairstyling for another wedding this weekend and we are currently in the Aquitaine Suite (pictured above) at Wedmore Place at the Williamsburg Winery where he is doing the bride and wedding party's hair. The wedding itself will be at the Wren Chapel at the College of William & Mary, with the reception back at the Winery this evening. We have visited Wedmore place before for another wedding a little over a year ago and it's gorgeous. The website describes the Inn as follows:
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Each room was themed in the style of a different European province, not only in the selection of colors and furnishings, but also the wall hangings and decoration. All rooms have a fireplace, individual floor designs from Spanish tiles to walnut parquet, 10’ ceilings and king size beds. The style of each room reflects not only a different geographical area but also different periods of history; from the Corinthian room inspired by the classic Greek forms of Antiquity featuring a large marble statue, Corinthian columns, large white ceramic tiling on the floor, to the rustic room recalling the Shakespearean times with a four poster bed next to the eaves in the wood paneled Cotswold room.
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I highly recommend the Inn to anyone traveling to the Williamsburg area who want an elegant experience and close proximity to the historic sites at Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown.

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The wedding and reception should be a good time and as always, the boyfriend's clients are very welcoming and accepting of us as a couple - always include us in the guest list. Its our opportunity to interact with other guests and potentially open minds to what a gay couple is really like as opposed to the stereotypes our enemies try to project of us. I continue believe that being out and genuine are the strongest weapons against bigotry.

Why George Rekers and Those Like Him Deserve No Compassion

A column in Newsweek looks at the ongoing self-incurred destruction now consuming reparative therapy guru George Rekers who literally made a career disseminating anti-gay lies and harming LGBT Americans. The column goes on to ask the question of "why do people just mock and turn away?" To my view, anyone who can ask that question demonstrates a total lack of understanding of the untold damage Rekers and other self-loathing closeted gays have done/continue to do to countless individuals. The better question is how many gays chose suicide because they could not change as claimed by Rekers and his other witch doctor like cronies at NARTH (I lost two friends to suicide for this very reason)? Or maybe ask how many LGBT youths were thrown out of their homes because their parents believed the garbage that Rekers was peddling? Or, how about how many LGBT individuals have suffered miserable lives and second class citizenship because of the efforts of Rekers and his comrades who have generated faux expert testimony which has helped support anti-gay laws and homophobia in general?
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Only after detailed answers to these questions have been answered and the true damage done by Rekers quantified is it perhaps time to ask why Rekers deserves anything more than mockery and jubilation at his self-immolation. I suspect that once the true extent of the harm Rekers has done is fully known, few would expect any compassion for the man. Rekers consciously chose to do evil against others rather than face and accept who he was. Here are some highlights from the - in my view - misguided column:
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The delight could hardly be concealed in the coverage of Christian-right leader George Alan Rekers's 10-day European vacation with a "rent boy."
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The liberal, gay, and mainstream blogosphere lit up in delight these past two days, especially with efforts by Rekers to control the damage. "Rekers has a new explanation for the trip," according to The Huffington Post. " 'I deliberately spend time with sinners with the loving goal to try to help them,' he said in a statement posted on Facebook." Late-night comedian Stephen Colbert applauded Rekers for "publicly condemning man love while privately being man's best friend" and joked that many of his crew had been hired from Rentboy.com's Web site.
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But now what? So yet another antigay crusader turns out to be gay. But the typical reaction—delight at the exposure of hypocrisy—is always short-lived. "This happens again and again, but do we ever sit down and wonder why it happens?" asks LGBT media expert Cathy Renna. There is the obvious chatter—the person is full of self-hate, is ashamed, is overcompensating to hide his homosexuality. But the true effect of that overcompensation can be dire. "There is an insidious and horrible impact of internalized homophobia. I have no problem pinning someone like Rekers as the kind of person who is responsible for the suicides of young LGBT people, and he's hired a rent boy?"
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UC Davis psychology professor Gregory Herek is a leading U.S. specialist in homophobia. "Many heterosexual people do a lot to make it clear they are not gay, such as men not touching each other, or not behaving effeminately." People who are gay, or who discover they are gay later in life, may take those actions to a deeper extreme. . . . Let's see if anyone defends Rekers.

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I fully support the outing of individuals like Rekers. Indeed, the more of the members of the professional anti-gay set that can be exposed as frauds and liars the better. Rekers has joined a list of others who, in my opinion, received the justice they tried to deny to others. Here's a list of just a few of them: Roy Ashburn, Republican California state senator, Edward L. Schrock, Virginia Congressman, Larry Craig, senator from Idaho, Mark Foley, US Representative from Florida, Ted Haggard, televangelist, Jim West, former mayor. A column in the New Blaze correctly sums up the situation:
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Why can't all these pro-family and vehemently anti-gay organizations like "Focus on the Family" and "Family Research Council" admit the obvious: Homosexuality is normal, and there are gays and lesbians everywhere including in Christian ministries. Rekers should do the Christian thing: Tell the truth, embrace his homosexuality, and stop demonizing gays and lesbians. . . . Homosexuality isn't a sin, but deceit, hypocrisy, and persecution of a minority are serious transgressions.

HRBOR Is Turning Three - and the Party is FREE!

It has been three (3) years since Hampton Roads Business Outreach ("HRBOR") launched at Norfolk's Town Point Club. As one of the original directors of HRBOR it has been an amazing three years. I have garnered wonderful friends and many business clients and hope that others will check out the organization.

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HRBOR is the only Virginia affiliate of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce ("NGLCC") and will be receiving an award to be presented at the Third Anniversary event on Thursday, May 20, 2010, hosted by Decorum Furniture a few blocks from my office. The following is the official invitation for local readers to please attend:

The Board of Directors of HRBOR would like to personally invite you to join us as we celebrate the 3rd Anniversary of Hampton Roads Business OutReach (HRBOR) with a community networking event. HRBOR is Virginia’s first and only LGBT, LGBT friendly commerce group in Virginia and we are excited about our future and proud of all we have accomplished. We thank our membership, our community and our civic leaders for their support, business and participation over the past 3 years – without all of you HRBOR would simply not exist.
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This is an open invitation to the public at large to showcase HRBOR and its membership. Please join us in celebrating our successes and furthering our business and community alliances. Looking forward to seeing everyone there,

Cost: FREE
Date: Thursday, May 20, 2010
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Decorum Furniture, 301 West 21st St, Norfolk VA (Ghent)

Sponsored by: Decorum Furniture, Heritage Bank & The Palace Shops & Station
Additional Thanks to: Distinctive Event Rentals & New Leaf Florist

Grandson of President Harry Truman Chides Obama - Stories from the Frontlines: Letters to President Barack Obama

Barack Obama continually proves himself to be no Harry Truman when it comes to guts and leadership. Truman told the military that segregation of troops was ending and did not wring his hands ask the military to study how to implement it first. Similarly, he fired Five Star General Douglas MacArthur when MacArthur challenged Truman's authority - something Admiral Mullen might do well to remember. A true leader does something because it is the right thing to do and exhorts subordinates to do likewise. Obama continues to have matters ass backwards and wants to be a follower rather than a leader. Today's letter in the series "Stories from the Frontlines: Letters to President Barack Obama" is authored by Clifton Truman Daniel pictured above being held by his grandfather, Harry Truman. Here is the letter:

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May 7, 2010

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President Barack H. Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest

Washington, DC 20500

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Dear Mr. President:

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Tomorrow, my family and I will mark the 126th anniversary of my grandfather President Harry Truman’s birthday. There are many reasons we celebrate his life and contributions to our nation, but in particular we are proud of his decision to desegregate the U.S. Armed Forces in July 1948, which paved the way for future civil rights advancements.

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It was not easy. He faced fierce opposition from inside and outside the military. Many, including Army Chief of Staff Gen. Omar Bradley, argued that mixing black and white soldiers would destroy the Army.

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My grandfather, however, was appalled that African-American service members had been beaten and lynched upon their return home from fighting in World War II. They had risked their lives to defend our nation, but were denied the full rights and responsibilities of American citizenship. Implementation of his order to desegregate wasn’t easy, but it made our military stronger and our nation a brighter beacon of democracy.

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There are strong parallels between the desegregation of the military and the debate over “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the law that mandates the firing of a service member based solely on his or her sexual orientation. Opponents argue that allowing openly gay and lesbian service members to serve alongside their heterosexual comrades will endanger discipline and morale.

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While I have no idea where my grandfather would stand on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” I do know that he admired service and sacrifice. An estimated 66,000 gay and lesbian Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Coastguardsmen are willingly risking their lives to defend our nation, despite being treated as second class citizens.

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I would hope that my grandfather would want his openly gay great-granddaughter and others like her to have the opportunity to serve the country they love with dignity and integrity.

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Mr. President, as you have said many times, including in your State of the Union Address earlier this year, ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is the right thing to do. This year is the right time to do it.

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I commend you for your commitment and hope the example of my grandfather, Harry Truman, will help you lead with the same courage and conviction to ensure the "equality of treatment and opportunity for all who serve our nation’s defense.”

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Respectfully,

Clifton Truman Daniel

UPDATE on Hampton City Pride - June 19, 2010

The following is an update on the first annual Diversity and Pride Festival in the City of Hampton, Virginia being sponsored by St. Mark's Episcopal Church, a long time advocate for LGBT residents in this area.. This event will be held in Mill Point Park in the downtown waterfront area for the purpose of showing the Tidewater area that we are all equal, not only in the eyes of God, but also in this nation, the state of Virginia, and the City of Hampton - the oldest continuous English speaking city in the United States.

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There will be live music, refreshments, activities for the kids, and a number of vendors and businesses will be attending as well. The event will also provide an opportunity to distribute information about services that LGBT owned and LGBT friendly businesses and organizations provide to the community. Joining in the event will be Mayor Molly Joseph Ward and other City of Hampton officials.

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Table space cost as follows. Vendors $50.00 Non-Profits $20.00 City services $0.00 All proceeds from table space, and refreshments are going to be split equally between, the Peninsula Food Bank, H.E.L.P., and ACCESS AIDS Care. Checks may be made out to St. Mark's Episcopal Church and mailed to P.O. Box 7430, Hampton, Virginia 23666, with a memo notation of "Pride." The Church telephone is (757) 826-3515 or questions can be posed to John Childers at (757) 714-6063

Friday Male Beauty

Brazil Archbishop Says Kids Are Spontaneously Gay

Damn!! I never knew that I was spontaneously gay and failed to grow out of it because of some sort of instructional shortcomings. Or at least that's the storyline of obviously delusional Brazilian Archbishop Dadeus Grings as explained to Brazilian newspaper O Globo. The lunacy of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy continues to reveal itself more and more with each passing day. What drugs are these guys on? Are they trying to drive all rational, educated people from the Church with such idiocy? Here are highlights of this latest bigot eruption in Brazil:
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A Brazilian archbishop said adolescents are "spontaneously homosexual" and in need of guidance, while society at large is pedophile, according to a Wednesday report.

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Archbishop Dadeus Grings — a conservative priest who has made controversial statements in the past — told the O Globo newspaper at a Brazilian bishops conference that society's woes are being reflected in the sex abuse scandal enveloping the Roman Catholic Church. "Society today is pedophile, that is the problem. So, people easily fall into it.
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The comments come as the church is under fire for a sex abuse scandal touching all corners of the globe — and three weeks after Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the No. 2 official at the Vatican, said at a news conference in Chile that the sex scandals were linked to homosexuality and not celibacy among priests.
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Grings denounced the abuse within the church, but he said internal punishment of priests guilty of abuse was sufficient and that police should not be involved. "For the church to go and accuse its own sons would be a little strange," he said.
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The archbishop also said it was important to help children avoid homosexuality. "We know that the adolescent is spontaneously homosexual. Boys play with boys, girls play with girls," he said. "If there is no proper guidance, this sticks. The question is — how are we going to educate our children to use a sexuality that is human and suitable?" Grings also said the acceptance of homosexuality in society could pave the way for the acceptance of pedophilia.
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The archbishop has made controversial comments in the past. In 2003, he argued that only 1 million Jews died in the Holocaust, though a few years later he recanted. Experts say 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust. Last year, he outraged Jewish groups in Brazil by telling a magazine that "more Catholics than Jews died in the Holocaust, but this isn't known because the Jews control the world's media."
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Again I ask, why does anyone listen to anyone so obviously unhinged and anything but a "man of God?"

DADT Repeal In Jeopardy - an Obama Betrayal?

UPDATE: Kevin Naff's editorial in the Washington Blade likewise notes that Democrats must be held accountable in November if DADT repeal does not occur this year. Betrayal needs to carry a hefty price.
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In a very disturbing article at The Advocate, Kerry Eleveld describes the doubt that has arisen that the repeal of DADT will go anywhere this year - largely because of the peevish letter authored by Defense Secretary Gates who has forgotten that the military reports to civilian leaders and not vice versa. What I find perhaps most upsetting is the fact that I doubt Gates' letter was released without President Obama's advanced knowledge. In short, Obama may well be deliberately working to torpedo DADT repeal while voicing platitudes to LGBT Americans out of the other side of his mouth. If this ploy works, I and the boyfriend are likely to sit out the November elections and urge our friends to do so as well. What is the point of working to elect Democrats when all they do is throw us under the bus? Such betrayal merits no money contributions, no grass roots campaign efforts and no votes. At least with Republicans we know who are enemies are out in the open. Here are highlights from Kerry's article:

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Capitol Hill insiders continue to assess the fallout on “don’t ask, don’t tell” following a potentially game-changing letter in which Secretary of Defense Robert Gates urged House Armed Services Committee chair Ike Skelton of Missouri not to vote on repeal before the Pentagon completes its implementation study in December.
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“Clearly the world changed dramatically with the Gates letter,” said one Hill veteran who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Everyone is trying to figure out how to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”
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The source said that prior to Gates’s letter, Senator Carl Levin of Michigan who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee was just one to two votes shy of the 15 needed to attach a repeal measure to this year’s Department of Defense authorization bill in committee. Folding repeal into the must-pass Defense funding bill in committee would place the onus on those who oppose repeal to find 51 votes to strip out the measure on the Senate floor.

Multiple sources worried that moderate Democrats such as Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia would now be nearly impossible to sway. “When people are asked to vote against the recommendations of the Defense Secretary, that makes it a very heavy lift,” said the source.
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Both sources said it was difficult to know where the votes stood now in the Senate Armed Services Committee, but that things should become clearer in another two to three weeks. They both agreed that Rep. Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, chief sponsor of the House repeal bill (H.R. 1283), had the 216 votes to pass the measure as either a stand-alone bill or an attachment to the Defense authorization bill on the House floor. “The question is, does the House want to take a vote on something that might go nowhere in the Senate?”
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Another alternative to full repeal might the fallback of putting a moratorium on discharges. The second source said suspending discharges might gain traction even though advocates have been reluctant to settle for anything less than full repeal. “If you buy into the idea that the Pentagon study is not about if but when, it makes perfect sense.” Though Pentagon officials have consistently opposed suspending discharges, some Democratic leaders on the Hill continue to support it, suggesting that it may be a potential alternative to voting on full repeal this year.
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Pardon my French, but I am OVER Obama's bullshit and constant betrayals and lack of leadership on both repeal of DADT and passage of ENDA. I BOTH are not accomplished prior to November, the Democrats will have brought election disengagement by LGBT voters on themselves and deservedly so.

Virginia Dodges an Environmental Bullet - At Least for Now

Virginia's Sarah Palin wanna be, Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell's rush for offshore drilling off the Virginia coast has hit a major obstacle: The Obama administration has suspended granting leases off the Virginia coast indefinitely. Sane and rational Virginians who value the state's beaches and coastal wetlands should be giving a shy of relief at least temporarily. Simple logic would dictate that no deep well drilling should occur until answers have been secured as to what happened at the BP well site in the Gulf of Mexico and what added safety requirements are needed to guarantee that no similar calamity can happen again. The New York Times has more details. Here are some highlights:
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As the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill raises questions about the safety of offshore drilling, the Interior Department has indefinitely suspended plans for an oil and gas lease sale off the Virginia coastline.
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The department postponed the comment period on the plan indefinitely and canceled a series of public meetings that had been scheduled for this month on the proposed lease sale. The move comes as the department seeks answers from investigations into the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig and the ongoing leak of hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil every day into the Gulf.
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Safety problems or other concerns raised in the reviews should be taken into account before moving forward with a new outer continental shelf (OCS) lease sale, the department said.
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MMS also canceled a public meeting scheduled for May 12 in Norfolk, Va., to solicit public input on both Sale 220 and an analysis of the environmental effects of geological and geophysical exploration in the mid- and south Atlantic outer continental shelf. But that analysis will not be affected by the cancellation and will proceed as planned, MMS said.
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As I noted in a prior blog post, the dangers of this exact type of accident has been recognized for at least a decade and in 2000 - before the Bush/Cheney regime took over - the MMS had issued a safety alert as to the need for back up systems. That alert can be found here. It is most unfortunate that Cheney and Haliburton apparently managed to subvert this wise requirement.

Male Beauty and Courage

George Rekers' Delusional Downfall

The self-destruction of Family Research Council co-founder and NARTH potentate George Rekers (pictured at left) fits a pattern that is all too familiar: an outwardly violently anti-gay homophobe who makes a career out of denigrating and attacking gays or pressing for legislation denying gays equality under the civil laws turns out to be what they profess to hate and oppose: gay, except a self-loathing closet case. Be it high profile faux ex-gays such as John Paulk or Michael Johnston or homophobes politicians like Ed Schrock, Larry Craig, and numerous others, the more vociferous they are in attacking gays, the more likely it is that they are in fact gay and transferring their own self-hatred to normal gays who have come to terms with their God-given sexual orientation. (Based on this pattern, a possible candid for future outing is Virginia's new Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.) In fact, as Wayne Besen notes in a piece in the Falls Church News-Press, research has shown that there is indeed a correlation between virulent homophobia and being a closeted gay. Here's some highlights:
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In 1986, Dr. Henry Adams conducted a study at University of Georgia that found the men who were most outspokenly homophobic were the ones most turned on by gay porn.
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It is time that the mental health establishment and major universities invest ample resources to better understand the devastating affects of internalized homophobia and its societal consequences. I'm no expert, but I have observed enough anti-gay activists in person to believe that a sizable portion is gay. I also believe that suppressing their sexual orientation has possibly led, in some cases, to mental illness.
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How else do you explain men like Rekers who are obsessed with homosexuality and have written thousands of pages denouncing homosexuality - and then turn around and hire young male prostitutes? It seems they can't stamp out their own desires, so they lash out at the entire LGBT community. The only reason such behavior likely isn't labeled a mental illness in need of treatment is because the mental health community probably fears a ferocious right wing backlash.

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Adding to the irony of the delusional behavior of Rekers is that he still is trying to refuse to admit the truth about himself. Instead of admitting reality, he has made all kinds of ludicrous excuses, including hiring his rent boy to carry luggage or so that he could try to "convert him." Indeed, his excuses have been so lame and outlandish that Lucien, the rent boy has gone public and agreed to an interview with the Miami New Times and confirmed that Rekers was indeed gay. I respect Lucien's bravery and the fact that he has been willing to go public and put an end to Rekers' charade and serial lies. Here are some highlights from the latest Miami New Times story:

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The male escort hired by anti-gay activist George Alan Rekers has told Miami New Times the Baptist minister is a homosexual who paid him to provide body rubs once a day in the nude, during their ten-day vacation in Europe. Rekers allegedly named his favorite maneuver the "long stroke" -- a complicated caress "across his penis, thigh... and his anus over the butt cheeks," as the escort puts it. "Rekers liked to be rubbed down there," he says.
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In his first interview since New Times broke the story Tuesday, the 20-year-old escort, who prefers to go by the name Lucien, contradicts Rekers's contentions that he hired the escort to help carry his luggage and that he was trying to save the soul of a lost sinner.
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"It's a situation where he's going against homosexuality when he is a homosexual," Lucien says. (When New Times called seeking comment, Rekers had turned his phone off. An email was not returned. He has termed the New Times article "slanderous" on his website.)
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Lucien decided to speak out after a heart-to-heart with a friend, Michael, who alerted him to the grim realities of his client's anti-gay activities. Lucien, who had originally declined to speak about the trip, now says he can do little good by protecting his erstwhile, fundamentalist client.
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Check back this afternoon for stories detailing the trip, the document Rekers asked Lucien to prepare in the hopes of preventing any future disclosures, and a character sketch of what we think is a brave kid -- one who dawdled for less than 24 hours before opting to tell an exceptionally painful story.
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No doubt there will be some who trash Lucien for the line of work in which he engaged, but having been through outing Michael Johnston and Ed Schrock with Wayne Besen and Mike Rogers, respectively, it takes true courage and bravery to put himself out in the media as Lucien has done. Hopefully, his courage in confronting Rekers' lies and excuse will save young gays in the future from the poison that Rekers worked so hard to disseminate. Hopefully, other self-hating closeted gays will learn the lesson that their homophobia they use to disguise their true selves will eventually catch up with them. Are you listening Mr. Cuccinelli? You certainly behave like another Rekers.

Virginia's Lysenko - Cuccinelli's Dangerous Suit Against Climate Change

Both Slate and Blue Virginia have pieces that look at the danger that Ken Kookinelli's lawsuit and other actions against science pose for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and not just in terms of wasting money. The Blue Virginia piece calls the "Cooch" Virginia's Lysenko. For those not up on their Soviet history, Lysenko (pictured below) was Josef Stalin's puppet who manipulated alleged science to fit Stalin's insane views on the Soviet system's "New Man" and other areas where Stalin demanded that science be made to fit his megalomaniac agenda. In my personal opinion, Kookinelli is mentally disturbed (not to mention a possible closet case) and will try to force as many people as possible to embrace his untethered views. Nothing upsets the unhinged more than having objective reality and scientific truths challenge their fragile mental construct of an artificial reality. First, some highlights from Slate:

[W]hen Cuccinelli tried to put Virtus [on the Virginia great seal] in a burqa this week, the darling of the Tea Party movement explained without irony: "Just because we've always done something a certain way doesn't mean we always have to continue doing it that way." Seriously?
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The problem with Breastgate was that it distracted from Cuccinelli's other efforts to press the legal machinery of the commonwealth into the service of his own agenda. Between his thwarted attempts to rescind anti-discrimination policies for gays and lesbians at Virginia universities, his one-man lawsuit against Obamacare, his recent approval of a new state policy allowing sectarian prayer by state police chaplains at public events, and his lawsuit suit against the EPA for attempting to regulate greenhouse gases, Ken Cuccinelli has become the Where's Waldo of Fox News stories. But his latest attack—against the University of Virginia's climate science researchers—is more troubling than his assault on bare-breasted Romans.
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As Courtney Stuart first reported last week in Charlottesville's The Hook, Cuccinelli's office quietly filed a civil investigative demand (or CID, which is basically a subpoena) with the University of Virginia on April 23, giving the school 30 days to produce more than 10 years' worth of documents related to the state-funded research of a former faculty member, Michael Mann. . . . And who is this nefarious Michael Mann? A climate scientist who worked at UVA from 1999 to 2005 and now runs Penn State's Earth System Science Center. He became the climate-change deniers' whipping boy because of a 1999 paper he co-authored showing a dramatic uptick in surface temperatures after 1900.
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But it's not just Mann on the hook here. "With a weapon like this in Cuccinelli's hands, any faculty member at a public university in Virginia has got to be thinking twice about doing politically controversial research or communicating with other scholars about it," says Rachel Levinson, senior counsel with the American Association of University Professors. UVA environmental science professor Howard Epstein, a former colleague of Mann's, puts it this way: "Who is going to want to be on our faculty when they realize Virginia is the state where the A.G. investigates climate scientists?" If researchers are really afraid to do cutting-edge research in Virginia, the state's flagship university is in enormous trouble.
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It is the Blue Virginia piece that goes on to draw parallels between what Kookinelli is doing and the sinister "science" promoted by Josef Stalin through Lysenko. Neither Virginia nor the nation can afford to have scientific research curtailed or manipulated to fit the needs of religious extremists and flat earth types. The Bush/Cheney years illustrate all too well the damage that results. Cuccinelli is a menace and needs to be stop. Here are highlights from Blue Virginia:
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Eighty years ago, Josef Stalin found a scientist he liked. This was bad news for the scientists who were not so popular with the Soviet leadership. . . . Lysenko's theories would have been laughed out of the lab had he not found a sponsor willing and able to apply the full coercive power of government to reward those who supported Lysenko and punish those who disagreed. Thousands of scientists suffered under Lysenko, losing their jobs and often being imprisoned.
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It takes enormous courage to "speak truth to power" when you have a tyrannically-minded leader using power to threaten the truth. Which brings me to Ken Cuccinelli.
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The state has an important role in science: to fund research and education, to use and promote science, to ensure it is freely conducted. It is not the role of the state to dictate, for political reasons, which scientific theories may be considered right or wrong.
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When governments do take such a stance, and get away with it, it is a sign of a deep sickness in the body politic. Nothing is more important to democracy than the free and open pursuit of the truth. Politicians who don't respect or protect that pursuit represent the greatest danger a democracy can have. Because when you take away the ability of citizens to appeal to reason, truth and common sense, you open the door to arbitrary rule - which means that those in power can ultimately get away with anything.
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Some may see it as a small thing that Attorney General Cuccinelli is demanding information from the University of Virginia about the work of climate scientist Michael Mann to determine if he was "defrauding" state taxpayers - that is, by publishing peer-reviewed scientific research that Mr. Cuccinelli and his donors in the fossil fuel industry (such as Massey Energy) found inconvenient.
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This is no small thing. It is one of the most shocking acts I have witnessed in over three decades of studying, observing and participating in politics and government. Cuccinelli is crossing a line that democratic governments only cross at their peril. This action cannot stand - it must not stand.
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The key to maintaining democracy is that when governments overreach, the people slap their hand. It's time for us to stand up and do so again - all hands on deck, people! This is serious.

Local Scientists Waking Up to Oill Spill Threat While McDonnell Seeks Offshore Drilling

You have to wonder what's in the water that Gov. Bob McDonnell is drinking. Either that or assume that he must have drunk some of Ken Kookinelli's Kool-Aid. With the increasingly recognized possibility that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill may end up effecting Virginia, McDonnell continues to be obsessed with bringing offshore drilling to Virginia - putting at risk Virginia's seafood and tourism industry. Like it or not, the long term future demands that alternate energy sources - like offshore wind farms - be developed as opposed to trying to delay the inevitable. But then, the GOP isn't exactly known for new ideas and somehow expects different results from the same old approaches - a clear sign of insanity. (BTW, Rachel Maddow did a great job on McDonnell last night). Fouled beaches this summer could be financially catastrophic for the Outer Banks and Virginia Beach which depend on summer beach goers to keep their economy afloat. Here are some highlights from the Virginian Pilot that ought to be scaring the daylights out of rational Virginians:
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Scientists are increasingly worried that spilled oil from the Gulf of Mexico may get sucked into the Gulf Stream and make its way up the Atlantic coast to Virginia and North Carolina, perhaps within two or three weeks. The same scientists say it is unlikely that any oil would reach shore and spoil beaches in either state, though offshore fishing and sea turtle migration off both coasts would likely suffer.
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If the massive spill that resulted from an oil rig explosion off Louisiana “keeps going and they don’t stop it, we might start to see small tar balls on the edges of the Gulf Stream” off Virginia and North Carolina, said Larry Atkinson, an oceanographer at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. He said it would take unusual and sustained northerly winds to blow oil from the Gulf Stream onto beaches in Virginia and North Carolina, “but stranger things have happened.”
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Atkinson is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean Observation System, a group of scientists and marine businessmen who are closely monitoring the Gulf spill and providing information to the Coast Guard and other potential responders to migrating oil.
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Cape Hatteras on North Carolina’s Outer Banks is especially vulnerable to such an event, scientists say, given how it juts into the ocean so far and is only 10 to 15 miles from the Gulf Stream. In Virginia, this same offshore belt of moving water, rich in fish and marine mammals, is about 20 to 30 miles from beaches.
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“We are concerned, definitely concerned,” said Harvey Seim, a marine science professor at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He and other scientists have been briefing emergency management coordinators along the Atlantic coast for several days, including those on the Outer Banks.
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Environmental groups responded that potential impacts in the Mid-Atlantic from the Gulf spill are evidence that plans to drill for oil and natural gas at least 50 miles off the Virginia coast are too dangerous and should be scrapped. “The mere fact that we’re sitting here discussing possible effects in Virginia from a spill in the Gulf is astounding,” said Mike Tidwell, executive director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “I mean, can you imagine the damage if such a spill, or even a smaller one, occurred off Virginia and not thousands of miles away?”
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While some political leaders have backed a time-out from drilling in order to better understand what went wrong in the Gulf, McDonnell so far has remained behind a planned sale of oil and gas leases off Virginia in late 2011 or early 2012.

Thursday Male Beauty

Stories from the Frontlines: Letters to President Barack Obama - Staff Sergeant Anthony Moll

As I and many others have argued,we desperately need congressional action and most importantly presidential leadership at this critical point in the fight to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). Sadly, other than pretty speeches, President Obama has been AWOL. As a result, every weekday morning as we approach the markup of the Defense Authorization bill in the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, SLDN and a coalition of bloggers, including myself, are voicing supporting repeal and sharing open letter to the President from individuals driven from the military by this discriminatory law that does nothing except codify religious based discrimination. Something illegal under the U.S. Constitution. Here is today's letter from former Staff Sergeant Anthony Moll, United States Army:
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May 6, 2010
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President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20500
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Dear Mr. President,
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My name is Anthony Moll and I am a bisexual veteran. I served for eight years under the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law that has failed our nation. I left the service just 10 weeks ago, and I can now say: this is the time, Mr. President, to push ahead and end this law.
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The Senate Armed Services Committee is just a couple weeks away from holding a key vote on including repeal in the Defense budget. The vote will be close. Please, do whatever you can.
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I have been proud to serve my country since joining the Army shortly after the attacks on September 11, 2001. My proudest moment was raising my hand and volunteering to serve our country in its time of need. When I enlisted in 2002, I knew what DADT said, but nothing could prepare me for what it meant.
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I had never been closeted about my sexual orientation so joining meant not only keeping quiet, but also being asked to lie to those whom already knew. While my leaders were instilling the values of honesty and integrity in me, the law in place was forcing me to do the opposite.
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I knew that despite serving with distinction as a military police officer protecting fellow soldiers and their families from harm, I could face expulsion. During my service I was hand-picked as a Phoenix Raven, an Air Force program in which only a handful of soldiers are asked to participate.
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While serving as a handler in the military’s working dog program, I worked with the Secret Service in detecting explosives – working to protect you. In 2008, I was recognized as my installation’s Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year and Joint Service Member of the Year. Despite this distinction, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law treated me as a second-class citizen.
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While I excelled at every turn, this law forced me to be dishonest with my peers, my friends and my community. Our nation’s heroes should not be forced to carry the burden of serving in silence when we need our troops keenly focused on their missions. In the meantime, I'm not sitting on the sidelines. I am now working at the Human Rights Campaign on its efforts to repeal DADT now. But advocacy alone won't change the status quo.
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Mr. President, tell Congress to move on repeal. Please allow my brothers and sisters-in-arms to live up to the Army values of respect, honor and integrity. Don’t let another life be ruined by a failed policy that hurts our nation as well as our heroes.
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Mr. President, lift the ban.
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Respectfully,
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Former Staff Sergeant Anthony Moll, United States Army
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These letters reveal a parade of honorable service members. Does it make any sense whatsoever to lose their skills and abilities solely to satisfy the religious bigotry of nutcases like Elaine Donnelly? I think not - and it is time for Obama to do something NOW.

Family Research Council Scrubs Rekers from Website and Claims Lack of Affiliation

Click image to enlarge.

I have long viewed Family Research Council among a small group of utterly dishonest and untruthful anti-gay organizations. Lies and disinformation are the norm and the bombshell of George Rekers being caught with a 20 year old rent boy has seen FRC resort to its usual tactics: lie and issue disingenuous statements that its spokesmen know are false. Trying to conduct damage control FRC released a statement on the Rekers scandal to Talking Points Memo. Even though Tony Perkins claims little knowledge of Rekers, a 2008 screen shot of FRC's webpage via Towleroad shows that Perkins knows all about Rekers. Here are highlights from the FRC statement from TPM:
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The Family Research Council sends over a statement on George Rekers, a co-founder of the group and leader of the ex-gay movement who was caught hiring a male escort. The council's president, Tony Perkins, denies his group has had any contact with Rekers over the past decade.
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In the past 24 hours FRC has received calls regarding Dr. George Rekers and his connection with the Family Research Council. After reviewing the historical records we did verify that Dr. Rekers was a member of the original Family Research Council board prior to its merger with Focus on the Family in 1987.
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Reports have been circulating regarding Dr. Rekers relationship with a male prostitute. FRC has had no contact with Dr. Rekers or knowledge of his activities in over a decade so FRC can provide no further insight into these allegations.
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While we are extremely disappointed when any Christian leader engages in the very activities that they "preach" against, it is not surprising. The Scriptures clearly teach the fallen nature of all people.*
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Believe that story? If so, I have a bridge I want to sell to you.

Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests has A Centuries Old History in the Church

I remain dumbfounded by the number of Catholics who continue to either stick their heads in the sand to avoid dealing with the rampant sexual abuse scandal and/or who fall for the disingenuous lies and excuses floated by the Church hierarchy - e.g., that the abuse problem is due to liberalization brought in under Vatican II or because of the secularization of society. Indeed, a new poll shows that a majority of Catholics believe that Papa Ratzi should remain in office as Pope. Apparently, he most be caught on video raping an altar boy himself before the sheeple accept the reality that the leadership at the Vatican is a toxic cesspool. Alex Wilhelm has an informative piece at Huffington Post that reveals just how untrue the myth is that abuse is a recent phenomenon. Here are some highlights:
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[I]n the last 50 years some 30,000 people in 25 countries have reported abuse committed by the Church's many workers. Considering that rape is the most under-reported of violent crimes (only one-third of victims report), this statistic is nothing less than horrifying. Tragically, the odds are quite high that there are children in the world this very day who will be sexually abused by their priest.
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Among the multitudes of difficult questions this raises, one that begs to be answered is whether or not child abuse is a new problem in the Church. . . . As this essay discusses below, it does not appear that there was a time that the Church was effective at preventing child abuse -- this is a problem that reaches back to the earliest days of its formation and practice.
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The current Pope, Joseph Ratzinger, has stated (in a letter to the much-abused citizenry of Ireland), that part of the blame for the abuse scandals and their handling by the Church of Ireland was due to "rapid transformation and secularization of Irish society." This statement is not just morally offensive, it is logically fallacious. It appears the Pope was trying to place at least partial blame onto the modern world for the crimes, thus deflecting the Holy See from full responsibility.
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On this point, the Pope is clearly wrong. Religious documents dating back to before the writing of the New Testament highlight problems inside the Church regarding sexual rule-breaking and the abuse of boys. The Church has hung itself with its own paper trail and history.
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As inferred above from the Didache, child abuse was a problem during the first days of Christendom. In the year 309 there were new punishments created to enforce previous edicts. . . . there was no secular reporting or punishment required. The issue was seen in spiritual terms and treated as such. It is doubtful that the children who were molested found that to be a satisfactory reprisal. Further, and obviously, the punishment failed to mitigate the problem.
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Saint Peter Damian . . . was so outraged by the Men of the Cloth that in the year 1049 he wrote the "Book of Gomorrah," and dedicated it to the Pope. In the tome, he railed against the Priesthood of his time, specifically condemning sodomy against both children and young priests. . . . By the year 1600, a familiar system had been developed: the quiet moving or promoting of priests out of locations where they had been abusing the local children. This system continues to this very day.
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Clearly, two patterns emerge: the Catholic Church has been struggling with the abuse of minors (usually boys) by members of the Priesthood since the earliest days of the church; . . . The Catholic Church is in trouble today, but they should be prosecuted in the public mind for millennia of wrongdoings against children. It is a long scandal, a heartbreaking history of abuse. "There is nothing new under the sun," the Bible tells us, and the Catholic Church has confirmed it.
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Again, I ask myself how I allowed such a corrupt and morally bankrupt institution to warp my life for so many years. I left the Church and I am afraid that until many other Catholics do the same, nothing will really change. Obviously, closing one's eyes to the sick reality of the situation will not bring about the changes so desperately needed. In the meantime, how many more children and youths will be violated?

More Wednesday Male Beauty

New Study: Gay Couples as Fit to Adopt as Heterosexuals

A new study throws ice water on the mantra of Christianists who seek to block same sex couples from adopting or acting as foster parents (e.g., people like George Rekes who served as Christianist interests in the Florida lawsuits - that is when he wasn't claiming gays can "change" their sexual orientation at NARTH). The study that examined 1,400 couples found that the sexual orientation of adoptive parents does not have an impact on the emotional development of their children. Once again discrimination based on religious dogma is shown not to comport with scientific fact. What a surprise - not! Here are some highlights from the Vancouver Sun:
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"We found that sexual orientation of the adoptive parents was not a significant predictor of emotional problems," Paige Averett, an assistant professor of social work at East Carolina University, said in a statement. "We did find, however, that age and pre-adoptive sexual abuse were," she added.
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Averett, Blace Nalavany, also of East Carolina University, and Scott Ryan, dean of the University of Texas School of Social Work, questioned nearly 1,400 couples in the United States, including 155 gay and lesbian parents.
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The researchers said the findings, which are reported in the journal Adoption Quarterly, are important because it compared gay and lesbian and heterosexual couples. "There are implications for social work educators, adoption professionals, and policy makers in this and other recent studies," said Averett.
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"We must pay attention to the data indicating that gay and lesbian parents are as fit as heterosexual parents to adopt," Averett added, "because at least 130,000 children are depending on us to act as informed advocates on their behalf."

Secretly Gay Country Star Comes Out; Do We Owe Self-hating Closet Cases Compassion?

The juxtaposition between the headlines about Chely Wright (pictured at right) coming out voluntarily and the involuntary outing of anti-gay Family Research Council co-founder - and confidant of James Dobson - George Rekers (pictured below with his rentboy, "Lucien") could not be greater. Wright has focused on telling the truth and living her life authentically and with integrity while Rekes has lied, done incalculable harm to LGBT individuals and disingenuously tried to cover up the fact that he was caught red handed if you will with a male prostitute. I have always supported the outing of anti-gay closet cases, particularly because of their hypocrisy. Nonetheless, some have suggested that the LGBT community should show some compassion toward Rekes. Not in my view which mirrors that of my fellow Bilerico blogger friend Waymon Hudson. First, some highlights from MSNBC on Chely Wright's classy and dignified "coming out." Here are some highlights:

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Now, 15 years into a chart-topping career, Wright has stepped forward and become the first mainstream country music star to acknowledge their homosexuality. The pretty 39-year-old revealed her secret in print to People magazine, and on the air on TODAY Wednesday, in an interview that coincided with the release of her autobiography, “My Life.”
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“I lied, and I knew I had gone from not talking about it to ‘Now I’m a liar.’ ” It led to a harrowing crisis of conscience for Wright, who told Morales she hit rock bottom months after telling Rich she wasn’t gay.
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“I had a 9 millimeter gun in my mouth,” she said. “I was taking inventory of my life and I realized I had pieces that I just couldn’t get to intersect. I was living a secret life and I was very much a country music celebrity, and I saw no way to get those to coexist. “I gave up hope and I was ready to take my own life.” . . . I stopped praying for what I always prayed for, which was help me figure out a way to still have my career.
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“I changed my prayer, and my prayer was, ‘God, give me a moment’s peace.’ I got up off my knees and got my moment’s peace. I didn’t hear God’s voice, I didn’t see a guy in a robe, but I heard God say what he’d been whispering in my ears all along: ‘I expect one thing of you, and that is to tell the truth.’ ”
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Wright then began putting pen to paper to tell her story, and after three reflective years, she finished her autobiography. The book’s release Tuesday coincided with a new CD, “Lifted Off the Ground.” Only time will tell whether her fans will embrace Wright’s honesty, or if she will suffer a backlash. But Wright still couldn’t hide her enthusiasm in finally being honest with herself. “It feels incredible,” she told Morales.
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In contrast to Wright, Rekes has come up with shifting excuses for his 10 trip to Europe with "Lucien." Ranging from claiming he "hired" Lucien because he could not carry his luggage due to recent surgery, to claiming he was "ministering" to Lucien, the storyline borders on the ridiculous. Here are some highlights from Waymon's thoughts that sum up why Rekes deserves no compassion:
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To be honest, I have a huge problem feeling any compassion for Rekers. His life has been devoted to hatred and actively blocking rights for LGBT people. His anti-gay and ex-gay "research" have harmed all of us in courts and in the public debate on LGBT rights. I have a hard time not reveling in the fall of his influence and standing in the professional anti-gay machine that he helped create.
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The personal impact of Rekers on my own life as a foster parent here in Florida also makes compassion difficult. Rekers was one of only two witnesses hired by Attorney General Bill McCollum to defend Florida's anti-gay adoption ban in an effort to reverse a Miami judge who ruled Florida's adoption ban unconstitutional.
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McCollum paid Rekers $87,000 for testimony that called gay people mentally unstable and advised that the ban should be expanded to include Native Americans because, Rekers claimed, they are also at much higher risk of mental illness and substance abuse. That's the man we are dealing with.
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Personally, I am overjoyed that his hypocrisy will neuter his ability to make such arguments in a court of law ever again and could strengthen cases he has testified in as they move forward. I want him unable to cause further harm to me, my family, or my community ever again. . . . I would reserve my compassion for people like Ricky Martin, who struggled with internalized and societal pressure yet never did active harm to our community before coming out or being outed.
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People like George Rekers, Larry Craig, and Roy Ashburn aren't being pilloried for being gay or just being outed. They are being shown as hypocrites and liars, which is the damaging part that well deserves the celebration and derision of the LGBT community and society as a whole.
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Kudos to Waymon who once again has stated the case for outing and pillorying people like Rekes for the evil that they have done to the larger LGBT community. But for people like Rekes, the Chely Wrights of the world would not feel at times that suicide is their only way out of an existence they did nothing to bring upon themselves.

Wednesday Male Beauty

ELCA Reinstating Two Gay Ministers

While the U.S. military and the Catholic Church continue their witch hunts against gays, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ("ELCA") is reinstating two ministers who had been removed from the list of rostered clergy prior to the vote of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly last August to allow partnered gay clergy. One pastor had remained at his parish as it defied the previous ELCA policy that permitted only celibate gay clergy. As I have noted before, in my opinion, the ELCA offers a wonderful opportunity for LGBT individuals who were raised Catholic to find a church home that mirrors the liturgy of the church they were raised in without being subjected to all of the anti-gay bile that is constantly disseminated by the Catholic Church hierarchy. Here are highlights from the Washington Post:
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ATLANTA -- A gay Atlanta pastor and his partner who have been at the center of a battle over the treatment of gay clergy by the nation's largest Lutheran denomination are being reinstated to the denomination's clergy roster, church officials announced Tuesday.
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The Rev. Bradley Schmeling and his partner, the Rev. Darin Easler, have been approved for reinstatement, the Chicago-based Evangelical Lutheran Church in America said in a news release. The approval came roughly eight months after the denomination voted to allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy, and just weeks after the ELCA's church council officially revised the church's policy on gay ministers.
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"I'm grateful that this journey has come full circle and that the church has changed its policy," Schmeling said Tuesday. "I think the church saw the gifts and the abilities of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and saw that the spirit was calling them into ministry and wanted to create a way for people to serve," he said.
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Even though Schmeling had been removed from the ELCA clergy roster, he remained pastor at St. John's, putting the church in violation of ELCA guidelines, said the Rev. H. Julian Gordy, bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Synod. "There are people in our church that believe that pastors in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships should not serve as pastors in this church," Gordy said in the church statement. "But the assembly said that while we were not in agreement on this, congregations could call persons in such relationship to serve as pastors, and St. John has chosen to do this." Despite the opposition from some to the change in church policy, "I believe that we will learn to live in this new reality," Gordy said.
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Schmeling said the reinstatement is good news for others as well. "I'm happy for the many people who always hoped to be ordained as pastors now have an open pathway before them," he said.