Norfolk, Virginia, Medical School Professor Signs Anti-Gay Letter to Congress

It is bad enough when one hears the constant anti-gay propaganda from the professional Christian set, but it is even more shocking when one hears such animus from medical professionalsl. Particularly when they are members of a publicly funded medical school faculty where their homophobia could well be imparted to medical students and other doctors. Thus, I was shocked to discover that Judith V. Williams (pictured at left), one of the professors at Eastern Virginia Medical School who also is on staff at the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia, had joined with other pediatricians in a letter to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi urging passage of the Federal Marriage Amendment. Equally troubling is that Dr. Williams signed the letter in a manner so as to perhaps use the medical school's name to strengthen the credibility of her anti-gay views. The text of the letter which can be found here at G-A-Y-US sounds as if it were written by Peter LaBarbera or one of the other professional gay haters. Indeed, one has to wonder if Dr. Williams believes in voodoo and witchcraft too. Here are some highlights from the letter signed by Dr. Williams and other homophobes (NOTE: the American College of Peditricians should not be confused with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) which does not put religious belief before children):

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The Board of Directors of the American College of Pediatricians, an organization dedicated to the health and well-being of the youngest of our citizens, its members and supporters strongly urge you to press forward with vigor and amend the Constitution to guarantee that marriage in the United States will forever be defined as the union of one man and one woman.

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We support this amendment because it will prevent the continuing erosion of the safety, nurturance, and protection afforded to children by this time honored marital partnership. Anything less than a Constitutional amendment would allow continued discrimination against those children, few in number now, who are being used by social engineers to support what a small number of selfish adults want, over the needs of potentially hundreds, perhaps eventually thousands, of children.

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Adult wants overwhelmed the needs and best interests of children, and we are continuing to see the dire consequences of that defeat in our medical offices, clinics, and hospitals. What does that have to do with the issue of homosexual parenting? Everything! Again, social scientists, the Media, and a small number of misinformed Pediatricians are disregarding the real needs of children and asking that again in this country there is conducted an uncontrolled, unscientific, social experiment on our children by encouraging their rearing by same-sex parents.

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We, the undersigned, are distressed that some professional medical organizations have ignored both science and tradition in helping to promote this misguided social experiment. Our children deserve better than this and the best science demonstrates that now, as always, children do best when reared by a man and woman, mother and father, married and committed to them.

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Please pass the Federal Marriage Amendment to assure that present and future generations of children will not, once again, fall victim to the triumph of selfish adult wants over their real needs.

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Apparently Dr. Williams thinks it is better for children of LGBT couples - who will continue to exist despite the efforts of bigots like Dr. Williams - be deprived of the legal rights and benefits that would flow from their parents being able to legally marry such as health care insurance, survivor benefits, etc. It's another case of punishing the children while pretending to punish the parents. Her claims that she cares for the best interests of children are obviously disingenuous. It's all too typical of the as backwards thinking of these zealots. Be assured, I DO intend to call EVMS's top leadership and inquire as to whether they (1) agree with Dr. Williams and/or (2) condone her using the medical school's name in signing such a bigoted letter. For anyone desiring to contact Dr. Williams, here is her information:

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Judith V. Williams, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Dermatology
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Norfolk, Virginia

Phone: (757) 668-7546 (SKIN)

Fax Number: (757) 668-8795

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Here is the information for the medical school's president:

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Harry T. Lester, President

President's Office

Andrews Hall

P.O. Box 1980Norfolk, VA 23501

(757) 446-5200

Study: Parental Reaction Has Huge Influence on Gay Suicide

San Francisco State University's Family Acceptance Project has released a new report which is highlighted in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), that looks at the effects of parental rejection on LGBT youth. I have actually had a copy of this new study entitled "Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults" for nearly two weeks but it was embargoed until 12:01 am today. The findings are in many ways what one would expect - namely, that negative family reactions to youth sexual orientation often has very negative consequences, including increased rates of suicide, depression, and/or drug use - but it is nonetheless helpful to have a legitimate study to backup what should seem obvious. Based on individuals I have met, it is often easy to see precisely the adverse outcomes described in the study report. Here are some highlights:

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The results of this study show that negative family reactions to an adolescent’s sexual orientation are associated with negative health problems in LGB young adults. As such, this study provides empirical evidence to begin addressing long-standing questions about the precursors of high levels of risk consistently documented in studies of LGB youth and young adults. Because families play such a critical role in child and adolescent development, it is not surprising that adverse, punitive, and traumatic reactions from parents and caregivers in response to their children’s LGB identity would have such a negative influence on their risk behaviors and health status as young adults.

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LGB young people from families with no or low levels of rejection are at significantly lower risk than those from highly rejecting families related to depression, suicidality, illicit substance use, and risky sexual behavior. So helping families identify and reduce specific rejecting behaviors is integral to helping prevent health and mental health problems for LGB young people.

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The current study also has important implications for identifying youth at risk for family violence and for being ejected from their homes or placed in custodial care because of their LGB identity. LGB youth are overrepresented in foster care, juvenile detention, and among homeless youth. Moreover, conflict related to the adolescent’s sexual and gender identity is a primary cause of ejection or removal from the home.*

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Specifically, the study found that lesbian, gay, and bisexual young adults who reported high levels of family rejection during adolescence were:

• 8.4 times more likely to report attempting suicide

• 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression

• 3.4 times more likely to report illegal drug use

• 3.4 times more likely to report having engaged in unprotected sexual intercourse.

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The clear import of the study is that Christianist and homophobic parents who reject their LGBT children - and professional "Christians" like James Dobson who market anti-gay hate - have much responsibility on their hands for the adverse consequence that their children and LGBT youth come to suffer. Obviously, loving and truly Christian parents would not reject their children, but then these types of parents aren't truly Christian in the first place.