The Anatomy Of A Change

  A couple of weeks ago, I brought you a story about how California's Board of Behavioral Sciences was permitting students to obtain continuing education credits from working at virulently anti-gay group NARTH. Myself as well as many of you were incensed that the freedom-forward Golden State could accredit an organization that promotes ideas and treatments for a disease that doesn't exist. Indeed, NARTH's gay cures have been discredited by every major medical organization and their proclaimed so-called success rates are dubious at best.

  With these things and more in mind, many of you petitioned the California BBS to take NARTH off of the 'approved' list. Well kids, despite my slight pessimism, it worked. The National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality is no longer listed in the catalogue of approved organizations for the purposes of Continuing Education credits pending a September review of BBS standards.

As it stands now, the BBS can't reject a continuing education provider due to its philosophy or even the validity of its scientific claims, executive officer Kim Madsen says, and "that's been a challenge." Instead, as long as the provider "meets the requirements as set forth in current law, we have to accept them." (Those requirements include providing direct or indirect patient care, having qualified instructors and submitting the appropriate applications and fees.)

At its September meeting, however, the BBS will be reviewing those laws and requirements and having a discusssion about what Madsen describes as "long-identified deficiencies in the continuing education model".

While it may seem like a small deal to have NARTH taken off of the list, even though it was because they had the book tossed at them for not paying fees, it really is not. NARTH is no longer accredited and because of pressure from media and concerned citizens alike, they are not likely to be reinstated. This will mean that NARTH will simply run out of students and younger medical professionals to work for them and, eventually, their institution dedicated to psychologically abusing young people will vanish into the abyss of antiquated thought.

  Never underestimate the power of unified protest, for if nobody spoke up about the California BBS' provider requirements, they wouldn't be reviewing them in the first place. If someone hadn't noticed NARTH's name and notified others, Nicolisi's group of homophobes likely would've received a warning or similar slap on the wrist. With the media aware now, the BBS will need to alter the ways in which they deal with organizations that profit from pseudoscience.

  Thousands of people spoke up about something they believe in, but it started with just one. Never be afraid to affect change- if your cause is true, masses will follow the leader. If everyone remained quiet about every idea, disease, racism, and every form of injustice and ineptitude would be rampant. Civilized society is a pretty amazing thing, and it is so because thoughts are communicated.

  Whether the idea relates to discovery or civil rights, good ones tend to reproduce rapidly. From free minds come wonderful brainchildren. The most tragic thing in the world is an intellect that's been neutered by submission to the status quo.

Media Moment: The Vander Putz Belly Bust

Bob Vander Plaats is the man behind the weird racist, sexist, and homophobic pledge that terminal braincramp Michele Bachmann signed, but even though his pledge was 100% serious, he still enjoys a good laugh, particularly if the joke is about one of the groups he promotes hatred against.

Listen to a line told by an event attendee and see if it's worth Vander Putz busting his guts.

(Even More) Fundies With Existentialism

Randy Thomasson makes no bones about his hatred for gays. His loathing is louder and prouder than RuPaul on a lavender skyscraper.As such, nobody was terribly surprised when Mr. T. let his protest fly last month when California decided to permit openly LGBT role models into their curriculum. Now, teens will get to know about Bayard Rustin and Leonardo DaVinci without their orientations sanitized out of the conversation. And, MAN, was Randy Thomasson peed off.



Thing is, nobody listened to Mr. Thomasson about his imagined threats to children caused by the sheer knowledge that Oscar Wilde or John Gielgud were lovers of men as well as the arts. People just aren't as freaked out as the fundies want us to be. Now, it's WAR.

Randy Thomasson popped on Janet (why are so many of these Stepford Fundies named Janet?) Mefferd's radio show to proclaim that no longer denying the LGBTness of heroes of the past was the most indecent brainwashing in American history and would begin a Christian civil war, because that's what Thomasson wants.

Here's a few choice snippets:

Thomasson: I believe he was responding to a tremendous amount of pressure from homosexual, bisexual and transsexual activists, they were saying, ‘Hey, Jerry [Brown], we’re demanding that you sign our bill on LGBT role models for children,’ and he did it. I think they are just reminding him that they own him, he is their governor, because what the Democrats give the homosexual activists what the homosexual activists want, and the homosexual activists want children. So the Democrat governor gave the homosexual activists the brains of children, six million children in California government schools now are going to be suffering under an eighth school sexual indoctrination law, the most direct, in-your-face brainwashing I’ve ever seen.


Actually, I do dare say that abstinence 'education' and the force-feeding of Gideon bibles to children are far more direct attempts at brainwashing. The LGBT hero bill simply states that teachers will no longer pretend Bayard Rustin is straight. Let's continue.



Thomasson: We can harken back to our American revolution. The Declaration of Independence has a long list of sayings that the colonists were lobbying King George III about, but King George III just kept coming back with more and more taxes, he didn’t listen. So they said, well, you know what, it’s our right to alter or dissolve the government. And that’s what we’re doing, we’re declaring independence. We’re not there yet but I tell you what if we don’t start voting different and telling people how to vote and if pastors don’t repent and teach people how to vote Christianly then we’re heading to toward a real civil war I’m afraid.


Mefferd: Strong words, but I’m with you all the way.


This dude is talking about actual WAR, involving actual death and rape and destruction and orphans and all of those other horrible things that come from it simply because people won't bow to his narrowminded views. In his fragile mind, even Christians who decide to accept people as the decent people they are would be part of the enemy. Read his statement closely- he believes people should be told how to vote Christianly and who to vote for. Thomasson is voicing his view that the church must become the state, even if people die for it.

If Randy Thomasson were Muslim, he'd be arrested for conspiring to commit treason or terrorism, but, alas, he's part of the fundamentalist so-called Christians, so he gets a free pass to incite violence. Fundamentalism is the enemy of democracy regardless of the religion or personality who holds the reigns. When John Adams stated that the U.S. was "not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion", it was a clear statement that all belief systems were given equal consideration. The United States was indeed exceptional in the fact that there was no fear of a deity stitched into the makeup of the nation.

If the recent Balkan wars taught us anything, it is that we can all become monsters if we view ourselves as superior to our neighbours based on race, religion, or other trait. On the other hand, as was documented amongst Jews and Muslims in Sarajevo, those who should be enemies can unite for the common good.

If you take religion and see it for the fact that it is entirely locational, you begin to see others as human beings instead of labels. Everyone wants to be free; free to learn, live and love and not be the victim of the next domestic terrorist.

 And don't give me the line about God saying this or that is wrong- has it ever occurred to you that out of the tens of thousands of gods and goddesses, you may have just picked the wrong one? Who knows- if there really is a god, maybe it really hates Vishnu or Jesus or Moses or Mohammed or Buddha or whomever.

  The point is that nobody can really be sure what a god would think if there ever was one. I'd venture to say that it wouldn't be digging Randy Thomasson and all of the fundies messing with it's rad creations, but then again, I know as little as Thomasson about it; the difference being that I'll actually admit it. You see, I don't care if there is a god or if there is not- I'm too busy living my life and acting positively than to waste it by condemning others and praying for things that won't happen unless I get off my ass to do them.

 The world is an awesome place when we simply live our lives to their fullest and let our neighbours live theirs. Humanity is an incredible kaleidoscope of personalities, colours, and shapes that are far too diverse to stick inside Randy Thomasson's heterosexual white Christian cage. Whether a period of life involves struggle or bliss, it is always amazing. I think if fundamentalists stopped being so damn morally indignant all of the time, they'd see the magnificence of the world and her citizens, most of all that which Linnaeus saw fit to refer to as wise wise man.

Media Moment: The Ex-Gay Edition

Have you ever noticed that those who call themselves ex-gays were always dysfunctional gays in the first place; with hundreds or thousands of partners, drug use, and claims of molestation? They also claim that The Gay is caused by their evil mothers whom are overbearing, single moms. They blame friends, relatives, and society for their gayness and claim that a God who created them will also make them straight.

One of the champions of the "everything is everyone else's fault" school of de-gaying is Stephen Bennett. He launches into a tirade about how his mother and nonexistent dad made him gay and that he had a horrible life as a gay man. By his own admission, he was a drug-abusing, self-loathing twinky ho. All of this changed when he prayed to Jesus and found himself a good (read brainwashed) Christian wife.

The thing is, Stephen Bennett and others like him are not living authentic lives and as they continue to lie and deny, they are harming young people who seem to think that these old ex-gays have the way out of misery. The denial and parental blaming displayed in ex-gay groups tears families apart; with loving mothers seen as overbearing, hard-working dads viewed as absent, and normal doctors and friends painted as molesters. The ex-gay movement creates depression and self-loathing to be sure, but it also damages families instead of helping them.

One glowing example of what the movement does is in Stephen Bennett himself. You can tell that the gent not only hates himself, but is a very unhappy "straight" man. His veneer is more polished than that of Kevin Kline's character in In And Out. I know effeminate heterosexual men, and he's not one of them. It comes down to some unmistakable mannerisms. For example, he leans away from his wife when he looks at her; all contact seeming forced as Mr. Bennett tries to convince the world that he is what he says he is but clearly is not.

I do feel sorry for the Bennett kids. Those 2 have lived their entire lives as trophies- examples of how the so-called ex-gay therapy really "works". Their purpose in life is to affirm their pop's orientation. But I know gay men with kids from marriages to women. Lots of them. Most of the kids are far more well-adjusted now that the gay parent is out than when they were in. Mind you, those children weren't used to further a political or religious image, like those of the boy-men lost in the Exodus movement.

The ex-gay movement itself destroys families, I have no doubt. It causes men to hate their parents, children to be used, and the lives of religious wives to be destroyed. In Mrs. Bennett's mind, her husband's de-gaying is a sign of the glory of a great creator and an affirmation of her God-ordained purpose as a helper to her husband. However, as a result of brainwashing, ego, or both, Mrs. Bennett cannot see that her husband is a tutu away from being a walking Pride parade. One wonders what will happen when she finds out.

Come out, come out, whatever you are.

It Can Really Say A Thousand Words

I'm in a boatload of pain today, but this dandy from Sunje made me smile, as it's exactly what I tell folks.

Cheers to Manhattan Mini Storage for seizing a fine advertising opportunity by being a little brave and a whole lot awesome.

On A Serious Note

  I'm not typing this from home, but from a location that I cannot legally disclose. I can tell you that it's a battered women's shelter.

  Now, why oh why am I doing this? Do I work here? Nope. Am I visiting someone? Wrong. I am here because I have been abused by a family member; someone I live with and cannot escape from.

  A while back, my parents needed a new house for themselves and their pets. There was a joint they wanted, but it was a bit on the expensive side. Me, creeped out by my perverted landlord, said I'd throw in the cash as long as I got my own space. So I did and got some office space and a room in the house that was bigger than some of my apartments in Toronto. I'm paying slightly more than my share but I'm cool so long as my mother gets a decent roof over her head. But with this arrangement came a problem.

  My mum's sort of old man drinks. Every single night is spent getting absolutely blotto. To make matters worse, he's the only person I've ever met who gets extremely violent from smoking grass. So, when he gets drunk every night, he's very verbally abusive. This is an almost-every-night gong show that I really try to stay out of because my mother says she can tune Cunt Drunkula out. But he does go after me. My pop's been on the other end of the line listening helplessly to the mayhem while I'm hiding behind my locked door with a bat or hockey stick in my hand. However, he's not solely verbal with his attacks.


  There have been times in the past when the world's strongest toothpick has gone after me. Well accustomed to my sister terrorizing the crap out of me, I can worm out of almost any skinny person attack without using violence. And that's really important because I abhor violence; the presence of it can make me freeze and I don't know why. With this guy, I think it may have something to do with the fact that , if I defend myself, my mum will never forgive me because I'm "crazy" and he only assaults me on the nights when she's passed out drunk or at least blackout drunk. A few years ago, he even tried to rape me and she insists it either didn't happen or was my fault. It was my private shame and has been so until about 10 seconds ago.


   Cue to last night. My mum had quit drinking, but decided she wanted a beer or ten. I was exceptionally worried and even mentioned it prior to the boozefest. Like 99% of days when I'm actually home and not hiding out, I didn't drink a drop. Mum and Michael, now they got hammered. Cue forward a few hours.


  My mother is falling down drunk and annoying. She decides she needs to use my computer to play online poker (hers died and Michael drinks away all her money because everything she earns is his too) I relent, but I'm not overjoyed with the idea. We get into a tiff over some spilled beer but I apologize for losing my shit and curl up with Mr. Dog. Dog needs to go out and I remember that I have a pan of ziti that needs to be put in the fridge. So, I'm rearranging the shit to try to fit this in, taking care not to put the food in any of the designated beer parts of the fridge. It's time for Michael to seize the day.


   Michael bounds off of the sofa and pins me into the fridge, leaning over me. He's taunting me about my battle for food space. I ask him to back off. He replies with "oh, is that bothering you?" as if to antagonize me. I get away from him and put the container on the counter. He puts up his dukes, the former military boxer's sign he wants a scrap. I want exactly ZERO part of this and tell him to fuck off. In some twisted moment of hell, we have him punching me in the face-me trying to get away-him climbing on me and doing one of those MMA chokeholds from hell-me trying to get away-him biting me and somehow bruising my ribs and giving me a lump on the head- me finally shaking the bastard before he can render me unconscious.


  So I get away and run to my room and recall that he had taken my phone the night before, possibly anticipating this, and refusing to return it. He's chasing me but I slip him and then get out of the house, him screaming dirty words all the way. I walked over 15 blocks barefoot to try to find help before finding a police station.


  I finally spoke to an officer who took some photos of the damage done to me. An officer went to the house and both Michael and my mother lied and said nothing happened. While the police believed the sober and pleasant me, they decided not to arrest them because the men in this valley are so abusive that they have too many cases in the courts and this would be a very hard conviction. 


  As I was waiting for an officer to arrive, the cleaning lady was there. I mentioned to her as I was spitting out blood " he's white, he's never going to be arrested." I was right. The words of an alcoholic man who can tell lies so convincing that he, himself, believes them are more important than those of a sober victim.


   So today we have me hiding out like a criminal, terrified of being found by someone who likes to beat on me. He even told my mum that nothing happed just like every other time. It's not the first time she believed him. I talked to her on the phone today and she basically dismissed it and then I explained things. In my busted-lip lisp, I told her that I am willing to forgive him if he seeks alcohol treatment and apologizes. She replied that it's not about to happen and asked me when I'm coming back. I responded that I'm done being a drunkard's punching bag.


  The admission that you're being hit by a dude and can't stop it is a hard one, especially when people regard you as tough. In fact, I'm probably far more humiliated writing this than Michael ever has been during his multitude of arrests and complaints. For me there is shame, and for him there are rewards for his ego, bolstered by the fact that he managed to - once again - completely lie to an officer and get away with it. And as much as this fact absolutely stinks, I'm safe. I have no shoes, socks, phone or wallet, but I'm safe. If he had succeeded, I wouldn't be writing this; I would be starting to stink and attract wildlife. I would be dumped in the rainforest and never found. Instead of getting away with assault, Michael would be getting away with murder. It crossed my mind that he'd be at least jailed where he couldn't hurt anybody, but the reality is that he'd be able to dispose of me 50 metres from my house and, still, nobody would find me.


  Last night, I lost the battle, but I won the war.


***p.s***If you're one of the few THOUSAND people who saw me walking down the street cold and barefoot, crying, with blood coming out of my melon and didn't stop to even offer so much as a phone call to the police, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Yes, I know, I'm a bald brown chick, but I was in real trouble. If you're one of the various people who saw me up close and gave me the stinkeye- you're a glowing example of the absolute inhumanity that plagues the little city we live in and you probably should seek counseling.

What's YOUR Take?

  Michele Bachmann is easy to make fun of because of her very public factual errors, religious fundamentalism, and blatant unabashed near-pathological pattern of lying. There has been snarky comedic speculation about the real reason behind her husband's pray away the gay counselling, but I've already said my piece and he's a soft target anyways.

  This snippet is a demonstration of Mrs. Bachmann's complete skewering of a language spoken by another. Yiddish is a combination of German, Hebrew, Ukranian, Russian and a bunch of dialects that have been combined. The primary speakers are Ashkenazik Jews, but there have been many Yiddish or North American Yinglish words adopted by mainstream society.  But, Michele Bachmann is not usually be referred to as mainstream, and her views on Judaism can only be described as exclusionary, since Jews don't adhere to the 'holy' trinity that she believes should rule over the American people. Thusly, I'm not sure whether this absolute skewering of a very easy to say word is an intentional stab or just another example of her complete stupidity and insensitivity.

  Watch this and tell me what you think. I personally believe that Mrs. Bachmann shouldn't use a word spoken by people she dislikes to make herself seem enlightened and her utter butchery is an insult, but I may have a bit of a bias here. I could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.

  Let me hear it.