Ex-Gay Watch

-Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker selects an openly gay running mate.

-Hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation continue to rise, according to the FBI’s latest statistics.

-An evangelical church in Denver adopts a gay-affirming stance.

-Good Morning America cancels a concert featuring Adam Lambert following his controversial performance at the American Music Awards.

-The National Organization for Marriage launches a $500,000 ad campaign in New Jersey.

-The Charleston, SC city council passes a non-discrimination ordinance.

-Lambda Legal files a lawsuit against the city of Atlanta following a police raid on a local gay bar.

-The Catholic Archbishop and Anglican Bishop of Liverpool, England issue a joint statement condemning homophobia. Ex-Gay Watch’s Dave Rattigan writes a commentary for The Guardian.

-Nathaniel Frank responds to the anti-gay Manhattan Declaration.

-Author Jeff Sharlet follows the money trail between the secretive religious right group The Family and Uganda.

-A gay man in Istanbul is the victim of an “honor killing” carried out by his father.

Held on the 20th of November every year, this day is set to commemorate transgenders who have been killed due to discrimination, prejudice and hatred towards the community. It is also to raise awareness and act against the violence, brutality and murder of gender variant or non-gender conforming individuals within the LGBT community worldwide.

Every year, scores of transgenders have been murdered in dehumanizing ways, as the hatred against gender variant or non-gender conforming individuals is on the rise. The countless deaths are from all walks of life; activists, school children, sex workers, civil servants and even mainstream executives. Even those perceived to be transgenders are not spared. Most of the murderers get off lightly, resulting in further stigmatization that transgenders somehow “deserves it”. This is also a day to take action against transphobia.

Situation in Malaysia

In Malaysia, battered transgenders and friends of those who died are often too afraid to speak out because of death threats and police mockery, while Islamic fundamentalists still demonize and portray transgenders falsely as deviants. Many of the murder victims are often insultingly mis-gendered and referred to with the wrong pronouns when their deaths are reported in the newspapers. And many deaths go unreported because of media bias.

The Transgender Day Of Remembrance (Malaysia) is an event organized by the Malaysian TransAdvocacy Coalition, and funded by two key individuals. It was originally scheduled to be at the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre For Women (ARROW), but due to an administration officer’s scheduling conflict, the event was moved to PT Foundation Transsexual Drop-In-Centre (DIC) a day before the event.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is one of the 144 cities from 21 countries to hold the eleventh Transgender Day Of Remembrance this year. It also marks the second time this event is held in Malaysia, and the first in which the Malay Language was used. This year, Malaysia has three recorded deaths, and they are among the 162 deaths recorded worldwide. The issue of transphobia and ways to reduce a hostile climate towards trans people were discussed. A candlelight vigil was held at the end of the sessions.

TDOR in Malaysia

On Friday 20th of November 2009, around 20 participants were present by 7.50pm. Most of them are regulars at the PT Transsexual DIC. The host began the night by explaining the function of the Malaysian TransAdvocacy Coalition and its goal to sensitize schools to the presence of transgenders, to build a database of organizations that do not discriminate against transgenders so that jobs can be offered, narrowing down transgender friendly health care providers and clinics to assist transgenders, and providing possible places for transgenders to rent and stay without prejudice and discrimination.

Then the subject of transphobia was tackled. The members of the floor were asked about the causes of transphobia and a few of the more outspoken ones gave valid answers. Then an open discussion ensued on how to tackle the causes of transphobia, resulting in a truly educational experience for not only the participants, but also the host of the event. Some of the suggestions including stopping sticking to a transgender clique and hanging around the fringes of society, and instead coming out to meet and mix with the people around them. It is also agreed that the negative attitudes of most transgenders also needs to change, to avoid being stereotyped wholly as sex workers or unreliable people.

Then we headed on to the candlelight vigil, where names were called out and candles were lit for those who have died this year, and we reserved four tall candles for the four who died in Malaysia (three reported, one not reported). Unfortunately after reading about the fortieth name, most of the transgenders were getting restless and I was asked by the Transsexual DIC Programme Manager not to finish the list. I then asked everyone to light all the candles at one go to remember our dead, and hope for a better tomorrow for all of us.

Response from the LGBT Community

A request through e-mail was sent to PT’s In House Programme Manager to advertise the event on his regular Yahoo groups. There was no reply from him. Fellow ex-gay survivor Pang Kee Teik was most accommodating; he sent out messages to all the member of the Sexualiti Merdeka Facebook Group. However, no one from the group showed up. The Malaysian Human Rights Council and Joint Action Group For Gender Equality (JAG) were also notified via e-mail. There was no e-mail reply, and no representatives from either group. This may be a sign that most gays and lesbians, or even those working on sexuality and human rights, still do not regard trans violence something worth their time or importance, even though those perceived to be transgender have same risks of violence in Malaysia.

Most of the participants this year felt bored and have a nonchalant attitude towards the event. When the names of the dead were read out, instead of mourning, most of them were already chatting away and some did not even light one candle. Valuable materials that were printed out for them were a waste as most did not read them, probably because they do not know the English language, and for some they simply did not care. It is also saddening that most of the names from the memorial list failed to be read out, because they stopped paying attention to the candlelight vigil. This shows total lack of respect for the dead, and in this case ironically it is their own, and it could happen to them. It is my deepest regret I cannot finish the list, and that they do not consider their dead important.

A few prominent trans individuals were also invited to the event, and they too did not show up. This smacks of irony, as one of the prominent figures that funded the event was a trans woman from Singapore. It comes as a surprise to me that an individual from across the causeway would care about the transgender community in Malaysia, more than the Malaysian trans people themselves. This, in my opinion, marks the spirit of surrender by most of the transgender community especially among the Malays; their complacency, as most of them were negative in their attitude, and do not even care about tomorrow.

In conclusion

I was however, encouraged by some positive signs. Several trans people, while most were preparing to go back, continue lighting the candles until all of them are lit. Some were seen praying for the souls of their friends. And some do realize the reasons why we remember our dead. It is simply because it could be one of our family members, or our friends, or ourselves. I do believe the list should have been completed. All the names are people who have existed to make all of us visible. They have friends and families, and they were living people. And furthermore, these are victims of prejudice and hate, and this sort of violence can happen to anyone within the LGBT community. They do deserve their due recognition, especially when it is already so difficult to track down more of the deaths that are unreported to the police, or dismissed by the media.

There are lessons to be learnt from conducting a TDOR memorial. The event was not a total failure, for some do get the message. But I find it shocking that in comparison to the TDOR event last year, cisgenders seem to care more about trans people than transgenders themselves. Perhaps there is a dire need now for transgenders to take a hard look in the mirror and ask themselves what they really want out of their lives. To have their existence validated, or be thrown into the abyss where they will not even be remembered by their own. Right now I have made my decision to not let circumstances get me down. But unless they decide to do so too, their stance will affect me, as I will be just a single voice. It is my hope, for TDOR next year, every one, gay or straight, cis or trans, would come together for one simple reason. Hate is evil. The violence and murders must stop.

-Same-sex marriage is legalized via court order in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

-Dolly Parton speaks out in defense of gay rights.

-Meghan McCain (daughter of Sen. John McCain) challenges the Republican Party’s hypocrisy on the issue of same-sex marriage.

-The Christian Anti-Defamation League’s rally against the Matthew Shepard hate crimes law fizzles.

-NARTH’s annual conference takes place this weekend in Florida.

-A new study commissioned by the Catholic Church finds that gay priests are no more likely to molest children than straight priests.

-The New York Supreme Court rejects the Alliance Defense Fund’s challenge to the state’s law recognizing out-of-state same-sex marriages.

-A gay teenager in Texas is savagely beaten by classmates.

-A series of anti-gay attacks is launched against Houston mayoral candidate Annise Parker.

-Austria legalizes civil partnerships.

-A group of Christian leaders sign a new manifesto containing anti-gay language.

-The murderer of gay teen Jorge Mercado invokes the “gay panic” defense.

As reported here a few days ago, the National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) recently posted an interview between reparative therapist Joseph Nicolosi and ex-gay activist Michael Glatze. The latter’s inflammatory comments of late are severely at odds with the image portrayed while talking with Nicolosi, who promoted an obviously troubled man as a great example “to young people who are struggling.” Among other things, Glatze claimed bullying should be allowed as a growth experience.

Apparently, NARTH’s promotion of Glatze didn’t sit well with Exodus president Alan Chambers, who is to speak at the annual NARTH conference tomorrow. In a comment on Warren Throckmorton’s blog today, Chambers said:

I am grateful to NARTH for taking such a stand. I have learned the hard lesson more than once that not taking such a stand immediately is a mistake.

This morning when I saw the interview on their site I knew I couldn’t speak at NARTH tomorrow if it remained. I never had to make such a choice—they removed it when I told them of the comments Glatze had made.

I am speaking at NARTH tomorrow and amending my normal talk to include a portion on bullying. Thanks, Warren, for hammering this stuff home. The stories of these poor, sweet, beautiful kids have broken my heart.

Credit where credit is due, Chambers acted swiftly and decisively in this instance, and we applaud him for that. We encourage him to be as responsive to issues in the future.

For their part, NARTH has removed the recent Glatze interview, and replaced the link with the following comment:

Following the counsel of our friends at Exodus and others in the ex-gay community we have removed the Michael Glatze interview from our site. Some of his public comments have been found to be offensive to NARTH and hurtful to others. It is never appropriate to make some of the comments attributed to Mr. Glatze and we at NARTH wish to make our disapproval public.

While clearly this was the responsible thing to do in this instance (not having posted the interview in the first place would have been ideal), it would be irresponsible not to note that NARTH has a long way to go if they wish to be taken seriously. As we mentioned in the previous post on this, Berger, Schoenewolf and Phelan all remain members of their Scientific Advisory Committee. And the original Nicolosi interview with Glatze is still available (PDF) on their website.

As many sites have linked to the Glatze interviews (the first was in 2007), using him as a positive example, would it not be prudent to replace the original articles with an explanation of why he is not to be taken as a role model? In this way, others who trusted NARTH’s promotion of him could learn the truth instead of just finding silence.

Perhaps Chambers can mention these facts to the audience tomorrow?

Update: Barely a day after posting it, NARTH has removed their explanation for removing the second Glatze interview. As they have done before, it is just swept under the rug.

According to their website, Exodus has sent an open letter to President Museveni of Uganda voicing their opposition to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill being considered there. Exodus has been criticized heavily for the lack of such a statement, and has so far only released bits and pieces. This one seems to leave no doubt that they are against the bill becoming law, though they do rely on the same “we can’t help the poor souls if you do this” argument as has been presented by others. Then again, perhaps that is an argument Uganda needs to hear. Read more…

Dr. Joseph Nicolosi of the National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) has posted a recent interview with Michael Glatze.  Glatze is the troubled former editor of XY Magazine who made an ex-gay splash in a 2007 World Net Daily article.  After dropping mysteriously out of site for a couple of years, he has recently been literally begging for attention from friend and foe alike (read summary).  This interview reads much like the first one Nicolosi conducted with him in 2007, filled with the former’s trademark confirmation bias and the latter’s apparently ever-growing urge to please the good doctor.

But Glatze’ responses don’t come close to reflecting the truly disturbing things he has been saying elsewhere.  In a blog he shut down after light was shown on it last month, Glatze revealed more of what caused us such concern about him in 2007.  In the following quote, he runs the gamut from misogyny, to hatred of President Obama (a common theme in most of his posts) to finally labeling attempts to prevent bullying in schools “insidious” because the bullying is a learning experience.

We live in a culture that hopes to destroy manhood, by promoting policies that shame men, and make them out to be villians. “Patriarchy is bad! Down with patriarchy!” What is “patriarchy”? Patriarchy is the idea that men exist. There is nothing more. People invent “matriarchy,” otherwise known as a more emotional approach, a more flowy approach, to doing things, as though men have no emotions or desire to have a happy existence. The false duality created by non-“patriarchy” thinking leads to the corrosion of humanity, as exhibited by political correctness, Liberalism, and embodied by The One … a.k.a., Barack Obama, the world’s first official girl-man President.

Even so much as uttering the statement in the previous paragraph gets the victim-minded whiners, those lacking a backbone, those denying their manhood, to heights of hysteria and indignation. “That’s the very type of behavior that leads to bullying in schools.” Bullying in schools is a part of life, a part of growth. Every time somebody needs to grow up, even just a little bit, the process will be painful and probably not the first choice for what that individual might want to do. Take away every one of these instances in the name of “compassion,” and you will tear out the souls and spirits of everyone you hope to control with such insidious policies.

Last month we (reluctantly) called attention to Glatze’ blog postings which, among other things, reflected utter hatred for Barack Obama — and an admission that this hatred was in large part due to his race.  Glatze goes on to claim that Obama wants nothing short of the “destruction of humanity.”  These are not minor statements. Read more…

-Portugal’s new Prime Minister places marriage equality on his list of priorities.

-The Christian Anti-Defamation Commission plans a rally to try to provoke arrests under the new hate crimes law.

-The New York State Senate promises to vote on marriage equality before the end of the year.

-Rhode Island Governor Carcieri vetoes a bill that would have allowed domestic partners to make funeral arrangements for a deceased partner.

-Salt Lake City passes an anti-discrimination ordinance with the support of the Mormon church.

-Support for Don’t Ask Don’t Tell continues to decline among military personnel.

-Dan Savage speaks on the definition of marriage.

-RI Gov. Carcieri backpedals and suggests that he might support civil unions for gay couples.

-The Catholic Church threatens to stop providing social services in Washington, DC if the city legalizes same-sex marriage.

Earlier today, Dr. Warren Throckmorton and Pastor Martin Ssempa were able to discuss the Anti-Homosexuality Bill currently being debated in Uganda. Both appeared on Premier Radio, part of the Christian media in the UK. While the exchange is short, it offers a revealing look into the mindset that would promote such widespread criminalization of homosexuals.

One of the more surprising disclosures was made by Dr. Throckmorton when he read a new statement from Exodus International concerning the issue. Exodus has come under great pressure for dragging their feet to respond to a dire situation so germane to their own work. This short statement appears so far only on the radio broadcast and takes another small step toward a definitive stand against these proposed laws.

Exodus International opposes this legislation as we believe that the Christian Church must be a safe, compassionate place for those who are confused and conflicted by their sexuality. Such legislation would inhibit church and ministry leader’s ability to assist hurting individuals struggling with this issue.

We would like to see language more appropriate to the confronting of such a heinous proposal as this dreadful bill, but better late to the table than never.

A Facebook group on this issue has been set up and has nearly 4000 members at last count.

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Source: AP

The American Medical Association has voted to oppose the military policy concerning gay service members, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), saying it has “a chilling effect” on open communication with one’s doctor.

“A law which makes people lie to their physicians is a bad law,” said Dr. David Fassler, a University of Vermont psychiatry professor who attended the meeting.

The group also publicly declared that same-sex marriage bans contribute to health care disparities.

The health disparities policy is based on evidence showing that married couples are more likely to have health insurance, and that the uninsured have a high risk for “living sicker and dying younger,” said Dr. Peter Carmel, an AMA board member.

The ex-gay “Love Won Out” conference in Birmingham went underway Friday, the final one led by Focus on the Family before they relinquish control to Exodus International amid financial troubles.

Truth Wins Out’s Wayne Besen organized a protest of the conference and spoke at the University of Alabama, Birmhingham on Thursday. This has prompted Exodus V.P. Randy Thomas to call for prayer:

I (Randy) won’t personally be at this particular event but having been to about 20 of them, every single one had some sort of protest and every single time the LWO team responds lovingly.  Would you add praying for Wayne and his friends to your prayers for the conference? We’d greatly appreciate it.

There is a promo video, a Twitter account, and a Facebook group for the conference.

LWO’s website says that they have no intention to “cure” gays:

Are you here to “cure” gays?
Absolutely not. The only time you’ll ever hear the word “cure” used in relation to our event is by those who oppose Love Won Out.  They also like to claim we want to “fix” or “convert” gays and lesbians and that we believe people can “pray away the gay.” Such glib characterizations ignore the complex series of factors that can lead to same-sex attractions; they also mischaracterize our mission. We exist to help men and women dissatisfied with living homosexually understand that same-sex attractions can be overcome. It is not easy, but it is possible, as evidenced by the thousands of men and women who have walked this difficult road successfully.

However, official statements of purpose give another impression.

From 2000:

Focus on the Family is concerned about the message that’s being silenced to our     youth today. We want them to know that individuals don’t have to be gay. That’s why we’ve developed a one-day conference for those who have a heart for youth and are concerned about the growing tragedy of homosexuality.

From 2001:

Focus on the Family is promoting  the truth that homosexuality is preventable and  treatable, a message routinely silenced  today. We want people to know that individuals  don’t have to be gay.

From 2006:

Focus on the Family is promoting the truth that change is possible for those who experience same-sex attractions — a message routinely silenced today. We want people to know that individuals don’t have to be gay and that a homosexual identity is something that can be overcome.

From 2007:

Focus on the Family’s Love Won Out ministry exhorts and equips the church to respond in a Christ-like way to the issue of homosexuality. And to those who struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions, we offer the Gospel hope that these desires can be overcome. By offering conferences, education, counseling and research, the Love Won Out team strives to uphold God’s design for sexuality in a way that transforms lives.

Before, Exodus could always defer to Focus on the Family with complaints, but now that they will be running the show, we’ll see if anything changes. Perhaps there will be an attempt to transform LWO from an ex-gay conference into a “Christian on a post-gay journey” conference.