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The Daily Agenda for Monday, June 17
The Daily Agenda for Sunday, June 16
The Daily Agenda for Saturday, June 15
The Daily Agenda for Friday, June 14
South Africa Teen’s Death Shows It’s Time to Ban Ex-gay Therapy Everywhere
NJ Assembly Committee Moves Conversion Therapy Ban
Rubio: "I'm Done" If Gays Included In Immigration Bill
Featured Reports
What Are Little Boys Made Of?
In this original BTB Investigation, we unveil the tragic story of Kirk Murphy, a four-year-old boy who was treated for “cross-gender disturbance” in 1970 by a young grad student by the name of George Rekers. This story is a stark reminder that there are severe and damaging consequences when therapists try to ensure that boys will be boys.
Slouching Towards Kampala: Uganda’s Deadly Embrace of Hate
When we first reported on three American anti-gay activists traveling to Kampala for a three-day conference, we had no idea that it would be the first report of a long string of events leading to a proposal to institute the death penalty for LGBT people. But that is exactly what happened. In this report, we review our collection of more than 500 posts to tell the story of one nation’s embrace of hatred toward gay people. This report will be updated continuously as events continue to unfold. Check here for the latest updates.
David Benkof: Behind the Mask
At first glance, David Benkof appears to be a young gay man who believes that same-sex marriage will damage the institution of marriage, that there are better options for gay couples than marriage, that the community should join him in prioritizing other more pressing issues, and that the marriage discussion is harming the efforts of gay couples in red states to get recognition for their unions. He also claims that he’s a gay columnist, that he speaks for an influential collection of gay thinkers, and that he is part of the gay and lesbian community and that he shares our goals and dreams. But none of that is true.
“Repeat After Me”: The Reparative Therapy Echo Chamber
The April 2008 edition of the pay-to-publish vanity journal Psychological Reports featured a new report from NARTH. Written by NARTH president A. Dean Byrd, past president Joseph Nicolosi, and Richard W. Potts, the report carries the unwieldy but self-descriptive title, “Clients perceptions of how reorientation therapy and self-help can promote changes in sexual orientation.” While the title describes what the authors meant to show — how clients describe the benefits of reparative therapy — the report itself actually illustrates something very different: the ex-gay movement’s remarkable ability to instill an almost robot-like parroting of ex-gay rhetoric among their clients.
Testing the Premise: Is MRSA The New Gay Plague?
The Toronto Star said that a new study “discover[ed] a new strain” of a super-bug “hitting gay men.” Headlines in Britain screamed, “Flesh-eating bug strikes San Francisco’s gay community,” and anti-gay extremists across America spread the alarm that gays were introducing another plague into “the general population.” But there was a small problem with all of this: None of it is true!
Paul Cameron’s World
In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that “[Paul] Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi Germany.” What the SPLC didn”t know was Cameron doesn’t just “echo” Nazi Germany. He quoted extensively from one of the Final Solution’s architects. This puts his fascination with quarantines, mandatory tattoos, and extermination being a “plausible idea” in a whole new and deeply disturbing light.
From the Inside: Focus on the Family’s “Love Won Out”
On February 10, I attended an all-day “Love Won Out” ex-gay conference in Phoenix, put on by Focus on the Family and Exodus International. In this series of reports, I talk about what I learned there: the people who go to these conferences, the things that they hear, and what this all means for them, their families and for the rest of us.
Prologue: Why I Went To “Love Won Out”
Part 1: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Part 2: Parents Struggle With “No Exceptions”
Part 3: A Whole New Dialect
Part 4: It Depends On How The Meaning of the Word "Change" Changes
Part 5: A Candid Explanation For "Change"
The Heterosexual Agenda: Exposing The Myths
At last, the truth can now be told.
Using the same research methods employed by most anti-gay political pressure groups, we examine the statistics and the case studies that dispel many of the myths about heterosexuality. Download your copy today!
And don't miss our companion report, How To Write An Anti-Gay Tract In Fifteen Easy Steps.
Testing The Premise: Are Gays A Threat To Our Children?
Anti-gay activists often charge that gay men and women pose a threat to children. In this report, we explore the supposed connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, the conclusions reached by the most knowledgeable professionals in the field, and how anti-gay activists continue to ignore their findings. This has tremendous consequences, not just for gay men and women, but more importantly for the safety of all our children.
Straight From The Source: What the “Dutch Study” Really Says About Gay Couples
Anti-gay activists often cite the “Dutch Study” to claim that gay unions last only about 1½ years and that the these men have an average of eight additional partners per year outside of their steady relationship. In this report, we will take you step by step into the study to see whether the claims are true.
The FRC’s Briefs Are Showing
Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council submitted an Amicus Brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals as that court prepared to consider the issue of gay marriage. We examine just one small section of that brief to reveal the junk science and fraudulent claims of the Family “Research” Council.
Review: The Gay Report
When Karla Jay and Allan Young published The Gay Report in 1979, it quickly a favorite source of statistics for many anti-gay extremists. But before you accepts these statistic at face value, you should examine the inner workings of this survey very carefully. What you learn might surprise you.
Daniel Fetty Doesn’t Count
The FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.
News, analysis and fact-checking of anti-gay rhetoric
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David C.
April 24th, 2009 | LINK
Yeah, but they were still unable to get rid of the problematic Popko, who remains on the student council though no longer as president.
Stefano A
April 24th, 2009 | LINK
Sorry to hear Popko is still on the sa.
He and his cabal really need to go. Not only because of their infusion of their religious beliefs into what should be a secular-based student council for this publicly funded school, but also because of the allegations of fraud and corruption that surrounds them.
The college newspaper, The American River Current, has a great article on their recent antics of wheeling and dealing with the funding of a supposed ARC job fair and a Russian language newspaper.
Stefano A
April 24th, 2009 | LINK
Actually, their “activism” hasn’t been limited to only anti-gay actions but also such things as fighting a rock-n-roll venue because…
The rock show on the community college campus was projected to raise tens of thousands of dollars for scholarships and textbooks.
Stefano A
April 24th, 2009 | LINK
Oh! Wait a second . . .
David C: What position did Popko maintain on the student council?
The American River Current posted the elected members as follows:
President: David Fisher
Vice President: Shane Johnson
Director of Finance: John Throm
Director of Activities: Charles Stevens
Director of Legislative Affairs: Akilah Parks
Director of Public Relations: Slavik Gurmeza
Secretary: Kindra Pring
Representatives: Toni Abney, Anna Choban, Joy Cordova, Christopher Ducray, Melony Ford, Nicholas Hartkopf, Daniel Karavan, Jeremy Palmer, Brice Robinson-Wasley, Victor Tence
Stefano A
April 24th, 2009 | LINK
Sorry for the multiple posts, but wanted to add…
Wow! This is discouraging:
Only 9% of the student body even bothered to vote, although they could do so over a two-day period.
David C.
April 24th, 2009 | LINK
Sorry, Stefano, my bad, I misread one of the postings cited above. Apparently three representatives from the previous “regime” survived and he was not one of them. My apologies for the mistake. In this case I am very glad to be wrong.
Pomo
April 24th, 2009 | LINK
community college students don’t care about student government. Its a joke. And they thought the ARC council and their resolutions were a joke too. It might be big news to the outside world but the students just think they’re idiots.
I’ve had the unfortunate privledge of running into them at prop 8 rallies. It was one of the members of their cult-like church that assulted me back in October.
No doubt these former council representatives will be hailed as hero’s in their churches eyes.
Stefano A
April 24th, 2009 | LINK
David C, no problem. I, myself, had to check the list a couple of times because I kept confusing Anna Choban for Viktor Choban. BTW: Are they brother and sister? (Just curious)
Pomo:
You’re probably right that students view their student council “as a joke”. Unfortunately for those students, those “jokes” are costing them money. Most recently to the tune of $5500.
Bruno
April 25th, 2009 | LINK
ACTION: Popko et al felt the CA Supreme Court usurped the will of the people, so voted to “officially” support prop 8.
REACTION: The student body at ARC felt that Popko et al usurped their will by harping on divisive issues, so they voted to oust.
ACTION: Popko et al felt that the Day of Silence program was a means to stifle religious viewpoints, so they drafted a resolution against it.
REACTION: The student body at ARC decided to stifle Popko et al’s religious viewpoints as filtered through their positions in student government, by ousting them.
Karma’s a bitch, isn’t it Popko?
Zeno
April 25th, 2009 | LINK
It’s true: community college students are seldom very involved with student government on their campuses. They’re usually focused on attending their classes and then dashing off to their jobs or families. This created an opening for the right-wing Christian alliance at American River College. Their antics over the past year, however, caught people’s attention and the voter turn-out at this week’s election was about 9% (nine times the usual amount). The incumbents were nearly wiped out.
Does it matter? I think so. When the student council endorsed Proposition 8 last year it was used as a talking point up and down the state: The largest community college (36,000 students) in northern California was against same-sex marriage! Did the council speak for the entire student body? In reality, no. In formal terms, yes, the student association is the official voice of the student body and the conservative Christians exploited that. The new student council will tend to campus business rather than boosting a right-wing political agenda.
cowboy
April 25th, 2009 | LINK
Were the three incumbents that were re-elected the three Mormons?
Allan
April 25th, 2009 | LINK
Congratulations to those who voted. Congratulations to those who won. Shame on those who abandoned us by not caring to vote for two days. Shame on the Slavs and Mormons. Prosecute the “christian” attacker, if you haven’t, because he will do it again, perhaps worse, to someone else. We’re still trying to get hands on one of their gang who is a murderer and fled the country. They will all do that if given the chance. They will beat and murder gays and flee. They will. Guaranteed. Watch for it.
Bruce Garrett
April 25th, 2009 | LINK
“Actually, their “activism” hasn’t been limited to only anti-gay actions but also such things as fighting a rock-n-roll venue…”
Okay… At a guess, I’d say this was probably what got them voted out of office, finally.
The fight against the religious right in a nutshell: They win votes on The Homosexual Menace, often presenting themselves as moderate on other social issues. Then after they get elected they go to work on a whole range of culture war stuff that PO the voters and they get voted out.
That happens often enough and the voters start becoming wary of appeals to The Homosexual Menace. So they try to ratchet up the fear mongering a little more. And that nutty NOM ad is the result.
Kel Munger
April 27th, 2009 | LINK
No, the members of the Slavic slate who were elected were NOT incumbents.
Elected were:
Slavik Gurmeza (Dir. of Public Relations)
Anna Choban (Student Representative)
Daniel Karavan (Student Representative)
The leaders of this group, Yuriy George Popko and Viktor Choban, were defeated, as were incumbents Alex Malash, Vladimir Musorivischi and Yana Kulinich.
I suspect that the biggest issues on campus were things like the rock concert (which raises a lot of money for scholarships), cutting the funding for all the clubs, refusing to fund Earth Day (they said it was “idolatry” because it was “Earth worship”), and the mess they made of the book rental program.
ARC is a commuter school–the largest community college in CA–and most of the students are working while going to school. They just don’t have time for this crap.
For more on Popko & Choban, who are really the ringleaders of this group, see my article in the Sacramento News & Review: “Things to do in Sacramento with a megaphone” http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/content?oid=873290.
Also, Popko and co. are challenging the results of the election. They claim that faculty and administrators interfered in the voting (they were on hand to verify students were eligible to vote). There are also complaints about illegal election materials (including one voter guide in Russian, complete with scriptural citations–I’m still trying to get that translated).
Kel Munger
Sacramento News & Review
Kel Munger
April 27th, 2009 | LINK
Also, yes, Anna Choban is Viktor Choban’s younger sister. He’s also got a brother that’s involved in this.
Kel
Timothy Kincaid
April 27th, 2009 | LINK
Kel,
Thanks for the clarification.
Kindra Pring
May 6th, 2009 | LINK
Daniel Karavan is actually an incumbent. But the Student Association elect wishes to welcome this three with open arms. Honestly, with the exception of Yuriy, I can’t really blame them for their actions. It’s the environment they’ve grown up in. Having these three with us will (A) help us live up to our promise to represent a diverse group of people and (B) help us reach out to them. I think being around us in that setting will be good for them and help them see that we have nothing to hide. We aren’t in this to push any controversial agenda. Just the students agenda – cheaper textbooks, better parking, more student events.
Again, because I can’t say it enough, thank you to all student voters. 9%, while it doesn’t seem like a lot, is a huge change from what it used to be, a measily 1 or 2%.
Kindra Pring
ARC Student Association
Secretary-Elect
bob
May 15th, 2010 | LINK
So the anti-antigay ppl got back on the council, and the world became a better place. Right? NOT. They’re not so different i say. This group also follows their own agenda and doesn’t care what anyone has to say against it.
California_Nutcase
August 14th, 2010 | LINK
It’s amazing that while the anti Prop 8 circus is going on in San Francisco, the same week a federal judge in Sacramento hands a pro Prop 8 ruling against American River College’s board of trustees for illegally invalidating student elections in 2008 because the student government took a public stance in favor of Prop 8.
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