Box Turtle Bulletin

Three Massachusets Teens Charged in Beating

Three Lowell, Massachussets men were charged yesterday morning in an apparent gay-bashing.  The teens alledgedly saw the man in a residential neighborhood at about 3 a.m. on Friday, and used anti gay slurs before beating him, according to authorities. James Nickola was bruised and suffered a severely cut lip.

The three men, Jonathan Artis, Jeffrey Buchanan, and Jules Rugges, all 19, were charged with  violation of constitutional rights with bodily injury, assault and battery, and mayhem. They were then released on their own recognizance.

Sticks and Stones

Peter LaBarbera doesn’t like his nickname.

For several years now, it’s been reported that Peter LaBarbera has made it his quest to attend various leather and S&M events, report on what he sees, and claim that it somehow is representative — or even relevant — to the gay community at large. Whenever he goes to events like these, he takes several salacious photos and posts them on his website. Then he exhorts his readers to “take action” of some sort (which usually involves harassing the hosting venues) and demands that everyone in the gay community condemn the event.

He takes this work very seriously. He even compares his mission to those of Simon Wiesenthal and Mother Theresa. That’s pretty serious.

It’s been reported that Peter LaBarbera has a collection of leather outfits to wear to these events. It’s also been reported that he likes to go undercover to gay bathhouses — Chicago’s Steamworks seems to be a favorite. And it’s been reported that LaBarbera maintains an impressive collection of gay porn — for research purposes, of course. In fact, LaBarbera’s storied reputation for being inordinately fascinated by all things pornographic — well, not all things, just gay male things — has led to his being dubbed with the well-earned moniker of “Porno Pete.”

LaBarbera credits Wayne Besen for the nickname, one that has spread LaBarbera’s fame far and wide. When I mentioned Peter LaBarbera to my partner over the weekend, he didn’t know who I was talking about. As soon as I said “Porno Pete” though, he knew instantly. “Oh, that guy.” It has now reached the point where you have to refer to his nickname at least once just so everyone will know who you’re talking about.

But Porno Pete doesn’t like his nickname. He calls it a smear. He brought his objections up in a comment on this web site, and he repeats his objections on his own site.

By the way, he also generously mentions this humble web site on his blog, describing us as alternating “between high-minded critiques of pro-family research and mean-spirited name-calling.” The “high-minded” part is quite a compliment. Thanks. We do try. Sorry about the name calling though. We try to be high-minded, but it’s hard to stay focused when dealing with low-minded people, particularly those who go through more exclamation marks in a single post than normal people do in a lifetime. But I’ll give it my best shot.

At any rate, Porno Pete, err… Mr. LaBarbera attended an “International Mr. Leather” event in Chicago recently, and he’s all up in arms because of how awful the whole thing was. If I had gone, I might have agreed with him. That’s probably why I didn’t go. I have no interest in these things whatsoever. What’s more, none of my friends went. I don’t think they were interested either.

Now that I think of it, if someone were to point a gun to my head and demand I give the names of all the people who went, the only name I could give would be Mr. LaBarbera’s, and I’d have to pray that that would be enough to save my life. Otherwise, I’m doomed.

Several years ago, I did happen to attend an event where public nudity was on display everywhere I turned. It wasn’t pretty. I had gone along with some (straight) friends and rented a sailboat to cruise around the British Virgin Islands. We anchored one afternoon off of the tiny island of Sandy Cay for a day of hiking and just generally hanging around the pristine beach. We had been on that island for no more than an hour when we saw a Windjammer-style sailing vessel on one of those “barefoot cruises.” It dropped anchor and began to discharge its passengers onto the beach. Except this was no mere barefoot cruise. This was a “bare all” cruise of mostly retired Minnesotan nudists — heterosexuals all. On our beach. In public. In blindingly broad daylight.

They were very nice and friendly. I talked to one kind lady who reminded me of my grandmother, except of course for the no-clothes thing. They invited us to join them, but we decided to leave when we saw them organizing what looked to be a game of nudist leapfrog. We didn’t stay around long enough to learn the rules.

I don’t know what horrors Mr. LaBarbera saw at International Mr. Leather that weekend, but I would have dared him to take pictures of these pasty-skinned, gray-haired (yes, even there!) naked Minnesotan retirees. I doubt he would have made it off that island alive.

I bring this up because I think there’s a simple lesson to be learned. If you don’t like something, don’t go. Or if you’re there by accident, leave.

Mr. LaBarbera doesn’t like International Mr. Leather, which I totally get because neither would I. So next time it comes to town, he should do what I did. Or didn’t do — whatever. Don’t go. I mean really — they had a sign at the door saying the event was closed to the general public, didn’t they? Mr. LaBarbera even took a picture of it. I wish there had been a sign on Sandy Cay, but there wasn’t. Mr. LaBarbera should consider himself lucky to have been forewarned.

But no, he barreled right past that sign (after pausing to take a picture of it first) and went right in. And then he took lots more pictures. He even took pictures that he said he couldn’t post on his web site. I’m not sure why he took those pictures — but hey, different strokes, right?

And now that he’s posted his “report,” he wants the rest of us homosexuals to condemn the event. Well heck, I didn’t even know about it, and I don’t know what responsibility I have for it. Why should he call me out on it? I don’t hold Mr. LaBarbera — or even heterosexuals in general — responsible for spoiling my afternoon in the Virgin Islands. Why should I be tied (get it? That’s a joke!) to that thing in Chicago?

But okay. I’ll set aside that complete breakdown in logic and offer my condemnation for something I have nothing to do with:

I don’t think I’d like it. I don’t like any public display of fetishes, even though this wasn’t entirely public. Next year, I will be sure to boycott it.

(Can you boycott something if you don’t know about it? Do I have to join the International Mr. Leather mailing list just so I’ll know what not to go to? I’ll have to think about that one.)

But as long as we’re on the topic of demanding that people condemn things that have nothing to do with them, I’d like to point out to Mr. LaBarbera that this year’s Fetish Con will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Tampa this coming August. Even though this is a heterosexual event, this should be right up Mr. LaBarbera’s alley. There’s even bondage among the plethora of commodified sexual pleasures. He can take pictures and describe everything he sees. (He can even take some more of those pictures he can’t put on his web site.) And he can preface his report with a warning:

WARNING: *** NOT FOR CHILDREN ***

Graphic photos below with offensive depictions of real-life heterosexual depravities

And he can demand that all heterosexuals “condemn the perversion.”

If past performance gives us any indication of future behavior, we won’t see anything like this. Americans for Truth never comes close to being “high-minded.” I’m sorry I can’t return the compliment. The only thing Mr. LaBarbera is interested in is finding weaponry he can use against every LGBT person on the planet, and he doesn’t care where he finds it.

I doubt we’ll see Porno Pete in Tampa, and that’s a terrible shame. I think Mother Teresa would be very disappointed in him.

Riga Pride Peaceful and Safe

Sighs of relief were let across Europe as Riga’s first sanctioned Pride parade went off without problems amid exceptionally tight security.

Riga’s Pride parade was more like a short walk around a sealed-off park than a typical Pride event elsewhere. But after last year’s excrement- and egg-throwing disruption — and last week’s violence in Moscow — nerves were on edge. There was only one reported disruption; a skinhead had infiltrated and began shouting slogans before being hustled away by riot police.

There were only an estimate 1,200 participants at Riga Pride this year, and many compared the mild festivities to a visit to the zoo. Some carried Tinky Winky dolls in a poke at neighboring nearby Poland. Several political and NGO dignitaries were also in attendance, raising its profile considerably.

Comments

You may notice that comments appear differently on this web site now. You may also notice that some of the older comments are missing. That will be temporary. I’m in the process of transitioning all the comments from Haloscan to WordPress. I have re-loaded all of the comments that have been left here since May 1 so far. Since there are nearly 600 comments altogether, this will take a while. But the effort will be worth it since the new system will allow greater flexibility for new features in the future.

What a Mother

The MTV reality show Real World is premised on the idea of getting seven people of questionable morals and unstable personality to live together for a summer.  Generally they include at least one gay person.

This year’s gay guy, Davis, was a recently out southern boy with very conservative parents who was trying to be faithful to his boyfriend (he lasted until the last week, unlike two of the girls who didn’t last the first night).  Like all MTV reality characters, he had plenty of flaws and foibles and was far from an angel, but it was interesting to watch him deal with his self-discovery and to see him interact with a housemate who came in with homophobic beliefs.

However the moment that caught my attention came off camera, after the season, and only was mentioned in passing at the “reunion” show.  Davis’ mother was having difficulty accepting Davis’ orientation and suggested they get family counseling on how to cope.  Davis readily agreed – only to find when he showed up that his mother had booked him with a Reorientation Therapist.

Next year think of Davis’ mother and give your mom something extra special on Mothers’ Day.

Scott Lively Speaking in Riga in March

Jeremey Hooper from Good As You found this video. Here is holocaust-revisionist Scott Lively speaking at a workshop at New Generations church in Riga, Latvia last March.

This is what the extremists of No Pride Riga are spreading.

It’s Not Special If Everyone Can Have It

The Washington Blade reports that Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley will support domestic partner benefits for gay employees in the next state workers’ union contract. Concerned Woman Matt Barber thinks that move will cheapen marriage for everyone else:

[Barber] contends that domestic partner benefits devalue traditional marriage much the same way introducing counterfeit money into commerce devalues the dollar. “[When] you water down something enough, eventually it becomes unrecognizable,” he asserts, “and we have counterfeit marriage here; we have the government subsidizing counterfeit marriage.”

I’m terribly sorry to learn that Barber’s marriage is devalued by domestic partner benefits. Who knew the value of marriage was subject to the laws of supply and demand?

American Anti-Gay Extremists In Collusion With Riga Pride Opponents

Last weekend, we watched in horror as anti-gay violence broke out with police backing in the streets of Moscow during a peaceful demonstration. This weekend, all eyes will turn to Riga, Latvia, for their third Riga Pride. No Pride Riga, which staunchly (and in the past, violently) opposes Riga Pride, has warned on its web site that foreigners should stay away. But UK Gay News reports that they aren’t following their own advice.

American Scott Lively, author of the holocaust-revisionist book, The Pink Swastika is already in Riga. Lively goes beyond the small cadre of anti-gay extremists who deny that gays were victims of the holocaust. He claims that ‘homosexualism’ itself was responsible for the rise of the Nazi party and led directly to the Holocaust. He writes that “homosexuality is primarily a predatory addiction striving to take the weak and unsuspecting down with it.”

Despite the crackpot theories manufactured largely from rumor, conjecture and the recycling of popular myths, Lively’s book has become something of a best seller. It’s now in its fourth edition. While it has been dismissed by historians, it has gained a significant following among anti-gay activists, particularly among European neo-Nazi groups who have been responsible for several anti-gay assaults in recent years.

Lively has been active in Latvia recently. On March 21st, he was invited to speak at a Kaunas Police Academy about “the effects of sexual ‘freedom’ that is promoted by the homosexual movement.”

Another American anti-gay extremist rumored to be in Riga is Rev. Ken Hutcherson, of Redmond, Washington’s Antioch Bible Church. You may remember him for persuading Microsoft in 2005 to withdraw support for bill before the Washington state legislature that would have made it illegal to fire an employee due to their sexual orientation. After a huge outcry, Microsoft reversed its decision.

In recent years, Hutcherson has formed an alliance with Seattle- and Sacramento-area Slavic evangelical churches, as well as Latvian pastor Aleksey Ledyaev of Riga’s New Generation megachurch. Both Lively and Hutcherson were in Riga in March to speak at New Generation during Sunday services. It was on this visit that Hutcherson claimed to speak as a “special envoy” of President George W. Bush, a claim that was denied by the White House. Janis Smits, chairperson of the Latvian Parliamentary Human Rights Committee, was among the dignitaries who attended the anti-gay rally and spoke at the event. Also attending were Janis Pujats, Cardinal of the Latvian Roman Catholic Church; Inta Feldmane, member of Parliament; and Aina Krukle, representative of the Riga City Council.

Lively told that audience:

I have studied homosexual movement now for 17 years and with all responsibility state that currently Latvia a zone of intense confrontation between Christians and homosexuals…

This nation will be our main battlefield against this counter Christian culture. God gave Kenneth Hutcherson and me to see that [New Generation pastor] Alexei [Ledyaev] is the very man God placed to direct this battle, and church should support him in all respects. We are going to help you consistently and effectively to fight those who violate Christ’s rights and target his ministers for their insults.

Last year, Riga officials banned the Pride parade. Indoor events went ahead, and No Pride protesters showed up and pelted participants with excrement and eggs. Two years ago, No Pride supporters tried to physically block the path of the parade. This year, with a new administration in city hall, officials are reportedly much more proactive in providing protection for Riga Pride participants.

Nikolai Alekseev, one of the organizers of last weekend’s Moscow Pride, is hoping to be in Riga. It’s uncertain if he can make it as his own legal problems stemming from his arrest last weekend may prevent him from leaving Moscow.

Exodus Continues To Associate With Vitriol-Spewing Bishop For Day Of Youth Prayer

(Advertisement posted by Exodus Youth on MySpace)

Exodus has joined a coalition of various religious right groups in some sort of vague day of prayer for youth or possibly sexual purity for said youth. Their website isn’t very clear and doesn’t even give a formal name for the event or coalition.

Included in that coalition is Wellington Boone Ministries. Let’s review what Boone had to say at the Family Research Council’s “Liberty Sunday” (official transcript) last October.

We know what a family is. My wife said to me this morning, she said, “Well, okay then. It’s sodomites because they’re not gays; it’s a misnomer. They’re sodomites.”

…If God calls homosexuality an abomination, if he calls it vile affections, if he calls it wickedness, I can’t call it inappropriate behavior. (Applause.) So if this is just a small matter, I’ll tell you what — let two women go on an island and a whole bunch of – all women, if you’re sodomites, go on an island, stay by yourself, all women, put all the men on another island – this is my wife talking to me this morning – let them stay. I’ll tell you what: “We’ll come back and see you about 100 years.”

I say Exodus is partnering with Boone again because at “Liberty Sunday” Exodus president Alan Chambers was the second speaker following Boone.

See my previous coverage of Boone at XGW.

Porno Pete’s Report From This Year’s “Mr. Leather”

I have to say opening up my email and seeing that Peter “Porno Pete” LaBarbera attended this year’s “Mr. Leather” near his home in Chicago brought a smile to my face. Seeing Pete’s (now annual) report makes me feel all is right in the world.

Pete’s photo of supposedly offensive paddles made me question, if a little spanking is off limits in the bedroom then what exactly is allowed by AFT’s standards?

A Candid Explanation for Change

My next post in my Love Won Out series is slated to focus on Alan Chambers’s workshop, “Hope for Those Who Struggle.” This is a talk in which Alan sets out to establish realistic expectations for change. Of all the workshops and all the plenary sessions at Love Won Out, I thought this one was the most realistic and honest of them all. As you can see, I haven’t posted it yet, but I promise I will.

I bring this up because Timothy Kincaid’s post on A Whole New Lack of Desire sparked a great conversation about change in the comments. And that ties in especially well with Daniel Gonzales’s podcast this week in which I talk to him about Love Won Out. In the last part of that podcast, you will get to hear a brief snippet from Alan’s talk, as well as my reaction to it. That will be the jumping off point for my next post in the series.

Like I said, I promise I will write it. But unfortunately the way things are going at work, I can’t promise when. Until then, I encourage you to listen to the podcast.

And I hasten to add, I really don’t sound like that.  Stupid cheap telephone…

New Hampshire Governor Signs Civil Union Bill

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch (D.) signed the civil unions bill into law today. Beginning in January, gay couples will gain access to some of the protections and responsibilities available to married couples. Same sex unions from other states will also be recognized.

New Hampshire joins Connecticut, Vermont, and New Jersey in providing for civil unions, with Oregon  also joining the list in January. Maine, California, Hawaii, and Washington provide for more limited forms of domestic partnerships. Only Massachusetts provides for full marriage equality.

New Hampshire is the first state to enact some form of same-sex unions without a court order or the threat of one. Two years ago, Connecticut adopted their civil unions law without a direct court order, although a case was making its way through the court system.

AAPA Approve a New Position Statement on Conversion Therapy

The American Academy of Physician Assistants passed a resolution opposing sexual orientation conversion therapies which are based on the assumption that homosexuality is a disorder requiring a cure:

The American Academy of Physician Assistants opposes any psychiatric treatment directed specifically at changing sexual orientation, such as “conversion” or “reparative” therapy which is based upon the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based upon the a priori assumption that the patient should change his/her sexual orientation.

The resolution was passed by the AAPA’s House of Delegates during their 35th annual conference in Philadelphia after an unusually contentious debate on the floor. This final resolution is in line with the American Medical Association’s position on conversion therapies.

A Whole New Lack of Desire

I’ve noticed an unusual phase cropping up in ex-gay language lately. It generally is phrased as I have no desire for a same-sex relationship or I have no desire to be involved in homosexuality.

At first it seems that the author is saying that they are heterosexual. But look closer. What is really being said here? Well, to understand that you have to have knowledge of how ex-gays use language and to look for what is not being said.

Ex-gay ministries, especially those who use language for anti-gay media purposes, like to take words and give them a new meaning –- often one that is precisely the opposite from what one might assume the word to mean.

Take for example the word “change.” A casual reader may thing that the slogan “change can happen” means that one can go from a homosexual orientation to a heterosexual orientation. But in an ex-gay lexicon it means something quite different. To an ex-gay “change” is not a shift in sexual attraction or desire or romantic interest but instead is a change in identity. When an ex-gay says, “change can happen,” they mean that they can now call themselves something other than gay –- though nothing you or I might consider to be “change” has happened at all.

One of the ways that those who question the claims of ex-gay spokesmen have challenged their assertions is to talk in terms of less nebulous things than change. They speak about attractions and desire and explain that if one is attracted sexually, emotionally, and romantically to the same sex, then no intrinsic “change” has occurred.

Which brings me back to the new phrase. I suspect its primary purpose is to try and redefine the word “desire” so as to allow them to continue to make claims that sound like one thing to the public — but mean something quite else.

Take, for example the recent comment on the blogsite of Randy Thomas, Exodus International’s Vice President. This comment is useful because not only does he set up the phrase, but he compares it to a quite different notion.

And yes, I am much more sexually and romantically attracted to women today and have zero desire to be romantically or sexually involved with a man.

Here we have it –- zero desire to be involved. But the contrast is there showing what is missing –- a lack of sexual and romantic attraction to a man. 

Randy isn’t saying “I’m not sexually and romantically attracted to men.” And frankly, I suspect that is because Randy is indeed sexually and romantically attracted to men and he’d prefer not to outright lie. He’d far rather use deceptive language.

Instead Randy changes the subject to be about whether he wants to act on that attraction, to have a relationship. But by putting those two separate concepts into the same sentence Randy can sound (without quite saying it) that his sexual attractions are only to women.

I do believe that Randy doesn’t want to be “involved” with a man. But I believe that was the case on the very first day he got involved with Exodus. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried so hard for the past 15 years to rid himself of his attractions. This is all just a smoke screen to make it sound like he’s no longer same-sex attracted.

So the next time you see I have no desire for a relationship or I have no desire for that lifestyle, you can call them on their deception. Just ask the simple question, “Do you still experience sexual attraction to persons of the same sex?”

Which, of course, now means they’ll have to come up for a new definition for “attraction.”

Welcome Out, David Hyde Pierce

AfterEllen.com found it, buried deep in an AP report on CNN’s web site:

He worked at Playwrights Horizons, the Public Theater, Shakespeare in the Park and a lot of regional theaters such as the Guthrie in Minneapolis, Chicago’s Goodman and Long Wharf in New Haven, Conn. Pierce got to Los Angeles in the early 1990s when his partner, actor-writer-producer Brian Hargrove, wanted to write for television.

David Hyde Pierce is probably better known for his role as Niles on the television sitcom Frasier. AfterEllen confirmed Pierce’s relationship with Hargrove through Pierce’s publicist. AfterEllen also notes that this quiet self-outing may be in response to Michael Musto’s more strident outing in Out magazine’s controversial “Gay Power List” which featured Jody Foster and Anderson Cooper.

As far as I’m concerned, everyone has the right to be as out or as closeted as they want to be. We all have our own reasons for deciding how much of our private lives we want to share, and we all should have the right to make those decisions freely. If the gay rights movement means anything, it must mean that either we all share the right to protect our privacy or none of us do. Otherwise, why are we fighting so hard to secure our place in the world regardless of what we do in the privacy of our homes?

And yet, I’m glad that David Hyde Pierce has decided to come out. Visible role models are a good thing. It’s just too bad that we still need visible role models. And it’s too bad that everyone who comes out is expected to become one.

But if Peirce is going to be a role model, the way he came out is a good example to follow. No big announcement, no press release, just a simple statement made matter-of-factly in an article that paints an expansive portrait of his career. Maybe someday all such “announcements” will be so mundane.