You can purchase an autographed copy of Anything But Straight by sending a $35 check or money order to:
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Wayne Besen
PO Box 25491
Brooklyn, NY 11202
The Palestinian leadership made the right move today in distancing itself from a virulent example of Anti-Jewish bigotry. After a protest from the Anti-Defamation League, the Palestinian Authority deleted the hateful “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” from the Palestinian Ministry of Information Web site. The Protocols are an ancient forgery that pretends to reveal clandestine plans by a sneaky Jewish cabal to take over the world. It has been used for centuries to fan the flames of Anti-Semitism.
According to Reuters, the Palestinian’s also rebuked a radical Muslim cleric who compared Jews to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and denied the existence of the Holocaust.
This is welcome step for the Palestinian leadership, which has long been two-faced – or more accurately – two tongued. When speaking to the Western world in English, they have tried to present a moderate tone. However, when speaking to their citizens in Arabic, the Palestinians and other Arab leaders have often used incendiary, Anti-Jewish language.
The Palestinians accomplish nothing by using tired Nazi propaganda to portray Jews as evil. Ending this duplicitous and ugly war of words will certainly help win the peace.
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Republican loose cannons in the Senate Judiciary Committee got a much-deserved scolding yesterday when Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow told them that their verbal attacks on the judiciary are "truly dangerous" and might lead to violent action. Lefkow is a federal judge whose mother and husband were recently murdered by a deranged man who once had a court case before her. According to the Judge:
"Fostering disrespect for judges can only encourage those that are on the edge, or on the fringe, to exact revenge."
This issue reminds me of when Matthew Shepard was murdered in 1998, after a Summer of tag-team gay-bashing by Congress and right wing groups. Those who created such a hostile climate vehemently denied playing a role in Shepard's death. But words do matter. Anti-gay Republican's set the stage for Shepard's murder in 1998, the same way they set the tone for the murder of today's judges.
Following the Terri Schiavo circus, Sen. John Cornyn, R-TX, threatened judges from the floor of the Senate:
"It causes a lot of people, including me, great distress to see judges use the authority that they have been given to make raw political or ideological decisions. I don't know if there is a cause-and-effect connection, but we have seen some recent episodes of courthouse violence in this country. . . . And I wonder whether there may be some connection between the perception in some quarters, on some occasions, where judges are making political decisions yet are unaccountable to the public, that it builds up and builds up and builds up to the point where some people engage in, engage in violence. Certainly without any justification, but a concern that I have."
Recently, Rev. Pat Robertson joined the judge-bashing orgy. In an appearance on ABC's This Week, the holy man said:
"The gradual erosion of the consensus that's held our country together is probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings."
Just like the gay issue, these attacks on judges are not about the government, religion or party affiliation. This is about an ugly, naked power grab by agitators who exploit religion and cause rifts in society for the sake of personal gain. When the next judge is killed, Pat Robertson and Congressional leaders like Sen. Cornyn have no one to blame but themselves.
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On May 17, 2004, when Massachusetts began marrying its gay couples, that simple declaration — emblazoned on golden stickers shaped like deputy sheriff's badges and proudly worn by ecstatic gay-rights supporters — celebrated a seismic shift. State-approved gay marriage was no longer a theoretical possibility. It was a reality.
Now, a year and more than 6,100 gay weddings later, the reviews are in. Folks in Massachusetts, the first in the nation to experience this expansion of freedom, have swung 180 degrees to favoring it.
(Hypocrite: Spokane's Disgraced Mayor James E. West)
When a person says he is a social conservative, the first thing that now comes to mind is: Who are you really sleeping with and what deep, dark secret are you harboring? Conservatism is no longer a mantra, but a mask, hiding hypocrites and concealing closets.
The most startling example to come to light is the sickening story of Dr. W. David Hager, a prominent Bush appointee to the Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs in the Food and Drug Administration. Hager, a gynecologist, is almost single-handedly responsible for sinking plans to allow Plan B, the morning after pill, to be sold over the counter.
According to an expose in The Nation magazine, Hager explained, in a lecture at Asbury College, how his actions to deny American women easy access to Plan B was God's will.
"Now, the opinion I wrote was not from an evangelical Christian perspective...But I argued it from a scientific perspective, and God took that information, and He used it...to influence the decision."
Hager's pompous and pious speech enraged his ex-wife, Linda Carruth Davis, so much so, that she went public and accused her ex-husband of forcibly sodomizing her during their marriage.
AUTHOR WAYNE BESEN TO GIVE KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT COLUMBIA SOUTH CAROLINA GAY PRIDE, MAY 21
Besen Will Discuss How to Win Equality In South Carolina and Across the Nation
WASHINGTON – Wayne Besen, author of Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth, will be the keynote speaker at Carolina Pride. Besen’s highly controversial and politically explosive book shatters the false notion that gay people can change into heterosexuals through prayer and therapy.
"My message is particularly important in South Carolina, where fundamentalists are trying to trick people and fool them into thinking that it is possible to pray away the gay," said Besen. "I am thrilled to be speaking at Carolina Pride and I am excited to rally people to the cause and discuss what the gay movement must do to win full equality."
This year's theme is "Creating A New Reality" and organizers at the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement expect record crowds. According to the group, they anticipate surpassing last year's impressive mark of 3,000 attendees.
Also on hand for the event will be folk pianist and vocalist Rachel Sage and local singer and diva Elaine Townsend. Additional performers include the Capitol City Kings, Mr. S.C. Pride 2005, Ms. S.C. Pride 2005 and Pride Idol 2005, Nik Evans.
Look at this fabulous billboard campaign by Greensboro's Triad Equality Alliance!It features 18 gay or lesbian Triad residents on two billboards -- nine on each sign; one sign each for Winston-Salem and Greensboro.
TEA is looking for individuals, businesses and organizations who believe in this message and would like to make a public endorsement of it. If you are interested CLICK HERE.
The GLBT Community should be placing compelling ads, such as these, on highways across the nation. Taking our message to mainstream America is the only way we are going to win equality.
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