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 Washington Blade reports that Pitney Bowes has sued the Christian Coalition of America, based in South Carolina, for not making payment on the $13,643.44 for postage it purchased on credit on Sept. 3, 1999, and used through June 15, 2003. The article goes on to detail a string of unpaid bills, lawsuits and times when the Coalition has stiffed vendors.
The Christian Coalition is falling apart, thanks to Ralph Reed's departure and Rev. Pat Robertson's long departure from reality. Hopefully, it won't be long before these deadbeat Bible beaters close up shop. Perhaps, the only reason they are still in business is because Executive Director Roberta Combs is pulling down $120,000 a year, even as the other bills aren't being paid. One can only admire the group's values.
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A 14-year-old student, according to the Associated Press, was expelled on Thursday from California's Ontario Christian School because her parents are lesbians.
"Your family does not meet the policies of admission," Superintendent Leonard Stob wrote to Tina Clark, the girls biological mother.
Stob wrote that school policy requires that at least one parent may not engage in practices "immoral or inconsistent with a positive Christian life style, such as cohabitating without marriage or in a homosexual relationship," The Los Angeles Times reported in Friday's edition.
This is perhaps the most disgusting story I have blogged on in a long time. What this "Christian" school did was try to humuliate a young girl and drive a wedge between she and her parents. So much for the Bible commanding that we honor thy father and thy mother. I wasn't aware that there was an exemption for lesbian parents. This school is mean-spirited and a disgrace.
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According to The New York Times, homosexuals, even those who are celibate, will be barred from becoming Roman Catholic priests, a church official said Wednesday, under stricter rules soon to be released on one of the most sensitive issues facing the church.
Instead of an honest inquiry into stopping child abuse within the church, we get an anti-gay Inquisition that threatens to destroy the lives of good men. This shameful scapegoating will only lead to more child abuse, injustice and exacerbate the church's shortage of qualified priests. Even as the world moves forward on gay rights, the Vatican moves back to the Stone Ages. The new Pope's reign is proving to be disgraceful. But, who can be surprised? Ratz has always had a peculiar obsession with attacking gay men.
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The Senate Judiciary Committee's senior Democrat, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, announced his endorsement of John Roberts. That guaranteed bipartisan backing for Roberts in Thursday's scheduled vote by the Judiciary committee.
But Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, liberal stalwarts Barbara Boxer of California and Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, former presidential candidate John Kerry of Massachusetts and New Jersey Sens. Jon Corzine and Frank Lautenberg all are opposing Roberts. Because Republicans control the Senate and the committee, majority support was assured for the vote and for confirmation next week in the full Senate.
I have mixed feelings about this. Roberts was disturbingly mum on too many key topics. For a man lauded as so smart, he certainly had little to say. I have no confidence in him and believe he might be a closeted ideologue. The problem is, I also feel like this might be the best we can do with Bush choosing the nominees. If Roberts is rejected, we all know that Mario Cuomo isn't going to get the nomination. Democrats are in a very tough position and the nation is about to get a Supreme Court Chief Justice that we know little about. This deeply concerns me, as I have never been a big fan of mysteries.
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George W. Bush told American citizens to tighten our belts to pay for the wreckage of Hurricane Katrina, but he seems more concerned with our zippers. Even though we are in deep debt and cutting programs to help poor people, the FBI's Washington Field Office began recruiting for a new anti-obscenity squad, describing the initiative as "one of the top priorities" of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.
What next, Bush will fold this porn program into FEMA because he sees it as a national emergency? Talk about messed up priorities. Instead of worrying about our wet dreams, why doesn't he focus on pumping the water out of New Orleans.
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I've always admired the fact that actress Anne Heche never attacked the GLBT community after she and Ellen split up. She has consistently advocated for equal rights, even after she married a man.
Unfortunately, her abusive mother has a new gig with Focus on the Family, falsely claiming that prayer healed Anne. She is not only making a fool of herself, she is exploiting her daughter. Thankfully, Heche spoke out against her mom's mean-spirited lies.
"The ex-gay events right now make me sick," Heche says. "And for anyone who ever thought that Ellen and I broke it off because of sexuality, you couldn't be more mistaken. And for anyone who thought my mother's prayers had anything to do with me marrying a man, forget it."
Although we would rather have Anne as our very own lipstick lesbian, the bisexual actress has a new life. I thank her for continuing to be a voice for fairness and wish her much happiness and the best of luck.
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On Tuesday afternoon, I debated "ex-gay" Richard Cohen on a New Jersey Cable station. For those who don't know, I have long exposed the unlicensed Cohen as a quack and revealed to the public this year that he was booted from the American Counseling Association for malpractice. I also dedicate an entire chapter in my book Anything But Straightto exposing his bizarre therapy.
Following our debate, Cohen sent out a hateful prayer request via e-mail that personally attacked me. If you read the e-mail below, it can only be described as a psychological meltdown, or maybe a nervous breakdown. My friends, take a good look for yourself at the kind of unbalanced and emotionally disturbed people that offer "ex-gay" therapy. _______________________________________
Greetings,
Firstly, thank you for your incredible prayers. I am eternally grateful.
Secondly, thanks to Nancy T for her expert media coaching last night. We practiced for several hours, how to effectively articulate the message while debating Wayne Besen on today's taping of "REAL LIFE" with Mary Amoroso.
The show will air on Comcast Channel 8 (in NY, NJ, Delaware, MD, VA, DC and part of Florida-Ft. Myers area) on Friday, Oct. 7, at 6:00pm and rebroadcast on Oct. 9th at 7pm. It's a 30 minute show.
The first two segments went fine with just the host and myself. The second two segments were with Wayne and the host. I have debated Wayne on radio before. This was the first time on TV. I must say, as much as I've prepared, it is far worse facing him. The main reason is this: He has not moral integrity. He spins lie after lie, twisting the truth, and continues to metamorphize with new lies right before your eyes. So, there is no "truth" or base to dialgoue with such an immoral person. He has no conscience. I have debated many "gay activists" and we agreed to disagree, there was a level of maturity and respect. With Wayne, there is no respect, only abuse, slander and lie after lie. He's an expert in deception.
MY SOS CALL RIGHT NOW IS THIS: WOULD YOU PLEASE PRAY FOR MY FAMILY AND MYSELF. I FEEL OVERWHELMED BY THE PRESENCE OF EVIL WITHIN AND AROUND ME. It's hard to ask you for this, I feel a bit selfish, but it's imperative, and this is war!
This kind of spiritual oppression has occured before, when confronting national leaders of the homosexual movement. I know they pray for my/our demise, anyone facing and confronting them with the truth in love. I know they want me/us out of the way. We threaten to dismantle the whole building by exposing their lies ("Born gay and cannot change." By-the-way, I kept repeating and repeating on the show today, "No one is born with SSA and change is possible." AH, HA, that's why Wayne got more and more nasty - the fraud was being exposed and he wouldn't hear of it).
Wayne used to work for the Human Rights Campaign, the PAC (Political Action Committee) of the homosexual movement. They have a 24 million dollar annual budget to influence federal, state and local legislation. Wayne's mission was to take down the Ex-Homosexual movement, hence his book, "Anything But Straight." Then he had a talk show on Sirius Satellite Radio, but was fired. Now, he travels the country, promoting his book and spreading slander and lies about the wonderful potential of healing homosexuality. HE HAS NO STATED JOB AT THIS TIME. So, someone or some organization is funding him to do this work - so he can spend full time on countering our healing homosexuality movement.
Right now, it feels like I can't breath. THEREFORE, WOULD YOU PLEASE PRAY FOR PROTECTION. There is great spiritual warfare happening, and I really need your loving prayers to surround myself and my family. I'm not saying this to be selfish. I'm asking this so I might continue to battle, stand up and crack this puppy wide open.
Coming back home on the train, I cried as I prayed and I promised God that I will not rest until I figure out how to deck this immoral, paper tiger. That is my commitment.
Nancy and I shared (she's a professional PR woman) that we will work until we find the code to break him down. This is war, and we shall win for God, and to help ANYONE and EVERYONE know the truth - There is no such thing as a "homosexual," only someone with SSA, and SSA can be healed! Amen and Amen.
And, as difficult as it was, I KNOW THAT THOSE WHO WATCH THE SHOW, WHO ARE SEEKING HELP, WILL SEE THE TRUTH AND FIND HOPE FOR HEALING HOMOSEXUALITY.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Howard Stern was silly puddy compared to this wounded soul. Pray for Wayne Besen to be broken and restored in God's image. He is lost, wounded, bitter, with such an ugly spirit. He needs our loving prayers...
Thank you,
Richard Cohen, MA
I want to clarify a couple of key points. Yes, my show was cancelled on Sirius in 2003. Nearly everyone in the entertainment business deals with this at one time or another. Ever hear of Connie Chung and Phil Donahue? They also had shows cancelled. I have spent the summer working on a fiction novel. No group is funding my ongoing work exposing the "ex-gay" myth. Everything I do to make quacks like Cohen breakdown and weep on trains comes out of my own pocket. PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION TODAY, so I can continue unmasking these charlatans.
Finally, this is not a "war", as Cohen suggests, between he and I. This isn't about Cohen's big and fragile ego. This is about defeating a hypocritical "ex-gay" movement steeped in anti-gay politics. Cohen and others of his ilk claim that they love gay people. Yet, out of the other side of their mouths, they say that we are bad, immoral and sick. Through persecution and guilt, they are destroying lives. If this is a war, it is about equal rights and freedom, not petty personalities on the far right fringe. Sometimes I think people like Cohen ask "What Would Jesus Do?", so they can turn around and do the exact opposite. His weird and venomous prayer alone, proves this.
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EXCLUSIVE NEWS FROM PAGEONEQ: Horrific pictures of a 22 - year - old gay Iranian torture victim have been released. SOON TO be posted on PageOneQ: exclusive interview with Amir, the young victim of the anti-gay crackdown -- whose injuries are captured in the photos, and who recently escaped from Iran -- by Senior Contributing Editor Doug for New York's Gay City News. Advance excerpts from the interview will be posted on PageOneQ as soon as they are available.
Folks, when I get news on torture in Iran, I try to verify it. However, my news budget is somewhat small, and I don't have the ability to fly to Tehran and interview clerics and victims to find out the whole truth. We know Iran tortures and murders gay citizens. If I get information that contradicts these photos, I will also report on it. Again, I live in Brooklyn and I don't have a news bureau in Tehran.
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Ellen DeGeneres strode up to the stage as this year's Emmy host with the Herculean task of brightening the nation's somber mood following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina.
"New Orleans is my hometown, and I have family in Mississippi," Ellen said, striking the right note at the awards ceremony. "It's times like this we really, really need laughter."
Ellen could just have easily been talking about her career, which was derailed by the storm of controversy that followed her very public coming out in 1997.
The state Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities has ordered the closing of what it calls two unlicensed personal care facilities run by a Christian group that counsels gays to give up homosexuality.
The state inspected two facilities in Memphis on Aug. 19 and determined Love In Action International Inc. was providing housing, meals and personal care for mentally ill patients without a license, according to a subsequent letter to the organization from the Department of Mental Health. The department gave Love In Action until Sept. 23 to cease operation of the facilities and apply for a state license.
If the organization were to continue operating the facilities past the Sept. 23 deadline, it would face criminal penalties that include fines of up to $500 and six months in jail for each day the facilities are determined to be in violation of state laws.
Additionally, it has been revealed by former Love In Action victim Peterson Toscano that Love In Action's leader, John Smid, is misleading clients by falsely claiming to be a reverend. In fact, Smid has no such credentials and is not the holy man he purports to be.
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Former US president Bill Clinton did the TV rounds on Sunday, sharply criticizing George W. Bush for the Iraq War and the handling of Hurricane Katrina, and voiced alarm at the swelling US budget deficit.
Every time Clinton appears on television he greatly diminishes Bush. He is so articulate and intelligent, that our current president looks small and embarrassing by comparison. Sure, Clinton used bad judgment and squandered his presidency, in many ways. But at least no one doubted that when he negotiated with foreign leaders, we always had the smarter guy. Can anyone say the same about Bush?
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