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Wayne Besen
PO Box 25491
Brooklyn, NY 11202
Maine's governor (pictured) signed a freshly passed bill Wednesday approving gay marriage, making it the fifth state to approve the practice and moving New England closer to allowing it throughout the region.
New Hampshire legislators were also poised to send a gay marriage bill to their governor, who hasn't indicated whether he'll sign it. If he does, Rhode Island would be the region's sole holdout.
The Maine Senate voted 21-13, with one absent, for a bill that authorizes marriage between any two people rather than between one man and one woman, as state law currently allows. The House had passed the bill Tuesday.
Democratic Gov. John Baldacci, who hadn't previously indicated how he would handle the bill, signed it shortly afterward. In the past, he said he opposed gay marriage but supported civil unions, which provide many benefits of marriage.
The House approved a bill (89-58) that would legalize same-sex marriage. The state Senate voted to approve the legislation last week by a vote of 20-15. The measure will now land on Gov. John Baldacci's desk. As a reporter in Maine, I had interviewed Baldacci and also eaten at his family's Italian restaurant in Bangor. He was a nice guy, a smart politician and I hope he does the right thing in this instance.
Unfortunately, the day was partially soiled by the remarkably ignorant views of Rep. Bernard Ayotte, a Republican. Ayotte said that he couldn't support the legislation because it would provide legal protections to people whom he said suffered from hormonal imbalances causing same-sex attractions.
"By all indications, homosexuality in human beings seems to be generated by imbalances in the human body," he said. "As legislators, it is important that we do not base our statutes on genetic aberrations. Ayotte added, according to the Washington Blade, that his lack of support for the legislation shouldn't be interpreted as discrimination against gay people.
Even by the low standards set by anti-gay activists, this level of ignorance was shocking. What evidence does Ayotte have to support his unfounded claims? If he does not have proof, why would he use his public platform to spread harmful misinformation?
Truth Wins Out applauded the Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) today for condemning "reparative therapy" -- a fringe and discredited practice that claims to "cure" homosexuality.
"The actions taken by the Irish Association of Social Workers will save lives," said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. "So-called 'reparative therapy' is nothing more than stereotypes disguised as science. This false doctrine is promoted by ideologues that twist science to fit their sectarian views."
"There is no evidence that conversion therapy is effective, though there is evidence of mental health risks associated with the use of such approaches with gay, lesbian or bisexual people," Declan Coogan, a spokesperson for the IASW told the Irish Examiner.
At its conference, IASW delegates voted to oppose use of reparative therapy in Ireland. Mr Coogan said IASW discouraged social workers from making referrals to agencies that claim to "cure" homosexuality.
Last month the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Britain issued a statement saying there was no sound scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be changed. It also criticized "so-called treatments of homosexuality" as recommended by NARTH, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality.
"It is encouraging to see a worldwide rejection of the quack-like theories promoted by NARTH," said Besen. "This disreputable organization is on the far-reaching fringe of acceptable medical and mental health practices."
This is from Christianity Today. The brain trust of the GOP has spoken:
Q: In the last month, same-sex marriage has become legal in Iowa and Vermont. What do you think about same-sex marriage at a state level?
JTP: At a state level, it's up to them. I don't want it to be a federal thing. I personally still think it's wrong. People don't understand the dictionary--it's called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It's not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we're supposed to do--what man and woman are for. Now, at the same time, we're supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I've had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn't have them anywhere near my children. But at the same time, they're people, and they're going to do their thing.
In an online discussion forum, a respected activist recently lamented the decentralization of gay community advocacy. He made a powerful case that we would be better off if our efforts were more regimented and unified.
"Our communal problem is that the LGBT community is so fragmented that we are constantly a cacophony of voices rather than a choir," the advocate wrote. He went onto make the point that division can lead to defeat in the political arena. "We celebrate diversity of opinion within our community but that does not work in politics."
The community leader raised another point worth contemplating as legislation that affects the gay community winds its way though Congress and will likely end up on Obama's desk: "So, who will the President listen to? Is it the Human Rights Campaign...or a host of bloggers? Sometimes, I wish we could go back to a time when we had less ability to communicate. Then, there were fewer voices to be heard and less confusion about who was representing the community."
The problem with this analysis is that a golden age of GLBT unity never existed. The early 1950's activists clashed with gay individuals who preferred quiet, "private lives." Activists who wore suits and ties to protests rejected the new radicalism of the 1960's and 1970's, exemplified by the Stonewall rebellion.
Never ending battles have also been fought over the role of sexual liberation. Some activists have claimed that our movement is about sexual freedom, while others have preached assimilation and found the overt displays of sexuality at Gay Pride parades offensive. Additionally, our movement has fought the battle of the sexes to the point of exhaustion. Let's not even get started on the nasty dust-ups over transgender issues.
Such disorganization is even more conspicuous when contrasted with the conformity of our opponents. When growing up, these (mostly) churchgoers were rewarded for obedience, while our very existence was considered disobedient. To survive as a GLBT youth, one had to learn to question authority and be a freethinker. These traits make for incredibly interesting dinner guests, but create havoc for political organizers.
There is no doubt that the diversity of organizations and mushrooming of messages has hurt our movement on many levels. It has been nearly impossible for any leader to gain traction -- and thus legitimacy. The closest we have come to a larger than life leader is San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk. However, he achieved far more prominence after he was assassinated (and later canonized by Hollywood) than he ever did while alive.
The discordant voices and actions have unfortunately provided fodder for our adversaries. They have endless tapes of nudity and nuttiness -- that have made it easier to portray GLBT people as the miscreants they claim we are.
That said, there is a strong case to make in favor of the diffuse nature of the movement. It can lead to innovation and questioning of existing paradigms. For example, we can't forget that the push for marriage equality was considered wildly "off message" only a decade ago. If our movement had been more centralized, marriage would have seemed too radical and never seen the light of day. However, marriage activists and impatient same-sex couples pushed the envelope. This has given us game changing victories in four states -- and counting. The latest polls show that almost half of Americans now support the freedom to marry.
We also have to remember that not long ago, the major GLBT organizations ran from religion. It was gay religious activists that thought fighting for acceptance within denominations was a worthy battle. While not achieving the same success as marriage equality, there have been successes -- most notably the Episcopal Church confirming Eugene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire. We have also seen the rise of groups, which challenge faith-based bigotry, like Faith in America and SoulForce.
The controversial campaign by activist Mike Rogers to "out" closeted politicians who favored amending the U.S. Constitution to ban gay people from marrying would also never have occurred in a centralized movement. Some might argue that his exposing of Republican hypocrisy helped undermine the GOP's legitimacy as the party representing "family values."
Moreover, conformity also makes it difficult to turn around a sinking ship. The nation is headed on a new path, but hierarchical and rigid GOP leaders are still obsessed with tax cuts, abortion, Ronald Reagan and opposing gay couples marrying.
The gay movement is untamed and freewheeling, like New York City, while the Religious Right is tightly controlled, like Singapore. Each model has its advantages, but also its shortcomings. In a diffuse media age that resembles the Wild West, the more agile and fractious movement may finally have the upper hand.
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