The Pridelets Files for October 13
On this day in 2001, (rescheduled from September 15th), Focus on the Family holds a one-day "Love Won Out" conference at the Assembly of God Tabernacle in Decatur, Georgia.
Among the "academic" research presented at the "dynamic session ... promoting the truth that homosexuality is preventable and treatable":
* Children exhibiting traits stereotypical of the other genders are "pre-homosexual."
* 75% of sissy boys grow up to be gay, and effeminate behavior must be punished. But when punished such children tend to act even "more effeminate in times of stress."
* The term "homosexual" is preferable to "gay," because "the more scientific term" signifies "a condition of gender confusion."
* Gays ... er ... homosexuals can be healed if lesbians "would accept their femininity, and male homosexuals their masculinity."
* Everyone is born straight and "a homosexual is a person with a homosexual problem. ... But lesbianism is a little more complicated. As with all things feminine, it's more complicated."
* "If you don't hug your son, some other man will."
* Revealing that you're gay will cause physical problems in those who hear the statement: "physical symptoms such as nausea, migraines, sleeplessness, and disinterest in marital intimacy. The main thing to remember is that all these symptoms are typical. You are not going crazy, and these symptoms will diminish over time."
Attendees at the "Love" conference agree to have all their bags and personal belongings searched by three armed security guards, and will be immediately escorted off the grounds of the conference if they "attempt to distribute non-Focus on the Family literature, campaign for alternative religions, or for philosophical or political views, or seeking sexual contacts" at the gathering.
BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1917 - FTM transgendered philanthropist Reed Erickson
* 1929 - Pulitzer Prize Award winning poet, literary critic, essayist, teacher, and translator Richard Howard
* 1944 - Activist, author and organizer Charlotte Bunch
Q.UOTE
"So this gay marriage issue and other issues related to the gay lifestyle are simply tools to get elected?" -- Chris Matthews
"That's exactly right. It's pandering to the base in the most cynical way, and the base is beginning to figure it out" -- Tucker Carlson
THE BEDSIDE TABLE
"Unspeakable Love: Gay and Lesbian Life in the Middle East" by Brian Whitaker
Homosexuality is a taboo subject in Arab countries. Clerics denounce it as a heinous sin, while newspapers write cryptically of "shameful acts." Although many parts of the world now accept sexual diversity, the Middle East is moving in the opposite direction. In this absorbing account, journalist Brian Whitaker calls attention to the voices of men and women who are struggling with gay identities in societies where they are marginalized and persecuted by the authorities. He paints a disturbing picture of people who live secretive, fearful lives and who are often jailed, beaten, and ostracized by their families, or sent to be "cured" by psychiatrists.
Whitaker's exploration of changing sexual behavior in the Arab world reveals that--while deeply repressive prejudices and stereotypes still govern much thinking about homosexuality--there are pockets of change and tolerance. The author combines personal accounts from individuals in the region with a look at recent Arab films and novels featuring gay characters and conducts a sensitive comparative reading of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic strictures around sexuality. Deeply informed and engagingly written, Unspeakable Love draws long overdue attention to a crucial subject.
This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.
Among the "academic" research presented at the "dynamic session ... promoting the truth that homosexuality is preventable and treatable":
* Children exhibiting traits stereotypical of the other genders are "pre-homosexual."
* 75% of sissy boys grow up to be gay, and effeminate behavior must be punished. But when punished such children tend to act even "more effeminate in times of stress."
* The term "homosexual" is preferable to "gay," because "the more scientific term" signifies "a condition of gender confusion."
* Gays ... er ... homosexuals can be healed if lesbians "would accept their femininity, and male homosexuals their masculinity."
* Everyone is born straight and "a homosexual is a person with a homosexual problem. ... But lesbianism is a little more complicated. As with all things feminine, it's more complicated."
* "If you don't hug your son, some other man will."
* Revealing that you're gay will cause physical problems in those who hear the statement: "physical symptoms such as nausea, migraines, sleeplessness, and disinterest in marital intimacy. The main thing to remember is that all these symptoms are typical. You are not going crazy, and these symptoms will diminish over time."
Attendees at the "Love" conference agree to have all their bags and personal belongings searched by three armed security guards, and will be immediately escorted off the grounds of the conference if they "attempt to distribute non-Focus on the Family literature, campaign for alternative religions, or for philosophical or political views, or seeking sexual contacts" at the gathering.
BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1917 - FTM transgendered philanthropist Reed Erickson
* 1929 - Pulitzer Prize Award winning poet, literary critic, essayist, teacher, and translator Richard Howard
* 1944 - Activist, author and organizer Charlotte Bunch
Q.UOTE
"So this gay marriage issue and other issues related to the gay lifestyle are simply tools to get elected?" -- Chris Matthews
"That's exactly right. It's pandering to the base in the most cynical way, and the base is beginning to figure it out" -- Tucker Carlson
THE BEDSIDE TABLE
"Unspeakable Love: Gay and Lesbian Life in the Middle East" by Brian Whitaker
Homosexuality is a taboo subject in Arab countries. Clerics denounce it as a heinous sin, while newspapers write cryptically of "shameful acts." Although many parts of the world now accept sexual diversity, the Middle East is moving in the opposite direction. In this absorbing account, journalist Brian Whitaker calls attention to the voices of men and women who are struggling with gay identities in societies where they are marginalized and persecuted by the authorities. He paints a disturbing picture of people who live secretive, fearful lives and who are often jailed, beaten, and ostracized by their families, or sent to be "cured" by psychiatrists.
Whitaker's exploration of changing sexual behavior in the Arab world reveals that--while deeply repressive prejudices and stereotypes still govern much thinking about homosexuality--there are pockets of change and tolerance. The author combines personal accounts from individuals in the region with a look at recent Arab films and novels featuring gay characters and conducts a sensitive comparative reading of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic strictures around sexuality. Deeply informed and engagingly written, Unspeakable Love draws long overdue attention to a crucial subject.
This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.
posted by Thomas @ 1:09 AM
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