Court upholds CA ban on 'ex-gay' therapy for minors

How's this for a sonic boom:

A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld the nation's first-of-its-kind law in California prohibiting health practitioners from offering psychotherapy aimed at making gay youth straight.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that the state's ban on so-called conversion therapy for minors doesn't violate the free speech rights of licensed counselors and patients seeking treatment
.
The activities of pastors and lay counselors who are unlicensed but provide such therapy through church programs would not be covered under the law.

The case before the appeals court was brought by professionals who practice sexual-orientation change therapy, two families who say their teenage sons benefited from it, and a national association of Christian mental health counselors. They argued the ban infringes on their free speech and freedom of association and religious rights. The counselors also argue it jeopardizes their livelihoods.

However, in a 3-0 ruling, the court panel held that California has the power to prohibit licensed mental health providers from administering therapies deemed harmful, and the fact that speech may be used to carry out those therapies does not turn such bans into prohibitions of speech.

The law says therapists and counselors who treat minors with methods designed to eliminate or reduce their same-sex attractions would be engaging in unprofessional conduct and subject to discipline by state licensing boards.'

Time to pass that same law in other states.

'Vile right-wing host smears gays, African-Americans, the Obamas' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Stan Solomon: Trayvon Martin Deserved To Die And So Does 'That Faggot' Dan Savage - How's this for proof about the common enemy of gays and African-Americans? Our movements are connected every time so-and so's like this guy open their mouths.  

Obama Connects Anti-Gay Discrimination With Racial Prejudice In Historic Speech - How very appropriate after the above news brief.  

The Daily Caller Just Can't Stop Defending Russia's Anti-Gay Crackdown - Keep it up, guys. Make yourselves irrelevant. 

Michigan Religious Conservatives Rely On Regnerus To Oppose Marriage Equality - This is why we must fight constantly. Even when it's refuted, members of the religious right will still utilize bad research.

 Miller On Fox: "Operation Or Not," Chelsea Manning Is "Living The Next 35 Years ... As A Woman" - Poor Dennis Miller. 9/11 definitely changed him. He became less funny and more of an asshole.

Gay presence at 50 anniversary of 1963 March on Washington

This is just too awesome for words. GLSEN's Executive Director, Eliza Byard speaks at the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. In 1963, folks weren't even talking about gay equality. Now we have a place at the table at this momentous event.

Live blog: "The Life and Legacy of Bayard Rustin" panel discussion

Live streaming video by Ustream

Join the Human Rights Campaign, Center for Black Equity, Hilton Worldwide and Verizon for a panel discussion and reception honoring the life and legacy of Bayard Rustin.

The event features:

The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton, U.S. House of Representatives, District of Columbia, friend and colleague to Rustin during the 1963 March on Washington

Mandy Carter, National Coordinator, Bayard Rustin Commemoration, National Black Justice Coalition

Damien Conners, National Executive Director/COO for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Inc(SCLC)

 MacArthur Flournoy, theologian, author, and preacher, is the Director for Faith Partnership and Mobilization for the Human Rights Campaign

And moderator Earl D. Fowlkes, Jr., President & CEO, The Center for Black Equity

'Pat Robertson, CBN attempting to suppress 'AIDS rings' video' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

The Gay AIDS Ring Video Pat Robertson Doesn't Want You To See - YEP! It's official. Pat Robertson REALLY stepped into it this time.

 MOW ‘Master Strategist’ Bayard Rustin Finally Recognized - I KNOW that I am not alone when I say IT'S ABOUT TIME!

Latest 'ex-gay' claim: Wayne Besen 'may be responsible for countless HIV infections' - So now the "ex-gay" industry is attacking one of my mentors, Wayne Besen. I feel sorry for them because Wayne don't play.  

New York Times: Prisons Should ‘Do The Right Thing’ For Transgender Inmates - Yes they should. Period.  

Despite DOMA Ruling, Gay Veterans May Still Be Denied Marriage Benefits - This here is disgusting. They fight for our freedom and they are being denied. 

Editor's note - Tune in tonight for a special post on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters. And no, it's NOT about my book. LOL!

Nebraska's ban on gay adoption, foster care challenged in courts

Unbelievable. I didn't even know that Nebraska had a ban on gay adoption and foster care. From Reuters:

Gay and lesbian couples in Nebraska should be allowed to serve as foster or adoptive parents to children who are in state custody, according to a state court lawsuit filed on Tuesday.

A lesbian couple and two gay couples filed the lawsuit in a Lincoln district court arguing the state policy created in 1995 banning them from becoming foster or adoptive parents to children under care of Nebraska is unconstitutional.

The lawsuit comes two months after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act, which barred same-sex couples from federal marriage benefits.

 . . . Nebraska's policy prohibits the state's department of health and human services from issuing foster-home licenses to or placing children with people who identify themselves as homosexuals or to people who are unrelated, unmarried adults living together.

Pat Robertson: Gays deliberately spread AIDS through special rings they wear

UPDATE – I think it’s safe to assume that we have a SERIOUS controversy here.  According to the New Civil Rights Movement, Robertson has forced youtube to take down the video mentioned in this post.  You will notice that even the video from Right Wing Watch (included in this post) seems to be gone. But never fear, if you want to see the video, click on this Huffington Post link.

Mark this one down. I think Pat Robertson has gone so far that even he feels the need to dial himself back. At the end of this clip, he clearly says that gays spread AIDS through special rings we supposedly wear:



Apparently that comment about gays spreading AIDS due to special rings has caused a huge controversy. According to Right-Wing Watch, CBN - Robertson's network - first edited the remarks away then removed the youtube video.

Later that day, Robertson tried to rescind his comments. I think he made things worse:

 "I was asked by a viewer whether she had a right to leave her church because she had been asked to transport an elderly man who had AIDS and about whose condition she had not been informed. My advice was that the risk of contagion in those circumstances was quite low and that she should continue to attend the church and not worry about the incident.

"In my own experience, our organization sponsored a meeting years ago in San Francisco where trained security officers warned me about shaking hands because, in those days, certain AIDS-infected activists were deliberately trying to infect people like me by virtue of rings which would cut fingers and transfer blood.

"I regret that my remarks had been misunderstood, but this often happens because people do not listen to the context of remarks which are being said. In no wise (sic) were my remarks meant as an indictment of the homosexual community or, for that fact, to those infected with this dreadful disease." - Pat Robertson, in a statement emailed to me by the head publicist for the 700 Club.