June 1st marks start of LGBT Pride Month
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- Category: LGBT Issues
- Published on Wednesday, 01 June 2011 11:28
- Written by Lara Landis
- Hits: 551
June 1 starts LGBT pride month. President Obama has set aside this month during his administration as an attempt to acknowledge the efforts and contributions of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans. The designation does not recognize Asexuals and other groups that fall under the Queer umbrella. Obama has declared June LGBT pride month for the last three years, according to LGBTQNation.
Tennesse law prevents Nashville from passing ordinance protecting gender identity and sexual orientation
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- Category: LGBT Issues
- Published on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 23:05
- Written by Lara Landis
- Hits: 487
Tennesse Governor Bill Halsam signed a bill into law that would force municipalities in Tennessee to protect the same groups under employment statues. The new law repeals an ordinace passed by the city of Nashville that would have expanded legal protections for sexual orientation and gender idenity. Race, creed, color, religion, sex, age or national origin were already protected categories under the state's current law.
Nissan, FedEx, AT&T, Comcast, DuPont, Pfizer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Caterpillar, KPMG, Whirlpool, Embraer, Alcoa, and United HealthCare supported the bill. Supporters argued it would keep discrimination laws the same throughout all of the state, according to LGBTQ Nation. Aloca, FedEx, AT&T, KPMG, United Health Group, Whirlpool, and Comcast withdrew their support after the list of the companies supporting the measure was announced on the Americablog.
New York Arch bishop calls same sex marriage unnatural
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- Category: LGBT Issues
- Published on Wednesday, 18 May 2011 22:23
- Written by Lara Tacita
- Hits: 908
Roman Catholic Bishop Timothy Nolan said that legalizing same-sex marriage qualifies as Orwellian social engineering. The Bishop posted these comments on an official Catholic blog. He added, “Hisstory, Natural Law, the Bible … And just plain gumption tell us this is so. The definition of marriage is hardwired into our human reason.”
Nolan's further commented that the church was not anti-anybody, but that the church was pro marriage. The Roman Catholic Church actively campaigned to pass Proposition 8 in California. The new message comes when several measures defining marriage as between one man and one woman appear on the ballots on some states. Other states are considering civil unions. The next battleground for same sex marriage.
The bishop also compared allowing same sex marriage to polygamy and incest in his post.
Tennesse senate approves "Don't Say Gay" bill
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- Category: LGBT Issues
- Published on Sunday, 22 May 2011 13:28
- Written by Lara Landis
- Hits: 698
Tennessee senator Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville) earned a victory when the state Senate approved the “Don't Say Gay” bill. The measure, which was amended to allow teachers to tell students about natural reproductive activities. Tennessee students in grade 8 or lower could only be taught about natural reproductive behavior.
Although the bill has passed the state senate, it must still pass the house before reaching the governor's desk. Supporters of the bill called homosexuality a learned behavior, according to LGBTQ Nation.
The United Kingdom used a similar law that was appealed in 2003 and mirrors a Louisiana law that forbids homosexual imagery in sex education classes. LGBT advocates have openly opposed the measure.
Malaysian teachers send young men to camps to 'man up'
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- Category: LGBT Issues
- Published on Wednesday, 04 May 2011 17:25
- Written by Lara Landis
- Hits: 627
Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country, has taken a page from Christian Reparaitve Therapy groups. Malaysian teachers are identifying young men, tagging them as effeminate and sending them to camps to encourage more masculine behavior, according to The Edge. The camps are intended to intervene before the young men become gay.
Defenders of the program say it is one more chance to make the boys become more masculine before it becomes too late. While the program is intended to help the young me, reparative therapy programs have achieved little success. Homosexuality was eventually dropped from the DSM as a mental disorder.
Successful graduates of reparative therapy programs describe their current lifestyles as Asexual. Despite living a life of celibacy, the people do not become Asexual. Their underlying orientation usually remains what it was before, although some people maintain that orientation can change over time. The use of the word Asexual in this context only furthers the idea that a person can change their orientation and that Asexuality can be treated.
Campers are ran through physical exercises, sports and other “manly” activities. The camps are designed to help the students understand the students shipped to them understand the proper gender roles. Similar camps tried in other countries often serve as a place for gay people to meet each other rather instead of achieving their own goals.