Tag: conversion therapy

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Podcast: “Will & Grace” Finale; New Documentary On The Life Of Sir Ian McKellen “Playing The Part;” MGM Resorts Releases Gender-Flipped Love Songs

In this week’s podcast:

• MGM Resorts released a new collection of wedding songs for LGBTs from Kesha, Bob Dylan and more.

• The finale of Will & Grace aired this week with some surprise couplings.

• A new documentary of the life and legacy of Sir Ian McKellen – Playing The Part.

• Natti Vogel’s new music video “Brown Rice” starring Matthew Wilkas explores the pressures of Instagram fame

• Maryland’s state legislature moves closer to banning so-called “conversion therapy.”

• Anchorage, Alaska, says “no” to transgender discrimination.

All that and more on this episode of The Randy Report.

If you enjoy catching up on LGBTQ headlines in 15 minutes with The Randy Report podcast, please share it with your friends.

I like to think of my newsmagazine podcast as “the 60 Minutes of gay news” – only shorter.

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News Round-Up: March 11, 2018

Some news items you might have missed:

• Did your first meaningful relationship end well? Kenneth-in-the-212 recently shared this pic of the 70s hottie above linking to the very sweet story behind the photo.

• Marvel’s Black Panther has broken the $1 billion mark in just 26 days.

• Tom Jackson, the first subject of Netflix’s Queer Eye reboot, has reunited with his ex-wife thanks in part to the “Fab 5.”

• A Toronto psychiatrist who believes homosexuality is a sexual disorder has been found guilty of sexually abusing two of his male patients. The doc told his patients the sexual activity was part of the therapy. #Hypocrisy

• Gay coming-out/coming-of-age movie Love, Simon delivered strong box office at Friday night sneak previews.

• Check out the first episode of Mikalah Gordon’s new YouTube series, Inside Melania.

Synopsis – “After Melania leaves Donald, she realizes it’s time to explore being a regular person. This is her first attempt at becoming a vlogger, in efforts to explain her side of “THE OTHER WOMENS.”

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Washington State Lawmakers Ban “Conversion Therapy” For Minors

From the AP:

The Washington Legislature has passed a bill to ban licensed therapists from trying to change a minor’s sexual orientation.

The Senate agreed on changes made in the House to Senate Bill 5722 and passed it on a 33-16 vote Saturday. It now heads to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature.

The bill would deem it “unprofessional conduct” for a licensed health care provider to perform conversion therapy on a patient under the age of 18.

Under the measure, if the provider violates the law, they would face sanctions ranging from fines to license revocation or suspension. Changes made in the House include the measure applying to non-licensed counselors operating as part of a religious organization, religious denomination or church.

Research shows no evidence that one can change their sexual orientation. In fact, these practices can have dangerous effects on LGBTQ young people such as depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, homelessness, and even suicidal behavior.

So-called “conversion therapy” has been denounced by every major medical and mental health organization, including the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, and the American Psychological Association.

Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New York, New Mexico, and Rhode Island all have laws or regulations protecting youth from this abusive practice.

Several cities and counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, Florida, New York, and Arizona have also enacted similar protections.

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News Round-Up: February 27, 2018

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Bernardo Belmar (above) reminds us why winter living is luscious on the left coast.

• Speaking of the left coast, California lawmakers have proposed legislation that would declare so-called “conversion therapy” an “unlawful practice” and fraud.

• In March of 2017, WikiLeaks tweeted it never had direct contact with long-time Trump friend/adviser Roger Stone. The Atlantic has obtained private Twitter messages between the two showing the denial was a lie.

• Donald Trump son-in-law and presidential adviser Jared Kushner has had his security clearance downgraded.

• “Goddess of pop” and awesome gay ally Kylie Minogue will headline New York City Pride.

• Trans actress Laverne Cox dropped her first single “Beat for the Gods” this week, and the music video gives glory to voguing, drag and club dance with some Fosse references thrown in for good measure.

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Florida: Broward County Commission Bans “Ex-Gay” Therapy

The Broward County Commission voted unanimously today to ban conversion therapy (also known as ex-gay torture), becoming the 16th and largest Florida municipality to outlaw the harmful practice.

Other municipalities in the Sunshine State with similar bans include Palm Beach County, Boca Raton, Miami, Tampa, Wilton Manors, Key West, and Oakland Park.

To date, nine states have banned the abusive practice as well as several major cities including Philadelphia, Washington DC, Seattle, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Dayton, and many more.

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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News Round-Up: November 15, 2017

Pietro Boselli

Some news items you might have missed:

• I would love to have abs like “World’s sexiest math teacher” Pietro Boselli (above), but I like my food too much. So, let’s just look at him 🙂

• China is apparently using electro-shock therapy to try and convert gay men into heterosexuals.

• Anti-LGBT gay basher Kathryn Knott, who went to jail for the violent beating of Andrew Haught and Zachary Hesse in the Center City area of Philadelphia in 2014, has settled a civil lawsuit with the men she helped land in the hospital. Knott and her co-defendants Kevin Harrigan and Philip Williams have apparently agreed to a large six-figure settlement in order to avoid a court battle they’ve already lost once.

• Even more women have come forward accusing sexual assault/misconduct by GOP Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.

• In related Roy Moore news, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is floating the idea of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who used to hold the senate seat in Alabama, being a write-in candidate in next month’s election in an attempt to keep Moore out of the U.S. Senate. I wonder how Jeff Sessions feels about that?

• According to a new Morning Consult/Politico poll, former Vice President Joe Biden would easily beat Donald Trump 46%/35% should the Democrat decide to run for president in 2020.

• Out tennis legends Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova react to Australia’s marriage equality news:

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News Round-Up: August 24, 2017

Steve Raider via Instagram

Some news items you may have missed:

• Model Steve Raider’s prescription for a happy life, “A smile a day,” accomplishes his goal; at least on my end 🙂

• Powerball announced that a single ticket sold at a convenience store in Chicopee, Mass., was the winner of Wednesday night’s $758.7 million jackpot, the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history. Can you imagine? I can 🙂

• India’s Supreme Court has ruled that privacy is a “Personal Liberty guaranteed in Article 21 of the Constitution.” The ruling has implications for several other issues, including sexual rights and freedoms for LGBTs.

• The city of Athens, Ohio joined Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo, and Dayton in banning the dangerous and discredited practice of “conversion therapy” on minors.

• For 12 hours, MTV Australia is replacing its regular lineup with an automated message urging Aussies to make sure and sign up for upcoming marriage equality mail-in vote.

• Anderson Cooper calmly and methodically offers this epic takedown of Donald Trump’s lies and attempts to rewrite history at his rally in Phoenix earlier this week.

CNN host Don Lemon also offered his take on the Trumpster’s speech: “a total eclipse of the facts” and “without reason.”

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News Round-Up: May 31, 2017

Out artist Raph Solo drops his new music video, “Love Lives.”

Some news items you may have missed:

• The Rhode Island state House just voted to ban so-called “conversion therapy” for LGBT minors. The bill now heads to the Senate.

• A top Russian diplomat vehemently denies verified reports of gay men being tortured in Chechnya.

• Donald Trump’s recent tweets show he doesn’t really understand how the U.S. Senate works.

• From a new study: In 2015, LGB students reported being bullied on school property at a rate of 34 percent compared to 19 percent for straight students.

• If you love pop culture as much as I do, head over to Boy Culture’s awesome collection of opening credits of classic TV shows.

• Out musician Raph Solo recently dropped the music video to his new single, “Love Lives,” a celebration of his long journey to self-acceptance. Solo, who once tried so-called “conversion therapy” in an attempt to change his sexuality, says “I have worked very hard to gain the self-respect and acceptance I enjoy today.”

Solo also shares that the music video is meant to show a different side of the artist, complete with “tongue in cheek” choreography: “I dance a lot in this one! It’s all very tongue-and cheek compared to my previous story-based, cinematic music videos. I hope fans like the choreography and chutzpah.” Check out the video below.

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Nevada Becomes 9th State To Ban So-Called “Conversion Therapy” For Minors

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval

Today, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval signed into law Senate Bill 201, legislation which bans the dangerous and discredited practice of so-called “conversion therapy.”

Via the Human Rights Campaign:

“No child should be put through the dangerous and inhumane practice of conversion therapy,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Medical professionals agree this outdated and discredited practice not only doesn’t work, but can also have life-threatening consequences. It is nothing short of child abuse. We thank Governor Sandoval and the Nevada State Legislature for passing these crucially important protections for the state’s LGBTQ youth.”

Nevada becomes the tenth jurisdiction — and the third state so far this year — to enact these crucially important protections. Connecticut, California, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New York, and New Mexico all have laws or regulations protecting youth from this abusive practice. A growing number of municipalities have also enacted similar protections, including cities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

“I want to thank my colleagues in the Senate and the Assembly for their bipartisan support of Senate Bill 201,” said Nevada State Senator David Parks, who sponsored the bill. “Conversion therapy is a dangerous, discredited practice that has been shown to cause anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and suicide among LGBTQ youth. By enacting this ban, Nevada will join eight other states and the District of Columbia in taking a strong stand to protect young people from psychological and physical abuse.”

“Conversion therapy,” sometimes referred to as “sexual orientation change efforts” or “reparative therapy,” encompasses a range of practices that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. These practices are based on the false premise that being LGBTQ is a mental illness that needs to be cured — a theory that has been rejected for decades by every major medical and mental health organization.

Nevada state Sen. David Parks
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New Mexico Poised To Become 7th State To Ban “Ex-Gay” Therapy For Minors

New Mexico appears set to become the seventh state in the U.S. to pass legislation that bans health care workers from trying to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of minors.

According to Buzzfeed News, House Speaker Brian Egolf feels confident the measure will pass in his chamber.

This would be welcome news as religious conservatives across the country have blocked the passage of LGBT nondiscrimination protections in recent years.

Senate Bill 121 would ban licensed health care professionals from any “treatment that seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including any effort to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward persons of the same sex.”

Mental health professionals have widely denounced so-called “ex-gay” or “conversion” therapy as dangerous and harmful to minors. And, it doesn’t work.

The bill passed the New Mexico senate on a 32-6 vote last month, and the House Judiciary Committee advanced the bill on a vote of 5-2 last Wednesday.

Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has not signaled whether she would sign the bill into law or not.

New Jersey, California, Oregon, Illinois, New York, and Vermont have all passed similar legislation.

In related news, Nevada Democrats have filed Senate Bill 201 which would ban licensed medical professionals from practicing “conversion therapy.”