Watch CNN's Anderson Cooper take on Texas Republican lawmaker over the GOP's embrace of reparative therapy.

Courtesy of The New Civil Rights Movement:  

Cooper spoke with state Rep. Bryan Hughes, who has voted for the platform that for years has contained vicious anti-gay rhetoric. Hughes explained that the Texas GOP added support for “ex-gay” therapy after one delegate’s neighbor expressed concern lawmakers might make it illegal. 

“The language is in the platform because we want to make sure that people have rights,” Hughes offers as a reason to support ineffective and harmful “reparative” therapy. “We heard from people who wanted access to that kind of counseling, that kind of therapy, and so we believe in free speech, in free choice.” (Unless of course that free choice means they will choose to be gay, in which case Texas will counsel the crap out of them until they claim to like the opposite sex again.)

“This is about giving people choices,” Hughes claims. “If they want this, it should be available to them.” No discussion of access to abortion services came up. 

Hughes tried to claim there is “medical literature on both sides of the issue,” which Cooper blasted. 

“It’s really just not accurate to say that doctors are evenly divided,” Cooper said. “I could give you a list: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American School Counselors’ Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Social Workers. They represent half a million mental health professionals, they all say this is not a mental disorder. It’s not something that needs to be cured.” 

Cooper even slammed Hughes’ claim that people on both sides testified before the platform committee as “not true.” Hughes could not state who testified against the plank. 

“Does it concern you, again, that your party is now backing a form of therapy which basically every major medical organization says doesn’t work, can be harmful, and which many of the people who have been through it say it doesn’t work and is bad for kids?” Cooper asked Hughes. 

“No one is saying that God doesn’t love people as they are,” Hughes told Cooper, in response to a clip of former Exodus International president Alan Chambers’ disavowal of “ex-gay” therapy. “There’s nothing in the platform about that. No one is trying to take that position. Every one of us makes mistakes, makes decisions we’re not proud of. God loves each one of us, and he offers us a way for us to deal with sin and bad choices. But I do strongly disagree with what he said about God not loving people.” 

“The fact that you view being gay — or you characterize it — as a ‘mistake,’ or something that should be changed really kind of maybe says more about your position than what your words actually say,” Cooper pointed out.

You know with the possible exception of Rachel Maddow or Ellen Degeneres, I don't think I would rather see ANYBODY take apart homophobic Republicans more than Anderson Cooper.

He is so very professional as he picks apart their argument and all but calls them hate mongering bullies.

And personally I think the fact that he is openly gay just makes that much more effective. 

Gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis responds to the GOP platform embracing "reparative therapy."

Unlike @TexasGOP, I believe that LGBT Texans #DontNeedFixin. #RPTCON14 pic.twitter.com/UxdNGEEJX1
— Wendy Davis (@WendyDavisTexas) June 6, 2014

Courtesy of The New Civil Rights Movement:  

This week the Republican Party of Texas drafted their 2014 platform and included a plank that states they believe in and support reparative, or “ex-gay” therapy for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. Reparative therapy, or sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) have been deemed harmful, ineffective, and dangerous by every major medical organization in America, and by many around the world. 

Wendy Davis, who made a national name for herself by actually filibustering a Texas anti-abortion bill, is running for Governor on the Democratic ticket. While she faces a steep challenge against far-right Republican Greg Abbott — who opposes both a woman’s right to choose and same-sex marriage — she is proving herself to be a strong liberal.

I posted about this yesterday. 

And I ended the post with these words: "Oh yeah, Texas needs Wendy Davis alright. Desperately!"

Anybody think I'm wrong about that?

President of ministry that specialized in reparative therapies for gay Christians shuts it down and issues apology.

Courtesy of Freedom Requires Wings: 

Writing on the official website, Alan Chambers, the president of Exodus International, publicly apologized to the gay community saying he is "deeply sorry [...] for the pain and hurt" caused to so many by his ministry's practices. 

"Proclaiming freedom from homosexuality" since it's creation in 1976, Exodus was an umbrella organization which grew to include over 120 local ministries in the United States and Canada, and over 150 ministries in 17 other countries including the UK, France and Australia. 

In April, John Paulk, former chairman of Exodus, renounced his past involvement in the movement and expressed remorse for his actions.

Here is a portion of his letter:

Recently, I have begun thinking again about how to apologize to the people that have been hurt by Exodus International through an experience or by a message. I have heard many firsthand stories from people called ex-gay survivors. Stories of people who went to Exodus affiliated ministries or ministers for help only to experience more trauma. I have heard stories of shame, sexual misconduct, and false hope. In every case that has been brought to my attention, there has been swift action resulting in the removal of these leaders and/or their organizations. But rarely was there an apology or a public acknowledgement by me. 

And then there is the trauma that I have caused. There were several years that I conveniently omitted my ongoing same-sex attractions. I was afraid to share them as readily and easily as I do today. They brought me tremendous shame and I hid them in the hopes they would go away. Looking back, it seems so odd that I thought I could do something to make them stop. Today, however, I accept these feelings as parts of my life that will likely always be there. The days of feeling shame over being human in that way are long over, and I feel free simply accepting myself as my wife and family does. As my friends do. As God does. 

Never in a million years would I intentionally hurt another person. Yet, here I sit having hurt so many by failing to acknowledge the pain some affiliated with Exodus International caused, and by failing to share the whole truth about my own story. My good intentions matter very little and fail to diminish the pain and hurt others have experienced on my watch. The good that we have done at Exodus is overshadowed by all of this. 

Friends and critics alike have said it’s not enough to simply change our message or website. I agree. I cannot simply move on and pretend that I have always been the friend that I long to be today. I understand why I am distrusted and why Exodus is hated. 

Please know that I am deeply sorry. I am sorry for the pain and hurt many of you have experienced. I am sorry that some of you spent years working through the shame and guilt you felt when your attractions didn’t change. I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents. I am sorry that there were times I didn’t stand up to people publicly “on my side” who called you names like sodomite—or worse. I am sorry that I, knowing some of you so well, failed to share publicly that the gay and lesbian people I know were every bit as capable of being amazing parents as the straight people that I know. I am sorry that when I celebrated a person coming to Christ and surrendering their sexuality to Him that I callously celebrated the end of relationships that broke your heart. I am sorry that I have communicated that you and your families are less than me and mine. 

 More than anything, I am sorry that so many have interpreted this religious rejection by Christians as God’s rejection. I am profoundly sorry that many have walked away from their faith and that some have chosen to end their lives. For the rest of my life I will proclaim nothing but the whole truth of the Gospel, one of grace, mercy and open invitation to all to enter into an inseverable relationship with almighty God.

I believe that if Christianity is to survive, and I am not at all sure that it should, that it needs to dramatically change how it interacts with the homosexual community, and it needs to keep its hands off of women's reproductive rights as well.

If it fails to do this, our children's children will someday read about Jesus along with tales of Jason and the Argonauts, the 12 labors of Hercules, and the resurrection of Osiris.

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

California Governor Jerry Brown FIRST governor to outlaw "reparative therapy."

Courtesy of the LA Times:

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation prohibiting a form of therapy aimed at changing a minor’s sexual orientation from gay to straight, the first law of its kind in the nation, officials said Sunday. 

Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) introduced the measure based on his belief that so-called conversion therapy isn't based on science and is dangerous. 

“This bill bans non-scientific ‘therapies’ that have driven young people to depression and suicide,'' Brown said in a statement. ``These practices have no basis in science or medicine and they will now be relegated to the dustbin of quackery." 

Lieu commended the governor and hoped other states would follow California's lead. 

“No one should stand idly by while children are being psychological abused, and anyone who forces a child to try to change their sexual orientation must understand this is unacceptable,” Lieu said.

``These practices have no basis in science or medicine and they will now be relegated to the dustbin of quackery." God I love that!

I hope that this starts a trend in this country so that people STOP this ridiculous idea that gay people suffer from a sickness and that homosexuality needs to be cured. They don't, and it doesn't!

What should really happen is that people need to be educated about the acceptance of diversity and respect for basic human rights, and preachers need to stop using a handful of ancient scriptures to vilify loving human beings.

You know I was a big fan of Jerry Brown in the seventies and I am glad he is back in this new millennium showing our current crop of Democrat pussies how to get shit done!

Are you as pissed off as I am about the fact that Marcus and Michele Bachmann charge YOUR government to provide Reparative therapy for gay men? Well now you can do something about it.

"Here's Shelly!"

From Credo Action:

It's bad enough that Bachmann and Associates, after denying for years they practiced ex-gay therapy, clearly encourages patients to pray the gay away. Our taxpayer dollars shouldn't be funding it. 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees Medicaid, and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), which distributes the funds within the state, should immediately pull public funds from Bachmann's clinic. 

Going to the Bachmann family for counseling is like attending a peace rally hosted by Dick Cheney. 

Their views are extreme, hateful and crazy. Michele Bachmann has called homosexuality "a part of Satan," and "a real issue of sexual dysfunction" while her husband Marcus has called gays "barbarians." 

And even as Michele Bachmann's family was collecting over $160,000 in Medicaid and other public funds, she was leading Tea Party calls for drastic cuts to the social safety net - especially to Medicaid which she has said swell the "welfare rolls" - and even voted to shut down the government rather than continue funding Planned Parenthood and the Health Care Reform Act.3 Tell Secretary Sebelius and DHS Commissioner Lucinda Jesson: Stop funding Bachmann's anti-gay clinic.

If you click the link provided at the top it will immediately take you to the Credo Action website where you can add your name to a petition demanding the following:

"Public money shouldn't fund a discriminatory, hateful religious agenda and medically-unsound ex-gay therapy. In light of recent investigations, please take action to immediately stop funding Bachmann and Associates."

I did it yesterday and, I have to say, it kind of gave me a good feeling.