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Wayne Besen

  • Gay Leaders Swing Brickbats Over Study On Switch Hitters
    12 July 2005 par (Open-Publishing)

    by Wayne Besen
    Certainly no one is suggesting the "B" come out of the GLBT movement, but a new study by a group of researchers in Chicago and Toronto questions how widespread bisexuality is in men and shows a need for more comprehensive studies to examine the topic.
    The controversial experiment recruited 101 young men from ads placed in gay and alternative newspapers, with 33 identifying as bisexual, 30 as heterosexual and 38 as gay. The psychologists had the men rate their desires from (…)

  • Andrew Sullivan’s Reckless Rhetoric
    29 June 2005 par (Open-Publishing)

    by Wayne Besen
    First, I want to say that in some respects I am an Andrew Sullivan fan. At his best, he is an articulate spokesperson and a brilliant writer. On more than one occasion, he has obliterated gay rights opponents on television, helping to advance our cause. As an openly gay man living with HIV, Sullivan has also accomplished the remarkable feat of starting a wildly popular Blog with a sizable conservative following. For this, he deserves nothing but respect and admiration. (…)

  • The New Fighters of Faith and Reason
    22 June 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
    9 comments

    by Wayne Besen
    It often seems like the religious left won’t realize it has a dog in the fight against fanaticism until the right’s pit bulls are lunging at its timid throat. For too long, Christian moderates have been invisible, submissively surrendering and allowing the most destructive elements in America to claim the mantle of God. Fortunately, it appears that people of faith and reason are finally awakening from their long scriptural slumber.
    In last week’s New York Times, former (…)

  • Visibility Is Victory
    2 June 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
    2 comments

    by Wayne Besen
    A few weeks ago, I wrote a controversial column, "Losing the Battle", which sounded the alarm that the GLBT movement is going backwards. This remains indisputably true on a political level, as our sworn enemies are increasingly sworn into office. Each morning we rise, we live the long nightmare of George W. Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-TN., and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-TX.
    Nonetheless, I still remain hopeful as our community progresses in this most (…)

  • A Compromise that Leaves Gay People In a Compromised Position
    31 May 2005 par (Open-Publishing)

    by Wayne Besen
    For the good of the country, it was wise for Senators to strike a compromise on the filibuster of judicial nominees. They temporarily averted a catastrophe and avoided setting a dangerous precedent. However, it is clear by the statements of many leading right wing Senators that this may be more of a transitory deferral than a true deal. The real test will come when Bush eventually nominates an extremist to the Supreme Court.
    Here is a snapshot of how the GLBT Community and (…)

  • Blood In The Water
    8 May 2005 par (Open-Publishing)

    by Wayne Besen
    "The blood is in the water."
    With these Soprano-like words, the right wing’s most fearsome sharks circled Magellan Health Services. Like Microsoft, only a week earlier, the ruthless killing machines quickly devoured the nation’s leading behavioral health company. Magellan was easy prey and surrendered to the savage attack so quickly, the Jaws music barely hit its first note.
    Let me explain.
    In March, Dr. Warren Throckmorton, who recently produced a video on ex-gays (…)

  • Rigging The Game
    13 April 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
    5 comments

    by Wayne Besen
    In sixth grade, I used to play pick-up basketball against a neighborhood bully and spoil sport nicknamed Major Pick. He was called Major Pick because he barked orders like a soldier and constantly picked his butt. His team would always win because the overpowering brute would either break the rules or change them.
    For example, in our game, the team that first reached 15 points always won. Unless, of course, the Major Pick’s team came up short, prompting him to (…)

  • Consuming New York
    14 March 2005 par (Open-Publishing)

    by Wayne Besen
    There must me 10,000 clothing designers within a five-block radius of Madison Square Garden, in Manhattan’s Garment District. Yet, the New York Knickerbockers, who play in MSG, have the ugliest uniforms in the National Basketball Association. They are drab white rags with screaming, loud orange numbers. It looks like the same design firm that created the lovely uniforms for the Lincoln Tunnel traffic cops made them.
    Attention! Would someone please create new uniforms for (…)

  • GOP Marching Off a Cliff
    9 March 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
    8 comments

    by Wayne Besen
    The Achilles heal of the modern GOP is that it is a movement rather than a traditional political party. While this arrangement serves as a campaign advantage because it instills message discipline, it leads to habitual overreaching when the Republican Party assumes the mantle of power. Political pragmatism is a strong check on unfettered power, while movements are designed by nature to simply want more.
    A chest-thumping Republican Party seems intent on following Newt (…)

  • Fundy Insecurity Undermines National Security
    3 March 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
    1 comment

    by Wayne Besen
    Imagine a Middle Eastern terror cell infiltrating the United States with a plot to blow up the nation’s capital with a crude nuclear device stashed in a suitcase. If the terrorists succeed, hundreds of thousands of Americans would be annihilated.
    In a desperate attempt to stop the horrific plot, military specialists pour over Arabic "chatter" looking for specific leads. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of hours of tape and very few Arabic specialists to decipher the (…)