Straight Parent, Gay Kid
Don’t Be Tempted By Gay-to-Straight Therapy!
It’s Not A Fix!A few weeks ago, Leelah Alcorn, 17 years old, a transgender renamed “Joshua,” from Kings Mills, Ohio, committed suicide. Unfortunately, forty percent of transgenders attempt suicide. They are perhaps the least understood and most maligned in our society.Wrote Leelah in her suicide note, “it doesn’t get better, each day it gets worse.”…
The Gay Marriage Cases That Quote Loving V. Virginia, 48 Years Later
In 1967, a year before the peaceful Nobel prize-winning Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, the Supreme Court invalidated laws prohibiting interracial marriage. A mixed-race couple named Mildred Jeter, 17, black, married Richard Loving, 23, white. Due to Virginia’s miscegenation laws forbiding interracial marriage, the Lovings were sentenced to a year in jail. On the…
“Come On Down, The Weather Is Great,” but…
….You don’t worry about shoveling snow or falling on ice in Florida. In many ways, life seems easier. Barefoot, you can walk out in the a.m. to the end of your driveway to pick up the newspapers. Restaurants seem cheaper than Northeast and run “early bird specials.” (No one ever accused me of eating late!)….
Woo-hoo! Florida Becomes 36th State with Marriage Equality!
Gay Marriage Starts in Florida Jan. 9th, but sooner in Miami-Dade. I was beginning to think marriage equality would never come to Florida, my home and third largest state! With a Governor, Rick Scott, who has switched parties and claimed only a 1% victory, his contender, Charlie Crist, who was reputed to pay hush money…
You Are What You Shop
As a straight ally, I try to avoid businesses that smack of homophobia. For example, when I go to the mall in my county in which I live, I will not eat at Chic-Fil-A, headquartered in Ga. Its president Dan Cathy came out against gay marriage in 2012. Believe it or not, his condemnation actually…
It Could Happen To You When You Least Expect It!
Last week, I wrote about what not to say when your child comes out. Due to the many distractions of the holidays, I also suggested that this is the worst time for anyone to come out as he/she will not be heard. However, as some LGBT kids only see their families on major holidays, they…
Coming Outs Don’t Belong At Christmas
Picture this: Your mother in her Santa sweater, your father in his red tie with tiny green wreaths in a home garlanded like Auntie Mamie’s duplex. Sis, decked out in velvet, is pouring eggnog for your Aunt Betty and Uncle Ralph as her brother keeps an eye on her munchkins who are pulling the candy…
Your LGBT Or Straight Child Could Be Infected With HIV
Alarming Statistics From Centers for Disease Control Did you know that:• 1 in 4 new HIV infections occur in youth ages 13 to 24.• About 60% of all youth with HIV do NOT know they are infected, and are not getting treated, and can unknowingly pass the virus on to others.• About 50,00 people are…
Born Gay? Largest Study Inconclusive
Suggestion of Genetic Link for Male Homosexuality This week, NorthShore Research Institute in Evanston, Illinois presented quasi-evidence that people are born gay. Although this study that looked at 409 sets of gay brothers fell short for a conclusion that being homosexual is inborn, the data was statistically too weak for a definitive answer to the…