Malawi to overturn homosexual ban, Joyce Banda says

Posted by Rev. Steve Parelli, May 21, 2012

BBC NEWS Africa, 18 May 2012

President Joyce Banda has said she wants Malawi to overturn its ban on homosexual acts - the first African country to do so since 1994.

Two Malawian men were sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2010 after saying they were getting married.

Several Western leaders have recently said they would cut aid to countries which did not recognise gay rights.

Mrs Banda took power last month after her predecessor, Bingu wa Mutharika, died of a heart attack.

She has since reversed several of his policies, including devaluing the currency, in a bid to get donor funding restored.

Many donors cut aid under Mr Mutharika, accusing him of economic mismanagement and political repression.

In her first state of the nation address to parliament, Mrs Banda said: "Some laws which were duly passed by the august house... will be repealed as a matter of urgency... these include the provisions regarding indecent practices and unnatural acts."

Read the full article here . . .

"Therapies" to change sexual orientation lack medical justification and threaten health

Posted by Rev. Steve Parelli, May 21, 2012

Washington, D.C., 17 May 2012 (PAHO/WHO) -- Services that purport to "cure" people with non-heterosexual sexual orientation lack medical justification and represent a serious threat to the health and well-being of affected people, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said in a position statement launched on 17 May, the International Day against Homophobia. The statement calls on governments, academic institutions, professional associations and the media to expose these practices and to promote respect for diversity.

Twenty two years ago, on May 17, the World Health Assembly removed homosexuality from the list of mental disorders when it approved a new version of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10)."Since homosexuality is not a disorder or a disease, it does not require a cure. There is no medical indication for changing sexual orientation," said PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses Periago. Practices known as "reparative therapy" or "conversion therapy" represent "a serious threat to the health and well-being -- even the lives -- of affected people."The PAHO statement notes that there is a professional consensus that homosexuality is a natural variation of human sexuality and cannot be regarded as a pathological condition. However, several United Nations bodies have confirmed the existence of "therapists" and "clinics" that promote treatment intended to change the sexual orientation of non-heterosexual people.The document notes that no rigorous scientific studies demonstrate any efficacy of efforts to change sexual orientation. However, there are many testimonies about the severe harm to mental and physical health that such "services" can cause. Repression of sexual orientation has been associated with feelings of guilt and shame, depression, anxiety, and even suicide.As an aggravating factor, there have been a growing number of reports about degrading treatments, and physical and sexual harassment under the guise of such "therapies," which are often provided illicitly. In some cases, adolescents have been subjected to such interventions involuntarily and even deprived of their liberty, sometimes kept in isolation for several months.

"These practices are unjustifiable and should be denounced and subject to sanctions and penalties under national legislation," said Dr. Roses. "These supposed conversion therapies constitute a violation of the ethical principles of health care and violate human rights that are protected by
international and regional agreements."To address the problem, PAHO makes a series of recommendations for governments, academic institutions, professional associations, the media,
and civil society, including:

* "Conversion" or "reparative" therapies and the clinics offering them should be denounced and subject to adequate sanctions.

* Public institutions responsible for training health professionals should include courses on human sexuality and sexual health in their curricula, with a focus on respect for diversity and the elimination of attitudes of pathologization, rejection, and hate toward non-heterosexual persons.

* Professional associations should disseminate documents and resolutions by national and international institutions and agencies that call for the de-psychopathologization of sexual diversity and the prevention of interventions aimed at changing sexual orientation.

* In the media, homophobia in any of its manifestations and expressed by any person should be exposed as a public health problem and a threat to human dignity and human rights.

* Civil society organizations can develop mechanisms of civil vigilance to detect violations of the human rights of non-heterosexual persons and report them to the relevant authorities. They can also help to identify and report people and institutions involved in the administration of
"reparative" or "conversion therapies."

PAHO, which celebrates its 110th anniversary this year, is the oldest public health organization in the world. It works with its member countries to improve the health and the quality of life of the people of the Americas. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of WHO.

Media Contacts:
Leticia Linn, linnl@paho.org, Tel. + 202 974 3440, Mobile +1 202 701 4005,
Donna Eberwine-Villagran, eberwind@paho.org, Tel. +1 202 974 3122, Mobile +1 202 316 5469,
Sonia Mey-Schmidt, maysonia@paho.org, Tel. + 1 202 974 3036, Mobile +1 202 251 2646,
Knowledge Management and Communications,
PAHO/WHO www.paho.org Last Updated ( Friday, 18 May 2012 )

Hillary Clinton says some countries deny having gays at all, and 'If we did, we would want to get rid of them as quickly as possible.'

Clinton Gets Laughs Recounting 'Difficult' Talks on Human Rights
Updated: Monday, 23 Apr 2012, 7:51 PM EDT

... "I mean, the first response [I get on gay rights in some countries] is, 'We don't have any of those here,'" she said, to laughter. "Second response is, 'If we did, we would not want to have them and would want to get rid of them as quickly as possible. And it's your problem, United States of America, that you have so many of those people. So don't come here and tell us to protect the rights of people we don't have or that we don't want.'" ...

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpps/news/clinton-gets-laughs-recounting-difficult-talks-on-human-rights-dpgonc-20120423-bb_19387970

http://tinyurl.com/7nhughc

International Day Against HOMOPHOBIA &TRANSPHOBIA

Dear Other Sheep Friend, Today is International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia. On May 15, Other Sheep publishd "the brutal murder of transgender Anil Sadanandan of Kerala." Anil had helped in the preparations of the Other Sheep Kerala University students' presentation on July 18, 2011, pictured at right. Anil is the second activist with whom we (Steve and Jose) have personally worked who has been murdered. In 2007, David Kato invited Other Sheep to come to Uganda from Kenya. We accepted his invitation and joined him in Uganda for a few days. David was murdered in January of 2011 (see Other Sheep web page “In Memory of David Kato").   It is unfathomable for us (Streve and Jose) to think that we have personally worked with two LGBT individuals who have been murdered. We have traveled only two months out of the year - July and August - since 2005. It is unthinkable that in a span of so few days of travel abroad we would meet two LGBT individuals who would be murdered. Certainly, the world's level of consciousness about hate-crimes needs to be raised, and where there is already awareness, to be maintained. This forward to the IDAHO article below serves to remind us all that real LGBT people, with real caring/productive lives, are violently abused and at times even the unthinkable happens – their life is taken from them.  In loving memory of Anil and David, Steve and Jose Other Sheep Bronx, NY

The brutal murder of transgender Anil Sadanandan of Kerala, India

by Rev. Steve Parelli, Bronx, NY, May 11, 2012

Yesterday afternoon (on May 10, 2012) I received the following disturbing email: 

Anil Sadanandan, transgender
of Kerala, India, recently
murdered

I am very upset, sad and shocked…. about the brutal murder of Sweet Maria / Anil Sadanandan (Facebook profile) my friend and queer activist, at his quarters, Kollam. He/She was a vibrant, pleasant, very active and visible person, spreading a lot of positive energy around, approachable to community members of all strata. He was courage enough to express and establish his/her marginalized and stigmatized identity in every walk of life and in every space he traversed. He dared to face the challenges posed by the intolerant society which normally pushes gays, lesbians or any body, who even slightly differs from the main stream, to the limit of committing suicide. He faced such a society holding his head high, living his life fully standing out for the rights of the fellow queer. And he fell victim to that….very shocking. We will miss you dear in all our future fights……

          CHILLA, House No.16/238, Mundakkal,                                           

          Karakulam.P.O.,Thiruvananthapuram,Keralam,India,

                Web: www.anannia.org

                Blog: www.chillaindia.weebly.com
                Email: chillaindia@yahoo.com

Anil Sadanandan, transgender,
looking at Jose Ortiz (on
left)

My husband Jose Ortiz and I (Rev. Steve Parelli) met Anil Sadanandan last summer in Trivundrum, Kerala, India, briefly at a seminar we conducted for Kerala University students.  Anil was at the hall early, before the event. He was smiling, up-beat and talkative.  He offered me his help in organizing the handouts on a table and then  placing them on the the individual chairs in the room.  He talked about himself and the activism in which he was involved.  He was very friendly and easily likable.  The pictures that follow clearly express how winsome he was. 

The individual above (Chilla), who emailed us this sad news, worked with Trivantrum Theological Forum in the translation of the book The Children Are Free.  We met him in 2010 upon our first trip to Kerala.  We sympathize with him upon the loss of his dear transgender friend.   We grieve that there are those in this world who out of whatever fear, misunderstanding, and hate would take the life of an LGBT person.

The three pictures that follow (as well as the above two pictures) - all of Anil Sadanandan, were taken by Steve Parelli on July 18, 2011, Kerala, India:

The demise of the "ex-gay" movement --

and, That Calvary Baptist Church of Manhattan totally misrepresented "success" within their "ex-gay" support group

by Rev. Steve Parelli, Bronx, NY.  May 5, 2012

I just read a blog (from On Being Jewish, Christian and Gay) in which it was reported:  "Exodus Cancels Next ‘Love Won Out’ Conference Due to Lack of Interest."

Exodus is an international organization that sponsors support groups to help gay Christians become, in some sense of the word, straight.

I linked the blog to my Facebook and wrote the following commentary:

It is my experience, personally, that Hope, the Exodus group I attended in 1997 at Calvary Baptist Church in Manhattan (a church-sponsored and church-led the group), did not do anything for any of the members that attended while I was there.  In fact, Hope could not point to one person in its history preceding my attending who was a "success" in any sense of the word.  Irresponsibly, the Hope website made claims of "miracles" happening within their very own ex-gay support group.  This, of course, was a total misrepresentation.  

Calvary Baptist Church, NYC,
where I met my husband in 1997
while attending Hope, the
church's "ex-gay" ministry

The "ex-gay" movement, now that it is more and more in the public eye, can not hide anymore among its own unknowing, unaware, captive hurting Christian gays who have sought out the help of Exodus, coming from within the confines of an evangelical, Bible-only mindset.  These gays were already in jeopardy, living within the confines of an evangelical-church-family setting.

I survived the "ex-gay" movement (as did Jose who is now my legal husband).  You can read about my story with Hope here (it is where I met my husband); and you can read my evaluation of the "ex-gay" movement here.  This paper (Is There Really Such a Thing as "Ex-gay"?) has been translated into Spanish, Chinese, and Nepali, and is presently being translated into French.  The paper was published by Gay and Lesbian Review.  In addition, you can read what "ex-gay" proponents say in their own words -- while on this web page, check out the left column for addition related links.

From my personal observations, and from my reading of "ex-gay" material, I have concluded that:  For the ex-gay movement, "change," "healing," "coming out of homosexuality," and being "ex-gay"  is about behavior modification. There is no change in sexual orientation, only lifestyle.

Dr. Robert Spitzer Apologizes to Gay Community for Infamous 'Ex-Gay' Study

Posted April 25th, 2012 by John M. Becker on Truth Wins Out blog titled:  EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Robert Spitzer Apologizes to Gay Community for Infamous ‘Ex-Gay’ Study

Today, in a letter to Dr. Ken Zucker obtained exclusively by Truth Wins Out, Dr. Robert Spitzer made an unprecedented apology to the gay community — and victims of reparative therapy in particular — for his infamous, now-repudiated 2001 study that claimed some “highly motivated” homosexuals could go from gay to straight:

Several months ago I told you that because of my revised view of my 2001 study of reparative therapy changing sexual orientation, I was considering writing something that would acknowledge that I now judged the major critiques of the study as largely correct. After discussing my revised view of the study with Gabriel Arana, a reporter for American Prospect, and with Malcolm Ritter, an Associated Press science writer, I decided that I had to make public my current thinking about the study. Here it is.

Basic Research Question. From the beginning it was: “can some version of reparative therapy enable individuals to change their sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual?” Realizing that the study design made it impossible to answer this question, I suggested that the study could be viewed as answering the question, “how do individuals undergoing reparative therapy describe changes in sexual orientation?” – a not very interesting question.

The Fatal Flaw in the Study – There was no way to judge the credibility of subject reports of change in sexual orientation. I offered several (unconvincing) reasons why it was reasonable to assume that the subject’s reports of change were credible and not self-deception or outright lying. But the simple fact is that there was no way to determine if the subject’s accounts of change were valid.

I believe I owe the gay community an apology for my study making unproven claims of the efficacy of reparative therapy. I also apologize to any gay person who wasted time and energy undergoing some form of reparative therapy because they believed that I had proven that reparative therapy works with some “highly motivated” individuals.

Robert Spitzer. M.D.
Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry,
Columbia University

Zucker, to whom Spitzer’s letter is addressed, is the editor of the Archives of Sexual Behavior, the journal in which Spitzer’s study was originally published in 2001. At that time, the study was a surprise that created a media firestorm which captured the nation’s attention. Dr. Spitzer was the last person in America one would have expected to produce a study bolstering the claims of ‘ex-gay’ activists — after all, he had previously led the charge in 1972-73 to remove homosexuality from the list of mental disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association. Earlier this month, Dr. Spitzer dealt “ex-gay” programs a fatal blow by officially renouncing his study in the American Prospect article he mentions in his letter above. That renunciation kicked out the final leg from the stool on which the proponents of ‘ex-gay’ therapy based their already shaky claims of success, or as Arana put it, removed from the ex-gay “fringe movement. . . its only shred of scientific support.”

Dr. Spitzer’s apology to the victims of “pray away the gay” therapy and the greater LGBT community marks a watershed moment in the fight against the “ex-gay” myth. We commend him for it, because not only will it solidify his legacy as a respected doctor and significant historical figure, but it will help to greatly hasten the day when the scourge that is reparative therapy is eradicated forever and LGBT people can live openly, honestly, and true to themselves.