Surviving 'Ex-Gay' Groups

 There are some interesting interviews with former head and co-founder
of Exodus International, revealing many of the holes in the plans and
performance of such groups.

The actuality of the abuses and horrors of these programs can be found
in better detail on the following sites where denial and guilt doesn't water
down the truth. Thanks to all these good folks for getting the message out.

'Reparative therapy' (a.k.a. 'Pray Away the gay') is a complete and
horrific scam that causes endless pain.

**************************************************

Beyond Ex-Gay (Group for recovery of religious abuse)


Soul Force (Group for recovery from ex-gay groups)


Personal Story of an EX-ex-gay


Heart Strong (Support and Education for those struggling)


An Ex-Gay Survivor's Blog


Ex-Gay Watch (Keeps tabs on the movement)


Truth Wins Out (Exposing Myths)


**************************************************

Counter Attack

In Tampa, this wall of a business

was vandalized with inflammatory

racial remarks.

After weeks going by

without being painted over,

'someone' decided to

turn the eyesore into

a lesson plan.

'Nuff said!

***

'Alone' is not the onus we imagine

We are capable

of whatever we

choose to be.

Every adversity,

every challenge,

every hurt

strengthens us.

From any point

of doubt or

weakness,

we only have

to believe

in ourselves...

in our abilities.

Especially when no

one else does.

Approval,

acceptance,

and assistance

are all wonderful,

but not required

for success.

(Stop looking to others,

and give them to

yourself.)

The only one who needs

to understand us,

is us.

Trudge on.

***

Shifting Gears

Screw a rainbow,

and screw the Tea Party and their Mad Hatters

having stolen this image.

I say this is the new motto for the

LGBTQ Pride movement.

Pleasantries are done.

***

Tampa AIDS Network: Sticks of Fire

Rummaging through my boxes-o-junk,

I ran across some photographs I had forgotten about.

These are from the "Sticks of Fire" fundraiser I hosted at

Tung Nam Restaurant in Brandon, back when TAN

(Tampa AIDS Network) was still called TAN.

That's Mom with me above,

and below is the group of friends and family

that showed up to support.

Robyn Crittenden, front left, was just lost

to cancer last year.

I was glad to find this pic and remember some

of the good times we had, including this night,

and the dessert reception at University of Tampa

later that night.

You never know when you're going to lose people,

and it's always hard to lose them young.

Been feeling kind of nostalgic lately, not just

for the old gang and the old stomping grounds,

but for days when things were at least

the pretense of simpler.

***

Truth

Here's a newsflash for all you folks,

kids and oldsters alike;

There's nothing wrong with you.

'Religious' folks do now what they

have always done;

they seek those whom they can prey on,

and pretend to pray for them.

They want control over others because they

can't control themselves.

They see the world in stark, sad, scary terms

and want others to do the same.

It causes not bit of lost sleep for the

folks who run the 'reparative therapy'

centers or 'Pray away the gay' groups

to know that they have caused irreparable damage

to untold numbers of people...

making them fear their own feelings

and feel shame and disgust for

themselves.

All in the name of a supposedly

loving deity.

As long as they can get folks to suppress their spirits

and deny their feelings, they're happy.

As long as the illusion and lie of

being 'like everyone else' is present,

the heartbreak and misery and

self-hate and denial that it takes to

achieve said lies are acceptable.

Conservative estimates say 10%

of the population is homosexual.

(I say it's much greater...I have seen

way too many people through the years!)

That means roughly 700,000,000 people

are currently queer.

What exactly do the people behind

trying to turn away from their real

selves gain by torturing 700 million

people on the planet?

Might be time to find out.

***

FCKH8 (Fuck Hate)

Well here's a toast to less mincing (of words, anyway!)

Shock and awe group FCK H8 has a series of radical and delicious 
videos on YouTube, as well as a rocking website, face book and twitter
accounts, and a whole campaign reaching out to help promote visibility,
advocacy, and a fighting spirit.

Cuz like it or not, crazy-asses have waged war on us and on reason.
And it's time to dig in and get a little in-your-face! Reclaim your life!

I love this movement and its voice!

http://www.fckh8.com/