California’s Senate Bill 1172 shall soon be on its way to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown, where it will almost certainly become law. The bill, the first of its kind in the nation, bans the administering of “reparative therapy” to minors. That is, it prohibits parents from hiring psychiatrists, psychologists, or counselors to de-gay [...]
In 1869, the philosopher and writer Karl Heinrich Ulrichs called upon his fellow gays, whom he called “Urnings,” to reveal their natures to the world, and to thereby seek emancipation. He had revealed his own nature, and in so doing became famous, and found the world to be at least as full of understanding and [...]
Well, I might as well get on my soapbox about this like the rest of America already has. To liberals: Why now, exactly? I knew about Chick-fil-A’s “hate chicken” when I was in high school, and that was almost 20 years ago. I also don’t order from Domino’s Pizza or shop at Walmart, because I [...]
I came out of the closet during my freshman year at Florida Southern College, an improbably scenic institution erected in the hellish swampgrass between Tampa and Orlando. Some new arrivals at FSC that year referred to certain kinds of locals as “swampcrackers,” which seemed apt. My coming out occurred just after Christmas break. I told [...]
“I just heard that the Statue of Liberty has AIDS,” said Bob Hope on July 4th, 1986. “But she doesn’t know if she got it from the mouth of the Hudson or the Staten Island Fairy.” This was on the occasion of the Statue’s centennial, during a televised rededication ceremony aboard the yacht Princess in [...]
In the 45 days between Trayvon Martin’s death and the arrest of his killer, George Zimmerman, nearly every decently telegenic human being in the country was hauled before a camera to comment. The bottom of the barrel was so thoroughly scraped that Americans watching The Piers Morgan Show last week heard the tragedy mulled over [...]
You already know this: while earning your college degree was informative and pleasant enough, plenty of us head in a different direction. Or maybe the experience wasn’t so awesome or helpful, but we’re sticking, steadfast and stubborn, to what we set out for in the first place. Joshua Miller, the executive director and founder of [...]
Venezuela has been in the media lately: following the death of Hugo Chávez, his chosen successor, Nicolas Maduro, beat challenger Henrique Capriles in the current election for presidency. It was a miniscule margin of a win—about 50.7%–and as of this write-up, a contested verdict. But if you’re the average United Statesian, you are less aware [...]
