Beyond Homophobia

Jesse Helms: “If You Want To Call Me A Bigot, Fine.”

Dr. Herek — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:49:37 +0000

I’m not going to put a lesbian in a position like that…. If you want to call me a bigot, fine.” –Jesse Helms, in response to President Clinton’s 1993 nomination of Roberta Achtenberg as an assistant secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Future students of 20th-century US history may puzzle over a section of the [...]

From Russia With Hate: Paul Cameron @ Moscow State U. Sociology Dept.

Dr. Herek — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:35:42 +0000

Take one US antigay activist who happens to have earned a Ph.D. in psychology and has been denounced by major professional associations of psychologists and sociologists in his home country and Canada. Add one Russian university department where the training is substandard, the faculty don’t publish in their field’s academic journals, the dean has been charged [...]

Five Years Ago Today: Reflections on Lawrence v. Texas

Dr. Herek — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:01:43 +0000

On June 26, 2003, the US Supreme Court issued its opinion in the Lawrence v. Texas case, ruling that state laws restricting adults’ rights to engage in private, consenting sexual behavior are unconstitutional. Today, on the fifth anniversary of that historic decision, it seems appropriate to recall the events leading up to it and to consider [...]

The Challenge Ahead For CaMP Act Supporters

Dr. Herek — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:20:05 +0000

On Wednesday morning at 10 am (PDT), “pastors, friends and Christian leaders” from across California will join a Pastors Strategic Conference Call convened by Jim Garlow, the pastor of Skyline Church in San Diego. As detailed on ProtectMarriageEquality.com, Garlow’s invitational letter promised that: [T]he information shared [during the call] will be extremely beneficial for the future of [...]

President Honors General Who Exposed DADT’s Real Roots

Dr. Herek — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:53:33 +0000

On Thursday, President Bush awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to General Peter Pace, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “for his steadfast leadership, his selfless devotion to keeping Americans safe, and his great courage.” The award was greeted with widespread criticism because of remarks made by Gen. Pace last year about homosexuality [...]

How to Fight the CaMP Act: Frame It As Banning Marriage

Dr. Herek — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:06:50 +0000

Monday evening, at 5:01 pm, California became the second state to legally recognize marriages between same-sex couples. Some Biblical literalists may be disappointed that no natural disasters befell the state in the hours immediately following the implementation of the state Supreme Court’s May 15th decision. Indeed, in this quake-prone land where seismologists warn that the next [...]

Norway, Marriage & Military Service: NATO vs. the USA

Dr. Herek — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:33:39 +0000

On Wednesday, Norway’s Parliament voted 84-41 to make that country’s marriage law gender-neutral, thereby granting same-sex couples the right to marry and to adopt children on an equal basis with heterosexual couples. The new law will also allow the Church of Norway to bless same-sex marriages, although each congregation may be permitted to decide for [...]

The Lawrence King Murder: Arraignment on Thursday

Dr. Herek — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:35:14 +0000

Last February 12, Lawrence King, a 15-year old 8th grader, was murdered at his middle school in Oxnard. He was in the school’s computer lab when 14-year old Brandon McInerney walked in and shot him at least twice in the head. King was unconscious when he was brought to the hospital and was declared brain dead [...]