Hero of the Week Award: May 25, Max Hirsh and the Southern Poverty Law Center

Hero of the Week

When you go to a professional for care, it’s very hard to deal with a betrayal, much less demand that the professional be held accountable. This week’s hero stood up for himself and found an organization committed to helping him.

Max Hirsh of Eugene, OR, went to a psychiatrist to get help with his depression and his ability to form romantic relationships. He told the doctor that he was gay (he’s 22 and has been out since he was 19) at the beginning of therapy. Over the course of the first few sessions, however, the doctor kept pushing issues like Hirsh’s athletic abilities, his teenage relationships with girls, and how many positive male role models he had in his life. These seemed like distractions to Hirsh, who was stunned when the doctor finally told him, “But you’re heterosexual.”

Realizing that the doctor’s strategy was to change his sexual orientation, a practice known as conversion therapy, Hirsh terminated therapy. After a few weeks of family pressure to continue working on his depression, he returned to the doctor, however, who assured him that he was “fine” with Hirsh being gay. Nevertheless, the stealth conversion therapy continued. Hirsh terminated again and has filed a complaint with the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the Oregon Psychiatric Association. Helping him with the complaint is the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which has taken a strong stand against anti-gay activity in recent years.

Because the complaint is still under investigation, the doctor’s name has not been disclosed. The APA has stated, however, that they take such charges seriously. Not only would this behavior violate informed consent, the APA came out clearly against conversion therapy in 2009. Christine Sun, deputy legal director at SPLC, wants them to be even firmer, stating,

Our immediate goal is for the APA to take these allegations seriously and ultimately ban conversion therapy by its members.

That’s a goal worth fighting for.  I hope to eventually be able to publish the name of the psychiatrist because he is a danger to the LGBT community.

Where Is It Safest to Be Gay? Ranking the States

Come for the scenery, stay for the civil rights

Despite President Obama’s wonderful declaration of support for marriage equality, the devastating passage of Amendment One in North Carolina shows how far we have to go as a nation. It is also imporant to understand how your rights are protected based on where you live. Now there’s a handy tool to look at gay rights by state.

In a very thorough analysis this week, British news daily The Guardian, published a ranking of all 50 states (plus the District of Columbia) on seven key areas of civil rights. The factors rated by The Guardian include:

1. Marriage, indicating whether it is fully allowed or banned and including partial credit for domestic partnerships.
2. Hospital visitation rights, including how same-sex partners are respected as family members.
3. Adoption rights, indicating whether LGBT couples can jointly adopt (or are explicitly banned from doing so).
4. Employment, indicating what workplace protections exist based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
5. Housing, indicating laws requiring fair treatment based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
6. Hate crimes, indicating laws providing for harsher punishment of crimes motivated by the victim’s real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
7. Schools, indicating laws that protect students based on sexual orientation and gender identity and any explicit anti-LGBT bullying provision.

The analysis also compares states by region. Generally speaking, the Northeast has the strongest, most consistent protections (including three states with perfect scores – CT, MA, and VT) and the Southeast has the weakest (followed closely by the Midwest). Using a distinctly British approach to the regions, The Guardian identifies six Northwest states (OR, WA, ID, AK, MT, and WY). Washington received a perfect score; Oregon fell short on marriage equality but was otherwise perfect, ranking in the top 10. Only Oregon and Washington meet any of the categories other than some school protections. It’s also nice to know that many elected officials in Oregon responded positively to the President’s announcement on Wednesday.

Of course day-to-day safety and success for LGBT Americans varies based on more than the state or region in which one lives. Metropolitan areas are generally safer and more accepting than more rural areas, regardless of the state. But knowing how a region demonstrates its support (or hostility) to gay rights is an important factor in daily life.

Respecting James Beard’s Legacy

Great Chef, Gay Pioneer

Growing up, I knew who James Beard was in a casual sort of way. He was a famous chef who wrote cookbooks and appeared on television. I didn’t fully appreciate his significance, nor did I know how much we had in common. Recent events made me take another look at the great man and want to celebrate his legacy.

Beard was born in Portland, OR in 1903. He lived in my home state until he was in his 20s and had a great appreciation for the beauty of the Oregon coast. He also developed a great love of food, encouraged by his parents’ fondness for fresh ingredients and quality cooking.

He was also gay, a fact he realized by the age of seven and something he never tried to hide. This was very remarkable for his generation. He was kicked out of Reed College in 1922 because he was gay. (Anyone familiar with this quality school’s reputation for embracing the counter-culture will find that as strange and disappointing as I did.) I grew up gay in Oregon in the 70s and that was hard enough. Even though my grandmother says she knew I was gay when I was little, I buried myself in denial. While that spared me some of the difficulty that Beard encountered, I do regret the years I lost by not being able to be myself. Having discovered our shared roots, sexual orientation, love of good food, and enjoyment of Oregon’s coast, I wanted to know more.

I learned that he was interested in the theater, so he joined a traveling troupe. He honed his singing voice and his craft while enjoying the great food of Europe. He particularly fell in love with French cuisine. After Beard returned to the U.S., he found his acting ambitions frustrated, so he turned to his lifelong love and opened a catering company. He quickly rose to fame, appearing on television shows and publishing influential books on cooking. Just as Julia Child helped introduce French cooking to American homes, James Beard helped create the notion of truly American fine cuisine. As Child herself observed:

Beard was the quintessential American cook. Well-educated and well-traveled during his eighty-two years, he was familiar with many cuisines but he remained fundamentally American. He was a big man, over six feet tall, with a big belly, and huge hands. An endearing and always lively teacher, he loved people, loved his work, loved gossip, loved to eat, loved a good time.

He was also a philanthropist, helping found CityMeals-on-Wheels to feed the homebound elderly in New York, where he lived most of his adult life. After his death at the age of 82 (his ashes were scattered near Gearhart on the Oregon Coast), his friends and admirers — led by Julia Child — converted his home into a foundation. The James Beard Foundation provides scholarships to aspiring food professionals and champions the American culinary tradition that Beard helped create. Since 2001 the Beard Foundation has awarded over $2.2 million in scholarships and tuition waivers to young culinarians and career changers pursuing culinary studies.

The Foundation was rocked by scandal in 2004 and its head was imprisoned for grand larceny. The entire board resigned and the Foundation started from scratch under the leadership of Susan Ungaro. For her work in turning around the Foundation and her support of young Americans hoping to pursue a culinary education, Ungaro was recently honored with the Distinguished Citizen Award by the Boy Scouts of America. Ironically, that same group is notoriously anti-gay and would never have associated with the great James Beard. After being reminded by activist and commentator Michelangelo Signorile about the Scouts’ policies, Ungaro did the right thing: she refused the award.

While I support all the poverty and hunger-fighting programs of the Boy Scouts of America, including sending at-risk youth to camp, your report brought to my attention that accepting the Distinguished Citizen Award implied I support their anti-gay policy, which I absolutely do not… I have informed the Boy Scouts of America that I am rescinding my acceptance of the award.

Brava, Ms. Ungaro! Thank you for standing up against bravery and truly honoring the legacy of James Beard, whose foundation you lead. I’m sure he’s lifting a glass of wine in your honor with his trademark grin.

Hero of the Week: November 25, Gov. John Kitzhaber

Hero of the Week

In the wake of some truly despicable people being elected governors recently (think Rick Scott and Scott Walker, just for starters), we Oregonians got a refreshing reminder this week of just what a great decision we made in returning John Kitzhaber to the Governor’s office.

In a bold move that underscores his ethics and his leadership, Kitzhaber announced Tuesday that he will halt all death penalty executions in Oregon during his term as Governor.

Oregonians have a fundamental belief in fairness and justice – in swift and certain justice. The death penalty as practiced in Oregon is neither fair nor just; and it is not swift or certain. It is not applied equally to all. It is a perversion of justice that the single best indicator of who will and will not be executed has nothing to do with the circumstances of a crime or the findings of a jury. The only factor that determines whether someone sentenced to death in Oregon is actually executed is that they volunteer. The hard truth is that in the 27 years since Oregonians reinstated the death penalty, it has only been carried out on two volunteers who waived their rights to appeal.  In the years since those executions, many judges, district attorneys, legislators, death penalty proponents and opponents, and victims and their families have agreed that Oregon’s system is broken.  But we have done nothing. We have avoided the question.

Recognizing that Oregon voters have implemented and repealed the death penalty multiple times in the state’s 150-year history, the Governor bravely rejected the tepid “will of the voters” argument that has been used to support this deeply flawed system of injustice. Speaking from painful personal experience, he recalled that the only two executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1984 were during his first administration, calling those deaths “the most agonizing and difficult decisions I have made as Governor.”

It takes a strong and courageous person to admit so publicly that he was wrong and a great leader to learn from such mistakes and ask his state to do better. Kitzhaber has called on the Oregon Legislature to investigate and implement an overhaul of the system during the 2013 legislative session. Let us hope that they listen to the Governor’s wise words and not the inevitable howling from the right as so-called “pro-life” lunatics insist on death for men and women sentenced in a deeply flawed and bigoted system.  I personally get tired of  the “pro-life” philosophy of “protect the fetus at all cost, so we can execute them as adults.”

Kitzhaber’s press release is required reading for understanding good government. Bravo, Mr. Governor! Thank you for giving Oregonians one more thing to be thankful for this week.

Mark O. Hatfield: The Loss of a True Leader

Oregon's Great Statesman

On Sunday, August 7, Senator Mark Hatfield died at the age of 89. A native Oregonian, he exemplified the independent spirit for which the state is famous. As a moderate Republican (who called himself a Liberal), he was also a symbol of the complex political tensions in our purple state. More than these, however, he was one of the last of a dying breed, a true leader and independent thinker with strong convictions and an understanding of the art of negotiation.

Hatfield was a man of charisma and principles. This blending catapulted him into public service at a young age and helped ensure that he never lost an election. The Senator often reflected on the power of faith in his life. While this is not uncommon for modern Republicans (or Democrats, frankly), his approach was much more honest and benevolent. He accepted that he was a religious person but that others might not be. He used his faith to inform his values, not to build a wall of opposition.

This foundation led him to select the Republican party early in his career due to concerns about the rampant racism among the Southern leaders in the Democratic party. That’s right, he actually understood the messages of Christianity and used them to practice fair treatment for all. Throughout his career, Hatfield voted for (and actively supported) civil rights legislation and fought discrimination based on race, gender, and sexual orientation. His support of rights for the LGBT community was an integral part of his support of civil rights dating back to the late 1950s (more than a decade before Stonewall) and extending to his co-sponsorship of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in 1994, making him a quiet, consistent pioneer.

Another strong influence on Hatfield was his arrival in Japan during his military service at the end of WWII. Arriving in Hiroshima, he saw atrocities that confirmed his opposition to war and military action. During his time in the Senate he opposed all military action including Viet Nam and the first Gulf war. This stand cost him politically; he was on the short list to be Richard Nixon’s first running mate, but his stand on Viet Nam blocked him. Despite this, he held firm, and his stand on principle helped him maintain the respect of his colleagues and his positions of responsibility in the Senate.

Hatfield’s least progressive stand was on abortion rights. Athough he was personally opposed to abortion, he was complex and intelligent enough to understand the issue beyond his own wishes. He was generally supportive of women’s rights to make their own choices. Unlike the rabid conservatives of today, he also believed in readily available health care and birth control, understanding the link between those programs and a reduced need for abortion. He established the first statewide birth control program in Oregon while governor. These actions, together with his opposition to the death penalty and to funding wars, make him someone who could accurately be described as both “pro-life” and “pro-choice” a rare combination.

Hatfield truly cared more about doing the right thing for his constituents than making his party happy. More than once during his career he was threatened by primary challenges from the right, but his integrity and accomplishments always allowed him to prevail. This was true right up to his last election. When interviewed about his opposition to school prayer, term limits, and a balanced budget amendment (all key themes of the Gingrich-era Republican revolution), he rolled his eyes and answered with his typical straightforward honesty.

These are all symbols, and the Republicans will beat the drums and get a lot of pizzazz going because they have fed the public a line about these things. But to present them as if they are the answers and solutions to our nation’s problems is just phony.

Well said, Mr. Senator. You will be missed.

Rep. Chris Garrett Chimes in on Debt Ceiling and Senator Hatfield

Rep. Chris Garrett

I first met Rep. Chris Garrett when I was lobbying for Planned Parenthood at the State Capitol.  I must confess, I was a bit caught off guard by how young he looks, but then I remembered he is not that young, I’m just that old. What impressed me most was his eagerness to be engaged and willingness to talk with us.  As a gay man and a feminist, I feel fortunate to have him as my state representative.

Rep. Garrett was gracious enough to visit with me about the Debt Ceiling crisis and the recent passing of Senator Mark Hatfield. Just to show you how down to earth he really is, he called me at home and said, “Michael, hey this is Chris.”  How nice to have an elected official that not only works to represent me, but strives to make people feel safe and heard.

How did you feel when you heard about the bill passed regarding the Debt Ceiling? 

Relieved.  I felt they would always get there in the end, but the whole episode has been very discouraging because it seems that with every passing year there are more people in Congress who would rather stick to a pure ideological position than make the compromises necessary to govern. The fact that they were willing to go all the way to the brink was scary. Some even said a default would “not be that big of a deal.” Too many Republicans are playing to the very extreme, uncompromising wing of their party.

How will the bill that was passed affect Oregonians?

It depends on how the federal spending cuts are implemented.  Like all states, Oregon relies heavily on federal dollars for certain programs like Medicaid. Any decrease in federal entitlement spending would have an effect here in Oregon just like anywhere else.  Unfortunately, spending cuts will affect the very people who need the most help getting through this recession.

Can you share your feelings about the loss of Senator Hatfield?

I admired Senator Hatfield and I think he would be horrified to see what has happened in the past few weeks.  He was an example of someone who could have very strong, principled views, yet recognize the legitimacy of other points of view enough to work together and find common ground.  At the end of the day, he knew that it was about governing, not just political positioning.  That type of thinking seems to be more and more rare in Washington.

Do you feel Oregon is working well?

In some ways.  The state is still hurting very badly economically, and we need to put some serious work into reforming our systems of public finance.  But we had a pretty good legislative session here in Oregon and we do have people crossing party lines to work together, far more than we’ve seen in Congress.  .

I want to thank Rep. Chris Garrett for taking the time to visit with me and for working to combat partisanship and actually providing leadership by working for the betterment of his constituents.

A Message From the President of the Gay Agenda (Top Secret)

President Hounded by Paparazzi

It has come to my attention and dismay that many of our secrets and confidential pieces of information are being leaked to the media. The leak can only be known as Deep Throat II; I fear we may have to set up our own Warren Commission.

I needn’t remind all of you in the LGBTQ community that the media are not our friend!  I have been working with our Accounting department and Research and Development and quite candidly, the news is not good.  Here is a breakdown of the news from across the globe:

Despite all of our agents in every part of the world speaking out for civil rights and living in happy unions, we have yet to bring down one heterosexual marriage!  We here at the Big Wheel are not pleased!

There was almost a triumph in Oregon.  In a report filed by a heterosexual couple living next door to a happy gay couple, the heterosexual couple, Erin and her husband Matthew,  admitted that the “cleanliness of their house in conjunction with his dental hygiene made us think about going gay, but alas we knew we could never keep such a tidy house.”   Yes, I am glad to hear that we came close to destroying a heterosexual marriage, but this is not good enough.

We also heard from Millicent and Rupert, a straight couple in England, who upon reading of Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish’s new baby responded:

It is true that we thought about getting a divorce and going gay after seeing this happy gay family, but then we thought, “children are such a bother and then there is just too much pressure to do good in the world.” One has to run an AIDS foundation or serve on a non-profit board — so much effort! And then, of course,  the secret handshake is far too complicated to remember.

First of all, I would like to know how did they hear about the secret handshake? Effective immediately, everyone in the LGBT community will be receiving instructions for the new handshake.

For those of you that are worried about leaks of secret information, such as the leak of our meeting times from a once trusted gay member, let me assure you that the Rainbow Lords are dealing with his spreading of TOP SECRET information. While here at Headquarters we don’t typically like to punish people, we must take serious action against those that reveal too much of our agenda.  In order to comfort the rest of you, I shall let you know some of the action we have taken against the agent in Oregon: We have removed all hair straightening accoutrements, he is now only allowed to floss once a day, and we have issued a moratorium on planting new flowers in his yard.  I realize this may seem overly harsh, but we will not stand for impertinence.

As your President, I must encourage you to keep up the good fight!  We will get marriage equality.  You can look for a video I have made with further helpful tips and instructions on how to destroy heterosexual marriages. I will be sending out the video in a plain brown envelope: You May Not Share this with Any of Your Heterosexual Friends!  I assure you there is some valuable information that we cannot allow to be leaked to the media.  For example, make a nice strong pot of coffee and serve homemade blueberry pound cake to your heterosexual neighbors–this is guaranteed to undermine all of those heterosexual tendencies.

Faithfully,

President of the Gay Agenda

We Are Everywhere

Kudos to Our Heterosexual Women Allies!

The Next State For Marriage Equality

I need to thank my friend and fellow do-gooder, Christopher Gable for sharing this article with me and inspiring me to craft this article. I truly believe it will take the action and support of our heterosexual allies to help pave the way for marriage equality everywhere. I am fortunate enough to live in a state where we have some allies that are unveiling a campaign for marriage equality in Oregon.

The new non-profit organization, Straight Women For Marriage Equality is raising money and traveling all through Oregon to fight for the civil rights of the LGBT community.  Timi Parker, a retired school teacher living in Newberg, is a part of this non-profit organization.  I will let her words speak for themselves:

The bottom line for us is the golden rule…We should treat other people the way we want to be treated…For me, this conversation needs to be about what kind of a state we want this to be,” she said. “I’m 60 years old. I’d like to leave my grandchildren a much more equitable place.

We hope to see marriage equality pass in 2012 here in Oregon.  Basic Rights Oregon has already produced some fantastic and compelling commercials for marriage equality.  Click here to read the full article and to get involved.

Celebrating LGBTQ History Month: June 28, Monica Marquez

Today I would like to honor and pay tribute to Monica Marquez.  Marquez is the first Latina and openly gay member of the Colorado state Supreme Court.  She was sworn in by her father, retired Judge Jose D.L. Marquez.  There are only 5 openly gay state supreme court justices, two of whom are in the state of Oregon. The first openly gay state supreme court justice in the nation was Oregon’s Rives Kistler. The second openly gay state supreme court justice was Oregon’s Virginia Linder.

Marquez has been a consistently visible force for social justice, including LGBT equality. She  is a past president of the Colorado GLBT Bar Association and a board member of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association and served as chairperson of the Denver Mayor’s GLBT Commission.  Regarding marriage equality and her role as a state supreme court justice, Marquez says:

On the bench, of course, my allegiance is to the law, not to any particular constituency…which is fine, because the law — and the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1996 decision in Romer vs. Evans, which overturned Colorado’s repeal of anti-gay discrimination laws.

I want to thank Justice Marquez for her dedication to social justice and for being visible.  Our being visible helps LGBT youth see the possibility of an end to discrimination.  Click here to read an article regarding Marquez.

Oregon Supports LGBT Seniors

May 20 and 21 are the dates for the annual Gay and Grey Expo in Portland, Oregon. Co-hosted by Friendly House and the Q Center, this event includes a Friday night social and a Saturday resource convention that combines informative break-out sessions and a trade fair to address the health, housing and social service needs of LGBTQI Seniors.

This wonderful event recognizes the unique needs of seniors in the gay community who often lack the kinds of family support and other resources that many seniors can draw on. This issue is significant enough that Oregon’s Governor, John Kitzhaber, issued a proclomation recognizing May 21 as “Gay and Grey Day.”

It is wonderful to have such strong support and recognition for the LGBT community in Oregon government.

The Portland metro area also has one of the country’s few LGBT-focused retirement communities, Rainbow Vista. This community provides support tailored to the needs of LGBT seniors:

It is our desire to serve the need of LGBT seniors by providing a safe and affordable community to living and strive in. We also support the gay community by being a part of many local events … We also provide a space for public events and meetings at our community.

Oregon seniors and their families (of birth and choice) should take full advantage of these wonderful opportunities.