BYU and Gay Aversion Therapy

Brigham Young University is today known as one of the nation's top religious universities. But, sometimes this religion can cause people to do horrendous things in the name of Jesus. One former practice was gay/homosexual aversion therapy. Basically, from 1931 to 1989 officially, the university, in an attempt to root out homosexuality, would trap young Mormon students, mostly men in compromising positions. According to former victims, they would be strapped down to a chair, with electrodes attached to their body and forced to watch various forms of pornography. Their heart rates were monitored to measure arousal. If the student was aroused by gay acts, they would receive a large shock. Then videos of straight sex were shown and the students were not shocked. This was done to turn them straight by way of associating gay thoughts with pain. Fortunately today, as most scientists know, you cannot change a person's sexuality by shocking them. Gay aversion therapy is a pseudoscience rooted in homophobia. Far from turning them straight, many former victims now say, due to trauma they have lost all sexual interest and cannot maintain a healthy relationship with either gender. The sad truth is, the only reason the university did this, was because of religious taboos, forever scarring these men.

Captain Underpants Gay Controversy

If you were a young kid in the early 2000's, you will likely know about the children's graphic novel series "Captain Underpants" by Dav Pilkey.

If you don't know, it is about a couple of elementary school friends and their teacher. The teacher, when  hypnotized by the two prankster fourth grade protagonists, believes he is the superhero they created called "Captain Underpants". The series is filled with fourth grade humor, including villains with names like "Professor Poopy Pants." It's a very popular series of books.

But recently an addition to the series prompted controversy from a school district in Michigan. The school district sent home a letter to all the parents, warning them that in this book of the series, that one of the main characters travels into the future and discovers there that he is married to another man. However, that is not the whole of the story, merely a part of it. But apparently, the school was so concerned about the reaction from the parents, that they sent home the letter addressing their concerns. But what I find funny is that there are still so many people in this country that would be so concerned about the mere acknowledgement of the existence of gay people, that they would feel parents should be warned. I have to tell you, I've known several gay people while I was growing up. My parents have many gay friends, and they never tried to hide it from us. And I can assure you that all of them are perfectly lovely and normal people. I think knowing them helped me become a kinder and more compassionate person.

So not only am I not concerned about this subplot, I applaud it.

American Meddling Leads to Islamic Republic of Iran

     When many people in my generation think of Iran, we see radical clerics screaming about how evil the West is and spouting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. But this wasn't always the case. Once upon a time Iran was a liberal jewel in a sea of fundamental Islam. Women, up until 1979, could attend college, wore Western clothing, had Western style TV shows, and generally were, well, Western. It was even said that it was then Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who wrote a letter to then, more conservative Saudi Arabia saying, "Please, my brother, let your women wear mini skirts. Let them have discos. Let them see movies. Let them be modern." However, despite the Shah's progressive leanings, he was still an absolute monarch, promising democracy but never giving it. He enraged the conservative Shiite majority with his Western, liberal, reforms. To top it off, he was actually put in due to the ousting of a democratically elected leader, Mohammad Mosaddegh, who the U.S. and Britain thought was communist. 

     All of this culminated in the Iranian revolution of 1979. But there is a reason that I am boring you about this particular topic. Iran was once a Westernized, modern society which then got seduced by a radical fundamentalist. I feel that we need to be careful so that it doesn't happen again in the world. 

Charles Lindbergh: Aviation Legend or Kidnapping Mastermind?

     When Charles Lindbergh Jr. was kidnapped in 1932 it triggered a shock wave around the nation. But in recent years a new and controversial theory has come to light. The disturbing part is when you look at the evidence the theory has a lot of credibility. Charles Lindbergh may have orchestrated his son's own kidnapping to hide a dark family secret. The secret: his son had a mild deformity with his leg. Why would this bring such shame to Lindbergh?

 At the time, Lindbergh was one of the most prominent vocal proponents of the philosophy of eugenics: the belief that through selected breeding and sterilization of the mentally and physically disabled you could create a master race. 

One of the main pieces of evidence: How would the kidnapper have known that the Lindberghs would be out of town on that specific evening. They would have had to have inside knowledge. However, any household staff has been ruled out since it's been considered unlikely that any of them would risk their job. Also, Lindbergh Senior was reported to have come back to the house an hour before the kidnapping, supposedly to take a call from a business associate. This would have been the perfect time to direct and organize a kidnapping. However, the belief is that Lindbergh only wanted his son put in an institution, not killed. So it is believed that during the kidnapping or when they got further from the house, something went wrong. 

     The final piece of evidence, in my mind: In 1938, Lindbergh was invited by Hitler to speak about the need to institute eugenics world wide. 

The Pied Piper of Hamlin

When you think of fairy tales, you might think, "that's an interesting story, but there's no way it could possibly be real, right?" But with one story, the line between reality and fairy tale is a bit less clear. This story is "The Pied Piper of Hamlin."

In case you have forgotten this tale, it goes, briefly, like this:

The town of Hamlin had a huge rat problem. They were overrunning the place, eating up all the food and getting into everything. When the leaders of the city were at their wits end as to what to do about the rats, a solution appeared in the form of a handsome, although rather unusual looking young man. As if, in answer to their prayers, he simply showed up one day and offered to get rid of the rats for them. His price for doing the job was high, but the city leaders were desperate and agreed to it. The interesting young man set to work immediately. He went out into the streets of the city and began to play his flute. As if by magic, all the rats came out of their hiding places and began to follow him down the streets of the town and to the river, where they all jumped in and drowned. When the piper came back to the leaders of the city, ready to be paid for his services, the mayor and his colleagues refused to pay. He told them they would be sorry, and gave them one more chance. When they again refused, he took his flute back into the streets of the city and began again to play. This time, the children came out and began to follow the piper down the streets and out of the town into the side of a mountain which opened up to receive them and then closed behind them all, except for one disabled little boy who couldn't keep up. No one ever saw the other children or the piper again.

Normally, most people would shrug this off as a cautionary tale about keeping promises. But when the English poet Robert Browning went to the actual town of Hamlin in Germany, back in 1876, he saw a stained glass window in the church of the town, depicting the 1376 disappearance of the children with the piper. What is odd about this fairy tale, to me, is how specific it is about the time and place that the story occurs, and about even the physical appearance of the piper.

Now I know this will sound crazy, but here's my theory; I think that in the 1300's, it was much more common for people to believe in magic and fairies. Magical beings and realms weren't so strange to them, and they quite literally believed in their existence. Could it be that the Pied Piper was a fairy, a denizen of the realm of Fae? There have been numerous accounts of beings from this other land. And there has always been some speculation that it is real and continues to exist, perhaps as another dimension, even though most of us can't see it. Almost like a radio station that we are no longer capable of picking up, because our receiver doesn't get that channel.

Let me be clear, I am not definitively saying that the piper was real, and I know there is no proof that this is anything more than a fairy tale. But, once again, the fact that the specifics of the the story were so, well, specific, I am simply offering this rather unorthodox theory.

How young is too young?

     I recently saw a story on ABC's Nightline. It wasn't the content of the story that disturbed me, but how they reported on it. It was about young girls and sexuality, mainly revealing clothing. The story had all of the usual strawmen: blaming sexy music videos, and celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Ashley Tisdale, claiming that seeing their once wholesome idols dressing in risque costumes and dancing in music videos caused these girls to have some sort of identity crisis.
     They even use the term "corporate pedophilia" for companies that sell revealing clothing to young girls. I understand that a parent may not want to buy a super short skirt for their twelve year old daughter, but that term is way over the line. Also, people tend to forget if your child is so young that they are that impressionable, they're probably not making their own money, which means you're buying the TV, and internet. So, if you're that concerned, unplug the TV when you're not home, and make them read a book. It's probably better for them anyway.

Is Disney the Death of Broadway?

     When I was younger I loved theater, and I still do. I spent most of my junior high and high school years involved in theater. But recently, I've noticed an annoying trend in which shows make it to the Great Wide Way and which don't. Many of the shows that do are G-rated ventures by the Disney company repackaging their successes like "The Lion King", "The Little Mermaid", and most recently "Aladdin". 

     There's nothing wrong with this inherently, but I also think we need to remember such shows as RENT and Showboat, which brought social issues like racism and discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS into public consciousness. But it's concerning to me that Broadway is trying so hard to go for a more family friendly environment, and the more adult shows are relegated to off-Broadway theaters. Will this affect Broadway's reputation as an instrument of social change? Or maybe I'm just being a theater snob. 

Flag Burning: Patriotism or Treason

When we think of burning the American flag, we mainly think of two things. One, left wing Vietnam protesters, and two Islamic extremists, burning the flag in protest of policies having to do with their countries. So, naturally, this tends to make many people, especially people with a military background uncomfortable. Here's why.
     Many Americans identify as Christian. Christianity teaches that all people are children of one God. But, America also has one of the largest military forces, and military budgets in the world. Many people who identify as Christian also go off to fight in these wars, so, how does a self identified Christian deal with the fact that he or she may have to kill a fellow "child of god"? Nationalism. Patriotism. Many of them may use the flag as a sort of blanket and shield so they don't have to think of the guilt they might have. So, when they see the flag being desecrated, they feel like their shield is being taken away, forcing them to deal with their emotional guilt. But, that being said, I think the flag is freedom of speech. You can't stop people from expressing freedoms that you claim to protect.

American Identity Crisis

America has an identity crisis. And no, I don't mean that America is a woman trapped in a man's body. I mean, the conflict between what we claim are our most sacred religious values, and our actions.

Take war, for example. This is perhaps the biggest contradiction between many Americans' professed Christian beliefs, and their actions. America has the largest military budget on Earth. This seems in direct contradiction to Jesus, who said that if someone hits you on one cheek, you are supposed to offer him the other.

Another contradiction is that what we tend to think of as the biggest holiday for Christians, also a national holiday, Christmas, in it's modern incarnation, has almost nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. I mean, I don't remember any Bible quote saying, "And then there came a man in a red suit who will bring you gifts from JC Penney.

Look, I'm not saying that you're a bad Christian if you celebrate Christmas or support the troops, but don't do those things and then turn around and say that abortion and gay marriage are sins.

Disney Star Pisses Off Dubai

Recently, former Disney star and singer Selena Gomez, who is probably best known for her role as Alex Russo on the hit show "Wizards of Waverly Place" and her tumultuous on-again off-again relationship with teen pop star and perpetual douche bag Justin Bieber, took a trip to Dubai with some of her girlfriends. The Islamic country is known for some pretty strict rules. Some American and British couples have even been arrested and put in jail for up to ten years for kissing in public. So you can imagine the uproar when Gomez was seen not only laughing and dancing at one of the country's most sacred mosques, which is expressly forbidden, but she also posted a picture of her jokingly pushing her ankle through her burqa. I don't know if this was just her being goofy or stupid, or if it was a form of protest. I doubt it's number 3. But she gives me an idea: the next time you consider going to Dubai, just run through all the mosques naked, and that way all the shock will be over with in an instant.

Safety Insanity

If you live in America today, you will know one thing about us; we are obsessed with staying safe any way we can. From not letting our kids go outside to play out of fear they might be kidnapped by a pedophile, to having an entire government agency, the FDA, banning certain foods and products just because they might be dangerous. And the most blatant example of safety insanity in recent years is the US Patriot Act, which gave the government new and unprecedented powers. All under the guise of keeping us safe.

But, I often tend to wonder, would America even exist if the founders were as safety conscious as we are. I don't think anyone can deny what the founders were doing was certainly dangerous to their health. My point is, America was built on taking risks. And if we build a society that is obsessed with eliminating any possible danger or risk, by any means necessary, I think it's going to hurt us as a nation. I think that taking risks is a part of what being an American is all about.

It's Very Hard to Argue with a Traumatized People

     In recent years I've heard many on the American left begin to, in my opinion, relentlessly criticize the state of Israel and its supporters under the belief that the Palestinians are unfairly occupied. I find this odd, considering that Israel is the only country in the middle east where homosexuality is not illegal, and women are given far more rights than in any other middle eastern country. And furthermore, even though it is technically considered a Jewish state, most Israeli citizens and government officials consider themselves secular. 

      So, it is disturbing to me that many on the left seem to be blindly sympathetic to the cause of the Palestinians, when most likely in Palestine, women, gays and other minorities would be put to death. Lastly, the most annoying thing to me, is that they claim to be opposed to Israel aggressively building on the West Bank. I can't say I totally disagree with them on this, but I can also see why the Israelis would so aggressively protect what was legally given to them. If you've ever been the victim of a physical attack, or home invasion, you know how frightening that is. Now imagine that not just you, but your entire family have been going through this for hundreds of years, in the form of purges and genocides. You can't tell me, that wanted or not, you wouldn't at least buy a gun. In my opinion we are not dealing just with a crisis of land, but an emotionally scarred and, not surprisingly paranoid people. And this is what I don't think anti-Zionist activists understand. It'

Forgotten Voices Speak Out

     When Deborah Feldman published her memoir in 2012, "Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots, it caused quite a stir in the ultra orthodox Jewish community, resulting in her rejection from the community. Especially considering the physical and sexually abuse by her grandfather. She was even compared to Joseph Goebbels. The same could also be said for Lucinda Schmidt.
     When she published her memoir, "A Separate God," about her life as a young Amish girl, and the abuse she encountered from her husband, she soon found herself exiled from her community as well. Another book, "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, recounts her struggles growing up as a fundamentalist Muslim in Africa, subjected to genital mutilation and other horrors.
     There's a pattern with these books. All three of these women come from communities which see them as second class citizens. Which, inevitably, will make them the loudest critics. And that's why these communities made the mistake: By viewing women as less than, they created a very strong counter point. It's easy to praise a community, when you're held in high esteem. Only time will tell if these exposees have any impact on the communities their written about, forcing them to look at their ancient cultures and ultimately force them to join the 21st century.

You Can Die in a War, But Don't Go to a Bar...

I don't understand why the legal drinking age in this country is so high. In fact, 21 is the highest drinking age in any country where drinking is permitted at all. But this wasn't always so. In fact, after Prohibition, the states were allowed to set their own drinking ages until about 1985. This is when, in a response to an increase in drunk driving, which was linked to college aged drinkers, the Federal government basically told the states that if they did not raise the drinking age to 21, it would cut funding for highways. But, as most 20-year-olds who have been to a college party will tell you, drinking still goes on. In my personal opinion, this also could be the reason why the rates of sexual assault on college campuses are so high -- if you don't want to get busted for underage drinking, you might be less likely to report an assault. So, in closing, I just don't understand how you can go to war and buy cigarettes at 18, but you're not old enough to have a beer.

Republicans and Ayn Rand

In recent years, the Republican Party has had a weird fascination with the late philosophical writer Ayn Rand.

Rand, for those who don't know, was a Russian philosopher and author, who advocated for, among other things, a completely free market capitalist system. She was generally thought of as the intellectual leader of what is now called Libertarianism. For this reason. a lot of Republicans often cite her as one of their influences.

But, what a lot of conservatives don't seem to realize is that Ayn Rand would have been appalled by the modern Republican party.

She was a committed atheist and staunchly opposed the 'war on drugs'. On the topic of abortion she said, "A man cannot say he is really for freedom, if he's not for a woman's right to choose."

And, not only did she not believe in God and was opposed to organized religion, she said, "religion is a disease and humanity will be better off once it is wiped out."

So, perhaps the Republicans who admire her so much, should do their homework on what she really believed. Then, they would either have to disavow her or change their parties' platform on a whole array of issues.

Abstinence Only Sex Education Spreads Ignorance and Worse.

When we think of HIV, we usually think of the stereotype of the promiscuous gay male in San Francisco. But new research is proving that this is not the case. In fact, the only places where HIV has increased over the last decade in the US, is in the most conservative states, such as Texas and Mississippi.

I think this is not surprising at all. In these states where you have religiously motivated taboos about talking about sex, and where you have mostly abstinence based sex ed curriculum, things like this are going to happen. This one of the things I find most distressing about religion. It's like religious people put up a wall in their brain. Even to the point of risking their own children's health.

When are we going to wake up and realize that not talking about it won't make it go away?

France Protects Freedom by Taking Away Choices

In 2011 the French parliament passed a law banning the Hijab and the Burka, religious garments worn by Muslim women. The parliament claimed that banning these religious garments would be a move that would stand up for women's rights and freedom of expression, although I find that argument an oxymoron, because if you are banning a type of clothing a woman might wear in public, then you are inhibiting her freedom.

In fact, many Muslim women say that wearing these things that cover parts of their bodies make them feel empowered because then men have to deal with what they say, and not the size of their breasts or the color of their hair.

And finally, I tend to get very annoyed with the special focus on Islam that the west seems to have. Orthodox Judaism, for instance has similar laws of modesty that govern how women and men can dress.

As a progressive and as an atheist, I find that Islam, like any other religion has old fashioned rules that we shouldn't be following in the present day. But I also believe that if you truly want to live in a free and democratic society, you can't start limiting such a basic freedom as what people can wear.

"Abstinence Only" is Dangerous

Recently, some students in Nevada rallied in favor of a statewide comprehensive sex education course. Nevada is one of several states that has only 'abstinence only' education.

This is ridiculous to me. It's as if people forgot what it is to be a young teen. I personally believe that teenagers are the most important group to talk to about how to stay safe while having sex. The fact is that many parents are too squeamish about talking to their kids about these matters.

And I would like to pose a question. Would you rather your kid have some sexual practices that you personally object to, or, would you rather them have to spend the rest of their lives having to take countless medications because they have AIDS?

The fact is, denying teenagers the right to know the truth about their bodies is not only wrong, it can be dangerous and deadly.

Vaccine Brouhaha

Recently, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul made headlines when he seemed to be advising parents not to get their kids vaccinated after a deadly measles outbreak.

I'm shocked that as a doctor he would say this. And, unfortunately his words have an impact. In the last decade, vaccination rates have declined dramatically, due to unfounded speculation that they cause Autism. This doesn't help, and it makes it even worse when celebrities like Jenny McCarthy lend their voice to the anti-vaccine hysteria.

The truth is, I don't think this is even genuine from Rand Paul. I think he's only doing this to pander to his black-helicopter-government's-trying-to-poison-us-all base.

I'm more inclined to agree with what Hillary Clinton recently said on Twitter; "I know Republicans aren't big fans of science, but the science is in, nonetheless. The Earth is round, the sky is blue, and vaccines work."

I'm not made of porcelain

Recently, in 2012, a Florida representative made headlines when he wanted to repeal a 1989 ban on dwarf tossing in bars, saying, "it's not for the government to tell consenting little people what they can do with their bodies." And that was the problem. The ban didn't only apply to non-consenting people, but also to little people who did this for a living, or at least to augment their incomes. Whether or not you agree with the ethical questions of throwing another person, the point is this: I feel that it's similar to the push to ban sideshows that succeeded in the early 1950s. What those crusaders and do-gooders didn't realize is that in ending the sideshow, they were taking away one of the performers' only viable sources of income. And I think banning dwarf tossing undermines the bodily autonomy of little people.

No matter if you disagree with it on safety grounds, or whether you think it's just mean, I think adults, no matter their height, should be able to do what they will with their own bodies, even if someone else finds it exploitative. People with disabilities must be respected as people first, capable of making their own choices. I'm not made of porcelain, and I can make my own decisions.

Is Fear of Backlash Keeping Discrimination Alive?

I want to talk to you about an issue that I find very interesting that nobody seems to be really talking about regarding the issue of same-sex marriage. Now, let me start off by saying that I am totally in support of two people who love each other being able to get married, and I think it's ridiculous that in America in the 21st century, we are still having this debate. But I have to talk about a concern that I deeply feel. And that is, the gay community promoting only traditional monogamous marriage, and not speaking about what I view as the very discriminatory laws which grant special rights to monogamous married individuals but leave out those who do not choose to live a strictly monogamous lifestyle. I understand that monogamy in a lot of ways is the most safe of sexual arrangements, but it doesn't mean that I think that those who choose to live non-monogamously should be left out of certain protections. I feel like only promoting monogamous same-sex couples is unfair and discriminatory, and demonstrates that the movement for so-called marriage equality is ultimately concerned primarily with appeasing heteronormative standards.

A World Without Religion

What I'm about to tell you may shock you, and it may horrify you. I am an atheist. The reason I am an atheist is that I see no evidence for a higher being of any kind, be it Thor, Zeus or the God of Abraham. I also see the destruction that religion causes all over the world, from the recent attacks in France over a magazine depicting the prophet Muhammad, to Pope Benedict XVI condemning condoms in Africa in the face of rampant HIV/AIDS. I also find it odd that a group of totally celibate men feel entitled to tell women and gay people what is appropriate sexual behavior. I see the attack on stem cell research, and the attempt to force creationism into American public schools. I see the fight between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims, over which version of their totally unprovable doctrine is true. The Spanish Inquisition, the Salem Witch Trials, the Crusades. I could go on and on, but it would take all day.

My argument is this: before you pick up a Bible or a Qu'ran, or whatever, think. Why are so many people still insisting that we live our lives based on an ancient set of rules that do not work for the world we live in today? I think the world will a better place in a thousand years or so when, as a species, we've finally outgrown the need to live after we're dead, and have become content with living now, in this moment, in this life.

The Woman in Red

A man once said not to judge a person by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. But does the same thinking apply to the color of your clothing?

According the the University of Rochester, it does.

Scientists wanted to see whether or not the colors you wear have any affect on the way people perceive you. The findings are surprising, especially with the color red.

They found that when the model was wearing red, she was more likely to be thought of negatively, especially by other women. The respondents thought of her as promiscuous and more likely to try to steal a man from another woman.

In contrast, the male respondents were actually more attracted to the woman in red because they thought she would be more interested in sex and easier to get into bed.

Of course, these presumptions are ridiculous, but it just goes to show you, the stigma of the woman in red is still alive and well.

Fundamental Sickness

Last week, a tragic terrorist attack rocked the city of Paris, France. The attack was over a popular satirical magazine in the country making fun of the Prophet Mohammed. The magazine had been known for it's pointed digs at religion and fundamentalism in particular.

The problem is not just with Islam, it is with all forms of fundamentalist religion. It is Jerry Falwell. It is Pat Robertson. It is attacks on abortion rights and gay rights. It is the Westboro Baptist Church and Scott Roder.

The point is, Islam is not the only religion that has problems with fundamentalists trying to force their beliefs down everybody's throat. We need to recognize religious fundamentalism for what it is; a sickness which keeps us in darkness and keeps us in chains.