The Fred Phelps Hatred Tour

I learned today that the Fred Phelps / Westboro Baptist Church Hatred Tour will be in Savannah tomorrow, May 22nd, just an hour's drive from me. I may go snap some photos for my class, if Fred and his crew weren't raptured today. If you are near Savannah and want to see the hatred tour for yourself, go to Christ Church on Bull Street, at 10:00 a.m.

Lead with Love

Lead with Love, a new film for parents with children who are homosexual, is now available to view free at http://www.leadwithlovefilm.com/. Religious issues are among the topics the film addresses in this context.

This 35-minute film offers good, practical advice summarized in the acronym LEAD, which represents four things parents should remember when a child discusses homosexuality:
Let your affection show;
Express your pain away from your child;
Avoid rejecting behaviors;
Do good before you feel good.

Dr. David Huebner, a psychologist who studies prejudice and mental health at the University of Utah, received a NIMH grant to create the film. It is well worth viewing and recommending to others.

Poll: Religion, Sexual Orientation and Suicide

Results of a poll conducted in the U.s. indicate that most respondents agree that "religious messages contribute to a higher rate of suicide among gay and lesbian youth". The brief report is worth reading.

Court Cases: Religious Students Object to Counseling LGBT Clients

New developments were announced in cases involving counseling psychology graduate students who objected to counseling LGBT clients in an affirming way. A student backed by the Alliance Defense Fund sued Augusta State University over the issue. The student cites her religious beliefs condemning homosexuality, while the university cites professional ethics codes. A similar case at Eastern Michigan University was resolved yesterday by a federal judge ruling in favor of the university. A summary of the issue appears in today's issue of Inside Higher Ed.

Parenting and Sexual Orientation

US News and World Report offers a summary of an upcoming article to be published in the journal Pediatrics concerning children raised in lesbian households. The article, which will be published in next month's issue, reports that those children fare better emotionally and socially than do parents raised in heterosexual households. The article has not yet been published, and I have not read the article or evaluated its methodology, etc. What is interesting to me now is the comments that accompany the article. As with many online commentary forums, the discussion is quite polarized along ideological lines. You may not want to wade through all 150+ comments, but perusing a few of them conveys the passion of social debate. Whether or not that debate is enlightening as well as passionate, well, that is a different question!

Changing Attitudes About Homosexuality

A recent Gallup Poll finds that the percentage of US residents who accept homosexual relations has, for the first time, surpassed the 50% mark. In terms of religiosity, 42% of Protestants, 62% of Catholics, and 84% of people affiliated with other religions considered homosexuality morally acceptable. The comparable figure for those with no religious affiliation was 85%. Compared with attitudes reported in previous years, the big change was among men, especially those aged 18-49. This group showed a 20% increase in acceptance over the rate reported just 4 years ago.

The poll involved 1029 respondents and has a 4% margin of error. You can view details of the methodology here (pdf).

Sexual Orientation "Conversion" Therapy: Psychiatric Times

Psychiatric Times has an article discussing the American Psychological Association study summarizing research on sexual orientation "conversion" therapy. The APA report received much discussion among Division 36 members at the Toronto meeting. The Psychiatric Times story also includes mention of NARTH, which promotes the idea of sexual orientation change through therapy.

Professor Chooses Church over Seminary

The religion blog at the Dallas Morning News reports this interesting story. Michael Cox, who taught music at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, was given an ultimatum to leave his church or lose his job. Cox attends Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, but the seminary, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, considers Broadway Baptist to be insufficiently opposed to homosexuality. Cox opted to take early retirement from the seminary, rather than leave his church. Read the details here.

Graduate Training, Religious Beliefs, and Sexual Orientation

A counseling psychology student has filed a lawsuit in response to being dismissed from the Eastern Michigan University graduate program. The student's religious beliefs about homosexuality apparently led her to respond to a client in a way apparently inconsistent with the university's nondiscrimination policy. The Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative Christian legal group, is backing the student's suit. The Ann Arbor News offers details.

Sexual Orientation and Religion at Georgia Tech

The question of state support of some religious beliefs over others is in news coming from Georgia Tech. According to the article, a federal judge has determined that materials used by the "Safe Space" program at the university promoted certain interpretations of religion over others, and in doing so were unconstitutional. The lawsuit was brought by two students who were backed by The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a group that cites its core issues as being the sanctity of human life, traditional family values, and defending religious freedom.

Georgia Tech says that the Safe Space program no longer uses the materials that the students and ADF found objectionable; The ADF claims that other universities have comparable materials, and it vows to continue to fight against such materials. A lawyer and former university administrator critical of the court's decision is quoted as saying that while the ADF wishes to contribute to public discussion of religion, it appears as though the ADF actually wishes to use "the tools of law to shut down the other side." In all likelihood, we will hear more about this issue in the future.

Facing East at APA in San Francisco

You may be hard-pressed to find a city with more cultural attractions than San Francisco, but if you are attending APA next month, consider attending Facing East. It is a play rich in themes that will interest psychologists who study religion. The story revolves around the suicide of a gay Mormon, and features dialogue between his parents and his partner. Facing East is written by Carol Lynn Pearson, who is most famous for Good-bye, I love you, the powerful, true story of her relationship with her husband who left her for a man, contracted aids, and later returned to Carol Lynn to die. I had the pleasure of hearing her speak once, many years ago, and remember her as a remarkable story teller with something important to say. I've reserved my ticket for the Friday night (Aug. 17) performance. Come along, and we can discuss the play afterwards!