Perez Hilton Seeks to End His Own Bullying Tactics

perez and ellen

Wow. I love the insight that Ellen gives and completely agree, we can't expect kids to not be bullies when our culture encourages, rewards and participates in bullying all across the spectrum. Have you watched reality TV? ... cable news and radio pundits? ... blogs? Have you noticed among adults in general that incivility is now a common default in much of our culture? Bullying can be found in the name calling, very real polarizing pressure based on lies/mischaracterizations at another's expense. Bullying manifests in stigmatizing, dehumanizing and creating a scapegoat in others so … [Read more...]

Memories of Bullying

upset boy against a wall

The recent suicides that are related to bullying have brought back some not-so-pleasant memories for me. I’m sure I’m not alone.  Coming out of the closet (or rather, being pushed out kicking and screaming) as a high school student in 1990-ish in small-town New Hampshire was not fun. I always joke that Ellen didn’t come out for another 7 years :)  I was made fun of, harassed, threatened, and insulted.  I remember sitting in class and having a peer tell me that all gay people should be put on an island and blown up, as my teacher sat there and said nothing.  I spent many classes just … [Read more...]

Brief Media Round-Up Concerning Day Of Truth Announcement

Day-of-Truth

I knew when Alan made the announcement that Exodus was giving up participation in the Day of Truth campaign that it would cause a bit of a stir.  I didn't expect it to cause such an enormous amount of feedback! The blogosphere lit up and emails, Facebook private messages, phone calls started coming in.  There were quite a number of media outlets that picked up the story as well. A vast majority of the feedback was exuberant agreement with the decision. However, there were a few who didn't like the decision.  Some of those who disagreed were very thoughtful about their disagreement and … [Read more...]

Jesus Likes Me This I Know

Jesus Likes Me

Jesus Likes Me This I Know Mike Goeke, October 2010 I am sort of a weird guy. I prefer the term quirky, but semantics aside, I am weird. My interests are not typical (or maybe I should say that they are not stereotypical) of your run-of-the-mill guy. I remember sensing that I was different at about age 5. In many ways, my early years were spent feeling odd and yearning for friends and some sort of acceptance. These days, I don’t worry so much about being weird. For the most part, I am comfortable with myself. I can still feel lonely at times, and I can feel like that little 5 … [Read more...]

Exodus International Releases Control of Day of Truth Back to friend Alliance Defense Fund

Day-of-Truth

Exodus International Releases Control of Day of Truth Back to friend Alliance Defense Fund After 4 years of supporting the Day of Truth initiative and 1 year of spearheading the effort, Exodus International is returning the event to the Alliance Defense Fund.  ADF will likely find another group to run the event or end it altogether.  Created in 2005 by the Alliance Defense Fund as a response to the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network's (GLSEN) annual Day of Silence, Day of Truth was an effort aimed at encouraging conservatively-minded teenagers to respectfully engage fellow students … [Read more...]

Follow Up Reactions To Tyler Clementi and the “September Suicides”

Graphic Credit: FRC (click image to visit FRC)

Warren Throckmorton writes on the CNN Belief Blog: As a traditional evangelical, I may have some differences of opinion with my gay friends. However, such ideological differences don’t matter to a middle school child who is afraid to go to school. Agreed. Family Research Council links to my post on Tyler Clementi: Bullying Is Hate; Truth Is Love In recent weeks there have been several suicides of teenagers who either said they were, or were believed to be, homosexuals. The intense media coverage of these events has led some people to lay the blame for these tragedies not on the … [Read more...]

1.5% of British People Identify as Gay or Bisexual – New Study

Photo Credit: The Guardian

From The Guardian: Nearly three-quarters of a million adults in Britain say they are gay or bisexual, according to figures published for the first time today by the Office of National Statistics. The findings, based on interviews with more than 450,000 people – the biggest pool of social data after the census – show that an estimated 481,000 people regard themselves as gay and a further 245,000 – mainly women – say they are bisexual. The estimate puts Britain's gay community at 1.5% of the total population – much lower than the most commonly used estimate of 5% to 7%, which … [Read more...]

Finding a Safe Place– Real Stories for September 2010

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This testimony appears in both our offline and online newsletters.  To receive testimonies like this along with the full newsletter online via email or offline through the postal service please sign up here. --- I am a wife of a man with undesired same-sex attraction struggles. Together we have attended two Exodus conferences. Through the ministry of Exodus, God showed me that He truly cares about human brokenness. He loves homosexual men and women. He also loves my husband and desires to free him from his past and present pain, fears, and shame. The Exodus Freedom conference … [Read more...]

How can my struggle with same-sex attraction help to benefit others in the Body of Christ? – Real Answers Article for September 2010

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This article appears in both our offline and online newsletters.  To receive articles like this along with the full newsletter online via email or offline through the postal service please sign up here. --- How can my struggle with same-sex attraction help to benefit others in the Body of Christ? Sometimes in the midst of struggling we are so focused on getting through the day that we forget what our struggle may eventually mean to others. Our stories are powerful. Our God loves to use our redeemed and restored lives as testimonies of His grace. I believe the Body of Christ is … [Read more...]

Difficulty Can Lead to Clarity of Vision and Inspiration – Letter from Alan Chambers for September 2010

Alan-Chambers

This letter from Alan Chambers appears in both our offline and online newsletters.  To receive this letter along with the full newsletter online via email or offline through the postal service please sign up here. --- Dear Friends, I often forget when seasons of desperation begin how beneficial they can be, when I give them over to God and ask Him to guide me through them. When these seasons start I usually try to employ my own gifts and talents to manage the turbulence. Then if that doesn’t work I begin to panic, spending hours thinking about what else “I” can do to get … [Read more...]