365 Gay News » Wayne Besen

Besen: Wingnuts strike again

Jennifer Vanasco — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:44:10 +0000

Fresh off its wing nut wingding on the National Mall, the far-out fringe held its “Values Voter” summit in Washington last week.

The highlight was jilted former Miss California, Carrie(...)

Besen: A deficit in decency

Jennifer Vanasco — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:54:17 +0000

Tens of thousands of anti-government types, gun nuts, white supremacists, religious zealots, tax evaders and crazies streamed into Washington last Saturday. It was pure delirium, as the National(...)

Besen: Obama’s empty words

Jennifer Vanasco/editor — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:30:42 +0000

A debate is raging on whether to have a national gay March on Washington in October. Most leaders I have spoken with are against the idea, preferring to keep scarce financial and human resources(...)

Besen: What is the point of the ex-gay industry?

Jennifer Vanasco/editor — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:12:47 +0000

I’m on my way to Grand Rapids, Michigan to give a presentation at Grand Valley State University on the harm caused by the “ex-gay” industry. My speech, followed by a panel discussion, is(...)

Besen: The Conservative implosion

Jennifer Vanasco/editor — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:26:28 +0000

It was unusually satisfying to watch beauty contestant turned Bible-thumper Carrie Prejean crash and burn. In the bat of an eyelash, she went from Christian role model to wannabe underwear model(...)

Besen: Beauty queen vs. bitchy queen

Jennifer Vanasco/editor — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:34:04 +0000

The Miss USA contest began as a beauty contest and ended up as a mud bath. The theatrics started when celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who was a pageant judge, asked Miss California, Carrie(...)

Besen: The marriage writing is on the barn wall

Jennifer Vanasco/editor — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:12:37 +0000

Only ten years ago, it looked like gay people would not be able to marry until the cows came home. With an Iowa Supreme Court victory and the state legislature approving marriage in Vermont, gay(...)

Besen: Jamaica is a killer vacation

Jennifer Vanasco/editor — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:55:54 +0000

This week, I joined San Francisco organizer Michael Petrelis and Box Turtle Bulletin editor Jim Burroway in launching an international boycott against Jamaica (www.boycottJamaica.org). While the(...)

The Pope is not pro-life

Jennifer Vanasco/editor — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:35:33 +0000

Signaling a meaningful change from President George W. Bush’s disastrous policies, the Obama administration last week endorsed a United Nations statement calling for the worldwide(...)

Besen: Religion and Republicanism have lost

Jennifer Vanasco/editor — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:59:07 +0000

In pandering to the fanatical and the fearful – both religion and Republicanism may have compromised their future.

First, the Republican Party seems in an awfully big rush to implode(...)