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Barack Obama Calls For End To Gay ‘Conversion’ Therapies

Barack Obama Calls For End To Gay ‘Conversion’ Therapies

Washington (AFP) — US President Barack Obama is calling for an end to so-called conversion therapies that seek to change sexual or gender orientation of young homosexuals or transgenders.

The call is in response to a petition on the White House website that was launched after the death of 17-year-old Leelah Alcorn, a transgender youth who committed suicide in December.

In a note posted online before her death, Alcorn wrote about being forced to undergo conversion therapy by her parents.

Obama said young people must be given the right to choose and live safely regardless of sexual orientation.

“Tonight, somewhere in America, a young person, let’s say a young man, will struggle to fall to sleep, wrestling alone with a secret he’s held as long as he can remember,” Obama said in a statement Wednesday.

“What happens next depends on him, his family, as well as his friends and his teachers and his community. But it also depends on us — on the kind of society we engender, the kind of future we build.”

The online petition has received more than 120,000 signatures in the past three months.

Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to Obama said the therapy, also called “reparative” treatment, are morally and medically damaging.

“The overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy, especially when it is practiced on young people, is neither medically nor ethically appropriate and can cause substantial harm,” Jarrett said in a statement.

“As part of our dedication to protecting America’s youth, this administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors.”

Obama has been a vocal supporter of gay rights, both on US soil and abroad and is the first US president to come out in support of same-sex marriage.

Photo: Mandel Ngan via AFP

North Texas Students Petition For A Speaker Other Than Texas Governor Abbott

North Texas Students Petition For A Speaker Other Than Texas Governor Abbott

By Anna M. Tinsley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TNS)

Texas Governor Greg Abbott will speak at the University of North Texas graduation next month even though some students promise to boycott their own commencement ceremony if he gives the keynote address.

More than 2,000 students have signed an online petition asking UNT officials to choose a different speaker for their May ceremony.

“While Governor Abbott’s story is inspirational, his views on inequality cannot be overshadowed by this,” the petition states. “Our Mean Green Pride comes from being heard and respected. Which is why we ask University President Neal Smatresk to find a new keynote speaker for graduation.”

Smatresk said he’s not changing speakers and he’s excited that the state’s 48th governor will speak at the ceremony.

“He’s a new governor, he’s supportive of higher education,” said Smatresk, who became UNT’s president last year. “Why wouldn’t we want to celebrate the success of our institution in its 125th year with him?

“I feel it’s a great way to celebrate.”

Despite the controversy swirling around his appearance — most via social media — Abbott, a Republican, plans to honor his commitment.

“Governor Abbott is honored to accept the invitation to address the University of North Texas’ commencement, and he looks forward to recognizing the great work UNT is doing to elevate Texas’ higher education system, as well as the contributions that the UNT Class of 2015 will make to build a better future for Texas,” said Amelia Chasse, press secretary for the governor.

Students have said they oppose Abbott for reasons ranging from his opposition to gay marriage to his opposition to Denton’s ban on hydraulic fracturing in city limits.

“College students are young adults with passion, and they often express it as a challenge to authority,” said Jim Riddlesperger, a political science professor at Texas Christian University. “It isn’t terribly surprising to see this come in Denton, where the anti-fracking ordinance has already galvanized feelings.

“And, of course, it shows in some ways the increasing partisan polarization in our society where elections seem never truly to be over.”

The UNT graduation is scheduled for May 16 at Apogee Stadium.

Texas universities have been announcing their commencement speakers, with retired General Colin Powell speaking at Rice University; Ford Foundation President Darren Walker talking at the University of Texas, Austin; former President George W. Bush speaking at Southern Methodist University in Dallas; and actor Matthew McConaughey talking at the University of Houston.

Smatresk announced earlier this month that Abbott would deliver the address at UNT’s first university-wide graduation ceremony, honoring students who completed their degrees at any point through the 2014-2015 school year.

“I would love to show him all the wonderful things that are going on at our incredibly diverse campus,” Smatresk said. “When you engage the governor in a dialogue about higher education, higher education wins.”

He said he’s not surprised by the student reaction, which has been mostly negative on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, but he notes that he has personally heard from “quite a few” students who are excited Abbott is coming to campus.

“One of the things we are proud of is that we have truly engaged students,” Smatresk said. “They are passionate, they care. Certainly we have students who want to make their opinions known.

“They are the future leaders of the world.”

After the announcement, a new page on Facebook — Abbott Free UNT — was created, urging students upset about the governor’s presence to protest by walking out of the ceremony once he takes the stage.

And a firestorm of comments have been posted on the UNT Facebook page, many opposed to Abbott being the speaker.

“You have failed your students, UNT,” wrote Emily Eells, a member of the UNT College Democrats. “We hosted one of the largest college campus rally’s for Wendy Davis in the fall. How on EARTH did you think Greg Abbott was an appropriate speaker for commencement?”

Abbott and Davis, a former Fort Worth state senator, went head-to-head in the November general election, each hoping to become the next governor of Texas. Abbott handily won, claiming 59 percent of the vote to Davis’s nearly 39 percent.

“I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that I will not be attending my commencement ceremony this semester due to this poor choice in speaker,” Eells said.

“As an alumni, this is a disappointing choice,” wrote Scott Davis. “Instead of somebody that represents such a partisan and narrow world view, it would be better to have somebody that can speak to all of the students.”

James Thomason said he won’t attend the graduation.

“He’s a more cunning evil than Perry ever was,” he wrote. “God help Texas (if it isn’t too late already).”

And John Barnes, a 1968 UNT graduate, said he is “disgusted” by the university’s choice.

“You have insulted every minority, LGBT, poor, and physically challenged person within the UNT system. NTSU/UNT has a long, proud history of challenging the status quo. This choice reduces UNT to a tea party mouthpiece. How in the hell can you be proud of this choice? Shame on you.”

Hailey Carlson is graduating in May but she wasn’t planning on going to the ceremony until she learned about the petition.

Now she’s going to show support for the governor.

“I think it’s very disrespectful to petition or walk out,” said Carlson, 22, who heads the Young Conservatives of Texas at UNT group and will graduate with a psychology degree. “I wasn’t surprised though because our campus is primarily made up of liberal students.

“I know they do not like his views. They were all big supporters of Wendy Davis.”

So she plans to show her support with her presence.

UNT alumni Ron Ellis believes college leaders made a good choice.

“Glad to see my old school occasionally has some good news,” he wrote. “He has my full support. Thanks for having him!!!”

Smatresk said he appreciates the petition and the sentiment behind the protests, but they won’t change his mind.

“We are not changing speakers,” he said. “We have the governor and we are happy.”
___
The online petition

“The University of North Texas’ student body is made up of students from all walks of life. Therefore, it is pivotal that our keynote speaker be someone who reflects not only our student population but our views on equality and representation. Governor Abbott is an advocate for immigration reform, border patrol, and anti-equal marriage laws. This does not align the spirit of the University of North Texas which prides itself in providing equal opportunities for their students. While Governor Abbott’s story is inspirational, his views on inequality cannot be overshadowed by this. Our Mean Green Pride comes from being heard and respected. Which is why we ask University President Neal Smatresk to find a new keynote speaker for graduation.”
___
High-profile commencement speakers for 2015

In Texas

University of Houston: Matthew McConaughey
University of Texas, Austin: Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation
Rice: Colin Powell
SMU: George W. Bush

Nationwide

Wake Forest: Stephen Colbert
Dillard University (New Orleans): Denzel Washington
Princeton: Christopher Nolan, director
Pepperdine: Anthony Hopkins
University of Virginia: Ed Helms
Tulane: Maya Rudolph
University of Wisconsin, Madison: Katie Couric
University of Georgia: Amy Robach, news anchor for Good Morning America
Stanford: Richard Engel, chief foreign correspondent at NBC News
MIT: Megan Smith, chief technology officer of the U.S.
George Washington University: Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
Emory: Kenneth Cole and Sir Salman Rushdie
Harvard: Deval Patrick, former governor of Massachusetts
Tufts: Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State
College of William and Mary: Condoleezza Rice
Xavier University: Magic Johnson and Attorney General Eric Holder

Photo: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Despite Petition, Toys ‘R’ Us Won’t Pull ‘Breaking Bad’ Action Figures

Despite Petition, Toys ‘R’ Us Won’t Pull ‘Breaking Bad’ Action Figures

By Joan Verdon, The Record (Hackensack, N.J.)

The “Breaking Bad” action figures in the aisles at Toys “R” Us stores are making some parents mad, including a Florida mother who launched an online petition to get the retailer to pull the products.
Toys “R” Us, however, has heard this kind of complaint about action figures before, and it isn’t alarmed. The figures, which feature drug lord Walter White and his sidekick, Jesse Pinkman, from the award-winning television show “Breaking Bad,” are carried in the adult action figure section of the store in limited quantities “for our collector customers,” and the company has no plans to stop selling them, according to Toys spokeswoman Kathleen Waugh.
The Florida mother who started the Change.org petition was reacting to a Walter White figure sold online at the Toys “R” Us website that comes with accessories including a small bag of the illegal drug crystal methamphetamine. The White character on the show is a chemistry teacher who believes he is dying and starts making and selling crystal meth to pay his medical bills. As of Tuesday morning, the petition against the retailer had more than 7,000 supporters.
Six-inch action figures, which became hot properties with the first Star Wars movies, have attracted controversy whenever the molded plastic toys have been used to depict material considered too adult for Toys “R” Us kids. One of the first action figures to raise a ruckus was that of Star Wars heroine Princess Leia dressed as a scantily clad slave girl.
Chris Byrne, content director of TTPM.com, a leading toy review website, and the author of “Toy Time,” a history of America’s most beloved toys, said action figures such as the “Breaking Bad” dolls are commonly carried by toy stores, and they are not targeted to children.
“Not all toys are intended for children,” Byrne said. “The toy market is very broad. These are collector dolls for people who are fans of the series. And if your child is a fan of the series, there’s something wrong with how you’re editing what they’re watching on TV.”
The collector market “is a fairly hefty percentage of the action figure market,” Byrne said.
A similar parental protest arose in 2011 when Mattel produced a collector’s edition Barbie called the “Tokidoki Barbie,” after the artist who designed it. The doll was covered with artistic tattoos and had pink hair, and mothers protested that Mattel was using Barbie to encourage girls to get tattoos.
Byrne said he has found that young children don’t even look at the collector action figures unless they are familiar with the television show or characters depicted by the figures. “If it’s not in their consciousness they kind of don’t even see it,” he said. “They’ll run for the Pikachu or the Ninja Turtle because that’s where their focus goes.”

Photo via Nicholas Eckhart via Flickr

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Over 900 Authors Join Effort To Press Amazon On Hachette

Over 900 Authors Join Effort To Press Amazon On Hachette

New York (AFP) — More than 900 authors have signed a letter urging U.S. online giant Amazon to end its simmering dispute with publishing group Hachette over book pricing.

The open letter circulated by bestselling author Douglas Preston that blames Amazon for the standoff is also due to appear in a full-page ad in Sunday’s New York Times.

The authors said they were “not taking sides” in a contract dispute but that Amazon should not take actions that hurt authors, such as boycotting Hachette authors, slowing delivery, or refraining from discounts.

“We call on Amazon to resolve its dispute with Hachette without further hurting authors and without blocking or otherwise delaying the sale of books to its customers,” said the letter, circulating since July.

Among those signing are top-name authors John Grisham, Stephen King, David Baldacci, Michael Chabon, Suzanne Collins, Michael Lewis, Jeffery Deaver, Anna Quindlen, Nora Roberts, and Scott Turow.

Amazon has drawn fire for its tactics, such as discouraging customers from buying books by Hachette authors and suggesting that readers might enjoy a book from another writer instead.

Amazon last month attempted to shift the blame to Hachette, saying the publisher is opposing lower e-book prices.

Amazon said its proposal to Hachette is to give 35 percent of e-book revenue to authors, another 35 percent to the publisher, and then keep the remaining 30 percent as its share.

“The way this would actually work is that we would send 70 percent of the total revenue to Hachette, and they would decide how much to share with the author,” Amazon said in a blog post.

“We believe Hachette is sharing too small a portion with the author today, but ultimately that is not our call.”

Amazon has maintained that it is seeking to push prices lower for consumers, and that the standoff with Hachette affects only a small percentage of sales.

Amazon has a reputation for negotiating hard to push down prices for the goods it sells online.

Hachette Book Group is a subsidiary of French company Lagardere.

AFP Photo/Emmanuel Dunand

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