America’s Notorious Ex-Gay Center: JONAH

Even though it’s hard to believe there are still people who believe a gay person can become straight, this is going on.

A lawsuit being referred to as the first of its kind was recently brought up against the organization, JONAH, by former patients. JONAH is short for Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality. They think they can cure gay people.  

It sounds like absolute torture. 

“Other clients were required to reenact childhood trauma, including childhood sexual trauma, under the theory that the reason people become gay is that they’ve suffered some sort of trauma in childhood that is thrown them off the normal path towards heterosexuality,” Dinielli tells Queerty. “Some were required as a part of the program to disrobe in front of the counselor.”

Here’s a link for the rest. 


Black and Gay In America After Being Away for a Decade

A black gay man who has been living outside the US for over a decade will be returning soon, and he’s been writing about his thoughts and feelings with regard to returning to the US. I find it interesting because I think a lot of things have changed for the better (for gay people…I can’t comment on the experience for gay black people). But I’ve been here as a gay person. I haven’t been living in another country depending on hearsay from questionable friends and news articles that may or may not be true. And from what I see on social media, most news stories are either untrue or highly slanted in one direction or another. But more than that, most people only read headlines.  

I will be returning to an America post-Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Moonlight, Get Out, Black Panther, Empire, and Jussie Smollett, where to be black still can be beautiful and dangerous — but to an exponentially greater degree of both.

Here’s a link for this one. It’s very well written, well executed, and has a unique POV.  I’m looking forward to a follow up and reading about his actual experience and how he feels about being back in the US. He has a very honest voice and he sounds like a natural writer. 

So many things have changed. For one thing, Mayor Pete Buttigieg is seriously running for President, as an openly gay legally married man. And for the first time the mainstream media is actually paying attention to him. That’s huge for gay people.