Gay Political Advocacy Archives - Page 2 of 3

In Defense of Hate: Understanding the Modern American Conservative

April 26, 2021November 2, 2016 by Ken

[OK, it should go without saying for those who regularly read my blog, but I’m being facetious with the below. I’m not a Trump supporter, and I’m being “devil’s advocate” here. Just to clarify…] Usually, I write about LGBT issues (more specifically, about gay men), but because so many are stressed out about this election, … Read more

Five Tips to Survive Election Season

October 31, 2018May 25, 2016 by Ken

Quickly try this exercise: Think about where you were 15 years ago, in the Spring of 2001. Where were you working? Where did you go for lunch? Who was your favorite co-worker? Who was your least-favorite co-worker? Now, who was President? (I bet that took a second, right?). Because when we think about the course … Read more

Gay Men Seeing Escorts: Rewards and Risks

May 18, 2020October 13, 2015 by Ken

sexy man on bed dollar photo gay men seeing escorts article

With the recent Department of Homeland Security raid and arrest of Rentboy.com, the issue of paid sex work, also known as escorts or “prostitution” among gay men, has been a hot topic. The United States has always had an anxious relationship to all things sexual, and this is explored well in a new book by … Read more

Fred Phelps is Dead. We Can All Breathe a Sigh of Relief. Or Can We? In the Age of “ChristianMingle.com”, Maybe Not

March 23, 2014 by Ken

You know, it's not the Fred Phelps "God Hates Fags"/"Matthew Shepard In Hell" style of anti-gay hate you have to worry about. Phelps is dead, and his "movement" locally probably gone with him. No one ever gave Phelps any serious consideration; his and his family's peculiar and theatrical expressive style of anti-gay sentiment was widely … Read more

Coming Out: Again and Again

October 11, 2020June 17, 2013 by Ken

Coming Out: Again and Again Many young gay men, in childhood and early adolescence, as they become aware that they are gay, often build an internal awareness of their gay identity long before it is known to any other human being, including those closest to them such as parents or best friends. Eventually, this awareness … Read more

Gay Pride 2012: From a Gay Men’s Therapist Perspective

June 4, 2022June 8, 2012 by Ken

rainbow flag inclusive version update deposit photo June 2021

Happy Pride! Frankly, this year, it couldn’t come soon enough. In my private practice specializing in gay men’s therapy and life/career coaching for 20 years, I’ve noticed that what happens in the political and social world very often affects the individual mental health and emotional state of my clients. When the Republican primary candidates relentlessly … Read more

Gay Men’s Mental Health in the Current Political Climate: A Lesson in Hope and Resilience

August 20, 2011 by Ken

As the first activities in the 2012 election season begin with events like the recent Republican Iowa Straw Poll, I have noticed an increase in reported stress in my daily practice of therapy with gay men. It seems that the rhetoric in the news daily is an irritant to the men I work with in … Read more

From the Los Angeles Times – Letters to the Editor:

September 17, 2005 by Ken

Dear Editor:

Regarding the LA Gay & Lesbian Center’s new “HIV is a Gay Disease – Own It, End It; social marketing and advertising campaign (“HIV Ads Embrace, and Stun, Audience” (Sharon Bernstein, September 30): As a gay man living with HIV since 1990, and since that time working in HIV mental health and social services in various community agencies (including the LA Gay & Lesbian Center), and as currently a psychotherapist in private practice specializing in serving gay men, including many living with HIV, I am deeply offended by this campaign. I find this campaign heinous as much for what it isn’t as for what it is. It is a throwback to the early days of the AIDS crisis when anti-gay forces in this country used AIDS as “justification” to hate and discriminate against the entire gay community, without realizing that AIDS is a disease caused by a virus that can strike anyone –

Educated… UB2

October 24, 2019March 15, 2005 by Ken

[NOTE: THIS BLOG ARTICLE IS FROM 2005, AND HAS MANY ANTIQUATED IDEAS IN IT, SUCH AS THE TIME BEFORE PREP, TASP, AND U=U. IF YOU DON’T KNOW THESE ACRONYM TERMS, PLEASE LOOK THEM UP BEFORE READING THIS ARTICLE. THIS ARTICLE IS INCLUDED HERE ONLY FOR AN HISTORICAL REFERENCE, AND IS ONLY PARTIALLY RELEVANT PRESENTLY. PART OF BEING EDUCATED…UB2 IS BEING UP TO DATE; THIS ARTICLE IS NOW OBSOLETE, EXCEPT IN ADDRESSING SOME REMAINING STIGMA IN SERO-DISCORDANT (POZ/NEG) DATING, A TOPIC I EXPLORE IN MORE DETAIL IN OTHER ARTICLES.]

Recently I was browsing through online personal ads in various online services for gay men. I was surprised at how often the term “UB2” came up. This is an appreviation for, “You be, too!”, in reference to a negative HIV status. It seems to say, in those succinct three characters,

Tsk, Tsk: People with HIV are being disempowered in ways they don’t even know

February 11, 2005 by Ken

After recently shifting my focus after 10 years of working with non-profit HIV and mental health social service organizations, I’ve been reflecting on both the positive – and negative – things that I witnessed. With the re-election of President Bush and a Republican majority in Congress, social services and other “liberal” institutions are certainly out of favor and have come under fire as a low priority for the American public and taxpayers.