by William S. Meyer, MSW -Duke University

This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Critical in Hamlet’s day, no less critical today.  Such are the guidelines for anyone who wishes to live a life that is honest, a life that is whole, a life that feels real.

This, it seemed to me, was the message from those who presented and those who attended this past weekend , November 5^th and 6^th, at the 2010 meeting of Soulforce in Philadelphia.

This was my first such meeting, where I presented “On the Diagnosis and Treatment of Homosexuality: When Prejudice Masquerades as Science.” I have made this multi-media presentation many times to departments of psychiatry and mental health professionals, including the Department of Psychiatry, US Army in Honolulu.

In this presentation, l tell the story of the controversy within psychiatry – particularly from the 1950’s through the 1970’s –  and why it was necessary for the scientific community to team  up with gay activists to prevail upon those in power to delete the diagnosis of homosexuality from the DSM, the book of diagnoses used by almost all mental health professionals in the U.S.

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Vincent Cervantes, a panelist at the 2010 Soulforce Symposium, recently composed two important articles in connection to the event. The first is an article for The Bilerico project, which begins,

Exodus International, Love In Action, the National Organization for Research and Therapy of Homosexuals (NARTH), “reparative therapy,” “conversion therapy” — too many of us are more than familiar with the programs and organizations that promise to ‘cure’ homosexuality, otherwise known the ‘ex-gay’ movement. Unfortunately, for some of us, that familiarity comes from having experienced these therapies and programs personally. ‘Ex-gay’ survivors (former ‘ex-gays’) are evidence to the fact that homosexuality cannot be treated nor cured. However, organizations like Exodus International and NARTH have yet to close their doors and admit that they are dangerously harming the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals.

While the leaders of the ‘ex-gay’ movement may genuinely believe that they are reaching out with good intentions to individuals struggling to understand their same-sex attractions and/or gender variance, the reality is, these leaders are doing more harm than good; and that is the narrative that needs to be shared. The ‘ex-gay’ movement needs to take responsibility and ownership for the harm that caused in the lives of LGBTQs.

Read the full post on The Bilerico Project

The second is an essay he composed for the intersectional justice panel. Download Vincent’s paper “Critical Witnessing and Multilingualism: Building the Counter Movement.”

On Nov. 5, I will gather with hundreds of human-rights activists at Love Park to send a clear message to LGBTQ young people: Their lives are valued, and the message of hate drummed into their ears all too loudly is a lie.

As executive director of Soulforce, the organization sponsoring this “Life Rally,” I understand all too well the urgency of sending this message. Soulforce was founded in 1998 to advocate the use of nonviolent resistance against the forces of religious and political bigotry that oppress LGBTQ people throughout the country. Over the years, we have become a leading voice in the fight to end discrimination against LGBTQ people by groups like the National Organization for Marriage, Focus on the Family, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality and the Mormon and Catholic churches.

Millions of Americans’ thinking about homosexuality has been heavily influenced by these organizations, making it all the more imperative that those who believe in tolerance and inclusion counter their messages of intolerance. We have led acts of civil disobedience at major gatherings of these antigay groups to expose the truth about the torment experienced by youth rejected by their religious institutions and their families — a torment that often leads to depression and suicide.

The Life Rally is just one part of what Soulforce is bringing to Philadelphia. On Nov. 6, Soulforce will hold an all-day symposium, “The Truth About Faith, Science, Love and Reparative Therapy.” Speakers will debunk the myths that plague our national conversation about homosexuality — both the notion that homosexuality can be changed and the notion that there is a valid reason why any young person should seek to change it. We had expected mostly LGBT people and allies to attend the symposium, but the tragic loss of young lives over the last several weeks — Asher Brown, Billy Lucas, Tyler Clementi and more — shows how important this event really is to all of us. For too long, vast numbers of LGBTQ youth have been led to believe that their only options are to stay in the closet and lie about who they are, run away from home and live on the streets or die by taking their own lives. It is past time for all fair-minded people to show up and speak up.

It is time to send a loud and clear message that both fair-minded Americans and good science disagree with the abusive practices of all families, teachers and ministers who require LGBTQ young people to attend reparative therapy or be rejected or subjected to shame and exclusion. It is time to send a loud and clear message that politicians who choose to speak against LGBTQ people, from Carl Paladino to Ken Buck, will be held accountable for the effect of their hate-filled words on young people.

If we don’t gather and speak the truth, we leave unchallenged the message that these abusers send to our young people, who must hear and live with such bigotry every day. It is time to send a different message. It is time to stand up and tell our youth: Your sexuality is not a curse — it is a vital, wonderful part of how you were created.

Ray Boltz, singer and songwriter, and official spokesperson on tour for Soulforce in 2010-2011 now has his new album “True” posted on the Out Music Awards web site.  You can hear the new album at the OMA site and the song in which he mentions Mel’s book “Stranger at the Gate” at http://outmusic.com/artistaudio2.html?audid=530.  I hope you will help us promote his tour and sponsorship of Soulforce by going to the site and listening to this song and others and then tell your friends! You can order Ray’s music online now from iTunes as well.

Another way to help us is to listen to his music and leave a comment here about what you heard and felt about the issues of today that he addresses.

Ray and Azariah Southworth will be performing at the upcoming 2010 Soulforce Symposium Rally in Philadelphia and in Town Hall Meetings & Celebration Concerts at selected Equality Ride stops in 2011-2012.