Money for Nothing Wayne Besen is back with new research on an old exposé, one of many in which he exposed “conversion therapy,” aka the “ex-gay movement,” as a cultic, money-making operation that attracts “the shadiest of charlatans.” This one goes back to 2009, when one Jayson Graves was forced out of his position of leadership in the ex-gay hierarchy (is it literally a pyramid scheme?). Graves was an uber leader in the movement with a devoted following—until he was stripped of his license to practice by Colorado’s State Board of Registered Psychotherapists for sexually assaulting a client. Doubtless this was only the tip of the iceberg; reports have surfaced of Graves’ seductive manner when treating clients, his use of “touch therapy” in his practice, not to mention his penchant for posing shirtless. One can easily see how the position of head shrink for a troop of gay youths struggling with their sexuality could provide the ideal setup for a not-so-ex-gay narcissist like Graves. Patients have been forming crushes on their elderly analysts since Freud, so imagine the personal dynamic when both parties have a history of same-sex attraction and the therapist is actually quite hot. Whether Graves ever “cured” anyone of homosexuality by this method is unknown; presumably he got his paycheck either way.
Straight Porn and Reality The Daily Wire’s right-wing superstar Michael Knowles advanced his war on porn by charging that Pornhub is actively trying to turn cisgender, straight men into gay and trans people. “Stop looking at porn, if for no other reason than the senior writers here are saying they want to make you gay and trans,” he stated flatly. We won’t ask the age-old question of how much porn Knowles would have had to watch to know that this was going on. Come to think of it, it’s not entirely clear what is going on. The closest he comes to explaining his theory is a soundbite: “Exclusive: Top Pornhub staff admits to inserting ‘gay’ and ‘trans’ themes into mainstream porn to ‘convert’ straight men.” So… that’s all it would take? Again one is amazed by the fragility of heterosexuality. But the problem here is a deeper one: by its nature heterosexual porn for men includes a male sexual organ in full flagrante. Presumably the viewer can avert his eyes or perhaps fantasize that the appendage is his own. And yet, there it is, stubbornly thrusting away, surely an object of interest if not of arousal. The absurdity of Knowles’ claim is that nothing could possibly be “inserted” into the scene that isn’t already there. If hetero porn can turn straight men gay, it’s only because they like what they see.
There Goes the Neighborhood There could be any number of reasons for painting your apartment building to look like a gay flag. Realtor Ryan Basye of Omaha claims he did it at the 
behest of his three daughters, though he admits his next-door neighbor’s homophobic jokes and slurs may have had something to do with it. But whether his motive was revenge or happy kids, Basye says he hasn’t had any complaints. Still, this could be one of those times when politics and æsthetics collide. It’s wonderful that in Omaha you’re free to paint your building to look like a gay pride parade (here in Boston’s South End the color of our shutters is legally restricted); whether one should do so is another matter entirely. You be the judge.
Tick, Tick… Two stories of collapse deserve a brief mention:
CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference)—or more correctly its parent the American Conservative Union (ACU)—is reportedly “imploding” due to accusations of sexual harassment against ACU chair Matt Schlapp. Three men have reported a sexual overture by Schlapp, including one who stated: “Matt Schlapp grabbed my junk and pummeled it at length.” Schlapp may still be hanging on, but multiple ACU board members have resigned, and the org. is described as “a shell of its former commanding presence.”
The powerful Moms for Liberty organization seems to be on the eve of destruction following revelations that its founder, and her husband, are involved in interlocking sex scandals. The group has spearheaded efforts to take over school boards across the country and to purge LGBT books from school libraries, so its collapse would be big news. Founder Bridget Ziegler has resigned under a cloud, though it’s her husband Christian Ziegler who stands accused of rape and faces prison time. As luck would have it, Christian is, or was, the Chairman of the Republican Party in Florida, which is described as demoralized following his departure. Meanwhile, Bridget has admitted that she, her husband, and her husband’s accuser were involved in three-way sex over a year ago. Wow.
