VIRGINIA: 13 States + DC File Amicus Brief In Support Of Marriage Plaintiffs

The following states and Washington DC have filed a collective amicus brief with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal in support of Virginia's marriage equality plaintiffs: Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. Equality Case Files has the full brief. Money quote:

As in other cases raising constitutional challenges to state marriage laws, there is considerable agreement between Amici States and those States that defend exclusionary laws. All States agree that marriage is a core building block of society; as a result, they regulate entry into, responsibilities during and after, and exit from marriage. Moreover, States establish policies that encourage individuals to get and stay married because they recognize that marriage provides stability for families, households, and the broader community; that children are better off when they are raised by loving, committed parents; and that state resources are preserved when spouses provide for each other and their children. On all of these points— and many more—all States are in accord.

Gay-friendly briefs were also filed today by the NAACP, PFLAG, the Episcopal Church, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Family Equality Council, and many others. See them all here. You might be especially interested in a brief filed by a group calling itself Historians Of Anti-Gay Discrimination. I'm just now digging into it, tell us what you think.

Gay Man Appointed Head Of APA

In move that will surely inflame the religious right, the American Psychiatric Association has appointed an openly gay man as its new CEO.

Dr. Saul Levin, who last year became the first openly gay head of the D.C. Department of Health, was named on May 15 as the new chief executive officer and medical director of the American Psychiatric Association. An APA spokesperson said Levin, a psychiatrist who has specialized in substance abuse treatment, becomes the first known out gay person to head the APA, which was founded in 1844 and represents more than 33,000 psychiatric physicians in the U.S. and abroad.

(Tipped by JMG reader Jack)

50 More Prop 8 Briefs Filed

Another 50 Supreme Court briefs have been filed in support of the overturn of Proposition 8.  Many of the briefs have multiple sponsors, so I'll just pull out a few of the names from the list compiled by the press office of San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera.

National Women's Law Center
Williams Institute
Gay & Lesbian Medical Association
Lambda Legal
National Center for Lesbian Rights
California Medical Association
American Medical Association
American Sociological Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Academy of Pediatrics
Equality California
Anti-Defamation League
American Jewish Committee
United Church of Christ
Metropolitan Community Church
Survivors of Sexual Orientation Change Therapies
Family Equality Council
GLSEN
GLAD

Many more names and the full briefs are at the link.

Erik Rush: Obama Wants Christians Declared Insane And Put In Asylums

"In the former Soviet Union and other totalitarian states, one of the pretexts often used to do away with political dissidents and those otherwise deemed to be threats to national security was to label them as mentally ill and ship them off to an asylum. Sometimes they returned; often they did not, but they were out of the way for as long as was necessary in the capricious mind of the regime, and the citizenry was duly warned that the same could happen to them should they likewise pose such a 'threat.'  In the case of those who pose the most dire threat to Obama’s designs – Christians – these will certainly be targeted. After all, who more demonstrably epitomizes mental instability in the eyes of the Marxist atheist than those who commune with and rely upon that which is unseen? To the Marxist, God is no more real than Elwood’s 'Harvey,' and even more antiquated than the Constitution." - Wingnut columnist Erik Rush, on what he says will be in the upcoming edition of the APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: In late October last year, Rush wrote a World Net Daily column in which he called for the imprisonment and executions of journalists after Mitt Romney wins the election.

APA To Change Transgender Term In Coming Edition Of Diagnostic Manual

The American Psychiatric Association will change an offensive term regarding transgender people in its upcoming revision of their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

The term “gender identity disorder”, for children and adults who strongly believe they were born the wrong gender, is being replaced with “gender dysphoria” to remove the stigma attached to the word “disorder”. Supporters equated the change with removing homosexuality as a mental illness in the diagnostic manual decades ago. The revisions come in the first major rewrite in nearly 20 years of the diagnostic guide used by psychiatrists in the US and other countries. The changes were approved on Saturday. Full details of all the revisions will come in May 2013 when the American Psychiatric Association’s new diagnostic manual is published. The changes will affect the diagnosis and treatment of millions of children and adults worldwide, as well as medical insurance and special education services.

Medical And Psychological Groups File Amicus Brief In Support Of DOMA Suit

Read it here. (Tipped by JMG reader Bernie)

AFA: Whoops, We're Big Fat Liars

Without apology, the American Family Association has rescinded its ridiculous lie that the APA was considering "normalizing" pedophilia. This move follows a JMG post denouncing this lie and numerous JMG reader emails to the APA demanding action. However Matt Barber's press release on this nonsense has also been picked up by virtually every wingnut outlet, including World Net Daily, Townhall and others. But good work, JMG-ers!

Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Clip description: "It's been a busy week, with an incredibly offensive anti-gay brief coming out of Congress. But a surprise announcement from the American Psychological Association could put a stop to such briefs in the future. Time's running out before North Carolina votes on banning civil unions, a tribe in Washington state votes unanimously to recognize LGBT marriage, and a survey in New Jersey proves that we're winning. And also, that we're losing."

APA Endorses Gay Marriage

The largest association of psychologists in the world has issued an endorsement of same-sex marriage.

The policymaking body of the American Psychological Association (APA) unanimously approved the resolution 157-0 on the eve of the group's annual convention, which opens here today. The group, with more than 154,000 members, has long supported full equal rights for gays, based on social science research on sexual orientation. Now the nation's psychologists — citing an increasing body of research about same-sex marriage, as well as increased discussion at the state and federal levels — took the support to a new level. "Now as the country has really begun to have experience with gay marriage, our position is much clearer and more straightforward — that marriage equity is the policy that the country should be moving toward," says Clinton Anderson, director of APA's Office on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns.

APA: Ex-Gay Therapy Doesn't Work

Citing 83 studies performed since 1960, yesterday the American Psychological Association declared that "reparative therapy" for homosexuals does not work and should not be attempted. But you knew that.

In a resolution adopted by the APA's governing council, and in an accompanying report, the association issued its most comprehensive repudiation of "reparative therapy" — a concept espoused by a small but persistent group of therapists, often allied with religious conservatives, who maintain gays can change. No solid evidence exists that such change is likely, says the resolution, adopted by a 125-4 vote. The APA said some research suggests that efforts to produce change could be harmful, inducing depression and suicidal tendencies. Instead of seeking such change, the APA urged therapists to consider multiple options — that could range from celibacy to switching churches — for helping clients live spiritually rewarding lives in instances where their sexual orientation and religious faith conflict. The APA had criticized reparative therapy in the past, but a six-member task force added weight to this position by examining 83 studies on sexual orientation change conducted since 1960. Its report was endorsed by the APA's governing council in Toronto, where the 150,000-member association's annual meeting is being held this weekend. The report breaks new ground in its detailed and nuanced assessment of how therapists should deal with gay clients struggling to remain loyal to a religious faith that disapproves of homosexuality.

The APA's press release is here.

Wayne Besen: “Ex-Gay therapy is a profound travesty that has led to pointless tragedies and we are pleased that the APA has addressed this psychological scourge. It is our hope that persistent violators of the principles enumerated by the APA will be held accountable for their unethical actions.”