What the hell is wrong with Virginia?

Isn't this a state that borders DC, has a thriving tech corridor in Fairfax County, and has lots of gays revitalizing its northern neighborhoods?

Why has it suddenly made Alabama, Mississippi and Texas look tolerant and progressive?

Anti-gay licence plates, anti-gay partnership agreement laws, anti-gay contracting laws, anti-gay parenting and adoption laws, all in a year's time. . . They're seriously giving Robert Mugabe a run for his money down there.

am boycotting the state. I have letters to send to Mount Vernon and Williamsburg telling them exactly why they won't be getting my money.

Biggest is.... the gay rights movement has overstepped itself by pushing prematurely for marriage when there is still lots of work to be done in more fundamental areas: schools, for example.

How can we expect people to be OK w. gay marriage when they really have no idea what homosexuality IS ? Or ISN'T?? Seems to me one has to lay the necessary groundwork by clearing up all the mush people have in their heads about H., about religion and H, about H and nature ( it ABOUNDS!).

Of course, this ain't so easy... specially since it's impossible to educate on this topic scientifically in almost all school districts. Still, that's where one must target one's energies. Media is a related area that there had been a lot of progress in... but that seems to be ebbing with the advent of this era of know-nothingness that is now upon us.

Here's a thought... why aren't our mental health professions... all of which have advocacy groups ( far as I know)... more visible in terms of weighing-in on the various societal debates surrounding homosexuality.

Folks... either you are "scientists" or you are NOT "scientists". It is the scientific community whose voices are *conspicuously* absent from these debates

Most of the schools have been at the center of a big debate on gays for YEARS before marriage even hit the radar.

Here's a thought... why aren't our mental health professions... all of which have advocacy groups ( far as I know)... more visible in terms of weighing-in on the various societal debates surrounding homosexuality.

The APA has weighed in several times on this issue -- supporting gay parenting AND legal recognition of gay relationships. They've just been drowned out by extremists on the right who scream that we're all out to destroy civilization and extremists on the left who accuse those of us who want to get married of "selling out the movement" and "aping heterosexuals."

And... *I* haven't heard 'em. Therefore, it's reasonable to conclude that people who NEED to hear'em are not hearin' 'em either.

It's one thing to make perfunctory pronouncements at conventions to get gay politicos off one's back and another to ACTIVELY and with ENERGY pursue and confront societal homophobia for the public mental health issue it is.

Re. schools: paying attention to that also; acknowledged the difficulty of this in my post. Perhaps if APA, et al. INSISTED on becoming part of the debate it would be a little LESS difficult.

Have they INSISTED? ( It's extremely difficult to "drown out" the APA when it doesn't want to be drown-out.) The mental health issues of gay kids stuck in hell-hole high schools alone justifies EXTREME efforts at intervention. Not to mention the MH issues of the homophobic straight kids and adults.

. . . and shouldn't be.

It's one thing to make perfunctory pronouncements at conventions to get gay politicos off one's back and another to ACTIVELY and with ENERGY pursue and confront societal homophobia for the public mental health issue it is.

It's the media's fault that the APA position isn't made clear. Whenever some stupid-assed conservative politician gets up and makes a pronouncement about "unhealthy lifestyles," we're not allowed to confront him with the facts.

Why?

The media.

It's extremely difficult to "drown out" the APA when it doesn't want to be drown-out.

It's quite easy. The Republicans have done so for years on a host of issues. It's not like they have the power of the AMA.

2. You seem to know much about this. Are you saying APA *never* lobbies about *anything*?

Re. media: There's plenty of input from psychologists/psychiatrists on a whole host of societal issues, from Dr. Phil on down. Except for homosexuality/homophobia. Blame the media , if you like; they are no doubt complicit. I think it goes beyond that.

Sponge-Bob flap: ( and the mighty strange propensity of anti-gay activists to see homosexuality in what clearly are neutral stimuli.).
This CRIES OUT for psychological/psychiatric analysis in our public discourse. If it's just the media that's to blame, there must have been articles submitted, positions papers issued that were produced by MH professionals on this topic, and then ignored by MSM. But there should be something online, at the very least. Can you cite one?

Back to schools: I disagree. Psychs... both varieties... are influential in the design and organization of public schools. In my system, NYC , they are *extremely* influential. I work in the system. I have my ear to the ground on this issue. I hear nothing from the mental health community.

There were some successful attempts to bring education on this issue into a few select schools... about 10-15 yrs ago. ( This was done, best as I recall, without the input of the ever-silent mental health community; rather it was brought about " single-handedly", by gay educators and students.)

Most of these programs are kaput, or never reached beyond a few progressive schools in progressive neighborhoods. The need for them has not diminished. In fact, to judge by the original post, they are more crucial than ever.

Seems to be your argument so far -- that nothing at all has been done, and that's just silly.

Remember that the religious right and their people don't respond to facts.

Lots of very big money in Northern Virginia ... all those people loving their tax deductions. Then you also have the hillbilly redneck factor out in the boondocks. Great combination.

The history of Virginia, is one of intolerance, and open bigotry. So there's nothing sudden about this course of action. The Republicans practice a scorched-earth policy when it comes to ideological purity. That has allowed them to get almost everything they desire.

and many other Southern states. NC still doesn't have as nasty a bill as VA in regards to gay marriage and no one is trying to get special licence plates and the like. VA seems to be a breed apart here and as the original post points out it should be better, not worse.

You shouldn't ignore the fact that Virginia was at the forefront of racial intolerance. It's not surprising that it would eventually get around to legalizing hate against gays.

*all lovers need not apply, see box for details.

Boycott
http://www.virginiaisforhaters.org/

http://cantor.house.gov/

http://allen.senate.gov/

Cantor is my rep, and Allen is my senator, and both these two are trying to give Santorum a run for his money.

It's really taken a turn for the worse. And we even have a Dem governor! I think the fundies are just getting bolder in Richmond and the southwestern part of the state (Lynchburg, home of Liberty University).

Pat Robertson (Virginia Beach) and Jerry Falwell (Lynchburg) have their hq's in the state. The Reverend Sun Myung Moon is up in the D.C. area, and Republican federal Congresscritters tend to live in Alexandria.

Virginia is also a pretty rural state, overall. All up all the old families/entitlement, Confederate legacies, Christian Right base and multiple CR institutions/power structures, military and CIA conservatives staying near their buddies and bases, tobacco as a major industry, and D.C. Republicans with money and power looking for a nearby preserve 'cause Maryland and D.C. are Too Black and Too Liberal....Voila. Virginia is The Republican Res.

Actually, it's largely a symptom of the Christian Right leadership feeling its relevance and political power starting to slip. "Family Values" isn't looking good relative to the degenerating Bible Belt Conservative family condition. Abortion is looking lost as a game and its appeal is fundamentally to people who feel undervalued and grew up in an agrarian society. Overt racism is over as a game (but remember the defendant in Loving v. Virginia). Creationism and School Prayer and School Vouchers are defeated, in decline, or beyond salvaging.

Fighting gay rights is the last part of the public arena that is a haven for the aggressive occultic Nature theism that defines the American Christian Right. (Isn't their bottom line about gays, and everything else, "that's unNatural" and "God objects to {i]that"?) Robertson and Falwell simply have to 'defend' their Virginia strongholds and rally their followers against some sufficiently disempowered faction that represents the Modern world. Virginia is now slipping toward the new kind of Democrats- secularly educated, urban/suburban, not-quite-white people. The Right knows it has only so much time left in Virginia and, while they can't change voter demographics, they still have the energy to rally their own around some seeming compelling issue and try to convert some of the people in the groups trending liberal. That rallying issue is obviously gay rights.

You are exactly right, on every point. Still, the damage being done now is going to take some time to repair. I hate my state.