Anti-gay hate crimes on the rise: A call to the community

By Kevin L. Nadal, Ph.D.

The author (left) and boyfriend RJ Mendoza of the APICHA
Community Health Center with a message for all: ‘No Hate’

Posted: May 22nd, 2013 at http://thefilam.net/archives/11326

I first moved to New York when I was 24 years old and I was accepted into a doctoral program in psychology at Columbia University. Some college friends from my undergraduate university in Southern California were already living in New York and invited me to move in with them in a small two-bedroom apartment in the West Village.

I was a naïve Californian, who had just completed a two-year tenure in Michigan, and I didn’t really know much about my neighborhood. When I told people where I was moving, I usually said that it was where the “Friends” characters lived or where the tenth season of the “Real World” was filmed.

However, when I actually moved to the Big Apple a month later, I quickly learned that the neighborhood where I would spend the first three years of my New York life was the home of the Stonewall Inn and the mecca of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) Rights Movement.

Perhaps I didn’t know much about Stonewall because I was still in the closet. While I had been living a “secret” life as a gay man for most of my life, the lingering pressures of coming from a Catholic, Filipino family prevented me from ever coming to terms with my sexual identity.

I didn’t tell many people that I was gay — not my family in California, not my family that lived off the last stop of the F-Train in Jamaica, Queens, and not even my roommates who I shared a wall with. I wasn’t ready. I was afraid I wouldn’t be accepted. I was scared that I would lose everything (and everyone) in my life.

But somehow, everything changed.

I started exploring my neighborhood and began to frequent some of the local gay bars. I began to meet all kinds of LGBTQ people -– particularly gay men, transgender women, and even a few drag queens. At least once a week, I would go to the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street, the same place where the LGBTQ movement began over 30 years prior when a bunch of brave transgender women and gay men fought back against a police raid.

My favorite nights at Stonewall circa 2002 were the “Hip Hop Nights;” I would enter a room where a bunch of gay and queer men of color were bobbing their heads to the sounds of Biggie Smalls and Jay-Z. For the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged. I could be a person of color and gay at the same time, and it was okay.

I made several friends in the West Village, and I even met a few lovers. It felt so free and invigorating to hold another man’s hand in public for the first time in my life. I felt safe. I felt proud. It was time for me to come out of the closet.

Eleven years later, a few things have changed. First, over time, I had lived in two other LGBTQ-friendly neighborhoods in Manhattan: Hell’s Kitchen (which is adjacent to Times Square) and Chelsea (where I currently live). I graduated from my Ph.D. program, wrote a few books, and eventually became a tenured professor. And most importantly, I finally met the love of my life, and we have been unofficially living together for the past nine months. I plan on marrying him someday and I am proud to be a resident of a state where that would be legal.

However, lately, I haven’t been so proud of my state or my city.

In the past three weeks, there have been a string of hate crimes against gay men in Manhattan, and one resulted in death. On May 5th, a gay couple was attacked in broad daylight outside of Madison Square Garden, right after a New York Knicks game, while a different gay couple was assaulted a few days later, a few blocks away. A gay man was attacked while leaving a bar in the West Village, and another gay man in Union Square was punched in the face and robbed. With all of these incidents, the assailants were heard yelling homophobic slurs, right before — and while — they assaulted their victims. 

On Thursday, May 16th, I attended a protest, in front of Madison Square Garden, right before a Knicks game. With the theme of “Queers Take Back the Night, ”over a hundred LGBTQ people and allies stood silently with signs as Knicks fans entered the arena. Some passers-by respectfully walked by, while many snickered or scoffed at our presence.

A few LGBTQ leaders spoke passionately on a megaphone, and the nonviolent group walked with their signs and flyers down 8th Avenue. For some, it was important to educate people about the string of anti-LGBT hate crimes and for others, the purpose was to reclaim the streets they once viewed as safe.

Apparently, the peaceful protest didn’t work.

On May 18th, shortly after midnight, Mark Carson, a 32-year old, gay African American man was walking with a friend in the West Village, when a group of men began to verbally harass them with homophobic taunts. One of the men followed the pair and shot Mark Carson in the face; he died shortly after.

Less than 24 hours later, I attended a candlelight vigil in honor of Mr. Carson, located right where he was killed. Several hundred people were in attendance, and I heard the phrase “It could have been any of us” throughout the night. On Monday night, a more organized rally was held to honor Mr. Carson. While I personally could not attend, I was there in spirit with the thousands of people who marched in the West Village and held signs that read “Stop the Hate!” and “Marriage means nothing if we are being gunned down.” Leaders of the LGBTQ community, politicians, and even members of Mr. Carson’s family spoke.

Sadly, this protest didn’t work either.

A few hours later in the East Village, a gay man was attacked after disclosing to an acquaintance that he was gay. A few more hours later in Soho, a gay Latino couple was the verbal target of anti-gay slurs, right before they were physically assaulted. These last two incidents bring the total number to seven anti-gay hate crimes in a span of 20 days. Perhaps we need to do more than just protest and rally.

Some members of the LGBTQ community want to fight back, by taking self-defense classes or arming themselves. Others want more police presence in LGBTQ neighborhoods, and others want to organize “safety by numbers” programs. While I can see some merit in some of these responses, my recommendation is simple: 1) Talk about these issues, 2) Don’t assume, and 3) Take a stand.

We have to start talking to our family members, friends, and acquaintances about what is happening. Post on your Facebook and Twitter pages. Send emails to listserves across the country, but also to your personal networks. While there is some coverage on mainstream news sources, most people are unaware of what is happening. Tell people about what happened to Mark Carson, so that his death is not in vain. It is way too common for LGBTQ people (particularly transgender people and LGBTQ people of color) to be victims of heinous crimes and for their names to be forgotten. I will not forget Sakia Gunn, Stephen Lopez Mercado, or Lorena Escalera, and we cannot forget Mark Carson either.

Secondly, don’t assume anything. In the past couple of weeks, I have had lots of conversations with friends who say things like “Things like this don’t happen in New York.” But, they do. It is quite common for my boyfriend and I to hear homophobic slurs as we walk down the streets of Manhattan. It wasn’t too long ago that a man in Hells Kitchen shoved me and called me a “faggot” as I walked by holding my boyfriend’s hand. Luckily nothing else happened, and after these past few weeks’ events, I am thankful that nothing did.

I’ve also had a lot of conversations with friends who say things like “I don’t think I know any homophobic people.” When I ask if they’ve talked about homophobia with their brothers, cousins, or friends directly, the common response is “No.” Of course we don’t want to believe that anyone in our lives is homophobic (or racist, sexist, etc.), but unless we talk about their views directly, we really don’t know.

When perpetrators of school shootings or serial killings are arrested, most people claim that they didn’t know the person was hateful, sociopathic, or mentally ill. When a person commits suicide, a lot of people will say they didn’t know the person was depressed or suicidal. And this is why we need to ask.

Finally, take a stand. Tell people that homophobia and transphobia is unacceptable. When people use biased language like “That’s So Gay” or “No Homo,” point out how those words are wrong and hurtful. When we allow these microaggressive, anti-LGBTQ behaviors to continue, we create an environment where people believe it is acceptable to hate or discriminate against LGBTQ people. And if these hateful environments persist, the violence will continue.

I share all of this with you because I don’t want to be afraid to hold my boyfriend’s hand in public. I don’t want to feel unsafe again. I don’t want to live my life in fear. And I don’t want to go back into the closet.

But I need your help. 

Dr. Kevin Nadal is an associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. His second book, “That’s So Gay: Microaggressions and the LGBT Community,” was published in February. 

Full article http://thefilam.net/archives/11326

Fantasyland

Denial has poisoned the GOP and threatens the rest of the country too


Posted by: Jeremy Safran  


http://nymag.com/news/frank-rich/gop-denial-2012-11/

• By Frank Rich.  Published Nov 9, 2012  NY Times Magazine

Mitt Romney is already slithering into the mists of history, or at least La Jolla, gone and soon to be forgotten. A weightless figure unloved and distrusted by even his own supporters, he was always destined, win or lose, to be a transitory front man for a radical-right GOP intent on barreling full-speed down the Randian path laid out by its true 2012 standard-bearer, Paul Ryan. But as was said of another unsuccessful salesman who worked the New England territory, attention must be paid to Mitt as the door slams behind him in the aftermath of Barack Obama’s brilliant victory. Though Romney has no political heirs in his own party or elsewhere, he does leave behind a cultural legacy of sorts. He raised Truthiness to a level of chutzpah beyond Stephen Colbert’s fertile imagination, and on the grandest scale. That a presidential hopeful so cavalierly mendacious could get so close to the White House, winning some 48 percent of the popular vote, is no small accomplishment. The American weakness that Romney both apotheosized and exploited in achieving this feat—our post-fact syndrome where anyone on the public stage can make up anything and usually get away with it—won’t disappear with him. A slicker liar could have won, and still might......

Click on link below to continue

http://nymag.com/news/frank-rich/gop-denial-2012-11/

Academic ‘Dream Team’ Helped Obama’s Effort

Posted by: Jeremy Safran

 

 

 

 

 

From NY Times. November 13, 2012

Late last year Matthew Barzun, an official with the Obama campaign, called Craig Fox, a psychologist in Los Angeles, and invited him to a political planning meeting in Chicago, according to two people who attended the session.  “He said, ‘Bring the whole group; let’s hear what you have to say,’ ” recalled Dr. Fox, a behavioral economist at the University of California, Los Angeles. So began an effort by a team of social scientists to help their favored candidate in the 2012 presidential election.

Click on link to continue:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/health/dream-team-of-behavioral-scientists-advised-obama-campaign.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Jon Stewart. Political Humor as Catharsis

By Jeremy Safran

If you find humor cathartic, click on the link below to see a clip of Jon Stewart talking about the 

first Obama-Romney debate

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/jon-stewart-romney-debate.php

Mac or PC?

By Alex Kriss

Neurological imaging has been a boon for neuropsychological research as well as psychiatric treatment in recent years, and is increasingly influencing how many aspects psychological research are conducted and validated. While scanning the brain will undoubtedly be a significant contributor to understanding the mind over the coming decades, it is important to remain critical of how new technologies are implemented and interpreted. A new study in PLoS One demonstrated that results of MRI scans varied significantly depending on the version of the scanning software used, whether the software was used on a computer running Mac OSX or Windows, and even which version of Mac OSX was running. Follow the link for the full article, which is available for free online.

The Girls in Le Roy

The New York Times Magazine published a fascinating piece last month, What Happened to the Girls in Le Roy - this article discusses conversion disorder in the modern age. 

The Affordable Care Act

by Catherine Boutwell

As you probably aware, this past week the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments on whether the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is constitutional. The ACA is part and parcel of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act 2010. The two most integral components of the act also happen to be the most controversial: If passed, the ACA would require individuals to purchase health insurance and states would be required to expand Medicaid services to those at or below 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). While I am hesitant to begin a debate about the constitutionality of mandating individuals and expanding Medicaid, I do think that if ACA is implemented, there are serious implications for mental health care.

An overwhelming number of individuals suffering from a mental illness also live in poverty. In 2005, the National Alliance of Mental illness (NAMI) reported that Medicaid provided the 50% of mental health services in the United States. Moreover, there are approximately 6.6 million who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI). For those under the age of 65, close to 3.8 million are eligible for assistance and of that, more than half are estimated, about 2.8 million, to be adults with severe mental illnesses. These numbers exclude ineligible individuals still in need of assistance. 

Most often, a person who receives SSI will also meet the standard to receive Medicaid. However, there are a good number states in which require a separate application for medicaid and apply more stringent eligibility rules. Data from 2005-2006, released by National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that one-third of the mentally ill are within federal poverty level remain uninsured. These individuals may not be covered to due illegal immigrant status, extremely low functioning, or their illnesses are not considered severe enough. 

If there were to be an expansion of Medicaid, as requested by the ACA, millions of mentally ill Americans who do not currently qualify for bogus reasons such as pending SSI applications, an income that slightly exceeds eligibility and those who do not have a permanent address will be more likely to receive aid. The ACA also requires insurance policies to cover mental health treatment, including substance abuse, as they do medical conditions. Importantly pre-existing conditions will no longer  be used as a means to exclude individuals from coverage. Moreover, the mentally ill will be included among other groups to apply for federally subsidized insurance within their state. 

While there may be a number of flaws with Obama's reform, it does acknowledge the needs of a growing mentally ill population and how strongly related mental illness is to poverty and access to care.

An overview of the Health Care Reform Act al la CBS.

The Controversy Over DSM-V

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association provides a common language and standard criteria for theclassification of mental disorders. It is used in the United States and in varying degrees around the world, by clinicians, researchers, psychiatric drug regulation agencies, health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and policy makers. The current version is the DSM-IV-TR (fourth edition, text revision). It is organized into a five-part 'axis' system, with the first axis incorporating 'clinical disorders' and the second covering personality disorders and intellectual disabilities. The remaining axes cover related medical, psychosocial and environmental factors, as well as assessments of functioning for children.

The manual evolved from systems for collecting census and psychiatric hospital statistics, and from a manual developed by the United States Army, and was substantially revised in 1980. There have been five revisions since it was first published in 1952, gradually including more mental disorders, although some have been removed and are no longer considered to be mental disorders. The last major revision was the fourth edition ("DSM-IV"), published in 1994, although a "text revision" was produced in 2000. The fifth edition ("DSM-5") is currently in consultation, planning and preparation, due for publication in May 2013.

Don't Worry.....Be Happy !

By: Jeremy D. Safran, PhD

Over the last decade the field of Positive Psychology had become an important area of research within academia. Well known figures in Positive Psychology include Martin Seligman (developer of the well known learned helplessness model of depression and Past-President of the American Psychological Association), Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi creator of the construct of flow), and Daniel Gilbert (author of the widely acclaimed Stumbling on Happiness). The field of positive psychology focuses on developing a scientific understanding of positive human experiences and virtues. Important research areas include happiness, optimism, fulfillment, compassion and gratitude. The field of Positive Psychology positions itself in contract to traditional approaches to mental health which focus on psychopathology, and treating mental illness. The roots of positive psychology can been traced to the field of humanistic psychology which peaked in popularity during the 1960’s. Well know pioneers of humanistic psychology included Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Fritz Perls

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy: Why the Big Fuss?

 What Accounts for the Growing Popularity of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy?

By: Jeremy D. Safran, Ph.D.

Over the past 10 to 15 years cognitive therapists have become increasingly interested in exploring the benefits of mindfulness practice as a therapeutic intervention. This growing emphasis on mindfulness and acceptance is commonly referred to as the "third wave" in behavioral therapy (the first and second waves consisting of respectively of 1) behavior therapy, and 2) traditional cognitive therapy). Mindfulness practice, which originated as a form of meditation in the Buddhist tradition, involves attending to one’s internal experience as it emerges in the here and now. The emphasis is on observing one’s thoughts, feelings and sensations, without judging or attempting to control them.  An important dimension of the practice involves cultivating an attitude of compassion and acceptance towards the self. In study after study researchers have demonstrated that structured forms of cognitive behavioral therapy that incorporate mindfulness interventions are helpful in the treatment of problems ranging from depression and anxiety to borderline personality disorder. In many respects this emphasis on mindfulness and acceptance can be seen as the leading edge in cognitive therapy. Research in the area is proliferating and new variants of mindfulness based cognitive therapy are emerging every day.

To Facebook or not to Facebook? A New Gate to the Emotional World of Adolescents.

 By: Eleonora Cavalca, M.Sc. 

            Since its origins in February 2004, Facebook has gained increasing popularity as the most used social networking service. As of February 2012, Facebook count more than 845 million active users. While the membership was initially limited to Harvard students, now anyone aged 13 and over can join. Is that a good thing?

            “ To Facebook or not to Facebook” has become a popular conversation topic among all age groups. It is interesting to notice how, despite the majority of people claim to be against it, they spend most of their time while waiting for the metro/bus checking their friends’ new status or the new uploaded pictures. Why not call people to see what they did the night before instead of checking their status updates? Is there something more in the status updates that it is hard to communicate through the phone?

A New Meaning to Apple’s Slogan: There’s an app for that.

By:  Catherine Boutwell, MA

Last week the New York Times published an article titled “Feeling Anxious? Soon there will be an app for that” that described recent research attempts to demonstrate the effectiveness of “smartphone therapy apps” on anxiety and depression. Yes, smartphone therapy apps. Just like Angry Birds, one day you may be able to download a therapy app, in the App Store no less.

Now, this idea didn't strike me as particularly innovative because I, along with some friends, also had discussed this concept in jest. But, as I read the article, I attempted to suspend my immediate cynicism and give the idea a whirl, as an intellectual exercise. The author reports that “the upside is that well-designed apps could reach millions of people who lack the means or interest to engage in traditional therapy and need more than the pop mysticism, soothing thoughts or confidence boosters now in use.” If I repress my understanding of therapy as a relational endeavor that not only hopes to lessen symptoms but also to initiate more meaningful structural change, then yes, I can see the utility in a therapy app. I can imagine myself looking to my phone for some psychological relief when agitated on a crowded bus or anxiously scrambling to and fro classes. But then I thought, don’t I do this any way? I already thwart certain feelings by way of distraction. My phone is the mecca of distraction. Why would I use a therapy app in those situations? I’d rather play Angry Birds.

The Politics of Care

By:  Catherine Boutwell, MA

B. is a quiet and seemingly gentle man, with a soft spoken voice that is difficult to understand. He walks, like a lot patients do, around the inpatient unit with a distant gaze but when you call his name he responds and on good days, he smiles. B. was admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit in September 2011 because his brother lowered his medication dosage. B's chronic illness and poor economic and social support complicate
matters.

Ketamine for Depression

By:  Alexandra Shaker, MA

Antidepressant medications have been criticized for a number of reasons, including unwanted side effects, a high placebo response rate, and the fact that they tend to take weeks to kick in.  In an effort to reduce the time between first dose and reduction of depressive symptoms, scientists are exploring the effects of Ketamine on individuals suffering from depression, for whom other antidepressants have been ineffective.

Evidence Based Treatments are Superior to Treatment as Usual for the treatment of Depression and Anxiety: Really?

By:  Christopher Christian, PhD

It has become conventional wisdom that evidence-based treatments (EBTs) are the treatment of choice for conditions in which they have proven to be superior when compared to treatment as usual (TAU).
That certainly should be how you answer any question regarding evidence-based treatment in your psychology licensing exam.  However, a recently published study (2011) in the journal *Clinical Psychology*, entitled *“Evidence-based treatments for depression and anxiety versus treatment-as-usual: A meta-analysis of direct comparisons”* by Wampold, Budge, Laska, Del Re, Baardseth, Fluckiger, Minami, and Gunn, throws into question this conventional wisdom.

The End is Nigh.

By:  Catherine Boutwell, MA

Perhaps you haven’t seen the disaster film, 2012, staring John Cusack or Kirsten Dunst’s compelling performance in Melancholia , even so, it isn’t a surprise  that death is on our minds in the most sweeping and dramatic ways as we head further into the 21st century.

Elisabeth Young-Bruehl

By:  Jessica Harlem-Siegel

        After Elisabeth Young-Bruehl passed away at the end of last year, I began to learn about her life and work from the perspective of other writers who were reacting to her passing.  A prolific writer and psychoanalyst, Young-Bruehl was a leading thinker and advocate in the fields of philosophy, politics and social justice.