Kev Maxen, an associate strength ach wh the Jacksonville Jaguars, has bee the first male ach a major U.S.-based profsnal league to e out as gay.
Contents:
- I’M 43 – BUT I’M MA TO FEEL LIKE A DOSR BY YOUNGER GAY MEN
- JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
- JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN IS FIRST AMERIN MALE PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
- RON DESANTIS CONSIRS SUG BUD LIGHT OVER ANTI-GAY BOYTTS BEE WHY NOT?
- PATRIK-IAN POLK ON ‘P-VALLEY’ SUCCS, RETURN OF ‘NOAH’S ARC’ AND TELLG GAY BLACK STORI: “THE GAY IS HERE AND IT’S GOG TO GET GAYER”
I’M 43 – BUT I’M MA TO FEEL LIKE A DOSR BY YOUNGER GAY MEN
‘In gay years, you’re rather past your sell-by date, aren’t you?’ the person ont of me said, raisg an eyebrow. * gay taken *
I was kidnapped and forced to have homosexual terurse. I would not nsir myself beg a homosexual due to the fact that I am only largely attracted to women. Nearly 50 years ago, LGBTQ+ activists achieved what was lled the “greatt gay victory” of the time: succsfully phg members of the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn (APA) to remove the diagnosis of homosexualy om the official classifitn of mental illns, the Diagnostic and Statistil Manual of Mental Disorrs (DSM).
By cg homosexualy as a mental illns, the APA and s members stigmatized LGBTQ+ people, and non-normative sexuali and genr exprsns. Declassifitn, as the years-long effort was known, culmated 1973, when May, LGBTQ+ voic were heard at the annual APA nference, and later the APA Board of Tste voted to remove homosexualy om the DSM. The change signaled to the untry that there was not an herent lk between mental illns and homosexualy.
The classifitn of mental illns was born om the legacy of multiple systems of power: the Amerin legal system crimalized homosexual behavr; feral and state ernments had not yet dified protectns for queer and trans people seekg employment and hog; and an sistence on heteronormative genr rol stigmatized anyone who viated om their role as a “woman” or a “man.
JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU
* gay taken *
In makg heterosexualy the “norm, ” the APA effectively ma homosexualy the “other. The mpaign to remove the “homosexualy” diagnosis om the DSM began earnt the 1960s, backed by a growg civil rights, women’s rights, and gay rights movement across the untry.
Dubbed the “homophile” movement, gay and lbian rights anizatns major ci like New York Cy, San Francis, and Philalphia started to prsure elected officials and lnch public mpaigns for LGBTQ+ visibily and rights. Gay liberatn efforts were occurrg on a number of onts, and the APA classifitn effort was one part of the movement for equaly and acceptance. Activists ramped up their efforts after years of mpaigng om the outsi: they cid to go straight to the APA nferenc where practners attend panels and discsns of psychiatry and psychology—and uld prs to classify homosexualy.
Karla Jay, a lbian activist who participated disptg a panel discsn on “sex problems” that advoted shock treatment to “cure” homosexualy, said that prottors shouted to the APA members, “off of the uch and to the streets! In 1972, at the first nference that actually featured a panel discsn on homosexualy led by LGBTQ+ people, a gay practner, John Fryer, ttified on behalf of the classifitn mpaign.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN IS FIRST AMERIN MALE PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
Given the risk volved wh openly intifyg as a gay psychiatrist, Fryer prented himself as “Dr. “Pull your urage up by your bootstraps and disver ways which you as homosexual psychiatrists n be appropriately volved movements which attempt to change the attus of both homosexuals and heterosexuals toward homosexually, ” Fryer plead.
The ver of The Gay Liberator, 1974, om the Reveal Digal “Inpennt Voic” llectn on JSTOR.
As they had years past, gay activists dispted panels and gave speech.
RON DESANTIS CONSIRS SUG BUD LIGHT OVER ANTI-GAY BOYTTS BEE WHY NOT?
One of the more famo speech offered at the May 1973 APA nference Honolulu was by a gay activist named Ronald Gold, who told the APA members, “Stop , you’re makg me sick. ” The roundg le was somewhat of a double entendre: the APA was lerally sayg that Gold, as a gay man, was ill, implyg that the “medil profsnals” were creatg sickns where there was none.
“In fact, the ntroversy over the homosexualy diagnosis was able to reach such heights of publicy part bee the APA had never had e to reach nsens on a standardized fn of mental illns, ” Lewis wr.
PATRIK-IAN POLK ON ‘P-VALLEY’ SUCCS, RETURN OF ‘NOAH’S ARC’ AND TELLG GAY BLACK STORI: “THE GAY IS HERE AND IT’S GOG TO GET GAYER”
From The Gay Liberator, 1974, om the Reveal Digal “Inpennt Voic” llectn on JSTOR. They believed that by monstratg that they uld fd gaful employment, mata relatnships, and assiate to heteronormative culture, they uld prove that there was nothg abnormal—and nothg impairg—about homosexualy. “Clearly homosexualy per se do not meet the requirements: Many homosexuals are satisfied wh their sexual orientatn and monstrate no generalized impairment, ” Spzer said.
An official statement om the APA later reflected Spzer’s statement: “homosexualy, per se, impli no impairment judgment, stabily, reliabily, or general social or votnal pabili. Homosexualy was no longer nsired an illns, but the stigma did not subsi. As Spzer wonred: “If homosexualy do not meet the creria for psychiatric disorr, what is ?