Focus On The Rainbow

The Military Times has chosen a book criticizing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy as one of its sixteen best military books of the decade. The book, “Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America,” by Palm Center’s senior research fellow, Dr. Nathaniel Frank, was selected this week by the paper’s lead book reviewer, J. Ford Huffman, for inclusion in a list of books that “excel in writing and reporting, that invite re-reading, that evoke emotion and offer enlightenment.”

In an article announcing the list of best books, Huffman wrote that “Unfriendly Fire” “separates opinion from fact, and a reader could suggest Congress and the Pentagon accept this engaging study as definitive.” He added that the stories of service members and the use of statistics “lend credibility” to the book’s argument that the current policy has failed and that it hurts, rather than helping, unit cohesion and military effectiveness. Huffman’s 2009 review of “Unfriendly Fire” praised the book for its “scholarly methodology,” its deep and extensive research, and its human and accessible voice.

Dr. Aaron Belkin, director of Palm and a professor of political science at University of California, Santa Barbara, said the selection is significant because the Military Times is the newspaper of record for the U.S. armed forces.

“The selection of a book like this for recognition,” said Belkin, “a book that questions the rationale and impact of the military’s gay ban, reflects a substantial change in sentiment within the military.” Belkin said the newspaper is a major source of news for military members and their families, and that, while the paper enjoys independence from the military, it has historically shared the norms and outlooks of the military community. Each year the paper releases a subscriber poll that shows majority resistance to service by open gays, which regularly earns the paper criticism from the gay community, including researchers at the Palm Center.

Frank said he felt honored to have his book included on the list. “Most writers hope their voice will be heard, above all,” he said. “It’s heartening to know that the military community is now approaching this controversial subject with an open mind, and that many have a genuine interest in reviewing and recognizing what the facts are about gays in the military.” He said the recognition of his argument was consistent with what both research and personal military contacts increasingly show: that resistance to openly gay service has dropped dramatically and that there is genuine support for lifting “don’t ask, don’t tell” within the military, even while it’s not always made public.

Other picks on the list, which was arranged alphabetically, include many that chronicle the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, such as “Fiasco” by the Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, Thomas Ricks; “The Forever War” by the Pulitzer-Prize winning New York Times journalist Dexter Filkins; the bestselling “Cobra II” co-written by New York Times journalist Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor; the bestselling “The Unforgiving Minute” by Craig Mullaney; and “Jarhead” by Anthony Swofford which also became a film.

Source – PR Newswire/The Palm Center

As more and more gay men set out to become parents, a new book by University of Iowa Professor Ellen Lewin explores their desire to become parents, the challenges they face along the path to parenthood, and how fatherhood affects their identities as gay men.

“Gay Fatherhood,” an ethnography published by the University of Chicago Press, is the result of interviews with nearly 100 gay men who have or are trying to have children. The book chronicles the men’s lives, investigating how they cope with political attacks from the right and left, including criticism from peers in the gay community who view parenthood as a sign of conformity.

“Many people can understand lesbian’s desire to have a baby because they appreciate the idea of maternal instinct,” said Lewin, professor of anthropology and women’s studies in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “They’re much more suspicious about why gay men would want to be dads, and therefore gay men have to jump through a lot more hoops to be parents.”

Adoption through the foster system is the most affordable way for gay men to become fathers, but Lewin discovered they are typically last in line in the system, meaning they must consider whether they will accept an older child, a child with disabilities, or a child of a different race.

“Straight, middle-class married couples get first pick,” she said. “Heterosexual singles come next, and then gay people of various sorts. Some states prohibit gays from adopting, but a lot of individual social workers realize these guys can be good parents and want to get the kids into homes. There are 100,000 kids in the system, half of which are available for adoption. Most will never get adopted and will remain in the system until age 18, so there’s a sense of urgency.”

Domestic adoption through a private agency can run $20,000, and some mothers will not select gay men to raise their babies. Options for overseas adoptions, which can cost up to $40,000, are limited. Guatemala is one of the few countries with rules flexible enough to allow gay men to adopt, but one partner is invisible during the process – and the fact that the adoptive dad is gay is not advertised. Surrogacy allows a biological connection to one dad but costs upwards of $100,000.

“They have to make choices about what they want versus what they can afford,” Lewin said. “In some cases, gay couples have more financial resources because they’re men, and men make more money. But for a typical middle-class gay couple, some of these options are out of reach.”

Source – and read more at newswise – related posting here

Islam and AIDS is the first book to comprehensively address the HIV/AIDS pandemic from an Islamic perspective, with contributions from a number of internationally known activists and scholars of Islam, including Kecia Ali and Abdulaziz Sachedina. With an introduction by Peter Piot, Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, this landmark work provides an insight into new possibilities of critical and progressive Islamic approaches, in both law and ethics, to one of the most urgent crises facing humankind today. Covering emotive issues such as gender, justice, poverty, health, disease, addiction, and sexuality, Islam and AIDS provides the religious analysis so essential for the communities at the forefront of the epidemic.

Farid Esack is a South African Muslim scholar, writer, and political activist. Former gender equity commissioner for Nelson Mandela, he was a founding member of both the AIDS Treatment Action Campaign and Positive Muslims. He is currently Visiting Professor of Islamic Studies, Harvard University. Sarah Chiddy has master’s degree from Harvard Divinity School and works as a spiritual counselor for people with HIV and AIDS in Boston

“A groundbreaking, thoughtful, balanced and sober engagement of a difficult yet imperative subject. The diverse range of perspectives is realistically representative, yet visionary and humane in its conception and orientation.” Abdullahi A. An-Naim, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law

“The first book on Islam and AIDS which has succeeded in putting together within a single volume the whole spectrum of attitudes and positions on the subject expressed by Muslims from different backgrounds. It has raised the debate on some of the controversies related to AIDS to a higher level.”  Chandra Muzaffar, President of the International Movement for a Just World

Source – Oneworld Publications

“Transgender people have been around since the beginning of time, and there are more of us than you think,” writes Joanne Herman in her new book, “Transgender Explained For Those Who Are Not ” (published by AuthorHouse). “Transgender people are very varied and diverse — some transition genders as I did, some have an opposite gender presentation only part of the time, and some have a unique gender presentation all of the time. Contrary to common belief, few transgender people have surgery.”

Herman makes a good point: Although it is commonly assumed that those who identify as transgender undergo surgery, most do not. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines transgender as, “of, relating to, or being a person … who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that differs from the one which corresponds to the person’s sex at birth.” The definition does not mention surgical reassignment and it does not speak to a person’s sexual orientation — some transgender people are gay while others are straight.

Ideal for parents, relatives, colleagues, friends, allies and anyone seeking information about what it means to be transgender, “Transgender Explained For Those Who Are Not” offers a much-needed resource, which is organized by topic into short, easy-to-read chapters. Herman tackles myriad subjects, evident in chapter titles including “Sub-Groups Under the Transgender Umbrella,” “Prevalence: There Are More of Us Than You Think” and “Political Correctness: ‘Please Don’t Call Me Tranny.’”

Combining her personal story with thorough research, statistics and analysis, Herman gives a voice to the thousands of people living in similar situations. Today, as 2009 draws to a close, acceptance and tolerance have become increasingly important, and knowledge is the first step to achieving this. Gain a new perspective on what it’s like to be transgender in the informative pages of “Transgender Explained For Those Who Are Not.”

Joanne Herman has a bachelor’s degree in government and economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Northeastern University. She is the first transgender person elected to the board of directors of Point Foundation, a national Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender scholarship fund; Fenway Health, the largest LGBT-focused health center in the world; and GLAD, the New England-based LGBT legal rights organization. Herman is also the first openly transgender member of the congregation of Old South Church in Boston. She currently resides in Boston.

Source – PRNewswire/AuthorHouse

A Family of Choice: A Gay Man’s Story of International Adoption by Scottsdale, Arizona resident Paul Hampsch, candidly shares the experiences of a gay couple going through the process of international adoption.

Having been partners for many years, Paul Hampsch and his life partner, Domenic, made the decision together to adopt. But finding an adoption agency that would even consider allowing a single gay man and his partner to adopt was quite a challenge. With the support of friends and family, Paul was surrounded by blessings and felt sure he would eventually be able to adopt.

As time passed, Paul navigated a range of challenges, some of which tested his level of resolve in one way or another, but he was finally able to adopt and return to America with his children. His story is enclosed in these pages, and he tells his readers, “The bittersweet joy of parenting continues to make my soul complete…Each bend in the road leads to a new horizon.”

Paul Hampsch lives in Arizona with his two sons, Paul Jr. and Andrew. He currently volunteers at a local hospital emergency room, plays guitar, and loves to cook. Mr. Hampsch has also published trade manuals and training materials and is also the author of Marketing Is Relationship Building (1985).

A Family of Choice: A Gay Man’s Story of International Adoption is a 176-page hardcover with a retail price of $18.00 and is published by Dorrance Publishing.

- source – PRWeb