University receives nearly 1,500 reports of sexual assault by male athletes against school doctor

Ohio State University says it has received nearly 1,500 reports of sexual assault in the last year against a now-deceased doctor who worked at the school for two decades.

Before his death by suicide in 2005, Dr. Richard Strauss worked in the school’s athletic department and student health center from September 1978 to March 1998, primarily treating student athletes, including numerous male wrestlers.

Earlier this year, 177 male victims came forward with sexual abuse allegations against Strauss. Many claimed to have been abused multiple times and said the university knew about the situation but failed to do anything about it.

According to NPR, the school was first made aware of the problem in 1979, but it didn’t act until the almost 20 years later when outside sources got wind of what was going on in 1996. That’s when Strauss was suspended from working as a physician. He retired two years later, in 1998.

Steve Snyder-Hill was one of Strauss’ alleged victims. He told NPR earlier this year, “He proceeded to do a full-body exam, including my genitalia area, which is completely unorthodox because I was there for my chest.”

Others claim Strauss would shower with athletic teams, ogling the naked young men, and he would find reasons to touch their genitalia during medical exams “regardless of the medical ailment presented, including for a sore throat,” an investigative report states.

“Many of the students felt that Strauss’ behavior was an ‘open secret,’ as it appeared to them that their coaches, trainers, and other team physicians were fully aware of Strauss’ activities, and yet few seemed inclined to do anything to stop it,” the report claims.

Vice reports:

Over the course of his two-decade career, Strauss abused at least 48 wrestlers, according to the investigative report the university commissioned from an outside law firm, Perkins Coie. Last year, four former wrestlers sued OSU with allegations that the school had willingly ignored their abuse.

The lawsuit and subsequent stream of allegations have also put Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan under scrutiny, as he was the university’s assistant wrestling coach between 1986 and 1994. Jordan has repeatedly said he had no knowledge of any accusations against Strauss.

Investigators and the university’s president have all thanked the men for coming forward with their stories. A task force focusing on sexual abuse has also been established to review sexual abuse cases and find new ways of fostering a culture of awareness at the university.

Meanwhile, family members of Strauss have said they are “shocked and saddened” by the allegations against him and have vowed to cooperate with investigators.

www.queerty.com/university-receives-nearly-1500-reports-sexual-assault-male-athletes-school-doctor-20191002?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Triglobal Strategic Ventures, Rudy Giuliani, Helen Mirren, Joaquin Phoenix, Mauritius, Rachel Maddow, Laverne Cox: HOT LINKS

TRIGLOBAL STRATEGIC VENTURES. Firm’s website vanishes amid Rudy Giuliani scrutiny: “The website of the consulting firm that forged business contacts for Rudy Giuliani in Ukraine and Russia for more than a decade vanished suddenly after his communications were subpoenaed.”

GIULIANI. I’ll sue Congress: “Speaking with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Tuesday night, Giuliani proposed bringing a lawsuit against House Democrats for investigating the president in the wake of revelations involving Trump’s interactions with Ukraine.”

JOAQUIN PHOENIX. He’d like you to sympathize with his provocative Joker.

$125 MILLION. Trump and RNC raise massive war chest in third quarter: ‘The haul underscores the strength of a Trump fundraising apparatus, which has capitalized on the grievances of his supporters to bring in an avalanche of cash. The reelection effort, for example, has developed a merchandising operation that churns out items like plastic straws and T-shirts poking fun at Trump antagonist Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.’

RACHEL MADDOW. There’s a second Trump whistleblower.

A STAR WAS BORN. The hidden legacy of Judy Garland’s recording career. “It’s been over fifty years since Judy Garland slipped back over the rainbow. We owe her our thanks. The New York Times owes her a retraction and a long-overdue apology.”

GEORGIA. Gay-Straight Alliance pisses off bigots in Fannin County community. “This is no hate.  Whether you’re gay, straight or bi, we shouldn’t have sexual orientation clubs at our school,” Fannin County parent Stephanie Ensley said. 

LOU SULLIVAN. Memoirs of a queer revolutionary… “Think of us going into a bar with all men in it, and how that would feel. Then think of us going down the street into a bar with all women in it. How would that be different in there? That’s how I feel different.”

MAURITIUS. Gay men seek to overturn law barring gay sex: “Homosexuality is taboo in Mauritius, a tiny island of 1.3 million people off Africa’s south-east coast, and persecution of sexual minorities is common. Under Mauritius’ criminal code, sodomy is punishable by up to five years in jail.”

DM LAVERNE COX. She’s single and ready to mingle. “Don’t be scared. Just be respectful. Los Angeles area preferred.”

BEAR BREW. Beijing’s gay-friendly coffee shop: ‘A name as innocuous as “Bear Brew” fits the bill perfectly. Those in the know can read between the lines and recognize that this cafe is gay-friendly. For others, there is no additional meaning; the cafe might as well have been named “Teddy Bear Brew.” While the name choice is subtle, it is still significant. In a metropolis as large as Beijing, there are few establishments that make it known that they are gay-friendly.’

MELBOURNE. Gay events group denies it’s ageist: ‘The group—which was established two months ago to provide relationship and friendship opportunities for same-sex attracted people—is currently promoting several age-exclusive events in the coming weeks, in addition to all-ages event. Among them is a gay men’s dinner party with an age stipulation of 25 to 45, a lesbian beer and cider tour of the Yarra Valley for 25 to 49-year-old women, and a gay men’s trivia night with an upper age limit of 39.’

NICK JONAS. The cigar aficionado almost went into a coma before being diagnosed with diabetes.

DRAG QUEEN NAMES. RuPaul has anointed Helen Mirren and Jack Whitehall.

HUMP DAY HOTTIE. McKenzie.

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Triglobal Strategic Ventures, Rudy Giuliani, Helen Mirren, Joaquin Phoenix, Mauritius, Rachel Maddow, Laverne Cox: HOT LINKS

HRC Volunteer Zoe Roberts on Why We Need Protections Against Conversion Therapy

Post submitted by HRC Wisconsin volunteer Zoe Roberts. It originally appeared in Leader-Telegram.

As a local transgender advocate I feel it absolutely necessary to point out some facts I’ve been able to distill regarding the damage conversion therapy is likely doing to specifically the transgender community. I realize that in Eau Claire county this incredibly damaging process is banned. However, at the State level it is not banned and is still doing damage to many people in other areas of the state.  I’m going to warn everyone, these numbers are disturbing.

But first we need to define what conversion therapy is. According to the Wikipedia definition conversion therapy is: “the pseudoscientific practice of trying to change an individual’s sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual using psychological or spiritual interventions. There is virtually no reliable evidence that sexual orientation can be changed and medical bodies warn that conversion therapy practices are ineffective and potentially harmful. Medical, scientific, and government organizations in the United States and United Kingdom have expressed concern over the validity, efficacy and ethics of conversion therapy. Various jurisdictions in Asia, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas have passed laws against conversion therapy.” The cold cruel truth of this is that it’s actually torture. They subject people to electro shock, beatings, etc. At this point it is worth noting, that in 2016 many media sources reported that torture doesn’t work. Many people that have worked for the CIA for years have reported it to be counterproductive.

According to Daniel Shumer in an article titled “Health Disparities Facing Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Youth Are Not Inevitable,” which was published in Pediatrics magazine nearly 41% of transgender people attempt suicide. This is compared to 1.6% for the general population. Recently it was reported in a study published in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH), around 187,923 trans Americans have been exposed to what I will now call conversion torture. The Williams Institute, which is a portion of the UCLA School of Law estimates that the transgender population within the United States is 1.4 million people. When we calculate a simple percentage, that means that 13.42% of the transgender population within the United States has been exposed to conversion torture. Breaking these numbers down further we can learn that out of the transgender population that has been exposed to this harmful procedure that 77,048 people have likely attempted suicide. This number is derived by calculating 41% of the 187,923 people.

Digging deeper we can then learn that the transgender population only accounts for about 3.5% of the LGBTQ community, but out of the approximately 700,000 Americans that have been exposed to conversion torture the transgender population accounts for 26.85% of all people to be exposed. This disparity is likely a contributing factor for the incredibly high percentage of transgender people attempting to kill themselves. A percentage that I believe should be deemed a human health crisis.

It is my belief that conversion therapy (torture as I like to call it) should be banned completely. It is an incredibly damaging and highly controversial topic. It is also my belief that everyone, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race or any other factor, deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. To continue to allow this to occur is a crime against humanity and does not satisfy my belief system. I hope it doesn’t satisfy yours either!

For these reasons and many more I support the current bill to ban conversion therapy in Wisconsin. Bill AB111.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-volunteer-zoe-roberts-on-why-we-need-protections-against-conversion-the?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Antigay D.A. Overseeing Case of Bullied Bi Teen Who Ended His Life

Channing Smith’s family has doubts that Coffee County, Tenn., District Attorney Craig Northcott can administer justice.

www.advocate.com/youth/2019/10/02/antigay-da-overseeing-case-bullied-bi-teen-who-ended-his-life