An Online Chat With John Pilger

An Online Chat With John Pilger
Turkish governments have long been the sworn enemy of the Kurds – including their own citizens. They have bombed them and silenced them, or tried to. The Kurds get in the way of the Turkish elite’s Ottoman delusions – as does of Assad in Syria. That’s why …

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50% Of Gay Black Men In America Could Be Diagnosed With HIV According To CDC

50% Of Gay Black Men In America Could Be Diagnosed With HIV According To CDC
Half of all black gay and bisexual men in the United States are projected to be diagnosed with HIV, a government study shows, in a ratio parallel to the prevalence of the virus among such men in developing nations such as Mauritania and Senegal …

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North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory Loves Hypocrisy, Hates Trans People Using Correct Bathrooms

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory Loves Hypocrisy, Hates Trans People Using Correct Bathrooms
around 500 people descended on Taylor Square in Darlinghurst in a show of solidarity for New York’s Stonewall movement and to call for the Australian government to decriminalize same-sex sexual activity and end discrimination against gay people.

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Tennessee Committee Hears Testimony on Counseling Discrimination Bill

Tennessee Committee Hears Testimony on Counseling Discrimination Bill

On Tuesday, the Tennessee House Health Subcommittee heard testimony on HB1840 / SB1556, which would allow counselors and therapists to ignore professional standards of care, making it legal for them to refuse to serve any Tennessean on the basis of the counselor’s religious belief.

If passed, this bill would allow licensed counselors in private practice to use their own religious beliefs as an excuse for terminating care or referring away clients because of moral objections to how they identify This law could negatively impact LGBT people in Tennessee, particularly those living in one of the 63 areas in the state that are currently underserved by mental health providers. Additionally, referring a client, particularly at a time of crisis or after prolonged period of building trust, can have damaging impact to an individual’s mental health.

Speaking against the bill were several leaders in counseling and mental health from Tennessee and a representative from the American Counseling Association (ACA), which sets the professional Code of Ethics and standards of practice that are considered the gold standard for licensed professional counselors. Dr. Lynn Linde, Senior Director of the Center for Counseling

Practice, Research, and Policy at the ACA spoke at length about the reasoned process that the ACA undertakes every 10 years to revise and strengthen its guiding principles in the Code of Ethics. The three year process for revising the 2014 Code of Ethics included a year of drafting, town hall meetings around the country, posting drafts online for comment from members of ACA and over a year for revisions before lawyers reviewed and then the Code was adopted by the ACA Governance Board.

By passing HB1840 / SB1556, legislators in Tennessee would be eschewing this professional standards process to provide counselors in private practice in Tennessee with the ability to refuse care in conflict with the 2014 Code of Ethics without fear of lawsuit or loss of their license.

Dr. Shawn Spurgeon, a professor and Program Coordinator for Clinical Mental Health Counseling at UT Knoxville, testified to the committee in great detail about the amount of training that all counseling students receive ranging from a commitment to diversity, to honoring and understanding their own values, and about making a commitment to their clients. He emphasized that counseling is not about the counselor but about the needs of the client, and so counselors are taught to ‘walk in empathy’ with their clients. He also stated that counselors often work with some of the most marginalized people in society and its their responsibility to help them.

The only witness testifying in support of the bill was a faith based counselor who was identified as a member of the Family Action Council of Tennessee, asking the committee to pass the bill so that he could put his own beliefs before the needs of his client — which is what the ACA Code of Ethics discourages.

Chris Sanders of the Tennessee Equality Project has been working to oppose this House bill and its companion bill in the Senate, stating, “SB1556, the Counseling Discrimination bill, puts LGBT people in Tennessee in danger by adding stigma and religious judgment when people are seeking help.  We are particularly concerned about the impact this bill would have on rural LGBT people who might have few options for qualified counselors in their area.”

At the end of a nearly two-hour meeting, the sponsor of HB1840, Rep Howell asked the committee to pull the bill from consideration this week while he works on further amendments, but the House Health Subcommittee could consider the bill again next week. SB1556 was slightly amended and has already passed the Tennessee Senate.

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Live chat moved to Monday: Chef Meghan Young talks food and what's new at Lancaster City Restaurant Week

Live chat moved to Monday: Chef Meghan Young talks food and what's new at Lancaster City Restaurant Week
Join LancasterOnline at noon Monday, Feb. 29, when Food writer Mary Ellen Wright shares your foodie questions during a live chat with Characters Pub chef and owner Meghan Young. With Lancaster City Restaurant Week — March 1-6 — right around the …

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Keeping Ibrahimovic now the priority for runaway leader PSG

Keeping Ibrahimovic now the priority for runaway leader PSG
Paris Saint-Germain right back Serge Aurier is waiting to find out what his punishment will be following his expletive-laced rant at coach Laurent Blanc and some PSG players in an online video chat with fans. When the video came out two weeks ago …

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Wednesday Morning News: Sydney Attacks, Iranian Poet, Puerto Rico, Wrinkle in Time, Hump Day Hottie

Wednesday Morning News: Sydney Attacks, Iranian Poet, Puerto Rico, Wrinkle in Time, Hump Day Hottie
ISRAEL: Gay Iranian poet requests asylum … “The confirmation of Maite Oronoz Rodríguez as the first openly LGBT Chief Justice in Puerto Rico and the United States makes history, breaks barriers, and marks a momentous step towards achieving a …

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Nigeria: USA Reduces Aid to 1.9 Million Nigerians Living With HIV Over Gay Support

Nigeria: USA Reduces Aid to 1.9 Million Nigerians Living With HIV Over Gay Support
About 95 percent of the infected patients largely depend on the ART from the United States, US, government and Global Fund, which has been drastically scaled down as a result of Nigeria’s refusal to accede to gay union. This was as revealed, Tuesday …

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Live updates: New Zealand Cricket Awards

Live updates: New Zealand Cricket Awards
The New Zealand Cricket awards are being held at the Viaduct Events … The clinking of glasses, general chat cacophony and pictures in front of the ANZ flowerwall are over. The background music fades and MC Laura McGoldrick introduces the agenda for …

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