In April 2015 Robert M Gates, the national president of the Boy Scouts of America, addressed his organization at their national business meeting (BSA, 2015). In his speech he raised the thorny issue of gays in the Scouts. The organization had long held in place a ban on atheists, agnostics, and what they call "open or avowed" homosexuals participating as members (BSA, 2012).
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On May 29, 2015, President Obama re-proclaimed that June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month. In his re-proclamation, Obama highlights his Executive Order on LGBT workplace discrimination. In this landmark order, Federal contractors are protected against discriminations based on gender identity and sexual orientation. He called to not only end the discrimination with Federal contractors but also to extend these protections to all American workers in the future.
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April 30, 2015
by Joan Childs,LCSW
What is happening to Bruce Jenner is a microcosm of what happens to human beings when they have an identity crisis. What is an identity crisis? Theorist and social psychologist, Erik Erikson coined the term identity crisis and believed that it was one of the most important conflicts people face in development.
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Despite great advances in treatment, HIV continues to be an epidemic, and a large contributing factor for its spread is intravenous drug use. A recent outbreak of HIV in a rural Indiana community brings to bear more questions in this ongoing crisis.
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AMC’s most popular and stylish drama, Mad Men, is approaching its final episodes, and throughout the course of the series viewers have observed suave playboy, Don Draper, reliably destroy relationships with his prolific and alluring love interests. Underneath the façade of mid-century perfection, Mad Men reveals the demise of modern relationship constructs that are only more prevalent today.
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March 16, 2015
by Grace Bell, MA, CC
The world is all abuzz about 50 Shades of Gray, the trilogy and now, the movie. Whether you’re interested in seeing the movie, or not, it’s raised many questions under the broad umbrella of human sexuality. These questions have lived long-term in society around sexuality, attraction, chemistry, conventional boundaries, and what one is taught is right or wrong when it comes to relating sexually with another.
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Ok, so 50 Shades the movie bombed compared to the success of the book trilogy. Critics basically said it was cheesy, the sex scenes were unsatisfying, and there was no spark between the two actors. So did it bomb because of the way it was made or the story-line? Whatever the reason it has been a great opportunity to get a very common fantasy out there in mainstream media for women and men of all walks of life.
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Aside from obvious physical distinctions, how different are men and women? This age-old question has been the topic of extensive research and the focus of impassioned debate across many disciplines. Psychologists pursue this question in order to establish the role of sex in the etiology of mental illness, and to contribute to the general understanding of the workings of the mind.
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Whips. Blindfolds. Handcuffs... These were the Valentines Day gifts presented between couples around the world this year. The movie, Fifty Shades of Grey, was released in theaters February 13. This movie is based on a novel that has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism (BDSM) is the unique theme in the book and movie.
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Positive communication is consistently linked to greater relationship satisfaction (Gottman 1994 & 1999). While many couples think communicating what they want sounds too simple. Research indicates that communicating in a positive way is essential to satisfying relationships.
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