If you're in the northeast, I hope you're staying warm through this wintry weather. Where I am, there's about 2 feet of snow on the ground, and it's 9 degrees F (-13C). Brr! Hopefully this month's news will warm you upon some way.
The Good
New York state legislators finally voted to ban "conversion therapy" (altering sexual orientation or gender) for minors. The wording of the bill is inclusive. That means not only is it illegal to attempt to turn gay or lesbian people heterosexual, it's also illegal to force bisexual folks to "pick a side" or to treat asexual people as "broken." Binary transgender people cannot be forced to change either. And similar to bisexual people, those outside the gender binaries cannot be counseled to choose.
In a parallel bill, it would also become illegal to discriminate against people based on gender or gender expression. Governor Cuomo is expected to sign the bill into law.
The Bad
Google's online store still has a "pray away the gay" app listed. Other companies (Apple, Microsoft, Amazon) have already removed it. There's a petition to have it removed from Google. In the past, they have responded to collective pressure. Sign the petition to urge them to take it down.
The Ugly
Or more like The Eye-Rolling. An "ex-gay" therapist has now come out and decided to only date men. Not only does he manage to throw bisexuals under the bus yet again, he also has absolutely no remorse for the damage he's done. He even calls it a "blessing." Raises the question of how successful his dating efforts will be.
The Fabulous
Fragments of Him is the queer game you didn't know you needed. It's really not about the bisexuality (yes, he's bi, not gay) of the main character, Will. It's about love and family and loss and grief and pretty much life in general. Keep your eyes peeled later this week for a great interview on The BiCast with one of the developers, Dr. Mata Haggis-Burridge. Meanwhile, you can purchase the game here.