GLBT Affirmative

Position paper on court mandated mental health treatment for men who batter

Many courts throughout the country are using mental health treatment as a penalty for men’s acts of assault against their partners.

It is our strong professional determination, based on many decades of work in the field, that an order for mental health treatment as a sanction for an assault is not the appropriate response.

Calling it Anger Adds to the Danger

Anger Management Policy Statement

With decades of experience to draw upon, we have determined that most people who are thought to need anger management programs already know how to manage their anger, and do so, on a daily basis in a wide variety of settings.

It is particularly worrisome when a man is ordered to an anger management program due to his "anger" at a woman who is his wife or intimate partner.

Gay Rights

The homophobia of the majority of American men can hardly be underestimated. We speak out for Gay Rights, even in light of frightening and alienating the majority of men before they can hear anything else we have to say, not only because gays are among the most oppressed minorities in the world today, or because gay men and women have been a vital part of our movement, but, because the oppression (heterosexism) of gays is tightly linked to sexism- which is unquestionably the most potent single factor which makes most heterosexual men afraid to deviate from the traditional male sex role.

We advocate for Gay Rights to heal the incalculable damage that homophobia, and the fear and confusion that it engenders, has done to both homosexual and heterosexual men.