The ZaNortepride contingent and float at the opening parade for Hudyaka Zanorte 2008 held on Friday, May 30 in Dipolog City. The "Mount Olympus" theme was very well received by the crowds. The organization has been invited to present a variety show on June 4 as part of the week-long celebration. (Photos: Aleksi) 
Connected by having a son or daughter who is gay, parents across the country discuss their experiences in the documentary Anyone and Everyone. In it, filmmaker Susan Polis Schutz, depicts families from all walks of life. Individuals from such diverse backgrounds as Japanese, Bolivian, and Cherokee, as well as from various religious denominations such as Mormon, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Hindu, and Southern Baptist, share intimate accounts of how their children revealed their sexual orientation and discuss their responses.
The parents also talk about struggling with the pain of their sons and daughters dealing with not being accepted by relatives or friends, and being ostracized by religious congregations.
"It was so evil and so bad that we almost couldn’t talk about it... You just had the idea it was so terrible that it was unspeakable," said a Mormon mother in the film.
"Having heard all these awful things and what homosexuality was and then having a member of your family, a person that you have seen, a child that you have seen since the child was born, a person that was absolutely wholesome, good, kind, gentle and that put together with the word lesbian didn’t add up," said a hispanic mother.
This film is especially important since up to 26% of gay teens who come out to their parents or guardians are told they must leave home. Of the approximately 1.6 million homeless American youth, 20-40% identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Nearly 40% of LGBT (GLBT) students report being physically harassed. In a 2001 Department of Health study of youth in Massachusetts, about 40 percent of gay and lesbian students attempted suicide, compared to about 10 percent of their heterosexual peers.
The film also depicts meetings of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) where people get support and help.
The film was first aired on KPBS San Diego in August, 2007 and is scheduled to play on most PBS stations throughout the year including National Coming Out Day (October 11) and Gay Pride Month (June).
Watch the video
Members of ZanortePride Chicago Chapter led by Manuelle Dean joined friends and the Dipolog community in Chicago in the celebration of the city's fiesta for San Vicente Ferrer. The well-attended event was held at Proesel Park in Lincolnwood, Illinois. More photos and coverage at Ambibo.com and Dipolognon.com. (Photo: Joem Bayawa)
Homosexuality is not a sickness. However, specialists haven’t always thought so. For a long time, mental health professionals considered sexual activity between same-sex partners an illness. Accustomed only to handling people with mental health issues, psychiatrists ended up believing that all gay men and lesbians were ill. They listed homosexuality among mental illnesses in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder) used by the American Psychiatric Association, an internationally recognized organisation. It wasn’t until December 15, 1973, that homosexuality was removed from the Association’s reference manual. This decision is reflected in the DSM-III published in 1980.
During an annual Board of Trustees meeting held on January 1975, the American Psychological Association did likewise by passing a resolution to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses and emotional disorders for good. In 1996, the Canadian Psychological Association followed suit by adopting several resolutions based on the same principle.
