Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman (R) — who is seeking the GOP’s presidential nomination — reiterated his opposition to same-sex marriage during an appearance on CNN this afternoon, but said states should be allowed to pass marriage equality laws. Huntsman’s remarks are likely to ruffle the fathers of fellow 2012 candidate Rick Santorum, who recently lashed out at Texas Governor Rick Perry for also suggesting that he was “fine” with New York’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage.

BLITZER: Would you agree that states like New York or Iowa should have the right — if they want to have gay marriage, they should have that right?

HUNTSMAN: Of course, that’s absolutely their right. This is an issue that’s more and more should be driven at the state level.

Watch it:

Huntsman is one of the few Republican presidential hopefuls to support civil unions and reciprocal beneficiary rights for same-sex couples, and has even reached out to LGBT groups in Utah. Huntsman first embraced civil unions in February 2009, despite supporting a constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage in 2004.

National Public Radio has yet to apologize for the platform it provided Rich Wyler on Monday to spout as many lies about sexual orientation as he could fit into the segment. NPR featured Wyler for being ex-gay and allowed him to testify about all the promise he believes reparative therapy offers to people not happy with their same-sex attractions, despite the fact that there is scientific consensus that ex-gay therapy is harmful and ineffective. But NPR made another big journalistic mistake besides its inappropriate framing of ex-gay therapy — the story neglected to mention that Wyler makes his entire living off of providing ex-gay therapy to vulnerable and insecure men he convinces to try to change.

Wyler’s ex-gay organization, People Can Change,  utilizes the stigmatic notion that people should change to drag men through an emotionally traumatic weekend called Journey Into Manhood (JiM). And it’s all for the low, low price of $650 (plus travel)! According to its tax forms, the organization takes in over $200,000 a year, most of which goes to the costs of providing these “coaching” weekends, although about $50,000 goes directly into Wyler’s pocket as his salary.

And what happens at these weekends? Writer Ted Cox infiltrated JiM to find out. The therapy is built on the premise that men have same-sex attractions as a weakness of their manhood. Wyler uses a lot of emotional trauma to shake these men to their core, accompanied by borderline homoerotic “healing touch” to somehow help them connect with their inner masculinity. Cox explains one of the opening exercises, a re-enactment of Jack and the Beanstalk:

The story, a narrator explains, is loaded with coming-of-age​ symbolism. Fatherless Jack has lived in the safe, feminine world under his mother’s care; the old man in the village represents ancient tribal elders who help boys transition into manhood; the seeds given to Jack represent both his sperm and the masculine potential for creation. Like most women, Jack’s mother doesn’t understand the importance of the seeds, so she chucks them out the window. The reenactment ends with Jack sent to bed without supper. After all, he screwed up his masculine duty to provide food for his family.

Much like Jack’s adventure, Journey into Manhood is the initiation into the mysterious world of heterosexual masculinity that has supposedly eluded us for so long. But as I look at the men filling in seats around the lodge room, especially the men who appear to be in their late 50s, I wonder: Have they never felt like men?

This is the work of Rich Wyler. These are the bogus ideas NPR decided to highlight under the guise that they were merely “controversial.” And by promoting these ideas, Wyler will no doubt scam more men into his expensive, torturous weekends, where their egos will be beaten into submission as their attractions are, if anything, reinforced through inappropriate touching. There is no controversy around providing therapy to people who are gay. There are professionals who improve gays’ well-being through affirmation and then there are con-men eager to make them feel worse by reinforcing stigma.

On Monday, the Obama administration “issued a clarification that allows states, particularly Florida, to receive at least as much as they received” last year in emergency funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a national program funded by the federal and state governments and run by the states that provides prescription drug coverage for low-income people with HIV/AIDS who have limited or no prescription drug coverage. In July, the administration had announced that states could only receive up to $3 million in “emergency relief funding.” But under the revised guidance, Florida could be eligible for $7 million, the amount it received last year. A press release from the AIDS Institute announced the decision:

“We are pleased the Obama Administration heard our objections and those of others in Florida that its decision to limit the level of emergency ADAP funding to less than what it received last year would have forced the state to remove people currently taking medications from the program.” [...]

Florida currently has over 3,680 people on the ADAP waiting list, which represents 42% of the wait lists nationwide. “This new clarification means that Florida will only be eligible to receive up to 18% of the competitive portion of the emergency resources. While this will help keep people currently taking medications now on the program it will not reduce the wait list, which is growing each month.” added Ruppal.

“While we certainly acknowledge the Administration’s modification will allow existing patients to stay on their medications, this new emergency pot of funding should be distributed to people with HIV/AIDS who need medications the most. We again ask the Administration to reconsider their decision and provide Florida with ADAP emergency relief funding that reflects the state’s share of the need.” concluded Ruppal.

States have been tightening their budgets over the last year and HIV/AIDS patients are paying the highest price. At least 18 states have taken such steps as capping enrollment, reducing the drug formulary, implementing medical criteria, and lowering the income ceiling for eligibility. As of July 28, 8,871 individuals in 13 states were on waiting lists to enlist in the program and receive life-saving medications, the ADAP Advocacy Association reports.

The Movement Advancement Project (MAP) has released its third biennial Momentum Report, which tracks the lives of LGBT people and the health of the LGBT movement. This year’s report shows a tremendous amount of progress, particularly in political opinion (such as improved polling on marriage equality) and key issues (like the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell). The report also includes many compelling maps that show the state-by-state improvements in LGBT equality over the past ten years. Interactive versions of the maps are available on MAP’s website as well.

While the progress and momentum are important, MAP’s executive director, Ineke Mushovic, points out that success is a “double-edged sword” because it can bring “the risk of complacency” and the “false belief that LGBT people are actually equal.” Here are some of the inequities the report identifies that show how far the movement still has to go:

- FINANCIAL INEQUITY: LGBT Americans are more likely to be low-income or living in poverty, contrary to stereotype.

- HEALTH DISPARITIES: The LGBT community continues to face higher rates of being uninsured and lacking competent care.

- RELATIONSHIP RECOGNITION: Same-sex couples still have no legal protections in 30 states and are still denied benefits from the federal government.

- EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION: LGB employees can still be fired for their sexual orientation in 29 states; transgender employees can still be fired for their gender identity in 35 states.

- SAFE SCHOOLS: There are 32 states that don’t have anti-bullying protections for sexual orientation and 35 that don’t protect for gender identity.

- RAISING CHILDREN: Seven states effectively ban second-parent adoption.

- NEGATIVE CLIMATE: Discrimination, violence, and stigma continue to interfere with the health and well-being of LGBT Americans.

Following this year’s boycott of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) by social conservatives who objected to the presence of the gay rights group GOProud, organizers decided to bar the organization from participating in next year’s event. And while some prominent conservatives have responded to the snub by starting a boycott of their own, the American Conservative Union (ACU) — the group that sponsors CPAC — is doubling down on its decision to appease the anti-gay wing of the movement.

As Pam Spaulding notes, Diana Cardenas (the wife of ACU President Al Cardenas) participated in a now-deleted Facebook exchange which only clarified that “this is one family that philosophically rolls with the LaBarberas, the Phelps Klan and other extremist homophobes and certified hate groups.” From the post:

Rena, it IS a threat to society. It is not nature’s way. They can’t procreate, can they?….You hvae them in your family? Well, there is no reason not to like them or love them, the same way you would love one who has a disability, or an illness, etc. I just DO NOT want them pushing their agenda on the majority who are not. This is just about sexual preference–keep it in the bedroom!!!! It is not about being denied any constitutional rights…..Ana, I got your point…..I am just tired of this topic being shoved in our face continually by all these gay activists and I have to ventilate my feelings…. You know I always wondered why homosexuals are referred to as ‘gay’, kind of an oxymoron? Nothing really ‘gay’ about them or their movement……I am all for intellectual honesty too!!

To their credit, some conservatives — including Andrew Breitbart who sits on GOPRoud’s board — have denounced CPAC’s decision, arguing that “barring GOProud from a huge political event in a Presidential election year will only serve to fracture the conservative movement.” “What the American Conservative Union did with CPAC has nothing to do with true conservative values, because GOProud supports those, conservative blogger Jeff Dunetz wrote.

Many prominent Republicans support LGBT equality, including Vice President Dick Cheney, Laura Bush, Ted Olson, and Ambassador John Bolton.