San Francisco: A nice place to visit

Golden Gate Bridge

My heart is safe but this beautiful spot on earth has my attention. I am blogging from a little cafe in Sausalito and have had a nice day. Through the miracle of wireless, I have been able to work most of the morning and see sights through the afternoon. Perhaps it says something about me that the first place I wanted to go (my first time here) was the Fillmore (couldn’t get in, a band was setting up). Haight-ashburyFrom there, I went to Haight-Ashbury (trippy), to Castro (colorful), then to the Mission District (amen), then over the Golden Gate Bridge (wow!) and now here in Sausalito (very hip).

That is my attempt at a travelogue.

Well, Blakeslee just called so I am heading back to the city of the all time home-run king.

Tomorrow, the APA convention…

blakesleereduced.JPG

35 thoughts on “San Francisco: A nice place to visit”

  1. Yeah… Warren is less a Switzerland and more a Belgium, small and easy to overrun and conquer.

    😉

  2. As for Warren, I believe he has demonstrated his own friendliness by sponsoring this unusual blog forum, by researching and bringing ‘current events’ for applied discussion and by commenting.

    Eddy,

    I agree and have stated similar comments as well. Also, an individual’s personal opinions (whether they are actually known or only assumed) should not be viewed as how that peson conducts themselves professionally or in any given relationship or circumstance.

  3. Eddy,

    Although some may simply think that being traditional in view is gay-unfriendly, I doubt that is the prevailing view. Most of us have friends, family, and neighbors with traditional theological interpretations and are aware that not all of these people are opponents to gay rights.

    For example, you and many here at this site. While you are not supportive of an accepting theology, you are supportive of civil equality. Folks are pretty good at understanding that, I believe.

    I suspect that Warren’s reputation as “anti-gay” has little to do with his beliefs. Most people who have that impression have never heard of this site. I suspect that Warren’s reputation is the result of his public speaking and activism. For example:

    a) his public advocacy for ex-gay therapy in Christian news sources. Though Warren is nuanced here, the quotes seldom are. And while it is difficult to be nuanced in soundbite, nevertheless the result appears to the reader to be favorable to reparative therapy (which I know he isn’t) and to be opposed to any and all forms of civil rights for gay people. This impression is further strengthed by his historical association with Exodus and NARTH.

    b) his joint activism (with David Blakeslee and the NARTH folks) in seeking to prevent, or at least delay, civil equalitites in the state of Oregon. I could probably find other examples, but that one was brought up recently.

    c) his work with PFOX to oppose any bullying programs which identified gay (or non-gender-conforming) kids as targets of bullying or had any language that instructed children not to bully such kids.

    Now I recognize that Warren is not as involved in those activities at present (as best I can tell) and this does impact my impression of him. However, most people are not aware of his exact position as of today and to the extent that they have heard of Warren it has only been in the context of his opposition to gay people being treated the same as their straight neighbors.

    That, I suspect is the basis of this reputation as “not exactly gay friendly”.

  4. LOL! Some serious cross-threading going on, Either that or ‘I’m having deja vu all over again’. I just responded to JAG’s comment re Warren being on staff at one of the ‘unfriendliest’ places for gay/lesbian students…but I think that was on the ‘Gay Library’ thread.

    The notion that Warren is perceived as ‘not exactly gay friendly’ is not at all surprising. But it has more to do with the limitations of the perceiver than the perceived. They can’t see how a person (or institution) can adhere to a traditional conservative belief re homosexuality and still be gay friendly. LOL! Outside of my family, MOST of my friends and MOST of the people I care deeply about are gay, ex-gay or ex-ex-gay. As for Warren, I believe he has demonstrated his own friendliness by sponsoring this unusual blog forum, by researching and bringing ‘current events’ for applied discussion and by commenting. Is there something in the definition of ‘friendly’ that I’m missing?

  5. Jayhuck,

    You asked “I’m also wondering why there is such an incredibly small turnout! The APA has over 100,000 members, right? But only 130 turned out for SIT? I’m honestly just curious why this is the case.”

    To be frank, SIT is not particularly well-known in the APA, and I would say that some psychologists who do know of it see it as an attempt to defend “reparative therapy,” even knowing nothing about it. Warren has a reputation that is not exactly “gay-friendly,” and I think this overlays his work a bit in the eyes of others. Sadly, I wouldn’t write an article for publication just because of this. I wouldn’t want my name linked to his professionally.

    He also works at a school listed as one of the top 5 unfriendliest places for gay/lesbian students (according to the Princeton Review 2006), and that hasn’t changed in his tenure…why?

  6. Jayhuck,

    You do see that question – it goes like this “When did you first have awareness of your sexual desires?” And if you have sexual predilictions that are unique or exist in only a small fraction of the population you will see a question that goes like this “When did you first have awarness of these kind of feelings?”

  7. Eddy,

    I’m not really trying to be negative – I’m seriously curious why, out of such a huge organization, only a certain number of people showed up – is that size of a group common for meetings like this in the APA?

    David,

    That wasn’t my point – I was talking about research on OSA that I hadn’t seen asking them the same kinds of questions that SSA people often get like When did they first identify as straight, etc. I don’t see much of that, but I do see quite a bit of the other stuff you mentioned.

  8. Tons!!! If you ever get a chance David – check out sociobiology and sexuality topics. I find it absolutly fascinating. Ratios of copulation, social organization, ratios of succesful births, group sizes etc… very interesting. r

  9. Regarding studying people with OSA…wow, my first reaction is that there is a plethora of research on OSA and the factors relating to it such as courtship, mating, monogomy, infidelity and so on.

    This research is based on both human and animal models.

  10. Jayhuck–

    There were 50 plus different tracks–which I guess would be a ‘focus’–and well over 100 sessions offered in the 4 days. You read it your way…I’ll read it mine. You were (and are) trying to make a statement out of the number of people who attended. I think you’re ‘reaching’ for negative things to say.

  11. Eddy,

    Sure – if the size of the school was 300 people!???? Not sure I understand your point here.

  12. LOL! First, I hardly think that all 100,000 members attended the conference. Second, it’s my impression that a session with 130 participants would actually be ‘high end medium’ in terms of ‘class size’.

  13. Warren,

    I was reading through these comments (btw, i’ve only been to san fran once, and i was PREGNANT…he’s 20 now…*sigh*…wanna go back one day)…anyway….was reading through here and was struck by the spirit of community you’ve cultivated. Good job!

    pam

  14. I’m also wondering why there is such an incredibly small turnout! The APA has over 100,000 members, right? But only 130 turned out for SIT? I’m honestly just curious why this is the case.

  15. David,

    I’m wondering why we don’t study folks with OSA! Why aren’t we asking them when they had their first OS experience and when they first started identifying as straight! All of this seems like such a double standard, and people never think to turn it around and apply these things to the OSA crowd! sigh

  16. Maybe we can get everybody to talk to eachother out there, without the advocacy groups…

    this is my prayer –

  17. David –

    “Maybe we can get everybody to talk to eachother out there, without the advocacy groups…”

    I’d love that….but you just KNOW, that depending on what they find – one group will claim that the research is only supporting the other. Both groups politicize the best attempts at objective research.

  18. Interesting poster session today, with LGBT survey using primarily liberal religious institutions to evaluate religious belief and integration of sexual attractions. Chris Rosik found that if you identify homosexuality as a sin (using the homophobia scale) in increased you identification as homophobic…seems like a oversimplistic attribution that the scale makes. Also Yarhouse presented his data on conservative students at Christian Universities and examined when they first experienced SSA, when they had their first SS experience and when they identified as gay.

    Maybe we can get everybody to talk to eachother out there, without the advocacy groups…

  19. I noticed this will be my 200th post. Do I get a set of steak knives or anything??? LOL! I’ve been invited to sing karaoke at a wedding reception tonite. Planning “Volare”…the groom claims he can handle the verse that’s all in Italian, “Cherish”…and I just remembered that the groom originated in San Francisco. I’ve never tried a Tony Bennett song before.

    “I left my harp in Sam Frank’s disco…”

  20. Great conference and good presentation by SIT folks. Had a very interesting conversation with an graduate of a Christian liberal arts college who is now a psychologist, but identified as gay. For him his sexual identity eventually became more important than his conservative faith. Faith is less essential to him now, his career, his partner and his sexual identity form his meaning for him now. He was concerned that SIT would be able to be manipulated by a biased therapist…certainly a risk for all of us.

    Enjoyed several poster sessions on GLBT and faith, sexual behavior and sexual identity. Many thoughtful people.

    Torture is the big topic, many talk in soundbites, but I had the pleasure of meeting old colleagues still on active duty serving our country well as psychologists.

    Chris Rosik presents (poster) tomorrow on homophobia and conservative religious belief.

    Prayers for Warren on his flight home

  21. Warren –

    Now that you’ve been there (and likely have been there before), be sure to watch “the bridge,” a documentary about suicides off the Golden Gate….eerie, once you’ve been there.

  22. I love San Fran, and Sausalito is a wonderful place. I was just out there in December.

    things I loved…

    – the wonderful public transportation system…..where else are you going to go some place for $1.50 round trip?

    – the castro is cleaned up – no more needles on the street (although hey, their cops make around 70 grand, so good incentive to do a bit of work)

    – the seafood…

    – that people seem to genuinely pay attention to the importance of organic, locally grown items. There is a wonderful organic burger place in the mission that rocks.

    I was supposed to be at the APA conference there – but alas, other things came up that required my attention.

    Enjoy your stay.

  23. Ah! San Francisco! I love Sausalito. Marin County is great. Hope you enjoy the sites and the food!!

  24. The closest I ever got to San Francisco was to put my foot in California at the border with Nevada. Or vicariously through my mother who on returning from a Hawaiian vacation stopped in San Francisco to see the town with her parish priest (as far as I know he’s straight). He even took mom to the Castro where they took in several bars and some drag shows. Mom loved it.

    Yes, my mother has somewhat had a more exciting gay life than I have.

  25. Okay…just got back from a Thursday karaoke adventure, catching up on the blog…and found the above comments. Thanks. Kinda feels like family.

    Time to turn in. “Officially” have tomorrow off but promised I’d be in ‘sometime’…they are aware of my karaoke addiction and are ‘mildly tolerant’.

    My best online friends are from LA and points north. Always begging me to move out there but 1) too pricey and 2) too strange. Great to visit and people watch though!

  26. Tim

    You live in L.A.? How do people afford to live out there? I am always amazed at CA real estate prices. I live in a newer, 2200 square foot home in a nice part of town and it is worth about $350,000. In L.A. it would be worth way over a million. In San Fran probably two million!

    OUCH!

  27. Hey wait a minute, that might not have sounded quite right…

    (Disclaimer)

    Before anybody gets on me for viewing crazy street people in San Fran as entertainment I’m talking about the general atmosphere of weirdness. I live in Phoenix and except for Mill Avenue in Tempe we don’t have “street folk” like San Fran.

    /back to regularly scheduled blogging 😎

  28. …the city of the all time home-run king.

    ahem… perhaps the home of the most home-runs by someone using enhancing drugs. I’m just saying.

    Have a great time in The City. Eat a lot. It is truly beautiful and every little hole in the wall restaurant is better than anything you find in LA.

  29. I lived in San Francisco for one summer.

    IT WAS AWESOME in almost every single respect!

    Only complaints are

    A) No parking (however mass transit was pretty good)

    B) Crazy street people (can be viewed as extra entertainment)

    C) Real estate prices (salaries are about a third higher than where I live, but RE prices are 500% higher)

    Speaking of RE prices my Uncle lives in San Fran and he told me a house is currently on sale for $65,000,000!

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