NYC Pride & The Power of Plant Based Nutrition

The 2025 New York City Pride March was a lot of fun, as nearly 2 million people showed up to express their love, and solidarity with our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. I attended the 2023 parade and reported that it was the best time that I had ever had at a rally, or demonstration. Although this year’s crowd was a bit subdued, perhaps in part to the world being on fire, it was still great to see the streets filled with so much joy, and spirited passion.

2025 NYC Pride Parade

The LGBTQ community is under attack, and continues to be demonized by US politicians, as a way to distract Americans from their real problems, which include corporate & billionaire greed, ongoing wars, and the ruling elites never being held accountable. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), is now tracking 598 anti-LGBTQ bills across the country, which is up from 491 in 2023!

Did you know that LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers?

According to the Trevor Project:
– 41% of LGBTQ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year—and young people who are transgender, nonbinary, and/or people of color reported higher rates than their peers.
– 56% of LGBTQ young people who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it.
– Transgender and nonbinary young people who reported that all of the people they live with respect their pronouns reported lower rates of attempting suicide.
– Fewer than 40% of LGBTQ young people found their home to be LGBTQ-affirming.
– Roughly half of transgender and nonbinary young people found their school to be gender-affirming, and those who did reported lower rates of attempting suicide.
– A majority of LGBTQ young people reported being verbally harassed at school because people thought they were LGBTQ.
– Nearly 1 in 3 LGBTQ young people say their mental health is poor most of the time, or always, due to anti-LGBTQ policies and legislation.
Click here to learn more from the Trevor Project.
Click here to learn more from the ACLU.
Click here to learn how to TAKE ACTION.

If you believe as I do, that all children are our children, then the attacks on the LGBTQ community by America’s politicians, the religious right, Homophobes, and other nitwits, are unforgivable, and amount to one of the biggest issues of our lifetime.

Homophobes are so Gay

Image: Pride in London

Did you know that a disproportionate number of Homophobic people are gay themselves?

According to Scientific American, “Homophobes should consider a little self-reflection, suggests a new study finding those individuals who are most hostile toward gays and hold strong anti-gay views may themselves have same-sex desires, albeit undercover ones. The prejudice of homophobia may also stem from authoritarian parents, particularly those with homophobic views as well, the researchers added. This study shows that if you are feeling that kind of visceral reaction to an out-group, ask yourself, ‘Why?'” co-author Richard Ryan, a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester, said in a statement. “Those intense emotions should serve as a call to self-reflection.”

The research, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, reveals the nuances of prejudices like homophobia, which can ultimately have dire consequences. “Sometimes people are threatened by gays and lesbians because they are fearing their own impulses, in a sense they ‘doth protest too much,'” Ryan told LiveScience. “In addition, it appears that sometimes those who would oppress others have been oppressed themselves, and we can have some compassion for them too, they may be unaccepting of others because they cannot be accepting of themselves.”
Click here to learn more from Scientific American.
Click here to learn more from PubMed on homophobia being connected with sexual arousal.
Click here to learn more from Science Daily.

The Supreme Court of the United States Epitomizes Corruption

As per Democracy Now! (DN!), “In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender youth, paving the way for other bans on trans healthcare to remain in effect in 24 other states. According to the ACLU, over 100,000 transgender people under the age of 18 now live in a state with a ban on their healthcare.”

Here is an excerpt from an interview with DN! host Amy Goodman, and the ACLU’s Chase Strangio, the first openly transgender attorney to make oral arguments before the Supreme Court:
Amy Goodman: “Trump’s Health Department ordered the National Suicide Hotline for LGBTQ+ youth to shut down. In its announcement, HHS omitted reference to the transgender population, using the term “LGB+ youth services.” One advocate called the move a potential death sentence for thousands of LGBTQ+ youth…What about here? And what about the hotline itself?
Chase Strangio: “Yeah, I mean, this is a population that has a unique vulnerability to suicidality. This service was vital for LGBTQ young people. And what the administration is doing is making abundantly clear that their systematic attacks on the LGBTQ community are not about protecting anyone. They are about harming young people, taking away vital services. If you put this in conversation with the bans on trans people serving in the military, the bans on people going to the bathroom, participating in sports, and now the decision in Skrmetti, you have a country that is prepared to not only fully attack us across all areas of life, but take away our lifelines, quite literally.”
Click here to learn more from DN! & Chase Strangio.

Pinkwashing at the NYC Pride Parade?

It was disappointing to see both Starbucks & McDonald’s having a presence at the NYC Pride Parade. This appeared to be a blatant attempt of “Pinkwashing”, as both companies have abysmal records on Human Rights & Animal Rights.
*Pinkwashing is when a state or organization appeals to LGBTQ+ rights in order to deflect attention from its harmful practices.
Click here to learn more about pinkwashing from Jewish Voice for Peace.
Click here to learn more about why we should boycott McDonald’s.
Click here to learn more about why we should boycott Starbucks.

Healthy Plant-Based Diets are the Most Powerful Weapons we have to Fight Disease

Plant-Based Diets Prove Effective in Fighting HIV

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there were 31,800 new HIV infections in the US in 2022 (gay, and bisexual men account for 70%), and that an estimated 1.2 million persons in the United States were living with diagnosed and undiagnosed HIV at the end of 2022. As per the World Health Organization, “Approximately 39.9 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2023 globally.”

According to the ACLU, “Advances in medical treatment mean that an HIV diagnosis is no longer the death sentence it seemed to be in the 1980s. People living with HIV are thriving in every walk of life. Nonetheless, people living with HIV continue to suffer the effects of stigma, prejudice, and misunderstanding about HIV. The ACLU works to defend and advance the civil rights and civil liberties of people living with HIV. We’re committed to fighting against laws that criminalize living with HIV. We also seek to make sure that people living with HIV in prison or jail have access to the medical care they need and have their medical confidentiality respected. Over the years, we have also worked to address and prevent HIV-based discrimination by employers, medical providers, and others through litigation and advocacy toward better laws and policies.”
Click here to learn more from the ACLU.

I learned from Doctors T. Colin Campbell, and Dean Ornish, that most diseases have the same underlying mechanisms, and that this is the main reason why a “Whole Food Plant-Based diet” is the most powerful weapon we have to fight disease. In his excellent book, Undo It!, which he co-wrote with his wife Anne, Dr. Ornish explains that what is good for your heart, is good for your brain. In other words, most chronic diseases share a lot of the same “underlying biological mechanisms” and each one of these mechanisms is greatly influenced by what we eat, how much we exercise, how we deal with stress, and how much love and support we have in our lives.

“Here’s the bottom line: the only diet that has been scientifically proven to reverse heart disease, to slow, stop, or reverse early-stage prostate cancer, and to reverse aging by lengthening telomeres (among other benefits) is a whole-foods plant-based diet low in both fat and refined carbohydrates.” – Dr. Dean Ornish

Here is an excerpt from Undo It!:
Plant-Based Diets: “A typical American diet is high in animal protein, which increases production of interleukins, blood chemicals that promote chronic inflammation. In contrast, plant-based proteins are low in inflammatory stimulants and contain literally thousands of protective substances such as phytochemicals, bioflavonoids, retinols, isoflavones, and others that actively decrease rather than increase chronic inflammation—providing a double benefit (protective rather than harmful). Reducing animal protein intake is known to reduce levels of a growth factor called IGF-1, which promotes chronic inflammation, and lower IGF-1 levels are linked to longer life span and reductions in the risk of cancer and diabetes…Most fruits and vegetables are anti-inflammatory, especially blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes, nuts, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, and green leafy vegetables. Animal protein dramatically increases the risk of premature death independent of fat and carbohydrates. In a study of over 6,000 people, those ages fifty to sixty-five who reported eating diets high in animal protein had a 75 percent increase in overall mortality, a 400 percent increase in cancer deaths, and a 500 percent increase in type 2 diabetes during the following eighteen years, whereas plant-based proteins reduced the risk of premature death in all of these categories—again, a double benefit…Naturally occurring sugars, when found in unprocessed fruits and vegetables, decrease inflammation. However, added sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and refined carbohydrates such as white flour can cause chronic inflammation. In one study, for example, consuming just one can of soda per day led to an increase in inflammatory markers…Processing whole-wheat flour into white flour or brown rice into white rice removes the fiber and bran. This turns healthy carbohydrates into unhealthy ones that promote inflammation…”

I was curious to see if there had been any studies done on the health outcomes of people with HIV, who ate a healthy Plant-Based Diet, and Bingo! As is the case with nearly every disease, the optimum diet for people living with HIV, also appears to be a low fat, whole food plant-based diet!

According to Oxford Academic, “This pilot study suggests that a plant-based diet may reduce cardiovascular risks in HIV-positive individuals. Both groups were significant for reducing systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The plant-based diet can potentially be beneficial for weight and cholesterol management. Despite a small sample size and adherence challenges, regular follow-ups and dietary self-reports enhanced compliance, underscoring the need for larger, comprehensive studies to confirm these findings. Background: Globally, 39 million people are affected by HIV, most of whom are on antiretroviral therapy (ART), which increases cardiovascular risks. Guidelines lack specific dietary recommendations for this population, though plant-based diets may reduce these risks. This pilot study (NCT05796882), to our knowledge, is the first to explore the effects of a plant-based diet on cardiovascular risk in HIV-positive individuals.”
Click here for the complete article from Oxford Academic (2025).

Another study by George Mason University, that was published in Science Daily, concluded that soybeans may also be effective in both treating HIV, and avoiding drug resistance issues.
Excerpt: “A compound found in soybeans may become an effective HIV treatment without the drug resistance issues faced by current therapies, according to new research by George Mason University researchers. It’s in the early stages, but genistein, derived from soybeans and other plants, shows promise in inhibiting the HIV infection, says Yuntao Wu, a professor with the George Mason-based National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases and the Department of Molecular and Microbiology.

“Behind every great fortune there is a crime.” – Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850)

Lastly, I learned many years ago that one of the reasons that the US healthcare, or sick-care system, doesn’t recommend plant-based diets to patients, is because there is no financial incentive. The “healthcare” industry, including Big Pharma, discovered decades ago that there is a lot more money to be made in managing disease, rather than in prevention. The same can be said with the funding for the scientific research that is being done across the United States as well. I just learned that George Mason University’s, Dr. Wu, who is mentioned above in the 2013 article, has since led a “breakthrough proof-of-concept study” that could “cease the need for lifelong medications”, for people living with HIV. Unfortunately, soy, and plant-based nutrition, are not even mentioned in the final paper (because they can’t be patented?), as the 2024 article only focuses on medications, and drug therapies, which of course implies huge financial windfalls for both the university, and the corporate players involved. Regardless, the evidence is overwhelming. The most powerful weapon we have to fight disease, is a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet!

The Bottom Line: Like our beautiful LGBTQ brothers, sisters, and children, Plant-Based Diets Rock!

Until next time…