&npsp
Dr. Minor's monthly column, "Minor Details"returns to Kansas with the Premier of Out in Wichita
The magazine began both a print and online edition in September 2024 and welcomed the "Minor Details" column he'd written for over twenty years in Liberty Press. "Out in Wichita is thrilled to have Bob reignite 'Minor Details' with us after being featured in Liberty Press for over 20 years"
Dr. Minor Interviewed on
The Desert Sanctuary Podcast.
Spend an educational hour with Dr. Minor on religion, LGBTQ and other issues, and perepectives on what the religious right-wing's game plan is for America amd how to respond im a healthy manner to it.
Listen here.
Dr. Minor is Named Grand Marshall for the St. Joseph, Missouri Pride Parade, 2023
He will also be the keynote speaker to kick off St. Joseph's annual Pride Festival downtown following the parade.
Dr. Minor Speaks On-Line to 80 Government Agencies on Understanding LGBTQ Pride
On June 8, representatives of eighty federal agencies heard Dr. Minor speak for LGBTQ Pride Month sponsored by the Diversity Education and Cultural Awareness Council of the Federal Executive Board. In the past years he has been a regular speaker for numeros federal agencies such as the US Army Corps of Engineers, US Department of Homeland Security National Benefits Center, the National Records Center of the US Citizen and Immigration Service, and the Veterans Administration.
Dr. Minor Presents His Dealing with Religion Seminar as a PFLAG Academy Online.
Dr Minor's online presentation with over 100 participants was a version of his popular workshop from the 2019 National PFLAG Convention entitled "How to Stop Arguing Abouit Religion But Make Your Point
Watch the hour-long presentation here.
University of Kansas Professor Dr. Bob Minor to Speak at Darwin Day 2018
"Dr. Robert Minor, M.A., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of Kansas and longtime contributor and columnist of the “Minor Details” column in Liberty Press, will be the featured speaker at Darwin Day 2018, an annual event hosted by the Great Plains Chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (the AU). Dr. Minor will present his topic, 'Why Do So Many Religious People Want the Government on Their Side?' at the dinner on Feb. 10 at the Olive Tree Banquet Hall in Wichita."
Read the full story here.
Dr. Minor interview on the Intersection of Homophobia and Religion
The "Humanist Hour" interviews Dr. Minor on the Intersection of Homophobia and Religion at the Sceptics of Oz Annual Conference where he spoke in Wichita, Kansas, October 22, 2016.
Listen here.
Thanksgiving 2016 Video includes recommendations from a Fairness Project Series Booklet
The video "How to Engage Your Trump Supporter Family Members Over Thanksgiving" created by Jeremy Rye and Anna Lesniak for Thanksgiving 2016 concludes with recommendations from The Fairness Project Series booklet "When You're Having a Religious Argument"
See it here.
"Religion professor says Bible is often used to justify homophobia, transphobia"
The Springfireld News-Leader reports September 21, 2016 on Dr. Minor's presentation to Springfield Missouri PFLAG. "Homophobia and transphobia are not born out of religion, according to one religious professor. They are products of cultural conditioning that begins from the time a child is born and assigned "pink" or "blue" gender roles and expectations. Religion, though, is often used to justify homophobic and transphobic prejudices, according to Robert Minor, a retired professor of religious studies at the University of Kansas."
Read the full article here.
Dr. Minor Featured in "The Future of Faith: The Changing Landscape of Today's Faith Community"
The Kansas City Star's Phoenix Newsletter in its June/July 2016 edition featured Dr. Minor in its article "The Future of Faith: The Changing Landscape of Today's Faith Community." Some quotations included advice: "Sometimes the healthiest spiritual path is to get out of it for awhile. Take some time to heal. Find freedom and then go back. When looking for a faith community, take your time and talk to people you respect who might have some ideas."
The full article is here.
Read the full March 12, 2016 article here.
"Arguing About Families
- Gay, Straight or Neither"
Dr. Minor's keynote address,
"Arguing About Families - Gay, Straight
or Neither,"
given at the Symposium "Legally Gay" at
the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona
State University on March 9, 2012, is now available
in print and online in the Law Journal for
Social Justice.
"A lot of very
bad arguments take place using the word 'family.'
By that, I mean they are based in falsehoods
about the history and psychology of families.
They are steeped in very creative, and current-position-affirming
mythology, and void of what we historians call
data. And they are found in every sphere, from
religion to politics to law...."
You
can download the complete article here.
Sioux
Falls Summit to Study Religion and Gays: Focus: Spiritual,
Emotional and Psychological Needs
Keynote speaker is Robert Minor, professor
emeritus of reiigious studies at the University of
Kansas and author of eight books. Read more in the
Sioux
Falls Argus Leader.
Homophobia
Lecture Enlightens Lawrence Adults (October 25, 2012)
Lawrence Young Adults
gathered in the basement of Ecumenical Christian Ministries
in Lawrence on Tuesday to listen to a lecture by a
former University of Kansas profressor, Robert MInor
entitled "How Homophobia Hurts All Relationships." Watch
the video news story.
Dr.
Minor in The
Boston Globe (January 8, 2011):
"Robert N. Minor, professor emeritus of religious
studies at the University of Kansas, said only winners
have the luxury of shedding tears.
'There are certain rules, a manhood code about when you can and cannot
cry,' said Minor, who is on the board of the nonprofit American
Men’s Studies Association. 'It’s OK to cry once you have
already proven, particularly to other men, that you have fulfilled the manhood
code. . . . That’s after they have defeated another man.'’’
Read: "Tearing
Up a Taboo: Suddenly the stereotype of the stoic
male is being washed away. Or is it?"
WATERLOO,
IA, October 20, 2010 --- There is hope in a culture
that seems to have given up on reversing males' violent
behavior, according to Robert Minor.
Men, just like women, can be naturally
whole, complete, caring, loving and nurturing, said
Minor, professor emeritus of religious studies at the
University of Kansas. He spoke on "Making Real
Men: The Journey of Our Boys" to
open the first daylong YWCA Week Without Violence conference
at Hawkeye Community College on Tuesday.
Read the entire
story from the October 20, 2010 Waterloo-Cedar
Falls Courier.
Read past answers to "Faith Forum" questions.
June
27, 2009:
Present Magazine reprints Dr. Minor's
June 2009 column
to
commemorate Gay Pride Month and the Stonewall Riots:
"Is Stonewall
Just Old History?"
"Liberty
Press Columnist Offers His Thoughts on Life and Love:
Bob
Minor Speaks to Bay Boomers"
Read the Liberty
Press article
"Columbia
Activists Discuss Ways to Be More Effective"
Read the Columbia
Missourian's article
reporting on Dr. Minor's workshops on June 28, 2008
Dr.
Minor Speaks on When Religion
Is an Addiction
at Outword Books in Milwaukee
May 17, 2008
Read
a local report.
"The Higher Power
of Addiction"
KU Professor Takes
Aim at the 'Religious Right' and the Liberals Who Enable
Them"
"Sexual Addiction and
Religious Addiction Aren't Strange Bedfellows,"
Dr. Minor's March column recommended on
Crooks and Liars.com —
Mike's
Blog Roundup
Kansas
City Star Columnist Vern Barnet on the Death of
International Men's Movement Leader Charlie Kreiner
quotes Scared Straight.
Read
"Speaker's Words Echoed from the Star.
The
Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide
adapts Dr. Minor's July "Minor
Details" column
as its Guest Opinion editorial —
"Marriage Amendments Assault Religious Freedom"
In
the September-October 2006 edition.
Dr. Minor Keynotes Pacific Northwest
PFLAG Conference 
—
"Members Come Together in 2006!"
Dr.
Minor kicked off the April 2006 Pacific Northwest Regional
PFLAG Conference leading a half-day pre-conference workshop
on "Solving the Personal Difficulties in Activism
& Advocacy" with 50 attendees. He presented
two conference sessions on "Ensuring Diversity
Is Really Diverse." In a final session for all
attendees on Sunday morning he addressed: "Strategies
for the Future of the Debate around Religious Issues."
Photos
and more story.
The
Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching
Tolerance magazine in its Spring 2006 issue
recommends Scared Straight
as a "Teaching Tool" that
"deconstructs many of the political and religious
issues surrounding issues of sexuality"
In 2006 Dr. Minor was elected to a second
term on the Board of Directors of the American
Men's Studies Association, a not for profit professional
organization of scholars, therapists, and others interested
in the exploration of masculinity in modern society.
Fairness Project Summit a Success
Participants gathered October 21-23 for education and
strategy sessions with speakers on a diverse set of
topics for taking back the debate.
"Coming
Out Day — Scared Straight"
Dr. Minor Speaks at Penn Valley Community
College
Read the news report in
The
Penn Valley College Spectrum
"Intelligent
Design" Mandates Schools to Teach Atheism
Kansas Religion Professor Says
Read
the October 2005 National Press Release
Read "Teach Design's Other
Side,"a shortened version of his "Minor
Details" column
From
The Kansas City Star
"Coming
Out Not Just for GLBT Folks Anymore:
Upcoming Conference to Address Identifying
as Progressive"
Read
the October 2005 Liberty Press story.
Dr.
Minor speaks at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana
for "Speak Out Week 2005"
Read "'Scared Straight' Scares Depauw"
in The Depauw , the University's student
newspaper
The
Kansas City Star again quotes
from
Scared
Straight:
“Heterosexuality and the straight
role are enforced by fear and terror at every turn,”
said Robert N. Minor in his book, Scared Straight:
Why It's So Hard to Accept Gay People And Why It's So
Hard to Be Human.
“Liberation movements disturb the system,”
he writes. “So they are accused of ‘stirring
up things' and ‘creating trouble.' A common reaction
to women's suffrage, civil rights, migrant workers'
rights, women's equality and gay liberation movements
was to blame ‘those people' for bringing up the
issue and ‘causing trouble and division.'”
Read
the complete column.
Dr.
Minor receives Flint Hills PFLAG Award for Outstanding
Contributions and Achievement: He "has the heart
for education and communicating about GLBT issues to
the world, especially Kansas."
Dr Minor
led three workshops at "Family Voices for Equality"
PFLAG's national conference in Salt Lake City, October
23-24, 2004 —
"Responding to Religious Arguments When You've
Tried Everything Else and Nothing Seems to Work"
"How to Be an Activist Without Being a Victim"
"Dealing with Opposition to Safe Schools Work"
Dr.
Minor quoted on MSNBC and NBC
Nightly News, February 27, 2004
Dr.
Minor quoted in USA Today, February 24, 2004
Missouri
voters should take lessons from Dr. Minor's
Scared Straight to the polls when they
vote on the Gay Marriage Amendment, Kansas City
Star columnist says. Read
the entire June 11th column from the Kansas City
Star.
Dr.
Minor's Scared Straight insightfully explains
the Republican's critique of John Kerry and his followers,
Kansas City Star columnist says.
Read
the entire September 29th column from the Kansas
City Star.
Dr. Minor
(right) discusses the uses of the Bible to discriminate
against LGBT people at a forum on the campus of the
University of Kansas during Gay Pride Week. Also participating
(from left) were other faculty from the Department of
Religious Studies, Professor Dan Breslauer and Professor
Tim Miller.
Read
the story in the Lawrence Journal-World.
Dr.
Minor spoke to educators, clergy, and others at a series
of five events sponsored by Boulder PFLAG entitled "Moving
Beyond the Rhetoric and Getting to the Real Issues"
in Boulder, Colorado
Dr. Minor
was a Visiting Scholar at James Madison University in
Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Read
the story about his evening lecture in JMU's student
newspaper, The Breeze.
Dr. Minor was the Keynote
Speaker for the 2003 Washington State PFLAG Convention
in Bellevue. He also led two workshops: "Understanding
Homophobia: The Next Step" and "Dealing with
Religious Arguments When You've Tried Everything Else
and Nothing Seems to Work"
Dr. Minor
speaks to high school and junior high students, teachers,
counselors and parents at Francis W. Parker School in
Chicago.
Read
about it (pdf).
November
6 ,
2010
