Saturday, April 30, 2011

Gays Caused The Mortgage Crisis

Another nut job brought to us by joemygod.com

"Just as a child is far less likely to suffer abuse in the home of his/her married, heterosexual parents, so the opposite is true. Where the structure is sin-based, other sins are more likely to scurry in through the cracks. Substance abuse and self-destruction accompany sexual deviance. And some of this means poor decisions about finances.

"The mortgage crisis was the sin of temptation being offered by those who relaxed legitimate standards, offered to those without the personal standards to resist. This easy-pay physical structure was too good to be true, and appealed to an increasingly covetous segment of our culture. Sexual and material covetousness are usually sin siblings. It would be interesting to study the families who have defaulted on mortgages for the correlations between structural and/or functional weaknesses like infidelity, divorce, gambling or porn addictions, job instability, credit card default, domestic abuse, sexual deviance, and criminality. There is also a high likelihood that poor or no church attendance would show up as a factor as well." - Linda Harvey, head of the SPLC-certified hate group, Mission America.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Minnesota Marriage Ban Advances

I saw this at Joe My God and someone in the comments posted the email address to thank Barb Goodwin for trying to stop discrimination.  My sent letter is below.
cross post from joemygod.com

The Minnesota Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced a bill to place a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage on the November ballot. But not before Democrat Barb Goodwin (left) tried a slick move to sink the bill.
Goodwin suggested tweaking the text of the proposed amendment so the Minnesota Constitution would not only limit marriage to couplings of one man and one woman, but also to one marriage per person per lifetime—a ban on divorce, though not separation. The proposed ballot question: "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?" Goodwin first proposed adding the words "for life" after the word "union," then to replace "a marriage" with "one marriage."
The amendments failed. Goodwin reacted (to roars of approval from the gallery): “I will never in this Legislature, will never vote — even if it means I’m voted out — to put language of discrimination in the constitution. I could not live with myself, and those of you who claim to be good Christians, you need to think about what you are doing here."

Thank you so much for your part in stopping discrimination.
I am a 52 year old artist, teacher, mother, grandmother, legally married lesbian, and an American.
My wife and I moved from Ohio to Maryland partly due to the marriage ban and lack of protections in Ohio. We were married in DC last May 10th after 6 great years together.
We do not want to change marriage. We want to be a part of it and all it stands for. Even though we do not have the federal perks and only a few state perks, we needed to make that vow.
It was a wonderful day and every day since has brought us closer.
I have not been home for 3 years because of the discrimination we are subject to. I have been chased, spit on, had rocks thrown at me, called very bad things in by and in front of children, property and truck vandalized, teased, whispered about, and snickered at.
I will be returning to Ohio for my Mother's 70th birthday. When we cross the state line of Maryland we will become legal strangers and have no rights or protections. I hope nothing happens on our trip.
Please keep up the good work so maybe some day we will not have to worry about going home.
Thank you
Mrs. Barbara Jane Jackson-Lincoln

Feds Hearing on Bullying Wants Your Story

Send your story  anti-gay bullying here.

God's Gentle Loving People, Part 98

I saw this at joemygod.com who picked it up at goodasyou.org

Outside the American Atheists Convention in Des Moines, Iowa last weekend this yahoo vomited filth about gays, lesbians, women, and pretty much anyone who is not with him.
There is some bad language so you may not want to watch this with kids in the room.

This is the kind of hate speech that makes kids feel so bad about themselves that they take their lives

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Gays and Lesbians are not included in "We the People."

From the Bilerico Project,  Ohio County Tries to Write Lesbians Out of Constitution

This is the first line in an excellent piece by guest blogger Tico Almeida .

Our U.S. Constitution begins elegantly, "We the People." Yet some elected officials in Cuyahoga County, Ohio recently argued in federal court that gays and lesbians are not included in that "We the People."

I am not all that surprised by this behavior. I am from Ohio and very aware of how people and the government feels about us queers.  There are few legal protections and they don't mean crap when it comes to burning a barn full of horses.
After living in a state that is more progressive and has indoor plumbing, I realized how much crap I put up with in Ohio.

I will always call Ohio home and am proud of my state for so many reasons but how they think and treat the LGBT population makes it real hard to go back.

Trump and the Birthers Panic Attack

Pam Spaulding, owner of Pam's House Blend.com, has a great page on the Birthers panic attack and Trumps pledge to show us his tax returns for 10 years. A must see.

I wish they would all STFU!!!
Birthers are a bunch of yahoos who need to channel their time and energy toward something useful. That much effort could do a lot of good. Instead, they are a funny and sad blurb in a history book somewhere.

I hope Trump breaks his arm patting himself on the back. He makes me want to barf. I would LOVE to see this guys tax returns. Wouldn't you? I bet his makes enough to do something with the HAIR. For crying out loud !

And how do African-Americans feel about this 'birther' mess?

This comes from one of my favorite bloggers, Alvin McEwen owner of Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters.
I too think the whole birther thing would have never happened if Obama was white. I think it is disgusting that all this time a valid legal document was not good enough for some folks and now those same folks are going to pour our this legal doc. and try to find fault.
I feel the same way about Trump as the young man in this video and I hope he breaks his arm patting himself on the back. He is nothing but an arrogant, rich, white ASS.

Granted, the media will probably never ask the African-American community how we feel about this birther mess, but I can safely say that this young man, Baratunde Thurston, pretty much sums it up not only for me but a wide majority of black folks:

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

DOMA does Not Have a "Right" to Legal Counsel


From Equality Matters:
1. DOMA does not have a “right” to legal counsel. The Defense of Marriage Act is not a criminal defendant. While it is true that even criminals who have committed heinous and “unpopular” crimes are entitled to the services of an attorney, laws do not have the same luxury, and for good reason. Laws cannot be put to death or sentenced to life in prison, nor can they have their lives and reputations ruined by an improperly conducted trial.

AMERICAblog’s John Aravosis reiterated the point while responding to the Washington Post’s defense of Clement:
What the Post is doing is assuming that these are criminal trials. And in criminal trials you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. That's why you get a lawyer, no matter what, to defend you. It's your constitutional right to have a lawyer. DOMA is not facing a criminal trial, and DOMA therefore does not have a constitutional right to a lawyer.
2. House of Representatives can defend DOMA even if no private firm agrees to participate in the case. The House Office of the Legislative Counsel retains approximately 40 attorneys that can be used to mount DOMA’s legal defense in court. Speaker Boehner could have chosen to use these attorneys instead of spending hundreds of thousands (at least) of taxpayer dollars seeking outside private counsel. No law has a “right” to a $5 million attorney at a major law firm with countless support staffers.

3. King & Spalding didn’t base its decision not to defend DOMA simply on public pressure. According to a statement released by the firm, the decision to withdraw was based on the determination that the vetting process for the firm’s engagement had been “inadequate.”

In fact, King & Spalding filed a formal motion to withdraw, claiming that there was “good cause” for the withdrawal, meaning, in the words of Metro Weekly, there “is a legally adequate or other substantial grounds” for the firm not to continue taking the case.

The firm’s contract with the House’s Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group had already come under intense scrutiny, especially a potentially illegal provision which barred all of King & Spalding’s employees (including non-lawyers) from advocating for DOMA’s repeal. As Chris Geidner of Metro Weekly reported:
What's more, Jon Davidson, the legal director at Lambda Legal, told Metro Weekly that in some states the provision might be illegal. Davidson specifically pointed to California, where King & Spalding has two offices, in which Labor Code Section 1101 states that "[n]o employer shall make, adopt, or enforce any rule, regulation, or policy ... [f]orbidding or preventing employees from engaging or participating in politics ...."

Talking about the statute, which would be applicable in King & Spalding's San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices, Davidson said, "It's not just illegal, it's criminal. It also gives rise to civil liability.”
4. King & Spalding is legally entitled to choose not to defend laws or clients the firm doesn’t approve of. No private for-profit firm is required to represent clients they don’t agree with. King & Spalding is a firm that prides itself on its support for its LGBT employees and understandably likely sees its image as being closely tied to its support for LGBT equality. It’s ridiculous to expect a private law firm to advocate on behalf of a discriminatory and unconstitutional law when that very law contradicts its own institutional values.

Husband Dies, Survivor is Denied Benefits

After 55 years of life and love, Ron and Tom are legally married. They battled with Tom's leukemia together. Tom passed away in March. Ron has been denied Social Security and Tom's pension benefits because of DOMA. 
This what Paul Clement wants to defend. This man has lost his husband and friend and now will lose his home thanks to this discriminatory law.

Video is from the Freedom to Marry web site.

Ohio - Reward for Info - $5,000

Over the weekend, eight horses were burned alive in their rural Ohio barn in an arson attack on a property owned by a gay man. The words "fags are freaks" were found spray-painted on the barn. Today a $5000 reward has been offered for the name of the perpetrator.
Brent Whitehouse hopes a reward of up to $5,000 offered by the Blue Ribbon Arson Committee will help find the person responsible for setting a fire that killed his horses and destroyed his barn Sunday night. The State Fire Marshal's Office has ruled the fire was arson. Derogatory statements were painted on the barn walls and doors just before the fire, said Shane Cartmill, spokesman for the fire marshal's office. Whitehouse said because of those statements, the fire marshal's office is looking at the possibility of a hate crime. The reward, sponsored by the Ohio FAIR Plan Underwriting Association, works with law enforcement, firefighters and insurance industry personnel in an effort to combat arson. The fire marshal's office is asking anyone with information regarding the fire to contact them.

Earth Day is Against the Bible?

I saw this at joemygod.com and had to look up some more info about why some think that caring for our Earth is anti-Biblical. There is lots of extreme evangelicals saying it is bad but no scientific facts as to why. Surprise !

I have had conversations with people over the years who truly believe that God made the Earth for Us to do with as we see fit. Good so far.....
These same people also believe that if we use up resources and/or cause the extinction of plants and animals it is Gods will and therefore OK.  Not good.

I am also aware that every issue has it's share of extreme views and that includes environmentalism. I have found that any "extreme" views tend to twist facts and scientific studies to their benefit. I will keep my happy balance, thank you.

Now I have been a "Tree Hugger" since the first Earth Day and see nothing wrong with managing the waste we humans create so we do not interfere with the balance of our ecosystem to which we are a part. We are still just creatures on this rock who need air, water, and food to survive. Because we are very smart creatures, we have learned to do many things and have created some very dangerous things that can and have bumped that balance.

We recycle cans and newspapers. Most of my art is created from recycled materials. We try to keep our truck in good shape and even though I complain about the emissions tests that are mandatory in Maryland, I do know it is a good thing.
Having been both a Girl Scout and Boy Scout ( Story for another time ) as well as a Pagan for 30 years, I leave any area I am at in better shape that I found it. I do not throw trash on the ground, including cigarette butts. We plan out shopping trips so we are not running around and walk when we can.
I care about the air, water, food supply, and the other creatures that I share the Earth with and do what I can to respect their needs and space.
I hope the God and Goddess are happy with my efforts.

Here are samples of what the extreme Right thinks. Keep in mind that the first Earth Day was April 22, 1970. It went international in 1990. Did this guy just wake up?

"Are you kidding me, Earth Day in the schools? We've got to save the Earth? I mean, that's like a tick trying to save a whole heard of cattle. I mean, ticks go along for the ride, they don't manage the cattle, they don't tell them where to go. And that's our arrogance in thinking that we can do something to save the planet and control where the planet goes. You know, we're just along for the ride and we're insignificant peons on this thing." - Dominionist David Barton, who says that environmentalism is "anti-Biblical."

This video would be funny if not for the sheeple that believe it.

Take Heart: Something Has Changed In Maryland

This is a great piece from The Bilerico Project

Editors' Note: Guest blogger Dana Beyer, a retired eye surgeon, is a trans activist and co-author of The Dallas Principles. She serves on the boards of the National Center for Transgender Equality and Keshet, the national Jewish LGBT education and outreach organization.danabeyer.jpg
I ended the 2011 Annapolis legislative session conflicted, frustrated that we were not able to push the limited gender identity anti-discrimination bill over its final hurdle on the last day, but exhilarated at the progress we had made to get that far, including accomplishing one legislative feat rarely seen in the statehouse. Still, there had been serious division within the state trans community over the decision to support HB 235 without public accommodations protections, and I wanted to start healing that rift after taking a moment to breathe.
Alas, that breath never came.
Last Friday two events occurred that shook the Maryland trans community. The first, not unexpected, was the firing of Equality Maryland's Executive Director, Morgan Meneses-Sheets. Having worked closely with Morgan on HB 235, I was taken aback by her firing, and the rapidity with which she was cut loose. But, more importantly, that was the day the video of a brutal assault on a trans woman at a McDonalds in northeast Baltimore County went viral, horrifying the national trans community and engendering calls to action.
So act we did, over a holiday weekend during spring break, organizing what was initially intended to be a vigil as the victim appeared severely injured, but what evolved into an upbeat rally of a united community demanding an end to violence and discrimination. A group of us, from both sides of the HB 235 debate, including Caroline Temmermand of the Baltimore Gender Identity support group, Sandy Rawls, director of Trans-United in Baltimore City, Cathy Brennan, a local lesbian activist, Jenna Fischetti, owner of the blog, TransMaryland, and I worked together.
We reached out to the victim, Chrissy Lee Polis and her family. We contacted the McDonald's owner and obtained his full assistance in staging the event. We obtained police approval and support, did a media blast, and invited all the local politicians, both on the county and state levels. We reached out to local faith leaders, and members of African-American groups who were appalled by the racial overtones of the assault. Progressive coalition partners, such as GetEqual, the SCLC of Baltimore, and Planned Parenthood offered to participate.
Having been involved in far too many vigils for murdered trans women over the years, and accepting the general apathy in both the trans and LGBT communities, I expected 30 people to ultimately show up. Instead, 300 did.
Several occurrences were striking. When I arrived an hour early, I noticed the McDonald's had been closed and would be through the following morning. Not a small gesture for a business, and the restaurant sign which proclaimed, "In support of peace," was a nice touch. The restaurant was taken over by a PR firm hired by the corporation, and we were all invited to use the facilities before the event began in a gesture of good will.
The place was overflowing with media, from the local patch correspondents to local television and crews from as far away as DC. The national gay media were in attendance, including Kevin Naff, editor-in-chief of the Blade.
And very quickly our numbers started to rise. Chrissy Lee, who had initially announced she would attend, backed out, but her mother and grandmother were there, basking in the support for their child. Chrissy's friends and neighbors joined us, and expressed their outrage at the assault.
Some really didn't understand what being trans is about, but they clearly understood that violence is unacceptable and that Chrissy deserves the same rights as they. Vickie Thoms, the older woman who was the lone person to rise to defend Chrissy, spoke to the crowd and accepted our thanks for her bravery.
Surprisingly to me, two women who had transitioned during the 70's attended as well, feeling it was time to come out in support of their sisters. One woman, one of the last patients treated by Hopkins in 1975, spoke to me about how fortunate she has been since then to be herself, but in spite of being blessed, she is still hassled and insulted when the issue of her past arises. And she raises it in intimate situations because of her belief in her own integrity. Relationships - the final frontier.
Being a politician, I decided we'd keep the speakers limited in number and duration. We did, finishing in half an hour. Caroline did the introductions, Meredith Moise gave the invocation, Sandy roused the crowd, Mara Keisling, Executive Director of NCTE, spoke about the awful statistics relating to violence against trans people, and Lea Gilmore, of the Maryland Black Family Alliance, led the crowd in inspirational song.
And then, when the program ended and the crowd would have normally dispersed, a funny thing happened. No one left.
People mingled for another 75 minutes until the lights were turned out in the parking lot. There had been no trouble, no counter-demonstration, no hate speech - just love and sisterhood and camaraderie. Locals and activists, gay and straight, cis and trans.
Something has changed in Maryland for the better. Finally.

NEW YORK CITY: Lady Gaga To Donate $1M To Groups Supporting LGBT Youth

Cross Post from joemygod.com

Hometown girl Lady Gaga has pledged to donate $1M to the Robin Hood Foundation, which will distribute the funds to five NYC-based organizations that support impoverished LGBT youth. Among the beneficiaries is the Hetrick-Martin Institute, where many of Ali Forney Center's homeless gay kids go to school. Visit Gaga's Facebook page and vote on your favorite charity. The top vote-getter gets half the money and that might make it hard to choose, but what a great problem to have! And you don't have to be a New Yorker to participate.

Voting is open until May 6th.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

I'll Take the Short Road Please - Commentary on DOMA Defence

The last 2 days have brought many changes to how the Defence of Marriage Act ( DOMA ) will be defended. There are very strong feelings about DOMA on both sides but only one will win.

The short history;

Several court cases have had DOMA declared unconstitutional.

 President Obama and the Department of Justice (DOJ) decided they were no longer going to defend section 3 of DOMA because they believe it is also unconstitutional. The President did not break any law, did not breach his promise as president, and did not do anything that has not been done before.

Speaker of the House, John Boehner gets his panties in a bunch and forms a group to continue to defend this discriminatory law. (This is the same guy who helped cause the Smithsonian to remove a piece of art from a privately funded exhibit and has suggested cutting all funding to the arts as part of the budget cuts.)

This group decides they will take the funds to defend DOMA from the DOJ because it is what the DOJ should be doing. Its all tax payers money to me.

They hire outside lawyers instead of in house attorneys. The firm  they want, King and Spalding, is headed by Paul Clement. Part of the deal was not just a minimum of 500,000 dollars but a gag order on the whole firm about anything pro-gay.

After quickly pointing out that King and Spalding has LGBT employees covered by a non-discrimination clause in their contract , the offices are located in areas also covered by non-discrimination laws, and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) gave them a good rating, even a bunch of lawyers know when to back out.

Paul Clement quit King and Spalding to take the job of defending DOMA. He has now hooked up with another firm who, just a guess here, does not care that they are fighting to defend discrimination.

This is as far as I got late last night. I read at least 12 blogs, many award winners, and follow links to everywhere in the web, including a host of right wing sites, to collect info as well as read the comments to get an idea of what people really think. People do tend to be pretty honest about their comments thanks to the anonymity of the web.

The way I see this whole thing with DOMA is..............here we go!......

Poll after Poll has shown that 50% of the USA thinks we should get the government recognition for our legal marriages. DOMA has been found unconstitutional time after time and even the President of the United States believes this as well.
Defending any part of DOMA is not only condoning discrimination against a minority group but it is against other Americans who are just the same  with the one exception of orientation.

Even though the Prop8 tapes have not been released, the transcript is as well as reenactments. I have read and seen every part. The opposition to gay marriage failed to come up with much. They found they can't lie in court like they do everywhere else. All but one witness dropped out and the only one they were able to call agreed with the facts and did damage to their case.

There really is no way to defend anti-gay marriage. Why on earth are we as taxpayers allowing our money to be spent on defending a bad law.? I am sure that much money could be used for so many other worth while things to benefit everyone.

I would say that a high percentage of the LGBT population feel that we need to let this play out. Let them bad mouth us, tell lies, twist the facts, and spend everything they have. People are beginning to understand that they are full of shit. They are tired of the lies and it pushes them toward the truth. They lose and they are broke after spending every dollar giving people jobs. ( Is this what Boehner and the GOP ment by creating jobs? Giving great gobs of cash to a few already well off people to fight a lost cause?)
I can see that. The long road has been our path since the first group was formed. The problem with that is all the suffering and lose along the way.
New laws are not going to stop the beatings, deaths, suicides, and other abuses that happen between 2 individuals but they will put a stop to it in business, medicine, and education. Over time it will get better but not as long as we have groups and leaders wasting time fighting for discrimination.

I am tired of the long road. I have had enough of waiting to see if some ass is going to take away my marriage. I am sick of reading that a barn full of horses was burnt down just because the man that owned them is gay. Every suicide of a child rips at my soul.
Attending rallies to show support for a person who was brutality beaten for who she is is a sobering experience.

I am ready for the short road.


OHIO: Eight Horses Burned To Death In Anti-Gay Arson Attack

There is too much to say thru my tears........ 

Eight horses were burned alive in their barn this weekend in an arson attack on a property owned by a gay man. The words "Fags are freaks" were found spray-painted on the side of the barn.
Seven adult horses and one foal died as a result of an arson fire at 874 West Richards Road in McConnelsville just after 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. Owner Brent Whitehouse said he woke to discover the barn engulfed in flames and immediately called 911, but it was too late. "I couldn't get the door open I could still hear the horses kicking and I tried as hard as I could to get them out and I just couldn't get them out in time," he said. Those who know Brent believe this was a hate crime, explicit words relating to his sexuality were spray painted in large white letters on the side of the barn before the fire was started. "They obviously don't know him very well, because he's a sweet-hearted person and how he lives his lifestyle is nobody's business but his own," said friend Bobbie Nelson.
Unbelievable.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Rally for Chrissy Polis - Beating Victim

A young girl was repeatedly attacked and beaten for being who she is. No one should have to live in fear of something like this.
The first video is mine. The second video is from the local news cast at 11:00 with lots of good info.




Frankly, every employee that did nothing to help should be fired and the 2 girls get the maximum sentence. There is no way they are going to get away with this because of the video and world wide outrage so I would like to thank the guy that taped it. While he got what he deserved for not helping, he did do us a great service.

Rally for Chrissy Polis - Mc Donalds Victim

I attended the rally for Chrissy Lee Polis, the girl who was beaten at a local Mc Donalds.

I was amazed at the traffic and amount of people milling around that came out in support.
Some came just to see what was going on, Most came knowing why they were there.

A young girl was repetidly and attacked beaten for being who she is. No one should have to live in fear of something like this.
The first video is mine. The second video is from the local news cast at 11:00 with lots of good info

.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Video Interview with the Victim

From the Baltimore Sun. This is the 22 year old girl that was beaten up at the McDonald's.

The 2 girls were arrested, one is only 14,and the guy who taped the beating has been fired.
Actions against other staff is pending.
McDonald's has issued a statement.
Several news programs and the Sun are digging up past records of  VICTIM. WTF does her past have to do with her getting beat up!? How about the records of the CRIMINALS!


It has been pointed out that more is being made of this being a race issue than a transgender issue and why. The general population does not think or see the violence or bullying of LGBT people and the news tries to downplay the problem so most are jumping to race without thought.

The interview indicates neither was the cause of the fight.

Comment and Up Date : McDees Beating

Up Date : McDees Beating

Police said a 14-year-old girl has been charged as a juvenile in the beating, while charges are still pending against an 18-year-old woman. The woman declined to be interviewed, said 11 News reporter Sheldon Dutes.

The comments coming in at other sites have been very interesting.
There are many that are viewing this as a race issue. 
A high percentage of the LGBT population see it as a transgender issue.

It is a combination of both but we should NOT assume that this display is representative of how the African American community feels about the LGBT population.

I see this as a human issue. I see fear and ignorance compounded by lies.

We do tend to separate aspects of ourselves into categories then we fight for the civil rights of each category.  It is like we can only understand one thing about a person at a time.

I fall into many categories.

 Appearance;
I am white, heavily tattooed, short, chubby, 52 years old, missing lower front tooth, female mistaken often for male, short hair.

Personal; Married lesbian, mother, artist, pit bull owner, Rock Band drummer, geek ( science and computer).

Education;
State Certified Nurses Aid, Kent State University Fine Arts, Intern at the Canton Museum of Art, Out Reach Instructor for CMA 10 years.

Political;
Democrat, voted for Obama and will again, political blog writer,  activist

Religion;
Pagan for 30 years, studied many other religions, Feels there are good and bad in every belief system as well as extremists.

WOW! That is just the tip of the iceberg.  It seems to me that I am a very complex and unique individual made up of and influenced by a great deal of input from all around.

Why is it we only pick one thing, be it color, gender, orientation.........and have to fight for a protection and/or a right?

Why do some pick one thing and use it as a tool to discriminate?

Why can't we see each other as  fellow human beings with all our unique complexity deserving no more or less the same respect, dignity, protections, and rights as any other human?

I am the sum of my parts.

I am human.





Corvino: What the Bible doesn’t say

 
, columnist, 365gay.com

Gay-rights advocates often complain that our opponents are selective in their use of the Bible. Indeed they are. But so are our allies.
I confronted this problem recently after a talk I gave in rural Pennsylvania, when fielding comments from two audience members from opposite sides of the debate.




The first cited Romans 1, where St. Paul claims that because people had “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles,” God gave them over to “degrading passions,” so that the women exchanged “natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error” (Romans 1:26-27).

I personally don’t accept the authority of scripture, as I explained in my talk. This is the same Paul who several times tells slaves that they must obey their masters, even harsh masters (see Ephesians 6:5, Colossians 3:22, 1 Timothy 6:1, Titus 2:9-10, and 1 Peter 2:18). He gets some stuff clearly wrong.

But I also pointed out that the audience member was reading quite a bit into the text.

Paul is addressing a specific group of people—first-century Romans—about a specific group of people: Gentiles who engaged in idolatry. He states that the latter’s same-sex passion is a sign and consequence of their rejecting God in favor of images of “man or birds or animals or reptiles.” To read his discussion more broadly as a general claim about all homosexual acts is to supply information that isn’t there.

It’s also to attribute a blatantly false claim to Paul, since most homosexuality doesn’t stem from idol worship, and most idol worship doesn’t lead to homosexuality.

After I finished making these points, a second audience member chimed in:

“And besides, Jesus never said a single word about homosexuality,” he said. “That silence speaks volumes.”

No, it doesn’t.

Gently I responded, “We need to be careful about reading things into silence. Jesus doesn’t say anything about Ponzi schemes either. But Bernie Madoff is still an asshole.”

“Sure,” he replied, “but that’s not something that existed at the time. Same-sex relationships did exist, and the fact that Jesus chose not to mention them is significant.”

I really don’t think so.

Perhaps Jesus chose not to mention them because he thought their wrongness was obvious. Perhaps he had bigger fish to fry (so to speak).

Or perhaps he did mention homosexuality, but his comments got lost among the scores of competing gospels that never made it into the Biblical canon. We just don’t know.

What we do know—or should—is that reading messages into the Bible is a tendentious and potentially dangerous game.

Sure, the first audience member was doing that for anti-gay purposes, and the second one was doing it for pro-gay purposes. But they were both doing it: reading their own biases into the text, and then using the text as validation for those biases.

And by the way, slavery certainly existed in Jesus’ time, yet Jesus failed to condemn slavery (in the texts that we have). Does his relative silence there speak volumes, too?

I don’t like picking on my allies. I’m sure some readers will think, “If such beliefs make liberal Christians feel better, why not let them slide?”

Because the gay-rights battle isn’t freestanding, that’s why. It’s tied into other debates about freedom, religion, rationality, the role of government, the justification of moral norms, and so on. It’s not only our conclusions that matter, but also how we arrive at them.

The very same license that allows one person to assert that Jesus’ silence on homosexuality “speaks volumes” allows another to assert that Paul’s commentary on certain pagans demonstrates the wrongness of all homosexual acts. It lets people read something into the text that isn’t there, and then to attribute that supplied message to God Himself.

The danger in this process is that it lets people think that they have infallible backing for their fallible prejudices.

We know what this mistake looks like when our opponents do it. We shouldn’t validate the mistake by committing it ourselves.




John Corvino, Ph.D. is a writer, speaker, and philosophy professor at Wayne State University in Detroit. Read more or watch clips from his talks at www.johncorvino.com.

This Week in Prop8

Equality Maryland X-Director

I just saw this. Not sure what is going on but I will keep you posted when I dish with an insider.

"It is with a heavy heart that I share that today will be my last day as the Executive Director of Equality Maryland. While it is not my choice to leave, it is my choice to make my voice heard as I exit."
--Equality Maryland executive director Morgan Meneses-Sheets, who was voted out by the nonprofit's board yesterday

MINNESOTA: Two Bullied 14 Year-Old Girls Hang Themselves In Suicide Pact

Two 14 year-old middle school girls in Minnesota have hung themselves in a suicide pact brought on by bullying. The sexual orientation of the pair is unknown.
Haylee Fentress and Paige Moravetz were found Saturday in the small town of Lynd. The two 14-year-olds hanged themselves and left notes in an apparent suicide pact. "I think they've had this for some time," Robin Settle, Fentress' aunt, told ABC News. The two were found by Fentress' mother. Moravetz was sleeping over at her best-friend's home because her parents were on vacation in Hawaii. "She attempted to resuscitate them," Settle said, but it was too late. Moravetz moved to the small Minnesota town a year ago and had a hard time making friends, her aunt said. She and Fentress' friendship appeared to grow out of the pair's shared feeling of being excluded.
RELATED: The Minnesota Family Policy Council and other Christianist groups have so far successfully blocked attempts to create anti-bullying programs in public schools.

MARYLAND: Trans Woman Brutally Attacked At Baltimore McDonald's

I have several Transgender friends and find myself holding my breath when they use a public restroom because of this kind of barbaric behavior from people who should just mind their own business. I hope everyone involved, from the bitches that beat her up to the staff that did Nothing to the Ass who recorded it, all suffer for their part in this inhumanity.
This is why we need laws to protect our LGB and T friends and family.

I can relate to the struggle over my gender identity. Not that I wish to change my gender but I tend to be rather ambiguous in appearance. I have been called "Sir" many, many, many times. I have been asked to leave the Lady's room on several occasions and heard the whispers about my gender while washing my hands. ( I can hear you and often see you stare in the mirrors.) Once an older woman threatened to get security when I refused to leave, in an art gallery in Cleveland of all places. It happens almost everywhere I go and it does not seem to make a difference if I am in a ball cap and jeans or a nice summer dress. People look, whisper, and question.
For the most part, I could care less what people think and let it roll off my back. You get a think skin over the years to shield yourself from insults but nothing can prepare or shield you from a physical attack.

There is NO excuse for what happened to this young lady.
This is hard to watch.

Click here for the story and video

Tool Time ( Not the Handy Kind)

Could not get back to sleep after the dogs woke me up so naturally I went on line.  This caught my eye.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Where is the Garage Door?

Is Boehner's pro-DOMA law firm illegally constraining staffs' pro-gay advocacy?


From American Blog Gay

Sure sounds like it.
All of King & Spalding's employees – lawyers and non-lawyers – are barred from advocating for the Respect for Marriage Act – the bill that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act – in the 112th Congress, according to the terms of the contract to defend DOMA that King & Spalding partner Paul Clement signed on the firm's behalf on April 14.

The contract, which was entered into with U.S. House of Representatives General Counsel Kerry Kircher on behalf of the House's Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group to defend DOMA in court, contains a provision that prohibits all King & Spalding attorneys and non-attorney employees from any advocacy to "alter or amend" DOMA.
Human Rights Campaign vice president of communications Fred Sainz, whose organization has harshly criticized King & Spalding for taking the case, told Metro Weekly, "This particular provision adds insult to injury. Not only is K&S promoting discrimination, they also are muzzling their own employees from opposing discrimination and doing what's right."

What's more, Jon Davidson, the legal director at Lambda Legal, told Metro Weekly that in some states the provision might be illegal. Davidson specifically pointed to California, where King & Spalding has two offices, in which Labor Code Section 1101 states that "[n]o employer shall make, adopt, or enforce any rule, regulation, or policy ... [f]orbidding or preventing employees from engaging or participating in politics ...."

Talking about the statute, which would be applicable in King & Spalding's San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices, Davidson said, "It's not just illegal, it's criminal. It also gives rise to civil liability."

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

"Weeds" The Trailer for the new season

This is one of my favorite shows !
Thanks to Netflix, I have had the luxury of watching the every season without commercials.
She is a big reason why.

Destroying our gulf shouldn't be a tax write-off. Tell BP to pay their fair share.

One year ago, on April 20, 2010, BP's oil began to pour into the Gulf of Mexico. It did not stop for 87 days.
Today, economic and environmental devastation remain. Thousands of Gulf Coast residents cope with massive health problems from oil and toxic dispersants.
BP, on the other hand, just scored a nearly $10 billion dollar credit on their 2010 federal tax return, by writing off their "losses" incurred from the tragedy.1
That's the equivalent of the entire annual budget of the EPA, whose funding was just slashed in the continuing resolution. It is almost one third of all the cuts in the continuing resolution.
Americans shouldn't have to endure massive budget cuts because BP took a $10 billion tax deduction for destroying our gulf. Tell BP: Amend your tax return and pay your fair share.
Responding to BP's monumental catastrophe cost a massive amount of resources from local, state and federal governments. Now, BP is dealing another massive blow to our nation's tax revenue.
The $10 billion savings comes after BP wrote-off the $32.2 billion it set aside to cover clean-up costs, fines, and a $20 billion victim compensation fund (which has been notoriously slow and stingy in responding to claims, paying out less than 4 billion so far.2)
But BP didn't have to write-off these costs. Last year, Goldman Sachs waived a tax deduction it could have claimed from having to pay $500 million in fines to the Securities and Exchange Commission for giving bad information to mortgage investors.3
BP has cost our nation enough already. It shouldn't be rewarding itself with huge tax savings.
BP's $10 billion tax credit slashes its liability by one third - at every US taxpayer's expense. Tell BP to amend their tax return and pay their fair share.
Over the weekend, hundreds of Gulf Coast residents attended the Powershift conference in Washington, DC and told stories of oil still remaining on beaches, of its smell still permeating the air, of legions of dead dolphin, turtles and fish, of neighbors who are sick or jobless. They said that BP hasn't done nearly enough to make it right.
Meanwhile in Washington, BP just restarted political contributions4 to the Republicans who continue to push for expanded offshore drilling, oppose lifting oil spill liability caps,5 and do everything in their power to keep our nation addicted to dirty crude, as millions of Americans literally drain their paychecks into their gas tanks every day.
To take our nation off of dirty, dangerous, expensive fossil fuels, we must force polluters to pay for the damage they do.
One year ago, BP brought us what would become the worst environmental disaster in our nation's history. We don't owe BP a tax-credit. BP owes us our gulf back. The least it could do is pay its fair share.
Please sign the petition now.

Want to Hear a Penguin Laugh !?

Release The Prop 8 Tapes!

The American Foundation for Equal Rights requests your signature on an open letter demanding the release of the Prop 8 trail videotapes, something NOM has been fighting for years. What are they so afraid of? I think you know.

Poetry on Trans- Identity This Is Wonderful !

This is an awesome spoken word poetry piece about the struggle of being Transgender.

Garfunkel and Oats"WeedCard" Today is 4/20 !

It is 4/20 on 4/20 ....right........NOW.....Ahhhhh

Have a good day !

Why didn't Republicans show up for DOMA hearing?

Corss Post from American Gay Blog
Posted byTimothy Beauchamp

If the GOP is willing to waste tax dollars they claim is in such short supply it is time to make grandma eat cat food then why didn't they show up for the third hearing on same-sex marriage?
Ian Thompson, who’s gay and legislative representative for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the lack of presence by anti-gay lawmakers was telling that the they were uncomfortable with their positions.

“The thing that was particularly striking to me was the fact that so few DOMA supporters on the committee actually were in attendance,” Thompson said. “So, from my perspective, if the hearing was intended to demonstrate the support of the House of Representatives for DOMA, from the attendance alone, it was a complete and total flop.”
Also, it should be noted that no Justice Department officials were invited by Republicans to provide testimony as to the legitimacy of Obama not defending DOMA.
Democratic lawmakers’ criticisms during the hearing weren’t limited to Gallagher. Conyers questioned Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), chair of the subcommittee, why no witnesses from the Justice Department were present to defend Obama’s decision to drop defense of DOMA.
Hate debutante and recent recipient of the "Anita Bryant award," Maggie Gallagher was there, of course, to fail to answer tough questions about why she and "The National Organization of Marriage (NOM)" think they have a valid position on gay marriage.

If Republicans are willing to waste resources to have hearing after hearing over gay marriage, the very least they could do is show up.
If the GOP is willing to waste tax dollars they claim is in such short supply it is time to make grandma eat cat food then why didn't they show up for the third hearing on same-sex marriage?
Ian Thompson, who’s gay and legislative representative for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the lack of presence by anti-gay lawmakers was telling that the they were uncomfortable with their positions.

“The thing that was particularly striking to me was the fact that so few DOMA supporters on the committee actually were in attendance,” Thompson said. “So, from my perspective, if the hearing was intended to demonstrate the support of the House of Representatives for DOMA, from the attendance alone, it was a complete and total flop.”
Also, it should be noted that no Justice Department officials were invited by Republicans to provide testimony as to the legitimacy of Obama not defending DOMA.
Democratic lawmakers’ criticisms during the hearing weren’t limited to Gallagher. Conyers questioned Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), chair of the subcommittee, why no witnesses from the Justice Department were present to defend Obama’s decision to drop defense of DOMA.
Hate debutante and recent recipient of the "Anita Bryant award," Maggie Gallagher was there, of course, to fail to answer tough questions about why she and "The National Organization of Marriage (NOM)" think they have a valid position on gay marriage.

If Republicans are willing to waste resources to have hearing after hearing over gay marriage, the very least they could do is show up.

Monday, April 18, 2011

House Speaker John Boehner To Divert DOJ Funds To Pay For DOMA Defense

We now know where the money is coming from but no numbers yet.  This will be costly and long. What a huge waste of time, effort, and funds. I can't believe this is from my home state but then you can see why I got the hell out.

cross post from joemygod.com

Remember Nancy Pelosi's letter to John Boehner in which she demanded to know how he was going to pay for the GOP's defense of DOMA? Here's how:
House Speaker John Boehner said he intends to divert funding from the Justice Department to the U.S. House so Congress can defend the federal law that bars recognition of same-sex marriage. The Ohio Republican disclosed this in a letter to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who is strongly opposed to Congress going to court to defend the 1996 law. An estimate on court costs was not given. [snip] Boehner asked the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group -- consisting of the top leaders of Congress -- to defend the law in court. The GOP members of the group sided with Boehner. "By the president's action through the attorney general we have no choice," Boehner's letter says. "The House now faces that additional burden and cost." Boehner said he has directed the House's counsel and the House Administration Committee to ensure that there are "sufficient resources" and expertise, including an outside lawyer if necessary, to defend the law.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, Boehner has retained former Dubya Solicitor General Paul Clement to defend the cases now in the courts. Clement is now with the private firm King & Spaulding. Via HRC's press release:
“Not only are House Republican leaders defending the indefensible, they’ve brought in a high priced attorney to deny federal recognition to loving, married couples,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “Speaker Boehner appears ready to go to great lengths, and the great expense of a high-power law firm, to try to score some cheap political points on the backs of same-sex couples. King & Spaulding were not required to take up this defense and should be ashamed of associating themselves with an effort to deny rights to their fellow citizens.”
There are presently nine DOMA Section Three-related cases pending.

UPDATE: A tipster points out that King & Spaulding has a 95% rating from the Human Rights Campaign, something the law firm trumpets on its own website.
King & Spalding is committed to having the brightest and most diverse lawyers it can find, including members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community. We work hard to foster and maintain an environment where our lawyers can provide the highest level of legal service while being true to themselves in the process. The firm's non-discrimination policy prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Further, domestic partner benefits are offered for same-sex couples.
Does that sound like a company that really wants to get involved in the GOP's anti-gay bigotry?

ART DISTROYED

This is Andres Serrano's classic and controversial Piss Christ.


When I saw this I was overcome. My heart broke.
Immersion Piss Christ by US artist Andres Serranoafter being attacked by catholic activists

Piss Christ is one of my favorites for so many reasons.
Not only does the color draw me in, there is a calming effect as well.
The fact that it is a plastic crucifix  suspended in a jar of the artists urine says so much outside the obvious  feelings he has about religion.
I understand the creative mind and the often odd experimentation that goes on in the sanctity of our studios. The inspiration and euphony when pushing the envelope. The exhilaration of stumbling upon something new and the unrelenting drive to see it through to completion. Lastly, the guts to show it.

I weep.

cross post from joemygod.com
The UK Guardian  has the full article
After weeks of demonstrations, yesterday Catholic protesters in France destroyed NYC artist Andres Serrano's classic and controversial Piss Christ. The UK Guardian reports:
The work has previously been shown without incident in France, but for the past two weeks Catholic groups have campaigned against it, culminating in hundreds of people marching through Avignon on Saturday in protest. Just after 11am on Sunday, four people in sunglasses entered the gallery where the exhibition was being held. One took a hammer from his sock and threatened security staff. A guard restrained one man but the remaining members of the group managed to smash an acrylic screen and slash the photograph with what police believe was a screwdriver or ice pick. They then destroyed another photograph, of nuns' hands in prayer.
Protests against the photograph had also gained the support of France's far-right National Front party. The gallery's owner says the destroyed artwork will remain on display "so people can see what barbarians can do."

The exhibit was held at a private home and was part of a collection. This is the second time a PRIVATE exhibit has been over run with extremist Catholics.
It was Bill Donohue, head of the Catholic League, along with GOP House Speaker John Boehner that caused the Smithsonian into removing an AIDS-themed video exhibit by the late gay artist David Wojnarowicz


Bishop Harry Jackson: Gay Marriage Is A Satanic Plot To Destroy Our Seed


This is some crazy shit. Not only does this crap go out for millions to hear but there are plenty of sheeple that also believe this shit.
cross post from joemygod.com
Maryland-based carpetbagger Bishop Harry Jackson appeared on the radio show of Minnesota hate preacher Bradlee Dean to declare that gay marriage is part of Satan's plot to "destroy our seed." Whatever that means. Bradlee Dean, who has appeared at fundraisers for Rep. Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann, routinely calls for the death penalty for homosexuality. We can now presume that Jackson feels the same way.


Saturday, April 16, 2011

Maggie Gallagher Gets GetEqual Anita Bryant Award- Awesome!

Just in case Delaware's passage of civil unions legislation has Maggie Gallagher down in the dumps, GetEqual has given her something to look forward to! At today's congressional hearing about marriage equality, the direct action group's members bestowed their first "Anita Bryant Unparalleled Bigotry Award" Anita-Bryant-Pie.jpgon the anti-gay crusader. In a press release the group says:
"In presenting this award to Ms. Gallagher, we are recognizing the bigotry that she has pioneered over the past few years - malice that has put her ahead of the pack in the world of professional bigots who draw a paycheck each day from the hatred they stir up among the 'radical right' wing of the American public," said Robin McGehee, director of GetEQUAL. "At a time when Americans overwhelmingly support marriage equality it takes a very special person like Ms. Gallagher to stand up and fight for discriminations and bigotry. It's gratifying to be able to draw attention to the unrelenting hatred that Ms. Gallagher and others at the National Organization for Marriage have been contributing to American life."
At the Congressional hearing, GetEQUAL was able to present Ms. Gallagher with an award certificate, which will be accompanied at a later date with a prize in honor of the award's namesake - a cream pie.
...
GetEQUAL will deliver the pie prize during a future public appearance by Ms. Gallagher, to ensure that she is able to celebrate the award publicly, in front of an audience. The exact moment of delivery is unknown at this time.
Anita Bryant, of course, was the anti-gay leader from the mid-70s who was famously hit in the face with a banana cream pie on television by four gay activists. If I were Gallagher, I'd keep my eyes open for flying pastries. Video of Bryant getting pied after the jump.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler At DOMA Hearing / Boehners Cost to Defend DOMA

This is GREAT!  Nadler makes it clear how he stands on DOMA. 

Cross post from joemygod.com

Rep Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) opened this morning's DOMA hearing with a blistering denouncement of the entire issue.


I feel the same way about the issue of DOMA.  When the President and over 50% of the population have said and have PROVEN with FACTS that the law is discriminatory and should be repealed, what on earth does John Boehner think he is doing?

Before he should be able to do anything, he should have to have a hearing before he hires outside lawyers and pay with our taxes to continue to defend DOMA.

I demand to know how much it is going to cost us while a handful of lawyers get rich to LOSE. DOMA WILL BE HISTORY and we all know it so why are we going to watch him waste our money?  Maybe giving a hand full of lawyers more money is his way of creating jobs ?
I am waiting for Boehner to answer the question of how much is Defending DOMA going to cost the TAXPAYERS?



Chris Johnson reports at Washington Blade:
“I do not have an estimate,” Boehner said. “But we were placed in a position where we were in effect allowing the administration to determine the constitutionality of a bill that passed the United States Congress because they were unwilling to defend it. I don’t think the House had any choice but to take the position that we were going to defend the work that the Congress — and only the courts are in the position of determining the constitutionality of any bill.” Michael Cole-Schwartz, spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, blasted Boehner for not having the cost on defending DOMA readily available. “For a speaker so obsessed with budgets and cost cutting, it’s laughable that he claims not to know what hiring outside attorneys will cost the American public,” Cole-Schwartz said. “If the Speaker is going to force taxpayers to defend discrimination, it’s reasonable that the public understand what the bill will be.”

This is How Fans and Team Mates Support a Friend and Player

cross post from Asterisk


April 14, 2011

Yesterday, American basketball fans couldn’t seem to understand the problem with Kobe Bryant shouting “fucking fag” at a referee. Maybe we should look to a recent situation from professional volleyball in Brazil to see how they handled it.
Volleywood has the the story, in an article published April 7, 2011. (Note: Volleyball is HUGE in Brazil. I’m not sure how it compares to basketball in the US, but it’s got to be similar, if not bigger.)
A few days ago during the Superliga semifinal match between Sada Cruzeiro & Vôlei Futuro, Sada Cruzeiro fans chanted homophobic slurs towards Michael, a middle blocker from Team Vôlei Futuro. The fans kept screaming “Bicha! Bicha! Bicha!” which means “faggot” in English.


We deeply appreciate that these athletes are taking a stand to defend Michael who has confessed that the incident has been very traumatic and has admitted that he fears for the same thing to happen again. Michael shared that he could not believe what was happening and that he tried to pretend he wasn’t hearing any of the chants.
He said that he could’ve fought back by swearing at them after the match, but instead he took the highest route and left the court without saying a word. Inside the locker room, his teammates came up to him to make sure he was okay.
The incident has prompted Michael to admit to the media that he’s gay. “I’m gay. Everyone knows who I am. My team fully respects my sexuality. I have been playing for 10 years and everyone has treated me well and fair. I do not feel the need to let everyone know about my sexuality,” says Michael.

A week has passed after the incident that forced Michael to out himself publicly, and Volleywood reports that the outpouring of support for Michael has been tremendous. The brazenness of the crowd’s bigotry seems to have surprised a lot of people and called them to action.
At the second semi-final match on last Saturday, the team wore pink warmup shirts to show support, and the team’s libero wore a rainbow jersey during the match.
Support from the team

The crowd unfurled a gigantic banner reading Vôlei Futuro Against Prejudice

Vôlei Futuro Against Prejudice

Then the crowd used thundersticks emblazoned with Michael’s name to turn the stadium pink!
A pink stadium. Wow.

Can you imagine being there for that, feeling that support reverberate through the stadium? I’m in tears just seeing the pictures.
Americans, this is how it’s done. Don’t make excuses for the perpetrator like many are for Kobe Bryant (see comments). Instead, stand against prejudice and homophobia wherever they’re found. That’s how society becomes better for all of us.
Michael during the game
Oh, and Team Vôlei Futuro won in five. BONUS.
Again, major thanks to Volleywood for their coverage of this issue. Click on the article links for much more including youtube video of each complete match. I wish volleyball were bigger here in the States.
(Somebody get on that, okay?)

Bike Riding for AIDS Goes Glee - Cute

Great way to raise funds.

TO DONATE TO MY AIDS LIFECYCLE RIDE GO HERE: www.tofighthiv.org/goto/kmosully

Gay Man Attacked by Mob



This is sick. A bunch of people jump into a fight for NO REASON!  They are all hanging out around this gas station and see a fight and run over to kick some guys ass without knowing why. The reason the guy was attacked is because he is most definitely gay. Even if it was for other reasons, it is no excuse for a flash mob to pounce.

Londons "Snog-O-Thon"

2 young men were asked to leave after they kissed in this Pub. Days later, a "Snog-o-thon" was planned at the place. While the Pub closed it's doors, the kiss-in went on outside.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Is "Ex-Gay" an Orientation?


Those sad people at P-FOX ( Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays) seem to think that "ex-gay" is an orientation.

"If you're going to worry about sexual orientation non-discrimination and pick a day every year to host it, shouldn't that include all sexual orientations, such as former homosexuals," the PFOX executive director questions. "Where are their rights?" So she is encouraging students to distribute her organization's literature in schools today so that the message of hope will reach a hurting community. "By providing resources and educating [students] about the ex-gay community, we are at the same time giving them options," Griggs notes. "But it is an option, and only they can make the decision." But while she does not think students should be denied any information that allows them to make decisions, she laments that that is "what's happening in America's schools."

Every study and all the scientific support says that a person can NOT change their orientation. To try can and most likely will cause mental harm. These people may have tricked themselves into believing they can live like a str8 person but deep down inside they are gay.
Ex-gay programs are run by people with little or no formal training, use physical and mental abuse, and pry on the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters.
Trying to be something you are not is NOT the message we want our kids to hear.
Being Ex-gay is NOT an option. 
Being Ex-gay is no more an orientation than being Ex-str8.
If you want to live a lie or live alone, that is a choice. Being gay or str8 is not