Another great one from PINK.
News and Commentary About My Gay World
Thursday, January 20, 2011
So Much for Civil Rights and MLK Day
It is amazing the crap people say, do , and vote for. On a day when we should be reflecting on the great Dr. Kings words of equality for ALL, here are 3 govenors who missed the mark.
Note that one is from my home state of Ohio who also just removed all things gay from the state non-discrimination act. ( And my family wonders why I like Maryland so much)
Note that one is from my home state of Ohio who also just removed all things gay from the state non-discrimination act. ( And my family wonders why I like Maryland so much)
Truth Wins Out Announces Eleven State Tour Highlighting The Harm Caused by the ‘Ex-Gay’ Industry
Activist and Author Wayne Besen To Speak Across The Midwest and South
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Author and activist Wayne Besen will kick-off an eleven state speaking tour this week to discuss the harm caused by programs that claim to turn gay people straight through prayer and therapy. At each stop, Besen will show a multi-media presentation pointing out the psychological damage caused by these unscientific religious programs.
“The message of this tour is that you can’t ‘pray away the gay’ and LGBT people are fine just the way they are,” said Wayne Besen, founder of Truth Wins Out. “Organizations that claim they can change one’s sexual orientation are committing consumer fraud and harming a great number of people.”
Truth Wins Out aims to educate local communities, counter misinformation, and help LGBT people find self-acceptance and freedom. Truth Wins Out organized the tour after the nation’s largest “ex-gay” organization, Exodus International, announced it would focus on youth in 2011.
“We were outraged that Exodus would target vulnerable and desperate teenagers who need genuine love and self acceptance,” said TWO’s Besen. “The last thing young LGBT people need is scientifically bankrupt misinformation that tells them they are sick and sinful.”
Truth Wins Out’s Wayne Besen will visit: Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Alabama. (See full schedule below)
Monday, January 17, 2011
Equality under attack in the 'Equality State' on 'Equality Day'
Crosspost from AmericanblogGay.com
Paging Dick, Lynne and Mary Cheney.
The legislature in the Cheney's home state of Wyoming is debating anti-gay legislation, House Bill 74, titled inappropriately, the "Validity of marriages" bill. It's an ugly attempt to invalidate same-sex marriages in the "Equality State." There's a hearing today on the bill. In Wyoming, it's not just MLK day, it's also "Equality Day." Hell of a way to celebrate equality, huh? You can't make this stuff up.
From the Casper Star Tribune:
If you live in Wyoming, make sure you contact your legislator and the members of the House Education Committee (contact info. is here.)
I hope the Cheneys are making calls. What if Heather and Mary decide to relocate to Cheyenne or Jackson Hole?
This is another example of why DOMA has to go. Married gay Americans don't have the same rights as their fellow citizens. We're not equal, even in the so-called Equality State
The legislature in the Cheney's home state of Wyoming is debating anti-gay legislation, House Bill 74, titled inappropriately, the "Validity of marriages" bill. It's an ugly attempt to invalidate same-sex marriages in the "Equality State." There's a hearing today on the bill. In Wyoming, it's not just MLK day, it's also "Equality Day." Hell of a way to celebrate equality, huh? You can't make this stuff up.
From the Casper Star Tribune:
The House Education Committee is scheduled to consider a bill today sponsored by Rep. Owen Petersen, R-Lyman. It would specify that Wyoming courts don't have jurisdiction over same-sex marriages performed in other states.I guess Wyoming will have to put up signs at all of its borders telling gay couples to stay away.
Both Anderson and House Speaker Ed Buchanan, R-Torrington, have said they believe the Legislature needs to address the issue of whether Wyoming will recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.
One provision of Wyoming law already specifies that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman, but state law also says Wyoming will recognize marriages that are valid in other states. A handful of other states allow same-sex marriages.
Anderson and Buchanan say that a same-sex divorce case pending in the Wyoming Supreme Court shows the need for more clarity in state law.
If you live in Wyoming, make sure you contact your legislator and the members of the House Education Committee (contact info. is here.)
I hope the Cheneys are making calls. What if Heather and Mary decide to relocate to Cheyenne or Jackson Hole?
This is another example of why DOMA has to go. Married gay Americans don't have the same rights as their fellow citizens. We're not equal, even in the so-called Equality State
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Dan Dunn Paintjams
This guy is fun to watch. This is an intro to his work and he can be found on youtube.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
This Week In Holy Crimes
Over the last seven days...
Nevada: Pastor Otis Holland arrested for molesting a seven year-old girl. Holland was arrested last year on similar charges.
New York: Pastor Jason LaPierre arrested for embezzling over $400,000 from a credit union.
Ontario: Father James Boudreau arrested for sexual assault on a child.
Belgium: Father Eric Dejaeger accused of molesting multiple children in Canada. He has already served five years in prison for the same crime.
California: Pastor Dino Cardelli charged with intimidating a victim prior to his trial for child rape.
Missouri: Pastor David Love pleads not guilty to murdering the husband of his mistress.
Minnesota: Pastor William Neal Matthews charged with financial exploitation of an elderly person.
Britain: Father Paul Shannon pleads guilty to 16 counts of producing child pornography.
Michigan: Rev. Sarah Jane Samuelson charged with serving alcohol to over 100 minors attending a party she hosted in her home.
Florida: Pastor Gordon Libby charged with kidnapping a 14 year-old from a Walmart and then masturbating in the victim's presence. Libby is the founder of the clergy recruitment firm Pastors4U.
Britain: Imam Mohammed Hanif Khan charged with rape of a 12 year-old boy.
New Jersey: Pastor Enoc Sotelo charged with 17 felony counts of defrauding immigrants in a green card scam.
Massachusetts: Father Donald Provost sued for sexual assault of an eight year-old boy. The Worcester Catholic Diocese and ten other unidentified individuals are named in the suit. Provost has been previously convicted of photographing a ten year-old boy in a public locker room.
Wisconsin: Pastor Lewis Givens charged with sexually assaulting a mentally challenged nine year-old girl.
This Week's Winner
Minnesota: The Catholic Diocese of New Ulm is being sued for covering up the crimes of Father Francis Markey, who was twice arrested for child molestation. Markey was suspended three times after accusations of sexual assaults on children and all three times he was later reinstated as a priest. The lawsuit also names the treatment facilities to which the Catholic Church referred Markey, as well as the Diocese of Clogher in Ireland, where he once worked.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
The Stories of our Lives
I stumbled on a great site this morning called Born This Way.
DJ Paul V was tired of hearing how being gay is a choice, as am I. While talking to some friends , the usual question came up of "When did you know your were gay?".
This site has been launched to give people a chance to send in pictures and comment about their awareness of difference. It is very cute and funny. I am going to find a picture of myself...I think I know which one it will be.....Go and enjoy.
Jon Stewart on the AZ Shootings
This is one of the few unfunny moments you will see on Jon Stewart. Watch the whole thing.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Friday, January 14, 2011
Corvino: When my grandfather learned I was ‘queer’
, columnist, 365gay.com
01.14.2011 8:46am EST
A diversity speaker I know (who also happens to be a dear friend) is fond of saying, “People do the best they can with what they have.”
When I first heard her say this, my immediate reaction was, “Well, that’s obviously false.”
In fact, I still think it’s false. Some people make more of the hand they’re dealt than others; some put in considerable effort, others very little. Some, frankly, are just lazy callous bastards.
But I’ve come to understand that her aphorism isn’t best read as a description. It’s a guideline. When interpreting others’ actions—especially hurtful ones—adopt a principle of charity. They’re not trying to hurt you: they’re doing the best they can with what they have.
The principle reminds us that there are often causal factors beyond our knowledge. And it can sometimes save us needless and counterproductive bitterness.
I was reflecting on this aphorism recently as I recalled an incident that happened nearly two decades ago. It involved my paternal grandfather, the man after whom I was named.
Grandpa John was the only one of my grandparents I did not come out to directly. When I came out to his wife (my Grandma Tess, with whom I was especially close), she told me that she would break the news to him herself.
Her decision was both compassionate and prescient: as I learned later from my father, my grandfather cried for days when he learned that his grandson was, to use his preferred term, “queer.”
After the revelation, I detected a slight stiffening in his manner, especially when he observed me with male friends. I’m sure he imagined us being “queer” together. But Grandpa was a gentle man, and he remained so with me. We never discussed the issue.
One day, as my extended family was gathered at the Christmas dinner table, my two grandfathers were having a lively conversation about the “old neighborhood” in Brooklyn. The conversation turned to a favorite restaurant, Tommaso’s.
“But Joe,” Grandpa John interjected, “you wanna hear something funny? Did you know that Tommaso is queer?”
My sister and I happened to be sitting across the table from each other. We looked up and locked eyes for several seconds.
“Yes,” she seemed to telegraph to me, “he just said what you thought he just said. Try to stay calm.”
I quickly turned my attention back to my plate, determined not to look at my grandfathers. Meanwhile, Grandpa Joe innocently responded that he had no idea about Tommaso. (I had not yet come out to my maternal grandparents, though I would eventually do so.)
About five minutes later, while waiting for the next course, my sister noticed Grandpa John with his elbows on the table, holding his head.
“What’s wrong, Grandpa—do you have a headache?” she asked.
“No,” he responded quietly. “I said something I shouldn’t have said.” He was slouched, and his hands obscured his face.
People sometimes wonder how I can ever give the benefit of the doubt to “homophobes.” One reason is simple: It’s because I have loved, and have been loved by, some.
My paternal grandfather was a high school dropout who, aside from military service, never traveled more than a few hundred miles from his birthplace. He collected tickets at the racetrack and worked for the NY Sanitation Department. He was a good man, a hardworking and loving provider. But he wasn’t what you’d call worldly.
In my grandfather’s limited experience, queers were an object of ridicule. (“Joe, you wanna hear something funny?”)
At the same time, in his world, the last thing you would want to do is hurt your own grandchild. (“I said something I shouldn’t have said.”)
On that day, two deep-seated impulses in my grandfather’s world collided. He disliked queers. He loved me. Although my gayness pained him, the realization that he had hurt me pained him even more.
That was the closest we would ever come to discussing his feelings on the matter. He died just a few years later, felled by a sudden heart attack after shoveling snow for an elderly neighbor.
He did the best he could with what he had. I still admire him for it.
At 22 I came out to most of my family except my Great Gradma Gum. Twisted up, using a walker, still living alone, sharp as a tack, and really lived until she was 96.
When I first heard her say this, my immediate reaction was, “Well, that’s obviously false.”
In fact, I still think it’s false. Some people make more of the hand they’re dealt than others; some put in considerable effort, others very little. Some, frankly, are just lazy callous bastards.
But I’ve come to understand that her aphorism isn’t best read as a description. It’s a guideline. When interpreting others’ actions—especially hurtful ones—adopt a principle of charity. They’re not trying to hurt you: they’re doing the best they can with what they have.
The principle reminds us that there are often causal factors beyond our knowledge. And it can sometimes save us needless and counterproductive bitterness.
I was reflecting on this aphorism recently as I recalled an incident that happened nearly two decades ago. It involved my paternal grandfather, the man after whom I was named.
Grandpa John was the only one of my grandparents I did not come out to directly. When I came out to his wife (my Grandma Tess, with whom I was especially close), she told me that she would break the news to him herself.
Her decision was both compassionate and prescient: as I learned later from my father, my grandfather cried for days when he learned that his grandson was, to use his preferred term, “queer.”
After the revelation, I detected a slight stiffening in his manner, especially when he observed me with male friends. I’m sure he imagined us being “queer” together. But Grandpa was a gentle man, and he remained so with me. We never discussed the issue.
One day, as my extended family was gathered at the Christmas dinner table, my two grandfathers were having a lively conversation about the “old neighborhood” in Brooklyn. The conversation turned to a favorite restaurant, Tommaso’s.
“But Joe,” Grandpa John interjected, “you wanna hear something funny? Did you know that Tommaso is queer?”
My sister and I happened to be sitting across the table from each other. We looked up and locked eyes for several seconds.
“Yes,” she seemed to telegraph to me, “he just said what you thought he just said. Try to stay calm.”
I quickly turned my attention back to my plate, determined not to look at my grandfathers. Meanwhile, Grandpa Joe innocently responded that he had no idea about Tommaso. (I had not yet come out to my maternal grandparents, though I would eventually do so.)
About five minutes later, while waiting for the next course, my sister noticed Grandpa John with his elbows on the table, holding his head.
“What’s wrong, Grandpa—do you have a headache?” she asked.
“No,” he responded quietly. “I said something I shouldn’t have said.” He was slouched, and his hands obscured his face.
People sometimes wonder how I can ever give the benefit of the doubt to “homophobes.” One reason is simple: It’s because I have loved, and have been loved by, some.
My paternal grandfather was a high school dropout who, aside from military service, never traveled more than a few hundred miles from his birthplace. He collected tickets at the racetrack and worked for the NY Sanitation Department. He was a good man, a hardworking and loving provider. But he wasn’t what you’d call worldly.
In my grandfather’s limited experience, queers were an object of ridicule. (“Joe, you wanna hear something funny?”)
At the same time, in his world, the last thing you would want to do is hurt your own grandchild. (“I said something I shouldn’t have said.”)
On that day, two deep-seated impulses in my grandfather’s world collided. He disliked queers. He loved me. Although my gayness pained him, the realization that he had hurt me pained him even more.
That was the closest we would ever come to discussing his feelings on the matter. He died just a few years later, felled by a sudden heart attack after shoveling snow for an elderly neighbor.
He did the best he could with what he had. I still admire him for it.
John Corvino, Ph.D. is a writer, speaker, and philosophy professor at Wayne State University in Detroit. Read more about him at http://www.johncorvino.com/.
At 22 I came out to most of my family except my Great Gradma Gum. Twisted up, using a walker, still living alone, sharp as a tack, and really lived until she was 96.
One evening that she came for dinner, I was playing with my son on the floor and he was pulling himself up on her walker, she began a story. It was of a distant cousin who never married and lived with her friend for 30 years. Then went on about how nice this girl was and they were good friends. She looked at me and smiled.
She just had another cigarette and started to talk about something else.
I never got the chance to talk to her about it before she passed away later that month.
I miss her.
Thanks of the memories.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Viewers of Glenn Beck
David Brock, founder of Media Matters, talks about 3 attacks that were a direct effect of watching Glenn Beck. This is why we need to watch what we say in the media.
OREGON: Four Year Prison Sentence For Brutal Attack Over "Gay Hairstyle"
This is the kind of violence that hate crimes are supposed to be for. He should have gotten 5 more years under the hate crimes law. Have fun in prison pretty boy.
Crosspost from joemygod.com
Brandon Sanchez, 21, has been sentenced to four years in an Oregon prison after attacking another man for having a supposedly "gay hairstyle."
Crosspost from joemygod.com
Brandon Sanchez, 21, has been sentenced to four years in an Oregon prison after attacking another man for having a supposedly "gay hairstyle." Sanchez apparently targeted Mark Bryant, 20, because he showed up at an Aug. 11 party with his hair gelled into a faux hawk, or fake mohawk. Bryant was in a coma for 22 days, had part of his skull temporarily removed to relieve pressure on his brain from swelling and now -- five months after the attack -- wears a patch over his right eye because he can't see clearly out of it. In recent weeks, he's started to walk again. "I'd never wish this upon anyone," Sanchez said. "I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused in your family. ...I've been praying for you." Bryant then asked something he's always wondered about the attack: "Your honor, I have a question he never answered before: Why?" "I was stupid," Sanchez responded. "I wish I could tell you an answer."
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
It's Just Politics
I found this great vid on youtube. I wonder how many politicians do the same thing.
Marriage Equality For Maryland
Maryland's General Assembly begins its session today. It will be over on April 11, 2011. Marriage is on the agenda. Legislative leaders and the Governor are on board. Maryland could provide a pivotal early win in 2011.
Via press release from Equality Maryland:
Via press release from Equality Maryland:
“Equality Maryland is proud to work with true champions to end the exclusion of loving and committed gay couples from marriage,” said Ms. Meneses-Sheets [Executive Director of Equality Maryland.]What happens in Maryland gets a lot of attention in DC. The Washington Post gives prominent coverage to Maryland legislation. It's local news that often makes the front page. And, many people (especially elected officials), still read the paper. So, what happens in Maryland will impact the national debate on marriage.
The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act will enable gay and lesbian couples to go to the county clerk’s office or the courthouse and get a marriage license. No religious institutions or clergy members would be compelled to marry same-sex couples. It is being introduced by Majority Leader Kumar Barve (D-17) and Delegate Keiffer Mitchell (D-44). The Senate version will be advanced by Majority Leader Rob Garagiola (D-15) and Senator Rich Madaleno (D-18).
Advocates say that the bill is not only about fairness, but also offers some relief in these tough economic times. A 2007 Williams Institute report entitled “The Impact on Maryland’s Budget of Allowing Same-Sex Couples to Marry” found that ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage in Maryland would “have a positive impact on the state budget of approximately $3.2 million annually.” To read the full report, please click here.
Senate Minority Leader Alan Kittleman recently announced plans to push for a civil unions bill. Local advocates have commended his willingness to work to achieve legal equality for gay and lesbian couples, but believe that his proposal will not achieve that goal.
“Civil union doesn’t work. In other states with civil union, people have been barred from a dying partner’s bedside and denied the ability to say goodbye to the person they love. That just doesn’t happen when you’re married because everyone knows what marriage means,” said Ms. Meneses-Sheets.
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