9/30/13
The problem with the GOP, in one sentence
"If the Republicans just wanted negotiations, the Obama administration would be happy to oblige them."
-- Ezra Klein
Quote of the day on letting the majority decide on the minority's civil rights
Given society's prejudices against fatness, how would Christie feel if we let voters decide if obese people could marry and have legally recognized families?
From Towleroad:
NJ Governor Chris Christie, who last year vetoed a marriage equality bill passed in both houses of the NJ legislature, reiterated his position on same-sex marriage in an interview that aired on CBS' Sunday Morning this morning:
"You do not believe in same-sex marriage?" Smith asked.
"I do not," Christie said. "But what I will tell you is that I understand that good people of good will have a difference of opinion on this. And so my view on it is, put it on the ballot. Let the people decide."
"I do not," Christie said. "But what I will tell you is that I understand that good people of good will have a difference of opinion on this. And so my view on it is, put it on the ballot. Let the people decide."
Sign this petition from All Out: The Olympic Committee is letting Russia violate the Olympic Charter against discrimination. We need to speak out
From All Out:
Outrageous. The Olympic Committee just said they don't think Russia is violating the Olympic Charter – even though Russians are facing anti-gay arrests, violent attacks, and exclusion.
Olympic host nations are supposed to obey seven principles and Principle 6 says discrimination of any kind is not allowed. But, the Olympic Committee is now acting like lesbian, gay, bi and trans people just don't count.
Principle 6 – Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement"
Equality doesn't work like that, so their position needs to be clear. Can you take two minutes to send a quick email to the new Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach and ask him if lesbian, gay, bi and trans people are protected by Principle 6?
The Olympic Committee is accountable to us – the spectators, athletes, and customers of their billion-dollar sponsors. If thousands of us email new Olympic president Thomas Bach now, we can put him on notice. If he won't answer our question, millions of us could even take the fight to the corporate sponsors, forcing them to step in.Send an email directly to the Olympic Committee through All Out's website:https://www.allout.org/email-olympics-pres |
I support Mike Rogers outing closeted, anti-gay politicians, like he did yesterday with Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming. For the good of the LGBT
For me, if you legislate against us during the day and have a gay life at night, you are causing great harm to the gay people who you date/have sex as well as the LGBT community. In essence, you are agreeing with the churches and other forces of gay oppression that we are second-class citizens, not good enough for society. That we are shameful and disordered.
I agree with Dan Savage and Mike Rogers on this subject: first and foremost, we should out anti-gay, closeted political leaders to protect our own rights. And in the process, we are not hurting them -- we are simply telling the truth and setting everyone free. (BTW, most of these outed politicians like their lives more once they admit who they are...but is not our business.)
9/29/13
9/28/13
Bertolli shows Barilla how to be a modern, inclusive brand. The CEO of Barilla promises to go on listening tour of LGBT groups. We will follow his progress...
Bertolli has been gay friendly for years...
...but Barilla CEO needs to learn to accept others.
...but Barilla CEO needs to learn to accept others.
9/27/13
Dear Barilla CEO: An apology is no apology if it starts "I apologize if I offended...". You are not showing remorse for your words, just protecting your business
Guido Barilla told us how he really feels about gays and our human rights in the radio interview.
What follows is a lesson in how not to apologize to the LGBT community:
In reference to my statements yesterday to the press, I apologize if my words have offended some people.
For clarity I would like to point out that I have the deepest respect for all people, without distinction of any kind.
I have the utmost respect for homosexuals and freedom of expression. I also said, and repeat, that I have respect for marriages between people of the same sex.
Barilla in its advertising has always chosen to represent the family because this is the symbol of hospitality and love for everyone.
-- Guido Barilla
9/26/13
The surprisingly devout (and liberal) Catholic, Stephen Colbert has fun with Pope Francis
Andrew Sullivan sums up Colbert nicely:
I’m biased, because I have gotten to know the man a little over the years, and have barely missed a single show since he started, but I have to agree with Jessica Winter that, in an era in which Catholicism, until very recently, has seemed positively callous, distant and authoritarian, Stephen Colbert is “the greatest thing to happen to American Catholics since Vatican II”:
He provides day-to-day proof that devout Catholicism can coexist with critical thinking, irreverence, a guiding belief in equal rights, and a fundamentally anti-authoritarian worldview – by, for example, dishing on the papal doctrine of social justice for the poor with Colbert Report chaplain Jim Martin (editor of America magazine), or breaking character during a congressional panel on rights for migrant farm workers by paraphrasing Scripture: “Whatever you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me.” Colbert is America’s Sunday school teacher and “Catholicism’s best pitch man,” as Patheos.com’s Matt Emerson put it in a beautifully argued 2011 piece. But until now, what he’s been pitching hasn’t necessarily been what the Vatican has been selling.
That’s all changed now. Catholics have a pope who loves the poor, embraces critical thinking, and has a delightful sense of humor – the same holy trinity of virtues that Stephen Colbert, the new America’s Catholic, exemplifies.
And what Colbert does is talk to a generation that has largely turned off any public statements from the American Catholic hierarchy. The Millennials have been a lost generation to Christianity – because, in my view, the most prominent representatives of Christianity are simply from a different universe than those building lives and loves in the 21st Century. Colbert shows that Catholics can be hilarious and serious, ironic and yet deeply sincere.
And this is the real Stephen Colbert, out of character, testifying in front of Congress, on behalf of the poor. That's real Catholic values, not that mean Pope Benedict shit.
9/25/13
Another example of the LGBT winning the hearts & minds of America: former president George Bush, Sr. acts as the official witness at the wedding of a lesbian couple
More and more establishment GOPers are joining the marriage equality bandwagon! Read about today's latest event in Maine.
Tweet and video of the day: Team USA makes a historic comeback, from 8-1, to defend the America's Cup!
And an interview with the winning skipper of America's boat:
9/24/13
Abraham Lincoln in a bad mood
I know this feeling quite well, but we need to safeguard freedom for all, including the most anti-gay forces. The worst thing in life is becoming just like the people who hate you. Love triumphs fear.
Quotes of the day about the Tea Party's attempts to cut spending on food stamps
Let's call it what it is: unabashed racism.
From a Daily Dish reader:
You can’t have a post about Republicans attempting to gut food stamps without including race in the conversation. To the Tea Party base, “food stamps” is code for “handouts to lazy black people,” and nothing gets the base more riled up than their hatred of any social program that helps “those people.” I think you’d agree that right now the right-wing GOP is much more motivated by placating and energizing its base than by any other factor. That’s what the votes to repeal Obamacare are about, and that’s what the food stamp votes are about. The simple fact is that the members of Congress who voted for the massive cut in food stamps did it so they could go back to their districts and tell the old, white, angry voters who elected them: “See, I’m in Washington, fighting the good fight to keep lazy, undeserving (*wink wink*) people from taking your hard-earned tax dollars.”
Another Daily Dish reader:
I really think that people outside the South have trouble understanding these sorts of things. It isn’t callous at all. It is entirely about race. It really is a long-standing race issue for many Southern whites, especially as you get closer and closer to the lower end of the middle class, but it can be found at most every strata. An example of the poisonous logic goes like this: “Food stamps are a handout to blacks who don’t want to work.” Now, you could point out the obvious, and say, “But needy white people get food stamps too,” but the response would be: “But that is different, and in any case, white people want to work so they aren’t the problem.” It is basically the same meme about welfare in general that has persisted for a generation.Watch Congresswoman Jackie Speier respond to these proposed food stamps cuts:
9/23/13
Tweet of the day
While the Minneapolis Archbishop spends his time fighting against the human rights of LGBT and spreading homophobia, he allowed the child-molesting Father Curtis Wehmeyer to continue his duties as a priest despite many complaints about his sexually predatory behavior. What did the Archdiocese of Minneapolis do about this molesting priest? Nothing!
Read all about this here. Time for the Catholic Church to get its own house in order. And to cease persecuting the LGBT.
Zen lesson for today
"Anxiety, heartbreak, and tenderness mark the in-between state. It's the kind of place we usually want to avoid. The challenge is to stay in the middle rather than buy into struggle and complaint. The challenge is to let it soften us rather than make us more rigid and afraid."
-- Pema Chödrön
Frank Bruni captures this moment in the history of the Roman Catholic Church: "The Pope’s Radical Whisper"
This is from one NYTimes op-ed column worth reading:
"It's about time. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church has surveyed the haughty scolds in its ranks, noted their fixation on matters of sexual morality above all others and said enough is enough. I’m not being cheeky with this one-word response. Hallelujah. [snip] He didn’t right past wrongs. Let’s be clear about that. Didn’t call for substantive change to church teachings and traditions that indeed demand re-examination, including the belief that homosexual acts themselves are sinful. Didn’t challenge the all-male, celibate priesthood. Didn’t speak as progressively — and fairly — about women’s roles in the church as he should. But he also didn’t present himself as someone with all the answers. No, he stepped forward — shuffled forward, really — as someone willing to guide fellow questioners. In doing so he recognized that authority can come from a mix of sincerity and humility as much as from any blazing, blinding conviction, and that stature is a respect you earn, not a pedestal you grab. That’s a useful lesson in this grabby age of ours."- Frank Bruni, writing for theNew York Times.
9/22/13
Just another reason we give up on no one: the former leader of South Carolina's ban on gay marriage becomes a supporter of marriage equality
This is what we mean by a "change of heart." Former SC state senator John Hawkins re-discovered his, and I am grateful for that.
9/21/13
Read about Micah Porter, a championship-winning high school track coach , who recently came out to his team. Micah has passed my dad's 'pedigree test'
This is an inspiring story from Outsports.com:
Porter called his team together before practice a week ago and told them he had some news. He let them know that an article about him would be coming out this week, and that the article discussed him being gay and would talk about his partner, Brandan.
The news was met with the same silence that stared back at him when he came out to his wife four years earlier.
After a few seconds, one of the team leaders - who Porter says could end the season as a conference champion - stood up, shook his hand, told him it didn't matter to him, and asked what that day's practice had in store for them. The rest of the team laced up their shoes and followed suit.
Read the full story here.
My dad, an Illinois state championship winning track coach from another era, really liked this story, especially because Micah had to stand up to his fears and ultimately accept and be proud of himself.
It takes a special breed of coach to produce championship-winning track athletes: the best ones are part coach and part psychologist. You need to be able to motivate others to go beyond their perceived physical and mental comfort zones. So my dad and I were glad to see that Micah has gone beyond his, and is willing to live his life with honesty, verve, and love. He is a true champion.
9/20/13
Pope Francis' words yesterday represent a sea change for the Catholic Church. While he didn't change its dogma (yet), he reminded everyone of its purpose: as a champion for love
As a long-time gay activist and a former Catholic, I am still reeling from the importance of the Pope's words in his newly released interview. His words mark the end of the orthodox John Paul II era as much as the election of Barack Obama ended Reaganism.
Socially-divisive priests like San Francisco's Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone have been put on notice by this new pope. No longer can they treat LGBT people as "intrinsically disordered," second-class citizens, who are regularly castigated against from the pulpit. Instead, Pope Francis' words suggest that Cordileone and his ilk have neglected their core spiritual mission of creating a warm and welcoming environment for all Catholics, while spending most of their time lobbying for "small-minded rules" in the political square. The rabidly anti-gay animus of the conservative Catholic hierarchy has cost the church of millions and millions of followers, like my once-very-Catholic family.
I feel that Francis is calling the RC church to return to the core message of Christ: the power of unconditional love (and providing a welcoming refugee from the suffering of the world). This is a winning formula that meets timeless human needs. Modern people want a church that opens up their hearts and lifts them up -- not judges or controls them.
A few months ago, I saw a segment on BBC TV in which they interviewed one of Pope Francis' spiritual mentors. I forget the elderly priest's name but it was clear that he was a big admirer of Pope John XXIII, the convener of Vatican II. So I am not completely surprised that Pope Francis is turning out to be the most reformist pope since John XXIII and just may be able to save the RC church from irrelevancy.
Clearly, Francis' ascendancy marks the end of John Paul's cold-hearted theo-con era. Like with American politics, change is happening in Catholicism...and not a moment too soon. -- Joe
9/19/13
I may be sick at home with a bad cold, but Andrew Sullivan's initial analysis of the Pope's interview makes feel better
From Andrew Sullivan at The Daily Dish:
Well, if the theocons hadn’t got the message by now, they can only blame themselves. The new interview with Pope Francis is a revelation. This Pope is not the Pope of a reactionary faction obsessed with controlling the lives of others – a faction that has held the hierarchy in its grip for three decades. He is a Pope in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, a Pope with a larger and more humane perspective than the fastidious control-freaks that have plagued the church for so long. I need to read and absorb the full interview – it’s 12,000 words long – before I comment at any greater length. But here are the key phrases that are balm to so many souls:
“This church with which we should be thinking is the home of all, not a small chapel that can hold only a small group of selected people. We must not reduce the bosom of the universal church to a nest protecting our mediocrity.”
And this with respect to the near-pathological obsession of the theocons with abortion, gay rights, and culture war politics:
“The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent. The church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently. We have to find a new balance, otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.”
For me, obviously, it was wonderful to hear the true spirit of the Gospels with respect to homosexual persons:
“A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person.”
Why must we always consider the person rather than abstract theological certitude? Because that is what Jesus did. And Jesus, quite obviously, is breathing life back into His church.
Listen to these parents talk about what happen after sending their son through ex-gay 'therapy'
I might not be in synch with the Robertsons' brand of born-again Christianity, but I do agree with them about the importance of loving all people, including the LGBT. These two should be lauded for taking their pro-LGBT message into evangelical churches and changing hearts and minds there.
9/18/13
Like in some states in the U.S., teachers in Russia can be fired for being gay. Is this what Putin means when he promises "equality for all"?
From FrontiersLA:
Olga Bakhaeva is 24 years old and works as a teacher of history and social studies in School No. 56, in Magnitogorsk:
It all started with the “VKontakte” community (Russian social network like Facebook. NT). In May the “Straights Alliance for LGBT Equality” posted an item about the persecution of an LGBT teacher, and I left a comment that I was LGBT as well and that I worked in a school. That was the beginning! After a couple of hours, I received a message on “VKontakte” from a user named Valkiria Repina (according to the “Alliance of Heterosexuals”, that is the pseudonym of a man involved in attacks on LGBT demonstrations in St. Petersburg. Ed.). Repina told me to resign at once, otherwise they would “ruin my life”.
In the “Parents of Russia” community (an aggressively anti-homosexual movement. Ed.), which is administered by this Valkiria, a post about me appeared, with my private photos and some unpleasant details. Then came more messages: “Why no answer? Tell us your decision. If you resign we shan’t distribute that information.”
I didn’t answer. I mean, I realised that this story wouldn’t die of its own accord. However, the demands were fascist. I was happy in my job, and wasn’t going to change it.
Full article here.
9/17/13
A look at the future by looking a few years back...
In 2008, this TV drama about some high school kids,"Física O Química," debuted on Spanish TV, and showed two openly gay characters (Fer and David) who fall in love with each other. Like any other high school couple, they go through the highs and lows of relationships, learning how to date. For me, this is what the future will look like in 10-15 years, when young gay people are accepted for themselves -- a little different but equal. A time when shame and self-judgement about being gay are virtually eliminated.
Who wouldn't wanted to have a relationship like Fer and David's when they were in high school? I would have.
Quote of the day
“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world would do this, it would change the Earth.”-William Faulkner
9/16/13
9/15/13
Former 49ers great Steve Young and his wife strongly support gay Mormons
"More and more people are opening their hearts every day," Barb Young said Saturday in the concluding speech at the 2013 International Affirmation Conference for LGBT Mormons, their families and allies. "You are teaching them about [gays] and Jesus and that his love is infinite."
Steve Young talked about his years in the NFL and said that at only 6 feet he was one of the shorter quarterbacks in the league. He often couldn’t see over the heads of the others players so he had to throw passes blindly.
"Throwing without knowing is pure faith," the football giant said. "Faith is the fuel for all human experience. … We are all too short at something."
His goal, Young said, "is to build bridges with my gay brothers and sisters. We need to see each other as Jesus sees us."
Barb Young, whose older brother is gay, actively opposed California’s Prop 8 in 2008, even though leaders in the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints enlisted members to work for its passage.Full article here.
The quote of the day on the issue of the day
“A lot of people criticized me for speaking out, not long ago, about gay marriage. I could not remain silent any longer,” he said. “It’s the civil rights of our day. It’s the issue of our day.”-- Vice President Joe Biden reiterated his support for gay marriage in a speech at Sen. Tom Harkin's (D-Iowa) annual steak-fry fundraiser on Sunday.
9/14/13
LGBT activists and their allies are going to be creative in bringing the world's attention in Sochi to Russia's antigay culture and policies. Vladimir, get ready to be surprised
At Sochi, we will show Vladimir just how much God created us equal. It's time for some good ole' fashion velvet rage and creativity:
From the New Civil Rights Movement:
At the end of August, the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association held a conference at the Park Plaza Hotel, in Boston, Massachusetts. One of the sessions offered was entitled ”Game Changer: Out on the Playing Field and In the Press Box.” The description in the conference literature said: ”Hear from sportswriters and athletes who can tell you what homophobia they still see in sports and where there are areas of real improvement.”
The “sports” session had a surprise speaker, not noted in the program, Patrick Burke, a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers, and one of the co-founders of the You Can Play Project, a movement to encourage athletically inclined gays to participate in sports. It was during his talk to the journalists that Patrick revealed that behind the scenes, there are plans for protests at the Sochi Olympics. Patrick told the group he was sorry he couldn’t tell them the details, but he feared if the Russians knew, they would not allow the people involved to enter the country.
Patrick also mentioned he thought the Russians would be searching for, and confiscating rainbow flags and pins in luggage searches upon entry to the country. He said his group has a contingency plan to get rainbow flags into the game using diplomatic means.
9/13/13
Putin has the audacity to lecture America and the world on human rights: "...we must not forget that God created us equal."
The last paragraph from Putin's op-ed piece this week in the New York Times:
My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is “what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.” It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.
- Vladimir V. Putin is the president of Russia.
Vladmir Putin tries to lecture the U.S. about peace and human rights in this week's New York Times and fails. He ignores that the fact that Syria has used chemical weapons (probably made with chemicals supplied by Russia) on its own people because Russia does not deeply care about human rights -- it never has nor does it care now. Foremost for Putin is making Russia a great power on the world stage, like it was during the Soviet era.
However, to be considered a great nation, you must act like one, and not jail or kill your domestic political opponents, not suppress democracy in your country, and not block constructive action at the UN on a whole host of human rights issues that are important to the civilized world.
But this last sentence of Putin's op-ed really makes me mad for its hypocrisy: "we must not forget that God created us equal." No, Mr. Putin, we have not forgotten that God has made us equal but you have, especially in your unequal treatment of LGBT Russians. That's why millions of people around the world are protesting your anti-gay laws and policies. We watch the videos of gay activists being arrested, beaten...and worse. You can lecture the world all you want on human rights, Mr. Putin, but you don't walk your talk. You are an anti-democratic autocrat, not a great man of peace and humanist values.
Mr. Putin, what makes America exceptional is that this country constantly talks about its problems and shortcomings in open and messy way, including those of its leaders. We are working toward creating a more perfect union everyday, inspired by the great ideas embodied in the U.S. Constitution. We have our problems and share of hypocrisy, but we are open about these things and are working on it.
Nancy Pelosi is on the same page as me, listen to her:
9/12/13
The one and only Ayrton Senna: the Brazilian racing legend
For more, watch this documentary on Netflix:
Real unit cohesion
Sergeant Brian Eberly, a gay Marine, is leaving the service after eight years. His buddies said goodbye with a surprise gift: A pride flag with the Marine Corps symbol.
9/11/13
Read this great piece on Glenn Burke, the first pro baseball player to come out in the locker room in the 70s. He's the creator of the high five
I enjoyed this article from the LA Times:
Glenn Burke was just doing what came naturally.
Dusty Baker's home run blast to left field on the last day of the regular season, Oct. 2, 1977, was history-making. It was his 30th, meaning the Dodgers became the first team to have four players hit 30 home runs in a season.
As Baker rounded third to the roar of the Dodger Stadium crowd, Burke, a rookie outfielder, ran from the on-deck circle, jumped up and gave Baker an over-the-head hand-slap in celebration.
And, the high-five was born.
Most people don't remember Burke for that moment — or, frankly, any other moment — during his two years with the Dodgers. The onetime Oakland prep basketball star would be gone from the Dodgers a year later. Two years after that, he was out of baseball.
Burke was mostly forgotten as a ballplayer. But, it was also forgotten that he was a trailblazer for something far more significant than the high-five.
NBA player Jason Collins recently came out as being the first active U.S. professional male athlete in a major team sport to announce he was gay. But Collins was not even the first athlete with Los Angeles ties to deal with this issue.
In thanking all the people who came before him, Collins never mentioned Burke, who never held a news conference to say he was gay. He neither hid it nor advertised it. He spent his playing career as a guy who could keep the clubhouse light, make teammates laugh and make friendships that would last...
...Yet Burke's Dodgers teammates seemed to know, accept and understand him.
Dodgers broadcaster Rick Monday, who started in center field when Burke was with the Dodgers, described a moment in 1977 when the team was playing in Philadelphia during the National League playoffs.
"I remember a championship [series] game in Philly," Monday said.
"It was cold and rainy and he put on an overcoat and hat and had the entire locker room rolling on the floor laughing. He could take any moment in time and make it fun. There was no better guy in the clubhouse, I'll tell you that. There was no one who didn't love having Glenn around."
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