Pope Francis is changing the Catholic Church's relationship with the LGBT by forcing a conversation about being more welcoming

Also, this from Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post:

Headlines called it a “setback” for Pope Francis that the initial draft of the synod of bishops released last week that spoke of “welcoming homosexual persons” was silent on them in the final document. But I don’t see it that way at all. The pope let the genie out of the bottle. And, as we all know, it’s difficult to put him back in once released. 

What the synod did at the outset on paper, Pope Francis has been doing since ascending to the papacy. He’s been talking about gays and lesbians in the Catholic Church with an unheard-of humanity and care. So what that the more conservative bishops succeeded in watering down the gay paragraphs so much they couldn’t get the two-thirds majority necessary to include them in the new document released on Oct. 18. They may have won this battle, but they aren’t going to win the bigger battle with this pope... 

...As Francis said yesterday during his homily, “God is not afraid of new things! That is why he is continually surprising us, opening our hearts and guiding us in unexpected ways.” By the time the bishops reconvene next October to finalize the synod document, we might be looking at a very different outcome. 

What could happen in the Catholic Church is analogous to what is happening in the United States. As I wrote this morning, in an odd way, the anti-gay political maneuverings of President George W. Bush and the sneering anti-gay Supreme Court dissents from Justice Antonin Scalia sparked a national conversation and action among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans that has resulted in same-sex marriage being legal in more than 30 states and support for it at 59 percent. 

No, no, no. I’m not saying the church or the pope will become a champion of LGBT rights. And I’m definitely not saying they are going to support marriage equality. What I am saying is that by talking about the humanity of gay and lesbian Catholics and worrying about their place in the church, Pope Francis is openly recognizing them as children of God. After centuries of demonization, that’s a revolutionary act that can’t be undone.

Full article 

Today, Obama signed an executive order protecting the LGBT from discrimination if they work for a Federal contractor, with no exemptions for religious organizations

Thank you, Mr. President!

The march of full LGBT equality is alive and well across the world...

...including in Istanbul, Turkey, which had over a hundred thousand marchers in June.

PBS New Hour: "Why the Tide is Turning" on LGBT rights in America

My president believes all people are equal, and will be signing an executive order banning job discrimination against the LGBT by federal contractors

Via Joe.My.God:

The National Lesbian & Gay Task Force is first with the news that President Obama will sign an executive order forbidding anti-LGBT discrimination by employers who have contracts with the federal government. Via press release:

“This is a major step forward in the struggle for freedom and justice for LGBTQ workers and their families. Now millions of people will have the economic security they need to provide for their families. Through his actions, the President has demonstrated again his commitment to ending discrimination. We thank all the organizations who have worked so hard to make this piece of history. This decision is good for LGBTQ people, good for our economy and good for America. Unfortunately, many of us who don't work for federal contractors will still lack workplace protections. Now we must redouble our efforts for the urgent passage of state employment protections and strong federal legislation.”

This episode of ABC's 'What Would You Do?' reflects the cultural divide on gay rights: older, less educated, Bible-quoting people vs. young, educated citizens who support equality

Forward, march! This young LGBT generation is not settling for 'second-class' status in any way, building on previous generations' sacrifices

Quote of the day, on the LGBT movement

About 70 percent of millennials, a generation larger than baby boomers in some calculations, support marriage equality. Institutionalized homophobia is headed for history’s dustbin — something that is obvious to all but the stragglers in one political party.

-- Timothy Egan, NYTimes Op-ed Columnist, writing in today's paper about the victory for equality in Arizona this week.

Anderson Cooper grills one of the authors of Arizona's anti-gay legislation, who has a hard time defending his bigotry

Openly gay Kenyon lacrosse player Holden Richards is changing his world with dignity, pride, and wit. Go, Holden!

Read this inspiring Outsports story about Holden Richards. He is another example of this young generation of proud gay people who are building on the advancements made by previous generations.   I could not be happier for Holden...and myself and our movement:

The Kenyon College men's lacrosse team already knew Holden Richards was gay during fall ball last year. News of the sophomore midfielder's surprising coming out had drifted through the team quickly the previous spring and summer, but the players still didn't quite know how to handle it. 

It was a practice last autumn that broke the ice. Richards was locked up in a battle with another teammate during one-on-ones, a healthy dose of body-checking and aggressive play between the two. As the afternoon waned, Richards' teammate took a tough shot that went wide of the goal. 

"Suck my dick!" The teammate hollered. It was something the rest of the team had heard from him before, but it was the first time he'd said it with a gay teammate within earshot, and it had never been seemingly voiced directly at Richards. 

The team held their collective breath not knowing what to do. Ignore it? Stop practice and chastise the player? 

Richards took matters into his own hands. He turned to his teammate, smiled and shook his head. 

"No thank you."

The truth sets one free.  And big dollops of humor and dignity make life worth living.  Go, Holden!

Yesterday LGBT activists around the world protested India's re-instatement of an old colonial law that outlaws homosexual acts. Bravo!

Here are photos of many of these events.

Research shows that about 5% of the male population is gay, with the highest concentration of closeted guys in the least tolerant states

This article confirms what ever gay person knows in America: it is harder to be gay in the Bible Belt as well as most red states.  Seth Stephens-Davidowitz tells all for the New York Times: 

Using surveys, social networks, pornographic searches and dating sites, I recently studied evidence on the number of gay men. The data used in this analysis is available in highly aggregated form only and can be downloaded from publicly accessible sites. While none of these data sources are ideal, they combine to tell a consistent story. At least 5 percent of American men, I estimate, are predominantly attracted to men, and millions of gay men still live, to some degree, in the closet. Gay men are half as likely as straight men to acknowledge their sexuality on social networks. More than one quarter of gay men hide their sexuality from anonymous surveys. The evidence also suggests that a large number of gay men are married to women.

There are three sources that can give us estimates of the openly gay population broken down by state: the census, which asks about same-sex households; Gallup, which has fairly large-sample surveys for every state; and Facebook, which asks members what gender they are interested in. While these data sources all measure different degrees of openness, one result is strikingly similar: All three suggest that the openly gay population is dramatically higher in more tolerant states, defined using an estimate by Nate Silver of support for same-sex marriage. On Facebook, for example, about 1 percent of men in Mississippi who list a gender preference say that they are interested in men; in California, more than 3 percent do.

Remembering Nelson...and some of his wisest words

"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die" - Statement from the dock at the opening of the defence case in the Rivonia Trial, April 1964.

"I am your servant, I don't come to you as a leader, as one above others" - Speech announcing the ANC election victory, May 1994.

"We have travelled too far along the road to freedom to turn back now. We shall not be deterred by the threats or the actions of the forces of the past. Our people have the right to hope, the right to a future, the right to life itself. No power on this earth can destroy the thirst for human dignity" - Statement after the Bisho massacre, September 1992.

"Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world. Let freedom reign" - Inauguration speech as President of South Africa, May 1994.

"There are times when my heart almost stops beating, slowed down by heavy loads of longing. I would love to bathe once more in the waters of Umbashe, as I did at the beginning of 1935" - Letter from Robben Island, April 1971.

"The white man makes all the laws, he drags us before his courts and accuses us, and he sits in judgment over us" - Court statement, October 1962.

"I detest racialism, because I regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man or a white man" - Speaking while conducting his own defence after being charged with illegally exiting South Africa, October 1962.

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children" - Speech at the launch of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, May 1995.

"This is for all South Africans, an unforgettable occasion. It is the realisation of hopes and dreams that we have cherished over decades. The dreams of a South Africa which represents all South Africans. It is the beginning of a new era. We have moved from an era of pessimism, division, limited opportunities, turmoil and conflict. We are starting a new era of hope, reconciliation and nation building" - Statement after voting in South Africa's first democratic election, April 1994.

"Your right to determine your own destiny was used to deny us to determine our own." - Speech to British MPs in the House of Commons, London, May, 1993

"Unite! Mobilise! Fight on! Between the anvil of united mass action and the hammer of the armed struggle we shall crush apartheid and white minority racist rule" - Statement issued by Mandela via the ANC after the Soweto uprising of 1976.

"The struggle is my life. I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days" - Press statement, 1961.

"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb" - From Mandela's autobiography, The Long Walk To Freedom, 1994.

"The cameras started clicking like a great herd of metallic beasts. I raised my right fist and there was a roar. I had not been able to do that for 27 years and it gave me a surge of strength and joy" - Describing his release from prison in The Long Walk To Freedom, 1994.

"One of the greatest challenges we face is gaping - and growing - disparities in the response to HIV between countries and regions around the world. Aids-related stigma and discrimination is pervasive and a real barrier to stopping the expansion of this disease. The vast majority of the 40 million estimated people living with HIV are unaware of their status. Fear of being stigmatised is a great factor. It requires bold and visible action by top leadership - at all levels of society - to root out this deadly form of discrimination" - World Aids Day Message, 2006.

Source

Nelson is honored for his vision, discipline, toughness, and patience. But he used these skills in service of the people, all the people

The new constitution of South Africa treats all people equally, including the LGBT. Nelson Mandel was a champion of LGBT rights

THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH AFRICA

Chapter 2 - Bill of Rights

Equality

9. (1) Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law.

(2) Equality includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights freedoms. To promote the achievement of equality, legislative and other measures designed to protect or advance persons, or categories of persons, disadvantaged by unfair discrimination may be taken.

(3) The state may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth.

(4) No person my unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds in terms of subsection (3). National legislation must be enacted to prevent or prohibit unfair discrimination.

From Queerty, here are six examples of Mandela’s leadership that have earned him a place of honor in LGBT history.

1. Led South Africa to become the first country on the continent to ban antigay discrimination. Mandela was a vocal supporter of antidiscrimination protections from the very beginning of his presidency, in 1994. The country finally banned discrimination in 1998.
2. Was a leader for marriage equality well before it was popular. Mandela never had to evolve on marriage equality. He was supporting it almost 20 years ago. As a direct result, South Africa become the first country in Africa and fifth in the world to recognize marriage equality in 2006.
3. Put his words into action. Mandela didn’t just pay lip service to LGBT issues. He was willing to appoint gay people to high positions at a time when the country was far less accepting. Among his early appointees was Edwin Cameron, who has risen to become a judge on South Africa’s highest court. By comparison, how many openly gay justices are there on the U.S. Supreme Court.
4. Set an example for other countries. Homophobia remains a problem in many other African nations, but Mandela held such authority that he is a shame-inducing counterargument to state-sanctioned repression.
5. Showed the U.S. how it can be done. The nation that Mandela helped forge from the ruins of apartheid had marriage equality years before the U.S. and has formally banned antigay discrimination (which has yet to happen in the U.S.). In many ways the country has been far ahead of the U.S. on gay rights, at least politically.

Today, the world lost a giant, and gained a legend. RIP, Nelson Mandela, a great advocate for human rights

Love is love...and with no astericks

The movement for love is strong...& growing

Love demands to be expressed

My inner teenage boy blesses all these young, high school gay couples...

My advice to these young people: Learn to love, listen, be present, apologize, and forgive, and you will have a great life.  I am proud of you for being all you can be.

I couldn't be out in high school, but since the 1980s, I have fought like hell to ensure you can live in more tolerant and accepting world.  And there is lots more work to do.

The best way to payback the efforts of me and many other generations of gay people is to live and love large! I am cheering you on...and enjoying my life, too.