tagged w/ LGBTQ
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GENEVA -- The U.N.'s top human rights official urged countries Thursday to abolish legal discrimination against gays, including the death penalty for consensual sex, days after the U.S. government said it would use foreign aid and diplomacy to promote gay equal rights.
The U.N.'s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said governments should also outlaw all forms of abuse based on sexual orientation and set the same age of consent for heterosexual and homosexual activity.
The report criticizes the continued existence of death penalty punishment for same-sex relations in at least five countries - Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen - as well as legislation explicitly criminalizing gays in 76 countries.
Last week, President Barack Obama directed government agencies to make sure U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote gay rights and fight discrimination. At the same time, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a speech to diplomats in Geneva, compared the struggle for gay equality to difficult passages toward women's rights and racial equality.
http://tinyurl.com/83wy27rGENEVA -- The U.N.'s top human rights official urged countries Thursday to... more
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LOrion
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1 month ago
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On this day, 33 years ago, former San Francisco City Supervisor Dan White took a gun to City Hall....
The sentence sparked outrage in San Francisco’s Castro District, and protestors marched from the Castro to City Hall, chanting “Avenge Harvey Milk” and “He got away with murder.” Eventually the crowd swelled to over 3,000 and riots broke out — angry residents lit police cars on fire, shoved a burning newspaper dispenser through the doors of City Hall, and cheered as the flames grew.
But only hours after the riots had ended, police made a retaliatory raid on a San Francisco gay bar. Two dozen arrests were made during that raid and in the following weeks, gay leaders refused to apologize for the riots. This is what gave them political power and led to the election of Mayor Dianne Feinstein.
Feinstein then appointed a pro-gay chief of police who actively recruited gays into the city’s police force.
Dan White served five years of his seven-year sentence. Two years later, he was found dead after committing suicide in his garage by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Feinstein, now a U.S. Senator, is leading the way for LGBT equality by sponsoring the “Respect for Marriage Act,” which would repeal the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
http://tinyurl.com/6w7lds5On this day, 33 years ago, former San Francisco City Supervisor Dan White took a gun... more
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3 months ago
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AMERICAblog Gay points to a Brazilian ex-gay leader who has come out as gay and harshly condemned the ineffective therapy he spent decades promoting.
Sergio Viula co-founded the Movement for the Healthy Sexuality (MOSES), but now says ex-gays don’t exist and promoting ex-gay therapy is “brainwashing” and an “act of violence” that relies upon reinforcing internalized homophobia. Viula is now encouraging young gay people to find spiritual outlets that affirm their sexual orientation:
VIULA: Nobody really quit being gay. There were relationships even within the group, between an activity and another, they would always find time for that. Can you figure out how much suffering to myself and to all of those who have already worked or been influenced by this kind of ‘ministry’? That’s enraging! And there are people repeating that stupid discourse until today. [...]
Yes, it was an act of violence against ourselves, as we had internalized the homophobia that surrounded us from early childhood, as well as against the others, because we reproduced that very homophobia which they had internalized by themselves long before. We just reinforced it even more. [...]
Religious conversion which does not admit and CELEBRATES your homosexuality does not deserve your time and talent. If you want to attend a church, search for one which is mature enough to even question the validity of its own religious statements. But, preferably, live your life without relying on existential braces whatever they are.
Viula is only the latest ex-gay leader to recant his previous teachings. John Smid of Love In Action recently began doing the same. The testimony these changed men share is important to highlight, but it does not undo the harm that ex-gay therapy continues to cause individuals every day. The desire to change one’s sexual orientation (and the belief that it is possible) is motivated by the anti-gay stigma present throughout society. Only by challenging that demonization will the harm ever come to an end.
http://tinyurl.com/3cyatnhAMERICAblog Gay points to a Brazilian ex-gay leader who has come out as gay and... more
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3 months ago
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ARETHA FRANKLIN SANG “I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU” for the happy couple & their 670 guests, telling reporters, “Yes, I do,” believe marriage equality should be legalized nationally at Sunday night's mega wedding & reception for Bill White & Bryan Eure at NYC's world-famous Four Seasons restaurant.
White's the former head of the USS Intrepid Museum & was once-thought to be Obama’s next Secretary of the Navy. “Red, white & blue spotlights roved the building’s facade. Guests walked up one of 3 carpets—red, white or blue—flanked by 40 uniformed members of a Naval ROTC Honor Guard,” &, entering the restaurant, were greeted with songs by the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus.
Pronouncing the couple’s vows was Prop 8 lawsuit challenge co-counsel David Boies before former NY Gov. Patterson, former NYC Mayor David Dinkins, Barbara Walters, music mogul Clive Davis, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, & Oprah’s Best Gal Pal Gayle King.
White explained to reporters from “The New York Times,” “The Wall Street Journal,” & even “Women’s Wear Daily” that they meant the event to be as much a political statement as a personal celebration.
“We have each other; that’s the blessing we have from above,” Mr. White said. “There are a lot of people who can’t get married who love each other dearly, and we hope people see it’s not such a bad thing and it’s not hurting anybody.”
http://tinyurl.com/43rhvk9ARETHA FRANKLIN SANG “I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU” for the happy couple &... more
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4 months ago
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When people like Rick Santorum, Ann Coulter, and Maggie Gallagher or groups like the National Organization for Marriage claim that being black and gay isn't the same or falsely claim that the gay community is trying to piggyback on the struggles of the black community, just remember the people in the following videos.
They are the people who Santorum, Coulter, and Gallagher don't want you to see.
These are 150 of the people who NOM doesn't want you to see. To the homophobic race-baiters seeking to divide and conquer both communities, they are most dangerous people in the world:
http://tinyurl.com/3otsvk8When people like Rick Santorum, Ann Coulter, and Maggie Gallagher or groups like the... more
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4 months ago
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In his Syracuse house on a recent afternoon, he pulled the book from 1959 out of his basement. He was 39. Marvin flips to April 22. Halfway down the page, amid details about his travels, is this: met Ernst Schuh. It was a meeting that would change his life.
They two men found each other in the Abbey of St. Florian, an Austrian monastery.
They have been together ever since. Now, 52 years later, the music lovers with matching hearing aids are getting married. Today in Syracuse's City Hall, Mayor Stephanie Miner will perform the ceremony.
http://tinyurl.com/3p8glnnIn his Syracuse house on a recent afternoon, he pulled the book from 1959 out of his... more
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WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama criticized Republican presidential candidates Saturday for not defending a gay American soldier who was booed by the crowd at a Republican debate last week.
"You want to be commander in chief? You can start by standing up for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States, even when it's not politically convenient," Obama said during remarks at the annual dinner of the Human Rights Council, the nation's largest gay rights organization
Referencing the boos at the Sept. 22 Republican debate, he said: "We don't believe in standing silent when that happens."....
Obama drew a sharp line between Democrats and conservatives.
"I don't have to tell you there are those who don't want to just stand in our way, they want to turn the clock back, who want to return to the days when gay people couldn't serve the country openly, who reject the progress that we've made," Obama said.
"We're not about restricting rights and restricting opportunities. We're about opening up rights and opening up opportunities," he said.
"This is a contest of values," Obama said.
http://tinyurl.com/3oxke9yWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama criticized Republican presidential... more
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4 months ago
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Increasingly irrelevant Republican presidential candidate/human punchline Michele Bachmann just can’t get a break. Nor does she deserve one. A trip to California over the weekend saw the bigoted Christianist Congresswoman from Minnesota’s 6th congressional district the target of a flash mob who danced to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” to protest her (more or less) “pro-bullying” stance (it’s what Jesus would want) and anti-LGBT words, deeds and activities as a private citizen, as a state legislator, and as a member of the US Congress since 2007.
Even Jay Leno piled on when she appeared on the Tonight Show and good for him. This woman and her kind need to be rebuked in no uncertain terms by right-thinking people in this country.
Even in normally ultra-conservative Orange County, Bachmann got the business. I guess the new OC is quite a bit different that the old OC.
http://tinyurl.com/3fggj5hIncreasingly irrelevant Republican presidential candidate/human punchline Michele... more
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5 months ago
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Kristin Chenoweth dropped a gay bombshell on Tulsa, Oklahoma by appearing on Piers Morgan and announcing support for LGBT Americans.
"I am a Christian, and I would call myself conservative in some ways and not so conservative in some ways," she told Morgan, which was reported on piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com "And I don't think the gay issue is a political one, but I do think it's a civil rights issue," she said.
"I believe as a woman, as a Christian, as an actor and as an artist that people who love each other should be allowed to be married, and I know that doesn't go along with what Mrs. Bachmann and everybody that proclaims that, but that is why I believe," the Tony and Emmy award winner told Morgan on the show.
She also told him: "If it was a sin to be short, what would I do? Well I'd be right on the hell bus ... I believe that's the way God made me, and I don't believe God makes mistakes, and that includes a person's sexuality.
One of the reasons this particular interview makes so much difference is that Kristin Chenoweth hails from a very conservative Tulsa suburb, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
I'm a firm believer that any kind of activism by celebrities that forces people to challenge their ultra-fundamentalist beliefs in the conservative areas of our nation, like Broken Arrow, is a very good thing. Those areas are overrun with backwards, hateful Michele Bachmann types, and should be ground zero for positive change. Kristin Chenoweth's statement makes her a heroine for our community, and especially the young LGBT kids who struggle to survive in an environment that can be downright dangerous for them.
Be sure and read the comments below the story in the Tulsa World. They show just how powerful her witness is
.http://tinyurl.com/ygwajpnKristin Chenoweth dropped a gay bombshell on Tulsa, Oklahoma by appearing on Piers... more
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5 months ago
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In a new interview with Parade magazine, Brad Pitt opens up about faith, family, fame… and same-sex marriage.
Brad Pitt
“Can you believe that we’re still fighting for equality in America?” Pitt wonders, in the expanded web interview.
“To be against marriage for everyone is utter discrimination,” Pitt said. “I feel strongly about that because if equality of marriage doesn’t happen now, the next generation will have to deal with it.”
“It is an amazing thing that New York has finally gotten same-sex marriage. But the real problem is that the federal government hides behind states on this issue. It is blatant, ugly bigotry, and the federal government shouldn’t be doing that. You’re denying some Americans the right that all Americans have, to live their lives as they choose.
“What are you so afraid of? That’s my question. Gay people getting married? What is so scary about that? It’s complicated. You grow up in a religion like that and you try to pray the gay away. I feel sadness for people like that. This is where people start short-circuiting — instead of being brave and questioning their beliefs, they are afraid and feel that they have to defend them.”
On faith, Pitt said he doesn’t mind a world with religion, but gets “hot” when people use religion to “start dictating how other people must live.”
“People suffer because of it,” he said. “They are spreading misery.”
The full interview is at Parade.com.
http://tinyurl.com/3du4gj6In a new interview with Parade magazine, Brad Pitt opens up about faith, family,... more
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5 months ago
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School administration in Madisonville, Tennessee tells a group of student collecting signatures for a Gay Straight Alliance Club (GSA) that it must stop or they will face suspension. The group had collected 150 signatures of support.
Everyone knows gathering signatures is the gateway to "community organizing" and no good can come from that, only change and change is bad.
If they don't stomp this down who knows what's next? Voting?! Campaigning for candidates or causes?! Fundraising for or electing liberals?
In June 2011, in response to similar incidents around the country of administrations attempting to block Gay/Straight Alliance groups, Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan circulated a Dear Colleagues Letter (PDF) reminding educators of their obligations to the Equal Access Act passed in 1984 and signed by President Ronald Reagan:
In 1984, Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Equal Access Act, requiring public secondary schools to provide equal access for extracurricular clubs. Rooted in principles of equal treatment and freedom of expression, the Act protects student-initiated groups of all types. As one of my predecessors, Secretary Richard W. Riley, pointed out in guidance concerning the Equal Access Act and religious clubs more than a decade ago, we “protect our own freedoms by respecting the freedom of others who differ from us.”
The general rule, approved by the U.S. Supreme Court, is that a public high school that allows at least one noncurricular student group to meet on school grounds during noninstructional time (e.g., lunch, recess, or before or after school) may not deny similar access to other noncurricular student groups, regardless of the religious, political, philosophical, or other subject matters that the groups address.
Courts are not likely to take kindly to a school that is using administrative procedural roadblocks as an excuse to selectively approve or deny individual student organizations.
It might bring some solace to administration to know even of they are successful in establishing this group, they will still face daily reminders they are less worthy than other students.
Nathan Carroll, told WATE:
"Just yesterday, students across the room would yell, 'God hates gays.'"
Yeah, that's not going to go away in Tennessee anytime soon, even with gay-straight alliances.
http://tinyurl.com/3wkwabvSchool administration in Madisonville, Tennessee tells a group of student collecting... more
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5 months ago
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Inspired by the amazing videos posted in support of the It Gets Better campaign, Secretary Salazar and Interior Department staff share their messages of hope and encouragement to LGBT youth across the country who are struggling with being bullied.
(And just how long with their jobs last under a TeaParty President?)
http://tinyurl.com/3vas49uInspired by the amazing videos posted in support of the It Gets Better campaign,... more
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5 months ago
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Ed. Note: Champions of Change is a weekly initiative to highlight Americans who are making an impact in their communities and helping our country rise to meet the many challenges of the 21st century.
In the fall of his freshman year of high school, Georgia high school student Austin Laufersweiler spotted a GLSEN Safe Space Sticker on his guidance counselor’s door. He knew he wasn’t alone and instantly felt safer. Austin went on to be a force for change and progress in his school, and was later honored as GLSEN’s 2009 Student Advocate of the Year.http://tinyurl.com/3jgvoh5Ed. Note: Champions of Change is a weekly initiative to highlight Americans who are... more
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5 months ago
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This is a Pam's House Blend exclusive.
Yes, it's the end of an era. The Blend has learned, from a trusted source in a position to know the details, that Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization in the country, will announce his departure next Tuesday. Solmonese will reportedly step down from the organization in December of this year.
His departure also signals, according to our source, the beginning of a larger staff shake-up in the HRC. The Blend can also report that a replacement executive director has been identified -- it will be someone who is not currently on the HRC's staff, but is currently a paid consultant that has worked with the civil rights group for some time.
During his tenure, the Human Rights Campaign has become a bedrock institution that has played a role in successes -- a hate crimes law passed, the legislative repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell -- the extent of its leadership and success also depends on your point of view and knowledge of the back stories related to the hard work to make these gains happen
http://tinyurl.com/3spdxl9This is a Pam's House Blend exclusive.
Yes, it's the end of an era. The... more
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6 months ago
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I know about this school since I live near Chicago. They feel they have a right to get into you personal life. They once fired a teacher because she got divorced.I know about this school since I live near Chicago. They feel they have a right to get... more
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