I expect simple behaviours here. Friendship, and love. Any advice should be from the perspective of the person asking, not the person giving! We have had to make new membership moderated to combat the huge number of spammers who register
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13751
Maybe you would like to reflect and comment upon how that objective is met nowadays
It was to provide a place were people in pain could come and start the horrible process of unburdening themselves of that pain.
Some people have continuous pain, for others it is transient. But the common thread was to be that people in pain, by sharing their triumphs and disasters, would help other people in pain. And so the forum spluttered into life, a long time ago.
It has not always been the easiest place to be, especially when range wars broke out, but it stayed broadly in line with its original purpose. It has been unique in the set of sites I know about in that difficult topics have been discussed, topics that society may even view as unwholesome in the current prurient times it has chosen for itself.
But it seems to me that no-one in pain comes here now, and difficult topics seems to be deflected.
Does that chime with your view? If so, why has that happened? If not, how do you see that it is true to the original objectives?
Should this forum even continue? Does it have any value at all any more?
Tell me why I should care about it today.
Tell me why it should remain online.
Would you even miss it?
Or shall I just change it completely to make it a banal, back biting clique of queens bitching about the latest story somewhere on the net? Would that work?
This forum costs a huge amount of disk space. Luckily we have other sites that fund it with advertising. The server breaks even, and for that I am thankful. But what would you do if you had to fund my server costs out of your own pocket each month? Would you keep this forum running?
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Nov 27 | The mayor of Vallejo, California remains under seige for comments made in an New York Times article last week where he was quoted as saying that gay people are “committing sin” and will be forbidden entry to heaven.
Mayor Osby Davis, a devout member of a Vallejo Assemblies of God church, was quoted in the NY Times article that examined the growing influence of evangelicals on politics in the bankrupt and struggling SF Bay Area city. He referred to Vallejo in the article as a "city of God."
“They’re committing sin and that sin will keep them out of heaven,” said Davis to The New York Times. “But you don’t hate the person. You hate the sin that they commit.” Davis, a former Solano county supervisor, defeated an openly gay candidate, Gary Cloutier, in a recount by just two votes to become mayor in 2007. Relations with the local LGBT community have been strained since then.
Father Lou Bordisso, an openly gay priest living in Vallejo, is outraged at the mayor's comments and has launched a drive to have Mayor Davis censured by the city council. Father Bordisso and other LGBT leaders have pushed for a protest that is planned for the steps of city hall next Tuesday, December 1st.
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
Not since Matthew Shepard was crucified on a fence in Wyoming has there been such a brutal hate crime as the recent one in Puerto Rico. Young, handsome and vibrant Steven Lopez Mercado was vicious killed, decapitated, dismembered, set afire and left like garbage along a road. He was only 19 years old and from family reports was one of the most kind, thoughtful and humorous teenagers around. Sunday, thousands around the country held vigils in his memory determined that this not just be one more horrific hate crime chalked up on some cold statistic chart.
Anyone who has been following the news, especially on the blogs, realizes that hate crimes around the world are dramatically increasing and they appear to be more brutal in nature. Beaten victims have been maimed and scarred both emotionally and physically for life. Families have been forced to cope with loved ones whose bodies have to be reassembled in order to bury them. No place seems immune from this increasing epidemic including previous safe havens like New York or San Francisco.
Our Transgender brothers and sisters have taken the brunt of these crimes but all the letters in LGBT have experienced the horror.
As established institutions such as the Catholic and Morman churches have escalated their rhetoric and actions in order to stop civil marriage equality, their words have fallen on disturbed minds. When careless words are thrown around in order to prove a personal religious viewpoint, they have consequences. There is no question in my mind as the right wing, joined by various religious institutions, have increased their anger toward the LGBT community the increase in these in brutal hate crimes is a resultant by-product.
Of course they will throw up their hands and proclaim loudly that their spiteful words had no impact on the increase in particularly brutal hate crimes. After all, they love the sinner but hate the sin. Gandhi said that we have to measure our words as much as our actions. They seeking to divide this nation over marriage equality words are having an impact and giving permission for disturbed individuals to perpetuate these crimes.
Equally disturbing is the lack of outrage from the straight community. Where is the Conference of Catholic Bishops condemning the death of this young teenager in Puerto Rico? Where are the Cardinals and Bishops as more and more young die horrible deaths because of hate? Where are the Mormans at the vigils in honor of young Mercado? Where are they? Where is their leadership? After all, if they have no responsibility for the deaths, then they certainly have the responsibility to speak out against such outrages.
Just in case those religious leaders who are forceful in their words against marriage equality didn't know, silence equals death and more death and more death.
[The preceding article was written by longtime LGBT Activist David Mixner on his website- Live From Hell's Kitchen. Interestingly enough, it isn't just religious leaders that are maintaining a silence. There are members of the LGBT community as well. Oddly, I wonder just how high the body count has to be before people are outraged enough to break their silence.]
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
DUBLIN — Roman Catholic Church leaders in Dublin spent decades sheltering child-abusing priests from the law and most fellow clerics turned a blind eye, an investigation ordered by Ireland's government concluded Thursday.
Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, who handed over more than 60,000 previously secret church files to the three-year investigation, said he felt deep shame and sorrow for how previous archbishops presided over endemic child abuse – yet claimed afterward not to understand the gravity of their sins.
Martin said his four predecessors in Ireland's capital, including retired Cardinal Desmond Connell, must have understood that priests' molestation and rape of boys and girls "was a crime in both civil and canon law. For some reason or another they felt they could deal with all this in little worlds of their own.
"They were wrong, and children were left to suffer."
There was a similarly shocking investigation into decades of unchecked child abuse in Irish schools, workhouses and orphanages run nationwide by 19 Catholic orders of nuns, priests and brothers.
That report in May sought to document the scale of abuse as well as the reasons why church and state authorities didn't stop it, whereas Thursday's 720-page report focused on why church leaders in the Dublin Archdiocese – home to a quarter of Ireland's 4 million Catholics – did not tell police about a single abuse complaint against a priest until 1995.
By then, the investigators found, successive archbishops and their senior deputies – among them qualified lawyers – already had compiled confidential files on more than 100 parish priests who had sexually abused children since 1940. Those files had remained locked in the Dublin archbishop's private vault.
The investigators also dug up a paper trail documenting the church's long-secret insurance policy, taken out in 1987, to cover potential lawsuits and compensation demands. Dublin church leaders publicly denied the existence of the problem for a decade afterward – but since the mid-1990s have paid out more than euro10 million ($15 million) in settlements and legal bills.
Story continues below
The report cited documents showing how church officials learned about some cases only when devoutly Catholic police received complaints from children or their parents – but handed responsibility back to church leaders to sort out the problems themselves.
Thursday's report detailed "sample" cases of 46 priests who faced 320 documented complaints, although the investigators said they were confident that the priests had abused many more children than that. They cited testimony from one priest who admitted abusing more than 100 children, and another priest who said he abused a child approximately every two weeks for 25 years.
Just 11 of the 46 ultimately were convicted of abusing children – typically decades after church leaders learned of their crimes – while two others are scheduled to face Dublin criminal court actions within months. Fourteen are dead and most of the rest have been defrocked or barred from parish duties. Just six are still active priests.
Three Dublin archbishops – John Charles McQuaid (1940-72), Dermot Ryan (1972-84) and Kevin McNamara (1985-87) – did not tell police about clerical abuse cases, instead opting to avoid public scandals by shuttling offenders from parish to parish and even overseas to U.S. churches, the commission found.
It was not until 1995 that then-Archbishop Connell allowed police to see church files on 17 clerical abuse cases. At that time, Connell actually held records of complaints against at least 29 priests, the report found. Connell later pursued a lawsuit against the investigators in an abandoned bid to keep them from seeing more than 5,500 files documenting the church's knowledge of abusive priests.
The report said all four archbishops sought "the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the church, and the preservation of its assets. All other considerations, including the welfare of children and justice for victims, were subordinated to these priorities."
The investigators lauded a handful of priests and mostly low-ranking police who pursued complaints and prosecutions, almost always unsuccessfully, from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Senior police officers "clearly regarded priests as being outside their remit" and handed "complaints to the archdiocese instead of investigating them," the report said.
"A few (priests) were courageous and brought complaints to the attention of their superiors. The vast majority simply chose to turn a blind eye," it said.
Ireland's police commander, Commissioner Fachtna Murphy, said he was "deeply sorry" to read that his force failed to provide victims of abusive priests "the level of response or protection which any citizen in trouble is entitled to expect."
The government also apologized for the state's failure to pursue Dublin priests accused of child abuse until recent years.
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern, who received the Dublin Archdiocese report in July but delayed its publication for legal vetting, vowed that the state would never again treat the Catholic Church with deference.
"A priest's collar will protect no criminal," he said.
But pressure groups representing more than 15,000 documented victims of abuse by Irish Catholic officials said the government was not doing enough to end the danger of Catholic child abuse – in part because the law still stops short of requiring bishops to report abuse complaints to police.
Maeve Lewis, executive director of an Irish abuse counseling service called One in Four, noted that not a single person in Ireland has been convicted for "recklessly endangering" children, a crime created in 2006 legislation.
Lewis said the archbishops, bishops, monsignors, police and government health officials who suppressed abuse complaints for decades had never faced criminal investigations "even though they are every bit as guilty as the priests who committed the abuse."
And she forecast that, because abused children often do not seek justice until they reach adulthood, children today were still being abused by priests. "It's very likely in 10 or 15 years' time that the children who are being abused today will bring forward allegations," she said.
"As Irish people we like to think we live in a civilized society," she said, "but we need to hang our heads in shame."
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
Dennis and I, and the entire board and staff of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, stand with all who are grieving the loss of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado in one of the most shockingly brutal hate crimes in Puerto Rico’s history.
While we are grateful to the local law enforcement officials for their swift work to apprehend the suspect in this terrible crime, we remain deeply saddened that yet another family should have to suffer the pain of such a tragedy, and that such breathtaking violence continues to be directed at gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people who are simply trying to live their lives honestly and openly.
For another young person to lose their life and be taken from their family and community due to fear, prejudice and hatred is simply unacceptable. Each of us who believe in freedom and equality must remain vocal, active, and unrelenting in calling for justice.
Our thoughts are with Mr. Lopez, all who knew and loved him, the members of his community and the millions worldwide who have been touched by his senseless death. Our family and the Foundation will continue to work to prevent similar tragedies in any way we can.
Location: Israel
Registered: October 2004
Messages: 1367
Heavenly Warranty
The manufacturers of God would like to thank you for your belief and patronage of our product. In order to better serve your needs, we ask that you take a few moments to answer the following questions. Please keep in mind that your responses will be kept completely confidential, and that do not need to disclose your name or address unless you prefer a direct response to your comments or suggestions.
1. How did you find out about God?
__ Newspaper
__ Television
__ Word of mouth
__ Koran
__ Tabloid
__ Bible
__ Torah
__ Bhagavad-Gita
__ Divine Inspiration
__ Near Death Experience
__ Communist Manifesto
__ Burning Shrubbery
__ Other sources (specify): _____________
2. Which model God did you acquire?
__ Yahweh
__ Jehova
__ Allah
__ God
__ G_d
__ Father, Son & Holy Ghost
__ Jesus
__ Satan
__ None of the above, I was taken in by a false god
3. Did your God come to you undamaged, with all parts in good working order and with no obvious breakage or missing attributes?
__ Yes
__ No
If no, please describe the problems you initially encountered here: _____
4. What factors were relevant in your decision to acquire a god?
Please check all that apply:
__ Indoctrinated by parents
__ Indoctrinated by society
__ Imaginary friend grew up
__ Wanted to meet girls/boys
__ Wanted to piss off parents
__ Desperate need for certainty
__ Need to feel Morally Superior
__ Tax write off
__ Needed a reason to live
__ Needed focus for whom to despise
__ Hate to think for myself
__ Fear of murder by a missionary
__ Needed a day away from work
__ Like Organ Music
__ My shrubbery caught fire and told me to do it
5. Have you ever worshipped a False God? Is so, which False God were you fooled by?
Please check all that apply:
__ Odin
__ Zeus
__ Apollo
__ Ra
__ The Great Pumpkin
__ The Sun
__ The Moon
__ The Grateful Dead
__ Cthulhu
__ The Almighty Dollar
__ Left Wing Liberalism
__ The Great Spirit
__ Barney T.B.P.D.
__ Bill Clinton
__ Barack Obama
__ A burning cabbage
__ Other: ________________
6. Are you currently using any other source of inspiration in addition to God?
Please check all that apply:
__ Tarot __ Lottery
__ Astrology __ Television
__ Fortune cookies __ Ann Landers
__ Psychic Friends Network __ Dianetics
__ Palmistry __ Playboy and/or Playgirl
__ Self-help books __ Sex, Drugs Rock & Roll
__ Biorhythms __ Bill Gates
__ Tea Leaves __ EST
__ Mantras __ Jimmy Swaggert
__ Crystals __ Human Sacrifice
__ Pyramids __ Wandering around a desert
__ Insurance policies __ Janet Reno
__ Barney T.B.P.D. __ Other: ___________________
__ Barney Fife __ None
7. God employs a limited degree of ‘Divine Intervention’ to preserve the balance between felt presence and blind faith. Which would you prefer?
(Circle one):
a. More Divine Intervention
b. Less Divine Intervention
c. Current level of Divine Intervention is just right
d. I don't know ... what is ‘Divine Intervention’ ?
8. God also attempts to maintain a balanced level between disasters and miracles.
Please rate on a scale of 1 - 5 his handling of the following
(1=unsatisfactory, 5=excellent):
a. Disasters
flood 1 2 3 4 5
famine 1 2 3 4 5
earthquake 1 2 3 4 5
war 1 2 3 4 5
pestilence 1 2 3 4 5
plague 1 2 3 4 5
AOL 1 2 3 4 5
Windows 98 1 2 3 4 5
Junk e-Mail 1 2 3 4 5
b. Miracles
rescues 1 2 3 4 5
spontaneous remissions 1 2 3 4 5
stars hovering over towns 1 2 3 4 5
crying statues (except Shirley Mclaine) 1 2 3 4 5
water changing to wine 1 2 3 4 5
walking on water (except Cuyahoga) 1 2 3 4 5
talking flaming shrubbery 1 2 3 4 5
VCR that sets its own clock 1 2 3 4 5
Sadam Hussein still alive 1 2 3 4 5
Marlins winning the Series 1 2 3 4 5
Clinton's re-election 1 2 3 4 5
Bill Gates conceiving a child 1 2 3 4 5
9. Are you on the market for a newer model God ? Would you like one of our non-aligned sales representatives to contact you ?
__Yes __No
10. Do you have any additional comments or suggestions for improving the quality of God's services? (Attach an additional sheet if necessary.)
Begin writing here ____
The paradox has often been noted that the United States, founded in secularism, is now the most religiose country in Christendom, while England, with an established church headed by its constitutional monarch, is among the least. (Richard Dawkins, 2006)
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13751
Facebook is a wonderful thing! No, really, it is. I've been catching up on spme of the more substantial posts while I was in Israel and this one in the Jeruslam Post interested me greatly.
The article is an open letter to people. The talkbacks contain some of the usual vitriol. Sometimes I comment in the talkbacks, this time I have not. Well, so far I have not, at least.
We could dismiss this as "timmy's ramblings because he's just been to a new country and was impressed". I have. I was. But the substance of this letter is something that can affect us all, wherever we live. It shows that we must, every one of us, be aware of the power of positive and negative PR in our real struggle for equality.
Our duty to ourselves is to represent the strange community that we belong to in the best possible light while accepting that others will, for whatever reason, wish we did not exist. And we must educate those who are educable.
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Nov 13 | In the United States, as Congressional action on the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act ENDA, is looming, [Introduced in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.] which would address discrimination in the workplace by making it illegal to fire, refuse to hire or refuse to promote an employee based on the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, in Ireland a different situation exists altogether. [An estimated 87% of U. S. based Fortune 500 companies include sexual orientation in their equal employment policies, and more than one-third also include gender identity.]
From the pinknews.uk comes this report from correspondent Jessica Geen:
By Jessica Geen (London, UK) Nov 13 | A nationwide survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people in Ireland has found that their top concerns are equality in the workplace, anti-gay violence and bullying.
The National Gay and Lesbian Foundation (NGLF) surveyed 1,100 gays and lesbians to ask their their priorities.
The research, titled Burning Issues, found that the most important thing for respondents was being able to work somewhere where they could be open about their sexuality or sexual identity without facing discrimination.
The second most important issue was homophobic violence. This ranked at 8.2 on a scale with one being least important and ten being the most important.
Young gay and bisexual men rated this as their top concern.
Dr Sean Denyer, report co-author, said:
“Violence against any individual or group cannot be tolerated. The fact that young gay or bisexual men ranked this as their number one issue reveals the extent of the problem and highlights why the establishment of a taskforce is so urgent. Homophobic violence has lead to deaths in Ireland, it has resulted in the hospitalisation of countless men and women. The government must take steps to stamp this out forever.”
Trans respondents said their top priority was workplace equality but ranked access to health services as their second most important concern.
Ailbhe Smyth, chair of the NGLF, commented:
“Significantly, it is clear from Burning Issues that transgender people are particularly disadvantaged specifically in relation to equality and support. While transgender people ranked equality rights at work as number one in keeping with the report findings, they listed health and mental health services as number two instead of violence. This gives us a clear message that transgender people feel that existing provisions are limited and must be made fully accessible.”
Marriage equality was ranked at number three for gay people, while support for younger people and those coming out followed.
In a section which allowed respondents to give qualitative answers, far more were concerned with equal marriage rights than civil partnerships. They also raised the issues of lesbian and gay parenting rights and support services for those living outside Dublin.
Location: South Africa - Gauteng
Registered: January 2007
Messages: 309
Howdy Howdy All,
Hope that you are all keeping well, and for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere hope that you are keeping warm and cozy
I am so excited that Summer is back that I could just scream, hell I may even be able to get some colour back on my skin hehehe
Well as the subject of my post says, I am looking to start a Marine Fish Tank and was wondering if anyone here has done so in the past or still continues with the hobby?
If so I would be greatly appreciative if you could give me any information you have as I am looking to get all my ducks in a row before I get going. You can either post the info here if you like or email me directly.
Thanks again to all of you. Keep well and chat soon.
Best Wishes,
Michael
"And so the lion fell in love with the Lamb"
"What a stupid Lamb"
"What a sick, masochistic lion"
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
Tory's lesbian candidate just beats BNP in race for third place in Glasgow North East by-election
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • November 13, 2009 - 2:12 | Ruth Davidson, the Conservative's lesbian candidate in the Glasgow North-East by-election has just beaten British National Party (BNP)'s Charlie Baillie in the race for third place. The Labour candidate Willie Bain comfortably won the seat that was previously held by former Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin.
The seat became vacant five months ago when the then Speaker, now Lord Martin, Baron Martin of Springbur resigned over his handling of MPs' expenses.
The results were as follows:-
1)Willie Bain, (Labour) 12,231 votes
2)David Kerr (SNP) 4,120
3)Ruth Davidson (Conservative Party) 1,075
4)Charlie Baillie (BNP)
5)Tommy Sheridan (Solidarity) 794
6)Eileen Baxendale (LD) 474
7)David Doherty (Green) 332
and #8: John Smeaton (Jury Team) 258
There were five other candidates.
The BNP have never fought a by-election in Scotland before and some commentators credit their relative success at this election to the appearance on the BBC's Question Time by leader Nick Griffin. During the count, the BBC were reporting that the BNP had secured third place.
Willie Bain hailed the result, saying: "It's a great endorsement for Gordon Brown in his efforts to set the economy back on track and it shows the General Election is very much game on."
Later saying: "I want to thank my neighbours, now my constituents. You have placed your trust in me, I promise you that I will never let you down."
Conservative candidate, Ms Davidson just held her deposit for the election securing just 5.22% of the vote. She livers with her partner in Partick and had promised that if elected she would not claim for food, furniture or household goods.
Ms Davidson said she does not often speak about her sexuality because "it's not the most interesting part of my life".
According to the Sun, she said: "I don't believe sexuality is an issue now. In terms of the Conservative Party, we saw in July of this year David Cameron standing up in front of Stonewall and saying, 'Look, we apologise for Section 28. We got it wrong'.
"It was an unequivocal apology on the subject.
"In terms of coming out I had my first female partner about four or five years ago. I was open about it at the time and I'm open about it now.
"But I don't tend to talk about it because it's not the most interesting part of my life, you know? Some people are gay and that's it."
Local police are investigation two alleged cases of voting fraud after the same voters turned up to vote on multiple occasions.
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
By Jessica Geen (London, UK) Nov 9 | Three Iranian men are thought to be facing the death penalty for having homosexual relations.
The men, named as Nemat Safavi, Mehdi P and Moshen G, have been on death row for three years and allegedly committed the crimes while under the age of 18.
Under Iranian law, homosexuality (lavat) is "punishable by death so long as both the active and passive partners are mature, of sound mind, and have acted of free will".
Campaigners say this not only conflicts with reports of the men being underage at the time of the offences but is also a gross violation of international law, which forbids, under any circumstance, the execution of juvenile offenders.
While not much is known about the other two men, Safavi's case was known to Amnesty International in September last year and he is currently on the organisation's list of minors tried and awaiting execution in Iran.
It is thought that Mehdi P and Moshen G denied the charges against them and no witnesses were found. Safavi was arrested at the age of 16 in 2006 and tried by a court in Ardebil, where he is being held.
A date has not been set for their executions, but according to Human Rights Watch, their lawyers believe it could happen any day.
Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and north Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said: "Killing people for what they did as children is wrong and repellent, and killing them for alleged homosexual conduct is just as wrong and repellent.
"The Iranian government has flouted its most basic human rights obligations in allowing these cruel death sentences."
Amnesty International spokesman Steve Ballinger told PinkNews.co.uk that the organisation had been unable to confirm what Safavi's current situation was and had no further information.
Ballinger said: "His case is still under review by the Supreme Court but we do not believe he is at an immediate risk of execution."
He added: "Some activists have suggested that his lawyer has warned that publicity may have an adverse effect on his case. We would not take action at this stage but would issue an urgent appeal if a decision is made."
According to Human Rights Watch, Iran executes more minors than any other country.
He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake since for him a spinal cord would suffice. Albert Einstein
Location: USA
Registered: November 2008
Messages: 973
The Wall Street Journal reviewed a book of interviews with several notable authors. I thought that the tricks they use to develop novels would be instructional for those of us who try our hands at short stories. (I don't know why I pay for the Journal when it's all on line for free.) I wonder if this book is free anywhere on the net. Macky
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • November 5, 2009 - 13:02 | A trans woman who wrote a play portraying Jesus as undergoing transition to become a woman has defended her work, saying that protests by angry Christians have no foundation in the Bible.
Jesus, Queen of Heaven is being shown as part of Scotland's Glasgay! arts festival. Its opening night on Tuesday attracted 300 Christians holding placards saying "Jesus, king of kings, not queen of heaven" and "God: My son is not a pervert."
The production has been attacked by the Christian Institute and the Catholic Church, who claim it should not have been funded by public money.
Writer Jo Clifford, who also performs as Christ in the production, told the Herald she had shown her script to a number of committed Christians who had supported her.
She told the newspaper: “I think it is very sad that the protest has enlisted Christians who have difficulties with gays and transsexuals. I wanted to point out that this does not have any foundation in the Bible.
“The people who angered Jesus were the scribes, Pharisees and hypocrites – the people who were deeply prejudiced, those who passed judgment on people they did not know.
“Being transsexual, I think an awful lot about where prejudice comes from."
Clifford added that she had no wish to cause offence and felt the play was on the whole respectful to the gospel.
A review of the play in The Scotsman praised its "well-drawn" parallels between trans people and Christ, but added the work was too ambitious and Clifford was unable to resolve the Bible's contradictions
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Nov 5 | "It ain't over till the fat lady sings..." A tired cliche to be certain but applicable. I spent alot of time yesterday revisiting and rehashing the results of elections from all over the U. S., particularly Maine's, with various LGBT folks that I know. I became quite disillusioned as the day wore on because it seemed that some people were throwing the proverbial towel in and walking away from the fight for LGBT Equality. I will note though that there also were those that are even more energised to carry on and pointed out that in tallying the results yesterday across the country, at a local and state level, the LGBT Equality fight was a measured success as LGBT persons & ballot issues were approved by the citizens of the places where they appeared.
Gay activist L. Page “Deacon” Maccubbin, who has given lesbians & gays in Washington D. C. visibility and a public presence, & well-known as the founder and owner of Lambda Rising Books in the heart of Washington's thriving LGBT community in DuPont Circle, said:
"I don't see Maine as a total loss. It simply means that we need to work smarter and harder to convince people that Gay people are no less deserving than they are. It was so close anyway, we won in Washington [state] and in many local races."
Deacon was not alone in his assessment as noted in the following article by Diane Silver, the nationally syndicated author of the column "Political IQ." Diane's take on this appeared in The Bilerico Project yesterday.
Our Muddled Electoral Mess
By Diane Silver (Lawrence, Kansas) Nov 4 | Anyone who says they know exactly what yesterday's election results mean for the future of LGBTQ people is a blowhard and a liar. Yesterday's results were decidedly muddled.
Marriage equality lost yet again, this time in Maine. For anyone who's counting, and that is all of the MSM, that's 31 defeats for equality. Damn.
"Everything But Marriage" won in the state of Washington. The victory was narrow - 51.03 percent vs. 48.97 percent - but it was still a victory for LGBTQ people and our families.
In Kalamazoo, Mich., a landslide of voters - 65 percent - shouted "NO!" to the right's effort to be able to legally fire or refuse housing to us.
Throughout the country, and in some surprisingly moderate-to-conservative places, out lesbian and gay candidates did very well. They range from Annise Parker's first-place finish in the Houston mayoral race to victories for out candidates for city councils in Detroit; St. Petersburg, Fl.; Akron, Ohio; Salt Lake City; and Maplewood, Minn. The mayor of Chapel Hill, N..C., is now the openly gay Mark Kleinschmidt. On a day when the fear of gays in schools helped defeat marriage equality in Maine, voters in Canton, Ohio, elected openly gay Eric Resnick to the Canton Board of Education.
I have no real answers about the true meaning of these results, but I do have some first thoughts.
* Some folks are already saying that we should give up on or de-emphasize marriage equality, but I don't buy that. I personally believe that marriage is too important to the safety and security of our families for us to back off. Also, civil rights struggles are measured in decades, even centuries, and the marriage fight is still young. I believe we will never have full equality until people can see us as being fully human, and being fully human includes the right to marry.
* The temptation is great to find a scapegoat for the loss in Maine. Some will target the No on 1 campaign. By all accounts, the No on 1 campaign did a good job. Nate Silver (no relation) may well be right when he notes:
"I certainly don't think the No on 1 campaign can be blamed; by every indication, they ran a tip-top operation whereas the Yes on 1 folks were amateurish. But this may not be an issue where the campaign itself matters very much; people have pretty strong feelings about the gay marriage issue and are not typically open to persuasion."
* Some are already attacking Barack Obama and the DNC-controlled Organizing for America for failing to rally voters to vote no in Maine. I personally suspect that if Obama, or OFA had intervened, they may well have moved the vote a bit in our favor. Whether that would have been enough for us to win is unknown. All of which means nothing about how I think we should approach Obama and the DNC. I say hold their feet to the fire. Enough is enough.
* Our losses show that we're still politically weak, particularly on the issue of marriage, but our victories show that we're gaining strength. The success of openly lesbian and gay candidates is a clear sign that bigotry is beginning to go out of fashion. I'll be keeping a close watch on the run-off election in Houston. Conventional wisdom would normally make Anise Parker the frontrunner, but we'll have to wait and see if voters flinch at the last minute at the idea of having a lesbian as mayor.
I have no patience anymore. I am sick to death of people voting on my rights, on my humanity. I agree with David Mixner that we now live in an unacceptable state of gay apartheid.
And yet, I've lived long enough to see that even yesterday's decidedly mixed results show progress. There was a time when any victory for lesbians and gays was unthinkable. Yesterday an entire state gave us a victory and conservative, little Kalamazoo stood up to say discrimination is wrong. Running as an out candidate was once political suicide, particularly in places like Texas and Ohio, but look at all our victories.
Is the glass half full or half empty? Do we give up or fight on? Should we change our tactics or strategy? What do you think?
Diane Silver is the nationally syndicated author of the column "Political IQ." A former newspaper reporter, magazine editor and political activist, Diane has published in The Progressive, Salon.com, Ms Magazine, and other national publications. These days she is searching for the meaning of life, politics, spirituality, science fiction & women’s basketball.
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
Struggle for Moscow Gay Pride at the 22nd Montreal International LGBT Film Festival
A Canadian documentary celebrates the International Gay Pride movement
By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Nov 2 | On October 25, the Imperial Cinema in Montreal hosted the world premiere of the Canadian documentary “Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride”.
The movie directed by Bob Christie is dedicated to the gay pride movements around the world. It emphasized on organizing gay prides, which often, are taken for granted by many activists in western countries while in other parts of the globe, such events are still banned.
The Film features gay prides in different cities, some like Toronto, New York and Vancouver in which gay prides are popular carnivals and others like, Warsaw, Budapest, Riga, Belgrade and Moscow where activists are targeted by skinheads.
One of the central scene of the movie shows the third Moscow Pride attempt in 2008 when LGBT activists held a protest near the monument to Tchaikovsky and later unveiled a large banner against homophobia from the third floor of a building facing the Moscow City Hall.
Nikolai Alekseev, Chief Organizer of the Moscow Pride, attended the Premiere together with Irina Fedotova-Fet and Irina Shipitko, the Russian pair who married in Toronto last Friday.
After the projection, Nikolai Alekseev told the audience: “At the beginning, we were sceptical to take part to this project, but today we can thank the crew for the objective coverage they made of our Moscow Pride. The movie gives a very accurate picture of the tension that we face every year in the hours preceding our Pride”
Nikolai Alekseev also thanked Gilbert Baker, the creator of the Rainbow Flag who was among the audience. “Not so many people know that the Rainbow flag we used as part of our Moscow pride 2008 was presented to us by Gilbert Baker” said Nikolai Alekseev.
After its Premiere in Canada, “Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride” will be shown at several film festival starting with Vienna, Florence and Sao Paulo.
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Oct 29 | From The Cleveland Clinic Department of Psychiatry and Psychology comes these expert definitions that have been accepted by the professional medical community and its organisations. From the American Medical Association and published in AMA's Journal of Medicine and also from the American Psychologists Association, and its AMA Quarterly, the following:
Sexuality is an important part of who we are as humans. Beyond the ability to reproduce, sexuality also defines how we see ourselves and how we physically relate to others. Sexual orientation is a term used to refer to a person's emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction to individuals of a particular gender (male or female).
Sexual orientation generally is divided into 3 categories:
* Heterosexual: attracted to individuals of the opposite sex
* Bisexual: attracted to members of either sex
* Homosexual: attracted to individuals of one's own sex
Sexual orientation involves a person's feelings and sense of identity; it may or may not be evident in the person's appearance or behavior. People may have attractions to people of the same or opposite sex but may elect not to act on these feelings. For example, a bisexual may choose to have a monogamous (one partner) relationship with one gender and, therefore, elect not to act on the attraction to the other gender.
Why Are Some People Homosexual or Bisexual?
Most scientists today agree that sexual orientation (including homosexuality and bisexuality) is the result of a combination of environmental, emotional, hormonal, and biological factors. In other words, there are many factors that contribute to a person's sexual orientation, and the factors may be different for different people.
However, homosexuality and bisexuality are not caused by the way a child was reared by his or her parents, or by having a sexual experience with someone of the same sex when the person was young. Also, being homosexual or bisexual does not mean the person is mentally ill or abnormal in some way, although there may be social problems that result from prejudicial attitudes or misinformation.
How Does a Person Know Their Sexual Orientation?
For many people, their sexual orientation becomes evident to them during adolescence or young adulthood, and in many cases without any sexual experience. For example, homosexuals become aware that their sexual thoughts and activities focus on people of the same sex. It is possible, however, to have fantasies or to be curious about people of the same sex without being homosexual or bisexual, or choosing to act on these impulses/attractions.
Can a Person's Sexual Orientation Be Changed?
Most experts agree that sexual orientation is not a choice and, therefore, cannot be changed. Some people who are homosexual or bisexual may hide their sexual orientation and/or live as heterosexuals to avoid the prejudice that exists against people who are homosexual and bisexual or to avoid their own moral dilemmas felt when their sexual orientation is incompatible with their personal beliefs.
Are There Support Groups for People Struggling With Their Sexuality?
Yes. There are a number of different support systems available to those struggling with sexual orientation. These support systems can help them develop strategies for dealing with the prejudice associated with homosexuality and the damaging effects of bias and stereotypes.
A while ago we wondered whether to reconsider our lack of web analytics software to track this forum. And we decided, all of us together, that, while it would be interesting, it would also be invasive.
After fighting the forum software with total disasters today I managed to edit the heading to add a line about analytics. We don't do them.
This post is to say that we don't do them in order to remind those who even just read that we have no idea who they are.
Only when you post is your IP address captured. But only the admin can see that. And nothing is done with it unless you don't play nice.
Location: Israel
Registered: October 2004
Messages: 1367
No comment.
The paradox has often been noted that the United States, founded in secularism, is now the most religiose country in Christendom, while England, with an established church headed by its constitutional monarch, is among the least. (Richard Dawkins, 2006)
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Oct 27| The White House announced that President Barack Obama will sign the 2010 Defence Authorisation Bill in a ceremony at the White House tomorrow afternoon. After the signing ceremony for the $680 billion defence spending plan, the President will host a second event on a new law attached to that bill: The Matthew Shepard & James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
The act makes it a federal crime to assault someone because of their sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. It is named for the victims of two horrific crimes in 1998: Matthew Shepard, a gay teenager from Wyoming who was beaten to death; and James Byrd, a black man chained behind a pick-up truck in Texas and dragged to his death. The provision allows for actual or perceived "sexual orientation" and gender identity to be included under the umbrella of "hate crimes." If an offender is determined to have targeted their victim because of characteristics such as race, religion, sexual orientation, or disability that crime is put into the category of "hate crimes" and it could result in stiffer punishments, including longer jail sentences.
Current laws allow for most "hate crimes" to be prosecuted at the state level,unless the crime was committed during a "federally protected activity" such as attending school. This amendment would eliminate requiring a crime to be committed on federal property for it to be labeled a federal hate crime, thus broadening the federal government's ability to prosecute.
The President will deliver brief remarks at 6:05 PM, and will be joined by Attorney General Eric Holder, members of the Shepard & Byrd families, civil rights community leaders and others.
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Oct 27 | Equality Forum, the Philadelphia based LGBT activist organisation which coordinates LGBT History Month, undertakes high impact national initiatives, produces documentary films, and presents annually the largest national and international LGBT civil rights forum; announced today that it will be co-sponsoring a demonstration in-front of the White House on October 28th, 2009.
Parents of gays and lesbians, teachers and activists carrying photos of hate crime murder victims including Harvey Milk and Matthew Shepard will demonstrate in front of the White House on Wednesday, October 28, from noon to 2 p.m., prior to President Obama signing the Matthew Shepard Amendment.
Equality Forum celebrates the Matthew Shepard Amendment, salutes Judy Shepard and praises President Obama and Congressional leaders who support including sexual orientation and gender identity in federal hate crimes protection.
The demonstration focuses national attention on the increase in gay hate crime murders and over 16,000 hate crimes committed against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans since Matthew Shepard's death in 1998.
According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, in 2008 there were 29 hate crime murders of LGBT Americans. Since 1998, there have been an average of about 1,450 LGBT hate crimes per year.
“Homophobia has fueled carnage since Matthew Shepard's murder 11 years ago,” states Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director of Equality Forum. “The Matthew Shepard Amendment is the beginning, not the end, in recognizing, addressing and eliminating homophobia in our schools, neighborhoods and culture.”
To join the demonstration, meet in front of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue at 11:30 a.m. The demonstration is from noon to 2 p.m.
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
Brody's Notes... New Zealand MP On Homophobia: 'Homophobia is the enemy of a fair society'
By Brody Levesque (Bethesda, Maryland) Oct 25 | Green Party Member of New Zealand's Parliament, Kevin Hauge, who is also a noted Kiwi LGBT activist, had this to say in a recent column published by gayNZ.com:
The elimination of prejudice and discrimination is important not only for the creation of a fair society that celebrates difference and diversity, but also because our nation will be stronger if it uses all the talents and strengths available to it. We collectively lose if opportunities are effectively denied to some.
So in addition to the compassion that I am sure we all feel at the news that a third of same/both-sex attracted secondary students have seriously considered suicide and a half have deliberately harmed themselves in the past twelve months, we should also recognise that this represents a grievous waste of potential, which harms us all.
It is well-established that, with few exceptions,the health status of a population group is a function of its marginalisation in a society. That is why laws that discriminate and social environments that allow prejudice to persist are not only justice problems, but of fundamental concern in health.
It is no surprise to read that this group of lesbian, gay and bisexual young people are at increased risk of all sorts of health problems, including the risk of HIV infection.
Put yourself in the position of a young person coming to the understanding that she or he is not heterosexual. Very likely virtually every aspect of your social conditioning (family, friends, media, culture, church, school etc) has created an expectation for you and everyone else of heterosexuality. Occasionally you might be lucky enough to be aware of non-heterosexual adults who seem to have happy and productive lives, but these people are quite likely to seem pretty remote from you and more likely you will know of nobody else. You feel like the only one, you feel as if your very existence lets down everyone around you and you feel alone. To make things worse, you are surrounded by routine homophobia equating being gay with everything that is pathetic or disgusting. You'd feel pretty bad, right? I remember.
As adults we have both the opportunity and absolute responsibility to put that right. This latest research is about schools. Over the years there have been a number of excellent guidelines and resources developed for schools to help them do this better. Some have been excellent. But many schools have done nothing at all. It isn't good enough, and we need to be working to ensure that there is a requirement, which is monitored and policed,for schools to take actions to actively support gay, lesbian and bisexual young people and to keep them safe.
Hauge's comments were made after a University of Auckland report had been published that stated that nearly half of LGBT youth at risk in New Zealand had self harmed.
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
By Brody Levesque (Bethesda, Maryland) Oct 19 | The following is from The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. While its pretty funny initially, after due consideration, it merits a closer look at the terrible legacy of the American Nuclear Program and its lasting effects on the environment.
(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/33380424#33352417)
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Location: currently So Cal
Registered: May 2002
Messages: 1179
Sorry for the absence, I've been extremely busy with school and other projects. There just hasn't been much time. I'll try to get here more often, but I find that intermittant attendence causes me to miss out on most of the really interesting topics for discussion. I wanted to try to write a story over my last school break, but there wasn't even time to start it. Now classes have started again and the one I'm taking is much more demanding than the preveious ones. So I'll try to pop in and out a bit more freaquently, say hello, have a laugh, and maybe get involved in a discussion here and there. I hope everyone is doing well.
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
A Guest Editorial By Dr. Marty Klein
The Iowa Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction of 18-year-old Jorge Canal, who complied with a 14-year-old friend’s request for a photo of his penis. The young man is now forced to register as a sex offender, meaning his chances of getting a college degree, job, or livable apartment are pretty much ended.
According to the court, the girl “generally hung out with teenagers older than herself;” was “only friends” with Canal; thought the picture was sent “only as a joke;” and was not “a means to excite any feelings.” Nevertheless, Canal was convicted of “knowingly disseminating obscene material to a minor.”
Canal was a foolish kid. But there are many ugly, stupid, irresponsible adults in this story. The girl’s mother, who checked her daughter’s e-mail and internet use, found the photo and forwarded it to her husband. The father then showed the photo to his friend, a police officer. The cop arranged to have Canal arrested. A prosecutor pursued the case, a judge tried it, a jury convicted. These adults failed Canal and his friend miserably. His ruined life will be a testament to their fear, insecurity, and hatred.
All these adults were supposedly attempting to protect Iowa’s young people–by punishing this kid who was fooling around with a pal.
So let’s spend a moment in the real world (which none of these adults seem to inhabit). Which is likely to hurt this 14-year-old girl more—seeing a 2-square-inch photo of a friend’s erect penis, or being the reason that this friend will spend time in jail and decades as a registered sex offender? Her life is now ruined (in addition, of course, to his), because of her criminally negligent parents, criminally ambitious prosecutor, and 12 jury members who failed to protect people who needed justice but received only wrath.
Americans should understand the horrors of our obscenity laws: a picture or word or object is obscene only after a jury decides that it is. And a jury can decide that ANY picture, word, or object is obscene. So no one can know for sure what’s obscene until it’s too late. This is exactly like laws against “hooliganism” in places like Russia that we rightly deride.
The judge in Canal’s case had rightly told the jury that “a depiction of a person’s genitals was not in and of itself obscene. In order for the depiction of a person’s genitals to be obscene, an average person applying contemporary community standards with respect to what is suitable material for minors must find the material is patently offensive, appeals to the prurient interest, and lacks serious literary, scientific, political, or artistic value.” At that point, the picture becomes illegal, and sharing it with someone else becomes a crime.
A jury of twelve Americans destroyed Jorge Canal’s life because they believed that a picture of his erect penis is “patently offensive.” I hope each of them never gets a good night’s sleep for the rest of their lives.
Dr. Marty Klein has been a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Certified Sex Therapist for 29 years. As a clinician, he works each week with couples and individuals who have a variety of sexual and non-sexual difficulties--over 30,000 sessions since 1980.
Dr. Klein fights for the sexual rights of all Americans through his legal and courtroom work. He has been an expert witness, consultant, or invited defendant in many state and federal censorship, internet, and obscenity cases.
He has authored over 100 articles in publications such as Parents, New Woman, and Playboy, as well as San Francisco Medicine, the California Therapist, and the Journal of Homosexuality. He is also a former contributing editor to The New Physician, American Baby, and Modern Bride.
Location: US/Canada
Registered: September 2009
Messages: 733
Atlanta, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Lawyers for the owners and two employees of a Gay club in Atlanta said Tuesday charges against them might be resolved before the case goes to trial.
The Sept. 10 raid on the Atlanta Eagle angered the city's LGBT Community, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said. While Police Chief Richard Pennington said plainclothes officers had seen drug deals and sex acts during incognito visits to the club, police during the raid found evidence only of dancers performing without a permit.
Eight people were arrested, the two owners, a bartender, the doorman and four dancers. The dancers did not appear in court Tuesday morning.
More than 60 patrons were detained, and some said later they had been searched illegally and were forced to lie on the floor in handcuffs for as long as an hour.
A Municipal Court judge gave prosecution and defense six weeks to agree on a resolution to the case, scheduling trial for Nov. 3.
Location: Israel
Registered: October 2004
Messages: 1367
It's an animal story that wouldn't shame an HBO series - the story of two female Griffon vulture chicks, offspring of what used to be Israel's first and only gay vulture couple. Dashik, father to one vulture chick, and Yehuda, father to the other, once engaged in a fiery romance that made headlines in local and international media. About ten years ago, the two male vultures fell in love, built a joint nest and became a couple. The staff of the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo provided the couple with an artificial egg, which the two parents took turns incubating; and 45 days later, the zoo replaced the egg with a real baby vulture. The two male vultures raised the chick together.
A few years later, however, the relationship broke up, after Yehuda fell for a female vulture that was brought into the aviary. Dashik became depressed, and was eventually moved to the zoological research garden at Tel Aviv University. There, Dashik too set up a nest with a female vulture.
"This is an insane coincidence," said Michal Erez, head of the birds section at the Jerusalem zoo, "but the spouses of both Yehuda and Dashik laid an egg on the same day, the eggs hatched on the same April day, and the two chicks were exactly the same weight. Their weight can vary between 120 and 200 grams, and I've never seen two hatchlings of the exact same weight."
"Yehuda has been living with Beatrix for a few years now, and they are a fantastic couple," Erez said. "Yehuda is more committed. He often doesn't even let Beatrix incubate the eggs and insists on doing it on his own."
The national hatching center at the Biblical Zoo receives all eggs laid by vultures in captivity across the country, and, in the past two years, eggs collected in natural Griffon vulture site in the Golan Heights. As for the offspring of Yehuda and Dashik, they remain in the hatching center. "There's a lack of vultures both in captivity and in the wild, so we decided to increase our reproductive stock," said Erez.
Some two weeks ago, when the chicks reached the 8-kilogram weight of adult vultures, they were moved to the prey birds' aviary. "At first they tried paying visits to other vultures," Erez said, "but when the others realized these were unfamiliar vulture chicks, they attacked. Today, the two keep each other's company.
The paradox has often been noted that the United States, founded in secularism, is now the most religiose country in Christendom, while England, with an established church headed by its constitutional monarch, is among the least. (Richard Dawkins, 2006)
I guess the saying has become true anyone to the left of Attila the Hun must be a liberal in the United States! How things can change in such a short time.
He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake since for him a spinal cord would suffice. Albert Einstein
In so many ways this comes back to our making capital out of the Alan Turing Apology, to marginalise still further those who would make our lives a misery.
Location: Israel
Registered: October 2004
Messages: 1367
The name of the local cable company that supplies the infrastructure for my Internet connection is HOT. The name of their rivals, who offer satellite TV is YES. (Don't ask me why they have to choose such silly-snappy English names.) Yesterday I lost my Internet connection and the woman at the other end of the telephone line said that there was something wrong with the power of my connection and that she would send a technician "between 3 and 5 pm". At a couple of minutes to 3 the technician called to say he would arrive within a few minutes.
When he arrived I was spellbound for a moment. He was a magnificent example of young manhood with a most engaging smile in front and a delicious-looking posterior on the other side. He was very polite too (which is unusual). I sat quite entranced watching him at work and inwardly thanking him for making my day. Of course, he was wearing the company t-shirt which was bright red with the word HOT boldly displayed. Underneath was printed their motto: "Always something to love". I think my reaction was the opposite of that intended. I nodded and said to myself "YES!"
Just before he left he said, "Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?" I don't know how I managed to croak out the word "no".
J F R
The paradox has often been noted that the United States, founded in secularism, is now the most religiose country in Christendom, while England, with an established church headed by its constitutional monarch, is among the least. (Richard Dawkins, 2006)
A Place of Safety
Search
Help
Register
Login
Home
Way back, I had an objective 
Marine Systems - Beginners Information - What I Need? 
hehehe
Brody's Notes... Beyond Gay - The Politics of Pride 
