Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Via JMG: Indian LGBT Group Denounces Ruling


 
The Indian LGBT rights group Orinam has issued a reaction to the today's shameful ruling by the Indian Supreme Court.
We are deeply disappointed at the decision of the Supreme Court in Suresh Kumar Kaushal v. Naz Foundation. The decision by overturning the historic Delhi High Court judgment which recognized that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) persons are full citizens of India, attempts to stem the tide of history. By overturning the Naz Foundation judgment, the Supreme Court has, in one fell stroke again reduced LGBT persons to the status of what the Delhi High Court memorably called 'unapprehended felons'. The judgment of the Supreme Court is a unconscionable blow to the dignity of LGBT persons who as per the Indian Constitution are entitled to equal treatment. It withdraws the protective arm of the constitution from LGBT persons and renders LGBT persons vulnerable to discrimination, violence and harassment. It is a tragedy that this judgment forgets the vision of the founders of the Indian republic which was so eloquently captured by the Delhi High Court. By re-criminalizing LGBT persons the judgment ignores the spirit of inclusiveness which is the heart of the Indian Constitution as articulated by Jawaharlal Nehru. It equally abandons the principle of constitutional morality (ie majorities dont have a charter to discriminate against minorities purely because they are majorities) articulated by Dr. Ambedkar which is the cornerstone of a diverse and plural nation.
Read the full statement.


Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: Sporting Bodies To Respect LGBT Rights


Martina Navratilova and Jason Collins yesterday called on international sporting groups to respect LGBT rights. The pair spoke at a United Nations event marking International Human Rights Day.
They focused in part on the upcoming Winter Olympics in Russia, which passed a law this summer banning homosexual "propaganda." The law has drawn international condemnation and sparked calls for a boycott, though no nations have threatened to pull their athletes. Navratilova, who lost lucrative endorsements when she came out in 1981, said she doesn't support boycotts of any kind. But she said the IOC is "putting its head in the sand" and criticized FIFA, the world soccer body, for awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. "Nobody's talking about Qatar and the World Cup. You can get a jail term there," she said of consensual gay sex in the Persian Gulf nation. In six other countries, including Saudi Arabia, simply being gay is punishable by death, she said. "Gays and lesbians seem to be the last group it's seen as OK to pick on," she said.
Watch video here.


Via Freedom to Marry / FB:

Edie Windsor has been named one of TIME's Top 5 People of the Year! 
 
Don't miss TIME's beautiful tribute to the woman whose love story made 2013 amazing: http://ti.me/1aV3jKY
 
 
Edie Windsor has been named one of @[10606591490:274:TIME]'s Top 5 People of the Year! Click "like" to thank Edie for her incredible advocacy, and don't miss TIME's beautiful tribute to the woman whose love story made 2013 amazing: http://ti.me/1aV3jKY

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma December 11, 2013

The Matter of Truth

One finds in Buddhist tradition a distinction between “words” and “meaning,” which are often very different from one another, and we would do well to consider the traditional advice—whether we are looking at statues or interpreting teachings—to pay attention to symbolic meaning and not be limited to literal meaning.
- Rita M. Gross, “The Matter of Truth”
Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through December 12, 2013
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