Via Just Out:

John Smid, The former leader of Exodus International’s Love in Action ministry, now says that homosexuality is an intrinsic part of a person’s being, not a behavior one can repent from — and admits that he’s never actually met a truly “ex-gay” man.


Smid, who resigned as Executive Director of Love in Action in 2008, posted an essay on the website of his new ministry Grace Rivers explaining that he no longer believes that one can repent of being gay:

So often people will say someone needs to “repent” from homosexuality. It is something that actually cannot be repented of! People are, or they are not, homosexual. It is an intrinsic part of their being or personally, my being. One cannot repent of something that is unchangeable. I have gone through a tremendous amount of grief over the many years that I spoke of change, repentance, reorientation and such, when, barring some kind of miracle, none of this can occur with homosexuality… we as Christians pervert the gospel as it relates to homosexuality as though homosexuals aren’t welcome in the kingdom unless they repent (which many interpret to change). But since homosexuality is not “repentable” then we put homosexuals into an impossible bind…

Make the jump here to read the entire article

Via JMG: Perry Quotes Gay Poet Langston Hughes

Just as Rick Santorum did several weeks ago, during last night's GOP debate Rick Perry quoted legendary gay poet Langston Hughes. Santorum never used the quote again when told of its source.

Labels: debate watch, gay writers, poetry, Rick Perry

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Photo Of The Day: Salt Lake's Pink Dot

Inspired by Singapore's event of the same name, yesterday Salt Lake City residents gathered for their first Pink Dot celebration. [Photo credit: Steve Griffin/Salt Lake Tribune]

Labels: LGBT rights, Pink Dot, Salt Lake City, Utah

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Barney Frank Vs. Gingrich, Part Two

"I wish I knew that he was willing to listen to my advice, I would have given him some: I would have told him not to impeach Clinton, I would have told his successors not to go to war with Iraq, and I would have told DeLay not to go on the dance show. He’s been having a bad year, you know — this self-styled intellectual leader of the free world struggling to stay ahead of Michele Bachmann in the polls is unsettling him so he talks even sillier than he sometimes does." - Rep. Barney Frank, firing back at Newt Gingrich, who last night called for his imprisonment.

Labels: Barney Frank, debate watch, Newt Gingrich

reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Life is a good teacher and a good friend. Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it. Nothing ever sums itself up in the way that we like to dream about. The off-center, in-between state is an ideal situation, a situation in which we don’t get caught and we can open our hearts and minds beyond limit. It’s a very tender, nonaggressive, open-ended state of affairs.

– Pema Chodron, "Stay with Your Broken Dreams"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via AmericaBlogGay: Tracy Morgan defends his right to be a homophobe, blames guy who was offended

What a pig. 

Read this Gawker piece, then check out the video that's over there as well. Tracy Morgan, who joked a few months ago about how he'd kill his son if he ended up being gay, went on Letterman last night. Letterman spent nearly ten minutes trying to get Morgan to give a satisfactory answer as to why he did it. Morgan just squirmed and gave a lot of really bad excuses, including he just can't remember what he said, it was so long ago you know.

Oh yeah, Morgan blamed the gay kid who was offended and told everyone what he heard at the club.  Apparently, you're not supposed to speak out when Tracy Morgan acts like a homophobic jerk.

Keep digging.

Via AmericaBlogGay: BREAKING: Gay rights legend Frank Kameny has died

The Washington Blade tweeted it about 45 minutes ago. Frank Kameny was a big deal in the gay rights movement, and if you haven't heard of him, you should take the time to check out his Wikipedia page.

He died on National Coming Out day.

http://www.bizarrocomics.com/

http://www.bizarrocomics.com/

Via Gay Politics Report: Romney dogged by marriage equality questions at N.H. event

A New Hampshire town hall appearance by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney featured so many questions about his stance on marriage equality that the GOP presidential candidate stopped answering questions about the topic. Romney said his opposition to marriage equality is rooted in his belief that children should be raised by both a mother and a father. He also said he supported domestic partnership arrangements, but stopped short of declaring support for civil unions. ABC News/The Note (10/10)

Via Gay Politics Report: Anti-gay rhetoric flies amid presidential politics at D.C. summit

Speakers at the 2011 Values Voter Summit, held in Washington, D.C., last weekend, had harsh words for LGBT advocates, with Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, calling them "the most unhappy people I ever met that called themselves 'gay.'" Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association said the next president should treat homosexuality as "a threat to public health." Republican presidential candidates addressed the conference and reiterated their opposition to marriage equality, though Mitt Romney specifically distanced himself from Fischer's rhetoric. "Poisonous language doesn't advance our cause," Romney said. Washington Blade (10/8), Politico (Washington, D.C.)/Burns&Haberman (10/8)

America's 5 Favorite Ways to Ignore Jesus

Let Fred In

Via JMG: BREAKING: Hate Groups FAIL To Collect Enough Petitions To Overturn SB 48

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! From a Stop SB 48 email blast:

"The News is Not Good ... it is doubtful we will get the number of signatures we need to qualify. Unfortunately the last several deliveries of mail have not been what was expected and a large number of petitions have been pulled out because of errors. From all appearances, we would need a miracle to qualify this referendum."

We chortle in our joy. We chortle the fuck outta this.

UPDATE: Equality California celebrates.

“The FAIR Education Act will simply ensure that California’s students learn an honest, accurate, and inclusive account of history, but opponents of equality have grossly distorted the intent and the effect of the FAIR Education act in their quest to secure signatures for this referendum. Today's victory shows that their lies cannot stand up to our truth,” said Roland Palencia, Equality California Executive Director and Interim Executive Committee Co-Chair of the coalition to protect the FAIR Education Act. “But we know that opponents of equality won't stop here. We remain vigilant, not only to make sure that people know the facts about the FAIR Education Act, but also to continue preparing for new attacks on the FAIR Education Act at the ballot box, in the legislature and in courts of law.”

Labels: California, FAIL, hate groups, LGBT History

reposted by Joe

Via AmericaBlogGay: Headlines we like to see

From the LA Times.

Vai AmericaBlog Gay: A rocking pro-lgbt legislative year in California

From Equality California: 

Governor Signs Ten of Twelve Pro-LGBT Equality Bills Sponsored by EQCA in 2011 Legislative Session 

Sacramento – Ten of twelve bills sponsored by Equality California and passed by the California legislature this year are now the law of the land. Three of these bills had been signed into law earlier this year, the remaining seven received the Governor's signature over the past weekend. One of the two bills vetoed by the Governor, Senate Bill 747 (Kehoe), which would have required professionals to complete continuing education on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender cultural competency in health care was vetoed by the Governor, who said he believed “licensing boards are better suited that the Legislature or the Governor to decide these matters.”

"This has been a watershed year in the California legislature for advancing the rights and protections of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Californians," said Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego), speaking as Chair of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus. "Because of the leadership of so many lawmakers and the hard work of organizations like Equality California, we have closed inequality gaps, made schools safer for LGBT students, ensured that LGBT people are counted and better represented in government and government services and made our state safer and more inclusive for transgender individuals. These changes in the law positively impact the lives of millions of Californians and go a long way toward making California a more fair and equal state."

Via JMG: Britain To Cut Aid To Anti-Gay Nations

In a move many would like to see the United States make, the British government has announced that it will reduce financial aid to nations that persecute their LGBT citizens.

Poor African countries which persecute homosexuals will have their aid slashed by the Government in a bid by David Cameron to take his gay rights crusade to the Third World. International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell has already cut aid to Malawi by £19 million after two gay men were sentenced to 14 years hard labour. And he has warned the country's leaders to scrap plans to introduce draconian new anti-lesbian laws. Mr Mitchell, one of Mr Cameron's closest allies, is also threatening to impose further aid 'fines' against Uganda and Ghana for hardline anti-gay and lesbian measures. The policy was disclosed after Mr Cameron defended his decision to legalise gay weddings when he addressed last week's Conservative Party conference.

The Daily Mail accompanied their above-linked story with a graphic noting that countries who commit other (non-gay) human rights abuses will continue to receive British assistance.

Labels: Africa, Britain, Malawi, Uganda

reposted from Joe

Graph lifted from a Facebook post:

Via JMG: Frothy: Gay Rights Are Not Civil Rights

RELATED: Frothy Mix unexpectedly finished a relatively strong third in yesterday's Values Voters Summit straw poll, a survey you won't hear much about because Tony Perkins is super-pissed that 600 Ron Paulians beamed down from their flying saucers to vote on Saturday morning and then immediately left the convention center.

Labels: DADT, GOP, Rick Santorum, Santorum

reposted from Joe