OM (aum)

om mani padme hum

Lama Michel | o budismo,o Centro de Dharma e a comunidade

Who We Really Are & What We Appear To Be

Vipassana Meditation - by Ram Dass

Via JMG: HomoQuotable - Tobias Wolff

"The attempt by the Republican party to overreach following last November's elections and cripple the ability of workers to organize -- and, incredibly, to roll back protections like child labor laws, as in Maine, where Republicans are seeking to create a rotating, vulnerable and underpaid workforce that will further disempower low-wage household earners -- has generated a backlash unlike anything we have seen in half a century. Liberal and progressive forces have an opportunity to use this fight to reclaim the political agenda in America and to reframe the political narrative. LGBT advocates and the LGBT community need to be a part of this urgently important moment. We need to be visibly showing up and contributing our efforts, so that our allies in labor, in state legislatures, and in political parties and organizing committees around the country will know that we were there when it mattered. And, in putting skin in the game, we will be able to play a part in defining the agenda and narrative that will emerge from this reawakening of the American worker." - Activist and UPenn law professor Tobias Wolff, calling on the LGBT community to rise up against anti-union forces.

Labels: activism, employment, GOP, HomoQuotable, Tobias Wolff, unions

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Equality California: Should We Take Proposition 8 Back to The Ballot In 2012?

Equality California says that since it may be years before Prop 8 is resolved in federal court, it's time to talk about attempting its repeal on next year's ballot. Via press release:

Because legal experts are advising that the Proposition 8 federal challenge could take years to resolve, Equality California is launching a community engagement initiative to start a discussion on whether to return to the ballot in 2012 to repeal the marriage ban or whether to wait for a final decision by the courts. Before making any recommendation, Equality California will survey its membership, hold 10 town halls across the state and an online town hall, conduct a poll of likely 2012 voters, consult with political experts, coalition partners and engage with its members and the LGBT community. Equality California will announce results of polling and analysis by Labor Day. Details and a complete schedule for community town halls are forthcoming with initial meetings scheduled for San Francisco on May 19, West Hollywood on May 25 and San Diego on June 2.

A small but dogged campaign to place a repeal of Prop 8 on the 2010 ballot ultimately collapsed without the support of major groups like Equality California.

Labels: 2012 elections, Equality California, Proposition 8

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: IRS Ombudsman Predicts No Penalties For Married Gay Couples Filing Joint Returns

The anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund is quite unhappy with the IRS ombudsman who says that married gay couples can expect little retribution for filing joint returns.

Nina E. Olson, the national taxpayer advocate who acts as an ombudsman for the I.R.S., acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding federal taxation of same-gender spouses in an annual report to Congress. In the report, she said that taxpayers may take a filing position without penalty if there is “substantial authority” to do so, such as a court case that hasn’t been overruled by the United States Court of Appeals. And there happen to be two such cases, which are currently on appeal.

Last week the Refuse To Lie campaign launched with the warning for gay couples to seriously consider the possible ramifications.

Labels: DOMA, IRS, marriage equality, taxes

posted by Joe

Via Barack Obama 2012:

Today, we are filing papers to launch our 2012 campaign. We're doing this now because the politics we believe in does not start with expensive TV ads or extravaganzas, but with you -- with people organizing block-by-block, talking to neighbors, co-workers, and friends. And that kind of campaign takes time to build. So even though I'm focused on the job you elected me to do, and the race may not reach full speed for a year or more, the work of laying the foundation for our campaign must start today. We've always known that lasting change wouldn't come quickly or easily. It never does. But as my administration and folks across the country fight to protect the progress we've made -- and make more -- we also need to begin mobilizing for 2012, long before the time comes for me to begin campaigning in earnest. As we take this step, I'd like to share a video that features some folks like you who are helping to lead the way on this journey. Please take a moment to watch: In the coming days, supporters like you will begin forging a new organization that we'll build together in cities and towns across the country. And I'll need you to help shape our plan as we create a campaign that's farther reaching, more focused, and more innovative than anything we've built before. We'll start by doing something unprecedented: coordinating millions of one-on-one conversations between supporters across every single state, reconnecting old friends, inspiring new ones to join the cause, and readying ourselves for next year's fight. This will be my final campaign, at least as a candidate. But the cause of making a lasting difference for our families, our communities, and our country has never been about one person. And it will succeed only if we work together. There will be much more to come as the race unfolds. Today, simply let us know you're in to help us begin, and then spread the word: http://my.barackobama.com/2012 Thank you, Barack

Contributions or gifts to Obama for America are not tax deductible.

Via AmericaBlogGay:

John reported on the NIH report here. Another report has surfaced via the Center for Health Policy Research at the University of California, Los Angeles. The report's empirical data proves there are some major health concerns for our aging LGBT community. Not surprisingly, our elders are showing the negative signs of the stress from having to suffer through living in an unwelcoming and hateful American anti-gay culture.

Older lesbian, gay and bisexual adults in California are more likely to suffer from chronic physical and mental health problems than their heterosexual counterparts, a new analysis has found. They also are less likely to have live-in partners or adult children who can help care for them.

Also, there is this:

Older gay and bisexual men — ages 50 to 70 — reported higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and physical disability than similar heterosexual men, according to the researchers. Older gay and bisexual men also were 45 percent more likely to report symptoms of psychological distress and 50 percent more likely to rate their health as fair or poor. In addition, one in five gay men in California was living with H.I.V. infection, the researchers found.

Yet half of California’s older gay and bisexual men lived alone, compared with 13.4 percent of older heterosexual men.

The problem is a complicated one with several time sensitive and social variables. First, our older LGBT citizens have had to deal with a far more negative and pervasively discriminatory society. Secondly, our gay culture needs to learn how to honor and embrace our elders and thirdly, we lost a core generation of gay men who succumbed to HIV who might have been instrumental in making the older generation's transition to their golden years easier. Our community needs to remember we all participate in the aging process and honor and support our elderly.