JMG Quote Of The Day - Dan Savage

"I tell this story in the book of being at this park in Seattle many years ago, where a limo pulls up and a bride and a groom tumble out to get their portraits at this very famous park with a beautiful view of downtown Seattle. And as they're walking back to the limo everyone starts to applaud, and rightly so. Everyone takes delight when two people find each other and make that commitment. I was standing there clapping next to these two older gentlemen with two big dogs. It was clear that they were gay and I was gay. And as they get into their car, the one closest to me looks at me and says, `We are always happy for them. Would it kill them to be happy for us?' We've reached that tipping point, where they are happy for us. Now you see straight people looking at gay people and recognizing something about themselves in us." - Dan Savage, speaking to the Associated Press.

Labels: Dan Savage, LGBT culture, LGBT rights

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Obama Issues Pride 2013 Proclamation

Friday, May 31, 2013

Obama Issues Pride 2013 Proclamation

This afternoon the White House issued President Obama's proclamation in recognition of LGBT Pride Month.  The message cites the president's support for ENDA, the federal bill to overturn DOMA, and HIV reduction campaigns 

For more than two centuries, our Nation has struggled to transform the ideals of liberty and equality from founding promise into lasting reality. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans and their allies have been hard at work on the next great chapter of that history -- from the patrons of The Stonewall Inn who sparked a movement to service members who can finally be honest about who they love to brave young people who come out and speak out every day. This year, we celebrate LGBT Pride Month at a moment of great hope and progress, recognizing that more needs to be done. 

Support for LGBT equality is growing, led by a generation which understands that, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." In the past year, for the first time, voters in multiple States affirmed marriage equality for same-sex couples. State and local governments have taken important steps to provide much-needed protections for transgender Americans. 

My Administration is a proud partner in the journey toward LGBT equality. We extended hate crimes protections to include attacks based on sexual orientation or gender identity and repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." We lifted the HIV entry ban and ensured hospital visitation rights for LGBT patients. Together, we have investigated and addressed pervasive bullying faced by LGBT students, prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Federal housing, and extended benefits for same-sex domestic partners. Earlier this year, I signed a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in the implementation of any VAWA-funded program. 

And because LGBT rights are human rights, my Administration is implementing the first-ever Federal strategy to advance equality for LGBT people around the world. We have witnessed real and lasting change, but our work is not complete. I continue to support a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act, as well as the Respect for Marriage Act. My Administration continues to implement the Affordable Care Act, which beginning in 2014, prohibits insurers from denying coverage to consumers based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which addresses the disparate impact of the HIV epidemic among certain LGBT sub-communities. 

We have a long way to go, but if we continue on this path together, I am confident that one day soon, from coast to coast, all of our young people will look to the future with the same sense of promise and possibility. I am confident because I have seen the talent, passion, and commitment of LGBT advocates and their allies, and I know that when voices are joined in common purpose, they cannot be stopped. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2013 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh. - Barack Obama.

Labels: Barack Obama, gay Pride, White House

Reposted from Joe

Via Gay Politics Report

Politics and Policy

Nigerian lawmakers pass sweeping anti-gay measure


Same-sex couples who marry could each face as much as 14 years in prison under a law awaiting the signature of Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. The bill, which was previously passed in the Senate, was approved Thursday in the House unanimously and without discussion. The new law also criminalizes participation in LGBT rights groups, as well as public displays of affection, which could bring sentences of as many as 10 years behind bars. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (5/30)

Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Every time a problem arises, the essential thing is to immediately become aware that the problem comes from our selfish mind, that it is created by self-cherishing thoughts. As long as you put the blame outside yourself, there can be no happiness. - Lama Zopa Rinpoche, "Transforming Problems Into Happiness" More Buddhism Quotes >>

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma May 31, 2013

What is Happiness?

Whatever realization may come by way of silence, our happiness is never won that way. Happiness is not happiness unless it is shared. For happiness is the one thing in all the world that comes to us only at the moment we give it, and is likewise increased by being given away.

- Clark Strand, “The Wisdom of Frogs”

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through June 1, 2013
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