A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
The anti-gay American Center For Law & Justice has opened a branch in Kenya, another ominous indication of the Christian right's continuing push to demonize gays in Africa. From their site:
The Christian response to all that is happening [in Kenya] has been ad hoc and reactionary. This has seen several laws passed that eroded the value system that we have known and held dear. The East Africa Centre for Law & Justice (EACLJ) is the response to this trend. The EACLJ aims to develop a Centre that will be credible and trustworthy in its information. This information will be used to inform the general public on issues of national importance being churned out of our parliament. It shall also be useful in lobbying legislators when debating and enacting laws. The Centre also aims to be a haven for those who find themselves in conflict with the law, especially over the exercise of their faith.
A 2007 survey in Kenya showed that 96% of those responding "rejected" homosexuality, the highest percentage in Africa. Homosexuality is illegal there and although few are prosecuted, the police routinely harass anybody they suspect is gay. So I'm not sure how the ACLJ can make things any worse, unless they're looking for another "kill gays" bill there.
Unmentioned is Uganda, which just happens to sit between Kenya and Rwanda, with Burundi further south. The ACLJ has filed friend of the court briefs in the U.S. against just about every LGBT-related case brought to the courts. Specifically, they vigorously opposed (PDF: 212KB/28 pages) overturning American anti-sodomy laws in Lawrence v. Texas. In 1995, they also opposed overturning Colorado’s Amendment 2, which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down for illegally barring LGBT people from full participation in the legislative process. Since ACLJ now wants to meddle in the legal affairs of East Africa, now would be a good time for them to go on record with their position on Uganda’s proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
We are not hopeful that Judge Walker is going to do justice to the 7 million Californians who voted to protect marriage as the union of husband and wife–especially not after his rush to break all the rules to televise this trial resulted in the lost of key expert witnesses’ testimony. Respect for voting rights doesn’t appear to be at a premium these days among certain judges.
President Obama today strongly endorsed extending domestic partner benefits to gay and lesbian couples, specifically mentioning a bill introduced by Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) that would do just that for federal workers. Responding to a questioner at a Tampa, Fla. town hall-style appearance, Obama said:
“As I said last night my belief is that a basic principal in our Constitution is that if you’re obeying the law, if you’re following the rules, that you should be treated the same regardless of who you are.
“I think that principle applies to gay and lesbian couples, so at the federal level one of the things that we’re trying to do is to make sure that partnerships are recognized for purposes of benefits, so that hospital visitation for example is something that is permitted, so that social security or pension benefits or others, that same-sex couples are recognized in all those circumstances.
"Last night, the President repeated his campaign commitment to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell as part of his State of the Union address. While the President promised that DADT would come to an end "this year," he did not provide specifics -- and the White House still has not released a plan to kill it. That's unacceptable. I served in the Army for a decade under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- an immoral policy that forces American soldiers to lie about their sexual orientation. Worse, it forces others to tolerate deception. As I learned at West Point, deception and lies poison a unit and cripple a fighting force. That's why I feel strongly that America can't afford to allow this policy to continue one day longer. The time for talk is over. The time for action is now.” - Lt. Dan Choi, via Wayne Anderson.
Dan Choi, a native of California and an Army Lieutenant fighting a discharge under the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy," would like to share this message with the Courage Campaign community.
We agree with Lt. Choi. Though we appreciate President Obama's remarks about DADT, the time for talk is over. The time for action is now.
Last night, the President repeated his campaign commitment to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as part of his State of the Union address. While the President promised that DADT would come to an end "this year," he did not provide specifics -- and the White House still has not released a plan to kill it. That's unacceptable.
I served in the Army for a decade under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- an immoral policy that forces American soldiers to lie about their sexual orientation. Worse, it forces others to tolerate deception. As I learned at West Point, deception and lies poison a unit and cripple a fighting force. That's why I feel strongly that America can't afford to allow this policy to continue one day longer.
Last March, I went on Rachel Maddow's show and spoke three truthful words: "I am gay." For that, instead of being able to do my duty keeping America safe, I face discharge from the Army for who I love. I face being fired from my job, not for what I do, but for who I am.
As an infantry officer, an Iraq combat veteran and a West Point graduate with a degree in Arabic, I refuse to lie to my commanders. I refuse to lie to my peers. I refuse to lie to my subordinates.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. National security means many things, but the thing that makes us secure in our nation and homes is love. As I was reminded again when I attended the historic Prop 8 trial, what makes me a better soldier, leader, Christian and human being is love.
And I'm not going to hide my love. Love is worth it.
Thank you for your support.
Daniel W. Choi 1LT, IN New York Army National Guard
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To power our campaign for full equality, please chip in what you can today:
Zelda Rubinstein, the tiny actress known for her iconic role in Poltergeist and beloved by gays for early work in AIDS activism, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 76.
Rubinstein, who also appeared as the mother figure in a high-profile mid-1980s public awareness campaign in Los Angeles aimed at stopping the spread of AIDS, died today of natural causes at Barlow Respiratory Hospital in Los Angeles, said Eric Stevens, her agent. Rubinstein was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center about two months ago after suffering a mild heart attack, Stevens said. "She had ongoing health issues and unfortunately they finally overtook her," he said. A medical lab technician before launching her acting career in her 40s, the 4-foot-3 Rubinstein made her film debut as one of the little people in the 1981 Chevy Chase comedy "Under the Rainbow." Among her other credits are the movies "Frances," "Sixteen Candles," "Teen Witch," "Anguish" and "Southland Tales" and the TV series "Picket Fences" on which she was a regular.
Older JMG readers may remember Zelda's famous and groundbreaking HIV prevention billboard campaign in Los Angeles, which proclaimed that "L.A. CARES Like A Mother." From a 1985 Los Angeles Times article:
Some city buses will begin carrying advertisements next month asking sex partners to "play safely" as a way to avoid being stricken by acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), despite fears that the ads will offend riders. The ads will appear in 80 Rapid Transit District buses beginning in June. The RTD originally refused to carry the ads but changed its mind after months of negotiations with L.A. CARES, the state-funded group sponsoring the ads. The ads feature an actress portraying a mother wearing an apron and holding a wooden spoon while saying, "Play Safely." Below is a caption which reads, "L.A. CARES . . . like a mother."
I believe Zelda's ad campaign was the first such publicly funded safe sex ad campaign. Can anybody verify that? Below is the Advocate's Neil Broverman's interview with Zelda made last last year.
Over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, EQCAs Marriage and Coalitions Deputy Director Andrea Shorter sat down with Dr. Rev. Amos Brown, senior pastor at the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco. Watch their conversation about faith, the African American community and marriage for same-sex couples.
Watch the video and join the conversation. Full length interview after the jump.
Leave a comment. How should EQCA reach out to people of faith?
