Monday, April 26, 2010
Via JMG: Elton John Writes Letter To Ryan White On 20th Anniversary Of His Death
On the 20th anniversary of Ryan White's death from AIDS, Elton John has written Ryan a letter. From the Washington Post, an excerpt:
Ryan, I wish you could know how much the world has changed since 1990, and how much you changed it. Young boys and girls with HIV attend school and take medicine that allows them to lead normal lives. Children in America are seldom born with the virus, and they no longer contract it through transfusions. The insults and injustices you suffered are not tolerated by society.
Most important, Ryan, you inspired awareness, which helped lead to lifesaving treatments. In 1990, four months after you died, Congress passed the Ryan White Care Act, which now provides more than $2 billion each year for AIDS medicine and treatment for half a million Americans. Today, countless people with HIV live long, productive lives. It breaks my heart that you are not one of them. You were 18 when you died, and you would be 38 this year, if only the current treatments existed when you were sick. I think about this every day, because America needs your message of compassion as never before.
After the deaths of Ryan White and his good friend Freddy Mercury, in 1992 Elton founded the Atlanta-based Elton John AIDS Foundation, which has since raised hundreds of millions of dollars for HIV/AIDS research. This Wednesday the foundation will host an event in Ryan White's honor in Indianapolis.
Labels: Elton John, good work, HIV/AIDS, Ryan White
Via JMG: The Senate Armed Services Committee: Where They Stand On Repeal Of DADT
GetEQUAL sends us the above grid detailing the known (and unknown) DADT positions of Senators that serve on the Armed Services Committee. GetEQUAL: "These are very important targets to go after in the next 30 days with non-violent direct action and civil disobedience. It is of utmost importance that you contact ALL these Senators and express the importance of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell." They suggest using these talking points when calling the above Senators.VIDEO: Members of GetEQUAL visit the offices of some Senators. (The audio doesn't kick in for a few seconds.)
Labels: activism, DADT, GetEQUAL, Senate
reposted from JMGFrom BoxTurtle: Liechtenstein introduces same-sex couple bill
From the Italian site Queerblog (Google translation): Aurelia Frick, Minister of Justice of Liechtenstein, had promised that by summer 2010, the Principality will give itself a law that recognizes same-sex couples. Now the Government submitted the bill to Parliament which is expected to be treated de facto unions to heterosexual marriages as regards inheritance, social security, retirement pensions, immigration and naturalization, and other tax matters. Remain outside the law and adoptions that access to artificial insemination.
I am not certain whether this is a civil marriage bill, allowable on the same terms as heterosexual marriage, or if it is just the granting of limited rights to de facto couples.
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Sunday, April 25, 2010
Via JMG: This Week In Holy Crimes
Over the last seven days...
Maryland: Pastor Jerry Darnell Bartley charged with molesting a 13 year old boy.
Maine: Pastor Colin Haag and his wife arrested for kidnapping his wife's children from their biological father.
Wisconsin: The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) has filed a 55-page lawsuit against the Pope for shielding the crimes of pedophile priests.
Tennessee: Father Bill Casey arrested for molesting a 10 year old boy.
Brazil: Monsignor Luiz Marques Barbosa arrested on multiple counts of child molestation.
Wisconsin: Pastor Leonard Van Vlaenderen charged with embezzling from his church.
Indiana: Court rules that Father Francis Markey can be extradited to Ireland to face charges of child molestation.
Alaska: Pastor Shawn Anthony Justice charged with 12 counts of sexual abuse of a female minor.
Wisconsin: Pastor John West charged with conspiracy to sell heroin.
Texas: Pastor Robert John Weber charged with ten counts of sexual assault on a 15 year old girl.
Indiana: Pastor Ernest M. Beal Jr charged with stealing the trust funds of residents of the group home for mentally challenged adults that he manages.
Illinois: Father Alejandro Flores charged with molesting an 8 year old boy. Flores is already in jail awaiting trial for molesting the boy's older brother.
Ireland: Father Eugene Lewis charged with 11 counts of sexual assault on three pre-teen sisters.
Belgium: Bishop Roger Vangheluwe has resigned after confessing to child molestation.
This Week's Winner
Utah: Pastor Kris Lounsbury has been charged with two counts of rape and aggravated sexual abuse of a ten year old girl. Lounsbury was a GOP candidate for Congress in 2006, running on a platform of abolishing the income tax, deporting illegal immigrants, abolishing the United Nations, and fighting LGBT rights laws. In January 2009 he posted a recording of a sermon calling for imprecatory prayer curses against President Obama. In the linked clip, Lounsbury rails against the repeal of DADT, saying that "you have no idea how vicious, these homosexuals, can be."
Labels: religion, This Week In Holy Crimes
Friday, April 23, 2010
Via Belirico: Pride is about making people uncomfortable
Filed by: Alex Blaze
April 23, 2010 1:00 PM
Here's another story about how restrictions on free speech ultimately get used to quell political debate and silence certain opinions, no matter what the intentions were in developing those restrictions.
I was following a story from Toronto last month on Page1Q (didn't post about it here, though) about how the Toronto Pride committee set up a panel to pre-approve signs people wanted to march with in pride this year.
In a press release, Pride Toronto co-chair Jim Cullen wrote that all messages must "support the theme of the 2010 festival, celebrating '30 Years of Pride in Toronto.'"
People immediately thought the new policy was meant to keep Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA) out of the parade, although some people thought it was about homocons as well (they're always the victim). A Facebook group called "Don't Sanitize Pride" was created and thousands joined. The Pride committee's spokesperson refused to say why the policy was put in place.
Continue reading "Pride is about making people uncomfortable" »