Via JMG: MINNESOTA: Libertarian Party Rebukes GOP Over Proposed Marriage Ban

The Libertarian Party of Minnesota has "rebuked" the GOP for the campaign to put a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage to a statewide vote.

The proposed Gay Marriage Ban would expand government control and restrict the freedom of consenting adults to live their own lives as they choose. Libertarians believe that marriage is a private matter between individuals. We believe that marriage is a fundamental human right, and that all personal relationships, including marriage, should be at the sole discretion and agreement of the individuals involved, as well as any family, friends, or religious institutions they may choose to involve. Government has no business restricting or interfering with marriage. This ban would create a caste system by dividing society into two classes: those who are permitted to marry, and those who are not. We also oppose any attempt to place a marriage ban before voters, as the trappings of democracy do not legitimize infringements upon personal liberty; a 51% majority does not have the right to force its will upon the other 49%. We instead support a free society, where 1% can still be free to live their own lives as they choose, even if 99% might disapprove. Furthermore, we call upon legislators to expand liberty by repealing the existing statutory gay marriage ban.

Labels: GOP, Libertarian Party, marriage equality, Minnesota

reposted from Joe

Via Huffington: The Hypocrisy Hall of Fame: Schwarzenegger and Marriage Equality

Arnold Schwarzenegger's long list of past indiscretions -- including the recent revelation that he fathered a child with a member of his household staff -- shouldn't be any of our business. As long as he didn't break the law, nobody beyond his immediate family should be concerned with his private affairs. But is it too much to ask that Schwarzenegger, and other politicians who have found themselves caught up in messy family situations, extend to all Americans what they say they want for themselves: to not have others meddle in their private lives?

I am still angry at Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not because he hid a personal secret from the public and from his own family, but because he did so while working to deny thousands of California citizens the right to have legal families at all.

make the jump here to read the full article

PINK DOT 2011: SUPPORT THE FREEDOM TO LOVE - 18 JUNE 2011

Via JMG: Catholic Molestation Study: Priests Were Stressed Out By The Sexual Revolution

According to a five year study commissioned by the Catholic Church, the real reason all those priests committed child molestation is because they were "poorly prepared and monitored" during the social tumult of the sexual revolution. Blame it on Woodstock.

The researchers concluded that it was not possible for the church, or for anyone, to identify abusive priests in advance. Priests who abused minors have no particular “psychological characteristics,” “developmental histories” or mood disorders that distinguished them from priests who had not abused, the researchers found. Since the scandal broke, conservatives in the church have blamed gay priests for perpetrating the abuse, while liberals have argued that the all-male, celibate culture of the priesthood was the cause. This report will satisfy neither flank.

The report notes that homosexual men began entering the seminaries “in noticeable numbers” from the late 1970s through the 1980s. By the time this cohort entered the priesthood, in the mid-1980s, the reports of sexual abuse of minors by priests began to drop and then to level off. If anything, the report says, the abuse decreased as more gay priests began serving the church. Many more boys than girls were victimized, the report says, not because the perpetrators were gay, but simply because the priests had more access to boys than to girls, in parishes, schools and extracurricular activities.

The $1.8M study was conducted by New York's John Jay College, with the DOJ kicking in $280K.

Labels: Catholic Church, molestation, NYC, religion

reposted from Joe

Grant Hill From The Phoenix Suns On "Think Before You Speak" PSA

Via JMG: Another Rapture Update

The San Francisco Chronicle reports today that End Times proponent Harold Camping credits gay pride events and same-sex marriage for hastening the arrival of Saturday's rapture. Camping also says that 200 million Christians (only) will ascend to heaven in three days (time zone by time zone, beginning at 6PM, you'll recall) with the rest of us to be turned into pillars of salt, destroyed by earthquake, or burned alive in a hail of sulfur. All that will take place over the next five months because the Earth itself isn't scheduled to explode until October 21st.

Labels: crazy people, end times, religion

reposted from Joe

Via PFAW: Arnold Schwarzenegger's long list of past indiscretions

Dear Daniel,

Arnold Schwarzenegger's long list of past indiscretions -- including the recent revelation that he fathered a child with a member of his household staff -- shouldn't be any of our business. As long as he didn't break the law, nobody beyond his immediate family should be concerned with his private affairs. But is it too much to ask that Schwarzenegger, and other politicians who have found themselves caught up in messy family situations, extend to all Americans what they say they want for themselves: to not have others meddle in their private lives?

I am still angry at Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not because he hid a personal secret from the public and from his own family, but because he did so while working to deny thousands of California citizens the right to have legal families at all.

Sure, Schwarzenegger was not one of those politicians who regularly use inflammatory anti-gay rhetoric, but nobody in state office has done more to hold back marriage equality for more people. Despite Schwarzenegger's often gay-friendly tone, he is the only governor ever to have vetoed marriage equality legislation twice...twice! Now, Schwarzenegger wants to be known for his refusal to defend the discriminatory Proposition 8 in court. But while he was in office, he had the chance to do the right thing and failed...twice. This is what Americans should remember about Schwarzenegger's gay rights record. A friendly tone doesn't mean a thing when it's paired with hateful policies.

Schwarzenegger, despite his purported unwillingness to join the ranks of the fire breathing gay-bashing Right, has placed himself with the likes of John Ensign and Newt Gingrich on the long and growing list of GOP officials who accused gay people of ruining the institution of marriage while they themselves flouted their wedding vows.

No politician, however squeaky clean his or her personal record is, should be in the business of telling grown adults who they can love and marry, or demonizing people who are trying to achieve the financial and emotional security of marriage. But the people who make my blood boil are those who accuse gay people of harming the institutions of marriage and the family while causing real harm to their own marriages and families. These men expose the real hypocrisy behind efforts to stop gay equality. They insist that family is a personal matter and beg for privacy in their personal affairs. We should all expect -- no, demand -- that they extend that belief to their public policy when and where it really matters.

Sincerely,

Michael Keegan, President

This piece also published on The Huffington Post.

---

Via Change.Org:

Thank the San Francisco Giants for announcing they'll make an "It Gets Better" video!

Dear Daniel,

We have some wonderful news -- a breakthrough moment that could catalyze a cultural shift in America.

The San Francisco Giants have just committed to becoming the first team in professional sports to produce an “It Gets Better” video against anti-gay bullying, opening up a broader conversation in America about homophobia in the sports world and in our society.  

The Giants will join President Obama, corporations like Google and Apple, and more than 10,000 people who have uploaded poignant and powerful videos supporting kids struggling with sexual orientation and gender identity. 

Inspired by the It Gets Better Project and heartsick about recent homophobic incidents in sports, Giants fan Sean Chapin decided to start a petition on Change.org reaching out to his favorite team. More than 6,000 Giants fans signed on in support of Sean’s petition, including four San Francisco mayoral candidates.

The San Francisco Giants are now taking a courageous stand on behalf of gay kids, and those perceived to be gay, perhaps changing sports forever. Click here to join Sean Chapin in thanking the Giants for their amazing leadership.

This fantastic news comes in the aftermath of incidents involving basketball star Kobe Bryant and Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell, who was suspended for calling a group of Giants fans a “homo couple” and making lewd gestures before a recent game in San Francisco.

With role models like Bryant and McDowell, it’s no wonder homophobia is rampant in sports, from high school to the pros -- and it’s no wonder that there are zero openly gay men in the four major American sports leagues.

By taking a stand against anti-gay bullying, the Giants are striking a big blow to homophobia -- and giving a big boost to gay youth across America, especially kids who seek to one day play professional sports. 

Please add your name to join Sean Chapin in thanking the Giants and letting them know how much you appreciate their courage:

http://www.change.org/petitions/thank-the-san-francisco-giants-for-making-an-it-gets-better-anti-homophobia-video

Thanks for joining thousands of fans across America who support equality. Together, we’ll make sure the sports world is no longer a home for homophobia.

- Eden and the Change.org team

Via JMG: JMG Reader Sean Chapin Convinces SF Giants To Create "It Gets Better" Video

JMG reader Sean Chapin has convinced the San Francisco Giants to become the first professional sports team to create an "It Gets Better" video. Chapin's petition to the team on Change.org had drawn over 6000 signatures.

In an interview Monday, Chapin, a 35-year-old accountant who lives in San Francisco and works in Oakland, described the team's decision, announced Monday, as a "breaking bubble" that will have profound reverberations. Giants spokeswoman Staci Slaughter said that the team had been thinking of joining the campaign before Chapin started his petition drive, but that his efforts speeded things up. She said the exact content of the video and which, if any, players or members of the coaching staff will participate have not been determined. Originally, the plan was to produce the video for the Giants LGBT Night home game in August, Slaughter said, "but now we're trying to get it done sooner than later."

Congratulations, Sean!

Labels: bullying, JMG community, LGBT youth, San Francisco, Sean Chapin, sports

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Hillary Clinton Issues Statement Supporting International Day Against Homophobia

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has issued a statement supporting today's International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). Via press release:

In every part of the world, men and women are persecuted and attacked because of who they are or whom they love. Homophobia, transphobia and the brutal hostility associated with them are often rooted in a lack of understanding of what it actually means to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). So to combat this terrible scourge and break the cycle of fear and violence, we must work together to improve education and support those who stand up against laws that criminalize love and promote hate. As we mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia this May 17, let us resolve to redouble our efforts.

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am proud to reaffirm our support for LGBT communities at home and abroad, and to call for an end to discrimination and mistreatment of LGBT persons wherever it occurs. Whether by supporting LGBT advocates marching in Belgrade, leading the effort at the United Nations to affirm the human rights of LGBT persons, or condemning a vile law under consideration in Uganda, we are committed to our friends and allies in every region of the world who are fighting for equality and justice. These are not Western concepts; these are universal human rights.

Despite these gains and hard work, there is more to do to turn the tide of inequality and discrimination against the LGBT community. If you are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, know that the United States stands with you and we are unwavering in our commitment to ending this cycle of hate.

And we stand with YOU, Madame Secretary.

Labels: feds, Hillary Clinton, homophobia, State Department

reposted from Joe