Charter for Compassion

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

http://charterforcompassion.org/share/the-charter

Via AmericablogGay: DADT HBO documentary to air September 19th at midnight, just as DADT goes away

HBO: Documentaries will be ringing in the inclusion of openly gay and lesbian servicemen and women with their documentary, "The Strange History of Don't Ask Don't Tell." It is to air on September 19th at midnight and then re-air on September 20th at 8:00 p.m.

Via AmericaBlogGay: Great AP story with all the latest on DADT’s demise come Tuesday

Just a great story  Long and interesting.  Read it.

Via JMG: Married After 58 Years

Fire Island News managing editor Michael Lavers tips us to yesterday's wedding of Robert Scherffius and Victor Alfieri, who met 58 years ago.

Labels: Cherry Grove, Fire Island, gay weddings

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Harry Potter And Homos! Oh Noes!

Televangelist John Hagee, who preached from the stage at Rick Perry's Christ-A-Thon, is probably most famous for his claim that God sent Hurricane Katrina because of wicked homosexuals. He's also called for a preemptive nuclear strike on Iran.

 

reposted from Joe

Via AmericablogGay: Kristin Chenoweth drops gay bombshell on Tulsa, Oklahoma

Kristin Chenoweth dropped a gay bombshell on Tulsa, Oklahoma by appearing on Piers Morgan and announcing support for LGBT Americans. 

"I am a Christian, and I would call myself conservative in some ways and not so conservative in some ways," she told Morgan, which was reported on piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com

"And I don't think the gay issue is a political one, but I do think it's a civil rights issue," she said. "I believe as a woman, as a Christian, as an actor and as an artist that people who love each other should be allowed to be married, and I know that doesn't go along with what Mrs. Bachmann and everybody that proclaims that, but that is why I believe," the Tony and Emmy award winner told Morgan on the show.

She also told him: "If it was a sin to be short, what would I do? Well I'd be right on the hell bus ... I believe that's the way God made me, and I don't believe God makes mistakes, and that includes a person's sexuality."

One of the reasons this particular interview makes so much difference is that Kristin Chenoweth hails from a very conservative Tulsa suburb, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

I'm a firm believer that any kind of activism by celebrities that forces people to challenge their ultra-fundamentalist beliefs in the conservative areas of our nation, like Broken Arrow, is a very good thing. Those areas are overrun with backwards, hateful Michele Bachmann types, and should be ground zero for positive change. Kristin Chenoweth's statement makes her a heroine for our community, and especially the young LGBT kids who struggle to survive in an environment that can be downright dangerous for them.

Be sure and read the comments below the story in the Tulsa World.

Via AmericablogGay: NYT TV critic thinks it’s time for Anderson Cooper to come out

NYT: 

The one thing he hasn’t done yet — and the lacuna grows more obvious and awkward with each show — is talk about his love life. It’s hard to see how he can continue to leave that out selectively and preserve one particular zone of privacy while building a confessional talk show wrapped around his good looks, high spirits and glamorous adventures.

Gossip magazines like Us and People, and Web sites like TMZ.com follow his exploits, but he has so far managed to avoid mainstream prying. As he put it in a 2007 interview, “The whole thing about being a reporter is that you’re supposed to be an observer and to be able to adapt with any group you’re in, and I don’t want to do anything that threatens that.”

The whole thing about being a talk show host is that you stop observing and make a spectacle of yourself, and that usually entails losing control over what you disclose and what you hold back. “Anderson” raises the question of whether Anderson is quite ready for that, and its success may hinge on the answer.

I've defended Anderson in the past. He's done good work for the community on his show, and never commits hypocrisy. Sure, it'd be nice for him to come out, but I understood his desire not to, and respected it. I think what the Times is getting at is the fact that it was once a secret, but not any longer. At this point, it's almost interfering with his show(s): knowing the truth, but knowing that it must not be spoken.

I'm still not terribly worked up over this subject, but if the Times is writing about it publicly, then perhaps it's time to just get it out of the way.

Via Bjork Espana:

Foo Fighters sing to Westboro in counter-protest

Jay Leno confronts Michele Bachmann on gay marriage