via JMG: ARIZONA: Openly Gay State Rep Declares Candidacy For Giffords' U.S. House Seat

"Moving forward I believe the best thing that we can do is to honor her strength, and conviction, and her leadership, by getting somebody, quickly, because we don’t have much time, into that seat who is going to carry forward in the tradition of moderate, bipartisan, common sense governance that she did so well for Southern Arizona." - Openly gay Arizona state Rep. Matt Heinz, declaring his intent to run in the special election to replace Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

If elected, Heinz would become the fifth openly gay member of the U.S. House. That number will change this fall with the retirement of Barney Frank and with Tammy Baldwin's run for the Senate. Heinz says if Giffords' district director wants to assume the remaining months of the current term, he'll suspend his own campaign until November.

Labels: Arizona, Gabrielle Giffords, gay politicians, U.S. House

reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma February 1, 2012

Watering the Seeds of Good Intentions

Metta practice is the cultivation of our capacity for lovingkindness. It does not involve either positive thinking or the imposition of an artificial positive attitude. There is no need to feel loving or kind during metta practice. Rather, we meditate on our good intentions, however weak or strong they may be, and water the seeds of these intentions. When we water wholesome intentions instead of expressing unwholesome ones, we develop those wholesome tendencies within us.

- Gil Fronsdal, "May We All Be Happy"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via AmericaBlogGay: TN GOP state senator says AIDS came about from "one guy screwing a monkey"

No, senator Stacey Campfield, that's how you came about.  From Mike Signorile:

"Most people realize that AIDS came from the homosexual community -- it was one guy screwing a monkey, if I recall correctly, and then having sex with men. It was an airline pilot, if I recall."

"My understanding is that it is virtually -- not completely, but virtually -- impossible to contract AIDS through heterosexual sex...very rarely [transmitted]."

"What's the average lifespan of a homosexual? it's very short. Google it yourself.”

That last absurd tidbit comes from a discredited hate group run by a man called Paul Cameron.  He's been so discredited that the religious right refuses to even mention the guy any more, even though much of their anti-gay "science" is based on Cameron's fake "Nazi" science (that's what the Southern Poverty Law Center called it).  (As an aside, John Boehner's favorite lawyer - well, he's also well-loved by Attorney General Eric Holder and Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan - Paul Clement used research based in part on Cameron's work to defend DOMA.)

As for it being nearly impossible to get HIV from heterosexual sex, the majority of new AIDS cases in Sub-Saharan Africa are from heterosexual sex.  And over a quarter of HIV cases in Washington, DC occurred from heterosexual sex.

Sadly, this kind of rhetoric shouldn't surprise.  The Tennessee Republican party is still racist, in 2012, so we shouldn't be surprised that the state government, run by Republicans, is also virulently anti-gay.  Just last year the Tennessee legislature, with the support of its Republican governor and businesses like Comcast, AT&T, FedEx and Blue Cross, repealed every gay and trans rights ordinance in the state, and banned cities across the state from ever passing another civil rights law ever again.

Tennessee is also the proud state where the Tennessee Tea Party, which is little more than a grouping of conservative Republicans, had this to say about Barney Frank's retirement:

"Good riddance you perverted sodomite piece of sh-t!"

Here's a little more about Tennesee's GOP:

GOP Tennessee Lt. Gov calls Islam a 'cult,' says religious freedom may not count for Muslims

TN GOP sends around press release referring to Obama as "Hussein" and showing him in traditional Muslim garb.

TN GOP staffer sends out photo of Obama as a "spook" ("spook" is a racist term to refer to black people).

Then there was the communications director of the TN GOP who distributed the Christmas carol "Barack the Magic Negro."
Or the time racist Tennessee Republicans passed a law that denied a 96 year old black women the right to vote.

Or the time an "unabashed racist" who believes in eugenics, according to AP, won the House primary in Tennessee.

And now Tennessee is trying to ban teachers, and counselors, from ever mentioning the g-word. Which should do wonders to stop schools from helping gay and trans kids who are being bullied.  Oh yeah, the TN GOP senator also had something to say about bullying:

"That bullying thing is the biggest lark out there."

"There are sexually confused children who could be pushed into a lifestyle that I don’t think is appropriate with them and it's not for the norm for society, and they don't know how they can get back from that. I think a lot of times these young teens and young children, they find it very hard on themselves and unfortunately some of them commit suicide."

Yes, the evil gays are forcing teens to kill themselves.

Welcome to Tennessee: America at its worst.

You Can't Stop Us

Via Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes:

ॐ Thich Nhat Hanh Quote Collective ॐ

You have two gardens: your own garden and that of your beloved. First, you have to take care of your own garden and master the art of gardening. In each one of us there are flowers and there is also garbage. The garbage is the anger, fear, discrimination, and jealousy within us. If you water the garbage, you will strengthen the negative seeds. If you water the flowers of compassion, understanding, and love, you will strengthen the positive seeds. What you grow is up to you.

- Thich Nhat Hahn

You have two gardens: your own garden and that of your beloved. First, you have ...See More

By: ॐ Thich Nhat Hanh Quote Collective ॐ

 

Via JMG: Washington Marriage Bill Advances

Washington state's marriage equality bill advanced again today after surviving a close 8-7 vote in the House Judiciary Committee. The Senate version of the bill advanced last week. Washington United reacts via press release:

“We thank Chair Pedersen and the members of the Judiciary Committee who supported marriage equality today,” said Lacey All, Chair of Washington United for Marriage. “As the bill continues to progress in both chambers in Olympia, it is clear that momentum is on our side. The stories of love, honor, commitment and family that our legislators are hearing from their constituents continue to be the single most important factor that sets us apart from those who oppose this bill.”

The full Senate will debate and vote on the bill this Wednesday. House action should follow shortly after. Gov. Christine Gregoire has promised to sign the bill, but its implementation may be suspended pending the expected November challenge at the ballot.

Labels: LGBT rights, marriage equality, Washington state

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Simpler Circumcision

As part of a campaign to reduce HIV infections in Africa, groups such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are advocating the use of the above "simpler" circumcision method. The new procedure is intended to speed the rate of circumcisions in regions that have few doctors.

Circumcision is believe to protect heterosexual men because the foreskin has many Langerhans cells, which pick up viruses and “present” them to the immune system — which H.I.V. attacks. From the initial safety studies done so far, PrePex is clearly faster, less painful and more bloodless than any of its current rivals. And it relies on the simplest and least-threatening technology — a rubber band. The band compresses the foreskin against a plastic ring slipped inside it; the foreskin dies within hours for lack of blood and, after a week, falls off or can be clipped off “like a fingernail,” said Tzameret Fuerst, the company’s chief executive officer, who compared the process to the stump of an umbilical cord’s shriveling up and dropping off a few days after it is clamped. It is done with topical anesthetic cream, and there is usually no bleeding. And PrePex can be put in place and removed by nurses with about three days’ training.

Three separate studies have shown that circumcision can reduce HIV infection from vaginal sex by up to 60%. Another study was cut short when it became clear that circumcising men that are already infected provided no protection to women. In 2009 the CDC announced that it was considering recommending that American boys be circumcised at birth, but that policy was never formalized. No study has yet confirmed that circumcision provides any protection for gay men.

Labels: Africa, circumcision, HIV/AIDS, science

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: In Memory Of Slain Activist David Kato

No More Down Low reports on the anniversary of slain Ugandan activist David Kato, whose memorial vigil I attended and reported upon last year.

Labels: activism, Africa, murder, Uganda

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: LGBT Cancer Survey

Take the survey.

Labels: cancer, LGBT health, surveys

reposted from Joe

Via Gay Politics Report:

• N.H. unlikely to repeal marriage law, Republicans say
  Republican New Hampshire lawmakers say a bill that would end marriage for same-sex couples in the state is unlikely to become law this year. Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, has vowed to veto the bill if it reaches his desk, and it appears that enough legislators, including multiple Republicans, oppose the measure to prevent it from passing with a veto-proof margin. Recent polls indicate that New Hampshire voters are clearly against overturning the current law that allows gays and lesbians to marry. Concord Monitor (N.H.) (1/29)