- Group sues U.S. over treatment of binational couples
- The U.S. government’s treatment of binational same-sex couples is unconstitutional, according to a new federal lawsuit brought by five married couples and filed by the LGBT group Immigration Equality. Rachel Tiven, the group’s executive director, said negotiations with federal officials aimed at stopping the deportations of foreign nationals who have same- sex partners in the U.S. have not been successful. Unlike straight married individuals, gay and lesbian Americans are not allowed to sponsor their foreign partners or spouses for U.S. citizenship because the Defense of Marriage Act forbids the federal government from recognizing their relationships. Advocate.com (4/2)
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Via Gay Politcs Report:
Via Gay Politcs Report:
- Romney funded Prop 8 through anti-gay group, documents reveal
- Mitt Romney's political action committee contributed $10,000 to help pass California's Proposition 8, but did so through a hard-to-detect PAC donation to the National Organization for Marriage, according to documents provided to the Human Rights Campaign by a whistle-blower at NOM. "It’s clear now that Romney was a major financial donor to Prop 8, but it’s also clear that his campaign very cleverly hid this contribution," said Fred Sainz, HRC's vice president for communications. NOM was a key player in the passage of Proposition 8, which ended legal marriage for same-sex couples in California. The Huffington Post (3/30)
Monday, April 2, 2012
Via JMG: EU Launches LGBT Survey
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights has commissioned Gallup Europe for a survey of the LGBT residents of the EU. Besides occasional news reports about discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people, there is very little comparable data collected across the EU about the everyday experiences of LGBT people with respect to discrimination. Based on the survey results, national and European policy makers as well as non-governmental or civil society organisations will be able to better target their advocacy strategies and activities to support the LGBT community to live and express themselves freely without discrimination. In order to give weight to the results, the European LGBT Survey counts on the participation of a large and diverse group of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people from each country. This is the first EU-wide effort to collect LGBT experiences in the framework of the ever largest survey made in this field – make yours count as well!The results should prove fascinating. The survey is open to LGBT residents of all 27 EU member states. Plus Croatia. Respondents must be 18 or over. Take the survey.
Via JMG: Editorial Of The Day
From the New Jersey Star-Ledger:
The NOM agenda reveals the dark corners of a movement that will do anything to impose its will. To stop state courts or legislators from enacting marriage equality laws and to roll back the laws where they do exist, the organization established a plan that seeks to divide and conquer. And kick up a lot of distractions to damage the other side.Read the full editorial.
Among their goals: to “drive a wedge between gays and blacks,” make support of traditional marriage “a key badge of Latino identity” and develop “side issues,” such as pornography, to destabilize any consensus around gay marriage. As part of its “behind enemy lines” strategy, officials want to enlist children of same-sex couples to air “their concerns” on video.
It is sick beyond words that a group to “save” marriage would exploit racial and ethnic divisions, stir intolerance and fear, and even rip families apart by pitting children against parents. In their self-described “battle,” they come across as the biggest losers of all.
Tricycle Daily Dharma April 2, 2012
Bad Meditation? No Such Thing!
The mind can do wonderful and unexpected things. Meditators who are having a difficult time achieving a peaceful state of mind sometimes start thinking, 'Here we go again, another hour of frustration.' But often something strange happens; although they are anticipating failure, they reach a very peaceful meditative state. My first meditation teacher told me that there is no such thing as a bad meditation. He was right. During the difficult meditations you build up your strength, which creates meditation for peace. |
- Ajahn Brahm, "Stepping Towards Enlightenment"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma April 1, 2012
The Secret of the Spiritual Path
On the spiritual path, there's nothing to get, and everything to get rid of. Obviously, the first thing to let go of is trying to 'get' love, and instead to give it. That's the secret of the spiritual path. How can we give ourselves? By not holding back. By not wanting for ourselves. If we want to be loved, we are looking for a support system. If we want to love, we are looking for spiritual growth. |
- Ayya Khema, "What Love Is"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Saturday, March 31, 2012
HomoQuotable - John Waters
"When I was young there were beatniks. Hippies. Punks. Gangsters. Now you're a hacktivist. Which I would probably be if I was 20. Shuttin' down MasterCard. But there's no look to that lifestyle! Besides just wearing a bad outfit with bad posture. Has WikiLeaks caused a look? No! I'm mad about that. If your kid comes out of the bedroom and says he just shut down the government, it seems to me he should at least have an outfit for that. Get a look! I'm not judging what they do; I hope they don't shut me down." - John Waters, writing for the Wall Street Journal.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma March 30, 2012
The Perfect Zen Student
When things are running smoothly, the refrigerator is very much like some people's idea of the perfect Zen student. It is calm, cool, and quiet, and it possesses its own inner light. |
- Gary Thorp, "Infinite Winter"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Via Faithful America:
| Dear Daniel, Last time I opened the Bible, Jesus said to turn the other cheek, not to shoot first and ask questions later. But in 24 states—including Florida, where Trayvon Martin's killer is still walking the streets—the law says you can shoot and kill anyone you "reasonably believe" is threatening you.1 Those laws are on the books because of the tireless efforts of a secretive coalition of right-wing lobbyists and state legislators, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which adopted "Kill at Will" as model legislation to promote across the country.2 A key member of the ALEC task force pushing "Kill At Will" is one of the nation's most prominent evangelical organizations: Prison Fellowship, whose stated purpose is to transform lives and reconcile families affected by the criminal-justice system.3 Christians shouldn't have anything to do with promoting laws that invite self-appointed vigilantes like George Zimmerman to use deadly force. After the tragic death of Trayvon Martin, it's time for Prison Fellowship to immediately quit the American Legislative Exchange Council and disavow "Kill at Will." Prison Fellowship serves alongside the NRA, the nation's largest private-prison corporation, and the state legislator who sponsored Arizona's notorious anti-immigration law, on ALEC's Public Safety and Elections Task force. In addition to "Kill at Will," the task force has crafted and aggressively promoted "model bills" that:
No Christian organization, let alone one that purports to rehabilitate inmates and reform the criminal-justice system, should be lending its support to a coalition with an agenda that victimizes the most vulnerable people in our society. Prison Fellowship needs to hear immediately from outraged people of faith demanding that they drop out of ALEC: http://salsa. Thanks! -- Michael, Kristin, Nick, and the rest of the Faithful America team Sources: 1. "The 24 States That Have Sweeping Self-Defense Laws Just Like Florida's," ProPublica, March 22, 2012 http://www.propublica.org/ 2. "ALEC Has Pushed the NRA's 'Stand Your Ground' Law Across the Nation," Media Matters for America, March 21, 2012 http://mediamatters.org/blog/ 3. "ALEC Exposed: Public Safety and Elections Task Force," Center for Media and Democracy, accessed March 28, 2012 http://www.sourcewatch.org/ Webpage for "ALEC Corrections and Reentry Working Group," a subset of the "Public Safety and Elections Task Force," American Legislative Exchange Council, accessed March 28, 2012 http://www.alec.org/task- "Pat Nolan Promotes Prison Reform at Meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council," Prison Fellowship, accessed March 28, 2012 http://www.prisonfellowship. 4. "Prison Economics Help Drive Ariz. Immigration Law," National Public Radio, October 28, 2010 http://www.npr.org/2010/10/28/ 5. "The Hidden History of ALEC and Prison Labor," The Nation, August 1, 2011 http://www.thenation.com/ 6. "ALEC Exposed: Rigging Elections," The Nation, July 12, 2011 http://www.thenation.com/ 7. "ALEC Ratified NRA-Conceived Law That May Protect Trayvon Martin's Killer," PR Watch, Center for Media and Democracy, March 21, 2012 http://www.prwatch.org/news/ | |
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