Via Being Liberal FB Page:

Via Gaycitynews.com:

Vargas Llosa: Against Hunting Gays In Latin America | gaycitynews.com

BY KELLY JEAN COGSWELL | 

 

IIn March, 24-year-old store clerk and gay activist Daniel Zamudio was attacked in a public park in Santiago, Chile, beaten intermittently for hours, carved with swastikas, and left for dead. He finally got to a hospital, struggled for three weeks, and then died.

 Observers are calling him the Chilean Matthew Shepard, because the brutal murder has launched a national discussion about LGBT rights. An antidiscrimination law that has been languishing for seven years is even speeding through the National Congress despite conservative lawmakers warning it will lead to same-sex marriage, among other horrors.

On Easter Sunday, the Nobel prize-winning writer, Mario Vargas Llosa, spoke out in an op-ed called “Hunting Gays.” He did more than the usual handwringing denunciation of violence; he published an indictment of all Latin America, whose countries, “without a single exception,” he wrote, repress, persecute, and marginalize queers “with the open and massively enthusiastic support of the general public.”

http://gaycitynews.com/vargas-llosa-against-hunting-gays-in-latin-america/

Via Heterosexuals for Same-Sex Equality on FB:

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma June 2, 2012

As If There is Nothing to Lose

Gratitude, the simple and profound feeling of being thankful, is the foundation of all generosity. I am generous when I believe that right now, right here, in this form and this place, I am myself being given what I need. Generosity requires that we relinquish something, and this is impossible if we are not glad for what we have. Otherwise the giving hand closes into a fist and won’t let go.

- Sallie Jiko Tisdale, “As If There is Nothing to Lose"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via ॐ Blue Buddha Quote Collective

‎"The first drawback of anger is that it destroys your inner peace; the second is that it distorts your view of reality. If you think about this and come to understand that anger is really unhelpful, that it is only destructive, you can begin to distance yourself from anger."

~ H.H. The Dalai Lama.

Via Alternet:

Hedges: The Christian Right's Crusade Against Gays Is Far Scarier Than You Think

The money available to the Christian right is solidifying institutions -- from right-wing universities to media outlets -- that propagate a culture of hate. 

We have 29 states that do not outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” White said. “Transgender Americans are invariably the worst victims of discrimination and violence. And yet there are 44 states that do not outlaw discrimination on the basis of gender identity. There are 44 states that have laws or constitutional amendments denying us the rights of marriage, claiming our relationships are unholy, that we’re sick and icky,” White said. “And Mr. Obama has just said marriage equality is up to the [individual] states. A majority of the states have already decided against us. If you ask a gay person in New York, ‘Can we adopt?’ he will respond of course we can adopt. Can we provide foster care? Of course we can provide foster care. Can we get jobs equally? Of course we can, especially if we are white and male. But with all the progress we have made, 44 states still see us as the enemy. Add a few more states to this list and it is over. How awful it will be if these restrictions make their way to states such as Connecticut, New York and California. Remember, California is going down the tubes financially. And the fear about the nation’s financial future is the engine that drives all of this.”

Read the entire article here:


http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/155633/hedges:_the_christian_right%27s_crusade_against_gays_is_far_scarier_than_you_think/?page=1

JC Penney you Rock!

JC Penney Responds To JMG Reader

JMG reader Mike shares his email exchange with JC Penney:

Dear JCP, I love you guys. I have never been into a JC Penney store, but after seeing your ad with Cooper Smith and Todd Koch and their kids ... well, you guys rock. I will find something to buy, just to say thank you!! sincerely, mike

Dear Mike, Thank you for sharing with me your very valuable feedback. As a company founded on “The Golden Rule,” we consider it our top priority to treat each customer as we would like to be treated. Fair and Square. We are in the process of dreaming up new ways to make you love shopping with us and your comments help us move one step closer to becoming your favorite store! Hope you have a great weekend! Sincerely, Chris, Customer Care Representative.

And that, kids, is how you win business.

Labels: business, JMG community, retail

Reposted from Joe

I Am Divine Foundation - I'm So Beautiful PSA DIVINE RULES!

Via JMG:

HomoQuotable - Peter Tatchell

"While I doubt that Elizabeth II is a raging homophobe, she certainly doesn't appear to gay-friendly. Not once in her 60-year reign has she publicly acknowledged the existence of the LGBT community – or gay members of her own royal family. The Queen has turned her back on queens. While she has spoken approvingly of the UK's many races and faiths, for six decades she has ignored LGBT Britons.

"Judging from her silence, it seems that we are the unspeakable ones – the people she cannot bare to acknowledge or mention in public. Why the double standards? Regardless of whether these omissions are a reflection of the Queen's personal views or the result of advice from her courtiers, as monarch she bears ultimate responsibility. Her silence sends a signal of exclusion and disrespect." - Famed British activist Peter Tatchell, writing for the Guardian UK. The Queen's diamond jubilee celebration takes place this weekend.

Labels: Britain, England, HomoQuotable, LGBT rights, Peter Tatchell, Queen Elizabeth, royals

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Michelle Obama: Discriminating Against Same-Sex Couples Just Isn't Right

Michelle Obama: Discriminating Against Same-Sex Couples Just Isn't Right

The First Lady has posted a video response to some questions she's gotten via her Twitter account. The final question (listed above) comes at the 5:15 mark.

 

Labels: LGBT rights, Michelle Obama, White House

Reposted from Joe