Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma February 17, 2013

A Foundation of Presence

Through mindfulness, we develop greater composure and a heightened sensitivity to nonverbal communication. Then, to the extent that we ourselves are present, we can radiate that same quality outward to the people around us. It is hard to be generous, disciplined, or patient if we are not fully present. If we are present and attentive, and our mind is flexible, we are more receptive to the environment around us.

- Judy Lief, “On the Contagious Power of Presence”

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through February 18th, 2013
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Via JMG: Soccer Stars Rally For Robbie Rogers

Professional soccer players have poured onto Twitter to express support for Robbie Rogers, who yesterday came out and announced his retirement from the sport. The New York Times has posted a lengthy recapping of the messages to Rogers, whose number of Twitter followers swelled by the tens of thousands following his announcement.

RELATED: Some of the messages to Rogers express hope that he returns to professional soccer.  Rogers' contract is currently owned by the Chicago Fire and yesterday their head coach issued this statement: "Yesterday I thought he was a very good player and I still think that today. Should Robbie want to return to the game, we would still be open to him being part of the Fire."

Labels: coming out, gay athletes, soccer, sports

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Pro Soccer Player Comes Out

 

Major League Soccer player Robbie Rogers simultaneously came out and resigned from his sport today.  Rogers writes on his personal blog:

Secrets can cause so much internal damage. People love to preach about honesty, how honesty is so plain and simple. Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay. Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently.
I always thought I could hide this secret. Football was my escape, my purpose, my identity. Football hid my secret, gave me more joy than I could have ever imagined… I will always be thankful for my career. I will remember Beijing, The MLS Cup, and most of all my teammates. I will never forget the friends I have made a long the way and the friends that supported me once they knew my secret.
Now is my time to step away. It’s time to discover myself away from football. It’s 1 A.M. in London as I write this and I could not be happier with my decision. Life is so full of amazing things. I realized I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest. Honesty is a bitch but makes life so simple and clear. My secret is gone, I am a free man, I can move on and live my life as my creator intended.

Rogers played several seasons for Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew before joining Britain's Leeds United team last year.  In 2007 he played for Team USA in the FIFA World Cup tournament.  In 2008 he competed for the United States at the Beijing Olympics.
UPDATE: Athlete Ally founder and former collegiate wrestling champion Hudson Taylor has issued a statement in reaction to Rogers' announcement.

"I applaud Rogers’ courage and honesty in what continues to be a struggle for gay and lesbian athletes around the world. With yet another athlete coming out and feeling the need to retire, it is time that we, as an athletic community, realize the responsibility we have in making athletes feel comfortable and confident being themselves. Sports participants and fans are central to the greatest civil rights cause of our time, and I urge all members of the sports community to recognize the important role we play."

Labels: coming out, gay athletes, soccer, sports

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Tim Tebow's Hate Date

On the left is how the New York Daily News headlines Tim Tebow's upcoming speech at the church of notorious crackpot and homophobe, Pastor Robert Jeffress, who may be most famous for telling the Values Voters Summit that "70% of all gay men have AIDS."

The wildcat quarterback is slated to speak at the 11,000-member First Baptist Dallas Church’s April 28 Sunday morning service, according to the church’s website. While Tebow is known for wearing his religion on his sleeve and his prayerful onfield gestures have been dubbed “Tebowing,” he’s made a practice of not offending his teammates with his faith. But Tebow’s peace-and-love message could be tested by the megachurch’s evangelical Christian pastor, the Rev. Robert Jeffress. He once accused gay activists of trying to hide “the link between homosexuality and pedophilia.” In November, the preacher warned his flock that President Obama’s reelection “would lead to a rise of the antiChrist.” While endorsing Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s presidential bid in October 2011, Jeffress bashed Islam, Judaism and Mormonism as heretical religions “from the pit of hell.”

After Perry dropped out of the race, Jeffress decided that maybe all Mormons weren't hellbound sinners. He then endorsed Romney.  When a New York City newspaper denounces someone like Jeffress as "anti-Jew," one wonders if Tebow even wants to keep playing here.

Labels: crackpots, football, liars, NYC, religion, Robert Jeffress, sports, Tim Tebow

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma February 16, 2013

Practice is Planting Seeds

When you plant seeds in the garden, you don’t dig them up every day to see if they have sprouted yet. You simply water them and clear away the weeds; you know that the seeds will grow in time. Similarly, just do your daily practice and cultivate a kind heart. Abandon impatience and instead be content creating the causes for goodness; the results will come when they’re ready.

- Thubten Chodron, “Meditator’s Toolbox”

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through February 17th, 2013
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Via JMG: Gallup Ranks Gayest States

Gallup today issued the results of a poll conducted last year in which they asked over 200,000 people if they "personally identify" as LGBT.   As with all such self-disclosure surveys, the numbers are somewhat skewed by those who decline to out themselves to pollsters.

The percentage of U.S. adults who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) ranges from 1.7% in North Dakota to 5.1% in Hawaii and 10% in the District of Columbia, according to Gallup surveys conducted from June-December 2012. Residents in the District of Columbia were most likely to identify as LGBT (10%). Among states, the highest percentage was in Hawaii (5.1%) and the lowest in North Dakota (1.7%), but all states are within two percentage points of the nationwide average of 3.5%.
Measuring sexual orientation and gender identity can be challenging because these concepts involve complex social and cultural patterns. There are a number of ways to measure lesbian, gay, and bisexual orientation, and transgender status. Gallup chose a broad measure of personal identification as LGBT because this grouping of four statuses is commonly used in current American discourse, and as a result has important cultural and political significance.

One limitation of this approach is that it is not possible to separately consider differences among lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, or transgender individuals. A second limitation is that this approach measures broad self-identity, and does not measure sexual or other behavior, either past or present.

Gallup observers that while the variation between most states is relatively small, their data does support a conclusion that LGBT people are more willing to self-identify in states that provide anti-discrimination protections.

The states with proportionally larger LGBT populations generally have supportive LGBT legal climates. With the exception of South Dakota, all of the states that have LGBT populations of at least 4% have laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and allow same-sex couples to marry, enter into a civil union, or register as domestic partners. Of the 10 states with the lowest percentage of LGBT adults, only Iowa has such laws.

Fascinating stuff. Hit the link for much more and the second half of Gallup's ranking.

Labels: Gallup, LGBT rights, polls, surveys

Reposted from Joe

Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	If you would like to be with me and to find comfort that way, the first thing for you to learn is the right behavior. Go back to your home and learn to do as your parents want, continue to recite your prayers, and work hard in your daily life. At the same time, clean yourself up, put on proper clothes, and don't neglect yourself again. When you've learned this, come back to me and you may be allowed to become one of my followers. - Dhammapada More Buddhism Quotes >>

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma February 15, 2013

Every Waking Moment

As the present moment can be found any moment, every waking moment can be made a concentrated moment.

- Henepola Gunaratana, "Sitting Still"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through February 16th, 2013
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Gay Parents Bashed: What Would You Do?

Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Attentiveness is the path to true life; Indifference is the path to death. The attentive do not die; The indifferent are as if they are dead already. - Dhammapada More Buddhism Quotes >>