Please forward
Iraqi gays condemn Obama/Clinton inaction on pogrom
Embassy statement 'offensive and insulting'
Iraqi lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people (LGBT) has spoken of their deep anger and offense at a statement by the Baghdad US Embassy concerning the violence and murder campaign against gays.
In a response to US Rep. Jared Polis, following a meeting with Iraqi government officials, chargé d’affaires Patricia Butenis said "We have no evidence that [the Iraq government's] security forces are in any way involved with these militias."
Iraqi LGBT has been reporting for four years on police involvement with the terror campaign.
Group members speaking from Iraq said that they are "fed up with such 'political' words" and that the Americans are doing nothing to stop the terror campaign against them. They believe that the priority for Hillary Clinton's State Department and Obama's administration is to not upset the Iraqi government as they have no other allies within the country.
They believe that no-one is trying to help them and feel that the current timid diplomacy "will not do much good".
"These words from the American embassy officials are insulting to us, and to those many friends of ours who have murdered. This statement is evidence that the Iraqi government is doing nothing to protect its citizens."
"They are responsible for these crimes through bringing no one to justice, refusing to acknowledge their police's involvement and providing no rights for Iraqi LGBT in law."
"People should not forget that what's happening in Iraq right now is a direct result of the unlawful US invasion."
Scott Long, director of Human Rights Watch’s LGBT Rights Program, has also criticism the State Department. In an interview with EdgeBoston, responding to State spokesperson John T. Fleming's pointed statement that 'homosexuality is not a crime in Iraq', Long responded that the fact that homosexuality is not a crime punishable by death "would be an interesting fact if the law, or the rule of law, mattered in Iraq."
Long has just returned from a fact-finding mission to Iraq where he spoke to 25 survivors from Baghdad and other cities, including Najaf, Basra and Samarra.
As a consequence of what they found, Human Rights Watch has been organizing ways for as many LGBT Iraqis as possible to get out of the country.
Colorado U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, who has spoken about Iraqi government involvement with the violence, has written with Reps. Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank to U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill.
"As LGBT Americans and cochairs of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, we are disturbed and shocked at allegations that Ministry of the Interior Security Forces may be involved in the mass persecution and execution of LGBT Iraqis ... The persecution of Iraqis based on sexual orientation or gender identity is escalating and is unacceptable regardless of whether these policies are extrajudicial or state-sanctioned."
The letter called on the U.S. embassy in Iraq to "prioritize the investigation" of the allegations and work with the Iraqi government to end the executions of LGBT Iraqis. Polis is drafting another letter that would be signed by more members of Congress and sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
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Thursday, June 4, 2009
How to have an Absolutely Fabulous Feast!
Here is a thought I had while at the gym today. (DISCLOSURE: I lifted parts of this, well most of this, from the Unitarians who definitely are inclusive). You, see, as I was madly peddling away, I got to thinking, since so many Bahá’ís are disinclined to interact with 10% of the population, I got to thinking.... how our prejudices stem from a lack of experience or understanding of those that seem different, or in this case fabulous... so what to do? Invite the local GLBT community to a fireside or a Holy Day.
Oh snap!
So as a first step, I offer here a, simple, easy to use, handy, template for your community to use in your community website. All your community has to do is cut and paste this statement below into your community webpage. Simply substitute XYZ for Woodburn, Albuquerque, Portland, Wilmette or or even Carmichael! If you need help, I am glad to come help... oops! I forgot, THEY won't let me! Sorry, how very awkward, at any rate here goes:
The Bahá’ís of XYZ, California would like to extend a warm welcome to Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people and their families. We encourage you to seek your own spiritual path and visit our community, a place where people gather to nurture their spirits and put their faith into action by helping to make our community—and the world—a better place.
The XYZ Bahá’í Community takes pride in working alongside other communities of Faith in XYZ, to provide a welcoming and open place for LGBT people. We invite you to visit us and to explore the healing words of Bahá’u’lláh, who’s life was dedicated to the elimination of all forms of prejudice.
Since the Bahá’í Faith is dedicated to the eradication for all forms of prejudice we believe that “The inherent worth and dignity of every person,” applies equally to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Our local Bahá’í community is reaching out to all LGBT people and their families, because for more than a century, the Bahá’í Faith has been in the forefront of fighting prejudice and bigotry.
Together with other progressive communities in XYZ, we are proud to work to promote acceptance, inclusion, understanding, and equity for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and/or transgender persons of all colors, races, and ethnicities. We are committed to protecting the civil and legal rights of LGBT people and families across the country.
We welcome you!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
From an old friend...
The words thou hadst written have, as soon as they were read in My Presence, caused the ocean of My fidelity to surge within Me, and the breeze of My forgiveness to be wafted over thy soul, and the tree of My loving-kindness to overshadow thee, and the clouds of My bounty to rain down upon thee their gifts. I swear by the Day Star that shineth above the horizon of eternity, I sorrow for thee in thy grief, and lament with thee in thy tribulation.... I bear witness to the services thou hast rendered Me, and testify to the various troubles thou hast sustained for My sake. All the atoms of the earth declare My love for thee.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 309.
Culture & Society
Gay Men on Campus: Smart, Studious, Involved
An economist taking a new look at existing data suggests that gay men do incrementally better at college than straight men, while bisexual women do worse than their peers.
According to a new study, gay male college students are better motivated, get better grades, and are more likely to seek out a mentor to aide in their education.
"The thing that really comes out (in the data) is that gay men see academic work as more important than heterosexual men," said study author Christopher Carpenter, an assistant professor of economics and public policy at the University of California, Irvine. "They were 1.41 times more likely to say their academic work was important. "That could explain the GPA effect," he added. "It's plausible that if gay men perceive their academic work as more important, then they're trying harder." Gay men also spend 40 to 50 percent more time doing volunteer work or participating in student organizations, according to Carpenter's findings. "It's possible that these organizations they belong to could include fraternities," he said. "But I doubt that, because gay men were less likely to say participating in parties was important to them." Another possible factor in their success rate: Gay male students were about 13 percent more likely than straight male students to report they had a faculty member or administrator they could talk to about a problem.
One more via JMG.
Jill Biden On Anti-Gay Bullying
The Second Lady spoke at GSLEN's Respect Awards event and addressed anti-gay bullying in public schools. "How can expect kids to learn when they are taunted by their classmates?" Biden mentions Lawrence King and two boys who recently committed suicide.
Courtesy of JMG.
Courtesy of JMG.
Victory For Marriage In New Hampshire!
This courtesy of JMG:
By a vote of 198-176, the New Hampshire House has just approved same-sex marriage, hours after the state Senate did the same. Gov. John Lynch is expected to sign the bill immediately, possibly as early as this evening. New Hampshire joins Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Maine as the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.
Congrats to all in the Granite State!
By a vote of 198-176, the New Hampshire House has just approved same-sex marriage, hours after the state Senate did the same. Gov. John Lynch is expected to sign the bill immediately, possibly as early as this evening. New Hampshire joins Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Maine as the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.Congrats to all in the Granite State!
TABLET TO THE PEOPLE
Photo by Daniel Orey, taken in February 2008, all rights reservedTABLET TO THE PEOPLE
O banished and faithful friend! Quench the thirst of heedlessness with the sanctified waters of My grace, and chase the gloom of remoteness through the morning-light of My Divine presence. Suffer not the habitation wherein dwelleth My undying love for thee to be destroyed through the tyranny of covetous desires, and overcloud not the beauty of the heavenly Youth with the dust of self and passion. Clothe thyself with the essence of righteousness, and let thine heart be afraid of none except God. Obstruct not the luminous spring of thy soul with the thorns and brambles of vain and inordinate affections, and impede not the flow of the living waters that stream from the fountain of thine heart. Set all thy hope in God, and cleave tenaciously to His unfailing mercy. Who else but Him can enrich the destitute, and deliver the fallen from his abasement?
O My servants! Were ye to discover the hidden, the shoreless oceans of My incorruptible wealth, ye would, of a certainty, esteem as nothing the world, nay, the entire creation. Let the flame of search burn with such fierceness within your hearts as to enable you to attain your supreme and most exalted goal--the station at which ye can draw nigh unto, and be united with, your Best-Beloved....
O My servants! Let not your vain hopes and idle fancies sap the foundations of your belief in the All-Glorious God, inasmuch as such imaginings have been wholly unprofitable unto men, and failed to direct their steps unto the straight Path. Think ye, O My servants, that the Hand of My all-encompassing, My over-shadowing, and transcendent sovereignty is chained up, that the flow of Mine ancient, My ceaseless, and all-pervasive mercy is checked, or that the clouds of My sublime and unsurpassed favors have ceased to rain their gifts upon men? Can ye imagine that the wondrous works that have proclaimed My divine and resistless power are withdrawn, or that the potency of My will and purpose hath been deterred from directing the destinies of mankind? If it be not so, wherefore, then, have ye striven to prevent the deathless Beauty of My sacred and gracious Countenance from being unveiled to men's eyes? Why have ye struggled to hinder the Manifestation of the Almighty and All-Glorious Being from shedding the radiance of His Revelation upon the earth? Were ye to be fair in your judgment, ye would readily recognize how the realities of all created things are inebriated with the joy of this new and wondrous Revelation, how all the atoms of the earth have been illuminated through the brightness of its glory. Vain and wretched is that which ye have imagined and still imagine!
Retrace your steps, O My servants, and incline your hearts to Him Who is the Source of your creation. Deliver yourselves from your evil and corrupt affections, and hasten to embrace the light of the undying Fire that gloweth on the Sinai of this mysterious and transcendent Revelation. Corrupt not the holy, the all-embracing, and primal Word of God, and seek not to profane its sanctity or to debase its exalted character.
O heedless ones! Though the wonders of My mercy have encompassed all created things, both visible and invisible, and though the revelations of My grace and bounty have permeated every atom of the universe, yet the rod with which I can chastise the wicked is grievous, and the fierceness of Mine anger against them terrible. With ears that are sanctified from vain-glory and worldly desires hearken unto the counsels which I, in My merciful kindness, have revealed unto you, and with your inner and outer eyes contemplate the evidences of My marvelous Revelation.
O My servants! Deprive not yourselves of the unfading and resplendent Light that shineth within the Lamp of Divine glory. Let the flame of the love of God burn brightly within your radiant hearts. Feed it with the oil of Divine guidance, and protect it within the shelter of your constancy. Guard it within the globe of trust and detachment from all else but God, so that the evil whisperings of the ungodly may not extinguish its light. O My servants! My holy, My divinely ordained Revelation may be likened unto an ocean in whose depths are concealed innumerable pearls of great price, of surpassing luster. It is the duty of every seeker to bestir himself and strive to attain the shores of this ocean, so that he may, in proportion to the eagerness of his search and the efforts he hath exerted, partake of such benefits as have been pre-ordained in God's irrevocable and hidden Tablets. If no one be willing to direct his steps towards its shores, if every one should fail to arise and find Him, can such a failure be said to have robbed this ocean of its power or to have lessened, to any degree, its treasures? How vain, how contemptible, are the imaginations which your hearts have devised, and are still devising! O My servants! The one true God is My witness! This most great, this fathomless and surging Ocean is near, astonishingly near, unto you. Behold it is closer to you than your life-vein! Swift as the twinkling of an eye ye can, if ye but wish it, reach and partake of this imperishable favor, this God-given grace, this incorruptible gift, this most potent and unspeakably glorious bounty.
O My servants! Could ye apprehend with what wonders of My munificence and bounty I have willed to entrust your souls, ye would, of a truth, rid yourselves of attachment to all created things, and would gain a true knowledge of your own selves--a knowledge which is the same as the comprehension of Mine own Being. Ye would find yourselves independent of all else but Me, and would perceive, with your inner and outer eye, and as manifest as the revelation of My effulgent Name, the seas of My loving-kindness and bounty moving within you. Suffer not your idle fancies, your evil passions, your insincerity and blindness of heart to dim the luster, or stain the sanctity, of so lofty a station. Ye are even as the bird which soareth, with the full force of its mighty wings and with complete and joyous confidence, through the immensity of the heavens, until, impelled to satisfy its hunger, it turneth longingly to the water and clay of the earth below it, and, having been entrapped in the mesh of its desire, findeth itself impotent to resume its flight to the realms whence it came. Powerless to shake off the burden weighing on its sullied wings, that bird, hitherto an inmate of the heavens is now forced to seek a dwelling-place upon the dust. Wherefore, O My servants, defile not your wings with the clay of waywardness and vain desires, and suffer them not to be stained with the dust of envy and hate, that ye may not be hindered from soaring in the heavens of My divine knowledge.
O My servants! Through the might of God and His power, and out of the treasury of His knowledge and wisdom, I have brought forth and revealed unto you the pearls that lay concealed in the depths of His everlasting ocean. I have summoned the Maids of Heaven to emerge from behind the veil of concealment and have clothed them with these words of Mine words of consummate power and wisdom. I have, moreover, with the hand of divine power, unsealed the choice wine of My Revelation, and have wafted its holy, its hidden, and musk-laden fragrance upon all created things. Who else but yourselves is to be blamed if ye choose to remain unendowed with so great an outpouring of God's transcendent and all-encompassing grace, with so bright a revelation of His resplendent mercy?
O My servants! There shineth nothing else in Mine heart except the unfading light of the Morn of Divine guidance, and out of My mouth proceedeth naught but the essence of truth, which the Lord your God hath revealed. Follow not, therefore, your earthly desires, and violate not the Covenant of God, nor break your pledge to Him. With firm determination, with the whole affection of your heart, and with the full force of your words, turn ye unto Him, and walk not in the ways of the foolish. The world is but a show, vain and empty, a mere nothing, bearing the semblance of reality. Set not your affections upon it. Break not the bond that uniteth you with your Creator, and be not of those that have erred and strayed from His ways. Verily I say, the world is like the vapor in a desert, which the thirsty dreameth to be water and striveth after it with all his might, until when he cometh unto it, he findeth it to be mere illusion. It may, moreover, be likened unto the lifeless image of the beloved whom the lover hath sought and found, in the end, after long search and to his utmost regret, to be such as cannot "fatten nor appease his hunger."
O My servants! Sorrow not if, in these days and on this earthly plane, things contrary to your wishes have been ordained and manifested by God, for days of blissful joy, of heavenly delight, are assuredly in store for you. Worlds, holy and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to your eyes. You are destined by Him, in this world and hereafter, to partake of their benefits, to share in their joys, and to obtain a portion of their sustaining grace. To each and every one of them you will, no doubt, attain.
From Yes on Gay Marriage:
Our civil rights are under attack everywhere in America!
Anti-gay extremists have mounted massive television ad campaigns in New York to fight marriage equality legislation. They are turning up the heat in their efforts to abolish gay marriage rights in Maine and the District of Columbia. The California Supreme Court just banned gay marriages forcing us back to the ballot box next year while the U.S. Congress sits on its hands and drags its feet on marriage equality.
Anti-gay extremists oppose gay marriage because they believe it’s not okay to be gay. We need your help in dispelling that myth and their bigotry.
If we are going to fight these attempts to keep gay marriage in the closet, we have to mount education campaigns across America now to obliterate the bigotry around gay marriage.
Yes on Gay Marriage is working hard to legalize gay marriage in all 50 states and demand recognition by the federal government. While we’ve been educating Americans across the country on gay marriage, we’ve also stepped up our efforts to bring gay marriage to all key battleground states and the District of Columbia in order to bring equality to every American citizen.
We need you to join us in standing up for gay marriage and equality by making a contribution today. Join us in proudly and unapologetically standing up to say “Yes On Gay Marriage.”
Together we will fight hate, bigotry and fear with the love and tolerance represented by all the faces of gay marriage.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Why I Cannot Give Up...
Photo by Daniel Orey, taken in January 2009, all rights reserved It may not make much sense to some folks, but despite the abuse, shunning and dishonesty by Bahá’ís and their Institutions, I still love this religion so. Well less the religion at the moment, and more Bahá'u'lláh.
I have been tempted at times to shove it aside, pack it in but then I remember a few things (insert music from the Sound of Music) - these ARE a few of my favorite things:
- The summer I decided to become a Bahá’í. 1976. I had attended firesides at
- Countless, magical moments in
- The work with the Gay Bahá’í Fellowship until we were asked to disband by the House of Justice. Where I met, and remain in contact with some really great folks. And finally
- This last January, while giving a talk and doing research with a colleague at the Technion in
Our well-meaning, albeit extremely mistaken leadership offered to pray for me while removing my administrative rights - homophobic, bigoted, and crazy making, but no doubt sincere to them. What they have done now in their prayerful supplications on my behalf is unleash a sense of liberty, freedom and love for the Blessed Beauty in me now that cannot be described. I am free to share what is really on my mind… without fear or shame. Maybe I should be grateful.
Message for the dishonest folks:@ the Nat'l Center: You have nothing to fear from me, not to worry. I am merely worried for open-minded GLBT and freinds who encounter the Faith and the current outmoded, homophobic, bigoted and backward view on homosexuality that YOU enforce. I worry about the lack of interest in addressing the issues we raised in our letter in 1993.
In closing I ask only what is better, a gay Bahá’í or gay non-Bahá’í?Dearest NSA of the USA, your letter to me proclaims to every GLBT, their friends and family, the later, I declare it is the former that you should strive for...
Betty Bowers Explains Traditional Marriage to Everyone Else
Bahá’ís can appreciate this historical perspective on traditional marriage as explained by Mrs Bowers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFkeKKszXTw
LGBT Family-Inclusive Immigration Bills Need Your Help
June 2, 2009
LGBT Family-Inclusive Immigration Bills Need Your Help
Dear Families and Friends,
Tomorrow morning at 10:00am EST, Wednesday, June 3, the Senate Judiciary Committee will convene the first-ever hearing on inequality for same-sex couples in federal immigration law. The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) is long overdue legislation that will end current discriminatory immigration policy by allowing American citizens to sponsor their same-sex partners for residency in the United States.
Jennifer Chrisler, Executive Director of the Family Equality Council, submitted testimony on behalf of binational same-sex couples raising children. The Family Equality Council is proud to participate in efforts to educate Congress and reform immigration inequities to include LGBT families. A special thanks goes out to our partners at Immigration Equality, the lead organizational advocate on this bill. (Read Family Equality Council's full statement on the UAFA hearings and testimony here.)
Reuniting Families Act
Meanwhile, Representative Mike Honda (D-CA), a longtime champion of the LGBT community, will soon introduce the Reuniting Families Act. This landmark immigration bill ends harmful practices--such as long visa wait times and discrimination against LGBT families--that prevent loving families from being together.
Congressman Honda's inclusion of same-sex couples as part of this remarkable legislation marks the first time in Congressional history that same-sex couples have been included as part of a multi-issue immigration bill. As our country begins a conversation about comprehensive immigration reform, this important first step helps to ensure that inequalities facing binational LGBT families are included in the discussion. Our families can be part of fixing our nation's broken immigration system by supporting Congressman Honda's efforts.
With these two important bills moving in Congress, it's crucial that we act now to end discrimination against LGBT families in immigration law.
Please call your U.S. Representative and ask him or her to cosponsor the Reuniting Families Act.
Dial the Capital Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be directly connected to your Representative. (If you don’t know who your representative is you can find out at www.congressmerge.com).
Then forward this message to 10 friends and family members. We need all hands on deck to ensure our families are included in comprehensive immigration reform.
For more information on the Uniting American Families Act and to watch tomorrow's hearings live, visit Immigration Equality's Blog.
My Neighbors sent us this message today...
Daniel and Milton,
Remember in these times , it is best to keep it simple...
Simple Gifts
"Tis a gift to be simple, 'tis a gift to be free, 'tis a gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained,
to bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,
To turn, turn, will be our delight,
'til by turning, turning we come round right."
Bracket
When we go to that quiet place to calm the exterior noise and breathe in peace for the mind and heart, there is no christian, no muslim, no hindu, no budha, no ba'hi only the peace of oneness, interconnectedness....
love,
J and D
Remember in these times , it is best to keep it simple...
Simple Gifts
"Tis a gift to be simple, 'tis a gift to be free, 'tis a gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained,
to bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,
To turn, turn, will be our delight,
'til by turning, turning we come round right."
Bracket
When we go to that quiet place to calm the exterior noise and breathe in peace for the mind and heart, there is no christian, no muslim, no hindu, no budha, no ba'hi only the peace of oneness, interconnectedness....
love,
J and D
Life Only Gets Worse for LGBT Iraqis
Subject: Life Only Gets Worse for LGBT Iraqis.
Please forward it.
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=features&sc3=&id=91976
Life Only Gets Worse for LGBT Iraqis
by Seth Michael Donsky
EDGE Contributor
Tuesday Jun 2, 2009
Two young gay men were found dead recently in Baghdad’s Sadr City slum, wearing diapers and women’s lingerie--at least according to reports. The bodies of four other men, beaten to death, were discovered by Iraqi police, each bearing signs reading "pervert" in Arabic on their chests. Additionally several coffee shops in Sadr, that were popular with gay Iraqis have been set on fire recently.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs believes as many as 30 people have been killed in Iraq in the last three months because they were gay or perceived to be gay. In an open letter posted on its website, the human rights group Amnesty International has called upon Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to take "urgent and concerted action" to end the violence against the Iraqi gay community.
John T. Fleming, who heads public affairs for the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, takes pains to point out that homosexuality is not a crime in Iraq. "Homosexuality," he pointed out in a recent e-mail to EDGE, "is outlawed by more than 85 countries and is punishable by death in several Islamic states... but Iraq is not one of them."
The fact that homosexuality is not a crime punishable by death "would be an interesting fact if the law, or the rule of law, mattered in Iraq," counters Scott Long, director of Human Rights Watch’s LGBT Rights Program. "As it stands, there is no law against being Sunni, but it doesn’t stop Sunnis from being killed. In fact, the violence against gays is widespread."
Long recently returned from a fact-finding mission on the ground in Iraq, where he found reports of targeted violence that dovetail with those coming out of Iraq for several years. "It’s been almost impossible, though, for us, or any other human rights organizations to verify them fully by making contact with eyewitnesses, victims, or others who could testify to them directly," he ruefully adds. "This time, we were able to find people who had accounts of violence they had experienced and it seemed incumbent on us to go to Iraq to speak to as many of them as possible and see how we could help."
As a consequence of the horrific reports coming out of the country, Human Rights Watch has been organizing ways for as many LGBT Iraqis as possible to get out of the country. If the evacuation sounds like attempts to get Jews out of Germany in the late 1930s--well, the situation may be not quite as dire, but certainly compares in the eyes of some observers.
Long describes the situation on the ground for LGBT Iraqis as a "crackdown" targeting both men who have sex with men and men who are merely seen as "effeminate." The latest series of incidents began in late February-into-early March.
He says that it appears to be primarily driven by the Mahdi Army of Moqtada al-Sadr, known as Sadrists. Now, other militias have been joining in.
Long spoke face to face with over 25 survivors of violence from Baghdad and other cities, including Najaf, Basra and Samarra. Those survivors testified to brutal killings - sometimes of their friends and boyfriends, to abductions, to gang rapes by kidnappers, and to torture by militias to get victims to name names of other homosexuals, to death threats and to murder attempts.
Longs states that the Sadrists primarily went underground when the U.S. surge began but that they are now trying to regroup and recoup their political influence. There is speculation that attacking gays is a way of their recasting themselves as moral crusaders. Some observers have compared it to what the Republican party did here in the early ’90’s with their defense of marriage legislation. "I
However, the Sadrists, like most militias, are loosely defined groups and definite accountability for the killings is difficult to trace. "What is clear," says Long, "is that this is an organized and extensive murder campaign and must involve some degree of high-level direction."
Long reports that people from the Sunni areas of Baghdad, or Sunni cities such as Samarra or Diyala, also spoke of the involvement of groups such as Al-Qaeda militias to see who can kill the most homosexuals, to see who can be the "most righteous," the most bathed in blood.
Long does not believe that the killings are part of a religious fatwa, as many have claimed or speculated. "Nobody in Iraq needs a fatwa to kill people they don’t like," says Long. "Although there are substantiated reports that Shi’ite mosques started preaching about the dangers of homosexuality earlier this years in neighborhoods such as Medinat Sadr and Karrada," strong Sadrist centers, "they do not appear to have directly called for killing. The orders to exterminate, if there were orders, came from high in the militia leadership and were political orders, not fatwas, per se."
It is true that Ayatollah Sistani carried a fatwa on his website in 2005 that restated Quranic doctrine on the death penalty for liwat, or homosexual conduct. Long believes, however, that the publicity this has received in the West has misinterpreted--somewhat--what a fatwa is.
"Sistani’s website," Long says, "is effectively an advice column, with answers to random questions forwarded to him over the internet by thousands of ordinary folks. Junior imams in his service provide many of the answers. The ’fatwa’ was in answer to one such question It was buried in a back section of his website and was never publicized on the site by Sadr’s followers or even by the Iraqi press.
Most of the publicity it received was given to it by Western activists." Most of the Iraqis Long spoke to who know of the fatwa at all knew of it only from Western sources.
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://iraqilgbtuk.blogspot.com/
Online Fundraising - we need to raise £10.000 GBP for safe houses in Iraq
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=84027150924
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Please forward it.
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Life Only Gets Worse for LGBT Iraqis
by Seth Michael Donsky
EDGE Contributor
Tuesday Jun 2, 2009
Two young gay men were found dead recently in Baghdad’s Sadr City slum, wearing diapers and women’s lingerie--at least according to reports. The bodies of four other men, beaten to death, were discovered by Iraqi police, each bearing signs reading "pervert" in Arabic on their chests. Additionally several coffee shops in Sadr, that were popular with gay Iraqis have been set on fire recently.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs believes as many as 30 people have been killed in Iraq in the last three months because they were gay or perceived to be gay. In an open letter posted on its website, the human rights group Amnesty International has called upon Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to take "urgent and concerted action" to end the violence against the Iraqi gay community.
John T. Fleming, who heads public affairs for the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, takes pains to point out that homosexuality is not a crime in Iraq. "Homosexuality," he pointed out in a recent e-mail to EDGE, "is outlawed by more than 85 countries and is punishable by death in several Islamic states... but Iraq is not one of them."
The fact that homosexuality is not a crime punishable by death "would be an interesting fact if the law, or the rule of law, mattered in Iraq," counters Scott Long, director of Human Rights Watch’s LGBT Rights Program. "As it stands, there is no law against being Sunni, but it doesn’t stop Sunnis from being killed. In fact, the violence against gays is widespread."
Long recently returned from a fact-finding mission on the ground in Iraq, where he found reports of targeted violence that dovetail with those coming out of Iraq for several years. "It’s been almost impossible, though, for us, or any other human rights organizations to verify them fully by making contact with eyewitnesses, victims, or others who could testify to them directly," he ruefully adds. "This time, we were able to find people who had accounts of violence they had experienced and it seemed incumbent on us to go to Iraq to speak to as many of them as possible and see how we could help."
As a consequence of the horrific reports coming out of the country, Human Rights Watch has been organizing ways for as many LGBT Iraqis as possible to get out of the country. If the evacuation sounds like attempts to get Jews out of Germany in the late 1930s--well, the situation may be not quite as dire, but certainly compares in the eyes of some observers.
Long describes the situation on the ground for LGBT Iraqis as a "crackdown" targeting both men who have sex with men and men who are merely seen as "effeminate." The latest series of incidents began in late February-into-early March.
He says that it appears to be primarily driven by the Mahdi Army of Moqtada al-Sadr, known as Sadrists. Now, other militias have been joining in.
Long spoke face to face with over 25 survivors of violence from Baghdad and other cities, including Najaf, Basra and Samarra. Those survivors testified to brutal killings - sometimes of their friends and boyfriends, to abductions, to gang rapes by kidnappers, and to torture by militias to get victims to name names of other homosexuals, to death threats and to murder attempts.
Longs states that the Sadrists primarily went underground when the U.S. surge began but that they are now trying to regroup and recoup their political influence. There is speculation that attacking gays is a way of their recasting themselves as moral crusaders. Some observers have compared it to what the Republican party did here in the early ’90’s with their defense of marriage legislation. "I
However, the Sadrists, like most militias, are loosely defined groups and definite accountability for the killings is difficult to trace. "What is clear," says Long, "is that this is an organized and extensive murder campaign and must involve some degree of high-level direction."
Long reports that people from the Sunni areas of Baghdad, or Sunni cities such as Samarra or Diyala, also spoke of the involvement of groups such as Al-Qaeda militias to see who can kill the most homosexuals, to see who can be the "most righteous," the most bathed in blood.
Long does not believe that the killings are part of a religious fatwa, as many have claimed or speculated. "Nobody in Iraq needs a fatwa to kill people they don’t like," says Long. "Although there are substantiated reports that Shi’ite mosques started preaching about the dangers of homosexuality earlier this years in neighborhoods such as Medinat Sadr and Karrada," strong Sadrist centers, "they do not appear to have directly called for killing. The orders to exterminate, if there were orders, came from high in the militia leadership and were political orders, not fatwas, per se."
It is true that Ayatollah Sistani carried a fatwa on his website in 2005 that restated Quranic doctrine on the death penalty for liwat, or homosexual conduct. Long believes, however, that the publicity this has received in the West has misinterpreted--somewhat--what a fatwa is.
"Sistani’s website," Long says, "is effectively an advice column, with answers to random questions forwarded to him over the internet by thousands of ordinary folks. Junior imams in his service provide many of the answers. The ’fatwa’ was in answer to one such question It was buried in a back section of his website and was never publicized on the site by Sadr’s followers or even by the Iraqi press.
Most of the publicity it received was given to it by Western activists." Most of the Iraqis Long spoke to who know of the fatwa at all knew of it only from Western sources.
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Online Fundraising - we need to raise £10.000 GBP for safe houses in Iraq
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President Obama has issued his own recognition of LGBT Pride Month
Hours after a similar statement released by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, President Obama has issued his own recognition of LGBT Pride Month. Here is his complete proclamation (PDF).
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America was born. During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans.
LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society. There are many well-respected LGBT leaders in all professional fields, including the arts and business communities. LGBT Americans also mobilized the Nation to respond to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic and have played a vital role in broadening this country's response to the HIV pandemic.
Due in no small part to the determination and dedication of the LGBT rights movement, more LGBT Americans are living their lives openly today than ever before. I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration. These individuals embody the best qualities we seek in public servants, and across my Administration -- in both the White House and the Federal agencies -- openly LGBT employees are doing their jobs with distinction and professionalism.
The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress, but there is more work to be done. LGBT youth should feel safe to learn without the fear of harassment, and LGBT families and seniors should be allowed to live their lives with dignity and respect.
My Administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a wide range of initiatives. At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States.
These issues affect not only the LGBT community, but also our entire Nation. As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every American will benefit. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
BARACK OBAMA
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America was born. During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans.
LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society. There are many well-respected LGBT leaders in all professional fields, including the arts and business communities. LGBT Americans also mobilized the Nation to respond to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic and have played a vital role in broadening this country's response to the HIV pandemic.
Due in no small part to the determination and dedication of the LGBT rights movement, more LGBT Americans are living their lives openly today than ever before. I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration. These individuals embody the best qualities we seek in public servants, and across my Administration -- in both the White House and the Federal agencies -- openly LGBT employees are doing their jobs with distinction and professionalism.
The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress, but there is more work to be done. LGBT youth should feel safe to learn without the fear of harassment, and LGBT families and seniors should be allowed to live their lives with dignity and respect.
My Administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a wide range of initiatives. At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States.
These issues affect not only the LGBT community, but also our entire Nation. As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every American will benefit. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
BARACK OBAMA
REM - Pilgrimage
Sometimes my Ipod shuffle is mysterious, spiritual, almost mystical... I got into my car to go home after my GAY Men's Yoga class (not to worry, said HUSBAND refuses to attend) and my Ipod, set on shuffle played this song by REM... I cranked it up loud:
REM - Pilgrimage
(Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe)
Take a turn, take a turn
Take our fortune, take our fortune
They called the clip a two-headed cow
Your hate clipped and distant, your luck, pilgrimage
Rest assured this will not last, take a turn for the worst
Your hate clipped and distant, your luck a two-headed cow
The pilgrimage has gained momentum
Take a turn, take a turn
Take our fortune, take our fortune
Speakin' in tongues, it's worth a broken lip
Your hate clipped and distant, your luck, pilgrimage
Rest assured this will not last, take a turn for the worst
Your hate clipped and distant, your luck a two-headed cow
The pilgrimage has gained momentum
Take a turn (take a turn), take a turn (take a turn)
Take our fortune (take a turn), take our fortune
Pilgrimage, pilgrimage
Speakin' in tongues, it's worth a broken lip
Your hate clipped and distant, your luck
Rest assured this will not last, take a turn for the worst
Your hate clipped and distant, your luck two-headed
The pilgrimage has gained momentum
Take a turn (take a turn), take a turn (take a turn)
Take our fortune (take a turn), take our fortune
Pilgrimage, pilgrimage
The pilgrimage has gained momentum
Take a turn (take a turn), take a turn (take a turn)
Take our fortune (take a turn), take our fortune (take a turn)
Take a turn (take a turn), take a turn (take a turn)
Take our fortune (take a turn), take our fortune
REM - Pilgrimage
(Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe)
Take a turn, take a turn
Take our fortune, take our fortune
They called the clip a two-headed cow
Your hate clipped and distant, your luck, pilgrimage
Rest assured this will not last, take a turn for the worst
Your hate clipped and distant, your luck a two-headed cow
The pilgrimage has gained momentum
Take a turn, take a turn
Take our fortune, take our fortune
Speakin' in tongues, it's worth a broken lip
Your hate clipped and distant, your luck, pilgrimage
Rest assured this will not last, take a turn for the worst
Your hate clipped and distant, your luck a two-headed cow
The pilgrimage has gained momentum
Take a turn (take a turn), take a turn (take a turn)
Take our fortune (take a turn), take our fortune
Pilgrimage, pilgrimage
Speakin' in tongues, it's worth a broken lip
Your hate clipped and distant, your luck
Rest assured this will not last, take a turn for the worst
Your hate clipped and distant, your luck two-headed
The pilgrimage has gained momentum
Take a turn (take a turn), take a turn (take a turn)
Take our fortune (take a turn), take our fortune
Pilgrimage, pilgrimage
The pilgrimage has gained momentum
Take a turn (take a turn), take a turn (take a turn)
Take our fortune (take a turn), take our fortune (take a turn)
Take a turn (take a turn), take a turn (take a turn)
Take our fortune (take a turn), take our fortune
Monday, June 1, 2009
Tablet of the Son
Today while waiting for the doctor, I decided to look at my Palm and realized I had put this in...
Today is a day for aiding the divine cause. It is incumbent upon every soul to call the people, with complete uprightness, to the precincts of the divine. God willing, they will mightily exert themselves so that perhaps those lost in the wilderness of passion and desire may turn their faces toward the most glorious horizon of sanctity. The influence of individual souls is and always will be beloved. For the influence of each soul is its fruit, and a soul without influence is considered a tree without fruit in the most great realm. Speak forth for the sake of God, and spread the cause for his sake. Do not look at whether others accept or deny, but rather at the service you are commanded to perform by God. This is the highest grace, eternal beneficence, everlasting fruit, and the loving-kindness of the Eternal Truth at every moment. The succor of his overflowing grace has arrived and will arrive at all times. He is with all those who are for him, and supports them with the truth. He is, in truth, powerful over all things. Glory (Baha’) be upon you, my friends, for as long as the kingdom of God and the realm of divine power endure.
-- Baha'u'llah
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