Via The Courage Campaign:

Dear Daniel --

When I graduated from high school in East Tennessee more than three decades ago, I knew a few things for sure. One was that I cared deeply about social justice. Another was that I was a homosexual -- and desperately did not want to be.

More than 30 years later, I am live-blogging the closing arguments of the historic Prop 8 federal trial today from a courtroom in San Francisco -- a city that I had once been afraid to visit for fear that people might think I was gay.

I'm one of the lucky ones. Unfortunately, many people still grappling with the ghosts and demons of self-loathing will not be able to see the trial for themselves. That's why -- when the U.S. Supreme Court banned cameras from the courtroom in January -- the Courage Campaign immediately launched into live coverage, blogging and analyzing every day of the trial for weeks.

More than 2 million views and 32,000 comments posted later, our Prop 8 Trial Tracker blog is relaunching today as a part of "Testimony: Equality on Trial" -- our year-long campaign to bring the Prop 8 trial into the lives of Americans.

I'm live-blogging the Prop 8 trial today because I know from personal experience that the testimony in this trial can literally change lives -- and transform America. With cameras once again being banned from the courtroom, we urgently need your support to relaunch the Prop 8 Trial Tracker. Will you contribute $25, $50, $100 or more today to help us keep it going? DEADLINE: Friday, 11:59 p.m.:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/TrialTracker

We need to make the Prop 8 trial a part of America's heritage. The arguments being made by attorneys Ted Olson, David Boies and their colleagues at the American Foundation for Equal Rights are as foundational to our freedoms as the speeches of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

That's why we launched Testimony: Equality on Trial, to enable Americans to reenact the trial and, soon, give their own personal testimony. Based on what I have witnessed and the reactions to our Prop 8 Trial Tracker, we knew that we had to create a long-term public engagement and education effort to get the story of this trial out to the American people.

Wednesday's closing arguments will again demonstrate the case for equality -- and the real reasons behind the opposition to equality. But it is just the start of what will be a long journey to the U.S. Supreme Court, where this case and our rights will ultimately be decided.

That's why we need your support urgently. Will you help us relaunch the Prop 8 Trial Tracker as a part of "Testimony: Equality on Trial" today? Please contribute $25, $50, $100 or more right now so we can bring this trial to the American people. DEADLINE: Friday, 11:59 p.m.:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/TrialTracker

Thank you for helping us tell the story of this trial so that we can shine a light on the bigotry that brought us to this point in our nation's history. We really can't do it without you.

Rick Jacobs
Chair, Courage Campaign

Courage Campaign Equality is a part of the Courage Campaign's multi-issue online organizing network that empowers more than 700,000 grassroots and netroots supporters to push for progressive change and full equality in California and across the country. To get involved in Courage Campaign Equality, visit "Testimony: Equality on Trial" -- our year-long campaign to bring the Prop 8 trial into the lives of Americans.

To get the truth out about the Prop 8 trial, please chip in what you can today:

Quote of the Day:

“No one will find the way out of hate and violence unless we do. Go without hate, but not without rage. Heal the world.” – Paul Monette

via LGBT POV

Comment of the day on JMG Thread

We seek the Lord's word on armed revolution, as revealed in this reading from The Book of the Persistently Dead.

***

And Jesus did arrive in the town of Gefilta and was greeted there by the village elders, who had dragged the stinking carcasses of their dead to the village square in order that the Lord might finally adjudicate them.

"Are you the King of our Shoes?", asked one of the elders.

And Jesus, sensing that what was actually meant was "of the Jews," sidestepped the question and answered instead:

"In my Father's house there are many rooms, but no man who advocates armed revolution against Democrats shall inhabit them."

And the people, not understanding "Democrats," took it to be a sign that it was time to air out the chickens and prepare the Sabbath meal.

So it is written: "He came to us a beggar and left a righteous man. In peace will his kingdom flourish and in garbage will his teabaggers flounder."

***

This is the word of The Flying and Bleached-Red-Head Monster, who makes all things tax-exempt.

Amen.

Viva España!: Government Investigating "Gay Cure" Clinic, May Impose Fines

The Catalan government is investigating a Barcelona clinic that is alleged to be performing "gay cures" and may impose fines on the business.

Policlinica Tibidabo in the Catalan capital offers pills and psychiatric "treatment" to convert homosexuals. Spain's leading daily El Pais said people who wanted to be treated are often followers of a particular religion which believes homosexuality is incompatible with their beliefs. "An investigation has been opened into this clinic," a spokeswoman for the regional government's health department told AFP. "We do not consider homosexuality as an illness, far from it." She said the clinic could face fines if the month-long probe concludes that such treatments are being carried out. A gays and lesbian rights association in Catalonia, the CGL, hailed the decision of the regional authorities. "It is totally unacceptable, in the 21st century, that health professionals are trying to treat homosexuality," CGL secretary general Antonio Guirado said in a statement. "You cannot treat something that is not an illness."

Kudos to the Catalan government. Meanwhile in America, Christianist brainwashing "ex-gay" camps and evangelical "exorcisms," which are nothing short of mental and physical torture, continue to be perfectly legal.reposted from Joe

'Everybody Loves a Lesbian' song - Mongrels - BBC Three

Via JMG: McDonald's COO: I'm A Christian And That Gay Ad Will Never Play In America

A gay-positive McDonald's ad running in France has made international news and brought the company condemnation from American evangelists. But the Christianists needn't worry, McDonald's Chief Operating Officer Donald Thompson says that commercial will never run in the United States.

I've never shied away from the fact that I'm a Christian. I have my own personal beliefs and I don't impose those on anybody else. I've been in countries where the majority of the people in the country don't believe in a deity or they may be atheist. Or the majority of the country is Muslim. Or it may be the majority is much younger skewed. So when you look at all these differences, it's not that I'm to be the judge or the jury relative to right or wrong. Having said that, at McDonald's, there are core values we stand for and the world is getting much closer. So we have a lot of conversations. We're going to make some mistakes at times. (We talk) about things that may have an implication in one part of the world and may be the cultural norm in another part of the world. And those are things that, yes, we're going to learn from. But, you're right, that commercial won't show in the United States.

posted by Joe

Winning the Freedom to Marry

Via SacBee

Whitman pushed eBay worker, New York Times reports

The New York Times is reporting that Meg Whitman was involved in a physical altercation in 2007 with an employee who later received a paid settlement. Read more.

Via JMG: HomoQuotable - Mike Albo

"Is it finally okay to be a 13-year-old sissy? From the feather-cuffed, drama-filled Olympic figure-skating competitions to the unashamedly oddball high-school TV show Glee, being young and gay suddenly has a place in pop culture that isn’t cruel or tragic.

Of course, there has never been a lack of gay subtext on TV (Dukes of Hazzard, Pee-wee Herman, Jonny Quest, SpongeBob). But it seems that, in our world of niche-entertainment marketing, gay boys are becoming a viable demographic, up there with tween girls and security moms. Call them Twinkles: preteen boys who may not know they are gay yet, or may not want to say they are gay yet, but who have a gleam in their eye and a definite sensibility. Twinkles proudly prance, unashamedly emote, high-kick, jazz-hand, belt out Paparazzi with piano — everything a gay kid used to do in his bedroom with the door shut." - Performance artist and author Mike Albo, writing for New York Magazine. reposted from Joe

Soccer practice

Via JMG: WORLD CUP: Soccer Comes Out

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Pat Robertson: Don't Hassle Your Flirtacious Husband (And Would It Kill You To Put On Some Damn Makeup?)

Pat Robertson offers advice to a woman who says her husband is too flirty:

First thing is you need to make yourself as attractive as possible and don't hassle him about it. And why is he doing this? Well, he's doing it because he wants affirmation that he is still a man, that he is attractive -- and he gets an affirmation of himself. That means he's got an inferiority complex that's coming out. And he's not gonna cheat on you. He's just playing. But you need to not drive him away or start hassling and hounding on him, but make yourself as beautiful as you can, as fun as you can, and say let's go out here, let's go there, let's go to the other thing.

reposted via Joe

Via NCLR:

Dear NCLR Champion,

You've probably heard a lot recently about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit harassment or firing of anyone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. I’m sure you’ll agree that we all need to tell our elected officials in Congress that it’s essential. Because the LGBT community needs ENDA passed—desperately.

But do you know why?

Sometimes, amid all the calls to action and alerts, it can be hard to remember why this legislation is critical to the lives of so many people around the country, and must become law.

In the past year, NCLR was contacted every week by LGBT people around the country who were harassed, discriminated against, or even fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Their jobs spanned a range of industries, public and private employers, and experience levels. From police officers and firefighters to counselors, engineers, managers, doctors’ assistants, journalists, and restaurant servers.

One of the cases that our attorneys and partners are working on involves a mother and daughter who harvested lettuce together in California’s Central Valley. I’ll call them M. and her daughter B. Their foreman discovered that B. was transgender and began harassing her. He made rude comments about her body and her appearance, and others in the crew began to make jokes as well. M. confronted the foreman, demanding that he respect her daughter. But instead, the foreman immediately issued her a warning.

Two weeks later, that harvesting season ended. The following season, the foreman re-hired every worker except M. and B. The pair tried for weeks to get their much-needed jobs back. By the time they contacted us, they had been out of work for weeks and were in dire straits. We immediately took action, telling the employers they had violated California law by allowing harassment against B. due to her gender expression and arguing they had illegally retaliated against our clients by refusing to rehire them after they complained of the unfair treatment.

Thankfully, as a result, our clients were re-hired, and back on the crew the following work day. That was possible because we were able to use California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, which prohibits this type of discrimination, to help these two clients. Without such protections nationwide—without the passage of ENDA—we simply will not be able to win cases for workers in dozens of other states where LGBT people have few employment protections.

The past support of NCLR’s loyal donors has helped us to answer the calls of wrongly fired workers and fight for clients like the mother and daughter above. We are hoping to raise $10,000 online from new supporters this year—can we count on your first-time gift now?

Will you make a gift to NCLR today to ensure that other people who are harassed or fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity have somewhere to turn for help?

In addition to NCLR's work to fight workplace discrimination through our helpline and litigation, I also wanted to share with you a few key facts about NCLR’s history with ENDA. Did you know that NCLR...

• Was one of first organizations to push for a fully-inclusive ENDA;
• Helped draft ENDA to ensure that it includes both gender identity and expression;
• Is a founding member of the United ENDA Steering Committee, a strong grassroots coalition;
• Serves on the ENDA legislative drafting committee;
• Has a full-time grassroots organizer on staff who is organizing in key districts;
• Spoke at a National Press Club press conference to press for a vote on ENDA;
• Co-organized an ENDA rally in San Francisco;
• Worked with 700 local activists to schedule 100 in-district meetings in support of ENDA;
• Facilitated 70 phone banks for ENDA in the last 6 months; and
• Placed over 30,000 calls into key districts where ENDA most needs support, resulting in over 3,000 calls to Congress.

NCLR continues to do all that it can to change our nation’s laws for the better. We need ENDA and true workplace protections for all LGBT people now, and we must continue to fight discrimination. With your first-time gift today, you can help NCLR continue to pave the way for ENDA and empower and protect workers who have been discriminated against with your gift today. Truly, we can’t do it without you.

Towards a new day,


Kate Kendell, Esq.
Executive Director

Via JMG: GEORGIA: Two Marines Arrested For Beating Of Gay Man

Two U.S. Marines were arrested yesterday for beating a gay man near downtown Savannah, Georgia. The victim remains hospitalized after suffering two seizures at the site of the attack.

About 3:45 a.m., a metro police officer was patrolling when he saw two men running on Congress Lane. Moments later, the officer received a call about a man at Congress and Bull streets unconscious on the ground. The officer rushed to the intersection and found 26-year-old Kieran Daly motionless with friends performing first aid, a report stated. The officer caught up with the two men who were running away, identified as Keil Joseph Cronauer, 22, and Christopher Charles Stanzel, 23. Police records show both men are stationed at Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, S.C. Cronauer and Stanzel told police they were being harassed by a gay man and wanted to get away from him.

But witnesses painted a different picture, according to the report. They told police one of the men grew angry because he thought Daly was winking at him and struck Daly in the back of the head with his fist, knocking him unconscious. Saturday night, from his bed at Memorial University Medical Center, Daly insisted he tried to convince the Marines he was not winking at them. "The guy thought I was winking at him," Daly said. "I told him, 'I was squinting, man. ... I'm tired.'" Daly said one of the men told him he demanded respect because he served in Iraq. And at least one hurled slurs at him as he tried to walk away. "That's the last thing I remember is walking away," Daly said.

The attackers have only been charged with misdemeanor assault.

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: FLORIDA: Clear Channel Rejects Billboards From St. Petersburg Pride

Media giant Clear Channel has rejected two of the four billboards purchased to promote St. Petersburg, Florida's gay pride event. Only the billboards in which the models appear physically affectionate (the top two above) were rejected.

In an email to Clear Channel Outdoor, St. Pete Pride Executive Director Chris Rudisill wrote, "the images that were not selected do not contain anything that is sexual, immoral, illegal or otherwise offensive in nature." "I'm almost certain that you have had billboards in the market which display men and women in both friendly and romantic ways," he continued. "I can't seem to understand where these images would be any different, except for the fact that they portray two men and two women, respectively." St. Pete Pride is preparing to host its eighth annual festival to promote unity and a positive image of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people around Tampa Bay. In past years, Clear Channel has edited St. Pete Pride's submitted messages, but this year, the organization says it submitted much-less controversial billboards. "St. Pete Pride is determined to focus its message on the family aspect of the GLBT community," said Rudisill in a press release. "Therefore, (we) would not allow Clear Channel to dictate what message we could convey."

Clear Channel refuses to discuss their decision.reposted from Joe

Via JMG: LOS ANGELES PRIDE: Kelly & Sharon Osbourne Shout Down Anti-Gay Asshats

Los Angeles Pride grand marshals Kelly and Sharon Osbourne ripped into some anti-gay protesters as their float passed them by yesterday.

The anti-gay group came right up to Sharon and Kelly midway through the parade, and Sharon stood her ground. "You should be ashamed of yourselves," she said over the loud speaker. "Kelly went to the mic and told the crowd, 'My God loves Gays'," an eyewitness tells RadarOnline.com. She then led the crowd into a chant of "God loves Gays." It was so loud it drowned out the protesters.

Well done, ladies! reposted from Joe

Via SacBee: Proposition 8 case over gay marriage reaches arguments

The federal trial over California's same-sex marriage ban heads to one full day of closing arguments Wednesday, with gay couples' attorneys expressing confidence that they've made a strong case that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/06/14/2820383/proposition-8-case-over-gay-marriage.html?storylink=lingospot_top2#ixzz0qqQYtUfe