JMG Asshat Of The Day - Rep. Duncan Hunter

Rep. Duncan Hunter has failed several times in legislative attempts to thwart the repeal of DADT. Now he wants to pass a bill making it legal for straight troops to harass gay ones. SRSLY.

The draft bill prepared by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who served as a Marine Corps officer before being elected to Congress, does not prevent repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy by the end of September, but it would require the services to “ensure that a member of the Armed Forces under their jurisdiction is not pressured to approve of another person’s sexual conduct if that sexual conduct is contrary to the personal principles of the member.” Essentially, this would mean that military people have to accept the presence of gays in the military but they would not have to like it, said an aide familiar with the legislation.

And by "not have to like it," he means "totally free to abuse gay soldiers without fear of reprimand from superiors."

Labels: assholery, DADT, fuckweasels, military

reposted from Joe

Kathy Griffin Hints Michele Bachmann's Husband, Marcus Bachmann, Is Gay

Via JMG: LONDON: Openly Gay Former Police Chief Brian Paddick Nominated For Mayor

Britain's Liberal Democrats have nominated former cop Brian Paddick as their choice for mayor of London. Until he left the force, Paddick was the highest-ranked openly gay police officer in Britain.

Tonight, Mr Paddick said: “I hope to visit every local party in London, to meet the activists whose support we rely on year after year and to raise as much money as possible for the campaign ahead. I know from personal experience how tough the GLA [Greater London Assembly] Elections are for us as a party and next year will be no exception. I promise to devote myself full-time between now and May to securing the best possible result for the Liberal Democrats and with your help, we can deliver the best result we have ever had in the history of the GLA elections.”

Paddick finished a distant third in the 2008 mayoral election. Paris, Berlin, and Houston are the biggest cities in the world with openly gay mayors currently in office.

Labels: Brian Paddick, Britain, gay politicians, London

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Via AmericablogGay: Marriage, it’s not gay

Posted by John Aravosis (DC) at 9/01/2011 05:10:00 PM

I find myself on the blog struggling for what word to use. Joe often prods me to change "gay" marriage to "same-sex" marriage. I'm not convinced it's much better. I've at times used "marriage equality," but I sometimes fear that it's code that non-gay people won't get. The thing is, it's quite clumsy when you try to write around the phrase "gay marriage." I'm open to suggestions, but you really need to look at a sentence the phrase is already in and then try to rewrite it.

From The New Civil Rights Movement:

There are lots of reasons I want to get married, and none of them are because I am gay. I don’t want a gay marriage. I don’t want a different kind of marriage; I want the same kind of marriage as my married neighbors have. I want a marriage with all the rights and privileges and responsibilities that everyone else who is married has. I am told there are 1,138 benefits that federally recognized marriage would bring us, and I would like those, too.

But most of all, I want to marry the man I have loved for almost 34 years – a real marriage legally recognized everywhere we go.

Related posts on AMERICAblog Gay:

SkyWest accused of bigotry against married gay couples

GetEqual disrupts House committee mtg over ENDA

TAKE ACTION: Gay teenager found decapitated, dismembered, ...

Via JMG: Chicago burbs making big bucks from hosting gay softball tournament

Lesson to the wise for other towns.  Invite gay conferences and tournaments, and make money. 

Elmhurst, along with St. Charles and Schaumburg, is hosting the 2011 Gay Softball World Series, organized by the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association (NAGAA), and benefiting from the influx of visitors. 

As the largest gay sporting event in the world, 150 teams — made up mostly of players who are gay, as well as some who are bisexual and straight — qualified for the games from gay softball leagues in 41 cities across the United States and Canada.

In total, the tournament is expected to bring about $5 million to the area, according to Ted Cappas, president of the local tournament planning board.

Twitter, faster than earthquakes

JMG Quote Of The Day - Gary DeMar

Evangelist Gary DeMar explains how the gay death penalty will work once Christians achieve dominion over the United States and install a theocratic government:

"Obviously, certain sins often may escape detection. Homosexuals who practice behind closed doors are out-of-bounds for the courts, of course, unless others witness their criminal behavior. Such behavior may not be dealt with by courts in history, but will be dealt with by God, either in history (e.g., AIDS) or eternity. The law that requires the death penalty for homosexual acts effectually drives the perversion of homosexuality underground, back to the closet, to the dark realm of shameful activity."

RELATED: Check out Warren Throckmorton's just-posted list of quotes from other dominionists on the subject of the gay death penalty. He concludes: "No wonder many social conservatives are out in force trying to deny that these movements have any consequence or have any influence on Rick Perry or Michele Bachmann."

Labels: bigotry, Christian Love, dominionists, gay death penalty, religion, scary, theocracy

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: The Rise Of American Nazism

Florida's Pastor Mike Stahl wants to create a "national registry of known atheists." That way, good Christians can scan the list for neighbors, boycott their Satanic businesses, and otherwise harass them. Hmm, where have we heard this idea before?

Now , many (especially the atheists ) , may ask “Why do this , what’s the purpose ?” Duhhh , Mr. Atheist , for the same purpose many States put the names and photos of convicted sex offenders and other ex-felons on the I-Net – to INFORM the public ! I mean , in the City of Miramar , Florida , where I live , the population is approx. 109,000 . My family and I would sure like to know how many of those 109,000 are ADMITTED atheists ! Perhaps we may actually know some . In which case we could begin to witness to them and warn them of the dangers of atheism . Or perhaps they are radical atheists , whose hearts are as hard as Pharaoh’s , in that case , if they are business owners , we would encourage all our Christian friends , as well as the various churches and their congregations NOT to patronize them as we would only be “feeding” Satan .

Blogger PZ Myers notes that a campaign urging atheists to be more public about their identity already exists. Myers concludes:

I’m out. Pastor Mike can get to work compiling his own damn list, and he can put me right at the top of it. Would he also like me to get a tattoo, or maybe wear an armband with a big red A on it? We’re not ashamed, but many of us are rightly afraid of the cretinous thugs who follow Pastor Mike’s Jesus.

(Tipped by JMG reader Brett)

Labels: atheism, Christian Love, crazy people, Nazis, religion

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Via JMG: Scott Lively: Gays Will Use Prop 8 Tapes To Intimidate Christian Witnesses

Scott Lively, the infamous gay death penalty advocate and spokesman for God's Gentle Love, says homo-terrorists will wreak revenge upon Christian witnesses should the Prop 8 trial tapes be released.

"We have seen all across the country that the gay activist movement attempts to intimidate anyone who stands up for family values, and this just seems to be another example," decides Dr. Scott Lively of DefendtheFamily.com. "There's really no good reason for this [video footage] to be released, and I would hope that the decision would go against the release." Judge Ware has not made a ruling on the issue, but he is expected to provide a written decision at a later date. So far, he has said that "the integrity of the judicial process is affected" when one judge promises a videotape will be used only for limited purposes and a second judge decides to make the video public. "We have seen, unfortunately, a lot of intimidation of the judiciary by gay activists as well, so it will be interesting to see whether this judge stands up to the pressure or stands true to his original decision," Dr. Lively concludes.

Lively's ministry is one of the few listed as a certified hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Labels: California, hate groups, Proposition 8, Scott Lively

reposted from Joe

Piers Morgan Confronts Rick Santorum On His Bigotry

Via JMG: Tony Perkins & The KKK (Con't)

"We believe the United States is a European country and that Americans are part of the European people. We believe that the United States derives from and is an integral part of European civilization and the European people and that the American people and government should remain European in their composition and character. We therefore oppose the massive immigration of non-European and non-Western peoples into the United States that threatens to transform our nation into a non-European majority in our lifetime. [snip]

"We also oppose all efforts to mix the races of mankind, to promote non-white races over the European-American people through so-called “affirmative action” and similar measures, to destroy or denigrate the European-American heritage, including the heritage of the Southern people, and to force the integration of the races." - From the Statement of Principles of the Council of Conservative Citizens, the white supremacist group before whom Tony Perkins has spoken twice.

Labels: bigotry, Family Reseach Council, racism, Tony Perkins

reposted from Joe

Scholars at Risk (SAR) calls for letters on behalf of Mr. Ramin Zibaei of Iran

Action Alert

Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

Scholars at Risk (SAR) calls for letters on behalf of Mr. Ramin Zibaei of Iran August 30, 2011 Scholars at Risk (SAR) is gravely concerned about Mr. Ramin Zibaei, a scholar of psychology and dean at the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education in Tehran, who has been arrested and detained for several months.  SAR asks for letters, faxes and emails urging the appropriate authorities intervene by reexamining his case and, pending his earliest release, by ensuring his well-being, including access to family, legal representation of his choosing and medical treatment. Scholars at Risk is an international network of over 260 universities and colleges in 33 countries dedicated to protecting the human rights of scholars around the world and to raising awareness, understanding of, and respect for the principles of academic freedom and its constituent freedoms of expression, opinion, thought, association and travel. In cases like Mr. Zibaei's involving alleged infringement of these freedoms, SAR investigates hoping to clarify and resolve matters favorably. Background Scholars at Risk has learned that Mr. Ramin Zibaei was one of over a dozen staff and faculty members of the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) arrested in late May. He has been held since. Mr. Zibaei completed a Master’s level program in psychology at BIHE and has taught extensively at the institute over the past 8 years, holding positions as member of the psychology department and dean of social science faculty. Scholars at Risk understands that since his arrest Mr. Zibaei has not been permitted to receive regular visits from his family and has not been granted access to legal counsel, in apparent disregard of international standards of due process, fair trial and detention as guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is signatory.  The suddenness of Mr. Zibaei’s arrest and the lack of any clear basis for his detention raise grave concerns about the ability of intellectuals and scholars to safely work in Iran. Taking into account reported arrests of several additional Baha’i scholars in May—and the reported arrests of scholars following the June 2009 election—Mr. Zibaei’s detention suggest a wider attempt to exclude Baha’i individuals from the higher education community within Iran and more broadly to intimidate intellectuals and to limit academic freedom in Iran.  Scholars at Risk finds this suggestion particularly distressing and unfortunate, given Iran’s rich intellectual history and traditional support for the values of scholarship and free inquiry. Scholars at Risk therefore joins with many national and international academic associations, human rights organizations and individual scholars in respectfully urging authorities to ensure that Iran’s obligations under international law are upheld with regard to Mr. Zibaei, his colleagues at the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) and other intellectuals in Iran. Scholars at Risk respectfully implores authorities to reexamine Mr. Zibaei's case and, pending his earliest release, to guarantee his well-being and to ensure that he is granted access to family, legal representation of his choosing, and medical treatment. Take Action Scholars at Risk invites letters, emails and faxes be sent: -respectfully urging authorities to ensure that Iran’s obligations under international law are upheld with regard to Mr. Zibaei, his colleagues at the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) and other intellectuals in Iran; and -respectfully urging authorities to reexamine Mr. Zibaei's case and, pending his earliest release, to guarantee his well-being and to ensure that he is granted access to family, legal representation of his choosing, and medical treatment. PLEASE WRITE TO: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran c/o H.E. Mr. Mohammad Khazaee Ambassador of Iran to the United States Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations 662 Third Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10017, USA Email to: iran@un.int Fax to: +1 (212) 867-7086 COPIES TO: Head of the Judiciary Ayatollah Sadeqh Larijani Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary) Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave. (south of Serah-e Jomhouri) Tehran 1316814737 Islamic Republic of Iran Email: larijani@dadgostary-tehran.ir or info@dadgostary-tehran.ir The Honorable Hillary Clinton United States Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 USA Bahai International Community United Nations Office 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120 New York, NY 10017 USA Fax: +1 212-803-2566 Email: nyc@bic.org The Honorable _________ Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to [YOUR COUNTRY] [POSTAL ADDRESS] [FAX] [EMAIL] (See http://www.mfa.gov.ir/cms/cms/Tehran/en/Missions/ for a list of Iranian embassies worldwide.) The Honorable _________ Ambassador of [YOUR COUNTRY] to the Islamic Republic of Iran [POSTAL ADDRESS] [FAX] [EMAIL] Scholars at Risk New York University 194 Mercer St., 4th floor New York, NY 10012  USA Fax: +1 212 995-4402 scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu To view a model letter of appeal, as well as a copy of SAR's letter, please visit: http://scholarsatrisk.nyu.edu/Education-Advocacy/Alerts-Scholars-in-Prison.php.    This Action Alert was posted by the AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program on behalf of Scholars at Risk. SRHRL has not independently verified its contents.   Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program American Association for the Advancement of Science 1200 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005 Tel: 202 326 6600  Fax: 202 289 4950 Web: srhrl.aaas.org   Email: srhrl@aaas.org

Via JMG: FLORIDA: Students Of "Cesspool" Teacher Share His Homophobic Comments

After being suspended for posting anti-gay comments on his Facebook page, last week Florida teacher Jerry Buell was reinstated when the KKK threatened to picket the local school board in his defense. The defiant Buell said that he did not intend to change his teaching philosophy, which includes speaking "as if Lake County had hired Jesus Christ himself." 

 

Today Equality Florida shares some examples of Buell's in-class comments as reported by former students.

Brian Blaise, an honors student who graduated in 2003, described the day Mr. Buell offered his disturbing take on the issue of gays serving in the military: "I looked up when he said he supported gays in the military, stunned by the answer. He immediately followed that comment with the statement that we should then put them on the front lines, and pull back," Blaise said. Another of his students recounted Mr. Buell invoking the quote "A pig in a tuxedo is still a pig" to declare his disdain for recognizing gay relationships.

Got that? "Jesus Christ himself" is telling public school students that setting up gay soldiers to be murdered would be a hilarious thing to do. Christian Love.™

TAKE ACTION: Send an email to the Lake County School Board and demand that they expand anti-bullying and non-discrimination policies to include LGBT students.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: The source for the KKK aspect of this story, Orlando's WFTV-ABC, has edited their original story to remove this claim. No explanation has yet been provided for this change.

Labels: assholery, bigotry, Christian Love, education, Florida, religion

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: The Return Of Ratty Hairpiece Woman

Focus On The Family's Ratty Hairpiece Woman (Candi Cushman) goes on and on about the "indoctrination" of students by groups such as GLSEN. Let those kids grow up to be the violent Christian bullies that God meant them to be!

Labels: bullying, Focus On The Family, Gay Straight Alliance, GLSEN, hate groups, LGBT youth, religion

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Possibly Good News On Prop 8

Via Zack Ford at Think Progress:

Goodwin Liu’s nomination to the Ninth Circuit Court may have been derailed by Senate Republicans, but his nomination to California’s Supreme Court is right on track. The Commission on Judicial Appointments will consider Liu’s appointment Wednesday, but the State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominations has already given him its highest rating: “exceptionally well-qualified.” It’s expected that, if confirmed, Liu — who has previously spoken out for marriage equality — will be seated in time for next week’s hearing on proponents’ standing in the Prop 8 case.

Labels: California, marriage equality, Proposition 8

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Tony Perkins & The KKK

I've blogged many times about Tony Perkins' ties to the KKK. Today Equality California picks up on Perkins' racist past in a clip about his attempt to undo California's LGBT education bill. Watch this!

Labels: bigotry, Equality California, Family Reseach Council, hate groups, racism, religion, Tony Perkins

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Quote Of The Day - Erwin Chemerinsky

"I continue to believe that the [Supreme] Court will rule, five-to-four, in an opinion authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy, that laws prohibiting marriage equality violate the United States Constitution. Kennedy wrote the Court’s opinions in Romer v. Evans (1996) and Lawrence v. Texas (2003), and I think that he will see his longest-lasting legacy from over a quarter of a century on the Court being in the area of eliminating discrimination against gays and lesbians. I believe that his opinion will emphasize, as he did in Romer and Lawrence, the absence of any legitimate interest for prohibiting marriage by same-sex couples. As in Lawrence, and other opinions, he will point to the trend across the world." - Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of UC Irvine's law school.

Labels: marriage equality, Quote Of The Day, SCOTUS

reposted from Joe

The Black Eyed Peas - Where Is The Love?

More on GLBT and Uganda from the Baha'i World Centre

THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARIAT

Bahá’í World Centre • P.O. Box 155 • 31001 Haifa, Israel

Tel: 972 (4) 835 8358 • Fax: 972 (4) 835 8280 • Email: secretariat@bwc.org

27 July 2008

Transmitted by email: name address withheld

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

Your email letter dated 12 May 2008 has been received by the Universal House of Justice, and we have been asked to convey to you the following response.

You state in your letter that you have learned that you and your sister, Miss , are being investigated at the Bahá’í World Centre as a result of your signing and forwarding a petition titled “Speak Up Against Bahá’í Discrimination Against Homosexuals”.

You may rest assured, however, that no such investigation is being conducted.

With regard to the above-mentioned petition, you may wish to consider the following.

According to the Bahá’í Teachings, marriage is a union between a man and a woman and sexual relations are only permissible between a couple who are married to each other. These teachings are set forth in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and in the authoritative statements of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi and are not susceptible to change by the House of Justice. However, the Bahá’í community does not seek to impose its values on others. Furthermore, to regard those with a homosexual orientation with prejudice and disdain would be entirely against the spirit of the Faith.

With respect to the incident in Uganda to which you refer, the Bahá’í representative to the interfaith association was unwittingly drawn into this controversy. Some reports have incorrectly characterized the Bahá’í involvement in the matter. The National Spiritual Assembly of Uganda is taking steps to ensure that such issues are handled appropriately in the future.

The House of Justice appreciates your desire to clarify your feelings on this matter and

assures you of its prayers in the Holy Shrines that the Blessed Beauty may guide and sustain you.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat