A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
OAB aprova proposta sobre diversidade sexual e destaca luta contra intolerância
Parabéns OAB.
Com esta aprovação OAB ( vide abaixo) mostra mais uma vez seu compromisso com os princípios da igualdade de direito e da dignidade humana para comunidade LGBT .
Uma grande vitória no Brasil contra discriminação e a violência a comunidade LGBT.
É fundamental as parcerias para o enfrentarmos deste terrível mal que é a Homofobia.
Toni Reis
Presidente
OAB aprova proposta sobre diversidade sexual e destaca luta contra intolerância
Brasília, 19/09/2011 - O Pleno do Conselho Federal da Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil aprovou hoje (19) em sessão plenária projeto de Proposta de Emenda à Constituição (PEC), que será encaminhado ao Congresso Nacional como contribuição da cidadania brasileira, visando o combate à discriminação e a intolerância por orientação sexual ou identidade de gênero. A aprovação foi saudada pelo presidente nacional da OAB, Ophir Cavalcante, que conduziu a sessão, como "a reafirmação de que incumbe ao advogado a luta pela paz social, pela defesa dos direitos humanos e dos princípios constitucionais de que todos são iguais perante a lei e, portanto, não podem ser discriminados". A PEC foi apresentada pela Comissão Especial da Diversidade Sexual do Conselho Federal da OAB e teve como relator o conselheiro federal Carlos Roberto de Siqueira Castro, do Rio de Janeiro.
Brasília, 19/09/2011 - O Pleno do Conselho Federal da Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil aprovou hoje (19) em sessão plenária projeto de Proposta de Emenda à Constituição (PEC), que será encaminhado ao Congresso Nacional como contribuição da cidadania brasileira, visando o combate à discriminação e a intolerância por orientação sexual ou identidade de gênero. A aprovação foi saudada pelo presidente nacional da OAB, Ophir Cavalcante, que conduziu a sessão, como "a reafirmação de que incumbe ao advogado a luta pela paz social, pela defesa dos direitos humanos e dos princípios constitucionais de que todos são iguais perante a lei e, portanto, não podem ser discriminados". A PEC foi apresentada pela Comissão Especial da Diversidade Sexual do Conselho Federal da OAB e teve como relator o conselheiro federal Carlos Roberto de Siqueira Castro, do Rio de Janeiro.
Quanto à legislação infraconstitucional que necessariamente deve se seguir à aprovação de uma PEC, nesse caso a OAB ficou de examinar em outubro próximo, um anteprojeto contendo as propostas de legislação que "consagram uma série de prerrogativas e direitos a homossexuais, lésbicas, bissexuais, transexuais, travestis, trangêneros e intersexuais e propõe também o reconhecimento das uniões homoafetivas". A Comissão Especial da Diversidade Sexual já apresentou proposta de um Estatuto regulando essas questões a partir da vigência da Emenda à Constituição. O Estatuto deve ser apreciado em sessão plenária da entidade dia 24 de outubro.
fonte http://www.oab.org.br/noticia.
Via AmericaBlog Gay:
DOD: Anti-gay discrimination is like a "white Marine having a problem with a Latino or black Marine"
As for the barracks, Jeff, the company commander, said he expects some Marines to complain about having openly gay roommates.
As a commanding officer , it may be up to him to decide whether to approve a room change. He compared it to a white Marine having a problem with a Latino or black Marine. He wouldn't grant a room change. Instead, he'd tell the Marines to act “like grown-ups.”
Nice.
Via AmericaBlog Gay:
The origins of "don't ask, don't tell" were based largely on ignorance and discriminatory fears. With its demise, we must take the fight to other laws crafted in that same vein.
Nationally, the federal Defense of Marriage Act comes to mind. In the Senate, Democratic Sens. Udall and Michael Bennet are co-sponsors of a measure that would repeal it. Reps. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, and Jared Polis, D-Boulder, have signed on to a companion measure in the House.
At the state level, that means passing legislation that creates legally recognized civil unions until such time as voters agree to the repeal of Amendment 43, the 2006 measure that outlawed gay marriage in the state.
We are on the path to progress in America. But we will not reach the end point until we have removed all of those barriers that penalize our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters, based solely on their sexual orientation.
Via AmericaBlog Gay:
Nice. From the Washington Post:
When Navy Lt. Gary Ross and his partner were searching for a place to get married, they settled on a site in Vermont, in part because the state is in the Eastern time zone.
That way, the two men could recite their vows at the first possible moment after the formal repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The partners of 11 years plan to get married at the stroke of midnight, just as the ban ends.
“We feel that it’s important that as soon as we’re allowed to commit to each other that we do,” Ross said Monday. “It’s important not to hide anymore.”
Monday, September 19, 2011
Via JMG: Prop 8 Trial Tapes To Be Released
California District Court Judge James Ware has ordered the release of the video tapes of the Proposition 8 trial. The recordings will be issued on September 30th unless "a further stay is granted by the Court on timely motion or by a higher court." You may recall that Focus On The Family last month predicted that Christians might be murdered by "radical homosexuals" if the tapes were ever released.
UPDATE: The American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) celebrates.
This is a significant victory for the American people, who will soon be able to see the evidence put forward by both sides in this historic federal trial. Unlike political campaigns, in a court of law, the truth and facts are all that matter. When witnesses take the stand, they are under oath and under penalty of perjury, and their statements are subjected to cross-examination and scrutiny. The public will soon see the extraordinarily weak case that the anti-marriage Proponents presented in a desperate attempt to defend this discriminatory law.
Via JMG: Gamers Solve HIV Puzzle
The hive mind of a group of video game enthusiasts has solved a question about an AIDS-related enzyme that has long stumped virologists.
Players of the online game Foldit have helped discover the structure of an enzyme that had the scientific community stumped for a decade, representing a significant step forward in attempts to cure retroviral diseases like AIDS. The enzyme, a Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (MPMV) retroviral protease, was accurately modeled by Foldit players in just three weeks, and opens the door to development of antiretroviral drugs. Foldit makes use of players' 3D puzzle-solving abilities and competitive nature to solve problems that computers alone have been unable to do. A report, published by the University Of Washington and crediting gamers as well as researchers, says the discovery "provides new insights for the design of antiretroviral drugs."Well done, geek heroes! Cheetos for everybody!
The Sacramento Bee CapitolAlert ®
BREAKING NEWS
Judge decides to release Prop. 8 trial recording
A federal judge in San Francisco has decided to unseal video recordings of last year's landmark trial on the constitutionality of California's same-sex marriage ban.Charter for Compassion
It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.
We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.
We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.
http://charterforcompassion.org/share/the-charter
Via AmericablogGay: DADT HBO documentary to air September 19th at midnight, just as DADT goes away
HBO: Documentaries will be ringing in the inclusion of openly gay and lesbian servicemen and women with their documentary, "The Strange History of Don't Ask Don't Tell." It is to air on September 19th at midnight and then re-air on September 20th at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Via JMG: Married After 58 Years
Fire Island News managing editor Michael Lavers tips us to yesterday's wedding of Robert Scherffius and Victor Alfieri, who met 58 years ago.
reposted from Joe
reposted from Joe
Via JMG: Harry Potter And Homos! Oh Noes!
Televangelist John Hagee, who preached from the stage at Rick Perry's Christ-A-Thon, is probably most famous for his claim that God sent Hurricane Katrina because of wicked homosexuals. He's also called for a preemptive nuclear strike on Iran.
reposted from Joe
reposted from Joe
Via AmericablogGay: Kristin Chenoweth drops gay bombshell on Tulsa, Oklahoma
Kristin Chenoweth dropped a gay bombshell on Tulsa, Oklahoma by appearing on Piers Morgan and announcing support for LGBT Americans.
"I am a Christian, and I would call myself conservative in some ways and not so conservative in some ways," she told Morgan, which was reported on piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com
"And I don't think the gay issue is a political one, but I do think it's a civil rights issue," she said. "I believe as a woman, as a Christian, as an actor and as an artist that people who love each other should be allowed to be married, and I know that doesn't go along with what Mrs. Bachmann and everybody that proclaims that, but that is why I believe," the Tony and Emmy award winner told Morgan on the show.
She also told him: "If it was a sin to be short, what would I do? Well I'd be right on the hell bus ... I believe that's the way God made me, and I don't believe God makes mistakes, and that includes a person's sexuality."
One of the reasons this particular interview makes so much difference is that Kristin Chenoweth hails from a very conservative Tulsa suburb, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
I'm a firm believer that any kind of activism by celebrities that forces people to challenge their ultra-fundamentalist beliefs in the conservative areas of our nation, like Broken Arrow, is a very good thing. Those areas are overrun with backwards, hateful Michele Bachmann types, and should be ground zero for positive change. Kristin Chenoweth's statement makes her a heroine for our community, and especially the young LGBT kids who struggle to survive in an environment that can be downright dangerous for them.
Be sure and read the comments below the story in the Tulsa World.
Via AmericablogGay: NYT TV critic thinks it’s time for Anderson Cooper to come out
NYT:
The one thing he hasn’t done yet — and the lacuna grows more obvious and awkward with each show — is talk about his love life. It’s hard to see how he can continue to leave that out selectively and preserve one particular zone of privacy while building a confessional talk show wrapped around his good looks, high spirits and glamorous adventures.
Gossip magazines like Us and People, and Web sites like TMZ.com follow his exploits, but he has so far managed to avoid mainstream prying. As he put it in a 2007 interview, “The whole thing about being a reporter is that you’re supposed to be an observer and to be able to adapt with any group you’re in, and I don’t want to do anything that threatens that.”
The whole thing about being a talk show host is that you stop observing and make a spectacle of yourself, and that usually entails losing control over what you disclose and what you hold back. “Anderson” raises the question of whether Anderson is quite ready for that, and its success may hinge on the answer.
I've defended Anderson in the past. He's done good work for the community on his show, and never commits hypocrisy. Sure, it'd be nice for him to come out, but I understood his desire not to, and respected it. I think what the Times is getting at is the fact that it was once a secret, but not any longer. At this point, it's almost interfering with his show(s): knowing the truth, but knowing that it must not be spoken.
I'm still not terribly worked up over this subject, but if the Times is writing about it publicly, then perhaps it's time to just get it out of the way.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
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