Via JMG: Zimbabwe PM Calls For Gay Rights

In what's being described as a stunning reversal in policy, the prime minister of Zimbabwe is calling for gay rights to be guaranteed in his nation's new constitution, which is presently under review.

Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has reversed his position on gay rights, saying he now wants them enshrined in a new constitution. He told the BBC that gay rights were a "human right" that conservative Zimbabweans should respect. Last year, Mr Tsvangirai joined President Robert Mugabe in opposing homosexuality. The fractious coalition formed by the two leaders has promised political reforms ahead of next year's elections. Zimbabwe is in the process of drafting a new constitution, which will be put to a referendum ahead of the elections. Homosexual acts are currently illegal in Zimbabwe, as in most African countries where many people view homosexuality as un-Christian and un-African.

Observers expect President Mugabe to exploit this development in his campaign for reelection.

(Tipped by JMG reader Nicholas)

Labels: Africa, Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe

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Via JMG: IRELAND: President Mary McAleese Named Most Gay-Friendly Politician

Great acceptance speech!



(Via JMG reader Vivian)

Labels: Ireland, LGBT rights

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Facebook Foto of the Day:

Religion is Pants

Via JMG: Cain: I Support Federal Marriage Ban

Tea Party favorite Herman Cain says he's changed his mind and now supports a federal amendment banning same-sex marriage.

“I think marriage should be protected at the federal level also. I used to believe that it could be just handled by the states but there’s a movement going on to basically take the teeth out of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and that could cause an unraveling, so we do need some protection at the federal level because of that and so yes I would support legislation that would say that it’s between a man and a woman.”

Even Cain's endorsers at GOProud are unhappy.

Labels: 2012 elections, GOP, Tea Party, teabaggers

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Via JMG: Help! We're Being Oppressed!

JMG Quote Of The Day

"Child welfare? What child will be better off if there are fewer competent agencies recruiting loving homes for children? This is meanness, pure and simple, animated by an irrational hatred towards our great religious faith traditions. It is the result of the core ideas now driving the movement to redefine marriage: gay is like black, which makes our great traditional faith communities the moral and legal equivalent of racists. Surely America can do better than that. Religious liberty is not an affront to anyone's civil rights, it is one of our Constitution's core guarantees and our community's deeply shared values." - Former NOM chaircow Maggie Gallagher, writing on the website for the Manhattan Declaration.

NOTE: The Manhattan Declaration is a 2009 document that calls on all Christians to disobey any law granting rights to LGBT Americans.

Labels: bovine spongiform encephalopathy, gay adoption, hate groups, Illinois, Maggie Gallagher, Manhattan Declaration, NOM, Quote Of The Day

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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma: Beyond Positive and Negative

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 23, 2011

Beyond Positive and Negative

Entering the awakened state of mind, even for a moment, is always preceded by an experience, however fleeting, of extreme contrast and conflict. Even on the highest and most subtle levels of attainment, negative and positive continue together side by side, until one makes the leap beyond them both.

– Francesca Freemantle, "The Luminous Gap in Bardo"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via JMG: Today In Christian Love™

According to a new book being promoted on Christian sites, if you son ends up dying from AIDS, that's what he gets for defying God.

“He would get of the opinion that God loves us unconditionally no matter what we do,” Rhodes explains. “I told him that that is true but when we live outside of his bounds and we do things that we know we should not then it breaks the relationship with God and we have consequences that we have to live with, and even die with sometimes.”

Labels: AIDS, books, Christian Love, cruelty

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MICHELE BACHMANN - "IT GETS BETTER"

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma: Sitting Regularly

 October 22, 2011

Sitting Regularly

Plan to sit at the same time each day. One of the benefits of doing this is that one gets to know the mind that doesn’t want to sit. Personally, I like to sit immediately upon waking up in the morning. For many people, this seems to be a good time, before we become engaged in the activities of the day. But if you have small children or a demanding job, this may not be possible. And some of us have rebellious natures, so any routine presents a problem. Then we need to be flexible.

– Narayan Liebenson Grady, "The Refuge of Sitting"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via JMG: Perkins: Cain Is Right On Gay "Choice"

And this is the same Tony Perkins who on July 27th of this year said: "Same-sex attraction is not a choice." Somebody's losing track of their own bullshit.

Labels: bigotry, hate groups, liars, Tony Perkins

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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

 October 21, 2011

Right Interest

Right effort is effort with wisdom. Because where there is wisdom, there is interest. The desire to know something is wisdom at work. Being mindful is not difficult. But it’s difficult to be continuously aware. For that you need right effort. But it does not require a great deal of energy. It’s relaxed perseverance in reminding yourself to be aware. When you are aware, wisdom unfolds naturally, and there is still more interest.

– Sayadaw U Tejaniya, "The Wise Investigator"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via Ameicabloggay: So does Herman Cain want to do guys but he simply "chooses" women instead?

Now we know what kind of pizza Herman Cain likes.

I'm always fascinated by people who think being gay is a choice. It says to me that for them, being straight is a choice. Meaning, they're bisexual - they like both, and therefore of course they think it's a "choice" to be gay, because for them it was a "choice" to be straight (i.e., a choice to have sex with women instead of acting on their desires to have sex with men). 




I think Herman Cain just shared a bit more than he bargained for. Piers Morgan on CNN via Politico:

Morgan: You're a commonsense guy..You genuinely believe that millions of Americans wake up in their late teens normally and go, you know what, i kind of fancy being a homosexual? You don't believe that, do you?

Cain: Piers, you haven't given me any evidence to believe otherwise.

Morgan: My gut instinct, Herman, tells me that it has to be a natural thing.

Cain: So it's your gut instinct versus my gut instincts. I respect their right to make that choice. You don't see me bashing them. I respect them to have the right to make that choice. I don't have to agree with it. That's all I'm saying

Morgan: It would be like a gay person saying, Herman, you made a choice to be black.

Cain: You know that's not the case. You know I was born black.

Morgan: Maybe if they say that, they would find that offensive.

Cain: Piers, Piers. This doesn't wash off. I hate to burst your bubble.

Morgan: I don't think being homosexual washes off.

Neither does being a bigot.

JMG HomoQuotable - Andrew Sullivan

"To rid the world of Osama bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki and Moammar Qaddafi within six months: if Obama were a Republican, he'd be on Mount Rushmore by now." - Andrew Sullivan. One his readers chimes in: "Bush and Saddam - One Trillion dollars and thousands of US lives. Obama and Qaddafi - One Billion dollars and zero US lives."

Labels: Andrew Sullivan, Barack Obama, domestic terrorism

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The Sacramento Bee CapitolAlert

BREAKING NEWS

Judge denies bid to make Proposition 8 donor identities secret

A federal judge this afternoon denied a challenge to California's campaign disclosure law by proponents of Proposition 8, who sought to make donors' identities secret, claiming they were harassed.
Read more

Via JMG: Home Depot To AFA: Get Lost

Daily Finance reports that Home Depot is continuing to ignore the demands of the American Family Association, who wants the DIY giant to pull out of all gay-friendly events.

Home Depot is holding its line on the issue: "Our response on this has been and continues to be that we respect the diversity of all people and maintain an inclusive culture," Home Depot spokesman Steve Holmes said in an email. "This is what [Chairman] Frank [Blake] told the AFA publicly at our annual shareholders meeting earlier this year." Home Depot isn't the only high-profile company the AFA has targeted. It has also tangled with Walt Disney (DIS), Procter & Gamble (PG), and PepsiCo (PEP). The AFA, which brags on its website that it has been on "the frontlines of America's culture war" since 1977, insists that it has nothing against gays. All it wants is for corporate America to remain "neutral" in these same conflicts, according to Sharp. That includes both supporting gay causes and marketing to the LGBT community.

Home Depot has earned your business. Go buy a dishwasher.

Labels: AFA, hate groups, Home Depot, retail

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Via JMG: White House Recognizes Spirit Day

In recognition of GLAAD's anti-bullying Spirit Day, the White House purpled the backgrounds on its Twitter and Facebook pages.

Labels: bullying, LGBT youth, White House

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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

 October 20, 2011

What We Call “Sacred”

Life is possible. Situations are possible. And anybody can start to gain some kind of insight and appreciation of their lives. That’s what we call “sacred.” It doesn’t mean something dramatic, but something very simple. There’s a sacredness to everyone’s life.

– Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, "A New Place, A New Time"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection