JMG Editorial Of The Day

From ESPN Magazine:

Just as some argue that gay players can't gain the respect of their teammates, there were those who felt that white players would never believe in their black teammates. We hear that gay players' sexuality would be a distraction in the locker room, just as black players supposedly weren't intelligent, disciplined and committed enough to satisfy whites. The objection that fans would savage an openly gay player is no different from the belief that whites did not want to sit in the same section as blacks (or live next door to them). For every concern that fundamentalists would not accept a gay player, so too was it believed that Southerners would never play alongside black players.

Read the full article. (Tipped by JMG reader Michael)

Labels: coming out, gay athletes, sports

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Civil Unions Begin For Hawaii & Delaware

With the new year comes the enactment of civil unions for the residents of Hawaii and Delaware. Hawaii News Now tells of the first couples to take part there:

For Donna Gedge and Monica Montgomery, there was a lot of anticipation as they awaited the stroke of midnight -- and the law to take effect. "It's very high," said Montgomery. "We've been waiting a long time and now the night is finally here so it's really exciting." "I'm nervous," said Gedge. When asked how long she and Montgomery had been together, she replied, "We've been together for 33 years, so it's been a very long time." Lydia Pontin and Bonnie Limatoc-DePonte said they were ecstatic and happy, but also knew they were part of a historic occasion. "We are not doing this to hurt anybody. We are just doing this because we love each other," Pontin said. Limatoc-DePonte immediately added, "And we want to be able to live like everybody else and be able to have a life and have it together and enjoy. We are not trying to step on anybody's toes or anything."

(Via - Andrew Belonsky)

RELATED: Five states now have civil unions: Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and Delaware.

Labels: civil unions, Delaware, Hawaii, LGBT rights

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Feds To Anti-Gay Group: Disclose Donors

Laurel Ramseyer reports at Pam's House Blend:

For the third time in two years a federal court has told Family Policy Institute of Washington that they can’t hide the identity of donors to their political action committee “Family PAC“. Yesterday a 3-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit released a 23-page opinion affirming an earlier federal district court ruling that upheld Washington’s campaign donor disclosure laws.

Washington’s Public Disclosure Law and related code requires political committees to disclose the names and addresses of contributors giving more than $25, and in addition the occupations and employers of contributors giving more than $100. FPIW alleged that these laws are unconstitutional because potential donors to Family PAC “have indicated that they are unwilling to donate if Family PAC is required to report their name and address.” They offered no evidence to back up that claim, however.

Ramseyer notes the FPIW is an affiliate of the Family Research Council and Focus On The Family. This doesn't bode well for NOM, does it?

Labels: campaign finance, feds, hate groups

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: he Wife Of GOP House Majority Leader Eric Cantor Supports Marriage Equality

Via JMG: Ricky Martin To Marry In New York

I guess the rumor that he was going to get married in Spain was just that.

Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin and his boyfriend Carlos Gonzalez will marry on Jan. 28 in New York, the El Nuevo Dia newspaper reported on its Web site Sunday. Martin and his partner, according to a source close to the Puerto Rican daily, will wed in the U.S. city which last June 24 approved marriage between homosexual couples.

Labels: gay artists, gay weddings, Ricky Martin

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma January 3, 2012

The Value of Slowing Down

We can afford to drop our defensiveness and listen to our colleagues; we can afford to be imaginative and open. If we slow down and drop our resistance to work’s unpleasantness, we discover that we are resourceful enough to be daring, free from fear and arrogance. Such confidence enables us to know instinctively which situations need to be confronted, which should be nourished, and which can be disregarded. Mahakala reminds us to sharpen up during times of conflict, to be mindful and pay attention. With such alertness we can in fact preserve the sanity of our workplace even during extreme discord.

- Michael Carroll, "Mahakala at Work"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

NEW YEAR'S MESSAGE FROM THE 17TH GYALWANG KARMAPA, OGYEN TRINLEY DORJE

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NEW YEAR'S MESSAGE FROM THE 17TH GYALWANG KARMAPA, OGYEN TRINLEY DORJE
December 28, 2011

Many people have expressed anxiety about disasters that might befall the world in the year 2012. In fact, we never know what any given year might hold. But if we are sincerely committed to following a path of compassion and wisdom, this uncertainty about the future need not cause us any concern. Whatever happens, we simply keep our focus directed steadily at what matters most—cultivating compassion and equanimity, and acting to benefit others. If we harbor this attitude in our hearts, we can make anything that occurs positive for ourselves and for others.

The year 2011 itself brought many unanticipated challenges—to our natural environment and to many human communities. My heartfelt prayers go to all those who suffered in the turmoil of this year.

I wish especially to offer my prayers to all those who connected with me in any way during this year, as well as to all who will connect in the future. May you find lasting happiness and true peace. May all of us who share this planet go forward together into the new year in harmony. May we live this year with mutual love and respect for one another and for the earth that is our common home.

By: Tashi Oser

I'm Married And I Know It

Via JMG: Ron Paul's Website Boasts Of Endorsement From "Death To Gays" Christian Pastor

"In a society that was being converted, homosexuals could continue to be converted as they were in the church of Corinth. Even after a society implemented Biblical law and made homosexuality a crime, there are many checks and balances that would be in place. The civil government could not round them up. Only those who were prosecuted by citizens could be punished, and the punishment could take a number of forms, including death. This would have a tendency of driving homosexuals back into their closets. I think I have demonstrated how even capital punishment can be restorative. Other aspects of penology such as restitution, indentured servitude, etc. are certainly restorative." - Pastor Phil Kayser, from his 2009 book, Is The Death Penalty Just? Ron Paul's website is currently bragging about the endorsement of the "eminent" Keyser.

Has Andrew Sullivan fully retracted his endorsement yet?

UPDATE: The above endorsement has now been yanked from Ron Paul's site.

Labels: 2012 elections, Christian Love, GOP, Ron Paul

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Truth Wins Out To Run Full-Page Ad Calling For Resignation Of Cardinal George

The ad will run in this Sunday's Chicago Tribune. Via press release:

Truth Wins Out stepped up its campaign calling on Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Francis George to resign today by placing a full-page ad in this upcoming Sunday's Chicago Tribune. The ad is headlined, "Hey, Cardinal Francis George, Gay is not like the KKK," and slams the Cardinal for foolishly comparing the LGBT community to the Ku Klux Klan. It satirically includes a picture of a rainbow-robed Klansman and debunks the lies and misinformation disseminated by the Archbishop about the LGBT community. The ad comes as an online TWO petition calling on George to step down has reached more than 4,000 signatures. "We felt compelled to place this ad after Cardinal George compounded his initial smear with further insults disguised as an apology," said Truth Wins Out's Executive Director Wayne Besen. "It seems the sin of pride is keeping George from saying he is sorry for his outrageous and misleading remarks about Gay Pride. At this point, the only road to redemption is his resignation."

Labels: bigotry, Catholic Church, Chicago, gay Pride, religion, Truth Wins Out, Wayne Besen

Reposted from Joe

Via AmericaBlogGay:

Chicago Cardinal again compares gay pride parade to the Klan 

Pedophile-enabling religions, that still haven't come clean, have lost any right to make moral comparisons about anything. 

Statement from Francis Cardinal George, OMI

Archbishop of Chicago

December 27, 2011

The Chicago Gay Pride Parade has been organized and attended for many years without interfering with the worship of God in a Catholic church. When the 2012 Parade organizers announced a time and route change this year, it was apparent that the Parade would interfere with divine worship in a Catholic parish on the new route. When the pastor's request for reconsideration of the plans was ignored, the organizers invited an obvious comparison to other groups who have historically attempted to stifle the religious freedom of the Catholic Church. One such organization is the Ku Klux Klan which, well into the 1940's, paraded through American cities not only to interfere with Catholic worship but also to demonstrate that Catholics stand outside of the American consensus. It is not a precedent anyone should want to emulate.

Gay journalist Rex Wockner responds via email:

"The Chicago gay pride parade attracts 800,000 people. It proceeds through a heavily congested, dense urban cityscape. Absolutely positively everything in its wake is disrupted. What on earth makes one service at one church on one day special enough to change the start time of a gigantic parade? Let alone excuses comparing 'the gay liberation movement' with the 'Ku Klux Klan'? No, cardinal, the gay pride committee is not targeting the Catholic church. 'The gay liberation movement' is not targeting the Catholic church either. Your church building is affected in no way any different from hundreds upon hundreds of buildings for miles in all directions (Lake Michigan notwithstanding). You really do need to get out more."

This is part of the larger religious right "we're so oppressed" mantra, that the Catholic church has clearly adopted now as well.  If they can't have their way in everything, if governments and elected politicians refuse to do their bidding 100% of the time, then the Catholics are being terribly oppressed. It's a spin off of the old "you're intolerant of my intolerance" argument the religious right likes to make in an effort to stifle all criticism of their bigotry.  In this case, if you don't do what the Catholic church tells you, even if you're not Catholic, well then, you're just like the Klan.

One can only imagine Cardinal George grocery shopping.  "You know who else won't accept expired coupons? The Klan."

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma December 29, 2011

Mindful Breathing

Mindful breathing helps you see your anger, your frustration, your suffering. When you breathe mindfully, you practice looking deeply into yourself. You are made of feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. Your true nature is what—if not these things? Because it is wrong perceptions that make you suffer, and if you don’t know the nature of your own perceptions, you are not likely to get free of your suffering. So your true nature is the nature of your feelings, your perceptions, your mental formations, and your consciousness.

- Thich Nhat Hanh, “Interbeing with Thich Nhat Hanh”
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via JMG: Did Nixon Have A Gay Affair?

According to a new biography of Richard Nixon, Tricky Dick had a long-running gay affair with Mafia-insider Bebe Robozo, who was investigated for acting as a money-carrying middleman between Howard Hughes and Nixon.

Fulsom uses recently revealed documents and eyewitness interviews — including with FBI agents — to shed new light on long-standing suspicions among White House insiders that Nixon may have been more than just good buddies with Rebozo. He claims Nixon's relationship with Pat, his wife of 53 years, was little more than a sham. A heavy drinker whom his own staff dubbed 'Our Drunk', Nixon used to call his First Lady a 'f***ing bitch' and beat her before, during and after his presidency, says Fulsom. The pair had separate bedrooms at the White House — and in Key Biscayne, the exclusive resort near Miami where Nixon holidayed, Mrs Nixon didn't even sleep in the same building. Rebozo, however, was in the house next door. Fulsom claims one of Nixon's former military aides had a secret job 'to teach the President how to kiss his wife' so they would look like a convincing couple.

One source told the book's author that Rebozo "was definitely part of Miami's gay community." Rebozo's personal wealth reportedly quintupled during Nixon's years in office.

Labels: books, GOP, Richard Nixon, The 70's

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Ron Paul's Newsletters Get Tweeted

Somebody is tweeting out Ron Paul's infamous newsletters, line by bigoted racist line.

Labels: assholery, GOP, racism, Ron Paul

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Unsurprising Ron Paul Tidbit

Michael Heath, the head of Ron Paul's Iowa campaign staff, is also on the board of directors for Peter LaBarbera's SPLC-certified anti-gay hate group, Americans For Truth About Homosexuality. In 2009 Heath headed Maine's Christian Civic League. More at Box Turtle Bulletin.

Labels: hate groups, Iowa, Mike Heath, Ron Paul

Reposted  from Joe

Via JMG: Quote Of The Day - Cardinal George

"The Chicago Gay Pride Parade has been organized and attended for many years without interfering with the worship of God in a Catholic church. When the 2012 Parade organizers announced a time and route change this year, it was apparent that the Parade would interfere with divine worship in a Catholic parish on the new route. When the pastor's request for reconsideration of the plans was ignored, the organizers invited an obvious comparison to other groups who have historically attempted to stifle the religious freedom of the Catholic Church. One such organization is the Ku Klux Klan which, well into the 1940's, paraded through American cities not only to interfere with Catholic worship but also to demonstrate that Catholics stand outside of the American consensus. It is not a precedent anyone should want to emulate." - Cardinal Francis George, repeating his "gays = KKK" comparison. (Via JMG reader Robert)

UPDATE: Veteran journalist Rex Wockner sends us this comment.

The Chicago gay pride parade attracts 800,000 people. It proceeds through a heavily congested, dense urban cityscape. Absolutely positively everything in its wake is disrupted. What on earth makes one service at one church on one day special enough to change the start time of a gigantic parade? Let alone excuses comparing 'the gay liberation movement' with the 'Ku Klux Klan'? No, cardinal, the gay pride committee is not targeting the Catholic church. 'The gay liberation movement' is not targeting the Catholic church either. Your church building is affected in no way any different from hundreds upon hundreds of buildings for miles in all directions (Lake Michigan notwithstanding). You really do need to get out more.

Labels: assholery, Catholic Church, Catholics, Chicago, gay Pride, hate groups, religion

reposted from Joe

Riley on Marketing

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma December 28, 2011

Friends and "Enemies"

It is not sufficient merely to see that sentient beings are suffering. You must also develop a sense of closeness with them, a sense that they are dear. With that combination—seeing that people suffer and thinking of them as dear—you can develop compassion. So, after meditatively transforming your attitude toward friends, enemies, and neutral persons such that you have gained progress in becoming even-minded toward all of them, the next step is to meditate on everyone as friends, to feel that they have been profoundly close.

- Jeffrey Hopkins, "Everyone as a Friend"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via AmericaBlogGay: NYT covers the Salvation Army gay backlash

How the Salvation Army refused to help a homeless Bil Browning (now the head of Bilerico blog) because he was gay. NYT:

Bil Browning and his boyfriend were homeless. To protect the identity of the boyfriend (now ex-boyfriend), Mr. Browning will not say specifically where, just that it was in “southern Indiana,” about 20 years ago. But he is very explicit about who refused to give them shelter.