Via AmericaBlogGay:

Obama opposes MN anti-gay marriage amendment 

This helps.

 There's some concern about whether the President's supposed-opposition to marriage equality will be used by the bigots to bolster support for the anti-gay amendment. Of course, it'd be easier if he just evolved already.

President Barack Obama's Minnesota campaign announced Monday that Obama opposes a state ballot initiative that would define marriage as between one man and one woman. 

"While the President does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the record is clear that the President has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same sex couples," Kristen Sosanie, spokeswoman for Obama's Minnesota campaign, said in a statement. "That's what the Minnesota ballot initiative would do -- it would single out and discriminate against committed gay and lesbian couples -- and that's why the President does not support it."

Via JMG: Anti-Gay Violence Surges In Brazil

The Daily Beast reports on the surging number of anti-gay murders in Brazil:

Though the overall crime rate is down sharply in major cities, murders of gays and lesbians are on the rise. It’s especially acute in the most populous areas: Bahia, Minas Gerais, and the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo—precisely where police have made their biggest dents in criminal activity in general. Attacks against gays have climbed steadily for most of the last decade, with 272 murdered in 2011—one every 36 hours, according to Grupo Gay da Bahía, a leading gay-rights group that tracks antigay violence.

This year, GGB reports, it’s even worse, with 75 murders in just the first 10 weeks. That’s one every 24 hours. The antigay surge may come as a double surprise. After all, Brazil is not just famous for its bonhomie, it's also home to one of the best-organized gay-rights movements anywhere, whose activists pride themselves in rolling out the biggest gay-pride parade in the world. But success has its price. As homosexuals have won a place for themselves, they also have become visible targets

Read the full article.

Labels: Brazil, hate crimes, LGBT culture, murder

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Homophobes Are Gay

Nothing we didn't know, but interesting to read.

Homophobia is more pronounced in individuals with an unacknowledged attraction to the same sex and who grew up with authoritarian parents who forbade such desires, a series of psychology studies demonstrates. The study is the first to document the role that both parenting and sexual orientation play in the formation of intense and visceral fear of homosexuals, including self-reported homophobic attitudes, discriminatory bias, implicit hostility towards gays, and endorsement of anti-gay policies. Conducted by a team from the University of Rochester, the University of Essex, England, and the University of California in Santa Barbara, the research will be published the April issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. "Individuals who identify as straight but in psychological tests show a strong attraction to the same sex may be threatened by gays and lesbians because homosexuals remind them of similar tendencies within themselves," explains Netta Weinstein, a lecturer at the University of Essex and the study's lead author.

You might be amused by Free Republic comments on this story. (Tipped by JMG reader Charlie)

Labels: homophobes, science, sexuality

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Sen. John Kerry Advocates On Behalf Of Married Lesbian Who May Be Deported

The Washington Blade reports that Sen. John Kerry is working to block the deportation of a Pakistani woman who married her wife in Massachusetts.

In a redacted letter dated March 27 and obtained Friday by the Washington Blade, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) asks Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to hold in abeyance the I-130 marriage-based green card petition for the couple until the Defense of Marriage Act is overturned either by Congress or the courts. “I know that you and I both believe that every family is worthy and recognition and respect, and that no family should be torn apart based on a discriminatory law,” Kerry writes. “Abeyance will allow this remarkable young couple to move forward with their dream of building a life together at home in Massachusetts.”

The American half of the couple notes: "It hurts, as an American, to think that my government causes me and my wife so much distress by allowing DOMA to do so much harm. It is not what I expected of President Obama; I expected more."

Labels: DOMA, Immigration Equality, John Kerry

Reposted from Joe

"Repent & Reload" GOP Super PAC Ad

Via JMG: The Straight Liberation Movement

JMG reader Mark writes to tip us that somebody calling themselves the Straight Liberation Movement has been posting flyers around the SF Bay area. A sample posting from the group's Facebook page:

The discussion outside the anarchist bookfair yesterday entitled, "What is the Straight Agenda" was attacked by queers repeatedly. All fliers put up in the bookfair building were taken down, including by members of Homes Not Jails, who were trying to prevent the heterosexual afterparty from happening. The cardboard sign with the agenda on it was reapeatedly attacked by queers who tried to rip it... down, and managed to tear it in half at the end. The Sheriffs intervened to defend me, as did the bookfair organizers to their credit. The Straight Liberation Movement facebook group is also being sabotaged--about half a dozen people who asked to join were erased before they could be added, apparently by someone who knew my password. Straight people: overthrow the gay occupation of your society! Join the SLM.

This could be just another Poe operation. One the other hand, in 2010 somebody with the same relatively uncommon name as the group's Facebook moderator was dragged out of a Bellingham, Washington city council meeting and arrested after screaming that a local car repair shop had decapitated his mother and was keeping her head alive "in order to torture her."

Labels: crackpots, mental illness, San Francisco

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma April 9, 2012

Polishing Our Buddhanature

Selfless service brings balance to your practice. Since it engages the body, it balances the tendency we have to think and theorize rather than act. By channeling your energy into acts of service, you transform the ideal into the real. So cleaning the inside of a temple, or picking up trash at a public park, not only cleans the space used by others (this is where the selfless part comes in); it figuratively polishes your buddhanature. It’s palpable in the joy and satisfaction you feel.

- Shinso Ito, “Unconditional Service”
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma April 8, 2012

Taming the Monkey Mind

The biggest hindrance to our meditation is constant intrusive thoughts. This is normal for everyone and from the beginning you should expect it. The nature of our mind is to think, and it is childish to imagine that we can simply turn that process off when we wish to. Our minds have been almost completely out of control for most of our life. Recognizing this can help us to be practical and patient—it may take us some time and a lot of skillful practice to tame the crazy ‘monkey mind.’

- Bob Sharples, “Do The Thoughts Ever Stop?”
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

JMG Quote Of The Day - Anne Rice

"Happy Easter, Gay People of the World: you have indeed risen in the last few decades from centuries of persecution and oppression. May this be a great holiday for you all wherever you are. You are winning the battle for equal rights. And your victory over discrimination and hate is a victory for all oppressed persons. Happy Easter!" - Anne Rice, posting to her Facebook page. (Tipped by JMG reader Fritz)

Labels: Easter, LGBT rights, writers

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Majority of Latinos say homosexuality should be accepted.

A new PEW study, via HuffPo: 

A study released by the Pew Hispanic Center on Wednesday found that 59 percent of U.S. Latinos say homosexuality should be accepted by society. Second generation Hispanics go further, with 68 percent of those surveyed saying the same. 

The study comes just a week after internal documents from the National Organization of Marriage were made public which revealed NOM's strategy of pitting Latinos against gay equality in order to pass a ban on gay marriage in Maine.

HuffPo is referring to the secret memo that revealed NOM wants to create a race war in America between blacks, Latinos and gays.

Via facebook:

Via ॐ Blue Buddha Quote Collective

The Serenity Prayer within the framework of the Four Noble Truths and their underlying understandings really resonates with me and I hope you all find it useful as well.

**Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change: the Four Noble Truths, impermanence, dependent origination, not-self, and past karma.

The courage to change the things I can: by being mindful in the present moment so that my thoughts, speech, and actions will not harm myself or others now or in the future.

And the wisdom to know the difference: between doing what is skillful and what is unskillful.**

When we see things as they really are, the difference between the things we can change and the things we can not, become clear. It is this clarity that can bring us serenity, peace, and equanimity.

~Namaste~

Via JMG: Zach Wahls: The Outspoken Generation

A new video series from the Family Equality Council:Family Equality Council Executive Director Jennifer Chrisler said the program was borne out of conversations with LGBT families over the last year. However, she said the need for the initiative became increasingly clear following recent news that the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) considered a strategy of recruiting the children of LGBT parents to criticize their own families. It’s clear that NOM will stop at nothing in their efforts to demonize LGBT parents, and their malicious attempts to spread misinformation about these families will not go unanswered.

“We are now seeing the first generation of children, who were lovingly raised by LGBT parents, coming into young adulthood,” said Chrisler. “We know, from our conversations with these young people and from our experience with them, that they are terrific kids who are thriving and succeeding in life by any measure you choose to use. Many of them are now telling us that they are eager to tell the truth about their families. Who better to refute the myths and lies of hate groups like NOM than our grown up children?”

Labels: gay families, gay parenting, LGBT rights, NOM

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: British Prime Minister Thanked For Gay Marriage Stance While Obama Listens

This happened during at a White House state dinner last month but we're just now hearing about it.

“Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for all that you’re doing for marriage equality in Great Britain,” the guest said to Cameron, who was standing to Obama’s right, literally and figuratively. With a gesture towards the president, Cameron replied, “It takes a conservative to convince a liberal about gay marriage.” [snip] If actions speak louder than words, then there should be no doubt where Obama stands on marriage equality. But for many, until the words of the president of the United States match his actions, he’ll remain on the wrong side of history and to the right of Cameron.

Labels: Barack Obama, Britain, marriage equality, White House

reposted from Joe

In Uganda, Gays Face Growing Social, Legal Hostility

Via JMG: Bully Has Been Re-Rated PG-13

While some theaters have agreed to run the film without a rating, yesterday word came that Bully has been re-rated PG-13, a move made without cutting what some consider the film's most crucial scene. The film studio exults via press release:

This decision by the MPAA is a huge victory for the parents, educators, lawmakers, and most importantly, children, everywhere who have been fighting for months for the appropriate PG-13 rating without cutting some of the most sensitive moments. Three uses of the 'F word' were removed from other scenes, which ultimately persuaded the MPAA to lower the rating. Hirsch made the documentary with the intent to give an uncensored, real-life portrayal of what 13 million children suffer through every year.

The re-rating came after hundreds of thousands signed an internet petition to the MPAA.

Labels: bullying, education, LGBT youth, movies

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Born That Way

Allegedly from a college survey form. Some of the comments on Reddit are quite amusing. "I've been Chinese all my life, Mom! You can't change who I am!"

Labels: Buzzfeed, college, silliness

Reposted from Joe

JMG Church Sign Of The Day

This sign has gone viral in the past couple of days and has even appeared on Glenn Beck's "news" site The Blaze:

While the message may be a tough pill to swallow for some Christians who believe that non-belief is a tragic societal occurrence — even more tragic than Christians behaving badly — Kay Pettygrove, an administrator at the church, says that positivity has been the predominate sentiment. Pettygrove claims that there has been 30 positive comments for each negative one and says that the church is “flabbergasted” over the response. “I got an email from a young Mormon man saying, ‘Thank you so much. It made me rethink how I treat people,’” she explains. “Many atheists have said, ‘If there were more churches like yours, we would probably reconsider.’”

(Tipped by JMG reader David)

Labels: advertising, atheism, Oregon, religion

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma April 6, 2012

There's Always a Tradeoff

The Buddha said, if you see a greater pleasure that comes from forsaking a lesser pleasure, be willing to forsake that lesser pleasure for the greater one. Sounds like a no-brainer, but if you look at the way most people live, they don’t think in those terms. They want everything that comes their way. They want to have their cake and enlightenment, too; to win at chess without sacrificing a single pawn. Even when they meditate, their purpose in developing mindfulness is to gain an even more intense appreciation of the experience of every moment in life. That’s something you never see in the Buddha’s teachings. His theme is always that you have to let go of this in order to gain that, give this up in order to arrive at that. There’s always a trade-off.

- Thanissaro Bhikkhu, "The Dignity of Restraint”
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection