Via JMG: IOWA: Sioux City Newspaper Devotes Front Page To Stopping Anti-Gay Bullying

JMG reader Alan points us to this AP story:

In a rare and forceful act of advocacy, an Iowa newspaper devoted the entire front page of its Sunday edition to an anti-bullying editorial after a gay teen committed suicide. Relatives have said 14-year-old Kenneth Weishuhn Jr. suffered intense harassment, including threatening cellphone calls and nasty comments posted online, after coming out to family and friends about a month ago. He died April 15 from what the local sheriff's office described only as a "self-inflicted injury." The Sioux City Journal's front-page opinion piece calls on the community to be pro-active in stopping bullying and urges members to learn more about the problem by seeing the acclaimed new film, "Bully," which documents the harassment of a Sioux City middle school student. It notes that while many students are targeted for being gay, "we have learned a bully needs no reason to strike."

Hit the link for the full editorial.

Labels: bullying, Iowa, LGBT youth, newspapers

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Bright Side: Romney's New Homocon Is Infuriating The Talibangelicals

Labels: AFA, Bryan Fischer, GOP, hate groups, homocons, infighting is funny, Mitt Romney, Richard Grenell

reposted from Joe

JMG EXPOSED: Secret Christian Facebook Group Plots Web Attacks On Gay Sites

Fellow blogger Alvin McEwen has uncovered a secret Facebook group whose members share tips on how to flag and take down gay blogs, Facebook pages, and YouTube clips that they find contrary to the Christianist cause. According to McEwen, among the group's members are well-known religious leaders and anti-gay activists.

Based upon information I received from an anonymous source, there is a project afoot by members of the religious right to strike at the gay community via sites like Youtube, Twitter and Facebook. This project is conducted by a secret Facebook group called Truth4Time. According to the creator of the group (whose name shall remain anonymous because he is not a public figure), Truth4Time is supposed to be a library of anti-gay articles, blogs, and other materials for its members to use in their fight against the supposed "gay agenda." Apparently the group has a large lists of documents which contains anti-gay information (i.e. propaganda) that members are invited to use. The founder says that the group is supposed to be a sort of a "behind the scenes support system for the religious right. He seems to think that he is on some type of divine mission.

Hit this link for sample postings from the group, which is apparently invisible to non-members. McEwen has redacted their names because some members are private citizens. He also notes that the group is particularly focused on JMG. Because I'm in cahoots with Satan!

Labels: Christianists, Facebook, internet, religion

reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma April 23, 2012

The Koans of Life

Something appears sometimes to be good or bad or right or wrong or long or short or big or small—but what is it overall? The same thing with our life. We must see what it is beyond duality. Our life literally comes down to right now. Now! Here! What is it?

- Maezumi Roshi, "Appreciate Your Life"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Honored at National AIDS Memorial Grove

Via JMG: The Death Penalty In America

 

Texas is responsible for one-third of all executions since 1976.

Labels: crime, death penalty, justice, Texas

reposted from Joe

Thank you Secretary of State Clinton!

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma April 22, 2012

The Reality of Liberation

Nirvana manifests as ease, as love, as connectedness, as generosity, as clarity, as unshakable freedom. This isn’t watering down nirvana. This is the reality of liberation that we can experience, sometimes in a moment and sometimes in transformative ways that change our entire life.

- Jack Kornfield, "The Wise Heart"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via JMG: StopBullying.gov

From the Obama administration. Valerie Jarrett explains:

Earlier today, we screened BULLY at the White House. We were joined by bullying prevention advocates from a range of communities – LGBT, AAPI, faith, disability, and others – as well as educational partners and key Obama Administration staff who work on these issues every day, including Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Before the film, a panel of nationally recognized experts on bullying prevention spoke from their perspectives about challenges and opportunities, and after the film, we heard from Lee Hirsch, the director and filmmaker, and several of the students and families who were directly impacted by bullying and intolerance and whose stories were featured in the film. This film is a powerful call to action: We must do everything we can to work toward the day when no young person or family suffers the pain, agony, and loss caused by bulling in our schools and communities.

Stop Bullying.

Labels: bullying, LGBT youth, White House

Reposted from Joe

Via Facebook:

Via AmericaBlog Gay: Anglican chaplain says Jesus probably gay

Anglican chaplain says Jesus probably gay 

He said it in a Good Friday service.  That must have been an interesting service. Here's an excerpt: 

Was that divisive issue a subject for Good Friday? For the first time in my ministry I felt it had to be. Those last words of Jesus would not let me escape. "When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, 'Woman behold your son!' Then he said to the disciple. 'Behold your mother!' And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home."

That disciple was John whom Jesus, the gospels affirm, loved in a special way. All the other disciples had fled in fear. Three women but only one man had the courage to go with Jesus to his execution. That man clearly had a unique place in the affection of Jesus. In all classic depictions of the Last Supper, a favourite subject of Christian art, John is next to Jesus, very often his head resting on Jesus's breast. Dying, Jesus asks John to look after his mother and asks his mother to accept John as her son. John takes Mary home. John becomes unmistakably part of Jesus's family.

Jesus was a Hebrew rabbi. Unusually, he was unmarried. The idea that he had a romantic relationship with Mary Magdalene is the stuff of fiction, based on no biblical evidence. The evidence, on the other hand, that he may have been what we today call gay is very strong.

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma April 21, 2012

The End of Your World

The process of finding the truth may not be a process by which we feel increasingly better and better. It may be a process by which we look at things honestly, sincerely, truthfully, and that may or may not be an easy thing to do.

- Adyashanti, "Bliss is a By-Product"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via JMG: Does Wal-Mart Spawn Hate Groups?

In a fascinating study, researchers say that the number of Wal-Mart locations in any particular region tends to correlate with the number of SPLC-certified hate groups.

The number of Wal-Mart stores was second only to the designation of a county as a Metropolitan Statistical Area in statistical significance for predicting the number of hate groups in a county, according to the study. The researchers, who reported their findings in the online version of Social Science Quarterly, said that the number of Wal-Mart stores in a county was more significant statistically than factors commonly regarded as important to hate group participation, such as the unemployment rate, high crime rates and low education.

Researchers say they are not singling out Wal-Mart in particular and that other big box retailers likely have a similar effect on "community cohesion."

Labels: hate groups, science, Wal-Mart

Reposted from Joe

JMG Editorial Of The Day

From the Washington Post:

WHITE HOUSE press secretary Jay Carney spent a good chunk of his time during a briefing last week trying to explain why President Obama has declined to issue an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation. Mr. Carney struggled for some eight minutes but was unable to give a satisfactory answer. That’s understandable, because there is no principled reason for refusing to extend such workplace protections to millions of Americans. [snip] The president played a pivotal role in the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and also deserves credit for refusing to defend the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act. He should again seize the mantle of leadership by issuing an executive order that prohibits the federal government from doing business with contractors that fail to guarantee basic fairness to their LGBT employees.

Labels: Barack Obama, employment, ENDA, WaPo

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: What's Important To Voters

Source.

Labels: 2012 elections, Pew Project, polls, surveys

Reposted from Joe

Crazy shit via JMG: Wingnut Site Of The Day

Go to Now The End Begins for one-stop shopping. Homophobia, end times, racism, theocracy, Christian Sharia, dominionism, Zionism. They've got it all!

Labels: asshats, Christianists, crackpots, dominionists, racism, religion, theocracy, wingnuts

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Day Of Silence: Then And Now

Clip description:

We dug up some old photos from Day of Silence back in the day. Look how far we've come! We're so proud of everyone who participates in Day of Silence each year, working together to end the bullying and harassment that LGBT students face in school each day. Together, we're building safer schools!

Labels: bullying, Day Of Silence, GLSEN, LGBT youth

posted by Joe

Via JMG: Obama Endorses Federal Anti-Bullying Law

Today the White House thoughtfully picked the Day Of Silence to endorse the federal Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) and the Safe Schools Improvement Act.

Chris Geidner reports at Metro Weekly:

White House spokesman Shin Inouye tells Metro Weekly, "The President and his Administration have taken many steps to address the issue of bullying. He is proud to support the Student Non-Discrimination Act, introduced by Senator Franken and Congressman Polis, and the Safe Schools Improvement Act, introduced by Senator Casey and Congresswoman Linda Sanchez. These bills will help ensure that all students are safe and healthy and can learn in environments free from discrimination, bullying and harassment." The SSIA would amend the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act to include bullying- and harassment-prevention programs, including ones based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The SNDA, modeled after Title IX, would add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal education nondiscrimination law.

Tonight the White House is also screening the movie Bully to an audience of community activists. Reactions from LGBT rights groups are below.

GLSEN

"Today is a day that I have hoped for since I began my work as an anti-bullying advocate after losing my son Carl," said Sirdeaner Walker. "I believe that President Obama's explicit endorsement of the Safe Schools Improvement Act will make a tremendous difference in moving this issue forward. Having met with the President three times, I knew his support for SSIA and the Student Non-Discrimination Act was genuine. But stating that publicly on GLSEN's Day of Silence pushes it to a whole new level. While nothing can bring Carl back, I know that these bills can make a real difference to end the bullying and harassment that is faced by too many other sons and daughters today."

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force

“We thank President Obama for endorsing the Safe Schools Improvement Act and Student Non-Discrimination Act. The epidemic of bullying and discrimination in our nation’s schools is a tragedy and an outrage. No student should fear getting beaten up, harassed and tormented while simply trying to get an education. We have a responsibility to ensure all young people are protected from this pervasive bullying, discrimination and abuse. Parents, educators, policymakers — all of us — need to stand against this unacceptable behavior. The president did that today. We urge him to now help get these life-saving bills through Congress.”

Lambda Legal

"We applaud the Obama administration for endorsing this critical piece of legislation. We thank Sen. Al Franken,Rep. Jared Polis, Rep. Barney Frank and Rep. Tammy Baldwin and over 50other current sponsors for their leadership on this bill and we urge Congress to pass it. At Lambda Legal, we've encountered extraordinary cases of violence and discrimination against LGBT young peoplein schools - and sometimes against the allies who try to support them. The Student Non-Discrimination Act takes a big step toward a safer and healthier environment in every public school."

ACLU

“Having the White House stand behind the Student Non-Discrimination Act is key to getting this necessary legislation passed into law,” said Ian Thompson, ACLU legislative representative. “Our public schools should be a safe harbor for our youth, not a place of exclusion and ridicule. By passing the Student Non-Discrimination Act, Congress can have a profound and very real impact in improving the lives of LGBT students. It’s time to make passage of this bill a priority.”

Human Rights Campaign

“The President’s endorsement of the SNDA and SSIA recognizes the importance of providing LGBT students with the same civil rights protections as other students,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “No student should feel scared when walking into their school and these bills would address the discrimination and bullying that our youth have endured for far too long.”

Labels: Barack Obama, bullying, education, feds, LGBT youth, Obama administration, White House

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma April 20, 2012

Cutting the Roots of Craving

The misguided man in whom the thirty-six currents of craving strongly rush toward pleasurable objects, is swept away by the flood of his passionate thoughts. Everywhere these currents flow, and the creeper (of craving) sprouts and grows. Seeing that the creeper has sprung up, cut off its root with wisdom.

- The Buddha, "From the Canon: Thirst"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection