Nonviolence
is a conscious way of acting that is based on the connectedness of all
life. Violence against another is violence against one's own being, so
it is futile.
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We welcome the news that President Obama understands the importance of equality for all people in this country and we are excited that he joins the majority of Americans in supportin gthe freedom to marry. There is no bully pulpit bigger than the President's, and loving, committed same-sex couples across the country - and all of us - thank him for using it to speak up for justice and fairness. The momentum for marriage equality is building across th ecountry. When people have a chance to think deeply about marriage equality,they come to the right answer - that discrimination against our families us wrong.Stonewall Democrats
We applaud the President for completing his 'evolution' in support of the freedom to marry and becoming the first sitting president ever to endorse marriage equality for same-sex couples. The President joins a long and growing list of Democrats who support the freedom to marry. On days like today, I am proud to be a Democrat. The President's endorsement of the freedom to marry stands in stark contrast to the position of Mitt Romney. Romney, who signed the National Organization for Marriage's hateful anti-LGBT pledge, opposes marriage equality and supports a federal constitutional amendment banning marriage between same-sex couples. No longer can GOP homophobes like Romney hide behind the pretense that they share President Obama's position on the freedom to marry.Freedom To Marry
The President’s support marks a historic turning point for the freedom to marry movement. Yet there is much left to be done. Forty-four states continue to exclude same-sex couples from marriage and because of the federal so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the civil marriages of thousands of same-sex couples are not respected by the federal government, thus depriving families of a crucial safety-net of federal protections and responsibilities. It is time to repeal discriminatory laws that hurt families and help no one and speed passage of freedom to marry laws throughout the country.National Gay & Lesbian Task Force
President Obama’s ‘evolution’ is now complete. Congratulations, Mr. President, for making history today by becoming the first sitting president to explicitly support marriage for same-sex couples. Who benefits? Millions of families who now know that their country’s leader believes in fairness for all. This is a great day for America. We celebrate this moment and also remember that the right of loving, committed couples to get married is just one of many issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It is heartening to know the president stands with our families in the pursuit of full equality, economic security and justice.People For The American Way
Today’s announcement marks a proud day for our country and for the President. For those of us who have been working towards marriage equality for many years, the impact of having the support of the President of the United States is incredibly powerful. As President Obama made clear in his comments today, marriage equality for all people is an idea whose time has come. Despite setbacks like the results from North Carolina last night, it’s more obvious than ever that the momentum is on our side. Today the President did the right thing.For thousands of supporters who donated, canvassed and phone banked to help elect Barack Obama in 2008, this is a powerful reminder of why we felt so passionately about this President in the first place.Human Rights Campaign
Thanks to President Obama's leadership, millions of young Americans have seen that their futures will not be limited by what makes them different. And now, in supporting marriage equality, he's extended a message of hope to a generation of young LGBT Americans, helping them understand that they too can be who they are and flourish as part of the American community. His words also remind gay and lesbian families everywhere that they are not alone or unheard as they struggle – like their neighbors – to afford healthcare and college for their kids, pay their taxes, and plan for retirement. The burden of discrimination will one day be no more, in part thanks to the President's leadership at this very moment.Log Cabin Republicans
That the president has chosen today, when LGBT Americans are mourning the passage of Amendment One, to finally speak up for marriage equality is offensive and callous. Log Cabin Republicans appreciate that President Obama has finally come in line with leaders like Vice President Dick Cheney on this issue, but LGBT Americans are right to be angry that this calculated announcement comes too late to be of any use to the people of North Carolina, or any of the other states that have addressed this issue on his watch. This administration has manipulated LGBT families for political gain as much as anybody, and after his campaign’s ridiculous contortions to deny support for marriage equality this week he does not deserve praise for an announcement that comes a day late and a dollar short.National Center For Lesbian Rights
President Obama has once again proven himself to be the strongest and most principled supporter of full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people ever to occupy the Oval Office. As he has done on so many other issues facing our community, the President showed his great depth of compassion and respect for the struggles faced by same-sex couples and their families and his commitment to genuine equality and justice for all people. This is an unforgettable day in our nation's history, and one that will bring enormous comfort and hope to millions of Americans.
Some
people are afraid, 'If I meditate, will I have to quit my university
life or end my marriage?' I don’t know. I think it shows you what’s true
for you, and then it’s up to you to live that or betray it.
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Let me lay down a public challenge to Dan Savage right here and now: You want to savage the Bible? Christian morality? Traditional marriage? Pope Benedict? I’m here, you name the time and the place and let’s see what a big man you are in a debate with someone who can talk back. It’s easy to make high-school girls cry by picking on them. Let’s pick on someone our own size!So yeah. Brown is man, hear him roar. Blah blah blah. Incidentally, if you’re currently unoccupied and have a couple minutes to spare, read Brown’s post in its entirety. It’s rather entertaining — what starts off as an indignant letter to NOM’s “marriage supporters” ends up reading, by the time the screed concludes, like a half-hearted mélange of great moments in presidential speeches: “With charity towards all, with malice towards none, we will fight for the right, as God gives us the power to see what’s right. God bless you and may God bless America.” I can’t tell if Brownie intended to re-purpose Lincoln’s Second Inaugural or deliver the State of the Union Address. . .
. . . I’m here, any time, any place you name, Dan Savage. You will find out out how venal and ridiculous your views of these things are if you dare to accept a challenge.
I will name the time and the place, per your offer, as soon as possible. Looking forward to it, NOMnuts.Color me thrilled. As an LGBT activist and media-consuming American, I’ve seen a lot of both Dan Savage and Brian Brown on TV, YouTube, and the like. As such, I’m more than a little surprised that Brown challenged Savage in the first place, since I’m willing to bet NOM’s Bigot-in-Chief would get his you-know-what handed to him in any serious debate. Perhaps Brown, too, recognizes this: as of this writing, he’s made nary a peep in public about Savage accepting his offer. Stay tuned, folks; we’ll see what develops.
Where The Wild Things Are author Maurice Sendak has died at the age of 85.Roundly praised, intermittently censored and occasionally eaten, Mr. Sendak’s books were essential ingredients of childhood for the generation born after 1960 or thereabouts, and in turn for their children. He was known in particular for more than a dozen picture books he wrote and illustrated himself, most famously “Where the Wild Things Are,” which was simultaneously genre-breaking and career-making when it was published by Harper & Row in 1963.I don't think I ever actually read Sendak's most famed book, but I recall there being a indoor playground and restaurant based on it at San Francisco's ill-fated Metreon complex.
Was there anything he had never been asked? He paused for a few moments and answered, “Well, that I’m gay.” “I just didn’t think it was anybody’s business,” Mr. Sendak added. He lived with Eugene Glynn, a psychoanalyst, for 50 years before Dr. Glynn’s death in May 2007. He never told his parents: “All I wanted was to be straight so my parents could be happy. They never, never, never knew.”
Gallup reports: Fifty percent of Americans believe same-sex marriages should be recognized by law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages -- down slightly from 53% last year, but marking only the second time in Gallup's history of tracking this question that at least half of Americans have supported legal same-sex marriage. Forty-eight percent say such marriages should not be legal.
Clinton, who is married to former US President Bill Clinton, will be honoured at a star-studded black-tie fundraiser preceding WorldPride 2012 on 5 July. The gala evening is in aid of Pride London’s new Solidarity Fund, which supports organisation within the Commonwealth that work with and for LGBT people to tackle homophobia and transphobia. Also to be honoured, with the “International Community Award”, is ILGA – the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. Founded in 1978, ILGA brings together more than 750 LGBTI groups from around the world.RELATED: WorldPride has previously been held Rome (2000) and Jerusalem (2006). After WorldPride Toronto in 2014, the event will take place on a five-year cycle. (Tipped by JMG reader Huntington)
Maurice Sendak, the gay author of iconic children's books like Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen, has died at 83.
When
you give in to aversion and anger, it’s as though, having decided to
kill someone by throwing him into a river, you wrap your arms around his
neck, jump into the water with him, and you both drown. In destroying
your enemy, you destroy yourself as well.
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Olympics hopeful Josh Dixon wants to be the first out American gymnast in the history of the games. Outsports reports: The Stanford grad took a big step toward that goal at the U.S. Men’s Qualifier on Saturday in Colorado Springs, finishing second overall out of the 72 competitors. He also tied for wins in two events: floor exercise and high bar. It was a game-changing come-back performance for Dixon, who tore his Achilles tendon last spring. Now Dixon is talking about his personal life and sexual orientation publicly for the first time. Like charging at the vault, he’s coming at it at full speed.Read the full article.
"Any
gay or lesbian person with any self-respect should not be voting for
any of the Republicans, including Mitt Romney, who made the degrading
comment in one of the recent debates about how he kept Massachusetts
from being the Las Vegas of gay marriage, kind of cheapening this very
profound thing for us. This is a faker who in 1994, when he was trying
to beat Ted Kennedy in a different era, said 'Oh, I’ll be better than
him on gay rights,' and of course he’s been outrageous.
