Via Gaycitynews.com:

Vargas Llosa: Against Hunting Gays In Latin America | gaycitynews.com

BY KELLY JEAN COGSWELL | 

 

IIn March, 24-year-old store clerk and gay activist Daniel Zamudio was attacked in a public park in Santiago, Chile, beaten intermittently for hours, carved with swastikas, and left for dead. He finally got to a hospital, struggled for three weeks, and then died.

 Observers are calling him the Chilean Matthew Shepard, because the brutal murder has launched a national discussion about LGBT rights. An antidiscrimination law that has been languishing for seven years is even speeding through the National Congress despite conservative lawmakers warning it will lead to same-sex marriage, among other horrors.

On Easter Sunday, the Nobel prize-winning writer, Mario Vargas Llosa, spoke out in an op-ed called “Hunting Gays.” He did more than the usual handwringing denunciation of violence; he published an indictment of all Latin America, whose countries, “without a single exception,” he wrote, repress, persecute, and marginalize queers “with the open and massively enthusiastic support of the general public.”

http://gaycitynews.com/vargas-llosa-against-hunting-gays-in-latin-america/

Via Heterosexuals for Same-Sex Equality on FB:

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma June 2, 2012

As If There is Nothing to Lose

Gratitude, the simple and profound feeling of being thankful, is the foundation of all generosity. I am generous when I believe that right now, right here, in this form and this place, I am myself being given what I need. Generosity requires that we relinquish something, and this is impossible if we are not glad for what we have. Otherwise the giving hand closes into a fist and won’t let go.

- Sallie Jiko Tisdale, “As If There is Nothing to Lose"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via ॐ Blue Buddha Quote Collective

‎"The first drawback of anger is that it destroys your inner peace; the second is that it distorts your view of reality. If you think about this and come to understand that anger is really unhelpful, that it is only destructive, you can begin to distance yourself from anger."

~ H.H. The Dalai Lama.

Via Alternet:

Hedges: The Christian Right's Crusade Against Gays Is Far Scarier Than You Think

The money available to the Christian right is solidifying institutions -- from right-wing universities to media outlets -- that propagate a culture of hate. 

We have 29 states that do not outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” White said. “Transgender Americans are invariably the worst victims of discrimination and violence. And yet there are 44 states that do not outlaw discrimination on the basis of gender identity. There are 44 states that have laws or constitutional amendments denying us the rights of marriage, claiming our relationships are unholy, that we’re sick and icky,” White said. “And Mr. Obama has just said marriage equality is up to the [individual] states. A majority of the states have already decided against us. If you ask a gay person in New York, ‘Can we adopt?’ he will respond of course we can adopt. Can we provide foster care? Of course we can provide foster care. Can we get jobs equally? Of course we can, especially if we are white and male. But with all the progress we have made, 44 states still see us as the enemy. Add a few more states to this list and it is over. How awful it will be if these restrictions make their way to states such as Connecticut, New York and California. Remember, California is going down the tubes financially. And the fear about the nation’s financial future is the engine that drives all of this.”

Read the entire article here:


http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/155633/hedges:_the_christian_right%27s_crusade_against_gays_is_far_scarier_than_you_think/?page=1

JC Penney you Rock!

JC Penney Responds To JMG Reader

JMG reader Mike shares his email exchange with JC Penney:

Dear JCP, I love you guys. I have never been into a JC Penney store, but after seeing your ad with Cooper Smith and Todd Koch and their kids ... well, you guys rock. I will find something to buy, just to say thank you!! sincerely, mike

Dear Mike, Thank you for sharing with me your very valuable feedback. As a company founded on “The Golden Rule,” we consider it our top priority to treat each customer as we would like to be treated. Fair and Square. We are in the process of dreaming up new ways to make you love shopping with us and your comments help us move one step closer to becoming your favorite store! Hope you have a great weekend! Sincerely, Chris, Customer Care Representative.

And that, kids, is how you win business.

Labels: business, JMG community, retail

Reposted from Joe

I Am Divine Foundation - I'm So Beautiful PSA DIVINE RULES!

Via JMG:

HomoQuotable - Peter Tatchell

"While I doubt that Elizabeth II is a raging homophobe, she certainly doesn't appear to gay-friendly. Not once in her 60-year reign has she publicly acknowledged the existence of the LGBT community – or gay members of her own royal family. The Queen has turned her back on queens. While she has spoken approvingly of the UK's many races and faiths, for six decades she has ignored LGBT Britons.

"Judging from her silence, it seems that we are the unspeakable ones – the people she cannot bare to acknowledge or mention in public. Why the double standards? Regardless of whether these omissions are a reflection of the Queen's personal views or the result of advice from her courtiers, as monarch she bears ultimate responsibility. Her silence sends a signal of exclusion and disrespect." - Famed British activist Peter Tatchell, writing for the Guardian UK. The Queen's diamond jubilee celebration takes place this weekend.

Labels: Britain, England, HomoQuotable, LGBT rights, Peter Tatchell, Queen Elizabeth, royals

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Michelle Obama: Discriminating Against Same-Sex Couples Just Isn't Right

Michelle Obama: Discriminating Against Same-Sex Couples Just Isn't Right

The First Lady has posted a video response to some questions she's gotten via her Twitter account. The final question (listed above) comes at the 5:15 mark.

 

Labels: LGBT rights, Michelle Obama, White House

Reposted from Joe

Via Gay Politics Report:

• ExxonMobil shareholders reject LGBT nondiscrimination policy
   
• Advocates failed this week to garner majority support from ExxonMobil shareholders for a resolution urging the company to adopt an explicit policy of nondiscrimination toward LGBT employees. The company said it already prohibits all forms of discrimination. Dallas Voice (5/30)     

Via Gay Politics Report:

• N.J. Senate rejects gay nominee for state’s high court
   
• The New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted against confirming Bruce Harris, an openly gay Republican nominated to the state Supreme Court by Gov. Chris Christie. Democrats, who control the committee, objected to Harris’ stated intention to recuse himself on issues involving marriage equality, a stance that also concerned LGBT activists. “As someone who has supported Bruce Harris’ nomination to the state Supreme Court, I am terribly disappointed with his answers on his recusal. Frankly, I found them nonsensical,” said Steven Goldstein of the group Garden State Equality. New Jersey Online (5/31)     

Via JMG:

CALIFORNIA: State Senate Bans "Ex-Gay" Therapy For Children Under 18

The California Senate has voted to ban "ex-gay" therapy for children under the age of 18. The bill has been ferociously opposed by the usual hate groups. Equality California sends this press release:

If approved by the Assembly and signed by the Governor, Senate Bill 1172, authored by Senator Ted Lieu and co-sponsored by Equality California, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Mental Health America of Northern California, Gaylesta, and Lambda Legal, would make California the first state in the nation to ban licensed mental health professionals from engaging in sexual orientation change efforts of any kind for a minor patient, regardless of a parent's willingness or desire to authorize participation in such programs. "Being lesbian or gay or bisexual is not a disease or mental disorder for the same reason that being a heterosexual is not a disease or a mental disorder," Senator Lieu said. "The medical community is unanimous in stating that homosexuality is not a medical condition."

Earlier today "ex-gay" crackpots NARTH sent out an urgent alert demanding that its followers call California's senators to demand they block the bill. Because the proper way NARTH likes to handle gay youth is to hire them as prostitutes for "daily erotic massage to release."

Labels: "ex-gay", California, crackpots, NARTH

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG:

Concentration Camps, Government Sanctioned Executions, Punching Gay Children, Brainwashing Hatred

NOM manages to ignore ALL the recent anti-gay hate speech, yet find time to scream about some obscure lawmaker who got a nasty email. THEY are the victims, people. Always.

Labels: evil, hate groups, hypocrisy, NOM

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: BREAKING: Federal Appeals Court Overturns Key Provision Of DOMA

Big news! The First Court of Appeals ruled in Boston today that it is unconstitutional to deny federal marriage benefits to same-sex couples. The ruling applies to Section Three of the Defense Of Marriage Act.

The appeals court agreed with a lower court judge who ruled in 2010 that the law is unconstitutional because it interferes with the right of a state to define marriage and denies married gay couples federal benefits given to heterosexual married couples, including the ability to file joint tax returns. The court didn't rule on the law's other provision, which said states without same-sex marriage cannot be forced to recognize gay unions performed in other states.

Metro Weekly provides a portion of the ruling:

[M]any Americans believe that marriage is the union of a man and a woman, and most Americans live in states where that is the law today. One virtue of federalism is that it permits this diversity of governance based on local choice, but this applies as well to the states that have chosen to legalize same-sex marriage. Under current Supreme Court authority, Congress' denial of federal benefits to same-sex couples lawfully married in Massachusetts has not been adequately supported by any permissible federal interest.

Massachusetts AG Martha Coakley

Today’s landmark ruling makes clear once again that DOMA is a discriminatory law for which there is no justification. It is unconstitutional for the federal government to create a system of first- and second-class marriages, and it does harm to families in Massachusetts every day. All Massachusetts couples should be afforded the same rights and protections under the law, and we hope that this decision will be the final step toward ensuring that equality for all.

Lambda Legal

We are thrilled that another court- this time, the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit - has ruled that it is unconstitutional to deny respect to the marriages of lesbian and gay couples. The so-called Defense of Marriage Act is being challenged in multiple cases and it won't be long before that bad law is gone for good. We congratulate our colleagues at Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) and the State of Massachusetts for achieving this wonderful victory.

Freedom To Marry

Today’s unanimous decision issued by the First Circuit Court of Appeals is a powerful affirmation that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act is an unconstitutional and unjust law whose days are numbered. This ruling will return the federal government to its historic role of respecting marriages performed in the states, without carving out a ‘gay exception’ that denies thousands of protections. As more loving same-sex couples commit their lives to one another in marriage, the harms of this unjust law become more clear – from service members, risking their lives to protect ours, being denied the ability to protect their own families through military medical insurance or survivor benefits to senior citizens having to move out of their homes after their partners of many decades pass on because they cannot access Social Security protections afforded any other legally married couple.

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network

At SLDN, we applaud the court for affirming that legal marriages in the states - and all the rights and protections that come with those marriages - should be recognized and respected by our federal government. Though a narrow decision, this important victory nonetheless paves the way further for litigation like McLaughlin v. U.S., SLDN's case on behalf of married gay and lesbian service members and veterans who are denied equal recognition, support and benefits for their families by this discriminatory law. We congratulate the GLAD attorneys and plaintiffs in this case and look forward with them to the day when every American - especially those putting their lives on the line to protect our nation - has the freedom to marry the person they love, knowing that their commitment will be honored by their government.

Human Rights Campaign

This ruling is a historic victory for loving gay and lesbian couples and their children. For the first time, a federal appeals court has recognized that our constitution will not tolerate a law that forces the federal government to deny lawfully-married same-sex couples equal treatment. The writing is clearly on the wall for the demise of this unjust and indefensible law that hurts real families.We applaud GLAD, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the courageous plaintiffs for their incredible efforts on behalf of gay and lesbian couples in Massachusetts and across the nation.

Labels: DOMA, feds, LGBT rights, marriage equality

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: "Land of Dreams" Commercial

Gay Couple Shown In U.S. Tourism Ad

They're only on screen for less than a second, but predictably Tony Perkins is furious that a gay couple is shown in a new international ad promoting U.S. tourism. Via Right Wing Watch:

In 236 years, America's never had an international tourism ad. So when Congress passed the Travel Promotion Act, people thought it'd be a great chance to highlight American attractions. What they didn't know is that it would highlight same-sex attractions. That's right. The commercial invites people to America-not to see the Grand Canyon, but to celebrate homosexuality. In one scene, a gay man is sleeping on his partner's shoulder in a trolley. The actors said they were specifically recruited to add a "homosexual presence" to the commercial. According to Brand USA, the ads were supposed to "open up some minds as to what America really is"-which, based on this commercial, is a country of radical values and backwards priorities. I suppose this is part of the President's push to "rebrand" America. It's just too bad he used a travel ad to feature so much cultural baggage.

labels: feds, hate groups, Tony Perkins, tourism


reposted from Joe

Apoio dos funcionários e amigos do Google ao Casamento Civil Igualitário

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma May 31, 2012

Learning to Let Go

In the West, you have the expression that you wouldn’t wish something on your worst enemy. From a spiritual standpoint, we can adopt a similar point of view. If you experience loss, you can pray that your loss may substitute for the loss of others, so that even your worst enemy may not have to suffer. This is a good way of letting go.

- Gehlek Rimpoche, "An Interview with Gehlek Rimpoche"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via AmericaBlog Gay:

GOP-friendly hate group evokes Biblical "death" language about gays

The Bible says to put gays to death.  So if these folks are going to quote the Bible, and say that President Obama is dissing the Bible, then they need to explain whether they agree with the Bible that gays should be put to death, or whether they think that God got it wrong.  Which one is it?  Mass genocide or the Bible is sometimes wrong? It's time for them to put up or shut up.

Via AmericaBlog Gay:

ExxonMobil still hates you

Unsatisfied with simply destroying the environment, ExxonMobil would like to destroy some lives as well. (Updated link.)