Monday, December 31, 2012
Via AmericaBlog Gay:Interview with the gay military couple whose iconic “kiss” photo went viral this year (video)
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Via JMG: Obama Backs Illinois Marriage
"While the president does not weigh in on every measure being considered by state legislatures, he believes in treating everyone fairly and equally, with dignity and respect," White House spokesman Shin Inouye told the Chicago Sun-Times on Saturday.As noted above, the current bill will be presented during the lame duck session which ends in just a few weeks. When the new legislature is seated, Democrats will hold a super-majority in both chambers.
"As he has said, his personal view is that it's wrong to prevent couples who are in loving, committed relationships, and want to marry, from doing so. Were the President still in the Illinois State Legislature, he would support this measure that would treat all Illinois couples equally," Inouye said.
The lead sponsors of the "Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act," state Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) and state Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), intend to put the measure up for a vote during the upcoming January lame-duck session. The toughest challenge for gay marriage backers will be winning passage in the Illinois House. Prospects for approval in the Illinois Senate--where Obama once served--are brighter.
Labels: Barack Obama, Illinois, marriage equality
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma December 30, 2012
Self-arising Happiness
The
more clearly we see the lack of worth in mental and physical
sensations, the less desire we'll have for them until, thoroughly
disenchanted, craving will be snuffed out automatically. As soon as that
occurs, pure happiness will arise by itself.
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- Cynthia Thatcher, "What's So Great About Now?"
Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through December 31st, 2012
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Saturday, December 29, 2012
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma December 29, 2012
Do Not Seek Anything Else
There
is a simple way to become a buddha: When you refrain from unwholesome
actions, are not attached to birth and death, and are compassionate
toward all sentient beings, respectful to seniors and kind to juniors,
not excluding or desiring anything, with no designing thoughts or
worries, you will be called a buddha. Do not seek anything else.
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- Eihei Dogen, “Birth and Death”
Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through December 31st, 2012
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Friday, December 28, 2012
Via JMG: Uruguay Postpones Marriage Vote
The “Marriage Equality Law” seeks to modify some 20 articles of the Civil Code, including whose surname goes first when children are named. Opponents asked for the bill's vote to be postponed until the Senate's first meeting in April to allow more time to study the proposal. The request received unanimous approval. The bill has already received an initial nod in the Senate and it cleared the nation's lower house earlier this month. President Jose Mujica has said he'll sign the bill into law. Uruguay currently recognizes gay couples with civil unions. After a couple has lived in a “stable relationship” for 5 years, they may petition the government for the recognition.Another report notes that senators opposed to the bill claimed that the ruling party was trying to rush the bill through without "the normal procedures."
Labels: marriage equality, South America, Uruguay
Via JMG: Lambda Legal Rated Top LGBT Org
"I am very proud of the amazing talent and leadership of the Lambda Legal staff, board and volunteers that has resulted in this top ranking from our colleagues and peers," said Kevin Cathcart, Executive Director of Lambda Legal. "We have been fighting for equality for LGBT people and people with HIV for forty years, and we have many victories and achievements about which we are proud because they have changed people's lives - and our society - for the better. This is a transformational time in our movement for LGBT equality. Lambda Legal will continue to lead the way with all our energy and all our hearts. We are grateful to all our supporters and colleagues around the country, and thank those who have honored us with this top ranking for 2012."Rounding out Guidestar's top five:
2. ACLU
3. GLSEN
4. NCLR
5. NGLTF
See the rest of the list.
Labels: ACLU, GLSEN, Lambda Legal, LGBT rights, NCLR
Via JMG: BRITAIN: Marriage Support Surges
Public support for same-sex marriage has surged across Britain in just the last few months. The Guardian reports:
The ICM poll conducted just before Christmas found 62% of voters now support the proposals, with half this number – 31% – opposed. Most previous polls have found opinion leaning the same way, although the two-to-one margin revealed on Wednesday is particularly emphatic. An ICM online survey for the Sunday Telegraph in March asked the identical question – which expressly reminds people that the option of civil partnerships already exists for gay couples – and established a 45%-36% lead for the reformers. That significant hardening of opinion during the year will encourage Cameron, whose embrace of gay marriage has proved controversial, not only with religious leaders but also with the Tory backbench. And the new poll reveals a particularly significant swing towards the reform among the Tory base.
Labels: Britain, David Cameron, marriage equality, polls
Via JMG: Dutch Catholics "Debaptize" Themselves Over Pope's Anti-Gay Comments
Tom Roes, whose website allows people to download the documents needed to leave the church, said traffic on ontdopen.nl – "de-baptise.nl" – had soared from about 10 visits a day to more than 10,000 after Pope Benedict's latest denunciation of gay marriage this month. "Of course it's not possible to be 'de-baptized' because a baptism is an event, but this way people can unsubscribe or de-register themselves as Catholics," Roes told Reuters. He said he did not know how many visitors to the site actually go ahead and leave the church. About 28 percent of the population in the Netherlands is Catholic and 18 percent is Protestant, while a much larger proportion – roughly 44 percent – is not religious, according to official statistics. The country is famous for its liberal attitudes, for example to drugs and prostitution, and in April 2001 it was the first nation in the world to legalize same-sex marriages.RELATED: Early this year a French man successfully sued to have his name removed from the baptismal records of his diocese. He was the first in his nation to be officially debaptized. In Germany, about 200,000 Catholics have filed the paperwork declaring that they will no longer pay the religion tax which is allocated to the Catholic Church.
NOTE: The above certificate is from Britain's Secular Society.
Labels: Catholic Church, debaptism, LGBT rights, marriage equality, Netherlands, organized crime, pope, religion
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma December 28, 2012
The Equality of Praise and Blame
If
we really stop to think about praise and criticism, we will see they do
not have the least importance. Whether we receive praise or criticism
is of no account. The only important thing is that we have a pure
motivation, and let the law of cause and effect be our witness.
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- H.H. the Dalai Lama, “Bad Reputation”
Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through December 30th, 2012
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Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
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Thursday, December 27, 2012
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma December 27, 2012
Confidence in Truth
From
the habit of speaking truthfully confidence is acquired, since there is
no need then to dissemble or conceal the truth. Moreover, the speaker
of truth inspires confidence in others who come to know that they may
rely implicitly on his words.
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- Hammalawa Saddatissa, “Right Speech”
Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through December 29th, 2012
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Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma December 26, 2012
Alive and Happy
We
cannot enjoy life if we spend our time and energy worrying about what
happened yesterday and what will happen tomorrow. If we’re afraid all
the time, we miss out on the wonderful fact that we’re alive and can be
happy right now.
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- Thich Nhat Hanh, “Free From Fear”
Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through December 28th, 2012
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Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
| Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Tricycle Daily Dharma December 25, 2012
Merry Christmas
Many
people are extending love, the simple wish for us to be happy—and have
been since the day we were born. What is remarkable to me is what
happens when we are willing to notice it. And even more remarkable is
what happens when we are willing to receive it.
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- John Makransky, “Love Is All Around”
Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through December 27th, 2012
For full access at any time, become a Tricycle Community Supporting or Sustaining Member
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