As the present moment can be found any moment, every waking moment can be made a concentrated moment.
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The
practice of lovingkindness is, at a certain level, the fruition of all
we work toward in our meditation. It relies on our ability to open
continuously to the truth of our actual experience, not cutting off the
painful parts, and not trying to pretend things are other than they are.
Just as spiritual growth grinds to a halt when we indulge our tendency
to grasp and cling, metta can’t thrive in an environment that is bound
to desire or to getting our expectations met.
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LGBT people remain acutely vulnerable in the workplace and on economic issues. Too many of us still head to work each day terrified it may be our last, simply because of who we are or who we love. The stories are painful, and the statistics are startling. But this is the reality for LGBT people all across America. To be open and honest about who we are, about our families, often means taking a huge risk in the workplace. Something as simple as sharing with a co-worker what you and your spouse did over the weekend could place your livelihood in peril. But we can change this. The president has the power to issue an executive order banning companies that contract with the federal government from discriminating in employment based on sexual orientation and gender identity. This is a direct and immediate action he can take that will help millions of Americans.Illinois Civil Rights Agenda
Many LGBT leaders and community members had hoped that the President would choose this moment to aid in advancing important policy issues affecting LGBT Americans The President has continually been an advocate for LGBT Americans, as exemplified in his inaugural address this year. Although that is the case, he must use some of his political capital to advance issues such as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and comprehensive immigration reform that includes same-gender couples.Log Cabin Republicans
As LGBT conservatives, Log Cabin Republicans is pleased with recent progress toward equality for gay and lesbian Americans. As citizens, however, we are fearful of the future that the next generation of gay Americans will inherit. As we fight for equal rights to pass down to this new generation, we must also worry about the economy we are passing down. The Democratic Party's perennial cure-all of big government programs paid for by raising taxes on hard-working Americans has to stop. House Republicans have now put forth and twice passed a fiscal plan, while the Democrat-controlled Senate and the White House have yet to show the country anything more than paper-thin rhetoric. If the President truly wants to be an ally to our community, he will not only continue pushing for social equality, but stop with the platitudes and get serious with a plan that addresses our nation's fiscal problems.OutServe-SLDN
President Obama was very clear tonight in his assertion that lesbian and gay service members and their families must be treated equally by the nation they serve. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta opened the path to equal recognition, benefits, and support to gay and lesbian service members this week. To finish the task, the Supreme Court must strike down the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. Secretary Panetta's successor must enact equal opportunity and non-discrimination policies that protect LGBT troops and ensure America's military can attract and retain America's best. And outmoded, obsolete policies that bar qualified American patriots who are transgender from military service must be eliminated. At OutServe-SLDN, we and our 6,000 LGBT members in uniform stand ready to work with the President, Congress, and the Pentagon to make this vision a reality.GetEQUAL
President Obama continues to push for a version of immigration reform that focuses entirely on enforcement instead of laying out a progressive vision that would put 11 million people on a pathway to citizenship and would include all of our families. As someone who would qualify for the DREAM Act and who is part of a binational family, I know first-hand that true comprehensive immigration reform must include LGBTQ families, a fair and just pathway to citizenship, and an end to harsh enforcement that separates families. Time and time again, President Obama continues to pay lip service to employment equity, but refuses to take the simple step of signing an Executive Order that would end LGBT discrimination by federal contractors -- and that would prevent taxpayer dollars, including taxpayer dollars from LGBT Americans, from going to discriminatory companies. He had his pen out today to sign other Executive Orders -- it's incumbent on the LGBT community to ask why he decided to put that pen away before protecting 25% of the American workforce from workplace discrimination.
Attitudes and tolerance toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons vary from country to country, just as they vary among U.S. cities and states. Most LGBT travelers encounter no problems while overseas, but it helps to be prepared and research your destination before you go. There are a number of countries that provide legal protections to those who are LGBT. Unfortunately, there are others that do not, and a significant number that even criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations. Persons convicted in these countries could be sentenced to prison, and/or be punished by fines, deportation, flogging, or even sentenced to death. Before choosing one’s international destination, LGBT travelers should carefully consider the laws and biases of their international destination and decide how open one can be regarding one’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Personal judgment and knowledge of local laws and customs before one goes will help ensure your safety.At the top of the page is this quote from former Secretary Hillary Clinton: "By fighting for the rights of so many others, we realize that gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights." The State Department goes on to warn against entrapment plots by the police in some countries and offers other advice on safe practices while abroad.
In
our nonlucid dreams, we are mired down in the illusion that we are
awake, and we suffer by grasping onto everything in the dream as being
absolutely "out there." In the same way, we are afflicted during the day
by regarding ourselves and everything around us as being separate and
disconnected. Imagine the bliss of becoming lucid at all times,
perceiving all things as luminous displays of the deepest dimension of
our own awareness. This is the truth that sets us free.
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It
is inevitable that one will discern unwholesome qualities of mind when
one looks openly on what is actually occurring in experience. As many
people remark, meditation can be a most humbling experience. But there
is never any blame for simply noticing what is there. When something
unwholesome is seen in oneself, the determination to change it will
arise in proportion to one's understanding.
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The state’s major gay-rights group, Basic Rights Oregon, made the decision over the weekend to launch a petition drive on Monday to put a measure on the ballot that would allow legal recognition of same-sex marriages. Given the group’s resources and the issue’s high visibility, there is little doubt the group can qualify the measure for the November general election. “I think people are really coming to understand that marriage is unique and special and you don’t want to deny that to anybody else,” said Jeana Frazzini, executive director of Basic Rights Oregon, after the group’s leaders and advisers met Sunday to finalize their decision to proceed.Two months ago Public Policy Polling found that 54% of registered voters support same-sex marriage. That number will surely increase by November 2014.
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As members of the Church who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, as well as family members and allies, we call on the Cardinals and the new Pope to enter into a true dialogue with our community. We call for an end to statements that inflict harm on already marginalized people, depict us as less than fully human, and lend credence to those seeking to justify discrimination. We call on our Church not only to embrace but to champion the dignity and equality of all humans, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.Equally Blessed
With the pope’s impending resignation, the church has an opportunity to turn away from his oppressive policies toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics, and their families and friends, and develop a new understanding of the ways in which God is at work in the lives of faithful and loving people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We pray for a pope who is willing to listen to and learn from all of God’s people. We pray for a pope who will realize that in promoting discrimination against LGBT people, the church inflicts pain on marginalized people, alienates the faithful and lends moral credibility to reactionary political movements across the globe.New Ways Ministry
We are praying, too, for LGBT Catholics and their families and friends, whose lives were made more difficult living under Benedict’s reign both as pontiff and as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), where he served previously. For the last three decades, Benedict has been one of the main architects of the Vatican’s policies against LGBT people. New Ways Ministry directly experienced those harsh policies several times over the years…Fortunately, we have survived the many attempts by the Vatican to end our ministry, and, thanks to the support of so many Catholics, we have emerged stronger for it.Source.
Each
time you meet an old emotional pattern with presence, your awakening to
truth can deepen. There’s less identification with the self in the
story and more ability to rest in the awareness that is witnessing
what’s happening. You become more able to abide in compassion, to
remember and trust your true home. Rather than cycling repetitively
through old conditioning, you are actually spiraling toward freedom.
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We
must proceed with a clear-eyed awareness of the social, political, and
economic context in which we live and practice. Once we awaken to where
we are, we must take the responsibility to transform that world into a
matrix of opportunity for wisdom and compassion, not just for ourselves
but for all others.
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Don’t
get caught up in hopes of what you’ll achieve and how good your
situation will be some day in the future. What you do right now is what
matters.
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