Via JMG: Frank Bruni On Hand-Holding

"After all the education that we Americans have had and all the relished progress we’ve made, being gay does mean feeling constrained in situations where most people aren’t, scared in circumstances that wouldn’t frighten others in the least, self-conscious when you shouldn’t have to be. Like when you’re holding someone’s hand. It’s the sweetest, most innocent and most natural of gestures: to interlock your fingers with those of a person for whom you’re feeling a sudden rush of affection. A person you maybe love. And yet when my partner takes my hand in public in New York City, I look at the sidewalk ahead. I note how many pedestrians are coming our way, and how quickly, and whether they’re male or female, young or old, observant or distracted. And I sometimes take my hand back, wishing I were braver, wishing our world didn’t ask me to be." - Frank Bruni, in a New York Times essay which refers to yesterday's gay-bashing in Chelsea.

Labels: Frank Bruni, gay bashing, gay PDA, NYC

Reposted from Joe

C.O.G. Official Trailer #1 (2014) - Troian Bellisario Movie HD

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 15, 2013

The Self in Self-Help

Most human beings spend their lives battling with opposing inner forces: what they think they should do versus what they are doing; how they feel about themselves versus how they are; whether they think they’re right and worthy or wrong and unworthy. The separate self is just the conglomeration of these opposing forces. When the self drops away, inner division drops away with it.

- Adyashanti, “The Taboo of Enlightenment”

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through August 16, 2013
For full access at any time, become a Tricycle Community Supporting or Sustaining Member

Via JMG: Prop 8: Really Most Sincerely Dead

 

Breaking news out of California:

The California Supreme Court refused Wednesday to revive Proposition 8, ending the last remaining legal challenge to same-sex marriage in the state. Meeting in closed session, the state high court rejected arguments by ProtectMarriage, Proposition 8’s sponsors, that only an appellate court could overturn a statewide law. In its challenge before the state’s highest court, ProtectMarriage argued that a single judge lacked the authority to overturn a state constitutional amendment. The group also contended that Walker’s injunction applied to two counties at most and that state officials had overstepped their authority by ordering county clerks throughout California to issue same-sex marriage licenses. State officials countered that the challenge was a veiled attempt to persuade a state court to interfere with a federal judge’s order in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

And that's that, folks!

Labels: CA Supreme Court, California, marriage equality, NOM, Prop 8, Protect Marriage, religion, suck it

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: RUSSIA: American Runner Dedicates Silver Medal To Gay Friends At Home

 

American runner Nick Symmonds yesterday won the silver medal in the 800-meter race at the World Track & Field Championships in Moscow. Speaking to the press afterwards, dedicated his win to his gay friends at home in the United States.

"As much as I can speak out about it, I believe that all humans deserve equality as however God made them," he told R-Sport after running a 1:43.55 at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. "Whether you're gay, straight, black, white, we all deserve the same rights. If there's anything I can do to champion the cause and further it, I will, shy of getting arrested." Symmonds, 29, made his opposition to a new law banning the promotion of homosexuality to minors known in a blog post for Runner's World magazine on August 6. Despite his outspokenness in the United States, he said he would he would not bring up the subject in Russia out of respect for the host country's laws. "I respect Russians' ability to govern their people," he said Tuesday. "I disagree with their laws. I do have respect for this nation. I disagree with their rules."

The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti noted that Symmonds is the first athlete to criticize Russia's anti-gay law while on that nation's soil. Several news reports speculate whether Symmonds words, as careful as they were, do put him at risk of being arrested.

Labels: Moscow, Russia, sports, straight allies

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: The Sochi Salute

 

Some on Twitter suggest that the "Sochi Salute" would simply be a wave that describes the arc of a rainbow. Like a car's windshield-wipers.

Labels: activism, Sochi Olympics, Stephen Fry

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 14, 2013

A Moral Politics

Given that government, in theory at least, is our common will, representing us as a people, how do we define ourselves? Will we come to the aid of those among us struggling to get by or will we throw the needy back upon their own meager resources? Is the prevailing philosophy of governance one of mutual concern and collective help, or one of stark individualism in which everyone has to fend for themselves, or at best rely on charity? This is not so much a political question as a moral one, a question pertaining to the moral basis of our common life. Much depends on how we answer it.

- Bhikkhu Bodhi, "A Moral Politics"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through August 15, 2013
For full access at any time, become a Tricycle Community Supporting or Sustaining Member

Via JMG: Sen. Chuck Schumer: Nations Should Wave The Rainbow Flag At Sochi Olympics

Sen. Chuck Schumer upset a lot anti-gay folks yesterday, judging by the comments at The Hill.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday said he opposed boycotting the Sochi Olympic Games despite new Russian anti-gay laws, instead urging nations to wave rainbow flags during the opening ceremonies to show support for gay rights. “That'd be pretty embarrassing for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Schumer said on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.” “Let our athletes participate but still make a stand.”

Labels: Chuck Schumer, LGBT rights, Russia, Sochi Olympics

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: BRAZIL: Airborne Activists Harass Anti-Gay Commissioner Of Human Rights

Back in June, Brazilian Human Rights Commissioner Marco Feliciano, who is a virulently anti-gay pastor, supported a bill that would re-legalize "gay cure" therapy, which has been banned since 1999.  The bill passed its first hurdle in a House of Deputies committee, prompting protests in several major cities, but was withdrawn the following week by its sponsor when it became clear it would fail before the full House. A few days ago this happened on a domestic flight in Brazil:

Pastor Marco Feliciano claims he was harassed by gay activists on an aircraft, saying, "They want respect but do not give respect." Feliciano has published a report on his Twitter account of harassment suffered by him during a flight between Brasilia and São Paulo, on the morning of Friday, August 9. According to the congressman and others on the flight, some gay activists began to harass him with curses and with the song "Robocop Gay." Feliciano also said that passengers intervened and defended him, but with the size of the turmoil, the aircraft commander threatened to return to the capital.

(Tipped by JMG reader Robert)

Labels: activism, Brazil, ex-gay, religion

Reposted from Joe

Sick of Homosexuality, Religious Family Gets Lost at Sea

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 13, 2013

Cutting Out Attachments

The purpose of Buddhism is to cut down anger, hatred, and jealousy. The way you do it is very simple. If you cannot handle an attachment, then you completely cut out whatever helps the attachment grow.

- Gelek Rinpoche, "A Lama For All Seasons"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through August 14, 2013
For full access at any time, become a Tricycle Community Supporting or Sustaining Member

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 12, 2013

The Gate of Not-Okay

The only thing that can make us uncomfortable with being alone is not liking who we are. That’s what we do when we face the wall: we face who we are. Being okay with however that arises is the most compassion and the most honesty you can ever offer yourself—to just accept yourself as you are. Even if you don’t like it, that’s okay, because not-okay is always a practice gate. We can always include what we don’t like in ourselves. But letting go of worrying about having to become perfect: that’s a gift that we give to ourselves.

- Merle Kodo Boyd, "Okay As It Is, Okay As You Are"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through August 13, 2013
For full access at any time, become a Tricycle Community Supporting or Sustaining Member

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 11, 2013

Not Clinging to Pleasant States

We like pleasant meditative states. There's no problem with the pleasantness of them; it's part of our life experience. The problem is that we often devote our life energy to the getting, sustaining, accumulation, and repeating of these pleasant experiences. But, as we all know, these pleasant experiences don't last, so they don't really have the capacity to bring us happiness, to bring us completion, to bring us fulfillment. We're always seeking more—that's samsara, the endless wheel of becoming, fueled by wanting.

- Joseph Goldstein, “One Dharma”

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through August 12, 2013
For full access at any time, become a Tricycle Community Supporting or Sustaining Member

Via FB: 76 Nations

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 10, 2013

Regarding Doubt

We feel that if we have doubts, it means that we are denying the teachings and that we should really have unquestioning faith. Now in certain religions, unquestioning faith is considered a desirable quality. But in the Buddha-dharma, this is not necessarily so. Referring to the dharma, the Buddha said, 'ehi passiko,' which means 'come and see,' or 'come and investigate,' not 'come and believe.'

- Ani Tenzin Palmo, “Necessary Doubt”

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through August 11, 2013
For full access at any time, become a Tricycle Community Supporting or Sustaining Member

Via JMG: Feds Announce Social Security Benefits For Spouses In Same-Sex Marriages

 

Via press release from the office of Carolyn W. Colvin, Acting Commissioner of Social Security.

I am pleased to announce that Social Security is now processing some retirement spouse claims for same-sex couples and paying benefits where they are due. The recent Supreme Court decision on Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, made just over a month ago, helps to ensure that all Americans are treated fairly and equally, with the dignity and respect they deserve. We continue to work closely with the Department of Justice. In the coming weeks and months, we will develop and implement additional policy and processing instructions. We appreciate the public’s patience as we work through the legal issues to ensure that our policy is legally sound and clear. I encourage individuals who believe they may be eligible for Social Security benefits to apply now, to protect against the loss of any potential benefits. We will process claims as soon as additional instructions become finalized.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:

The Social Security Administration is limiting payment of claims for same-sex married couples currently to those couples who were married in a state the allows same-sex couples to marry and are “domiciled,” or live, in a state that recognizes same-sex couples’ marriages.
The decision means claims from same-sex couples married where such couples can legally marry but who live in a state that does not recognize such marriages are having their applications put on hold for the time being.
As of Friday, a new section for “Windsor Same-Sex Marriage Claims” — named after the Supreme Court case of United States v. Windsor, which resulted in a part of the Defense of Marriage Act being struck down — was added to the Social Security Administration’s Program Operations Manual System (POMS), which the agency describes as the primary source of information used by Social Security employees to process claims for Social Security benefits.
The claims processing instructions “allow for payment of claims” when the claimant “was married in a state that permits same-sex marriage” and “is domiciled at the time of application, or while the claim is pending a final determination, in a state that recognizes same-sex marriage.”

Labels: DOMA, feds, LGBT rights, Social Security

posted by Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 9, 2013

Continuous Mind

If we believe that mind is continuous, our love for others becomes continuous. If we recognize this continuity, we do not trust temporary, tangible circumstances or take them too seriously.

- Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, "Continuous Mind"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through August 10, 2013
For full access at any time, become a Tricycle Community Supporting or Sustaining Member

Via JMG: LZ Granderson On Russia

"In talking about the 1936 Olympics, I do not equate what is happening in Russia to what happened to Jewish people during World War II. I just want to remind you that the Holocaust did not happen overnight. It was subtle. Surgical. In silence. These new anti-gay laws are disturbingly similar to the anti-Semitic Nuremberg laws Hitler passed before the 1936 Olympics. And with the Pew Institute finding 84% of Russians believe society should reject gay people, perhaps some saying they object to gays for fear of arrest, the world should question how far Russia intends to go. We should question how far Russia, our lukewarm ally, intends to go and what our participation in the 2014 Olympic Games will look like generations from now." - Openly gay sports journalist LZ Granderson, writing for CNN.  Hit the link and read the full essay.

Labels: LGBT rights, LZ Granderson, Nazis, Russia

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Civil Rights Pioneer Bayard Rustin And Astronaut Sally Ride To Be Posthumously Awarded Presidential Medal Of Freedom

Civil rights pioneer (and gay man) Bayard Rustin, who organized the 1963 March On Washington, and astronaut Sally Ride, who (at her request) was outed after her death of cancer last year, will be among the recipients of this year's Presidential Medal Of Freedom awards, the highest honor given to any civilian. Via press release from the White House:

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Executive Order signed by President John F. Kennedy establishing the Presidential Medal of Freedom, as well as the first ceremony bestowing the honor on an inaugural class of 31 recipients. Since that time, more than 500 exceptional individuals from all corners of society have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  President Obama said, “The Presidential Medal of Freedom goes to men and women who have dedicated their own lives to enriching ours. This year's honorees have been blessed with extraordinary talent, but what sets them apart is their gift for sharing that talent with the world. It will be my honor to present them with a token of our nation's gratitude."

The Human Rights Campaign reacts:

Bayard Rustin’s contributions to the American civil rights movement remain paramount to its successes to this day,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “His role in the fight for civil rights of African-Americans is all the more admirable because he made it as a gay man, experiencing prejudice not just because of his race, but because of his sexual orientation as well.” Rustin was active in the struggle for civil rights for sixty years, from organizing early freedom rides in the 1940s, to serving as key advisor to Dr. King, to helping found the A. Philip Randolph Institute.

But his advocacy was far from limited to the rights of African Americans. He worked to end apartheid in South Africa, fought for the freedom of Soviet Jews, worked to protect the property of Japanese Americans interned during World War II, and helped highlight the plight of Vietnamese “boat people.” And in the 1980s, he also spoke up for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, testifying in support of anti-discrimination legislation in New York. “Bayard Rustin dedicated his life to advocating for fairness and equality and overcame prejudice to help move our nation forward,” added Griffin.

 The 50th anniversary of the March On Washington is August 28th.
RELATED: Some of this year's other recipients will surely upset the wingnuts. They are: Ernie Banks, Ben Bradlee, Bill Clinton, Daniel Inouye, Daniel Kahneman, Richard Lugar, Loretta Lynn, Mario Molina, Arturo Sandoval, Dean Smith, Gloria Steinem, C.T. Vivian, Patricia Wald, Oprah Winfrey.

 

Labels: Bayard Rustin, civil rights, LGBT History, LGBT rights, Medal Of Freedom, Sally Ride, space program, White House

Reposted from Joe