Thursday, August 22, 2013

Via JMG: NEW MEXICO: State AG Won't Challenge County Issuing Gay Marriage Licenses



New Mexico state Attorney General Gary King said this afternoon that he will not challenge the same-sex marriage licenses that Dona Ana County began issuing today.  Back in June, King similarly said that he will not defend the state against a lawsuit that demands marriage equality. However, King warned today that Dona Ana marriages could be ruled invalid by the state Supreme Court. (Tipped by JMG reader Tyler)


Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Russian Gov't Defends Anti-Gay Law In Letter To International Olympic Committee



The Russian government has "reassured" the International Olympic Committee that they will not discriminate against gay people during the Sochi Olympics.  Except that they might.
The IOC received a letter from Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak giving reassurances the host country will comply fully with the Olympic Charter's provision against discrimination of any kind. "The Russian Federation guarantees the fulfillment of its obligations before the International Olympic Committee in its entirety," Kozak said. However, Kozak did not back down on the issue of the new law, which penalizes anyone who distributes information aimed at persuading minors that "nontraditional" relationships are normal or attractive. The law applies equally to everyone and "cannot be regarded as discrimination based on sexual orientation," Kozak said. The letter still leaves open the question of what would happen to Olympic athletes or fans if they make statements or gestures that could be considered propaganda.

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 22, 2013

The Reality of Love

The problem with interpersonal love is that you are dependent on the other person to reflect love back to you. That’s part of the illusion of separateness. The reality is that love is a state of being that comes from within.
- Ram Dass, “Tuning the Mind”
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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 20, 2013

Thoughts in Meditation

We have to be careful not to think that meditation is about getting rid of thoughts. On the contrary, I would say that meditation helps us to creatively engage with our thoughts and not fixate on them.
- Martine Batchelor, “Meditation, Mental Habits, and Creative Imagination”
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Monday, August 19, 2013

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 19, 2013

Training the Mind

Training involves not just one single method but many methods. It's like building a huge airplane. It takes so many pieces that all have to fit together to make it work. In the same way the transformation of our minds—or setting the right kind of mental attitude—takes time.
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama, "Ethics for a Secular Millennium"
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Sunday, August 18, 2013

Via The Other 98% / FB:


Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 18, 2013

Loneliness

Suffering is what happens when we are lonely and forget that we participate in the world. People often complain about love, or at least about its consequences, but welcoming the consequences is part of the game of generosity. The earth gives a Yes without regard to what is given back, and being a human is also a gift, not a purchase. Even the No’s we get are gates to the generosity of the world.
- John Tarrant, “The Erotic Life of Emptiness”
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Via LA Times: Rulings on gay rights alter couple's retirement needs

Money Makeover

Rulings on gay rights alter couple's retirement needs

Gay couple need to change separate trusts set up before same-sex marriage became legal, advisor says, though answers to other questions remain unclear. 

After 14 years together, Mark Frey and Doug Vogel are finally finding out what it means to be a married couple preparing for retirement.

The Rancho Palos Verdes residents were elated when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act in June. But the couple, who married in 2008, worried that the ruling raised questions about everything they had done to protect their family's financial future.

make the jump here to read the full article

 

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Via JMG: MOSCOW: Swedish High Jumper Told To Paint Over Her Rainbow Fingernails


 
On Thursday, Swedish high jumper Emma Green Tregaro competed at the World Track & Field finals in Moscow with her fingernails painted in rainbow hues in support of the LGBT community. Her gesture sparked international headlines after she was denounced by the Russian pole vaulting world champion, who later backtracked.  Now comes this:
Swedish officials told the 28-year-old her rainbow gesture, which brought international attention as a protest against Russia's new law against gay "propaganda," could be a violation of the competition's code of conduct. She said the Swedish track and field federation asked her to "please respect the rules" and change the colour of her nails. "So I decided to paint them red instead, for love," she said. Green Tregaro said she was surprised the strong reaction to her subtle criticism of Russian law. "It was harder to not paint them in the rainbow than it was to choose to paint them," she said.
Swedish officials say they were warned by the event's governing body before they spoke to Tregaro.


Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: RUSSIA: Finnish Official Waves Rainbow Flag At World Track & Field Championships


 
 
Finnish Minister of Culture & Sports Paavo Arhinmäki waved a rainbow flag this afternoon during the World Track & Field Championships in Moscow.  The above-linked article is in Finnish. I'll update this post with an English report if it appears that action will be taken by the Russian government.
RELATED:  Arhinmäki ran for president of Finland in 2012 and finished sixth with 5% of the vote.  Here's how a Finnish website recapped his candidacy before the election.
Arhinmäki, 34, is the youngest and the most radical of the candidates. Before entering politics, he was active in a radical group which organised Crash the Party demonstrations in front of the Presidential Palace, packed with VIPs celebrating Independence Day. He has been fined for trespassing in a nuclear power site and when the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) was held in Helsinki he was arrested during the Smash ASEM demonstration. Arhinmäki is Minister for Culture and Sports in the present six-pack government, a six-party coalition, and he chairs the Left Alliance. A sports fan, he caused a minor scandal in autumn 2011 by attending a basketball game instead of the Helsinki Music Centre opening gala. Arhinmäki boasts of being the most anti-NATO candidate of the race and argues the rest of the candidates are in fact pro-NATO. He is known for good oratory and for being a vegetarian. He describes himself as “a green-red democratic socialist”, but not a communist.


Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 17, 2013

Spiritual but not Religious?

The way ‘spirituality’ is often used suggests that we exist solely as a collection of individuals, not as members of a religious community, and that religious life is merely a private journey. It is the religious expression of the ideology of free-market economics and of the radical 'disencumbered' individualism that idolizes the choice-making individual as the prime reality in the world.
- Robert Bellah, “Future of Religion”
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Friday, August 16, 2013

Via JMG: Coca-Cola And McDonald's: The Olympic Games Should Remain In Russia


 
 
In statements obtained by Pink News and Buzzfeed, Coca-Cola and McDonald's expressed support for the LGBT community, but both corporations agree that the Olympic Games should remain in Russia.
From Coca-Cola:
We have long been a strong supporter of the LGBT community and have advocated for inclusion and diversity through both our policies and practices. We do not condone human rights abuses, intolerance, or discrimination of any kind anywhere in the world. As a sponsor since 1928, we believe the Olympic Games are a force for good that unite people through a common interest in sports, and we have seen firsthand the positive impact and long-lasting legacy they leave on every community that has been a host.
From McDonald's:
There’s no room for discrimination under the Golden Arches. McDonald’s welcomes 69 million customers around the world every day representing different races, nationalities, religions, genders, ages and sexual orientations. McDonald’s supports the spirit of the Olympic Games and its ability to unite the world in a positive and inspirational way. We’ve been a proud sponsor of the Games for 37 years. Regarding the recent Russian legislation, we support the International Olympic Committee’s belief that sport is a human right and the Olympic Games should be open to all, free of discrimination, and that applies to spectators, officials, media and athletes.

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: SAN ANTONIO: Openly Gay Disabled Iraq Vet Eric Alva Booed By Christian Protesters At LGBT Rights Forum


 
Openly gay USMC veteran Eric Alva was the first American soldier injured in the Iraq War and anti-gay Christian protesters actually booed him when he spoke yesterday in support of San Antonio's proposed LGBT rights ordinance. Via the Dallas Voice:
At a prayer vigil outside City Hall before the meeting, about 300 people protested the proposed addition to San Antonio’s nondiscrimination law that would add protections for sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran status. “Let them vote ‘no’ to this ordinance, and ‘yes’ to the reign of the kingdom of God,” Pastor Charles Flowers said at the rally. About 200 people signed up to speak at the City Council meeting for and against the ordinance. Alva, a Marine staff sergeant who became the first U.S. soldier injured in Iraq when he stepped on a landmine, was booed by the crowd when he spoke in favor of the ordinance. Alva lives in San Antonio.
Image via Dallas Voice.


Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: CLAIM: Apparel Chain Forever 21 Cuts Staffing Hours To Evade Obamacare


Jezebel has some details:
According to the letter, an unnumbered but significant amount of employees will no longer receive paid time off, will not be allowed to work more than 29.5 hours a week and will no longer have health insurance. The company has been inundated with numerous comments on their Facebook page from angry customers who say they will never shop at Forever 21 again and who are blaming the change on aforementioned ACA requirements. The ACA has already kicked a number of companies, retail or otherwise, into overdrive with concerns about the cost of paying employees.
The California-based chain has 480 outlets. Its owners, Do Won Chang and his wife Jin Sook, are multi-billionaire born again Christians who "reportedly attend church at 5:20 a.m. on weekdays, keep bibles in the office, and print John 3:16 on the bottom of each bag." (But no health care for their employees because Jesus, presumably.) Forbes reports that Forever 21 has been sued more than 50 times by other apparel chains for copyright infringement.


Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 16, 2013

How to Let Go

In practice there is always the dance between feeling the truth of our suffering and letting go of it, not in a dismissive way but in a way that honors it.
- Tracy Cochran, “Does Race Matter in the Meditation Hall?”
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Via Utne: The Buddhabrot


The Buddhabrot is a mathematical set of points related to the Mandelbrot set, so named for its percieved resemblance to depictions of Gautama Buddha seated in meditation. The fractal map becomes more detailed with increasing iterations. Here, the set was iterated 100 times in blue, 1,000 in green, and 20,000 in red.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Via JMG: LGBT Sports Group Calls On Athletes To Hold Hands At Sochi Olympics


Noting that all demonstrations involving pins, flags, and other items are strictly banned by the IOC, yesterday an international LGBT sports group launched the "Same-Sex Hand-Holding Initiative."
The campaign is simple: Pride House International is calling on everyone present in Sochi – athletes, staff, media, officials, spectators, sponsors, vendors, and fans – to take every opportunity to hold hands with a person of the same sex. “There are extreme restrictions on the uniforms and other items worn by athletes at any Olympic Games. Flags, badges, or pins are not allowed without IOC approval, a near-impossibility, and wearing something as seemingly innocuous as pink socks or shoelaces is very difficult for athletes to do, and complex to organise for other participants and spectators,” said the Federation of Gay Games’ Les Johnson. “But everyone can hold hands with their neighbour. Indeed, raising your rivals’ hands in camaraderie is an image we see on every podium at every sporting event.”
Pride House cautions that any hand-holding should be done with as many witnesses as possible.


Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: MOSCOW: Swedish Athlete Competes With Fingernails Painted In Rainbow Colors, Draws Condemnation From Russian Pole Vaulting World Champion



At the World Track & Field championships in Moscow, Swedish high jumper Emma Green Tregaro competed today with her fingernails painted in rainbow hues in a gesture of solidarity for the LGBT community, drawing condemnation from Russia pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva.
“If we allow to promote and do all this stuff on the street, we are very afraid about our nation because we consider ourselves like normal, standard people,” Isinbayeva, a two-time Olympic champion, said in English. “We just live with boys with woman, woman with boys. “Everything must be fine. It comes from history. We never had any problems, these problems in Russia, and we don’t want to have any in the future. It’s unrespectful to our country. It’s unrespectful to our citizens because we are Russians. Maybe we are different from European people and other people from different lands,” Isinbayeva told reporters. “We have our home and everyone has to respect (it). When we arrive to different countries, we try to follow their rules.”
American runner Nick Symmonds, who yesterday dedicated his silver medal to his gay friends at home, slammed Isinbayeva.
“I want to say to Yelena, ‘You understand a very large portion of your citizens here are gay and lesbian people. They are standard people, too. They were created this way. For you to tell them that they’re not normal and standard, that’s what we’re taking an issue with.’ That’s why we have to continue to demonstrate and to speak out against the ignorance that she’s showing.”
Isinbayeva has set 28 world records and won gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. According to the Washington Post, she was part of the team that won Russia the right to host the 2014 Games. Cheering on Isinbayeva's bigotry is NOM's Damian Goddard.





WWE Stars Support Darren Young



In case you missed this morning's news, WWE star Darren Young has come out. The WWE has issued a statement to GLAAD: "WWE is proud of Darren Young for being open about his sexuality, and we will continue to support him as a WWE Superstar. Today, in fact, Darren will be participating in one of our Be A Star anti-bullying rallies in Los Angeles to teach children how to create positive environments for everyone regardless of age, race, religion or sexual orientation."

UPDATE: WWE superstar John Cena applauds:  "Good for him. That's fantastic. I know Darren personally. Darren's a great guy. That's a very bold move for him. And congratulations for him for actually finally doing it. It's all about being professional, and Darren Young is a consummate professional. For us, it's entertainment, and if you're entertaining you shouldn't be judged by race, creed, color or sexuality ... as long as you're entertaining."

Reposted from Joe

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.


Reposted from Joe