Via JMG: NORTH CAROLINA: State Attorney General Roy Cooper Endorses Marriage Equality

But he's still going to fight defend the state against the lawsuit brought by the ACLU. Via the Associated Press:

Attorney General Roy Cooper says he supports gay marriage but argues his personal views aren't preventing him from vigorously defending North Carolina's constitutional amendment affirming its prohibition from a lawsuit. Cooper opposed passage of the amendment in 2012 but hadn't addressed his views on sanctioning gay marriage publicly until now. He said over the weekend "I support marriage equality" when asked by The Associated Press about the topic. His announcement worries the socially conservative North Carolina Family Policy Council after it questioned why Cooper was speaking next month at a fundraiser for gay-rights group Equality North Carolina.

Equality North Carolina has responded to Cooper's announcement: "The Attorney General has long been an advocate for equal rights for all people and we applaud him for publicly aligning with a fast-growing majority of North Carolinians who now support the legal relationship recognitions between committed LGBT couples." (Tipped by JMG reader Al)

Labels: ACLU, marriage equality, North Carolina, Roy Cooper

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 14, 2013

Taking Suffering Seriously

Taking suffering seriously is an important element of Buddhist practice. To ignore it is to miss a powerful opportunity. Intolerance to suffering motivated the Buddha to find liberation from it.

- Gil Fronsdal, "Living Two Traditions"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through October 15, 2013
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 13, 2013

Face to Face

In a sense, all of Buddhist practice takes place here, in this most intimate realm: here, in the family, shoulder to shoulder with fellow workers, beside each other on the cushion. Even alone in a cave, there is no way out of the sense object we call the body. We meet each other face to face, and so have all our teachers and ancestors met each other. In this way have all the Buddhas taught. Hand to sweating hand.

- Sallie Tisdale, “Washing Out Emptiness”

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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 12, 2013

Recognizing Love

As adults, we need to become newly aware of the love that has infused our lives all along, to turn our attention to it afresh with the eyes of a child. To do so is to become conscious of the tremendous capacity for love that even now permeates our being—to open to it, to be healed by its life-giving energy, and to participate in its power to renew our world. We can awaken to the deepest goodness in ourselves and others. We can learn to recognize and commune with the blessings that have always been pouring forth.

- John Makransky, “Love Is All Around”

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Via JMG: US Olympic Committee Adds Sexual Orientation To Non-Discrimination Policy

The United States Olympic Committee today amended its official non-discrimination policies to include sexual orientation.

At his annual address to the USOC Assembly on Friday, CEO Scott Blackmun said the federation is not in the business of trying to influence Russian policy. “The fact that we do not think it is our role to advocate for a change in the Russian law does not mean that we support the law, and we do not,” Blackmun said. The board passed the measure Thursday, a week after chairman Larry Probst, a new member of the International Olympic Committee, said he would support a similar change to the IOC Olympic charter. Currently, it does not mention sexual orientation as a form of discrimination. With the Sochi Olympics less than four months away, Blackmun said the USOC is seeking clarity from the IOC on what will and won’t be regarded as violations of the IOC rule against using the Olympic stage to make political protests or demonstrations.

Blackmun added that the USOC has given American athletes the freedom to express opposition to Russia's anti-gay laws "however they see fit." But that freedom ends when the Games begin. (Tipped by JMG reader Dwight)

Labels: LGBT rights, Russia, Sochi Olympics, USOC

Reposted from Joe

Via HimalayaCrafts / FB:

My religion is to live and die without regret. - HimalayaCrafts

Via JMG: It's National Coming Out Day

 

Is there anybody left for you to come out to?

Labels: Keith Haring, LGBT History, National Coming Out Day

Reposted from Joe

Betty Celebrates All Families 2013

Via JMG... make the jump here to read the comments...

25 Years of National Coming Out Day: Coming Out Still Matters

Via jMG: USPS To Announce Harvey Milk Stamp

From the Facebook page of the Harvey Milk Foundation:

Breaking! It is official! The USPS will confirm this week that my uncle, Harvey Milk will be commemorated on a 2014 US postage stamp. Another first! My deep gratitude to everyone that supported this effort! More details including the image to come via USPS soon! "Hope Will Never Be Silent" and will be on millions of letters soon!

Get ready for some super-sadz!

 

Labels: Harvey Milk, LGBT History, USPS

Reposted from Joe

Gay test? Arab countries to 'detect' and bar homsexuals from entry

More Sarah goes to Church – her Baha’i on Life blog

Sarah goes to Church – her Baha’i on Life blog by justabahai

"Sarah Goes To Church" is an engaging and insightful blog on her independent investigations into different religions. So she went along to find out about the Bahais of Webster Groves, Missouri along with her partner with the dazzling pink hair. Enjoy the read! http://sarahgoestochurch.blogspot.nl/2013/10/bahai-on-life.html And then you'll see that the bottleneck for her is that […]

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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 10, 2013

Devotional Practice

In Asia, laypeople generally relate to Buddhism devotionally. But in America, when laypeople engage in these traditions they most often want to relate to them solely as a yogic path, beyond devotion. The problem is that they have all of the problems that lay Buddhists have always had. Trying to force yourself into the yogic path while living with all of the distractions, complications, and follies of the lay life may not always work so well.

- Mark Unno, “The Buddha of Infinite Light and Life”

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through October 11, 2013
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Via Sarah Goes To Church: AND THAT'S WHEN SARAH STEPPED OFF THE BAHA'I BOAT

Baha'i on Life 

 Sidebar - I'm tired of talking about gay issues at church. My life is like a gay pride parade - it's constantly raining glitter and fabulous. Gay is all around me and it's wonderful. I wouldn't want it any other way. My life is amazing. It's just...I know people are still working through this whole "Is it okay to be gay?" thing and trying to figure out where God fits in with the issue. But I'm really losing my patience and I'm starting to get angry. GOD LOVES EVERYONE NOW SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! Can we please talk about something other than gayness? Please? PLEASE!!??!!! Anything. Syria. Gun violence. The afterlife. Mysteries of the universe. Tacos. A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G. 

Gayness follows me. I cannot escape it. Long ago I accepted that I indeed have magical gay powers and everything I touch turns to gay. So, I should have known the Baha'i service would eventually start heading down a gay road...and it did. 

Out of nowhere the conversation turned to David's son, who recently realized he was gay. David was very supportive of his gay son - standing up for his desire to wear skirts and make-up at school. David's son felt for some time that he was transgender - living life as a woman in a man's body - and started expressing himself as such. David beautifully described how God didn't see gender or biological sex. God only sees our soul and our souls are without gender or biological sex. It's not your human body that matters - it's your soul. Up until this point I appreciated everything David had to say about gender and homosexuality.

Then things got sticky...someone brought up the issue of having sex.

Baha'i's are to refrain from sexual activity until they enter into a religious marriage - and the only marriages recognized are marriages between...you guessed it...one man and one women. The Baha'i faith doesn't exactly condemn gay love. They are big believers in legal marriage equality and protecting gay rights.  And you can totally hold hands and talk and snuggle and share your deepest darkest secrets with your same-sex partner, but you can't have sex with him or her. EVER. Not even oral. Nope. Not okay. If you are gay and you follow the Baha'i faith you are expected to practice life long chastity.  

AND THAT'S WHEN SARAH STEPPED OFF THE BAHA'I BOAT.

WHAT?!?!?!!!!! Does God hate gay people? Cause that seems like lifelong punishment for being gay...the way God made them to be. What kind of God does that? Here ya go, here are all these desires and feelings and instincts but DON'T YOU DARE DO ANYTHING WITH THEM OR I WON'T LIKE IT! Also, if God doesn't see the physical body and only cares about the soul then why does God care about gay sex or sex at all for that matter?

No really, why does God care if we have sex? WHY?  See, I don't think God cares. Not even a little bit. I think God could give two shits about where you poke your pickle or who's dusting your closet. I think sex is a good thing - not a curse, or a punishment or a test of will-power. It's a great stress reliever - like all natural Xanax. It's a sleep-aid. It helps you deal with body issues. It can give you energy. It makes you happy. Maybe God created us with these "feel good places" because God wants us to...I don't know...feel good?

There was a woman at the service, a gay woman, who talked about how hard it was to be chaste but  she knew this life was only but a blip and that her devotion would be rewarded in the next life.

This just does not make sense to me. AT ALL. This Earthly life is but a test for the next one? Baha'i's don't believe in a literal hell or heaven, but instead gauge heaven and hell by your closeness with God. So, apparently God is King Candy and having gay sex is like drawing that horrible gum drop guy when you are half way through with Candyland (the children's game) and are now even further away from a heavenly ice- cream palace finish. It helps me if you can explain things in preschool terms. Candyland exhausts me and I really think God can do better.

After the service the nice man sitting next to me talked about how having standards is so important. I questioned which standards you are supposed to follow because lately I've found everyone is claiming different standards as "God's". He was very understanding and explained that the great thing about Baha'u'llah is that he was truly a messenger of God and spoke the truth.

Uh huh. Right. Thanks. Gotta run. I need a drink - which you do not believe in. 

 

This sex loving booze drinking spiritual enthusiast left church and headed straight to Cherokee street for some authentic Mexican cuisine and a delicious homemade margarita. I said a quiet prayer for all the gay people around the world who have been led to believe they shouldn't live a happy and full and SEXUAL life because of their orientation. I wish you all many wonderful orgasms and lots and lots of post-coital snuggles.

 

I'm so glad I finally made it back to church.

 

Cheers!

Make the jump here to read the full article at Sarah Goes to Church

 

JMG Quote Of The Day - Rev. Gary Hall

"In its wisdom, the church came to its senses and labeled both racism and sexism as sinful. And now we find ourselves at the last barrier—call that barrier homophobia, call it heterosexism. We must now have the courage to take the final step and call homophobia and heterosexism what they are. They are sin. Homophobia is a sin. Heterosexism is a sin. Shaming people for whom they love is a sin. Shaming people because their gender identity doesn’t fit neatly into your sense of what it should be is a sin. Our job, as Christians, is not only to proclaim that Gospel. Our job is to live it. And if we are faithful in proclaiming and living it, today’s generation of LGBT youth will thrive and grow and take their places around this table, with Jesus, as we bless, forgive, heal, and love the world. Amen." - Rev. Gary Hall, chief ecclesiastical leader of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, in a sermon marking the 15th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard.

Labels: Gary Hall, Matthew Shepard, religion

Reposted from Joe

Jimmy Fallon, Miley Cyrus & The Roots Sing "We Can't Stop" (A Cappella)

Via JMG: Activists To IOC: Uphold Principle 6

Athlete Ally and All Out have joined forces to urge the International Olympic Committee to uphold its own Principle 6, which bans discrimination at the Olympic Games. The groups intend to make Principle 6 into a method of denouncing Russia's anti-gay laws without actually risking the arrests of attendees or the medals of supporting athletes at the Sochi Games. Frank Bruni explains at the New York Times:

Athlete Ally, working with a company called the Idea Brand and the professional football player Brendon Ayanbadejo, came up with and developed the notion of using the very name of that clause, along with a logo or logos that allude to it, as a rebuke of Russia’s laws and a method for athletes and fans to express their convictions. The symbol and the syllables P6, perhaps worn as a sticker, perhaps woven into clothing, could evolve into something along the lines of a Livestrong bracelet: a ubiquitous motif that doesn’t spell out a whole philosophy but has an unmistakable meaning and message. [snip] It’s an attempt to take full advantage of the world’s attention to the Winter Games without putting athletes at risk of censure. Maybe they hold up six fingers. Maybe their outfits include something with a P6 logo, several designs for which are being considered.

Read more about the Principle 6 campaign at the Athlete Ally site. Their petition is at the link.  Samples of the proposed Principle 6 logos are at the Times link.

 

Labels: activism, Athlete Ally, LGBT rights, Principle 6, Russia, Sochi Olympics, sports

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma October 9, 2013

Faith in Mind

Reject existence and you fall into it, Pursue emptiness and you move away from it. With many words and thoughts You miss what is right before you. Cutting off words and thought Nothing remains unpenetrated.

- Jianzhi Sengcan, "Faith in Mind"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through October 10, 2013
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We Choose to be Gay: Suna: Prof. Cüneyt Can ein Interview mit einem Bahai