Via JMG: Feds Recognize All Gay Marriages For Student Financial Aid Applicants

Citing Edith Windsor's victory at the Supreme Court, yesterday the Department of Education announced that all same-sex marriages will be recognized for the purposes of federal financial aid grants regardless of the state where the applicant resides.

For purposes of the Title IV HEA programs, a student or a parent is considered married if the student or parent was legally married in any domestic or foreign jurisdiction1 that recognizes the relationship as a valid marriage, regardless of where the couple resides. The Department is applying a “place of celebration” rule and, accordingly, has determined that any legal marriage that is recognized by the jurisdiction in which the marriage was celebrated will be recognized for Title IV HEA program purposes without regard to whether the marriage is between persons of the same sex or opposite sex, and without regard to where the couple resides. This determination applies to both a student and to the parents of a dependent student. It also applies to a student attending an institution located in a jurisdiction that recognizes same-sex marriage and in a jurisdiction (e.g., a state) that does not recognize same-sex marriage. Further, this determination applies only to marriages and does not apply to registered domestic partnerships, civil unions, or similar formal relationships recognized under state law.  Finally, this determination is relevant to all questions concerning marriage and marital status on the FAFSA.

Labels: DOMA, Edith Windsor, education, feds

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma December 15, 2013

No Words

Zen practice is always about returning to that place where there are no words. Early on, I realized that to use words, you have to live life beyond words, before words, without words. Only then do you have the right to speak.

- Seido Ray Ronci, "No Words"

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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma December 14, 2013

Give Everything

Underneath the panoply of Buddhist teachings on bodhisattvahood, compassion, and the like, lies one radically simple law: We must be willing to give all for all, to sacrifice everything for the sake of other beings, up to and including our lives. In the eternal scheme of things, we all sacrifice our lives, whether we are awake to this fact or not.

- Clark Strand, “The Wisdom of Frogs”

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Via JMG: Indian AG Denounces Ruling

"The world has moved on. It is fast changing. Perceptions have changed. Attitudes have changed. Law does not and cannot remain static. Whenever necessary, the Supreme Court has reflected changed perceptions of the law and has struck outmoded laws down. They did so when striking down rent control laws as socially irrelevant. They also did it by breathing fresh life into Article 21, protecting life and personal liberty. They did it by consigning the archaic judgment in A K Gopalan vs State of Madras, rendered in 1950, into the dustbin of history. Unfortunately, they declined to give a similar treatment to Section 377. Therein lies the tragedy." - Goolam Vahanvati, Attorney General of India.

Labels: homosexuality, India, LGBT rights

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: SUNDAY: Global Protests Planned In Support Of Indian LGBT Community

On Sunday there will be protests of the Indian Supreme Court ruling in major cities around the world. The list of cities so far: Sydney, Toronto, Cambridge, London, Delhi, Ann Arbor, Chennai.  More locations will be added at this link, at which you can find details for each city.

Labels: activism, India, LGBT rights, protests

Reosted from Joe Jervis

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma December 13, 2013

Cultivating An Open Mind

Zen Master Jizo said that ‘not knowing is the most intimate thing.’ Not knowing means to be open to all eventualities, to not prejudge a person or situation. If your mind is full of preconceived notions, there is no room for an unbiased view. It is like when your hands are full of objects—you cannot pick up anything new. A closed mind causes separation and suspicion. Like an umbrella, a mind is only useful when it is open. The first step toward maintaining an open mind is to understand the nature of mind or self.

- Gerry Shishin Wick Sensei, “Zen In The Workplace: Approaches To Mindful Management”

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Via JMG: INDIA: Top Politicians Vow To Repeal Law Against Homosexuality

In the wake of yesterday's shocking recriminalization of homosexuality by the Indian Supreme Court, politicians there today vowed to repeal the law legislatively.

"We will have to change the law. If the Supreme Court has upheld that law, then we will certainly have to take firm steps," Thursday. "Change has to be made fast, and any delay cannot take place." Sibal's comments were echoed by other government officials. Sonia Gandhi, the head of the ruling Congress Party, who is among the most powerful political figures in the country, said Thursday she was disappointed by the Supreme Court's ruling, adding she hopes "Parliament will address the issue and uphold the constitutional guarantee of life and liberty to all citizens of India, including those directly affected by the judgment." The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, fresh off massive wins in state elections last week, refused to comment on the ruling, "react when we see the government's proposal." The BJP is seen as a front-runner ahead of next year's national elections.

Labels: homosexuality, India, LGBT rights

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Science and Nonduality Conference / FB:

Science and Nonduality Conference

first there is a mountain
then there is no mountain
then there is a mountain again

~ Zen Proverb

photo: Joel Santos

 

Via Have A Gay Day / FB:

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma December 12, 2013

Fearlessness

If we’re afraid of who we are, we continually feel frantic about filling that space, anything to avoid that persistent unease beneath the surface of our lives. The fearlessness of the warrior comes from stepping again and again into open space, with body, breath, and heart exposed. It is the fearlessness that is willing to be intimate with fear.

- Aura Glaser, “Into the Demon’s Mouth”

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Via JMG: Indian LGBT Group Denounces Ruling

 

The Indian LGBT rights group Orinam has issued a reaction to the today's shameful ruling by the Indian Supreme Court.

We are deeply disappointed at the decision of the Supreme Court in Suresh Kumar Kaushal v. Naz Foundation. The decision by overturning the historic Delhi High Court judgment which recognized that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) persons are full citizens of India, attempts to stem the tide of history. By overturning the Naz Foundation judgment, the Supreme Court has, in one fell stroke again reduced LGBT persons to the status of what the Delhi High Court memorably called 'unapprehended felons'. The judgment of the Supreme Court is a unconscionable blow to the dignity of LGBT persons who as per the Indian Constitution are entitled to equal treatment. It withdraws the protective arm of the constitution from LGBT persons and renders LGBT persons vulnerable to discrimination, violence and harassment. It is a tragedy that this judgment forgets the vision of the founders of the Indian republic which was so eloquently captured by the Delhi High Court. By re-criminalizing LGBT persons the judgment ignores the spirit of inclusiveness which is the heart of the Indian Constitution as articulated by Jawaharlal Nehru. It equally abandons the principle of constitutional morality (ie majorities dont have a charter to discriminate against minorities purely because they are majorities) articulated by Dr. Ambedkar which is the cornerstone of a diverse and plural nation.

Read the full statement.

Labels: homosexuality, India, LGBT rights

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: Sporting Bodies To Respect LGBT Rights

Martina Navratilova and Jason Collins yesterday called on international sporting groups to respect LGBT rights. The pair spoke at a United Nations event marking International Human Rights Day.

They focused in part on the upcoming Winter Olympics in Russia, which passed a law this summer banning homosexual "propaganda." The law has drawn international condemnation and sparked calls for a boycott, though no nations have threatened to pull their athletes. Navratilova, who lost lucrative endorsements when she came out in 1981, said she doesn't support boycotts of any kind. But she said the IOC is "putting its head in the sand" and criticized FIFA, the world soccer body, for awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. "Nobody's talking about Qatar and the World Cup. You can get a jail term there," she said of consensual gay sex in the Persian Gulf nation. In six other countries, including Saudi Arabia, simply being gay is punishable by death, she said. "Gays and lesbians seem to be the last group it's seen as OK to pick on," she said.

Watch video here.

Labels: FIFA, gay athletes, Jason Collins, LGBT rights, Martina Navralitova, Qatar, Russia, Sochi Olympics

Via Freedom to Marry / FB:

Edie Windsor has been named one of TIME's Top 5 People of the Year! 

 

Don't miss TIME's beautiful tribute to the woman whose love story made 2013 amazing: http://ti.me/1aV3jKY

 

 

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma December 11, 2013

The Matter of Truth

One finds in Buddhist tradition a distinction between “words” and “meaning,” which are often very different from one another, and we would do well to consider the traditional advice—whether we are looking at statues or interpreting teachings—to pay attention to symbolic meaning and not be limited to literal meaning.

- Rita M. Gross, “The Matter of Truth”

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Is Being Gay a choice?

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma December 10, 2013

Spiritual Stinginess

We try to turn a profit in practice—to get something from it. We try to get better. We try to get enlightenment. We try to get seen for doing it right. What are we being stingy with here? Wholehearted surrender to the present moment or to what is. Think how stingy we are with that. Think how tightly we hold on. We also imagine that in practicing, what we will “get” will be ours—which is, of course, the greatest delusion of all.

- Sensei Nancy Mujo Baker, "On Not Being Stingy"

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Via JMG: Edith Windsor: Top Ten Finalist For TIME Magazine's Person Of The Year

 

TIME Magazine today released the top ten finalists for Person Of The Year. On the list is Edith Windsor.  Here are the finalists in alphabetical order. 

Bashar Assad, President of Syria
Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder
Ted Cruz, Texas Senator
Miley Cyrus, Singer
Pope Francis, Leader of the Catholic Church
Barack Obama, President of the United States
Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran
Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services
Edward Snowden, N.S.A. Leaker
Edith Windsor, Gay rights activist

The 2013 Person Of The Year will be revealed on Wednesday.

Labels: 2013 in review, DOMA, Edith Windsor, Time Magazine

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: BRASIL: 130 Couples Participate In Mass Wedding As Rio Legalizes Gay Marriage

Yesterday Rio De Janeiro became the 14th Brazilian state to legalize same-sex marriage. Over 130 couples married in a mass wedding at the state's Superior Court of Justice.

In mid-May, Brazilian courts determined that public offices that oversee marriages cannot reject gay couples, even though Brazil's national congress has passed no law on the matter. Some public offices had already been accepting marriage applications from homosexual couples, while others denied them. An emotional Viviane Soares Lessa de Faria, 38, smiled at her partner and told news site G1 "I've dreamed of marrying her since I met her." Her wife's 29-year-old son was the couple's best man. For Giuseppe Laricchia, 21, marrying his boyfriend was about guaranteeing rights. "We need to have equality compared with heterosexual couples," he said.

(Via Towleroad)

Labels: Brazil, marriage equality, Rio de Janeiro

 
Reposted from Joe Jervis

Tricycle Daily Dharma December 9, 2013

To Be the Host

The ancient Chinese used the image of the host to describe the observing, stable meditator. Many guests visit the host. Some are invited, and they tend to be kind, charming, and a pleasure to entertain. Others are not invited: they are drunk, unruly, and eat all the food. Or they stand around, staring into space.

- Larry Rosenberg, “To Be the Host”

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through December 10, 2013
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