Thursday, April 3, 2014
The Bahá'í Faith and Homosexuality
Bahá'í LGBTs on the Internet,
agitating for full acceptance
The agenda being pursued by Baha'i LGBTs is simple: full equality for persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities, including same-sex marriage. Some are using the Internet to publicize their goals.
In reading some of their sites, one is struck by the level of anxiety and fear experienced by LGBTs in this faith. That is a real pity, because the Baha'i faith should liberate people from fear and make their lives whole, not trap them in a closet and make them pretend to be what they are not.
How to be Mindful
| April 3, 2014
Since the sense of self is the
embodiment of the absence of awareness, forgetting to observe is
inevitable as we try harder to be aware. The problem of how to be
mindful is actually resolved not through strenuous effort but by
relaxing, allowing, and observing what is already here. Within the
framework of relaxation, the sense of self has a diminishing power
center, making space for awareness to be revealed.
—Rodney Smith, “From Thought to Stillness”
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Via Towleroad: Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich Also Contributed To Anti-Gay GOP Candidates
The Guardian has just revealed that in addition to donating $1,000 to help ban gay marriage in California, new Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich also contributed $1000 during the early 1990s to anti-gay right-wing Republican presidential candidate and $2000 in the late 90s to Texas state Republican congressman Ron Paul, a man who preferred to leave gay marriage up to individual states.
The Guardian notes:
During the AIDS outbreak of 1990,
Buchanan said “our promiscuous homosexuals appear literally hell-bent on
Satanism and suicide”. A few years earlier he said “homosexuals have
declared war on nature, and now nature is exacting an awful
retribution”.
In a 2010 article on [gay marriage],
Buchanan remarked that "all the great religions have condemned
homosexuality and all the great nations have proscribed or punished it"
and concluded: "Historically, from the late Roman Empire to Weimar,
flagrant homosexuality has been associated with sick societies, decadent
cultures and dying civilizations.”
Ever since news of Eich’s anti-gay California contribution has become public, there have been calls for a Mozilla boycott from both pro and anti-gay groups, calls for Eich to step down from Mozilla employees, several resignations of Mozilla board members, even as Eich continues to sidestep questions on his current stance towards same-sex marriage.
http://www.towleroad.com/2014/04/mozilla-ceo-brendan-eich-also-contributed-to-anti-gay-gop-candidates.html
Via JMG: Mozilla CEO Speaks To CNET
I don't know. If it is, the vision of Mozilla will be lost. I don't think anyone else will carry the user-first agenda above all other considerations. I understand big commercial corporations can't do it. They have to ultimately answer to their shareholders. They can have founders with large shares and that can say they're willing to take a hit in order to be long-term thinkers, and I admire that, but in no way can they do what Mozilla does. We bled for the user. We did Firefox when nobody thought the browser was a competitive market or ever would be again. We did Firefox OS when people said there was no need for a mobile OS but there was obviously a gap below the market. And we're doing a user-centric approach to services that involve identity and choice and control of data. Mozilla has to uphold its principles, has to have integrity to advance its mission.Eich also mentioned that the company is planning to take actions to emphasize its support for the LGBT community, but he gave no specifics.
I feel strongly about what's happened, and I feel I'm still the best CEO for the job. I've got lots to contribute and I'll help us turn some corners. The corners that need me as CEO, not just founder or CTO, are a big mobile turn that involves services [and] user identity and agency in the cloud. If we get our message out about inclusiveness and how Mozilla cannot succeed without being truly globally inclusive, then we'll have trouble. I expect I'll be helpful there, too, in the long run. We're in a struggle now, but if we get through it, we'll be stronger for it. That's been true of all our struggles at Mozilla. When we pull everybody together for common mission, that's when we really succeed.
Labels: 2008 elections, Brendan Eich, California, Firefox, internet, LGBT rights, marriage equality, Mozilla, Proposition 8, technology
Via Daily Dharma
What the Buddha Never Said | April 2, 2014
'There is no self' is the granddaddy of
fake Buddhist quotes. It has survived so long because of its
superficial resemblance to the teaching on anatta, or not-self,
which was one of the Buddha’s tools for putting an end to clinging. Even
though he neither affirmed nor denied the existence of a self, he did
talk of the process by which the mind creates many senses of self—what
he called “I-making” and “my-making”—as it pursues its desires.
—Thanissaro Bhikkhu, “There is no self.”
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Via Daily Dharma
Some Space | April 1, 2014
If we can allow some space within our
awareness and rest there, we can respect our troubling thoughts and
emotions, allow them to come, and let them go. Our lives may be
complicated on the outside, but we remain simple, easy, and open on the
inside.
—Tsoknyi Rinpoche, "Allow for Space"
Monday, March 31, 2014
Via JMG: First & Last Lines From Noted Gay Novels
Via JMG: Employment Protections Map
Lambda Legal notes:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
All government employees are protected by the U.S. Constitution against irrational discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition, some measure of protection already exists under Title VII based on gender, which has been held to include gender identity and expression. The U.s. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and several courts have interpreted Title VII to protect transgender employees, and the EEOC has interpreted Title VII to cover sexual orientation discrimination. The Supreme Court has held that the EEOC's interpretation of Title VII are entitled to "great deference."Notice that New York shamefully continues to lack statewide gender identity protections, despite such a bill passing in the state Assembly six times. Maryland will join the 17 states with full LGBT employment protections when Gov. Martin O'Malley signs the transgender rights bill approved by the state legislature last week. There's only one way to turn the entire map green: ENDA.
Labels: employment, ENDA, Lambda Legal, LGBT rights
Via JMG: College Football Player Comes Out
Outsports reports that NCAA defensive end Mitch Eby came out to
his Chapman University teammates earlier this month. Eby first told his
two roommates, both also players, then opened up to his head coach, who
agreed to allow Eby to address the full team. An excerpt from his speech:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
"I came up here today to talk to you guys about something that I've been dealing with for quite a while. It's something personal that I've always thought I could just bury away, but I can't. We live life so worried about how other people view us that we forget about ourselves. I can no longer go on living in fear, repressing myself because of how society may view me. I can no longer lie to my friends, family and teammates. It's time I lived life for myself for a change. With that being said, I am ready to share with you all that I am gay. It has taken me years to accept myself for who I truly am, so it's irrational to expect everybody to unconditionally accept me right away. However, the one thing that I hope that I can count on from each of you, my teammates, is your respect. Your respect as a friend, your respect as a teammate, and your respect as a man."According to the above-linked report, the team applauded Eby's revelation. Athlete Ally founder Hudson Taylor reacts via press release:
"Mitch is demonstrating great courage and leadership by publicly coming out as gay while still actively playing college football. While the decision to take this step is a deeply personal one, it impacts countless other young closeted athletes who will wrestle with how to compete and live their lives authentically. Today represents another important step in making sports a welcoming environment for all."
Labels: coming out, football, gay athletes, sports
Via Daily Dharma
The Nature of Anger | March 31, 2014
Because we imagine anger is never a
good thing, it is easy to think we should practice simply not being
angry. But that approach is too general and abstract. It’s important for
each of us to be precise, to be real, to be personal and honest, to
find out exactly what my anger is. To do that we need to ask ourselves
lots of questions about its actual nature.
—Nancy Baker, "Precious Energy"
Via Tricycle
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March 31, 2014
| New at Tricycle: We continue our ongoing mission to eliminate Buddha
misquotes; a visit to S. N. Goenka in 1970s India; Roshi Pat Enkyo
O'Hara gets intimate; we host an Enlightening Conversation; and we offer
you a last chance to watch Souls of Zen, our Film Club selection this month. |
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 MAGAZINE: WHAT THE BUDDHA NEVER SAID |
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| There are lots of fake Buddha quotes floating around, but the granddaddy of them all is “There is no self.” Theravada Buddhist monk Thanissaro Bhikkhu goes all the way back to ancient India’s debate culture to explain the origins of this dubious quote. | |
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Via JMG: Mozilla: We Support Marriage Equality
Mozilla’s mission is to make the Web more open so that humanity is stronger, more inclusive and more just. This is why Mozilla supports equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples. No matter who you are or who you love, everyone deserves the same rights and to be treated equally. We realize that not everyone in our community or who uses our products will agree with this. But we have always maintained that as long as you are willing to respect others, and come together for our larger mission, you are welcome. Mozilla’s community is made up of people who have very diverse personal beliefs working on a common cause, which is a free and open internet. That is a very rare and special thing.Hampton Caitlin, a Firefox developer who with his husband last week announced a boycott of Mozilla, has tweeted his pleasure with this development.
UPDATE: Mozilla Foundation executive director Mark Surman today weighed in on the flap. His statement concludes:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
I worry that Mozilla is in a tough spot right now. I worry that we do a bad job of explaining ourselves, that people are angry and don’t know who we are or where we stand. And, I worry that in the time it takes to work this through and explain ourselves the things I love about Mozilla will be deeply damaged. And I suspect others do too. If you are a Mozillian, I ask that you help the people around you understand who we are. And, if you have supported Mozilla in the past are frustrated or angry with us, I ask you for kindness and patience. What Mozilla is about is working through these things, even when they’re hard. Because the web need us to. It’s that important.
Labels: Brendan Eich, California, Firefox, internet, marriage equality, Mozilla, Proposition 8, technology
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Via Daily Dharma
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Enlivening the Ordinary | March 30, 2014
Through art, a painter can make the ordinary come alive. As Zen students, we try to bring this kind of relevance into each moment of our lives, into this one moment that contains all moments. In this way, we allow the ordinary to enliven us. Sometimes this is successful, sometimes not, but the work itself goes on. Persistence is one of the major virtues in both the artist and the unenlightened.
—Gary Thorp, "The Dust Beyond the Cushion"
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Saturday, March 29, 2014
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Searching for Self | March 29, 2014
This mind that we identify as the self, which we could call ego-mind, controls everything we do. Yet it can't actually be found—which is somewhat spooky, as if a ghost were managing our home. The house seems to be empty, but all the housework has been done. The bed has been made, our shoes have been polished, the tea has been poured, and the breakfast has been cooked.
—Dzigar Kongtrül Rinpoche, "Searching for Self"
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