JMG VIRGINIA: Gay Man Fires Back At Ex-Gay Crackpots With Billboard Of His Own

 

Remember the PFOX billboard in Virginia? Remember their humiliation when it turned out that the model on their billboard, Kyle Roux, not only isn't a twin but is proudly gay? It gets even better:

Roux thinks that PFOX, which has since taken down the billboard, purchased the photos of him from a stock photography site. Legally, he said, there’s not much he can do. But this week, he’s striking back in his own way. On Wednesday, Planting Peace, a nonprofit organization based in Topeka, Kansas, erected a new billboard down the road from where the PFOX billboard once stood. The new sign, designed in the same color and style as the PFOX billboard and featuring new photographs of Roux, reads: “Dear PFOX: Identical twins? I’m not. I’m gay. Regardless of what you believe I was born gay. And I’m proud of who I am.” Aaron Jackson, the president of Planting Peace, reached out to Roux after media reports surfaced that he was openly gay. Jackson was concerned about young gays and lesbians who might see the billboard.

(Tipped by JMG reader David)

Labels: advertising, brainwashing, crackpots, ex-gay, LGBT youth, Ooh SNAP, PFOX, religion, torture, Virginia

Reposted from Joe Jervis

The People's Brief with Robbie Kaplan and Edie Windsor

Via JMG: BREAKING: First Texas Same-Sex Marriage License Issued By Travis County Clerk, Couple Marries Immediately UPDATE: Judge's Order Only Applies To Them

Via the Austin Statesman:

Two Austin women were legally married Thursday morning after a Travis County judge ordered the county clerk to issue a marriage license. Sarah Goodfriend and Suzanne Bryant, together almost 31 years, said their vows before Rabbi Kerry Baker while standing in front of the Travis County Clerk’s Office sign on Airport Boulevard. The couple was denied a license in the same office building eight years ago. On Wednesday morning, state District Judge David Wahlberg, petitioned by a lawyer for Goodfriend and Bryant, ordered Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir to grant the couple a marriage license. The ceremony was a mix of personal – with friends and their teenage daughters, Dawn and Ting, standing nearby – and public statement, with photos of their vows in front of the county sign.

More from Burnt Orange Report:

With careful consultation by County Attorney David Escamilla the legal grounds for DeBeauvoir to issue the first of its kind marriage license was set. The ceremony was conducted just outside Travis County’s main office on Airport Blvd. just after 9 a.m. It was crucial that a plan be worked out in such a way that the marriage could be validated before anyone in opposition could react or be tipped off. There is no legal way for the state to invalidate a marriage other than with the consent of individuals or by death, so this will further put the burden on the state to find a compelling interest for denying marriage, not to mention the horrible optics that come with trying to void a consensual marriage.

It appears that the judge's order may only apply to this one couple.

UPDATE: Yup, just this one couple.

UPDATE II: Freedom To Marry reacts.

This is a historic day for fairness and equality in Texas. The family that Suzanne and Sarah have built together over more than three decades of commitment to each other mirrors the love between so many same-sex couples in Texas, all of whom deserve the freedom to marry. The 5th Circuit should quickly affirm Texas’ lower court ruling and ensure the freedom to marry across the Lone Star State.

Labels: LGBT rights, marriage equality, Texas, Travis County

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: CNN POLL: 63% Say Same-Sex Couples Have The Constitutional Right To Marry

 

From the poll: "63% of Americans say that gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry and have their marriages recognized by the law as valid. That's up from 49% in August 2010. Over that time, the share who see marriage as a constitutional right has climbed 15 points among Republicans to 42% and 19 points among Democrats to 75%."

Labels: CNN, marriage equality, polls

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Huffington Post: Unearthed Letter From Freud Reveals His Thoughts On Gay People

In 1935, Sigmund Freud penned a response to a mother who had asked him for help with her gay son. Despite the broader perceptions of homosexuality at the time, Freud took a different approach, telling the woman it's "nothing to be ashamed of." 

"I gather from your letter that your son is a homosexual. I am most impressed by the fact that you do not mention this term for yourself in your information about him. May I question you why you avoid it?" he wrote. "Homosexuality is assuredly no advantage, but it is nothing to be ashamed of, no vice, no degradation; it cannot be classified as an illness; we consider it to be a variation of the sexual function, produced by a certain arrest of sexual development. Many highly respectable individuals of ancient and modern times have been homosexuals, several of the greatest men among them." 

While the this correspondence sheds light on his personal communications, it has long been known that Freud did not view homosexuality as a pathology. He believed everyone was born bisexual and later became either straight or gay because of the relationships with those around them. In the letter, Freud does suggest "treatment" for homosexuality may be possible, but says the result "cannot be predicted." 

The letter currently appears on display in London as part of an exhibition at Wellcome Collection called "The Institute of Sexology."

(Make the jump for full article and transcription.)

Via Movimento Endireita Brasil / FB:

Via Daily Dharma

Completely Grounded | February 19, 2015 We need to realize the ultimate truth [of nonduality], but as Nagarjuna, one of the great Indian ancestors, says, 'in order to realize the ultimate truth you must be completely grounded in the conventional truth,' which means the precepts of ethical conduct, and so on. If we neglect how we are taking care of ourselves and other people, then it is actually impossible to realize the ultimate truth. - Kokyo Henkel, "Tripping with the Buddha" Read More →

Via Viva! Mais

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia - Flor del Día - Flower of the Day - 18/02/2015

“A desconstrução do falso eu não é fácil devido ao apego que desenvolvemos por aquilo que foi construído. Quanto maior o apego, maior o sofrimento. Quando você está consciente do processo da desconstrução, e do quanto ela é positiva e necessária, a travessia se torna um pouco mais fácil. Mas, não estando consciente, você acha que está simplesmente perdendo tudo o que construiu, e sente isso como algo muito negativo. Assim o processo pode ser bastante desafiador, pois a desconstrução é permeada pelo medo: da escassez, de ficar sozinho, de não conseguir completar a travessia, de morrer, de não ver nada no lugar daquilo que está indo embora... Medo de tudo. E o medo abre portas para todos os tipos de ‘demônios’. Por isso, a compreensão a respeito desse processo é de grande valia.”

“La deconstrucción del falso yo no es fácil debido al apego que desarrollamos por aquello que fue construido. Cuanto mayor es el apego, mayor es el sufrimiento. Cuando estás consciente del proceso de deconstrucción, y de cuán positivo y necesario es, la travesía se vuelve un poco más fácil. Pero no estando consciente, crees que estás simplemente perdiendo todo lo que construiste, y sientes esto como algo muy negativo. Así el proceso puede ser bastante desafiante, porque la deconstrucción es permeada por el miedo: a la escasez, a quedarse solo, a no conseguir completar la travesía, a morir, a no ver nada en el lugar de aquello que se está yendo... Miedo de todo. Y el miedo abre las puertas a todo tipo de "demonios". Por eso, la comprensión acerca de este proceso es de gran valor.”

"Deconstructing the false self is difficult due to the attachment we develop to what this false self has created. The greater the attachment, the greater we suffer. When we are aware of the deconstruction process and that it is both positive and necessary, this passage becomes a little easier. However, when we are not aware of this process, and we think we’re simply losing everything we have built, this feels like something very negative. Consequently, the process can be quite challenging because the deconstruction is permeated by fear: the fear of scarcity, of being alone, of not completing the journey, of death, of nothing coming to replace what is going away... There is the fear of everything. This fear opens the door to all types of ‘demons.’ Therefore, comprehending this process is of great value."

Via Daily Dharma

A Feast of Dharma | February 18, 2015 All the teachings, all the words, all the sutras, are skillful means for liberating the mind, rather than statements of absolute truth. When we take words to be statements of ultimate truth, then differences of opinion will inevitably result in conflict. This is where ideological wars come from, and we see in the history of the world an endless amount of suffering because of it. But if we see the words and the teachings as different skillful means for liberating the mind, then they all become part of a great dharma feast. - Joseph Goldstein, "One Dharma" Read More →

Via Baha'i Inspired Clinical Counselling Services: Short Prayer for Decision

The prayer is to be recited 19 times, followed by (1) meditation on the problem, (2) the formulation of a solution, and (3) the implementation of the conceived solution:

"O my God! Thou seest me detached from everything save Thee and clinging to Thee.

Guide me then, in my doings, in a manner which profiteth me for the glory of Thy Cause and the loftiness of the state of Thy servants."

~ Baha'u'llah

"The Research Department of the Universal House of Justice has advised that the prayer... was revealed by Bahá’u’lláh to Jináb-i-Samandar [Shaykh Kázim Samandar], the father of the Hand of the Cause of God, Tarázu’lláh Samandarí, to assist him in making a difficult decision." ~ From a letter dated August 21, 2001 from the Department of the Secretariat

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia - Flor del Día - Flower of the Day - 17/02/2015

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

“Estamos aqui chamando pelo senhor Shiva. Quando chamamos com o coração, ele se manifesta; e quando ele se manifesta, precisamos dar conta. Porque Shiva é a consciência cósmica, mas também é o poder de transformação. Antes que a consciência cósmica possa se manifestar, é preciso transformar o que precisa ser transformado. Isso implica em um processo de desconstrução do sistema de condicionamentos e crenças, e de todas as estruturas criadas pelo falso eu - inclusive ele próprio.” 

20.01.15

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA
“Estamos aquí llamando al señor Shiva. Cuando llamamos con el corazón, él se manifiesta; y cuando él se manifiesta, precisamos percibirlo. Porque Shiva es la conciencia cósmica, pero también es el poder de transformación. Antes de que la conciencia cósmica pueda manifestarse, es necesario transformar lo que precisa ser transformado. Esto implica un proceso de deconstrucción del sistema de condicionamientos y creencias, y de todas las estructuras creadas por el falso yo - incluido él mismo.”
20.01.15

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA
“We are here calling for Lord Shiva. When we call him with our hearts, he manifests himself, and we must take account when he does so. Not only is Shiva the symbol of cosmic consciousness, but he is also the power of transformation. Before cosmic consciousness can manifest, it’s necessary to transform that which needs to be transformed. This implies a process of deconstructing our conditionings and belief systems, and all the structures created by the false ‘I’ – including the false ‘I’ itself.”

Via Daily Dharma

What Our World Needs | February 17, 2015 The path of personal transformation and the path of social transformation are not really separate from each other. We must reclaim the concept of awakening from an exclusively individualistic therapeutic model and focus on how individual liberation also requires social transformation. Engagement in the world is how our personal awakening blossoms. - David Loy, "Awakening in the Age of Climate Change" Read More →

Via Believe Out Loud / FB:

WOOHOO! GAY COUPLE MAKES HISTORY WITH NAVY'S FIRST MAN-ON-MAN HOMECOMING KISS!!

"After a seven-month WestPac deployment, the USS San Francisco (SSN 711) submarine warship returned home to Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego yesterday. With every return comes the ceremonial "first kiss" of sailors disembarking from the vessel, and Monday's kiss was particularly notable as it was the first time ever a male same-sex couple was chosen" smile emoticon heart emoticon

Read more: http://ow.ly/J2dhk

Flor do Dia - Flor del Día - Flower of the Day - 15/02/2015

“Em ambientes de crueldade, onde as forças contrárias ao Amor atuam livremente, é muito difícil sustentar a conexão. Sustentar a conexão, em outras palavras, significa sustentar a presença do amor. E o que te faz sentir-se bem é justamente o amor fluindo do seu coração. Mas, o amor não pode se expressar em um ambiente de crueldade, pois essas forças restringem sua capacidade de amar - elas fecham seu coração. Isso acontece quase como uma proteção, para a sua sobrevivência. Porque ao manter-se aberto a crueldade entra e você começa a se machucar.”

Acesse ao Satsang Completo: bit.ly/16rNZe0

“En ambientes de crueldad, donde las fuerzas contrarias al Amor actúan libremente, es muy difícil sustentar la conexión. Sustentar la conexión, en otras palabras, significa sustentar la presencia del amor. Y lo que te hace sentir bien es justamente el amor fluyendo de tu corazón. Pero el amor no puede expresarse en un ambiente de crueldad, porque esas fuerzas restringen tu capacidad de amar – ellas cierran tu corazón. Eso sucede casi como una protección para tu supervivencia. Porque al mantenerte abierto, la crueldad entra y tú comienzas a lastimarte.”

"In cruel environments where the forces opposing love reign freely, it’s very difficult to maintain our connection by sustaining the presence of love. What makes us feel good is feeling love flowing from our heart. However, love cannot express itself in a cruel environment because these forces restrict our ability to love, and they close our heart. This happens almost like a protection mechanism for our own survival. If we remain open, the cruelty enters and we begin to get hurt.”

- Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharma

The Buddha's Footprint | February 16, 2015 Buddhism is generally conceived as the environmental religion par excellence. Yet, as scholars have shown over the past 20 years, the development of eco-Buddhism is a modern one. In many ways it is also an inversion of the classic orientalist paradigm whereby the West is male, active, and practical while the East is feminine, passive, and intuitive. And while this binary opposition was often utilized to explain and justify Western domination in both practice and theory, it was also the case that the dynamic of the framework could be flipped. - Johan Elverskog, "The Buddha's Footprint" Read More → Share

Via BNR LGBT / FB:

 

If you haven't already, sign for LGBT marriage equality! 38 down, 12 more states to go: http://actionsprout.io/C345D4

Flor do Dia - Flor del Día - Flower of the Day - 15/02/2015

“Em ambientes de crueldade, onde as forças contrárias ao Amor atuam livremente, é muito difícil sustentar a conexão. Sustentar a conexão, em outras palavras, significa sustentar a presença do amor. E o que te faz sentir-se bem é justamente o amor fluindo do seu coração. Mas, o amor não pode se expressar em um ambiente de crueldade, pois essas forças restringem sua capacidade de amar - elas fecham seu coração. Isso acontece quase como uma proteção, para a sua sobrevivência. Porque ao manter-se aberto a crueldade entra e você começa a se machucar.”

Acesse ao Satsang Completo: bit.ly/16rNZe0

“En ambientes de crueldad, donde las fuerzas contrarias al Amor actúan libremente, es muy difícil sustentar la conexión. Sustentar la conexión, en otras palabras, significa sustentar la presencia del amor. Y lo que te hace sentir bien es justamente el amor fluyendo de tu corazón. Pero el amor no puede expresarse en un ambiente de crueldad, porque esas fuerzas restringen tu capacidad de amar – ellas cierran tu corazón. Eso sucede casi como una protección para tu supervivencia. Porque al mantenerte abierto, la crueldad entra y tú comienzas a lastimarte.”

"In cruel environments where the forces opposing love reign freely, it’s very difficult to maintain our connection by sustaining the presence of love. What makes us feel good is feeling love flowing from our heart. However, love cannot express itself in a cruel environment because these forces restrict our ability to love, and they close our heart. This happens almost like a protection mechanism for our own survival. If we remain open, the cruelty enters and we begin to get hurt.”

- Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharma

Meditative Thinking | February 15, 2015 The work of meditative thinking is a collaboration between these two natures—the seer that remembers and the seen that always forgets. As in rowing, if you pull more on one oar than the other, you go round in circles, and, as in rowing, all I can see is what I have passed as I press forward toward a point that is hidden behind me. - Carl Lehmann-Haupt, "The Path of Writing" Read More →