VIA JMF IRELAND: Fine Gael Calls It

 

From the Associated Press:

Leaders on both sides of Ireland's gay marriage campaign say advocates of legalization have won a resounding victory with the ballot count still underway. Senior figures from the "no" campaign, who sought to prevent Ireland's constitution from being amended to permit gay marriage, say the only question Saturday is how large the "yes" side's margin of victory will be from Friday's vote. An Irish Cabinet minister, Leo Varadkar, who came out as gay at the start of the government's campaign, says Dublin looks to have voted about 70 percent in favor of gay marriage, while most districts outside the capital also were reporting strong "yes" leads. Official results come later Saturday. Varadkar said: "We're the first country in the world to enshrine marriage equality in our constitution and do so by popular mandate. That makes us a beacon, a light to the rest of the world of liberty and equality. It's a very proud day to be Irish."

Labels: Ireland, LGBT History, marriage equality

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Freedom to Marry

 

Historic: With a landslide victory, Ireland is the first country in the world to pass the freedom to marry by popular referendum! Congrats to ALL who voted for equality, and to our Irish colleagues who worked so hard on this momentous fight. Click "like" and share to celebrate this wonderful step forward: http://bit.ly/1AlvMNy — with Gina Frias.

Today's Daily Dharma: The Open Question.

 

 

The Open Question

Our task as practitioners is to bring the teachings to life in a personal way. No one can tell us how to do it. This is the practitioner?s koan?the open question.   - Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, "The Power of an Open Question"

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JMG Quote Of The Day - Evan Wolfson

"With a nationwide landslide in favor, Ireland now becomes the first country in the world to pass the freedom to marry by popular referendum, as well as the 21st nation and the 10th predominantly Catholic country in which same-sex couples can marry. Our Irish colleagues at Yes Equality ran a magnificent campaign and Freedom to Marry is proud to have shared what we’ve learned in our own campaign here in the US. The global momentum for the freedom to marry reflects and reinforces the progress we are making here in the United States – and we look now to the Supreme Court to bring our country to national resolution, following Ireland’s good example." - Evan Wolfson, head of Freedom To Marry, via press release.

Labels: activism, Europe, Evan Wolfson, Freedom To Marry, Ireland, LGBT History, LGBT rights, marriage equality, SCOTUS

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JustaBahai: Critiquing the Universal House of Justice

 
Can a Bahai critique texts penned by the Universal House of Justice or the Department of the Secretariat? My answer, “Of course. Critiquing is engagement. We must obey the Universal House of Justice but that doesn’t mean we must be silent if we do not understand their reasoning.” 

Abdu’l-Baha said that we must obey the Guardian to safeguard the “mighty stronghold,” the Baha’i community. The same could be said of obedience to the House of Justice, which is the Head of the Bahai community today. Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l-Baha wanted to avoid the problems other religions had of being torn into schisms, so they emphasized obedience very strongly. It doesn’t mean that Bahais can’t think for themselves.

So I am free to disagree and to critique, but I am not free to go and claim any form of leadership or a new Bahai religion. I am also not interested in any ideas associated with what might be called reform because I see no need for these. My arguments and the ideas I express on my blog here as just a Bahai aim to follow Baha’u’llah’s pleas for each of us to be “an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression” (Baha’u’llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 93)

And so to the letter, dated 9 May 2014, penned by the secretariat for the Universal House of Justice which I will critique.

A letter, dated 18 May 2015 from the National U.S. Bahai administration has already been widely circulated in diverse online Bahai groups and e-lists. It states:

“A four-page letter from the Universal House of Justice on the subject of homosexuality has recently been receiving wide circulation via the Internet and through personal email lists, and we are increasingly being asked to comment on its authenticity.
The letter—dated May 9, 2014, to an individual believer in response to a personal inquiry—was indeed issued by the Supreme Body through its Department of the Secretariat. We enclose it here for your reference.”

Make the jump here to read the complete posting at JustaBahai

Via JMG: IRELAND: And Now We Wait

 

Counting of the ballots begins at 9AM local time and the final result should be known by midday. I'll be up very early to begin my reporting so readers on US west coast might want to check in here when you stumble in from the bars. Voter turnout today was very encouraging:

Minister for Communications Alex White, the director of elections for the Labour Party, said he had been monitoring his Dublin South constituency. “It seems likely that turnout will finish as high, if not higher than in the general election. I think something very big happened in Ireland. A whole new generation has been politicised.” Those on the No side also acknowledged that the large turnout in Dublin, in particular, was likely to tip the balance in favour of a Yes. Tipperary Independent deputy Mattie McGrath, one of only two TDs who publicly called for a No vote, said it looked likely that the high turnout in Dublin would carry the proposal.
“It should be good for a Yes if there is a high Dublin turnout,” Mr McGrath said. “The polls were saying 80-20, 70-30, even if it is 60-40 it would be a fine vote for No, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens later when the boxes are open.” Senator Rónán Mullen, also on the No side, said committed No voters had turned out, as well as those strongly for a Yes, and said many in urban areas were not in favour of same-sex marriage. Minister for Health Leo Varadkar said he was “quietly confident but almost afraid to believe it in case it goes the wrong way”. He added: “Turnout was good and younger voters turned out in big numbers.”

Whatever the result, we will always stand in awe of the fantastic messaging and tactics of Yes Equality and their allies. We've never seen a marriage campaign that was pulled off so skillfully or one with such an adept usage of social media. And when else, in the history of everything, have we ever seen every major political party and almost every major elected official walk proudly into the rainbow-hued light? True, Ireland is a small country and activists there had the definite advantage of having seen what worked and what didn't in other countries. But every Yes Equality supporter can go to bed tonight happy in the knowledge that, as Panti Bliss put it, they could not have done more.

Go raibh maith agat, Ireland!

Labels: Ireland, LGBT History, marriage equality

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: One Last Marriage Map Change?

 

The last time Wikipedia updated its marriage map, I mused that it was probably the last change we'd see before SCOTUS rules. However following yesterday's stayed decision in Alabama, the map monitors have advanced the state from purple to mustard. In case you are wondering, it was back in January when Alabama went from red to sapphire.

Labels: Alabama, maps, marriage equality, Wikipedia

Reposted from Joe Jervis

JMG GALLUP: Americans Continue To Greatly Overestimate Percentage Of Gays In USA

Via Gallup:

The American public estimates on average that 23% of Americans are gay or lesbian, little changed from Americans' 25% estimate in 2011, and only slightly higher than separate 2002 estimates of the gay and lesbian population. These estimates are many times higher than the 3.8% of the adult population who identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender in Gallup Daily tracking in the first four months of this year. The stability of these estimates over time contrasts with the major shifts in Americans' attitudes about the morality and legality of gay and lesbian relations in the past two decades. Whereas 38% of Americans said gay and lesbian relations were morally acceptable in 2002, that number has risen to 63% today. And while 35% of Americans favored legalized same-sex marriage in 1999, 60% favor it today.

Only 9% of respondents estimated the LGBT population to be under 5%.

Labels: Gallup, LGBT population, polls

Reposted from Joe Jervis

JMG Tweet Of The Day - Panti Bliss

 

The polls close in 90 minutes.

Labels: Ireland, marriage equality, Panti Bliss

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Today's Daily Dharma: The State of Pure Awakening

Friday, May 22, 2015 Daily inspiration and practical advice

The State of Pure Awakening

Dismiss all the thoughts which bother your mind. Train yourself during many days, many months, many years, to retain this pure mind. One day, when your empty mind has become crystallized, suddenly it will be illumined by its own intrinsic wisdom. At that instant you will realize the state of pure awakening.  - Sokei-an, "Return to Your Original State!"

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Today in "I am so proud of you Steve!" this:

From my gay dad/mentor who is a Deacon in the Episcopal Cathedral of Sacramento, California:  

Greg Holden - "Boys in the Street" (Live at WFUV)

Via WGB: U.S.: Support For Marriage Equality Reaches All Time High

U.S.: Support For Marriage Equality Reaches All Time High

Now more than ever, those who fight the equal rights of same-sex couples are having a lot of trouble convincing the rest of the American population to side with bigotry.

A little over a month ahead of an expected decision from the Supreme Court on national marriage equality in the United States arrives a new poll from Gallup covering the issue. Support for full marriage equality has reached a whopping 60 percent, according to the just-released survey.

Though same-sex marriage continues to be politically divisive, support for its legal status has reached new highs among Americans of all political stripes -- with Democrats at 76% support, independents at 64% and Republicans at 37%. 

The party divide between Democrats and Republicans may hinge largely on the age groups that compose each party. Gallup has found that younger Americans are significantly more likely to lean Democratic, while older Americans skew Republican.  

 

Full story here on WGB!

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 21/05/2015

“Enquanto não renunciarmos os pactos de vingança em relação aos nossos pais, seguiremos destruindo a natureza, aos outros e a nós mesmos. Porque, enquanto não perdoamos, seguimos projetando esses pais em tudo que está ao nosso redor. Porque seguimos poluindo rios, devastando florestas, matando animais? Porque estamos tão distante da natureza? Se tivermos coragem de olhar para dentro e investigar, encontraremos esses pactos de vingança.”
Para ler o Satsang completo, acesse: bit.ly/1QYPXF2

“Mientras no renunciemos a los pactos de venganza en relación a nuestros padres, vamos a seguir destruyendo la naturaleza, a los demás y a nosotros mismos. Porque mientras no perdonamos, seguimos proyectando estos padres en todo lo que está a nuestro alrededor. ¿Por qué seguimos contaminando ríos, devastando bosques, matando animales? ¿Por qué estamos tan distantes de la naturaleza? Si tuviéramos el coraje de mirar hacia dentro e investigar, encontraríamos estos pactos de venganza.”

“Until we give up our pacts of revenge against our parents, we will continue to destroy nature, other people and ourselves. Until we are able to forgive, we will continue to project our parents onto everything around us. Why are we still polluting rivers, destroying forests and killing animals? Why are we so cut off from nature? If we are brave enough to look inside and investigate into this, we will discover that the source is our pacts of revenge.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Fearless Generosit.

Thursday, May 21, 2015 Daily inspiration and practical advice

Fearless Generosity

I see a fearless generosity in the flowers and trees, in the way birds sing out at dawn, in the steady drumming of the rain. As I grew older and found I had things to protect, I forgot. I completely forgot that I had always had enough in the first place. Now I am trying to learn this once again?total abundance, nothing begrudged.  - Sallie Tisdale, "As If There Is Nothing to Lose"

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A Four-page Letter from the Universal House of Justice on the Subject of Homosexuality

A four-page letter from the Universal House of Justice on the subject of homosexuality has recently been receiving wide circulation via the Internet and through personal email lists, and we are increasingly being asked to comment on its authenticity.

The enclosure referred to in the letter, a letter from the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer dated May 9, 2014, can be accessed using the following hyperlink:

May 9, 2014 from the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer: https://app.box.com/s/g8mghbjmii8vabu1mlt9bmaom45lkzdt

The two enclosures to the May 9 letter, dated April 19 and April 23, have been available on the member services website for some time, but hyperlinks to those letters are also provided here for the friends’ ease of reference:

April 19, 2013 from the Universal House of Justice to individual believers: https://app.box.com/s/7o5p64siz6zw9qw9cckrspp00iumgigj

April 23, 2013 from the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly: https://app.box.com/s/w6hrimjehc5n6u6w12h87wz9rfejshs1

 

Today in "I love my people":

https://www.facebook.com/dsj.austin/videos/10152943421489372/

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 20/05/2015

“Como você está em relação a sua mãe e ao seu pai? Muitos buscam soluções mágicas enquanto a resposta está bem diante de seus olhos. Isso é o resultado de um fenômeno chamado ‘normose’, uma profunda indiferença alimentada por um falso sentimento de que tudo está bem, tudo está normal. Quando tomado pela normose, você não consegue fazer relação de causa e efeito para compreender o porquê de certos problemas na sua vida. É como uma anestesia que você usa para não sentir. Você pode achar que está tudo “normal”, mas se existe repetição negativa, é sinal de que há mágoas, ressentimentos e pactos de vingança guardados no seu sistema”.

Para ler o Satsang completo, acesse: bit.ly/1QYPXF2

“¿Cómo estás en relación a tu madre y a tu padre? Muchos buscan soluciones mágicas mientras la respuesta está justo delante de sus ojos. Este es el resultado de un fenómeno llamado 'normosis' una profunda indiferencia alimentada por un falso sentimiento de que todo está bien, todo está normal. Cuando eres tomado por la normosis (normalidad patológica), no puedes hacer relación de causa y efecto para comprender el porqué de ciertos problemas en tu vida. Es como una anestesia que utilizas para no sentir. Puede creer que todo está "normal", pero si existe repetición negativa, es señal de que hay heridas, resentimientos y pactos de venganza guardados en tu sistema”.

“How do you relate to your mother and father? Many people seek magical solutions when the answer is right in front of them. This is the result of a phenomenon called ‘normosis,’ a pathological state of normality, in which a profound indifference feeds off the false feeling that everything is well and normal. When overcome with normosis, we are unable to make the link between cause and effect in order to understand the reason behind certain problems in our lives. This normosis acts like an anesthetic that we use so as not to feel. We may think that everything is ‘normal,’ but if there is a negative repetition in our lives, it’s a sign that there are hurt feelings, resentments and pacts of revenge lodged in our systems.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Don't Get Stuck in Neutral

Wednesday, May 20, 2015 Daily inspiration and practical advice

Don't Get Stuck in Neutral

As long as we make no effort to transform the mind, we cannot escape the ordinary state of grasping tightly at mental objects—dualistically, emotionally, and sensorily. A merely neutral state in which concepts are temporarily suspended won’t help us progress. 

- Tulku Thondup, "Don't Get Stuck in Neutral"