Via JMG: Attorney General Loretta Lynch Announces Full Federal Marriage Benefits Nationwide

 

"Following the Supreme Court’s historic decision in Obergefell that every couple has the same right to participate in the institution of marriage, whether the partners are of the same-sex or opposite sexes, I directed Justice Department staff to work with the agencies to ensure that the ruling be given full effect across the federal government. Thanks to their leadership and the quick work of the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs, today I am proud to announce that the critical programs for veterans and elderly and disabled Americans, which previously could not give effect to the marriages of couples living in states that did not recognize those marriages, will now provide federal recognition for all marriages nationwide. The agencies are currently working towards providing guidance to implement this change in law.

"Just over a year ago, Attorney General Holder announced that agencies across the federal government had implemented the Supreme Court’s Windsor decision by treating married same-sex couples the same as married opposite-sex couples to the greatest extent possible under the law as it then stood. With the Supreme Court’s new ruling that the Constitution requires marriage equality, we have now taken the further step of ensuring that all federal benefits will be available equally to married couples in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the US Territories. The department will continue to work across the administration to fulfill our commitment to equal treatment for all Americans, including equal access to the benefits of marriage that the Obergefell decision guarantees. - Attorney General Loretta Lynch, via White House press release.

Labels: DOJ, feds, Loretta Lynch, marriage equality, Obama administration, Obergefell, SCOTUS

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: DC Gay Chorus Heads To Cuba

 

NBC News reports:

The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington is traveling to Cuba Saturday to spread their message through song. The 23 singers are among the first U.S. citizens who will be able to travel to Cuba since diplomatic relations with the U.S. improved. The group aims to raise awareness of LGBTQ rights through music. "It brings people together over something without addressing the issue head on. So, I often find that music can be actually more powerful than giving a speech at podium," Executive Director Chase Maggiano said. The chorus is scheduled to perform several concerts around Havana next week in addition to participating in forum-style discussions. They were invited by Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro.

The chorus will perform in Miami tomorrow night before departing.

Labels: Cuba, DC Gay Chorus, gay artists

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 08/07/2015

“O que está por trás da acusação, do ciúme, da posse, das disputas e de todos os jogos da luxúria? É você acreditar que sua felicidade depende do outro. Essa é a ilusão básica que faz de você um escravo do outro.”

“¿Qué hay detrás de la acusación, de los celos, de la posesión, de las disputas y de todos los juegos de la lujuria? Es creer que tu felicidad depende del otro. Esa es la ilusión básica que te hace un esclavo del otro.”

“What is behind accusation, jealousy, possession, conflict, and all the other games of lust? It is the belief that our happiness depends on the other. This is the basic illusion that makes us a slave to the other.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Delusion vs. Enlightenment

Delusion vs. Enlightenment

That the self advances and confirms the ten thousand things / is called delusion; / That the ten thousand things advance and confirm the self / is called enlightenment.   -  Dogen Zenji, "Wandering Clouds: The Poets of Ch'an Buddhism"

 

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Via WGB: Marriage Equality Victory in Puerto Rico

A three-judge panel with the federal First Circuit Court of Appeals today ruled Puerto Rico’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, according to the Washington Blade.

With today's pro-equality ruling from the First Circuit Court of Appeals, same-sex marriages can begin in Puerto Rico on July 15, according to reports. Full story here!

Via JMG: PUERTO RICO: First Circuit Finally Rules Marriage Ban To Be Unconstitutional

 

Earlier this year the First Circuit punted on the appeal of Puerto Rico's marriage case, saying that it would wait until SCOTUS rules. Today we finally got that decision. Via Lambda Legal:

Today’s decision provides further recognition of the dignity and equality of LGBT people in Puerto Rico. We applaud the First Circuit for recognizing that Puerto Rico’s marriage ban is unconstitutional, and reversing the lower court ruling. We also commend the Puerto Rico government for joining in the call to end the marriage ban. Certainly, after the historic ruling from the Supreme Court, this ruling from the First Circuit was not unexpected. There remains no legal or moral justification for forcing same-sex couples in Puerto Rico to wait any longer to have their love and commitment recognized by the state. The Governor of Puerto Rico already signed an executive order on June 26 that marriages will begin 15 days after the Supreme Court ruling, but now that the First Circuit has agreed that the marriage ban is unconstitutional, same-sex couples should be able to marry now. To do otherwise is to put form over substance.

Labels: First Circuit Court, Obergefell, Puerto Rico

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Sojourn Blog: More Than Just Male and Female: The Six Genders in Classical Judaism

It's very easy to assume that Judaism is an exclusively gender-binary religion. Almost all of the common traditional laws are based on the assumed differences between males and females. We see it in assumed gender roles, in liturgy, in proscribed family responsibilities, and in both our secular and religious laws. 

If, however, we look just a bit deeper into our sacred texts, we see that a simple male/female binary is not only cumbersome, it's wholly inaccurate. This description from Trans Torah/Rabbi Elliot Kukla starts the conversation that we will continue throughout the summer:

•  Zachar/זָכָר: This term is derived from the word for a pointy sword and refers to a phallus. It is usually translated as “male” in English.

• Nekeivah/נְקֵבָה: This term is derived from the word for a crevice and probably refers to a vaginal opening. It is usually translated as “female” in English.

• Androgynos/אַנְדְּרוֹגִינוֹס: A person who has both “male” and “female” sexual characteristics. 149 references in Mishna and Talmud (1st-8th Centuries CE); 350 in classical midrash and Jewish law codes (2nd -16th Centuries CE).

• Tumtum/ טֻומְטוּם A person whose sexual characteristics are indeterminate or obscured. 181 references in Mishna and Talmud; 335 in classical midrash and Jewish law codes.

• Ay’lonit/איילונית: A person who is identified as “female” at birth but develops “male” characteristics at puberty and is infertile. 80 references in Mishna and Talmud; 40 in classical midrash and Jewish law codes.

• Saris/סריס: A person who is identified as “male” at birth but develops “female” characteristics as puberty and/or is lacking a penis. A saris can be “naturally” a saris (saris hamah), or become one through human intervention (saris adam). 156 references in mishna and Talmud; 379 in classical midrash and Jewish law codes.  

There's a huge amount of information to unpack here, and we'll be continuing all summer long to do just that, including looking at the legal obligations of each of the genders and what the real-world application of this information is. For now, though, the main point to take from all of this: The male/female binary is not, in any way, the exclusive system of gender classification in traditional Judaism*.  

So how did we get to this point, where the assumption has become that only male and female exist? It's a classic example of commonality being equated to superiority. Because male and female are the two most common categories, they were assumed to be "better," rather than "typical." As we have come to understand the complexities of gender more and more in secular society, these Judaic classifications are beginning to appear more and more often and we can clearly see that our ancestors were quite progressive when it comes to gender.

Because, as Ben Bagbag says in Pirkei Avot 5:22:

בן בגבג אומר, הפוך בה והפך בה, והגי בה דכולא בה, ובה תחזי, סיב ובלי בה; ומינה לא תזוז, שאין לך מידה טובה יותר ממנה

Ben Bagbag said: Turn it [Torah] over and turn it over because everything is in it. Look within it and grow old within it; do not move from it, because there is no better attribute for you to have than it.

*Here is a fascinating article that goes more in-depth on the subject:  Gender Identity In Halakhic Discourse by Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert.

Make the jump here to read the  original

Mr. Deity and the Quitter

Brendan Maclean - The Feeling Again (Official Video)

Via Shift of the Ages / FB:

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 08/07/2015

“O que está por trás da acusação, do ciúme, da posse, das disputas e de todos os jogos da luxúria? É você acreditar que sua felicidade depende do outro. Essa é a ilusão básica que faz de você um escravo do outro.”

“¿Qué hay detrás de la acusación, de los celos, de la posesión, de las disputas y de todos los juegos de la lujuria? Es creer que tu felicidad depende del otro. Esa es la ilusión básica que te hace un esclavo del otro.”

“What is behind accusation, jealousy, possession, conflict, and all the other games of lust? It is the belief that our happiness depends on the other. This is the basic illusion that makes us a slave to the other.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Reach Out to Let Go

Reach Out to Let Go

Anger doesn't just happen to us. If we're able to catch an angry thought as it's budding, we can let it go. The same is true of despair or hopelessness. And when letting go is too difficult, a good medicine for dealing with these emotions is to reach out and help others, healing them and ourselves.   -  John Daido Loori Roshi, "Between Two Mountains"

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Today's Daily Dharma: Abandoning Preconceptions

Abandoning Preconceptions

It is good to remember that a new or an old way of considering and dealing with life is not false just because it surprises us or contradicts our theories. A sincere seeker should compare ideas for the purpose of gaining a closer fix on truth.   -  Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano, "Selective Wisdom"

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Via The Easier Softer Way Meditation / FB: Daily Mindfulness 7/6/15 - Actions

 

"Whatsoever you do with awareness is meditation. Action is not the question, but the quality that you bring to your action. Walking can be a meditation if you walk alertly. Sitting can be a meditation if you sit alertly. Listening to the birds can be a meditation if you listen with awareness. Just listening to the inner noise of your mind can be a meditation if you remain alert and watchful."
-Osho

Mindfulness Practice for the Day: Today, bring awareness to your actions throughout the day. Take one action (such as walking, listening, or speaking), and make the effort to bring mindfulness to the action.

Via Portal Brasil (March 20):

Ministra do Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF), Cármem Lúcia, manteve decisão que autorizou a adoção de crianças por um casal homoafetivo do Paraná. Para a ministra o conceito de família não pode ser restrito por se tratar de casais homoafetivos. 

Leia aqui: http://goo.gl/896ZEb

Marriage Equality: Bring Your Family With You

Via HuffPost Live / FB: Jesus would approve of same-sex marriage, former President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday.

"I believe Jesus would approve gay marriage, but that's just my own personal belief," the Democrat said in an interview on HuffPost Live. 

"I think Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest and sincere and was not damaging to anyone else, and I don't see that gay marriage damages anyone else," he added.

Supporters have hailed the Supreme Court's June 26 decision to strike down state bans on same-sex marriage and legalize it across the country, while opponents have blasted the 5-4 decision as judicial overreach.

Carter, 90, has stepped out for several interviews to promote his new book, which was published Tuesday.

Make the jump here to see the  full article

Via Tricycle:

http://www.tricycle.com/

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 07/07/2015

“Quando começa a compreender e a se afinar com a prática do silêncio, você percebe um grande barulho interno, muita agitação e ansiedade, um turbilhão de sentimentos. No início, essa prática exige esforço, mas aos poucos você vai aprendendo a lidar com o tumulto até que consegue atravessá-lo e começa a entrar em estado de comunhão com o Ser. Quando isso acontece, o silêncio pode tomar a forma de muitas coisas belas, como uma música ou uma poesia.”

“Cuando comienzas a comprender y afinarte con la práctica del silencio, percibes un gran ruido interno, mucha agitación y ansiedad, un torbellino de sentimientos. Al principio esta práctica exige esfuerzo, pero, poco a poco, vas aprendiendo a lidiar con el tumulto hasta que consigues atravesarlo y comienzas a entrar en estado de comunión con el Ser. Cuando esto sucede, el silencio puede tomar la forma de muchas cosas bellas, como una música o una poesía.”

"When we begin to understand and align ourselves with the practice of silence, we perceive a vast internal noisiness, a lot of agitation and anxiety. A whirlwind of feelings emerges. At first, this practice takes effort, but gradually we will learn how to deal with the turmoil until we are able to navigate through it. Then we begin to enter into a state of communion with our Being. When this happens, silence can take the form of many beautiful things, such as music or poetry."