Via Collective Evolution / FB:

How Sitcoms Handled Homos in the 70s and 80s

Via JMG: Totally Not-Gay Catholic Priest Tells Ex-Gays: Homosexuality Is Like Trying To Eat A Bagel With Your Ear

August 14, 2015 Crackpots, Religion

Gay Star News reports:

A Catholic priest has come up with one of the strangest analogies yet for gay sex, claiming it is like cramming a piece of bagel in your ear. Preacher John Riccardo was speaking at a conference in Michigan on Wednesday, called Welcoming and Accompanying Our Brothers and Sisters with Same-Sex Attraction. It was a Catholic conference in order to help gay and lesbian people stay celibate. He was taking part in a lecture called ‘HIV and Other Health Risks Associated with Men Who Have Sex With Men’, led by HIV researcher Timothy Flanigan. Riccardo said junior high students have asked him why God hates gay people, and he responded that it is because gay sex is unnatural. “If i just rip open a bagel, I take it, and I cram it in my ear. What would you say?” he said he tells them. “That doesn’t go there. It’ll ruin your ear canal.”

(Reposted from JMG)

Via WGB: San Francisco Public High School Becomes First-Ever To Offer LGBT History Class

A San Francisco public high school offering an LGBT history class to students next fall is the first in America to do so, according to several reports.

Lyndsey Schlax, the teacher who’ll spearhead the class at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, told CBS that other private schools around the country have offered similar classes, but this will be the first time one will be offered at a public high school.

According to Schlax, the course will cover the history of gender and sexuality, how they intersect in major media, how different LGBT equality is around the world, and a number of national and international struggles the community still faces. Full story here!

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 13/08/2015

“Estou trabalhando para que haja cura nas relações. Me refiro a uma mudança do eixo: querer receber menos e dar mais. Porque essa é a chave para o fim daquilo que é uma das principais causas do sofrimento neste planeta, a carência afetiva. Não depender de ninguém para ser feliz é liberdade. Você não fica com alguém porque precisa, mas simplesmente porque quer. Somente essa liberdade permite a escolha.”

“Estoy trabajando para que haya cura en las relaciones. Me refiero a un cambio de eje: querer recibir menos y dar más. Porque esta es la llave para el fin de aquello que es una de las principales causas de sufrimiento en este planeta, la carencia afectiva. No depender de nadie para ser feliz es libertad. No estás con alguien porque necesitas, sino simplemente por querer. Solamente esta libertad permite la elección.”

“I am working to promote a healing within all relationships. This will require a complete change in axis, in which each partner truly wants to receive less and to give more. This can put an end to one of the greatest causes of suffering on the planet: emotional neediness. Not having to depend on anyone for our own happiness is freedom. In other words, this means not staying in a certain relationship because you need to, but simply because you want to. Only by having freedom are we able to make this choice.”

Today's Daily Dharma: The Wisdom of Anger

The Wisdom of Anger

Anger is traditionally thought to be close to wisdom. When not projected outward onto others or inward toward the self, it gives us the necessary energy and clarity to understand what needs to be done. - Thanissara, "Don't Worry, Be Angry"

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Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 13/08/2015

“Quando a moral religiosa é muito forte, alguns casais acabam ficando juntos movidos pelo medo de desagradar à família, o sacerdote ou Deus. Permanecem na relação, fechados, muitas vezes inconscientes do autoengano, esperando a morte chegar para resolver o problema. E quando a moral religiosa não é tão aguda, com o menor sinal de dificuldade alguns se separam e partem para a próxima relação. Esses são sintomas do que chamo de “síndrome de Walt Disney”, a crença de que existe um príncipe (ou princesa) encantado que te fará feliz para sempre.”

“Cuando la moral religiosa es muy fuerte, algunas parejas terminan quedándose juntos movidos por el miedo de desagradar a la familia, al sacerdote o a Dios. Permanecen en la relación cerrados, muchas veces inconscientes del autoengaño, esperando que la muerte llegue para resolver el problema. Y cuando la moral religiosa no es tan aguda, con la menor señal de dificultad algunos se separan y parten hacia la próxima relación. Estos son síntomas a los que llamo “síndrome de Walt Disney”, la creencia de que existe un príncipe (o princesa) encantado que te hará feliz para siempre.”

“When religious morals are very strong, some couples wind up getting together out of the fear of displeasing their families, their clergymen or God. They stay in a relationship while being closed off to one another, oftentimes unaware of their own self-deceit as they are waiting for death to arrive and solve their problem. In other cases, when religious morality is not as acute, upon the slightest sign of difficulty, some couples separate and run off to the next relationship. These are symptoms of what I call the ‘Walt Disney syndrome’: the belief that there exists a prince charming or an enchanted princess with whom you will live happily ever after.”

Today's Daily Dharma: The Best Remedy

The Best Remedy

Rejoicing [in the well-being of others] is the best remedy for jealousy and envy. Rejoicing does not depend on material or physical actions—it can be done while you are working, eating, or sleeping. It can be done at any time, and it is such a simple way to create good karma. - Lama Zopa, "Friendvy"

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Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 12/08/2015

“Quanto mais identificado com a criança ferida, maior a necessidade de receber amor exclusivo. Por conta disso, o ser humano desenvolve estratégias para receber esse amor: se é atenção que o outro quer, você dá somente se ele fizer o que você quer. O outro se transforma num escravo para atender as suas necessidades e expectativas. Mas, o outro começa a fazer a mesma coisa com você. Esse é um jogo nefasto no qual um rouba energia do outro.” 

“Cuanto más identificado con el niño herido, mayor la necesidad de recibir amor exclusivo. A causa de esto, el ser humano desarrolla estrategias para recibir ese amor: si es atención lo que el otro quiere, tú se la das solamente si él hace lo que tú quieres. El otro se transforma en un esclavo para atender tus necesidades y expectativas. Pero el otro comienza a hacer lo mismo contigo. Este es un juego nefasto en el cual uno roba la energía del otro.”

“The more identified we are with the wounded child, the greater our need is to receive exclusive love. Because of this, human beings develop strategies to receive this love. Since we are aware of what the other wants, we only give it to them when they do what we want them to first. The other becomes a slave to fulfilling our needs and expectations. Eventually, they begin to do the same thing to us, and this becomes a never-ending game of stealing the other’s energy.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Rethinking Inner Peace

Rethinking Inner Peace

I don’t envision inner peace as the cessation of struggle, arriving at some sun-washed placeless place from which I can distribute refreshments. . . . it comes down to taking my human-sized place in the human race. - Patrick McMahon, "The Question"

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Via Lizzy the Lezzy / FB:

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 11/08/2015

“A austeridade inteligente te prepara para a verdadeira renúncia. Porém, essa austeridade só é possível quando você já compreendeu o condicionamento ou aspecto do eu inferior que precisa ser redirecionado. Caso contrário, ela pode servir apenas para aumentar o vício e o sentimento de impotência.”

“La austeridad inteligente te prepara para la verdadera renuncia. Sin embargo, esta austeridad solo es posible cuando ya comprendiste el condicionamiento o aspecto del yo inferior que necesita ser redireccionado. En caso contrario, esta puede servir solo para aumentar el vicio y el sentimiento de impotencia.”

“Intelligent austerities prepare us for true renunciation. This austerity is only possible when we already understand our conditioning, or the aspect of the lower self that needs to be redirected. Otherwise, it will only serve to increase the addiction or the feeling of helplessness within us.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Jealousy Can Guide Us

Jealousy Can Guide Us

If we can resist the urge of jealousy and envy to pull us deeply into the fantasies we weave about ourselves and others—'she has this or that, and I have nothing'—we can see them as signposts that point the way to a truth about ourselves, and use their appearance as an urgent call to look within. - Emma Varvaloucas, "Jealousy & Envy"

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Via FB:

Via Just a Baha'i:

Just a Bahai Blog

President Obama Says Racism And Homophobia Come From The Same Mindset by justabahai I am very busy working on a few blogs but in until I have time, I leave you with these inspiring words of Obama Barack “You can’t, on the one hand, complain when somebody else does that to you, and then you’re doing it to somebody else," the president pointed out. "You can’t do it. […] Read more of this post

Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 09/08/2015

“Há determinados karmas que precisamos vivenciar, não há nada que possamos fazer em relação a isso. Outros karmas podem ser retirados como se retira um xale. Mas esse não é um fenômeno que a mente pode compreender, ou que o ego pode controlar. O ego entende somente aquilo que os sentidos podem mensurar, mas a realidade espiritual vai muito além disso.”

“Hay determinados karmas que necesitamos vivir, no hay nada que podamos hacer en relación a esto. Otros karmas pueden ser retirados como se retira un chal. Pero este no es un fenómeno que la mente puede comprender, o que el ego pueda controlar. El ego entiende solamente aquello que los sentidos pueden medir, pero la realidad espiritual va mucho más allá de eso.”

“There are certain karmas that we need to experience in this lifetime, and there is nothing that we can do about them. Other karmas can be removed from our paths, as if taking off a shawl. However, this is not a phenomenon that the mind can undersatnd, nor that the ego can control. The ego only understands what the senses can measure, but spiritual reality goes way beyond this plane

Today's Daily Dharma: Between Pride and Confidence

Between Pride and Confidence

Those who practice correctly must not lack confidence in their true nature, nor should they give in to pride. - So Sahn, "The Zen of Confidence"

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Today's Daily Dharma: We Can't Overlook Our Bodies

We Can't Overlook Our Bodies

There are two truths in Buddhism; one is relative and one is absolute. We tend to want to be in the absolute, where we are all the same, we are all one. But that is not where our suffering lies. Our suffering lies in the relative truth, in how we are embodied. So we have to acknowledge and explore these bodies to experience the absolute truth, the truth that we are one from the source of life. We can't skip it.   - Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, "Black, Bisexual, and Buddhist"

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Via JMG: More Corporate Support For Equality Act

From the Human Rights Campaign:

Four new major American companies have become the latest to endorse the Equality Act, federal legislation that would establish full, federal equality for all LGBT Americans. In doing so, these leading companies - IBM, Oracle, Orbitz, and Symantec - made clear that they believe all LGBT Americans should have the protections from discrimination in federal law that they deserve. They join American Airlines, Apple, The Dow Chemical Company, Facebook, General Mills, Google, Levi Strauss & Co., Microsoft, and Nike as part of a national business coalition supporting comprehensive, federal LGBT non-discrimination protections. Additionally, Hewlett-Packard in Fortune recently announced its support for the Equality Act.

STATEMENT BY IBM: “IBM’s workplace culture is built on the principles of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all. We established a corporate policy on equal opportunity more than a decade before the Civil Rights Act. We championed an industry-leading policy of non-discrimination based on sexual orientation over 30 years ago, and expanded it in 2002 to cover gender identity and expression. IBM is proud to support the Equality Act and maintains our steadfast support for all employees to experience equality in the workplace."

STATEMENT BY ORBITZ: “At Orbitz we’ve been advocates of equality and inclusion since our founding in 2001. Our support for the Equality Act is consistent with our other actions, such as signing the amicus brief calling on the Supreme Court to find gay marriage bans unconstitutional.”

STATEMENT BY SYMANTEC: “At Symantec, we are proud to support full and equal rights for the LGBT community. We believe having a diversity of perspectives ensures we make better business decisions and the products and services we offer meet the needs of the broad spectrum of people we serve worldwide, which is why we couldn’t be more proud to support the expansion of legal protections. We unequivocally support the Equality Act – for the future of our business and society.”

As I've mentioned before, the Equality Act will see little traction in the current GOP-dominated Congress, but this early groundwork is critical to what most consider to be the "heaviest lift" in our movement's history.

Labels: business, Congress, employment, Equality Act, feds, housing, HRC, LGBT rights, public accommodations

Reposted from Joe Jervis