Via Towleroad: Dan Savage on Kim Davis and the Pope: Homophobia ‘Unites People Across Different Christian Faiths’

On All In with Chris Hayes last night, Dan Savage spoke about why Kim Davis’ secret meeting with Pope Francis is troubling and how it contradicts his message that the Catholic Church should focus less on social issues.

Said Savage of the meeting,

“I think it’s very revealing. You know, the Pope has said the church needs to de-emphasize social issues, needs to not just talk about gay marriage and abortion, but this secret meeting where he encouraged this woman to continue to discriminate against LGBT couples and then framed her as a conscientious objector….I think it really reveals what goes on with the Catholic church under the Pope, which is that this de-emphasizing of these social issues is – I don’t want to call it a racket or a scam, but it’s kind of a smoke screen that the Pope still believes these things, the church – the church said it is not going to change its position on same sex marriage, but then for the Pope to turn around and meet with someone like Kim Davis, and tell her – and encourage her to keep it up, keep discriminating against LGBT couples, it just shows that the church wishes it could engage in this activity.”

Hayes noted the irony that evangelical, protestant and Catholic Christians are now united given their historical ability to not always play nicely with one another. To which Savage replied, “It just shows you that homophobia is really what unites people across different Christian faiths now and it’s disgusting.”

Make the jump here to read the full article and see the video

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 02/10/2015

“O homem é uma semente, um potencial que pode ser manifestado ou pode ser desperdiçado. A colheita espiritual é sempre um mistério: plantamos pensamentos, palavras e ações, mas não sabemos quando vamos colher os grãos. Nosso trabalho é plantar pensamentos, palavras e ações que estejam alinhados com a Verdade maior. Em outras palavras, é plantar o bem para colher o bem. Mas, muitas vezes estamos colhendo coisas que não lembramos quando plantamos.” 

“El hombre es una semilla, un potencial que puede ser manifestado o puede ser desperdiciado. La cosecha espiritual es siempre un misterio: plantamos pensamientos, palabras y acciones, pero no sabemos cuándo vamos a cosechar esos granos. Nuestro trabajo es plantar pensamientos, palabras y acciones que estén alineados con la Verdad mayor. En otras palabras, es plantar el bien para cosechar el bien. Pero muchas veces estamos cosechando cosas que no recordamos cuándo las plantamos.”

“A human is a seed, a potential that can be manifested or wasted. The spiritual harvest is always a mystery: we plant thoughts, words and actions, but we don’t know when we are going to harvest the grain. Our work is to plant thoughts, words and actions that are aligned with a higher truth. We strive to plant the good in order to harvest the good. But oftentimes we end up harvesting things that we don’t even remember having planted.”

Anuncios Google 3:29 / 4:15 New Teacher Encounters Homophobia In Second Week.

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Via LGBTQ Nation: A gay dad’s note to the Pope: You snubbed us for Kim Davis? Really?

Pope Francis

 
Last week, I invited the pope to join my family for dinner. It was largely a symbolic gesture, although I had a housecleaning action plan and menu picked out in case he accepted.

It wasn’t that I wanted him to meet my family specifically. I wanted him to simply sit face to face with a family like mine. My two sons were adopted out of foster care and were both in situations that were life-threatening and dire. Our family in the world of LGBT parents is not unique. A great number have stories about kids who’ve gone from lives of potential abuse and neglect to homes where their parents love and honor them.

My point to the pope was simply: Before you judge us, you can at the very least sit with us and see what we are about.

The pope covered a lot of ground during his visit to America. But one thing he didn’t do is meet with any LGBT families. To his credit, while he was here, he didn’t overtly bash of us either.

At least, not until he was on his way out.

Like a kid who’s been an absolute angel all afternoon, only to totally prank out at the end, the Pope shot a spit-wad to the LGBT community as his parting gift:

He secretly met with Kim Davis and put his seal of approval on her behavior.

Dear Pope Francis,

We sat staring at the empty chair at our dinner table. We had hoped it would be filled by you. True, the chance that you’d accept our invitation was a long shot.

It turns out it was an even longer shot than we thought while in America, you gave plenty of moving speeches. You talked of family and how you wished young people would be inspired to start one. You talked of love and bonds and principles that I agree with.

As you were leaving, we could have walked away with the feeling that some common ground had been met. Instead, you disappointed and betrayed us.

The issue isn’t simply that you met with Kim Davis. It’s that you embraced her behavior and encouraged it. Following your “secret” meeting, you said, “Conscientious objection is a right that is a part of every human right.”

What you neglected to say is that you can’t expect to conscientiously object without consequences. As with the right to free speech, you have the right to speak freely without fear of imprisonment or jail, but it doesn’t preclude others from speaking back or reacting harshly to what you said.

Anyone who believes the Bible legitimizes racism and/or slavery can state their conscientious objections to anti-discrimination protections, but it doesn’t give them the right to discriminate. A firefighter who believes flames are “the will of God” doesn't have the right to let houses burn down. Your right to object doesn’t give you the right to demean others.

The most honorable objections are done with willing sacrifices.

Kim Davis reports that you thanked her for her “courage.” It makes me sad that your idea of “courageous” is someone who humiliates loving families.

If you want to understand conscientious objection and bravery, I ask you to look instead to LGBT activist Corporal Evelyn Thomas:

“I served in the Army National Guard and The U.S. Marine Corps prior to the enactment of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell; during a time when “homosexuality was prohibited” under the Uniform Code of military Justice (UCMJ).
I survived my military career with damages. I survived a corrective rape. I was raped by four Marines; in which a pregnancy was the result. I carried the child of my rapists. I reported the crimes. Although it was traumatic and terrifying time, I survived the physical, mental, and emotional abuse… Too many innocent lives have been lost in this war against inequality and injustice…

Many people have viewed the iconic photo. It feels strange to think of that moment in the LGBT Movement. My comrades and I stood along the White House fence with our hands handcuffed to the metal bars, as a drastic and imperative plea for President Barrack Obama to end the oppressive, barbaric, and archaic practices of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. This is our Civil Rights Movement. Each time I look at that photo, I see 6 heroes — humans that risked their professional careers and some cases personal relationships to perform a brave act. We did not perform this act for fame or money. We did it so that the women and men serving in our military know and understand they are of value, and “their lives do matter.” We will not allow any man, woman, or government determine our worth.”

Evelyn Thomas and her comrades were brave. They made a statement for their beliefs and they understood the consequences. They didn’t want to be made comfortable. They wanted to be heard. 

Kim Davis is not Evelyn Thomas. She’s asking for the world around her to conform to her narrow-minded point of view. The fact that you apparently share her worldview still doesn’t make it right for her to impose those beliefs on other people.

The afterglow of your trip is gone. Long gone. The tears Bernie Sander shed over your seemingly forward-thinking principles have dried. It wasn’t that you snubbed LGBT families and didn’t speak out for our rights. It’s who you decided to see and support instead of us. Salt, meet wound. 

We look at your empty chair at our dinner table and realize it’s small compared to the emptiness you left in our hearts. When you were told that you had been a “star” on this trip, you replied, “How many stars have we seen go out and fall?”

Point taken.

Rob Watson is a gay father of two, LGBT activist, businessman and blogger.

 

Opinions and advice expressed in our Views & Voices columns represent the author's or publication's own views and not necessarily those of LGBTQ Nation. We welcome opposing views and diverse perspectives. To submit a article, column or video, contact us here. Due to the volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee publication, however you are invited to express your opinion in the comment section below.

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Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 01/10/2015

“As pessoas às vezes estão tão distraídas, entretidas e encantadas com o próprio sofrimento, que nada além da oração pode ajudá-las. Por isso eu lhe convido a orar pelo outro. Por onde quer que passe, afirme internamente: ‘Acorde. Que o amor desperte em você. Que Deus desperte em você. Que você seja feliz.’ Permita-se emanar essa onda de luz e compaixão, esse querer bem sem saber a quem. O amor não tem endereço para se corresponder - ele é para todos.”

“Las personas a veces están tan distraídas, entretenidas y encantadas con el propio sufrimiento, que nada más allá de la oración puede ayudarlas. Por eso te invito a orar por el otro. Por donde quiera que pases, afirma internamente: ‘Despierta. Que el amor despierte en ti. Que Dios despierte en ti. Que seas feliz.’ Permítete emanar esa ola de luz y compasión, ese querer bien sin saber a quién. El amor no tiene dirección para corresponderse – él es para todos.”

“Sometimes people are so distracted, entertained and enchanted with their own suffering that nothing but prayer can help them. For this reason, I have been inviting you to pray for the other. Wherever you go, affirm internally: ‘Awaken. May love awaken in you. May God awaken in you. May you be happy.’ Allow this wave of light and compassion to emanate around you without needing to know towards whom this goodwill is directed. Love doesn’t need a delivery address – it is for everyone.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Life's Sacredness

Life's Sacredness

In trying to deny that things are always changing, we lose our sense of the sacredness of life. It’s easy to forget that life and death are part of the natural scheme of things, intrinsic to our lives in an eternally shifting universe.

—Ronna Kobatznick, "Sea of Sorrow"

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Today's Daily Dharma: Right Attitude

Right Attitude

Right attitude in meditating and practicing is when the mind is not colored by greed or ill will or hatred or confusion. Then we can investigate, and wisdom will develop.

—Carol Wilson, "If We Watch, Wisdom Comes"

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Via Sri Prem BabaFlor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 30/09/2015

“Tenho dito que o principal veneno do ser humano é a negação. Ela é um mecanismo de defesa muito complexo que usa todo o repertório da mente para encobrir partes da nossa personalidade que não aceitamos e queremos esconder. Isso é o que nos mantém nos círculos da ignorância - brigando, disputando, competindo, acusando e defendendo. É isso que nos mantém na guerra.”

“Como he dicho otras veces, el principal veneno del ser humano es la negación. Ella es un mecanismo de defensa muy complejo que usa todo el repertorio de la mente para encubrir partes de nuestra personalidad que no aceptamos y queremos esconder. Esto es lo que nos mantiene en los círculos de la ignorancia – peleando, disputando, compitiendo, acusando y defendiendo. Es esto lo que nos mantiene en la guerra.”

“The primary poison human beings take is denial. It is a very complex self-defense mechanism that uses the mind’s whole repertoire to cover up the parts of our personality that we don’t accept and that we want to hide. This is what imprisons us in circles of ignorance; fighting, disputing, competing, accusing and defending. This keeps the war alive inside of us.”

Budismo no Ocidente: Refuge + Entrevista com Dalai Lama Inédito em Português.

Via Bilerico: How Homosexuality Stopped Being a 'Disease'

We had been jointly planning our tactics over the past month. I and my compatriots of the Gay Liberation Front and Gay May Day collective, friends from the Mattachine Society, and members of the newly formed Gay Activists Alliance were to gather on this bright morning during the first week of May in 1971, and carpool up Connecticut Avenue in northwest Washington, DC to the Shoreham Hotel. Also uniting with us were people from out-of-town who joined us as part of "Gay May Day" as we attempted to shut down the federal government for what we considered as an illegal and immoral invasion into Vietnam.

We parked about a block away since we didn't want hotel security and attendees at the annual American Psychiatric Association conference to notice a rather large group of activists sporting T-shirts and placards announcing "Gay Is Good," "Psychiatry Is the Enemy," and "Gay Revolution." Half the men decked themselves in stunning drag wearing elegant wigs and shimmering lamé dresses, glittering fairy dust wafting their painted faces.

A year before, activists demonstrated outside the APA conference held in San Francisco. As a result, conference organizers conceded to permit a panel to lead a discussion workshop at this year's annual conference in DC under the title "Lifestyles of Nonpatient Homosexuals." The panelists included Dr. Franklin Kameny, Director of Mattachine DC; Barbara Gittings, Director of the Philadelphia office of Daughters of Bilitis; and Jack Baker, first "out" U.S. student body president at the University of Minnesota.
In their capacity as official conference panelists, they were granted inside access to all proceedings, including admission to the annual Convocation of Fellows, in which all attendees were to hear U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark deliver the keynote address in the hotel's over-the-top Regency Ballroom. Earlier in the week, some of us checked out the hotel's layout. The day before, a comrade placed a wedge in a doorway coming from the Rock Creek Park woods into the hotel, where we gained access.

All along, the panelists were to serve as our Trojan Horses. After the Convocation was called to order, and half-way through Clark's address, our insiders opened the doors and in we poured, chanting, waving, shouting. On stage, we witnessed a stunned Attorney General surrounded by similarly stunned and also upset APA officials, and seated in the front rows we noticed elderly men who wore gold medals around their necks. When they saw us, they stood and began beating us with their medals while shouting "Get out of here. We don't want any more people like you here!" Others yelled: "You're sick, you're sick you faggots, you drag queens!" Other psychiatrists stood up from their seats and attempted to push us physically from the hall. I was able to escape their grasp, and I sat locking arms with a contingent on the floor just beneath the stage.
Then Frank Kameny rushed the stage and grabbed the microphone, his booming voice cracking through the pandemonium even after the technician cut the power. "Psychiatry is the enemy incarnate," he yelled, the anger seemingly oozing from his pores. "You may take this as a declaration of war against you!"

And this was, indeed, our intent: to declare war on the psychiatric profession for the atrocities, the colonization, the "professional" malpractice it had perpetrated over the preceding century in the name of "science," the biological and psychological pathologizing of sexual and gender transgressive people. From the so-called "Eugenics Movement" of the mid-nineteenth century though the twentieth century and beyond, medical and psychological professions have often proposed and addressed, in starkly medical terms, the alleged "deficiencies" and "mental diseases" of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

Read more at http://www.bilerico.com/2015/06/how_homosexuality_stopped_being_a_disease.php#OdSvVVyPJOZj9vLh.99

Via urious Liberals / FB:

Via Subhi Nahas: Help Save LGBTI Refugee Lives

Neil Grungras campaign leader

 

'I was sure I’d be raped or killed. I was terrified': My life as a gay Syrian refugee who had to flee Isis
I first escaped to Turkey, but I wasn't even safe there – a childhood friend who had joined Isis threatened to kill me through a mutual friend

By Subhi Nahas
Originally published by the Independent.

Growing up in my small city Idlib, Syria, I always knew I was different. I didn’t know what the difference was or what it was called, but I knew I had a secret to guard. That was a decade ago. Even in my worst nightmare, I didn’t dream that one day my beautiful country would implode. And I couldn’t possibly imagine that one day I would address the UN Security Council on behalf of all refugees including LGBT people like me.

Once my family and community in Idlib found out that I was gay, they confirmed my worst fears. I was “abnormal” and “sick.” Most of them believed – and probably still do – that gay people like me should be hospitalized, imprisoned and even killed. I felt desperately alone.
The internet saved me. I was hungry for information about who I was, and I learned there were others like me who were able to live happily – with careers, travel, and even love. Many were free to tell the truth about who they are.

When I was 15, before I came to terms with my identity, my parents suspected something was “wrong” with me and sent me to a therapist. Breaching rules of confidentiality, he told them I was gay.

From that time, I became a prisoner in my home and my town. My father watched my every move. Authorities of the Syrian government and Jabhat al Nusra, a branch of al-Qaeda, raided cafes and parks where LGBT people secretly gathered. Militants promised the townspeople to cleanse our town of gender nonconforming people. Many people were arrested and tortured. Some were never seen again.

Then I became a target of the militants. In 2012, I was on a bus heading to university. We were stopped. The young people, including me, were taken to a remote house where we were all physically assaulted and harassed. The militants took special notice of me. They called me “sissy,” “faggot,” and other insulting Arabic epithets. I was sure I’d be raped or killed. I was terrified. In the Idlib of 2012, there was no law — only people with guns. Miraculously, they let me go.

The terror followed me home, where my father and I had our last fight. The scar on my chin is a constant reminder of his violent reaction to my being different.

My only hope was to flee. I escaped first to Lebanon and then to Turkey, where I lived for three years and began to advocate for other LGBT people and refugees like myself. I co-founded a group, LGBT Arabi, to bring LGBT refugees and non-refugees together. I wrote a blog about LGBT rights.

Read More>>> www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/i-was-sure-id-be-raped-or-killed-i-was-terrified-my-life-as-a-gay-syrian-refugee-who-had-to-flee-isis-10484304.html

 

 

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Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 29/09/2015

“Todas as separações que existem em relação ao mundo exterior são por conta das separações que existem dentro de nós mesmos. Tem sido muito difícil criar união fora simplesmente porque tem sido difícil criar união dentro.”

“Todas las separaciones que existen en relación al mundo exterior son por culpa de las separaciones que existen dentro de nosotros mismos. Ha sido muy difícil crear unión afuera, simplemente porque ha sido difícil crear unión dentro.”

“All the separateness we see in the outside world comes from the separateness that exists inside of us. Creating union externally has been so incredibly difficult simply because we have not yet been able to create union within ourselves.”

Today's Daily Dharma: The Path, Simply Put

The Path, Simply Put

Buddhist teachings can be divided into three parts: sila, samadhi, and prajna: ethical conduct, concentration, and wisdom. Or to put it into the vernacular: clean up your act, concentrate your mind, and use your concentrated mind to investigate reality.

—Leigh Brasington, "Focus Comes First"

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Reposting: All the little things | Panti | TEDxDublin

The Queen Of Ireland | Official Trailer

For the Love of All Created by Thee - Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

Via WGB: Obama: Religious Freedom No Excuse to Deny Rights to Others

Freedom of religion isn't reason enough to deny any American their constitutional rights, President Barack Obama said Sunday as he addressed members of the LGBT community, one of his major sources of political and financial support.

Speaking at a Democratic Party fundraiser, Obama said it's important to recognize that some parts of the country remain uncomfortable with same-sex marriage and that it will take time for them to catch up to the majority of Americans who support such unions.

But while Americans hold dear the constitutional right to practice their religion free from government interference, he said that right can't be used to deny constitutional rights to others. Full story here!

WGB :: Well said Mr. President!

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 28/09/20

“A grande maioria das pessoas escolhe sofrer através do isolamento. Por isso esse mecanismo de defesa precisa ser melhor compreendido. Você pode ser uma pessoa absolutamente silenciosa e não estar isolada. O isolamento é um estado de fechamento interno. São muros que você constrói a partir de crenças. Sair por ai tentando conversar e agradar o outro não significa que você está aberto. Enquanto não entra em contato com aquilo que sustenta esses muros, você segue culpando o outro pelo seu sofrimento e se isolando cada vez mais.”

“La gran mayoría de las personas elige sufrir a través del aislamiento. Por eso este mecanismo de defensa necesita ser comprendido mejor. Puedes ser una persona absolutamente silenciosa y no estar aislada. El aislamiento es un estado de cierre interno. Son muros que construyes a partir de creencias. Salir por ahí, intentando conversar y agradar al otro no significa que estás abierto. Mientras no entras en contacto con aquello que sustenta esos muros, sigues culpando al otro por tu sufrimiento y aislándote cada vez más.” 

“Most people choose isolation as their preferred form of suffering, so this self-defense mechanism really deserves to be better understood. We could be completely silent and yet not be isolated. Isolation happens when we shut down, building walls around us due to our beliefs. Attempting to converse with and please the other doesn’t mean that we are open. Until we are able to get in touch with the beliefs that sustain these walls, we will continue blaming the other for our suffering and isolate ourselves more and more.”