Labels: Brendan Eich, Bryan Fischer, Christianists, douchebaggery, hate groups, hypocrisy, Linda Harvey, Mozilla, Peter LaBarbera, religion, Tammy Bruce, technology
A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Via Daily Dharma
Refraining is not Enough
| April 4, 2014
Whenever we find fault with others,
whether through anger, contemptuous certainty, self-righteousness, or
gossip, it is often based in fear. We may not be aware of our fears, but
when we look deeply, we may discover the fear of rejection, loss of
control, of unworthiness, or the fear of disconnection. But refraining
alone is not enough—by itself it is just behavior modification—and it is
neither healing nor transformative. Only through uncovering and
consciously entering into the deep hole inside, welcoming the fear with
curiosity and compassion, can we ultimately reconnect with the basic
wholeness of our true nature.
—Ezra Bayda, “Gossip”
Via JMG: Signorile Vs Sullivan
Yesterday Andrew Sullivan denounced
the campaign against now-former Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich, declaring
that if the Eich controversy represents the gay rights movement today,
he no longer wants any part of it. Michelangelo Signorile responded
to Sullivan this morning in a post which contends that it wasn't Eich's
donation to the Prop 8 campaign that did him in. An excerpt:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
Eich only announced he was stepping down after it was revealed late Wednesday that he'd given money to Pat Buchanan's presidential campaign in 1992, and later to Ron Paul's campaign. Suddenly, in addition to defending a CEO who gave money to homophobic efforts, Mozilla would have to defend a CEO who supported Buchanan, a far right extremist and isolationist who's been accused of racist and anti-Semitic attacks, and who also was, rightly, driven off MSNBC -- though that took years longer to accomplish than the few weeks it took to purge Alec Baldwin.Hit the link and read Signorile's full response.
It all just became too much for Mozilla to bear, and who knows what else may have been dug up on Eich? None of this is about government censorship. It's about a company based in Northern California which has many progressive employees, and which has a lot of progressives and young people among the user base of its Firefox browser, realizing its CEO's world view was completely out of touch with the company's --and America's -- values and vision for the future.
Labels: activism, Andrew Sullivan, Brendan Eich, LGBT rights, Michelangelo Signorile, Mozilla, Pat Buchanan, Proposition 8
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Via George Takei / FB:
Well, that was fast. OkCupid's
strong stance surely helped. And staffers at Mozilla who'd protested,
and company directors who'd resigned as a result of his appointment, can
now work in a hate-free zone.
And a quick civics primer: Freedom
of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. This man donated
money to a campaign designed to keep LGBT people from full equality and
to deny our families equal rights under the law. He was free to make
that choice, but we are free to hold him accountable. If he'd donated
money to White Supremacists to help outlaw interracial marriage, there'd
be little outcry over his ouster.
Mozilla
co-founder CEO Brendan Eich, who came under fire this week for donating
to a campaign to ban gay marriage in California, has resigned.
By ABC News
Via JMG: Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich Steps Down
In a statement published this afternoon to her corporate blog, Mozilla chairwoman Mitchell Baker announced that CEO Brendan Eich has stepped down. Baker's statement opens:
Mozilla prides itself on being held to a different standard and, this past week, we didn’t live up to it. We know why people are hurt and angry, and they are right: it’s because we haven’t stayed true to ourselves. We didn’t act like you’d expect Mozilla to act. We didn’t move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We’re sorry. We must do better. Brendan Eich has chosen to step down from his role as CEO. He’s made this decision for Mozilla and our community. Mozilla believes both in equality and freedom of speech. Equality is necessary for meaningful speech. And you need free speech to fight for equality. Figuring out how to stand for both at the same time can be hard.Baker concludes:
What’s next for Mozilla’s leadership is still being discussed. We want to be open about where we are in deciding the future of the organization and will have more information next week. However, our mission will always be to make the Web more open so that humanity is stronger, more inclusive and more just: that’s what it means to protect the open Web. We will emerge from this with a renewed understanding and humility — our large, global, and diverse community is what makes Mozilla special, and what will help us fulfill our mission. We are stronger with you involved. Thank you for sticking with us.Today's move comes ten days after Eich was named Mozilla's CEO. LGBT groups, gay Mozilla staffers, and gay developers immediately called for a boycott of Mozilla over Eich's apparently unrepentant donation to the Proposition 8 campaign in 2008. But when Eich issued a statement expressing solidarity for the LGBT community (albeit without publicly reversing on marriage equality or apologizing for the donation), calls for his resignation and boycotts of Mozilla spread into the anti-gay, Christian, and Tea Party worlds, creating a bizarre and unprecedented situation in which groups that are regularly tearing into each others' throats were suddenly and unwillingly thrust onto the same side. Almost everybody (noted exception: Brian Brown) wanted Eich gone - but for very different reasons.
Today's move will surely satisfy many LGBT activists. But don't think for a minute that this story is over, because the screams of "homofascism" that we regularly hear are now going to grow much louder and the Eich saga will surely echo into future battles. Some of us may even come to view today as having been a Pyrrhic victory as Eich will doubtlessly be canonized by our enemies and his name will become a rallying cry.
As least we'll have the short term amusement of watching hate group leaders who last week called for Eich's head turn swiftly on their heels to scream about the intolerant gaystapo.
Labels: Brendan Eich, California, Firefox, internet, LGBT rights, marriage equality, Mozilla, Proposition 8, technology
The Bahá'í Faith and Homosexuality
Bahá'í LGBTs on the Internet,
agitating for full acceptance
The agenda being pursued by Baha'i LGBTs is simple: full equality for persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities, including same-sex marriage. Some are using the Internet to publicize their goals.
In reading some of their sites, one is struck by the level of anxiety and fear experienced by LGBTs in this faith. That is a real pity, because the Baha'i faith should liberate people from fear and make their lives whole, not trap them in a closet and make them pretend to be what they are not.
How to be Mindful
| April 3, 2014
Since the sense of self is the
embodiment of the absence of awareness, forgetting to observe is
inevitable as we try harder to be aware. The problem of how to be
mindful is actually resolved not through strenuous effort but by
relaxing, allowing, and observing what is already here. Within the
framework of relaxation, the sense of self has a diminishing power
center, making space for awareness to be revealed.
—Rodney Smith, “From Thought to Stillness”
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Via Towleroad: Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich Also Contributed To Anti-Gay GOP Candidates
The Guardian has just revealed that in addition to donating $1,000 to help ban gay marriage in California, new Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich also contributed $1000 during the early 1990s to anti-gay right-wing Republican presidential candidate and $2000 in the late 90s to Texas state Republican congressman Ron Paul, a man who preferred to leave gay marriage up to individual states.
The Guardian notes:
During the AIDS outbreak of 1990,
Buchanan said “our promiscuous homosexuals appear literally hell-bent on
Satanism and suicide”. A few years earlier he said “homosexuals have
declared war on nature, and now nature is exacting an awful
retribution”.
In a 2010 article on [gay marriage],
Buchanan remarked that "all the great religions have condemned
homosexuality and all the great nations have proscribed or punished it"
and concluded: "Historically, from the late Roman Empire to Weimar,
flagrant homosexuality has been associated with sick societies, decadent
cultures and dying civilizations.”
Ever since news of Eich’s anti-gay California contribution has become public, there have been calls for a Mozilla boycott from both pro and anti-gay groups, calls for Eich to step down from Mozilla employees, several resignations of Mozilla board members, even as Eich continues to sidestep questions on his current stance towards same-sex marriage.
http://www.towleroad.com/2014/04/mozilla-ceo-brendan-eich-also-contributed-to-anti-gay-gop-candidates.html
Via JMG: Mozilla CEO Speaks To CNET
Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich has spoken to the tech site CNET in his first interview since controversy erupted over his 2008 donation to the backers of Proposition 8. Eich declined to discuss his personal views or say if he now supports marriage equality, but he repeated last week's expression of sorrow for causing pain to LGBT people. CNET asked Eich if he thinks the furor is an "existential threat" to the company:
I don't know. If it is, the vision of Mozilla will be lost. I don't think anyone else will carry the user-first agenda above all other considerations. I understand big commercial corporations can't do it. They have to ultimately answer to their shareholders. They can have founders with large shares and that can say they're willing to take a hit in order to be long-term thinkers, and I admire that, but in no way can they do what Mozilla does. We bled for the user. We did Firefox when nobody thought the browser was a competitive market or ever would be again. We did Firefox OS when people said there was no need for a mobile OS but there was obviously a gap below the market. And we're doing a user-centric approach to services that involve identity and choice and control of data. Mozilla has to uphold its principles, has to have integrity to advance its mission.Eich also mentioned that the company is planning to take actions to emphasize its support for the LGBT community, but he gave no specifics.
I feel strongly about what's happened, and I feel I'm still the best CEO for the job. I've got lots to contribute and I'll help us turn some corners. The corners that need me as CEO, not just founder or CTO, are a big mobile turn that involves services [and] user identity and agency in the cloud. If we get our message out about inclusiveness and how Mozilla cannot succeed without being truly globally inclusive, then we'll have trouble. I expect I'll be helpful there, too, in the long run. We're in a struggle now, but if we get through it, we'll be stronger for it. That's been true of all our struggles at Mozilla. When we pull everybody together for common mission, that's when we really succeed.
Labels: 2008 elections, Brendan Eich, California, Firefox, internet, LGBT rights, marriage equality, Mozilla, Proposition 8, technology
Via Daily Dharma
What the Buddha Never Said | April 2, 2014
'There is no self' is the granddaddy of
fake Buddhist quotes. It has survived so long because of its
superficial resemblance to the teaching on anatta, or not-self,
which was one of the Buddha’s tools for putting an end to clinging. Even
though he neither affirmed nor denied the existence of a self, he did
talk of the process by which the mind creates many senses of self—what
he called “I-making” and “my-making”—as it pursues its desires.
—Thanissaro Bhikkhu, “There is no self.”
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Via Daily Dharma
Some Space | April 1, 2014
If we can allow some space within our
awareness and rest there, we can respect our troubling thoughts and
emotions, allow them to come, and let them go. Our lives may be
complicated on the outside, but we remain simple, easy, and open on the
inside.
—Tsoknyi Rinpoche, "Allow for Space"
Monday, March 31, 2014
Via JMG: First & Last Lines From Noted Gay Novels
Boy Culture blogger Matt Rettenmund has compiled the first and last sentences from nearly 100 well-known gay novels. Andrew Holleran's Dancer From The Dance, for example, opens and closes this way: First: "Ecstasy, it's finally spring down here on the Chattahoochee—the azaleas are in bloom, and everyone is dying of cancer. Last: “Go out dancing tonight, my dear, and go home with someone, and if the love doesn't last beyond the morning, then know I love you." Of all the novels cited, Larry Kramer's opening line in Faggots is the one I remember best: "There are 2,556,596 faggots in the New York City area." Hit the link for an enjoyable time-waster.
Via JMG: Employment Protections Map
Lambda Legal notes:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
All government employees are protected by the U.S. Constitution against irrational discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition, some measure of protection already exists under Title VII based on gender, which has been held to include gender identity and expression. The U.s. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and several courts have interpreted Title VII to protect transgender employees, and the EEOC has interpreted Title VII to cover sexual orientation discrimination. The Supreme Court has held that the EEOC's interpretation of Title VII are entitled to "great deference."Notice that New York shamefully continues to lack statewide gender identity protections, despite such a bill passing in the state Assembly six times. Maryland will join the 17 states with full LGBT employment protections when Gov. Martin O'Malley signs the transgender rights bill approved by the state legislature last week. There's only one way to turn the entire map green: ENDA.
Labels: employment, ENDA, Lambda Legal, LGBT rights
Via JMG: College Football Player Comes Out
Outsports reports that NCAA defensive end Mitch Eby came out to
his Chapman University teammates earlier this month. Eby first told his
two roommates, both also players, then opened up to his head coach, who
agreed to allow Eby to address the full team. An excerpt from his speech:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
"I came up here today to talk to you guys about something that I've been dealing with for quite a while. It's something personal that I've always thought I could just bury away, but I can't. We live life so worried about how other people view us that we forget about ourselves. I can no longer go on living in fear, repressing myself because of how society may view me. I can no longer lie to my friends, family and teammates. It's time I lived life for myself for a change. With that being said, I am ready to share with you all that I am gay. It has taken me years to accept myself for who I truly am, so it's irrational to expect everybody to unconditionally accept me right away. However, the one thing that I hope that I can count on from each of you, my teammates, is your respect. Your respect as a friend, your respect as a teammate, and your respect as a man."According to the above-linked report, the team applauded Eby's revelation. Athlete Ally founder Hudson Taylor reacts via press release:
"Mitch is demonstrating great courage and leadership by publicly coming out as gay while still actively playing college football. While the decision to take this step is a deeply personal one, it impacts countless other young closeted athletes who will wrestle with how to compete and live their lives authentically. Today represents another important step in making sports a welcoming environment for all."
Labels: coming out, football, gay athletes, sports
Via Daily Dharma
The Nature of Anger | March 31, 2014
Because we imagine anger is never a
good thing, it is easy to think we should practice simply not being
angry. But that approach is too general and abstract. It’s important for
each of us to be precise, to be real, to be personal and honest, to
find out exactly what my anger is. To do that we need to ask ourselves
lots of questions about its actual nature.
—Nancy Baker, "Precious Energy"
Via Tricycle
Via JMG: Mozilla: We Support Marriage Equality
Internet giant Mozilla, the makers of the popular Firefox browser, have issued a statement which emphasizes their support for same-sex marriage. Controversy erupted last week when Mozilla appointed CEO Brendan Eich, who in 2008 donated to the backers of Proposition 8. An excerpt from the statement:
Mozilla’s mission is to make the Web more open so that humanity is stronger, more inclusive and more just. This is why Mozilla supports equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples. No matter who you are or who you love, everyone deserves the same rights and to be treated equally. We realize that not everyone in our community or who uses our products will agree with this. But we have always maintained that as long as you are willing to respect others, and come together for our larger mission, you are welcome. Mozilla’s community is made up of people who have very diverse personal beliefs working on a common cause, which is a free and open internet. That is a very rare and special thing.Hampton Caitlin, a Firefox developer who with his husband last week announced a boycott of Mozilla, has tweeted his pleasure with this development.
UPDATE: Mozilla Foundation executive director Mark Surman today weighed in on the flap. His statement concludes:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
I worry that Mozilla is in a tough spot right now. I worry that we do a bad job of explaining ourselves, that people are angry and don’t know who we are or where we stand. And, I worry that in the time it takes to work this through and explain ourselves the things I love about Mozilla will be deeply damaged. And I suspect others do too. If you are a Mozillian, I ask that you help the people around you understand who we are. And, if you have supported Mozilla in the past are frustrated or angry with us, I ask you for kindness and patience. What Mozilla is about is working through these things, even when they’re hard. Because the web need us to. It’s that important.
Labels: Brendan Eich, California, Firefox, internet, marriage equality, Mozilla, Proposition 8, technology
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Via Daily Dharma
Enlivening the Ordinary | March 30, 2014
Through art, a painter can make the ordinary come alive. As Zen students, we try to bring this kind of relevance into each moment of our lives, into this one moment that contains all moments. In this way, we allow the ordinary to enliven us. Sometimes this is successful, sometimes not, but the work itself goes on. Persistence is one of the major virtues in both the artist and the unenlightened.
—Gary Thorp, "The Dust Beyond the Cushion"
|
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Searching for Self | March 29, 2014
This mind that we identify as the self, which we could call ego-mind, controls everything we do. Yet it can't actually be found—which is somewhat spooky, as if a ghost were managing our home. The house seems to be empty, but all the housework has been done. The bed has been made, our shoes have been polished, the tea has been poured, and the breakfast has been cooked.
—Dzigar Kongtrül Rinpoche, "Searching for Self"
|
Friday, March 28, 2014
Via JMG: Voters Like Gays More Than Evangelicals
According to a poll of likely 2016 voters commissioned by the Human Rights Campaign, voters view gay people more favorably than they do evangelicals. Via the Huffington Post:
On Thursday the Human Rights Campaign and Americans for Marriage Equality released the results of a study, entitled "Victory In Sight", conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and TargetPoint Consulting that investigated the nuances of voters' views on marriage equality. More than a simple matter of "Should gays and lesbians be allowed to marry?", the poll looked at shifts in opinions over time, reasons for such shifts, and differing opinions among ages, faiths, geographic areas and more.
The first question addressed acceptance, comparing voters' favorable or unfavorable feelings towards gays and lesbians and towards evangelical Christians. In a nearly 80% Christian-identified country, the results might surprise you. Fifty-three percent of voters said they felt favorably toward gays and lesbians, compared to 42% who felt favorably toward evangelicals. Eighteen percent said they felt unfavorably toward gays and lesbians, while 28% reported unfavorable feelings toward evangelicals.
Reposted from Joe Jervis
Via JMG: Wonder Woman Sends Love To Tomboy
Wonder Woman Sends Love To Tomboy
RELATED: In 2011 Lynda Carter was the grand marshal of the NYC Pride parade, which took place less than 48 hours after Gov. Cuomo signed the marriage equality bill into law. She told the press that it was a privilege to have participated on such a historic day. Last year Carter was the grand marshal of Washington DC's pride parade.
Labels: bigotry, education, gender identity, Lynda Carter,religion, straight allies, Sunnie Kahle, Virginia
reposted from Joe Jervis
Warrior Mind | March 28, 2014
Fear diminishes me, makes me no bigger than that part of me which fears. Fearful, I am too small to contain thought, too small to hold real compassion. Protecting myself, I will hurt others.
—Sallie Tisdale, "Warrior Mind"
|
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Via JMG: Mozilla Staffers Launch Twitter Campaign Demanding Resignation Of New CEO
Mozilla Staffers Launch Twitter Campaign Demanding Resignation Of New CEO
Technology news site ArsTechnica reports that numerous Mozilla staffers are today tweeting demands for the resignation of CEO Brendan Eich.
This morning, a number of Mozilla employees took to Twitter with a united, nearly simultaneous message to new Mozilla Foundation CEO Brendan Eich: "Step down." Brendan Eich's Prop 8 donations come to light, and internal response is mixed. The internal response began this morning with two tweets from Mozilla Open Badges project lead Chris McAvoy. "I love @mozilla but I'm disappointed this week." He then made a more pronounced declaration: "I'm an employee of @mozilla and I'm asking @brendaneich to step down as CEO." Within minutes, many other Mozilla employees followed suit, using similar language or copying each other's statements outright. Those included Mozilla Festival curator Chloe Vareldi, partnerships lead John Bevan, designer Jessica Klein, and engagement team member Sydney Moyer. McAvoy added that he feels fortunate to work at a company like Mozilla, "where I can say that without fear of retribution."(Tipped by JMG readers Joel and Marc)
Labels: Brendan Eich, California, Firefox, internet, marriage equality, Mozilla, Proposition 8, Silicon Valley, technology
Tricycle Enlightening Conversations
Enlightening Conversations
A New Series
Exploring the Intersection of Buddhism & Psychoanalysis
May 9-10, 2014
Friday 6pm - 9pm & Saturday 9 am - 6 pm
New York Blood Center
310 East 67th St, New York
In
this groundbreaking series, there will be no prepared papers from any
speakers. Instead, there will be structured conversation that is open
and impromptu. You are welcome to join the conversation between the
audience and the speakers whether or not you have knowledge or
experience of Buddhism or psychoanalysis. If you have an interest in
what these two contemplative disciplines do, please consider joining us.
“Opportunities and Obstacles in Human Awakening” is the debut conference of the Enlightening Conversations series, in which psychoanalysts and Buddhist teachers will speak openly and honestly about the nitty-gritty of liberation.
Hosted by Enlightening Conversations founder and director, Polly Young-Eisendrath.
Featuring:
Polly Young-Eisendrath | Henry Shukman | Pat Enkyo O'Hara Roshi |
Jeffrey Rubin | Shoji Muramoto | Pilar Jennings | Robert Caper | James
Shaheen | Grace Schireson | Robert Chodo Campbell | Nancy Cater | Deon
Van Zyl | Melvin Miller | Deborah Luepnitz | Morgan Stebbins
7.5 CECs are available for those who attend the program in its entirety.
The Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts (IRSJA) is approved by
the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education.
The IRSJA maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Visit Tricycle for more information or 
All tickets must be purchased online. No tickets will be sold at the door.
With thanks to our conference co-sponsors:
Via Daily Dharma
Integrating Realization | March 27, 2014
Spiritual realization is relatively
easy compared with the much greater difficulty of actualizing it,
integrating it fully into the fabric of one’s daily life. Realization
is the movement from personality to being, the direct recognition of
one’s ultimate nature, leading toward liberation from the conditioned
self, while actualization refers to how we integrate that realization in all the situations of our life.
—John Welwood, "The Psychology of Awakening"
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Via JMG: Married Gay Tech Developers Announce Boycott Of Mozilla Over New CEO
On Monday, Mozilla appointed a new CEO who in 2008 donated $1000 to the Prop 8 campaign. Yesterday a boycott was announced by a married gay couple that runs a development company that produces products for Mozilla's Firefox browser.
Hampton Catlin, creator of Wikipedia Mobile and CSS extension language Sass, said he would no longer develop apps for Firefox after Eich's appointment. Catlin and his husband run a development firm called Rarebit which makes a game called Color Puzzle and was set to bring a dictionary app to Firefox Marketplace. In a blog post, Catlin wrote: "As a married gay couple who are co-founders of this venture, we have chosen to boycott all Mozilla projects. We will not develop apps or test styles on Firefox any more. This is in protest of the appointment of Brendan Eich to the position of CEO of the Mozilla Foundation, where he had previously served as CTO. We will continue our boycott until Brendan Eich is completely removed from any day to day activities at Mozilla, which we believe is extremely unlikely after all he’s survived and the continued support he has received from Mozilla.”It wasn't until the Supreme Court overturned Prop 8 that the couple married. Catlin was also able to sponsor a visa for his British husband with the overturn of DOMA. The couple married at San Francisco City Hall on the very day of the Prop 8 ruling, landing their story on the front page of the New York Times. Read Catlin's blog post about the boycott and his open letter to Mozilla.
Labels: boycotts, California, Firefox, internet, marriage equality, Prop 8, San Francisco, technology
Via JMG: Andrew Sullivan On "Homosexual"
"I like the term 'homo'! I use it all the time – about myself and others, although I also often use 'fag' as well. The gay thought-police would be aghast, but the intent is what matters. Mine is mostly benign. Mostly. But mainly, one great legacy of the gay community has been our love of freedom, especially of speech. For centuries and decades, the right to free speech was our only truly secure constitutional right. We were always about enlarging what was sayable, rather than restricting it. Banning 'homosexual' also reeks of insecurity. We are not so tender we cannot handle a clinical, neutral term, or even a slur or the re-appropriation of a slur. 'Queer' was one such reclamation, although that’s much more pointed than 'homosexual' and certainly doesn’t reflect how I feel about my orientation. There’s nothing queer about being horny and falling in love or lust or getting married. They’re among the most common activities known to humankind. But I sure don’t mind others using it – and more and more heteros want to call themselves 'queer' too. But my main objection to getting rid of 'homosexual' is that we would lose a not-too-easily replaced non-euphemism." - Andrew Sullivan, writing in response to the New York Times article about the "vanishing" usage of "homosexual" by the media thanks to prodding by groups such as GLAAD.
Sullivan and I agree about "homosexual" but not quite for the same reasons (many of you here strongly disagreed with mine). He goes on to express blistering contempt for "LGBT."
God I hate that “word”. It describes no single person; it cannot be spoken easily; it reeks of bullshit. No one started using that word of their own accord as a way to describe herself. It was created by leftists who believe that all oppressed groups are primarilly defined by their oppression and that the very different lives and identities of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender are somehow all one. I know it’s an effort at inclusion. I appreciate the good intent. And if it had any wit or originality, instead of sounding like a town in Croatia, I could live with it. But it doesn’t.I like LGBT - most of all for its writing utility as an umbrella term. But while I grok why it's done, I do sometimes feel that the ever-growing number of letters sometimes tacked onto the end of LGBT are worthy of the eye-rolling it receives from inside our community and mockery it gets from our enemies. Which takes me back to my appreciation for the catch-all "queer," which to me simply means anybody who isn't heterosexual.
Via Daily Dharma
Everyday Bodhisattva | March 26, 2014
The bodhisattva aspiration is an everyday matter—everyday both in the sense of needing to be renewed as each day passes, and in the sense of applying to simple tasks, to ordinary actions motivated by a longing to reduce the difficulty and increase the happiness of those with whom we share our lives.
—Manjusura, "An Everyday Aspiration"
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
London LGBT choir Celebrates Same-sex Marriage
From a love poem by Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī:
May these vows and this marriage be blessed
May it be sweet milk, this marriage, like wine and halvah
May this marriage offer fruit and shade like the date palm
May this marriage be full of laughter
Our every day a day in paradise
May this marriage be a sign of compassion
A seal of happiness here, and hereafter
May this marriage have a fair face and a good name
An omen, as welcomes the moon in a clear blue sky
I am out of words to describe how spirit mingles in this marriage
https://soundcloud.com/thefourthchoir/this-marriage-ed-rex
May these vows and this marriage be blessed
May it be sweet milk, this marriage, like wine and halvah
May this marriage offer fruit and shade like the date palm
May this marriage be full of laughter
Our every day a day in paradise
May this marriage be a sign of compassion
A seal of happiness here, and hereafter
May this marriage have a fair face and a good name
An omen, as welcomes the moon in a clear blue sky
I am out of words to describe how spirit mingles in this marriage
https://soundcloud.com/thefourthchoir/this-marriage-ed-rex
Via JMG: Prop 8 Donor Named Mozilla CEO
The newly named CEO of Mozilla, the makers of the Firefox brower, is Brandon Eich, who gained headlines in 2008 when it was revealed that he had donated $1000 to the backers of Proposition 8. From his personal blog:
A donation that I made in support of California Proposition 8 four years ago became public knowledge and sparked a firestorm of comments in the last few days, mostly on Twitter. People in other countries or other U.S. states do not know why “Mozilla” was listed in the donation data. Donors above a certain amount are required by the State of California to disclose their employer. Mozilla had nothing to do with the donation. I’m not going to discuss Prop 8 here or on Twitter. There is no point in talking with the people who are baiting, ranting, and hurling four-letter abuse. Personal hatred conveyed through curse words is neither rational nor charitable, and strong feelings on any side of an issue do not justify it. In contrast, people expressing non-abusive anger, sadness, or disagreement, I understand, grieve, and humbly accept.For someone who is "not going to discuss Prop 8", he manages to on for several more paragraphs. (Tipped by JMG reader Chris)
Via JMG: AFA Calls For World Vision Boycott
Via press release:
This decision by World Vision to equate homosexual "marriage" to natural marriage between a man and a woman is in direct conflict with the Holy Scriptures. The first chapter of Romans is very clear. World Vision has abandoned the warning of Paul and compromised the integrity of a ministry financially supported by Christians who regard Scripture as the final authority on the issue. Christians who support World Vision should stop as should all of the artists and authors who raise money for them. There are many other organizations that sponsor children around the world who remain true to the gospel. If you would like to express your thoughts or cancel your financial support to World Vision, you can contact them here.Fuck those starving children, the gays MUST BE STOPPED.
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