Via JMG: Wikipedia Updates World Marriage Map

As I reported yesterday, Greenland's Parliament has voted to adopt Denmark's laws on same-sex marriage. That vote goes into effect on October 1st, prompting Wikipedia's map monitors to change Greenland's color to mustard, which means "pending." That tiny dot of dark green in the Middle East is Israel and if you squint you'll see that same-sex marriage is also pending in Nepal (although that bill has not yet been presented). Chile is apparently mustard-shaded because in February 2015 the government announced that it was formally dropping its opposition to same-sex marriage. Civil unions were signed into law by Chile's president last month and the marriage bill is expected soon.

Labels: Greenland, marriage equality, Wikipedia

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: GERMANY: Chancellor Angela Merkel Spokesman Says Same-Sex Marriage Is "Not A Goal Of This Government"

 

Via Reuters:

Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition agreed on Wednesday to make small changes to same-sex civil partnership rules but staunch opposition from conservatives in her party means Germany will not follow Ireland in allowing gay marriages any time soon. Although there are growing divisions within the party, Merkel's Christian Democrats are still overwhelmingly opposed to same-sex marriages partly due to fears it could upset voters on the right. However, polls show 75 percent of Germans are in favour of legalising gay marriages, as are the Social Democrats (SPD) and all opposition parties. The overwhelming "yes" vote in Ireland for same-sex marriage had triggered a discussion in Germany about the lingering gap in rights between registered partnerships and marriages. "Today was an important milestone in dismantling discrimination and the chancellor is pleased about that," her spokesman Steffen Seibert said. "But same-sex marriages are not a goal of this government." "Every country makes its own laws - some countries go one route while others go another," said Seibert, when asked about Ireland. "In Germany we'll take a path that suits Germany."

Merkel was elected to a third term in 2013.

Labels: Angela Merkel, Germany, Ireland, marriage equality

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Julianne Moore Says #IDO to Equality

Via JMG: Where Gay Men Are The Happiest

Via the Washington Post:

Planet Romeo, an Amsterdam-based dating and community site, collaborated with the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany to carry out an online survey of 115,000 gay men around the world. They combined rankings on public opinion, public behavior and life satisfaction – how gay men feel about society’s view on homosexuality, how gay men feel they are treated by other people, and how satisfied gay men are with their own lives, respectively – into one worldwide ranking on gay happiness. Iceland tops their list as the country where gay men are the happiest, followed by Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Uruguay, Canada, Israel, Netherlands, Switzerland and Luxembourg. The United States ranks 26th in the list. The 10 worst countries by this ranking are Kazakhstan, Ghana, Cameroon, Iran, Nigeria, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda.

Hit the link and scroll down for the full ranking.

Labels: Iceland, LGBT rights, surveys

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: Feds to Induct Gay Rights Pioneer Frank Kameny Into Labor Hall Of Honor

 

Via press release from the US Department of Labor:

Frank Kameny, who for decades fought to end discrimination in the federal workplace, will be honored by the U.S. Department of Labor in June with an induction to its Hall of Honor. Kameny's legacy as a civil rights leader has made a monumental difference in improving the lives of all workers all across America. A World War II veteran and Harvard-educated doctor of astronomy with the U.S. Army Map Service, Kameny was discharged and barred from federal government employment in 1958 after U.S. Civil Service Commission investigators asked if he was a homosexual.

Kameny fought the injustice, eventually taking his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which denied his petition in 1961. The setback led him to become a co-founder of the first gay rights organization in Washington, D.C., and began his tireless fight to force the nation's largest employer — the federal government — to end discrimination in its employment practices based on sexual orientation. "Frank Kameny was a groundbreaking leader in the LGBT civil rights movement. He fought tirelessly to live out his truth and to end workplace discrimination," said Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "At the Department of Labor we work every day to carry on his legacy and ensure that all workers, no matter who they are or who they love, have equal access to opportunity."

Kameny died at age 86 in 2011. Earlier Hall Of Honor inductees include Ted Kennedy, Bayard Rustin, Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, and the 9/11 Rescue Workers. Kameny's ceremony will take place on June 23rd and the Labor Department suggests the Twitter hashtag #ThankFrank. (Tipped by JMG reader Jeremy)

Labels: activism, American history, feds, Frank Kameny, Labor Department, LGBT History, LGBT rights, Obama administration

Reposted from Joe Jervis

JMG Quote Of The Day - Daniel O'Donnell

"As for many, there is a deeply personal element to this historic victory for me. I am very recognizably Irish-American, from my face to my name, but until these last few weeks, I have often felt that I don’t belong. Last month I was invited to Ireland by the Lawyers for Yes Campaign to help kick off the final weeks of advocacy. As the legislative sponsor of Marriage Equality in New York State, I shared my experience on the fight to achieve equal rights. Irish people from all over the world returned home to vote in this election. I returned to the birthplace of my family to help in any way I could. I feel proud to be Irish in a new way today after the people of Ireland declared that one can be Irish and gay and recognized in loving same-sex relationships. Thank you, Ireland, for voting for another step toward universal human rights for all." - New York Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell, in a letter published today by the New York Times.

Labels: Daniel O'Donnell, Democrats, gay politicians, Ireland, LGBT rights, marriage equality, New York state, NY Assembly

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via NYT: On Same-Sex Marriage, Catholics Are Leading the Way

Take a look at this list of countries: Belgium, Canada, Spain, Argentina, Portugal, Brazil, France, Uruguay, Luxembourg and Ireland. Name two things that they have in common.

They don’t share a continent, obviously. Or a language.

But in all of them, the Roman Catholic Church has more adherents, at least nominally, than any other religious denomination does.

And all of them belong to the vanguard of 20 nations that have decided to make same-sex marriage legal.

In fact, countries with a Catholic majority or plurality make up half of those where two men or two women can now wed or will soon be able to.

Make the jump here to read the full article on the NYT

Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 27/05/2015

“Nascemos querendo receber amor exclusivo. Passamos a vida exigindo esse amor em nossas relações. Mas isso não existe, então sofremos. Apanhamos até perceber que tudo que buscamos está dentro de nós mesmos. Então compreendemos que seremos amados somente quando esse amor estiver fluindo abundantemente dos nossos próprios corações. Parece absurdo, mas assim é.”

“Nacemos queriendo recibir amor exclusivo. Pasamos la vida exigiendo ese amor en nuestras relaciones. Pero esto no existe, entonces sufrimos. Sufrimos hasta percibir que todo lo que buscamos está dentro de nosotros. Entonces comprendemos que solamente seremos amados cuando ese amor esté fluyendo abundantemente desde nuestros propios corazones. Parece absurdo, pero así es.”

"When we are born, we want to receive exclusive love. We spend our lives demanding this love from our relationships, but it does not exist, so we suffer. We get caught up in this idea until we realize that everything we are looking for is within us. Then we understand that we will only be loved when love is flowing abundantly from our own hearts. This seems absurd, but that’s how it works.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Caught Up in Thoughts.

 

Caught Up in Thoughts

The thoughts are not the problem. Thoughts are the nature of the mind. The problem is that we identify with them. 

- Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, "No Excuses"  

 

Via Global Secular Humanist Movement

Sesame Street: Grover and Zachary Quinto are Flexible

Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 26/05/2015

“Às vezes é necessário realizar a prática de uma austeridade inteligente, que é quando fazemos um esforço, um exercício, para redirecionar os vetores da nossa vontade. Tenho incentivado e sugerido cada vez mais a prática do silêncio, porque ele é a fundação que sustenta o templo da consciência.”

“A veces es necesario realizar la práctica de una austeridad inteligente, que es cuando hacemos un esfuerzo, un ejercicio, para redireccionar los vectores de nuestra voluntad. Vengo incentivado y sugiriendo cada vez más la práctica del silencio, porque éste es la base que sustenta el templo de la consciencia.”

“Sometimes we need to practice an intelligent austerity, which means putting our energy towards an activity that redirects our willpower. More and more, I have been encouraging and suggesting the practice of cultivating silence. Silence is the foundation on which the temple of awareness rests.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Respect Between Sects.

Respect Between Sects

Whoever honors his own sect and disparages another man’s, whether from blind loyalty or with the intention of showing his own sect in a favorable light, does his own sect the greatest possible harm. Concord is best, with each hearing and respecting the other’s teachings. 

- Ashoka, "Ashoka, Beloved of the Gods"  

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Via JMG: Greenland Approves Same-Sex Marriage

 

Google Translate has a bit of difficulty with Danish, but our resident international expert, JMG reader Luis, advises us that Greenland's Parliament has just voted unanimously to adopt Danish laws legalizing same-sex marriage and gay adoption. Greenland is an autonomous country within the kingdom of Denmark and is not a member of the United Nations. More than three times the size of Texas, Greenland has a population of about 57,000.

Labels: Denmark, gay adoption, Greenland, marriage equality

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Vi JMG: TEXAS: Lawmaker Vows To Kill His Own Bill Rather Than Allow Anti-Gay "Defy SCOTUS" Marriage Amendment

 

From the Houston Chronicle:

A Democratic state senator has dredged up anti-gay marriage legislation that advocates thought was dead this session, attaching the language to an uncontroversial county affairs bill under the noses of his fellow Democrats. While gay rights advocates decried the move, the bill's original sponsor in the House said he would never let his legislation pass with the anti-same-sex marriage language in-tact. "I'm the author of the bill. I will resolve the bill," said Rep. Garnet Coleman, D- Houston, a staunch gay marriage advocate.
House Bill 2977, as Coleman originally filed it, was an uncontroversial county affairs placeholder bill, meant to act as a vehicle for lawmakers to ensure important local issues can be passed late in the session. As the bill was headed to the Senate committee for approval this week, however, Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr. attached a number of other bills to Coleman's legislation, including one that would seek to block a Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage.
If the bill passes in the GOP-dominated Senate, which Coleman expects it to, it would need to return to the House, where the lower chamber's members would have to concur with the changes. Coleman said if he can't strip the anti-gay marriage off his legislation, then he would withdraw it completely. "If I can't get it off, then the bill goes to bill heaven," Coleman said. "I don't support that legislation or that language."

BOOM. (Tipped by JMG reader American Putz)

Labels: Cecil Bell, crackpots, Eddie Lucio, Garnet Coleman, LGBT rights, marriage equality, religion, SCOTUS, Texas

Reposted from Joe Jervis

VIa Free & Equal / FB:

VIa JMG: IRELAND: Marriages By September

 

Via the Irish Times:

Work will begin this week to give effect to the referendum decision to amend the Constitution with the first same-sex marriages likely to take place as early as September. Tánaiste Joan Burton said legislation would be brought before the Seanad and Dáil as early as possible, with the aim of getting it passed before the summer recess. “That would mean that we would be in a position to have same-sex marriage celebrations, civil ceremonies by, probably, September,” she told reporters at the Africa Day celebrations in the Phoenix Park. The Constitution will be formally amended in the coming days when President Michael D Higgins signs the Marriage Equality Bill into law, and a new sentence will be added to article 41 stating: “Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex.” To give effect to the amendment, the Oireachtas will enact the Marriage Bill 2015, which will state in law the principle that being of the same sex is no longer an impediment to marriage. It will also make clear that religious solemnisers will not be obliged to solemnise the marriage of a same-sex couple, and that the same prohibited degrees of relationship will apply to same-sex marriages.

RELATED:  In the above map from Freedom To Marry, Finland is shaded red although their law doesn't go into effect until March 2017. Slovenia is shaded light green because although their legislature approved same-sex marriage in March 2015, their bill has not yet been signed into law due to a continuing battle to place the issue to a public referendum.

 

Labels: Ireland, LGBT rights, marriage equality

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via The Guardian: LGBT veterans to get their first federally approved monument

 

A monument dedicated to LGBT veterans will be unveiled in a national cemetery near Chicago on Memorial Day, in a celebration of the first federally approved monument to LGBT veterans.

Make the jump here to read the full article

Via Deep South Daily: “I am the mother of a gay son and I’ve taken enough from you good people”

 

Photo by Jamiecat (Flickr/cc)

Read one of the most heartfelt letters a newspaper has ever published.

It seems that a century’s worth of progress has been made for gay rights since the dawn of the millennium fifteen years ago. Back then, not a single U.S. state had marriage equality. The term “marriage equality” was not even a part of the social zeitgeist. But today, marriage equality is the law of the land in all but a handful of states. It looks likely that the Supreme Court will soon rule on a right to marriage for all. And just yesterday, Ireland — traditionally a very conservative, Catholic country — became the first nation to pass (and overwhelmingly so) marriage equality by national referendum.

Even more importantly than marriage, a social revolution has made being an LGBT person more socially accepted — at times even celebrated — than the kids of the year 2000 could’ve ever dreamed. Still, there are constant reminders of the work that remains to be done.
We still see the forces of discrimination and bigotry hard at work to stave off the tide of freedom and acceptance that LGBT people are now experiencing. Evangelicals rally around viciously anti-gay reality show stars — like the Robertson family of Duck Dynasty or the Duggars of 19 Kids and Counting. And that’s why it’s important to remember that, for all these gains, there is still work to be done.

In April 2000, a mother named Sharon Underwood from White River Junction, Vermont wrote one of the most heartfelt and pointed letters to the editor that the Valley News has probably ever received. In the letter, she expressed her righteous anger at the local do-gooders whose moralism had for years inflicted pain and torment on her young gay son. That letter is still prescient today. Even now, it tells the story of thousands of LGBT youth trapped in communities where they still aren’t welcome.

Here is the full article including the letter, reprinted in full here

Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 25/05/2015

“O mal atrai o mal. O mal em você sente atração pelo mal lá fora. Isso ocorre porque a maldade precisa ser ativada para ser purificada e transformada. E conforme a purificação vai acontecendo, você começa a ver que tudo está absolutamente certo, mesmo quando está errado. Os erros, na verdade, são oportunidades de aprendizado, cura e libertação.”

“El mal atrae el mal. El mal en ti siente atracción por el mal ahí afuera. Esto ocurre porque la maldad necesita ser activada para ser purificada y transformada. Y conforme la purificación va sucediendo, comienzas a ver que todo está absolutamente bien, hasta cuando está equivocado. Las equivocaciones, en verdad, son oportunidades de aprendizaje, cura y liberación.” 

“Evil attracts evil. The malevolence in us feels attracted to the malevolence outside. Evil needs to be activated in order to be purified and transformed. As this purification takes place, we start to see that everything is absolutely right, even when it is ‘wrong.’ Mistakes are in fact an opportunity for learning, healing, and liberation.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Undistorted Experience

 

Undistorted Experience

When mindfulness is quick enough, the student will experience the moment of consciousness itself. He will see one mind-moment arising and vanishing in clear detail. This is to witness the truth of experience, undistorted by delusion. It is a glimpse of ultimate reality. - Cynthia Thatcher, "How Long Is a Moment"

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Via Mindbodygreen.com: 8 Things Happy People Do Every Morning

For many of us, mornings begin in a rushed panic. We allow our alarm clocks to buzz at least a dozen times before we decide we have to get out of bed. We then rush around our homes half-awake trying to get ready for our day. In a hurry, we stub our toe on the bedpost, forget to put on deodorant, and don't pack a lunch because we simply do not have time. 

It's no wonder that so many folks despise the thought of being awake before 9 am! 

So it may not surprise you to know that happy individuals tend to actually enjoy their mornings. They appear to thrive on waking up with the sun and look forward to a new day or possibilities. These happy people have humble morning rituals that increase their own sense of well-being and give their day purpose. 

Happy people tend to share many of the following morning habits: 

1. They wake up with a sense of gratitude.
Practicing gratitude is associated with a sense of overall gladness. They start the day with love. This means that they're truly appreciative of their life and all of its little treasures. They practice small acts of gratitude in the morning by expressing thankfulness to their partner each morning before they rise from bed. They may also write about their gratefulness for five minutes each morning in a journal that they keep bedside. 

2. They begin anew each and every morning.
They know that it's a brand-new day to start over and do something different. Yesterday may have been a complete failure for them, but today is a new day for success and adventure. Individuals who aren't ruined by one bad day are resilient creatures. Resiliency is a telltale sign of having purpose and happiness. 

3. They take part in prayer, affirmation, or meditation.
Many of the happiest folks alive are spiritual. Prayer is a way of connecting and giving thanks for our creator. Meditation helps keep our mind focused, calms our nerves and supports inner peace.
Happy people even use affirmations to declare how their day will go. Steve Jobs' morning routine used to start by looking in the mirror and asking himself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And Benjamin Franklin asked himself each morning, "What good shall I do today?" 

4. They read.
Some happy people read a bit of scripture each morning, while others read inspiring stories to get their day started. Either way, they make it a ritual to read self-improvement literature to stretch and grow their insight and knowledge. It's starts their day off on a positive note with new ideas to guide their day's journey. 

5. They keep things simple and don't rush out the door.
Complex morning routines are difficult to stick to and set us up for failure. Happy individuals' routines are simple for them because they prepared the night before. They picked out their work attire, prepared their lunch, set their coffee to brew — all the night before. A simple routine limits any multitasking that most people do in the morning to ensure that they make it to work on time. Multitasking may create stress and anxiety and steal your peace during your first waking hours. 

6. They exercise.
Exercise boosts levels of health-promoting brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which may help buffer some of the effects of stress and also relieve some symptoms of depression. Exercise is a big enough priority that happy folks tend to do it first thing in the morning so that they don't have to try to make time later in the day for it. They recognize that willpower is strongest in the morning.
Morning exercise gets the blood flowing and gives them more energy throughout the day. One study published in the Journal of Health Psychology discovered that working out improved how people felt about their physical bodies — even if they didn't lose weight or gain any noticeable improvements in their physique. 

7. They get some fresh air.
Morning walks are beneficial for all creatures. Walking is also proven to stimulate creativity in the brain, which isn't a bad way to start the day either.
If they have a dog, they walk it. Walking the dog a mile or two in the morning is a form of much needed exercise for humans and dogs alike. When happy individuals walk their dog outside, they breath in the crisp morning air, which promotes a sense of vitality. 

8. They savor the beauty of their surroundings and practice being present in the moment.
Whether they go on a morning walk with their dog or sit in their favorite chair by the window, taking the time to appreciate their environment can be invigorating and gets folks excited about their day. Being present connects and grounds them to what is really important in the moment. There is a certain kind of wisdom that comes with being a witness to your own life. 

How many of these habits do you perform each morning? Are there some that you would like to see on the list? 

Make the jump here to read the original article

Via Social Work Helperia / FB

JMG Editorial Of The Day

From the editorial board of the New York Times:

In a statement conceding defeat, the Iona Institute, the main opposition group, said it would continue to affirm “the importance of biological ties and of motherhood and fatherhood.” The absurdity of that statement speaks for itself. As soon as the referendum is ratified by Parliament, Ireland will join 19 nations that have legalized same-sex marriage — an honor roll that does not include the United States.

The Irish path to legalizing same-sex marriage was remarkable because advocates have long seen courts and legislative initiatives as easier paths to prevail on an issue that continues to trouble many people on moral and religious grounds. Lawmakers in the United Kingdom approved same-sex marriage in 2013. In the United States, the expanding recognition of marriage rights in 36 states and the District of Columbia has been achieved through lawsuits and legislatures. The Supreme Court is expected to rule next month on a case that could establish a constitutional right to same-sex marriage.

The outcome in Ireland sends an unmistakable signal to politicians and religious leaders around the world who continue to harbor intolerant views against gays and lesbians. It also should offer hope to sexual minorities in Russia, the Arab world and many African nations where intolerance and discriminatory laws remain widespread. The tide is shifting quickly. Even in unlikely places, love and justice will continue to prevail.

Labels: Ireland, LGBT History, marriage equality, SCOTUS

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Ireland says YES to love!

Today's Daily Dharma: A Good Look Around.

A Good Look Around

There's a lovely freedom in momentarily stepping back into the privilege freely taken by children, finding the gap in the cyclone wire fence and sauntering along in that heightened state of casual alertness, just having a good look around.  - Susan Murphy, "The Secret Life of the Street"

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All-American Boy

Via FB:

Via Addicting Info / FB:

Via All Out

 

 

A Irlanda acaba de se tornar o primeiro país no mundo a dizer 'sim' ao casamento igualitário por meio de uma votação popular. Compartilhe essa notícia histórica!

Via Human Rights Campaign:

 

BREAKING: Historic Victory for Marriage Equality in Ireland #LoveWins #EqualityForward #marref http://www.hrc.org/ireland

Ireland: Dublin electric as same-sex referendum set to approve gay marriage

Via JMG: IRELAND: It's Official!

Labels: Ireland, LGBT History, marriage equality

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día- Flower of the day 23/05/2015

“A preguiça normalmente é interpretada como uma falta de caráter, mas ela é, na verdade, o resultado de sentimentos negados e bloqueados no sistema. Ela é uma das matrizes do eu inferior que se caracteriza por uma paralisação em relação ao que precisa ser feito. Às vezes a pessoa não consegue sair da cama, mas às vezes ela faz muitas coisas, menos aquilo que precisa ser feito.”

Para acessar ai Satsang completo, acesse: bit.ly/1F0kh9J

“La pereza normalmente es interpretada como una falta de carácter, pero en realidad es el resultado de sentimientos negados y bloqueados en el sistema. Es una de las matrices del yo inferior que se caracteriza por una paralización en relación a lo que hay que hacer. A veces una persona no puede levantarse de la cama, pero a veces ella hace muchas cosas, menos aquello que necesita ser hecho.”

“Laziness is usually seen as a poor character trait, but it is in fact the result of repressed and blocked feelings in the system. It is one of the matrices of the lower self that manifests as paralysis in the face of what needs to be done. Sometimes the person cannot even get out of bed, and in other cases the person may be busy doing a lot of things – except that which actually needs to be done.”

Via JMG: Panti Bliss: IT'S A LANDSLIDE

Panti Bliss: IT'S A LANDSLIDE

Less than one hour into the counting of the ballots, leading Irish activist Panti Bliss is calling it a landslide in favor of same-sex marriage. Three minutes later David Quinn, founder of the anti-gay Iona Institute tweeted his congratulations to the Yes Equality side. From the Irish Times:

First indications show a strong Yes vote for same-sex marriage in urban areas as counting gets under way in count centres around the country. Ballot boxes were opened at 9am and votes cast in the same-sex referendum are being counted first. While the official result is not expected until this evening, early tallies are expected to give a clear indication of the likely result. Prominent No campaigner and director of the Iona Institute David Quinn seemed to concede the vote tweeting “Congratulations to the Yes site. Well done.” According to Minister for Equality Aodhán Ó Ríordáin the vote seems to be heavily in favour of allowing same-sex marriage. Speaking from the main count centre in Dublin shortly after the first tallies emerged Mr Ó Ríordáin said: “I think it’s won. I’ve seen bellwether boxes open, middle-of-the road areas who wouldn’t necessarily be liberal and they are resoundingly voting yes”. Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin has said it’s looking like an emphatic yes vote in the same-sex marriage referendum. Fine Gael Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has said it’s now a question of whether any constituency will return a no vote.

Results have not yet been posted to the government's official tabulation site.

Labels: Ireland, LGBT rights, marriage equality

Reposted from Joe Jervis

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