Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 23/08/2015

“A vida está em constante movimento de expansão e contração. Ora nos sentimentos conectados, próximos, amorosos, com o coração aberto – ora nos sentimos desconectados, fechados, distantes, navegando em um mar de incertezas e medos. Costumo chamar esses momentos de desconexão de “turbulências” - turbulências que precisamos atravessar, pois fazem parte do karma. Trata-se de uma colheita de desafios que muitas vezes são vistos como desagradáveis, mas que, na realidade, são presentes, pois contém as sementes, as oportunidade de aprendizado e crescimento que precisamos.”

“La vida está en constante movimiento de expansión y contracción. A veces nos sentimos conectados, próximos, amorosos, con el corazón abierto – a veces nos sentimos desconectados, cerrados, distantes, navegando en un mar de incertidumbres y miedos. Suelo llamar a estos momentos de desconexión de "turbulencias" - turbulencias que precisamos atravesar, pues son parte del karma. Se trata de una cosecha de desafíos que muchas veces son vistos como desagradables, pero que, en realidad, son regalos, pues contienen las semillas, las oportunidades de aprendizaje y crecimiento que necesitamos.”

“Life is constantly moving from expansion to contraction. One minute we feel connected, close to others, and loving with our hearts open. The next minute we feel disconnected, closed, and distant while navigating a sea of uncertainty and fear. I have been calling these moments of disconnection ‘turbulence.’ We need to pass through this turbulence as it is part of our karma. We 'harvest' these challenges that are often seen as unpleasant, but in reality are a gift. Challenges are the seeds of opportunities for learning and the growth that we need to go through.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Prayer Dissolves Hindrances

Prayer Dissolves Hindrances

The mind is like a mirror. Although our true nature is the deity, what we now experience are ordinary mind’s reflections. Enemies, hindrances, inauspicious moments—all of which appear to be outside of us—are actually reflections of our own negativities. . . . Prayer helps to purify the habits of ordinary, small mind and ignorance of our true nature as the deity. - Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, "Prayer: Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche"

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Via WGB: Who You Calling A Queer?

Comprehensive List of LGBTQ+ Term Definitions

LGBPTTQQIIAA+: any combination of letters attempting to represent all the identities in the queer community, this near-exhaustive one (but not exhaustive) represents Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Pansexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Intergender, Asexual, Ally

Advocate: a person who actively works to end intolerance, educate others, and support social equity for a group

Ally: a straight person who supports queer people

Androgyny: (1) a gender expression that has elements of both masculinity and femininity; (2) occasionally used in place of “intersex” to describe a person with both female and male anatomy

Androsexual/Androphilic: attracted to males, men, and/or masculinity

Asexual: a person who generally does not experience sexual attraction (or very little) to any group of people

Bigender: a person who fluctuates between traditionally “woman” and “man” gender-based behavior and identities, identifying with both genders (and sometimes a third gender)

Binary Gender: a traditional and outdated view of gender, limiting possibilities to “man” and “woman”

Binary Sex: a traditional and outdated view of sex, limiting possibilities to “female” or “male”

Biological sex: the physical anatomy and gendered hormones one is born with, generally described as male, female, or intersex, and often confused with gender

Bisexual: a person who experiences sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction to people of their own gender as well as another gender; often confused for and used in place of “pansexual”

Cisgender: a description for a person whose gender identity, gender expression, and biological sex all align (e.g., man, masculine, and male)

Cis-man: a person who identifies as a man, presents himself masculinely, and has male biological sex, often referred to as simply “man”

Cis-woman: a person who identifies as a woman, presents herself femininely, and has female biological sex, often referred to as simply “woman”

Closeted: a person who is keeping their sexuality or gender identity a secret from many (or any) people, and has yet to “come out of the closet”

Coming Out: the process of revealing your sexuality or gender identity to individuals in your life; often incorrectly thought to be a one-time event, this is a lifelong and sometimes daily process; not to be confused with “outing”

Cross-dressing: wearing clothing that conflicts with the traditional gender expression of your sex and gender identity (e.g., a man wearing a dress) for any one of many reasons, including relaxation, fun, and sexual gratification; often conflated with transsexuality

Drag King: a person who consciously performs “masculinity,” usually in a show or theatre setting, presenting an exaggerated form of masculine expression, often times done by a woman; often confused with “transsexual” or “transvestite”

Drag Queen: a person who consciously performs “femininity,” usually in a show or theatre setting, presenting an exaggerated form of feminine expression, often times done by a man; often confused with “transsexual” or “transvestite”

Dyke: a derogatory slang term used for lesbian women; reclaimed by many lesbian women as a symbol of pride and used as an in-group term

Faggot: a derogatory slang term used for gay men; reclaimed by many gay men as a symbol of pride and used as an in-group term

Female: a person with a specific set of sexual anatomy (e.g., 46,XX phenotype, vagina, ovaries, uterus, breasts, higher levels of estrogen, fine body hair) pursuant to this label

Fluid(ity): generally with another term attached, like gender-fluid or fluid-sexuality, fluid(ity) describes an identity that is a fluctuating mix of the options available (e.g., man and woman, gay and straight); not to be confused with “transitioning”

FTM/MTF: a person who has undergone medical treatments to change their biological sex (Female To Male, or Male To Female), often times to align it with their gender identity; often confused with “trans-man”/”trans-woman”

Gay: a term used to describe a man who is attracted to men, but often used and embraced by women to describe their same-sex relationships as well

Gender Expression: the external display of gender, through a combination of dress, demeanor, social behavior, and other factors, generally measured on a scale of masculinity and femininity

Gender Identity: the internal perception of an individual’s gender, and how they label themselves

Genderless: a person who does not identify with any gender

Genderqueer: (1) a blanket term used to describe people whose gender falls outside of the gender binary; (2) a person who identifies as both a man and a woman, or as neither a man nor a woman; often used in exchange with “transgender”

Gynesexual/Gynephilic: attracted to females, women, and/or femininity

Hermaphrodite: an outdated medical term used to describe someone who is intersex; not used today as it is considered to be medically stigmatizing, and also misleading as it means a person who is 100% male and female, a biological impossibility for humans

Heterosexism: behavior that grants preferential treatment to heterosexual people, reinforces the idea that heterosexuality is somehow better or more “right” than queerness, or ignores/doesn’t address queerness as existing

Heterosexual: a medical definition for a person who is attracted to someone with the other gender (or, literally, biological sex) than they have; often referred to as “straight”

Homophobia: fear, anger, intolerance, resentment, or discomfort with queer people, often focused inwardly as one begins to question their own sexuality

Homosexual: a medical definition for a person who is attracted to someone with the same gender (or, literally, biological sex) they have, this is considered an offensive/stigmatizing term by many members of the queer community; often used incorrectly in place of “lesbian” or “gay”

Hypersex(ual/-ity): a sexual attraction with intensity bordering on insatiability or addiction; recently dismissed as a non-medical condition by the American Psychiatric Association when it was proposed to be included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders version 5.

Intersex: a person with a set of sexual anatomy that doesn’t fit within the labels of female or male (e.g., 47,XXY phenotype, uterus, and penis)

Male: a person with a specific set of sexual anatomy (e.g., 46,XY phenotype, penis, testis, higher levels of testosterone, coarse body hair, facial hair) pursuant to this label

Outing [someone]: when someone reveals another person’s sexuality or gender identity to an individual or group, often without the person’s consent or approval; not to be confused with “coming out”

Pansexual: a person who experiences sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction for members of all gender identities/expressions

Queer: (1) historically, this was a derogatory slang term used to identify LGBTQ+ people; (2) a term that has been embraced and reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community as a symbol of pride, representing all individuals who fall out of the gender and sexuality “norms”

Questioning: the process of exploring one’s own sexual orientation, investigating influences that may come from their family, religious upbringing, and internal motivations

Same Gender Loving (SGL): a phrase coined by the African American/Black queer communities used as an alternative for “gay” and “lesbian” by people who may see those as terms of the White queer community

Sexual Orientation: the type of sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction one feels for others, often labeled based on the gender relationship between the person and the people they are attracted to; often mistakenly referred to as “sexual preference”

Sexual Preference: (1) generally when this term is used, it is being mistakenly interchanged with “sexual orientation,” creating an illusion that one has a choice (or “preference”) in who they are attracted to; (2) the types of sexual intercourse, stimulation, and gratification one likes to receive and participate in

Skoliosexual: attracted to genderqueer and transsexual people and expressions (people who aren’t identified as cisgender)

Straight: a man or woman who is attracted to people of the other binary gender than themselves; often referred to as “heterosexual”

Third Gender: (1) a person who does not identify with the traditional genders of “man” or “woman,” but identifies with another gender; (2) the gender category available in societies that recognize three or more genders

Transgender: a blanket term used to describe all people who are not cisgender; occasionally used as “transgendered” but the “ed” is misleading, as it implies something happened to the person to make them transgender, which is not the case

Transitioning: a term used to describe the process of moving from one sex/gender to another, sometimes this is done by hormone or surgical treatments

Transsexual: a person whose gender identity is the binary opposite of their biological sex, who may undergo medical treatments to change their biological sex, often times to align it with their gender identity, or they may live their lives as the opposite sex; often confused with “trans-man”/”trans-woman”

Transvestite: a person who dresses as the binary opposite gender expression (“cross-dresses”) for any one of many reasons, including relaxation, fun, and sexual gratification; often called a “cross-dresser,” and often confused with “transsexual”

Trans-man: a person who was assigned a female sex at birth, but identifies as a man; often confused with “transsexual man” or “FTM”

Trans-woman: a person who was assigned a male sex at birth, but identifies as a woman; often confused with “transsexual woman” or “MTF”

Two-Spirit: a term traditionally used by Native American people to recognize individuals who possess qualities or fulfill roles of both gender

Make the jump here to read the full article

Via Lion's Roar: Democracy is Good For Sanghas

 

Larry Yang. Photo by Stephen Pickard.

Many dharma communities are led by a teacher—usually the founder—who typically occupies a dominant role in organizational governance. If there are several teachers, a teachers’ council may form that holds as much or more power than the organization’s board of directors. But the depth of a dharma teacher’s teaching and spiritual ministering, while at the heart of any meditation community, does not indicate they have the needed skills for organizational development and management. Teachers, often by their community’s own design, disproportionately influence their sangha’s decision-making.

This hierarchical model might work in Asia, but it can feel incongruent in the West given the democratic ideals of North American culture, the values embodied by our separation of church and state, and the checks and balances serving to protect against the confluence of spiritual and governance authority and whatever intentional or unintentional misuse of power that might result. With teachers empowered with governance authority separate from that of the board, the resultant split in decision-making can create dysfunctional conditions for staff and volunteers, who are essentially reporting to two lines of management.

At East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) in Oakland, California, involvement of our diverse constituencies is critical for the success of our mission: “to provide a welcoming environment for people of color, members of the LGBTQI community, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented communities.” Because no single teacher represents all the diverse groups practicing at EBMC, the teachings are held by many teachers from a range of backgrounds. Likewise, every board of directors has been constituted from the larger community’s diversity. In too many meditation centers, the insufficient governance experience of dharma teachers, especially in multicultural competencies, has been an obstacle in creating inclusive and culturally non-harming sanghas. The mainstream model of “If you build it, they will come” has not worked as it unconsciously imposes dominant cultural values upon marginalized diverse communities.

Likewise, at Insight Community of the Desert (ICD) in Palm Springs, California, building a community that is not teacher-centric but practitioner-centric is a high priority. The teachers are invited by the board and are periodically reviewed by the non-teacher, or “lay” members of the board. Teachers are held accountable for how they offer the teachings, hold the integrity of their behaviors, and deepen their development as teachers; they are valued for their dharma expertise. But teachers are not assumed to hold all the answers to complicated organizational issues. This is the responsibility of the board, its committees, and the sangha as a whole.

Democratic principles, collective leadership, and community empowerment are vital for continuing the dharma in the West—they are key elements in making these ancient teachings relevant for our complex contemporary world.

Make the jump here to read the full and original article

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 22/08/2015

“Espiritualidade significa se mover em direção à porta da Verdade. E ao chegar diante da porta, você precisa bater – bater, bater e bater, até que a porta se abra. Esse bater na porta começa com um questionamento; começa com a tomada de consciência das suas insatisfações e das crenças que alimentam essas insatisfações. À medida que se conscientiza das suas crenças, inicia-se um processo de ressignificação e isso transforma completamente sua visão a respeito da vida.”

“Espiritualidad significa moverse en dirección a la puerta de la Verdad. Y al llegar delante de la puerta, precisas golpear - golpear, golpear y golpear hasta que la puerta se abra. Este golpear la puerta comienza con un cuestionamiento; comienza con la toma de conciencia de tus insatisfacciones y de las creencias que alimentan estas insatisfacciones. A medida que te concientizas de tus creencias, se inicia un proceso de resignificación y eso transforma por completo tu visión respecto de la vida.”

“Spirituality means to move towards the door of the truth. When we arrive in front of the door, we need to knock. We must knock and knock and knock –until the door opens. This ‘knocking’ on the door starts as a questioning. It begins by becoming aware of our dissatisfactions and our beliefs that feed these dissatisfactions. As we become aware of our beliefs, we start a process that gives new meaning to these beliefs, and this completely transforms our view of life.”

Via FB:

Today's Daily Dharma: The Upside of Envy

The Upside of Envy

Avoidance of envy, if it was ever feasible, is a dinosaur gone extinct. The trick is to steer ourselves toward the emotion’s beneficial side. . . .  envy can bring us closer to what we dearly want to attain, and help us course-correct, if necessary, to get ourselves back on track. - Louisa Kamps, "In Defense of Envy"

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Via Senado Federal / FB:

Além de discriminar e tratar de maneira degradante alguns grupos sociais, os discursos de ódio ainda estimulam o preconceito em outros usuários de redes sociais, especialmente crianças e adolescentes. Projeto de lei que tramita no Senado estabelece pena de reclusão de 1 a 3 anos para quem praticar crimes de ódio pela internet. Saiba mais: http://bit.ly/1NqhkIP

PF: http://bit.ly/1PcNTr1
MPF: http://bit.ly/1JXcCjI

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 21/08/2015

“Minha proposta é que você se harmonize com o fluxo da vida, que possa se tornar desprendido e natural. Em outras palavras, que você possa ouvir e atender os comandos do coração. Isso é possível somente se o coração estiver aberto. Por isso, meu trabalho é para abrir o coração, para desvendar o amor.”

“Mi propuesta es que te armonices con el flujo de la vida, que puedas tornarte desprendido y natural. En otras palabras, que puedas escuchar y atender los comandos del corazón. Esto es posible solamente si el corazón está abierto. Por eso, mi trabajo es para abrir el corazón, para develar el amor.”

“I propose that you harmonize with the flow of life, so that it becomes effortless and natural. May you be able to hear and attend to the commands of the heart. This is only possible if the heart is open. For this reason, my work is to open the heart in order to unveil love.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Conscientious Compassion

Conscientious Compassion

When compassion and justice are unified, we arrive at what I call conscientious compassion. This is compassion, not merely as a beautiful inward feeling of empathy with those suffering, but a compassion that gives birth to a fierce determination to uplift others, to tackle the causes of their suffering, and to establish the social, economic, and political conditions that will enable everyone to flourish and live in harmony. - Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, "Conscientious Compassion"

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El SMS

Handel - Israel in Egypt Oratorio at Pharoah's Islands

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 20/08/2015

PRABHU AP JAGO PARAMATMA JAGO MERE SARVE JAGO SARVATRA JAGO - Deus desperte - desperte em mim, em todos e em todos os lugares.
“Tenho um convite a fazer: experimente - enquanto estiver andando pelas ruas, nas lojas, nos restaurantes, nos cafés, onde quer que passe - cantar esse mantra dentro de você, com a intenção de que o seu significado toque as pessoas ao seu redor. Pode ser em sânscrito, ou na sua própria língua, apenas permita-se dar passagem para essa onda de amor. Quando canta esse mantra com o seu coração, você compreende o significado da palavra milagre.”

PRABHU AP JAGO PARAMATMA JAGO MERESARVE JAGO SARVATRA JAGO - Dios despierta - despierta en mí, en todos y en todos los lugares.
"Tengo una invitación para hacer: prueba –mientras caminas por las calles, en las tiendas, en los restaurantes, cafeterías, donde quiera que pases - cantar este mantra dentro tuyo, con la intención de que su significado toque a las personas a tu alrededor. Puede ser en sánscrito, o en tu propio idioma, simplemente permítete dar pasaje a esta ola de amor. Cuando cantas este mantra con tu corazón, comprendes el significado de la palabra milagro".

PRABHU AP JAGO, PARAMATMA JAGO, MERE SARVE JAGO, SARVATRA JAGO - God awaken. Awaken in me, awaken in everyone and everywhere.
“I would like to invite you to make an experiment while you are walking along streets, when you are in a store, in restaurants, cafés – wherever it is that you may happen to be – sing this mantra inside of you with the intention that its meaning may touch the people you encounter. It can be in Sanskrit, or in your own language, just allow this wave of love to pass through you. When you sing this mantra with your heart, you understand the meaning of the word ‘miracle.’”

Today's Daily Dharma: How You Develop the Heart

How You Develop the Heart

Whatever experience is present / you clearly see right there, / right there— / not taken in, / unshaken: / that's how you develop the heart.

- Shakyamuni Buddha, "View of an Auspicious Day"

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Eat With Me Movie Trailer

Via Bipartisan Report / FB:

Via WGB: Republican National Committee Adopts Resolution Endorsing Anti-LGBT First Amendment Defense Act

The Republican National Committee has adopted a resolution which calls on Congress to pass the anti-LGBT First Amendment Defense Act. The resolution names several martyred anti-gay business owners who have recently been found guilty of violating public accommodation laws. Full story here!


See the original posting on WGB here

0:02 / 3:52 Do All Kids Need a Mother and Father?

Breath and Sound - Tom Goss feat. Matt Alber

Via Being Liberal / FB:

There Is an Evolutional Explanation Why You Are Gay

Same sex desire helps bonding with people of the same gender.

Dr Fleischman said: ‘From an evolutionary perspective we tend to think of sexual behavior as a means to an end for reproduction.

‘However, because sexual behavior is intimate and pleasurable, it is also used in many species, including non-human primates, to help form and maintain social bonds.

‘The results of our study are compelling because using two very different methods, they arrived at the same conclusion.’

 ‘Humans are among a group of animals who have sex for many reasons, not just to reproduce.

‘Reasons can include pleasure, a reward, a way of saying “please be nice to me” or exerting dominance.

‘It’s very complex, but it’s clear… the ability to engage sexually with those of the same sex or the opposite sex is common. In humans, much, if not most of same-sex sexual behavior occurs in those who don’t identify as homosexual.’

Their research is published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.

Via: Gaystarnews

Image: Humerus LLC

You Have to See How This Mom Reacted When Her Son Came Out - (10) Image Gallery and Video

I just don't want to be right!

New Information Revealed About Don't Ask Don't Tell

Never Be Afraid to Be Yourself

Justice for all!

Transgender People Protest Discriminatory Bathroom Policies Via Social Media - (10) Images Gallery

Tags:

cause gay lgbt news evolutional explanation scientists homosexuality evolution same gender dr fleischman sexual behavior social bonds reproduce science

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Make the jump here to read the article

Same sex desire helps bonding with people of the same gender.

Dr Fleischman said: ‘From an evolutionary perspective we tend to think of sexual behavior as a means to an end for reproduction.

‘However, because sexual behavior is intimate and pleasurable, it is also used in many species, including non-human primates, to help form and maintain social bonds.

‘The results of our study are compelling because using two very different methods, they arrived at the same conclusion.’

 ‘Humans are among a group of animals who have sex for many reasons, not just to reproduce.

‘Reasons can include pleasure, a reward, a way of saying “please be nice to me” or exerting dominance.

‘It’s very complex, but it’s clear… the ability to engage sexually with those of the same sex or the opposite sex is common. In humans, much, if not most of same-sex sexual behavior occurs in those who don’t identify as homosexual.’

Their research is published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.

Via: Gaystarnews

Image: Humerus LLC

You Have to See How This Mom Reacted When Her Son Came Out - (10) Image Gallery and Video

I just don't want to be right!

New Information Revealed About Don't Ask Don't Tell

Never Be Afraid to Be Yourself

Justice for all!

Transgender People Protest Discriminatory Bathroom Policies Via Social Media - (10) Images Gallery

Tags:

cause gay lgbt news evolutional explanation scientists homosexuality evolution same gender dr fleischman sexual behavior social bonds reproduce science

Stay tuned! get more from
lgbtfeed to your inbox

- See more at: http://lgbtfeed.com/post/there_is_an_evolutional_explanation_why_you_are_gay#sthash.AneXXY5D.dpuf

There Is an Evolutional Explanation Why You Are Gay - See more at: http://lgbtfeed.com/post/there_is_an_evolutional_explanation_why_you_are_gay#sthash.AneXXY5D.dpuf

Via FB:

Via Hadley-Ives family update

A response to a Gay Baha'i - by Eric Hadley-Ives

Back before the Internet's widespread use, when people were using electronic bulletin boards and e-mail lists to discuss various things, I was often engaged in groups that discussed the Baha'i Faith.  Back then, a common topic was the fact that our religion, the Baha'i Faith, teaches that people ought not express love through homosexual behaviors.  The sources of that teaching, the actual teaching, how that teaching is interpreted, what was actually intended, how the teaching is implemented in Baha'i community life... all these things were regularly discussed.  And then, in the later 1990s more people became involved in internet discussions of these things.  It seemed to me the same things kept getting discussed, and the same ideas were repeated so often that I became very bored with the whole topic.  It's been over ten years since I've ever posted on this topic, but a recent blog post inspired me to write about it again.  I think I offer a few insights that are not often repeated in these discussions.
I've never actually cared much about this issue.  For a while, perhaps for several months when I was in my late teens or early 20s, I did think that homosexuality was probably unhealthy or wrong, but I never felt any emotional negativity about gay people. I've had very close friends, whom I loved very much, admit that they felt homosexual attraction to me, and I have felt some slight regret that I was never able to reciprocate those feelings in any way, and I have sometimes felt that my non-sexual or non-erotic love for other men has been devalued because, in general, American culture devalues non-sexualized love.  But, anyway, gay behaviors don't strike me as worth much attention, outside of the social context that makes them important (because of the persecution of gay people). I understand that because many people feel extremely prejudiced against gay people, and society inflicts harm on gay persons, therefore we have a need to protect the rights of gay people, and defend them, and so forth, and that appeals to me.  But, having never had strong emotions about it, I sometimes don't understand the fuss at an emotional level.  Some people enjoy playing chess, and some don't, but who cares?  If there was no persecution and discrimination against homosexuality, people's sexual orientation would be, for me, of about the same importance as people's orientation toward enjoying a game of chess.
I am, however, very thankful for the social critique that gay activists have brought to us, because in my opinion, heterosexual behaviors are generally quite problematic in this world; and I think gay theorists give us some very useful insights into the problems of sexism, homophobia, machismo, and so forth.

Anyway, I'll share my response to the blog post here on my own blog.  The original post to which I was responding was at this link, and may still be there.
*******
Thanks for sharing a lovely essay with the world. Your heart seems pure and loving, and your faith seems strong.  I agree with your friend, the Baha'i Faith needs famous gay Baha'is who stick with the Faith.
A few points to consider:
Homosexuality and homosexual behaviors, and the experiences of homosexual behavior or identity, will be extremely diverse. In different times and places, with various cultures, such behaviors have been quite frequent or extremely rare. Evidently, the social context matters for how people express their sexuality.
There is always a biological (emerging from our biochemistry and evolution quite independently of the family and cultural environment we grow up in) element to everything in human behavior. Obviously.  What else could there be? Even supernatural or spiritual aspects will be manifested in actual body changes and chemistry, which will exist because of biological evolution.
Homosexual behavior and feelings, or sexual orientation, in general, speaking about populations of humans, seems to exist along a continuum, which is sometimes measured by the Kinsey scale.  If you are at an extreme end of the Kinsey scale, your orientation may be purely homosexual or heterosexual, but some sexuality researchers believe most people exist along the continuum, and it is our language (which divides us into pure categories) which pushes us into "homosexual" or "heterosexual" categories (although, if you are at extreme end of the scale, you would presumably be purely homosexual or heterosexual, and so, from that point of view, it might be appropriate to think of the issue in dichotomous--homosexual or not homosexual--terms).
All speech is, to some degree, political.  After all, Baha'u'llah pointed out that "utterance is an essence which aspires to exert an influence".  When we use language, we are attempting to influence others.  "Politics" (broadly defined) is the effort to influence others.  So, suggesting someone's work is "politically motivated" rarely tells us much that is useful.  What work isn't?
The Baha'i Faith and the "Cause of God" can be understood in many ways.  In one sense, the Baha'i Cause is the general cause of God for this age and for all ages: people ought to create societies that maximize human flourishing and happiness; people ought to be ethical and treat each other well; men and women ought to be equal; prejudices should be eliminated; peace should replace war; justice should dominate, while tyranny and injustice should be diminished; people should cultivate their spiritual natures and seek to worship and respect the Divine, etc. In such a general sense, many people who have never heard of the Baha'i Faith are already "Baha'is".  In another sense, Baha'is are members of the organized religion of the Baha'i Faith.  To what extent that organized religion is an imperfect but honest attempt by flawed human beings to create a system and organization that reflects the intentions of Will of the Creator of the Universe, and to what extent it is an actual incarnation of the Will of that Creator, is somewhat mysterious, and it may be impossible to distinguish those two aspects of religion (its existence as a creation of humans and their societies, and its existence as a supernatural embodiment of Providence).  In another sense, the "Baha'is" are persons who actually live up to the teachings and ideals promoted and revealed by Baha'u'llah, and in that ideal sense, everyone can strive to be a Baha'i, but no one should expect to actually be one, just as no one can realistically expect to be "perfect" in some absolute moral sense.  
Baha'i individuals and Baha'i communities vary tremendously in regards to their strengths and weaknesses, their failures and successes. Gay Baha'is might be able to find complete acceptance and love in some Baha'i communities, and certainly in some loving friendships with Baha'i individuals, whereas in other communities the homosexual Baha'is might suffer cruel persecution and ostracism.
Religions must offer guidance to persons in many different cultures, in many different times. On one hand, they need to stand above historical trends, so they can condemn what is wrong, even in times when what is wrong becomes widely accepted.  On the other hand, they must also be flexible, embracing moral thinking and new insights about reality as civilization advances and humanity matures.
When it comes to moral laws and truth, we must consider what is absolutely true, and what is true in particular contexts.  As a thought experiment, imagine that homosexual identities and behaviors are objectively morally correct and favored by God in 0.5% of humanity, discouraged but tolerated in 1.5% of humanity, and spiritually harmful in 98% of humanity.  Suppose that human nature being what it is, if a religion is entirely supportive of homosexual behaviors and identities, 5% of the population would identify as homosexual, and 20% would sometimes engage in homosexual behaviors; whereas if a religion is mildly unaccepting and discouraging, only about 0.5% of its believers will take on the homosexual identity and perhaps fewer than 2% will ever engage in homosexual behaviors.  From a utilitarian point of view, if that was the objective situation, which position would be more spiritually healthy for the religion to take?  But, I'm not a strict utilitarian, and the psychological and social suffering of the small minority who would persist in following their core nature in their homosexuality while worrying about their rejection of the guidance offered by their religion concerns me.  And, by the way, I'm not at all certain the scenario I've suggested bears any resemblance to the actual situation. Perhaps homosexuality in the modern North American sense is objectively morally neutral, and what Shoghi Effendi was describing was the homosexual behaviors he knew from the Middle East and upper-class 1920s England. Or, perhaps homosexuality really is a spiritual sickness or distortion in all its forms and manifestations. I don't know, and I don't even have an opinion, it just doesn't matter to me, as there are so many other problems in the world that are very clearly wrong.  
God doesn't seem overly concerned with our psychological suffering or physical suffering.  After all, this universe relies on natural selection, with all the death and misery that includes, and uses predation, competition for scarce resources, mutations, diseases, and death, as the process that forms atoms and molecules into bodies capable of manifesting the human spirit. Also, natural evil, like the disasters that kills thousands, millions, or possibly somewhere in the universe, billions of lives, seem fairly regular.  God seems mostly concerned with our spiritual well-being, and supposedly, when we understand that, the emotional, mental, and physical suffering we sometimes endure may seem more acceptable, since such suffering offers us opportunities for spiritual growth.
I hope some of these ideas or observations are useful in our mutual search for truth and "whatever is pleasing to God".  Please remember that I write with no more authority than anyone else on this subject. 

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Jackson Browne - A Child In These Hills - Jackson Browne (1972)

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 19/08/2015

“Todo filho desta Terra quer sentir alegria. Todos estão em busca disso. Essa busca nos move e nos leva a realizar diferentes experiências na vida. Algumas delas proporcionam alegria, mas muitas vezes também nos levam ao sofrimento. Vamos nos movendo de uma experiência para outra, de um relacionamento para outro, até que percebemos que essa alegria passageira não é suficiente, porque ela sempre vem com esse outro componente: o sofrimento. Com isso, ansiamos transitar desse estado de dualidade para um estado de unidade e equilíbrio, no qual a alegria seja permanente. Aí se inicia a busca pela iluminação espiritual.”

“Todo hijo de esta tierra quiere sentir alegría. Todos están en busca de eso. Esta búsqueda nos mueve y nos lleva a realizar diferentes experiencias en la vida. Algunas de ellas proporcionan alegría, pero muchas veces también nos llevan al sufrimiento. Nos vamos moviendo de una experiencia a la otra, de una relación a otra, hasta que percibimos que esta alegría pasajera no es suficiente, porque ella siempre viene con este otro componente: el sufrimiento. Con eso, ansiamos transitar de este estado de dualidad hacia un estado de unidad y equilibrio, en el cual la alegría sea permanente. Ahí se inicia la búsqueda por la iluminación espiritual.”

“All children of this world want to feel joy. Everyone is in pursuit of this happiness. This search moves us and takes us towards different life experiences. Some of these experiences are joyful, but they oftentimes lead us to suffering as well. We continue moving from one experience to another, from one relationship to the other, until we realize that this fleeting happiness is not enough. This happiness always comes with another ingredient: suffering. Due to this, we yearn to transition from the state of duality to a state of unity and equilibrium, where joy is permanent. This is where the search for spiritual illumination begins.”

Today's Daily Dharma: The Mere Fact of Being

The Mere Fact of Being

 

It is precisely our recognition of life’s inevitable hardships, along with our uprooting of the attachment that exacerbates them, that allows us to appreciate the mere fact of being. Suffering and its unwholesome causes are not to be escaped but to be confronted—and eventually transformed into wisdom and compassion.

- Rev. Patti Nakai, "Someone Is Jealous of You"

 

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Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 18/08/2015

“O caminho da autorrealização é o caminho da união. Quando se realiza, você experiencia essa união - dentro e fora. Dentro porque ocorre uma integração das várias partes de você que estavam separadas, ou seja, tudo aquilo que você desconhece a respeito de si mesmo é trazido à consciência; tudo que está no plano da sombra é iluminado; tudo que está na periferia é trazido para o centro. E quando ocorre essa integração dentro, você percebe que não há separação entre você e o mundo lá fora, já que a separação que está fora é somente um reflexo da separação que está dentro.”

“El camino de la autorrealización es el camino de la unión. Cuando te realizas, experimentas esta unión - adentro y afuera. Adentro porque ocurre una integración de varias partes tuyas que estaban separadas, es decir, todo aquello que desconoces acerca de ti mismo es traído a la conciencia; todo lo que está en el plano de la sombra es iluminado; todo lo que está en la periferia es atraído al centro. Y cuando ocurre esta integración adentro, percibes que no hay separación entre tú y el mundo exterior, ya que la separación que está afuera es solo un reflejo de la separación que está adentro.”

“The path of self-realization is the path of union. When we awaken, we experience this union: internally and externally. Internally, the various parts of us that were once separate begin to integrate. Everything that was unknown to us about ourselves is brought to consciousness. All that exists in the realm of the shadow is illuminated. Everything that was on the periphery is brought to the center. When this integration happens within, we perceive that there is no separation between ourselves and the external world. Any separation that exists outside is merely a reflection of the separation that exists within.”

Today's Daily Dharma: What Meditation Is About

What Meditation Is About

When you feel the fear and you feel the rage in meditation, there’s no storyline. . . . Meditation practice is about the experience of what is, of what’s going on. That is what is liberating. And this truth is quite beyond 'the story.'

- Gavin Harrison, "Lotus in the Fire"

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It Gets Better Video: Jenni and Lisa 2015

Via Stop Telling Lies About Liberals And We'll Stop Telling The Truth About You / FB:

Via SBMG:

"In the twenty-first century, we will have to practice meditation collectively- as a family, a city, a nation, and a community of nations. The Buddha of the twenty-first century - Maitreya, the Buddha of Love- may well be a community rather than an individual. Sanghas that practice loving kindness and compassion are the Buddha we need."

- Thich Nhat Hanh

https://sacdharma.org/

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do Dia- Flor del Día - Flower of the Day 17/08/2015

“Conscientes disso ou não, nos movemos da consciência humana em direção à Consciência divina. Porém, algumas dimensões da consciência humana ainda são tão primitivas que se assemelham à consciência animal, na qual a crueldade serve para suprir o instinto básico de sobrevivência. Na natureza, muitas vezes é necessário ser cruel, como um animal que se alimenta do outro para sobreviver. Isso não é certo ou errado, simplesmente é. Mas, aos poucos vamos alcançando dimensões humanas mais elevadas, e à medida em que nos libertamos da crueldade e nos tornamos capazes de amar, esse amor nos conduz à Consciência divina.”

“Conscientes de ello o no, nos movemos de la conciencia humana en dirección a la Conciencia divina. Sin embargo, algunas dimensiones de la conciencia humana aún son tan primitivas que se asemejan a la consciencia animal, en la cual la crueldad sirve para suplir el instinto básico de supervivencia. En la naturaleza, muchas veces es necesario ser cruel, como un animal que se alimenta del otro para sobrevivir. Esto no está bien ni mal, simplemente es. Pero, poco a poco, vamos alcanzando dimensiones humanas más elevadas, y a medida que nos liberamos de la crueldad y nos volvemos capaces de amar, este amor nos conduce a la Conciencia divina.”

“Whether we are aware of it or not, we move from human consciousness towards divine consciousness. However, some dimensions of human consciousness are still so primitive that they resemble animal consciousness. In this animalistic state of awareness, cruelty results from a basic survival instinct. In nature, it’s often necessary to be cruel, so that one animal preys on another animal in order to survive. This is not right or wrong; it simply is the way things are. Gradually, as we reach more elevated dimensions of human awareness, we free ourselves from cruelty and become capable of loving. This capacity to love is what then guides us towards divine consciousness.”