Via JMG: ENDA Passes Senate Committee

Andrew Cray has details at Think Progress:

This morning, the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee voted 15-7 to advance the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) with support from Republican Sens. Mark Kirk (IL), Orrin Hatch (UT), and Lisa Murkowski (AK). The bill, now headed for the Senate floor, is considered instrumental in preventing workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and mending the “broken bargain” of unequal treatment of LGBT workers under the law.

UPDATE: The ACLU cheers via press release:

Coming on the heels of the landmark Supreme Court marriage rulings, today's strong, bipartisan vote in favor of expanding workplace non-discrimination protections to include those who are LGBT is yet another sign that the tide has turned," said Ian Thompson, American Civil Liberties Union legislative representative. "Advocates have been working for nearly 40 years to pass these basic protections to ensure that all American workers, who stand side-by-side in the workplace and contribute with equal measure in their jobs, will stand on the same equal footing under the law. In 2013, it is completely unacceptable to force individuals to hide who they are out of fear of losing their livelihood.

Labels: employment, ENDA, Senate

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma July 10, 2013

No Return

The solution does not lie in ‘returning to nature.’ We cannot return to nature, because we have never left it.

- David Loy, “Healing Ecology”

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through July 11, 2013
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Via Gay Politics Report: Civil Unions aren't Marriages

Civil unions aren't marriages, federal government says
 
Federal workers in domestic partnerships or civil unions won't get the same spousal and family benefits as those who are legally married in states that allow same-sex couples to wed, according to new guidance from the Office of Personnel Management. Memos detailing newly available benefits were released after the Supreme Court's recent ruling overturning a key section of the Defense of Marriage Act. The Washington Post (tiered subscription model)/Federal Eye blog (7/8)

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma July 9, 2013

Giving Up Getting

We need to give up something. We can’t have it all. We can’t try to layer wisdom on top of confusion. The spiritual path is about what we give up, not what we get.

- Tim Olmsted, “The Great Experiment”

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through July 10, 2013
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Via JMG: NOM Board Member Heats Up

 

The Wrap takes note of the campaign to boycott Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game:

The sci-fi action movie “Ender’s Game” isn’t out until Nov. 1, but it’s already the target of an organized boycott. The group Geeks Out has launched an online protest and is asking people to “Skip Ender’s Game” because of anti-gay marriage comments made by Orson Scott Card, author of the 1985 book upon which the Lionsgate film is based.  "Do not buy a ticket at the theater, do not purchase the DVD, do not watch it on-demand. Ignore all merchandise and toys," the site implores. “By pledging to Skip Ender’s Game, we can send a clear and serious message to Card and those that do business with his brand of anti-gay activism -- whatever he’s selling, we’re not buying."

The boycott and petition site is here. (Tipped by JMG reader Neil)
PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Orson Scott Card calls for Christians to overthrow the government over same-sex marriage.  Petition launched for DC Comics to fire Card, who had been hired to write an issue of Superman. Brian Brown gets outraged over threats to boycott DC Comics.  Illustrator pulls out of Superman issue over Card's hiring.

Labels: comic books, DC Comics, hate groups, Hollywood, movies, NOM, Orson Scott Card, religion

Via JMG: Archie Comics Joins It Gets Better Project

 

It Gets Better notes that tomorrow is Kevin Keller Day.

Labels: Archie Comics, bullying, It Gets Better Project

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma July 8, 2013

Using Technology Wisely

Technology’s value is the value we give it as a society and as individuals, in millions of large and small decisions that are made every day. It reshapes our world into something that can seem unfamiliar and even strange. But we are still in human territory—territory we can navigate with human wisdom and insight, should we choose to do so.

- Richard Eskow, "My Technology, My Self"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through July 9, 2013
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma July 7, 2013

Distinguishing Genuine Dharma

We reassure ourselves that the changes we’ve made in Buddhism are all for the best—that Buddhism has always adapted itself to every culture it enters, and we can trust it to adapt wisely to the West. But this treats Buddhism as if it were a conscious agent—a wise amoebic force that knows how to adapt to its environment in order to survive. Actually, Buddhism isn’t an agent, and it doesn’t adapt. It gets adapted—sometimes by people who know what they’re doing, sometimes by people who don’t. Just because a particular adaptation survives and prevails doesn’t mean that it’s genuine dharma. It may simply appeal to the desires and fears of its target audience.

- Thanissaro Bhikkhu, “Lost in Quotation”

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through July 8, 2013
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JMG STUDY: Sex Keeps You Younger Looking

According to a British study:

“My message is that lovemaking is good,” Dr. David Weeks told the British Psychological Society. Former head of old age psychology at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Weeks said he spent a decade prying into the private lives of thousands of men and women of all ages. Weeks found that sexual pleasure is a “crucial factor” in preserving youth.
How? Lovemaking releases the human growth hormone, which helps keep the skin elastic and thus less likely to wrinkle, he said. Sex also released endorphins, which are the body’s feel-good chemicals and natural painkillers that ease anxiety and make it easier to sleep, Weeks added. Nookie boosts blood circulation, which is good for that heart and gives skin that healthy glow, the good doctor said. Finally, sex burns fat and releases other chemicals that bolster the immune system, he said.

Labels: aging, Britain, science, sex

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Henry Rollins On DOMA

"Bad News for the Haters Dept.: You realize that all those obnoxious 16-year-olds you see everywhere, texting their friends who are standing next to them, will be able to vote in the 2016 elections. Do you think you will be able to sell them on your anti-gay/anti-woman/anti-brown/black platform? Do you think they want to end up like you? I bet they don't. Gov. Bobby Jindal said that you all have to stop being the stupid party. I don't think you can do it. How did equality become political? Because you can't handle science, change or the truth. America is on the move, you are not." - Henry Rollins, writing for LA Weekly.

Labels: DOMA, Henry Rollins, straight allies

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma July 6, 2013

The Power of Presence

Presence has no measurable product except positive feelings, feelings of support, intimacy, and happiness. When we stop being busy and productive and switch to just being still and aware, we ourselves will also feel support, intimacy, and happiness, even if no one else is around.

- Jan Chozen Bays, “The Gift of Waiting”

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through July 7, 2013
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Via Gay Politics Report:

Marriage efforts launch across the U.S.

Hundreds of Florida couples this week signed up to challenge the state's constitutional ban on marriage equality, and in New Mexico several legal groups joined to ask the state Supreme Court to decide if same-sex couples are entitled to marriage licenses. Advocates are planning ballot campaigns to reverse marriage bans in Ohio, Arizona, Oregon and Nevada. In Arkansas, 11 couples filed lawsuits this week to strike down the state's ban on same-sex marriages.  

BuzzFeed (7/3), WTVJ-TV (Miami) (7/2), Metro Weekly (Washington, D.C.)/Poliglot blog (7/3), LGBTQ Nation/The Associated Press (7/2)

Apenas um Pedido

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma July 5, 2013

A Healthy Dissatisfaction

A sense of dissatisfaction is regarded as an essential prerequisite for progress on the Buddhist path. Far from seeking to become somehow 'nonjudgmental,' the meditator is instructed to judge all the objects of ordinary experience as scarred by three marks: impermanence, suffering, and no self.

- Donald S. Lopez, “The Scientific Buddha”

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through July 6, 2013
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Via ॐ Blue Buddha Quote Collective / FB:

Via JMG: Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma July 4, 2013

Happy Interdependence Day

As we open and empty ourselves, we come to experience an interconnectedness, the realization that all things are joined and conditioned in an interdependent arising. Each experience and event contains all others.

- Jack Kornfield, "No Self or True Self?"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through July 5, 2013
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Via JMG: Edie's Refund: $638,000+

CNN Money reports:

The Supreme Court decision this week striking down the Defense of Marriage Act means a lot of things to a lot of people. But to Edith Windsor, the plaintiff who brought the case, the landmark ruling also means she will finally get back the $638,000 in estate tax payments she had to make to the IRS and to New York State after her spouse -- Thea Spyer -- died in 2009. Windsor will also be paid interest on her refunds. Paul, Weiss, the law firm that represents her, estimates she will receive about $45,000 in interest on her federal refund and $25,000 on her New York State refund. The other good news for the 83-year-old Windsor? Her lawyers won't be getting a cut because Paul, Weiss took the case pro bono.

Labels: DOMA, Edith Windsor, feds, LGBT History

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma July 3, 2013

Warrior Mind

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"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through July 4, 2013
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JMG Church Sign Of The Day

Labels: Oklahoma, religion, SCOTUS

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: WASHINGTON: Marriage Equality Flag Flies Atop Seattle's Space Needle

 

On a day that also saw the Seattle Mariners become the first major pro sports team to fly the rainbow flag, a marriage equality flag was hoisted to the top of the city's Space Needle.

(Tipped by JMG reader Daniel)

Labels: marriage equality, Seattle, Washington state

Reposted from Joe

JMG Headline Of The Day

Via McClatchy:

"From an LGBT perspective, at this point, immigration is going to be an even playing field," said Cara Jobson, a partner in Wiley and Jobson, a San Francisco immigration law firm. The U.S. government is working to ensure that couples who qualify will be able to get the process started right away, Janet Napolitano, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said after the ruling. Same-sex couples have been flooding Jobson's office since Wednesday with requests for help applying for a green card for a foreign spouse, she said. Kirkbride and Kurzatkowska filed their papers Friday.  The process includes filling out forms, getting a medical exam for the spouse applying for the green card, and showing that the foreign spouse won't be a financial burden to the U.S., Jobson said. The foreign spouse also has to prove that he or she entered the country legally.

The entire process takes about three months before the green card arrives in the mail.

Labels: DOMA, immigration, Immigration Equality

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma July 2, 2013

What are you mindful of?

If ‘mindfulness’ is to create genuine change in our society, it must involve being mindful of more than just our own need for comfort, good health, or serenity. It must entail being mindful of the social and economic forces that allow some to prosper while others struggle, forces that promote and perpetuate certain behaviors and thought patterns while discouraging or suppressing others.

- Richard Eskow, “Buying Wisdom"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through July 3, 2013
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JMG HomoQuotable - Peter Staley

"Given the strength of the marriage movement, though, surely the major gay rights organizations could reappropriate just 10 percent of their budgets to fighting HIV and AIDS.

"Contrary to the prevailing skepticism, that battle is not a lost cause. Treating people with antivirals both keeps them alive and prevents them from infecting others. Massachusetts saw its HIV infection rates drop 45 percent between 2000 and 2009, largely because it expanded Medicaid to include people with HIV, not just AIDS; because its universal health-care system got more people onto treatment regimens; and because it launched targeted testing, prevention and treatment programs. With Obamacare, we have the potential to replicate those gains nationally, but only if there’s a concerted push.

"On Wednesday morning, when the Supreme Court released its gay-marriage opinions, I was attending an HIV working group session at a hotel off Dupont Circle. We took a break to follow the coverage on SCOTUSblog: cheering for the majority opinions, cringing at Justice Antonin Scalia’s dissent. And then it was back to work.

"As we continue to see gay love enshrined in law, we shouldn’t forget the broader form of love — of our entire community — that has sustained us and brought us this far." - Famed HIV/AIDS activist Peter Staley, writing for the Washington Post.

Read the full essay.

Labels: activism, HIV/AIDS, Peter Staley

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Global Homosexuality Acceptance Map

 

Via Policy Mic. (Tipped by JMG reader Eric)

Labels: homosexuality, maps, Pew Research

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Today At New York City Pride 2013

New York City Pride Grand Marshal Edith Windsor rode in triumph today as about million people screamed her name. When Windsor's car turned onto Christopher Street, the thunderous chants of "EDIE! EDIE! EDIE" echoed down the very blocks where our movement started 44 years ago this week.  I was completely verklempt as were many, many joyous people behind the barricades.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, Governor Andrew Cuomo, and all of the major Democratic mayoral candidates marched today. Also marching was openly gay Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell, openly gay City Council candidate Corey Johnson, and Rep. Carolyn Maloney. Many more photos are here. You'll love a LOT of today's celebratory signs!

Labels: Anthony Weiner, Bill de Blasio, Christine Quinn, Corey Johnson, Daniel O'Donnell, Edith Windsor, LGBT History, NYC, NYC Pride

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma June 30, 2013

On Having Fun

The frustrating thing about our life is that there is no control over our emotions. That’s why there’s no fun. The whole purpose of Buddhism is to have fun, isn’t it? And in order to have fun you have to have control. If someone else has control over you, that’s it: there’s no fun.

- Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, "Do Nothing"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through July 1, 2013
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Via JMG: LGBT HISTORY: INS Issues First Green Card To Binational Gay Couple

Posted this afternoon to the DOMA Project's Facebook page.

Labels: DOMA, feds, immigration, LGBT History

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma June 29, 2013

Vision and Routine

The key to development along the Buddhist path is repetitive routine guided by inspirational vision. It is the insight into final freedom—the peace and purity of a liberated mind—that uplifts us and impels us to overcome our limits. But it is by repetition—the methodical cultivation of wholesome practices—that we cover the distance separating us from the goal and draw ever closer to awakening.

- Bhikkhu Bodhi, "Vision and Routine"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through June 30, 2013
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Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	When you see with discernment, 'All fabrications are inconstant'-- you grow disenchanted with stress. This is the path to purity. When you see with discernment, 'All fabrications are stressful'-- you grow disenchanted with stress. This is the path to purity. When you see with discernment, 'All phenomena are not-self'-- you grow disenchanted with stress. This is the path to purity. - Dhammapada, 20, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. More Buddhism Quotes >>

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma June 28, 2013

Undoing Desire

Buddhism teaches us that desire, for all the agony and ecstasy, is no match for the truth.

- Joan Duncan Oliver, "Drink And A Man"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through June 29, 2013
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma June 27, 2013

Facing Injustice

The doctrine of karma is founded on the premise that the world is a just place, but I am afraid unjust suffering stares us in the face. I think we should struggle against injustice, but we have to accept that it persists and that we shall never eliminate it.

- Richard Gombrich, "What the Buddha Thought"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through June 28, 2013
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Via Joe Anthony / FB

• 

   

  US Airforce over California...... ♥
  Just amazing that the united states government would prepare for a historic day and tell their pilots, tomorrow we will load your planes with color smoke and form a rainbow in the sky showing support to lgbt community.

Via JMG: Tonight In New York City

Edie Windsor in the top photo!

Labels: celebration, LGBT History, NYC

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Tonight In San Francisco

 

Photos by JMG reader Kned.

Labels: celebration, LGBT History, San Francisco

Reposted from  Joe

Via JMG: Tonight In San Diego

 

Photos by Rex Wockner.

Labels: celebration, LGBT History, San Diego

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma June 26, 2013

Allegiance to Life

Feeling alarm or devastation can guide us to a deep sanity, reminding us of who we are and what we need. It can remind us that we belong to this larger body and that we care for it. Our power to act, our power to take part in the healing of our world, our power to bring things back into balance, comes from the same source as that devastation. Our pain for the world, and our power to take part in the healing of our world, both come from the same place.

- Joanna Macy, "Allegiance to Life"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through June 27, 2013
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma June 25, 2013

Gradual Transformation

The movement from ordinary states of self-concern to selfless giving always involves a gradual transformation of character, not a sudden leap. Like any form of strength, generosity needs to be intentionally cultivated over time, and everyone must begin in whatever state of mind they already happen to be.

- Dale S. Wright, “The Bodhisattva’s Gift”

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through June 26, 2013
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Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Just as the word chariot is merely a means of expressing how axle, body, wheel, and poles are brought together in a certain relationship, but when we look at each of them one by one there is no chariot in an absolute sense; and just as the word house is a way of expressing how wood and other materials stand in relationship to each other in a certain space, but in the absolute sense there is no house; and just as the word fist is an expression for the finger and thumb in relationship, and tree for trunk, branches, leaves, and so on, but in an absolute sense there is no fist or tree--in exactly the same way the words living entity and person are but ways of expressing the relationship of body, feeling, and consciousness, but when we come to examine the elements of being, one by one, we find there is no entity there. In the absolute sense there is only name and form and the mystery which they express. Such ideas as "I" and "I am" are not absolute. - Visuddhi Magga More Buddhism Quotes >>

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma June 24, 2013

Knowing is not Enough

If you know dharma but do not apply it, then you have more regret than if you had never learned any dharma in the first place. If you are not going to apply dharma knowledge to your life—better not to know it at all.

- Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche, "Keys to Happiness"

Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through June 25, 2013
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