Listen Now [3 min 43 sec]
All Things Considered, June 7, 2009 · Earlier this year, the Washington, D.C., City Council passed a measure that would allow the nation's capital to recognize same-sex marriages performed outside of the city. Supporters now hope to see the council pass legislation that would allow same-sex couples to marry inside the district. But opponents vow a pitched fight.
Do not despair! Work steadily. Sincerity and love will conquer hate.
How many seemingly impossible events are coming to pass in these days! Set your faces steadily towards the Light of the World. Show love to all; `Love is the breath of the Holy Spirit in the heart of Man'.
Take courage! God never forsakes His children who strive and work and pray!
Let your hearts be filled with the strenuous desire that tranquility and harmony may encircle all this warring world. So will success crown your efforts, and with the universal brotherhood will come the
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Não se desespere! Trabalhe firmemente. A sinceridade e o amor conquistarão o ódio.
Quantos eventos que parecem impossíveis estão acontecendo nestes dias! Posicione seus rostos firmemente em direção à Luz do Mundo. Mostre amor a todos; “O amor é o sopro do Espírito Santo no coração do homem.”
Tenha coragem! Deus nunca esquece as crianças que trabalham e oram fervorosamente!
Deixe seus corações serem encobertos com o desejo árduo de que a tranqüilidade e a harmonia podem englobar todo o mundo em guerra. Estão, o sucesso irá coroando os seus esforços, e com a irmandade universal virá a paz e a boa vontade do reino de Deus.
--Baha'i: Abdu'l-Baha:
"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." -- Ben Franklin
"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.... Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism."
-- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"We can have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can'thave both."
-- Louis Brandeis, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
"Cowardice asks the question - is it safe? Expediency asks the question - is it politic? Vanity asks the question - is it popular? But conscience asks the question - is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right."
-- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
Faith/Tradition
Representatives of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce will ring the stock market's closing bell today in recognition of Pride Month. The market closes at 4pm.
An Emory University study has linked same-sex marriage bans to a rise in new HIV infections.The study used data from the General Social Survey (GSS), which has tracked the attitudes of Americans during the past four decades. The economists calculated that a rise in tolerance from the 1970s to the 1990s reduced HIV cases by one per 100,000 people, and that laws against same-sex marriage boosted cases by 4 per 100,000. "Intolerance is deadly," Mialon said. "Bans on gay marriage codify intolerance, causing more gay people to shift to underground sexual behaviors that carry more risk."Yeah, interesting, but I'm not so interested in making "but we'll get HIV if you don't let us marry!" into a new battle cry.
Dear Daniel,
Pride season is upon us, and there is plenty to celebrate!
On Wednesday, New Hampshire became the sixth state to recognize full marriage equality. Marriages will officially begin on Jan. 1, 2010.
The historic advancement in New Hampshire would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of many of our LGBT movement's coalition partners. To see the level of cooperation and coordination by both state and national organizations in New Hampshire was awe-inspiring.
As for HRC, in 2006, we saw an opportunity in the New Hampshire Legislature. We worked with our local partners in the state to help elect fair-minded majorities in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and Senate. That laid the groundwork for the 2007 passage of civil unions and this week's historic vote for marriage. And in the lead-up to this marriage vote, HRC sent 10 staff members to New Hampshire, four of whom were on the ground for two full weeks in early May. Additionally, with the help of our members in NH, we collected more than 11,000 signatures on a petition urging Gov. John Lynch to sign the legislation when his support seemed unlikely. For a complete recap of HRC's work in New Hampshire, visit www.hrc.org/NHMarriage.
Our work in New Hampshire is far from done. Legislators there failed in this session to pass a bill that would have protected the state's transgender residents from discrimination, and so HRC will be back next session, and we won't give up the fight until we secure equality for our whole community.
Talk of marriage equality is buzzing in Washington, D.C., too. After the May 5th vote by the D.C. Council in support of a bill to recognize same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions, which Mayor Fenty signed, the rhetoric has been heated. The bill is now in front of the U.S. Congress for a 30 legislative day review period, and out-of-town groups are pushing for a referendum to attempt to undo the council's vote. On June 2nd, HRC's Religion and Faith Program, Diversity Program, Communications Program and others assisted in the organization of a press conference that brought together ministers from across the city to speak out in support of marriage equality. Over 60 pastors attended and over 130 clergy from the District have signed a religious declaration for marriage equality. Learn more about marriage in D.C. and to watch the press conference.
And of course, to quote HRC's National Field Director Marty Rouse, "the marriage equality express continues to steam ahead. Next stop, New York." Click here for more information and ways to get involved in New York. Also, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine reiterated his support for marriage equality this past week, saying that he wants to sign a bill by the end of 2009.
And pride season didn't just bring cause for celebration in the states, it also marked the first-ever hearing on the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) on Capitol Hill. UAFA would allow U.S. citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their same-sex partners for family-based immigration by meeting the same standard as different-sex couples. UAFA's champions Senator Leahy (D-VT) and Representative Nadler (D-NY) helped make the historic hearing a success. Additionally, on Thursday, Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., introduced the Reuniting Families Act, a larger immigration bill that includes UAFA as a provision. This historic hearing and legislation demonstrates that our allies in Congress are aware of the discriminatory situation that lesbian and gay binational couples face and are dedicated to ensuring that these loving couples are not torn apart or forced to flee in order to stay together. For more information about UAFA and the Reuniting Families Act, click here and here.
And as I mentioned in the opening, June kicks off pride season. HRC is excited to be at over 70 prides across the country this year. For a complete listing, go to: www.hrc.org/pride. Please be sure to stop by the HRC booth for more information on our exciting progress and for more opportunities to become involved and to help keep the good news streaming in. We hope to see you there!
Warmly,
Joe Solmonese
President, Human Rights Campaign
On April 1, 1998 at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, King called on the civil rights community to join in the struggle against homophobia and anti-gay bias. "Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood", King stated. "This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next minority group."
In a speech in November 2003 at the opening session of the 13th annual Creating Change Conference, organized by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, King made her now famous appeal linking the Civil Rights Movement to the LGBT agenda: "I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people. ... But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream, to make room at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people."
King's support of LGBT rights was strongly criticized by some black pastors. She called her critics "misinformed" and said that Martin Luther King's message to the world was one of equality and inclusion.
In 2003, she invited the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force to take part in observances of the 40th anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech. It was the first time that an LGBT rights group had been invited to a major event of the African American community.
On March 23, 2004, she told an audience at Richard Stockton College in Pomona, New Jersey, that same-sex marriage is a civil rights issue. King denounced a proposed amendment advanced by President George W. Bush to the United States Constitution that would ban equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. In her speech King also criticized a group of black pastors in her home state of Georgia for backing a bill to amend that state's constitution to block gay and lesbian couples from marrying. King is quoted as saying "Gay and lesbian people have families, and their families should have legal protection, whether by marriage or civil union. A constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages is a form of gay bashing and it would do nothing at all to protect traditional marriage."
Tonight the NewsHour did a wonderful retrospective about Rumi’s poetry. Search for:
Afghan Poetry
Jeffrey Brown reports on what's behind the popularity of Afghan poet Jelauddin Rumi's poems.
Which reminded me of a quote we have in our bathroom:
Out beyond the idea of wrongdoing and rightdoing
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
The full poem goes:
Out beyond the idea of wrongdoing and rightdoing
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn't make any sense.
From Essential Rumi
by Coleman Barks
see: http://peacefulrivers.homestead.com/Rumipoetry1.html
and of course there is my very favorite Rumi Poem:
http://ubnotorious.blogspot.com/2007/04/welcome-to-my-blog.html
Here is a thought I had while at the gym today. (DISCLOSURE: I lifted parts of this, well most of this, from the Unitarians who definitely are inclusive). You, see, as I was madly peddling away, I got to thinking, since so many Bahá’ís are disinclined to interact with 10% of the population, I got to thinking.... how our prejudices stem from a lack of experience or understanding of those that seem different, or in this case fabulous... so what to do? Invite the local GLBT community to a fireside or a Holy Day.
Oh snap!
So as a first step, I offer here a, simple, easy to use, handy, template for your community to use in your community website. All your community has to do is cut and paste this statement below into your community webpage. Simply substitute XYZ for Woodburn, Albuquerque, Portland, Wilmette or or even Carmichael! If you need help, I am glad to come help... oops! I forgot, THEY won't let me! Sorry, how very awkward, at any rate here goes:
The Bahá’ís of XYZ, California would like to extend a warm welcome to Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people and their families. We encourage you to seek your own spiritual path and visit our community, a place where people gather to nurture their spirits and put their faith into action by helping to make our community—and the world—a better place.
The XYZ Bahá’í Community takes pride in working alongside other communities of Faith in XYZ, to provide a welcoming and open place for LGBT people. We invite you to visit us and to explore the healing words of Bahá’u’lláh, who’s life was dedicated to the elimination of all forms of prejudice.
Since the Bahá’í Faith is dedicated to the eradication for all forms of prejudice we believe that “The inherent worth and dignity of every person,” applies equally to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Our local Bahá’í community is reaching out to all LGBT people and their families, because for more than a century, the Bahá’í Faith has been in the forefront of fighting prejudice and bigotry.
Together with other progressive communities in XYZ, we are proud to work to promote acceptance, inclusion, understanding, and equity for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and/or transgender persons of all colors, races, and ethnicities. We are committed to protecting the civil and legal rights of LGBT people and families across the country.
We welcome you!
