Via JMG: European Court Of Human Rights: Gay People Have No Right To Marriage

In a surprising blow to Europe's same-sex marriage movement, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that gay people have no inherent right to the same civil marriage that their neighbors do. The ruling came in a case in which two French lesbians petitioned the court to jointly adopt a child as a married couple. With their heads up their European asses, the court cited the couple's civil union as proof that they are not discriminated against in France, where only married couples may adopt.

They declared: ‘The European Convention on Human Rights does not require member states’ governments to grant same-sex couples access to marriage.’ The judges added that couples who are not married do not enjoy the same status as those who are. ‘With regard to married couples, the court considers that in view of the social, personal, and legal consequences of marriage, the applicants’ legal situation could not be said to be comparable to that of married couples.’ The French civil partners, Valerie Gas and Nathalie Dubois, tried to secure marriage rights under clauses that prevent discrimination and protect privacy and family life. But the Strasbourg judges said there had been no discrimination against them because they were lesbians.

The ruling is being praised by Britain's religious establishment, which is working to thwart Prime Minister David Cameron's plan to legalize same-sex marriage in England and Wales.

Norman Wells, of the Family Education Trust, said: ‘For too long campaigners have been using the language of rights in an attempt to add moral force to what are nothing more than personal desires. ‘In many cases they have bypassed the democratic process and succeeded in imposing their views on the rest of the population by force of law. ‘We are seeing the same principle at work in the Government’s sham of a consultation on same-sex marriage.’ He added: ‘The ruling from the ECHR will embolden those whose concerns about same-sex marriage and adoption are not inspired by personal hatred and animosity, but by a genuine concern for the well-being of children and the welfare of society.

And as you'd expect, NOM is doing handsprings.

Labels: Europe, European Union, France, gay adoption, LGBT rights, marriage equality

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Quote Of The Day - Madonna

"I will come to St. Petersburg to speak up for the gay community and to give strength and inspiration to anyone who is or feels oppressed. I’m a freedom fighter. I don’t run away from adversity. I will speak during my show about this ridiculous atrocity."- Madonna, announcing that she will break the new law against "promoting homosexuality" during her Russian concerts. LGBT activists have beseeched Madonna to cancel the Russian portion of the tour entirely, but I think they'll be happy with this response.

RELATED: During Madonna's 2006 tour, the Russian Orthodox Church picketed her concerts because she performed Live To Tell wearing a crown of thorns while suspended on a cross.

Labels: gay icons, LGBT rights, Madonna, Russia

reposted from Joe

JMG Tweet Of The Day

Labels: Buddhism, religion, silliness

reposted from Joe

JMG HomoQuotable - Carl Siciliano

"Cardinal Dolan, I pray that you might be able to open your eyes and your heart to the cruel suffering LGBT youths endure when their parents reject them. I invite you to visit the Ali Forney Center, only 30 blocks from St. Patrick's Cathedral, and meet with youths whose Catholic parents drove them from their homes. I want you to hear them tell you what it is like to have their parents be ashamed of them, and tell them that they are against God. I want you to see what their lives are like alone, unloved, and abandoned in the streets. I hope that by meeting our kids you can understand the pain and anguish you help to cause.

"Decent people protect children from harm. I want you to be that decent person. I hope decent Christians will join me in demanding that religious leaders stop promoting homophobia. As the Cardinal Archbishop of New York, and as the President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, you may well be the most influential religious leader in the country, and could make an enormous difference in this crisis of family rejection. I hope and pray that you can stop fighting the acceptance of LGBT people as equal citizens. I want you to understand how LGBT youth suffer because of such a fight. Please see these rejected children through the eyes of a pastor and figure out a way to stop causing them to be harmed." - Carl Siciliano, writing for Huffington Post.

Read the full essay.

Labels: Ali Forney Center, Carl Siciliano, Catholic Church, homelessness, LGBT youth, NYC, religion, Timothy Dolan

reposted from  Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 20, 2012

Practicing With Loss

Loss is a fact of life. Impermanence is everywhere we look. We are all going to suffer our losses. How we deal with these losses is what makes all the difference. For it is not what happens to us that determines our character, our experience, our karma, and our destiny, but how we relate to what happens.

- Lama Surya Das, "Practicing With Loss"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via AmericaBlog Gay:

Catholic church allegedly castrated boys for reporting priests abused them 

Just when you thought you couldn't be more disgusted by a church that lost its moral authority a long time ago. 

But the news isn't all bad. The Pope has commissioned his own personal cologne.

He should call it "Rape."

Change Happened

Via JMG: Confidential Magazine, May 1957

Source.

Labels: journalism, LGBT History

reposted from Joe

Via Think Progress NEWS FLASH:

President Carter: It’s ‘Very Fine’ For Gay Couples To Marry | President Jimmy Carter’s latest book, “NIV Lessons from Life Bible” reflects his continued commitment to teaching Sunday School in a Baptist church. When he challenged Gerald Ford in 1976, Carter was considered the more religious candidate and won much of the Deep South. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Carter reiterated his Biblical support for marriage equality:

Homosexuality was well known in the ancient world, well before Christ was born and Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things -– he never said that gay people should be condemned. I personally think it is very fine for gay people to be married in civil ceremonies.
I draw the line, maybe arbitrarily, in requiring by law that churches must marry people. I’m a Baptist, and I believe that each congregation is autonomous and can govern its own affairs. So if a local Baptist church wants to accept gay members on an equal basis, which my church does by the way, then that is fine. If a church decides not to, then government laws shouldn’t require them to.

Tags:

• Jimmy Carter
• Marriage Equality
• The Bible

Via JMG: Lesbian Proposes At Hockey Game

Towleroad points us to this bit of sweetness:

On Saturday night at Scotiabank Place, a Toronto Maple Leafs fan named Alicia stood on the ice during the second intermission wearing a blindfold. When it was removed, she looked up at the video scoreboard and read a message from her girlfriend, an Ottawa Senators fan named Christina. Schmaltzy music played. Out walked Christina. They embraced and had a brief conversation, as the crowd began to wise up to what was about to happen. Christina dropped to one knee while holding Alicia's hand. The fans roared. She slid the engagement ring on, they shared a kiss and the Senators mascot proudly raised a sign that read "SHE SAID YES."

Would the crowd have roared its approval for two men?

Labels: Canada, hockey, lesbians, sports

Reposted rom fJoe

Via JMG: SCOTUS: College Christian Clubs Can't Discriminate Against LGBT Students

The U.S. Supreme Court today refused to hear an appeal of a lower court's ruling that Christian student clubs cannot bar LGBT people from membership.

The justices on Monday are leaving in place a federal appeals court ruling that found that the policy doesn't violate the Constitution. The policy says officially recognized campus groups can't discriminate based on religion or sexual orientation. A Christian fraternity and a sorority at San Diego State University sued in 2005, arguing that the policy violates their religious freedom. The groups are restricted to Christian members.

RELATED: In 2010 the Supreme Court ruled that it was legal for universities to deny funding to such groups.

Labels: education, religion, SCOTUS

reposted from Joe

President Obama's Nowruz Message

Brian and Alfonso Fight DOMA Deportation in Immigration Court After More Than A Decade Together

Enviado por gaybinationals em 15/03/2012

 

"Our life was on a happy, albeit somewhat boringly ordinary, trajectory until one fateful night last summer. That night and the events that followed have brought me to a whole new level of understanding about how precarious Alfonso's life had been up to this point. That night we were pulled over for a routine traffic stop. The local law enforcement did their regular background checks and that is when the train went off of the proverbial rails. Within a few hours I learned that something called an "immigration hold" had been placed on Alfonso's file, so even though he was not charged with any crime by the local authorities and had no criminal record they were not allowed to release him. They took my husband away in chains and put him in a county jail. The day before I was going to have my first visitation they moved him to a different jail. Then the day before I was going to be allowed to visit him at the 2nd jail they transferred him to a 3rd facility, a federal immigration facility. It was there in San Francisco, a week after this nightmare began, that I was finally allowed to visit my husband for the first time since the nightmare began. Even though he is not a criminal, they brought him in to a tiny visitation booth in handcuffs and we sat there talking and crying until they took him away 10 minutes later." www.stopthedeportations.com

Categoria:

Notícias e política

Tags:

• DOMA
• Marriage Equality
• LGBT
• Gay
• Rights
• Deportation
• Obama
• Marriage

Lesbian Grandmothers from Mars

Via Follower of the Buddha: Loving Kindness, Wellbeing and Happiness

Follower of the Buddha

‎"In every direction," said the Buddha, "above, below, around, and within, you see things you know and recognize. Put them down. Do not let consciousness dwell on the products of existence and things that come and go, for there is no rest of relief there. When you understand that by taking the objects of the world for granted as total reality, you are tied to the world, then this understanding will release you from your dependence on objects and will stop your craving and your desire for constant becoming. Then you can let go your hold and engage with things as they are, instead."
Sutta Nipata

 

Loving Kindness, Wellbeing and Happiness

‎"In every direction," said the Buddha, "above, below, around, and within, you s...See More

 

By: Pay Attention and Respect to All Beings and Mother Earth

Via JMG: What GOProud Really Wants

Not only does GOProud oppose a federal anti-bullying law, they are cloaking their support for school vouchers by claiming it would protect gay kids. In fact, what GOProud really wants is to further erode the crumbling public education system by having the government redirect funds to private religious schools. Or as in the case of the Santorums, pay the parents themselves for home schooling. All this "protection" talk is just a smokescreen, folks.

Labels: asshats, education, GOProud, homocons

reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 19, 2012

One Hundred Percent One

Human beings understand too much. But what they understand is just somebody’s opinion. Like a dog barking. American dog say, 'Woof, woof.' Korean dog say, 'Mung, mung.' Polish dog say, 'How, how.' So which dog barking is correct? That is human beings’ barking, not 'dog' barking. If dog and you become one hundred percent one, then you know sound of barking. This is Zen teaching. Boom! Become one.

- Seung Sahn, "BOOM!"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via It's ok to be Takei:

JMG Photo Of The Day

Here's another shot that Dr. Jeff took as he landed at LGA. Amazing and embiggens wonderfully. Previously.

Labels: Dr. Jeff, Manhattan, NYC, photography

reposted from Joe