Saturday, August 01, 2009

Anti-Witchcraft Conference Attacked by Christians in Nigeria

One of the ongoing problems in parts of Africa - often areas where far right Anglicans led by the likes of arch gay-hater Archbishop Peter Akinola are ascendant - is that witchcraft is stilled believed to be real by the populace and children and others frequently accused of being witches and sometimes killed. It is difficult to fathom in a modern world how this type of ignorance and brutality continues to exist, but it is precisely in this climate of ignorance and superstition that the Anglican Communion - like the Roman Catholic Church - is experiencing the most growth. And these are the Anglican leaders to who break away Episcopals in the USA are swearing allegiance. To me, in speaks volumes about the craziness of the far right Anglicans. Now, a group of "Christians" have attacked a conference endeavoring to stop the madness and assaults on alleged witches. Here are some highlights from Richard Dawkins:
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Leo Igwe, a friend of the British Humanist Association and Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Humanist Movement, was attacked yesterday during a raid by 150 to 200 members of a Christian church at a conference he had organised on "Child Rights and Witchcraft" in Calabar.
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Helen Ukpabio and her church, the Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries, have run a campaign of terror against children and those committed to fighting for their rights, of which yesterday's raid was only the latest development. The conference had been organised by the Nigerian Humanist Movement and the UK charity Stepping Stones Nigeria in response to the widespread abandonment, torture and killing of children in Akwa Ibom and Cross River State due to the belief in child "witches".
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More on this story can be found here. I increasing believe that unless anti-gay and anti-intellect churches begin to change their intolerance and accept modern knowledge, they eventually will go the way of the dinosaurs - which in my view would do the world much good. Far too many people have died over the centuries because of religious based hate and lunacy.

Will Obama and Kaine Turn Virginia Red Come November?

From time to time I get contacted by political campaigns either to ask that I cover issues or opposing candidates or for my thoughts on how to reach out to the gay voters - not that any of the Virginia statewide Democrat candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, or attorney general have done much reaching out to date. I expect that to change very soon in the case of Jody Wagner, candidate for lieutenant governor, who I have previously endorsed and who has a gay-friendly track record. The same holds true for Steve Shannon the candidate for attorney general who publicly opposed Virginia's anti-gay marriage amendment and even wrote an editorial as to why the amendment should be voted down. As for Deeds, I unfortunately expect no outreach efforts to LGBT Virginians and I very much fear that he will lose to Bob McDonnell in November.
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Despite Deeds' shortcomings, the biggest problem that these three Democrat candidates face - and Wagner and Shannon are excellent candidates - is the dis-engagement of many Virginia Democrats who feel that they worked their hearts out and dug deep in their pockets to elect Barack Obama and elect addition Democrats to Congress and have received NOTHING in return for their efforts. LGBT Virginians have received nothing from Obama - ditto for Governor/DNC Chair, Tim Kaine. For gays and non-gays alike the same problem exists. With a Democrat in the White House and Democrat majorities in the House and Senate, little has been accomplished because of the ridiculous efforts for "bipartisanship" - i.e., reaching out to members of the GOP who will NEVER cooperate and who seek only to torpedo any real change. The public gave the Democrats all the tools they need to effect change and they have bungled it badly. Campaign visits to Virginia by Obama will not have the effect he believes - people are looking for delivery on promises, not more pretty words.
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Yesterday, when an aide from one of the state wide campaigns called me, I expressed the above stated view and to my surprise the aide acknowledge that it was a major concern that the failures of Obama and the Congressional Democrats to deliver would potentially severely compromise the statewide Democrat candidates. I expressed my view that unless Obama signs a stop loss order to suspend Don't Ask, Don't Tell or delivers on some other promise to LGBT voters BEFORE election day in November, he will have convinced LGBT Virginians that voting Democrat is a worthless effort - basically pissing into the wind - because the Democrats simply talk a good game but fail to deliver. Other core Democrat constituencies have likewise been left feeling they were lied to.
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I truly hope someone carries this message to the White House and Congressional Democrats because they are clearly putting Virginia at risk for a GOP sweep - something that will set the state back dramatically and allow McDonnell to appoint all kinds of Christianists and extremists to state positions. The mere thought of it makes me shudder.

Saturday Male Beauty

Martyred and Murdered - And Show Trials

I continue to watch events in Iran with a mixture of hope and dismay. Personally, I think in the long term the Islamic dictators are making huge mistakes. While they seem intent on making examples of protesters and have started the equivalent of the old Soviet Union's show trials, ultimately they are creating a whole class of martyrs the memories of which will help keep opposition alive even if it takes a long time to finally boil over. Then again, when one's motivations are power and religious extremism, logic and thoughtful analysis of the bigger picture often isn't even on the radar screen. Tehran Bureau has a story that identifies some of those murdered by the dictators' thugs which is very sad and moving. Here are some highlights (I urge readers to review the site in order to realize that brutality of the current regime):
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A massive demonstration had been called for today [this past Thursday] to commemorate the dead of “Bloody Saturday” — the violent showdown on June 20 in central Tehran during which Neda Aga Soltan and others were killed. Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi’s Facebook page announced he would pay homage at her grave at Behesht Zahra cemetery on the outskirts of the capital. Mousavi invited other mourners to join him for the Shia 40-day memorial ritual. Tehran Bureau is compiling profiles of those who died in the post-election turmoil, as confirmed by official news sites Mowjcamp, Ghalam News and other reliable sources. The list (chronologically ordered) will be updated.
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Today's New York Times has coverage of the trials of protestors that the dictators wish to use as examples to deter others from challenging its regressive and anti-democratic policies. Again, I continue to hope that repression serves merely to inspire more contempt for the current rulers and cause fence sitters to go over to the side of the pro-democratic opposition. As with all despots, the regime is making allegations against protestors that are fabricated and hopefully will be seen as such by the wider population. Here are some highlights:
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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- More than 100 opposition political activists and protesters stood trial in Tehran Saturday on charges of rioting and conspiring to topple the ruling system in the country's first trial since the disputed presidential election, Iran's state media reported. The trial underlines the government's efforts to bring to a close anti-government demonstrations that have persisted since the disputed June 12 presidential election.
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The defendants faced charges that include attacking military and government buildings, having links with armed opposition groups and conspiring against the ruling system, Iran's official news agency, IRNA, reported. During the session, prosecutors read out an indictment outlining what they said was a yearslong plot by the top pro-reform political parties to carry out a ''velvet revolution,'' a popular, non-violent uprising to overthrow the Islamic Republic similar to ones that have occurred in Eastern Europe.
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Among the defendants were several prominent reformist opposition activists, including former Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi, former government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, former Vice Speaker of parliament Behzad Nabavi, former Deputy Foreign Minister Mohsen Aminzadeh and leader of the biggest reformist party, the Islamic Iran Participation Front, Mohsen Mirdamadi. The reformist Web site www.mowjcamp.com denounced Saturday's trial and said defendants had no access to lawyers and there was no jury.

AG Candidate Ken Cuccinelli Tries to Hide Extremist Views

I have written a number of times about Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell's efforts to market himself as a moderate in this years election contest for governor of Virginia - even though in actuality McDonnell is a puppet for Pat Robertson, James Dobson and the toxic Family Foundation. Now, Ken Cuccinelli, the GOP candidate for attorney general is apparently trying to use the same tactics as McDonnell even though as extremists go, Cuccinelli makes McDonnell look like a flaming liberal. Cuccinelli is a dogmatic Christianist who is anti-abortion in every case, would have gays rounded up and driven from the state if he could, and is a true Kool-Aid drinker when it comes to being a racist, anti-immigrant, anti-gay, religious extremist.
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Blue Virginia caught Cuccinelli trying to sanitize his campaign website to strip it of all its nut case fringe elements. Fortunately, a pre-sanitizing shot remains which shows Cuccinell's real nutcase agenda. If you want the Christian equivalent to a Islamic grand ayatollah, then Cuccinelli's your man. If you believe in secular government and religious freedom for all, then he MUST be defeated. Here are some highlights from Blue Virginia:
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[T]his is what it [the social issues page] used to look like, before he (apparently) started his faux-"moderate" makeover for the 2009 elections, just like Bob McDonnell. Fascinating.




This is what one finds now if they try to see where Cuccinelli stands on issues like marriage, gay rights, and abortion - the page has totally disappeard.

Again, it is absolutely critical that Cuccinelli's real positions be exposed and that he be defeated in November. He is nothing short of a clear and present danger to the rights and lives of other citizens of the Commonwealth. One has to ask again, where is the main stream media when it comes to reminding the public what McDonnell and Cuccinelli were preaching to the lunatic base of the GOP in prior years?
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P.S. Watch Cuccinelli talk about why he is not going to get a social security number for his soon to be born 7th child (something tells me that he's a "birther" too):

Friday, July 31, 2009

Friday Male Beauty

LGBT Employment Protections Remain Few And Far Between in Virginia

The Boston Edge has a story on the City of Arlington, Virginia's move to adopt a resolution calling for statewide employment non-discrimination legislation that would protect LGBT employees. While I welcome every baby step that brings Virginia into the modern age - kicking and fighting progress all the way, typically - the current patchwork of protections in a relatively small number of municipalities just doesn't cut it. Governor Kaine's Executive Order 1 (2006) appears worthless, although an appeal may reverse a circuit court ruling that found the Executive Order gave no protections to a fired gay employee, so government employees at the moment can only look for protection on a city by city basis. Norfolk STILL has no city ordinance that protects LGBT city employees. Virginia Beach and Williamsburg do have such policies, but again they only protect city employees. Most Virginians continue to have NO protection. One things is interesting to note, however: municipalities with such protections are more attractive sites for progressive businesses to relocate than backward municipalities such as Martinsville which has a 20% unemployment rate. Here are some highlights from the story:
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In an unanimous vote on June 23, Alexandria became the latest Virginia municipality to pass a resolution to urge state lawmakers to pass ban anti-LGBT discrimination in the workplace. Jeanne Niebauer, director of the Alexandria Office of Human Rights, notes her city passed its Human Rights Code in 1975 that included protections against workplace discrimination. Sexual orientation was added in 1988. Neighboring Arlington and Blacksburg in the southwestern part of the state have passed similar resolutions
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A July 28 email sent by Equality Virginia called for other local state governments to "sign a resolution supporting workplace non-discrimination." The group further noted "there are still many municipalities and cities in Virginia that we need to have formally state that they value being a diverse and inclusive community." Noting he feels the lack of a statewide non-discrimination law impacts everyone, Equality Virginia chief operating officer John Blair pointed out the state’s patchwork of non-discrimination laws protect different people in different ways.
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"Some are protected a little, some not at all," he said. "The important thing about non discrimination legislation is it needs to be comprehensive." Niebauer pointed out her city’s action was taken specifically to help facilitate the codification of statewide law in 2010. "The resolution was brought about by the mayor and the city council mainly because Adam Ebbin (a member of the Virginia legislature) introduced a non discrimination bill pertaining to all state and local workers in Virginia," she said. "The bill did not pass, so jurisdictions like Alexandria approved resolutions to show their support."

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Of course even if such a bill passes the General Assembly next year, private sector workers will continue to have absolutely no employment protections.

Albania to Legalise Gay Marriage

In yet another embarrassment to the USA - the alleged land of the free and home of religious freedom - Albania's government has announced that it will push for same sex marriage rights. It's amazing how parts of the world often thought of as backwaters by many Americans - assuming they can even locate them on a world map - are increasingly progressive while the USA remains under the influence of Christianists who want to drag the nation back to a time of ignorance and religious based superstition. Virginia, naturally does it best to remain in the 19th century in areas of social policies and equality under the civil laws. Meanwhile, Barack Obama dithers and sits on his thumbs rather than act as an advocate for equality for ALL Americans. Here are some highlights from Balkin Insight.com:
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Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha announced in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the government would push for a law that recognises homosexual marriages. “This is an important law against discrimination,” said Berisha, who often stresses the importance of family values.
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The prime minister said that the law had already been put to parliament and that MPs should treat it seriously because it provides a legal basis against discrimination, bringing the country into line with a framework already approved by the EU, which Albania aspires to join.
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Although deeply secular, Albania is one of the three countries in Europe with a Muslim majority - with Bosnia and Kosovo - and it is unclear how the government’s decision will be accepted by the public. While the Albanian parliament decriminalised homosexual relationships in 1995, more than a decade later, gays and lesbians are still heavily stigmatised, and a majority live clandestine lives, fearing that if their sexual orientation is discovered their safety will be endangered.
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Human rights reports on Albania concede that ingrained attitudes among the public leave Albanian gays and lesbians on the fringes of society. AHRG reports that Albanian homosexuals face “intolerance, physical and psychological violence - often from the police - and discrimination in the workplace.”
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Hopefully, the legislation passes. Governments can help shape public acceptance by removing inequalities under the civil laws that deprive anti-gay bigots of laws to point to that support their intolerant and religious based discrimination. Something Obama doesn't seem to grasp.

States with More Catholics More Strongly Favor Gay Rights

In an ironic twist that reflects the growing gulf between the Nazi Pope and Church hierarchy and most rank and file Catholics, a new analysis indicates that states with high Catholic populations are more likely to be supportive of gay rights and gay marriage. While the Vatican and bishops and cardinals continue their efforts to marginalize gays and call us "inherently disordered," the majority of Catholic seem to be ignoring the propaganda line even though the Kool-Aid drinkers in the Knights of Columbus are drinking the toxic anti-gay brew. The question is when will rank and file Catholics stop funding the homophobes in the hierarchy? Here are some highlights from a story in USA Today that must not sit well with the bitchy old queens in dresses:
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Want to predict which state might move next to legalize same-sex marriage? You might count Catholics. The higher their percentage of the population, the more likely the state is to... support gay rights. This counter-intuitive finding is brought to you with a tip of two hats -- mine to Mark Silk at Spiritual Politics and his to Robbie Jones who led Silk to a new study soon by be published by two Columbia University political scientists.
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Silk, who heads the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College, mashed their study with the latest statistics from the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey, which was published at Trinity. His finding:
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Six of the eight states where 50 percent or more of the public supports gay marriage are the states with the highest proportion of Catholics, ranging from Rhode Island at 46 percent to New York and California at 37 percent.
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The bishops have campaigned long, loudly and clearly against same-sex marriage but the Catholic Church also offers a pervasive message of social justice, an umbrella many liberal Catholics stand under when they argue for marriage equality or life issues such as abortion, contraception and end-of-life decisions.
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Increasing it seems that those who remain in the Church are "cafeteria Catholics" who use their own conscience decide what Vatican directives to simply ignore. Would that the bitter old queens would catch p with the theology of their flock.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

More Thursday Male Beauty

Harvey Milk to Receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

Belatedly - and likely as another sop thrown to betrayed LGBT Americans - President Barack Obama has announced that the late Harvey Milk will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom as one of "16 Agents of Change." Please, do not get me wrong. I truly believe that Harvey Milk deserves the award and it's very sad that he isn't here to accept it because of homophobia that lead in part to his murder. The same kind of homophobia that Obama refuses to refute by real substantive action to end DADT and DOMA, enact ENDA, etc. Obama is certainly not the "agent of change" that he lead us all to believe he would be while he campaigned. Would that LGBT Americans had a leader like Harvey Milk today instead of the generally spineless leaders at major LGBT rights organization.
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Also receiving the award are American tennis great Billy Jean King, who is openly lesbian, and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, who has championed LGBT equality throughout his political career, and Desmond Tutu who has forceful condemned anti-gay bigotry and discrimination. Here are some highlights from the White House Press release:
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President Obama today named 16 recipients of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom. America’s highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom is awarded to individuals who make an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. This year’s awardees were chosen for their work as agents of change. Among their many accomplishments in fields ranging from sports and art to science and medicine to politics and public policy, these men and women have changed the world for the better.
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They have blazed trails and broken down barriers. . . . they share one overarching trait: Each has been an agent of change. Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way.
"Their relentless devotion to breaking down barriers and lifting up their fellow citizens sets a standard to which we all should strive.
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Harvey Milk became the first openly gay elected official from a major city in the United States when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Milk encouraged lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) citizens to live their lives openly and believed coming out was the only way they could change society and achieve social equality. Milk, alongside San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, was shot and killed in 1978 by Dan White, a former city supervisor. Milk is revered nationally and globally as a pioneer of the LGBT civil rights movement for his exceptional leadership and dedication to equal rights
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Very nice words Mr. President, but substantive action to make gays fully equal citizens that would thrill Harvey Milk would be much more appreciated.

The False and Insidious "Experts" at NARTH - Shock Therapy as a Cure

Opponents of gay rights - and the right of LGBT citizens to live their lives as God made them to be - ultimately derive all of their anti-gay beliefs and lies from fundamentalist religious dogma be it Christian, Islamic or something else. However, since their religious dogma based message of intolerance is increasingly unmarketable, they seek to cloth their prejudice and discrimination in a scientific smoke screen rather than admit their real agenda. A case in point is the National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality ("NARTH")which is fighting a rear guard action against the advance of medical and mental health knowledge which finds homosexuality to be part of the natural order of things. Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin looks at NARTH's latest sham "scientific work" that seeks to counter the likely American Psychological Association release of a report condemning attempts to change sexual orientation. NARTH's handiwork isn't pretty or scientific - unless one views religious based dogma as science - and indirectly endorses the use of electric shock therapy as a "successful" means of treating homosexuality. What amounts to a form of torture is endorsed so that NARTH can protect its lucrative niche of peddling snake oil to desperate parents and gays afflicted with religious based guilt. So too, NARTH wants to maintain the myth that sexual orientation is changeable in order to please its Christianist masters. Personally, in my opinion, the most tawdry prostitute has more class and integrity than the folks at NARTH. Here are some highlights from Jim's lengthy piece:
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A group of anti-gay therapists known as the National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) are concerned that the Task Force isn’t sufficiently stacked with anti-gay activists, so NARTH sought to preempt the APA report by releasing a “journal” last June called the Journal of Human Sexuality.
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As we said earlier,NARTH’s new journal contains just one 121-page article by James Phelan, Neal Whitehead, and Philip Sutton, titled “What Research Shows: NARTH’s Response to the APA Claims on Homosexuality.” NARTH brags that this article “examines over 100 years of professional and scientific literature as well as over 600 reports from clinicians, researchers, and former clients principally published in professional and peer-reviewed journals.” They described this effort as a new peer-reviewed study even though, as we already observed, it’s not new, not peer-reviewed, and not a study.
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To try to make their case, Phelan, Whitehead and Sutton include just about everything but the kitchen sink regardless of its scientific merit. . . . PW&S dedicated some 14 pages to reports from various books and journals from 1882 through the 1970’s — a period when homosexuality was illegal and gays were regularly arrested and jailed, when they were prohibited from federal employment, and when they were even committed to psychiatric hospitals because the professional community regarded homosexuality as a serious mental illness. The literature from that period reflects those views, and this is the literature that NARTH believes is relevant to today’s discussion on attempts to change sexual orientation.
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That last category — behavior therapies — is especially troubling. PW&S blithely gloss over what that often entailed, but a sharp eye can spot it pretty easily. Hidden in those three pages lies western psychiatry’s darkest stain: aversion therapy. . . . 1935 is when it all began. Dr. Louis W. Max of New York University published a paper in the March 1935 edition of The Psychological Bulletin describing an apparatus which would become an important part of efforts to change sexual orientation throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and even through 1980s. That notorious apparatus was designed to administer a powerful electric shock to the client whenever the client was experiencing what was considered an inappropriate erotic stimulus (i.e. viewing a picture of someone of the same gender whom the subject found sexually attractive).
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Today we are justifiably horrified to imagine the suffering that thousands of gay men and women endured to try to rid themselves of their same-sex attractions (sometimes under court order or while confined to a psychiatric hospital), Phelan, Whitehead and Sutton thinks nothing of trumpeting the “successes” of this barbaric form of therapy in staking out their position.
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As bad as electric shock aversion therapy was, it was mild when compared to another more extreme form of aversion therapy that was also being developed in the same period. This involved the use of emetics like apomorphine, powerful drugs which produces instantaneous and extreme nausea. Emetics were sometimes combined with other drugs to induce diarrhea. The subject was given the drugs and then shown pictures representing a “homosexual stimulus.” The idea behind this was that the patient would associate the “homosexual stimulus” with a gut-retching nausea.
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It’s hard to imagine anyone pointing to that sort of legacy as justification for their own misguided policy aims. But that is exactly what NARTH has done
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Sadly, many of NARTH's gullible victims have no idea just how false and bogus their "research" is or how barbarically gays are treated. If animals were treated this badly, PETA would have a media circus descend on those involved. Yet NARTH gets away with this garbage time and time again because the mainstream media refuses to do some homework and expose the organizations fraudulent. God forbid - the Christianists might allege the media was anti-Christian. Meanwhile, NARTH continues to ruin lives and provide homophobes with some semblance of respectability if one doesn't look past the surface facade.

Thursday Male Beauty

Questions the Media Needs to Ask Bob McDonnell

I have written before about Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell's extremist past on social issues yet to date he continues to masquerade as a moderate and there is little questioning by the media on issues that many Virginians need to know about. The Virginia Democrat has a new post that asks some of these questions. The issue is when and if the lazy mainstream media will get off its ass and begin some serious questioning of McDonnell. The same also holds true for GOP Attorney General candidate Ken Cuccinelli who is even more extreme than McDonnell. If these two men are elected in November, Pat Robertson and James Dobson and similar enemies of religious freedom will be de facto members of Virginia's highest levels of government. Here are some highlights:
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The sole question in this campaign seems to be whether Bob McDonnell will be able to pull the wool over Virginians’ eyes long enough to convince enough people to vote for him. Based on his recent debate with Creigh, he might be able to pull it off. Take McDonnell’s extremist stances on two significant social issues, abortion and gay rights. In the debate, McDonnell was successfully able to paint himself as a moderate on these issues.
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Bob McDonnell is no moderate on these issues. The fact is that McDonnell’s election potentially endangers the life and health of every woman in Virginia. McDonnell’s record shows that as a legislator, he tried at every turn to limit a woman’s right to choose, effectively seeking to prevent women in Virginia from deciding upon their own health care in consultation with their doctors. Similarly, Bob McDonnell has a record as a repeat offender of bigotry toward homosexuals. . . . Does Bob McDonnell favor the teaching of crackpot theories like Intelligent Design in public school?
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So, three takeaways:
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1. When Bob McDonnell soft-pedals his positions on choice and gay rights, shouldn't he explain why his record is inconsistent with his rhetoric?
2. Bob McDonnell holds principled positions on the issues of choice and gay rights that he claims are informed by his religious beliefs. As a religious person, I disagree with him. But the question is why does he feel the need to run away from his principles?
3. Given that religion figures so heavily in McDonnell’s stances on other social issues, where does he stand on the issue of evolution and teaching Intelligent Design in our public schools?
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I would also suggest that McDonnell also needs to be asked why he covered up for former Congressman Ed Schrock's gay trysts for over seven months before Mike Rogers at BlogActive.com outed Schrock.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Under "Pressure" from White House and Others U.S. Rep. Hastings Withdraws 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Amendment

UPDATED: If you are as outraged as I am by President Obama's lack of action - and, pardon my French - lies to LGBT Americans, go to the White House website and voice your displeasure: http://www.whitehouse.gov/. Tell him that the LGBT ATM is being turned off until he fulfills his campaign promises.
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Stories like this one make me livid. Perhaps in part because I do not like facing the fact that I allowed myself to be played as a sucker. Also, because I have a very low regard for liars - even in politicians. It seems Obama not only played me - and countless LGBT friends - as suckers as he lied about his support for LGBT equality under the civil laws during his campaign last year. The Miami Herald is reporting that Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-Miramar) withdrew his amendment to H.R. 3326, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010, due to pressure from some of his Congressional colleagues and from the White House. Apparently, Obama and other Congressional Democrats want us to be good little "house faggots" and mindlessly send in our monetary contributions, work at the grass roots level on campaigns, and happily and without question accept whatever crumbs are thrown our way. Sorry, but being a good house faggot is not my style and I and others will definitely not be quiet. I am increasingly concerned that the Democrat attitude of throwing gays under the bus may haunt them in Virginia's elections this coming November. Here are some highlights:
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Today, Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-Miramar) made the following statement on the withdrawal of his amendment to H.R. 3326, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010. The Hastings amendment would have prohibited the use of funds to carry out the provisions in Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell regarding investigating and separating soldiers who admit they are homosexual or bisexual.
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Due to pressure from some of my Congressional colleagues and from the White House, I have withdrawn my amendment. I would, however, like to note that it is most unfortunate that we are not addressing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell at this time. We should not be appropriating funds to enable qualified service members to be booted out just because they are honest about whom they are.
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“I realize that this issue is considered controversial. But, it shouldn’t be. The vast majority of Americans not only support the inclusion of gay service members in the military, but also the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. As many as 75 percent of Americans support openly gay service members in the military.
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We cannot afford to lose any more of our soldiers to the vagaries of outdated bigotry. Every day, we lose approximately two service members to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Our country is engaged in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our military has spent over $95.1 million on retraining soldiers because of this law. What is the holdup, then? . . . If we know we are going to repeal this law eventually, then why not take action right now?”
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The hold up? I hate to say it, but I am believing more and more that Obama is an anti-gay bigot just like his bloated Christianist bud, Rick Warren. We truly need to turn off the LGBT ATM machine and stop funding organizations like HRC that refuse to play hardball with Obama and the reigning Democrats.

More Wednesday Male Beauty

The Unhinged Alternate Universe of the "Birthers"


Just the other day I indicated that CNN had directed Lou Dobbs to cease the coverage of the "Obama is an alien myth" circulating among the delusional elements of the GOP and the far right Christianists. Now, FactCheck.org is reporting that its staff has seen the real, original birth certificate issued by Hawaii - which last I looked was a state within the USA and before that a U.S. territory. Will this be enough to put an end to the "birther" insanity? Most likely not because we are dealing with folks who have no tether to objective reality. In short, they are insane and literally nothing can convince them that their beliefs - likely based on racial bigotry and prejudice - are not true. I hope the mainstream media will run with this proof and help expose the insanity of the far right and even some members of Congress who knowingly prostitute themselves to the birthers. Here are some highlights from FactCheck.org:
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In June, the Obama campaign released a digitally scanned image of his birth certificate to quell speculative charges that he might not be a natural-born citizen. But the image prompted more blog-based skepticism about the document's authenticity. And recently, author Jerome Corsi, whose book attacks Obama, said in a TV interview that the birth certificate the campaign has is "fake."
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We beg to differ. FactCheck.org staffers have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate. We conclude that it meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship. Claims that the document lacks a raised seal or a signature are false. We have posted high-resolution photographs of the document as "supporting documents" to this article. Our conclusion: Obama was born in the U.S.A. just as he has always said.

Militias -ans Possibly U.S Troops - Target Some Iraqis for Being Gay

I have done previous post about what is happen to Iraqi gays at the hands of Extremist militias in Iraq. USA Today has a new story that looks at the continuing slaughter of gay Iraqis by militias that sicken me. Potentially worse yet, the Washington Blade has an uncorroborated story that suggest some Iraqi gays are being killed by members of the U.S. military as well. While not yet proven, the allegation of atrocities by U. S. military members is not outside the realm of the possible, especially since the military is now accepting recruits who have felony records for violent crime and gang members. Even while qualified LGBT service members continue to be cast out of the U.S. armed forces due to their sexual orientation. First, here are some highlights from USA Today:
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To some fundamentalist Iraqi Muslims, Ahmed Sadoun Saleh was worse than a terrorist. He was gay. He wore his hair long and took female hormones to grow breasts. Amused by his appearance, Iraqi police officers stopped him in December at a checkpoint in a southern Baghdad neighborhood dominated by radical Shiite militias. They groped Saleh and ridiculed him. T he assault was captured on video and circulated on cellphones throughout Baghdad, says Ali Hili, founder of London-based Iraqi LGBT, a group dedicated to protecting Iraq's gays and lesbians. Shortly after the video was made public, Hili says Saleh contacted him, fearing for his life, and asked for his help to flee Iraq. "Unfortunately, it was too late," Hili says. Saleh turned up dead two months later, he says.
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At least 82 gay men have been killed in Iraq since December, according to Iraqi LGBT. The violence has raised questions about the Iraqi government's ability to protect a diverse range of vulnerable minority groups that also includes Christians and Kurds, especially following the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraqi cities last month. Mithal al-Alusi, a secular, liberal Sunni legislator, is among those who blame the killings on armed militant groups such as al-Qaeda and the Mahdi Army militia.
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By targeting one of the most vulnerable groups in a conservative Muslim society — people whose sexual orientation is banned by Iraqi law — the militias essentially are serving notice that they remain powerful despite the U.S. and Iraqi militaries' efforts to curtail them, al-Alusi says. The militants "want to educate the society to accept killers on the street," al-Alusi says in an interview. "Why did Hitler start with gays? They are weak. They have no political cover. They have no legal cover."
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Besides targeting gays, Sadr City militias also are harassing and sometimes killing straight young men who violate fundamentalist fashion and decorum by wearing low-riding pants and other Western-style clothing, slicking back their hair or making it spiky, hanging out in cafes or pool halls or flirting with girls, says human rights activist Mohammed Jasim, 28. The campaign is against gays and anybody who looks gay" in the eyes of militiamen indoctrinated to believe immodest dress is an affront to God, Jasim says.
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The militias usually send out warnings before they attack. Posters go up in Sadr City listing the offenders — gay and flashy straight men — by name and neighborhood. "If you don't give up what you are doing," said a recent one seen by a USA TODAY reporter, "death will be your fate. And this warning will come true, and the punishment will be worse and worse."
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Among those listed was a young man named Allawi Hawar, a local soccer star who incurred the wrath of the militias by wearing his hair long and partying with his friends in Sadr City cafes. Hawar was playing pool one day last month when two masked men drove up on a motor scooter. One climbed off and made his way inside the cafe, clutching a pistol. "We have something to deal with," he announced to startled patrons, according to witness Emad Saad, 25. The gunman grabbed Hawar and dragged him outside. Then he shot the young athlete in the leg. After Hawar crumpled to the ground, bleeding, the gunman shot him again and killed him, Saad says.

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The Sadr City warning posters do not appear to be the work of educated theologians. A recent one was filled with Arabic misspellings, including a faulty rendering of "compassionate" — part of one of the 99 names for God. But Ali Hili, the London activist, and others believe high-level clerics have ordered the killings. Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani several years ago decreed that the punishment for homosexuality is death "if it is proven before the religious judge." An Iraqi TV channel, Alsumaria, reported that Sunni cleric al-Ghreri has called for the execution of gays. Al-Ghreri denies issuing such a statement, but concedes that some "stubborn" clerics might support the death penalty for gays.
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U.S. taxpayers have foot the price tag for billions and billions of dollars squandered in Iraq and this purge of gays illustrates the utter waste this expenditure has been. All because of the Chimperator's obsession to out do and/or avenge his daddy. As bad as this is, the Washington Blade has a new as yet uncorroborated story that indicates some of the purge of Iraqi gays might well be at the hands of U.S. military troops. As I indicated at the outset of this post, the U.S. military has drastically lowered standards in order to reach recruiting goals and convicted felons and violent gang members have been accepted into the ranks. Therefore, in my view one cannot automatically dismiss these allegations. I hope further investigation proves this story to be wrong. However, having talked to Blade reporter Chris Johnson a number of times, he does not strike me as a crackpot. He does his homework. Here are some story highlights:
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A fundraising event to benefit an LGBT community center in Lebanon last week took a surprise turn when stunned audience members were shown graphic photographs of beheaded corpses and images purportedly depicting U.S. soldiers preparing to execute gay Iraqis.
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Two gay Iraqi refugees, who declined to use their real names, delivered a presentation at the Human Rights Campaign headquarters July 24 in which they detailed alleged abuses of fellow gay Iraqis while calling on their audience to donate funds to Helem, a Lebanon-based center that works to address the plight of LGBT people in the Middle East. One of the Iraqis, who goes by the name “Hussam,” showed the audience of about 80 people gruesome images, including shots allegedly of a beheaded man who was gay and another of the victim’s twin brother grieving over the severed head.
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But the reaction from the audience turned from anger to shock when Hussam said U.S. service members had detained Iraqi civilians perceived to be gay and executed them. He then showed an image of what appeared to be an American soldier standing in front of a small group of four or five kneeling naked men who were chained together. Hussam claimed the men were gay Iraqis and that he possessed images of their execution, which he did not show the audience.
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When confronted by a Blade reporter after the presentation, Hussam said he feared public disclosure of the photos would incite further violence in Iraq and refused to turn over copies of the images. If U.S. service members executed the Iraqis as alleged, it would constitute a violation of international law under the Geneva Convention or the Uniform Code of Military Justice, depending on the circumstances.
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Defense officials couldn’t immediately confirm whether allegations made at the presentation regarding U.S. service members were legitimate. Air Force Lt. Col. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, said he isn’t aware of any cases that match the allegations made by Hussam and deferred to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command for further comment.
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D’Arcy Kemnitz, executive director of the National LGBT Bar Association, attended the event and said she didn’t know about Hussam’s photos before he showed them. She also said that she didn’t hear Hussam’s allegation that the U.S. military was involved in atrocities and has no copies of the photos he showed. Still, she vouched for Hussam’s credibility. “Based upon everything that I know, having worked with him in this kind of volunteer capacity, his credibility is beyond reproach,” she said. “He’s worked with international human rights groups since the time I’ve known him and before that.”
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She said she couldn’t speak to whether the allegations warrant an investigation because, without having heard the remarks herself, she would be basing a decision on “hearsay upon hearsay upon hearsay.”
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Obviously, I hope these allegations are not true. On the other hand, U.S. forces in Iraq and the puppet Iraqi government have done little to stop the torture and murder of gay Iraqis. Add to that the infiltration of the U.S. Army in particular by white supremacists and evangelical Christian extremists and the murder of gays by U.S. troops is not outside the realm of the possible.

Wednesday Male Beauty

Why Estate Planning Documents Are Crucial

At dinner with friends the other night our hosts and the boyfriend recounted the horror story of a same sex couple where one became very ill and ultimately died. Most of the couple’s assets were in the name of the deceased partner and the surviving partner lost almost everything, including his home and a business that he had helped build. In fact, he had to prove in court which assets he had purchased in his own right in order to have them not incorporated into the deceased partner's estate that went only to his blood relatives. These kinds of nightmares happen with all to frequent regularity. Meanwhile, they CAN be avoided through proper estate planning documents. I have set out below an article I put together on this topic for my LGBT clients (NOTE: While the article deals with Virginia law, the concepts are generally applicable in other states):
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ESSENTIAL LEGAL DOCUMENTS FOR LGBT COUPLES
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There are some things same-sex couples can and should do to provide for some of the legal protection automatically conferred on married couples. Unfortunately, far too many such couples fail to take the relatively simple steps to avoid the adverse and/or unexpected effects of current law.
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NECESSARY DOCUMENTS AND STEPS: There are some basic documents and steps that every unmarried couple and every same-sex couple should have prepared and duly signed. These include:
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Will - A will specifies how you wish your property to be distributed upon your death. In a will, you designate the person you wish to handle your estate -- your partner or another individual. Without one, your partner receives absolutely nothing. Pursuant to § 64.1-46 of the Virginia Code, anyone who is over the age of 18 years and not mentally incompetent may make a will and thereby dispose of any estate to which he shall be entitled, at his death, including any estate, right or interest to which the testator may be entitled at his death, notwithstanding he may become so entitled subsequently to the execution of the will. Inasmuch as neither § 64.1-46 or other provisions of the Virginia Code restrict permitted devisees to spouses or blood relatives, both unmarried heterosexual couples and same-sex couples may make wills leaving assets to their partners.
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Trust - A properly established and funded trust avoids publicly probating assets owned by the trust at the time of one’s death and is more difficult to challenge in court than a will. In addition, a trust can provide beneficiaries with creditor protection in certain circumstances. Properly structured, a trust can provide support for one’s surviving partner for the remainder of his or her life, with the remainder to pass to other relatives and designated beneficiaries, bypassing potential taxes associated with the surviving partner's estate. Chapter 4, Title 26 of the Virginia Code governing the appointment, qualification, resignation, removal of fiduciaries, including trustees, contains no provision restricting permitted trustees or trust beneficiaries to spouses or blood relatives. Therefore, both unmarried heterosexual couples and same-sex couples may create trusts naming their partners as beneficiaries in a manner that does not purport “to bestow the privileges or obligations of marriage.”
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Medical/Health Care Power of Attorney - A health care or medical power of attorney allows one’s partner regardless of gender to make medical decisions on your behalf in the event you are not able to do so due to incompetency or other incapacity. Properly drafted, a health care power of attorney can also ensure hospital visitation rights to the designated attorney-in-fact
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Advanced Medical Directive - § 54.1-2983 of the Virginia Code provides that any mentally competent adult may, at any time, make a written advance directive (i) authorizing the providing, withholding or withdrawal of life-prolonging procedures in the event such person should have a terminal condition, and (ii) appointing an agent to make health care decisions for the declarant under the circumstances stated in the advance directive if the declarant should be determined to be incapable of making an informed decision. Advance medical directives must be signed by the declarant in the presence of two subscribing witnesses who cannot be the spouse or blood relatives of the declarant.
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There is no statutory restriction that one’s agent must be a spouse or blood relative. Rather, §54.1-2982 of the Virginia Code provides that under any such advance medical directive, an agent means “an adult appointed by the declarant under an advance directive, executed or made in accordance with the provisions of § 54.1-2983, to make health care decisions for him. . ." Such authority includes visitation rights, provided the advance directive makes express provisions for visitation. Therefore, properly drafted and executed advanced medical directives by a same-sex couple should not be deemed to “bestow a privileges or obligations of marriage.”
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General/Business Power of Attorney - This form of power of attorney allows a member of either an unmarried couple or a same-sex couple to authorize their partner to handle their financial affairs in the event of disability or unavailability.
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Title on Deeds and Accounts - How title to property is held can effect both future ownership and tax liability. Joint tenancy with rights of survivorship, for example, will ensure that the surviving partner will have full ownership upon the death of the deceased partner and avoid ownership disputes with surviving blood relatives. However, it can create certain negative estate tax treatment depending on the size of one’s taxable estate. Historically, deeds creating a tenancy by the entirety have been reserved for husband and wife couples. In light of the Virginia Affirmation of Marriage Act cited above, such a deed conveying title to a same-sex couple even though validly married in another state such as Massachusetts would not be effective in Virginia.
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BENEFICIARY DESIGNATIONS: Most securities and retirement accounts provide for the designation of beneficiaries. These should be reviewed periodically to ensure that desired goals are achieved and also should include the designation of contingent beneficiaries to ensure the desired parties are named in the event of the death of the principal beneficiary.
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LIFE INSURANCE: Properly utilized, life insurance can provide funding for payment of estate taxes, outstanding mortgages, charitable trusts, education of minors, and other functions.
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NOTE: This article contains a general discussion of estate planning matters which vary greatly in asset structuring needs and potential tax liability based on the particular facts and circumstances of individuals and the nature of their assets. Therefore, it should not be relied upon as a substitute for individualized legal advice addressing one’s particular situation.

Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal Effort Stalling - Who's At Blame

As Politico is reporting the effort to repeal DADT has stalled and The Palm Center blames major LGBT rights organizations for the debacle. Andrew Sullivan is even more brutal in his assessment and urges LGBT Americans to stop giving money to HRC - a tactic I largely agree with since I believe HRC is more concerned with promoting itself and finding government jobs for its self-anointed movers and shakers. Here is Andrew's analysis in a nut shell:
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“a network of gay and gay-friendly individuals and organizations worked to derail the possibility of a suspension of the ban." Can you smell the Human Rights Campaign? It's that unique blend of cowardice, careerism and fantastic amounts of money that usually tips you off.
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Sadly, I agree with Andrew. The grass roots of the LGBT community is ready to push for real change but our self-appointed "leaders" are not. They prefer "access" and cocktail parties that stroke their egos - meanwhile real people are being drummed out of the military daily as they sip their gin and tonics and cosmopolitans. It is beyond frustrating and pathetic. Like so much in politics, the only thing these folks truly understand is money - when the ATM is turned off, they listen. Until that happens it is business as usual. Here are some highlights from Politico:
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[T]he Palm Center, a California think tank working to end the ban on gays in the military, blames Washington gay rights activists and their allies in Congress for dropping the ball on repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
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The center has made the case for pressing President Obama for an executive order ending the ban on gays in the military, arguing that those facts on the ground -- gays openly serving -- would be irreversible, and could be followed later by Congressional action. But other gay rights advocates, led by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and Human Rights Campaign, and members of Congress like Rep. Patrick Murphy have argued that a legislative repeal should be the primary goal, as an executive order could be reversed by a new president.
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Many people seemed to agree that the two-part strategy would make political and operational sense. Once gays are allowed to serve openly and legally, it will be impossible to put the toothpaste back into the tube. Operationally, there is no way to force gays back into the closet. And given that 75 percent of the public favors open gay service, it would be unwise politically for some future Republican President to try to reverse the order.5 Indeed, when former President George Bush tried to reverse one of Bill Clinton’s executive orders mandating equal treatment for non-military gay employees of the federal government, he could not get away with it.
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As the two-part strategy continued to generate real heat on the administration, however, the gay community has taken its foot off the gas pedal. The chorus of gay and gay-friendly activists, journalists and politicos calling for an exclusive emphasis on legislative repeal has grown in recent weeks, and as opponents of the two-part strategy made their case with increasing fervor, the media’s criticisms of the administration have softened, and a senior administration spokesperson has again started to use conditional language as to whether “don’t ask, don’t tell will be repealed.”
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As for the Palm Center report, here is a sampling of the criticisms of the gay rights organizations:
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This policy analysis begins with an explanation of how and why some members of the gay community have worked so hard to stop putting pressure on the White House, and then outlines an opportunity for how to get back on track. In particular, it (1) explains the strategic misperceptions of those who seek to focus exclusively on legislative repeal including the flawed notion that the legislative strategy alone can work; (2) describes the consequences of efforts to block consideration of the two-part strategy (executive order first, legislative repeal second); and (3) suggests why a renewed emphasis on a two-part strategy is the most effective way forward.
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Those who endorse an exclusive focus on legislative repeal seem to believe that if the gay community works hard enough, we can force conservatives to support MREA. But there is little logic to their position. Consider several obstacles. To begin, 75 percent of the public already supports open gay service, yet conservatives in Congress continue to oppose the bill.8 There is little additional room for public education or shifts in public opinion that could cause conservatives to change their minds.
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Although Congress is not a pressure point, the same cannot be said of the White House. Those who favor an exclusive emphasis on legislation seem to appreciate neither the extent to which the President, not Congress, is vulnerable to accusations of hypocrisy, nor the opportunity to generate media coverage which shines a spotlight on the chasm between candidate Obama’s pledge to lift the ban when he took office, and President Obama’s unwillingness to sign an order even though he has acknowledged that the ban harms national security.
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Discussions of hypocrisy become particularly salient when the gay community can combine them with fresh data, studies and stories which underscore the costs of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” For example, new data documenting increased discharges of Arabic linguists would generate important media coverage in and of itself.
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Every ounce of activism directed towards the exclusive legislative strategy as opposed to the two-part strategy enhances the ability of the White House to invoke its old pass-the-buck defense which was so effective for the first few months of the administration, before the two-part strategy was raised in public. Calling for an exclusive emphasis on legislative repeal is perhaps the greatest gift gay rights groups could give the White House. And it’s a slap in the face to service members like Lt. Dan Choi, whose careers are in peril right now.
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Sadly, at the very moment that discussion of the two-part strategy started to disable the political stalemate surrounding “don’t ask, don’t tell”, some gay and gay-friendly activists, journalists and politicos have let up pressure on the White House by resisting executive action, and insisting on an exclusive focus on legislative repeal. Consider a number of misleading and inaccurate claims that have been circulated. One often-repeated claim is that the administration does not have the legal authority to sign an executive order and that doing so would constitute an end-run around Congress. This claim is incorrect. In 1983, Congress passed 10 U.S.C. § 12305, known as the “stop-loss” law, which allows the President to “suspend any provision of law” related to military separations during national security emergencies.
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Some members of the gay community have provided Washington with reasons to continue discriminating, and their actions have had the effect of softening the pressure on the White House and allowing the President to again use his pass-the-buck strategy. As a result, momentum has been lost and the inertia that characterized the period before the introduction of the two-part solution is returning. Four consequences, in particular, deserve mention.
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In addition, the community’s misleading claims have become a talking point for the President of the United States. When asked whether he would sign an executive order last month, President Obama said that doing so would circumvent the will of Congress, and that he is constitutionally obliged to enforce Congressional statute.18 This argument, which ignored his now-well-established power of “stop-loss,” was first articulated and then repeated extensively by members of the gay community itself. The community provided the President with a misleading talking point to explain why he will continue firing service members for being gay, and almost no one held him accountable.
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If a unified community held the President accountable for his recent, misleading remarks about why he will not sign an executive order, redirected the national conversation to the two-part strategy and demanded immediate executive leadership as the first step in a multi-stage effort to lift the ban, we would maximize the chances for unlocking the stalemate in Washington and again see momentum toward an outcome that has been elusive for more than fifteen years.
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I find it most depressing that some of the major gay rights organizations seem to care more about "maintaining good relations" than they do about concrete results. As they say, the squeaky wheel gets the oil - we need a full court press to create as much squaking as possible.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Iran Protests: Phase 2

Like many political and news junkies, I continue to follow the ongoing developments in Iran and hope they will lead to the eventual overthrow of the current Islamic dictatorship and its replacement by a truly democratic government that allows for religious freedoms. As yet, it is still difficult to know where things will possibly lead, but it does seem that there might be a slow but steady undercurrent brewing that may yet build renewed steam and lead to change. A democratic Iran not dominated by extremist Islamic clerics would change the whole political and economic game in the Middle East. It could well undermine support for the Taliban and other Islamic fundamentalist extremists and lead to pressure for reform and increased freedoms in other Islamic countries. Time has article that looks at the unfolding events. Here are some highlights:
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Phase 2 has begun. Six weeks after millions took to the streets to protest Iran's presidential election, their uprising has morphed into a feistier, more imaginative and potentially enduring campaign. The second phase plays out in a boycott of goods advertised on state-controlled television. Just try buying a certain brand of dairy product, an Iranian human-rights activist told me, and the person behind you in line is likely to whisper, "Don't buy that. It's from an advertiser."
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It includes calls to switch on every electric appliance in the house just before the evening TV news to trip up Tehran's grid. It features quickie "blitz" street demonstrations, lasting just long enough to chant "Death to the dictator!" several times but short enough to evade security forces. It involves identifying paramilitary Basij vigilantes linked to the crackdown and putting marks in green — the opposition color — or pictures of protest victims in front of their homes. It is scribbled antiregime slogans on money. And it is defiant drivers honking horns, flashing headlights and waving V signs at security forces.
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[T]heir variety and scope indicate that Iran's uprising is not a passing phenomenon like the student protests of 1999, which were quickly quashed. This time, Iranians are rising above their fears. Although embryonic, today's public resolve is reminiscent of civil disobedience in colonial India before independence or in the American Deep South in the 1960s. Mohandas Gandhi once mused that "even the most powerful cannot rule without the cooperation of the ruled." That quotation is now popular on Iranian websites.

The current uprising is nowhere near as widespread as that of 1979. Yet the activism is creating a new political space in Iran. The public is defining its own agenda, with Rafsanjani, Mousavi and other opposition figures responding to sentiment on the street rather than directing it. After meeting on July 20 with the families of people detained following the election, Mousavi warned the power structure, "You are facing something new: an awakened nation, a nation that has been born again and is here to defend its achievements." As Iran's second phase of protests takes shape, the regime's future may depend on whether it heeds that warning.
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I continue to hope that the protesters succeed and I will continue showing the green color of the protesters on this blog as a sign of support. Fareed Zakaria has an article in Newsweek that also looks at the situation in Iran and cautions that the U.S. should do nothing for the time being and allow the undercurrent of protest to grow.

More Tuesday Male Beauty

Bishop's Deposition Details Attempts to Keep Sexual Abuse Secret

The stories about the heinous conduct of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy to protect predatory priests and cover up the rampant sexual abuse of children and minors just keep unfolding. As the Chicago Tribune is reporting, the deposition of a former Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago reveals over two dozen predator priest who were knowingly protected by the archdiocese with apparently little or no regard for the minors being molested by these priests. Rather, it was all about protecting the Church's reputation and to Hell with the laws against molesting minors and aiding and abetting crimes. I suspect the deposition is a microcosm of what happened in diocese all around the world - and may still be happening despite the Church's disingenuous promises that it has put its house in order. Meanwhile, those who covered up abuse and enabled predatory priests have never been held to account under either Church law or the civil laws. Here are some story highlights:
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The archdiocese of Chicago has agreed to pay $3.9 million to settle six sexual abuse cases and on Tuesday released a bishop's deposition that detailed the church's failure to report the crimes and attempts to keep them secret.
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The 180-page deposition provides a rare glimpse of "how clerical culture operated in the past," said Jeffrey R. Anderson, an attorney for the victims. Retired Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Goedert, the second-highest-ranking bishop in the Chicago archdiocese, testified that most of the priests he confronted with sexual abuse charges admitted them.
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"I knew the civil law considered it a crime," Goedert said in his deposition, adding that he felt church law required him to treat matters confidentially. "I simply would not talk about [the cases] to anyone except those who had a right to know because of their position in the diocese."
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"What emerges here is that the interests of the institution come first, then the man, the perpetrator of crime," Pearlman said. "And somewhere in the distance [are] the victims of the crime. Their priorities are in the wrong order."

The deposition shows how "deeply ingrained secrecy" is in this archdiocese, Barbara Dorris, the outreach director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a statement. . . . "That confidentiality allowed the archdiocese to move serial predators from parish to parish without congregations' knowledge about child-abuse allegations," she said.
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The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago paid more than $15.8 million in legal settlements related to sexual abuse last year, amounting to $80.2 million in claims from June 2001 to June 2008.
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I continue to believe that a married clergy would not have so coldly and uncaringly ignored the interests of the minors being abused. Few parents would not feel compelled to stop such abuse but for a group of celibate men without families, the institution mattered more than the children. Benedict XVI and others in the hierarchy still do not get it - and never will.

The Health Toll of Divorce

Having gone through a horrific divorce before a homophobic judge - after one horrible hearing i was so traumatized that I nearly successfully overdosed - and now suffering through post divorce hearings, I know full well the emotional and psychological toll that divorce can take on an individual and how difficult it is to move on with one's life. Now, CNN has a story that indicates that not only is one's emotional and mental health damaged, but so is one's basic health compared to those who have not undergone a divorce.
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Of course, the story does not look at the issue of gays living in the closet and the long term damage that may cause - which I suspect is as bad or worse than the consequences of divorce. Indeed, had I not come out and divorced, I truly do not believe that I would be alive today. I had my suicide all planned out to look like an accident, in fact. Truth be told, living a lie as to who one truly is and never being able to share one's innermost thoughts and feelings is a huge burden.
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In my own case, it caused me to be a very unhappy and self-hating person and a lesser father to my children than I could have been. While, I've been extremely fortunate and found a wonderful partner in the form of the boyfreind, I nonetheless still have moments of sadness and depression over the turmoil I caused my children both while in the closet and in the aftermath of the divorce. There's a true sense of loss even though I know I would not be alive if I had remained closeted. One of the reason I am so outspoken in condemning the "ex-gay" programs is because they help to keep the closet alive and cause untold harm to gays, their straight spouses, and their children and care nothing about the damage the cause. Here are some story highlights:
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Divorce causes more than bitterness and broken hearts. The trauma of a split can leave long-lasting effects on mental and physical health that remarriage might not repair, according to research released this week. Waite and co-author Mary Elizabeth Hughes, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, found that divorced or widowed people have 20 percent more chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer than married people. The authors found differences between the overall health of those who remain married and those who divorce.
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Almost half of all U.S. marriages end in divorce, according to the National Institutes of Health. "Losing a marriage or becoming widowed or divorced is extremely stressful," Waite said. "It's financially, sometimes, ruinous. It's socially extremely difficult. What's interesting is if people have done this and remarried, we still see, in their health, the scars or marks -- the damage that was done by this event."There's no erasure of the effects of divorce," Hayward said. "There is intense stress leading up to divorce, stresses during divorce proceedings. Think of divorce as one of the most intense stressors. It leads to what we call dysregulation [impairment] in key cardiovascular process that may be permanently altered. You're not going back to your original set point."
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Both genders suffer irreversible, detrimental effects on their health after losing marriage through a divorce or death of a spouse, according to the findings. Those who did not remarry after a divorce or a spouse's death showed deficits in mental and physical health. Waite called this the "double whammy" because they don't get the protective effects of marriage and have gone through a "damaging, health-destroying experience."
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People who remarried had better health than those who did not. "If you loved and lost, did you find love again?" Waite said. "The people who did are doing better." But this group overall showed health deficits compared to those who remained married.
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Based on these findings, it is interesting that evangelical Christians - particularly in the South - have the highest divorce rates and are usually the most anti-gay. Are they taking their own bitterness out on LGBT Americans?