Episcopal Bishops OK Prayer for Gay Couples

As 365gay.com is reporting, in a further development that will likely cause the homo-haters in the Anglican Communion to go utterly berserk, the Episcopal Church has gone a step further beyond allowing gay bishops: the bishops voted by nearly 3 to 1 margin to authorize the development of theological resources and liturgies for blessing same-gender relationships, which would be considered at the next national meeting in 2012. Here are some story highlights:

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The resolution notes the growing number of states that allow gay marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships, and gave bishops in those regions discretion to provide a “generous pastoral response” to couples in local parishes.

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Many Episcopal dioceses already allow clergy to bless same-sex couples but there is no official liturgy for the ceremonies in the denomination’s Book of Prayer. The measure still needs the approval of the lay people and priest delegates at the assembly, which ends Friday.
“We certainly feel a deep need to be able to proclaim the love of God in the midst of a changing reality,” said Suffragan Bishop James Curry of the Diocese of Connecticut, one of six states that are legalizing same-gender marriage.

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A day earlier, the convention had declared gays and lesbians eligible for “any ordained ministry,” even though Anglican leaders had sought a clear moratorium on consecrating another gay bishop.

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Most overseas Anglicans believe Scripture bars same-sex relationships and disagree with how liberals interpret the Bible on a wide range of issues. Liberal Anglicans emphasize biblical social justice teachings and believe their fellowship can contain conflicting views.

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A reader from Newsy.com (thanks Rosa!) sent me a link to the video below that looks at the controversy within the Anglican Communion that sums up the opposing views and invites comments.

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Personally, I believe that ultimately in the western world, gay acceptance will likely lead to the potential for church growth. My children's generation increasing accept and/or support gays and gay marriage. Denominations that refuse to accept societal changes and modern medical and mental health knowledge set themselves up to lose the younger generation and those that will come after them. Yes, the anti-gay mindset of the African Anglicans may succeed for a while, but as education increases and ignorance declines, hate and intolerance will become increasingly unmarketable.

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I also believe that this move by the Episcopal Church will add to the pressure on other denominations to change their policies on gay clergy and blessing gay relationships. A case in point is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America which votes on these issues next month. Should the ECLA vote down these changes, I for one might feel the need to make a switch to the Episcopal Church where I know that I am officially welcome and my relationship with the boyfriend is seen as legitimate. As for gay former Catholics, the Episcopal Church will now offer a religious home where one is not labeled as "intrinsically disordered."

Saturday Male Beauty

Lessons From Walter Cronkite

Years ago I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Walter Cronkite at the University of Virginia where he was one of the Student Legal Forum's guest speakers. He was amazing and thus, like many, I am saddened to hear of his passing yesterday He was indeed a news and journalism legend who in many ways set the standard for how news and journalism should be done. Unfortunately, those standards are increasingly rare in network and cable news not to mention most newspapers. In many ways, Cronkite's standards now only exist in the blogosphere. If we had more Cronkites and true investigative reporters today, this country may well have avoided the disaster of the Iraq War and eight years of the Chimperator and Emperor Palpatine Cheney.

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I was not yet ten years old when Cronkite became the CBS evening news anchor and he literally was a daily part of my life growing up as we watched the evening news - often with conflicting opinions between family members erupting on any number of issues, particularly the student unrest in the late 1960's and Vietnam. I recall Cronkite's reporting the day John F. Kennedy died and in respect to so many other momentous events. In some ways, Cronkite helped me to develop into a news junkie and meeting him was a truly awesome experience. One surprise was that he was much shorter than I had pictured him because he seemed so much larger than life on television. It was a different era and I suspect many of today's youth have no concept of the level of authority Cronkite commanded.

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The New York Times as a brief piece with some comments by the president of CBS which conveys Cronkite's uniqueness:

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“There probably will never be anybody who has the presence and the stature and the importance that Walter Cronkite had in this country,” Mr. McManus said in a telephone interview, recalling what he told his children. “I tried to explain to them that most people in America expected to get both good and bad news from one man, and that was Walter Cronkite,” he said. “That will never be duplicated again,” because of the fragmentation of the media.

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Mr. McManus sensed that his children had a hard time comprehending what he meant. “It’s really hard,” he acknowledged, “to remember just how influential and important he was.” He cited Mr. Cronkite’s famous declaration that the Vietnam war would end in a stalemate.

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A little more than a year ago, Mr. Cronkite paid a surprise visit to the news headquarters. Even the interns who weren’t yet born when Mr. Cronkite was anchor were “literally looking up to him,” Mr. McManus said. “When he walked in the newsroom, it was like Thomas Jefferson walking into a history class at a university,” he said.

Weekend Reflections of Life

Several readers have asked what's going on with me on a persoanl level, so I figure I will give a brief update of sorts. First, last weekend I had written about the wedding we attended at the Founders Inn in Virginia Beach next door to sociopath Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network. The event was wonderful not withstanding that the boyfriend forgot his tuxedo pants and attended the beautiful outdoor ceremony in formal dress combined with shorts (that's us at left with the shorts cropped out) - another guest rescued him and loaned him pants for the reception festivities. True to the Inn's promise to the bride, there were plenty of gay and lesbian couples dancing together without incident and based on the event, I'd recommend the Founders Inn for someone seeking a beautiful setting for a wedding or other large event.

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In terms of my house fire, I am still dealing with the contractor and insurance adjuster to get a final price on the repairs so that repair work can proceed. I have secured another tenant for the house so that I will be better able to increase payments to my former wife and get her fully out of my life more quickly. I have moved a few of my favorite pieces of furniture plus some of my books - I have tons of books - and family photos to the boyfriend's home, but the bulk of my things remain at the house which is rented out on a furnished basis. In terms of the post divorce wars, my attorney is endeavoring to work out a compromise so that we can avoid further court hearings that needlessly waste money and send me into an emotional/psychological tail spin. I still find that I need xanax to sleep through the night, although I am definitely considerably better than I was back in May when I had gone into a severe and dangerous free fall.

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The boyfriend continues to be an anchor and safe harbor my life and between him and my youngest daughter, I have my family base. My oldest daughter is still not speaking to me and my son is out in Oregon, so my youngest daughter has been a life saver to me. It's odd in some ways because my coming out and the divorce caused her the most direct turmoil in her life, yet she seems to hold no grudge and has stated that she believes that my coming out was a positive for the family. While a straight person can never fully understand the Hell of being in the closet and what it does to one emotionally, she does seem to get it more than one would expect. She is a real sweetheart and I love her so very much. There are definitely times I wish she'd move in with us.

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Next month we will be traveling to southwest Pennsylvania for the boyfriend's family reunion extravaganza -one day is his mother's family reunion and the next day is his father's side of the family's reunion event. One of my paralegals and his boyfriend will stay at our house and baby sit Bandit, our full size Chihuahua, since we will be staying at an inn in Pennsylvania. They are a sweet couple and Bandit loves them and vice versa. While in Pennsylvania we are going to see two of Frank Lloyd Wright's houses: Falling Water - built over a waterfall - and Kentuck Nob. Other than business trips to Pittsburgh, I have never been to that part of Pennsylvania. It should be a fun, brief get away.

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One thing that I am enjoying is writing some pieces for Bilerico-DC and working with some of the other bloggers and editors. Our goal is to try to have both news and opinion pieces that are fact based and hard hitting. Sometimes the posts I do are modified versions of what appears on this blog and other times they are unique to Bilerico.

Friday Male Beauty

Thou Shall Not Sponsor a State Religion

The Christianists and many Republicans - e.g., in Virginia GOP candidates Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli - consistently try to impose their religious beliefs on all citizens in a direct affront to the Constitution's guarantees of freedom of religion. Their mindset is one of to Hell with everyone else's rights, we want everyone to live by our beliefs, like it or not. Indeed, if they are prevented from inflicting their beliefs on all other citizens,they whine that they are the ones who are victims of discrimination. It is this attitude that underlies all of the anti-gay legislation and discrimination not only in Virginia but across the country. An op-ed piece in the Roanoke Times takes to task this mindset and politicians like Bob McDonnell, Sarah Palin and other religious bigots. Here are some highlights:

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The question of the separation of church and state and whether the United States is a Christian nation has been of much concern lately. After reading Don Assaid's commentary of June 28, "Where is the tolerance for Christians?" I thought I'd offer a secular view. Assaid thinks that the Christian majority is within its rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution to invoke the Christian God in public meetings or at school. After all, this is a Christian nation, with a Christian majority. But let's take a closer look.

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Let's be clear, as Assaid is not, because most of us understand that there is an important distinction between demonstrating your religious beliefs at nongovernmental versus governmental functions. Assaid conveniently confuses his role of private citizen and his role as a member of the board of supervisors. He proudly asserts that he is completely indifferent if he offends anyone by praying to the Christian God. And, indeed, as a private citizen he can pray and offend all he wants. But in his role as a government official he is bound by the Constitution to be completely neutral in the matter of religion.

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It isn't much of a stretch to suggest that the First Amendment means you don't begin your government meeting by an appeal to a belief that may exclude some of your fellow citizens. And while the Founding Fathers may well have begun their governmental business with an appeal in prayer to the Christian God, I would argue that they weren't ready to accept the full implications of the laws they themselves had written into the Constitution. After all, they weren't ready to accept that African Americans should be free, or that women should have the right to vote. But I doubt that the ghost of Mr. Jefferson is upset with how the Constitution has evolved in these matters of equality, justice, suffrage and religion.
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Jesus taught that there is a distinction between church and state, and that it should be respected. . . . I reread the whole Constitution. What struck me is that nowhere in this foundational document do the words Creator, God, Jesus Christ or Redeemer appear. The only word of religious significance I found in the entire document was "Lord," as in "The Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven." Does it seem strange that these Christian men did not see the necessity of invoking the Christian God when laying down the fundamental laws of the land? Perhaps they had Jesus's teaching in mind.

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If you claim that Christians should have some legal advantages, whatever they may be, then do as Assaid suggested, and reread the First Amendment.

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Of course, the Christianists could care less what the Constitution actually says. It is, after all, all about them and to Hell with everyone else. Their hubris and selfishness knows no limits.

Richmond Newspaper Regrets Role in Support of Segregation

Virginia - which gave the early years of the nation many enlightened and dynamic leaders - has for more than 125 years become a bastion of reactionary thought and embraced discrimination against targeted groups of its citizens. Once it was black Americans and today it is LGBT citizens with Virginia being among the most anti-gay states in the nation. Belatedly, the Richmond Times-Dispatch has expressed regret for its role in defending racial segregation in the years following the Brown v. Board of Education ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. During that era, many areas of Virginia engaged in "Massive Resistance" and closed their public schools rather than allow them to be integrated. Since it has taken roughly 50 years for the Times-Dispatch to express remorse for its treatment of blacks, I can only ponder how many decades we will have to wait for apologies to the misdeeds done to LGBT Virginians. Here are highlights from the "apology" published yesterday:

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Sometimes the era seems ancient; sometimes it resembles yesterday. Fifty years ago Virginia had a rendezvous with destiny and came up wanting. It scorned human rights and the promise of the Declaration of Independence and instead took a course known as Massive Resistance. Tomorrow at the Capitol, the University of Virginia's Center for Politics will convene a conference on the chapter and its legacy.

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Throughout the episode, Richmond Newspapers played a central role -- but not a centering one. The hour was ignoble. Editorials in The News Leader relentlessly championed Massive Resistance and the dubious constitutional arguments justifying its unworthy cause. Although not so intimately engaged, The Times-Dispatch was complicit. The record fills us with regret, which we have expressed before.

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Hubris prevailed. Those who railed against oppressions visited upon sovereign states by an allegedly imperial Washington relied on government's coercive might to deny the full humanity of their fellow citizens. Massive Resistance was neither a departure nor an exception but the extension of Jim Crow and the attitudes informing it. Segregation and its associated indignities were in retreat. Massive Resistance formed a last stand.

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Many simply could not see the harm they did to so many others. Jefferson trembled for his country when he reflected that God is just. Yesteryear's words cannot be revoked. They endure on newsprint yellow and brittle, on microfilm, and in the computer files into which they have been translated. They belong to history, and history lives. It is well and good that the words be remembered, as a warning perhaps best. We will not forget.

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But, of course, Virginia has forgotten and has passed anti-gay statutes and even wrote anti-gay discrimination into its Constitution in 2006. The same hubris and hate is ever present in the likes of many Virginians and organizations: Pat Robertson, Victoria Cobb, Bob "Taliban Bob"McDonnell, Regent University, Liberty University, The Family Foundation, Ken Cuccinelli, break away Virginia Anglicans. The list goes on and on. Somethings in Virginia unfortunately do not change. Virginia has once again had a rendezvous with destiny and came up wanting.

Thursday Male Beauty

Repealing DADT: Allies' Experience Disproves Christianist Arguments

One aspect of too many Americans that I find frustrating is that they never can look to the experience of other nations for examples of making or changing policies. I do not know if the phenomenon is due to egocentric characteristics, plain stubbornness, or the fear that the experience of others will prove their excuses for bigotry as unfounded. The arguments for continuing Don't Ask, Don't Tell are a case in point. The majority of the USA's allies have allowed gays to openly serve in their military forces for a number of years in some cases and none of the problems trumped up by anti-gay psychos like Elaine Donnelly have come to pass. All of which helps to underscore that the REAL reason for DADT is religious based discrimination and nothing else regardless of what the naysayers whine about. 365gay.com has a good article that looks at the experience of three of the USA's allies and - surprise - gays serving openly has not been a problem. Here are a few highlights:

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(New York) When it comes to dealing with gay personnel in the ranks, the contrasts are stark among some of the world’s proudest, toughest militaries - and these differing approaches are invoked by both sides as Americans renew debate over the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

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In the United States, more than 12,000 service members have been dismissed since 1994 because it became known they were gay. Current targets for discharge include a West Point graduate and Iraq war veteran, Army National Guard Lt. Dan Choi.

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In Britain, on the other hand, uniformed gay and lesbian service members marched in the annual Pride London parade July 4. Gay Australian soldiers and sailors had their own float in Sydney’s Gay Mardi Gras parade. In Israel, the army magazine earlier this year featured two male soldiers on the cover, hugging one another.

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U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., the first Iraq war veteran elected to Congress, has just launched a campaign for a bill to repeal “don’t ask.” He observed British troops in Iraq operating smoothly with a serve-openly policy and bristles at the contention that American forces would suffer morale and recruiting problems if they followed suit. “I take it as a personal affront to our warriors,” he said. “To say that other countries’ soldiers are professional enough to handle this and American soldiers aren’t is really a slap in the face.”

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With such polarized views as a backdrop, Associated Press reporters examined how the militaries of Israel, Britain and Australia have managed with serve-openly policies, and interviewed partisans on both sides of the debate in the United States about the relevance of those experiences.

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For those in the U.S. military community who oppose letting gays serve openly, there’s a widely shared sentiment that America has nothing to learn from the two dozen nations that have no bans.

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“There’s been very little trouble in the nations that lifted their ban,” said professor David Segal, director of the University of Maryland’s Center for Research on Military Organization. “My guess is there will be slightly more in the U.S. - we have a somewhat higher level of intolerance.” However, Segal doubted the change would spur a large exodus or hamper recruitment.

The Culture Wars' New Front: U.S. History

The Wall Street Journal has a piece that looks at one of the other areas where the Christianist are seeking to dumb down the nation's students and in the process rewrite the true history of the country. One would think that rejecting science and evolution and peddling creationism lunacy would keep them busy enough, but such is not the case. Their agenda literally includes rewriting history to coincide with their imagined parallel universe. As the saying goes, those who do not history are doomed to repeat it. I truly cannot understand the mindset of those who are so desperate to avoid the truth if it threatens their fragile faith constructs that are in reality a flimsy house of cards - which I guess is a good thing. I also cannot understand why lying is never an issue with such alleged Christians. Here are some highlights from the Journal story:

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The fight over school curriculum in Texas, recently focused on biology, has entered a new arena, with a brewing debate over how much faith belongs in American history classrooms.

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The Texas Board of Education, which recently approved new science standards that made room for creationist critiques of evolution, is revising the state's social studies curriculum. In early recommendations from outside experts appointed by the board, a divide has opened over how central religious theology should be to the teaching of history.

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Three reviewers, appointed by social conservatives, have recommended revamping the K-12 curriculum to emphasize the roles of the Bible, the Christian faith and the civic virtue of religion in the study of American history. Two of them want to remove or de-emphasize references to several historical figures who have become liberal icons, such as César Chávez and Thurgood Marshall.

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The three reviewers appointed by the moderate and liberal board members are all professors of history or education at Texas universities, including Mr. de la Teja, a former state historian. The reviewers appointed by conservatives include two who run conservative Christian organizations: David Barton, founder of WallBuilders, a group that promotes America's Christian heritage; and Rev. Marshall, who preaches that Watergate, the Vietnam War and Hurricane Katrina were God's judgments on the nation's sexual immorality.

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[T]he emphasis on Christianity as a driving force is disputed by some historians, who focus on the economic motivation of many colonists and the fractured views of religion among the Founding Fathers. "There appears to me too much politics in some of this," said Lybeth Hodges, a professor of history at Texas Woman's University and another of the curriculum reviewers.

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[O]utside observers argue that curriculum analysts should be trained academics. "It's important to have trained historians establishing the framework," said David Vigilante, associate director of the National Center for History in the Schools at the University of California, Los Angeles.

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Detailed examples of suggestions can be seen on the Journal website. It's amazing that as the rest of the world becomes more educated, the Christianists want to dumb down our children to the level of farm animals and/or indoctrinate them like was done in the former Soviet Union. Why not have a witch doctor advise on medical school curriculum? It's not much different than having religious fanatics advise on history curriculum. These people are a clear and present danger to religious freedom and Constitutional government.

More Wednesday Male Beauty

Top Religious Right Distortion Techniques and Lies About Gays

I have followed a number of Christianist organizations for nearly a decade and it is amazing how they (1) lie without the slightest remorse and act as if the Commandment against lying and bearing false witness doesn't exist, and (2) repeatedly recycle the same old lies and bogus "research" in their jihad to malign LGBT citizens and depict us as diseased. Alvin McEwen Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters has put together a great compilation of some of the most used lies by those who proclaim themselves to be "godly Christians" in their never ending effort to disseminate hate and untruths. Here is a sampling of some of my favorites (please read the entire piece):

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Top six religious right distortion techniques used to defame the lgbt community

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1. Using nonrepresentative or out-of-date studies to make generalizations, or distorting legitimate studies to give misleading conclusions.
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2. Repetition - Despite the fact that several physicians and researchers complain about the distortion of their work, corrections are usually not made. In fact, you can still find the work of the six Canadian researchers, Judith Stacey, Joanne Hall, Patrick Letellier, as well as many others being distorted on various religious right webpages.

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3. Conspiracy Theory - Claiming that gays and lesbians are consistently plotting to "erode traditional values"
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4. Dire Consequences - Claiming that a pro-gay law or ordinance will lead to negative consequences without proof that the consequences will take place.

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5. Phony Experts - Creating their own "experts" on the lgbt community. One such "expert" is Linda Harvey of Mission America. According to her bio, she is a former ad executive who became a born again Christian. Another phony expert is Glenn T. Stanton of Focus on the Family. He is considered an "expert" on the subject of homosexuality but has a master’s degree in interdisciplinary humanities with an emphasis in philosophy, history and religion.

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6. Dehumanizing Semantics - Consistently using language (i.e. demonstrative verbs and adjectives) in their talking points, sound bites, and press releases to make gays and lesbians seem like impersonal, threatening outsiders.

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In addition, Alvin lists 17 top lies used by the Christianists, all of which can be readily refuted by legitimate data. Unfortunately, these "professional Christians" prey in particular upon the ignorant and uneducated - always asking for a monetary donation in the process or on their websites. They are false Christians and parasites. And yes, that includes James Dobson and his Virginia minion, Victoria Cobb.

Religious Based Inhumanity

My heart continues to go out to those in Iran who have been killed or who are currently jailed under God knows what conditions as the Islamic dictatorship uses brutality to hold onto control. I truly hope that if nothing else Americans come to learn that the Iranian people are not synonymous with the Islamic dictatorship that currently rules the country. Fortunately, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran is getting the truth out so that both the outside world and many within Iran will know the true story of what has been done allegedly in the name of Allah and Islam. One example is the sad story of Sohrab Aarabi, age 19 (pictured at left), who was likely murdered by the henchmen of the governing regime. Here are some highlights from a press release of the Tehran Bureau:

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(12 July 2009) Iranian authorities have informed the family of Sohrab Aarabi, 19, that he died of gunshot wounds to his heart, 26 days after he disappeared during a demonstration on 15 June, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported today.

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Aarabi’s mother, Parvin Fahimi, a member of the Mothers for Peace organization, made numerous attempts to obtain information about his situation, taking his photograph to prisons, courts and other addresses. Finally, on 11 July, after the protests commemorating the “18 Tir” student demonstrations in 1999, the family was summoned by the Revolutionary Court and referred to the Investigatory Bureau (Agahi), and asked to identify Sohrab from among several photographs of corpses. According to family members interviewed by the Campaign, his body had arrived at the coroner’s office on 19 June, five days after his disappearance. Sohrab Aarabi was due to begin his university studies this year.

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The lack of transparency and calculated delay in releasing the information about Aarabi’s unexplained death only raises anxieties about scores of others who are among the disappeared as well as those who have been held in incommunicado detention, with no contact to family members or lawyers, many for almost a month. Approximately 190 people were arrested following the most recent demonstrations on 9 July.

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“Many families fear they will also be told their loved ones were killed in the demonstrations, and will be left to wonder if it is the truth, “ Ghaemi said. “Indeed, the families of the disappeared are suffering from a form of torture because of the absence of credible information.”

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For the latest human rights developments in Iran visit the Campaign’s website at www.iranhumanrights.org

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I hate to say it, but I continue to believe religion - at least institutional religion - causes much more evil than good.

Wednesday Male Beauty

Episcopal Bishops Vote to End Moratorium on Gay Clergy

In a welcomed move, the Episcopal Church voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to open the door to consecrate more bishops who are openly gay. No doubt the haters among the homophobic bishops in Africa and elsewhere will blow a gasket and continue the perversion of the Gospel message into a weapon of hate. What the weak kneed Archbishop of Canterbury will do is likewise yet to be seen since he seems to largely be selling out to the homophobe set within the Anglican Communion. In my view, accepting gay clergy is a move that is overdue and is a trend that the I hope the ECLA will move forward on next month at its Churchwide Assembly. It is sad that a few phrases written thousands of years ago without the benefit of modern knowledge continue to be used to justify so much hatred and mistreatment of other human beings. Here are some highlights from the New York Times:

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The Episcopal Church voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to open the door to consecrate more bishops who are openly gay, a move that is likely to send shock waves throughout the Anglican Communion, the global network of churches to which the Episcopal Church belongs.

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By voting to affirm that “any ordained ministry” is open to gay men and lesbians, the Episcopal Church effectively ended what many regarded as a moratorium on ordaining gay bishops, which the church passed at its last convention three years ago.

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Many delegates to the church’s convention here characterized the action not as an overturning of the moratorium, but as simply an honest assertion of “who we are.” They note that the church, which claims about two million members, has hundreds of openly gay laypeople, priests and deacons, and that its democratic decision-making structures are charged with deciding who merits ordination.

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“It’s not an attempt to fly in the face of the Anglican Communion,” said Bonnie Anderson, who as president of the House of Deputies, which represents laypeople and clergy members, is one of the church’s two top officers. “It’s an attempt to deepen relationships with the rest of the communion, because real relationships are built on authenticity.”

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The Episcopal Church acted despite a personal address at the start of the convention from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who as head of the Church of England is considered “first among equals” among the communion’s archbishops. “Along with many in the communion,” the archbishop said, “I hope and pray that there won’t be decisions in the coming days that will push us further apart.”

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It says that many gay men and lesbians are already ministering in the church and that “God has called and may call such individuals, to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church, and that God’s call to the ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church is a mystery which the church attempts to discern for all people through our discernment processes acting in accordance with the constitution and canons of the Episcopal Church.”

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Conservative provinces in the Anglican Communion, especially some in Africa, broke their ties with the Episcopal Church after it consecrated Bishop Robinson.

Harry Reid Supports End of DADT

In a welcomed but somewhat surprising move, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has stated - when asked about a proposed amendment to the Department of Defense reauthorization bill introduced by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to suspend the discharge of gay and lesbian service members under DADT for 18 months - that he wants the moratorium to be permanent. Whether or not this statement will translate into real action, of course, remains to be seen, but is in sharp contrast to other mumblings that no one in Congress is in a hurry to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. I for one do not trust the Congressional Democrats to actually do what they say, but remain willing to be convinced that I'm wrong. Here are some highlights from the Washington Blade:

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Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) today announced support for a legislative moratorium on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” that would prevent further discharges of gay service members for 18 months. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is considering the introduction of an amendment to that effect for the fiscal year 2010 defense authorization bill, according to her office. The defense bill is being debated this week on the Senate floor.

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Reid declared his support for the amendment when asked about it by the Blade at a news conference Tuesday. “If Kirsten offers this amendment, I will support it,” Reid said. He continued: “I would support that. My only difference I would have is I would make it permanent.” Reid added, “We’re having trouble getting people into the military” and potential enlistees shouldn’t be turned down, and not “certainly based on sexual orientation.”

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The full response from Sen. Reid follows: “I feel on this issue that we’re having trouble, we’re having trouble getting people into the military and I think that we shouldn’t turn down anybody that’s willing to fight for our country — certainly based on sexual orientation. I feel strongly that — I support the president. I support the members of the Joint Chiefs who have not spoken out publicly. If Kirsten offers this amendment I will support it, at least as far as I understand it. What you’ve just told me, it would basically change the current policy for 18 months, is that right? I would support that. My only difference I would have is I would make it permanent.”

Bob McDonnell Cluelessness on Transportation

The flooding of the west bound lanes of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel the day before the 4th of July weekend has highlighted the incompetence of VDOT and the terrible lack of funding for transportation projects in Virginia. In fact, it has come to light that needed maintenance to the region's tunnels is 4 to 5 years behind what is needed. The difficulty is that each year the Republican controlled Virginia House of Delegates blocks meaningful financing for transportation and adds to the slow strangulation of economic growth as highways become more and more obsolete. Enter GOP candidate for Governor, Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell. McDonnell is the epitome of the no tax/Bible thumping Republican notwithstanding his current campaign attempt to pretend he's a moderate. An op-ed in the Roanoke Times looks at McDonnell's antiquated views on transportation funding:

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Most Virginians look at VDOT and see an agency so fiscally emaciated that it can't even afford to keep rest areas open or medians mowed. Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell looks at the Virginia Department of Transportation and sees ... flab. He told The Washington Times that if he's elected governor, he'll seek budget cuts for the transportation agency, along with Virginia's chintzy Medicaid program. McDonnell followed up a pledge to cut two crucial and severely underfunded programs with this bit of positive, happy nonsense:

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"I'm trying during this campaign to help to rebrand our party as the party of positive, happy, friendly, conservative leadership that's pro-growth, pro-free enterprise, pro-economic development. And that's really what we stand for."

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There's nothing pro-growth about starving Virginia's transportation program -- which is why the Virginia Chamber of Commerce understands the need for "dedicated, stable and permanent revenue sources" to fund transportation, even as McDonnell's party remains reflexively opposed to any solution involving tax increases.
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Sadly, McDonnell believes the state GOP's problems are about image, not substance -- and mainly a reflection of the failures of the national party. For instance, in Wednesday's Washington Post, state Republicans had the absolute gall to complain that Virginia was the last state to complete its application for highway funds from the federal stimulus package. "Of everything Virginia receives in its package, the one item that would stimulate the economy is the money for transportation," Sen. Ryan T. McDougle, R-Hanover, told The Post. "It's difficult to understand why we would not be moving faster."

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Really? Is it so difficult? Since he took office, Gov. Tim Kaine has been wrestling with the House GOP over funding for transportation. VDOT has had to slash billions of dollars in projects as its funding has, as predicted, dried up. . . . That McDonnell can look at a budget that has absorbed billions of dollars in cuts due to the recession and spout the same tired lines about government waste is incredible, and hardly a recipe for rebranding the state Republican Party. The people of Virginia seem to be catching on to the fact that, even in state government, you get what you pay for.

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The GOP in Virginia seems dead set to drag Virginia back into the 1950's or early 1960's while the rest of the nation struggles to move further on into the 21st century. Bob McDonnell's vision of Virginia and the reactionary agenda of the Republican Party of Virginia should be rejected by all thinking Virginians.

What Does Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and the DNC Have in Common with "Gay Rights" Groups? Not Our Interests.

This article is posted at Bilerico-DC and further elaborates on issues I discussed the the day with input from the Bilerico editorial staff. It has received a fair amount of traffic and comments. Take a look for yourself.

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With respect to the Michael Moore, case, an appeal has been filed with the Virginia Court of Appeals. As for whether Kaine or any of the LGBT organizations will show any interest in the matter is yet to be seen.

Tuesday Male Beauty

More Back Sliding by Obama on Repealing DADT?

Just last night I posted about the neo-nazi types and racists being recruited into the U.S. military - along with felons and gang members - even as the military discharges on average two LGBT members of the military for being gay. All in essence because of the religious based discrimination that is the real underlying reason for Don't Ask, Don't Tell. As John Aravosis discusses at AmericaBlog.Gay, in an interview with Anderson Cooper, President Obama seems to be signaling that he's about to throw LGBT Americans further under the bus. How so? He is now making noises that DADT is perhaps constitutional just as the Justice Department recently argued in the nefarious DOMA brief a few weeks back. Again, if one looks at the true reason behind DOMA and DADT it is religion plain and simple thus making a mockery of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Here are highlights from John's piece:

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In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, President Obama presented several new excuses today as to why he can't do anything on Don't Ask Don't Tell. He also seemed to again signal that he would be pushing to change, rather than repeal, Don't Ask Don't Tell:

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1) The Don't Ask Don't Tell policy is constitutional, and the president never disobeys a policy that's constitutional. Obama told Anderson: If Congress passes a law that is constitutionally valid, then it's not appropriate for the executive branch simply to say 'we will not enforce a law'. It is our duty to enforce laws. That is, unless he issues a signing statement, as he did the other day, giving notice that the has no intent to obey the constitutionally-valid law because he thinks - thinks - it's unconstitutional.

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Of course, the big news here is that Obama is now saying he thinks the military's discrimination and bigoted DADT policy is constitutional. You'll recall that in the anti-gay DOMA brief the president said that DOMA is constitutional. And while some said that the president had to say that, even if he didn't believe it, the president did not have to tell Anderson Cooper today that DADT was constitutional. Oh but there's more.

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2) President Obama specifically told Anderson Cooper that his stop-loss powers don't permit him to retain service members who are leaving the military under a constitutional policy. Neither Joe nor I have ever heard this excuse before, nor are we familiar with anything in the law enacting the Stop-Loss policy stating that Stop-Loss can not be invoked when a service member is being discharged under a policy that is constitutional. Today is the first time the administration seems to pulled this new excuse out of its hat.

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[T]he promise to repeal DADT was wiped out, but after much consternation from the community, finally came back as a promise to "change" DADT in a sensible manner. After much more consternation, the White House finally went back to the original language, to "repeal" DADT. Subsequently, the president and his top spokesman both suddenly started talking about "changing" DADT, rather than repealing it. The only exception was the White House gay cocktail held a few weeks ago to make amends for the anti-gay DOMA brief debacle.

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Sadly, it seems increasing that LGBT Americans cannot believe a word that Obama says now about all of his campaign "promises" that were used to secure our votes and money. Once again, the LGBT community needs to turn off the LGBT ATM machine until Obama and the Congressional Democrats deliver enacted pro-gay legislation. The time for promises has passed.

More Monday Male Beauty

Jackal and Hyena Like Opportunists Swarm Michael Jackson

I was never one of Michael Jackson's biggest fans, but I believe that he was an amazing musical talent. I also believe that he ought to be left to rest in peace - a peace he never achieved in life to no small degree due to the media and promoters who sought to make a quick buck off of him, caring nothing about the consequences. Some things apparently do not change even in death and now jackal and hyena like opportunists are swarming to make money yet again off of him regardless of how it disparages his memory or what impact it might have on his children. Among them is so-called biographer Ian Halperin who claims to have tracked down two of the Jackson's alleged male lovers. The UK's Sun has an example of the sleazy coverage that I fear we will see much more of. Here's a brief illustration:

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Biographer Ian Halperin claims to have tracked down two of the superstar’s alleged male lovers.
One, who Jacko was “madly in love” with, met him for liaisons at a grungy motel which was all the debt-ridden star could afford.

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Also in the book, Halperin says Jackson was known to slip out to a motel for gay sex in 2007 when he had moved to Las Vegas. He lived in an upmarket residential community called Palomino Lane and reportedly fell in love with a burly half-Asian in his early 20s. Halperin alleges: “He rarely left his residence, but when he did, according to one of Jackson’s closest confidants, it was to meet a boyfriend at a run-down motel.”

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Jackson was a musical phenomenon. His sexual orientation should be irrelevant - only his talent and performance mastery are what should count. I look forward to the day where cheap opportunists will not be able to make money off of maligning gays and those alleged to be gay.

Group Warns Congress of Racial Extremists Within Military

I mentioned a few days ago how the U.S. Military continues to expel gay and lesbian service members under Don't Ask, Don't Tell even while recruiting standards have been so lowered that felons, non-high school graduates and racists are regularly inducted into the armed services. Much to my surprise, the Virginian Pilot has a long article on the Southern Poverty Law Center 's request on Friday that Congress strengthen policies against racial extremists in uniform. Salon also had a good article last month entitled "Neo-Nazis are in the Army Now," which I recommend readers read in full as well. Here is a quote from the Salon story:

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Because of his tattoos and his racist comments, most of his buddies and his commanding officers were aware of his Nazism. "They all knew in my unit," he says. "They would always kid around and say, 'Hey, you're that skinhead!'" But no one sounded an alarm to higher-ups. "I would volunteer for all the hardest missions, and they were like, 'Let Fogarty go.' They didn't want to get rid of me." Fogarty left the Army in 2005 with an honorable discharge. He says he was asked to reenlist. He declined. He was sick of the system.

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The lax regulations have also opened the military's doors to neo-Nazis, white supremacists and gang members — with drastic consequences. Some neo-Nazis have been charged with crimes inside the military, and others have been linked to recruitment efforts for the white right.

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Carter F. Smith is a former military investigator who worked with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command from 2004 to 2006, when he helped to root out gang violence in troops. "When you need more soldiers, you lower the standards, whether you say so or not," he says. "The increase in gangs and extremists is an indicator of this." Military investigators may be concerned about white supremacists, he says. "But they have a war to fight, and they don't have incentive to slow down."

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This trend is a frightening prospect and it will take Congressional action since too many in senior military positions will not take the action needed to root out racists and Neo-Nazi members - even though they have no problem unleashing witch hunts for gays. I'm both surprised and please that the Virginian Pilot ran the story, although based on some the comments posted by readers, we have our share of white supremacists in this area. Here are highlights from the Pilot's article:

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"Evidence continues to mount that current Pentagon policies are inadequate to prevent racial extremists from joining and serving in the armed forces," Morris Dees, founder of the Montgomery, Ala.-based Southern Poverty Law Center, wrote to the heads of four congressional committees. "Because the presence of extremists in the armed forces is a serious threat to the safety of the American public, we believe Congressional action is warranted."

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Dees noted that center has recently found dozens of personal profiles of self-described military members on a neo-Nazi Web site. Many contain pictures of individuals in front of Nazi flags, some in military uniforms. The individuals don't use their real or full names on the site, and the center didn't try to determine who they were. Two men identified themselves as sailors on the white supremacist Internet forum New Saxon, Beirich said. One used the screen name "gunman88" - 88 being neo-Nazi shorthand for "Heil Hitler" - while the other went by "clarkpatrick88."

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One Navy officer the center wants to see banned from service is Lt. Cmdr. John Sharpe. Sharpe was a Norfolk-based public affairs officer aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in 2007 when a newspaper called attention to essays and books he had written and edited. Sharpe, who is Catholic, wrote numerous essays after the 9/11 attacks. In one, he contended that the real enemy is not Islamic extremism or al-Qaida, it is "mindless pluralism which moves toward a universal brotherhood of nations" in which "all the separate races and religions shall disappear."

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A Navy spokesman did not respond Friday to a request for comment on the letter.

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It goes almost without saying that these folks typically hold a severe prejudice against LBGT Americans as well as black, Jews, and other non-Christians

Monday Male Beauty

Does Tim Kaine Care Anything About Gay Rights?

I and others have written about the recent Virginia Court decision involving Michael Moore, a former resident of Martinsville, Virginia, who was forced to resign from the Virginia Museum of Natural History because he is gay. As Pam Spaulding notes, Virginia has no anti-discrimination law, just Governor Tim Kaine's (who is also the DNC chair) 2006 executive order. I became involved in the case because Moore literally could find no other attorney to assist him after calling over a dozen attorneys. While Lambda Legal had provided him with the names of "cooperating attorneys," it had no interest in getting involved in the case. Likewise, the ACLU and HRC had no interest in getting involved in the case at the outset of the case, an issue I will return to later. In the aftermath of the ruling of the Martinsville Circuit Court, Kaine's office made the following comments to the Washington Blade:

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Gordon Hickey, a Kaine spokesperson, said the governor “feels very strongly” about non-discrimination in the state workforce, but that the executive order would be enforced within the executive branch of government as opposed to the court system.“The executive order remains in place, and it will be enforced as an internal policy,” he said. “If anybody is found to have been fired or discriminated against based on sexual orientation, they can be dealt with through personnel procedures of the state.”

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The statement, of course bears no resemblance to what we witnessed even though Moore filed a complain in accordance with the state's personnel procedures. Indeed, Kaine's office wanted nothing to do with the matter and the subordinate agency that handled the "investigation" was utterly incompetent in my view and seemed more dedicated to protecting the offending state agency than protecting Moore as an employee under the Executive Order. In short, in my opinion, Kaine doesn't give a flip about LGBT issues except for posturing to gain LGBT votes and campaign contributions. I suspect that he signed Executive Order 1 (2006) to fulfill a promise to LGBT organizations in his effort to get elected as Governor. That he is now DNC chair ought to severely disturb LGBT Americans given his disinterest in enforcing his own Executive Order.

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The second issue that this case brings up is the utter lack of support that the majority of LGBT citizens receive from organizations that proclaim themselves to be the protectors of LGBT Americans. When initially contacted, HRC had no absolutely no interest in getting involved because it did not want to upset its "good relationship" with Mr. Kaine. Other than e-mailing me a couple of cases, Lambda Legal was likewise missing in action and only re-contacted me after the Circuit Court ruling. The ACLU was a Jonny come lately in the matter, but at least assisted on drafting the legal memorandum in support of Moore's appeal petition to the Circuit Court pursuant to the state's personnel procedures. The Task Force never responded whatsoever.

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Unfortunately, Moore's experience does not seem to be unique in terms of being left to his own devices when victimized by anti-gay discrimination and bigotry. As one of a small number of out gay attorneys in Virginia, I know as a fact that vast areas of the state have no gay or gay friendly attorneys to potentially take on cases on behalf of LGBT Virginians. I also believe that Virginia is not alone in terms of the lack of available counsel to take on LGBT related cases. Yes, Lambda Legal and the ACLU have limited resources and need to select cases carefully. But something truly needs to be done to provide legal resources to LGBT citizens in areas where there are no gay friendly attorneys or where would be counsel are intimidated against taking on LGBT clients in cases where gay rights are involved.

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Personally, I wonder whether than spending money to go to Washington, D.C., soirees and cocktail parties, perhaps HRC and NGLTF ought to allocate more of their funds to litigation support for LGBT plaintiffs where equality and due process issues are involved. They certainly need to be asking some hard questions to Tim Kaine who seems to have adopted Barack Obama's habit of making statements of support but not following through with meaningful action.

Separate Religion and Hate Based Politics?

In a refreshing approach, the Methodist Church of Great Britain has moved to restrict participation in the far-right British National Party, which limits its own membership to "Indigenous Caucasian" ethnic groups. Would that the Southern Baptist Convention and many of the white professional Christian set would do the same - but if they did, their congregations would likely be decimated. It seems that increasingly the most vocal "Christians" in the USA are most notable for who they condemn and who the hate. In short, they are the antithesis of the Gospel message. Here are some highlights from the Washington Post:
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The BNP, which opposes immigration and has claimed to be "defending Britain's Christian culture" against the "Islamification" of Britain, surprised and dismayed the political establishment by winning two seats in the European Parliament last week.

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The Party has been roundly condemned by leaders of the British Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church, the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the Church of England. In February, the Church of England voted to ban its clergy from BNP membership. Last week, Britian's Methodist Church voted to prohibit all BNP members from joining the church.

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"We must be clear that racism is a denial of the gospel. An openness to all people, regardless of nationality, is at the heart of Methodist identity," said Rev. Sylvester Deigh, whose motion to ban BNP members from joining the British Methodist Church was adopted Thursday by the church's annual conference. "This does not mean that people will be excluded from attending church -- God welcomes all, saints and sinners alike. But it does mean that members of racist political parties will not be able to become full members of the Church."

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Anglican priest John Wesley, who started the Methodist movement in England in the 1700s, defined a Methodist as "one that lives according to the method laid down in the Bible." Wesley and his fellow Methodists met weekly to hold each other accountable to gospel standards. That included feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and giving away each year all they had after providing for their own necessities.

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When one sees the millionaire prosperity gospel televangelists - who often disseminate hate towards certain groups - one cannot help but wonder how the message of the Gospels has become so perverted.