More Saturday Male Beauty

Spousal Abuse Around the World

I cannot help but wonder how much of these shocking statistics derive from patriarchal religious belief systems that subjugate women to men. It is very sad. Very sad, indeed.

Supporters Continuing to Lose Faith in Obama

Yesterday's New York Times included an op-ed by Bob Herbert that looked at the growing erosion of belief in Obama among those who vocally supported him and helped put him in office. I was such a supporter, but on LGBT issues, Obama has delivered nothing whatsoever. As for health care reform - which I believe is critical for most Americans, Obama seems to be pissing away a historic opportunity to reform the system so that only the wealthy are guaranteed the availability of coverage. Increasingly, employers are reducing plan coverage as costs soar and between the erosion of coverage and lost coverage for those now unemployed, it is nothing less than a national embarrassment. Here are some highlights from Herbert's column:

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The president may be sanguine, but the same cannot be said of the general public, including some of Mr. Obama’s most ardent supporters. The American people are worried sick over the economy, which may be sprouting green shoots from Ben Bernanke’s lofty perspective but not from the humble standpoint of the many millions who are unemployed, or those who are still working but barely able to pay their bills and hold onto their homes.
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This is the reality that underlies the anxiety over the president’s ragged effort to achieve health care reform. Forget the certifiables who are scrawling Hitler mustaches on pictures of the president. Many sane and intelligent people who voted for Mr. Obama and sincerely want him to succeed have legitimate concerns about the timing of this health reform initiative and the way it is unfolding.

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Men and women who once felt themselves to be securely rooted in the middle or upper middle classes are now struggling with pay cuts, job losses and home foreclosures — and they don’t feel, despite the rhetoric about the recession winding down, that their prospects are good. People worried about holding on to their standard of living need to be assured, unambiguously, that an expensive new government program is in their — and the country’s — best interest. They need to know exactly how the program will work, and they need to be confident that it’s affordable.

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It’s still early, but people are starting to lose faith in the president. I hear almost daily from men and women who voted enthusiastically for Mr. Obama but are feeling disappointed. They feel that the banks made out like bandits in the bailouts, and that the health care initiative could become a boondoggle. Their biggest worry is that Mr. Obama is soft, that he is unwilling or incapable of fighting hard enough to counter the forces responsible for the sorry state the country is in. People want more from Mr. Obama. They want him to be their champion. But they don’t feel that he is speaking to them in a language that they understand.

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As for claims that the economy is turning around, I have yet to see any sign of it in the Hampton Roads area - an area that is normally cushioned in a stormy economy by the huge military personnel presence and military related spending. One of today's local headlines was as follows: Personal Bankruptcy Filings Soar 42% Locally. Meanwhile foreclosures remain at near record highs. Obama and the Congressional Democrats need to act and regain the public confidence. If not, I predict a clean GOP sweep in Virginia's statewide races in November which will put far right extremists in the Governor's office and the office of Attorney General. Here's more on the bankruptcy story:

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Prompted by mounting job losses and cutbacks in work hours, more Hampton Roads residents are resorting to bankruptcy this year. Through July, the number of individuals seeking to wipe out all or most of their debt through a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing jumped 42 percent to 2,910, according to data compiled by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. That was up from 2,049 filings in the January-through-July period last year.

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While higher unemployment accounts for part of the increase in personal Chapter 7 filings, more workers in Hampton Roads are resorting to bankruptcy because their job hours have been cut back sharply, said Thomas B. Dickenson, a Norfolk bankruptcy lawyer.

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As the recession drags on, more out-of-work individuals have exhausted their savings and lack the access to credit, such as home equity lines of credit, that they once had, said Robert V. Roussos, a Norfolk bankruptcy lawyer. Roussos expressed surprise that the increase in personal bankruptcies through July wasn't higher. The 42 percent rise in personal Chapter 7 filings for Hampton Roads was less than a nationwide increase of 47 percent for the six months ended June 30, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute. . .

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People need to feel that Washington is doing something to change things for the better. That is not happening and time and opportunities are being squandered as Obama foolishly looks for bipartisanship that will never happen.

Judicial Bigotry - A Poison That Needs to End

I have written a number of times about the broken legal system that allows gays to be destroyed both financially and emotionally when they come out later in life after years of marriage. All too often the problem is due to judges who (1) allow attorneys for straight spouses to brutalize and gay bash the gay spouse and (2) say the end of the marriage is all the "fault" of the gay spouse - as if any of us asked to be gay in the first place. Even with the APA's newest report that labels "ex-gay" therapy as bogus, the religious persecution of gays by biased judges continues unabated in all too many cases. The irony in my own case is that had I been straight, I likely would have left my former wife earlier than I did - it was the closet and religious based guilt that kept me in a marriage where other than a source of money, I feel I was never really valued. As they say hindsight is 20/20.

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In response to this morning's post on yesterday's court hearing, I received a long and beautiful e-mail from a regular reader describing his own divorce nightmare. One of the things he mentioned was how when he first came out he signed a property separation agreement that basically took advantage of his emotional state and allowed the former wife to rape him financially. But for his guilt and distraught emotional state, he probably would not have "given away the store." I did pretty much the same thing early on in the process and only later did I realize how screwed I was getting. Not that any of it made a difference in my actual divorce proceeding - having tried to "do the right thing" counted for nothing. Those coming out should NOT quickly sign a inequitable separation agreement out of guilt - you have nothing to be guilty about. Here are some portions of the reader's e-mail which I am posting with his permission:

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In May of 2008 I was presented with a "Separation Agreement" which basically put all of our joint property on my wife's side of the ledger and left me with basically my 401(k), four IRA's and some land in Florida I had inherited from my parents. I signed it. Why? Well now as I look back (and with the help of a truly magnificent therapist . . . I was so consumed by guilt, by shame and by the fear that I was "destroying the family" and I would never see my daughter again (which has come partly true) that I really was in some sort of mental state that defies logic. . . . And yes, I am now involved in trying to rectify my stupidity with the help of my attorney. And all of this because I am gay and chose not to live a lie any longer.

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As for the legal shithole we call a system: had a status hearing a couple of weeks ago - oh and you think Norfolk is homophobic? My judge is a middle-aged African American woman, appointed by George Bush, and is married to a preacher with a church . . .

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Michael - there are times when I feel as if I want to just chuck it all - and I do go through periods of depression and there are times when I get so angry at our legal system, my wife and my daughter that I want to kill someone. But not myself. If for no other reason I know that I am now living MY life - not some fake existence that I have created in order to survive. I am very very much at home with who I am.

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I hope that others will learn something from my experience and that of this reader: it is NOT your fault that the marriage is ending. The fault actually lies with a f*cked up society where religious based homophobia - yes, it is based ultimately on religion first and foremost - forces individuals to try desperately to be something they are not through no fault of their own. The gay spouse is just as much a victim of this screwed up societal view as the straight spouse who plays the pitiful, suffering victim role to the hilt. The important thing for those coming out is to NOT buy into the guilt. It is easier said than done, but it is imperative that more gays coming out later in life accept the reality that they are NOT at fault.

Saturday Male Beauty

Conservatives Mull Future after ELCA Lifts Gay Ban

It amazes me how people can now easily ignore the passages in the Bible that support slavery, forbid divorce, justify the murder of women and children, yet that cannot get past the few passages that are used to justify homophobia - regardless of modern mental health knowledge about sexual orientation. In my view, these folks are like the Biblical Pharisees and to be blunt, hypocrites - particularly those who have divorced and remarried. In some cases, I surprised that these Neanderthals don't argue that the Sun still revolves around the earth. Already some of the "conservatives" in the ELCA are threatening to break with the national church after 68% of the voting delegates at the Churchwide Assembly approved dropping the ban on partner clergy in same sex relationships, thereby giving LGBT Lutherans full membership at long last in the Church. As I have argued before, in my view it is those with fragile faith that cling to ignorant, antiquated passages in the Bible in order to proclaim themselves better than others. Here are some highlights from the Virginian Pilot:

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Even though the Rev. Mark Chavez believes the leaders of his church made a decision in direct contradiction of the Bible by lifting a ban on sexually active, monogamous gays and lesbians as clergy, he said he's staying with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. . . . Chavez, of Landisville, Pa., is director of Lutheran CORE, a conservative group within the ELCA that fought the gay clergy policy. The group will hold a convention in Indianapolis in September to review its next steps, but Chavez said he thinks some ELCA clergy, congregations and individual members will walk away from the nation's largest Lutheran denomination.

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The change to gay clergy policy passed with the support of 68 percent of about 1,000 delegates at the ELCA's national assembly. It makes the group, with about 4.7 million members in the U.S., one of the largest U.S. Christian denominations yet to take a more gay-friendly stance.
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"I have seen these same-gender relationships function in the same way as heterosexual relationships - bringing joy and blessings as well as trials and hardships," the Rev. Leslie Williamson, associate pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Des Plaines, Ill., said during the hours of debate. "The same-gender couples I know live in love and faithfulness and are called to proclaim the word of God as are all of us."

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"This will cause an ever greater loss in members and finances. I can't believe the church I loved and served for 40 years can condone what God condemns," said the Rev. Richard Mahan, pastor at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Charleston, W.Va. "Nowhere in Scripture does it say homosexuality and same-sex marriage is acceptable to God. Instead, it says it is immoral and perverted." Mahan said he believed a majority of his congregation would want to now break away from the ELCA.

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Other leaders indicated they might leave as well. The Rev. Tim Housholder, pastor of St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Cottage Grove, Minn., described himself during the debate as a rostered ELCA pastor "at least for a few more hours."

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The Rev. Katrina Foster, pastor at Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church in The Bronx, N.Y., said Lutherans heard similar warnings about flouting Scripture when they made past changes that are now seen as successful - chiefly, the ordination of women. "We can learn not to define ourselves by negation," said Foster, a lesbian. "By not only saying what we are against, which always seems to be the same - against gay people. We should be against poverty. I wish we were as zealous about that."

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Rev. Foster has it right - these homophobes should stop living merely to condemn gays and start living the Gospel message to feed the hungry, cloth the poor and treat the sick.

End of the Line?

If this post is published, it will mean that I have either checked myself into a mental institution or had a fortuitous "accident." The last three and one half years have been a nightmare financial not to mention the divorce disaster. I have pretty much reached the point where I am to emotionally and mentally exhausted to keep swimming against the current and want to just stop struggling and let it carry me over the falls. In the event I resort to the latter course of action, I know that I will be failing my family, my children, the boyfriend and my readers - and for that, I am very sorry to let people down. I can only hope that someday they will understand what drove me to this point - and it is NOT being gay that was the cause - and hopefully the day will come when all citizens are treated equally and religious based bigotry doesn't cause some lives to be damaged and destroyed. As for the ex-wife, she will receive what she deserves - no money whatsoever.
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I cannot say how much blogging has meant to me since I seriously started this blog in April, 2007, and how much I have valued the friendships I have developed around the world. As for the boyfriend, my children and my family, I have left them all letters expressing my love and regret for things I might have done differently. If I cause them pain, I apologize and hope that one day they will understand. I especially apologize to my daughter Victoria, who has been so loyal and supportive of me, and the boyfriend without whom I would likely taken my life long before now.
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I hope that LGBT activist will keep up the good fight and that future generations will not be burdened with the hate, discrimination and abuse that some of us have known. I will leave the boyfriend the log-in information for this blog if I decide on the "permanent solution" so that he can continue the blog if he is so inclined. He is a sweetheart and I love him so much.

Arizona Pastor's Sermon Calls for Execution of Gays, Barney Frank and Barack Obama

The lunacy - and possibly illegal threats - from the Christianists and lunatic fringe elements of the GOP are increasingly off the charts and at times down right frightening. I cannot help but wonder whether it might not be appropriate for the Secret Service to stop by and pick up Pastor Steven Anderson (pictured at left) of Faithful Word Baptist for some questioning. Words often DO HAVE consequences and given how unhinged some of the far right elements have become, it is certainly within the realm of the possible that someone might act upon the dear Pastor's incitements. Pam's House Blend has some highlights:

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"The sodomites are recruiters and you know who they are after? Your children. They are being recruited by the sodomites. They are being molested by the sodomites. They recruit through rape, they recruit through molestation, they recruit through violation"

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"Our country is run by faggots. You know who was the man who was the architect of the bailout? His name is Barney Frank, he is a pedophile..." "That's who just sold our country into fascism. That's who just sold our corporations to the government. That's who sold out our country, a faggot!"

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Among other sin-filled people Anderson calls to be executed is the POTUS, for his stand on reproductive freedom. "God Hates Barack Obama, I hate Barack Obama. I hate Him. God wants me to Hate Barack Obama." "Someone who commits murder should get the death penalty."

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Take a good look - Anderson is the face of the gay hating Christianists and far right Republicans. It's not pretty and one of the reasons the younger generations have an increasingly negative view of Christianity. Anderson and those like him are Christians in name only and pervert the Gospel message.

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Jeremy Hooper at Good as You also has some relevant commentary on "Rev." Anderson:

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If you think this is bad, you should read some of his essays. The following is one of my favorite quotes so far: "If music without drums, syncopation, or a rock beat is acceptable music, then “Yesterday” by the Beatles would be suitable for a Christian. This song has no drums, syncopation, or rock n roll beat – so what’s wrong with it? It doesn’t talk about drugs, illicit behavior, or violence – so what’s wrong with it? What’s wrong with it is the source. It was written by God-hating communist devils. Rock n roll music was pioneered by ungodly sinners like Little Richard, a sodomite filthy animal, and Ray Charles, a heroin addict." I had no idea the Beatles were "God-hating Communist devils." I'll have to listen for Lenin references when I play Rubber Soul again. And I have to say, the Little Richard description is utterly charming.

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Oh, and as a side note... it shouldn't be surprising that this man has no formal education or seminary training. He believes that Bible college is evil--that's in another essay. How convenient!

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Pastor Anderson is a whack job to say the least and increasingly represents the mentality of what's left of the GOP. The more people like Anderson get exposure, the more people there will be flee from the GOP.

ELCA Assembly Opens Ministry to Partnered Gays and Lesbians

Wow!!!! I am happy and amazed that all four resolutions passed and that now gay and lesbian Lutherans will be truly full members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ("ECLA") which has followed the ranks of a number of its sister churches in granting gays and lesbians full membership in the Church, including as rostered clergy. Frankly, I was very afraid that the conservative elements would prevail and torpedo the effort to be inclusive of partnered gay clergy. I only hope that the Church will not see the hate and division experienced by the Episcopal Church based on outdated knowledge and bigotry of parishes aligning themselves under ractionary African Bishops. I can just image the foaming at the mouth and flying spittle that will be coming forth among the anti-gay professional Christian set. Here are some highlights from the ELCA website:

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The 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted today to open the ministry of the church to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers living in committed relationships. The action came by a vote of 559-451 at the highest legislative body of the 4.6 million member denomination. Earlier the assembly also approved a resolution committing the church to find ways for congregations that choose to do so to "recognize, support and hold publicly accountable life-long, monogamous, same gender relationships," though the resolution did not use the word "marriage." The actions here change the church's policy, which previously allowed gays and lesbians into the ordained ministry only if they remained celibate.

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But others said a greater acceptance of people who are gay and lesbian in the church was consistent with the Bible. Bishop Gary Wollersheim of the ELCA Northern Illinois Synod said, "It's a matter of justice, a matter of hospitality, it's what Jesus would have us do." Wollersheim said he had been strongly influenced by meetings with youth at youth leadership events in his synod, a regional unit of the ELCA. Some speakers contend that the actions taken here will alienate ELCA members and cause a drop in membership. But Allison Guttu of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod said, "I have seen congregations flourish while engaging these issues; I have seen congregations grow recognizing the gifts of gay and lesbian pastors."

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What I find of interest is that as I posted a while back, it is the denominations with the highest average level of education - i.e., the Episcopal Church and the ELCA - are the most gay accepting while those with the lowest levels of education - i.e., evangelical and Pentecostal denominations - are the most homophobic. This certainly suggests that homophobia and intellectually ignorance go hand in hand. I am very, very proud of the ELCA's bold and correct action.

More Friday Male Beauty

ELCA Churchwide Assembly - 4th Update

UPDATED: Only one resolutions remains to be voted on. The following tree resolutions have been passed in the affirmative:

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1. Step one asks the assembly whether, in principle, this church is committed to finding ways to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support and hold publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships.
2. Step two asks the assembly whether, in principle, this church is committed to finding a way for people in such publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as professional leaders of this church.
3. Step three asks this church whether, in the future implementation of these commitments, it will make decisions so that all in this church bear the burdens of the other, and respect the bound consciences of all.

The ELCA has taken the first steps to implement the social statement on human sexuality adopted earlier in the week by a two thirds vote. These first steps encourage:

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Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have been asked to implement the newly adopted social statement on human sexuality by continuing the study of sexuality, assist members to welcome people who are gay and lesbians, encourage comprehensive sex education programs in public schools, support the church’s work to combat HIV/AIDS and to take the “spirit of this statement” into all appropriate activities.

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The resolutions also asked the ELCA’s Board of Pensions to amend its benefit policies to bring them in line with the social statement, presumably to provide benefits for partners of ELCA employees who are in same-gender relationships.

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With respect to the issue of clergy in partnered same sex relationships, the ELCA Churchwide Assembly has also moved closer to approving partner clergy in committed same sex relationships with one more vote yet to go. Highlights on this issue to date are as follows:

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Voting members of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are in the middle of taking steps to make it possible for the Lutherans in same-gender relationships to serve as professional leaders in the denomination. . . . A majority vote is required to pass each of the four resolutions. With a 771-230 vote, the assembly amended and approved a resolution that states "that in the implementation of any resolutions on ministry policies, the ELCA commit itself to bear one another's burdens, love the neighbor, and respect the bound consciences of all." With a 619-402 vote, the assembly approved a second resolution that commits the ELCA "to finding ways to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support, and hold publicly accountably life-long, monogamous, same-gender relationships." Prior to considering the two resolutions, voting members defeated a "substitute" motion with a 344-670 vote to strike out all four resolutions and replace it with the following: "rostered leadership of this church who are homosexual in their self understanding are expected to abstain from homosexual sexual relations and practicing homosexual persons are precluded from rostered leadership in this church."

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During the afternoon plenary, voting members will consider the two remaining resolutions -- that the denomination find a way for Lutherans in same-sex relationships to serve as ordained ministers and other professional leadership roles in the church, and that the denomination consider a proposal for how it will exercise flexibility within existing structures and practices to allow for Lutherans in same-sex relations to be approved for professional service in the church.

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I continue to hope that the ELCA will do the right thing and approve both of the remaining resolutions.

Friday Male Beauty

Divorce Wars - Another Battle and the Role of Counsel

I will not be posting much on Friday - this post was written Thursday evening - since I have yet another post-divorce hearing where the former wife will seek to further harass me and make me produce another ream of financial information that documents the fact that I do not have the funds currently to pay her what she demands. Accepting financial reality was not a strong suit on her part during our marriage and apparently little has changed. Increasingly, however, I believe a significant source of the ongoing legal circus is the fault of her latest attorney who, in my opinion is milking the ex-wife for all she can in terms of fees and taking advantage of the ex-wife's apparent thirst for vengeance. An ethical attorney would not take matters aimed solely at harassment and unnecessary litigation just to make more in fees.

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I have been in the legal profession for over 32 years and in my opinion, the former wife's attorney is one of the most ethically challenged I have encountered. Based on her bar card number, she's relatively new to the profession and she lacks years of experience. Moreover, again in my opinion, she has no qualms lying to judges and misrepresenting facts or resorting to gay bashing - the reason why I now have a court reporter now at every hearing to keep her and homophobic judges more honest. She even seems to delight in making gratuitous snide comments and remarks aimed at me or my attorney - out of the ear shot of the judges, of course.

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It has been my experience - at least among the corporate and commercial law bar - that one's word and reputation for ethical conduct as an attorneys are as valuable as gold. Trust worthy attorneys can agree on issues and matters can be more expeditiously resolved without needless nastiness and litigation. In fact, I once had a large multi-million dollar deal close and fund on my mere verbal assurance that I would issue a particular opinion post closing that the tax-credit purchaser requested. Honesty and above board conduct are invaluable in working with other attorneys - something that the ex-wife's attorney has not, in my opinion yet learned. Perhaps she never will. The reality is that if one is labeled a liar and a snake the word gets out and that attorney's clients will ultimately suffer in the form of lost compromises and increased fees and costs.

Anti-Gay Conservatives: An Odd Silence on the Supposed Damage Gay Marriage Will Cause

The professional Christians and demagogues of the far right foam at the mouth and claim gay marriage will result in the end of Western civilization and or that a generalized a parade of horribles will follow -- the weakening of marriage as an institution being but one of them. This Neanderthals, however, never provide concrete examples of what the alleged damage would be. They allege that gay marriage will be the end of America, but somehow they never seem able to specifically describe the damage they predict. Indeed, the only thing that would happen is that their bigotry and feigned religious sensibilities might be offended and that children might learn that - God forbid - LGBT people exist. Something that the children will find out about anyways. Recently Steve Chapman at the Chicago Tribune wrote a column that looked at this phenomenon and challenged the homophobes to give concrete examples of how gay marriage damages Western civilization of heterosexual marriages. Here are some highlights:

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Opponents of same-sex marriage reject it on religious and moral grounds but also on practical ones. If we let homosexuals marry, they believe, a parade of horribles will follow . . . We're about to find out if they're right. Unlike most public policy debates, this one is the subject of a gigantic experiment, which should definitively answer whether same-sex marriage will have a broad, destructive social impact.Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire have all decided to let gays wed.

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But with the experiment looming, some opponents seem to be doubting their own convictions. I contacted three serious conservative thinkers who have written extensively about the dangers of allowing gay marriage and asked them to make simple, concrete predictions about measurable social indicators -- marriage rates, divorce, out-of-wedlock births, child poverty, you name it. . . .Yet none was prepared to forecast what would happen in same-sex marriage states versus other states.

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Maggie Gallagher, president of the Virginia-based Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, has declared that losing this battle "means losing American civilization." But she politely declined my invitation.

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What's equally striking is that when I made similar inquiries to people on the other side of the debate, I encountered no such reluctance. They forthrightly asserted that granting gays access to matrimony will have no discernible impact. "I wouldn't expect much effect on the social indicators that would be visible to the naked eye," said Jonathan Rauch, a researcher at the Brookings Institution in Washington and author of the 2004 book, "Gay Marriage: Why it is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America."

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In the case of Maggie Gallagher, she is making a VERY nice living off of anti-gay bigotry, paying herself what some have alleged is an excessive six figure salary, not to mention the fees she likely makes as a speaker at wingnut functions. Maggie refused to cite concrete adverse effects, to Steve Chapman but she certainly has had no problem pocketing the money that being a professional homophobe brings her. Of course, she is not alone in this regard - Tony Perkins, Peter LaBarbera and many others similarly make lucrative careers out of denigrating other citizens as they pat themselves on the back for their self-proclaimed piety.

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Now, Gallagher has apparently thought better of her refusal to respond to Chapman's challenge and has a post in the National Review where she lists five predictions as to what gay marriage will wreak on America. None of them look like they remotely threaten America's existence or heterosexual marriage to anyone who is not either unbalanced or in the anti-gay battle for the money it brings them. Here is Maggie's parade of horribles:

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1. In gay-marriage states, a large minority people committed to traditional notions of marriage will feel afraid to speak up for their views, lest they be punished in some way.
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2. Public schools will teach about gay marriage.

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Parents in public schools who object to gay marriage being taught to their children will be told with increasing public firmness that they don't belong in public schools and their views will not be accomodated in any way.
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Religous institutions will face new legal threats (especially soft litigation threats) that will cause some to close, or modify their missions, to avoid clashing with the government's official views of marriage (which will include the view that opponents are akin to racists for failing to see same-sex couples as married).

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Support for the idea "the ideal for a child is a married mother and father" will decline.

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Of course, Maggie has no data to back up her predictions. Rather, her lists only a set of talking points she and others like her utilize to try to generate irrational paranoia. I hate to be the one to tell her, but Maggie's views ARE akin to racism. Sexual orientation is NOT a choice any more than skin color, so anti-gay discrimination is on a par to racism in that regard (and don't forget that the Bible has passages that can be used to support racism and slavery). In fact, as one reads Gallagher's parade of horribles, the only real consequence of gay marriage will be that the CIVIL laws will no longer favor RELIGIOUS based discrimination against other citizens.

Thursday Male Beauty

Health Care Reform as A Moral/Religious Imperative

Given that most of the other developed nations of the world provide more or less universal health care coverage to their citizens through public and blended systems, it is striking that the USA which is generally considered far more religious than for instance nations in Western Europe, has to date failed to have a national plan to provide some form of universal coverage to all citizens. Even more ironic, some of the principle opponents to a national program or even meaningful reform are members of the GOP base which purports to be made up of Christians. How these alleged Christians reconcile their supposed belief in the Gospel message with their often selfish attitude of not wanting to pay for anyone's care or health care coverage is baffling. But then, in my opinion, many of these "Christians" within the GOP base are anything but true Christians and often treat others with less respect and charity than the most hard core atheist. James Wallis (pictured above) has a column in the Washington Post that looks at this huge disconnect. Here are some highlights:

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The soul of America is sick because our health insurance industry is sick. The creation of a better health care system that guarantees full access to affordable quality health care for every American family, all of God's children in this country, would be the moral achievement that could repair, and even heal, our damaged national soul. Health care is a deeply moral and religious issue. Here is why.

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Healing is central to all our religious traditions. It is at the heart of the vocation of people of faith. The stories of Jesus healing people in the Gospels, of restoring people to physical wholeness and full participation in their community, always signaled the Kingdom of God.

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In America, 46 million are uninsured, many more are underinsured. Many of them are working families who live in fear of getting sick or injured. Some delay seeking medical attention at the risk of their own health or using emergency room services instead of primary care physicians. An estimated 18,000 people a year die unnecessarily from lacking basic health insurance, many from low income families. These realities do not reflect a valuation of our neighbor as created in the image of God and that is why this is not just a political issue, it is a moral issue. . .

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What does that mean? It means that the faith community has a unique and important role to play -- to define and raise the moral issues right beneath the policy debate. . . . A good and moral society does not leave people out because they are poor.

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Our job, like the prophet Amos, is to call for "justice to roll down like waters;" it's the politician's job to work out the plumbing. We have the opportunity to speak for the interests of the common good and those who would not otherwise have a voice. And this time the religious community will be watching, praying, and acting, as the nation takes on the challenge of reforming our sick health-care system.

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Watching who opposes health care reform within Christian denominations and the far right will be very telling as to who the true Christians are as opposed to selfish hypocrites.

Is Obama Tough Enough? Perhaps Not

Robert Reich has a post on his blog that looks at the growing cynicism and disinterest among those who voted for Barack Obama for president. One of the big issues is that Obama seems unwilling to forcefully fight for programs and policies and allows the GOP spin machine to bulldoze its way over him and the Congressional Democrats with deliberate lies and untruths that go unchallenged. It is all very disheartening and I believe one of the main forces that is hurting the Democrat tickets in Virginia and New Jersey that face much watched elections in November. To date, despite a clear mandate for change, Obama and the Congressional Democrats have kissed the asses of GOP demagogues under the guise of "bipartisanship" and dilly dallied instead of enacting the legislation that they were elected to get passed. Watching it all is driving many Democrats - this one included - to disgust and a feeling that supporting Obama was a waste of time other than keeping Sarah "Bible Spice" Palin out of the office of the Vice presidency. Something needs to change and change quickly or else I see a major debacle for the Democrats shaping up in Virginia. Here are some highlights from Reich's post:

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Latest word from the White House is that the President still supports a public option but is also standing by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius's remark last weekend that a public insurance plan is "not the essential element" of health-care reform. So where, exactly, is the White House on the public option? Just about where it is on the question of whether it agreed with Big Pharma to bar Medicare from using its bargaining clout to get lower drug prices -- or didn't. In other words, we don't know.

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Universal health care is President Obama's biggest issue, and he needs strong public support if he's going to overcome the vested money interests in Washington. Which brings us to the question of where the people who voted for Obama stand on all this.

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My friend Sally also voted for Obama and still likes him, but she's increasingly upset about his policies. "He's giving away the store," she complains, pointing to his penchant for compromise. "He gave Wall Street $600 billion in bailouts and doesn't even want to regulate it, gave big polluters 85 percent of the cap-and-trade permits, and has promised the American Medical Association, Big Pharma, and private insurers whatever they want in return for their support of universal health care." Sally says she voted for Obama because he promised to change American politics, but she thinks corporate interests are more powerful than ever. Sally also doesn't see why Obama is so bent on bipartisanship.

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The widening gap between admiration for Obama and cynicism about his policies also reinforces passivity in Obama's base, which makes it even harder to advance a specific agenda. His presidential campaign strengthened the nation's political grass roots and spawned hope for a new era of public engagement, but Obama's reluctance to fight for any specifics is causing the base to lose interest. Neither the Freds who trust him nor the Sallies who have become cynical are motivated to do much of anything. But their activism is crucial. If it comes to a choice between trust and cynicism, America will never achieve lasting change.

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In my view, it looks increasingly likely that Obama and the Congressional Democrats are throwing away a perhaps once in a lifetime opportunity for systemic change - and if that happens, I believe the Democrats at booth the national and state levels will find themselves paying a huge price before it is all over.

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ELCA Churchwide Assembly - 3rd Update

Much to my excitement and pleasure, the ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted the proposed Statement on Human Sexuality by a two-thirds vote, thereby crushing the efforts of Neanderthal Biblical literalist who wanted the social statement to be rejected since it recognized the validity of committed, monogamous same sex relationships - even it reserved the term "marriage to heterosexual couples - and called upon the Church to support such gay relationships. The next major vote from the perspective of LGBT Lutherans and LGBT Christians will take place on Friday when the decision will be made as to whether partnered same sex clergy can be rostered as official ELCA clergy. Should the ELCA take this step, it will likely put further pressure on other churches with which the ELCA is in full communion to modernize their stances on partnered gay clergy. Here are a few highlights on today's vote:

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The 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust" with a vote of 676 (66.67 percent) to 338 (33.33 percent) on Aug. 19. The passing of the social statement on human sexuality required a two-thirds vote.

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With a 303 to 667 vote, voting members defeated an amendment to replace a section of the social statement about "lifelong monogamous same-gender relationships" -- a section that identifies the issues within the denomination about homosexuality, describing a range of widely articulated views. The proposed replacement language reflected the position of some in the church that believe the "practice of homosexual erotic behavior as contrary to God's intent."

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Speaking in favor of adoption of the statement, the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, bishop of the ELCA Northeastern Ohio Synod, said she hopes the assembly does not become "so narrowly focused on the issue of homosexual sexual behavior that we missed the point that we're speaking a clear word that needs to be heard by our culture," particularly on topics about co-habitation outside of marriage, sex as a commodity, child pornography and more. She said the church has high expectations for all Lutherans, especially for ELCA professional leaders.

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"I am very proud of this church," the Rev. Rebecca S. Larson, executive director, ELCA Church in Society, said at the news conference. "It is a time of diminished joy," she said. "We know there is suffering all around on this issue."
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Personally, as a member of the ELCA, I am very proud that so far the Churchwide Assembly has done what is right in terms of LGBT Lutherans and committed same sex couples in general. I will continue to hold my breath on Friday's vote. As I have argued with voting members from the Virginia Synod, unless and until partnered same sex clergy are allowed, LGBT Lutherans are being given a strong message that they and their relationships are inferior.

A Conservative’s Road to Same-Sex Marriage Advocacy

Today, to the dismay of a number of national gay rights organizations, Judge Vaughn R. Walker of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco denied the request of the "Our Family Coalition;" Lavender Seniors of the East Bay; and Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) to join Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the federal lawsuit challenging California's Proposition 8 as requested by the plaintiffs' counsel. Meanwhile, the Washington Post has a lengthy profile article on Ted Olson's conversion to a gay rights advocate. Based on a literal reading of the U. S. Constitution and a recognition that "one man and one women" marriage is NOT the all time universal standard the Christianists claim, the "conversion" of Olson and Boises is not hard to understand. Personally, I believe that their argument is right on point and should prevail provided the judges/justices set aside their own religious based prejudices. Here are some highlights from the WP article:

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[I]n a war room down the hall, where Mr. Olson is preparing for what he believes could be the most important case of his career, the binders stuffed with briefs, case law and notes offer a different take on a man many liberals love to hate. They are filled with arguments Mr. Olson hopes will lead to a Supreme Court decision with the potential to reshape the legal and social landscape along the lines of cases like Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade: the legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide.

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Practicing his opening argument recently, Mr. Olson declared that California’s ban is “utterly without justification” and stigmatizes gay men and lesbians as “second-class and unworthy.” “This case,” he said afterward, “could involve the rights and happiness and equal treatment of millions of people.”

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The lawsuit comes as societal views on same-sex marriage are rapidly evolving. Six states have now authorized gay couples to marry, and the politics of the issue increasingly defy convention. President Obama, for example, has said he opposes same-sex marriage, while former Vice President Dick Cheney, whose daughter is a lesbian, supports it.

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Even so, Mr. Olson’s involvement stands out. As one of the leading Supreme Court advocates of his generation, he commands wide respect in the legal community, and his views carry considerable weight with the justices, according to Steven G. Calabresi, a law professor at Northwestern University and a leader with Mr. Olson in the Federalist Society, a hothouse for conservative legal theory. “While some will think that this is an unpardonable error and rethink their views on Ted,” Mr. Calabresi said, “I think it will cause others to take a second look at the argument he is making.”

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Over dinner at a Capitol Hill restaurant, he argued that marriage was an essential component of happiness that gay couples had every right to enjoy, recalled David Frum, a conservative author and former Bush speechwriter. “I was really impressed and struck by how important the issue was to him,” Mr. Frum said. “The majority view at the table was on the other side, but his view was, ‘You have to make peace with this because it is sure to happen, and you will see it in your lifetime.’ ”

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Mr. Olson explained that voters cannot impose mandates that violate constitutionally protected rights. The lawsuit, filed in May, he asserted that Proposition 8 had done just that.

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Mr. Olson points to two more recent Supreme Court cases. The first is a 1996 decision in which six of the nine justices, citing equal protection grounds, struck down an amendment to the Colorado Constitution that stripped gay residents of existing civil rights protections. This, Mr. Olson argues, is similar to Proposition 8’s negating the California Supreme Court decision that recognized the rights of gay couples to marry.

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The second is the court’s 6-3 decision in Lawrence v. Texas, striking down laws criminalizing sodomy in 2003. Not only did the majority find that Texas had no rational basis to intrude into private sexual behavior protected by the Constitution’s due process clause, it also declared that gay men and lesbians should be free to enter into relationships in their homes and “still retain their dignity.”

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Given that the Lawrence case established gay sex as a protected right, Mr. Olson argues, the state must demonstrate that it has a rational basis for discriminating against a class of citizens simply for engaging in that behavior.
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He dismisses Mr. Cooper’s contention that the California ban is justified by that state’s interest in encouraging relationships that promote procreation and the raising of children by biological parents. If sexual orientation is not a choice — and Mr. Olson argues that it is not — then the ban is not going to encourage his clients to enter into heterosexual, child-producing marriages, he insists. Moreover, he says, California has waived the right to make that argument by recognizing domestic partnerships that bestow most benefits of marriage.

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Mr. Olson is confident. Paul Katami, one of the plaintiffs recruited for the lawsuit, recalled Mr. Olson’s words shortly before it was announced: “He put his arm around me and said, ‘We’re going to plan your wedding in a couple of years — this is going to happen.’ ”

Wednesday Male Beauty

ELCA Churchwide Assembly - 2nd Update

Debate has begun on the proposed Social Statement on Human Sexuality and as expected Neanderthal elements within the ELCA want the whole endeavor discarded and are retreating to their only real anti-gay argument: a few selected passages in the Bible. Employing this rational, of course, slavery is justifiable since slaves are told to obey their masters in the Bible and the slaughter of whole cities is cheered in portions of the Old Testament. Outdated bigotry and discrimination is easy to ignore when you are not the one who is being marginalized and stigmatized. Sadly, one representative from the Virginia Synod displayed the backward thinking that is all to common in the Commonwealth of Virginia where many continue to embrace a 19th century mindset regardless of advances in science and knowledge. I continue to hope that rational, modern thinking will prevail, but I am not holding my breath. In my experience, those who think themselves the most godly are frequently the worse when it comes to living the gospel message of loving others. Here are a few news highlights:

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Speakers opposing the social statement on human sexuality facing the Evangelical Church in America said they believed that endorsing the document would abandon the church’s reliance on the Bible and separate the Lutheran denomination from the majority of Christendom. But those favoring the document to be voted on later this week insisted that a greater acceptance of gays and lesbians in the church and its ministry is consistent with the command to care for one’s neighbor and to build trusting relationships. Comments made by the voting members of the churchwide assembly opened a one-hour discussion Aug. 18 on the proposed social statement on human sexuality to be considered later this week.

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Dr. Robert Benne, of the ELCA Virginia Synod said the whole project should be abandoned. “Call off the voting on the social statement on sexuality which will dramatically change our teaching on sexuality, from having teachings to having no teachings at all,” said Benne, the first of nearly 30 speakers to approach the microphones when the assembly met as a “committee of the whole” to discuss, but not formally amend the 10,000 word statement. Benne was one of several opponents contending that accepting gays and lesbians lacks biblical support. “This is God’s law and we cannot change it,” said Roy Gibbs of the Northwestern Ohio Synod. “Everyone of us here today knows what is right and what is wrong. Our father has written it on our hearts and on our minds.”

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Proponents of the statement say the clearly negative views of homosexuality do not deal with the kind of faithful, committed same sex relationships addressed in the proposed social statement. And referring to the statement’s concern for the exploitation of sexuality in society, McDivitt said the document “calls us to confront a demonic culture that destroys people and exploits the use of sexuality.” Y.T. Chiu described himself as a “former homophobe” who, encouraged by his pastor to look at the ELCA documents, changed his mind about the issue. “Change is good; being a rebel is not bad,” said Chiu, Northeastern Ohio Synod.

Ted Olson’s Supreme Court Adventure

The New York Times has a running commentary on the federal lawsuit filed by Ted Olson and David Boise seeking to have Proposition 8 struck down as violating of the U. S. Constitution. The basis of the running commentary is whether or not now is the time for such a lawsuit and whether or not there are the five (5) votes on the Supreme Court to prevail. Among those making comments are three law professors - not always the best authorities on real life issues - and Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry. Not surprisingly, the law professors are nay sayers and opine that now is not yet the time for such a lawsuit and basically counsel waiting - something that is easy to argue when you are not the one having your rights and equality abrogated. Evan Wolfson takes a pragmatic approach and acknowledges that there have already been successful constitutional argument based cases at the state level and that there ARE other marriage related cases in the lower federal courts. Therefore, the issue is focusing on how to win rather than wringing one's hands and telling other to wait patiently. Here are a few samplings of the arguments:

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Not Now - Eugene Volokh is a professor of law at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. He is the founder and co-author of The Volokh Conspiracy blog.

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Is it sensible for gay rights advocates to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to recognize, in the next few years, a federal constitutional right to same-sex marriage?

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I doubt it, because I doubt five justices will agree with the claim. Some justices — probably at least four and maybe five — probably think the opposite-sex-only marriage rules are clearly constitutional, because nothing in the constitutional text or our nation’s traditions prohibits such rules. And even some of the justices who might be open to a different view are unlikely to want to invalidate the laws of more than 40 states.

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How to Make the Timing Right - Evan Wolfson is executive director of Freedom to Marry, and author of “Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People’s Right to Marry.”

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If the question is “Should the Supreme Court strike down the cruel and discriminatory exclusion of committed same-sex couples from marriage, an exclusion that serves no legitimate government interest?,” the answer is yes — and as soon as possible for couples who are doing the work of marriage in their day-to-day lives and who share an equal need for the protections and responsibilities marriage brings.

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The reality is, there are several freedom to marry cases already making their way through the courts, in addition to the case against Proposition 8 brought by Ted Olson, and his adversary in Bush v. Gore, David Boies. These include the challenge to the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act” brought by married couples represented by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), which won the Massachusetts and Connecticut freedom to marry cases. The Attorney General of Massachusetts also filed a suit on behalf of the state’s interest in not being forced to discriminate against its own married couples.

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So in that sense, the question, “Is this the right time?” is no longer pertinent. The more important question is, “How can we assure that when a case reaches the Supreme Court, the court is ready to do right?”

Local Story on Rise of Hate Groups

I have written about the rise of hate groups and also anti-Semitic vandalism in this area previously. Now one of the local television stations has opened its eyes to the phenomenon - which is a timely story in as much as there are several local hate groups, including one mentioned in Virgina Beach. local expert at Old Dominion University pin points the motivation for joining a hate group -fear and the desire to feel that one is better than others. It is always easier to condemn and hate those who are different than build one's self esteem in more constructive ways. Here are some story highlights:

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A new study indicates the election of the first black president has spurred hate-groups within the U.S.It suggests hate groups are stronger than ever - up more than 50 percent since 2000. Doctor Lou Lombardo at ODU is an expert on criminology and cycles of hate."You have an African American president, you just had a Hispanic supreme court justice…We also have a sense of the policies that might be coming, and I think that's fuel for a lot of people.

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"The fuel Lombardo says is fear. One reaction to it: heated conversations turning to shouting and fist-fights at forums on President Obama's health-care plan. Fear inciting violence, according to Lombardo.Gay rights are another point of contention, along with gun control. Subjects, experts say, that are continually used to inspire fear and potentially violence by hate groups.

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"One thing violence does is that it provides a collective identity. Not a positive one, but it appeals to - 'I'm not the other person, I'm not the Jew, I'm not the Hispanic, I'm not the gay person, I'm not Catholic... I'm better." The groups are growing and also doing more traveling. The white supremacists that vandalized a Norfolk synagogue were based in Oregon. Those newsletters in Isle of Wight, printed in Missouri. But how about hate groups here?So far intelligence groups link at least 30-known hate groups to North Carolina, with another 26 in Virginia, including an underground skin-head group out of Virginia Beach.

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