More Saturday Male Beauty

Irish Sex Abuse Victims Ask Church for $1.37 billion

The Catholic Church's latest sexual abuse scandals look like they may be about to take a large financial toll - Irish sex abuse victims alone are seeking over $1 billion in damages from the Church. And as has been shown time and time again, nothing is more important to the Church than power and money. Indeed, huge monetary damages seem to be the only thing that gets the attention of the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI has recently disngenuously decried the sexual abuse of minors, even though he was long in a position to stop it yet for decades he did nothing. Indeed, both he and his predecessor, John Paul II, knew of the abuse crisis and both apparently did nothing. These men and the rest of the Church hierarchy cared nothing for state criminal statutes against the sexual abuse of minors and even less for the ruined lives of victims. I still cannot grasp how anyone could be so callous and uncaring. Meanwhile, these same morally bankrupt clerics condemn normal gays who seek to live their lives as God made them. Here are some highlights from BeliefNet:

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VATICAN CITY (RNS) Irish victims of clerical sex abuse have asked Pope Benedict XVI for over $1.37 billion in compensation, in a letter that the head of Ireland's Catholic Church will hand-deliver to the pope next week. Cardinal Sean Brady received the letter from representatives of sex abuse victims on Monday (Feb. 8), according to a report in the Irish Independent.
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The letter also requests a meeting with Benedict during his forthcoming visit to Britain, expected to take place in September. Bishop John McAreavey of Dromore said the pope will receive the letter when he meets with Irish bishops next Monday and Tuesday, reportedly to discuss last November's Murphy Commission report. That report traced a pattern of clerical physical and sexual abuse over three decades, from 1975-2004, which had been covered up by the Archdiocese of Dublin. . . .Four Irish bishops have already resigned as a consequence of the Murphy Commission's revelations.
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If anyone is "inherently disordered" it would seem to be Benedict XVI and the other bitter old queens amongst the Church hierarchy. I believe I speak for most gays when I say we'd never countenance such vile abuse of children and youth.

Obama and Democrats Losing Youth Vote Too?

To anyone reading this blog it is apparent that I more or less lost all faith in President Obama and the Congressional Democrats to deliver on their campaign promises to LGBT Americans. Hence my support of the "Don't Ask, Don't Give" campaign. But increasingly it looks like gays are hardly alone in feeling that they were lied to and given false promises. Indeed, the Obama administration's across the board failure to deliver is driving away the youth vote according to a new Newsweek story. It is hard to believe that Obama and Congressional Democrats have turned what had looked like a golden opportunity for real change and utterly botched things up on nearly every front. The spinelessness and disingenuousness has been truly stunning. Obviously, if the Democrats do not do something startling pretty soon, the election debacle that occurred in Virginia last November could well be the preview of a well deserved disaster for the Democrats in November 2010. People need a reason to get involved and vote other than the mere fact that the Dems are not the GOP. Here are some highlights from the Newsweek article:
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Here's something that should make David Axelrod nervous: there are probably more Yankees fans in Massachusetts than there are young people who voted in the Massachusetts Senate special election, which cost the Democrats their filibuster-proof supermajority. Just 15 percent of eligible voters under age 30 participated. The numbers were similarly dismal during two other Republican electoral victories from last fall. In the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races, just 17 and 19 percent of potential young voters participated, respectively.
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This wasn't just a fluke trifecta of uninspiring elections. It is, rather, part of a nationwide trend toward apathy among Americans under 30. Harvard's Institute of Politics (IOP), which regularly polls young people on political issues, found last fall that just 24 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds said that they were "politically engaged or politically active," a 19-point drop from a year earlier.
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Young voters, after all, turned out in record numbers for the 2008 election, and if they hadn't, Obama might not be in the White House. But if Democrats don't pass health-care reform, youth turnout may plummet.
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[A] compelling reason to pass health-care reform is being ignored by the party bosses: it could forestall a devastating migration of young voters away from the party and back into political apathy.
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Young Americans are uniquely affected by the nation's broken health-care system. The Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that aims to improve health care, found in a report released in December that nearly half of all young adults between 19 and 29 said they were uninsured at some time during the past year. . . . young people remain the group that supports health-care reform at the highest rates. When the Commonwealth Fund asked young respondents whether it was important for Congress and the president to improve the health-care system, 88 percent said yes.
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[Y]oung voters were awestruck by Obama because he was a once-in-a-lifetime candidate who they thought would act on their behalf, not merely because he was a Democrat. If the Democrats drop health care, there will be an entire generation of young voters unable to point to a single major legislative accomplishment from the party during their lifetime. And as far they will be concerned, when it came time for the Democrats to act on an issue that was particularly important to them, they folded.
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"I speculate that a lot of [young people] will think if the Democrats drop the [health-care] bill, that there really isn't any point to engaging through national politics," says Peter Levine, director of CIRCLE, a Tufts University–based organization that studies youth political engagement.
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I truly wonder at times why the Democrats and Obama cannot see that they may well be committing political suicide if they continue their spineless capitulation to the GOP and special interest groups.

Saturday Male Beauty

Euro Parliament Reaffirms Gay Rights Are Condition to Join the European Union

It is a truly sad commentary on the United States - or the state of Virginia for that matter - that it would not qualify for admission to the European Union because of its failure to have laws that adequately protect its gay citizens from discrimination and bigotry. As UKGayNews reports, non-discrimination protections are "non-negotiable" in the view of the European Parliament. Would that the USA recognized its LGBT citizens as fully human in the same manner and disallowed religious based discrimination in the civil laws. The religious freedom and liberty promised by the U. S. Constitution increasingly are demonstrated to be empty promises for this nations LGBT citizens who continue to suffer from government sanctioned discrimination. Indeed, in North America the real land of the free appears to be Canada, not the USA. Here are some story highlights:

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February 10, 2010 – The European Parliament today confirmed that candidate countries wishing to join the European Union have to provide genuine protection to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender minorities. Confirmation came as the parliament adopted reports on the accession to the EU for Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey. The three candidate countries were reminded that the protection of all minorities is a non-negotiable condition to access the European Union.
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”Minorities must be protected from discrimination as laid out in Article 19 of the Treaty—and that includes sexual orientation,” he said. “This is not an à la carte menu: it is at the core of the European Union, and we will be rigorous in its application.” The report on Croatia conveys the European Parliament’s concern about the 2009 de facto ban on Zagreb Pride, and calls on the government to effectively implement and enforce protection against discrimination.

St. John Lutheran Church Votes to Leave ELCA - Additional Thoughts

I have written twice before (most recently here) about the decision of St. John Lutheran Church in Roanoke, Virginia, to leave the ELCA. Among other things, my remarks included my suspicions - based on quoted statements of the pastor and assistant pastor - that the pastors might have led the charge for the parish to take the drastic action it took. In fact, I referenced the associate pastor, Elijah Mwitanti's African background (he is a native of Zambia and in his own words submitted to God's voice of salvation at age 15) which apparently ticked off an anonymous reader. This commenter implied that I, not the homophobes at St. John's, was the one who is bigoted because I had mentioned Africa. The sad truth is that something horrible is going on in East Africa where alleged Christian clergy are whipping up an atmosphere that encourages genocide against LGBT individuals. If Pastor Mwitanti's comments sound identical to some of the statements being heard in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and other East African countries, the fault lies with Pastor Mwitanti, not this writer who merely calls a spade a spade. Personally, I find it very disturbing that the poison swirling around East Africa is being imported to the USA by clergy like Mwitanti. Just today, the Nation has carried a story about gays having to be saved from a mob that sought to physically harm them. Here are some highlights:

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Police intervened as dozens of Christian and Muslim youth stormed the apartment where three men — including the gay couple — had been putting up, intent on flushing them out to stop the wedding. They arrested five suspected homosexuals, including two who were rescued from youths baying for their blood but the local police chief later said no charges would be preferred.
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“I sent Mtwapa OCS to rescue them from angry residents baying for their blood because they were trying to conduct that marriage between men,” said Kilifi police chief Grace Kakai. The wedding between two men had been scheduled to take place at a private villa. But the protesting youth, banded together under the banner of the so-called Operation Gays Out, were not done yet.
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They went to the Kenya Medical Research Institute at Mtwapa claiming the institute was harbouring yet another gay man. The local station commander and a contingent of police officers calmed the angry youth who were preparing to storm the institute. Guards at Kemri refused to open the gate, fearing for their lives.
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Women who were among protesting locals, yelled at the top of their voices and called for an operation to flush out lesbians also claimed to be living among locals. “God created men to provide sexual pleasure to us (women). What will happen now that they have turned to each other? Who will marry our daughters,” shouted a woman. A frightened Kemri employee told reporters that the centre was conducting an international science research project but she declined to elaborate.
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Rueters has some additional coverage here. If this violent homophobia is what break away Lutheran and Episcopal parishes want to align themselves with, obviously the choice is theirs. It is likewise my prerogative to call them out for their sick, un-Christian mindset and behavior.

Who Are the Opponents of Gay Marriage?

According to a new ABC News/WaPo poll results shown above, the answer is Republicans, Southerners and those over 65 years of age. The good news is that a whopping 65% of the under 29 age group support gay marriage. As a result, expect even more hysteria form the professional Christian set who are ultimately doomed to lose this battle as the aging homophobes die off. While I am impatient for full equality, it is nice to know that side is on our side in the long run.

Friday Male Beauty

Photo from Gay Body Blog

State's Gay Workers Deserve Employment Protection

Earlier in the week I spoke of my disgust with the action by a Virginia House of Delegates committee that killed a bill that would have protected gay state employees from being fired because of their sexual orientation. The bill had previously been passed by the Virginia Senate. Sadly, the GOP controlled House of Delegates frequently acts as little more than the legislative arm of Daddy Dobson's Virginia affiliate, The Family Foundation, that seeks to impose its "Biblical world view" on all Virginians whether they like it or not. In the process, the Virginia General Assembly makes a mockery of Thomas Jefferson's Statute for Religious Freedom which remains an oft ignored portion of the Code of Virginia. The Virginian Pilot - frequently not the most liberal of newspapers - has come out with a editorial decrying the action of the House of Delegates. Here are some highlights:

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If you knew the driver of the snowplow that cleared your street two weeks ago was gay, would you shoo him away the next time a winter storm hit Hampton Roads? If your car broke down on the interstate and a state trooper stopped to help, would her sexual orientation be important?
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Those questions seem ridiculous to most people. The nation is still grappling with questions about same-sex marriage and gays in the military, but there is broad support for granting workers protections against employment discrimination based on their sexual orientation. A 2008 Gallup poll showed nine out of 10 Americans believe gays deserve equal rights for job opportunities. A Virginia poll that same year produced identical results.
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After coming to work each day for eight years knowing that they were guaranteed equal treatment in hiring and promotion decisions, gay state workers are now left to wonder and worry about their careers.
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The state Senate did its part to rectify that wrong on Monday when members approved a bill that would formally ban bias based on sexual orientation in the state work force.
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Only one Republican senator supported the measure. "It's just a matter of fairness," said Suffolk's Fred Quayle. "I don't think most people do discriminate, and I don't know why anyone would hesitate to say that." Quayle is a quiet, unpretentious lawmaker who works diligently to represent all of his constituents. He understands this is an issue of fundamental decency. Sadly, that insight is in short supply in the House of Delegates, which killed a similar measure Tuesday.
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McDonnell should publicly and unequivocally ask House leaders to pass this legislation. If they refuse, McDonnell should sign the same executive order penned by his predecessors.

McDonnell is no longer one of 100 delegates waiting for instructions from their leaders. He is the governor - the person with the state's loudest megaphone and the face of its conscience. State workers are waiting for reassurance from their chief executive. They deserve no less.
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McDonnell claims to oppose discrimination of any kind, yet as Attorney General his office did all in its power to defend the Virginia Museum of Natural History which fired Michael Moore because he is gay. With all due respect, Mr. McDonnell is a liar. I know first hand because I'm Michael Moore's attorney.

Don’t Ask…Ahh…Too Late.

Being a blogger, it is amazing at time who may contact you out of the blue. Yesterday I received an e-mail from the publicity team for the U.S. Olympic Team seeking to have me write about the Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympic games (something I was going to do anyway). Then I received an e-mail from war veteran Michael Anthony, author of the book Mass Casualties, that looks at the Iraq War from a soldier's perspective, submitting a guest post request concerning DADT. It's enlightening for many, I suspect, but in other ways confirms what those of us with gay friends in the military have known at various levels for some time now. Here is Michael's guest post:
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My name is Michael Anthony, I am an Iraq war veteran and having spent six years in the Army, at the age of twenty-three, I have spent more than a quarter of my life in service to this country. I have four older brothers and an older sister, all of whom have been in the military: Air Force, Marines and Army. My father and both my grandfathers were in the military.
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Hailing originally for a small sheltered town just south of Boston Massachusetts, I say this in all earnestness: the only gay people I know have all been in the military. This is not a joke or some talking point, it’s literal. Generals, Commanders and Civilians can talk all they want, but the fact of the matter is, the only gay friends I've had have all been in the military, in fact, my only experience of gay people(outside of the military) is when I once watched and episode of the TV show Will and Grace (it was kind of funny).
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For the policy known as DADT, there is one thing people often forget. People forget that the policy doesn’t preclude gay people from entering the military it just precludes them from talking about their homosexuality. In short, someone can be gay in the military; they just can’t talk about being gay in the military.
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If people are already in the military and gay—from my former unit alone I know close to a dozen—what is it that people are afraid will happen with the repeal of DADT? Are people afraid that the day after DADT is rescinded; gay soldiers are going to walk in wearing a feather boa and buttless fatigues? The uniform policy will still be in effect so we can cross that option out. Are people afraid that it’s going to hurt troop morale? The Military suicide rate is at a thirty year high having consistently risen for the past five years, with eighteen veterans killing themselves everyday (according to the VA) so it seems like it can’t get any worse.
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With everything said, there is a negative aspect to repealing DADT. Having been in the military all my adult years, my peer group is filled with Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. Several of these war veterans having done two or three tours, have sworn that they will never go back to Iraq or Afghanistan. Upon further questioning on how they plan to get out deployment if called, their answer is simple: “don’t ask, don’t tell,” expounding further, they say that if they’re called up, they will simply kiss a member of the same sex—in front of their commander. So how is repealing DADT going to affect the military? The answer is simple…my friends who jokingly suggested using DADT as a way to get out of a deployment are now stuck going to Iraq or Afghanistan.
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And please don’t even get me started on the escapades that go on overseas. But hey, what happens in Iraq stays in Iraq…ahh not quite.
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[Bio] Michael Anthony is the author of MASS CASUALTIES: A Young Medic’s True Story of Death, Deception and Dishonor in Iraq (Adams Media, October 2009). The book is drawn from the personal journals of Anthony during the 1st year he spent serving in Iraq. It is a non-partisan look at some of the escapades that go on behind the scenes in Iraq.

Hispanic Chamber Business After Hours Event

On Tuesday, February 16, 2010, my office will be hosting the monthly Business After Hours networking event for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Hampton Roads. Like the LGBT community, the Hispanic community is often overlooked in the Hampton Roads area and the event is a great way to get your business introduced to this dynamic sector of the larger community or meet potential employers. Details on the event are set out below. I hope local readers will consider attending.

Tuesday, February 16TH
7pm – 9pm
MICHAEL B. HAMAR, PC

520 WEST 21ST STREET, SUITE J

NORFOLK, VA 23517

http://www.hamarlaw.com/

No RSVP Necessary *****Open to All Businesses

Contact: Gloria Day, BAH Coordinator at 851-1850 for more information

$5.00 Members and $7 Non-members

Bring your business cards for networking and any door-prizes you may wish to donate to promote your business.

Find out about the Hispanic Chamber
Exchange business cards and network with other businesses
Promote your business with Chamber members
Sell your products/services to other businesses
Find new employees or new business

Thursday Male Beauty

Can A Gay Judge Strike Down Gay Marriage Bans?

Those on the far right are having apoplexy (e.g., Catholic Online has a piece penned by the loons at Liberty Counsel)following reports that Judge Vaughn Walker (at right) presiding over the federal Proposition 8 trial might - my heavens - be gay. Gays apparently are viewed as being incapable of being unbiased, even though religious nuts like Antonin Scalia are deemed impartial. I'm sorry, but if Walker needs to recuse himself, then the precedent would cause chaos in the judicial system as a judge's beliefs/background make him or her incapable of handing out a fair decision. Indeed, I ought to get a new trial in' my divorce if Walker must recuse himself - didn't I deserve a judge who wasn't a conservative Catholic who believes being gay is a choice? Walker's opponents truly need to think long and hard at what they could be unleashing if they keep up their calls. Since the majority of Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are Catholics, are they all disqualified to hear cases involving the Catholic Church or religious issues in general? They are if the reasoning now being applied to Walker is utilized consistently. Ruth Marcus has a column in the Washington Post that looks at why Walker should NOT recuse himself. Here are some highlights:

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You're seeing a lot of question marks so far because this one is more difficult than it first appears. My instant reaction was that Walker ought to be free to hear the case. That remains my bottom line, but not without some squirming. No one would question an African-American judge's capacity to preside over a race discrimination lawsuit or a female jurist's handling of a sexual harassment case. In the Proposition 8 matter, a straight judge would bring his own preconceptions to the courtroom, and no one would challenge his impartiality.
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But I've argued against the notion of judges as impartial umpires mechanically calling balls and strikes, as Chief Justice John Roberts memorably put it. In many cases, a judge's background and life experiences inevitably come into play, especially in deciding the meaning of the grand phrases of the Constitution.
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So when Walker considers claims that the ban on same-sex marriage violates the constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process of law, it's hard to imagine that his sexuality, if he is gay, does not influence his decision-making -- just as the experience of having gay friends or relatives would affect a straight judge. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr., who cast the deciding vote in favor of upholding Georgia's criminal ban on gay sex, famously told his colleagues, including a gay clerk, that he had never met a homosexual.
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Walker was randomly assigned to hear the Proposition 8 case. In uncomfortable circumstances, he made the right choice to remain. The alternative would invite too many challenges to judicial fairness -- Jewish judges hearing cases about Christmas displays, or judges who once represented unions or management presiding over labor disputes.
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In this case, I hope the plaintiffs win and that Walker rules that the same-sex marriage ban violates their constitutional rights. At the same time, I've got to acknowledge: If I were on the side supporting the ban and found it struck down by a supposedly gay judge, I'd have some questions about whether the judicial deck had been stacked from the start.
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The irony is that it is typically LGBT litigants who have the judicial deck stacked against them - often due to the efforts of folks at organizations like Liberty Counsel and their supporters. Perhaps it is a bit of Divine justice that the homophobes get a taste of their own medicine. Let them wonder for a change whether or not they got a fair shake.

Don't Ask Don't Tell Has Always Been Wrong

Leonard Pitts who writes for the Miami Herald has a column in the Seattle Times that goes to the heart of why Don't Ask, Don't Tell needs to be repealed - the policy has always been wrong and discriminatory and whether they like it or not, someday its proponents will take their place in history with pro-slavery forces and the segregationists sixty years ago as hateful bigots. The exact form of the hate and discrimination may have differed - and been justified on religious belief just like slavery and segregation - but it boils down to the same thing in the final analysis. Thus, it's amazing that institutions like the Catholic Church - which over the centuries has been wrong so many times - and other denominations care nothing for the legacy that they will have created for themselves. In his column, Pitts looks at this phenomenon. Here are some highlights:
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We already know where this is going. For some of us, the knowledge is hateful, for others, hopeful. Yet the inevitable arc of it is clear: Maybe it will be 10 years, maybe 20, but we can now envision a day when the last legal restrictions against gay men and lesbians will be struck away.
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A future is coming in which they will be fully protected from discrimination in housing and employment, free to fall in love and tell it to the judge, to make end-of-life decisions for their partners, to adopt children. And we will look back, vaguely amazed, that such things were ever in controversy, that there was ever a time sexual orientation was used to deny basic rights and privileges. The latest giant step in that direction was taken last week in a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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There is always someone who fights a rear-guard action against progress, and if he is still around to see how his words play in the history books 20 years from now, it will be entertaining to hear how McCain explains himself. That said, one's satisfaction in knowing the military is poised to end its sexual segregation must balance against the frustration of how long it took to get here. After all, the basic architecture of this issue has not changed since 1993.
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Gay people haven't changed. Service hasn't changed. No, what has changed is us. We watched "Will & Grace," we made gay friends, we found some measure of the acceptance that had always eluded us.
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But if it is wrong now to deny a man the right to serve because he is gay, that means it was wrong then. If it is a foolish waste of resources now to kick a woman out because she is a lesbian, that means it was a foolish waste then. If "don't ask, don't tell" is a cowardly compromise with hysteria and homophobia now, then it always was.
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So one's satisfaction in this inevitable march of progress is tempered by a recognition of how many careers and futures were needlessly broken along the way. We know where this is going, but that doesn't mitigate vexation at the fact that we could have been there long ago but for stupid intransigence and fear.

More Wednesday Male Beauty

1967 CBS Reports: The Homosexuals

I graduated from high school in 1970 in at the time conservative Central New York. In addition to the area's general conservatism and my Roman Catholic indoctrination, being gay was not something that was even capable of being considered by those of us now finding ourselves coming out in mid to later life (remember, being gay was classified as a mental illness until 1973). Reinforcing such self-denial of the truth was the general anti-gay rhetoric one saw in the media - assuming gays were depicted at al. The Advocate and other blogs are reporting on a 1967 CBS Reports special on "The Homosexuals" which is not only homophobic but sounds as if it was written by James Dobson at Focus on the Family. Indeed, one of the "experts" CBS consulted was the now discredited Charles Socarides who was affiliated with NARTH. The Advocate article that looks at the homophobic depiction of gays citizens - a depiction that the Christianists still endeavor to paint us with. The younger generation needs to watch this video to get a sense of what so many of us older gays were faced with and why so many of us tried to conform to societal expectations - assuming we could even admit to ourselves that we were indeed gay. Here are some highlights:
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The Homosexuals first aired on Tuesday, March 7, 1967, at 10 p.m. I was 2 years old then, so I didn’t catch it. In fact, it would be another 10 years or so before I ever even knew there was such a thing as a homosexual. My dad talked about “fruits” from time to time, but it never made much sense; I assumed that it had something to do with ladylike men who wanted to kiss my father against his will. Then they ate pineapple. Something like that. It was the most exotic fruit I could think of in first grade.

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I remember being shocked that network television — at a time when there were only three major networks — could have aired something so creepy and gross all the way back in 1967. Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes (who I’m sure thinks it’s all pretty embarrassing now) hosted the special, all about the “problem” of homosexuality, and over 45 minutes he detailed how it was growing and spreading like a cancer across the country.

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Some quotes, some from Wallace, some from clergy and other “experts” on the subject:

“They frequent their own bars ... where they can act out…”
“The average homosexual isn’t capable of love.”
“Homosexuality is, in fact, a mental illness.”
“The church has a great deal of sympathy for those who are handicapped in this way.”
[Being a homosexual] automatically rules out that [the man in question] will remain happy.”
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The men (no mention of lesbians is ever made) who aren’t on camera as representatives of fledgling gay rights groups at the time, like the Mattachine Society, are interviewed in shadow or behind plants, and say things like, “I know I’m sick inside ... immature.” And then comes the segment on a 1955 homosexual witch hunt in Boise, Idaho, one that apparently turned the whole town upside down with fear and paranoia, with a close-up of an op-ed piece in the Boise newspaper titled “Crush the Monster.”
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It’s a piece of historic television that deserves to be seen, especially if you’re too young to remember how quickly the world has changed in 43 short years, changed to the point where Brian Posehn and Steve Agee’s costar Sarah Silverman can go on The View, like she did last week, and respond to questions about her recent breakup and thoughts on marriage with this comment:“If you’re for equal rights, why would you get married right now? It’s like joining a country club that doesn’t allow blacks or Jews. There’s no difference.”

Gutless Personal Attacks

I guess it goes with being a LGBT blogger, but it is interesting how homophobes and Christianists who visit this blog - for the male beauty photos perhaps? - always (1) post their personal attacks anonymously, and (2) somehow attribute my posts that are 100% accurate in reporting anti-gay issues as some form of self-loathing on my part. For the record, the only loathing that I have is for Christianists and bigots who knowingly lie and denigrate others who disagree with their religious views all the while patting themselves on the back in a falsely pious and self-congratulatory manner. Here's a sampling of today's poison:

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It is obvious you are filled with self-loathing. You project your hate onto others...just like Wayne Besen, the queen of hatemongering. . . . But, of course, this is not about truth...it's about raging against yourself for abandoning your family. You should really get some help.

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Candidly, it sounds to me that it's the author of the comment rather than me who needs some help. Maybe the author of the comment is Michael Johnston, since he has such an axe to grind with Wayne Besen. Or maybe it's one of the folks at Exodus International or some other ex-gay "ministry" who feels threatened by growing revelations that gays cannot change their sexual orientation, thus causing the author more self loathing because in his heart of hearts he knows that he's really gay.

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I'd also note that I never abandoned my family - my youngest daughter will be in my office most of the day today - as she is most days. As for my other children, I suspect that someday they will realize that they were never abandoned.

Wednesday Male Beauty

California College Instructor Uses Bible as Health Care Text Book

It never ceases to amaze me how Christianists seek to impose their beliefs on regardless of the setting and regardless of how much science demonstrates that the Bible cannot be interpreted literally. A case in point has cropped up in California where an instructor at a public community college in Fresno has been presenting his religious views on homosexuality, abortion and global warming as fact to students in an introductory health science class. Freedom of religion does not mean that one gets to impose religious beliefs on others - something the Christianists and GOP members of the Virginia General Assembly in connection with my previous post cannot seem to grasp. Obviously, some one dropped the ball in the hiring process with this instructor. I continue to believe that Christianists and their theocratic agenda are a clear and present danger to constitutional government in the USA and many of its states. Here are highlights from the Fresno Bee:
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ACLU staff attorney Elizabeth Gill said at least two students at Fresno City College have complained that instructor Bradley Lopez quoted the Bible as proof that human life begins at conception, characterized homosexuality as a mental illness, and discussed apocalyptic Christian prophesies during a lesson on climate change.
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If the students' descriptions are correct, Lopez's teaching methods would violate California laws protecting gays from discrimination and prohibiting religious indoctrination at public schools, Gill said. She sent a letter to college president Cynthia Azaria on Monday asking the school "to act immediately to ensure that all its health classes provide only accurate and unbiased information."
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"Someone should realize you can't have a class like this presenting deeply held, and I'm sure honestly held, religious views as science," Gill said. "This is not a situation where people are taking a seminar on religion. Folks taking this class think they are getting Health Basics 101."
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Jacqueline Mahaffey, 24, who had Lopez as a teacher last semester, said his personal beliefs became apparent on the first day of class when he made a point of contradicting their textbook, which listed cancer as the leading cause of death. Lopez told the class that abortions killed more people than cancer. *During the second week, Lopez allegedly gave the students a genetics assignment that involved studying the Bible to research Jesus Christ's biological makeup. He also told students that "evolution is a dead theory" and invited them to visit him in his office "if you want to know about your Creator."
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Gill said that as a college instructor, Lopez is free to express his opinions but that because Fresno City College is publicly funded, his teaching cannot become "religious inculcation." Fresno City College is a two-year school with an enrollment of about 25,000.
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No doubt Matt Staver or some similar religious loon will rush to Lopez's defense alleging that Lopez is being persecuted because he is a "Christian."

Job Protection for Gay Virginia State Workers Dies in House of Delegates

Sadly, and as I unfortunately expected, a bill that would have protected gay Virginians employed by the Commonwealth of Virginia and its agencies from employment discrimination was killed in a House of Delegates subcommittee. Virginia continues to send a loud and clear message to its LGBT citizens that their best decision may be to leave the state and, if your employer wants to relocate you to Virginia, you should probably say "no thank you." Needless to say, I am disgusted and wish large defense contractors would tell the Virginia GOP that they are making the state non-competitive. Over and above religion, the GOP loves money and large employers need to start turning off the money spigot. Also, note how the homophobes say there is no evidence of discrimination even though a case involving that issue is now before the Virginia Supreme Court. Here are highlights from the Virginian Pilot on this unfortunate development:
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A bill that would have protected gay and lesbian state workers from discrimination died in a House subcommittee Tuesday, a day after the state Senate passed a similar bill for the first time. Del. Adam Ebbin 's bill would define a state nondiscrimination employment policy that includes the category of sexual orientation, along with race, religion, gender, disabilities and other classifications.
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But the definition of sexual orientation, which includes real or perceived heterosexuality, bisexuality, homosexuality, or gender identity or expression, "goes way too far," said Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Page County, before it was voted down. Opponents also said those speaking in favor of the bills hadn't shown that there was any discrimination currently taking place.
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McDonnell has not issued his own non discrimination order. He recently said he considers Kaine's policy still in effect, minus the sexual orientation piece. The Senate passed a similar measure Monday on a near party-line vote, with only Sen. Fred Quayle, R-Suffolk, voting with Democrats in favor of the bill.
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The subcommittee also voted down a measure on Tuesday that would have banned discrimination against all Virginians based on sexual orientation, not just state employees.

More Tuesday Male Beauty

The End of a Blog - Unite the Fight

On of the amazing benefits from blogging is the interesting and innovative people one finds in the blogosphere. Through common activism and interaction with other bloggers relationships are formed that are hard for non-bloggers to understand. By cross-linking and following others' blogs, sharing links, passing on tips on posts and commenting on the efforts of other bloggers a true bond develops - even though oft times you've never met the other blogger in person. Today I received an e-mail from Phillip Minton at Unite the Fight indicating that due to other commitments and related factors, he was uploading his last post to the blog and that while the blog would remain online for some time, the blog's life was coming to an end.

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I have thought at times that I should perhaps cease blogging. But, in an unexplainable way, one's blog becomes a part of them. Thus, deciding to cease posting for good is a very emotional experience. On the other side of the equation is the amount of time it takes to blog daily and endeavor to provide informed information and commentary.

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Fortunately, Phillip will not be disappearing entirely and will be a contributing writer to Karen Ocamb's LGBT Pov. I wish Phillip the best in his future endeavors and look forward to reading his pieces at LGBT Pov. I have truly enjoyed following Phillip's passionate blogging. I hope that Phillip also knows that he always has a platform on this blog if he needs to satisfy his blogging urge.

Those Who Wreck Lives by Peddling "Ex-gay" Conversion Therapy

Furthering the myth that one's sexual orientation is a "choice" and something that can be "changed" is a key component of the Christianists' agenda to keep LGBT citizens inferior under the law and to convince legislators and courts that LGBT citizens are undeserving of anti-discrimination protections. As the proposed "kill the gays" bill in Uganda demonstrates, the far right Christianists are busy exporting homophobia and bogus reparative therapy overseas. Besides Africa, another recipient of the exported poison has been the United Kingdom. Exposing this effort - and the bogus nature of "conversion therapy" - has been a number of stories in UK newspapers done by Patrick Strudwick who went under cover as a participant in ex-gay conversion programs. I applaud Strudwick's columns and the newspapers who have published them. The lies and dishonesty of opponents to LGBT equality need to be exposed wherever and whenever possible. For many years I tried to suppress my true orientation and was stricken with self-hate because no matter what I did the feeling did/would not go away. It is time to end needless misery induced by claims that are nothing but a cynical and calculated lie. Here are highlights from a column in the Guardian:

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My undercover investigation has led to a campaign against those who wreck lives by peddling conversion therapy
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Last year, in Britain, a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist tried to "cure" me of my homosexuality. What they didn't know was that I was working undercover investigating what happens during so-called conversion therapy. The results of my investigation, published last week in the Independent, have sparked a bushfire of anger and outrage.
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It's hardly surprising. The psychotherapist told me I had been sexually abused by a member of my family (which I hadn't). The psychiatrist tried to induce arousal in me during a "therapy" session. He also claimed to have "resolved" his own sexuality while admitting that he still masturbates over gay pornography.
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The response has been overwhelming. Countless former victims of conversion therapy have contacted me, describing the years of suffering they endured during and since treatment – some of whom were forced into it by their families. Therapists have written in impotent frustration about how they are left to mop up the psychological mess left by conversion therapists. Many readers were simply astounded that this goes on in the comparatively secular UK.
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Beyond the western countries, the response has been more troubling. Gay men and women have contacted me begging for help. Others have conveyed the growing climate of fear in Uganda. In light of all this I've set up a Facebook group called the Stop Conversion Therapy Taskforce (Scott). Hundreds joined within the first 24 hours, determined to do something.
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Our first target is a conference of conversion therapists taking place on 19 February in Northern Ireland. Mario Bergner is the guest of honour. He wrote Setting Love In Order, a book in which he claims to have become heterosexual through prayer. He also says that he was in hospital with "eleven symptoms of Aids" before being visited by "the Spirit of the Lord", who made him better overnight, and so later tested negative for the virus.
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Last April, as part of my investigation, I went to a similar conference in London for therapists and clergy wanting to learn how to "cure" their clients. I witnessed Joseph Nicolosi, the most notorious American conversion therapist, whose techniques are the basis of many of the practices in this country, treating a nervous young man in front of a live audience. I felt like I was watching a blood sport.
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The work of Scott will therefore not stop at disrupting conferences. We want professional bodies such as the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy to add into their code of conduct specific stipulations condemning attempts to alter orientation (currently they have more general ones about not letting personal feelings about sexuality affect treatment).
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We will also continue to expose individual therapists and report them to their professional bodies. It won't be easy. Many operate using euphemisms that cloud what they're really doing. They also defend their techniques vehemently, claiming: "We offer choice! We only treat those who come looking for it!" It's like a Venus flytrap blaming the hungry insect that wanders into its gaping mouth. But we are determined to root them out however long it takes. This won't be a battle. It's war.
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In the USA it is critical that the APA and licensing boards in the states shut down bogus "ex-gay" programs and sanction licensed therapists and counselors that continue to engage in the a politically and religiously motivated fraud that damages lives and helps to support bigotry.

Judge Vaughn Walker Have A Conflict?

The folks at the National Organization for Marriage ("NOM") has been having the vapors and convulsions since the San Francisco Chronicle ran a piece over the weekend reporting that Chief District Judge Vaughn Walker who is presiding over the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8 under the U. S. Constitution. In a missive from Brian Brown, Maggie Gallagher's minion at NOM and one who is making a nice living off of the teet of homophobia, to fellow Christo-fascists Judge Walker is accused of all kinds of bias when in reality all that occurred at the trial was a fair exposure of the real religious and animus motivated campaign to pass Proposition 8. Among Brown's allegations are the following:

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He’s been an amazingly biased and one-sided force throughout this trial, far more akin to an activist than a neutral referee. That’s no secret at all. Protect Marriage, the defendants in this case are effectively being held hostage by Judge Walker and cannot really comment. But Judge Walker’s bias from the bench includes:
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A series of rulings permitting deep and deeply irrelevant “fishing expeditions” into the private and personal motivations and secret campaign strategy of campaign proponents. It wasn’t six guys at Protect Marriage that passed Prop 8 it was 7 million Californians. But Judge Walker went so far as to order the Prop 8 campaign to disclose private internal communications about messages that were considered for public use but never actually used. He even ordered the campaign to turn over copies of all internal records and e-mail messages relating to campaign strategy.

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Of course, Brown's rants are without foundation as Karen Ocamb points out in a great post that counters the BS being disseminated by NOM. Here are some highlights from Karen's post:
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After all, if Walker’s sexual orientation is an issue in him deciding an LGBT-related case, well then, what about a straight judge who’s been divorced judging a case involving marital relations? Indeed, US Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas would have to recuse himself from any case involving gender equality or sexual harassment.
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Brown seemed to miss this part of the Chronicle story, regarding Walker’s supposedly automatic bias in favor of gays: “Many San Francisco gays still hold Walker in contempt for a case he took when he was a private attorney, when he represented the U.S. Olympic Committee in a successful bid to keep San Francisco’s Gay Olympics from infringing on its name.

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“Life is full of irony,” the judge replied when we reminded him about that episode.” Brown is just plain wrong when it comes to Walker being one-side throughout the trial. Even before the trial began, Walker – who was randomly selected to preside – denied the attempt by LGBT groups such as Lambda Legal to intervene in the case.
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Also chiming in on the issue is an opinion piece in the San Francisco Chronicle that disagrees with the hysterical allegeations at NOM. The bottom line is that NOM cares nothing for the truth and it's all about forcing conformity with one set of religious beliefs on all. Here are column highlights:

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In the circle of lawyers and judges I know, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker is a giant. He is a brilliant jurist, legal eagles will tell you, who has insightful, and often unexpected, opinions. He's funny and charming - and he's gay.
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Until Sunday, it seemed inevitable that however Walker ruled, the losing side would bring up his sexual orientation. If he overturned the measure, losers would hit the conservative media to argue that with a gay judge presiding, the fix was in from the start. If Walker upheld the measure, angry gay activists would denounce him as a self-loathing turncoat. Now, whatever Walker decides, the public can't complain that he had a sub rosa agenda.
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There are strong reasons not to [ave Walker recuse himself]. After all, at The Chronicle, gay reporters can and do cover gay issues with the advantage of personal insight. Some might claim that they are biased, but it's not as if there is a neutral identity - straight? white? male? - that is free from bias. And where does it end? Should a Mormon judge have to recuse himself? A devout Catholic?
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In my view, Walker acted appropriately in building a case transcript that documents the real agenda of the proponents of Proposition 8 and, more importantly, their inability to show in any manner how CIVIL LAW same sex marriage threatens heterosexual marriage.

February HRBOR Networking Event - Newport News, Virginia

The next HRBOR business networking event is on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at the offices of the Shaheen Law Group located in Newport News, Virginia. I would encourage readers in the Hampton, Newport News and Williamsburg area to make a point to attend. You do NOT need to be a business owner or LGBT to attend. Roughly 30% of HRBOR's membership is LGBT supportive. Here are the details:

FEBRUARY 2010 THIRD THURSDAY

Shaheen Law Group
Attorneys & Counselors at Law
Newport News, Virginia

DATE: February 18, 2010
TIME: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
HOST: Victor Shaheen, Shaheen Law Group
PLACE: 12350 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 140
Newport News, VA 23602
757-369-2831
www.shaheenlawgroup.com
(Next to Patrick Henry Mall)

Tuesday Male Beauty

Delegate Hopes To Repeal Virginia Same-sex Marriage Ban

In respect to other gay friendly legislation introduced in the Virginia General Assembly, Delegate David Englin, D-Alexandria (a straight ally pictured at left), has again introduced a bill that would begin the process for the repeal of Virginia's constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages. Unfortunately, it's unlikely the bill will ever see the House floor and the bill will most likely die in committee where the GOP kills so much legislation. Nonetheless, Englin says he is going to keep on pushing to undo the bigotry written into Virginia's constitution back in 2006. Obviously, if the District of Columbia ends up allowing gay marriage, it will like add to the pressure to bring Virginia out of the 19th century. Needless to say, the Christianist at the Family Foundation - who disingenuously embrace the choice myth - are opposed to equality under the civil marriage laws. Here are some highlights from WTOP.com:

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Delegate David Englin, D-Alexandria, wants Virginia to repeal its constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages. He says the amendment, which voters approved four years ago, is unfair to gay and lesbian couples. So he’s trying for the third time to repeal it. “If we are to take our founding values seriously, where we say that every human being deserves equal treatment under the law, then we cannot enshrine in the Constitution a policy that boils down to nothing but bigotry,” Englin said.
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To repeal that amendment, Englin is sponsoring House Joint Resolution 55. It is similar to proposals he carried in 2007 and 2009. They did not get much attention, but Englin says he won’t give up. HJ 55, which is being co-sponsored by Delegate L. Kaye Kory, D-Falls Church, has been referred to the House Privileges and Elections Committee. The panel has not voted on the measure.
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Equality Virginia, an advocacy organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Virginians, hopes the resolution will pass. However, the group knows that it may be a long-term struggle to persuade Virginia to recognize relationships other than a marriage between a man and a woman.
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Opposing the resolution is the Family Foundation of Virginia, whose mission is to protect “traditional values” and to “establish a Commonwealth of families who are guided by faith and protected by a principled government.” Chris Frend, vice president of the Family Foundation, predicted that Englin’s resolution will be defeated as it was in previous years.
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To repeal the 2006 constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage, Englin’s resolution first must be passed by a majority of the House and Senate. Then, after a legislative election, it must be approved again by the General Assembly. Finally, the proposal would go to voters in a statewide election.

More Monday Male Beauty

Teabaggers Want A Return of Jim Crow Laws

Time and time again I have maintained - based on my years of monitoring anti-gay "family values" Christianist organizations - that in addition to being violently anti-gay, the pro-family Christian organizations are also very racist and anti-black and anti-Hispanic. Adding to the proof of this animus towards others who are not white, evangelical Protestants are the statements made at the teabagger coven over this past weekend where former Republican congressman Tom Tancredo, a speaker for the opening of the tea party convention stated that "literacy tests" that were once used to keep blacks from voting should be re-instituted. Some may be shocked by this bigoted, anti-white mindset, but is a main current running through all of the teabagger and birther insanity. America is theirs and everyone else can go to Hell. These people are ignorant, racist, homophobic and down right un-Christian, yet they claim to wrap themselves in the flag while clutching the Bible - the same Bible that some of their fore bearers used to justify slavery and later segregation. I hope the general public will take a good look at the poison these folks are peddling. Here are some highlights from Raw Story:

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The opening night speaker at the Tea Party convention suggested a return to a "literacy test" to protect America from presidents like Obama -- a segregation-era method employed by southern US states to keep blacks from voting.
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In his speech Thursday to attendees, former Republican congressman Tom Tancredo invoked the loaded pre-civil rights era buzzword, saying that President Barack Obama was elected because "we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote in this country."
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"Prior to passage of the federal Voting Rights Act in 1965, Southern (and some Western) states maintained elaborate voter registration procedures whose primary purpose was to deny the vote to those who were not white," a website for civil rights veterans explains. "In the South, this process was often called the 'literacy test.' In fact, it was much more than a simple test, it was an entire complex system devoted to denying African-Americans (and in some regions, Latinos) the right to vote."
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Tancredo called Obama a "committed socialist ideologue," and referred to him by his full name, Barack Hussein Obama. ABC News reported that the former Colorado representative's speech "received enthusiastic applause at times," but said the crowd did not fill the ballroom in which the event was held.
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The irony, of course, is that any well written literacy test that required true knowledge of American history, the structure of the three branches of government, etc., would disqualify most of the teabaggers and birthers from voting. All they know is the faux news and hysterics disseminated by Fox News and other far right noise machines.

Virginia Senate Approves Job Protection for Gay State Workers

In a somewhat stunning surprise, the Virginia Senate today passed legislation that would add sexual orientation to the protected classes of workers protected under state employment non-discrimination. The vote was along party lines with only local senator GOP senator Fred Qualye supporting passage of the bill. Now the fat of the bill goes to the GOP controlled House of Delegates where the GOP typically represents the interests of James Dobson's Virginia affiliate, The Family Foundation, rather than the views of a majority of Virginians who believe employment protections should include gay Virginians/ As the Virginian Pilot has reported, Governor Bob McDonnell - no friend to LGBT Virginians - has said, he wants the Legislature to act on the issue rather than renew the Executive Orders signed by his Democrat predecessors (the effectiveness of Kaine's Executive Order 1 (2006) is currently before the Supreme Court of Virginia awaiting oral argument). Sadly, I am not holding my breath expecting the House of Delegates to pass the bill, but it would be a huge step forward for vitriolically anti-gay Virginia. Here are some highlights from the Virginian Pilot:

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On a near party- line vote, Virginia's state Senate passed a measure Monday that would protect gay and lesbian state workers from discrimination. Suffolk Republican Frederick Quayle broke ranks with the GOP and joined the 22 Democrats in the chamber in supporting the bill. "I just thought it was the right thing to do," he said later.
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If passed into law, the measure would define a state non discrimination employment policy that includes the category of "sexual orientation" along with race, religion, gender and disabilities, among other classifications. Several past governors have signed executive orders establishing that as a state policy; former Govs. Timothy M. Kaine and Mark Warner included the sexual orientation clause in their orders.
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Current Gov. Bob McDonnell clashed with Kaine four years ago over the inclusion of gay workers in the policy, saying such decisions were the domain of the legislature. McDonnell has not issued his own non discrimination order but recently said he considers Kaine's policy still in effect other than the sexual orientation piece.
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What is really sad is the nastiness of some of the reader comments left on the article that show bigotry and hate are alive and well within a vocal minority of Virginians who are unable to grasp the concept of separation of Church and State and religious freedom applies to other beside themselves.

Monday Male Beauty

The Meaning of Hope?

PFOX Distributing Religious Propaganda in Montgomery County Schools

Over the weekend the Washington Post reported that PFOX - the inappropriately named Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays - has been allowed to distribute bogus information about the "ex-gay myth" and reparative therapy to students in the Montgomery County Schools. This is the result of an obviously wrongly decided settlement of federal district court case from 2005 which predates the APA's more or less unequivocal condemnation of efforts to "change" gays which it found to be ineffective, unethical and potentially dangerous. I'm still reviewing the situation but it looks like the school division is looking to get sued again, this time for disseminating religious propaganda and dangerous faux science that may result in harm to students. While the flyers are supposed to carry a disclaimer that the School Division does not endorse the materials, the fact that it is being sent home by the schools will certainly suggest otherwise to many unsophisticated parents. Promoting something condemned as harmful by legitiamte experts suggests the School Division is courting a liability lawsuit as well as a violation of the separation of church and state. One can only hope that a lawsuit will be quickly filed to halt this bullshit. Here are highlights from Wayne Besen's reaction at Truth Wins Out that rightly bears the title "D.C.-Area Public Schools Distribute Hate Group’s Antigay Brochures':
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When Family Research Council spokesman Peter Sprigg told MSNBC on Tuesday that LGBT people should be thrown in prison for their alleged private behavior, it escaped the attention of the news media that Sprigg is also a board member and spokesman for an FRC offshoot called Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays, which distributes antigay propaganda in public schools. . . . Just two days after Sprigg proudly declared that LGBT people of all ages should be imprisoned, the school district sent students home with PFOX brochures.
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Neither the literature nor the school district tell students any of the following truths:
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•Since its founding in 1996, PFOX has been little more than a branch of the Christian-Rightist FRC. FRC ousted PFOX founder Anthony Falzarano when the latter criticized the Christian Right’s political exploitation of the ex-gay movement
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•PFOX support groups incite parents to turn in anger against spouses and family members who are tolerant and unprejudiced toward an LGBT family member
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•PFOX support groups portray LGBT family members as diseased, sexually irresponsible, depressed, and drug-addicted as a result of their sexual orientation
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•PFOX discourages parents from seeking the help of mainstream mental-health professionals. PFOX support group members insist that only Christian conservative “counselors” can be trusted to conform to orthodox Christian Right stereotypes. They further assert that LGBT family members should be made more unhappy and depressed in order to force them to change their orientation
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•FRC and PFOX oppose anti-hate-crime laws unless they exclude LGBT people from protection.
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•FRC and PFOX oppose school antibullying programs unless they exclude LGBT students from protection.
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•PFOX board member Estella Salvatierra is a federal “civil rights” attorney who uses her office to undermine the constitutional rights of sexual minorities
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•Both FRC and PFOX support sodomy laws
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•Longtime PFOX president Richard Cohen remains esteemed by PFOX, even though his International Healing Foundation has supported genocide in Uganda, and even though Cohen — disbarred from the American Counseling Association for misconduct toward patients — practices man-to-man cuddle therapy with patients and pressures them to blame parents for same-sex attraction
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While the school district was required in 2006 to begin distributing outside organizations’ propaganda on a quarterly basis, that order did not include the propaganda of hate groups. But the MCPS does not wish to confront the obvious truth that PFOX is a hate group.
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A Montgomery County parents group, Teach the Facts, is alarmed that the school district is allowing its policies to be steered by a dangerous bigot like Sprigg. TTF also points out that, contrary to claims in PFOX literature, there are no ex-gays in the D.C. area. Teach The Facts concludes:
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The district is doing this as a consequence of a lawsuit, I understand, you have to abide by the court’s ruling. But at the same time somebody should be preparing to file some papers, drafting policy, gearing up for a political fight, speaking up. While the district is required to allow these flyers, our community leaders could be voicing their opposition loudly and clearly — they have freedom of speech, too. What we are looking for here is a leader with a capital L. Instead we have a bunch of shoulder shrugging. . . . It is incredible to see Superintendent Jerry Weast and the members of the Board of Education sitting on their hands, looking the other way, when the emotional damage they are doing is unimaginable.
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For obvious political reasons, PFOX closely guards the identities of its board of directors. In its tax filings for 2008, PFOX identified the following board members:
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Paul Rondeau, president
Estella Salvatierra, vice president
Scott Strachan, secretary
Michelle Hoffman, treasurer
Peter Sprigg, senior fellow at the Family Research Council
Retta Brown
Robert Knight, Coral Ridge Ministries and American (Anti) Civil Rights Union
Matt Barber, Liberty Counsel
Greg Quinlan, ex-gay activist
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As of late 2009, Richard Cohen protege and NARTH committee member Christopher Doyle had joined the board, claiming to be a “certified” sexual reorientation “coach.”