More Saturday Male Beauty

Dedicated to the Vatican

Catholic Church Equates Priestly Sexual Abuse of Children With Female Ordination

OMG! Sometimes I have to wonder what alternate universe the bitter old queens in Roman Catholic Church hierarchy dwell in. In its latest WTF move, the Vatican has formulated new rules that state that priests who rape little boys and ruin their lives are in the same criminal category (under church law) as are Catholic bishops who ordain women as priests and are the women who participate in ordination ceremonies. Yep, that's right: ordaining women is as bad as raping children. I always knew that the Church was seriously f*cked up when it came to all matters sexual and the hierarchy's abiding hatred of women (for a phenomenal analysis of this check out Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven: Women, Sexuality and the Catholic Church, which I read some years back), but this takes the insanity up a notch even for these folks. The old good news is that this insane move will likely undermine what little moral authority the Church retains and we will see more and more countries like Portugal and Argentina that utterly ignored the Church's protestations and demagoguery on the issue of gay rights and gay marriage. U.S. News & Report has a column that looks at this latest mind numbing insanity. Here are some highlights:
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I had to reread the first paragraph of the following story three times until I was sure I’d read it correctly. The Vatican believes that priests who rape little boys and ruin their lives are in the same criminal category (under church law) as are Catholic bishops who ordain women as priests and are the women who participate in ordination ceremonies. According to the Guardian:

The Vatican today made the "attempted ordination" of women one of the gravest crimes under church law, putting it in the same category as clerical sex abuse of minors, heresy and schism. The new rules, which have been sent to bishops around the world, apply equally to Catholic women who agree to a ceremony of ordination and to the bishop who conducts it. Both would be excommunicated. Since the Vatican does not accept that women can become priests, it does not recognize the outcome of any such ceremony.
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The penalty is the ultimate one issued by the church: excommunication. Of course excommunication can be appealed but it is rarely so. It comes at a time when the Anglican Church is moving closer to the ordination of female bishops.
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Oddly enough the revision which brought about an equalization of the penalties for female ordination and pederasty came while the Vatican was trying to toughen penalties for priests accused of sexually abusing young Catholics.
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Bob Felton tries to make some sense out of this lunacy over at Civil Commotion, but I'm sorry it is just plain f*cked up:
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Ordaining a woman to serve as a priest, like supporting gay marriage, arises, on the church’s terms, from something in the neighborhood of heresy. It is an error of belief, on a matter that the church considers settled. But child sexual abuse — again, on their terms — is an instance of human weakness.

This is a vital distinction. On the Vatican’s terms, making child sexual abuse akin to ordaining a woman priest elevates the gravity of the offense, raises it from the terrain of understandable human weakness to something near to heresy.

However clumsily and stupidly they’ve handled it, however repellent the misogyny, it is a step — again, from the Vatican’s perspective — in the right direction.
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Once again, why does anyone listen to these hateful nut cases? They are in need of serious mental health care intervention if they equate the ordination with raping children and youths.

Virginia AG Cuccinelli Supports Arizon Immigration Law

Since leaving the GOP roughly a decade ago, I have watched as the Party has been increasingly taken over by racists and theocrats. The result being, of course, that except for a handful of blacks - including the Party's black RNC chair - the party remains mostly lily white. And despite lip service to the contrary, most of the rank and file members of the GOP base seem to want to keep it that way. Case in point, Virginia's lunatic - and rumored self-loathing closet case - Republican Attorney General, Ken Cuccinelli, a/k/a Kookinelli, who has filed an amicus brief supporting Arizona's racist immigration act now under challenge by the U. S. Justice Department. Kookinelli is joined by eight other governors - all Republican - in seeking to uphold the Arizona statute that (1) encourages racial profiling, (2) requires all Hispanic looking Arizona residents to carry proof of citizenship papers at all times, and (3) runs afoul of federal law. Seriously, would Kookinelli be joining in this lawsuit if the Arizona law in question was targeting white, English speaking illegal immigrants? Frankly, I doubt it. Oh, and neither would the other Republican governors. Here are some highlights from the Virginian Pilot:
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Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has joined with attorneys general from eight other states in a legal brief supporting Arizona's hotly disputed new immigration law.
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The statute, signed into law in April, is considered the toughest in the nation. It directs police enforcing other laws to ask about a suspect's immigration status if there is reason to believe the person is in this country illegally. Other provisions of the law make failure to carry immigration documents a crime and empower individuals to sue government agencies over questions of immigration law enforcement.
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Attorneys for the Obama administration have filed suit seeking to block enforcement of the measure on the grounds that federal law preempts it. Because Arizona's law maintains the "joint federal-state cooperative immigration enforcement program" established by Congress, Cuccinelli said in a statement Wednesday, he is "stunned that the government has sued."
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This isn't first time Cuccinelli has been at legal odds with the federal government. He also has clashed with the government over health care policy and greenhouse gas rules.
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Other state prosecutors who joined the brief include those from Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas. All are Republicans.

Saturday Male Beauty

Paul Mayén: Fallingwater’s Lesser-Known Architect

Almost a year ago the boyfriend and I visited Fallingwater, one of Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous residential projects, while in southwestern Pennsylvania for the boyfriend's family reunion. As I noted in a post last August, one thing that isn't mentioned during the tour of the home is that Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., who inherited the house upon death of his parents, was gay. The tour guides only note that "he never married." Thanks to a recent comment from a reader, I was provided with some information about "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey used to say. It turns out that in many ways Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., did "marry" - or at least to the extent most of us in the American LGBT community still find ourselves "marrying" our life partners. Kaufmann met Paul Mayén (pictured above) in the early 1950's and the two spent their lives together thereafter until Kaufmann's death more than 30 years later in 1989. What's even crazier is that the visitor center/pavilion at Fallingwater (the cafe is shown in the photo below) was designed by Kaufmann, Jr."s partner, Paul Mayén. It is sad that in this day and age, false "family values" still continue to hide gay achievements and relationships. Here is some information that provides the rest of the story:
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Frank Lloyd Wright may have designed Fallingwater in the 1930s, but it was Paul Mayén (5/1918-11/2000) who designed its gift shop. Both structures host over 130,000 architectural devotees and laymen every year. Both structures are internationally recognized for how seamlessly they blend into their environments. Both men were artists and architects and shared many of the same friends. But while Wright has achieved an almost-movie-star-like fame, Paul Mayén remains practically unknown...
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In the early 1950s, he met a fellow art student, Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., with whom he would share his life until Edgar’s death in 1989. Edgar’s father was the founder of Kaufmann’s department store in Pittsburgh; it was his father who commissioned Wright to build the now-famous vacation house for his friends and family near a waterfall in rural Pennsylvania. Wright, exceeding the original budget by almost a factor of ten, instead designed and built Fallingwater over the waterfall. In 1955, Edgar inherited the property and Paul and he visited the site together on mountain retreats until the property was entrusted to a conservation in 1963.
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In 1956, the couple assisted I.N. and Bernadine Hagan in choosing the furniture for the Hagan’s Frank Lloyd Wright house at the architect’s suggestion. In 1959, Paul designed the jacket of a book about Wright, Drawings for a Living Architecture, which was edited by Giuseppe Samonà.
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In 1975, he built a country house for them in Garrison, New York. From 1979 to 1981, he oversaw the building of the Fallingwater pavilion which houses a café, gift store, and visitor’s center. When Edgar Jr. died, Paul scattered his ashes at Fallingwater. He died in 2000 and also had his ashes scattered there.
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Sadly, even Edgar Kaufmann, Jr.'s obituary -while mentioning Mayén as Kaufmann's "longtime colleague and companion" ends with the sentence "There are no survivors."

America's False Promises

I often note the vast difference between what the USA claims to stand for - especially in terms of religious freedom - versus the sad reality of what citizens actually experience. Indeed, I wonder at times when the rest of the world is going to seriously take note that the USA is not the promised land that it likes to depict itself to be. Religious based prejudice against gays and non-Christians is rampant. Racial discrimination against blacks, Hispanics, and other non-whites is pervasive. And in terms of social mobility, recent studies have shown that it is becoming easier to move up socially and financially in other nations than in the USA. Yet demagogues and others continue to pretend that the USA is special or "blessed by God" - as if God favors one nation over another, at least absent a maniacal regime such as the Nazis. Do not get me wrong, I am not anti-American. I just wish we'd see more honest analysis of the true state of this country. Now, Glenn Greenwald has picked up on this phenomenon in a piece at Salon. Would that more Americans would recognize the continuing disconnect between what the USA claims it is and the reality - and move to correct it. Here are some column highlights:
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Argentina yesterday became the latest country to grant full and equal legal rights to its gay citizens, as the nation's Senate followed the lower house in approving a bill to recognize same-sex marriages. Because President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has vigorously advocated for the bill, it is now certain to become law.
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Argentina is a country with a fairly recent history of dictatorships, an overwhelmingly Catholic population (at least in name), and pervasive social conservatism, with extreme restrictions on abortion rights similar to those found on much of the continent. The Catholic Church in Argentina vehemently opposed the enactment of this law. But no matter. Ending discrimination against same-sex couples is understood as a matter of basic equality, not social progressivism, and it thus commands widespread support.
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The contrast with the U.S. is quite instructive and depressing. Not only is the U.S. not close to nationally recognizing same-sex marriage, but we have a law -- the Defense of Marriage Act -- that explicitly bars the granting of any and all federal spousal rights whatsoever (including immigration rights) to same-sex couples. Despite the election of a President who campaigned on a pledge to overturn that law, and overwhelming Democratic control of Congress, repeal of that law isn't even on the table.
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Virtually no national politician in the U.S. is even willing to advocate same-sex marriage, and those who advocate granting equal rights as part of "civil unions" refuse to take any real steps to bring that about.
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It's worthwhile now and then to take stock of the vast disparity between how we like to think of ourselves and reality. When a country with Argentina's history and background becomes but the latest country to legally recognize same-sex marriage -- largely as the result of a population which demanded it -- that disparity becomes quite clear.
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"Old Europe" and now Argentina are embracing equality and modernity. Meanwhile, in the USA - once a nation of progressiveness and modernity compared to others - the forces of reaction and theocracy seem to sadly be gaining more sway, not less. How far will America fall behind the rest of the world before we wake up and realize that this country is a sham in many ways compared to what it advertises itself to be?

Friday Male Beauty

The Gospel of Mel Gibson - And Other Self-Righteous Christianists

It seems that most of the homophobic types who malign and slander LGBT citizens fall into a couple of categories: (1) closeted self-loathing gays like Ted Haggard, Robert Knight and George Rekers, et. al, or (2) lazy and/or simple minded individuals who fear having to make independent moral analysis and judgment and cling to whatever dogma is preached to them. In a column in the New York Times aimed at Mel Gibson, David Brooks seems to have found another category which, on reflection appears to sum up folks like James Dobson, Tony Perkins (pictured here), Pat Robertson and a host of other professional Christians: the modern narcissist. Brooks conjectures that their moral certainty and utter lack of empathy for others derives from their overall tempestuous love affairs with themselves and their love of hearing themselves pontificate. For some, I also suspect that there's a deep love for money which they fleece from the sheeple who mindlessly heed their snake oil pitch and hand over lots of money. Here are some column highlights:
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The narcissistic person is marked by a grandiose self-image, a constant need for admiration, and a general lack of empathy for others. He is the keeper of a sacred flame, which is the flame he holds to celebrate himself.
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His self-love is his most precious possession. It is the holy center of all that is sacred and right. He is hypersensitive about anybody who might splatter or disregard his greatness. If someone treats him slightingly, he perceives that as a deliberate and heinous attack. If someone threatens his reputation, he regards this as an act of blasphemy. He feels justified in punishing the attacker for this moral outrage.
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And because he plays by different rules, and because so much is at stake, he can be uninhibited in response. Everyone gets angry when they feel their self-worth is threatened, but for the narcissist, revenge is a holy cause and a moral obligation, demanding overwhelming force.
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And the sad fact is that Gibson is not alone. There can’t be many people at once who live in a celebrity environment so perfectly designed to inflate self-love. Even so, a surprising number of people share the trait. A study conducted at the National Institutes of Health suggested that 6.2 percent of Americans had suffered from Narcissistic Personality Disorder, along with 9.4 percent of people in their 20s.
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Every week brings a new assignment in our study of self-love. And at the top of the heap, the Valentino of all self-lovers, there is the former Braveheart. If he really were that great, he’d have figured out that the lady probably owns a tape recorder.

Robyn Deane - McDonnell's Transgender Former Brother-in-Law -Speaks Out for Gay Rights

I've met Robyn Deane - we had a nice talk at the Commonwealth Dinner back on May 1, 2010, and she reads this blog - and candidly I thinks she's terrific. She also has a unique perspective on Virginia's current Governor, Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell as his former brother-in-law before divorcing Maureen McDonnell's younger sister and transitioning. I welcome her decision to become more involved in advocacy for LGBT equality in Virginia and nationally.

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Personally, what I find so odd about McDonnell is that he has know a number of gays - former Congressman Ed Schrock and myself are but two others gays McDonnell has known for far more than a decade - and, hence, ought to realize that we're fully human and should be less homophobic. Bob, remember helping me on my political campaign in 1994? The time when we were alone and talked one on one at John Langlois' office? Remember my children who you always treated nicely? Sadly, instead of showing tolerance, McDonnell seems more and more a puppet for the nastiest elements of the Christian Right in Virginia (e.g., The Family Foundation and Pat Robertson) who, if given their way, would turn the state into a theocracy akin to Massachusetts under the Puritans. Frankly, I don't understand it. Bob, what are you so afraid of? Meanwhile, the Washington Post has a great story on Robyn. Here are some highlights:
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"I am father to three of the present governor's nephews and nieces," she announced to the more than 100 people trying to shield themselves from the rain. "Whoa," someone muttered. "I'm also uncle to five of his children, so that puts me kind of close," Deane continued. "He is my former brother-in-law. . . . He witnessed the impact that all of this coming out can have on one's life. He had a front-row-center seat."
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Deane's declaration was the first step in her second coming out, this time as an activist attempting to leverage her past association to McDonnell to promote a cause that has become dear to her: the advancement of gay and transgender rights. In particular, Deane wants Virginia and national lawmakers to pass legislation that prevents discrimination in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. She also wants to persuade McDonnell to speak publicly about how people should accept those who are gay or transgender.
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Deane said she decided to announce her relationship to McDonnell on April 21 because she feels that her situation hardened some of his views on sexual orientation. The governor opposes same-sex marriage and has not backed measures that protect gay state workers from discrimination. "Maybe I sealed an anger in him toward people like us," she said at the rally.
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Though Deane has not spoken to McDonnell in more than a decade, her activities threaten to become a nuisance and embarrassment to the governor and could cause trouble with social conservatives if he were to engage Deane.
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McDonnell, who has turned down invitations from Deane to meet and has not spoken publicly about her, declined to comment for this article. "This is a personal matter," said his spokesman, Tucker Martin. "The governor wishes Robyn the very best."
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Deane and McDonnell, who met when they were 22 and began dating sisters from a large Northern Virginia family, became close despite religious and philosophical differences as they raised their families, Deane said.
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Deane has emerged after a pair of high-profile controversies over gay rights that have caused trouble for McDonnell. The governor alienated gay rights activists shortly after taking office when he excluded sexual orientation from an executive order that barred discrimination in the state workforce, a break in tradition from his Democratic predecessors.
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Deane scoffs at the notion that she will hurt the cause. She insists she can only help, particularly now that gay rights have taken much more of a role in the state policy debate than in recent years.
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"I raised my kids to question everything -- always challenge status-quo thinking and make a difference,'' she said. "I wouldn't be true to those values if I felt this way but stayed over here, worried about what this, this, this person thinks. Nothing would ever change. "I think the voice needs to be heard," she said. "I can't sit back and wait."
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I hope Robyn remains engaged. I also find it ironic that some of the self-appointed "leaders" of the LGBT rights movement are critical. Seriously, they sure as Hell have not accomplished a whole lot for us. In fact, things have become worse on their watch. As for McDonnell, he needs to come clean as to why he treats those gays that he knows and has known so badly. Is it only to curry favor with the Christianists or something else?

D. C. United States Court of Appeals Upholds DC Marriage

While paling in comparison to the huge victory in today in Argentina, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has upheld a District Court ruling that rejected the efforts of gay marriage foes to put the Washington, C. C., gay marriage ordinance up for popular vote. It is pathetic that these supposed Christians and defenders of "family values" always want to play to mob bigotry as a means to deprive LGBT citizens of equality under the civil laws. One can only hope that history will view them as they deserve and that their legacy will be viewed as akin to that of the segregationists and KKK. The photo above shows a couple that met 60 years ago, have remained together since that time, and only recently were able to marry in the District under the law that the gay-haters would rescind. Both men are now well into their 80's. If this couple can make it together for 60 years, it seems to me that these supposed supporters of "marriage" might do far better to see what these men have done right as opposed to seeking to void the legal recognition of their relationship. Here are highlights from the Washington Post:
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The D.C. Court of Appeals narrowly sustained same-sex marriage in the District in a 5 to 4 vote Thursday. The nine judges were asked to determine whether the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics acted lawfully when it rejected an initiative by opponents of gay marriage to have the matter voted upon in a referendum.
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In an 81-page decision released Thursday, the five affirming judges -- Phyllis D. Thompson, Vanessa Ruiz, Inez Smith Reid, Noel Anketell Kramer and Anna Blackburne-Rigsby -- disagreed with that argument, saying that the board was within the law in making such a decision.
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The judges said they were convinced that the council would not have authorized "any initiative" that would have discriminated against residents and violated the Human Rights Act. The judges also wrote that the board "correctly determined that the proposed initiative would have the effect of authorizing such discrimination." . . . Based on that conclusion, the judges ruled that the board acted lawfully in refusing to accept the Jackson initiative.
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Peter D. Rosenstein, a gay and lesbian rights activist, hailed the ruling as a "victory for decency and civil and human rights."
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Because all nine judges heard the case, Jackson's attorneys have no further course of appeal unless they take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court and the justices choose to hear it. After the ruling, Jackson said he and his attorneys are planning such an appeal.
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The four judges who sided with Jackson's attorneys said they primarily questioned the board's interpretation of the law that allowed them to reject the referendum and specifically indicated that they were not ruling against same-sex marriage.
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Can you imagine how many poor, unemployed, hungry and/or homeless individuals could receive needed care if the Christianists used their moneys to follow Christ's directives rather than persecute other citizens? WWJD?

More Thursday Male Beauty

NOM's Latest Lie: Homosexuals Have Never Faced Persecution

I often cynically joke and say that while the Christianists claim to revere the Ten Commandments, at most they only follow nine since of them since they act as if the Commandment against lying and bearing false witness doesn't exist. Likewise, given the fact that evangelical Christians have the highest divorce and remarriage rate, the Commandment against adultery and Christ's supposed Gospel directives against divorce seem to disappear from acknowledgement by these folks as well. Only tHe gAys get strict application of the language of the Bible and are condemned accordingly. Now the National Association for Marriage ("NOM") seems determined to make Family Research Council and Focus on the Family look down right truthful in comparison. On the organization's Facebook page the following statement was made:
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Through out history homosexuals have never faced persecution at the level Jews, Christians, and Blacks have. For the homosexual population, their only focus is WWII.

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Somehow I think the gay teens in the photo above would disagree - that is if they had not been murdered for being gay. And at the root of their murder - just like most other violence against gays - one finds intolerance fueled by religion. Yep, just like the religion that NOM likes to wrap itself in. Of course, the hypocrisy gets even better. What about the witch hunts for gays in Uganda? That's not persecution? In fact, what about this photo:

Click to enlarge image.

Looks like persecution to me. What makes the hypocrisy and disingenuousness of these self-congratulatory "Christians" is that now funding of the anti-gay witch hunts has been traced to some of the "Godly Christians" in the USA who, I suspect, are allies to NOM. NPR has a story that looks at the complicity of Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas which has been financially supporting the anti-gay jihad in Uganda. Here are some highlights:
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"Martin Ssempa makes no bones about going around to churches, to community centers, to different neighborhoods and saying things like gays and lesbians should be put in prison, they should be killed," says Michael Jones, a gay-rights activist in the U.S. who has been following Ssempa's activities.
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So why does Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas — a megachurch with some 6,000congregants each week — financially support Ssempa? Kevin Odor, the senior pastor there, says Ssempa has been "misrepresented."
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"They're engaging in Ugandan politics whether they like it or not," says Jones, the gay-rights activist. "Calling Martin Ssempa, who is one of the foremost religious and political figures in Uganda, a strategic partner is automatically engaging in Ugandan politics. There's just no way around that."
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Warren Throckmorton, a professor at the evangelical Grove City College in Grove City, Pa., says Odor is trying to have it both ways. "What we have here is a church that wants to be viewed as moderate and outreach-minded and compassionate, and yet they're supporting a set of values and principles elsewhere that are very harsh and deadly, frankly, to the very community you say you want to reach," he says. "If you preach compassion here, you have to support compassion elsewhere."
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[T]he Southern Nevada Health District severed its ties with the church, saying it was "profoundly concerned" about the relationship with Ssempa.
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Christianists are found to be directly tied financially to persecuting gays, yet NOM lies and says that gays have never been persecuted. As I have stated before, if there is a Hell, Maggie Gallagher and many other professional Christians must have special spots already reserved for them..

Argentine Soap Opera Addressed Marriage Debate

It is surprising to me that Argentina's television programing seems far less prudish than what one finds in the USA. An example is the TV soap "Botineras" that I have mentioned before in prior posts which has a gay love affair sub-plot that would make the Christianists in this country have an absolute aneurysm. Here's what Blabbeando (which reports on many LGBT issues in latin nations) had to say about the TV show mirroring reality:

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even culture is uniting on behalf of marriage equality in Argentina. I've already written about the sexy Argentinean TV soap "Botineras" which is breaking all sorts of stereotypes by featuring a love story between two soccer teammates ("Soccer Players in Love"). Two days ago they actually featured a storyline about the marriage equality debate tonight...

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Here's a video clip:

Gay and Thinking of Emigrating? Here's a List to Consider

In addition to affording same sex couples the right to marry, these nations also furnish citizens with access to basis health care. Yet the USA likes to portray itself as a leader in freedom and progressiveness. Obviously, people need to stop listening to this false PR spin.

Thursday Male Beauty

What Makes Virginia Supposedly Business Friendly? The Legal Framework is Hostile to its Residents

Virginia politicians like to brag that Virginia ranks as one of the best states for businesses (a night view of Richmond is at left). Which is true because the interest of the state's human citizens is typically placed far behind the interests of big business. The latest CNBC.com survey of the best states for businesses put the Old Dominion in second place behind Texas, a slight downgrade from grabbing the top spot in 2009. Be it consumer protection laws or equality for all of its citizens - of the human kind, at least - and any number of issues that concern looking after the quality of life and social safety net for citizens, then Virginia's way down in the rankings. A Washington Post op-ed looks at the darker side of this "pro-business" state. Here are highlights:
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Virginia officials such as Gov. Robert F. McDonnell bragged about cheaper corporate taxes, fewer regulations and anti-union right-to-work laws.
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On the dark side, Virginia sucks up to business by coming on as anti-union and anti-gay in the sense that it doesn't provide the same level of recognition and protection for gay couples that Maryland and the District do.
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Another cloud is education. Decades ago, Gov. Mills Godwin had the foresight to beef up the state's community college system and make public colleges such as the University of Virginia and William & Mary world-class. Doing so gave the Old Dominion a much better training base for company employees. The recession and the stubborn refusal to support education by mostly Republican legislators is putting this golden asset in jeopardy.
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As I said before, once our elderly parents pass away, all bets are off in terms of the boyfriend and I remaining in Virginia. Indeed, our remaining in the USA is debatable at present. And in terms of my advice to LGBT citizens or progressive businesses contemplating a move to Virgina? Don't do it.

Argentina Legalizes Gay Marriage

In a stunning display of what true support for equality under the civil law looks like and of what can be done when top politicians stop giving a pass to and rolling over for religious based bigotry, Argentina approved gay marriage with identical rights as those afforded to heterosexual couples. Politicians from the nation's president on down refused to be bullied by or endorse the religious based bigotry of the Roman Catholic Church (which has facilitated and covered up the rape of hundreds of thousands of children and youth worldwide), the Mormon Church and other anti-gay religious denominations. Would that there were politicians that understood the concept of true religious freedom and the difference between civil and religious marriage here in the increasingly backwards USA. I applaud Argentina's bold willingness to move into future instead of embracing the ignorance and prejudice of the past as is unfortunately still the norm here in America and states like Virginia. Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Jim Webb to name but a few, are you paying attention? It looks like the boyfriend and I have another country to consider now if we decide to get the Hell out of the USA where we are not treated as full citizens. Here are highlights from the New York Times:
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Argentina legalized same-sex marriage Thursday, becoming the first country in Latin America to grant gays and lesbians all the legal rights, responsibilities and protections that marriage brings to heterosexual couples.
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After a marathon debate, 33 lawmakers voted in favor, 27 were against it and 3 abstained in Argentina's Senate in a vote that ended after 4 a.m. Since the lower house already approved it, and President Cristina Fernandez is a strong supporter, it now becomes law as soon as it is published in the official bulletin.
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The law is sure to bring a wave of marriages by gays and lesbians who have increasingly found Buenos Aires to be more accepting than many other places in the region.
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The approval came despite a concerted campaign by the Roman Catholic Church and evangelical groups, which drew 60,000 people to march on Congress and urged parents in churches and schools to work against passage.
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As the debate stretched on for nearly 16 hours, supporters and opponents of held rival vigils through the frigid night outside the Congress building in Buenos Aires.
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Sen. Norma Morandini, another member of the president's party, compared the discrimination closeted gays face to the oppression imposed by Argentina's dictators decades ago. ''What defines us is our humanity, and what runs against humanity is intolerance,'' she said.
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Same-sex civil unions have been legalized in Uruguay, Buenos Aires and some states in Mexico and Brazil. Mexico City has legalized gay marriage. Colombia's Constitutional Court granted same-sex couples inheritance rights and allowed them to add their partners to health insurance plans.
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But Argentina now becomes the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, granting gays and lesbians all the same rights and responsibilities that heterosexuals have. These include many more rights than civil unions, including adopting children and inheriting wealth.
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Gay rights advocates said Argentina's historic step adds momentum to similar efforts around the world. ''Today's historic vote shows how far Catholic Argentina has come, from dictatorship to true democratic values, and how far the freedom to marry movement has come, as twelve countries on four continents now embrace marriage equality,'' said Evan Wolfson, who runs the U.S. Freedom to Marry lobby.
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He urged U.S. lawmakers to stand up ''for the Constitution and all families here in the United States. America should lead, not lag, when it comes to treating everyone equally under the law.''

Get EQUAL - Fight Back and Hold People Accountablequal:

As regular readers know, I am beyond over the worthless rhetoric and total lack of meaningful action that seems to be all that most of the national Democratic Party establishment gives back to LGBT citizens who have consistently provided money and votes based on promises of legislative action. As the LGBT liaison to the local Democratic committee, I let loose on Tuesday night and basically laid out the reasoning of the "Don't Ask, Don't Give" campaign to turn off the gAy TM and indicated that the representatives of the three congressional candidates needed to provide me with information on what each had actually done in terms f votes, etc., to justify LGBT support. In short, I said don't use the same tired GOP boogieman argument because I and most of my LGBT friends are beyond over it. In keeping with this mindset, GetEQUAL has launched a campaign to hold leaders in the Democratic Party accountable for the non-delivery of promised action after going on nearly two years of Democrat control of Congress and the White House. You can go here to name the Congressional leader you believe needs to be held most responsible for the total failure to keep promises. Here are some highlights:
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Our so-called "friends" in Congress who are stumping for re-election, speaking at our Pride events and addressing our organizational galas have promised passage of ENDA month after month, and year after year. Why are we allowing our "friends" to collect awards and accolades while breaking their promises?
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It may not be nice and it certainly won't get us invited to any fancy Washington cocktail parties, but we aren't going down without a fight! To us, the silence is deafening and we want you to help us do something about it.
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Who do you think we should hold accountable? http://getequal.org/accountable.php
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Should it be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has promised us since May that a vote will happen by the second week of June?
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Should it be Rep. Barney Frank, who said "we will get this [ENDA] done fairly quickly," but then called GetEQUAL's pressuring tactics "immature" and "tacky"?
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Should it be Rep. George Miller, who heads the House Education and Labor Committee and has said via a spokesperson "he intends to get to it [ENDA] very shortly?"
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Should it be Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said that he will "fight hard for the votes to get it passed," but who has failed thus far to pressure the last few Senators for their votes?
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We're launching direct actions immediately and want to give you the opportunity to decide who is at the top of your list.

Wednesday Male Beauty

Los Angeles Times: Throw Out Prop. 8

The Los Angeles Times has come out in a main editorial urging Judge Walker to strike down Proposition 8 in the case of Perry v. Schwarzenegger. The fact that neither the Republican Governor nor the California Attorney General, Jerry Brown, would defend Proposition 8 ought to have sent a message - one that Obama needs to take to heart in the wake of the recent DOMA rulings out of Massachusetts. I have long been convinced that the ONLY justification behind Proposition 8 is unconstitutional religious based discrimination. The fact that it was religious denominations - the Mormon Church and the Catholic Church - take were the real backers of the amendment in and of itself underscores this reality. As is the case in every state with a DOMA law or an anti-gay constitutional amendment such as Virginia's is to punish and stigmatize gays for failure to live their lives according to one set of hate and fear based version of Christianity. Here are highlights from the editorial:
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What is the rational basis for laws that deprive gay and lesbian couples of the right to wed? The arguments that have emerged so far — that same-sex marriage is bad for child-rearing and that it damages heterosexual unions — fall apart under the slightest scrutiny. A judge in Massachusetts recognized this in a case involving the federal Defense of Marriage Act; now the judge in the lawsuit against California's Proposition 8 should do the same.
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In this year's trial on the proposition, however, even its defenders were unable to show that same-sex marriage threatened the traditional institution of marriage. And not only is there ample reason to doubt that the children of gay and lesbian couples are any worse off than those in traditional families, that's not reasonable grounds for denying marriage based on sexual orientation. Many people make less-than-ideal parents. They aren't denied a wedding license because of it.
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Tauro, in his opinion on the Defense of Marriage Act last week, wrote that denying marriage to homosexual couples was so clearly a failure to provide equal protection that it qualified as unconstitutional discrimination even without considering the question of a suspect class, because it was based on nothing more substantive than a belief in the immorality of homosexuality.
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Tauro referred frequently to a 2003 case in which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas anti-sodomy law directed solely against gay sex; the decision said: "The fact that a governing majority in a state has traditionally viewed a particular practice as immoral is not a sufficient reason for upholding a law." The lack of a solid justification for laws against same-sex marriage suggests that, like the sodomy law, they're based only on a traditional moral belief. That's why the Supreme Court should reject them.
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Would that the Christianist version of morality put as much emphasis on telling the truth, ending bullying and religious based hate, and treating neighbors as they would have themselves treated. It is they - not LGBT Americans - who are always seeking special rights.

More Tuesday Male Beauty

Top German Football Agent Claims There are 'a Bunch of Gays' on the World Cup Team

I recent wrote a blog post about a soap opera in Argentina that involves closeted soccer stars that has prompted some to speculate on how many actual world cup players might be living such lives (I have watched some You Tube clips from the show and it's actually rather good and seems to accurately depict the mental anguish of the closeted and married soccer star). Now, as if intentionally throwing gas on that fire, a top German football agent claims that there are "a bunch of gays' on the World Cup Team shown in the photo above and detailed here. Obviously, we all know that gay soccer players exist - just like we exist in every other profession and field of endeavor. The Guardian has coverage on this new bomb shell. Here are some highlights:
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German football was engulfed in controversy today over remarks by the agent of a top footballer, who allegedly referred to a "bunch of gays" in the national team.
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Michael Becker, who has been the agent of German national football captain Michael Ballack for more than a decade, is reported to have made the comment in the latest edition of the news magazine Der Spiegel.
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In an essay entitled New German Men, Aleksander Osang recounts an interview he had with Becker prior to the World Cup in which the agent allegedly told him which of the players in the team were gay. He later said that a former national player was ready to reveal the "bunch of gays" in the German team, according to Osang. Asked about the sexuality of one of the newer players, Becker, who is a lawyer by profession, referred to him as being "half gay".

Osang went on to say that Becker put the new adroit, lighter and elegant style of play that has become a trademark of trainer Joachim Löw's players down to their homosexuality, . . .
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According to Der Spiegel, when Becker made his remarks about the "bunch of gays" he expected the ears of fellow journalists present to "prick up". "But they only nodded placidly," said Osang. "All sports journalists seemed to already know the alleged homosexual conspiracies enveloping Löw's team. The rumours accompanied our team to South Africa and evidently belong to the team."
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But the comments have raised concerns that homosexuality remains one of the major taboos in the footballing world. The only German footballer to have outed himself as gay is the former regional league player for Erfurt Marcus Urban, and that was only after his professional career was over. Experts estimate that around 10 per cent of all Bundesliga professionals are gay.

A Random Occurence? Or Something More?

What with the recent local media coverage of the HRBOR/City of Hampton meeting concerning revitalization efforts for the Phoebus area of Hampton and articles quoting me in the Daily Press, on a WVEC-TV news clip and Inside Business, among others, It's not exactly a secret that I am gay in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Add to that my writings on this blog, my pieces on The Bilerico Project and occasional post picked up on other blogs, and my being "out" pretty much goes national, if not international. Being out socially and professionally in states like Virginia has its risks. But I generally feel no fear or apprehension. And, fortunately, I am not aware of any clients avoiding or leaving my firm because of my "lifestyle choice" as the gay-haters would describe it.

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As a result of my activism and blogging, I have received occasional death threats and threats of violence in anonymous comments left on this blog (I ceased allowing such anonymous comments some months ago) or in e-mails - all from "Godly Christian" types, of course. I realize that such threats go with the territory of being a sometimes activist and LGBT blogger and that they also demonstrate the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of those who would use physical violence rather than logic and rational thought and debate.

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But this weekend something happened that has touched the vulnerable side of me - at least slightly. Sometime over the past weekend, someone vandalized the outside main electric breaker for my office (the front of the historic building where the office is above). Of the 11 breaker boxes on the rear of the building on a low traffic volume street - all labeled to disclose the corresponding office/retail/restaurant suite - only one had had the padlock cut and the power lever pushed to the off position and the lock repositioned to appear still in the "on" position. The result: no real damage in the office other than a mess in non-frost free refrigerators that defrosted and discarded contents and whatever faxes and telephone calls that were not captured in voicemail.

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Just a coincidence that only one of eleven (11) breaker boxes (all with similar locks) was vandalized? Or was the breaker for my office suite - which also includes the Virginia ELCA Synod's eastern office and an Ameriprise office - located towards the center of the boxes specifically selected from all the others? Neither I nor Dominion Virginia Power can determine when the incident happened. But based on the temperature in the office and the total meltdown of the refrigerator/freezer compartment contents, it likely occurred on Friday night or Saturday.

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If the event wasn't a weird coincidence, I nonetheless have no intention of allowing myself to be intimidated. As long as the Christianists and enemies of LGBT equality disseminate lies about us, I intend to tell the truth - as I see it - about them. If it was a deliberate act against my office, it's yet another example of the cowardice of our enemies. What you do readers think?

Iraq Police Crackdown on Gays Continue

And American citizens are paying for this? That's right, the USA is underwriting religious based bigotry - and in many cases murder - and young Americans are dying to support the persecution and murders of individuals in violation of international law. President Obama, are you listening and paying attention? It is indeed a sad state of affairs that LGBT Iraqis had more tolerance under Saddam Hussein than is the case under the U.S. puppet government in Baghdad. Admittedly, I never supported the invasion of Iraq and felt almost physically sick as I watched the Chrimperator (for newer readers, that's George W. Bush) announce that the invasion had begun. At the time I even commented to several members of the media that I believed that the hubris of Bush and Cheney would only harm the USA long term. It's been a fool's errand based on lies from the outset and this latest persecution of gay Iraqis just further confirms that sad fact. What is unfortunate is that our current president seems to care nothing about the Iraqi government actions. Here are highlights from U.K. Gay News on the latest outrages by Iraq police:
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LONDON, July 13, 2010 – Hard on the heels of an Iraqi police raid on a Kerbala ‘safe house’ for gays, run by the London-based Iraqi LGBT, comes news that there has been another raid – on a Baghdad male beauty parlour, with five men arrested. Iraqi LGBT reported this evening that five gay mean were seized by “Interior Ministry forces” in the raid on June 25. The latest raid was on a house used as a business for services such as waxing and massage in the Baghdad district of Karada.
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Neither waxing nor massage is illegal in Iraq however it is ‘forbidden’ by Shia clerics. Despite claims to the contrary, homosexuality is illegal in Iraq, and it is on this basis that the raid happened and the men were arrested, the London group claims.
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Eyewitnesses who were outside the building say Ministry of Interior forces raided at 3pm. Those on rooftops heard screams for help and saw the men being severely beaten by uniformed men carrying cattle prods. They say one was taken into custody on a stretcher, Iraqi LGBT reports.
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Iraqi LGBT has received no information about where the men were taken. However, previous seizures of gays, lesbians and transgender people have resulted in them being handed to religious militia and their subsequent torture. Often this is followed by the discovery of their mutilated bodies.
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This evening, Iraqi LGBT is calling on the British and American governments to follow the lead of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and investigate – and condemn – the raids.
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However, Iraqi LGBT notes that in her latest speech outlining the American government’s support for oppressed LGBT people throughout the world, made just two days before the latest known raid, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton failed to mention Iraq.
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“What needs to happen – what can we do – before the world pays any attention, and before people start pressing their leaders to tell the Iraqi government to stop? What? We plead for an answer.,” he said in desperation.
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“We know why politicians would rather people forgot about what is happening in Iraq. But Iraqi lesbians, gay men and transgender people particularly feel that they have been forgotten by their fellow LGBT, especially those in power in the West. Why?” Over the past five years, Iraqi LGBT has documented 738 deaths of LGBT persons.
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738 deaths. Would Obama be so indifferent if the dead were 738 blacks and youths? Somehow, I suspect not.

HRBOR July Third Thursday

This month's HRBOR Third Thursday business networking event is on July 15, 2010, and will be hosted by Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group. Loan officers with Atlantic Bay - some of whom make up HRBOR's straight ally members - have been members of HRBOR from nearly its inception and I hope readers will make an effort to attend. As I have noted before, for readers who do not have their own businesses to market through HRBOR membership, consider an associate membership for 1/2 the price that entitles associate membership holders to attendance at all HRBOR events free to members. Over the course of a year, it's a tremendous money saver. Here are the details on Thursday's event:

Date: July 15, 2010

Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Cost: Free to Members, Guest fee $15

Location: Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group,

638 Independence Parkway, Suite 250, Chesapeake, VA 23320
Parking: Plenty of FREE parking

Hosts: Dennis Brinck, Senior Mortgage Banker; dennisbrinck@atlanticbay.com / 757-819-0275
Bar Sponsors: Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group

Featured Non-Profit: Beyond Boobs, Inc

Please Note: In an effort to go Green, we have member information on our slide presentation loop. Members and Guests are encouraged to bring any marketing materials you wish to distribute (ie: business cards, brochures and flyers) but please be prepared to take them with you when you leave.

P.S. Beyond Boobs is a non-profit that aids women who have need of reconstructive surgery following breast cancer surgery. It is a wonderful cause

Tuesday Male Beauty

Prostitute Loving U. S. Senator Supports "Birther" Lawsuit

One has to wonder what is in the water in Louisiana - I don't mean now, since we know BP oil is seeping in everywhere along the coast and into Lake Pontchartrain - but rather when David Vitter was elected to the United States Senate . The guy is an admitted adulterer and frequenter of prostitutes both in his home state and in Washington, D.C., yet continues to be embraced as a "family values" Republican. The guy takes hypocrisy to a new level as do his political supporters. Now, Vitter is demonstrating just what a loon and political whore he is with his statements that he supports "birther" lawsuits questioning Barack Obama's citizenship. There are many reasons to not support Obama - as LGBT Americans are sadly discovering - but the lunatic claim that he's not a U.S. citizen is not one of them. Those that believe that Obama's not an American probably also believe that they have been abducted by little green men in spaceships. Indeed, they probably could use a stay in a mental institution. Yet, Vitter is out there pandering to them and in the process making prostitutes look down right virtuous. Here are highlights from a Time article that looks at Vitter's latest prostituting of himself:
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Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana says he supports conservative organizations challenging President Barack Obama's citizenship in court. Vitter, who is running for re-election, made the comments at a town hall-style event in Metairie, La., on Sunday when a constituent asked what he would do about what the questioner said was Obama's "refusal to produce a valid birth certificate."
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With the crowd applauding the question, Vitter responded that he doesn't personally have standing to bring litigation. "But I support conservative legal organizations and others who would bring that to court," he said, according to a video of the event. "I think that is the valid and most possibly effective grounds to do it."
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So-called birthers have challenged Obama's standing as president by arguing that he was not born in the United States. Hawaii officials have repeatedly confirmed the president's citizenship, and his Hawaiian birth certificate has been made public, along with newspaper birth notices published when he was born in 1961.
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His spokesman did not immediately respond to a question about whether the senator doubts Obama's citizenship.

Time Magazine: Why Are Troops Even Being Surveyed on DADT?

Time Magazine ask a question that more in the mainstream media ought to be asking; While is the Pentagon surveying troops on repealing DADT when not such polls were done when the army was integrated and other major changes implemented. The defenders of the controversial survey claim that it is so that the military can have a sense of "buy in." Personally, I think the senior military brass is challenging civilian control - something for which they should be terminated (remember Douglas MacArthur) - and, worse yet, I fear setting the stage to kill repeal. And I believe Obama's involved in the whole orchestrated dog and pony show to appear to mollify gays even thorough he's going to show he's spineless again and going to allow DADT repeal to be killed. Here are some column highlights:
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When Harry Truman wanted to integrate blacks into the U.S. military in 1948, he simply ordered it done. When the Navy wanted women on ships beginning in 1978, it commanded its admirals to do so. When the Clinton Pentagon decided women should become fighter pilots, it issued orders telling the military to make it happen. For generations, the military mind-set has been, If we want you to have an opinion, we'll issue you one. So why is the Pentagon asking troops how they'll feel if forced to serve alongside openly gay comrades?
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"This is a very dangerous precedent," says Lawrence Korb, who ran the Pentagon's personnel office during the Reagan Administration. "It gives the troops the feeling that they have a veto over what the top people want."
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But even a top officer acknowledges some unease. "We've never done this," Admiral Gary Roughead, the chief of naval operations, said in February after Pentagon leaders endorsed ending "Don't ask, don't tell" and said they would survey the troops about it. "We've never assessed the force because it is not our practice to go within our military and poll our force to determine if they like the laws of the land or not.
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So why is it being done? Perhaps I am a pessimist, but I feel in my gut that it's part of cynical plan to kill repeal while certain politicians - think Obama - get away pretending to have supported repeal. I hope I'm wrong, but will not be at all surprised if I am not.

More Monday Male Beauty

Gay Georgia Teen Launches Project to Assist Abused, Rejected and Abandoned LGBTQ Teens

I have commented many times on my inability to understand the (in my view) warped and perverted religiosity of parents who disown and abandoned their gay children. Perhaps I should consider myself fortunate that I don't understand such a mental/psychological mindset. No matter what they might ever do, I would never, ever cease loving and accepting my children. In any event, I previously wrote about Derrick Martin (above right), a gay teenager in Georgia who prevailed in bringing his boyfriend to his senior prom. Unfortunately, Martin's "good Christian" parents threw him out because of the publicity and his sexual orientation. Now, Derrick has launched a project called "Project Life Vest" which will help other teens going through what he experienced or worse simply because they are gay. The Project's website describes its mission as follows:
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Our mission is simple: "To be a helping hand, a life vest, to as many LGBTQ teens and adults as possible. We will carry out this mission through the establishment of safe places in as many cities as possible; through opening a call center with a qualified and well-educated and experienced team of counselors who can give advice and guidance where needed; through finding qualified and screened families who can, if the need arises, host rejected teens while they finish schooling or find a new place."
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Here is how Derrick Martin describes his own unfortunate experience:
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When I first decided to go to prom with my boyfriend, I had no idea concerning the turmoil that would engulf in my life. One day I was living with my parents; the next I had no home. I found myself without much in terms of material possessions and comfort. I had a car; a low paying job with the school; and a few trash bags filled with my clothes and scarce belongings. Luckily for me, a good friend took me into her home. I stayed with her family during the last few months of my senior year in high school. These were very tough times for me. With the exception of my best friend and her family, my boyfriend, and a few other friends, I was alone.
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I have a very unique opportunity that I feel I cannot pass up. I have the spotlight needed to establish a name in activism. I possess a unique viewpoint from which I can help others in the LGBT Community; people like myself who are disadvantaged because of discrimination, hate, or ignorance. That is why I have decided to form an organization dedicated to helping people like me, who are going through hard times because of discrimination. . . . I only want others who are like me to know that they are not alone, for everyone has the right to love regardless of sexual orientation.
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For those withholding money from the Democrats, Derrick's Project - which has partnered with existing and experienced organizations - looks like a worthy place to make a donation. You can make a donation here.

Hawaii Twice Divorced Governor Compares Gay Marriage to Incest

Seemingly trying to further destroy her state as a tourist destination, hypocite Linda Lindle - who applies Bible passages to gays but not herself - has now publicly stated that gay marriage is the same as incest. Or at least that's how she is trying to justify her veto of civil union legislation for same sex couples in Hawaii. The irony is that meanwhile, Hawaii allows first cousins to marry - something backward Virginia allows as well. Too bad Ms. Lindle doesn't even know the laws of her own state. It kills me that the world will purportedly end if gays marry but it's fine to marry that first cousin you grew up with and celebrated with at family gatherings. First cousins marrying? Sure sounds pretty much like incest to me. In fact, half of the states ban such marriages. Think Progress has coverage on this bitch, I mean bigot's latest blather. Here are highlights:
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In her first radio appearance after her veto, Good As You noted that Lingle continued to pretend that the legislation would undermine traditional marriage. She also claimed that if people believe marriage equality for same-sex couples is a “civil rights issue,” they should also be concerned that close relatives can’t marry either:
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LINGLE: For those people who want to makes this into a civil rights issue, and of course those in favor of the bill, they see it as a civil rights issue. And I understand them drawing that conclusion. But people on the other side would point out, well, we don’t allow other people to marry even — it’s not a civil right for them. First cousins couldn’t marry, or a brother and a sister and that sort of thing. So there are restrictions, not to put it in the exact same category. But the bottom line is, it really can’t be a civil right if we are restricting it in other cases, and it’s been found to be legal in those other cases, that the restrictions
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Lingle’s argument is popular with conservatives. Recently, former Arkansas governor and current Fox News personality Mike Huckabee said that legalizing marriage equality would “be like saying, well, there are a lot of people who like to use drugs, so let’s go ahead and accommodate those who want who use drugs. There are some people who believe in incest, so we should accommodate them.