Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thurday midday news briefs
Editor's note - I edited the post about Mark Sanford to include some commentary about the lgbt community in South Carolina. Do you think we are being unfairly mean to Sanford?
"Gay Exorcism" On YouTube Causes Controversy - Remember this post? Now the church is in trouble for it. As it should be.
New Protections for Transgender Federal Workers - More good news!
Woman again loses custody case - And it's gets better. For those wanting background on the Janet Jenkins/Lisa Miller case, go here.
Lewis, Johnson co-sponsor ENDA - ENDA is reintroduced. I certainly hope it passes!
"Gay Exorcism" On YouTube Causes Controversy - Remember this post? Now the church is in trouble for it. As it should be.
New Protections for Transgender Federal Workers - More good news!
Woman again loses custody case - And it's gets better. For those wanting background on the Janet Jenkins/Lisa Miller case, go here.
Lewis, Johnson co-sponsor ENDA - ENDA is reintroduced. I certainly hope it passes!
Everything you need to know about the Mark Sanford affair (including a commentary on so-called lgbt ugliness)
Being a resident of South Carolina, I am in the eye of the hurricane of probably the most intense, controversial story in the history of this state.
You will pardon me for taking time out from my usual lgbt and religious right postings to look at the various components of this story.
First, a prediction and a little commentary - unless it comes out that the woman Sanford was having an affair with manipulated him into cheating on his wife, Sanford can kiss the governorship goodbye. I've seen this sort of thing before.
The first shock is always the revelation. But there are always other details that slowly peter out. And the details are never good.
Also, it should be known that gays in South Carolina are practically raking Sanford over the coals. There have been some extremely caustic comments about this controversy from my community.
But before anyone accuses of us being overly mean, they need to fully understand our point of view.
When that dreary marriage amendment was being pushed in this state (2006), Sanford eagerly and publicly vouched for it.
So in essence, he was telling me and other lgbt South Carolinians that our relationships have no value. He was telling us that his relationship was better than ours due to the sole quality of him being a heterosexual.
But we are now witnessing that he has no problem with disgracing that relationship by going off to Argentina for clandestine intimate encounters with a woman he is not married to.
Now I can safely say that very few lgbts in South Carolina are dancing in the aisle over this controversy, particularly knowing how it is embarrassing his wife and four sons.
But in all honesty, can we be blamed if we did? Are we supposed to be silent in the face of such an ugly double standard.
Now onto these various components:
Timeline: How the story unfolded - How this ugly sordid thing reached this point.
E-mails detail intimate affair - If anything has the power to completely annihilate Sanford, it will be these emails. And it's sad because they are very poetic.
Hunch leads to airport and tired, troubled Sanford - A firsthand report from Gina Smith, the reporter who broke the story and led to Sanford's confession. The young lady who will most likely soon be known as the Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Gina Smith (another prediction).
Jenny Sanford Launched Husband's Career - The unkindest cut of them all. It's a hell of a way to go from Lady Macbeth to Maria Von Trapp.
Presidential dream dead, observers say - No shit.
Family Research Council removes Sanford’s picture from Values Voters Summit website. - But they kept Carrie Prejean's picture.
Will Republicans ‘Ask Questions’ Of Sanford, Rather Than ‘Circle The Wagons For One Of Our Tribe’? - And past comments will now haunt Sanford.
Sanford saga adds to GOP woes - That's what happens when you put yourself on a pedestal. When you are knocked down, people are always there to laugh and point fingers.
Poll: Should Mark Sanford resign as S.C.'s governor? - Folks, I've monitored this poll for almost a day now. And it has not changed.
Chris Matthews And "Hardball" Panel Examine If There's A '2012 Republican Curse' (VIDEO) - Please, PLEASE don't give World Net Daily any story ideas.
Articles taken from The State, Politico, Huffington Post, and ThinkProgress.
You will pardon me for taking time out from my usual lgbt and religious right postings to look at the various components of this story.
First, a prediction and a little commentary - unless it comes out that the woman Sanford was having an affair with manipulated him into cheating on his wife, Sanford can kiss the governorship goodbye. I've seen this sort of thing before.
The first shock is always the revelation. But there are always other details that slowly peter out. And the details are never good.
Also, it should be known that gays in South Carolina are practically raking Sanford over the coals. There have been some extremely caustic comments about this controversy from my community.
But before anyone accuses of us being overly mean, they need to fully understand our point of view.
When that dreary marriage amendment was being pushed in this state (2006), Sanford eagerly and publicly vouched for it.
So in essence, he was telling me and other lgbt South Carolinians that our relationships have no value. He was telling us that his relationship was better than ours due to the sole quality of him being a heterosexual.
But we are now witnessing that he has no problem with disgracing that relationship by going off to Argentina for clandestine intimate encounters with a woman he is not married to.
Now I can safely say that very few lgbts in South Carolina are dancing in the aisle over this controversy, particularly knowing how it is embarrassing his wife and four sons.
But in all honesty, can we be blamed if we did? Are we supposed to be silent in the face of such an ugly double standard.
Now onto these various components:
Timeline: How the story unfolded - How this ugly sordid thing reached this point.
E-mails detail intimate affair - If anything has the power to completely annihilate Sanford, it will be these emails. And it's sad because they are very poetic.
Hunch leads to airport and tired, troubled Sanford - A firsthand report from Gina Smith, the reporter who broke the story and led to Sanford's confession. The young lady who will most likely soon be known as the Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Gina Smith (another prediction).
Jenny Sanford Launched Husband's Career - The unkindest cut of them all. It's a hell of a way to go from Lady Macbeth to Maria Von Trapp.
Presidential dream dead, observers say - No shit.
Family Research Council removes Sanford’s picture from Values Voters Summit website. - But they kept Carrie Prejean's picture.
Will Republicans ‘Ask Questions’ Of Sanford, Rather Than ‘Circle The Wagons For One Of Our Tribe’? - And past comments will now haunt Sanford.
Sanford saga adds to GOP woes - That's what happens when you put yourself on a pedestal. When you are knocked down, people are always there to laugh and point fingers.
Poll: Should Mark Sanford resign as S.C.'s governor? - Folks, I've monitored this poll for almost a day now. And it has not changed.
Chris Matthews And "Hardball" Panel Examine If There's A '2012 Republican Curse' (VIDEO) - Please, PLEASE don't give World Net Daily any story ideas.
Articles taken from The State, Politico, Huffington Post, and ThinkProgress.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Governor Sanford, what are your opinions about gay marriage now?
I'm not even going to introduce it because I know you all have heard about Governor Sanford.
I'm currently dodging my mothers anger because when she told me about it, I offhand accused her of lying.
At any rate, my prayers are with Sanford and his family. But I wonder if Sanford feels the same way he did in the following interview:
I'm currently dodging my mothers anger because when she told me about it, I offhand accused her of lying.
At any rate, my prayers are with Sanford and his family. But I wonder if Sanford feels the same way he did in the following interview:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Wednesday midday news briefs
"Greet the Press", NYC Pride Event on Black Gays and New Media - The questions posed by this panel are valid. Just where are we in the media?
NC: Anti-bullying bill passes -- awaits Gov. Perdue's signature - This is EXCELLENT news!
Best letter to Obama on gay issues comes from a straight group - People for the American Way comes through again .
Governor Went to Argentina, Not Hiking - Not necessarily an lgbt issue per se but since it is talking about the governor of MY state (Mark Sanford), I want to include it. No one faults the Governor for taking a break but a. he should have told someone about it and b. why is he lying about where he went?
And now . . . crazy woman on Youtube.
The woman on the video below is Linda Harvey. I've talked about her so many times. But to recap, she is a former ad executive who became a Christian and started an organization (Mission America) to combat the so-called gay agenda.
In the eyes of the religious right, that makes her an "expert."
She believes the following about lgbts and children (yeah I know I am repeating this but she has never gone back from this declaration):
When people have views supporting homosexuality, they should not be involved with youth in any way, period. Because they:
will provide inaccurate, misleading information to kids;
may limit a student's opportunity to hear warnings about the behavior;
may advocate or model inappropriate behavior;
may be directly involved in the molestation of kids themselves;
or may be in a position to allow others to do so.
She also believes, according to this video of a speech she gave to Peter LaBarbera's group (Americans for Truth), that there is a conspiracy amongst the "religious left" to push a false dichotomy of Christianity.
And here I thought it was the lgbts who are plotting to do harm.
When Andy Warhol said that in the future, everyone will be famous for at least 15 minutes, it is apparent that he meant crazy folks too.
And Harvey can't take criticism either. She deleted my polite disagreement of her comments from her video as well as disabled the rating
NC: Anti-bullying bill passes -- awaits Gov. Perdue's signature - This is EXCELLENT news!
Best letter to Obama on gay issues comes from a straight group - People for the American Way comes through again .
Governor Went to Argentina, Not Hiking - Not necessarily an lgbt issue per se but since it is talking about the governor of MY state (Mark Sanford), I want to include it. No one faults the Governor for taking a break but a. he should have told someone about it and b. why is he lying about where he went?
And now . . . crazy woman on Youtube.
The woman on the video below is Linda Harvey. I've talked about her so many times. But to recap, she is a former ad executive who became a Christian and started an organization (Mission America) to combat the so-called gay agenda.
In the eyes of the religious right, that makes her an "expert."
She believes the following about lgbts and children (yeah I know I am repeating this but she has never gone back from this declaration):
When people have views supporting homosexuality, they should not be involved with youth in any way, period. Because they:
will provide inaccurate, misleading information to kids;
may limit a student's opportunity to hear warnings about the behavior;
may advocate or model inappropriate behavior;
may be directly involved in the molestation of kids themselves;
or may be in a position to allow others to do so.
She also believes, according to this video of a speech she gave to Peter LaBarbera's group (Americans for Truth), that there is a conspiracy amongst the "religious left" to push a false dichotomy of Christianity.
And here I thought it was the lgbts who are plotting to do harm.
When Andy Warhol said that in the future, everyone will be famous for at least 15 minutes, it is apparent that he meant crazy folks too.
And Harvey can't take criticism either. She deleted my polite disagreement of her comments from her video as well as disabled the rating
Wayne Besen tells truth about 'Washington crack pipes'
Activist and unofficial mentor of mine (unofficial because he doesn't know it yet) Wayne Besen wrote a piece that I've taken to reading at least once a day in the last few weeks.
It is basically telling the lgbt community not to be distracted by the situation with President Obama so much so that we forget other facets of our fight for equality:
Political discourse has become an aphrodisiac that has seduced our community away from equally important issues. Perhaps it is time we go into rehab and free ourselves from the Washington crack pipe. It is a cheap high that rarely lasts and often leaves us broke and unsatisfied.
We all wanted King Obama to sweep into office, wave his magic wand and make discrimination disappear. I really wish he would, but it is clear that he won’t – or at least not as quick as we desire. So, why don’t we pry ourselves away from DC for a moment and try using our resources in alternative ways?
Anyone remember AIDS?
Ever hear of the multi-million dollar ex-gay industry that pumps out reams of propaganda to portray gay people as sick and “sexually broken?” Few people seem to notice, even though these groups spread harmful myths and poisonous stereotypes that impact our daily lives.
What about increasing funds to help GLBT youths who are thrown out of their homes? Or, scholarships, so these teens can succeed in life and maybe one day run for Congress?
How about focusing on the abuses against GLBT people overseas?
The aforementioned issues will not get you on a Congressman’s speed dial. It is unlikely that you will win a sparkling trophy or have a marble bust made of your head. The cable shows may not be dialing you at a frenzied pace. But, you might have a disproportionately positive impact and even save a few lives.
As a part time blogger, I really can't get into the thick of things when it comes to Washington, President Obama, etc.
Also, my specialty lies with studying the religious right; looking at their tactics and exposing whatever lies they put out.
And suddenly I'm starting to feel as irrelevant as the religious right in an Obama Administration. True, organizations like Focus on the Family and the American Family Association and people like Peter LaBarbera and Matt Barber seem to have less power.
But that doesn't make them any less dangerous. They still have the power to throw down roadblocks on the road to the lgbt community getting what we deserve.
So allow me to add a short addendum to Besen's very spot on piece.
Don't forget about the religious right. Don't sell them short and don't piss them away.
I certainly won't.
It is basically telling the lgbt community not to be distracted by the situation with President Obama so much so that we forget other facets of our fight for equality:
Political discourse has become an aphrodisiac that has seduced our community away from equally important issues. Perhaps it is time we go into rehab and free ourselves from the Washington crack pipe. It is a cheap high that rarely lasts and often leaves us broke and unsatisfied.
We all wanted King Obama to sweep into office, wave his magic wand and make discrimination disappear. I really wish he would, but it is clear that he won’t – or at least not as quick as we desire. So, why don’t we pry ourselves away from DC for a moment and try using our resources in alternative ways?
Anyone remember AIDS?
Ever hear of the multi-million dollar ex-gay industry that pumps out reams of propaganda to portray gay people as sick and “sexually broken?” Few people seem to notice, even though these groups spread harmful myths and poisonous stereotypes that impact our daily lives.
What about increasing funds to help GLBT youths who are thrown out of their homes? Or, scholarships, so these teens can succeed in life and maybe one day run for Congress?
How about focusing on the abuses against GLBT people overseas?
The aforementioned issues will not get you on a Congressman’s speed dial. It is unlikely that you will win a sparkling trophy or have a marble bust made of your head. The cable shows may not be dialing you at a frenzied pace. But, you might have a disproportionately positive impact and even save a few lives.
As a part time blogger, I really can't get into the thick of things when it comes to Washington, President Obama, etc.
Also, my specialty lies with studying the religious right; looking at their tactics and exposing whatever lies they put out.
And suddenly I'm starting to feel as irrelevant as the religious right in an Obama Administration. True, organizations like Focus on the Family and the American Family Association and people like Peter LaBarbera and Matt Barber seem to have less power.
But that doesn't make them any less dangerous. They still have the power to throw down roadblocks on the road to the lgbt community getting what we deserve.
So allow me to add a short addendum to Besen's very spot on piece.
Don't forget about the religious right. Don't sell them short and don't piss them away.
I certainly won't.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Tuesday afternoon news briefs
Southern Baptists Oust Church - Guess what for? Apparently the church was too lenient to gays. If you ask me, the church is better off without SBC.
US census to count married gay couples - Old news but nice news.
American Family Association's "Speechless: Silencing the Christians" Is Back - And speaking of coldblooded liars . . .
DeMint: Hate-crimes bill violates blind justice - Desperation, thy name is Jim DeMint. This latest explanation to oppose the hate crimes bill is so dumb, One News Now's commentators are crying foul.
Janet Porter's Terminal Optimism - I haven't talked about this zany woman for a while so I figure what the hell.
US census to count married gay couples - Old news but nice news.
American Family Association's "Speechless: Silencing the Christians" Is Back - And speaking of coldblooded liars . . .
DeMint: Hate-crimes bill violates blind justice - Desperation, thy name is Jim DeMint. This latest explanation to oppose the hate crimes bill is so dumb, One News Now's commentators are crying foul.
Janet Porter's Terminal Optimism - I haven't talked about this zany woman for a while so I figure what the hell.
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