Neither in nor out

I have the utmost admiration for those who are willing to possibly newly expose their true selves on this "Coming Out Day"!

If I were to have the person who currently holds my interest return my affection, I would probably startle many friends but, luckily, not my family. That isn't going to happen however. And I have neither aspirations nor expectations, just the hope that I can continue this aspect of my life as long as possible. Not that I would reject an improvement...

Economic advantage, New York

Hallelujah!

Despite religious prejudice and the ick factor, the New York State Senate passed and the governor signed the same sex marriage act into law last night. It will take effect in 30 days. As many have quipped, now NY LGBTs will have all the hassles that other married couples have.

I think we should do away with marriage as the term which grants privilege and responsibility. Too many household families are no longer defined by the word. There are many configurations from single individuals to traditional families to grandparents rearing a child to children of divorce living with remarried parents to siblings to live-in care givers to roommates, etc. which constitute a household. People who live together for a period of time should be able to register as household families for tax and other legal purposes. People complained about the "marriage penalty" which was, in fact, the recognition that individuals living alone have more expenses than those who live as a family. Let's change our thinking to accomodate households as families now.

The women in the preceding post are a household family, aren't they?

Prevarication

I watched the Prop 8 hearing today. The lawyer for Prop 8 had nothing to say basically. As with the original trial, I could see no legitimate defense of their position.

The National Organization for Marriage (not really) condemned one of the judges today. His wife is the executive director of the ACLU in California therefore he can't be impartial. In other words, he may be able to weigh the evidence and come to an intelligent conclusion that may disagree with the unChristian hatred NOM espouses therefore he needs to recuse himself.

Yesterday I read an article about Gene Robinson planning to remain on the public stage after retiring. The comments are revealing. People who have never met Gene or heard him speak simply hate him for no reason.

People who are anti-homosexual/lgbt/"queer"/etc. have little or no idea what they are talking about and have little if any interest in learning more about the subject. They may say they have many "friends" who are lgbt but they don't approve of their "lifestyle" so are they really "friends"? They say they love their lgbt neighbors but they believe lgbt's choose to love people of the same sex and can choose to fall in love with people of the opposite sex. They deny same sex families the stability of legal marriage even tho they preach that marriage is of the ultimate importance. They say their Bible condemns same sex love while ignoring Jesus's teaching that we should love all. Oh, yes, "loving" means trying to get lgbts to change their Godde-given nature.

I'm sorry but I don't accept any of it. Regardless of the intended message, the antis hate/fear homosexuals and others with "nonstandard" sexual attraction. There is no legitimate defense of homophobia and homohatred. It is based on ignorance and fear primarily promoted by pseudoChristian religionists.

So they know an lgbt person whose behavior is destructive. Are there no straights with destructive behavior? So there is a gay man who spends too much time in bars perhaps picking up one night stands. No straight man ever does that - let alone a married one? So some same sex couples split after a period of time together. Ever hear of divorce? Children fare best in families with two parents. So why do straights divorce so often leaving kids with a single mother who can barely support them let alone parent "perfectly"? Shouldn't everyone support same sex marriage to provide children with a stable household? How would the marriage of a same sex couple ruin someone else's straight marriage anyhow? A straight who doesn't fully support the rights of lgbts yet claims to not be prejudiced is lying. It is that simple. I'm tired of it.


PS: I love Ted Olson! David Boies is a little too stiff for my taste but Ted seems so honest, so real.

It Gets Better

And the last one I'll add:

The suicides must stop

I believe there are two main causes of this problem - religion and ignorance. They are related. By instilling fear and hatred of "others", religion encourages ignorance. When "others" are seen as "evil" or somehow less than human, which prejudice does, they hide. Many people refuse to deal with what and whom they don't know. Some strike out in defense. The "others" don't dare expose themselves for fear of the actions of the ignorant. As a consequence, nobody benefits and lots of folks are excluded and hurt.

Personally I blame religion for most of the prejudice. Every clergy type person who preaches that homosexuality is sin and urges the flock to change or exclude or hate is guilty of promoting murder - spiritual if not physical. I pray Godde will find a way to teach them that Godde loves all Godde's children. I especially pray that those who are hiding their own perceived sin be freed from their own preaching and condemnation and come into the light of Christ as taught in the Gospels. We were given the Holy Spirit to do just that if only we would listen to her.

Make it illegal and it will go away

Republicans sure are obsessed over homosexuality. Why? Jealous? Scared? Ignorant? Or just misled by people who believe they know Godde better than anyone else and, at someone else's expense, need to believe themselves better than others?

Montana Republicans have it in their platform. Read about it here.

Texans are clinging to it too. Here.

There is much evidence of how making something something illegal makes it disappear. Prohibition effectively stopped the production and sale of alcoholic beverages, didn't it? And alcohol was optional.

Homosexuality is not optional any more than blue eyes are. Yes, eye color can be changed with contact lenses but the result is a lie. Homosexuality can be denied but the result is a lie which harms the person and others around them.

Religion seems to be the primary culprit which denies full rights to LGBTs. Perhaps it is religion that should be outlawed? Better yet, outlaw Republicans who either lie or color the truth in order to stir up the fearful and ignorant to get votes.

Activist judges and other stuff

Maggie Gallagher meets St Peter

Yet another week to wait for marriage justice in California...

Judge Vaughan Walker followed up his opinion that Prop 8 is unconstitutional with the order to lift the stay on same sex marriage at 5 pm PDT on 18 August 2010. That gives the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals a week to consider any motion filed. A few of the coverages:
FireDogLake
Joe.My.God
Episcopal Cafe

An interesting article on Huffington Post - yes, I know it's a liberal thing - Why Gay Opponents Hated and Feared the Proposition 8 Trial. You are welcome to check the hate filled propaganda organizations for dissent if you care to.

I hope my nephew and his wife are prepared for the devastation the decision will cause in their straight California marriage.

Creative protest

Some people need prayers but make it difficult

This man is Bryan Fischer, an American Family Association radio host and head of the Idaho Family Alliance. I will not link to them.

He believes that "active homosexuals should be put through an effective reparative therapy program" and "biblically, those “who practice homosexuality” should come under the purview of the law just as much as those who take people captive in order to sell them into slavery."

May Godde have mercy on his hateful, fearful, miserable soul!

You may read more here, here or here.

Lies debunked

Sunset on a rare sunny January day

Hopefully tomorrow those icicles will be gone.

I've been following the Prop 8 trial via Prop8trialtracker, Firedoglake and 365Gay. Interesting enough to be more addictive than Facebook.

The marriage problem

Once upon a time people didn't move much. It was not unusual for someone to live, work and die within 50 miles of their birthplace. The major worry when crossing state lines was during the holidays when the police would watch for Pennsylvania residents returning from Ohio with booze which was much cheaper there. Not only would a fine be levied but the cargo would be destroyed. Ouch.

Times have changed radically. People freely move about the country. Educational diplomas are honored everywhere even tho each state determines its own requirements. Driver licenses and car registrations are honored until the person can schedule necessary tests and file paperwork. Nobody needs to get remarried in the new place of residence.

Wait a minute. What's that? Some marriages in Iowa, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and DC, not to mention Canada or Spain are not valid in Pennsylvania?

What if you had to pass a test to prove that you graduated from high school? What if your driver license was invalid and you had to give up driving until you passed the test in the new state or using the car until you had the new license?

It's time to pass a federal law making marriage in one state valid in all. If a couple is married, they are married. Period. While individual states may discriminate against who may or may not marry there, they should not be able to discriminate against other states any more than they can say that an educational diploma is invalid from state to state.

More comments on Anglican, um, stuff

I'm very happy that the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles elected two women as suffragan bishops tho I wish the words referring to sexuality could be omitted. Both people are wonderful priests who will be wonderful bishops according to what people who know them are saying. Why we have to know that they are women or that one of them is a lesbian is beyond me. Godde doesn't discriminate so why should we? I fear that many men especially will not want to confirm one of the ladies. To some, qualifications mean nothing. It is all about whom she chooses to live with. May the Holy Spirit wield the hammer she uses on my head to knock some sense into their theology.

Meanwhile the Episcopal Diocese of Lousiana chose a person who seems to have been the most moderate on the slate. There was one candidate our little group of OCICBWers prayed would not be chosen. We are happy.

And who should have something critical to say about the American choices for bishop? Why it's the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. Bless him. He all but threatened TEC with expulsion if we consecrate another homosexual bishop. Has he said anything about Uganda and the possible genocide of homosexuals if the proposed law is enacted? Has he rejected the labeling of homosexuals as cockroaches by one of his Ugandan Anglican bishops at a funeral recently? Nary a peep. He needs to hold his head in shame.

I know a whole bunch of wonderful LGBT people whose lives are boringly normal and totally nonthreatening which is more than I can say for some "evangelical Christians'". I pray those in Uganda can be like the insects they are labeled and outlive many times over those who would persecute them. I'd prefer the Ugandans study their Bibles and quit listening to the American hatemongers however.

The Uganda situation and more

A Ugandan politician who is a member of The Family has proposed legislation in Uganda which would send LGBT people, those who associate with them, even those who don't turn them in to prison and possibly death. Research has traced the incitement of hatred against LGBTs in Africa to religious and political leaders in the US. Sometimes it is difficult to love and pray for those who seem to have no idea how to read the Gospels. The thought that people who call themselves "Christian" would support any legislation which discriminates against other people who do no harm to society or themselves is repulsive, even unimaginable. If there were the hell so often preached about, the preachers who exclude any of Godde's creation will be the primary occupants. I wish their purpose on earth weren't making life hell for others.

Meanwhile I'm tired of those who condemn "homosexual behavior". It sounds to me like marriage is for sex which results in pregnancy. Men (mostly) keep clamoring about the Biblical injunctions against men lying with a man as with a woman. For them it is all about sex. Does anyone marry for love? They shouldn't be allowed according to these men-who-would-play-God. I wonder if they have sex at every opportunity as that is the only thing they seem to think is a legitimate reason to marriage. For those (mostly) males, homosexuality is all about anal sex. Perhaps they fear it because they might find it enjoyable? Why all the concentration on sex and none on relationships?

If two people love each other enough to want and promise to spend the rest of their lives together, shouldn't they be allowed to do that with all the rights and privileges that legal unions have? Many male-female combinations have no kids in their futures for a variety of reasons yet they aren't subjected to public voting on whether or not they should be allowed to marry.

Sometimes it is difficult to be associated with a "church". Get a clue, haters of the world. Get your minds out of the darkness of the gutter of sexual obsession. Get rid of hell. Learn to love.

Reading and watching:
Religion Dispatches here and here
Rachel Maddow here
Politics Daily here.

Say No to divorce

And now for something completely different but with a familiar flavor...

Worship to remember!!!

Yesterday I drove from home to Philadelphia to sing with the choir of St Luke and the Epiphany for confirmation and a celebration of St Luke. There were several attractions. The organist Jonathan posted the program on Facebook. I asked to sing as he is a fellow Westminster Choir College alum. He said a classmate of mine Verdean would be the soloist, the bishop of New Hampshire would be the celebrant and I was welcome to sing. Being a longtime choir slut and a big fan of +Gene Robinson, I went.

Verdean's beautiful voice is wrapped in an equally beautiful person. It was good to see her again.

I caught a remote photo of +Gene before the service.

And a couple during the eucharist.
It was worth the 800 mile drive!

Why it's easy to be anti-gay

It's very easy to tell someone else to suck it up and carry a cross--as long as you don't have to carry it with them.

IT has written an excellent post on the blog The Friends of Jake.