Category Archives: Politics

November 14, 2013

Congratulations Hawaii and Thank You!

By Joe

20131113-224456.jpg

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a bill Wednesday legalizing gay marriage in the state that kicked off a national discussion of the issue more than two decades ago.

Now, the island chain is positioning itself for a bump in tourism as people take advantage of the new law and the state provides another example of how differently marriage is viewed in the nation. An estimate from a University of Hawaii researcher says gay marriage will boost tourism by $217 million over the next three years, as Hawaii becomes a destination for couples in other states, boosting ceremonies, receptions and honeymoons in the islands.

“In Hawaii, we believe in fairness, justice and human equality,” Abercrombie said Tuesday after the state Senate passed the gay marriage bill. “Today, we celebrate our diversity defining us rather than dividing us.”

Hawaii’s gay marriage debate began in 1990 when two women applied for a marriage license, leading to a court battle and a 1993 Hawaii Supreme Court decision that said their rights to equal protection were violated by not letting them marry.

That helped lead Congress to pass the federal Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, part of which was struck down earlier this year by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The decision led Abercrombie to call a special session that produced Hawaii’s gay marriage law.

Abercrombie signed the measure at an invitation-only ceremony at the Hawaii Convention Center, near the tourism hub of Waikiki.

The law allows gay couples living in Hawaii and tourists to marry in the state starting Dec. 2. Another 14 states and the District of Columbia already allow same-sex marriage. A bill is awaiting the governor’s signature in Illinois.

President Barack Obama praised passage of the Hawaii bill, saying the affirmation of freedom and equality makes the country stronger.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Politics

November 8, 2013

ENDA

By Joe

20131107-221059.jpg

Workplace discrimination is alive and well. If the fact that I was gay became common knowledge at the school where I teach, then it is likely that I would lose my job. I believe that I would have the support of my headmaster, a good portion of the faculty, and several people on the schools board of directors. However, even that might not save my job, but the U.S. Senate passage of S.285, the Employee Nondiscrimination Act of 2013 (ENDA) yesterday could give me the protection I would need if it also passed the House and was signed by President Obama. If passed, ENDA would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by civilian, nonreligious employers with at least 15 employees. Though my school may consider itself Christian-oriented, we are not affiliated with any religious organization and we have more than 15 employees. Therefore, they could not be exempt from ENDA.

I am not the only teacher in America who works extremely hard to educate America’s children who risk losing their job each day because of their sexual orientation. Besides, it does not just pertain to teachers, but all professions. The American people have, over the past two decades, become much more amenable to LGBT Americans, and LGBT rights in general, yet there are still parts of the country which need a push further in the right direction (i.e. the South). According to the Williams Institute at UCLA Law, between 15 and 43 percent of LGB people have experienced workplace discrimination or harassment, and between 8 and 17 percent have been hired or fired due to their sexual orientation. Just as startlingly, up to 41 percent of LGB employees have experienced anti-gay harassment or abuse in the workplace. That number soars up to 90 percent for trans people. Meanwhile, gay people can still be fired for their sexuality in 29 states. (For trans people, it’s 34.)

The first time the full U.S. Senate had an opportunity to vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act was on Sept. 5, 1996, after the legislation had already died twice in what was then known as the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. When all of the votes had been cast, ENDA lost by just one, 50-49. Flash-forward to today, and ENDA has now passed the Senate by a 64-32 margin. The Senate roll call vote tells the tale: of the 50 seats from which a “Nay” vote was cast in 1996, 20 are now occupied by “Yea” voting senators, while only four “Yea” voting seats have flipped back. In Alaska, Colorado, and New Hampshire, there have been complete makeovers — two “Nays” swapped out for a pair of “Yeas” in each state.

One of the most commonly observed features in the growing support for LGBT people across the country is the fact that younger Americans tend to be leading the shift in opinion. Interestingly enough, there were some examples of this in the Senate vote. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) voted for the bill Thursday, 17 years after her father, then-Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska), voted against it. And Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) voted in favor, while back in 1996, his father, then-Sen. David Pryor (D-Ark.), did not vote.

Republicans should support these protections, and I hope the GOP leadership in the House schedules the bill for a vote. It’s the morally right thing to do. No one should lose their job, or not get hired, because of their sexual orientation. Allowing people to be successful in their workplaces is an essential piece of individual opportunity and liberty. Working for a living is one of America’s freedoms. It’s a virtue to be encouraged — and supporting it is important to the future of the Republican Party. In an era in which the government often punishes hard work and individual success, this bill encourages it.

At its core, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act is about individual liberty. All employees should be treated the same and be judged on their job performance. No one should receive special treatment, and no one should be fired because of their sexual orientation. Since the 1960s, Congress has passed laws ensuring that employers can’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion or gender — personal characteristics that have nothing to do with how well someone does his or her job. These laws are widely accepted throughout our society. Who among us today would say an employer should have the right to fire someone because of their faith or the color of their skin? The same sense of fairness and respect should apply to the hundreds of thousands of qualified, hardworking Americans covered by ENDA.

Many in the business community, recognizing the importance of a qualified, skilled workforce, are well ahead of the federal government. Now is time for the government to catch up so that nondiscrimination laws protect workers at all companies, not just some. The reason there is Republican and business support for ENDA is simple: It’s reasonable. The bill respects many different viewpoints, allowing exemptions for religious organizations, for example.

Senator John McCain put out a statement Thursday before the vote, indicating that he planned to support the bill:

I have always believed that workplace discrimination – whether based on religion, gender, race, national origin or sexual orientation – is inconsistent with the basic values that America holds dear. With the addition of an amendment I co-sponsored with Senators Rob Portman and Kelly Ayotte strengthening protections for religious institutions, I am pleased to support this legislation.

Republicans in the House claim that the bill would encourage frivolous lawsuits that have more to do with enriching attorneys and less to do with fighting discrimination. But there is no evidence to suggest that would not be the case, based on the experience of the states and municipalities that have already adopted ENDA-like policies and the growing number of businesses that have done the same. If Fortune 500 companies were concerned about lawsuits, they wouldn’t be tackling discrimination on their own.

I hope the House Republicans do the right thing by bringing ENDA up for a vote and voting for its passage.

Related articles

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Politics

October 2, 2013

The United States of Shame

By Joe

image

I am ashamed of our government!

Brinkmanship is no way to operate a government!

Our country should not have to be held hostage by the Tea Party!

Those are just a few of my many negative thoughts right now about our government. The members of Congress are acting like a bunch of squabbling children who can only say “NO!” We are the United States of Shame, though not necessarily for the 50 reasons stated in the cartoon above.

I have said before that we need a strong third party. Republicans are moving further to the right, while Democrats are moving further to the left. It leaves out the moderates of this country. If we had a stronger third party for moderates, then we could force the current two-party system to compromise. However, compromise is not likely as long as the current members of Congress are in office.

The U.S. Constitution (Article I, section 9, clause 7) states that “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.” In other words, Congress is mandated by the Constitution to pass a federal budget. It is one of the few expressed Powers given to the legislative branch. However, they have failed to pass a federal budget since 2009. Think about it, what would happen if you chose not to do whatever is the major part of your job for four years? For most of us, that is unconscionable. Yet Congress has done this, or in this case not done a damn thing but bicker.

I am disgusted with the way our government works. I have been studying the provisions of Obamacare for the past few days trying to wrap my head around the issues that the Tea Party has with it. I asked a friend, who I described as the most rational conservative I know, what is so wrong with Obamacare? Her answer was that she doesn’t like the government telling her what to do. I agree. I don’t like the government telling me I have to buy a product or pay a fine (or tax as SCOTUS declared it). However, is the world going to end because Obamacare went online yesterday. NoIn fact, I think many of the provisions of Obamacare are necessary. Is it a perfect law? HELL NO! So why shut down the government for something that you can’t stop? Because we are dealing with immature assholes (and yes, I know name calling is immature as well).

The more I study the issues and try to keep up with everything so that I can answer my students questions about what is happening, the madder I get. Before the government shut down I was already pissed off at the local justice system. As you know from my post Monday, I was supposed to return to court on the matter of my speeding ticket. I had called last week to gain a continuance because my witness and I were finding it hard to get off work. I was told by the clerk’s office that under no circumstances would a continuance be allowed because the trial had already been continued once. The assistant district attorney had originally set my trial for 1:00 pm on the day of the original hearing but had called and told me that the officer who gave me the ticket was out of town and could not be in court at one o’clock that day. Therefore, the clerk’s office informed me that since it had been continued once, it could not be continued again. However, I received a call from the district attorney’s office on Monday stating that the State Trooper who issued the ticket could not be in court on October 1 due to training and that the hearing had been continued again. This is simply not equal justice.

I am growing very weary of the government, whatever part it may be, saying one thing and doing another. Republicans claim they want government out of our lives, yet they fight to tell us who we can’t marry, what we can do with our own bodies, etc., yet when the Democrats pass a law requiring us to buy insurance, they go apeshit. Ignorance, hypocrisy, and arrogance are my greatest pet peeves. Politicians seem to embody all three.

Thanks for reading my rant today. By the way, I do think there are many government employees who do wonderful and necessary jobs; however, I’m not so sure about politicians. I hope that this can be resolved soon, as I feel sorry for the nearly one million federal employees who are going without pay. Our politicians should be ashamed of themselves.

By the way, I scheduled this last night. If by a miracle, the government shutdowns ends before this is posted, I will still be pissed off at our government.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Politics

July 3, 2013

National Gay Blood Drive

By Joe
In 1985 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began enforcing a ban on blood donations from men who have had sex with other men anytime after 1977 for fear of drawing HIV-contaminated blood. Though much has happened in the last 30 years, and even with today’s advanced HIV screenings, they refuse to change their stance on the ban.
 
This can be a particularly difficult thing for men in the closet, as I am at work.  My school has an annual blood drive, and as a teacher, I am always asked to give blood.  I always say that I can’t, my usual excuse is that it is because of medicine I take for my blood pressure.  Of course, there is nothing with my blood pressure medicine that prevents me from giving blood; however, the ban on gay and bisexual men giving blood is the real reason.  I just don’t want to answer the questions that will be asked and have someone possibly overhear.  I have always been honest when the American Red Cross asked me if I have ever had sex with another man; I just don’t like lying, even though I keep closeted to my students.  The fact is though I am disease free and have not had sex in a while, so I think I should be able to give blood.  Which is why I find the idea of a National Gay Blood Drive on July 12 to be intriguing because it will hopefully bring awareness and maybe change to the issue of gay and bisexual men donating blood in the United States.
 
Ryan James Yezak, the director of the upcoming documentary “Second Class Citizens,” hopes to  bring awareness and hopefully change this ban with the first ever National Gay Blood Drive on July 12.  All across the country on July 12 from 9am to 5pm PST, gay and bisexual men, (also known as “MSM donors”) can show up to a designated blood donation center where a mobile HIV testing center will be waiting. The men will be tested, and once the test is negative, they can attempt to donate blood. When the men are rejected from giving blood, their HIV test results will be compiled and delivered to the FDA, to show the administration why they should lift their ban.
 
In a press release about the Blood Drive, Yezak says:

“The ban is outdated, and as a result, countless otherwise eligible gay and bisexual men are unable to contribute to the nation’s blood supply and help save lives.  Especially a time when blood shortages are increasingly common. Not only that, but the ban perpetuates negative stereotypes and stigma. Whether intentional or not, it is discrimination based on sexual orientation.”

The American Medical Association (AMA) also recently came out against the gay blood ban, saying the ban is “discriminatory” and “not based on sound science.”  Canada will be listing their ban on gay men giving blood by the end of this summer.  Canadian Blood Services will impose a five-year deferral period.  Thus, gay men can donate blood so long as they haven’t had sex with another man within the last five years.  Multiple countries already permit gay men to donate blood, and some even have a shorter deferral period than Canada. In Britain and Australia the deferral period is one year, while in South Africa it is six months.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Politics

October 22, 2012

Colby Melvin on Coming Out and Politics

By Joe
A few months ago, I posted about the model Colby Melvin.  If you don’t know who he is, then I think you should. Born in the deep South, Colby Melvin was brought up to be a gentleman, but his mother taught him early on that to make a difference in this world, you need to be a little bit “hell raiser” too! So, it isn’t surprising that Colby has quickly become one of the most public activists in the fight for marriage equality across the country. Colby holds fast to his core beliefs of sincerity, civility, honesty and kindness and has used them as the basis for his commitment to raise awareness for LGBT issues. Combining his passion for politics with his love of entertainment, Colby emerged as a top spokesmodel for Andrew Christian. Soon after, he began working with Full Frontal Freedom, a coalition of independent artists and media executives – using their talent and creativity to raise awareness and enhance civil discourse. It was his first video with Full Frontal Freedom, a parody of a popular One Direction hit, that garnered Colby national attention for his willingness to publicly fight for the causes he believes in. The “Disclosure” video became one of the most watched political videos of the 2012 campaign cycle and resulted in Colby receiving the Human Rights Award for Political Performing Arts from the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club in New York.

As outspoken as Colby has become about LGBT issues and the fight for marriage equality, his journey was not always easy. After graduating from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, Colby went to work in the oil and gas industry. The oil spill of 2010 found him in a major management position helping in the Gulf Coast recovery. It was during this time that Colby’s “secret” was discovered by a superior. After tolerating the corporate bullying, Colby made a decision – he would not hide who he was. Colby left his job, came out to family and friends and began working towards his dream of becoming a force in the LGBT community.

I am a great admirer of Colby, even more so after I saw this video about his experience coming out that was posted on the Underwear Expert blog on National Coming Out Day.  This is such a touching video, from the photos to the story Colby tells, that I had to share it with you guys.  I especially identified with is answer to the question, “Did you always know you were gay?”

Colby’s message is of acceptance and courage, friendship and trust; an important message indeed. And coming from a guy that’s come so far in so little time, it’s especially topical. Being gay behind closed doors is sometimes what we need, but being who we are and proud of it isn’t just about opening one door — it’s about opening door, after door, after door because when we are true to ourselves self, anything is possible.  While my job doesn’t allow me to come out and be as open as Colby, I admire him.  My coming out experiences were not like his, but it does show that there is hope for the LGBT community in the South.  There are accepting people in the South, and I have known many of them.  They are also generally the ones that I am out and proud to.
Colby is also actively political and it shows in many of the charities he is involved in, especially concerning gay marriage equality. He produced and starred in a music-video parody of One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” earlier this summer. The video, released by Full Frontal Freedom, a campaign to increase political awareness of LGBT issues and promote LGBT equality, showcased rewritten lyrics urging Romney to release his tax returns. That video has received 3.4 million views, by the way. Melvin is to present the video later this month at the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club’s Pre-Election Reception in New York on Thursday, October 25, 2012.

A handful of models, including Andrew Christian faves Colby Melvin and Quinn Jaxon, have teamed up with Full Frontal Freedom, an “Independent pro-equality movement not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any state campaign.” The collaboration produced a winning political parody of One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful.” Starring a sexually mixed (half-straight, half-gay) and underwear clad cast of characters that includes Colby Melvin (who’s also the face and spokesmodel for the coalition), Quinn Jaxon, Brandon Brown, Jonathan Myers and David Brackett, the video asks Romney to show what’s down below:  

Colby Melvin told The Underwear Expert, “The whole purpose of Full Frontal Freedom is about using different forms of media and artists so we can promote political engagement and just get people to give a sh*t.” And how exactly do you do that? Get ultra viral underwear models to get involved. “We get tons and tons and tons of views on our pictures and videos, so many comments and likes,” Colby continued. “We can actually use that for good to get people involved in the issues.”

5 Comments | posted in Coming Out, Inspiration, Politics, Video

October 17, 2012

A Moderate…

By Joe

When asked which political party I am, I will without hesitation say that I am a Democrat.  The problem is that, I’m not a far left Democrat.  There are some Republican issues I agree with and some Democrat issues that I agree with; however, there are also issues with both parties that I am against.   As a whole, I feel that neither political party represents me, and for that matter, neither represent the majority of Americans.  On my post on Monday, a commenter stated that like he and I were moderates, which is fairly correct. Then, why do I consider myself a Democrat?  For one, I’m a Southerner, and I think that one of the reasons that the Democratic Party continues to move further to the left and away from my political philosophy is because Southerner, by and large, no longer identify with the Democratic Party.  Second and most importantly in the last decade as I have come to understand myself more, I agree with many of the social political issues of the Democratic Party, especially when it comes to LGBT rights.

The funny thing is that even though my political beliefs have not changed in the last decade or decade and a half, the way I am viewed politically has.  Let me explain that.  When I was in graduate school and most of my colleagues were more liberal than I was, I was seen as the conservative one.  Now that I am a teacher in a small, rural Southern town, where most of my friends and colleagues are more conservative, I am now seen as the liberal one.  Mostly that has to do with the communities I have been involved in and how that has changed as my geographic location and my profession has changed.  Geographically, I am only a few hundred in distance from where I was but my cadre of acquaintances and friends has changed dramatically.

Truthfully, the majority of Democrats, if they heard my views on all of the issues, would not consider me a Democrat. Likewise, the majority of Republicans, if they heard my views on all of the issues, would not consider me a Republican. Then again I would not describe myself as a “demopublican” or as a “republicrat.”  I consider myself a moderate, and as someone who really doesn’t adhere to the political philosophies of either political party.  I also do not believe that I am the only one.  I believe there are many moderates out there who don’t fit into the current politics of America’s two-party system.  So where do we belong? Though, I wish a third party was the answer, the United States has rules and procedures that are stacked against third parties.  Third parties have often been single issue parties or a party that was formed to rally around a specific candidate.  Either way, the are not very successful.

In my opinion, moderates like the middle class are largely ignored by the political parties.  Both Democrats and Republicans will speak about middle class issues or persuading independents, but neither really do anything for the two groups.  What political philosophy do you adhere to?

Leave comments in the comments section and please vote in the poll below.

What political philosophy or party do you identify with?

10 Comments | posted in Politics

September 9, 2012

Jesus Was a Capricorn

By Joe

Jesus was a Capricorn
He ate organic food
He believed in love and peace
and never wore no shoes.
Long hair, beard and sandals
And a funky bunch of friends
Reckon we’d just nail him up
If he came down again
Kris Kristofferson

I have to admit that I agree with many of Kris Kristofferson’s sentiments on the subject of Jesus and honestly, I started thinking about what would Jesus be like if he came back to earth today. A few years ago, one of the big things was WWJD? bracelets. Christians were challenged to ask themselves “What would Jesus do?” and sadly for too many of them, it was not unconditional love and acceptance.  Would Jesus discriminate as so many Christians do today, especially against those who are different (that is , unless you are a Christian Republican and now have decided for the first time in your religious history to believe that Mormons are Christians just like you)?  Instinctively, we all sense that the answer must be a resounding No!  Yet we live in a time when many churches are leading the effort to deny gay and transgender people equal protection under the law.  Since so many churches are invoking the name of Jesus to justify their assault on the rights of gay and transgender people, I invite thoughtful people everywhere to ask this simple question:

What would Jesus do?

The answer is not hard to find.  One of the themes of Jesus’ ministry was a recurring conflict with the Pharisees, a powerful group of legalistic religious leaders.  The Pharisees were waiting for the Messiah to come, and they believed that would happen only when their entire nation became righteous.  So, in their minds, anyone who failed to follow their particular set of rules was bringing down a curse on their nation and worthy of contempt.

Sound familiar?  I see the same type of attitude and arguments from the Christian conservatives, who increasingly are becoming the voice of the Republican Party.

The list of people despised by the Pharisees was long:

  • The Samaritans were considered religious heretics and ethnically impure. 
  • Sick people were believed to be sinners whom God was punishing. 
  • Women were deemed unworthy of discipleship. 
  • Tax collectors and Roman soldiers were regarded as the enemy. 
  • The poor, who had neither the time nor resources to maintain rigorous rites of religious purity, were thought to be beyond God’s grace. 

The list of people despised by Republicans is even longer.

Jesus emphatically rejected each one of these prejudices as I believe he would the prejudices in the world of today.  You can read the stories yourself in your own Bible.  E.g., John 4:1-42; Luke 10:29-37; John 9:1-34; Luke 8:1-3; Matthew 11:16-19; Matthew 5:38-48; and Matthew 9:18-26. 

A classic example is provided in Matthew 8.   There, a Roman soldier asked Jesus to heal his “pais.”  This is a Greek term often used in ancient times to refer to a servant who was his master’s same-sex partner.  [K.J. Cover, Greek Homosexuality (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1978), p. 16].  When the soldier said, “Lord, my ‘partner’ is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress,” Jesus was immediately compassionate and spoke no words of exclusion or condemnation.  He simply said, “I will come and heal him.”

In the dialogue that followed, Jesus commended this Roman solider for having more faith than anyone he had ever met and assured him that he would sit down in the Kingdom of Heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  By this miracle of healing, Jesus preserved this loving same-sex relationship.

The Gospels are clear. Jesus refused to be bound by cultural prejudice.  Repeatedly, he took up the cause of the oppressed and defended them against narrow-minded religious leaders.

A Call To Action

I call upon Christians of goodwill to have the courage to follow the example of Jesus. Specifically, I call upon Christians everywhere to take four key steps to end the Church’s history of persecuting gay and transgender people:

  1. We must renew our commitment to honesty.“Thou shalt not bear false witness.”  Exodus 20:16. This is one of God’s most basic commands.  Too many Christians today are playing fast and loose with the truth, making sweeping statements about gay and transgender people without ever taking the time to investigate.  For example, some confidently assert that “gay people choose to be that way” and “gay people can change their orientation if they want to” and “the gay and trans lifestyle is inherently unhealthy.”  None of these statements have any basis in science or reality.  As Christians, God expects us to love the truth, seek the truth, and tell the truth – even when it’s not popular. 
  2. We must educate ourselves by daring, like Jesus before us, to become genuine friends of all people who face persecution.Jesus set the example. He was a genuine friend to all kinds of people, including those that his contemporaries derisively referred to as “sinners.”  Anyone who really wants to know the truth about gay and transgender people needs to take the time to get to know us, have a meal with us, engage in a real conversation with us.   
  3. We must carefully reexamine what the Bible teaches about same-sex relationships.On many occasions in the past, “accepted Christian wisdom” has been wrong.  For centuries, many in the Church vigorously opposed the right of women to vote, condemned interracial marriage, and supported slavery – always insisting that the Bible supported their point of view.  Now we know better.
  4. We must stop the use of the law to hurt gay and transgender people. Regardless what anyone believes about gay and transgender people, there is no excuse for doing us harm. Enacting laws that keep a dying gay person in an emergency room from seeing his life partner in his final moments of life is not Christian – it’s plain cruel.  Enacting laws that refuse to recognize the shared property of same-sex partners, thereby forcing one partner to sell their home when the other dies, is not Christian – it’s just meanspirited.

    The effort of some modern Christians to deprive gay families of basic civil rights is shameful and must stop.  Jesus would expect no less.

I stand with Jesus in defense of those who are being unfairly targeted and invite you to join me in doing what Jesus would really do!

I have to apologize for something in this post: the politics of it.  I do not like to overtly mix politics with religion.  Quite honestly, I think they should be kept separate. in America, though, that seems almost impossible. However, in the current highly political climate of election season, I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut. So I hope you will excuse me for mentioning politics in this week’s Bible study.

6 Comments | posted in Politics, Religion

September 5, 2012

Southern Decadence Arrests: 9 Anti-Gay Preachers Nabbed For Disrupting New Orleans Celebration

By Joe

A number of Christian fundamentalists may have claimed that gay revelers in town for Southern Decadence somehow prompted Hurricane Isaac’s dangerous weather in New Orleans last week. As it turns out, New Orleans has little tolerance for anti-gay rhetoric, too, as nine preachers were arrested for “suspicion of aggressive solicitation” on Saturday after yelling homophobic epithets during a Southern Decadence demonstration.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune identifies the preachers as Patrick O’Connell, 45, Rolando Igleasias, 31, Cesar Chavez, 22, Daniel Hoogerhuis, 26, Danny Guevera, 20, Larry Craft, 52, Montes Diego, 32 and Gary Brown, 33.

The men were found to be in violation of an ordinance that prohibits “any person or group of persons to loiter or congregate on Bourbon Street for the purpose of disseminating any social, political or religious message between the hours of sunset and sunrise,” according to the publication. A police spokesman said the men were previously warned not to use bullhorns, but did not comply.

Justin Craft, 31, was arrested on suspicion of battery, resisting an officer and interfering with a law enforcement investigation. The Wisconsin Gazette reports that Craft allegedly punched a police officer who tried to confiscate his bullhorn.

Anti-gay resistance to the annual Southern Decadence celebration — which the Wisconsin Gazette deems “a mashup of Pride, circuit party and Mardi Gras,” and reportedly draws an estimated 120,000 LGBT visitors to the city each year — are nothing new. Last week, one pastor went as far to suggest that Hurricane Isaac’s arrival at the same time as Southern Decadence was “a sign that God’s patience with America’s sin is coming to an end.”

“The church, city and nation have not repented and the homosexual agenda is far worse than it was in 2005,” Defend & Proclaim The Faith’s Pastor John McTernan wrote in a blog. “New Orleans is still hosting Southern Decadence with open homosexuality manifesting in the streets of the city. It could be that God is putting an end to this city and its wickedness.”

Rev. Grant Storms, known as one of the festival’s most vocal opponents, was reportedly convicted of obscenity last month after being caught masturbating at a public park near a children’s playground in 2011.

These nine men who were arrested are the types of “Christians” who have missed what God’s message is all about. In fact, i don’t consider them Christians at all.  Truthfully, I wish I had been there, not just for Southern Decadence, which I’ve always wanted to attend, but because street preachers are one particular group of people who get under my skin the most.  I am well versed in the Bible and in the doctrine of the Church of Christ.  Several years ago, a street preacher on Beale Street (a mecca for blues and booze) in Memphis, Tennessee, started preaching to me about the wickedness of the world and how I should be saved. I admit it, I was a little drunk, but I stood there and debated him. In fact, I took his Bible from him and showed him verse by verse the error of his teachings. When he tried to dispute what the Bible said, I eventually retorted, “You should go now, repent of your sins, be baptized, and join the folds of the churches of Christ.” I further added, that if he did not then, “I was not responsible for his mortal soul.”. My friend who was with me at the time and I then walked into the Hard Rock Cafe and had a shot of tequila. When we walked back out ten minutes later, the preacher was no where to be seen. Now I will say, again, that I was intoxicated and I probably laid it on a little thick (I got on a roll, what can I say), but the preacher had met his match. I would never hesitate to do so again, and I believe that knowledge is the best defense against ignorance.

Information for this post came from the Huffington Post, and the images are from VJBrendan.com.

2 Comments | posted in News, Politics

August 20, 2012

Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry

By Joe

I personally do not consider myself a conservative, but neither do I consider myself a liberal.  I am that seemingly rare breed known as a moderate.  I consider myself a Democrat, though I do not agree with all of their rhetoric, nor do I agree with much of the Republican rhetoric.  Most of the tim,e and increasingly more and more, I do not feel as if I fit into any political parties philosophy.  I tend to weigh the issues carefully and not follow blindly with a political ideology.

That being said, a friend and reader of my blog asked if I would publish a post about Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry.  He said that he was “both ashamed by the general trend of the Republican party and annoyed at the blind hatred that pro-Equality people seem to have for the GOP.” Like many gay, and an increasing number of young, conservatives, he can’t understand how Republicans can reconcile small, non-intrusive government with policies that make life difficult for gay people, and I have to agree with him.

By American standards, freedom and family are core conservative values. Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry is a new campaign by Freedom to Marry to highlight and build support for the freedom to marry among young people across America who identify as conservative.

Support for the freedom to marry is accelerating at historically dramatic rates among every group in America – including conservatives. Leading the way for conservatives are young conservatives, who believe all Americans should be able to share in the freedom to marry.

Jan van Lohuizen Memo making recommendations on supporting same sex marriage:

“People who believe in equality under the law as a fundamental principle, as I do, will agree that this principle extends to gay and lesbian couples; gay and lesbian couples should not face discrimination and their relationship should be protected under the law. People who disagree on the fundamental nature of marriage can agree, at the same time, that gays and lesbians should receive essential rights and protections such as hospital visitation, adoption rights, and health and death benefits.”  

Public Religion Research Institute Survey “Generations at Odds: The Millennial Generation and the Future of Gay and Lesbian Rights”

Nearly half (49%) of Republican Millennials favor allowing gay and lesbian people to marry, compared to only 19% of Republican seniors and less than one-third (31%) of all Republicans.

Gallup Poll from 2011 shows that a majority of Americans favor legal gay marriage:

70% of adults ages 18-34 believe that same sex marriage should be legal, 16% higher than in 2010

CBS News Poll from May 2012

Of all the 18- to 44-year-olds who participated in the poll, 53 percent said same-sex couples should be granted full marriage rights. 

Washington Post Poll from June 2012

Among Republicans ages 18 to 44, the numbers are far different and evolving far more quickly — opinion is currently evenly divided at 46 percent.

3 Comments | posted in Politics

August 2, 2012

Kiss Mor Chiks

By Joe

Thousands of supporters of fast food restaurant Chick-fil-A made their way to restaurants all over Alabama and the United States Wednesday to stand in long lines in support of the restaurant chain.   Customers packed dining rooms and found themselves wrapped in lines outside restaurants in Montgomery, Prattville, Auburn, Dothan and many other locations around the state and country. Cars snaked around the buildings all day and stretched great distances beyond parking lots.  By early evening, some of the restaurants reported they’d exhausted their food supply and were preparing to close.

The day was billed by conservatives, and credited to talk show host and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, as an unofficial “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” in support of the company. CFA said it had nothing to do with the event’s organization.   CFA President, Dan Cathy, recently sparked a nationwide controversy following remarks that he does not support same-sex marriage. Cathy told a Baptist magazine that he believes in the Biblical definition of marriage, a union between a man and a woman. The family-owned company’s 1,600+ outlets remain closed on Sundays for religious reasons. Cathy’s remarks have made his company the target of multiple boycotts. The Jim Henson Company pulled its toys from the company’s kids’ meals. Mayors of several large cities, including Boston and Chicago, have also said the company isn’t welcomed, although its unlikely the company’s permits will be denied.

Protestors are planning a nationwide event, scheduled for Friday, at which point they’re planning to show their public displays of affection at area restaurants by kissing as same-sex couples.  Opponents of Cathy’s stance have planned “Kiss Mor Chiks” for Friday, asking people of the same sex to show up at Chick-fil-A locations and kiss each other.  Does anyone want to meet me at a Chick-fil-A for the kiss of a lifetime? Actually, I don’t think that the “Kiss Mor Chiks” event is the best way to deal with the situation.  A complete and total boycott of Chick-fil-A is my plan. I’ve always liked Chick-fil-A’s food, but I will not be supporting their restaurants. There are plenty of restaurants with better chicken.

I had not planned on blogging about this, but two things changed my mind. First, I heard my sister, who does not know I am gay, say that she would go to Chick-fil-A on Wednesday to show her support.  Before I could tell her that I would never go back to Chick-fil-A, she had already changed the subject, and I just let the comment slide (not something I am proud of).  The second thing was the massive amount of coverage about “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” on the local news.

As churches struggle with the issue of homosexuality, a long tradition of same sex marriage indicates that the Christian attitude toward same sex unions may not always have been as “straight” as is now suggested. A Kiev art museum contains a curious icon from St. Catherine’s monastery on Mt. Sinai.
It shows two robed Christian saints. Between them is a traditional Roman pronubus (best man) overseeing what in a standard Roman icon would be the wedding of a husband and wife. In the icon, Christ is the pronubus. Only one thing is unusual. The husband and wife are in fact two men.

The very idea seems initially shocking. The full answer comes from other sources about the two men featured, St. Serge and St. Bacchus, two Roman soldiers who became Christian martyrs.

While the pairing of saints, particularly in the early church, was not unusual, the association of these two men was regarded as particularly close. Severus of Antioch in the sixth century explained that “we should not separate in speech [Serge and Bacchus] who were joined in life.” More bluntly, in the definitive 10th century Greek account of their lives, St. Serge is openly described as the “sweet companion and lover” of St. Bacchus.

In other words, it confirms what the earlier icon implies, that they were a homosexual couple who enjoyed a celebrated gay marriage. Their orientation and relationship was openly accepted by early Christian writers. Furthermore, in an image that to some modern Christian eyes might border on blasphemy, the icon has Christ himself as their pronubus, their best man overseeing their gay marriage.

The very idea of a Christian gay marriage seems incredible. Yet after a twelve year search of Catholic and Orthodox church archives Yale history professor John Boswell, and author of Same Sex Unions In Pre-Modern Europe, has discovered that a type of Christian gay marriage did exist as late as the 18th century.

Contrary to myth, Christianity’s concept of marriage has not been set in stone since the days of Christ, but has evolved as a concept and as a ritual.

Professor Boswell discovered that in addition to heterosexual marriage ceremonies in ancient church liturgical documents (and clearly separate from other types of non-marital blessings of adopted children or land) were ceremonies called, among other titles, the “Office of Same Sex Union” (10th and 11th century Greek) or the “Order for Uniting Two Men” (11th and 12th century). That certainly sounds like gay marriage.

Boswell found records of same sex unions in such diverse archives as those in the Vatican, in St. Petersburg, in Paris, Istanbul, and in Sinai, covering a period from the 8th to 18th centuries. Nor is he the first to make such a discovery. The Dominican Jacques Goar (1601-1653) includes such ceremonies in a printed collection of Greek prayer books.

It sounds to me that the so-called “traditional” definition of marriage as between one man and one woman is not so traditional.  It is based on verses in the Old Testament, which also states that King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. 

10 Comments | posted in History, Politics, Religion