GOP and Their Rantings About LGBT Families

Since losing the election and several of their Senate seats, topped off with the surprising victory in the four states for same sex marriage, the Tea Party flopheads have begun to forcefully attack the gay marriage issue. Tony Perkins, well known hater and President of the Family Research Council recently went on record, and outright attack, against legalizing gay marriage.

As seen here in this video posted by the Advocate, he compares "homosexuality to abortion, saying both 'run counter to natural law,'...", followed by, "I'm telling you what, I think you will create a firestorm of opposition. I think that could be the straw that broke the camel's back.When you look at a nation that is so divided along these moral and cultural issues, that you could have — you know I hate to use the word — but, I mean, a revolt. A revolution. I mean, I think you could see Americans saying, 'You know what? Enough of this.' And I think it could explode and just break this nation apart."



So it begins anew, against the obvious wishes of the populace, and at a time when the opposition could be focusing on more pressing issues...like bipartisanship in Washington...like letting women decide for themselves when it comes to their own bodies...like a lot of issues more pressing than what's already been decided.

Exit Polls and the role LGBT voters played...

ADVOCATE Magazine: Nov 8, 2012

Exit polls have a lot to say about the role LGBT issues played in the election, and on how President Obama's support for marriage equality might have resonated with the electorate.

Lesbian, gay and bisexual voters sided heavily with Obama, for example, helping to propel him to a commanding win. Exit polls conducted for The New York Times and other media outlets indicated that 5% of voters were gay, lesbian or bisexual. (Voters weren't asked whether they are transgender.) Of those, 76% voted for Obama. While that number is high, it's also a six-percentage-point increase over the 2008 election for the president.

Where marriage equality was on the ballot, exit polls offer insight into whether it helped or hurt the president. The Associated Press reports that exit polls in Maryland, where voters approved legalizing same-sex marriage, show those who sided with equality broke strongly for Obama, while those opposed joined Romney. It was Obama and marriage equality that prevailed.

The time has arrived for a change in Washington and this country. Time for equality for everyone, regardless of sexual preference, gender identity or all other labels society feels obligated to place on people. Help make those changes become a reality by becoming involved.

Family Acceptance Project

I posted this video some time ago, but feel that's important to keep it visible and am re-posting it.

Helping diverse families understand how to support their LGBT children takes resources that touch the heart – like the sample video you see on this page. We are working to produce a series of 8 of these short documentary videos that show the journey from struggle to support of ethnically and religiously diverse families with LGBT children. These videos are based on our years of research and relationships with diverse LGBT youth and their families. Look closely, read our family education materials and research publications. This video – and the others we want to make – includes some of the family accepting and rejecting behaviors that we have studied. Our research shows for the first time how these family accepting and rejecting behaviors affect an LGBT young person’s health and mental health, including risk for suicide, substance abuse, HIV, self-esteem, etc.. These attitudes and behaviors also affect the whole family. We use these videos in our work to educate and support diverse families with LGBT children. We also use them to train health and mental health providers and to help providers understand the critical role of families in supporting their LGBT children.

"What do I do if my child is gay?"

Lead With Love is a 35-minute documentary created to help answer that question. It is free to watch at their web site. Below is a short trailer.

This is an excellent, informative film that everyone needs to watch, not just parents of LGBTQ kids. The film promises to have a profound effect on those that watch it, regardless of your sexuality or beliefs. As far as I'm concerned, it should be aavailable in schools, places of worship, and any other place that parents gather. It will change you for the better...LEAD! (watch the film for what that stands for.)

Miami's Catholic Leaders Accused of Underground Gay Sex Mafia | News | The Advocate

Here we are again! I don't follow how the Bishop in NY, who was so adamant about fighting the legislation allowing gay marriage, could use the "moral compass"of the RC church while one of Florida's most powerful Catholic leaders is being accused of running the Miami Archdiocese like a gay sexual mafia boss.

Like most religious factions who are opposed to gay rights, the hypocrisy of their argument against the rights of gays to marry  never is brought up in their soap-box speeches.

Gawker reports that a group of Catholics from South Florida calling their organization Christifidelis had launched a major investigation into the activities of Archbishop Emeritus John C. Favalora. In a report from Christifidelis called "Miami Vice," the group found that Favalora was part owner of a company that manufactured an aphrodisiac drink and took trips to Key West with "gay associates."

Philadelphia Phillies Announce “It Gets Better” Video Against Anti-Gay Bullying | Change.org News

Seems as though a movement is catching on in the sports world.

The Philadelphia Phillies announced last night that they will produce an “It Gets Better” video, becoming the seventh team in professional sports to join the campaign in taking a stand against anti-gay bullying and homophobia. More than 2,000 people -- mostly Phillies fans in the Philadelphia area -- signed lifelong Phillies fan Jerome Hunt’s petition to the Phillies, a campaign he was inspired to start in part due to his own experiences being bullied.

Hundreds of gay couples marry in New York as same-sex weddings are legalised - PinkPaper.com

PinkPaper.com

As reported in so many blogs and editorials, more than 800 couples were expected to have married after the first 24 hours on Sunday the 24th after same-sex marriage was officially recognized in New York, with many opting to marry at the very first opportunity, including Kitty Lambert, 54, and Cheryle Rudd, 53, who became among the first to tie the knot at Niagara Falls soon after midnight. Estimates are that legalizing gay marriage in New York may bring in as much as 155 million dollars to its revenue in the first year through tourism and other means.

So much for the downfall of civilization, loss of tourism, and loss of revenue to the state that so many opposition forces claim would happen if same-sex marriage became legal. With six states now legalizing gay marriage and none reporting that the "sky was falling", New York may become the shining light for other states to also realize that society won't fall apart and that people deserve equal rights, no matter what their sexual orientation is.

Thanks to so many organizations, especially Gov. Cuomo, New York has moved into the 21st century and become a leader for other states. Sadly, such states as Tennessee and Minnesota are so entrenched in the politics of hatred and bigotry that the people living there may never experience equality and enjoy the same rights that heterosexual couples do. There is a long way to go yet and the fight continues. If you are interested in helping in the fight for equality, join an organization such as the HRC and help them fight the fight on our behalf.

Sho UR Tru Colors! Which is UR Fav New http://FCKH8.com Fundr... on Twitpic

Sho UR Tru Colors! Which is UR Fav New http://FCKH8.com Fundr... on Twitpic

An excellent, interactive series from the NYTimes.

Coming Out: Audio, Photos, Stories of Gay Teens

www.nytimes.com

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender teenagers talk about their lives in this weeklong series.

Need to Know: One Man Army's Jeff Bloovman

For those that watch this show, Jeff faced quite a group of formidable opponents with lots of experience, but did so with determination, skill, and little laughter now and then. It was a great show and the final was a win for more than Jeff!

Excellent interview...read it when you have a chance!

(from Out Magazine-July16)

By Phillip B. Crook

The gay winner of an episode of a new Discovery Channel military competition reality series chats about his experience with DADT, defying straight “masculine” stereotypes, and his support of raising children around guns.

Discovery Channel’s new show One Man Army pits four rough-and-tumble guys against each other in a series of physical and mental exercises to determine who among them is the most bad ass. On the series premiere last week that title went to Jeff Bloovman, a 29-year-old certified firearms instructor and martial artist… who is gay. Out chatted with Bloovman about competing on the show, his experience with DADT, defying straight “masculine” stereotypes, and his support of raising children around guns.

365gay.com | Religious group starts fund for marriage equality opponents in New York

I guess that there will always be someone that opposes another persons viewpoint. But it just doesn't make sense in this economy that these religious organizations will spend millions of dollars trying to impose their viewpoint on ohters when that money could go towards what the churches were originally founded for-aid to the poor.

365gay.com | Religious group starts fund for marriage equality opponents in New York

Changing The Game | The GLSEN Sports Project

This comes from a friends blog at Craig's Gay Word.
Craig is an amazing young gay man with a passion for making the world a better place for everyone through understanding. I encourage my readers to link up to his site (look to the right for the link) and watch him take on life head on.

Church Founder Slams Antigay Covenant

One of my favorite churches that I've attended many times in the past is once again in the news, but not for good reasons, as this article notes. The Reverend Robert H. Schuller, founder of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, who retired from the ministry and left one of the most well-known churches in the world in the hands of his son, Robert A. Schuller (later kicking him out for leading the church in a direction that differed from the original beliefs of its founder), has taken the pulpit back to make a strong statement against a recent anti-gay Covenant that church choir members were asked to sign. 

The document, "which offended some choir members, expresses a commitment to the 'biblical view' of sexual intimacy and marriage. A church spokesperson denied that gay people would be unwelcome in the choir."

"Schuller’s daughter, Carol Schuller Milner, responded to the comments by suggesting that her father’s voice and that of the organization are “no longer seamless” now that he is less involved in management. The church has been wracked with financial problems in recent years, including a filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October."

Schuller contacted the Orange County Register to advise them that he was unaware of the document and never would have approved of it to begin with; although he does believe in the biblical concepts of the document, he disagrees strongly with choir members being asked to sign a covenant  that "contradicts his group’s principles of 'tolerance, acceptance and positive thinking'. ” 

It's unfortunate that the longest running TV ministry that stands on the principle of the Power of Positive Thinking is in such disarray since the retirement of it's founder and leader. The Crystal Cathedral is best known for the Hazel Wright Organ, one of the largest in the world, and it's building built entirely of glass panels that open the church to the outside during services.

Source: Advocate.com

Gay Twins Compete on Winter Wipeout

Gay identical twins Larry and Gary Lane will compete on a Winter Wipeout episode set to air Thursday on ABC.

According to Greg in Hollywood, the brothers, who have already won $50,000 on Fear Factor, will appear on a twin- and family-themed episode that airs on their birthday.

The Lane twins also look forward to the showing their travel documentary Hollywood to Dollywood at film festivals. It includes cameos from Leslie Jordan, Dustin Lance Black, Beth Grant, Chad Allen, and Dolly Parton, who approved the use of 10 of her songs for the project.

Story courtesy of the Advocate.com

One Young Track Stars 5 Step Solution to Homophobic Slurs

I came across this young man's site and was astounded at not only his writing skills, but his maturity and solution to the problem of being called gay and having to listen to the "usual" slurs thrown about by the bullies and homophobics as they try to bully and belittle those who are different and don't meet their idea of "normal." 

This is a quote from his site:

"'You wouldn’t want to get beaten by some random homo,' my coach said, trying to invoke some form of energy from a teammate. Sitting on the center of an indoor track, we loosened up before our open 400 race. After 3 days of workouts we had both grown tired. 3 nights of restless sleep led to my unusually hazy mindset which forced me to question what I heard; eventually I grew certain. Upon further clarification my mouth began to hang agape and a feeling of perpetual free fall loomed in my stomach..."more

Click on more to read his story and amazing solution on how to handle these situations and check some of his links in the right side column.

Homeless at Christmas

The Video link enclosed was sent to me by my friend in Ireland, Gregg Kelly, a young man who is involved in many public advocacy's for the homeless and equality for gays among other things. I have a lot of admiration for this young man who is only 19, yet is involved in politics and fighting for the rights of others instead of sitting around and complaining about what he doesn't have. You can follow him on his FB page.

Homeless At Christmas/Jerome Hughes

His message to me parallels much of the same struggles we are facing here in the US with gay rights, politics and homelessness. Much of gay rights and the homeless involve the stigma associated with each group. Watching this video clip produced by Ireland's TV3 reporter Jerome Hughes was like watching the same thing here in America, the land of the American Dream. It's sickening to think of the disparity between classes and how people treat each other based upon how they look or act, as in the case with this clip. 

As Gregg says:

     "There has been momentous social change here in Ireland over the past few years but there is still a lot to do !!!...A Civil Partnership Bill was passed giving legal recognition to same-sex couples which is a step in the right direction but still not full equality yet !!!... However, there is still a lot of inequality ! :-(...The most vulnerable in our society are being hit with the most savage of cuts, while people remain homeless on the side of the street in the freezing cold at Christmas ! :(...The greedy in Ireland are getting away scott-free and the minimum wage has been cut, again affecting the most vulnerable in our society !"

Hang in there Gregg, you might see the time come when your dreams come true!

PS: He's a cutie too!

Barry 

Canadian province finally drops homosexuality as mental disorder - PinkPaper.com

"A province in Canada has finally erased homosexuality as a mental disorder more than 25 years after the psychiatric profession made the same move.
 
Homosexuality was listed under sexual deviations and disorders and alongside bestiality and paedophilia in the official diagnostic guide used by doctors in Alberta, Western Canada."

Senate votes to Repeal DADT Finally!

FINALLY!

The Senate has finally voted 65/31 to repeal the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy today at 3:30PM EST.

17 years of discrimination has ended for gays and lesbians to serve in the military.

The next step is the President's desk for signature.

Film star Jim Carrey speaks out about gay role

Film star Jim Carrey speaks out about gay role

PinkPaper.com

Film star Jim Carrey has spoken out about his portrayal of a gay man in the film I Love Phillip Morris, stating he did not hesitate to take on the role.  

The star of The Truman Show, The Mask and Liar Liar, had no problem with acting out gay sex scenes in the film. He told the Chicago Tribune: “As soon as I read the script...it was a no-brainer for me that I had to do it. There were some people in my life that were saying: ‘You really want to do that? You really want to do that scene? I mean, honestly, that’s going to stick in people’s minds.’ And I said, ‘Exactly. I want to do things that stick in people’s minds.”

Always My Son

http://familyproject.sfsu.edu      Always My Son is one of a series of short documentary films that are being produced by the Family Acceptance Project to help ethnically and religiously diverse families decrease their LGBT children's risk for suicide, substance abuse, depression, HIV, homelessness and placement in foster care or juvenile justice settings -- by increasing family support. The video series we are developing is part of a range of research-based intervention resources -- including a new evidence-based family approach to help diverse families support their LGBT children. These resources are based on groundbreaking research conducted by Dr. Caitlin Ryan and her team at San Francisco State University. Our new research shows that family accepting and rejecting behaviors have a compelling impact on their LGBT children's health and mental health.



A beautiful story of acceptance and family support. Unfortunately, as the statistics they mention in the film, this is the exception, not the norm. We need to work together to make it so!  

Barry

From: Family Acceptance Project | November 19, 2010

Visit our webpage at http://familyproject.sfsu.edu to learn more about the Family Acceptance Project.

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