Coretta Scott King: “Make room at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people.”

“My husband, Martin Luther King Jr., once said, “We are all tied together in a single garment of destiny… an inescapable network of mutuality,… I can never be what I ought to be until you are allowed to be what you ought to be.” Therefore, I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream to make room at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people.
Gays and lesbians stood up for civil rights in Montgomery, Selma, in Albany, Ga. and St. Augustine, Fla., and many other campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement. Many of these courageous men and women were fighting for my freedom at a time when they could find few voices for their own, and I salute their contributions.”  – Coretta Scott King, -November 9, 2000.

(Cross-Posted) A Christmas Letter to My Gay Son

My dear Jacob,

As I was going through a box of keepsakes, I came across a Christmas list you had written when you were a young boy. On the list were things we could easily find in stores, and I always enjoyed finding them for you, wrapping them up and putting them under our tree. You were always so appreciative and opened them with great joy. The joy Papa and I felt was even greater.

There is only one gift I want to give you this year. I have wanted to give it to you for many years. I have tried in every way possible to find a way to give it to you. It would bring me the greatest joy of all.

How do I give you equality? How do I give you back the years you have missed "not being equal" in this world?

Your high school and college years should have been ones where you dated and went to proms and dances with someone you were attracted to and wanted to spend time with as a couple. You should not have had to spend those years working for your equality. You should not have had to defend your dignity. You should not have had to miss out on the simple pleasures of a young teen and a young adult.

There is no way I can give you back those years, those times when you should have been having fun, enjoying life, and growing from those experiences.

You had a passion for justice even as a child. I remember when you were 4 and refused to eat supper until I had actually written the check for Save the Children. You were the watchdog in your kindergarten classroom after you felt your teacher was wrong to rip up a child's painting in front of the class in her effort to teach them to write their names on their papers. On that day you spoke truth to power so eloquently as you confronted your teacher after school.

As soon as you came out to us, you wanted to start a gay/straight alliance at your high school. We worried for your safety, but even more for the isolation it might have brought as you worked to make it happen. You reached out to students, teachers, and the administration and created your school's first gay/straight alliance. When you were in college and heard that there were students being kicked out of colleges simply because they were gay, you founded the Soulforce Equality Ride to confront that terrible wrong.

Each of those times you taught me to take action and not be silent in the face of injustice. You have led me, and you have taught me throughout your life.

Maybe that is why it is so hard for me to face Christmas each year and not be able to wrap up the one gift I most want to give you. As a mother, it is such a part of my being to want to nurture and love my children. It is the mother in me that wants to protect and provide for you. It is the mother in me that is hurting so much when I am helpless in being able to give you the one gift I have wanted to give you since the day you told us you were gay.

I want to give you equality. I want to wrap it up in a beautiful box, and I want to put it under our tree right now. I want to see you open it on Christmas Eve and with great joy live with it all your days.

I love you,

Mama

(Source)

Elderly Marriage Activist has died waiting for Prop 8 to be overturned

Ed Watson, above left, has died at the age of 78. Watson made national news this year when he expressed his hope that he would be allowed to marry before Alzheimer's Disease robbed him of the ability to recognize Derence, his partner of 40 years.

Gay rights activists lamented Watson's death as a reminder of the harm inflicted on same-sex couples throughout the state because they are denied the right to marry. "It's ironic that he died on the eve of appeals about peripheral issues around a case that should have been settled more than a year ago," said Richard Jacobs, chairman and founder of the gay rights advocacy group Courage Campaign, as he was en route to San Francisco for a hearing before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "None of this will matter to Ed or Derence."

Here's the clip the couple made in March.

Labels: activism, gay seniors, obituary, Proposition 8

The GOP on the LGBT

LGBT issues have been at the forefront of the GOP’s race for president. Recently, Michele Bachmann, who has lost some serious steam over the past few months after dropping in the polls, announced that she would like to overturn marriage equality in Iowa. While Bachmann has been quite vocal about her position against many LGBT rights initiatives, like marriage and adoption, she recently elaborated to Fox News as the candidates gear up for the Iowa Caucus in a few weeks.

“Marriage historically, for all human history, has been between a man and a woman,” she says. “It hasn’t been the same-sex marriage. And remember that in Iowa, it was judges that made the decision – not the legislature, which are the people’s representatives, and certainly not the people.”

While we don’t intend to bash the GOP candidates (well, maybe a few of them), we did want to create a handy guide to understanding what each of the conservative candidates have said about marriage and other LGBT rights issues on their websites, in the news and in the debates.

As Herman Cain suspends his campaign and Newt Gingrich gains momentum (the same guy who recently said poor kids should get to work scrubbing floors) it seems like the right time to get down to the facts. And while we should all agree that politics is about more than one issue, if you are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, generally what each of these candidates has to say about your identity dictates how they also approach other issues related to jobs, the economy and healthcare.

Courtesy of Michele Bachmann for President

Michele Bachmann is adamantly opposed to LGBT rights. Early in her campaign it was revealed that her husband actually advocated reparative therapy at a clinic and that the couple financially benefits from a program that “helps” gays and lesbians “pray the gay away.” Bachmann also adopts a conservative evangelical Christian viewpoint when it comes to most issues. In 2003, she and Representative Mary Liz Holberg proposed a constitutional amendment to ban her home state of Minnesota from legally recognizing same-sex marriage. She also joined with religious leaders for the “Minnesota for Marriage” rally  to support the amendment, which ultimately failed. She even goes as far as to suggest that being gay is a disease. “We need to have profound compassion for people who are dealing with the very real issue of sexual dysfunction in their life,” she says, “and sexual identity disorders.”

Courtesy of Newt Gingrich for President

Newt Gingrich has been ruffling feathers for years, most notably when he suggested in the 1990s that women should not be allowed to serve in the U.S. military. Many conservatives also questioned whether his personal life (multiple marriage and infidelity) would weaken support among religious supporters. That could be why the GOP frontrunner is coming out against LGBT rights in a big way lately, saying that homosexuality is a “sin” and promising – if elected – an amendment that would “protect traditional family.” He is not in favor of gays or lesbians adopting children, but he is in favor of same-sex couples having the right to leave their estates to each other and for partners of the same-sex to visit each other in the hospital. But the buck stops there. “The concept of family being between a man and women and the concept of these core values that grow out of 3,000 years of Judeo-Christian tradition,” he told a Catholic radio show, “this is a direct threat to the entire secular world.”

Courtesy of Jon Huntsman for President

Jon Huntsman is a 51-year-old former governor of Utah and former Mormon missionary and personal friend of President Obama who named him as U.S. Ambassador to China. He may not be among the most well-known of the candidates nationally, but as governor he enjoyed a 70 precent approval rating and is respected even by many liberals. He’s worked for both Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. The Huffington Post describes him as such: “A conservative technocrat-optimist with moderate positions.” While governor, he supported legislation for civil same-sex civil unions, but not marriage.

Courtesy of Fred Karger for President

Fred Karger is the only openly gay man to ever run for president. And while he’s been left out of all of the major televised debates so far, he does seem to have a friend in several of the Republican LGBT organizations. “I am the only candidate for president who supports full equality for all Americans,” he says. And by all accounts that seems to be the case, though many believe that President Obama’s criticism of DOMA signals that – if re-elected – he will come out with strong support for marriage and other rights important to the LGBT community around the country. Until then, Karger seems to the lone voice shedding light on LGBT discussions, at least among the Republicans these days. And for that reason, he’s maintained a low rating in the polls.

Courtesy of Mitt Romney for President

Mitt Romney hasn’t always been opposed to LGBT rights. In fact, as governor of Massachusetts, he found support among many moderates by acknowledging that same-sex couples should have the right to adopt children. He also penned a letter to the Log Cabin Republicans in favor of “gays and lesbians being able to serve openly and honestly” in the military. He also said, “I’ve been in a state that has gay marriage, and I recognize that the consequences of gay marriage fall far beyond just the relationship between a man and a woman. They also relate to our kids and the right of religion to be practiced freely.” Massachusetts is also one of several states in the country that allows same-sex marriage. But more recently Romney has been openly opposed to marriage and the DADT repeal, saying that both undermine the cultural fabric of the country. He supports a Federal Marriage Amendment that would prohibit marriage on a national level.

Courtesy of Ron Paul for President

Ron Paul is the libertarian of the bunch. The Texas Congressman became an inspiration for the Tea Party early in his campaign, offering sometimes radical and controversial commentary on the U.S. political system as a self-described “Constitutionalist.” He opposes federal efforts to define marriage and has voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, believing that the decision should be left up to individual states. “Americans understandably fear that if gay marriage is legalized in one state, all other states will be forced to accept such marriage,” says Paul. He’s also argued that same-sex marriage would undermine liberty, but has said when asked about whether he supports gay and lesbian couples’ right to marry, “I am supportive of all voluntary associations and people can call it whatever they want.” He voted for the DADT repeal and opposed sodomy laws in Texas.

Courtesy of Rick Perry for President

Rick Perry makes no bones about supporting marriage between a man and a woman and has signed the Defense of Marriage Act in Texas, where he’s currently governor. But his statements about gay rights are often very complicated. On one hand, he’s gone on record to say that same-sex marriage should be decided by each state. On the other, he signed a pledge to legislate against LGBT rights on a federal level. And in his book, he writes: “I can sympathize with those who believe sexual preference is genetic. I respect their right to engage in the individual behavior of their choosing, but they must respect the right of millions in society to refuse to normalize their behavior.”

Courtesy of Rick Santorum for President

Rick Santorum has made his opposition to LGBT rights a major focus of his campaign. We could write a book on what Santorum, a devout Christian, has said on the topic – ranging from comparisons between homosexuality and beastiality to equating being gay and to being incestuous. “Whether it’s polygamy, whether it’s adultery, whether it’s sodomy, all of those things are antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family,” he says. He’s also against gay and lesbian adoption, marriage and other rights that would prevent those within the LGBT community from being discriminated against. The former PA senator also says that if elected president, he would repeal the DADT repeal and make same-sex marriage illegal on the federal level.

Who do you think will win the Republican nomination?

PUERTO RICO: Lawmakers Attempt To Exclude LGBT From Hate Crimes Law

Michael Lavers reports that Puerto Rico's legislature is set to exclude LGBT residents in a revision of the island's hate crimes law.

The Puerto Rico Senate late last month approved a provision that would eliminate sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, ethnicity and religious beliefs from the hate crimes statute that was included in the penal code that lawmakers approved in 2004. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the amended penal code this week during an extraordinary legislative session that Gov. Luis Fortuño convened. Representative Héctor Ferrer and Sen. Eduardo Bhatia joined LGBT and Dominican activists at a press conference on Sunday, Dec. 4, to criticize the proposed amendments. "To eliminate these groups as protected categories is to invite the commission of hate crimes in Puerto Rico," said Ferrer, as Vocero reported on Dec. 4 "It is a setback in the country’s public policy."

This move is especially outrageous considering that Puerto Rico has seen several of America's most heinous anti-LGBT murders in the last several years.

Touching PSA

GLAAD Campaign: "Make Aunt Betty Feel Awkward"

In a campaign they're calling "Awkward Thanksgiving," GLAAD suggests you not just sit there at the family table this Thursday.

The LGBT community has a ton to be thankful for from the past year. But we also have a long way to go. And believe it or not, putting down that forkful of stuffing for a minute and just talking about yourself (if you're able to) this Thanksgiving can make a huge difference. We've all had those Thanksgiving dinners where Aunt Betty decides this is the perfect time to discuss a year's worth of ailments and medical treatments. Well, you know what? If she can talk about her polyp, you can talk about your partner.

The fact is, while you're scarfing down mashed potatoes and staying silent while everyone else at the table is freely speaking their minds, you're missing a golden opportunity to make real, honest progress by talking about your life, and the things you care about. It's okay if Aunt Betty feels a little awkward at first, it's important for her to know that someone she loves cares deeply about LGBT equality. And the more we all talk about what's important to us, the less awkward those conversations will become

Russian Legislature approves fine for being GAY!

That's an awful lot of pastel for a city that hates gays.

It’s not a good day to be gay in St. Petersburg. In fact, admitting you are gay at all just got a whole lot more expensive in the Russian city after lawmakers passed a bill that will impose fines upon LGBT citizens who “profess their sexuality.”

Think of it as a Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Don’t Have to Pay.

The bill proposes fines of 3,000 to 5,000 rubles ($100 to $160) for individuals and up to 50,000 rubles for organizations engaged in “public activities to promote sodomy, lesbianism, bisexualism and transsexuality” that might be observed by children, local news agency Fontanka.ru said.

The United Russia-dominated St. Petersburg legislature passed the bill in a first reading Tuesday with a vote of 37-1, with one abstention. The bill needs to pass two more readings, the dates for which have not been set.

“The rising popularity of sexual deviations influences our children in a negative way,” said the bill’s author, Vitaly Milonov, a United Russia deputy, Fontanka.ru reported.

Critics of the bill are already questioning its dubious legality, but why should that stop a law from being passed in a country that made male homosexuality a crime up until 1993.
Yikes.

We’re anxious to see how passage of this bill will affect Russia’s relationship with the UK, which has publicly announced a refusal to offer aid to developing countries that ban homosexuality, or even Russia’s standing in the United Nations, who recently chastised Iran for gay human rights violations.

17 Year Old Organizes Protest and March For LGBT Equality In Cincinnati, OH

And a child shall lead them…

17 year old high school student Adam Hoover wants to make a difference.

So Adam, with help from a number of supporters, including Nicholas David Wymer, a junior at Walnut Hills High School,  have stepped up to organize what could be a huge rally in downtown Cincinnati, OH today (Saturday) in support of same-sex marriage and LGBT Equality.

“I know I don’t have to do something, but I feel like I need to do something,” Hoover said. “People don’t feel accepted anymore and I thought, start something. So I came up with the ideaAdam and Nick have used social media networking sites  to create buzz for the event.   A Facebook page called “Support Gay Marriage in OHIO”already has over 172,000 followers.And while Adam can’t say exactly how many people will attend, it has potential to be the largest LGBT protest to ever happen in Cincinnati with over 2,500 people already sending RSVP’s including a group of 25 people from Texas and another group from New York.

 ”Adam always wants to make a change. He doesn’t want to be the one who is quiet. He works on it from the time he gets up until school, until 1 or 2 a.m. in the morning,” said Hoover’s mother, Anna Abdin

Adam said he hopes to change a few attitudes this weekend and ignite a new discussion about same-sex marriage in Ohio.”I don’t know if it will but it’s a goal,” Hoover saidThe protest itself start at 11 a.m. on Fountain Square, 520 Vine Street. Cincinnati, OH and then march to the Underground Railroad Freedom Center at 12 noon and stop for a few speakers – including gay Cincinnati City Council candidate Chris Seelbach – and then continue to march around Cincinnati until 6 p.m.

Gay Couple Attacked at------CHURCH

Jerry Pittman, Jr., and his boyfriend, Dustin Lee, were attacked when they tried to go to church at Grace Fellowship in Fruitland, Tennessee:

I went over to take the keys out of the ignition and all the sudden I hear someone say ‘sick’em,’” said Gibson County resident, Jerry Pittman Jr.
Pittman said the attacked was prompted by the pastor of the church, Jerry Pittman, his father.

“My uncle and two other deacons came over to the car per my dad’s request. My uncle smash me in the door as the other deacon knocked my boyfriend back so he couldn’t help me, punching him in his face and his chest. The other deacon came and hit me through my car window in my back,” said Pittman. He said bystanders did not offer assistance. He said the deacon yelled derogatory homosexual slurs, even after officers arrived. He said the officers never intervened to stop the deacons from yelling the slurs.

The younger Pittman says that there were about twenty people standing around the front of the church when the assault took place, but no one intervened to stop the assault or call the police. He also says that the sheriff’s deputy refused to take a statement from the victims or allow them to press charges. Gibson County Sheriff Chuck Arnold said, “If I was on the scene I would not have allowed that. The deputy should not have allowed it if he did,… I haven’t talk to him but that would be out of character for my deputy to say unless they were causing a problem themselves.”
The couple later filed assault charges against Deacons Billy Sims and Eugene McCoy. The younger Pittman is also pressing charges against his father and Deacon Patrick Flatt. They are due in court today. The pastor and his wife are also going through a divorce.

Gay Activist Arthur Evans Dies At 68

Arthur Evans, one of the nation's earliest and best-known gay activists, has died of a heart attack at the age of 68. During the Stonewall era, Evans was a member of the Gay Liberation Front, a group he later left to co-found the Gay Activists Alliance.

Based in New York, the alliance became a model for gay rights organizations nationwide, pushing in New York for legislation to ban discrimination against gay men and lesbians in employment, housing and other areas. Mr. Evans wrote its statement of purpose and much of its constitution, which began, “We as liberated homosexual activists demand the freedom for expression of our dignity and value as human beings.” To attract attention the alliance staged what its members called “zaps,” confrontations with people or institutions that they believed discriminated against gay people. Among other incidents, they confronted Mayor John V. Lindsay of New York, went to television studios to protest shows perceived as anti-gay, demanded gay marriage rights at the city’s marriage license bureau, and demonstrated at the taxi commission against a regulation, since abolished, requiring gay people to get a psychiatrist’s approval before they could be allowed to drive a taxi.

Aiden Shaw: a short bio and G-rated pics

Aiden Shaw (born 22 February 1966, Harrow, Middlesex, United Kingdom) is a writer and also a pornographic actor, who appears in gay American pornographic movies.
He has starred in over fifty porn movies, many directed by Chi Chi LaRue. He has worked for Falcon Studios, Catalina Video, and Studio 2000 and Hothouse. In 1991, he won "Best Newcomer" at the Adult Erotic Gay Video Awards. In 1994, he won "Best Sex Scene" for his scene in Grease Guns. Shaw is HIV+.

In 1991 Shaw collaborated with a New York based fine artist Mark Beard to produce a limited edition book named Aiden. Then it wasn't until 1996, that Shaw wrote his semi-autobiographical novel, Brutal. Also, in 1996, The Bad Press released a collection of his poetry, "If Language at the Same Time Shapes and Distorts Our Ideas and Emotions, How Do We Communicate Love?"

  This was followed by two novels, Boundaries, and Wasted, and then an a best selling autobiographical account of an eight-year period named "My Undoing" (Love in the Thick of Pornography, prostitution, Sex and Love). Along side his work in writing and gay porn, he has produced two albums; Aiden Shaw's "Whatever, and Nina Silvert does Aiden Shaw". In 2006 Shaw completed an MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths University of London.  His books include the following:

• Brutal (Millivres Books, 1996) ISBN 1-873741-24-3
• If Language at the Same Time Shapes and Distorts Our Ideas and Emotions, How Do We Communicate Love? (The Bad Press, 1997) ISBN 0-9517233-4-0
• Boundaries (Brighton: Millirowler Group, 1999) ISBN 1-873741-48-0
• Wasted (Brighton: Millivres Prowler Group, 2002) ISBN 1-902852-34-6
• My Undoing: Love in the Thick of Sex, Drugs, Pornography, and Prostitution (New York: Carroll & Graf, 2006) ISBN 0-7867-1743-2
• Sordid Truths: Selling My Innocence for a Taste of Stardom (Alyson Books, 2009) ISBN 1-59350-137-4

Film credits for thos inquiring minds are:

• Addiction 1
• Addiction 2
• The Backroom
• Disconnected
• Grease Guns
• Backdoor Studs
• More Catalina Studs
• Palm Springs Paradise
• Roll in the Hay
• Wet and Wild
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Cyndi Lauper to open NYC Permanet LGBT Homeless Housing

HARLEM — Cyndi Lauper is helping establish Manhattan's first permanent housing for homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in Harlem.

Many homeless LGBT youth face violence in mainstream shelters, forcing them to rely on a small network of gay-friendly facilities, advocates say. The True Colors Residence, set to open in winter 2011, will provide young people between 18 and 24 with a place to live while helping them get back on their feet.
“Kids are coming out in greater numbers as they see themselves accepted and represented on TV and in movies, but they’re still being kicked out of their homes or running away and living on the streets," Lauper said in a statement.

“We need to make sure we’re taking care of them. This is the next generation of the LGBT community.”

 The residence, which will be built on W. 154th Street near Frederick Douglas Boulevard, was the brainchild of Lauper, her publicist Lisa Barbaris, and Colleen Jackson, executive director of the West End Intergenerational Residence, an Upper West Side facility geared toward young families and older low-income adults.

The 80s pop singer, known for her hits "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "True Colors," will donate money for the facility through her True Colors Fund, is an honorary board member and is championing and promoting it, Jackson said.

"There are no permanent residences [in Manhattan], and LGBT youth make up 40 percent of the runaway and homeless population, maybe even more," said Jackson. "It's outrageous."

There are between 15,000 and 20,000 homeless youth in New York City, according to estimates from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Roughly 3,000 to 8,000 of them are LGBT, or comprising 20 to 40 percent homeless youth in the city, the Task Force said.

Currently, there are four emergency shelters and two transitional living shelters that house youths for up to two years. The True Colors Residence will provide young people with a permanent residence.
The six-story building will contain 30 studio apartments, a communal space, a library and computer room. It's expected to cost roughly $11 million. Residents will sign a year-long Section 8 lease, and pay rent according to their income.

Most of the funding came from the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development, with additional funds from several city, state and corporate sources.

“New York is an expensive city for most people, much less young people with no support,” said Theresa Nolan, director of Green Chimneys, which runs programs for LGBT youth, including a West Harlem facility that provides temporary housing. She said most youth programs only accept people up to age 21, "so a lot of people fall out of youth housing when they’re just getting the hang of living independently and they’re most vulnerable.

"[True Colors] is affordable, and they get a little bit of support," she said. "That’s priceless for young people.”


Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20100406/central-harlem/cyndi-lauper-open-shelter-for-homeless-lgbt-youth-harlem##ixzz1WEWMFwzP

Controversial Gay Friendly Jesus photogrpahs

I got to thinking this morning about the horrible rift between organized christianity and gays and I got to wondering what would a supportive and or even gay christianity look like.  I of course did a Bing search and found my answer in Elisabeth Ohlson exhibit a few years ago so here are her photographs that incensed christianity and really ticked off the Pope.  One particular photograph maybe considered NSFW which contains full frontal nudity and will posted here last.  I hope that these photos get you to thinking as they did me.....

Matthew 28:9-10


Suddenly Jesus was there in their path. He gave them his greeting, and they came up and clasped his feet, fal- ling prostrate before him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and take words to my brothers that they are to leave for Galilee. They will see me there."

Matthew 18:10

"Never despise one of these little ones; I tell you, they have their guardian angels in heaven, who look continually on the face of my heavenly Father."



Matthew 27:45-46


From midday a darkness fell over the whole land, which lasted until three in the afternoon; and about three Jesus cried aloud, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachtani?" which means, "My God, my God, why thou forsaken me?"
 

Mark 15:17-20


They dressed him in purple, and plaiting a crown of Thorns, placed it on his head. Then they began to salute him whit, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They beat him about the head with a cane and spat upon him, and then knelt and paid mock homage to him. When they had finished their mockery, they stripped him of the purple and dressed him in his own clothes.
 



Matthew 26:45-48


"The hour has come! The Son of Man is betrayed to sinful men. Up, lets us go forward; the traitor is upon us." While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared; with him was a great crowd armed with swords and cudgels, sent by the chief priests and the elders of the nation. The traitor gave them this sing: "The one I kiss is your man; seize him."

Matthew 26:26-28

During supper Jesus took bread, and having said the blessing he broke it and gave it to the disciples with the words: "Take this and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, and having offered thanks to God he gave it to them whit the words: "Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood of the covenant, shed for many for the forgiveness of sins."

Luke 19:37-40

And now, as he approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole company of his disciples in their joy began to sing aloud the praises of God for all the great things they had seen: "Blessing on him who comes as king in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, glory in highest heaven!" Some Pharisees who were in the crowd said to him, "Master, reprimand your disciples." He answered, "I tell you, if my disciples keep silence the stones will shout aloud."

Matthew 23:13

"Alas, alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You shut the door of the kingdom of Heaven in men's faces; you do not enter yourselves, and when others are entering, you stop them."

Luke 2:7

and she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in his swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, ...

Luke 1:30-31

Then the angel said to her; "Do not be afraid, Mary, for God has been gracious to you; you shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall give him the name Jesus."

John 19:26   "Woman, behold thy son!"

NSFW--the last photograph and other than the one above "Woman, behold they son!" this is the most powerful

Luke 3:21-22

During a general baptism of the people, when Jesus too had been baptized and was praying, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove; and there came a voice from heaven. "Thou art my Son, my Beloved, on thee my favour rests."



Secretly

F*ck H8 newest video

Love this idea a bunch of straign muscle boys posing near naked for gay bois--what is not to LOVE !!  There is the F-bomb quite a bit but who the hell cares when there is so much eye-candy!  $10 like the ad says go get your calender today!
Making of Video: FCKH8 "STR8 AGAINST H8" 2011 Calendar from FCKH8.com on Vimeo.

Anti-gay bullying leads to another tragic teen suicide

RITTMAN, Ohio — Another young life lost to anti-gay bullying.


     Nicholas Kelo Jr. knew what it was like to be relentlessly bullied, his family said, and it may have been what persuaded him to pry open a safe inside his home on Feb. 23, and remove the gun that killed him, reports the Akron Beacon Journal.  He was 13 years old. It is unknown as to whether or not Nick was gay, but that did not stop his bullies or their attacks.

”It had been going on for years,” Jacqueline Kelo [Nick's mother] said. ”We would talk and he would say [of the bullies] that they were not worth his time.”  Nick played football in middle school but gave up the sport this year to participate in high school band.

The switch, Jacqueline Kelo reasoned, resulted in swelling rumors. Some, she said, wrongly assumed that a kid who would prefer to play the tenor sax rather than tossing a pigskin must be gay.  “After that, it [the bullying] spiraled out of control,” she said.

One such incident allegedly happened on a school bus following a football game, explained the mother of another Rittman teenager who said her son is also a victim of bullying. During the incident, Nick allegedly became the victim of an older student who was “glicking” — forcibly spitting on him. Jacqueline Kelo knew something was bothering her son when he came home, but the eighth-grader refused to share the details — telling her that he would handle it himself. The parents became aware of it only after their son’s death.  Jacqueline Kelo said it didn’t surprise her that her son kept his pain to himself. Nick viewed himself as his mother’s protector.

“He was the man of the house,” the single mother said.   Nick’s death is being investigated as a likely suicide, according to Rittman police.  Nick recently scored 152 on an IQ test, which is classified as superior intelligence. He had a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and was an avid inventor, creating both a waffle fork to remove hot food from a toaster and an incinerator trash can. Nine of Nick’s organs were collected and donated.
News of Nick’s death comes just days after the White House held a high-visibility conference on bullying prevention, with the President and First Lady calling on parents, teachers, students, and communities to address the problem together.

For those who read this blog this story , which i just read about, Rittman is about 20 miles from my home.  I was beside myself, scik to my stomach with the last of the anti'gay teen bullying but with it in my backyard, if you will,makesme madder than hell.  My heart goes out to this singlemother, and it is just breaking for her.  We as the gya and gay supportive community need to do something for this woman immediately as well as for our gay, questioning or just plain bullied for being gay even if they are not.

Straight mat at George Washington University gay bashed

A senior at George Washington University was charged in D.C. superior court Monday with beating another student while calling him antigay slurs, according to the school’s student newspaper, The GW Hatchet.

Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested senior Ross Richardson early Sunday morning in Ivory Tower after he kicked and punched a fellow student while saying, “You fucking fag.”

The student’s name was not released because the Hatchet has a policy of not naming assault victims.

The victim, who is straight, told authorities he had never met his attacker before the assault. He was rushed to GW Hospital after the attack with significant head trauma, including bleeding in his brain.


“I'm extremely surprised that at such a progressive school such a hate crime would happen," the victim told the Hatchet. "I'm even more surprised that it would happen to a straight, white male."

The assault is being classified as a hate crime, according to the University Police Department. The victim told police he has only scattered memories of what happened in the hours before the assault, likely the result of his severe injury.

Two students witnessed the assault and sat with the victim until police arrived. The victim spent two nights in the hospital and was expected to return to classes Friday.

From the White House Blog---Bullying Prevention questions

Answering Your Questions on Bullying Prevention


Posted by Sarah Bernard on March 08, 2011 at 01:43 PM EST

Every day, thousands of kids, teens, and young adults around the country are bullied. Estimates are that nearly one-third of all school-aged children are bullied each school year - upwards of 13 million students. Students involved in bullying are more likely to have challenges in school, to abuse drugs and alcohol, and to have health and mental health issues. If we fail to address bullying we put ourselves at a disadvantage for increasing academic achievement and making sure all of our students are college and career ready.



On Thursday, the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention will bring together communities from across the nation who have been affected by bullying as well as those who are taking action to address it. As part of the agenda, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett will host a policy panel with issue experts including Catherine Bradshaw of Johns Hopkins University, George Sugai from the University of Connecticut, Susan Swearer-Napolitano from the University of Nebraska, as well as the Cyberbullying Research Center's Justin Patchin.



Would you like Valerie to pose a question on your behalf?



Send us your question here, or at Facebook.com/WhiteHouse to ask your question as a comment on our wall. Valerie Jarrett will pose as many of them as she can during the Experts Panel on Thursday morning. Tune in to watch at 11:00am EST at whitehouse.gov/live.

Lady Gaga: I Made Target Change Their Ways

"That discussion was one of the most intense conversations I've ever had in a business meeting. Part of my deal with Target is that they have to start affiliating themselves with LGBT charity groups and begin to reform and make amends for the mistakes they've made in the past ... our relationship is hinged upon their reform in the company to support the gay community and to redeem the mistakes they've made supporting those [antigay] groups." - Lady Gaga, speaking with Billboard Magazine.

G-d bless Lady Gaga,she sure has got guts to do this!!