The Gaytheist Agenda

In reference to the murder of Lawrence King Ellen said on her show what I’ve long wished every Presidential candidate would. Just watch and listen–it’s amazing.

Listen up, politicians. I will vote for any candidate who has the cajones to say what Ellen said and to offer the policy to back it up. I’m willing to bet there are thousands, if not millions, who would do the same. Forget what the bigots will think and for once consider what is right. Consider what really matters. Equal Human Rights.

Addendum: I’ve received a comment on this entry. dara says:

i don’t like any of the candidates-to-be. ugh, i’m really disappointed with this
country. ellen for president!

I don’t either. I made it plain in a previous post that I have no use for Barack Obama. I did vote for Hillary Clinton, but only because she’s the last candidate left standing against him and I don’t want him in the G.E. (I don’t dislike HRC but I have no strong affinity for her either) My candidate of choice was Dennis Kucinich because I agreed with nearly every one of his stances, but he dropped out long ago. I then opted for John Edwards as a second choice and he too dropped out right before our primary.

I’m sick to death of having to settle every single time. This time I believe I’m going to end up taking a different path.

After throwing LGBTs under the bus in favor of the black evangelical vote last October, then continuing to associate with the “Ex-Gay” contingent even after that (at least until the media caught wind of it) Obama now thinks he can win our votes with a few ads in LGBT publications.

Does he use the ads to apologize for putting an “Ex-Gay” bigot on the stage to spew homophobic bile to the cheers of other bigots just to win himself votes and campaign cash? No, he doesn’t. Does he use them to tell us that (assuming he becomes President) he will work to implement laws that will give us the Human and Civil Rights we’ve been striving for all these years? No, he doesn’t. So what exactly does he say in these ads?

What’s with the “tear”? Is that Visine, glycerin or are you lamenting the fact that you really, really screwed up and just aren’t going to pull out of it no matter how you back-pedal? No matter what it is I find it appalling that you’d put on such a show for us, particularly after you and your supporters trashed Hillary Clinton for crying on the campaign trail.

While we have come a long way since the STONEWALL RIOTS in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do.

What’s this “we” crap? You’re not L,G,B or T. Nor did you participate in the Stonewall Riots in 1969. You weren’t even in the country at the time; you were in Indonesia. So where does this “we” stuff come in?

Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us.

Those seeking to divide us. Would that include homophobic evangelicals such as the ones you threw us under the bus for? The homophobic bigots you used to garner their votes? The preacher you continued to use after all that even though you knew he ran an “Ex-Gay” ministry?

But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans, it’s about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with DIGNITY AND RESPECT.

What? The nation is supposedly going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating us with dignity and respect? How about giving us the equality that we should rightfully have in the first place? The equality that should never have been withheld from us? When is the nation going to fulfill its promise to us?

And have you ever considered that if it weren’t for the pandering people like you do to religious bigots, we wouldn’t have to be “given” dignity and respect by them. We would already have it. They are the ones who withhold it based on their arbitrary notions that we are not worthy of it, then they turn around and act as if we need to earn it back by behaving or refusing to behave in ways that they prescribe. To hell with that!

Barack Obama, your ads are far too little and way too late. There’s not a snowball’s chance in Yuma, AZ that I or any of the LGBTs I know will be swayed by those pathetic attempts to woo us. You should have saved your money or used it elsewhere. We are simply not that stupid.

Addendum. I’ve already received a comment on this post. maddiejoan says:

How fitting that Obama would invoke Stonewall in this ad, considering that his involvement with “ex-gay movement” bigots has dialed the debate on LGBT rights back to pre-1969 “Homosexuality is a sin” versus “Homosexuiality is not a sin” levels.
Disgusting pandering little man. If he’s the nominee, I’ll be sitting my queer ass at home on election day.

Well, Maddie, if he’s the nominee I’ll either be sitting home just like you, or I’ll be writing in another name on the ballot. I’ll be damned if Obama is getting this lesbian’s vote.

Peg says:

From Barack Obama’s “Audacity of Hope” regarding gay marriage.

“In years hence, I may be seen as someone who was on the wrong side of history. I
don’t believe such doubts make me a bad Christian.”

Sheesh! Just what we freakin’ need! Someone hiding behind his Christianity as an
excuse to deny equality for all.

Thanks for a great post!

And thank you, Peg! You’re right about Obama. He’s just another fool using his religious beliefs to deny equality for all. Funny how he worries more about being a “bad Christian” than a bad human being. Apparently offending his chosen deity and dogma are more unsettling to him than the harm he is causing to his fellow Americans.

This first comment comes from Kristy, regarding Greed is Good… in which I covered the followers of Prosperity Gospel.

Kenneth Copeland put on a excellent performance at his latest ministers
conference held on January 22,2008 visible at
http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/copelandclips , which has now gotten the
attention of people all across the USA, and abroad. The message he was
unmistakably sending, came across loud and clear on every subject he was
addressing. From voicing his personal feelings about the senate investigation,
to a multitude of other issues facing KCM. Surprisingly, Kenneth does admit to
some element of truth in the letter KCM received from the Senate, but did not
go into any detailed explanations. Also in his defense, he makes the accusation
that the truth is being twisted a bit. A old saying comes to mind , what comes
around goes around. Years of promoting the promises of prosperity, physical
healing, and last but not least the twisting of biblical scripture for personal
gain has returned to KCM full circle.
“ I had a home“, “I had a life“, “I had faith“, “I had a family“, “I lost a
loved one“, these are merely a handful of endless testimonies coming to light
nationwide. Ranging from all walks of life, their heartbreaking testimonies
can be found throughout the web, yet inconceivably, victims are being labeled
as fools, ignorant, and basically downright blind for not seeing the truth
behind the Prosperity Gospels falsehoods. Being only human, our quest for
health and wealth, regrettably does lead some in the wrong direction.
Promises and guaranties, made by the Prosperity Gospel ministers, give
people that have not obtained these blessings on their own, a second chance at
achieving their goals in life. An important discovery I made while reviewing
testimonies, revealed the fact numerous victims had very little knowledge of
the Prosperity Gospels dark side. These unfortunate victims, appear to be
equipped with only a small portion of the web of deceit these ministers weave
. For example, picture yourself being raised in a small country town, with a
population of only a few hundred, the closest city, only a population of only
a few thousand. Computers, internet, cable, satellite TV, and other high tech
gadgets are not needed or desired. This was my life, before KCM.
Prosperity Gospel ministers enter the homes of many victims though a thirty
minute Sunday morning worship service on a local broadcast station. Myself,
growing up in Jigger La., truly located in the middle of nowhere, I can testify
to the fact that we only received on a clear day about three or four channels at
most. Therefore warnings of the numerous dangers, and intentional deceit,
associated with Prosperity Gospel ministries, being made by critics, ministers,
and victims went unheard by many. The irony of this are the many warning labels
we all encounter every day. From cleaning supplies to over the counter
medications, labels posted on various products warn us of the dangers associated
with that particular product. Regrettably Prosperity Gospel does not offer this,
but should! Family’s have lost their homes, lifesavings, and some even their
lives to the Prosperity Gospel.
Unfortunately my mother was not one of the lucky ones, her confidence, and
faith in this false Gospel, ultimately cost her, her life. After more than a
decade of programming her mind to believe and think the Prosperity Gospel way
of life, she lost her battle with cancer. By refusing medical attention, she
sealed her fate, but the programming she had acquired from Kenneth and Gloria
Copeland proved strong all the way to her last breath. A diary she left
behind revealed the horrific tale of her life from 1992-2002, the top of each
page titled with Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland, or BVOV. Some mistakes in
life we can not undo, and good intentions don’t always go as planed, these
victims are simply following misleading promises of health and wealth. Their
use of miraculous healing confessions, and newly found wealth testimonies, are
their sales pitch, my mother among others, are proof that their sale pitch does
work. The possibility of certain Mega churches misusing contributors finances
for their own personal luxuries is ultimately what brought this scam to the
publics attention, not the loss of life, the financially bankrupt, nor the
numerous homeless victims that have been left in the wake of this devastating
hoax.
Knowledge, is the only discovery I found to be effective in this seemingly
endless battle. Sadly for some our efforts will go unheard. As for my family,
once again I am addressing another envelope to Kenneth Copeland Ministries,
asking once again for a summery of my mothers (Bonnie Parker) contributions to
KCM, and since they have bankrupt our family also due to the numerous expenses we
encountered before and after mom’s death, and once more, ask them to purchase a
headstone for mom. I believe they at least owe her that much.
The family of Bonnie Parker

Photo, before and after KCM,
http://picasaweb.google.com/sis359/BonnieParkerDiaryPhoto
Documentary Suffer The Children, exposes televangelists lavish lifestyles ,
http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/suffer-children
Book recently published by Sara Posner, also looks into these subjects,
God’s Profits
Request for contributions viewable at http://sis359.blogspot.com

It appears that there are some genuine victims in the Prosperity Gospel game and my original perception that all are willing and knowing participants was incorrect. I wish you well, Kristy, in your quest to obtain remuneration from Kenneth Copeland Ministries. You may also want to look into Earth’s Greatest Lawsuit. Whether or not it can actually recoup money on behalf of your mother I cannot say. However it may very well help put a crimp in the machine that preyed on her and countless others.

My next comment was a very brief one from Stephen Thomas who, regarding Five Years Too Many said :

Wow. Five years. Incredibly sad.

I’m in full agreement with you on that, Stephen.

This final piece is from Peg at Ask a Lesbian in response to Bible Banging Babies

I had to chuckle that the mother “has not idea why” her son started to preach.

And these are the same parents that go to such great lengths to keep their children
from hearing anything about same sex marriage in school? How then, do the children
learn all about fornication and homosexuality at this early age? Perhaps these
parents are exposing them to X-rated activities at too early an age.

I too find it interesting how the RRRW whackjobs will go all-out to have everything they consider “offensive” banned from TV, radio, library and other outlets so their precious darlings won’t be exposed to perverted or immoral influences. Then they turn right around and have the kids read the Bible! The Bible has more smut, violence and utter depravity in it than anything on the NYT Bestseller list. But the fundies hold it up as the pinnacle of moral virtue and source of all that is good in the world. It just goes to show how warped their “values” are.

Well, that’s it for the mailbag for now. Keep reading and writing, everybody!

 

That’s how long we have been fighting the illegal, immoral war in Iraq. As many as 88,976 civilians and3,970 US soldiers have died to date. The body count will only continue to rise for as long we remain there, to say nothing of the number of those physically and psychologically traumatized.

Ava Lowry has created another amazing anti-war video that is an absolute must-see. After you watch it stop by 5 Years Too Many.org for information on war protest actions across the nation on March 19th. See if there’s one near you to join. If not, maybe you’d consider starting one.

Kudos to Ava, and to everyone involved in bringing this war to an end. Indeed, it has been 5 Years Too Many.

Many people, political candidates in particular, are fond of the “states’ rights” argument when it comes to same-sex marriage. They choose the easy way out (for themselves) by claiming that this is the fairest option for all. But it isn’t the fairest option for the LGBT people who are denied rights in any state except MA, currently the only one that allows same-sex marriage. Nor is it the fairest option for any LGBT citizen who is married and moves out of MA, for those rights are not portable. Nor have Civil Unions/Domestic Partnerships proven anywhere near equal to marriage. So “states rights” is just another way of saying to LGBT citizens you don’t count.

 
Now another instance has arisen in which the utter inequality LGBT citizens experience under the law has been laid bare. And the “states’ rights” nonsense only becomes more insidious as we see how real-life couples are harmed by this notion.

(Miami, Florida) Janice Langbehn and Lisa Pond had planned to take their three children on a family cruise. The Olympia, Washington couple had been together 18 years and with their children were looking forward to the holiday.

But just as they were about to depart on the cruise from Miami, Florida. Pond, a healthy 39-year-old, suddenly collapsed. She was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami with Langbehn and the children following close behind.

But once Langbehn and the children arrived at the hospital the hospital refused to accept information from her about Ponds’s medical history.

Langbehn says she was informed that she was in an antigay city and state, and she could expect to receive no information or acknowledgment as family.

…..

Other than one five minute visit, which was orchestrated by a Catholic priest at Langbehn’s request to perform last rites, and despite the doctor’s acknowledgement that no medical reason existed to prevent visitation, neither she nor her children were allowed to see Pond until nearly eight hours after their arrival.

Soon after Pond’’s death, Langbehn tried to get her death certificate in order to get life insurance and Social Security benefits for their children. She was denied both by the State of Florida and the Dade County Medical Examiner.

With the help of Lambda Legal Langbehn has notified Jackson Memorial Hospital that she intends to file a lawsuit….

No opposite-sex couple in any state would have been put through that kind of hell. But since Pond and Lagbehn were lesbians the employees in that hospital felt it was fine to deny Lagbehn and their children crucial Human and Civil Rights. This is utterly unacceptable and will not stop until we as a nation put our foot down and make it stop.

We must stand up for what is right for everybody, for all families, in all states. Never again should a partner or child be unable to be with a loved one in their last moments or make decisions on their behalf because of the insensitivities or bigotries of others. Hatred and prejudice must give way, on a national scale, to Human and Civil Rights for all.

 

If you would like to participate please go to Mimi Writes.

Message In A Bottle Meme

1. Compose a message to place in your virtual bottle
2. Right click and Save the graphic below (available at Mimi Writes)
3. Use a graphics program of your choice to place the message on the picture
4. Post the meme and these rules on your blog
5. Return your “Message In a Bottle” to me via email ~ mimiwrites2005 at yahoo.com, sign the Mr. Linky below and leave a comment HERE telling me you’ve finished. IF YOU WANT YOUR MESSAGE TO BE ANONYMOUS PLEASE SAY SO.
6. Tag a minimum of five people - or your entire blogroll - to do the same. Notify them of the tag.

I was tagged by Ask a Lesbian. You can tag whomever you want. Any 5 people will do, or you can tag your entire Blogroll. It’s entirely up to you.

 

This goes out to somebody special. She knows who she is.

I hereby tag:

Lavender Newswire
Pam’s House Blend
The Republic of T
Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters
Nobody Passes, Darling

Have fun!

As you may have read here previously, Representative Stacey Campfield (R) proposed a bill whereby elementary and middle schools in TN would be banned from teaching or discussing any form of sexuality other than heterosexuality. I’m pleased to report that his attempt failed miserably.

“I’m trying to find out where this bill came from or is it part of your re-election legislation,” an annoyed Rep. Ulysses Jones asked sponsor Rep. Stacey Campfield, a Knoxville Republican.
Advertisement

The lawmakers argued and were gaveled into silence at times when they raised their voices, and in the end, the House panel sent the bill to the State Board of Education, effectively killing the proposal.

…..

Lilith Jackson, 9, her hair highlighted in bright pink, sat on the front row at the meeting with her two moms, Audra Kelly and Ardyce Mercier.

They think teachers at her school, the Brown Academy public magnet school in Chattanooga, should be able to talk about families with two mommies or two daddies as being healthy family structures.

“They should be teaching about other kinds of relationships and families,” Kelly said. She agreed that teachers should not being talking about sexuality in terms of “who is sleeping with whom.”

…..

Groups ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to the Tennessee Education Association said no Tennessee schools are promoting gay rights.

“There is not a problem here,” said Hedy Weinberg of the ACLU of Tennessee. “It is a clear attack on one community.”

…..

Campfield said he had heard complaints from two school districts but had not verified them. He went on to say that the Education Department could opt to include the topic as part of school curriculum.

“It is possible,” said Bruce Opie of the Department of Education. “But it’s highly unlikely and highly improbable.”

Campfield noted a 2006 resolution by the National Education Association saying that activities and programs must increase “acceptance” of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people.

Tennessee Education Association lobbyist Jerry Winters insisted that TEA does not advocate for gays in schools.

Campfield lost one other battle: He asked for a roll call vote on any motion. Chairman Rep. Joe Towns denied the request. It appeared the subcommittee voted along party lines, with Democrats choosing to send the bill to the Board of Education.

My take? Campfield pulled the two “complaints” out of his backside as part of his anti-gay agenda. Kudos to Rep. Jones for his refusal to tolerate Campfield’s blatantly bigoted proposal. It’s high time such hateful legislation be recognized for what it is.

Does this creep you out as much as it does me?

 
There are two likely possibilities. These children may grow up to be RRRW whackjob fundamentalists just as their parents have trained them to be. Alternatively they’ll rebel against the repressive, noxious upbringing and ditch religion altogether. I hope the latter is the case for the good of the children and the world.

Here is yet another argument for keeping religion and religious questions far away from campaigns. Just listen to the completely asinine rationales these people give to justify their votes.

These are the people who want to determine who will be running our nation? Not a single fact among them yet they’re ready to run to the polls. But then that would describe the majority of the RRRW, now, wouldn’t it?

Is it any wonder the country is as screwed up as it is?

 

I saw this video and I was in tears. It depicts the inhumane conditions in which the animals PetSmart sells are bred, transported and kept while in their stores. These conditions often lead to pain, illness and even death. Please be advised before viewing the video that it is quite graphic and depicts numerous sick and dead animals.

 

PetSmart’s Big Suffering for Small Animals. Watch more
videos at PETA.org.

I know I certainly will not be shopping at PetSmart unless they reform their practices drastically. The thought that my money might be going to support such cruelty is abhorrent. For the time being I will stick to pet stores that do not sell animals. I invite others to do the same if their conscience dictates.