The Gaytheist Agenda

Various pieces from around the Internutz.

 
How the most religious states fare.

Classically Liberal dissects multiple reports and studies to show what I’ve long known, and have reported more than once–that God and religion simply aren’t the answer to society’s woes.

 
While Judge Considers Same-Sex Marriage Case, House Church Leader says the Verdict Doesn’t Matter

A church leader declares many Christians have lost their way, and turned Christianity into a crusade against others rather than an effort to bring others to Christ and seek God’s Kingdom. It’s nice to see one of them speak up since our voices go largely ignored when we say it.

 
Gay harassment, bias crimes often go unreported

This isn’t anything most of us don’t already know, but it bears repeating because it’s urgent, and because the RRRW tries fervently to ignore/deny it.

 
How the Game is Played

You probably saw the NYT article that claimed 50% of gay married men are in “open marriages”. What you didn’t see is how they distorted the study, and outright lied, to once again smear gay couples. Read the facts at Truth Wins Out.

 
Anita Bryant and Me

One person’s encounter with the original “OMG won’t somebody please think of the children?!?!” anti-gay Liar for the Lord.

 

Thankfully I never plan to be in Jordan so I don’t have to worry about this effed up new law. I do, however, feel for those who have to suffer under it.

The Jordanian government has ruled that electronic communication like websites will be subject to the country’s Press and Publications Law, prohibiting speech that insults religion, according to reports from the region.
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Critics of the ruling worry that the law will be widely applied to social media, possibly even SMS and to websites that allow reader comments to be posted. Supporters appear to argue that free speech comes with responsibilities along these lines and that the legal framework actually facilitates online communication.
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A blasphemy law in Ireland, the UN resolution against “defamation of religion” and now this? Where are all the RRRWers who rend their garments over “thought crimes laws” when you need them?

 

The Arkansas Society of Freethinkers put in a request, as it did last year, to have a Winter Solstice display at the State Capitol. As was the case previously their application was denied.

Two weeks ago we reported on the efforts of the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers to put up a winter solstice display on the grounds of the state Capitol. Their application had been denied the previous year because the secretary of state’s office said it was not clear on the type of display to be erected. This year, the group submitted a detailed description along with a website, complete with pictures, showing exactly what they had in mind. Their request was, once again, denied.

The reason? Tod Billings, founding member and president of ASF, isn’t so sure. The letter the organization received from Charlie Daniels’ office simply said their request had been denied and offered no further explanation.
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Natasha Naragon, the public affairs coordinator for the secretary of state’s office, said the request was denied because the “tone” of the display was “not consistent with the holiday tone that our office is striving to create on the Capitol grounds during the holiday season.”

When asked what “holiday tone” meant, Naragon said, “You can look at the other decorations that we have on the grounds. That’s clearly what we’ve determined to be appropriate in the holiday tone that we are striving to create. This display, as explained to us, does not fit in with our holiday decorations.” The displays typical have included lights, a Nativity scene maintained by an independent organization and Christmas trees.

Chances are the fact that the proposal was from a freethinker (aka atheist) group was enough to get it nixed. But more disturbingly what Naragon seems to be saying in her statement is that only Christian holiday decorations are considered appropriate (Christmas lights, Christmas Nativity scenes, Christmas trees…). I don’t see mention of decorations for any other groups.

Does Naragon not realize Winter Solstice is a holiday, and an ancient one at that? Winter Solistice is a holiday celebrated by many people including Neo-Pagans, Buddhists, atheists, and others.

I don’t imagine Naragon or those for whom she speaks know that the display they’re shutting out of the State Capitol is much of what Christmas was co-opted from in the first place. Precious few Christians know about the full roots of their own religion.

So my opinion? The answer is “both”. The refusal to permit the Winter Solstice display is grounded in both bigotry and ignorance, which all too often go together.

 

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.

Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgender — that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant — each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgender people.
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It’s hard to know how many people are victims of anti-transgender hate crimes each year. In many locations statistics on such crimes are not kept. We may have a better idea of such crimes in the US thanks to the recently passed Matthew Shepard Act. But worldwide information will still be difficult to come by.

What we do know is that last year there were at least 200 victims of anti-transgender violence in the last year. Chances are the number is much higher than that but we’ll never know for sure. Here are just a few of those victims. What I find striking, as is often the case in anti-LGBT hate crimes, is how vicious many of the crimes were.

Taysia Elzy
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana USA
Cause of Death: Shot to death by 20 year old Christopher Conwell.
Date of Death: December 26, 2008
Taysia was 34 years old.
Taysia and Michael Hunt were romantically involved and it is believed that they were murdered because Taysia was transgender and Michael was murdered because of his relationship with Taysia.
They were both found dead in their apartment.

Mhtium Abululak
Location: Catelfranco Veneto (Italy), own apartment
Cause of Death: Stabbed and shot in the head
Date of Death: January 3rd 2009
Mhtium was 33 years old.

Cynthia Nicole
Location: Comayaguela, Honduras
Cause of Death: Shot 3 times in the chest and once in the head by three
unknown men driving a blue car in Barrio Guaserique, Comayaguela, near Tegucigalpa.
Date of Death: January 9, 2009
News sources believe that the killing of Cynthia Nicole may be related to her legitimate human rights activities, in particular her involvement in the defense of the rights of the transgender community.

Rovilson Teixeira
Location: Londrina, Brazil
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Date of Death: January 18, 2009
Rovilson was 18 years old, she was stabbed 7 times.

“Víctor Manuel” Albor Camacho
Location: Acámbaro, Mexico
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Date of Death: January 20, 2009
Albor was 24 years old. She was found in the street, she had been tortured and beaten.

Dayana Nicole Castillo García
Location: Tarapoto, Perú
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Date of Death: January 22, 2009
Dayana was 31 years old. She was found dead in her own beauty salon.
She was stabbed 20 times.

Cristy
Location: Guatemala-City, Guatemala
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Date of Death: February 10, 2009
Cristy was 25 years old.
She was stabbed 30 times.

Puttalakshmi’s
Location: Bangalore, India
Cause of Death: Thrown from a moving vehicle
Date of Death: February 18, 2009
Puttalakshmi’s was Hijra. She was 30 years old.
Puttalakshmi’s was raped and thrown out of a moving vehicle.

Eda Yildirm
Location: Bursa, Turkey
Cause of Death: Decapitated
Date of Death: March 22, 2009
Her head and sexual organs had been chopped off and tossed in a dumpster.

Gisela “Roni” Galante
Location: Gualeguaychú, Argentina
Cause of Death: Murdered
Date of Death: April 1, 2009
Gisela was 42 years old.
The details of her death was not reported
although dismemberment was indicated in the news article.

Jeva Padilla
Location: Santiago, Dominican Republic
Cause of Death: Tortured and Killed
Date of Death: April 21, 2009
23 year old Jeva was brutally tortured (Burns, mutilated genitals and face, executed with 40 shots) in the northern city of Santiago, Central Cibao Police District spokesman Col. Jesus Cordero Paredes said.

Cesar Torres
Location: El Paso, Texas
Cause of Death: Blunt Force Trauma
Date of Death: July 9, 2009
An autopsy report says Cesar died from blunt force trauma. He had cuts around his eyes, broken ribs, a broken nose, a ruptured liver, wrenched neck and several stab wounds.

Tyli’a Mack also known as NaNa Boo
Location: Washington, DC
Cause of Death: Stabbed to death
Date of Death: August 26, 2009
Tyli’a was stabbed to death on the street in broad daylight.
Tyli’a was 21 years old.

Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado
Location: Cayey, Peurto Rico
Cause of Death: decapitated
Date of Death: November 14, 2009
Jorge was found on the site of an isolated road in the city of Cayey, he was partially burned, decapitated, and dismembered, both arms, both legs, and the torso.
Jorge was 19 years old.

Do I have high hopes for this? No, I don’t. Nonetheless I’m pleased it’s being proposed.

When Mark McNealy was laid off from his job in April, he lost his employer-provided health insurance. He could still pay a reduced rate for insurance through COBRA for 18 months, but his partner, Robert Meredith, a cancer survivor, could not. Because the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act” (”DOMA”) discriminates against same-sex couples by denying them federal respect for their lawful marriages, federal programs such as COBRA don’t cover same-sex spouses. Meredith’s own job doesn’t provide coverage, so right now he has no health insurance. If his cancer returns, Meredith and McNealy could face a catastrophe.

Yesterday, with impressive support from more than 90 initial co-sponsors, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that would end such government acts of discrimination by repealing “DOMA.” Congress’s passage of the new bill, appropriately named the Respect for Marriage Act, and a signature by a president who has repeatedly pledged support for full repeal of “DOMA,” will get the federal government back to treating marriages with respect, rather than destabilizing them. We can give our country the chance to remove the unfair and immoral “gay exception” from federal law.

The Respect for Marriage Act repeals “DOMA” in its entirety. It doesn’t tell states what marriages they must celebrate or how to treat marriages, but provides that the federal responsibilities and protections accorded marriages will remain stable and predictable no matter where a couple lives, works, or travels, and no matter whether that couple is gay or non-gay. The Respect for Marriage Act doesn’t require any person, religious organization, locality, or state to celebrate or license the marriage of a same-sex couple. The First Amendment protects the right of churches and religious bodies to determine the qualifications for religious marriage, and the Respect for Marriage Act cannot and will not upset that longstanding protection.

The Respect for Marriage Act would fix a grievous wrong that plays out every day in concrete injuries. Because of “DOMA,” a person married to someone of the same sex can’t receive the same spousal health benefits that employers routinely provide to heterosexual spouses without paying additional taxes that different-sex spouses don’t have to pay. Nor can a same-sex spouse take unpaid leave to care for a sick or injured husband or wife; receive spousal benefits under Social Security even after a lifetime of paying into the program; or use the safe harbor provisions in bankruptcy law, Medicaid rules and other federal statutes that protect families from financial ruin. These are just a few of the more than 1,000 responsibilities and rights the federal government denies to same-sex couples and their children. Government has no business putting obstacles in the path of people seeking to care for their loved ones, especially in times of economic uncertainty and challenge. The Respect for Marriage Act will get the federal government back on the right track.
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This is why we simply must ban marriage, adoption and all other forms of rights for those evil gay people. They’re predators who use their positions of power to indoctrinate children!

The head football coach at Breckinridge County High School took about 20 players on a school bus late last month to his church, where nearly half of them were baptized, school officials say.

The mother of one player said her 16-year-old son was baptized without her knowledge and consent, and she is upset that a public school bus was used to take players to a church service — and that the school district’s superintendent was there and did not object.

“Nobody should push their faith on anybody else,” said Michelle Ammons, whose son, Robert Coffey, said Coach Scott Mooney told him and other players that the Aug. 26 outing would include only a motivational speaker and a free steak dinner.
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Two other parents, however, said in interviews that their sons told them that Mooney had said the voluntary outing to Franklin Crossroads Baptist Church in Hardin County would include a revival.
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David Friedman, general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, said in an interview that the trip would appear to violate Supreme Court edicts on the separation of church and state — even if it was voluntary and the school district didn’t pay for the fuel.

“If players want to attend the coach’s church and get baptized, that’s great,” Friedman said. But a coach cannot solicit player attendance at school, he said, noting, “Coaches have great power and persuasion by virtue of their position, and they have to stay neutral.”

My error. It wasn’t a gay coach “pushing his homosexuality” on the students. It was yet another case of children having religion pushed on them without their parents knowledge or consent. Sort of like the Gideons do every year across the nation.

 
Won’t somebody please think of the children? And where is the “Parental Rights” crowd when they’re actually needed? Oh, that’s right. “Parents’ rights” mean nothing when it comes to turning someone else’s children into little Godbots.

 

As promised, Dr. Michael Brown and his gang of Christianist crusaders descended upon Charlotte Pride today to express their great “love” of gay people everywhere. Do watch the video at the link (unfortunately it can’t be embedded) to see these “loving” people in action.

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“We’re praying to make them know that god, he loves them, that they’re not cast out, rejected and hated, and that there is a better way than gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender, and that’s found in Jesus,” Brown said.
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Translation: You’re not rejected or despised so long as you pretend to be straight and kowtow to our chosen religious dogma. Otherwise we’ll harass “love” you to the ends of the Earth whether you like it or not.

Sorry, but conditional “love” isn’t love at all. It’s blackmail.

They also wanted to send a message in hopes of stopping what they’re calling an activist agenda.

“By activist agenda, we mean those who came out of the closet 40 years ago and are trying to put conservative Christians in the closet,” Brown said.

Nobody wants to put Christians of any persuasion in the closet–we know what a vile a place the closet is. We just want them to stop harassing us and let us live in peace. We want to have the same rights everyone else takes for granted and to be treated like human beings. Unfortunately conservative Christians have chosen to wage war on us, so we have no choice but to fight back.

In closing I invite you to again read Hemant Mehta’s beautiful post, You Say We’re Redefining Marriage? You’re Redefining Love.

 

Most people are familiar with Sally Kern’s anti-gay rants and her fervent desire to imprison us and force “ex-gay” torture upon us. Fewer know about Birmingham mayor Larry Langford and his claim that all Amurka needs to turn itself around is some Bibles and sackcloths, for if we were to all do more prayin’ and Bible readin’ everything would right itself. Langford even ordered several thousand Bibles and sackcloths for his city to prove how effective prayer and the Word of God were. Of course Mr. Righteous himself was arrested by the FBI not long after for money laundering and bribery. I guess he just didn’t do enough praying and Bible reading. But then again it seems so many of the Bible reading and praying types are also the criminal types, so perhaps the answer isn’t, as they so fervently insist, religion. But I digress.

While Larry Langford is pretty much out of the spotlight, Sally Kern keeps thrusting herself back in, partly because the folks in Oklahoma keep voting for her. What’s she up to now? Grab a bowl of popcorn and read on.

[W]hat caused the economic problems that caused the stimulus package that aroused Gov. Sanford? Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern has finally answered that question: our sins. Kern has drafted a resolution that puts the current economic crisis squarely on the backs of libertines and godless people who have produced a moral crisis. This includes Obama’s refusal to “uphold the long held tradition of past presidents in recognition of our National Day of Prayer.”
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Sanford had an affair because of the stimulus package? That’s a new one, and certainly more creative than blaming Gay Marriage. Sin caused the economic crisis? Let’s see all of the megachurch clergy, RRRW politicians like Kern and others who scream about “sin” give up their money, their mansions and all of their other possessions for the good of the economy. Let them tend to the sick, the poor and the needy and preach directly to them instead of doing so from afar. That’s what Jesus recommended, after all. Or is it only from their gold-saddled high horses that they feel comfortable dictating the lives of others?

OKLAHOMA CITIZEN’S PROCLAMATION FOR MORALITY
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WHEREAS, “It is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand” (John Adams); and

WHEREAS, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with
human passions unbridled by Religion and Morality” (John Adams); and

WHEREAS, “Our Constitution was made only for a Moral and Religious people” (John Adams); and
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“The government of the United States is not in any sense founded upon the Christian religion”
Treaty of Tripoli, Article 11, Passed unanimously by the Senate, and signed by President John Adams, 1797

“This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it”
John Adams

“Thirteen governments [of the original states] thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone, without a pretence of miracle or mystery, and which are destined to spread over the northern part of that whole quarter of the globe, are a great point gained in favor of the rights of mankind.”
John Adams

WHEREAS, “Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God (Benjamin Franklin); and

“I have found Christian dogma unintelligible. Early in life I absented myself from Christian assemblies.”
Benjamin Franklin

“If we look back into history for the character of the present sects in Christianity, we shall find few that have not in their turns been persecutors, and complainers of persecution. The primitive Christians thought persecution extremely wrong in the pagans, but practiced it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England blamed persecution in the Romish Church, but practiced it upon the Puritans. These found it wrong in the bishops, but fell into the same practice themselves both here and in New England.”
Benjamin Franklin

“Indeed, when religious people quarrel about religion, or hungry people quarrel about victuals, it looks as if they had not much of either among them.”
Benjamin Franklin

WHEREAS, “God who gave us life gave us liberty and can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God” (Thomas Jefferson); and
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“Because religious belief, or non-belief, is such an important part of every person’s life, freedom of religion affects every individual. Religious institutions that use government power in support of themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths, or of no faith, undermine all our civil rights. Moreover, state support of an established religion tends to make the clergy unresponsive to their own people, and leads to corruption within religion itself. Erecting the “wall of separation between church and state,” therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society.”
Thomas Jefferson

“Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the common law.”
Thomas Jefferson

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WHEREAS, this nation has become a world leader in promoting abortion, pornography, same sex marriage, sex trafficking, divorce, illegitimate births, child abuse, and many other forms of debauchery; and
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Funny. In 2005, when that fine Christian GWB was in office, Oklahoma ranked 13th on the list for violent crimes–that meaning they had the 13th highest rate in the nation per 100,000 people in their state. Meanwhile naughty blue states that promote “sinful” things rank far lower. For example MA was number 40, CT was #41, ME was #47 and VT was #48. Oklahoma also has one of the highest divorce rates in the nation–6.0 divorces per 1,000 people compared to 3.0/1,000 in those debauched New England states. Why again are people from Oklahoma preaching to others about “sin”?

WHEREAS, grieved that the Office of the president of these United States has refused to uphold the long held tradition of past presidents in giving recognition to our National Day of Prayer; and

The National Day of Prayer has only been a “tradition” since 1952, and was implemented at the insistence Billy Graham who, like many of his ilk, lied to achieve his agenda. Since then it’s been co-opted by the RRRW as a means of shoving radical evangelical Christian theology into the government and onto Americans. Obama recognized the Day of Prayer, which is plenty. But as usual Kern and her ilk want more. They want the government to not only recognize but to elevate their religion above all others and to actively promote it.

WHEREAS, deeply disturbed that the Office of the president of these United States disregards the biblical admonitions to live clean and pure lives by proclaiming an entire month to an immoral behavior;

Pride Month has been around for decades and has nothing to do with Obama. Obama recognized Pride month the same way he did the Day of Prayer; with a proclamation. Funny how those proclamations are far too little when they’re for the RRRW, and a sure sign of the apocalypse when they’re for us.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we the undersigned elected officials of the people of Oklahoma, religious leaders and citizens of the State of Oklahoma, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world, solemnly declare that the HOPE of the great State of Oklahoma and of these United States, rests upon the Principles of Religion and Morality as put forth in the HOLY BIBLE; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the undersigned, believers in the One True God and His only Son, call upon all to join with us in recognizing that “Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord,” and humbly implore all who love Truth and Virtue to live above reproach in the sight of God and man with a firm reliance on the leadership and protection of Almighty God; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the undersigned, humbly call upon Holy God, our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, to have mercy on this nation, to stay His hand of judgment, and grant a national awakening of righteousness and Christian renewal as we repent of our great sin.
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“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
First Amendment, US Constitution, Ratified 12/15/1791.

Here’s an idea for Sally Kern. When Oklahoma gets the moat out of it’s own eye it can come and preach to the rest of the country about how all the “sinful” states (with their lower divorce rates, crime rates, teen pregnancy rates, etc.) should be running their lives. But I won’t be holding my breath. Kern and her ilk like to micromanage the lives of others and shove their religion on everyone else by any means necessary. They never manage to actually live according to the twaddle they spend so much time screaming about. Such is the way of the religious hypocrite.

Better yet, if Kern and pals like the idea of living in a theocracy so much they could always move to Iran…

 

Quite a bit, actually. Now there’s nothing wrong with individuals praying if that’s what they wish to do. But a government sanctioned and promoted prayer event? That’s something else entirely. Americans United explains why:

Americans don’t need the government to tell them when or how to pray.

Americans have the right to pray for whomever they want and in what manner they like. But we don’t need an officially designated government proclamation to do that. Our people are free to engage in worship whenever they want. Allowing government to set aside certain days for prayer and worship implies that the state has some say over our religious lives when it does not. It is simply not the business of government to advise when, if and how people pray. Read More

The National Day of Prayer has been hijacked by the Religious Right, which uses it to promote religious bigotry.

In recent years, most NDP activities have been coordinated by the “National Day of Prayer Task Force,” an organization based in Colorado Springs and run by Shirley Dobson, wife of Religious Right radio broadcaster James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family.Read More

The National Day of Prayer has become a vehicle for spreading misinformation about American history and society.

In years past, the Task Force has used the NDP to promote bogus “Christian nation” history and advocate for erroneous claims that fundamentalist Christians are being persecuted in the United States or denied their right to spread their faith. Read More
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The National Day of Prayer Is Unnecessary.

America does not need an official, government-mandated “National Day of Prayer.” Religious individuals who feel strongly about the country are free to pray for it at any time. They do not need to be directed or encouraged by government. Read More
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An alternative to the National Day of Prayer

 

I simply cannot describe in mere words how amazing this post by Hemant Mehta, aka Friendly Atheist, is. You’ll just have to read it for yourself to see. I’ll give you a taste and you can read the full entry at his site.

The Religious Right keeps saying gay-rights activists are “redefining marriage”:
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The same group of people also goes on about how God loves gay people:
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I say this to the religious people who oppose marriage equality:

You think we’re redefining marriage?

How can you accuse us of that when you’ve done something far worse?

You redefined love.

“Love the sinner, hate the sin”? Please…

For you, “love” means making sure gay people cannot adopt a child who needs a home.

For you, “love” means stripping away the marital status of gay couples who were legally married in California before Proposition 8 took effect.

For you, “love” means accepting someone only if they never act on their sexuality.
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For you, “love” means allowing doctors to refuse patients who need their help because the patients are gay.
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For you, “love” means telling someone else what they can and cannot do in the privacy of their bedroom.

For you, “love” means removing your children from school for a day so they can’t witness other students taking a stand for LGBT rights.
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I know we’ve heard the rebuttal to this notion of “redefining marriage” — marriage has been redefined a countless number of times. From a property arrangement to a love marriage to interracial marriage, etc. The definition of marriage has never been static.
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How dare you belittle us for trying to promote equality and marriage and civil rights?

You’re Christians. Aren’t those values you’re supposed to endorse?

We are not trying to change how your church operates or how you practice your faith. We’re not telling you how to live your life. We’re not forcing you to adopt our beliefs.

Who is showing more love here?