Too Gay-Looking To Give Blood

Via The Chicago Sun Times:

An Indiana man says he was turned away from giving blood because he looks too gay. Twenty-two year old Aaron Pace says he went Bio Blood Components, and was rejected during the screening process because he"appears to be a homosexual."

“I was humiliated and embarrassed,” he said. “It’s not right that homeless people can give blood but homosexuals can’t. And I’m not even a homosexual.”


Men who have had sex with men since 1977 have been barred from giving blood because the supposed risk of spreading HIV, even though all blood donated is tested for not only the HIV virus, but syphilis, forms of hepatitis, and other diseases.

Read the rest HERE.

New York Clerk Quits Rather Than Issue Gay Marriage Licenses

A town clerk in rural New York has quit her post rather than grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples, explaining that doing so would go against her beliefs.

“I would be compromising my moral conscience by participating in licensing same-sex couples,” Laura Fotusky, the clerk of the Town of Barker, told Politico. “I had to choose between my job and my god.”



The 56-year-old posted her resignation letter on Monday evening to the website of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, a self-declared Christian ministry that “exists to influence legislation and legislators for the Lord Jesus Christ.”


A current poll on the group’s website asks: “Who bears the most blame for allowing gay ‘marriage’ to become law in New York?”

Fotusky’s resignation letter reads, in part: “The Bible clearly teaches that God created marriage between male and female as a divine gift that preserves families and cultures. Since I love and follow Him, I cannot put my signature on something that is against God."


Fotusky's resignation becomes effective July 21, three days before the state will begin handing out marriage licenses to gay couples. I say let her walk: if she can't separate her personal beliefs from doing her job(while supporting an organization that seeks to police everyone else's morality), then let someone who truly understands what separation of church and state means take her place.

Read the rest HERE.

A Husband And A Husband?

Via Boy Culture:

This video is so cute, I had to post it. A little boy figures out that two guys are together, married and not only accepts it (and expressing surprise the way only a little kid can), but invites the two men to play ping pong. Watch and try not to say "Awww" below

Army Launches DADT Website

The U.S. Army has launched a website designed to deal with issues surrounding the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The site's introduction reads like this:

"Since 1993, the law and policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) has provided that homosexual conduct is a bar to service in the Armed Forces. On Dec. 22, 2010, the DADT Repeal Act of 2010 became law. It provides for the repeal of DADT to be effective 60 days after the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify to Congress that the Armed Forces are prepared to implement repeal. The Army began educating Army personnel on the process and policies associated with the repeal of DADT on Feb. 17, 2011, in order to prepare the force for implementation. Until 60 days after certification, the law commonly known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" remains in effect, and the Department of Defense will continue to apply the law as it is obligated to do."

The site also includes a top 10 list of things to know about the repeal, such as soldiers will not be segregated and their sexual orientation will not be called into question, as well as a FAQ section that addresses such concerns like how conduct codes will change after the repeal.

Gay Parents Segment On "What Would You Do?"

This clip was particularly touching. ABC conducted their regular "What Would You Do?" segment by seeing how patrons would react when a waitress harassed a lesbian couple and their children (they're all actors by the way) at a Texas restaraunt. I'll admit that I was pleasantly surprised when many of the fellow diners stood up for the two women, especially one man named Donovan.

Unfortunately my suspicion that the situation would be different if it were two men with children was confirmed slightly, but people still came to their defense as well. The clip also challenges some common-held assumptions about tolerance for gay parents in liberal and conservative states.

Black And Latino NY Leaders Sign Letter Supporting Marriage Equality

More than 50 prominent black and latino leaders signed a letter in support of same-sex marriage. According to The Advocate, New Yorkers United For Marriage, a bipartisan coalition of five LGBT organizations, is workign with Gov. Andrew Cuomo to the pass the marriage equality bill withing the next month. The organization also released an open letter to officials and community leaders.

“What we learned from the civil rights movement to end racial discrimination informs our fight to end other discrimination based on who you are. It is a bedrock American value that all are created equal. Our laws must reflect that core belief,” wrote the leaders.



“This fight is not just about legal rights. It is about our brothers and sisters, our uncles and cousins, our neighbors and co-workers,” they continued. “It is about the strong families and communities which we ourselves cherish. Why should we rob others of the joys and blessings – and protections – of one of the most valued institutions in our society?”

A new Siena College Research poll suggests that while African Americans are settling in opposition to same-sex marriage, Latino support maybe increasing.
According to the poll, 44% of African-American voters support “making same sex marriages legal in New York State,” compared to 52% opposed, and 4% undecided. Last month, a Siena poll indicated that 46% of African-American voters supported making same-sex marriage legal, 45% opposed the possibility, and 9% were undecided.



Among Latinos in New York, the findings suggested that some formerly opposed voters have moved to an undecided position. In the new poll, 55% supported making same-sex marriage legal, 41% opposed it, and 4% were undecided. In April, the Siena survey found that 54% of Latino voters supported making same-sex marriage legal, 45% were opposed, and 1% were undecided.

Read the whole article HERE.

In The Navy....

In the wake Don't Ask Don't Tell's repeal, Navy chaplains have been given permission to perform wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples in states where same-sex marriage is legal. According to the Adovcate:

"An April 13 document from the Office of the Chief of Navy Chaplains was recovered recently, showing that inquiries were made into whether chaplains will be allowed to perform such ceremonies. After legal review "legal counsel has concluded that base use is sexual orientation-neutral. If the base is located in a state where same-sex marriage is legal, then base facilities may normally be used to celebrate the marriage."

Read the rest HERE.

South Africa Task Force Formed To Fight Hate Crimes, "Corrective Rape"

 
Via Rod. 2.0.

South Africa has announced it will assemble a task force to combat the recent increase in anti-LGBT attacks in the country, particularly in the impoverished townships. The most recent attack involved the horrible gang "corrective rape" and murder of a lesbian near Johannesburg last month.

According to ABC News: "More than 170,000 people from all around the world signed a petition calling for the South African government to act after Noxolo Nogwaza, a 24-year-old lesbian, was gang raped, stoned and stabbed to death using shards of broken glass nearly two weeks ago. The petition was sponsored by Change.org, a global human rights campaigning website.

The new task force will tackle issues such as whether crimes against the homosexual and transgender community should be considered hate crimes, whether a rape motivated by sexual orientation should receive a harsher sentence and increased sensitivity training for police, social workers and judiciary officials. The team is scheduled to begin work in July.

Although same-sex marriage is legal in South Africa, the country has highest rates of rape and HIV positive persons in the world. Hopefully this new task force can decrease the violence.

Here We Are Now, Legalize Us

The Washington State legislature has voted to recognize all valid out-of-state same-sex marriages. According to the Associated Press:

"On a 28-19 vote, the Senate cleared the last hurdle for the bill.  Under the measure, gay marriages performed elsewhere would be recognized as domestic partnerships here, as well as domestic partnerships performed in other states.

Currently, five states, the District of Columbia and Canada allow same-sex marriages. Washington becomes the fourth state to approve a similar bill, following Rhode Island, New York and Maryland. The measure enjoyed wide support among Democrats. It passed the House 58-39, mostly on party-line votes."

Side note: Five points to anyone who can guess where the inspiration for this post's title came from! Good luck!

H/t Rod 2.0

Magazine For LGBT Military Members Announced

An adovcacy group is announcing a magazine made for and by gay military members. Outserve, an underground organization made up of active U.S. service members who are lesbian, gay, bi or transgender, produces the publication, which may soon be displayed at military stations around the world.

"Our first objective with the magazine is to let all the gay, lesbian, bi, and trans members currently serving know that they are not alone," an active-duty officer who goes by the pseudonym JD Smith said in a statement. "Visibility is key," Smith said, who added that OutServe hopes to have its next version available in print at "some larger military bases."


The magazine is currently available for download online. The magazine will also contain features on how the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell " will be implemented, as well as pertinent information for LGBT military members.

"We also want to communicate to all troops that there are capable gay military members serving honorably, and that accepting that and moving on will make our military stronger," said Smith.

Read the full article HERE.

"Wanna Pray The Gay Away?" There's An App For That!

And I'm not kidding. Exodus International, an "ex-gay" organization that believes LGBT people can change their sexual orientation, has created an i-Phone application that, according to its website, is " "designed to be a useful resource for men, women, parents, students, and ministry leaders." Exodus' website also says their app has been given a 4+ rating from Apple, meaning it contains no "objectionable content."

But we all know better. Exodus International, like many "ex-gay ministries," holds out the empty promise  that you can be "repaired (repaired from what exactly? Being happy and well adjusted?)" or healed from your abominable condition with just enough prayer and scripture. Oh, and playing sports to butch you up if you're a big queen and makeup tips if you're a stud. All the while telling you that accepting your natural orientation will "make your heart sick" and is at best, counterfeit.

Nevermind the fact that reparative therapy has been dismissed by pretty every professional medical organization, including the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Counseling Association. 

Truth Wins Out has started a petition on Change.org to remove the "ex-gay app" from iTunes. You can add your name to the petition here.

Student Kicked Out Of Dorm For Being Gay

How's this for an introduction into "the real world?" Jesse Cruz, a junior at Seton Hall in New Jersey, is suing the university for emotional and psychological trauma after he says was unfairly evicted because he is gay. According to New Jersey paper The Record:

Jesse Cruz, a junior studying public relations, said he registered for a dorm room last August, paid close to $4,000 for a full semester of housing, and was assigned to a double room at Xavier Hall.

His roommate, however, complained that he did not want to share a room with Cruz, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Monday in federal court in Newark.

The school’s policy is that any student who is not happy with their living arrangement for any reason can ask to be moved on “Room Change Day,” and school officials will find them another room. In Cruz’s case, however, school officials moved Cruz to a room in another dormitory building instead of moving the other student, Cruz’s attorney, Rosemarie Arnold said Tuesday.

 A lawyer for the university disagreed with Cruz's allegations though, writing "the University has never taken any action against Mr. Cruz based on his sexual preference." Since the incident occurred, Cruz has moved back into his dorm room and has not had any problems with his new roommate. Read the whole story here.

Ravens Linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo Supports Marriage Equality

Via Rod 2.0

So often we hear (or think/assume) of athletes as being homophobic or ignorant when it comes to sexuality. Thankfully Ravens linebacker Brend Ayanbadejo (along with the supersexy Will Demps and Charles Barkley) is not one of those athletes.

Ayanbadejo has been a supporter of marriage equality for years. In 2009 he wrote an piece for the Huffington Post that pointed out the transparent hypocrisy of anti-gay opponents: "If Britney Spears can party it up in Vegas with one of her boys and get married on a whim and annul her marriage the next day, why can’t a loving same sex couple tie the knot?"

Now he's lent his voice to the marriage debate in Maryland, taping a spot as part of Equality Maryland's campaign in an effort to urge others to support equality.
 
"Having the freedom to marry means committed couples and their children will have the same crucial protections under the law as other families. Churches can always have their beliefs, but government is supposed to treat everybody the same, and that’s equal. America is supposed to be the land of the free but in order for this to be true for all of us, then we must have the ability to marry whom we love regardless of their gender."


Fine, articulate and gay-friendly? Glad he's on our side. Watch the video below:

"Mama Wu" Stands Up For China's Gays

Wu Youjian's son came out to her in 1999. Rather than react with shame like many parents in her country, the 63-year-old retired magazine editor accepted him and has since earned the nickname "Mama Wu" for her tireless activism on behalf of China's LGBT community. According to CNN.com:

Zheng Yuantao, 30, knows how lucky he is to have such a mother.

"Many of my gay friends are afraid of going home during holidays, because their parents would ask about girlfriends and press them to get married," he said.

"I grew up in a very open-minded family," he added. "I didn't have too much of a struggle about my sexuality."

Wu now devotes her time and energy to speaking up for gay acceptance by family and society. Her small frame belies her big role in China's gay community, where she is affectionately called "Mama Wu."
She taught herself to use a computer three years ago and now writes a blog that has clocked more than 2.2 million hits. She also tweets frequently, has launched a hotline and founded the country's first PFLAG - Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays - group in her hometown.

 

"I just followed my instinct and my love for my son," Wu said.

Homosexulity is not illegal in China, but gay activists often face resistance from state authorities including police raids and shutdowns of gay establishments. Wu herself has faced online criticism, but remains undaunted.

"It doesn't matter if our children are gay or straight - just like it doesn't matter if they are left-handed or right-handed," she said. "They are always our children."

Read the whole story here.

Say What?

This is part of the reason why I have an ambivalent attitude towards Christianity/religion in general. Amber Yust, transgender woman, went to her local DMV in San Francisco to get her name changed on her driver's license. The change went through without incident. At least until Yust got a letter at her home a few days later. According to the Transgender Law Center:

Unbelievably, on Monday, Amber received a letter from the person who had processed her name change at the DMV. In the letter, which had been mailed to her at home, the DMV employee quoted from the Bible and stated that Amber had made a "very evil decision." The strongly-worded letter told Amber that she was "an abomination" and said that homosexuals should be put to death.



"I was shocked to receive this letter from the person who processed my paperwork at the DMV," said Amber. "I would never have expected that a DMV employee could use information from my name change application to reach out and personally attack me. This has been a traumatic experience for me and I want to ensure that nothing like this happens to anyone else."

The Transgender Law Center is investigating the incident.

What could make someone feel they have the right to use someones' personal information obtained from their job to send a letter telling them that who they are is an abomination that is destined to burn in hell? Nothing but the pompous, self-righteous attitude that too often comes from those who claim to be "speaking the truth in love."

No employee has the right to lecture (or in this case harass) customers who they feel don't live up to their personal standards. I wasn't thrilled about the fact that people came through the checkout line and bought cigarettes/chewing tabacco when I worked at Wal-Mart, but I definitely wouldn't send them a letter in the mail admonishing them for their "sin." Not that I'm comparing smoking to being transgender, but you get the point. I mean what's next? Sending Daily Bread books to a guy if he buys pink polos at the mall? A box of holy water for girls who wear baggy jeans?

You can read the whole letter here.

Gay Rights Around The World

CNN did this short report on the status of gay rights in countries around the world, including Germany, Kenya, and Cuba. Watch it below:



h/t Rod 2.0

1967? Or 2010?

Via The Advocate:

Take about 45 minutes out of your day (or night) and watch this 1967 documentary by CBS entitled CBS Reports: The Homosexuals. The news report(if you want to call it that) trots out every horrible stereotype about gays, or gay men in particular: we have domineering mothers and distant fathers, we're out to recruit the young, destroy society, are incapable of monogamy....you get the picture.

However, what was so scary in watching it was that many of those same stereotypes still exist in 2010. It's even scarier to think that an entire generation of kids (that most likely grew up to be my parents and yours) took the things shown this report as facts. People still believe you can "pray away the gay"be "turned out" or any other number of ridiculous ideas. Even though so much progress has been made--it's not illegal to have gay sex, we have much more visibility in society, homosexuality's no longer seen as a mental illness--there is still a ways to go in changing societal attitudes. However, there all few sane individuals in the report, such as an openly gay man shown at the beginning, and writer/artist Gore Vidal towards the end. Watch the report below:

Black Gay Male Pledge of Allegiance

Via loldarian.blogspot.com.

The video by senior history major Derrick at Florida A&M University gives a list of things we as black gay men should pledge to do in 2010, from learning about important figures such as Bayard Rustin, to simply loving ourselves as we are.

Derrick tells loldarian.com "he was inspired to create this pledge while thinking about all of the black gay men who struggle daily with their sexual orientation"."It is my goal that black gay men will ground themselves in self acceptance and self love and will refuse to internalize the hatred of other people. This is a new day and this is our pledge", adds Derrick.

I think this pledge should be taken up by every black gay man. We've all either struggled or watched others struggle with being gay, religious condemnations, alienation from family, and self-esteem. Hopefully more and more of us will be able to live out this pledge throughout the new year and beyond. Watch the video below:

Religious Leaders Speak Out Against Anti-Gay Uganda Law

Several Anglican church leaders have spoken out against the extreme anti-gay legislation in Uganda, which would sentence gays to death or life imprisonment for committing "aggravated homosexuality.

Archbishop of York John Sentamu - who along with the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, is one of the global fellowship's most senior priests - condemned the anti-gay law now being considered by the East African nation's parliament.

"I'm opposed to the death sentence. I'm also not happy when you describe people in the kind of language you find in this ... bill," he told BBC radio.

Although Sentamu seemed to suggest he was the first to attack the proposed law, Williams has also spoken out against it, telling The Daily Telegraph earlier this month that it was "shocking in its severity."

"Apart from invoking the death penalty, it makes pastoral care impossible - it seeks to turn pastors into informers," he told the paper in an interview published Dec. 12.

Homosexuality has been an explosive and divisive topic for the church, leading to splits in the United States Episcopal Church over the issue. African churches have been leading the charge in a backlash against blessings of gay unions and the ordination of gay clergy, such as the 2003 ordination of Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop.

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni will not try to block the bill, his spokesman Tamale Mirundi said Thursday, although he did say the president would attempt to convince his National Resistance Movement Party, which has a majority in parliament, to not support it.

"President Museveni cannot block the anti-gays bill," Mirundi said, saying that if he did so "he will have become a dictator."

Mirundi added that Museveni does not support homosexuality but thinks the bill goes too far.

"He believes that we should not have an extreme position," he said. "We have to consider the position of our foreign partners. For them they don't mind about homosexuality in their countries but here many people don't accept it."

Same Sex Marriage Legalized in Mexico City

I may have to run for the border(5 points for whoever can name that reference:). Mexico City has legalized both gay marriage and adoption for gay couples, making it the first city in Latin America to do so.

By E. EDUARDO CASTILLO (AP) – 1 day ago
MEXICO CITY — Mexico City lawmakers on Monday made the city the first in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage, a change that will give homosexual couples more rights, including allowing them to adopt children.

The bill passed the capital's local assembly 39-20 to the cheers of supporters who yelled: "Yes, we could! Yes, we could!"

Leftist Mayor Marcelo Ebrard of the Democratic Revolution Party was widely expected to sign the measure into law.

Mexico City's left-led assembly has made several decisions unpopular elsewhere in this deeply Roman Catholic country, including legalizing abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. That decision sparked a backlash, with the majority of Mexico's other 32 states enacting legislation declaring life begins at conception.

The conservative Nation Action Party of President Felipe Calderon has vowed to challenge the gay marriage law in the courts. However, homosexuality is increasingly accepted in Mexico, with gay couples openly holding hands in parts of the capital and the annual gay pride parade drawing tens of thousands.

The bill calls for changing the definition of marriage in the city's civil code. Marriage is currently defined as the union of a man and a woman. The new definition will be "the free uniting of two people."

The change would allow same-sex couples to adopt children, apply for bank loans together, inherit wealth and be included in the insurance policies of their spouse, rights they were denied under civil unions allowed in the city.

"We are so happy," said Temistocles Villanueva, a 23-year-old film student who celebrated by passionately kissing his boyfriend outside the city's assembly.

Only seven countries allow gay marriages: Canada, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. U.S. states that permit same-sex marriage are Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire.

Argentina's capital became the first Latin American city to legalize same-sex civil unions in 2002 for gay and lesbian couples. Four other Argentine cities later did the same, and as did Mexico City in 2007 and some Mexican and Brazilian states. Uruguay alone has legalized civil unions nationwide.

Buenos Aires lawmakers introduced a bill for legalizing gay marriage in the national Congress in October but it has stalled without a vote, and officials in the South American city have blocked same-sex wedding because of conflicting judicial rulings.

Many people in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America remain opposed to gay marriage, and the dominant Roman Catholic Church has announced its opposition.

"They have given Mexicans the most bitter Christmas," said Armando Martinez, the president of the College of Catholic Attorneys. "They are permitting adoption (by gay couples) and in one stroke of the pen have erased the term 'mother' and 'father.'"

City lawmaker Victor Romo, a member of the mayor's leftist party, called it a historic day.
"For centuries unjust laws banned marriage between blacks and whites or Indians and Europeans," he said. "Today all barriers have disappeared."