WATCH: Chicago Gay Couple File Complaint Over Taxi Ejection
Daniel Costa and Stephen Murphy say the driver kicked them out for kissing.
Trudy Ring
www.advocate.com/business/2015/01/30/watch-chicago-gay-couple-file-complaint-over-taxi-ejection
Daily Archives: January 30, 2015
Gays Should Be the Least of Oklahoma's Concerns
Gays Should Be the Least of Oklahoma's Concerns
As I’m sure many of you’ve heard, many politicians have been continuously trying to smear their diluted opinions as law across the country, despite LGBTQ efforts in recent months. While the opinions I have of my own Oklahoma state representatives are less than fruitful, one apple seemed to fall a little harder and further from the tree. Rep. Sally Kern(R) proposed three bills promoting ideas of conversion therapy, denying same-sex marriage, and anti-gay rhetoric. Kern also attracted national media attention in 2008 after saying that homosexuals were a bigger threat to the country than terrorism. While all of this is terrible, I wanted to point out a few things that Oklahoma’s lawmakers seem to be overlooking.
First of all, we could start with education. While 11 percent of Oklahomans ages 25 and over have stepped foot on a college campus, a staggering 26 percent of them do not even have a complete high school education. According to EPI, Oklahoma sleeps near the bottom of the school totem, ranking at number 36. Isn’t that some cray? Hold on, it gets better guys.
If you think our school system is questionable as a student, try being a teacher. With nearly the lowest pay wages in the United States, Oklahoma has been failing to recruit, hire, and properly pay their teaching staffs. While the state is clearly struggling to clean up the education system, should it really be that concerned with the gays?
I felt it poignant to note that while religious freedom has every right to be exercised, at what cost must we exercise it? A particular piece of introduced legislation caught my eye, HB125, a bill introduced by Kern. If passed, it would restrict the salary of any clerk or judge who allowed a gay marriage. This ruling would also make it difficult for straight couples to wed, as it would take away the right for all marriages to be officiated by the county clerk. So in other words, she is literally willing to strip the rights of hardworking citizens in order to uphold her own religiously fueled agenda.
There are clearly a lot of issues with the state of Oklahoma, but ultimately it is my hope that lawmakers will one day prioritize their civilities. However, I walk away knowing one thing. The gay community has weathered history for thousands of years, and has existed before religions were created. As a gay, mixed, trans girl, I came out of the womb societally damned,according to most of my friends and family, yet I exist; I thrive. Lawmakers, you can continue with your petty jabs at my LGBTQ brothers and sisters, but know this: We don’t need your validation to exist, we’ve been breaking your laws to exist for years, and all of your effort is a waste of time. I don’t mean to sound insincere, but as ’90s band Smash Mouth famously said, “Get your game on,” because that’s exactly what the gay community of Oklahoma is gearing up to do.
Oklahomans for Equality is already bulking up to combine efforts this week, as Equality Center director Toby Jenkins has already been making noise in the press. OKEQ also announced a town meeting to decide an appropriate response from the local gay community.
With Two Deaths Already Reported in 2015, HRC Spotlights Violence Against Transgender People
With Two Deaths Already Reported in 2015, HRC Spotlights Violence Against Transgender People
New Issue Brief Details Realities That Conspire to Put Transgender People of Color at Heightened Risk of Violence
HRC.org
Every Gay Person Will Soon Become A Cannibal Rummaging Through Hospitals For Human Waste, Pastor Claims
Every Gay Person Will Soon Become A Cannibal Rummaging Through Hospitals For Human Waste, Pastor Claims
Oh, brother. Here we go again.
Pastor James David Manning announced plans this week to march against “sodomite cannibals” in Manhattan (a.k.a. “Sodomite City”) because — wait for it — the gays are planning to turn into “flesh-sucking” homo-zombies and chew off the faces of innocent women and children and eat their poop by 2016!
“God Almighty has given me the revelation that soon, after the court announces that they are to be protected by the Constitution to be sodomites, they’re gonna also start cannibalism,” the concerned pastor said in a recent propaganda video. “Every sodomite, every lesbo, every homo, every fag, every transvestite, every LBGT person — by the year 2016 — will have participated in some sort of cannibalism!”
Why will this happen? you ask.
Because gay people are possessed by demons, of course.
Manning breaks it down for us, saying: “They are demon-possessed! And they will do it with a smile on their faces! In fact, they will be scourging through and rummaging through the hospital waste looking for human waste. A number of people are going to go missing and only their bones will show up!”
Watch the crazed rant below. Or don’t.
h/t: Joe. My. God.
Related stories:
Pastor Claims Gay People Are Possessed By “Fart Demons” That Can Drive Pigs To Suicide
Pastor James David Manning Claims “Obama Has Released The Homo Demons On The Black Man!”
Why Are Exorcisms So Ineffective In Ridding Us of Our Homosexual Demons?
Graham Gremore
THIS FRIDAY & EVERY FRIDAY = WE STAY WARMING YALL ASSES UP WITH $5 #CIROC SHOTS FROM OPEN TIL 12A + MANNN WE'RE ANNOUNCING DRINK SPECIALS THROUGHOUT THE DAMN NIGHT = PATRON… LONG ISLANDS…. & EVEN REWINDING BACK CIROC!!! — PURE DOPEness ON THOSE 1s &
Teenage Crush: Remembering Rod McKuen
Teenage Crush: Remembering Rod McKuen
Rod McKuen’s recent passing revives memories of teenage angst — and first love.
Christopher Harrity
www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/people/2015/01/30/teenage-crush-remembering-rod-mckuen
Tennessee Evangelical Church Welcomes the LGBT Community
Tennessee Evangelical Church Welcomes the LGBT Community
In a world full of prejudice and bigotry, it is refreshing to discuss a story of triumph and respect for equality.
In the affluent community of Franklin, Tennessee, tucked amongst the grand houses and high-end shopping centers of this conservative Bible-believing community is an oasis for the LGTB community.
From the outside, the building looks like any other church, but on the inside of GracePointe Church, there is something wonderfully unique happening. The 1500 members of this evangelical, inter-denominational church worship with a contemporary flavor. They have Bible studies, youth programs, and do mission work. Sitting in the pew between the gray-haired saints and the fidgety four year old children are openly gay men and lesbian couples, all worshiping together.
Pastor Stan Mitchell, who comes from a fundamental Christian background, founded Gracepointe Church in 2003. He wasn’t looking to assemble a group of people, who believed the same way he did, but rather to worship and grow along side good, sincere people who genuinely wanted to follow Christ and retrain themselves in their beliefs. Instead of accepting the traditional ideas of sins, scripture, and homosexuality and the church, Mitchell wanted to explore new ideas through scripture, science and personal experience.
About two and half years ago, Pastor Mitchell began a conversation with his conversation about LGBT issues. At the time, he was labeling the church as a place of no judgment. Soon the church was allowing gay membership and volunteer opportunities. Predictably, many of the more conservative members left the church. Yet, the progression towards a more open church carried-on and was gradual, progressive, and steady.
January 11, 2015 started off like a typical Sunday with sincere worship and authentic fellowship. Pastor Mitchell delivered a sermon titled, “Living Between Immanuel & Epiphany” with his normal charisma and thoughtfulness. But not many predicted how he would end his teachings. He spend the last twenty-five minutes warmly inviting members of the LGBT community into his church family. He respectfully set a high moral standard of conduct for this group, and his entire congregation, heterosexual and gay alike. He invited everyone in his congregation into positions of leadership, including the Diaconate & Eldership, and opened-up employment by the church, water baptism, marriage, and baby dedication to his members, regardless of their sexual orientation. Yes, you read that correctly. Not only will Mitchell allow gay marriage, but he will personally perform the ceremony.
The church family rose to their feet. But unlike the mass exodus and raised eyebrows that might be expected from a congregation in the heart of the Bible belt, the church family didn’t turn to walk out the door, but rather, they put their hands together in a standing ovation. There were hugs, words of affirmation and tears of joy as sexual labels faded away and members were no longer identified by their sexuality. The house was no longer divided by “us and them” but was united as “we.”
I had the opportunity to talk with Pastor Mitchell on the phone recently, and while he was not looking for a microphone or platform, he’s happy that the decision to include all of God’s people into his church family is being received so positively. This intelligent and sincere man systematically and passionately retold their journey and shared his conclusions, “Homo-, hetero- and bi- are unnecessary adjectives.” Mitchell said. “Full inclusion means treating all our members with the same rights.”
Over the past 2000 years, the Christian church has had to face many moral and scriptural dilemmas including race equality, slavery, women in ministry, and the handling of divorce within church memberships. The church has had to morph and change, reinterpret and have open discussions in order to address these issues and to come to conclusions that are not only morally acceptable, but scriptural. Mitchell believes that homosexual rights are no different than any of these other issues and feels comfortable in his decision, even though some of his peers don’t.
Many of today’s churches ignore their mission and even the Great Commission, not wanting to offend their peers. They adhere to what Mitchell refers to as “2000 years of traditions” and interpretation of scripture. But GracePointe is proving that they are willing to face criticism and judgement from the community to fulfill their mission and to reconsider other interpretations of scripture. As stated on their website, the church “exists to provide a safe place to better understand and experience God’s love and full acceptance of us, as we are, and His commitment to the process of making us whole in Christ.”
The decisions of this pastor and the acceptance from the church family is one step forward in the journey towards unifying the church and creating a loving environment for all who wish to worship God.
UN General Assembly President Takes Swipe at Gay Activists Upon Return to Uganda
UN General Assembly President Takes Swipe at Gay Activists Upon Return to Uganda
Sam Kutesa, the President of the United Nations General Assembly whose election was protested internationally by LGBT rights groups because of his hand in Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality law and comments referring to gay people as “disgusting”, returned to his home country this week and immediately engaged in some braggadocio with regard to that controversy, Uganda’s Daily Monitor reports:
Mr Kutesa, who is in the country on an official visit since his election last June as president of UNGA, said he has not been mistreated nor has Uganda been depicted in bad light over the Anti-Homosexuality Law, which was struck down by the Constitutional Court.
“It is not a problem. I had been nominated by my country Uganda and the African continent had endorsed me,” Mr Kutesa said.
To drive the point home that the pro-gay could not succeed in blocking his candidature, Mr Kutesa used an adage: “No matter how much noise the frogs make, they cannot stop a cow from drinking water.”
Commenters on the Monitor aren’t too pleased with Kutesa’s behavior.
Writes one:
“When will NRM ministers learn to show some magnanimity? Kutesa has better things to talk to the press about than dwelling on the past and noisy frogs and a cow drinking water for he is acutely aware that his government is milking the cow without feeding it.”
Andy Towle
10 of the Weirdest, Wildest Super Bowl Halftime Shows
10 of the Weirdest, Wildest Super Bowl Halftime Shows
Up With People! Carol Channing! Diana Ross on a helicopter! The Super Bowl halftime show is often a bizarre and kind of gay affair.
Neal Broverman
www.advocate.com/sports/2015/01/30/10-weirdest-wildest-super-bowl-halftime-shows
State Equality Index Spotlight: Massachusetts
State Equality Index Spotlight: Massachusetts
Massachusetts is one of 18 states in the country that has explicit state-level workplace protections for all LGBT employees. It is also one of 36 states with marriage equality.
HRC.org