Daily Archives: March 18, 2015
Alabama Governor: Marriage Equality Bad for Children
Alabama Governor: Marriage Equality Bad for Children
Attorneys for the governor make that specious argument in a friend of the court brief for the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case.
Trudy Ring
Audacious Goals and Incremental Victories
Audacious Goals and Incremental Victories
As an American and as an Episcopalian I was raised to pledge to and to pray for two audacious goals: “liberty and justice for all” was one and “thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” was the other.
Yesterday’s historic step by The Presbyterian Church (USA) brought us a little closer to both.
The powerful witness of a mainline denomination ending marriage discrimination is not only in alignment with the core American value of equality — it is a manifestation of the Gospel value of God’s inclusive love. It not only adds to the groundswell of movement toward civil marriage equality in this nation, it debunks the false narrative that we must choose between religious liberty and equal protection for LGBT Americans.
We have been on this journey for many years. What happened yesterday in the Presbyterian Church was the result of decades of the tireless work and witness of those committed to bending the arc of the moral universe toward justice for LGBT people – not just in their church, but in this country. And while the work is far from done, a wise mentor in the work of Gospel justice taught me years ago that our charge was to “set audacious goals and celebrate incremental victories.”
So today we celebrate the incremental victory of marriage equality in the Presbyterian Church. And then tomorrow we get back to work on the audacious goals of liberty and justice for all and a kingdom of God’s love, justice and compassion come on earth as it is in heaven.
We get back to work on being a nation where the equal protection guaranteed all Americans actually equally protects all Americans. We call on the Supreme Court to end the discrimination against some marriages as we commit to a Protect Marriage Movement that protects all marriages. We stand up against “religious discrimination” legislation that is nothing more than a smokescreen for homophobia.
And we look beyond the marriage wars to ending employment discrimination, to just immigration reform, to passing the student non-discrimination act, to eradicating transphobia in all its manifestations … to the long list of incremental victories we need to achieve before we can declare victory on those audacious goals I was raised to both pledge to and to pray for.
But today we celebrate. Because yesterday’s historic step by The Presbyterian Church (USA) brought us a little closer to both – and the sound you hear is the arc of the moral universe moving just a little closer to justice.
Aaron Schock's dad says his son might be 'a little different' but insists he's not gay
Aaron Schock's dad says his son might be 'a little different' but insists he's not gay
‘Aaron wears stylish clothing … and he’s not married and he’s not running around with women’
gregh
Wave Of Anti-LGBT Bills in 2015 State Legislative Sessions
Wave Of Anti-LGBT Bills in 2015 State Legislative Sessions
HRC is working to counter a wave of anti-LGBT bills that have been filed by state legislators across the country. More than 85 bills have been filed in 26 state legislatures.
HRC.org
Behind Door Number Three, This Gay Couple Gets Engaged And Wins The Internet
Behind Door Number Three, This Gay Couple Gets Engaged And Wins The Internet
It’s time to petition Merriam Webster to change the definition of romance.
The new entry should read something like this:
romance [n., roh-mans, roh-mans]
While you and your partner wear matching lederhosen on television, he gets down on one knee and proposes to you. This sets off an irreversible chain of events. Wayne Brady is close by, microphone in hand, and naturally begins to serenade you with a personalized love song as you jump up and down screaming for joy. Behind you, two women in banana and rainbow unicorn costumes respectively cheer with enthusiasm.
Kind of like this:
h/t: GayStarNews
Dan Tracer
Matthew Dempsey Breaks Down The Bond Between Women And Gay Men: VIDEO
Matthew Dempsey Breaks Down The Bond Between Women And Gay Men: VIDEO
If you’ve ever wondered (or theorized) why gay men and straight women often form such tight bonds, Psychologist Matthew Dempsey is here to provide some insight. In a new video, Dempsey describes how relationships between gay men and straight women can provide healing to all parties involved. While gay men have often been marginalized and treated as less than because they are gay, women often times experience a similar marginalization having grown up in a misogynistic culture. With women looking for acceptance from men and gay men looking for acceptance from the straight world, they are perfectly suited to provide each other with the validation they each desire.
Watch Dempsey break it down, AFTER THE JUMP…
Sean Mandell
www.towleroad.com/2015/03/matthew-dempsey-breaks-down-the-bond-between-women-and-gay-men-video.html
LGBT Chatter
LGBT Chatter
Created by PowerDirector Mobile/ Kiara lewis.
Dolce & Gabbana Totally 'Love Everything'
Dolce & Gabbana Totally 'Love Everything'
But Gabbana says he still ‘believes in traditional families.’ Also, the pair slammed calls to boycott their fashion line as ‘medieval.’
Sunnivie Brydum
www.advocate.com/families/2015/03/18/dolce-gabbana-totally-love-everything
83 Percent of Gay Men Send Dick Pics on Dating Apps, Says Survey
83 Percent of Gay Men Send Dick Pics on Dating Apps, Says Survey
Are other guys having the same experience you are on the gay dating apps? We wondered, too. So we conducted a a nationwide survey of nearly 4,000 gay men last month to gauge their behavior. It was no ordinary survey — not with questions like, “Have you ever sent a dick pic?”
Our purpose for the survey was simple: To help you compare your dating app experiences with other gay men. Check out our analysis below the infographic.
Infographic courtesy of grabhim.net
Before we get into the delicious data (and it is yummy), a couple of things about the survey: Nearly 4,000 gay men ages 18-65 participated over the course of four weeks in February of 2015. This survey was not commissioned, nor sponsored by or for, any of the gay dating or hookup apps. We conducted the study for our own use.
Okay, let’s dive in. We see a couple of things that make our pincers rub with glee. Let’s start with the most scandalous and work our way down:
83 Percent of Gay Men Send Dick Pics.
This is, by far, the most shocking statistic in our survey. Receiving dick pics (whether you asked for them or not) is a rite of passage on the apps, but 83 percent? That means almost everybody on the dating apps has taken the time to pose their penis (to add an optical inch or two, natch), store it on their phone and send it off to strangers they are likely never to meet. Is that a sign of sexual liberation or plain old exhibitionism? You decide.
31 Percent of Gay Men Lie About Their Age, Height or Weight.
A bitter queen once told us that certain gay men lie and cheat so much you have to count your teeth after they kiss you. We don’t know about that, but it does bring up a question-is this rate of self-reported cheating higher or lower than you would expect? We think it’s about right, given the results of studies on straight men using dating apps, which show about the same amount of self-reported misrepresentation.
45 Percent of Guys Who Actually Meet Don’t Hook Up.
In other words, almost half the time two guys meet, one of them says, “Thanks but no thanks.” The high number of bail-outs might surprise some, given that two strangers who’ve spent a fair amount of time trading pictures (including their penises!), texting, and one assumes, sometimes talking on the phone or Skyping, would NOT end up in each other’s arms. On the other hand, it might be understandable given the amount of lying about age, height and weight (see above). If you thought you were meeting a young hottie and the guy that shows up is so old he owes Jesus ten bucks for the lumber, you’re probably going to bail.
50 Percent of Guys Who Agree to Meet Do It in Their Homes.
Giving a complete stranger your street address and greeting him at the door could be seen as brave or stupid, depending on your point of view. Given that 45 percent of encounters don’t end up in a hookup, one assumes there are a lot of very awkward moments across gay America’s living rooms when the door knocks and you don’t like what’s on the other side of it.
30 Percent of Gay Men Don’t Need to See a Face Pic to Meet Up.
Is this indicative of the down low meeting the down low, or just another example of plain ol’ junkyard dog scrumping, where looks don’t matter, but orifices do? Probably a little bit of both.
The results of our survey show a vibrant, insightful, sometimes hilarious look at how gay men act on dating apps. But it shows an uglier side, too. Like a strong strain of racism and HIV stigmatization. To see the complete results of our survey please click here.
Michael Alvear is the founder of grabhim.net.