For Women

MN Family Counsel Pushes for Constitutional Amendment After Marriage Equality Bills Introduced

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:09:13 +0000

Marriage equality in Minnesota took two giant steps forward within the last two weeks. On Monday, February 22nd at 4:30pm the Minnesota House considered three bills for marriaqe equality. One bill would give full recognition to the marriage of same-sex couples in Minnesota, the second would recognize same-sex marriages in Minnesota that have been recognized in other places. Outfront Minnesota respectfully opposed a bill that would replace civil unions for all marriages in Minnesota.
On March 2nd, companion bills were presented in the Minnesota Senate. One of those bills SF 120 to make marriage gender neutral in Minnesota was present by Sen. John Marty who is also a DFL Candidate to be the next Governor in Minnesota this upcoming November. Of all candidates for Governor John Marty is the only one who has made marriage equality for all Minnesotan’s a part of his public campaign literature.
Minnesota is undoubtedly ready for marriage equality, but with a governor who is hostile to LGBT people such as Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the overwhelming concern is that marriage equality would pass the House and Senate only to be vetoed by Pawlenty. Therefore, it is unlikely that marriage equality will be passed in 2010.
Just like clock work, as of yesterday the Minnesota Family Council which is an outreach of the Family Research Council has pushed for Minnesota to pass a Constitutional Amendment that would ban same-sex marriage. The push came with an attack against Sen. John Marty. The text for the whole discussion can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/home.p…
Yesterday morning, the Minnesota Family Council and several Republican lawmakers attacked Senator John Marty’s comment that a marriage equality law could be signed in Minnesota as early as next year. They urged passage of a constitutional amendment to block such action. Here is Senator Marty’s response to their challenge:
Seven years ago, Minnesota had a very vocal debate about same-sex marriage. Proponents of a constitutional ban fought hard for its passage. In 2003, the opposition to same-sex marriage was strong, but much of that opposition was based on fear and misunderstanding. Same-sex marriage was a concept most Minnesotans were not familiar with. Even so, their efforts failed.
Now, after years of public discussion and as more people are getting to know wonderful gay and lesbian families, minds have changed. People who opposed marriage equality have been rethinking the issue and the change is happening faster than some politicians realize. Acceptance is growing month by month, not decade by decade.
The proposal for the constitutional amendment is dead. Over numerous conversations in communities throughout the state, Minnesota values have come to the forefront, and Minnesotans are rejecting discrimination against same-sex families.
I stand by my commitment to equality. I am confident that we can give Minnesota LGBT families the same rights that other families have — the right to have each other and their children qualify for the health care benefits they get at work; the right to visit each other in the hospital; the right to inherit each other’s property, and hundreds of other rights that other families take for granted.

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I liked the L Word Book, and not in a hipster ironic way. I really really liked it.

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:07:12 +0000

We all have our dark secrets. Maybe you sit home alone on Friday nights and watch Legally Blonde on continuous loop. Maybe there is a YouTube video of you out there in which you drunkenly sing ABBA songs and you just happen to be topless. Maybe you went to prom and maybe, when you did, you had bouffant hair and wore a dress that made you look like Little Bo Peep and maybe, just maybe, you had to take a second job to pay off your friends to keep those pics from finding their way on to the internet. Worse yet, maybe your iPod is filled with Miley Cyrus.
Whatever the secret, we all have them and secrets make you sick. So, I am going to confess a deep dark secret to you now – I bought the L Word Book by Jennifer Beals. Buying this book makes me feel like the biggest dork ever, like the kind of person who might scribble “Tibette Forever” on her notebook in study hall. I justified it by saying it was for charity and that I needed to keep up with lesbo pop culture but, really, I just wanted to see pretty pictures of pretty people. Do you want to know what’s in the book? Do you want some tidbits? You know you do because lesbians love those L Word actresses.
The pictures do not disappoint. There a lot of gorgeous photographs in the book, many of which are starting to surface on the internet. My only criticism of the pictures is that some of them are so small I felt like I needed an electron powered microscope to actually identify who was in them. There are those out there who feel that there is not enough in the book about Laurel Holloman (Hello Tibette fans!) and those who think that there was too much Leisha Hailey, Kate Moennig and Mia Kirshner but it was a perfect mix in my mind. I know I am biased though because I find Leisha, Kate and Mia hilarious. In the wake of award season, I am feeling awardsy so I’m going to present the best of the L Word book in that format. So, here we go…

1. The Funniest Comments About Ilene Chaiken Awardgoes to Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig. Upon seeing a picture of Ilene with long, mousy hair, mom jeans and Adele’s glasses said:
Leisha: That is so crazy! She looks like an earth mother.
Kate: She looks like a lesbian fiction writer. Who probably grows her own beans.
2. The Lesbian of All Trades Award goes to Leisha Hailey who distressed t-shirts for the cast. Jennifer said, “I think I recall Leisha providing the service of running over my t-shirt five million times until it looked cool.”
3. The Stars Are Just Like Us Awardgoes to Rachel Shelley who said, “On the first take I screwed up my line and tripped over some cable on the floor”. She went on to say that she then laughed “a little overzealously”.
4. The Best First Day at Work Awardgoes to Sarah Shahi and Kate Moennig. On her first day of filming, Sarah met Kate and said, “It was like, ‘Sarah, Kate. Kate, Sarah. Kate, you’ll be going down on Sarah in the scene.”
5. The Queerest Conversation Ever Award goes to Leisha Hailey, Mia Kirshner and Jennifer Beals for the following exchange:
Leisha (to Mia): I was like your husband for two years.
Mia: You were my husband?
Jennifer: Yes, she was.
6. Lastly, the We Knew We Loved You All for a Reason Awardgoes to Jennifer Beals, Kate Moennig and Mia Kirshner for their thoughts on Season 6 and the finale:
Kate (regarding the finale for Six Feet Under): I think it was cathartic in a way considering how awful our own finale was.
Mia: I felt that the note in which the show ended betrayed the very spirit in which the show was made.
Jennifer: It felt like such a lie and it felt like selling the whole gay community down the river, characterizing them the way that they’ve been characterized for so long in terms of film and television.
That concludes the awards portion of this post. Take heart Tibette fans! There are things for you in the book too, like a copy of a handwritten note Laurel wrote to Jennifer. There is also some Rose Rollins, a bit more Rachel Shelley and a brief interview with Daniela Sea that hints at some drama. Surprisingly, there is a lot of text in the book and lots of stories including one about flaming dryer lint. It was an entertaining read. Besides, it’s all for charity and cultural research, right?

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Exploring my sexuality

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:11:37 +0000

I am a 27 year old female who is beginning to seriously question (or is at the very least curious about) my sexuality. To be truthful, it has never been a topic I have seriously pondered in the past. However, there are some thoughts and that I can no longer seem to push away. But before I begin, however, let me give you more background on myself so you might be best equipped to help me with my “issues”. I apologize up front if my “letter” becomes too long.
To start, I have never had a boyfriend and have also never been on a date. I simply have had no interest. All through my growing-up years (and even into today), I have always made it perfectly clear to family and friends that I have no desire to ever marry. Indeed, I cannot imagine myself ever being with a man in a romantic or sexual relationship period. While a man may appear “attractive” (being where the person possesses admirable qualities – physical/mental/character), I myself do not feel a particular “attraction” to the person in a sexual/romantic way (if that in anyway makes sense).
Until a few years ago, I classified myself as heterosexual (despite the fact that I neither have nor wanted to date, a boyfriend, etc.). Yet, it was the only description that I had ever even considered. Then, I began classifying myself as asexual (for convenience and because I truly don’t feel I can classify myself as necessarily heterosexual). It was around this time that I was discussing sexuality with a close cousin of mine. This individual happened to ask me at the time whether I had ever experienced romantic/sexual feelings toward persons of the same sex. I responded no, yet even then I began to question my response.
A few years have passed since then and I have at times thought about that question. I know that there have been times where I have felt a strong attraction or feelings towards a few female friends (and admittedly had the desire to kiss) yet have resisted the urges. I have always pushed those feelings out of my mind telling myself I shouldn’t think of that. I find certain females attractive and to whom I have an attraction. There is also this desire to be with someone. I have been thinking more and more of what it would be like with another female.
Yet, in all this, I am questioning the legitimacy of my feelings. I am wondering if they are truly emotions I have or whether I just want to feel this way? Also, I am questioning whether or not I have really had attractions towards these friends over the years. Finally, perhaps I am just convincing myself that I will have no interest in men and maybe I should force myself out of my comfort zone and perhaps I’ll find that I’m actually intersted. It has taken me many days since discovering your website to get up the nerve to write this letter because part of me feels like a fool. Yet, there is also some relief in writing this letter and getting these emotions (real or all in-the-head) out into the open. I am not asking for anyone to tell me what my sexuality is (or is not) and I hesitate to even classify myself at all anymore. I am just hoping that perhaps somewhere out there someone can empathize with my feelings and sense of confusion and that my thoughts were not too garbled. Thank-you to those who are willing to read and respond to this posting.
Side note: This is a topic I am addressing on this forum because it is not one I can discuss with 95% + of my family and close friends – without risking severing ties with most/all.

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Can Same-Sex Parents Get a Break on College Financial Aid?

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:08:27 +0000

Same-sex parents are used to the routine of crossing out “Mother” or “Father” on various forms and writing in whatever applies to our family. What happens, however, when this is asked on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, used by most colleges and universities to determine a student’s contribution towards the cost of his/her education? Can we fill in the form literally and thus not count one parent’s earnings (meaning potentially more aid)?
That’s the question my spouse Helen asked over at her blog. I’ll let you pop over there for her thoughts on the subject.

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Coffee Party - Possible alternative to Dems & Reps

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:53:46 +0000

An Introduction:
So far this group claims it is an anti-obstructionist (think filibuster addiction, nomination holds), anti-corporatocracy (think SCOTUS ruling), pro-diversity party, that believes in civil diagolue and that government done right can be a force for good and an expression of our collective will. I don't know if it will end up functioning more like a political party alternative to the democratic & republican & tea party, or if it'll function more like a move-on.org type group, but either way it is nice to see the enthusiasm, and with the national day kick off day of events coming up this Saturaday, I would like to see LGBT involvement at the start as they define themselves to ensure this movement remains pro-diversity and inclusive. And, as fellow P. H. Blenders, you can't tell me that politically engaged coffee-lovers having get togethers doesn't intrigue you at least a little.
Much more beyond the fold!

I also took a moment to transcribe a section from the introductory video that I was particularly fond of:
We want to see cooperation among people in Congress and government, and we want to see people are representing us move towards solutions to the problems instead of strategically obstructing any form of Congress. Many people believe this is an effective electoral strategy to win republican seats in 2010 and we object to obstructionism and extreme political tactics, that are, I think are fear based, not reality based, and in many ways just deliberate misinformation. So we’re organizing. We want people to understand we are voters, that we’re going to come out to vote, we’re going to participate in the process. We are going to make sure we hold people accountable for obstructing progress in government. We need everyone engaged in the political process. That is the only way government can function as an expression of our collective will.
And I also really liked the part about being comfortable with the changing demographics of our country and embracing diversity. I see that Dan Choi is a facebook “mutual friend” with the person who started this movement, as are several of my LGBT friends. But I don't know where they stand on LBGT issues. Maybe they just don't have a stance yet, which means to me, that I think we should get involved on Saturday's national day of events so that it will be a part of it all.
March 13th Kick Off Event Day:
MISSION: The Coffee Party Movement gives voice to Americans who want to see cooperation in government. We recognize that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that we face as Americans. As voters and grassroots volunteers, we will support leaders who work toward positive solutions, and hold accountable those who obstruct them.
I like that it is an anti-obstructionist answer to the Tea Party that doesn't view public service/government as inherently evil, and instead as an expression of our collective will, with an independent minded bent to it.
Surely there are independents out there who are into being anti-obstructionist, as in being anti-filibuster-addiction as an electoral strategy, and anti-corporatocracy (think the recent SCOTUS decision), opposing fear-based politics, valuing diversity, and the like, and that want to remind elected officials that the Tea Party isn't representative of all independents in America.
CNN Coverage:http://cnn.com/video/?/video/politics/2010/03/03/am.park.coffee.party.cnn
I just learned they are getting more national media coverage tonight from their facebook, but I haven't found the video yet.http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/situation.room/“The Coffee Party USA will be featured TODAY on CNN The Situation Room, 5:00pm EST/ 2:00pm PST.”

In a short time they've gathered 100,000 supporters on facebook, set up a website, recorded many videos, set up a national day of events, and garnered national media attention.
With an election coming up that is supposed to be low turn out, and predictions that the national winds are blowing against the left, I am very excited to see a movement that will energize voters and engage people constructively in politics who have not been engaged before or who have stopped engaging because all of the negativity.
I know some have concerns because they wont officially align themselves with democrats & liberals, but as long as their focus is on constructive participation in politics then these are people I want voting and want to be engaged in the dialogue. This is a chance to build a coalition of people who believe in government as a force for good when done right. And it is such a blank slate right now, with a focus on just having a dialogue, that I encourage anyone who can make the time this Saturday to go to an event. It isn't often that you get to shape a canvass from the start, and we shouldn't miss this opportunity.Find an event near you this Saturday, or start your own:http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6500/p/salsa/event/common/public/index.sjs?distributed_event_KEY=117

Background on their name:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_dragon_tavern
   Green Dragon Tavern was a public house used as a tavern and meeting place located on Union Street in Boston's North End.
    Purchased in 1764 by the St. Andrews Lodge of Freemasons for its 1st floor meeting rooms, the basement tavern was used by several secret groups and became known by historians as the “Headquarters of the Revolution”. The Sons of Liberty, Boston Committee of Correspondence and the North End Caucus each met there. The Boston Tea Party was planned there and Paul Revere was sent from there to Lexington on his famous ride. In January 1788, a meeting of the mechanics and artisans of Boston passed a series of resolutions urging the importance of adopting the Federal Constitution pending at the time before a convention of delegates from around Massachusetts. The building was demolished in 1854.
    The current Green Dragon Tavern is located on 11 Marshall Street in Boston's North End. Its publicity states that it is the “headquarters of the revolution”, though its relationship to the demolished original pub is not immediately apparent.
http://www.teagarden.com/…“It started in the Green Dragon Tavern. If a man ordered tea, he was a Tory. If he ordered coffee, he was a Patriot.”
And can Coffee really be worse as a logo than that most American of creatures the elephant?

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Lonely… And tired of it

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:46:26 +0000

Hi there, my name is Emmy, I’m in the 9th grade. I recently “came out” to both my parents, and all of my closest friends, anyone else obtaining the information is beyond my control. What I have realized, is that there are way too many fakes in my school. No one seems legit. There are many many “bisexual” women in my school, but they have the definition mixed up. They think it means you can date both genders at the same time, so it’s like you’re cheating but you really aren’t because you are “bi.” I don’t think this is right. I know I have a lot of life to live before I can go saying I’m going to end up as a spinster with 55 cats roaming around a large house, however, me being an over-reactive teenager, I tend to lean on the negative side of every situation thrown at me. So my thoughts right now:
-I will never be able to find love at this rate, all the girls here just like to toy with everyone they meet.
-I sometimes feel like I am the only one being truthful and that a good majority of the bisexuals I know are just curious.
BTW: I am no bisexual, I am lesbian, I use the term bisexual a lot more than I do the term lesbian, because all of the people I know who are like this, are bi, not les.
I don’t know. I recently told one of my friends that I really liked her, but she doesn’t feel the same way, and I understand, you can’t control who you like and that’s fine, it’s whatever. But it seems ever since I have been able to be free with who I am, the less likely I will find someone. When I wasn’t “out” I had various girls liking me, but they never told me until AFTER the fact that they got over me.
I’m feeling kind of hopeless and really rather pathetic, I just want to find someone…Someone who is true, someone who is loyal. For God’s sake I just want a decent relationship!

Оригинал сообщения от misha1509 тут…

Do you use StumbleUpon? You may be considered “adult” content.

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:49:55 +0000

I don't write too often at PHB, but I am an avid reader. I had a thought/gripe I thought I would share with the community here and get feedback.
Are you familiar with StumbleUpon? It's a website that allows you to designate your interests and then “stumble” across the Internets. Think channel-surfing the Web with interests that are grouped into categories. Examples of such interests are science, religion, gardening, politics, philosophy, gay culture and lesbian culture.
Harmless enough, right? Why, then, are gay/lesbian culture grouped under the Adult category? I was rather displeased when I saw that. There are other categories such as the Society section that have interests like Goth Culture, Men’s Issues, Women’s Issues, and Subculture. There is no option for “heterosexual culture” that I have seen, but I question if it would even be placed in the Adult section if it existed. StumleUpon seems to think that gay culture, though, is sufficiently offensive enough to slap it with an adult label and corresponding stigma.
Really? That doesn’t seem fair or legitimate. I’m a college student in Nashville, Tennessee, and I never thought I would be labeled as “adult” content. When I think of gay culture, I think of dating and media, laws and legislation, civil rights, and this blog (to name a few). How is any of that remotely related to gay or lesbian erotica (which could, in fact, be labeled as adult content along with any other erotica)? I think the arbitrary labeling of “gay/lesbian” as adult content stigmatizes such topics for the 9 million+ users of StumbleUpon. I’ve written to the site admins several times for an explanation of their categorization, but I have yet to receive a response.
I began thinking of how many other social/network sites use the same adult labeling for the gay community and if it was ubiquitous and/or common.
I refuse to acknowledge my existence as offensive or deserving of an “adult” content label. Perhaps you take the same issue with it that I do: it’s not accurate, and I think such labeling should be less haphazard and derisive of the gay community.

Оригинал сообщения от Kyle тут…

BYU Management Society to award NOM director Orson Scott Card

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:34:44 +0000

X-posted.

From the press release:
The Washington, D.C. Chapter of the BYU Management Society (BYUMS-DC) announced today that it would honor best-selling author and columnist Orson Scott Card at its annual Gala Dinner on April 24, 2010. Card will receive the chapter’s Distinguished Public Service Award and will deliver keynote remarks about his views on ethical leadership today and his experiences as a prominent member of the literary and academic communities.
“We are proud to be honoring Orson Scott Card during this year’s Gala Dinner,” said Sen. Gordon Smith, Chairman of the Advisory Board. “His words and his example have reached millions of people, and his spirit of mentorship and service have much to offer our community.”
As it turns out, my very first post at Daily Kos also included a quote from Senator Smith:
“Part of what I fear, as you start defining marriage - we have a long history of doing that in this country, and my Mormon pioneer ancestors were the victims of that. They were literally driven from the United States in the dead of winter for following their religious beliefs. I don’t want that coming back, but there are some on the front pages of your newspapers who are trying to now.” — Gordon H. Smith
That was June of 2008. Smith was trying to strike a moderate tone in a tough battle for his seat and I was dashing off glib diaries about Mormon involvement in a sure loser for the LDS (the Yes on 8 campaign).
Both approaches wound up paying off equally brilliantly.
Live and learn.
What Smith apparently learned from his loss is that “moderation in all things” is truly overrated. Otherwise, two years on, what else to make of his latest brilliant move: assembling a gaggle of high-flying Mormons to publicly honor National Organization for Marriage board member Orson Scott Card for distinguished service to … the public.
The same public that is already aware (and aghast) that OSC has lately swapped the novel form for writing whackadoodle newspaper columns and blog posts?
No, obviously not that public (2008 taught me a thing or two as well: I’ve yet to affect the outcome in a single Mormon-inflected political contest, and I’ve owned up to the inadequacy of my online derision as a means of influencing a public that I now admit to hardly knowing). To demonstrate how grown up I’ve become, what follows is some exceedingly dispassionate and mature speculation regarding how on earth the BYU Management Society could possibly deem OSC deserving of this honor (with bonus Executive Summary gravitas courtesy of the outline format).
I. Could it be belated Mormon gratitude for OSC’s youthful support of George Wallace at a time when young people of his caliber were hard to find in the ranks of the pro-segregation, anti-miscegenation American Independent Party?
I completely bought into the “not a dime’s worth of difference” slogan and yes, on my college campus I took part in the Wallace campaign … if you look at what I was doing in college, there’s no denying it, I was a Wallace supporter in September and October of 1968. — Orson Scott Card
II. Or perhaps a more modern Mormon sensibility is what produced the BYUMS-DC decision, and it’s meant to signal an overdue recognition of OSC’s subsequent apology for supporting the Wallace campaign:
Within a couple of years I had learned a little more and was deeply embarrassed at my naivete and stupid enthusiasm. I changed my mind completely. Now I have a deep aversion to bigotry-centered populist demagogues — one thinks, for instance, of the leaders of the anti-amnesty movement. (I’m thinking of Pat Buchanan and, to my disgust, my fellow-Mormon Mitt Romney.) — Orson Scott Card
III. BYUMS-DC enthusiasm for (re)criminalizing homosexual behavior?
Laws against homosexual behavior should remain on the books…to be used when necessary to send a clear message that those who flagrantly violate society’s regulation of sexual behavior cannot be permitted to remain as acceptable, equal citizens. — Orson Scott Card
IV. Or perhaps it’s OSC’s penchant for government overthrow if the gays are allowed to marry?
How long before married people answer the dictators thus: Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down, so it can be replaced with a government that will respect and support marriage, and help me raise my children in a society where they will expect to marry in their turn.
Biological imperatives trump laws. American government cannot fight against marriage and hope to endure. If the Constitution is defined in such a way as to destroy the privileged position of marriage, it is that insane Constitution, not marriage, that will die. — Orson Scott Card
V. Or maybe it’s simply BYUMS-DC’s way of finally congratulating OSC on his ascension to the NOM board (and of assuring him that Maggie Gallagher was not the only one enthused by his appointment):
“We’re extremely honored that Orson Scott Card has joined with NOM in our shared mission to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it,” said Maggie Gallagher, president of NOM, “He is one of the great science fiction writers of our time and a real voice of courage and intellect on behalf of marriage.” — Margaret Srivastav
VI. Whatever the reason, it certainly had nothing to do with this.
Pax et bonum!
And a P.S. link just in case next month (April 24th, 6:00 - 9:00 PM, to be exact) will be your first time visiting the Crystal Gateway Marriott.

Оригинал сообщения от Chino Blanco тут…

Sappho Speaks: Alice, You’ve Really Stepped In It Now!!!

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:21:48 +0000

Hot:

What Would Sappho Say?
Lectori Salutem! or L.S. (Greetings to the Reader!)
With the Royal premiere of Alice in Wonderland this past week I thought I’d bring her into the mix for what I’m sure will bring some jeers from the peanut gallery. And as Alice blindly and without much forethought ran down the rabbit hole into Wonderland (or was it?) so do children born of their parents follow them into the family’s religious fold. It is a predestined plan, one the child has no control over and once indoctrinated will fight to the death for those beliefs as strongly as their parents before them. Religion is really a geography problem easily solved with money when you get right down to it.
If we could wrangle up the low income expectant mothers and offer them relocation, a stipend to raise their child Catholic, and be attached to a certain parish for looking after during the child’s life…… Oh yeah, they already do that. It’s called missionaries. The stipends can be food and better shelter or any other basis need but in return the families are expected to dedicate their lives to Christ.

What of the other religions? Those innocents born from a womb are simply indoctrinated into Islam, Judaism, or whatever the majority of you think is so wrong the same way Christians do it to their own. What part is the evil plan. Where is the devil whispering in someone’s ear when the word hell is only mentioned four times in the New Testament (duplicated in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) especially when the word was translated from the original text it was not the word “hell” that was being said but the “Jerusalem Dump”, surely a hell on earth. Over translations “hell” was substituted in at someone’s discretion as it has been done so many times over 2000 years.
So as Alice was predestined to fall down the rabbit hole and meet the Mad Hatter, the White and Red Queens, so are the majority of us predestined to our religious beliefs. I find that quite disconcerting. The “if onlys” that would alter your whole faith because it is not based on something you constructed but a gift of birth was enough to drive this woman crazy in my younger years of self-discovery and I still am asking the questions that have no easy answer.
I was adopted and landed my first day of life in the arms of my mother and father who raised me for my entire life. You could say I was a gift or vice versa but the “what ifs” have driven me a bit batty at certain times in my life and since possible answers are out there I have recently decided I do not accept not knowing. Don’t worry gentle readers, you will go on that journey with me as well. Anyways, I have an allegory to being born into religion and complete acceptance, that blind faith, that so many in the religious community have, they cling to it like a safety blanket and throughout time have punished with vengeance those who have tried to take that blanket away and challenge their point of view.
My ancestors, those who challenge the dogma of Christianity, were burned at the stake, drowned, beheaded, sold into galley slavery, shot, gassed, forced to leave their homes, their books burned, their public voices silenced.
All this because some believed in the goodness of humanity on it’s own merits instead of in a Godly universe; in the goodness of human beings; in their possibilities; in human capacity for progress; in the promise and necessity for human freedom.
By believing in all of this we were seen as stripping away the security blanket of the Western World that held that man was steeped in sin, depraved, and helpless and could only be redeemed by pledging alliance to a god-man Jesus Christ.
Again I refer to Alice who said to the Red Queen, “There’s no use trying, one can’t believe in impossible things.” And the Queen replied, “I daresay you haven’t had much practice. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast”.
And that is what the religious do, right? That is what other faiths think about or what each one of you says about the other faiths: ones who believe in impossible things – like a first century rabbi walking on water and rising from the tomb; impossible things like Buddhist-style reincarnation; animating spirits in all objects; the cyclical nature of time; Joseph Smith receiving golden plates from an angel; the host of the Eucharistic Feast turned into the actual body and blood of Christ; eternity in paradise, a bevy of beautiful virgins for suicide bombers, a violence free society where everyone has a gun and so many more…

It’s not just the Queen in Wonderland but all of us that believe in six impossible things before breakfast.
1. In the face of 9/11, Pearl Harbor, The Holocaust, Nagasaki, and Hiroshima, we still believe in the goodness of humanity.
2. In certain face of global warming and severe climate change, we believe in the progress of humanity.
3. When science gives us technology that isolates us from real life, numbs our minds and dumbs down our culture, we still believe in science.
4. When our free church tradition gives us congregations that fuss and feud, lose trust and brutalize one another, we still believe in congregations.
5. In the face of overwhelming evidence of the capacity of humans for all manner of evil, meanness, selfishness, violence, and divisiveness—we still believe in a brighter future brought about by the free agency of human beings.
We might as well fess up and put a sign out front: “Only fools believe in the creative power of free human beings to do good in the world.”
So when you really look into a person you will almost always find faith in something – believing a few impossible things. Those should be the things that bind us together in this human condition as it is in humankind here on this earth where our greatest work is yet to be done whether you believe you journey ends in this place or goes on to the next.
Much Love.
Inspired By Sappho’s Muse
QUOTES OF THE DAY
What if I should fall right through the center of the earth… oh, and come out the other side, where people walk upside down.
Alice, from Alice In Wonderland
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.
Friedrich NietzscheSimilar Posts:

Religious Taboo
What We MUST Remember
LOST FAITH… AND THE JOURNEY BACK
Sharon Underwood’s letter

Оригинал сообщения от Sappho тут…

Late for work but writing this anyway!

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:42:30 +0000

Hi everyone, I’m new here, and I have no idea if I am doing this right. But I am going to continue as if I were.
I may be cutting to the chase a little too quickly, but I really am late for work and writing this anyway. My problem is simple, I am in love. Completely, heartbreakingly in love. With a girl I have very mixed signals from. I have only recently completely accepted my preference for the female form and I have as yet only shared this with a select few people. She is not one of them. To a degree though, she knows, as we have discussed at length which celebrity girls and even women we know are hot.
Well the story starts almost 2 years ago now, when she started working with me. We were instant friends and she was quickly accepted into not only our work group of friends but into my own close knit group of friends. We were very close for some time and then she started going out with her current boyfriend, also a person from our workplace. It went on for some time before she told me, but that was ok. It was early days then, and as far as I can remember it was just a little crush at that point. So we drifted apart a little, still work friends but not really much more for a few months and then she was back and we were close friends again. Well we will fast forward to the summer, because all interesting things happen in the summer. I had a few parties and she always came to them, and we would always get drunk and make out. And we spent the entire time with just each other, always. Talking in the corner, dancing, taking off somewhere to make out, it was a habit. A habit we haven’t broken yet actually.
So this continued, and we make it to Christmas time of this year, and we get into the conversation about how we should try having sex with women (it has always been a conversation point between us, which women we would like to have sex with). And we decide we’re going to go and try it out, both of us chickened out of course, either that or the possibility didn’t present itself. So we go out again for a night on the town, the whole big group of us, and once again we can’t be parted, but this time instead of running off and making out, we danced, and the whole time we just stared into each others eyes (I know, lame, tacky, cliché, but its true) forehead to forehead looking at one another. It was truly more intense than making out.
Well the next time we went out, before we were even drunk she said “I want to be with you” and dragged me out of the room. We didn’t get very far though because we were very rudely interrupted and the party was shut down. The thing is, I am not certain that she shares my feelings or if she just likes the feeling of being liked by me. Her circumstances are different than mine, when I met her she said she was “”uncomfortable” around lesbians, but that changed very quickly to she is “intrigued” by lesbians, to lesbians are “hot”, to she’d like to try it. I have no idea if she really was initially uncomfortable or if that was just something she said. Everything in me just wants to be near her, it isn’t just basic attraction, I just always want to be with her, to talk to her, to see her, and I go to great lengths to do so.
There is obviously more to it than this, but these are just some of the things I think are important. The boyfriend is cause for some emotional upset, I don’t know if she’s just using me for when he is not up to par or if she’s not sure where to turn. The uncertainty seems more apt, because going out with me causes fights in her relationship, not fights in her relationship cause her to go out with me. But on it really depends on the day which I believe.
So any thoughts, do you think it’s possible she may like me back. Do you think she is just curious and I seem willing? Or is she aware of my feelings and just enjoying the attention. I think it may be mutual, to a degree, but like I said her circumstances are different and I don’t know if she would even allow herself to entertain the idea of anything but sex with another woman. Is it worth my heartache? Should I persist or should I just back off and leave her alone? I am kind of at a loss here, no idea which direction I should take. Does out and out saying anything ever end well? Is it better to just wait it out? Or should I just lay it all down and ask for truth, not any action, just truth? OK sorry for the ultra long post, but any suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

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