Posts made by leatherbear

Nolan Kraszkiewicz

You might have woken up this morning to find your Facebook or Twitter news feed covered in a pink and red equal sign and been curious as to the image's origin. Well, here are the details.

The Human Rights Campaign is the nation's largest advocacy group for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities. Their logo is a yellow equal sign set on a blue background. The current incarnation is meant to bring awareness to the cause for marriage equality in light of the Supreme Court hearing arguments for two groundbreaking cases in the fight for marriage equality. For the next two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, proponents of marriage equality are also encouraged to wear red to show their support. Also, using popular Twitter hash tags like #Equality, #UnitedforMarriage, #SupremeCourt, and #Love will help your tweets launch into the discussion taking place on social media.

Personally, I have never understood why a person should have to fight so hard just to be considered equal to the majority. But this view also comes from an American son raised by Canadian parents … I am lucky to be a dual citizen. LGBT rights in Canada are a model for the world. Canada was the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage and actually the first country in the world to perform a same-sex marriage.

However, if you are in the constantly shrinking minority of those who oppose same sex marriage, then you will go down in history alongside those opposed to gender equality and race equality. Your picture will be in the history books next to those who were assaulting marchers with fire hoses and police dogs. Frankly it does not matter if you view marriage in the context of your theology, the aim of marriage equality is not to influence policy in your church or place of worship.

Rather, the fight for marriage equality is strictly a matter of state or national legal policy and the application of equal protection under the law. To deny a fellow human being the right to express their love for a fellow human being, in an adult and consenting fashion, just because they are a homosexual, is nothing short of hateful and vitriolic. Make no mistake, opposition to marriage equality is nothing short of hate, regardless of how you try and justify it. Opposing homosexuality may be part of your religious beliefs, but you have absolutely no right to make someone else submit to your beliefs in such an arbitrary manner.

Now some pessimists may write this graphic off as nothing more than slacktivism or pointless, but they are completely wrong. The belief is not that doing this will have an effect on the Supreme Court's decision, but rather that it will help sway the general public's opinion. Many people who are ignorant or perhaps just unsure of where they stand on gay rights might be surprised to see everyone dressed in red or may inquire about your new profile picture. This is a great foot in the door for discussing the case for marriage equality.

I myself have already had a few conversations on the topic and have explained the graphics meaning to numerous inquisitive Facebook friends. If people just see how many people support equality and civil rights, they may reconsider their negative views or become involved themselves. Don't believe me? Change your profile picture to this graphic and see how quickly you receive positive feedback and curious inquiries.

[center][img]https://www.gaytorrent.ru/bitbucket/2c9f2a27ae2f999c46a554b7847df09f.jpg[/img][/center]

Use the code below to add this symbol to your profile signature!!!

From my signature :```
[center][img]https://www.gaytorrent.ru/bitbucket/s-FACEBOOK-PROFILE-PICTURE-RED-HRC-large.jpg[/img][/center]

:crazy2: Not sure what a "Footy Kit" means but you should check out our Gay Sports Enthusiasts Forum https://forum.gaytorrent.ru/index.php?board=160.0

Perhaps you would be interested in starting your own Special Interest Group under this Board as there must be more "Footy Kit" Fans in our membership.  :drool2:

PM me for details if you are interested.  >:D

Sen. Mark Kirk backs gay marriage: ‘Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back’

BY NATASHA KORECKI  AND DAVE MCKINNEY Staff Reporters April 2, 2013 7:06PM

Offering a “huge” boost in the movement to legalize same sex marriage, Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk came out in support of the issue on Tuesday, rankling some stalwarts in his own party but clearing a path for others to jump on board.

Kirk, 53, who returned to Congress in January after recovering from a stroke a year earlier, attributed his change of heart on the issue to having a brush with death. In a radio interview on Tuesday, the Highland Park Republican also revealed having been influenced by the movie “Lincoln” and watching the esteemed 16th president fight for the civil rights of his day.

“When I climbed the Capitol steps in January, I promised myself that I would return to the Senate with an open mind and greater respect for others,” Kirk said in a statement. “Same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage. Our time on this Earth is limited, I know that better than most. Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back — government has no place in the middle.”

For Illinois, Kirk’s statement couldn’t come at a more critical juncture.

Having the state’s highest-ranking — and one of the most popular — Republicans change his tune on the issue gives wavering state House Republicans comfort as well as ample political cover to vote for gay-marriage legislation, which already passed in the Illinois Senate. Kirk became just the second Republican in the U.S. Senate – the first was Rob Portman of Ohio — to back same-sex marriage.

“I think this is huge,” said state Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), the gay-marriage bill’s chief House sponsor, who would not commit to when he intends to call the legislation for a vote other than to say “sooner rather than later.”

“It’s a really clear signal this is not a city issue or a suburban issue or a Republican issue or Democratic issue any more,” Harris continued. “It’s simply the right thing to do.”

So far, only one House Republican — state Rep. Ron Sandack (R-Downers Grove) — has publicly stated his support for the legislation.

But the Chicago Sun-Times reported last week that more Republicans were promising to come on board.

On Tuesday, multiple GOP sources said between three and five House Republicans ultimately could be on Harris’ side once the vote is taken. That would mean between 55 and 57 out of 71 House Democrats also would have to be “yes” votes for the bill to pass the House and move to Gov. Pat Quinn, who has said he would sign it.

That House GOP response would be similar to the November 2010 House vote to legalize civil unions, when six Republicans were part of the majority — though none of those six remain in the House today.

House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) told the Chicago Sun-Times Tuesday he wasn’t surprised by Kirk’s position in favor of gay marriage but stopped short of saying how or if it would move any of his members to get behind Harris’ bill.

“It’s not a big surprise coming from Mark. I think Mark’s image has been a very conservative guy on economic issues, and he has had a moderate approach [on social issues] throughout his time in Congress and his time in the Senate. I think publicly it’ll be seen as a tough call on his part, but I’m frankly not surprised by it.

“I think if you look at successful Republicans in this state over the last 25, 30 or 40 years, you’ve seen those who did well statewide have been more moderate. I think it’s kind of the place Mark has been, and it shouldn’t be a shock to folks,” Cross continued. “But I’m not sure what impact [his statement] is for our caucus.”

U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) who spoke at the City Club of Chicago on Tuesday and warned that Washington could be headed for Springfield-like economic disaster, said state lawmakers would be better served to focus on Illinois’ fiscal mess.

“I respect his view, I don’t share his view,” Roskam said of Kirk. Roskam is the state’s second highest-ranking Republican. “I think the Republican tent is very big. The Republican tent is very compelling and a great invitation for all kinds of folks to get active in the GOP.”

Conservative Republican Chris Lauzen, Kane County Chairman and former longtime state senator, said he thinks Kirk’s position will not affect the debate in Springfield, arguing it’s a different dynamic Downstate.

Lauzen said Kirk’s position was a sad evolution for the party, accusing leaders of looking to political consultants and staffers rather than constituents.

“It’s sad that the leadership of our Republican party — and I know that Mark Kirk is much more of a political expert than I am — but they are divorcing themselves from the grass roots folks who voted them into office,” Lauzen said. “But I know it’s fashionable.”

Polls continue to show a strong majority of Illinoisans back same sex marriage.

While Kirk had earlier opposed gay marriage, his position has evolved.

Last month, for example, he was among the party’s senior leaders quietly making the rounds to drum up support for state GOP chief Pat Brady, whom conservatives wanted to oust because of his open support for gay marriage. Kirk made calls to the state’s central committee on behalf of Brady.

Kirk released a statement on his change of heart but in an interview with the Illinois Radio Network on Tuesday, he said that the movie “Lincoln” pushed him to pivot on the issue.

“I must say I was pretty influenced by the latest movie by Steven Spielberg about Abraham Lincoln,” he told IRN. “You just think as a Republican leader, my job is to make sure that each generation is more free and has more dignity as an individual which is a unique gift of the United States to the world. The thought of treating a whole bunch of people just because of who they love differently is in my view against that Lincoln tradition, which was brought so well to life by the movie.”

One state House Republican who intends to vote for the legislation but has not made his intentions public yet told the Sun-Times there was a group of Republicans who did not want the issue to drag them down in a state where they are already struggling to get elected.

“I think Mark Kirk’s decision will give some fence-sitters more ease in making a decision in support of the legislation. Seems to me that no one wanted to be the one or two people in the whole Republican Party to be supporting it,” the lawmaker said.

“I know a lot of Republicans saying let’s get rid of some of these social issues. They’ve killed us the last couple of election cycles. The way this bill is in its form with the exemption for churches and other places of worship, it’s not as difficult a vote as it was six months ago.”

Out magazine's annual "Power 50" list is out, topped by Apple CEO Tim Cook and Ellen DeGeneres. New to the list at No. 6 is Nate Silver, the New York Times blogger and statistician who accurately predicted the outcome of the 2012 presidential election. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., moved up to ninth place, just ahead of R&B singer Frank Ocean, who was included on the list for the first time. New York City Council Speaker and mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn is No. 20, and entertainer RuPaul debuted at No. 50.

Out Magazine Slideshow :  hXXp://www.out.com/2013/04/10/whos-top-power-list-2013

Health experts address meningitis death of gay man

By Stephen Magagnini
[email protected]
Published: Monday, Apr. 15, 2013 - 12:00 am | Page 1B
Last Modified: Monday, Apr. 15, 2013 - 2:42 pm

Health experts worked hard Sunday to defuse fears of a national epidemic among gay men after a Sacramento native died Saturday from a lethal strain of bacterial meningitis that has claimed seven lives in New York City this year.

Brett Shaad, a 33-year-old commercial and real estate lawyer, had just resigned his job in Los Angeles to run a nonprofit seeking to prevent suicide by getting mental health care to those who couldn't afford it, said family spokeswoman Elizabeth Ashford. "He also planned to work on his brother Brian's organic farm in Natomas, Feeding Crane Farms."

Shaad was declared legally brain dead from the disease Friday. His family took him off life support at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

"The doctors don't know where or how Brett contracted meningitis," Ashford said.

The 1998 graduate of Jesuit High School was "an incredibly generous person who was adored by his many friends and our family," said his brother, Brian Shaad. "He had the biggest heart, and a deep passion for social justice."

Thirteen cases of bacterial meningitis in gay men in New York have been reported this year, including seven deaths. But health experts discounted concerns about an epidemic among gay men.

"This is not a disease transmittable mainly by sexual contact," said Dr. Parveen Kaur of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "It's spread by respiratory droplets, which means you can be sitting and having a prolonged conversation with somebody and spread the disease without having sex. It can also be transmitted through saliva and intimate activities."

Shaad lived in West Hollywood and friends said he was in good health. He reportedly attended a gathering of about 10,000 gay men known as the White Party in Palm Springs two weeks ago. But so far, no one else at the party has contracted the disease, Kaur said.

Anything that ties Shaad's death to the party "is just conjecture," Ashford said.

Bacterial meningitis inflames the covering of the brain and spinal cord, Kaur said.

The disease usually starts with a fever, rapidly followed by an intense headache with increased sensitivity to light followed by neck stiffness and a rash, Kaur said. "Out of 100 cases, 10 to 15 people will die, and 11 to 20 will have hearing loss, mental retardation and other neurological damage."

Many people who have bacterial meningitis "are asymptomatic carriers who themselves are not ill," said Dr. Otto Yang, a UCLA medical professor and expert on infectious diseases. "This is extremely preventable with vaccinations: People who were in contact with the person who died should seriously consider it."

Los Angeles County officials have not determined whether Shaad was afflicted with the same strain that killed gay men in New York, Ashford said.

Shaad, who graduated from Boston College and attended Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York, would take long weekend trips abroad with friends, to destinations as far flung as Colombia, Brazil, Hawaii and Asia, Ashford said. "He'd been to China in the two weeks prior to his death."

Before he became ill, he resigned from his job to focus more on Feeding Crane Farms. He also planned to start a nonprofit with a friend to get mental help to people who either couldn't afford it or were afraid to seek help because of the social stigma, Ashford said. "He wanted to help prevent suicides."

Call The Bee's Stephen Magagnini, (916) 321-1072. Follow him on Twitter @stevemagagnini.

Editor's note: This story was changed April 15 to correct the year Brett Shaad graduated.

Senate Republicans this week warned that Democratic efforts to add coverage for same-sex couples in a far-reaching immigration bill would cause the entire effort to fail, but others doubted that the GOP can afford to walk away from the issue to mollify social conservatives. "Alienating the majority of the country that sees LGBT equality as a done deal is a losing issue for them," said Rachel Tiven, executive director at Immigration Equality. Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin also dismissed the warning as "bluster."

Politico (Washington, D.C.) (4/30) ~ hXXp://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/gay-rights-push-threatens-immigration-deal-90807.html?ml=al_1

BuzzFeed (5/1) ~ hXXp://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/same-sex-couples-must-be-a-part-of-immigration-reform

Washington Blade (Washington, D.C.) (5/2) ~ hXXp://www.washingtonblade.com/2013/05/02/lgbt-groups-push-back-against-resistance-to-gay-inclusive-immigration-reform/

Collins' act wows victim's parents

In his historic coming-out essay Monday, NBA veteran Jason Collins revealed to Sports Illustrated that he wore the number 98 in 38 games this season while playing for the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards as an unspoken “sign of solidarity” with the gay community.

He said he did so as a nod to the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ suicide prevention foundation founded in August 1998, and also in memory of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old University of Wyoming student who was killed in October 1998 in one of the most infamous antigay hate crimes in history.

Shepard’s parents, Dennis and Judy, had never spoken to or met Collins before receiving an email from David Smith of the Human Rights Campaign with a link to the SI piece Monday morning, but it doesn’t make Collins’ expression of unity any less meaningful.

“It made me cry,” Judy Shepard told FOXSports.com during an interview Monday afternoon. “It was really quite a tribute, and I was very honored. And I know Matt would be thrilled.”

And the Shepards hope, someday, to be able to thank Collins personally for his bravery in opening himself up to the world and honoring their son’s name in the process.

“I would really love to speak to him, because I know Judy and I would just like to thank him,” Dennis Shepard said. “Because, No. 1, he had the courage to come out, period, and No. 2 that he wore 98 in honor of Matt, the year that he died.

“(Collins) couldn’t have been that old (when it happened), so it must have had a tremendous impact on him, the story behind Matt, for him to want to do that. And then to wear it all this time without telling people why until today, that’s incredible.”

For the Shepard family, who started the Matthew Shepard Foundation on Dec. 1, 1998 – what would have been Matthew’s 22nd birthday -- as a way to promote awareness and positive change with respect to the gay community, progress is vital regardless of where it comes.

In 2009, it came in the form of the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which effectively classified anti-gay crimes as hate crimes.

“It’s a whole different world now from when we first started doing this,” Judy Shepard said. “It’s remarkable in the big picture how fast things have changed, especially since Obama became president. It’s just moved right along at light speed, and it’s really been quite remarkable.”

But to see that motion toward change come in the world of sports, an arena that’s somewhat lacking when it comes to gay rights, was particularly meaningful.

“Hopefully this will start the conversation saying there’s no difference, as long as my team wins, who cares if they’re straight or gay?” Dennis Shepard said. “There have been a lot of athletes that played and were gay, and I have a feeling their teammates knew it and they just didn’t care.”

Added Judy Shepard: “It’s always more challenging in team sports to have the courage to (come out), and I think that once the doors open, the floodgates will literally open. And not just in pro sports, but college and all down the line. It’s just a remarkable step forward.”

That’s a feeling shared by Abbe Land, the executive director and CEO of the Trevor Project, which has fielded more than 200,000 lifeline calls since its inception nearly 15 years ago, including more than 35,000 last year alone.

“(Collins’ coming out) shows young people that they can be basketball players or hockey players or football players, and that he was willing to do that and say he’s going to be who he is when he plays ball is very important,” Land said. “I think it really helps a young person kind of know that they are perfect just the way they are and they can achieve all of their goals and dreams.”

In addition to the 24-hour phone hotline, the Trevor Project also has its own social network, TrevorSpace, which has more than 50,000 active members. So to have a backer like Collins making LGBT youth more aware of their service is immensely important.

“If (Collins) hasn’t reached out to us, we will reach out to him,” Land said. “It’s great when we have folks who have high visibility who support the Trevor Project, because for a lot of young people, these are role models. So for him to say, ‘Here’s a place you can call if you need help,’ is great. … We still have a lot of work to do, but letting young people know that it’s OK to ask for help, that it’s OK to reach out, is very important.”

The goal, of course, for the Matthew Shepard Foundation, the Trevor Project and other organizations like them, is to get to a point where being gay is no longer viewed as controversial and to have the LGBT community be universally accepted. And though it won’t solve the problem altogether, having someone as visible as Jason Collins join that crusade is vitally important.

“You’re starting to see the general flow, that everybody’s realizing that there’s no difference between the straight community and the gay community,” Dennis Shepard said. “It’s just who they love, and for the rest of it, they’re out there, they have a mortgage to pay, they have kids in school, they want to have an ordinary life, retire and then die of old age with a smile on their face, just like everybody else.

“I just hope (Collins’ essay) furthers the cause, not so much for our foundation, but for the population in general, so we can get off this ride of having to worry about being the first, and these stories about who’s going to come out first. Who cares? The only first I want to know is Abbott and Costello.”

NBA center Jason Collins has become the first athlete in a major American team sport to come out as gay during his playing career.

In a personal essay set to publish in Sports Illustrated, Collins begins, “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.

STEELE: LGBT advocate likens Collins to Jackie Robinson ~ hXXp://aol.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2013-04-29/gay-athletes-sports-list-players-nfl-mlb-nba-lesbian/

“I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport,” he continues. “But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, ‘I'm different.’ If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand.”

— Read SportsIllustrated.com’s full story ~ hXXp://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/news/20130429/jason-collins-gay-nba-player/

Previously, Collins wore No. 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a student at Wyoming who was tortured and murdered just outside of Laramie, Wyo., in October of 1998. During the trial, reports indicated that Sheppard was targeted because he was a gay man.

At the time he chose to wear the number, it was believed that Collins chose 98 because he played his freshman season at Stanford in 1998. Collins later said he wore the number to give NBA referees trouble, as they have to use their fingers to report fouls.

MORE: Gay athletes in sports ~ hXXp://aol.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2013-04-29/gay-athletes-sports-list-players-nfl-mlb-nba-lesbian/

Statements of support were issued from NBA commissioner David Stern and Nike, the only company with which Collins currently has an endorsement.

“As (deputy commissioner) Adam Silver and I said to Jason, we have known the Collins family since Jason and Jarron joined the NBA in 2001 and they have been exemplary members of the NBA family," Stern said in a statement. "Jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career and we are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue.”

MORE: Stanford community reacts ~ hXXp://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2013-04-29/jason-collins-gay-stanford-teammates-what-theyre-saying-mark-madsen-bernard-muir

Nike showed similar support of Collins' decision to come out.

"Jason (Collins) is a Nike athlete. We are a company committed to diversity and inclusion," the statement read.

Collins was grateful for the positive messages he received.

"All the support I have received today is truly inspirational. I knew that I was choosing the road less traveled but I'm not walking it alone," he tweeted.

He added: "Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me thru email, texts, calls, tweets, letters, and every other form of communication. #support"

:hehe: This may be the best Pick Up Line of all time!!!

@Speedmaster8:

@ myrea : I wouldn't think too much about people, who argue with words like "destroy" in the same sentence as they want laws to be repealed. I only know a very few examples all over the world, where developments for human rights had been changed back to the former definitions, so I really think that you shouldn't care too much about such nonsens. Humans will constantly move forwards, some a bit faster than other ones, but we definetly make more and more efforts - all over the world. 

:true:

We love cockrings  :cheers: I use a Metal Ring 2" and my husbear uses a Leather Strap with snaps for easy removal. We use them all the time just for fun but they do help with ED problems.

  leatherbear

  leatherbear

:cheers: I love Ginger Bears!!!  :cheers:

Cute Couple!!    :thx:

Happy Bear Dance!!!

Loving this thread  :cheers:

Recommended Dosage:

Take 2 "Cocks" a day for 10 days and your HOMOPHOBIA will be cured.

:haha: :hehe: :funny2: :rotfl: :lolp:

:haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha:

Signed and comment left.


:welco: to GT.ru!!! Have fun and enjoy yourself here!!!

This sounds wonderful  :cheers:

I will use this herb/spice blend when I make this dish:


**Contains:

SPICES (INCLUDING BLACK PEPPER, MARJORAM, ROSEMARY, THYME, BASIL, AND RED PEPPER), ONION, GARLIC, SUN DRIED TOMATO, RED BELL PEPPER, SUNFLOWER OIL, AND SALT.**