Thanks for the information Spintendo. :cheers:
Posts made by leatherbear
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RE: A Possible Validation for Bisexuality
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'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal Countdown: The End Is Near
SAN DIEGO — Night-long celebrations will mark the final countdown to the historic end of the U.S. military's ban on openly gay troops, and even more partying will take place once it is lifted Tuesday. But in many ways change is already here.
Countless subtle acts over the past months have been reshaping the military's staunchly traditional society in preparation for the U.S. armed forces' biggest policy shift in decades. Supporters of repeal compare it to the racial de-segregation of troops more than 60 years ago.
For some gay service members, the fear of discovery and reprisals dissipated months ago when a federal court halted all investigations and discharge proceedings under "don't ask, don't tell," while military leaders prepared the armed services for its end.
Several have come out to their peers and commanders.
A few have since placed photographs of their same-sex partners on their desks and attended military barbecues and softball games with their significant others. In San Diego, about 200 active-duty personnel – both gay and heterosexual – made up the nation's first military contingency to participate in a Gay Pride march this summer, carrying banners identifying their branches of service. An Army soldier had tears, saying she was touched by the thousands cheering them on, after hiding her identity for so long.
"We're Gay. Get Over it," stated the cover page of the Marine Corps Times distributed to bases worldwide a week ahead of Tuesday's repeal.
The headline offended some but for many troops it echoed their sentiment that repeal is a non-issue for a military that operates by following orders and is busy at war. That sentiment is backed by Pentagon officials who say they have found no evidence the repeal so far has disrupted forces or harmed unit cohesion as predicted by opponents.
Air Force Capt. Diane Cox, whose gay son served in the Navy, said she got into heated debates with service members vowing not to take showers and share rooms with gays before Congress voted to repeal the law, but after the military held sensitivity trainings to explain the new rules "everybody just shut up."
Jokes are still told about gay people but the harsh remarks have stopped, she said.
"It's a new Air Force. I'm really surprised how everything settled down as much as it has," said the emergency room nurse at Travis Air Force base, near Fairfield in northern California. "Some of the best, most honorable people have had the military pin medals of honor on them for combat and then they've gotten kicked out over this. It's shameful. I'm glad it's done."
Many no doubt will continue to keep their personal lives private. But gay service members say their jobs already feel easier. They no longer use code words or change pronouns in their conversations to protect their careers. The Associated Press interviewed more than a dozen people who are currently in the military or left within recent months about the changes taking place.
Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, 42, said the differences may be subtle but the impact is profound. Fehrenbach came out on national TV in 2009 after the Air Force started discharge proceedings, which were later stalled by the repeal process. He reported for duty two days later and was congratulated by colleagues.
"I realized this was the first time I wouldn't have to lie. There was a great sense of relief, a great sense of pride that I had never felt before," said Fehrenbach, who retires from service Oct. 1. "They're going to feel that on Tuesday – every service member who has not come out yet. Even if they choose to keep their private life private, they're going to have the feeling that a burden has been lifted."
The United States on Tuesday will join 29 others nations, including Israel, Canada, Germany and Sweden, that allow gay individuals to serve openly in their militaries.
More than 14,000 people were discharged under the 1993 Clinton-era law. President Barack Obama campaigned on the law's repeal, but efforts stalled in Congress until a federal judge in California last year declared it unconstitutional and briefly blocked its enforcement. Lawmakers in December voted to lift the ban and a federal appeals court overturned the ruling, allowing for a lengthy repeal process monitored by Pentagon officials – which they said helped ensure the change did not disrupt the military. Obama certified in July that repeal would not harm the military's ability to fight.
Pentagon officials have spent the past 60 days reviewing policies and benefits to iron out details, including how the repeal will affect housing, military transfers and other health and social benefits.
More than 2 million troops have undergone courses on how to deal with possible scenarios for personnel who may, as examples, witness same-sex partners kissing after a deployed ship comes home or see a gay service member hold hands with someone at the mall.
Some adjustments will take time, Fehrenbach said, like seeing troops with their same-sex partners at military balls – which is expected to happen in coming months.
"It will be great if some do it," he said. "But they should just realize they'll get some looks. And that's OK."
Opponents of the policy change say they worry service members who oppose homosexuality are the ones who will get looks or even get punished by receiving less important assignments or postings, discouraging them from expressing their views.
"I am concerned that some soldiers or military personnel who hold orthodox views about sexuality will no longer feel comfortable attending balls or military functions. Will those persons not be seen as team players or will they be marginalized in some way because they no longer feel comfortable doing the things they were comfortable doing?" said retired Army Col. Ron Crews of Grace Churches International, which has endorsed 20 active-duty chaplains. All chaplains need to be sponsored by a church organization to be in the military.
Crews said the rules are unclear: Chaplains wonder whether they can deny gay service members wanting to sing in the chapel choir or teach in Sunday school as they are allowed to do in their civilian churches. Will they have to invite same-sex partners on retreats as part of the military's strong bonds program that helps couples dealing with the hardship of deployments, or will they face punishment if they refuse?
Crews says if his chaplains counseled same-sex couples on such retreats they would be in violation of their denominational understanding of marriage, and could have their endorsement revoked and be discharged.
"There are many ramifications of this policy change that are yet to be seen," he said. "What we've told our chaplains is that they've got to be very clear with their commanders about what they can and cannot do in this environment."
Gay marriage is one of the thornier issues.
An initial move by the Navy earlier this year to train chaplains about same-sex civil unions in states where they are legal was shelved after more than five dozen lawmakers objected. The Pentagon is reviewing the issue.
Military officials also say the disparity in benefits between gay married couples and heterosexual couples also must be addressed.
Gays and lesbians will share the same barracks and bathroom facilities as other troops. But those legally married will be treated differently from heterosexual married couples when it comes to assigned housing, relocation packages and some other benefits.
Lance Cpl. Anthony Hernandez, who is stationed at Twentynine Palms in the desert northeast of San Diego, said Marines are still divided over the issue, with opponents worried openly gay Marines will dilute the Corps' tough image.
"The way I think of it, if you're willing to put your life on the line for your country, then what's the problem if you're gay" the 20-year-old Marine said.
Hernandez's older brother, Danny, was discharged under "don't ask, don't tell" in 2010.
"I cried about it," Hernandez said. "I didn't know why I was crying. It wasn't because I found out he was gay. It was more about the discharge, about what he would do with his life now. I knew he always wanted to be a Marine like me."
Danny Hernandez plans to apply to re-enlist after celebrating Tuesday.
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Michele Bachmann Targeted By California Gay Rights Activists
Gay rights activists protested Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann's appearance at the California Republican Party convention Friday by staging a flash mob-style dance routine.
The soundtrack, Madonna's "Like a Prayer," was meant to call attention to the Minnesota congresswoman's anti-gay rhetoric and the controversial therapy methods reportedly practiced at the Christian counseling clinic she and her husband own, according to the Courage Campaign.
"Politicians like Rep. Bachmann need to understand that you can't simply "pray the gay away," the group stated in a release.
Bachmann was also pressed about her views on homosexuality during an appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno Friday.
"That whole 'pray the gay away' thing, I don't get it," Leno said.
Bachmann tried to deflect Leno's question with a joke, pointing to her hair and saying, “When I heard that I really thought it was like kind of a mid-life crisis line, like, 'Pray away the gray.'"
The joke fell flat.
"It sounds like, if two gay people want to get married, that's their business, that doesn't concern us,” Leno continued. "Why is that even an issue?"
"I know gay families that are married, they have children. And they're wonderful people. It doesn't seem like they shouldn't be allowed to be happy,” Leno said. “But I'm not going to change your mind on that one.”
This isn't the first time gay rights activists have targeted Bachmann.
In June, Rachel E. B. Lang attempted to throw glitter on the congresswoman as she left the stage at the conservative RightOnline conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“Glittering” has been a popular stunt among gay rights activists. Newt Gingrich and Tim Pawlenty have also been glitter-bombed.
**See Video:**hXXp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/17/michele-bachmann-flash-mob-gay-rights-madonna_n_967863.html
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Australian Passport Gender Options: 'Transgender' Will Be Included
CANBERRA, Australia — Australian passports will now have three gender options – male, female and indeterminate – under new guidelines to remove discrimination against transgender people, the government said Thursday.
Transgender people and those of ambiguous sex will now be able to list their gender on passports with an 'X' if their choice is supported by a doctor's statement.
Previously, gender was a choice of only male or female, and people were not allowed to change their gender on their passport without having had a sex-change operation.
Senator Louise Pratt, whose partner was born female and is now identified as a man, said the reform was a major improvement for travelers who face questioning and detention at airports because their appearance does not match their gender status.
"'X' is really quite important because there are people who are indeed genetically ambiguous and were probably arbitrarily assigned as one sex or the other at birth," Pratt said. "It's a really important recognition of people's human rights that if they choose to have their sex as 'indeterminate,' that they can."
Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said the new guidelines removed discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and sexual orientation.
"This amendment makes life easier and significantly reduces the administrative burden for sex and gender diverse people who want a passport that reflects their gender and physical appearance," Rudd said in a statement.
Attorney-General Robert McClelland said while the change would affect few Australians, it was important because it would allow them to travel free of discrimination.
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Interracial Action Pics
These are smaller pics for the most part but I thought they were hot never the less :cum:
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RE: Vatican Named in International Criminal Court Complaint
I have long believed that the Catholic Church and Vatican have been in a conspiracy to hide these transgressions. Maybe a court trial will reveal just how big a conspiracy existed.
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RE: Sorry they're all squeaky clean (except the last one) but very cute…..."puns"
:hehe: All cute indeed…..and funny at the same time.
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Gay people 'at risk of a lonelier old age'
Campaigners warn of looming care problem as Stonewall survey predicts health and housing crisis
Jamie Doward
The Observer, Sunday 11 September 2011Gay men and women in Britain are far more likely to end up living alone and have less contact with family in later life than heterosexual people, according to a groundbreaking report that raises significant questions for how society responds to their needs.
The report, the first of its kind, has implications for GPs, health and social services at a time when Britain's population is ageing. It is estimated that there are a million lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Britain over the age of 55.
A YouGov survey, commissioned by the campaign group Stonewall, found that older gay and bisexual men are three times more likely to be single than heterosexual men.
Just over a quarter of gay and bisexual men and half of lesbian and bisexual women have children compared with almost nine in every 10 heterosexual men and women. They were also less likely to see biological family members regularly. Less than a quarter of LGB people see their biological family members at least once a week, compared with more than half of heterosexual people according to the survey of 1,050 heterosexual and 1,036 LGB people over the age of 55.
"This pioneering research confirms what we already knew intuitively, that there are hundreds of thousands of lesbian and gay people growing older without the same family and support structures that many straight people enjoy," said Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall. "Quite often, that's because their own families have disowned them just because of the way they were born."
The prospect of impending loneliness is a recurring theme among those interviewed for the report. "As a single gay man, I feel sad about my prospects of finding emotional comfort and support," Michael, 60, told interviewers.
Paul, 59, said: "My gayness makes me less connected to my biological family who would otherwise look out for me."
The prospects of a solitary old age may be one explanation for why the survey suggests LGB people are consistently more anxious about growing older than heterosexual people.
With diminished support networks compared to their heterosexual peers, they are more likely to rely on formal support services as they get older. Stonewall's report found they were nearly twice as likely to rely on external services such as GPs and social services as heterosexual people. But many worried that the services would not meet their needs. Three in five are not confident that support services will meet their needs.
Some 72% of LGB people said they were worried about the prospect of needing care later in life, compared with 62% of heterosexual people. Half said they were worried about housing compared with 39% of heterosexual people while 69% were worried about their health compared with 59% of heterosexual people.
Frank, 64, said: "I worry about my partner becoming ill or dying, and about leaving him alone if I die first."
James, 55, said: "Being gay and getting older is like not being gay and getting older but difficulties are magnified."
Their fears are compounded by their lifestyles. Gay people are far more likely to drink alcohol regularly, take drugs and have a history of mental health problems than heterosexual people.
But despite these concerns many would feel uncomfortable about revealing their sexuality to those who work in the public health and support sector. Nearly half said they would be uncomfortable about coming out to care home staff and a third would be uncomfortable coming out to a housing provider or a paid carer.
"For the first time this generation of ageing gay people fully expects to be treated with respect by both public and commercial service providers," Summerskill said.
"They want to be able to share a room in an old people's home or to be supported through their partner's terminal illness just like anyone else."
Summerskill expressed concern that Britain's care system failed to recognise that not all couples were the same.
"We're facing a care time bomb of institutional ignorance about what a community that makes a £40bn a year contribution to public services will soon – quite properly – be demanding."
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[UK] - Gay men can donate blood as health experts lift controversial ban
Gay men will soon be able to give blood after a ban on them donating, dating back to the emergence of HIV and Aids in the mid-1980s, was scrapped by ministers.
The ban, which permanently prevented gay men from being donors, was lifted after a team of experts said it was no longer required to stop the spread of infection through blood.
The change – agreed by health ministers in England, Scotland and Wales – means gay men who have not had sex with another man for at least a year can donate from 7 November, as long as they have not taken part in other behaviour that might constitute a risk to patients receiving blood.
However, those who have had anal or oral sex with another man in the preceding 12 months, with or without a condom, will remain ineligible to join the 2 million people who already donate blood.
They have been put into the same category of risk as other groups such as sex workers, anyone who has had sex with a sex worker or intravenous drug-user in the past year, and women who have slept with a man who has had sex with another male.
The decision follows a review by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (Sabto), which concluded that the latest evidence suggested the ban was no longer justified.
The controversial rule had long been criticised as outdated and discriminatory.
Organisations representing gay men and working with those with HIV or Aids welcomed the decision. "The removal of the ban to a one-year deferral is great news but it's going to leave some gay men frustrated that they still can't donate blood," said Carl Burnell, chief executive of the gay men's health group GMFA.
Anne Milton, the public health minister, said it was important that everyone complied with the donor selection criteria.
The Terence Higgins Trust also welcomed the change. "Thirty years on from the devastating, tragic and fatal arrival of HIV and AIDS there has been a growing sense that the lifetime ban was no longer 'right'," said Sir Nick Partridge, the chief executive. "Set against the hundreds of other deferral criteria, this was the one that drew the eye and seemed unfair and unreasonable."
The new regulations "will ensure the safety of the blood supply for all of us while also being fair and equal in their application", he added.
But veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said gay men who always used condoms should not be barred from donating.
"Although the new policy is a big improvement on the existing discriminatory rules, a 12-month ban is still excessive and unjustified," he said.
Sabto member Professor Deirdre Kelly said the recommendation took account of new data that had emerged since the body's last review in 2006, as well as scientific and technological advances.
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Man who threatened to kill gay rights campaigner gets suspended sentence
A man who threatened to "put a bullet in the head" of the gay rights campaigner Ben Summerskill and a gay couple illegally barred from a hotel has been given a suspended prison sentence.
At Liverpool crown court on Monday, Anthony Ryan pleaded guilty to making a threat to kill. He was given eight months' imprisonment suspended for 18 months.
In January, Ryan, 42, sent an email to the Stonewall group, where Summerskill is chief executive, after Summerskill welcomed a ruling at Bristol county court that a gay couple, Martyn Hall and Steven Preddy, had been discriminated against when they were not allowed to share a double room at a hotel run by devout Christians in Marazion, near Penzance, Cornwall.
Summerskill had written in an article for the Guardian's Comment is Free website that "the really important message … is simply that the appropriate 'balance of rights' for modern Britain is one that keeps private prejudice out of the public space".
The following day, Ryan sent Stonewall an email that read: "With regard to the recent so-called victory that evil sexual weirdos Steven Preddy and Martyn Hall had against decent law-abiding B&B owners Peter and Hazelmary Bull. It is my duty to inform your evil organisation that, despite what the government says, according to the holy Christian Bible, homosexuality is in fact illegal.
"I have therefore decided to embark upon a campaign of terror against you Chief Executive Dame Ben Summerskill and all those that seek to support the so-called human rights of the Homosexual community.
"It is going to give me great pleasure to put a bullet in the head of Dame Ben Summerskill, Steven Preddy and Martyn Hall and any other homosexual vermin that I have the misfortune to come across.
"I suggest that the people mentioned in this email and indeed all evil bigoted homosexual scum start making their funeral arrangements."
Stonewall reported the incident to police, who later arrested Ryan.
Summerskill told the Guardian: "I am obviously very relieved this guy has been apprehended. It is sad that Christians with extreme views feel sufficiently emboldened in 2011 to arrange this sort of campaign against anyone. There is no reason the rights of religious extremists should trump the rights of gay people to walk the streets of Britain free from fear of attack."
Ryan was given a community order and will be supervised by the probation service for 12 months.
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Three Men Hanged For Having Gay Sex In Iran: Reports
Three men were executed by hanging in Iran for "forbidden acts against religion," according to AFP.
Iran Human Rights explains that the state-run Iranian news agency ISNA reported that the men were put to death for acts against sharia, "based on the articles 108 and 110 of the Iranian Islamic penal code."
Articles 108 and 110 of the penal code are part of the chapter covering the punishment of sodomy, according to Iran Human Rights.
Murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and adultery are other crimes punishable by death in Iran, according to AFP.
In 2007, Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed there were no gay people in his country.
"In Iran, we don't have homosexuals like in your country," Ahmadinejad said according to Think Progress. "We don’t have that in our country. In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon. I don’t know who’s told you we have it.”
In 2005, Human Rights Watch reported on the executions of two men for homosexual conduct.
RELATED VIDEO: hXXp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/06/gay-men-hanged_n_951162.html?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl12|sec3_lnk2|93157
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California Gay History: 'Stop SB48' Referendum Faces Uphill Battle
SAN FRANCISCO — At churches, shopping centers, schools, and local tea party meetings in California, fired-up volunteers have started gathering signatures for a ballot referendum that would repeal the nation's first law requiring public schools to include prominent gay people and gay rights' milestones in school lessons.
Organizers of the Stop SB48 campaign_ Senate Bill 48 was the law approved by the California Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in July – are telling would-be voters the new mandate would inappropriately expose young children to sex, infringe on parental rights and silence religion-based criticisms of homosexuality. Those are talking points successfully used by proponents of Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in California.
But so far, Mormon and Catholic church leaders and conservative groups who spearheaded the Proposition 8 campaign have not joined the effort to qualify the gay history referendum for the June 2012 ballot, leaving less-experienced Christian conservatives to lead the charge without the organizational prowess and funding to hire paid signature gatherers.
Political operatives say they can't recall any citizens' initiative that made the state ballot without professional petition circulators in almost three decades.
"If someone wrote a million-dollar check, we would be guaranteed to get this on the ballot," said Pacific Justice Institute President Brad Dacus, whose legal aid firm wrote the proposed measure and is co-sponsoring the signature-gathering effort. "That's not the case at this point… We are counting on people in churches and communities and families making the extra effort to get it done."
Supporters have until Oct. 12 to collect 504,760 signatures from registered voters to qualify the measure for the ballot. Conventional wisdom among political consultants is that it will be difficult to meet the requirement with such a short window and only volunteers.
Sacramento political consultant Wayne Johnson, whose firm has worked on more than a dozen ballot initiative campaigns, said that with the same-sex marriage ban tied up in the courts, a presidential election on the horizon and many Christian parents with children in private schools, conservative groups with the most cash and experience may sit out this fight.
"We are in a different environment and a different economy," Johnson said. "How much of your resources and energy can be devoted to preserving the status quo?"
Still, no one is ready to write off the repeal attempt, especially if a donor steps up in the next few weeks to fund professional petitioners. If ever there was a measure that could galvanize the electorate, it's one dealing with gay rights and school children.
"On an issue like this one, sometimes an abundance of passion, on both sides, can make up for a lack of money," said Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California and a former GOP campaign spokesman. "A well-organized and very emotionally committed grassroots base may be able to get this on the ballot even without significant funding."
The new law takes effect Jan.1 but state education officials say it is unlikely to be fully implemented until at least the 2015-16 school year. It adds lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people, as well as European Americans and people with disabilities to the lengthy list of social and ethnic groups whose "roles and contributions" California public schools must include in California and U.S. history lessons and teaching materials such as textbooks.
The law also prohibits any instructional materials that "reflect adversely" on gays or particular religions. Because of the state's budget straits, the California Department of Education's timeline for adopting new textbooks has been pushed back until 2015. The work of revising the history and social studies curriculum framework that determines what students learn and at what grades has been suspended until further notice.
Fears that kindergartners will be hearing about prominent gays in history are misplaced, said Sherry Skelly Griffith, governmental relations specialist for the Association of California School Administrators.
Currently, California students do not receive any significant social studies until they study state history in fourth grade. They begin learning about U.S. history in eighth grade, but do not study 20th Century social movements, the most logical place for gay history to receive a serious treatment, until they are juniors in high school.
Educators who devise the curriculum are unlikely to include the sexual orientation of historical figures unless it is relevant, Griffith said.
"Frankly, there isn't time to get into people's personal lives..." she said. "Your textbook needs to address broad-brush themes."
The group organizing the petition drive is the Capitol Resource Institute, a nonprofit organization that has fought gay rights bills, including measures that recognized slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk's birthday. Three years ago, the institute unsuccessfully attempted to qualify a referendum that would have overturned a law prohibiting discrimination in schools based on sexual orientation.
Founded in 1987 as an anti-abortion lobbying group by two wealthy Christian businessmen from Orange County, former California Senate Republican leader Rob Hurtt and banking heir Howard Ahmanson Jr., the group has also championed a bill that would have made it more difficult to obtain a divorce in California and opposed others that would have made spanking a crime and stiffened penalties for hate crimes
Its annual income in 2009, the last year for which information was available, was a little over $282,000.
Karen England, the institute's executive director, said that along with the Pacific Justice Institute, several other staunchly conservative groups with long histories of activism have endorsed the repeal and are rallying their members. England said she is convinced that the group will succeed. "We are going to do what it takes to ensure victory to get the referendum on the ballot," she said.
Equality California, the state's largest gay rights group, has launched a web site to counteract the information being put out by the campaign.
Executive Director Roland Palencia said his group assumes the measure will be on the ballot, given the organizational muscle that evangelical churches demonstrated during the Proposition 8 campaign. Gay rights activists will try to portray the backers of the repeal as extremists who are out of step with most Californians.
"If it qualifies ... we will put up a fight." he said.
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RE: Vote for a new category picture!!!
The new pic is in use so locked topic.