Posts made by soflsmurf

Dante Chinni
Posted: 08.04.2008 / 7:07 AM EDT

If there is a slow leftward trend with America’s cultural hot-button issues,one place it has yet to make a dent is on the question of same-sex marriage.

On questions about guns or abortion, there is arguably a political advantage for more liberal views and for Barack Obama in Patchwork Nation’s 11 different types of counties - particularly in places that figure to be the most closely contested in 2008.

On gay marriage, however, the advantage shifts to conservatives - fairly starkly. Most Americans oppose marriage between two men or two women.

The meaning of the numbers, taken from a 2004 Annenberg survey, is not completely clear in the context of the 2008 race - even as a looming California ballot initiative may push the issue into the campaign.

Both McCain and Obama have stated their opposition to same-sex marriage, but Obama has also tried to fashion a middle ground for himself.

For instance, while Obama says he opposes same-sex marriage, he has also said he opposes a constitutional ban on such unions and that he would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which bars federal recognition ofsame-sex marriages. In addition, he has announced that he opposes a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage that will be on the ballot in California in November.

In short, Obama has made a point of trying to appeal to gay, lesbian, and bisexual voters on the issue and with good reason. On the whole those voters tend to be a reliable Democratic constituency.

picture-1.pngThe depth of opposition to gay marriage, however, even in the county types that lean Democratic, might suggest the issue could yet give Obama trouble.

In America’s densely populated big city locales (”Industrial Metropolis“), counties that vote overwhelmingly Democratic, almost 45 percent of people surveyed “strongly opposed” a “state law allowing gay marriage,” according to the Annenberg poll. Another 10 percent are “somewhat opposed” to such a law, according to the survey.

That’s almost 55 percent total.

More than 52 percent of those polled in counties with large numbers of young voters (”Campus & Careers“) “strongly opposed” a law allowing gay marriage. And in counties with large African-American populations (”MinorityCentral“), places that went heavily for Obama in the primaries, the numbers “strongly opposed” to allowing gay marriage were even higher - more than 71 percent.

And in the three key battleground county types - wealthy suburban counties(”Monied ‘Burbs“), growing and diversifying counties (”Boom Towns“), and counties with large numbers of service workers (”Service Worker Centers“) - more than 60 percent of those surveyed said they either “strongly opposed”or “somewhat opposed” laws allowing gay marriage.

While those numbers are from four years ago and attitudes may have shifted regarding the issue, most polls show public attitudes on gay marriage have been relatively stable in that time.

Looking at the figures you might expect to be hearing a lot about same-sexmarriage in the coming months from Senator McCain as it appears to bean issue with which he can win votes. But McCain has his challenges on theissue as well.

McCain told supporters recently he is in favor of California’s state constitutional ban, but in 2004, in the Senate, he voted against a federal constitutional amendment that would have banned gay marriage nationwide. And much of McCain’s election strategy has been based on portraying himself as a different, more centrist conservative than President Bush. The 2004 vote is just one issue that has raised eyebrows among social conservatives.

Earlier this summer, the Rev. James Dobson, a key leader among evangelical conservatives, told listeners to his radio show that he was disappointed in both McCain and Obama on the issue.

Reactions like that from the right probably mean that despite its potential as a campaign issue, both candidates may have an interest in keeping same-sex marriage a quiet sub-theme in 2008.

Beijing Olympics underway with at least six openly gay athletes
Women’s soccer player Natasha Kai represents the U.S.
By RYAN LEE, Southern Voice | Aug 11, 10:11 AM

At least six openly gay athletes are in Beijing striving for medals at the 2008 Olympics.

Natasha Kai, a forward on the U.S. Women’s Soccer team, is one of at least six openly gay athletes competing in the Beijing Olympics.
The list of openly gay athletes includes Natasha Kai, a forward on the U.S. Women’s Soccer team. A 25-year-old from Hawaii, Kai joined the U.S. national team in 2006. The U.S. Women’s team dropped its first game against Norway, but came back to beat Japan 1-0. The team next plays New Zealand on Tuesday.

Also competing in Beijing are veteran Olympians Judith Arndt, a German cyclist, and Imke Duplitzer, a German fencer. Arndt finished 41st out of 66 competitors in the women’s road cycling race on Sunday.

Gro Hammerseng and Katja Nyberg are a lesbian couple from Norway who are competing in the team handball competition. Norway defeated China 30-23 on Saturday and defeated Angola 31-17 on Monday.

Diver Matthew Mitcham is representing Australia in two events: the men’s 3m springboard gets underway on Aug. 18; the men’s 10m platform starts on Aug. 22.

By Ceci Connolly
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 12, 2008; Page A03

SAN DIEGO – Quietly over the past 14 years, gay men and lesbians from Mexico have sought -- and received -- political asylum in the United States based on their sexual orientation and the argument that the culture of "machismo" in their country has sometimes put homosexuals there in danger.

But as Mexico and other Latin American countries begin to liberalize laws regarding homosexuality, hold gay pride events and expand treatment for people with AIDS, it is becoming increasingly difficult to win such cases, say asylum applicants, U.S. lawyers and Latino activists.

"For a time, it seemed like it was a slam-dunk if you were gay, from Mexico and filed for asylum in the United States," said Arthur S. Leonard, a professor at New York Law School. "But there's been a turning point. The gay rights movement has started to make progress in Mexico, and it's a little harder to show" that asylum is warranted, he said.

The subtle, unofficial shift in immigration policy has significant public health implications, say leaders throughout the region who view asylum as a path to better treatment of people with HIV. Though many applaud the progress on gay rights and AIDS care, they caution that it may take decades to reverse deeply ingrained attitudes toward homosexuality that are closely connected to the spread of HIV in the region.

Figures for asylum decisions are unavailable, but immigration lawyers hazard a guess that in the past, dozens were granted every year to gay Mexicans. The Department of Homeland Security does not track asylum by categories such as religious affiliation or sexual orientation. But Leonard and other experts report that applications by gay men and lesbians from throughout Latin America are encountering more hurdles.

Last fall, U.S. circuit courts rejected asylum requests by two gay Mexican men, and a recent policy requires that every asylum request from Mexico undergo a separate review by homeland security officials in Washington. Those developments have raised alarm in immigrant-heavy communities in San Diego and elsewhere.

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said there has been no policy change regarding asylum eligibility for gay men and lesbians. They said they have no way of knowing whether asylum officers or immigration judges have become more skeptical about requests from Latin American homosexuals because they do not track that data.

"We were winning cases left and right," said Antonio Munoz, an advocate in San Diego. "Then last year, it really tightened up."

No group in Mexico has been hit harder by AIDS than men who have sex with men -- and nothing has done more to fuel the epidemic than homophobia, said Jorge Saavedra, chief of Mexico's AIDS programs. In the nation where the International AIDS Conference convened last week, gay men are 109 times as likely to contract HIV as the general population, he said.

Across Latin America, men who engage in homosexual sex are 33 times as likely to be infected with HIV, according to a report released at the conference by the Foundation for AIDS Research, known as AmFAR.

"People think the homophobia is under control, which is not true," Saavedra said. "Homophobia in Mexico is really high."

Saavedra, who is openly gay and HIV-positive, has a unique perspective on the situation in Mexico. As a government official, he points to achievements, particularly Mexico's low overall infection rate of 0.3 percent of the population. But because the country routinely experiences medication shortages, discrimination and violence against gays, some still need asylum, he said.

It was not until the 1990s that sexual orientation was even considered a reason for political asylum. But in 1994, then-Attorney General Janet Reno issued an order allowing homosexuals to gain asylum if they could demonstrate that they faced persecution because of their sexual orientation. Many of the early applicants came from Latin America, with its conservative, strongly Catholic, macho culture. They were men such as Fernando Legy, an unemployed 26-year-old seeking asylum in San Diego.

While growing up in the state of Mexicali, Legy said he was raped by male friends of a brother-in-law. By the time he was a teenager, Legy and his boyfriend were often arrested by police who demanded money or insisted they perform sex acts on men in the jail, he said.

"It was like a show to them," he said. When an employer gave him a random blood test and discovered he had HIV, Legy lost his job. At one point, he was so depressed that he tried to drink a mix of toxic chemicals. But the bitter brew burned his mouth.

"I kind of hide here in the United States because the men who raped me have made threats," he said, noting that two are involved in drug trafficking. "I'm afraid to go back."

Between 1995 and 2006, about 1,200 Mexicans were killed because of their sexual orientation, according to estimates by the Mexican gay rights group Letra S. Two years ago, after Mexico City enacted same-sex civil union laws, many -- including U.S. immigration and asylum officials -- expected life to improve for Mexico's gay community, said Alejandro Brito, editor of the Letra S magazine.

"Instead, this has provoked aggressions by some in the society and especially some police," he said. "It would be a terrible shame to close this door to asylum."

Stigma and a lack of education have complicated prevention efforts, health workers say. At the private Mexico City hospital where Martin Martinez Sanchez works, patients and employees are routinely screened for HIV without their permission, he said.

"If they test positive, they are not admitted," said Martinez, who has not told his employer that he is gay. A friend was fired because he contracted HIV.

Discrimination, or in many cases low self-esteem, leads many gay Mexicans to take health risks.

"They have sexual encounters in clandestine areas, and in parts of the city that are just horrible and dangerous," he said. "Later they go home and have unprotected sex with their wives. Many gays feel they have to have a wife for appearances."

Said Saavedra: "They can be fired from their job. It is not right, but we know it happens."

That is what happened to Alejandro Torres.

Six months after beginning a coveted medical residency slot with the Mexican Navy in 2002, he tested positive for HIV.

"They told me I had two options: fire me immediately, or finish the year but don't touch another patient," said Torres, 29.

Navy Capt. Arturo Lopez said Torres was ordered to stop seeing patients under a policy curtailing the work of anyone with a contagious disease. The policy does not distinguish between illnesses such as influenza that are transmitted through casual contact and HIV, which is spread through sexual contact, shared needles or blood transfusions.

For the rest of his internship, Torres filled out paperwork and endured efforts by Navy superiors to "cure" his homosexuality by lining up dates with female nurses. He tried working in Puerto Vallarta and Mexico City, both home to large gay communities.

Even in the capital, Torres said, he was harassed. One night, police rounded up Torres and his friends as they emerged from a gay bar in the Zona Rosa. His bosses would not let him counsel patients about HIV protection. He was shuttling to San Diego for treatment.

"The doctors in Mexico don't have training to deal with HIV patients," he said. His condition deteriorated, and he lost 15 pounds in two weeks. Finally, his doctor urged him to move to the United States for good.

"He said the stress of being in Mexico and making the trip for care every two or three months made my immune system fall down," Torres said. "I was going to live in Tijuana and just drive across for my treatment, but I realized if something terrible happened and I went to the hospital there, they wouldn't be able to care for me."
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Torres has spent $8,000 on attorney fees and has worked odd jobs in construction, plumbing and at a local clinic. When an immigration officer first heard his case, Torres was told that his life was not in imminent danger and was turned down.

"If you're expecting me to wait until somebody kills me or the police beat me up, I'm not going to do that," he said.

His appeal is set for February 2009.

Reporting for this article was supported by the Project for International Health Journalism Fellowship, a part of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation's Media Fellowships Program.

On July 16 2005 his supervisor, Janie de Bruin, called him to a meeting with the congregation manager.

He asked De Bruin about the meeting and she told him "if this is not true we will laugh about it and then forget about it".

De Bruin told him the church had heard he was gay.

"She said she had received an anonymous telephone call from someone telling her I was in a homosexual relationship.

"I admitted this, but I told her I was not going to discuss my sexual orientation with anyone," Strydom said.

He told De Bruin he was not going to attend the meeting as he did not want to discuss the issue. De Bruin, had told him, however, she knew what the outcome of the meeting would be if he did not attend.

Strydom told Judge Dion Basson he suspected at that stage what the church's stance was regarding homosexuals as a gay colleague had told him she too was facing the boot if she did not receive therapy at the church's counselling centre.

Strydom said the church had earlier that year held a seminar on the subject of homosexuality. He did not attend but when he looked at the programme afterwards he noticed that all the speakers spoke against homosexuality "and the other side of the coin never featured".

"This left me with the impression that they were totally against homosexuality. I was a music lecturer and not a member of the congregation.

"I could not see why I had to tell them about my homosexuality. It is my personal life which has nothing to do with my employer," he said.

Strydom said he received a message from the congregation manager a few days later, stating that his services were of a very high quality, but that he needed to discuss his sexual orientation with the church. He was fired shortly afterwards.

The church's manager, Derrick Bartie, said there was never an agreement with Strydom to work fulltime at the church.

Bartie said they agreed to use Strydom from time to time and that he was paid on an hourly basis. He denied that Strydom was fired but said the church had chosen not to pursue the agreement further.

o This article was originally published on page 3 of Pretoria News on August 12, 2008

Gay man fights blood donor ban
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
08.12.2008 4:13pm EDT

(Hobart, Australia) A human rights hearing in Australia has been told that a ban on gay men donating blood is discriminatory and should be lifted.

Michael Cain filed a complaint alleging the Red Cross is violating his civil rights by refusing to accept the blood of gays. Cain’s complaint says that screening of prospective blood donors should be based on the safety of sexual practices, not sexual identity.

At a hearing in Hobart, Associate Professor Anne Mitchell, a social researcher, testified that only a small proportion of the gay community engages in risky sex.

But Red Cross attorney Jeremy Ruskin said that male-to-male sex is the riskiest activity for HIV and accounts for 86 percent of newly acquired infections.

Ruskin said if Cain’s complaint were accepted it would amount to an experiment with the blood supply.

“We are talking about infection and death,” he said.

Ruskin then asked Mitchell about the high rate of newly acquired HIV cases.

She replied that it was because HIV had already infected the gay community.

Cain’s lawyer, Peter Tree, told the rights tribunal that the donor ban was “’straightforward, almost text-book direct discrimination.”

Tree reminded the tribunal that gay sex was not illegal in Tasmania and the law prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, or lawful sexual activity.

He also told the tribunal that since the ban was imposed at the onset of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, scientific tests had enabled detection of HIV antibodies in donated blood.

Tree said that to eliminate a particular group people beforehand was not merely discriminatory, but illogical and medically flawed.

The hearing continues.

The United States and Canada also bar gay men from donating blood.

@raphjd:

@soflsmurf:

@raphjd:

Who knows, why am I even saying all this- fashion does start in Europe after all- the rest of us seem to follow.

Only Europeans think that.

Quite a bit of fashion starts in the US.

I'm not European. How is this so? I have always seen it start in Europe, then go to the west coast, then move east in the US. All my life. I have worked in quite a fair share of retail.

Why do the top fashion shows, and most fashion industries/designers come from Europe?

Where is the Authority on this? lol

If by "top fashion" you mean hideous shit no one in their right mind would wear, you are correct that it mostly comes from Europe.

Fashion can start anywhere in the world, as board shorts, skater wear and hip hop shows.

Okay! True Enough! lol

Any porn, in any language, as long as its what i like. Subtitles help, as long as there is no bad over sound dubbing.

Compressing them with any compression program would maybe reduce initial file size by about 10% if that. You would spend the same time downloading it as you would zipping it. Not worth it. But hey, do what floats your boat. What is up with this labeling? 11, 22, 33, ?

11)  avi/divx      file Sure, why not. Dvd player plays both, too
22 )  rm            file Hell no, realplayer sucks.
33)  mov          file Nope. Not easy to convert, takes time. DVD player doesnt play them, either.

A Girl saying thank you to a gay porn torrent site. how cool is that lol

@raphjd:

Oh yea I want to add one… Aaron Carter Smiley Love that clip of his dick flopping around in his boxers. He is amazingly hottt.

Where's that clip at?

lol I downloaded it from some star site that had random hot some nekkid pics. I have no idea where it is. I will find it for you, or at least the site I got it from!

@raphjd:

Who knows, why am I even saying all this- fashion does start in Europe after all- the rest of us seem to follow.

Only Europeans think that.

Quite a bit of fashion starts in the US.

I'm not European. How is this so? I have always seen it start in Europe, then go to the west coast, then move east in the US. All my life. I have worked in quite a fair share of retail.

Why do the top fashion shows, and most fashion industries/designers come from Europe?

Where is the Authority on this? lol

I would move. Immediately. If not sooner.

@airliner:

@soflsmurf:

Not all are the same.

i dare to say , most are .
Example :
When Halston  Z12 appeared on the market , shortly afterwards almost every gay had Halston .
Calvin Klein :  when those baggy jeans and street-wear were in  and it was common to show part of your underwear , gays crowded shoping-places in order to catch the latest CK slip .
Nipples-percing: once it started , gays had to imitate
the list could go on and on : no matter if it is a special and new hair-cut , jeans , rings , bodybuilding

Eh, False. All you mentioned are called FADS and types.

Statistics show that amazingly enough Gay guys between 15-30 purchase as much in the retail vertical as women.

For the record, I hated Halston. It smelled too damn str8. Elw.
I have never shown my underwear under my jeans(or above)- and if I did it wasn't on purpose! (Well, if there was a cute boy around perhaps- but just to see if he'd look!) These are called SAGGERS. There are still saggers today, and it is not a gay following thing, either. I think its maybe more of a skater thing even.

Body-building? New Hair-Cuts? Hello, a majority of gay guys have always tried to look good! If there is anything a majority of gay guys are its shallow and self-centered, and perhaps this is something that is constant or "The same". This surely needs to change- that would be a miracle. Mullets were popular in the 70s. To not be the same, should one have a mullet?

Piercings? I do not know too many who ran out and did it because of this or that, other than either a its A a F A D. Or B, they wanted it. (or in some cases, someone else wanted them to have it and they were stupid enough to adhere)

I wonder about your sense of fashion, fads, trends, or interests, or lack thereof. The guy who started this post likes rock music etc. He could be the "Same" as some guys in a certain area, therefore making him a clone of his kind. He just hasn't found them. We are attracted to those that are like us, it is nature.

I'd love to see this list, lol. Who wears Halston now?

Calvin Klein has always been a fan of mine due to SOME of the underwear manufactured. I could list underwear most have never even heard of, am I the "Same", or a clone?

There are plenty of different kinds of guys out there with the exception of the aforementioned in my previous post. I am not sure part of the earth you are in. Stop reading one magazine. In my section of the world, it is very gay- and there are MANY MANY MANY different types.

Don't get me wrong, your opinion is your opinion after all. Like assholes, everyone has one.

@creedd:

@twinkerzzz:

If you look at population in general - people do tend to ware the same kind of clothes when they hang out together - but it's not so much about cloning now days - just the sameness that comes with the way we shop and what we are conditioned to wear.

I agree! And this bothers me in Poland. The whole LGBT, pride, coming-outs, new-life style stuff have just started to develop. A few years ago when boy was wearing a pink shirt, it was nearly 100% he's gay. Nowadays "looking gay" is a trendy pose, it's hard to recognize gay from metrosexuals or even hetero … (Or my gaydar is so lame now   facepalm ). You may think it's normal, but this is Poland - the post-communist shithole that is really trying to keep up with the west European countries. Still a lot of things to change but thankfully there really is a progress.

But the most annoying pose for me is... normality. A lot of my friends try to be as normal as they can in both behaviour and look. And to quote Oscar Wilde: "Being natural is simply a pose, and the most irritating pose I know."

You are who and what you hang with. I have not seen a mix of 10 different "Types" since High school- and I was friends with ALL of them, marking MY individuality. It is not the "Norm" to have 20 friends all with different tastes in EVERYTHING. and by that definition, I am not the norm because I do.

Sure I'm preppy, and I like fashionable underwear and to look good- but because I like the products, not because of the ad or "Everyone else is doing it". Actually "Jumping on the bandwagon" is a marketing strategy, and a very good one. There are guys out there that are not the same. Period.

Look at all of you- clones of one another? perhaps because we all like gay porn we are?

Who knows, why am I even saying all this- fashion does start in Europe after all- the rest of us seem to follow.

@airliner:

actually i think that this question is a rather dumb and selfish-thinking question .
Why turn a person into something for yours own advantage ?

It is only a question- and then again it only takes about a 6 pack to turn one gay, at least for the night

It's a matter of fantasy

Oh yea I want to add one… Aaron Carter Love that clip of his dick flopping around in his boxers. He is amazingly hottt.

My first uncut cuban bf (Yes, 2 firsts- cuban and uncut) tried docking with me. First time I heard of it, thought it was so cute! Only problem is that I am cut. lol

What makes me think of docking are uncut cocks that are too uncut, and by that I mean have waaayyy too much extra foreskin. Sorta like an elephant trunk? icky.

Otherwise, I love uncut- and with I was not cut. Def be more sensitive so I am told. Thought about growing one! (The non painful way) Except the point I would want it would be for the sensitivity. Shame.

hhmm uncut cocks.  :laugh:

Lover,

I am eagerly awaiting the answer to my age question from another post, lol.

The bumps could be a staph infection, or- because of your age could just be the rise of more hair coming in. Hopefully it is the latter. Everybody has staph, it is whether it gets infected or something like that.

About your dad- well, I have a theory that mothers always know- ALWAYS. I have certainly known some dads to know, too. I mean know without telling them, of course.

Perhaps he went through your room and found something questionable?
Perhaps your room is a little questionable for a boy your age (a straight boy, that is…) Typically girl posters on the wall, etc... (Typically being the operative word, lol)
Perhaps long baths may give a clue
Are you more sensitive than you realize? (Note the correct spelling of realize here, from your other post, lol)
Are you feminine and just do not realize it?

I ask these 2 questions due to my own experiences. My mother used to go through my shit, and one time she claimed the cable guy asked her if she had a daughter because of how my room was. I am not feminine, nor was I remotely identifiable to a stranger just from my room at that time (Minus candles and incense). Maybe it was because I didn't have the girl posters? lol who know?

As far as the gay community and being educated…. that is just it... they may be educated, but it does not mean the most obvious common sense precautions are adhered to. In fact on the contrary, there are far too many that simply do not care and will lie to get a piece of ass regardless of the ramifications!

Funny, my first bf said all gay men will ever want is your ass. I have been striving to prove him wrong every day.

Laughs its funny, but the uniform isnt correct, oh well least they tried!!!!

@raphjd:

Ah, interesting that a GUEST noticed the uniform was not correct. HHmmm guys in uniform- hott. lol Not this guy though!  :laugh:

Normal is until the point of your dick actually hurting / bring sore / having sores. THEN it isn't normal. lol Then again, I have never met or heard of anyone with any of these symptoms…

I need to jo at BARE MIN one time a day. The typical, is at least 2 or 3. My max- 9  (Yes there are vids, but no I will not share!)

I simply cannot imagine not jo for a week. Unthinkable, Unbearable, and I will not do it to my little buddy! it is abuse I tell you, abuse!

I'm past being called any names, I know plenty that do it much more than me- so perv me if you will lol. Sorry, love my cock, and you should too!

HHmmmm thinking of you hotties wackin it gets me goin. lol! jk  :laugh:

Uhm so yea. I can't seem to find the news article that found this guy at his computer naked, with a bottle of poppers in front of him.

Common sense kids- your heart is already racing enough… add poppers to it, and bingo you are asking for a heart attack. Sad thing is, you die right away. There is no being rushed to the hospital. HAPPY WACKING!

hhmmmm…. has anybody thought of the age you generally get your license? lover... exactly how old ARE you?

@loverinme:

OMG I didn't realise I spelled it wrong. Sorry about that guys.

Guess you didn't realize you spelled realize wrong, too. lol Notice the red under-lining…. You can Edit your posts, too