Sunday, March 30, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Matthew Shepard's younger brother Logan
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Judy Shepard has a message for Sally Kern
March 24, 2008 · 1 Comment
Read the full text of the statement by the mother of Matthew Shepard to Sally Kern at the Victory Fund, the site which obtained and released the audio tape of the now-infamous Kern spewing her hate message to constituents. Kern continues to stand by her message. The alarming part of this story is not how a woman of Kern’s character got elected in Oklahoma, nor even that she refuses to apologize. The alarming part is that she has not been sidelined or marginalized but in fact is being applauded by fellow Republicans.
“My son died nearly ten years ago at the hands of people whose hatred changed many lives that day. It hardened hearts and brought others to their knees. It shook a nation and enraged millions. At that time, I knew there was a window of opportunity that I could use Matthew’s story and my voice in replacing hate with understanding, compassion and acceptance. Through the Matthew Shepard Foundation, we are reaching young people who are at risk of being poisoned by the dark ideas of people like Sally Kern. I don’t know why Sally Kern is proud of comparing gay people to cancer or terrorism, but count me as someone who’s listening now to people like her. She may be free to say people like my son are a threat to America, but when she does she puts other mothers’ sons in danger. I pray she doesn’t say it anymore.”
Judy Shepard to Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern: I am listening
March 24, 2008
Chris Johnson
There continues to be outrage over Oklahoma Representative Sally Kern's (R) outrageous comments where she christens the gays the #1 threat to America. Since her anti-gay diatribe has been heard around the world through a YouTube video - clocking in over 1,000,000 views so far - Kern has dug in her heels to stand by her offensive words. Now, Judy Shepard responds to Kern's bigotry in a statement of her own at GayPolitics.com:
My son died nearly ten years ago at the hands of people whose hatred changed many lives that day. It hardened hearts and brought others to their knees. It shook a nation and enraged millions. At that time, I knew there was a window of opportunity that I could use Matthew’s story and my voice in replacing hate with understanding, compassion and acceptance. Through the Matthew Shepard Foundation, we are reaching young people who are at risk of being poisoned by the dark ideas of people like Sally Kern.
If anyone should know the real life consequences of the anti-gay hatred that Rep. Kern's words promote, it's Judy Shepard.
Posted at 10:46 AM in Hate Crimes | Permalink
Friday, March 21, 2008
Matthew Shepard Story Producer Charged With Stock Fraud
Posted: March 20, 2008 - 10:30 am ET
(Los Angeles, California) An Emmy Award-winning television producer was charged with inflating the revenue and stock price of his publicly traded production company as part of a multimillion dollar stock fraud scheme.
Drew Levin, 54, the founder of Team Communications Group, Inc., was indicted by a federal grand jury on 13 counts, including conspiracy, falsifying his company's books and records, making false statements in annual and quarterly reports and lying to the company's auditors, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Levin, who produces mostly made-for-TV programs and documentaries, faces up to 200 years in prison if convicted of all counts. He has not been arrested, and is expected to make his first court appearance Friday, prosecutors said.
There was no telephone listing for Levin's residence in the Pacific Palisades section. An after-hours call to the company, now called TMC Entertainment, was not immediately returned Wednesday.
The company produces and distributes television programs and licensed its programs to other companies for distribution fees. Its shares were publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
Prosecutors said Levin orchestrated a scheme to overstate Team Communications' annual and quarterly revenue to make the company appear profitable, when it was actually losing money. As a result, they said, customers ended up paying inflated distribution fees and Levin profited from the scheme.
Levin received a $335,000 bonus based on the company's reportedly profitable 1999 performance, and he pledged more than 500,000 shares as collateral for a loan to buy a $1.5 million ranch in Big Sky, Mont., prosecutors said.
In 2001, Team Communications restated its 1999 fiscal results, going from a $1.7 million profit to a $4.25 million loss, prosecutors said. The following year, the company reported a loss of more than $42 million and later filed for bankruptcy.
Levin's credits include "The Matthew Shepard Story" and "Total Recall 2070.
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©365Gay. com 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Why do straights hate gays?
An 72-year-old gay activist isn't hopeful about the future.
By Larry Kramer, LARRY KRAMER is the founder of the protest group ACT UP and the author of "The Tragedy of Today's Gays."
March 20, 2007
DEAR STRAIGHT PEOPLE,
Why do you hate gay people so much?
Gays are hated. Prove me wrong. Your top general just called us immoral. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, is in charge of an estimated 65,000 gay and lesbian troops, some fighting for our country in Iraq. A right-wing political commentator, Ann Coulter, gets away with calling a straight presidential candidate a faggot. Even Garrison Keillor, of all people, is making really tacky jokes about gay parents in his column. This, I guess, does not qualify as hate except that it is so distasteful and dumb, often a first step on the way to hate. Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama tried to duck the questions that Pace's bigotry raised, confirming what gay people know: that there is not one candidate running for public office anywhere who dares to come right out, unequivocally, and say decent, supportive things about us.
Gays should not vote for any of them. There is not a candidate or major public figure who would not sell gays down the river. We have seen this time after time, even from supposedly progressive politicians such as President Clinton with his "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military and his support of the hideous Defense of Marriage Act. Of course, it's possible that being shunned by gays will make politicians more popular, but at least we will have our self-respect. To vote for them is to collude with them in their utter disdain for us.
Don't any of you wonder why heterosexuals treat gays so brutally year after year after year, as your people take away our manhood, our womanhood, our personhood? Why, even as we die you don't leave us alone. What we can leave our surviving lovers is taxed far more punitively than what you leave your (legal) surviving spouses. Why do you do this? My lover will be unable to afford to live in the house we have made for each other over our lifetime together. This does not happen to you. Taxation without representation is what led to the Revolutionary War. Gay people have paid all the taxes you have. But you have equality, and we don't.
And there's no sign that this situation will change anytime soon. President Bush will leave a legacy of hate for us that will take many decades to cleanse. He has packed virtually every court and every civil service position in the land with people who don't like us. So, even with the most tolerant of new presidents, gays will be unable to break free from this yoke of hate. Courts rule against gays with hateful regularity. And of course the Supreme Court is not going to give us our equality, and in the end, it is from the Supreme Court that such equality must come. If all of this is not hate, I do not know what hate is.
Our feeble gay movement confines most of its demands to marriage. But political candidates are not talking about — and we are not demanding that they talk about — equality. My lover and I don't want to get married just yet, but we sure want to be equal.
You must know that gays get beaten up all the time, all over the world. If someone beats you up because of who you are — your race or ethnic origin — that is considered a hate crime. But in most states, gays are not included in hate crime measures, and Congress has refused to include us in a federal act.
Homosexuality is a punishable crime in a zillion countries, as is any activism on behalf of it. Punishable means prison. Punishable means death. The U.S. government refused our requests that it protest after gay teenagers were hanged in Iran, but it protests many other foreign cruelties. Who cares if a faggot dies? Parts of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. are joining with the Nigerian archbishop, who believes gays should be put in prison. Episcopalians! Whoever thought we'd have to worry about Episcopalians?
Well, whoever thought we'd have to worry about Florida? A young gay man was just killed in Florida because of his sexual orientation. I get reports of gays slain in our country every week. Few of them make news. Fewer are prosecuted. Do you consider it acceptable that 20,000 Christian youths make an annual pilgrimage to San Francisco to pray for gay souls? This is not free speech. This is another version of hate. It is all one world of gay-hate. It always was.
Gays do not realize that the more we become visible, the more we come out of the closet, the more we are hated. Don't those of you straights who claim not to hate us have a responsibility to denounce the hate? Why is it socially acceptable to joke about "girlie men" or to discriminate against us legally with "constitutional" amendments banning gay marriage? Because we cannot marry, we can pass on only a fraction of our estates, we do not have equal parenting rights and we cannot live with a foreigner we love who does not have government permission to stay in this country. These are the equal protections that the Bill of Rights proclaims for all?
Why do you hate us so much that you will not permit us to legally love? I am almost 72, and I have been hated all my life, and I don't see much change coming.
I think your hate is evil.
What do we do to you that is so awful? Why do you feel compelled to come after us with such frightful energy? Does this somehow make you feel safer and legitimate? What possible harm comes to you if we marry, or are taxed just like you, or are protected from assault by laws that say it is morally wrong to assault people out of hatred? The reasons always offered are religious ones, but certainly they are not based on the love all religions proclaim.
And even if your objections to gays are religious, why do you have to legislate them so hatefully? Make no mistake: Forbidding gay people to love or marry is based on hate, pure and simple.
You may say you don't hate us, but the people you vote for do, so what's the difference? Our own country's democratic process declares us to be unequal. Which means, in a democracy, that our enemy is you. You treat us like crumbs. You hate us. And sadly, we let you.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Weighing King’s Culpability
Can being openly gay and out invited attack? Sure, yes, definitely. Should gay kids such as Lawrence King thus be encouraged to keep a lid on their lavender ways? That’s what some people say journo Neil Broverman advocates in a new Advocate article: “Mixed Messages,” which is currently excerpted on the magazine’s website.
The piece definitely packs a punch and has some readers doubled over in pain, particularly this paragraph:
If they didn’t see the execution coming, most of King’s peers at school knew he was being bullied for being proudly gay and flouting male conventions by accessorizing his school uniform with eye shadow and high-heeled boots. In the months leading up to that morning, King had undergone a metamorphosis.
Guided by a welcoming support system at the group home where he lived, the teenager was encouraged to dress as he pleased and live as the person he wanted to be.
What King and others didn’t recognize was that this encouragement—and his response to it—placed him on a collision course with a culture that found him repulsive.
Certainly the argument can be made that King’s unashamed approach to bullying only encouraged more verbal torture, but such an explanation reduces the horrible murder to its most essential element: King’s contentious sexuality. To completely understand the entire situation, one would also have to look at alleged gun man Brandon McInerney’s background.
What makes a 14-year old kid take a gun to school and shoot his classmate? Blind rage? Perhaps he had a traumatic childhood. Maybe, just maybe, McInerney’s struggled with his own sexuality. We may never know what went on inside the accused killer’s mind, but one thing’s for sure - and this will sound gruesome - the amount of attention and discussion this death has caused does far more good than Brandon’s bad.
Yes, it’s tragic that King died so young - and after leading a troubled life - but, like Matthew Shepard’s death so long ago, King’s murder will (hopefully) bring about much needed change in this country. Maybe one day kids won’t have to worry about being out. Maybe parents and counselors won’t have to worry about whether honest encouragement will bring a violent end. Maybe, just maybe, the United States will mature in the wake of this murder.
But, you know, that’s just us being uncharacteristically optimistic…
Mar 17, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Can Gay Jokes Kill?
The boundaries of queer-minded comedy come up once again this fine Friday, thanks to a gay punch line and some politically-minded video editing.
We’ve addressed this topic in the past, specifically with regard to Sarah Silverman and the dearth of gay funny bones.
Today we turn our attention to a Canadian comedian named Harland Williams. (And, no, that’s not the wrong clip.)
Williams, whom you may remember from Half Baked and Big Money Hustla$, appeared on Conan O’Brien this week and delivered a fairly recognizable joke: Brits call cigarettes “fags” and it’s confusing for North Americans. Here’s the transcript:
Harland: You know what they call cigarettes?
Conan: What?
Harland: The British — they call them fags.
Conan: Right. That’s what they — yeah, that’s the term for cigarettes.
Harland: Yes. A guy in my class comes up and he goes, “Look mate, you think I can bum a fag?”
Conan: Right… (laughing)
Harland: I said, “I don’t know. Can you?”
Conan: All right… (laughing)
Harland: He’s like, “No mate! I’d like to smoke a fag.” And I said, “Yeah, I’d like to boil a couple of lesbians myself!”
We don’t recommend boiling the lesbians. They’re much, much better fried. Maybe broiled, but never, ever boiled.
We jest, of course, but the Good As You gays are “annoyed:” “…He positioned the punch in the affirmative voice, rather than as a glib question that puts a negative spin on the horror of “smoking fags” (’What’s next, buddy — you gonna boil some lesbians?!’)” Everyone’s a critic!
It seems to us that the joke’s apex is more inflammatory in this video’s particular context: Ellen’s comments on Lawrence King’s death. The question thus shifts. It isn’t whether or not Williams qualifies as funny, but whether or not such jokes can be blamed for anti-gay violence. And we say “nay.”
A little adds up to a lot, yes, but a simple joke on late night television does far less damage than having politicians like Sally Kern running around. Or, even worse, Stacey Campfield, who attempted to prohibit “gay speak” in elementary schools. Williams’ comments on Conan are nothing more than a new take on an old joke. And, to be honest, we found it kind of funny.
Had Williams said, “I like to boil lesbians” or “I think you, the viewer, should go boil some lesbians,” that wouldn’t be funny. It would just be crazy!
Mar 14, 2008
Slain Gay Inspires Film
We gays are an industrious lot! Rather than mooning over slain 25-year old Ryan Skipper, gay activists decided to make a documentary celebrating his life.
Skipper died last year after being shot by William David Brown Jr. and Joseph Bearden, both of whom will soon stand trial for hateful first degree murder.
Though they didn’t personally know Skipper, Vicki Nantz and her partner, Mary Meeks made the film to raise awareness of anti-gay violence and homo alienation. And it’s already changing some minds:
Until Skipper’s death, Wally Mulder hadn’t given homosexuality much thought. Now the Mulders share their opinions freely.
“Some people might want to sleep in the cornfields and some people might want to sleep in the wheatfields,” Wally Mulder said of his position on gay rights. “There’s no need to meet at the line and fight over who’s going to sleep where.”
So, do we gays like corn or wheat?
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Gay peer speaks out against deportations to Iran
11th March 2008 18:10
PinkNews.co.uk staff writer
A gay member of the House of Lords has demanded the government take action to stop a gay teenager being deported back to Iran where he could face the death penalty.
Today it was revealed that 19-year-old Mehdi Kazemi, who was refused asylum in Britain and fled to Holland, will be deported back to the UK.
He had unsuccessfully applied for asylum in the United Kingdom following the execution of his partner by Iranian authorities after being found guilty of sodomy.
Lord Alli is one of only two openly gay peers.
Today he asked minister Lord Bassam to explain the policy of returning gay people to a country where homosexual acts are punishable by execution.
"This young man's partner was hung at an early age for simply being gay," he said in the Lords today.
"The Home Office's position is that gay people can return to Iran safely providing they are 'discreet.' Heavens knows what that means.
"What action will you take if that advice proves wrong and this man is executed for being gay.
"Because if that was me, or any member of this House, in that position, I would hope you would have a good answer."
Lord Bassam replied:
"We do not believe that it is right to make returns when it is not safe to do so.
"We are extremely cautious in the way we operate returns.
"The Border and Immigration Agency only enforces the return of Iranian gay men when we are satisfied they are not in need of protection and we do not seek to enforce returns to Iran unless our decision making processes and the independent courts are satisfied that it is entirely safe to do so."
Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, said the organisation is "deeply disturbed" about his case.
"There is incontrovertible evidence that lesbian and gay people face danger in Iran and we will be raising this once again with the Home Secretary."
PinkNews.co.uk staff writer
A gay member of the House of Lords has demanded the government take action to stop a gay teenager being deported back to Iran where he could face the death penalty.
Today it was revealed that 19-year-old Mehdi Kazemi, who was refused asylum in Britain and fled to Holland, will be deported back to the UK.
He had unsuccessfully applied for asylum in the United Kingdom following the execution of his partner by Iranian authorities after being found guilty of sodomy.
Lord Alli is one of only two openly gay peers.
Today he asked minister Lord Bassam to explain the policy of returning gay people to a country where homosexual acts are punishable by execution.
"This young man's partner was hung at an early age for simply being gay," he said in the Lords today.
"The Home Office's position is that gay people can return to Iran safely providing they are 'discreet.' Heavens knows what that means.
"What action will you take if that advice proves wrong and this man is executed for being gay.
"Because if that was me, or any member of this House, in that position, I would hope you would have a good answer."
Lord Bassam replied:
"We do not believe that it is right to make returns when it is not safe to do so.
"We are extremely cautious in the way we operate returns.
"The Border and Immigration Agency only enforces the return of Iranian gay men when we are satisfied they are not in need of protection and we do not seek to enforce returns to Iran unless our decision making processes and the independent courts are satisfied that it is entirely safe to do so."
Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, said the organisation is "deeply disturbed" about his case.
"There is incontrovertible evidence that lesbian and gay people face danger in Iran and we will be raising this once again with the Home Secretary."
JK Rowling: Homophobia is a fear of people loving
11th March 2008 15:15
PinkNews.co.uk staff writer
The author of the best-selling Harry Potter novels has given a wide-ranging interview to a student newspaper in which she defends her gay character Albus Dumbledore.
JK Rowling also spoke out against fundamentalist Christians in the United States who are trying to ban her work.
Speaking to Edinburgh University's Student newspaper Rowling, whose successful series of novels have made her the richest women in Britain, defended her decision to out Dumbledore last year.
"Homophobia is a fear of people loving, more than it is of the sexual act," she said.
"There seems to be an innate distaste for the love involved, which I find absolutely extraordinary.
"The issue is love. It's not about sex. So that's what I knew about Dumbledore.
"And it's relevant only in so much as he fell in love and was made an utter fool of by love.
"He lost his moral compass completely when he fell in love and I think subsequently became very mistrusting of his own judgment in those matters so became quite asexual.
"He led a celibate and bookish life."
Rowling explained that: "from the outset obviously I knew he had this big, hidden secret, and that he flirted with the idea of exactly what Voldemort goes on to do, he flirted with the idea of racial domination, that he was going to subjugate the Muggles. So that was Dumbledore's big secret."
The 42-year-old, whose seven-series saga about the boy wizard has made her an estimated £545m, sent shockwaves round the world in October when she told an audience of fans in New York that the headmaster of wizarding school Hogwarts was gay.
She revealed Dumbledore's homosexuality at a book reading when asked by a fan if he had ever found love.
Dumbledore, played in the Harry Potter films initially by the late Richard Harris and later by Michael Gambon, is killed in the sixth book in the series.
He makes a ghostly appearance in the seventh, where it is revealed that he fell under the spell of a charismatic but evil wizard, Gellert Grindelwald.
The relvelations about Dumbledore have given evangelical Christians new reason to call for her works to be banned. The author told the Student:
"Fundamentalism is, 'I will not open my mind to look on your side of the argument at all. I won't read it, I won't look at it, I'm too frightened.'
"That's what's dangerous about it, whether it be politically extreme, religiously extreme.
"In fact, fundamentalists across all the major religions, if you put them in a room, they'd have bags in common! They hate all the same things, it's such an ironic thing."
PinkNews.co.uk staff writer
The author of the best-selling Harry Potter novels has given a wide-ranging interview to a student newspaper in which she defends her gay character Albus Dumbledore.
JK Rowling also spoke out against fundamentalist Christians in the United States who are trying to ban her work.
Speaking to Edinburgh University's Student newspaper Rowling, whose successful series of novels have made her the richest women in Britain, defended her decision to out Dumbledore last year.
"Homophobia is a fear of people loving, more than it is of the sexual act," she said.
"There seems to be an innate distaste for the love involved, which I find absolutely extraordinary.
"The issue is love. It's not about sex. So that's what I knew about Dumbledore.
"And it's relevant only in so much as he fell in love and was made an utter fool of by love.
"He lost his moral compass completely when he fell in love and I think subsequently became very mistrusting of his own judgment in those matters so became quite asexual.
"He led a celibate and bookish life."
Rowling explained that: "from the outset obviously I knew he had this big, hidden secret, and that he flirted with the idea of exactly what Voldemort goes on to do, he flirted with the idea of racial domination, that he was going to subjugate the Muggles. So that was Dumbledore's big secret."
The 42-year-old, whose seven-series saga about the boy wizard has made her an estimated £545m, sent shockwaves round the world in October when she told an audience of fans in New York that the headmaster of wizarding school Hogwarts was gay.
She revealed Dumbledore's homosexuality at a book reading when asked by a fan if he had ever found love.
Dumbledore, played in the Harry Potter films initially by the late Richard Harris and later by Michael Gambon, is killed in the sixth book in the series.
He makes a ghostly appearance in the seventh, where it is revealed that he fell under the spell of a charismatic but evil wizard, Gellert Grindelwald.
The relvelations about Dumbledore have given evangelical Christians new reason to call for her works to be banned. The author told the Student:
"Fundamentalism is, 'I will not open my mind to look on your side of the argument at all. I won't read it, I won't look at it, I'm too frightened.'
"That's what's dangerous about it, whether it be politically extreme, religiously extreme.
"In fact, fundamentalists across all the major religions, if you put them in a room, they'd have bags in common! They hate all the same things, it's such an ironic thing."
Simon Hughes: No gay person should be sent back to Iran
The Home Office will confirm that more inquiries are sent about immigration and asylum from my office than from any other MP. Every case is important but some people cause particular concern and Mehdi Kazemi has, from December 2006, been one of them.
This young Iranian lived in Rotherhithe with his family when he first came to the UK and he and his family have kept in touch with me ever since. Originally, they came because the Home Office was to deport Mehdi back to Iran on Boxing Day 2006. I contacted the Home Office to ask for action to be held off until I had reviewed Mehdi's case and the Home Office cancelled the deportation. Mehdi then left the UK because he was scared he would be returned to Iran.
For the past year, this young man has been in Germany and the Netherlands. We have been in contact by email and have continued to meet with his family. The Dublin Convention makes clear that, as Britain was the country where Mehdi arrived first, his case must be dealt with here. Over recent weeks I have been preparing for Mehdi's return and my staff team and I have been in touch with specialist lawyers to make sure he has the best possible legal advice.
My strong view is that, in the present political climate, no person who is lesbian or gay should be sent back to Iran. The Home Office must review its decision to refuse Mehdi asylum – even more so in the light of international campaigns and the press attention his case has received over the past year. This young man's case exposes the cruelty of the regime and the need for Britain, with the rest of the EU, to have consistent and humane policies to prevent people being sent home to be tortured – or worse.
The Home Office claims that a gay person can return to Iran and avoid persecution by being "discreet". All the advice is that in Iran, to be discreet means that you would have to deny your identity. The punishment for giving in to personal feelings might well be nothing less than torture or death. This is clearly a form of discrimination and a serious breach of his human rights. It must now be clear to the Home Office that it is wrong to send back gay and lesbian people to Iran (or any other country with similar laws and practice) where all the evidence shows they will be persecuted.
Mehdi and everybody in the same position needs to know that the EU countries will support them effectively when they turn to us for help.
This young Iranian lived in Rotherhithe with his family when he first came to the UK and he and his family have kept in touch with me ever since. Originally, they came because the Home Office was to deport Mehdi back to Iran on Boxing Day 2006. I contacted the Home Office to ask for action to be held off until I had reviewed Mehdi's case and the Home Office cancelled the deportation. Mehdi then left the UK because he was scared he would be returned to Iran.
For the past year, this young man has been in Germany and the Netherlands. We have been in contact by email and have continued to meet with his family. The Dublin Convention makes clear that, as Britain was the country where Mehdi arrived first, his case must be dealt with here. Over recent weeks I have been preparing for Mehdi's return and my staff team and I have been in touch with specialist lawyers to make sure he has the best possible legal advice.
My strong view is that, in the present political climate, no person who is lesbian or gay should be sent back to Iran. The Home Office must review its decision to refuse Mehdi asylum – even more so in the light of international campaigns and the press attention his case has received over the past year. This young man's case exposes the cruelty of the regime and the need for Britain, with the rest of the EU, to have consistent and humane policies to prevent people being sent home to be tortured – or worse.
The Home Office claims that a gay person can return to Iran and avoid persecution by being "discreet". All the advice is that in Iran, to be discreet means that you would have to deny your identity. The punishment for giving in to personal feelings might well be nothing less than torture or death. This is clearly a form of discrimination and a serious breach of his human rights. It must now be clear to the Home Office that it is wrong to send back gay and lesbian people to Iran (or any other country with similar laws and practice) where all the evidence shows they will be persecuted.
Mehdi and everybody in the same position needs to know that the EU countries will support them effectively when they turn to us for help.
A life or death decision
By Robert Verkaik, Law Editor
Thursday, 6 March 2008
A gay teenager who sought sanctuary in Britain when his boyfriend was executed by the Iranian authorities now faces the same fate after losing his legal battle for asylum.
Mehdi Kazemi, 19, came to London to study English in 2004 but later discovered that his boyfriend had been arrested by the Iranian police, charged with sodomy and hanged.
In a telephone conversation with his father in Tehran, Mr Kazemi was told that before the execution in April 2006, his boyfriend had been questioned about sexual relations he had with other men and under interrogation had named Mr Kazemi as his partner.
Fearing for his own life if he returned to Iran, Mr Kazemi claimed asylum in Britain. But late in 2007 his case was refused. Terror-stricken at the prospect of deportation the young Iranian made a desperate attempt to evade deportation and fled Britain for Holland where he is now being detained amid a growing outcry from campaigners.
He appeared before a Dutch court yesterday to plead with the authorities not to return him to Britain where he is almost certain to be sent back to Iran.
In a letter to the British Government, Mr Kazemi has told the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith: "I wish to inform the Secretary of State that I did not come to the UK to claim asylum. I came here to study and return to my country. But in the past few months my situation back home has changed. The Iranian authorities have found out that I am a homosexual and they are looking for me." He added: "I cannot stop my attraction towards men. This is something that I will have to live with the rest of my life. I was born with the feeling and cannot change this fact but it is unfortunate that I cannot express my feeling in Iran. If I return to Iran I will be arrested and executed like my former boyfriend."
Mr Kazemi's future will now be decided by a Dutch appeal court, which will rule whether to grant him permission to apply for asylum in Holland, which offers special protection to gay Iranians, or whether he will be deported to Britain. His case has attracted support from leading gay rights groups across Europe who are campaigning to allow him to live in Britain.
Omar Kuddus, from Gay Asylum UK, said that Britain must do more to protect homosexual asylum-seekers such as Mr Kazemi: "The challenge and legality under question and debate in the Dutch court is if he can or should be deported back to the UK under the Dublin Treaty which compels EU states to send asylum-seekers to the first European country they claim asylum."
Peter Tatchell, of the gay rights campaign group Outrage, described the Government's policy as "outrageous and shameful". He said: "If Mehdi is sent back to Iran he will be at risk of execution because of his homosexuality. This is a flagrant violation of Britain's obligations under the refugee convention.
"It is just the latest example of the Government putting the aims of cutting asylum numbers before the merits of individual cases. The whole world knows that Iran hangs young, gay men and uses a particularly barbaric method of slow strangulation. In a bid to fulfil its target to cut asylum numbers the Government is prepared to send this young man to his possible death. It is a heartless, cruel mercenary anti-refugee policy."
Emma Ginn, of the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, met Mr Kazemi at the Tinsley House removal centre, near Gatwick airport, while he was being detained by the Home Office. She recalls: "Mehdi was very anxious when I visited him in Tinsley. The Home Office planned to deport him two days later to Iran where he risked being executed like his boyfriend had been. I'm not surprised he fled the UK."
According to Iranian human rights campaigners, more than 4,000 gay men and lesbians have been executed since the Ayatollahs seized power in 1979. The last reported case of the death penalty imposed against a gay man was that of Makwan Moloudzadeh, 21, who was executed in December after being convicted for sodomy, or lavat, a capital offence under Iranian law.
Last year, the Foreign Office released correspondence sent between embassies throughout the EU dating back to May 2005. They refer specifically to the case of two gay youths, Mahmoud Asqari, under 18 at the time of his execution, and Ayad Marhouni, who were hanged in public.
The Home Office's own guidance issued to immigration officers concedes that Iran executes homosexual men but, unaccountably, rejects the claim that there is a systematic repression of gay men and lesbians.
The Government has a policy of not commenting on individual cases but a Home Office spokeswoman said: "The UK Government is committed to providing protection for those individuals found to be genuinely in need, in accordance with our commitments under international law. If an application is refused, there is a right of appeal to an independent judge, and we only return those who have been found by the asylum decision-making process and the independent courts not to need international protection.
"We examine with great care each individual case before removal and we will not remove anyone who we believe is at risk on their return. However, in order to maintain the integrity of our asylum system and prevent unfounded applications it is important that we are able to enforce returns of those who do not need protection." She added: "The Dublin Regulation states that an asylum applicant should make an application for protection in the first 'safe' country they reach having left their own country. If they do not do so, the Regulation permits the return of asylum applicants to the third country where the substantive asylum claim was made."
Thursday, 6 March 2008
A gay teenager who sought sanctuary in Britain when his boyfriend was executed by the Iranian authorities now faces the same fate after losing his legal battle for asylum.
Mehdi Kazemi, 19, came to London to study English in 2004 but later discovered that his boyfriend had been arrested by the Iranian police, charged with sodomy and hanged.
In a telephone conversation with his father in Tehran, Mr Kazemi was told that before the execution in April 2006, his boyfriend had been questioned about sexual relations he had with other men and under interrogation had named Mr Kazemi as his partner.
Fearing for his own life if he returned to Iran, Mr Kazemi claimed asylum in Britain. But late in 2007 his case was refused. Terror-stricken at the prospect of deportation the young Iranian made a desperate attempt to evade deportation and fled Britain for Holland where he is now being detained amid a growing outcry from campaigners.
He appeared before a Dutch court yesterday to plead with the authorities not to return him to Britain where he is almost certain to be sent back to Iran.
In a letter to the British Government, Mr Kazemi has told the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith: "I wish to inform the Secretary of State that I did not come to the UK to claim asylum. I came here to study and return to my country. But in the past few months my situation back home has changed. The Iranian authorities have found out that I am a homosexual and they are looking for me." He added: "I cannot stop my attraction towards men. This is something that I will have to live with the rest of my life. I was born with the feeling and cannot change this fact but it is unfortunate that I cannot express my feeling in Iran. If I return to Iran I will be arrested and executed like my former boyfriend."
Mr Kazemi's future will now be decided by a Dutch appeal court, which will rule whether to grant him permission to apply for asylum in Holland, which offers special protection to gay Iranians, or whether he will be deported to Britain. His case has attracted support from leading gay rights groups across Europe who are campaigning to allow him to live in Britain.
Omar Kuddus, from Gay Asylum UK, said that Britain must do more to protect homosexual asylum-seekers such as Mr Kazemi: "The challenge and legality under question and debate in the Dutch court is if he can or should be deported back to the UK under the Dublin Treaty which compels EU states to send asylum-seekers to the first European country they claim asylum."
Peter Tatchell, of the gay rights campaign group Outrage, described the Government's policy as "outrageous and shameful". He said: "If Mehdi is sent back to Iran he will be at risk of execution because of his homosexuality. This is a flagrant violation of Britain's obligations under the refugee convention.
"It is just the latest example of the Government putting the aims of cutting asylum numbers before the merits of individual cases. The whole world knows that Iran hangs young, gay men and uses a particularly barbaric method of slow strangulation. In a bid to fulfil its target to cut asylum numbers the Government is prepared to send this young man to his possible death. It is a heartless, cruel mercenary anti-refugee policy."
Emma Ginn, of the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, met Mr Kazemi at the Tinsley House removal centre, near Gatwick airport, while he was being detained by the Home Office. She recalls: "Mehdi was very anxious when I visited him in Tinsley. The Home Office planned to deport him two days later to Iran where he risked being executed like his boyfriend had been. I'm not surprised he fled the UK."
According to Iranian human rights campaigners, more than 4,000 gay men and lesbians have been executed since the Ayatollahs seized power in 1979. The last reported case of the death penalty imposed against a gay man was that of Makwan Moloudzadeh, 21, who was executed in December after being convicted for sodomy, or lavat, a capital offence under Iranian law.
Last year, the Foreign Office released correspondence sent between embassies throughout the EU dating back to May 2005. They refer specifically to the case of two gay youths, Mahmoud Asqari, under 18 at the time of his execution, and Ayad Marhouni, who were hanged in public.
The Home Office's own guidance issued to immigration officers concedes that Iran executes homosexual men but, unaccountably, rejects the claim that there is a systematic repression of gay men and lesbians.
The Government has a policy of not commenting on individual cases but a Home Office spokeswoman said: "The UK Government is committed to providing protection for those individuals found to be genuinely in need, in accordance with our commitments under international law. If an application is refused, there is a right of appeal to an independent judge, and we only return those who have been found by the asylum decision-making process and the independent courts not to need international protection.
"We examine with great care each individual case before removal and we will not remove anyone who we believe is at risk on their return. However, in order to maintain the integrity of our asylum system and prevent unfounded applications it is important that we are able to enforce returns of those who do not need protection." She added: "The Dublin Regulation states that an asylum applicant should make an application for protection in the first 'safe' country they reach having left their own country. If they do not do so, the Regulation permits the return of asylum applicants to the third country where the substantive asylum claim was made."
Gay Iranian Teen Loses Appeal in Netherlands Court - To Be Returned to UK
STRASBOURG, March 11, 2008 – Mehdi Kazemi, the 19-years-old gay Iranian has lost his fight to remain in the Netherlands, a Dutch judge ruled this afternoon.
His uncle, Saeed, was told the news by Mehdi’s lawyer, Borg Palm, on the telephone.
The court agreed that the IND, the Netherlands equivalent of the UK’s Border and Immigration Agency, can return him to the UK.
No date has been set for the return – at least 48 hours notice has to be given to Mehdi, with date and time of deportation.
Saeed said that it was Mehdi’s intention to take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Mehdi Kazemi was studying in the United Kingdom on a student visa and applied for asylum in the UK following the execution of his partner by Iranian authorities after being found guilty of sodomy. His former partner told the Iranian authorities – it is thought under torture – of the relationship.
When his asylum application was turned down Mr. Kazemi fled to Europe and after short stays in the Czech Republic and Germany, arrived in the Netherlands where is applied for asylum.
Told of today’s court decision, Michael Cashman, the president of the European Parliament’s Lesbian and Gay Intergroup and one of the MEPs sponsoring an emergency debate in the European Parliament on Thursday, said he was urging the UK government not to deport Mr. Kazemi back to Iran.
“I call on the UK Government to do all they can to ensure that this man is not returned back to Iran and face certain death,” he said in a statement.
Mr. Cashman, a Labour (PSE) MEP for the West Midlands, co-signed a motion which will be considered by Parliament as a matter of urgency.
The European Parliament will be told that if the young man is returned to the UK, he will face possible deportation to Iran.
The resolution to be considered in Strasbourg highlights that European Union asylum law has to be applied by member states on an individual case basis and that persecution for sexual orientation should be an automatic ground to grant asylum.
It also calls on the EU institutions and Member States, under their European and international human rights obligations, to take action to avoid such situations as Mehdi Kazemi’s occurring in the future.
“I believe that Mr Kazemi faces certain persecution if he returns to Iran and his life would be imperilled,” said Mr. Cashman, who co-initiated the resolution on behalf of the Socialist Group in the Parliament.
“I am glad that case will allow the European Parliament to reaffirm its commitment to protecting fundamental human rights and I urge the UK authorities to take note of the recommendations of the motion.”
■ The debate on Mehdi Kazemi is scheduled for Thursday (March 13) during the Parliament’s debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law at the end of this week’s session in Strasbourg. The debate is set to begin at 15:00 central European time (14:00 UK time).
His uncle, Saeed, was told the news by Mehdi’s lawyer, Borg Palm, on the telephone.
The court agreed that the IND, the Netherlands equivalent of the UK’s Border and Immigration Agency, can return him to the UK.
No date has been set for the return – at least 48 hours notice has to be given to Mehdi, with date and time of deportation.
Saeed said that it was Mehdi’s intention to take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Mehdi Kazemi was studying in the United Kingdom on a student visa and applied for asylum in the UK following the execution of his partner by Iranian authorities after being found guilty of sodomy. His former partner told the Iranian authorities – it is thought under torture – of the relationship.
When his asylum application was turned down Mr. Kazemi fled to Europe and after short stays in the Czech Republic and Germany, arrived in the Netherlands where is applied for asylum.
Told of today’s court decision, Michael Cashman, the president of the European Parliament’s Lesbian and Gay Intergroup and one of the MEPs sponsoring an emergency debate in the European Parliament on Thursday, said he was urging the UK government not to deport Mr. Kazemi back to Iran.
“I call on the UK Government to do all they can to ensure that this man is not returned back to Iran and face certain death,” he said in a statement.
Mr. Cashman, a Labour (PSE) MEP for the West Midlands, co-signed a motion which will be considered by Parliament as a matter of urgency.
The European Parliament will be told that if the young man is returned to the UK, he will face possible deportation to Iran.
The resolution to be considered in Strasbourg highlights that European Union asylum law has to be applied by member states on an individual case basis and that persecution for sexual orientation should be an automatic ground to grant asylum.
It also calls on the EU institutions and Member States, under their European and international human rights obligations, to take action to avoid such situations as Mehdi Kazemi’s occurring in the future.
“I believe that Mr Kazemi faces certain persecution if he returns to Iran and his life would be imperilled,” said Mr. Cashman, who co-initiated the resolution on behalf of the Socialist Group in the Parliament.
“I am glad that case will allow the European Parliament to reaffirm its commitment to protecting fundamental human rights and I urge the UK authorities to take note of the recommendations of the motion.”
■ The debate on Mehdi Kazemi is scheduled for Thursday (March 13) during the Parliament’s debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law at the end of this week’s session in Strasbourg. The debate is set to begin at 15:00 central European time (14:00 UK time).
Monday, March 10, 2008
Gay Teenager: “Iran will hang me!”
A gay teenager who sought sanctuary in Britain when his boyfriend was executed by the Iranian authorities now faces the same fate after losing his legal battle for asylum.
Mehdi Kazemi, 19, came to London to study English in 2004 but later discovered that his boyfriend had been arrested by the Iranian police, charged with sodomy and hanged.
In a telephone conversation with his father in Tehran, Mr Kazemi was told that before the execution in April 2006, his boyfriend had been questioned about sexual relations he had with other men and under interrogation had named Mr Kazemi as his partner.
Fearing for his own life if he returned to Iran, Mr Kazemi claimed asylum in Britain. But late in 2007 his case was refused. Terror-stricken at the prospect of deportation the young Iranian made a desperate attempt to evade deportation and fled Britain for Holland where he is now being detained amid a growing outcry from campaigners.
He appeared before a Dutch court yesterday to plead with the authorities not to return him to Britain where he is almost certain to be sent back to Iran.
In a letter to the British Government, Mr Kazemi has told the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith: "I wish to inform the Secretary of State that I did not come to the UK to claim asylum. I came here to study and return to my country. But in the past few months my situation back home has changed. The Iranian authorities have found out that I am a homosexual and they are looking for me." He added: "I cannot stop my attraction towards men. This is something that I will have to live with the rest of my life. I was born with the feeling and cannot change this fact but it is unfortunate that I cannot express my feeling in Iran. If I return to Iran I will be arrested and executed like my former boyfriend."
Mr Kazemi's future will now be decided by a Dutch appeal court, which will rule whether to grant him permission to apply for asylum in Holland, which offers special protection to gay Iranians, or whether he will be deported to Britain. His case has attracted support from leading gay rights groups across Europe who are campaigning to allow him to live in Britain.
Omar Kuddus, from Gay Asylum UK, said that Britain must do more to protect homosexual asylum-seekers such as Mr Kazemi: "The challenge and legality under question and debate in the Dutch court is if he can or should be deported back to the UK under the Dublin Treaty which compels EU states to send asylum-seekers to the first European country they claim asylum."
Peter Tatchell, of the gay rights campaign group Outrage, described the Government's policy as "outrageous and shameful". He said: "If Mehdi is sent back to Iran he will be at risk of execution because of his homosexuality. This is a flagrant violation of Britain's obligations under the refugee convention.
"It is just the latest example of the Government putting the aims of cutting asylum numbers before the merits of individual cases. The whole world knows that Iran hangs young, gay men and uses a particularly barbaric method of slow strangulation. In a bid to fulfil its target to cut asylum numbers the Government is prepared to send this young man to his possible death. It is a heartless, cruel mercenary anti-refugee policy."
Emma Ginn, of the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, met Mr Kazemi at the Tinsley House removal centre, near Gatwick airport, while he was being detained by the Home Office. She recalls: "Mehdi was very anxious when I visited him in Tinsley. The Home Office planned to deport him two days later to Iran where he risked being executed like his boyfriend had been. I'm not surprised he fled the UK."
According to Iranian human rights campaigners, more than 4,000 gay men and lesbians have been executed since the Ayatollahs seized power in 1979. The last reported case of the death penalty imposed against a gay man was that of Makwan Moloudzadeh, 21, who was executed in December after being convicted for sodomy, or lavat, a capital offence under Iranian law.
Last year, the Foreign Office released correspondence sent between embassies throughout the EU dating back to May 2005. They refer specifically to the case of two gay youths, Mahmoud Asqari, under 18 at the time of his execution, and Ayad Marhouni, who were hanged in public.
The Home Office's own guidance issued to immigration officers concedes that Iran executes homosexual men but, unaccountably, rejects the claim that there is a systematic repression of gay men and lesbians.
The Government has a policy of not commenting on individual cases but a Home Office spokeswoman said: "The UK Government is committed to providing protection for those individuals found to be genuinely in need, in accordance with our commitments under international law. If an application is refused, there is a right of appeal to an independent judge, and we only return those who have been found by the asylum decision-making process and the independent courts not to need international protection.
"We examine with great care each individual case before removal and we will not remove anyone who we believe is at risk on their return. However, in order to maintain the integrity of our asylum system and prevent unfounded applications it is important that we are able to enforce returns of those who do not need protection." She added: "The Dublin Regulation states that an asylum applicant should make an application for protection in the first 'safe' country they reach having left their own country. If they do not do so, the Regulation permits the return of asylum applicants to the third country where the substantive asylum claim was made."
Mehdi Kazemi, 19, came to London to study English in 2004 but later discovered that his boyfriend had been arrested by the Iranian police, charged with sodomy and hanged.
In a telephone conversation with his father in Tehran, Mr Kazemi was told that before the execution in April 2006, his boyfriend had been questioned about sexual relations he had with other men and under interrogation had named Mr Kazemi as his partner.
Fearing for his own life if he returned to Iran, Mr Kazemi claimed asylum in Britain. But late in 2007 his case was refused. Terror-stricken at the prospect of deportation the young Iranian made a desperate attempt to evade deportation and fled Britain for Holland where he is now being detained amid a growing outcry from campaigners.
He appeared before a Dutch court yesterday to plead with the authorities not to return him to Britain where he is almost certain to be sent back to Iran.
In a letter to the British Government, Mr Kazemi has told the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith: "I wish to inform the Secretary of State that I did not come to the UK to claim asylum. I came here to study and return to my country. But in the past few months my situation back home has changed. The Iranian authorities have found out that I am a homosexual and they are looking for me." He added: "I cannot stop my attraction towards men. This is something that I will have to live with the rest of my life. I was born with the feeling and cannot change this fact but it is unfortunate that I cannot express my feeling in Iran. If I return to Iran I will be arrested and executed like my former boyfriend."
Mr Kazemi's future will now be decided by a Dutch appeal court, which will rule whether to grant him permission to apply for asylum in Holland, which offers special protection to gay Iranians, or whether he will be deported to Britain. His case has attracted support from leading gay rights groups across Europe who are campaigning to allow him to live in Britain.
Omar Kuddus, from Gay Asylum UK, said that Britain must do more to protect homosexual asylum-seekers such as Mr Kazemi: "The challenge and legality under question and debate in the Dutch court is if he can or should be deported back to the UK under the Dublin Treaty which compels EU states to send asylum-seekers to the first European country they claim asylum."
Peter Tatchell, of the gay rights campaign group Outrage, described the Government's policy as "outrageous and shameful". He said: "If Mehdi is sent back to Iran he will be at risk of execution because of his homosexuality. This is a flagrant violation of Britain's obligations under the refugee convention.
"It is just the latest example of the Government putting the aims of cutting asylum numbers before the merits of individual cases. The whole world knows that Iran hangs young, gay men and uses a particularly barbaric method of slow strangulation. In a bid to fulfil its target to cut asylum numbers the Government is prepared to send this young man to his possible death. It is a heartless, cruel mercenary anti-refugee policy."
Emma Ginn, of the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, met Mr Kazemi at the Tinsley House removal centre, near Gatwick airport, while he was being detained by the Home Office. She recalls: "Mehdi was very anxious when I visited him in Tinsley. The Home Office planned to deport him two days later to Iran where he risked being executed like his boyfriend had been. I'm not surprised he fled the UK."
According to Iranian human rights campaigners, more than 4,000 gay men and lesbians have been executed since the Ayatollahs seized power in 1979. The last reported case of the death penalty imposed against a gay man was that of Makwan Moloudzadeh, 21, who was executed in December after being convicted for sodomy, or lavat, a capital offence under Iranian law.
Last year, the Foreign Office released correspondence sent between embassies throughout the EU dating back to May 2005. They refer specifically to the case of two gay youths, Mahmoud Asqari, under 18 at the time of his execution, and Ayad Marhouni, who were hanged in public.
The Home Office's own guidance issued to immigration officers concedes that Iran executes homosexual men but, unaccountably, rejects the claim that there is a systematic repression of gay men and lesbians.
The Government has a policy of not commenting on individual cases but a Home Office spokeswoman said: "The UK Government is committed to providing protection for those individuals found to be genuinely in need, in accordance with our commitments under international law. If an application is refused, there is a right of appeal to an independent judge, and we only return those who have been found by the asylum decision-making process and the independent courts not to need international protection.
"We examine with great care each individual case before removal and we will not remove anyone who we believe is at risk on their return. However, in order to maintain the integrity of our asylum system and prevent unfounded applications it is important that we are able to enforce returns of those who do not need protection." She added: "The Dublin Regulation states that an asylum applicant should make an application for protection in the first 'safe' country they reach having left their own country. If they do not do so, the Regulation permits the return of asylum applicants to the third country where the substantive asylum claim was made."
Iranian Lesbian Who Escaped ,Possible Execution
http://www.gaysofla.com/content/view/251/1/
Pegah Emambakhsh, an Iranian lesbian, fled to Britain after her girlfriend was arrested and sentenced to death. The 40 year old may be forced to return to Iran and face death herself after losing her latest appeal for asylum.
Emambakhsh’s case comes only three days after Gaysofla reported on Mehdi Kazemi, a gay teenager who also faces deportation and fears he may be hanged because he is gay. His boyfriend has already been executed by the Iranian government.
Both cases have sparked international protest against the British Government and have led to calls for a moratorium on the deportation of gays and lesbian asylum-seekers that fear they will be persecuted in Iran.
According to gay rights groups there are more than two dozen other cases of lesbians and gays living in Britain that are seeking asylum for fear of harsh punishment or execution if deported to Iran.
Fearing for her life after her partner had been arrested by the authorities in Tehran, Emambakhsh escaped to the United Kingdom in 2005. Her partner remains in prison awaiting death by stoning. Speaking through her asylum representative yesterday, Ms Emambakhsh said: "I will never, never go back. If I do I know I will die."
Under the Iranian Islamic Punishment Act, lesbians found guilty of sexual relations can be sentenced to 100 lashes. But, for a third offence, the punishment is execution.
In turning down Ms Emambakhsh and Mr. Kazemi's asylum applications, the Home Office has said if Iranians are discreet about their homosexuality they will not be persecuted. But Omar Kuddus, of Gay Asylum UK, pleaded with the British authorities to follow the example of the Netherlands and Germany in imposing a moratorium on all deportations involving gay and lesbian Iranians. He asked: "How many more young Iranians have to die before the British Government takes action?"
Pegah Emambakhsh, an Iranian lesbian, fled to Britain after her girlfriend was arrested and sentenced to death. The 40 year old may be forced to return to Iran and face death herself after losing her latest appeal for asylum.
Emambakhsh’s case comes only three days after Gaysofla reported on Mehdi Kazemi, a gay teenager who also faces deportation and fears he may be hanged because he is gay. His boyfriend has already been executed by the Iranian government.
Both cases have sparked international protest against the British Government and have led to calls for a moratorium on the deportation of gays and lesbian asylum-seekers that fear they will be persecuted in Iran.
According to gay rights groups there are more than two dozen other cases of lesbians and gays living in Britain that are seeking asylum for fear of harsh punishment or execution if deported to Iran.
Fearing for her life after her partner had been arrested by the authorities in Tehran, Emambakhsh escaped to the United Kingdom in 2005. Her partner remains in prison awaiting death by stoning. Speaking through her asylum representative yesterday, Ms Emambakhsh said: "I will never, never go back. If I do I know I will die."
Under the Iranian Islamic Punishment Act, lesbians found guilty of sexual relations can be sentenced to 100 lashes. But, for a third offence, the punishment is execution.
In turning down Ms Emambakhsh and Mr. Kazemi's asylum applications, the Home Office has said if Iranians are discreet about their homosexuality they will not be persecuted. But Omar Kuddus, of Gay Asylum UK, pleaded with the British authorities to follow the example of the Netherlands and Germany in imposing a moratorium on all deportations involving gay and lesbian Iranians. He asked: "How many more young Iranians have to die before the British Government takes action?"
LA Times Looks At King Background
Could Lawrence King’s murder have been prevented?
That’s what some Los Angeles Times journos wonders in another lengthy article on the late 15-year old, who died after being shot by a fellow student, Brandon McInerney. Both boys came from traumatic backgrounds, write Paul Pringle and Catherine Saillant, but it remains unclear how much the school did to help them - especially King:
Larry’s friends offer differing accounts of whether he had complained to teachers about the taunting. Some say he had decided not to report it, fearing that he would be branded a “rat” and suffer the consequences.
…
Not so, said Jerry Dannenberg, superintendent of the Hueneme School District. The E.O. Green staff did come to Larry’s aid, including shortly before he was killed, after they had learned of an altercation between him and Brandon.
Obviously their efforts weren’t enough.
On a related note, King’s parents have set up a cute - and very depressing - memorial website, from which we got this picture of King dressed as the Great Pumpkin. Meanwhile, 14-year old shooter McInerney remains in prison and faces very adult hate crime charges.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
A deadly clash of emotions before Oxnard shooting
March 09, 2008
For teens living in a shelter for abused and neglected children, school can provide a daily dose of normalcy, a place to fit in, a chance to be just another kid.
It didn't turn out that way for Lawrence King.
According to the few students who befriended him, Larry, 15 years old and openly gay, found no refuge from his tormentors at E.O. Green Junior High School.
Not in the classroom, the quad, the cafeteria. Not from the day he enrolled at the Oxnard school until the moment he was shot to death in a computer lab, just after Larry's usual morning van ride from the shelter a town away.
The 14-year-old accused of killing him, Brandon McInerney, had his own troubled home life when he was younger, with his parents accusing each other of drug addiction and physical assaults, court records show. The year before Brandon was born, his father allegedly shot the boy's mother in the arm, shattering her elbow, the records say.
Now, as the Feb. 12 killing continues to draw attention from around the world, students, parents and others wonder if red flags in the boys' circumstances and backgrounds had been missed and whether more could have been done to avert the tragedy.
"The question needs to be answered," said Ventura County Supervisor John Flynn, whose district includes E.O. Green. "It really bothers me a lot."
The anti-gay taunts and slurs that Larry endured from his male peers apparently had been constant, as routine for him as math lessons and recess bells. The stinging words were isolating. As grieving friend Melissa Reza, 15, put it, Larry lived much of his life "toward the side. . . . He was always toward the side."
She and others recall that the name-calling began long before he told his small circle of confidants that he was gay, before problems at home made him a ward of the court, and before he summoned the courage to further assert his sexual orientation by wearing makeup and girl's boots with his school uniform.
His friends say the verbal cruelty persisted for months, and grew worse after the slightly built Larry pushed back by "flirting" with some of his mockers. One of them was Brandon, who seethed over it, the friends say
A deadly clash of emotions before Oxnard shooting Los Angeles Times
FACES of HOMOPHOBIA
FACES of HOMOPHOBIA
A lot of good things are happening in Canada, and many people have become more open-minded and accepting of other people. Homophobia, though, is not yet dead.
What is HOMOPHOBIA?
An unrealistic or irrational fear of homosexuality. Homophobia is perpetuated by the negative stereotypes and misconceptions that surround the subject of homosexuality. Homophobia can lead to hatred, discrimination, and violence against homosexuals.
What is HETEROSEXISM?
The assumption that everyone is heterosexual, and that heterosexuality is somehow superior to homosexuality.
Gay youth suffer from homophobia and heterosexism every day, at home, with friends, at work and at school. Here several gay youth describe things that have happened to them.
“My parents think being gay is an illness, a sickness, a pathology.”
“I was bashed at summer school, and my mum told me not to hold hands or anything like that. Basically she was telling me ‘It’s your fault’”.
“People tell me it’s okay to be gay, but that they just don’t want me to ACT gay. They don’t want me to be myself.”
“When I was sick my grandmother implied I must have AIDS since I’m gay.”
“One day I was on the bus and this girl who really didn’t like me and the fact that I’d come out as gay was on the bus too. She started calling me a faggot and a cocksucker really loud on the bus. She went up to this one guy and said ‘This guy sucks cock’, and then this guy started saying to me ‘That’s bad, you shouldn’t do that.’”
“Once in grade 9 I was cleaning the costume storage room with two guys. One of these guys used to be my friend. But he encouraged the other guy to whip a spoon of wet slushee at me. I was wearing a white t-shirt and it got all over me.”
“My friend says she doesn’t like gay people, but that I’m different from other gay people.”
I was at the park one day and I was making out with someone. Then a guy walked by and said “Are you 2 girls? That’s bad, bad, bad.”
Internalized Homophobia or Can a gay person be homophobic?
Yes, a gay person can indeed be homophobic! Just like a person of colour can be racist, and a girl can be sexist against girls. In this case it's called "internalized homophobia".
What it means is that you've absorbed and that you even to some extent believe the negative messages about yourself that society has given you.
When everyone around you is saying something bad about the group you belong to, it's hard not to absorb some of their attitudes. A part of you may know that they are wrong, but at the same time, a part of you may be terrified that they are right.
Here the Out and Proud group describes the internalized homophobia they've felt and seen.
I was getting angry with myself all the time. I’d already come out but I still didn’t like the fact that I was gay. One day in the winter I sat outside for 3 hours without a coat. When my friends came my lips were blue and they had to help me. I was trying to force myself to stop thinking, and I was also trying to change myself, to make myself straight.
We were making a mosaic of queer people in the gay village. This guy came by and said to us, “It’s bad enough to be gay; you don’t have to advertise it.” And he was going into the bathouse!
I was having a war with myself, because I knew I was gay and I knew my family wouldn’t accept me. I was afraid they would reject me.
A lot of gay people I know say that we shouldn’t “advertise it”. But I think the only way to fight homophobia is to bring it in their face.
I know gay people who make homophobic judgements and comments.
I was always battling being gay, and I thought all my problems were because I was gay.
I think a lot of internalized homophobia comes from religion. Like the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.
A lot of good things are happening in Canada, and many people have become more open-minded and accepting of other people. Homophobia, though, is not yet dead.
What is HOMOPHOBIA?
An unrealistic or irrational fear of homosexuality. Homophobia is perpetuated by the negative stereotypes and misconceptions that surround the subject of homosexuality. Homophobia can lead to hatred, discrimination, and violence against homosexuals.
What is HETEROSEXISM?
The assumption that everyone is heterosexual, and that heterosexuality is somehow superior to homosexuality.
Gay youth suffer from homophobia and heterosexism every day, at home, with friends, at work and at school. Here several gay youth describe things that have happened to them.
“My parents think being gay is an illness, a sickness, a pathology.”
“I was bashed at summer school, and my mum told me not to hold hands or anything like that. Basically she was telling me ‘It’s your fault’”.
“People tell me it’s okay to be gay, but that they just don’t want me to ACT gay. They don’t want me to be myself.”
“When I was sick my grandmother implied I must have AIDS since I’m gay.”
“One day I was on the bus and this girl who really didn’t like me and the fact that I’d come out as gay was on the bus too. She started calling me a faggot and a cocksucker really loud on the bus. She went up to this one guy and said ‘This guy sucks cock’, and then this guy started saying to me ‘That’s bad, you shouldn’t do that.’”
“Once in grade 9 I was cleaning the costume storage room with two guys. One of these guys used to be my friend. But he encouraged the other guy to whip a spoon of wet slushee at me. I was wearing a white t-shirt and it got all over me.”
“My friend says she doesn’t like gay people, but that I’m different from other gay people.”
I was at the park one day and I was making out with someone. Then a guy walked by and said “Are you 2 girls? That’s bad, bad, bad.”
Internalized Homophobia or Can a gay person be homophobic?
Yes, a gay person can indeed be homophobic! Just like a person of colour can be racist, and a girl can be sexist against girls. In this case it's called "internalized homophobia".
What it means is that you've absorbed and that you even to some extent believe the negative messages about yourself that society has given you.
When everyone around you is saying something bad about the group you belong to, it's hard not to absorb some of their attitudes. A part of you may know that they are wrong, but at the same time, a part of you may be terrified that they are right.
Here the Out and Proud group describes the internalized homophobia they've felt and seen.
I was getting angry with myself all the time. I’d already come out but I still didn’t like the fact that I was gay. One day in the winter I sat outside for 3 hours without a coat. When my friends came my lips were blue and they had to help me. I was trying to force myself to stop thinking, and I was also trying to change myself, to make myself straight.
We were making a mosaic of queer people in the gay village. This guy came by and said to us, “It’s bad enough to be gay; you don’t have to advertise it.” And he was going into the bathouse!
I was having a war with myself, because I knew I was gay and I knew my family wouldn’t accept me. I was afraid they would reject me.
A lot of gay people I know say that we shouldn’t “advertise it”. But I think the only way to fight homophobia is to bring it in their face.
I know gay people who make homophobic judgements and comments.
I was always battling being gay, and I thought all my problems were because I was gay.
I think a lot of internalized homophobia comes from religion. Like the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Petition for Ellen Degeneres to Come to Madison WI
Video petition for Ellen Degeneres to come to M... (more)
Added: February 18, 2008
Video petition for Ellen Degeneres to come to Madison, WI to speak at the Breaking the Silence Rally on the National Day of Silence, April 25, 2008. Because frankly, it would be amazing.
Added: February 18, 2008
Video petition for Ellen Degeneres to come to Madison, WI to speak at the Breaking the Silence Rally on the National Day of Silence, April 25, 2008. Because frankly, it would be amazing.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Teaching Our Kids Tolerance
Moms speak out about the shooting of a 15-year-old gay student.
March 4, 2008
When we posted Ellen on Hate Crime, we shared Ellen's emotional speech about this tragic incident and it resonated with many Moms.
Outraged Mom said: "I can't believe things like this are still occurring in this day and age. It is so upsetting that someone is not allowed to be him or herself without suffering, or in this case, dying for it. People who are gay cannot change the way they feel, it's just the way they are. It's innate and not a choice. I know because my brother is gay. He is fortunate enough to have a family who loves him unconditionally. We need to make a difference in this world and we need to start now!"
Mom Amy also offers input: "I think not only is this murder a crime, but I believe the failure of a child, caused by either the parents, or school systems, by not teaching love, respect, and understanding is a Crime. Children learn by watching, and listening. Be careful of what you show your Child. You are the role model."
How do you teach your kids tolerance? Tell us in the Mom•Logic Community.
March 4, 2008
When we posted Ellen on Hate Crime, we shared Ellen's emotional speech about this tragic incident and it resonated with many Moms.
Outraged Mom said: "I can't believe things like this are still occurring in this day and age. It is so upsetting that someone is not allowed to be him or herself without suffering, or in this case, dying for it. People who are gay cannot change the way they feel, it's just the way they are. It's innate and not a choice. I know because my brother is gay. He is fortunate enough to have a family who loves him unconditionally. We need to make a difference in this world and we need to start now!"
Mom Amy also offers input: "I think not only is this murder a crime, but I believe the failure of a child, caused by either the parents, or school systems, by not teaching love, respect, and understanding is a Crime. Children learn by watching, and listening. Be careful of what you show your Child. You are the role model."
How do you teach your kids tolerance? Tell us in the Mom•Logic Community.
Documentary to Explore Killing of Gay Man in Polk
By Jeff Kunerth | Sentinel Staff Writer
March 2, 2008
A documentary on the killing of a 25-year-old gay man in Polk County almost a year ago will premiere Monday at Rollins College, part of a crusade by his parents to raise awareness of anti-gay violence in Florida.
The 72-minute film details the death of Ryan Keith Skipper on March 17, 2007. Polk County deputies labeled the assault a hate crime after the two men arrested said he was killed because he was gay.
But the documentary challenges statements by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, who initially said Skipper was killed after cruising for sex and picking up the wrong person at the wrong time. Skipper's friends and roommates said he was abducted, stabbed more than 20 times, and had his throat slit and his body dumped on the side of the road after being targeted by the two men arrested in his killing.
William Brown Jr., who was 20 at the time, faces trial in June. Joseph Bearden, who was 21, is scheduled for trial in September.
The documentary details the life and death of Skipper but also deals with what it describes as the societal forces that encourage homophobia and violence against gays and lesbians. Proceeds from sales of DVDs of the documentary, Accessory to Murder, will go to an anti-hate-crime educational fund established in Skipper's name by his parents, Patricia and Lynn Mulder.
The film was produced by Vicki Nantz, a 48-year-old independent producer who spent 16 years in local TV.
"I wanted people to care about what happened to Ryan," Nantz said. "This documentary just sets the stage for further discussion about how our culture demonizes segments of society and marginalizes people until they are victimized in this way."
The documentary will be shown at 7 p.m. in Bush Auditorium. A panel discussion by gay-rights activists will follow the film.
Jeff Kunerth can be reached at jkunerth@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5392.
March 2, 2008
A documentary on the killing of a 25-year-old gay man in Polk County almost a year ago will premiere Monday at Rollins College, part of a crusade by his parents to raise awareness of anti-gay violence in Florida.
The 72-minute film details the death of Ryan Keith Skipper on March 17, 2007. Polk County deputies labeled the assault a hate crime after the two men arrested said he was killed because he was gay.
But the documentary challenges statements by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, who initially said Skipper was killed after cruising for sex and picking up the wrong person at the wrong time. Skipper's friends and roommates said he was abducted, stabbed more than 20 times, and had his throat slit and his body dumped on the side of the road after being targeted by the two men arrested in his killing.
William Brown Jr., who was 20 at the time, faces trial in June. Joseph Bearden, who was 21, is scheduled for trial in September.
The documentary details the life and death of Skipper but also deals with what it describes as the societal forces that encourage homophobia and violence against gays and lesbians. Proceeds from sales of DVDs of the documentary, Accessory to Murder, will go to an anti-hate-crime educational fund established in Skipper's name by his parents, Patricia and Lynn Mulder.
The film was produced by Vicki Nantz, a 48-year-old independent producer who spent 16 years in local TV.
"I wanted people to care about what happened to Ryan," Nantz said. "This documentary just sets the stage for further discussion about how our culture demonizes segments of society and marginalizes people until they are victimized in this way."
The documentary will be shown at 7 p.m. in Bush Auditorium. A panel discussion by gay-rights activists will follow the film.
Jeff Kunerth can be reached at jkunerth@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5392.
Dallas Man Claims He Was Victim of Hate Crime
By John Wright of Dallas Voice
February 29, 2008
A local gay man claims he was the victim of a hate crime at Station 4 on Friday, Feb. 22.
Sid Gonzales, 43, said he suffered two broken bones in his wrist, a puncture wound to his hand and multiple bruises on his backside when two men assaulted him at about 11 p.m.
Gonzales said he was near the main dance floor of the Dallas gay nightclub when two men and a woman walked over and stood nearby.
Gonzales said he was “a little buzzed” from alcohol but not intoxicated.
He said he tried to be friendly and make small talk with the trio. But he said he was not trying to hit on the men, whom he described as straight-looking, well-dressed and college-aged.
When Gonzales asked a few questions, the woman responded but the men said nothing and looked uncomfortable, he said.
Gonzales said he reached out to shake hands with one of the men. The man grabbed Gonzales’ arm, twisted it in the air and slammed it against a knee. Gonzales said the first man also stabbed him in the hand with an unidentified object, while the second began kicking him in the backside.
“I think it was a hate crime,” Gonzales said. “They weren’t there to have fun. They were there to pick fights with queers.”
Gonzales said he notified a bartender and front desk staff about the incident but left S4 and returned home after unsuccessfully trying to locate security. He later sent an e-mail to management at Caven Enterprises, which owns S4, complaining about the incident.
“I think it’s a shame that regular customers like me can’t feel comfortable in a gay bar any more,” Gonzales said in the e-mail. “I won’t be returning to Station 4 for a while.”
Rick Espaillat, a spokesman for Caven Enterprises, said Gonzales was unable to locate security because officers were busy responding to several incidents that occurred around the same time.
Espaillat said at least one of the other incidents involved the same three suspects, who were subsequently kicked out of the club. Espaillat said he could not give details about the other incident and was unsure whether Caven obtained any identifying information from the suspects.
“Caven Enterprises has invested a great deal of time, energy and money on security in and around our properties, and we take this issue very seriously,” Espaillat said in a written statement. “We are in contact with Mr. Gonzales and we’re working with him to insure that this kind of thing doesn’t happen again.”
Gonzales said when he awoke the following day, his hand and wrist were swollen and in pain.
On Monday, Feb. 25, he went to the doctor and learned that his wrist was broken in two places. He is expected to be in a cast for four weeks.
Gonzales filed a report with the Dallas Police Department, which classified the incident as an aggravated assault.
Cpl. Kevin Janse, a DPD spokesman, said Tuesday, Feb. 26, that the case had not yet been assigned to a detective.
Janse said if there is an arrest, the detective could make a recommendation to the district attorney’s office about whether the case should be prosecuted as a hate crime.
February 29, 2008
A local gay man claims he was the victim of a hate crime at Station 4 on Friday, Feb. 22.
Sid Gonzales, 43, said he suffered two broken bones in his wrist, a puncture wound to his hand and multiple bruises on his backside when two men assaulted him at about 11 p.m.
Gonzales said he was near the main dance floor of the Dallas gay nightclub when two men and a woman walked over and stood nearby.
Gonzales said he was “a little buzzed” from alcohol but not intoxicated.
He said he tried to be friendly and make small talk with the trio. But he said he was not trying to hit on the men, whom he described as straight-looking, well-dressed and college-aged.
When Gonzales asked a few questions, the woman responded but the men said nothing and looked uncomfortable, he said.
Gonzales said he reached out to shake hands with one of the men. The man grabbed Gonzales’ arm, twisted it in the air and slammed it against a knee. Gonzales said the first man also stabbed him in the hand with an unidentified object, while the second began kicking him in the backside.
“I think it was a hate crime,” Gonzales said. “They weren’t there to have fun. They were there to pick fights with queers.”
Gonzales said he notified a bartender and front desk staff about the incident but left S4 and returned home after unsuccessfully trying to locate security. He later sent an e-mail to management at Caven Enterprises, which owns S4, complaining about the incident.
“I think it’s a shame that regular customers like me can’t feel comfortable in a gay bar any more,” Gonzales said in the e-mail. “I won’t be returning to Station 4 for a while.”
Rick Espaillat, a spokesman for Caven Enterprises, said Gonzales was unable to locate security because officers were busy responding to several incidents that occurred around the same time.
Espaillat said at least one of the other incidents involved the same three suspects, who were subsequently kicked out of the club. Espaillat said he could not give details about the other incident and was unsure whether Caven obtained any identifying information from the suspects.
“Caven Enterprises has invested a great deal of time, energy and money on security in and around our properties, and we take this issue very seriously,” Espaillat said in a written statement. “We are in contact with Mr. Gonzales and we’re working with him to insure that this kind of thing doesn’t happen again.”
Gonzales said when he awoke the following day, his hand and wrist were swollen and in pain.
On Monday, Feb. 25, he went to the doctor and learned that his wrist was broken in two places. He is expected to be in a cast for four weeks.
Gonzales filed a report with the Dallas Police Department, which classified the incident as an aggravated assault.
Cpl. Kevin Janse, a DPD spokesman, said Tuesday, Feb. 26, that the case had not yet been assigned to a detective.
Janse said if there is an arrest, the detective could make a recommendation to the district attorney’s office about whether the case should be prosecuted as a hate crime.
RE: Watch video &Sign this:you are listening to Okl Rep S. K
----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: How Many more Gay murders before you get involved?
Date: Mar 8, 2008 11:49 AM
----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Resources for GLBTQ Sites!
Date: Mar 8, 2008 11:37 AM
Renewed Hope!
Date: Mar 8, 2008 1:01 PM
Diverse (female) Youth of Tulsa
Date: Mar 8, 2008 12:57 PM
Openarms Youth Project
Date: Mar 8, 2008 12:46 PM
Follow this link and add your name to the list:
We're listening, ARE YOU?
Watch video below
MaMa Carol
Date: Mar 8, 2008 12:01 PM
This was covered on the local news last night
Wesley
Date: Mar 8, 2008 10:58 AM
The more I listen to this the angrier I get. Anyways, take a listen to this lovely Republican politician in Oklahoma and if you agree with her that homosexuality is worse than terrorism, why not give her a call and support her
mcpride
Date: Mar 8, 2008 10:49 AM
"THE HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA IS SPREADING "
Listen to this recorded 3-min. segment of a speech
by Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern.
Is this the kind of person we want in office?
Follow this link and add your name to the list:
We're listening, ARE YOU?
From: How Many more Gay murders before you get involved?
Date: Mar 8, 2008 11:49 AM
----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Resources for GLBTQ Sites!
Date: Mar 8, 2008 11:37 AM
Renewed Hope!
Date: Mar 8, 2008 1:01 PM
Diverse (female) Youth of Tulsa
Date: Mar 8, 2008 12:57 PM
Openarms Youth Project
Date: Mar 8, 2008 12:46 PM
Follow this link and add your name to the list:
We're listening, ARE YOU?
Watch video below
MaMa Carol
Date: Mar 8, 2008 12:01 PM
This was covered on the local news last night
Wesley
Date: Mar 8, 2008 10:58 AM
The more I listen to this the angrier I get. Anyways, take a listen to this lovely Republican politician in Oklahoma and if you agree with her that homosexuality is worse than terrorism, why not give her a call and support her
mcpride
Date: Mar 8, 2008 10:49 AM
"THE HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA IS SPREADING "
Listen to this recorded 3-min. segment of a speech
by Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern.
Is this the kind of person we want in office?
Follow this link and add your name to the list:
We're listening, ARE YOU?
Six Accused Of Attack On Gay Jewish Teen
Posted: March 6, 2008 - 1:00 pm ET
(Paris) Six people kidnapped and tortured a Jewish teenager by punching and kicking him and writing "dirty Jew'' and "fag" on his forehead, judicial officials say.
The 19-year-old victim met with his six alleged attackers, who ranged in age from 17 to 28, in the Paris suburb of Bagneux to try to settle an argument about a missing cellphone and camcorder, officials from the prosecutor's office in Nanterre said. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
They said the six held the victim for about nine hours, taunted him for being Jewish, and said he was gay. They allegedly forced him to eat cigarette butts and scrawled anti-Semitic and anti-gay insults on his forehead.
The victim, whose identity has not been released, suffered slight injuries.
The alleged attackers have been detained and investigators filed preliminary charges against them. The preliminary charges include committing ``acts of torture or barbarism'' and ``kidnapping by a gang,'' the judicial officials said.
The Bagneux City Hall said in a statement that officials were ``shocked and outraged'' by the attack. The suburb was the site of a 2006 attack against another young French Jew, Ilan Halimi, who was kidnapped, tortured and killed by a gang.
The president one of France's leading Jewish organizations, the Representative Council of Jewish Organizations in France, said anti-Semitic attacks in the nation were down 30 per cent last year. But Richard Prasquier said the new attack suggests that ``anti-Semitic prejudice is still very present.''
The head of an organization that tallies anti-Semitic crimes in France, the BNVCA, said many recent victims, including the 19-year-old in last month's attack, were not religious Jews and had little connection with the Jewish community.
``The fact of having a Jewish name was enough for these aggressors to identify him as one, and to harass him,'' Sammy Ghozlan said.
France has western Europe's largest population of Jews and Muslims. The nation faced a surge in anti-Semitic crime starting in 2000 after tensions between Israelis and Palestinians flared up in the Middle East.
©365Gay.com 2008
Miss. lawmakers go after gay adoptive parents
A bill in the Mississippi state Senate would bar cohabiting unmarried couples, including gay and lesbian couples, from adopting children. We're talking about taking a child and putting them into an environment where they are taught habits and exposed to lifestyles that are clearly detrimental to the child," state representative Phillip Gunn told WLBT in reference to adoption by gay couples. Gunn said, however, he does not want to prevent singles from adopting. "Obviously there are a lot of single people out there with a lot of love to give an adoptive child, and we certainly don't want to prohibit that, and that is not a bad way to raise a child," he continued. Apparently, gays make poor adoptive parents only when they're partnered.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Two gay teens killed in just two weeks
Attacks in Calif., Fla. prove young gays remain vulnerable
MAR. 7, 2008
RYAN LEE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The defining setting for anti-gay violence for the last decade was a rickety fence in a desolate Wyoming field.
But a string of anti-gay beatings, shootings and killings in recent months shows that homophobic hatred didn’t disappear when Matthew Shepard was killed 10 years ago this October, nor is it confined to rural pockets of America’s heartland.
In the last year alone, young gay people have died at the hands of straight friends in central Florida, been beaten to death after leaving a bar in Greenville, S.C., and assassinated in an eighth grade classroom in California. Last weekend in Athens, Ga., a 17-year old gay man carrying a purse was beaten and verbally gay-bashed by three boys he knew, according to a March 4 report in the Athens Banner-Herald.
“I think if you ask the average American, they think Matthew Shepard was the last person killed in this country for being gay,” said Kevin Jennings, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, a national group that focuses on gay issues in schools. “Unfortunately, that’s not the case.”
Elke Kennedy knew her son Sean was gay by the time he was six years old, but slight pangs of fear rushed through her when Sean came out to her in 2004 at age 17.
“I was really more worried about him being harassed and people not liking him for who he was,” Kennedy said Tuesday. “It’s a common concern, and I think it’s getting worse now.”
At about 4:30 a.m. on May 16, 2007, Kennedy received a call from a hospital that many mothers of gay children dread. She asked if her son was seriously hurt, and was told only that she needed to arrive at the hospital as soon as she could.
As her 20-year-old son lay brain dead in South Carolina’s Greenville Memorial Hospital, Kennedy learned that Sean was leaving a bar when he was attacked by a young man who called him a “faggot.” The beating caused Sean’s brain to separate from his brain stem and ricochet inside his skull. He was taken off life support later that night.
Although South Carolina police investigated Sean’s death as a hate crime, prosecutors said there was no evidence of “malicious intent” to kill, and charged Stephen Moller, 18 at the time of the murder, with involuntary manslaughter in October. The manslaughter charge carries a maximum of five years in prison.
“It’s bad enough that you have to lose a child and deal with all of that, but then on top of that you have to deal with the fact that they’re saying your son deserved to die, or that [Moller] really didn’t mean to do it, so we’re just going to give him a slap on the wrist,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said she was also stung by her community’s apparent apathetic response.
“People, they’re sorry that I lost my son, but they don’t want to talk about why he was murdered,” she said. “They’d rather ignore that fact and pretend it didn’t happen.”
Gay people in Greenville have also had a muted reaction to Sean’s murder, Kennedy said.
“Most of them, they’re afraid,” Kennedy said. “For them to give up their life, their job, because they could lose their job, give up their safety — why would people want to stand out there and put themselves in that danger?”
But even in cities with booming gay populations like Atlanta, people are often unaware of or ignore anti-gay violence like the recent killings of gay teenagers Lawrence King in a California middle school, and Simmie Williams in Ft. Lauderdale.
“I’m kind of frustrated because I think a lot of people are blind to events and activism,” said Thomas Byrd, a gay teen who attends high school in Cobb County. “This could’ve been me or any of us.”
From Washington, D.C., to Florida to YouTube, gay people have recently paid tribute to Williams, who was found dead while wearing women’s clothes, and King, who was shot in the head at point-blank range by a classmate.
“I think it’s amazing that gay and lesbian centers all over the U.S. have done vigils,” said Jay Smith, executive director of the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance, where King participated in events.
“It’s been a sad three weeks for us,” Smith said. “We tell [youth] to be out, be proud and be safe, and Larry seemed to be doing that and got killed for it.”
Gay people in Ft. Lauderdale are experiencing “a heightened sense of urgency and concern” after Williams’s death, which was followed days later by another local anti-gay attack, said Paul Hyman, executive director of the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of South Florida.
Lawrence King’s murder marks the first time in 10 years that an anti-gay killing has come close to becoming a national news story.
“The Matthew Shepard case captured the nation’s attention in a way we have not seen since then,” said Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
“All incidents that involve violence and brutality against LGBT people deserve the same kind of public outcry and community response in order to shift the cultural climate about LGBT issues,” Giuliano added.
News of King’s death took weeks to spread from local coverage, despite it being a “uniquely horrifying” school shooting, said Jennings from GLSEN.
Scott Hall, a heterosexual who was attacked during an anti-gay hate crime in 1984, tracks anti-gay violence for a memorial project known as Gay American Heroes.
“It’s only the ones that are most horrific and most unusual that get national media play,” Hall said.
Media coverage of anti-gay attacks helps galvanize opposition to homophobia, and can transcend ideological lines. During her Feb. 29 show, Ellen DeGeneres delivered an emotional tribute to King and said his death “is not political.”
“A little boy has been killed, and a number of lives have been ruined,” DeGeneres said. “When the message out there is so horrible, that to be gay, you can get killed for it, we need to change the message… We must change our country.”
In Georgia, the statewide gay rights group Georgia Equality created a YouTube tribute to King that urges state lawmakers to adopt a gay-inclusive hate crimes law and stronger anti-bullying measures. The bullying bill has cleared a state senate committee, but must pass the full Senate by March 11 to remain alive for the session, according to the group, which urges supporters to contact legislators.
But Elke Kennedy cautions that the response to crimes like her son’s murder can’t end with enacting gay-friendly laws.
“California has hate crimes laws, but that’s still not going to prevent this from happening because people are still taught to hate and that it’s OK,” Kennedy said. “I want parents to know that they’re the ones that are responsible for teaching their children to hate. I believe it starts at home.”
Tragic as they are, anti-gay killings have the potential to bring people together, like at a vigil for Simmie Williams last week, Hyman of South Florida said.
“It was a really amazing presence of [the Williams family’s] religious community and the LGBT community, particularly African-American transgender people having a strong presence,” Hyman said.
Violence against LGBT people
Violence against LGBT people, queer identifying and the same-sex attracted are actions which may occur either at the hands of individuals or groups, or as part of governmental enforcement of laws targeting people who are perceived to violate heteronormative rules and who contravene protocols of gender roles. People who are mistakenly perceived to be LGBT may also be targeted.
A hate crime is when individuals become victimized because of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation (Conklin,1992)(CSVR). Hate crimes against homosexuals often occur because the perpetrator is "homophobic". The attacks can also be blamed on society itself. Many people view being homosexual as being weak, feminine, and morally wrong. Religion plays a huge role in perpetuating these views. Some religious followers believe that the bible says that homosexuality is wrong and believe that "GOD hates gays" (New York Times, 1990). Many other religious leaders and people have dismissed the claim as exaggeration and misinterpretation.
Violence targeted at people because of their perceived sexuality may include threats, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, rape, torture, attempted murder and murder. These actions may be caused by cultural, religious, or political mores and biases.
In the United States, the FBI reported that 15.6% of hate crimes reported to police in 2004 were founded on perceived sexual orientation. 61% of these attacks were against gay men, 14% against lesbians, 2% against heterosexuals and 1% against bisexuals, while attacks against GLBT people at large made up 20%.[1] Violence based on perceived gender identity was not recorded in the report.
In the United States, the FBI reported that for 2006, hate crimes against gays increased to 16%, from 14% in 2005, as percentages of total documented hate crimes across the US.[2] The 2006 annual report, released on November 19, 2007, also said that hate crimes based on sexual orientation are the third most common type, behind race and religion.[2]
It is true that the number of hate crimes against gays continue to rise, however many of the crimes that occur go unreported, and therefore, unrecorded. This may be due to the fact that many gays feel they can not trust the police and by reporting the crime they will be subjected to further victimization(CSVR). Many homosexuals simply perceive the police as being anti-gay, and these thoughts may be justified. Research findings in the USA show that 20% of all anti-gay hate crimes are committed by police officers
A hate crime is when individuals become victimized because of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation (Conklin,1992)(CSVR). Hate crimes against homosexuals often occur because the perpetrator is "homophobic". The attacks can also be blamed on society itself. Many people view being homosexual as being weak, feminine, and morally wrong. Religion plays a huge role in perpetuating these views. Some religious followers believe that the bible says that homosexuality is wrong and believe that "GOD hates gays" (New York Times, 1990). Many other religious leaders and people have dismissed the claim as exaggeration and misinterpretation.
Violence targeted at people because of their perceived sexuality may include threats, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, rape, torture, attempted murder and murder. These actions may be caused by cultural, religious, or political mores and biases.
In the United States, the FBI reported that 15.6% of hate crimes reported to police in 2004 were founded on perceived sexual orientation. 61% of these attacks were against gay men, 14% against lesbians, 2% against heterosexuals and 1% against bisexuals, while attacks against GLBT people at large made up 20%.[1] Violence based on perceived gender identity was not recorded in the report.
In the United States, the FBI reported that for 2006, hate crimes against gays increased to 16%, from 14% in 2005, as percentages of total documented hate crimes across the US.[2] The 2006 annual report, released on November 19, 2007, also said that hate crimes based on sexual orientation are the third most common type, behind race and religion.[2]
It is true that the number of hate crimes against gays continue to rise, however many of the crimes that occur go unreported, and therefore, unrecorded. This may be due to the fact that many gays feel they can not trust the police and by reporting the crime they will be subjected to further victimization(CSVR). Many homosexuals simply perceive the police as being anti-gay, and these thoughts may be justified. Research findings in the USA show that 20% of all anti-gay hate crimes are committed by police officers
Gay Anthem Song "I am who I am" Listen up World!
Pro-Gay song! First of all thanks to all those ...
Pro-Gay song! First of all thanks to all those who gave me permission to use their pictures in the video.
Here are some of my thoughts here below: "You have to start with fact and then go from there. If any thing tries to refute the fact, the fact is always right."
"The fact is some people are born gay."
"If a Christian fundamentalist comes to me with a scripture claiming that same-sex attraction is wrong, they contradict the already-known fact that there are millions of gay people who do not in no way and never have been attracted to the opposite sex. This is fact and part of creation. But the fundamentalist is trying to deny that fact. So either the Bible is wrong or their interpretation is wrong. Which is it? If they are humble enough and have some wisdom into the matter they will see that their interpretation is in error."
"If anything drives a gay man to such confusion about himself that he dare think about suicide, the cause is other people's false views."
"God would surely not use "His word" to commit murder, and thus be a liar."
"But, religious folk use it to commit murder, always because of misinterpretation."
"Either your Interpretation is wrong or the Bible is wrong, because we have a great conflict here. No human should be so utterly confused they would contemplate suicide as a solution. It should be obvious that the person is right for just being his true and natural self. Something else is wrong and it is not the person. The religious indoctrination of falsehood is to blame or the Bible is wrong. Which is it? Or could it be both?
We must understand the bible has been tampered with and mistranslated, and words added and some taken away etc. There are errors in our modern day bible. For example the word "homosexual" was added in about 1950 and it was a huge error and a misinterpretation of Greek words. See my videos for detailed explanations on various misinterpretations of the bible by fundamentalist Christians who are anti-gay.
We can toss bible verse back and forth all day long but I say put down the bible for a moment and take a long hard look at the world around you, come out of that fundamentalist box and look at some of these faces in this video and tell some of these boys they have to walk down the isle in marriage to the opposite sex. Or tell some of the "Dykes on Bikes" they have to walk down the isle with a man? Can't you see it just is not going to happen? This is fact. They are not cut out of the same mold as a stereotypical heterosexual. God did create diversity and the Christian fundamentalist has not figured it out yet. So put down the Bible for a moment and think! Use your God-given common sense. Unlearn everything you have been brainwashed to believe on the subject of same-sex attraction.
In the days of Galileo he scientifically proved the earth rotated around the sun. The church called him a heretic and pointed to scripture to disprove him and sent him to prison and there he stayed the rest of his life. It took the church 300 years to realize they were wrong and had misinterpreted the bible and that they need to pay more closely to fact and science. They later apologized but it was too late.
Other atrocities resulting from the Church backing up their view with scripture were the crusades, the inquisitions, slavery, the annihilation of the Indian and even the holocaust was fueled by the anti-Jew rhetoric dating back to 500 AD coming from Christians. And for centuries the persons attracted to the same sex have been persecuted, ridiculed, and even killed just for being who they naturally are? What crime is it to be who we are as created by God?
My plea with the world is the same one Jesus said: That we truly love one another and that we treat others the way we would want to be treated. That's it! If we can do that we will have peace among people. This is who I am. I am a peacemaker and a very compassionate man having a big heart for all those oppressed by others. I care.
I am a songwriter/guitarist/musician for over twenty-five years now and I want to use my talents to further this cause. I would love to get involved with some of the various functions and such. If I can be of help please send me a message. Also I have written over 300 pages on this subject at hand and if someone who like to help me get it published I sure could use the help.
Here are some great websites below to visit:
Soulforce.org
Wouldjesusdiscrimate.com www.homosexualeunuchsandthebible.com
www.christiangays.com
http://gaychristiansurvivors.com
Pflag.org
www.faithinamerica.info
http://www.glbtjews.org/
Pro-Gay song! First of all thanks to all those who gave me permission to use their pictures in the video.
Here are some of my thoughts here below: "You have to start with fact and then go from there. If any thing tries to refute the fact, the fact is always right."
"The fact is some people are born gay."
"If a Christian fundamentalist comes to me with a scripture claiming that same-sex attraction is wrong, they contradict the already-known fact that there are millions of gay people who do not in no way and never have been attracted to the opposite sex. This is fact and part of creation. But the fundamentalist is trying to deny that fact. So either the Bible is wrong or their interpretation is wrong. Which is it? If they are humble enough and have some wisdom into the matter they will see that their interpretation is in error."
"If anything drives a gay man to such confusion about himself that he dare think about suicide, the cause is other people's false views."
"God would surely not use "His word" to commit murder, and thus be a liar."
"But, religious folk use it to commit murder, always because of misinterpretation."
"Either your Interpretation is wrong or the Bible is wrong, because we have a great conflict here. No human should be so utterly confused they would contemplate suicide as a solution. It should be obvious that the person is right for just being his true and natural self. Something else is wrong and it is not the person. The religious indoctrination of falsehood is to blame or the Bible is wrong. Which is it? Or could it be both?
We must understand the bible has been tampered with and mistranslated, and words added and some taken away etc. There are errors in our modern day bible. For example the word "homosexual" was added in about 1950 and it was a huge error and a misinterpretation of Greek words. See my videos for detailed explanations on various misinterpretations of the bible by fundamentalist Christians who are anti-gay.
We can toss bible verse back and forth all day long but I say put down the bible for a moment and take a long hard look at the world around you, come out of that fundamentalist box and look at some of these faces in this video and tell some of these boys they have to walk down the isle in marriage to the opposite sex. Or tell some of the "Dykes on Bikes" they have to walk down the isle with a man? Can't you see it just is not going to happen? This is fact. They are not cut out of the same mold as a stereotypical heterosexual. God did create diversity and the Christian fundamentalist has not figured it out yet. So put down the Bible for a moment and think! Use your God-given common sense. Unlearn everything you have been brainwashed to believe on the subject of same-sex attraction.
In the days of Galileo he scientifically proved the earth rotated around the sun. The church called him a heretic and pointed to scripture to disprove him and sent him to prison and there he stayed the rest of his life. It took the church 300 years to realize they were wrong and had misinterpreted the bible and that they need to pay more closely to fact and science. They later apologized but it was too late.
Other atrocities resulting from the Church backing up their view with scripture were the crusades, the inquisitions, slavery, the annihilation of the Indian and even the holocaust was fueled by the anti-Jew rhetoric dating back to 500 AD coming from Christians. And for centuries the persons attracted to the same sex have been persecuted, ridiculed, and even killed just for being who they naturally are? What crime is it to be who we are as created by God?
My plea with the world is the same one Jesus said: That we truly love one another and that we treat others the way we would want to be treated. That's it! If we can do that we will have peace among people. This is who I am. I am a peacemaker and a very compassionate man having a big heart for all those oppressed by others. I care.
I am a songwriter/guitarist/musician for over twenty-five years now and I want to use my talents to further this cause. I would love to get involved with some of the various functions and such. If I can be of help please send me a message. Also I have written over 300 pages on this subject at hand and if someone who like to help me get it published I sure could use the help.
Here are some great websites below to visit:
Soulforce.org
Wouldjesusdiscrimate.com www.homosexualeunuchsandthebible.com
www.christiangays.com
http://gaychristiansurvivors.com
Pflag.org
www.faithinamerica.info
http://www.glbtjews.org/
AFA Warns Against Day of Silence
March 07, 2008
AFA Warns Against Day of Silence
The American Family Association is urging parents to keep their children home from school on April 25, the National Day of Silence. The Day of Silence, first organized in 1996, encourages students to remain voiceless for a day to represent the silence faced by LGBT people and their allies. Today, hundreds of schools across the country participate in the event.
"DOS leads the students to believe that every person who identifies as a homosexual, bisexual, or cross-dresser is a victim of ongoing, unrelenting harassment and hate," the AFA said in its mass e-mail. "Students are taught that homosexuality is a worthy lifestyle, homosexuality has few or no risks, and individuals are born homosexual and cannot change. Those who oppose such teaching are characterized as ignorant and hateful bigots."
The AFA is asking parents to inform their school that they will not allow their children to attend that day. They also want parents to explain to their children that "homosexual behavior is not an innate identity; it's a sinful, unnatural, and destructive behavior."
The Day of Silence is coordinated by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. (The Advocate)
AFA Warns Against Day of Silence
The American Family Association is urging parents to keep their children home from school on April 25, the National Day of Silence. The Day of Silence, first organized in 1996, encourages students to remain voiceless for a day to represent the silence faced by LGBT people and their allies. Today, hundreds of schools across the country participate in the event.
"DOS leads the students to believe that every person who identifies as a homosexual, bisexual, or cross-dresser is a victim of ongoing, unrelenting harassment and hate," the AFA said in its mass e-mail. "Students are taught that homosexuality is a worthy lifestyle, homosexuality has few or no risks, and individuals are born homosexual and cannot change. Those who oppose such teaching are characterized as ignorant and hateful bigots."
The AFA is asking parents to inform their school that they will not allow their children to attend that day. They also want parents to explain to their children that "homosexual behavior is not an innate identity; it's a sinful, unnatural, and destructive behavior."
The Day of Silence is coordinated by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. (The Advocate)
Is Homosexuality a Sin?
We love God, and don’t want our lives to be controlled by bad habits and self centered attitudes that can harm our relationship with Him and with others. The plain truth is that sin separates us from God (2 Corinthians 6:14; 1 John 1:5-7) and we don’t want to be separated from God! We want to grow closer to Him and become more like His Son with each passing day!
But what exactly is sin? If we took a poll of every church and denomination out there, we would find a different opinion from every one of them! Everybody seems to have their own idea as to what is right and what is wrong! So if we wanted to rid sin from our lives, where would we start and whose list should we follow?
Perhaps we should take a different approach and forget what everyone else thinks and go right to the source, the Bible itself. What then? Could we find God’s will by cataloging every sin mentioned in the Bible? If so, how do we handle edicts that seem to change over time? If you thumb through the Bible you will find that such things as marriage, personnel hygiene, dietary laws, and diplomatic relationships with neighboring nations all have changed over the years. So what is right for our culture and the day and age in which we live?
More importantly, what would we do with such a list once we had compiled it? Paul told us over and over again that trying to live our lives by a long list of do’s and don’ts was a lost cause. Why? Because no one is good enough to follow such a list day in and day out! Furthermore, Paul said such attempts would only bring heartache and failure for no one except Jesus Christ Himself is capable of living a perfect life (Romans 3:10-23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5)! Worse yet, if we attempt to earn our righteousness through ‘good deeds,’ we are in fact rejecting the very work that Christ did for us on the cross (Galatians 2:19-3:21, 5:1-6)!
So is trying to do ‘the right thing’ a lost cause? Have we come full circle? Yes and no. First and foremost, we must settle in our hearts and minds that our salvation only comes through Jesus Christ and none other. We cannot earn our way to heaven. However that doesn’t change the fact that we still want to please God and find His will for our lives. So how do we do that?
This question used to perplex me until a friends question and the prompting of the Holy Spirit had me researching everything I could concerning God's love. During that search, I ran across a Scripture that changed my life forever. For in it we find the very heart and soul of God's will. If you study the issue further, you will find that this same “royal” commandment (James 2:8) lies at the heart of both the Old Covenant (old covenant = Matthew 22:37-40) and the New Covenant (new covenant = John 13:34). God has never changed (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; 1 John 4:8, 16), only His instructions on how we should carry out His will have.
Why is this so? Because we have changed over time and the cultures we live in are different from one another. We don’t face the same problems the early Patriarchs faced. Nor were the Apostles encumbered with some of the things we have to deal with today. Each generation and each culture is different. What may be a loving act in one culture may be cause for war in another! In spite of our differences, we are all given the same basic principle to carry out in our lives. That being that we are to...
Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)
"Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Matthew 22:40 (Amplified)
“These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Simply put, we are to love God first, and then we are to love others, as we love ourselves. If we embrace and follow this belief, we are following God’s will for our lives and we are not living in sin. The Apostle Paul put it this way:
Galatians 5:14 (Amplified)
“For the whole law [concerning human relationships] is complied with in one precept. You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself.”
Romans 13:8-10 (NIV)
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Therefore sin is simply this: if I do not love God and put Him first in my life, this is a sin. If I mistreat others or myself spiritually, emotionally or physically, it is a sin. Love is the basis for all of God’s laws, old and new. Sin is the absence or distortion of this love.
So is homosexuality a sin? “It depends” is my answer. The question is no longer ‘gay’ or ‘straight’ but an issue of love in the relationship. First and foremost, is this relationship encouraging both partners’ spiritual growth and relationship with God?” And second, is this a relationship loving and healthy for both parties? God is not concerned with the superficial things that worry us. He does not care what our sexual orientation, gender, skin color, or church affiliation is. These things have no meaning to God. He goes straight to the heart of the matter and simply asks the question, “Is this relationship based on, and operating in, My love or not?”
But what exactly is sin? If we took a poll of every church and denomination out there, we would find a different opinion from every one of them! Everybody seems to have their own idea as to what is right and what is wrong! So if we wanted to rid sin from our lives, where would we start and whose list should we follow?
Perhaps we should take a different approach and forget what everyone else thinks and go right to the source, the Bible itself. What then? Could we find God’s will by cataloging every sin mentioned in the Bible? If so, how do we handle edicts that seem to change over time? If you thumb through the Bible you will find that such things as marriage, personnel hygiene, dietary laws, and diplomatic relationships with neighboring nations all have changed over the years. So what is right for our culture and the day and age in which we live?
More importantly, what would we do with such a list once we had compiled it? Paul told us over and over again that trying to live our lives by a long list of do’s and don’ts was a lost cause. Why? Because no one is good enough to follow such a list day in and day out! Furthermore, Paul said such attempts would only bring heartache and failure for no one except Jesus Christ Himself is capable of living a perfect life (Romans 3:10-23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5)! Worse yet, if we attempt to earn our righteousness through ‘good deeds,’ we are in fact rejecting the very work that Christ did for us on the cross (Galatians 2:19-3:21, 5:1-6)!
So is trying to do ‘the right thing’ a lost cause? Have we come full circle? Yes and no. First and foremost, we must settle in our hearts and minds that our salvation only comes through Jesus Christ and none other. We cannot earn our way to heaven. However that doesn’t change the fact that we still want to please God and find His will for our lives. So how do we do that?
This question used to perplex me until a friends question and the prompting of the Holy Spirit had me researching everything I could concerning God's love. During that search, I ran across a Scripture that changed my life forever. For in it we find the very heart and soul of God's will. If you study the issue further, you will find that this same “royal” commandment (James 2:8) lies at the heart of both the Old Covenant (old covenant = Matthew 22:37-40) and the New Covenant (new covenant = John 13:34). God has never changed (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; 1 John 4:8, 16), only His instructions on how we should carry out His will have.
Why is this so? Because we have changed over time and the cultures we live in are different from one another. We don’t face the same problems the early Patriarchs faced. Nor were the Apostles encumbered with some of the things we have to deal with today. Each generation and each culture is different. What may be a loving act in one culture may be cause for war in another! In spite of our differences, we are all given the same basic principle to carry out in our lives. That being that we are to...
Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)
"Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Matthew 22:40 (Amplified)
“These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Simply put, we are to love God first, and then we are to love others, as we love ourselves. If we embrace and follow this belief, we are following God’s will for our lives and we are not living in sin. The Apostle Paul put it this way:
Galatians 5:14 (Amplified)
“For the whole law [concerning human relationships] is complied with in one precept. You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself.”
Romans 13:8-10 (NIV)
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Therefore sin is simply this: if I do not love God and put Him first in my life, this is a sin. If I mistreat others or myself spiritually, emotionally or physically, it is a sin. Love is the basis for all of God’s laws, old and new. Sin is the absence or distortion of this love.
So is homosexuality a sin? “It depends” is my answer. The question is no longer ‘gay’ or ‘straight’ but an issue of love in the relationship. First and foremost, is this relationship encouraging both partners’ spiritual growth and relationship with God?” And second, is this a relationship loving and healthy for both parties? God is not concerned with the superficial things that worry us. He does not care what our sexual orientation, gender, skin color, or church affiliation is. These things have no meaning to God. He goes straight to the heart of the matter and simply asks the question, “Is this relationship based on, and operating in, My love or not?”
12th Annual National Day of Silence Honors the Memory of Lawrence King
Students nationwide take part in a Day of Silence
NEW YORK – On the heels of the Oxnard, CA murder of 8th grade student, Lawrence King, middle, high school and college campuses all over the country to be a little quieter. On Friday, April 25, 2008, students nationwide will be commemorating the 12th annual National Day of Silence. They will observe a daylong silence to protest the bullying, harassment and name-calling—in effect, the silencing—faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and their allies in schools.
While this silence is often times used metaphorically to symbolize students’ lives, experiences and histories being invisible, the murder of Lawrence King, which occurred at school, represents a literal and absolute definition of this silence. According to friends, Lawrence was killed because of his sexual orientation and gender expression.
The Day of Silence, a project of GLSEN, will be held during school hours. Hundreds of thousands of students are expected to participate on April 25, many of whom will wear stickers and pass out ‘speaking cards’ that read:
"Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies in schools. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence?"
GLSEN’s 2005 National School Climate Survey found that more than 64% of LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and 29% report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety. The Day of Silence is one way students and their allies are making anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and name-calling unacceptable in America’s schools.
About the Day of Silence
The Day of Silence, a project of GLSEN, is a nationwide, student-led event during which thousands of high schools and colleges protest the oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. For more information and a complete collection of organizing materials, visit www.dayofsilence.org.
Friends mourn loss of jovial teen killed in shooting
By Nadine Parks (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
That Adolphus Simmons dressed like a woman was of no consequence to his neighbors at the Bradford Apartments in North Charleston. To them, his shooting death Monday night was a senseless loss of a beloved friend.
The effeminate 18-year-old charmed them with his always jovial and sometimes flamboyant personality, they said.
It was about 8 p.m. when Mary Ivory heard a commotion outside the apartment complex on Bream Road and saw flashing blue lights. A few doors down, Simmons lay on the ground with gunshot wounds, and a man neighbors said was his brother held him in his arms, weeping. A woman cried out for someone to call police, she said.
"It was so cold," said his friend Tiffany Wells. "It seemed like it took forever for EMS to come."
Simmons, a former student at Stall High School, was pronounced dead at Medical University Hospital at 9:08 p.m., Chief Deputy Coroner Judy Koelpin said.
Police were working on leads in the case late Tuesday. There was no indication that his slaying was a hate crime, said Spencer Pryor, police public information officer.
Simmons had moved into the complex about a year earlier and quickly made friends with other tenants. Most notable was his feminine manner of dress. He experimented with creative weave hairstyles and colors, and he became pretty good at it, Wells said.
Soon, he was doing everybody's hair and making money at it, she said.
Wells said Simmons made sure that you didn't just get a nice hairdo but a lift for your spirits as well.
"He was a jokester," she said. "He liked to tell jokes and make you laugh."
About a month ago, Simmons quit his job at Captain D's on Rivers Avenue to focus on the hairstyling. His mother, Felicia Moultrie, had her hair done for free.
Moultrie spoke with her oldest son just three hours before he was shot. He was cooking crabs, and invited her over for dinner.
"He was cuttin' a fool, and laughing and joking," Moultrie said.
She was busy shopping and told him she would call him back later. It was a return call she never got around to making, and that causes her painful regret now, she said.
Witnesses told police Simmons had been eating crab before taking out the trash, according to the incident report. They heard gunfire but told police they didn't think much of it since neighbors often shoot guns. When they noticed that Simmons had not returned, they opened the door to find him unconscious on the steps.
"He was so young," Wells said.
Like his neighbors, Simmons' family looked past the clothes and hair he wore and saw only a loving human being, Moultrie said.
"He chose his lifestyle the way he wanted it," she said. "We all accepted him for who he was."
Simmons' death was the fourth homicide this year in North Charleston. Police are searching for suspects in the Jan. 12 deaths of John Burgess, 48, of Hollywood and Sheila Stannard, 48, of West Ashley. They were shot at Pepperhill Park. The city's other slaying was a murder-suicide Jan. 2 in which Ted Davis, 63, shot his wife 58-year-old Theresa Davis, then himself at their Northwood Estates home.
Reach Nadine Parks at 937-5573 or nparks@postandcourier.com. Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@postandcourier.com.
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
That Adolphus Simmons dressed like a woman was of no consequence to his neighbors at the Bradford Apartments in North Charleston. To them, his shooting death Monday night was a senseless loss of a beloved friend.
The effeminate 18-year-old charmed them with his always jovial and sometimes flamboyant personality, they said.
It was about 8 p.m. when Mary Ivory heard a commotion outside the apartment complex on Bream Road and saw flashing blue lights. A few doors down, Simmons lay on the ground with gunshot wounds, and a man neighbors said was his brother held him in his arms, weeping. A woman cried out for someone to call police, she said.
"It was so cold," said his friend Tiffany Wells. "It seemed like it took forever for EMS to come."
Simmons, a former student at Stall High School, was pronounced dead at Medical University Hospital at 9:08 p.m., Chief Deputy Coroner Judy Koelpin said.
Police were working on leads in the case late Tuesday. There was no indication that his slaying was a hate crime, said Spencer Pryor, police public information officer.
Simmons had moved into the complex about a year earlier and quickly made friends with other tenants. Most notable was his feminine manner of dress. He experimented with creative weave hairstyles and colors, and he became pretty good at it, Wells said.
Soon, he was doing everybody's hair and making money at it, she said.
Wells said Simmons made sure that you didn't just get a nice hairdo but a lift for your spirits as well.
"He was a jokester," she said. "He liked to tell jokes and make you laugh."
About a month ago, Simmons quit his job at Captain D's on Rivers Avenue to focus on the hairstyling. His mother, Felicia Moultrie, had her hair done for free.
Moultrie spoke with her oldest son just three hours before he was shot. He was cooking crabs, and invited her over for dinner.
"He was cuttin' a fool, and laughing and joking," Moultrie said.
She was busy shopping and told him she would call him back later. It was a return call she never got around to making, and that causes her painful regret now, she said.
Witnesses told police Simmons had been eating crab before taking out the trash, according to the incident report. They heard gunfire but told police they didn't think much of it since neighbors often shoot guns. When they noticed that Simmons had not returned, they opened the door to find him unconscious on the steps.
"He was so young," Wells said.
Like his neighbors, Simmons' family looked past the clothes and hair he wore and saw only a loving human being, Moultrie said.
"He chose his lifestyle the way he wanted it," she said. "We all accepted him for who he was."
Simmons' death was the fourth homicide this year in North Charleston. Police are searching for suspects in the Jan. 12 deaths of John Burgess, 48, of Hollywood and Sheila Stannard, 48, of West Ashley. They were shot at Pepperhill Park. The city's other slaying was a murder-suicide Jan. 2 in which Ted Davis, 63, shot his wife 58-year-old Theresa Davis, then himself at their Northwood Estates home.
Reach Nadine Parks at 937-5573 or nparks@postandcourier.com. Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@postandcourier.com.
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