If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Some weeks, not much happens in political news, and other weeks it seems like almost too much happens. This was one of the latter types of week.
BSA's has decided to alter its long-standing position about gays in Scouting. Yesterday was a momentous day. Here are some of the thoughts that this gay former scout had:
You, a well-meaning Christian, sign on to Facebook, only to see an overweight deacon from your church downing the super-sized everything at the local fast-food joint. Are you going to tell him he's going right to hell because he is a glutton? You would have some biblical backing if you did.
I returned to Scouts after realizing that by quitting, I had done exactly as that hardened core, which doesn't have stranglehold on my local area, wanted: to purge gays and straight allies of the organization.
In your recent speech at the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center you said, "We need to create an atmosphere that encourages people to speak up, so we get this right." This letter is me speaking up, with the hope that we can get this right.
My mother may continue to cringe at the word "queer," but I invite you to consider the idea that queerness can be a pretty good thing. In the broad sense of the word, every person who has ever gone against social norms and values in order to improve them is queer.
On Saturday, May 18, I had the pleasure of marrying my best friend. In front of a hundred or so dear friends and family on a beach in Provincetown, Mass., I did something I never, ever imagined I'd be able to do legally in this country.
It's no longer sufficient for our straight friends to say, "I have no problem with you being gay," or, "I have gay friends." What we really need is for LGBT people and our allies to stand together and say that enough is enough when it comes to homophobia.
I'm proud to be walking for marriage with Garden State Equality. A wise man once helped me understand that even after you've been fighting for 30 years for your rights, you still don't let people trample on you.
Puerto Rico is in the midst of an incredible moment in its history. The momentum around civil rights for our LGBT brothers and sisters has never been stronger.
His new running mate E. W. Jackson makes Ken Cuccinelli look like Mike Bloomberg. The more time the media and oppo-researchers spend digging up old statements of Jackson's (and there is already a goldmine out there), the more normal -- and electable -- Cuccinelli looks.
It seems that the message we too often miss from Milk's work is that all Americans have an interest in equality because soon we will all be minorities in some way or another. Harvey called this his "coalition of the us's" -- not only gays but blacks, Asians, seniors, the disabled.
In 2007 and 2008, its first two years of existence, NOM never bothered to file any tax returns with the IRS. Each subsequent year, NOM has either been late or filed at least two extensions on its tax returns. This is illegal if you are a 501(c)(3) or a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization like NOM.
One doesn't often have the opportunity to make a quick remark that might affect the course of U.S. policy. I got that chance in an unexpected conversation with Barack Obama in 2007.
The improvement in the human rights situation of LGBT people is real, but millions have yet to feel its touch. Extending the reach of progress and guaranteeing the rights of every LGBT individual, no matter where they live, is emerging as a vital, if contested, objective of human rights activism.
One of the defining characteristics of the LGBT community is our resilience and refusal to accept oppression. We're also known for our capacity, as a community, to put on a grand party when the situation demands it.
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