Thanks to a friend on Facebook, I was reacquainted with this video, which was first released in 2009. It provides an education on what homosexuality is and what it’s not. I think some of the Presidential nominees should take a look at this video because it might just be simple enough for even them to understand.
Rick Perry released a new ad today in Iowa to try and drum up more supporters for his Republican Presidential nod. Although recent polls show Newt Gingrich in first place (who saw that one coming?), Perry no doubt believes his attacks against homosexuals, Obama, and public school prayer will help him win some votes among the extremely conservative.
In the ad, Perry promises to “end Obama’s war on religion” and “fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage.”
Once again, Perry has things bass ackwards. No war against religion exists. The religious fundamentalists are simply ticked that they aren’t getting their way–that their versions of morality aren’t adopted by the nation as a whole.
Perry says in his video “faith once made America strong,” but he forgets that faith wasn’t prescribed upon the country’s founding for a reason.
(video via ThinkProgress)
Earlier today, President Obama issued a memorandum calling for nations to help promote “the fair treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people worldwide,” as reported by ThinkProgress. The President even spoke before the United Nations where he expressed that he was “deeply concerned by the violence and discrimination targeting LGBT persons around the world — whether it is passing laws that criminalize LGBT status, beating citizens simply for joining peaceful LGBT pride celebrations, or killing men, women, and children for their perceived sexual orientation.”
Naturally, Perry took arms against this plea for basic human rights across the planet.
Perry had this to say about Obama’s call for human rights:
This administration’s war on traditional American values must stop… [and] This is just the most recent example of an administration at war with people of faith in this country. Investing tax dollars promoting a lifestyle many Americas of faith find so deeply objectionable is wrong…President Obama has again mistaken America’s tolerance for different lifestyles with an endorsement of those lifestyles. I will not make that mistake.”
I didn’t realize American values and basic human rights were two different things because according to Perry they are. Whether Perry or any other uber conservative wants to admit it or not, this country was founded on basic human rights. Those rights were fought for and were why we ultimately separated from Britain. We wanted to right to be who we were, to worship as we pleased, to live freely without unjust representation and taxation, and to live in a land for the people and by the people.
Perry (and many others) falsely believe that their Christian beliefs are the be-all and-end-all. Well, that’s just not the way it is. I’m a Christian, but I don’t force my Christianity on anyone else. I also don’t expect every single person to believe as I do much less support gay rights. Everyone has their beliefs. But just because I’m not straight nor Muslim doesn’t mean I don’t think straight Muslims have inalienable rights in this country (or the world) either.
Persecuting people for any reason should never be tolerated, and this is something President Obama is taking a stand on. While I for one would like Obama to take a stronger stand on gay rights in America, I’m still pleased he made this statement for the world wide community.
If Perry had his way, though, persecuting people who aren’t Christian or follow his set of morality would be A-OK.
Many of us have often wondered just what is at the root of the hatred some homophobic men have for gay men. They attempt to berate us, bully us, intimidate us, and flaunt their “masculinity” in front of their bros just to prove how manlier than us they are.
Well, as Queen Gertrude from Shakespeare’s Hamlet said, “I think the lady doth protest too much.” Their strutting and bully tactics have caused many gay men to conclude that these homophobes hide secret man on man sexual desires. After all, sometimes you hate what you can’t have the most, right?
Wouldn’t you know it, Psychology Today reports about one study that seems to prove just that!
In this study,
“heterosexual men [were asked] how comfortable and anxious they are around gay men. Based on these scores, they then divided these men into two groups: men that are homophobic, and men who are not. These men were then shown three, four-minute videos. One video depicted straight sex, one depicted lesbian sex and one depicted gay male sex. While this was happening, a device was attached to each participant’s penis. This device has been found to be triggered by sexual arousal, but not other types of arousal (such as nervousness, or fear – arousal often has a very different meaning in psychology than in popular usage).”
Can you guess what the results showed? I bet you savvy readers can!
Both the homophobes and the non-homophobic men sported woodies when viewing lesbian and straight porn, but when watching some good old fashioned American gay male porn, only the homophobes pitched tents big enough to comfortably sleep a battalion of men, something apparently they would be interested in!
So the next time you come across a homophobe, gauge how extreme his hate is. That should tell you just how much of a flamer he really is!
(Special thanks to K. for bringing this article to my attention! Smooches!)
Just four days after World AIDS Day comes news of a potential break through in HIV/AIDS research, as found on Queerty.
Ars Technica reported that:
a team of labs at Caltech and UCLA decided to short-circuit the need for a vaccination, or even antibody-producing immune cells. They created a disarmed adenovirus that contained the genes needed to produce a broadly effective antibody from humans, optimizing the DNA to make sure that the antibody was made in muscle cells, and then secreted into their environment.
The modified virus was then injected into mice that had had their immune systems humanized (the stem cells in their bone marrow were killed off and then repopulated with human cells). The mice were then exposed to levels of HIV many times higher than are normally present during initial infections. Not all antibodies effectively blocked new infections, but at least one did so consistently. The resistance to new HIV infections persisted for the life of the experiments.”
If these experiments conducted on the mice could be successfully carried over into human trials, there is hope that a single inoculation could one day prevent further HIV infections. This means we are steps closer to eradicating the virus for future generations.
I don’t know about you, but I find this hopeful. I would love for my daughter to mature into a world without the threat of infection from HIV.
Director Morgan Jon Fox is set to release a documentary titled Love in Action in March 2012. This movie follows the life of a young gay man sent to Love In Action, a Christian based ex-gay therapy “ministry.”
The parents’ decision to send their son off to be brainwashed (rightfully) sparks controversy in their town.
You may remember Love in Action (the ex-gay group, not the movie) from a previous post on John Smid, former director of Love in Action, who recently came out of the closet himself. Smid appears in the documentary spouting his support for ex-gay conversion. The fact that he is now out and proud adds validity to the film maker’s vision.
Here’s the trailer for the movie. I know I plan on watching it when it is released.
(video via Joe.My.God)
In his latest campaign ad, Republican Presidential nominee Rick Perry admits to not being a “slick talker” (no, really?).
I think it’s always good when someone realizes his/her weaknesses, but just because we admit them doesn’t make us a good candidate for the job we are applying (or running) for. I’m a teacher, and if I interviewed for a teaching position and told my hiring committee that I had problems speaking in front of the classroom (which is a requirement for the job), I would expect not to be hired.
Perry thinks that by embracing his incompetence he will endear himself to the voters. After all, he’s promising to balance the budget (something we’ve heard for how many presidential elections now?) and to institute a flat tax. What people need to realize is that in Texas, balancing the budget has meant severely cutting funds appropriated for education in a state that consistently ranks at the bottom nationwide.
His actions as well as his inability to speak should frighten the nation. I don’t wish Rick Perry on Texas much less the rest of nation!
Ever wonder what would happen if scientists discover and map a gay gene? This YouTube video offers some insight into how expectant parents might react upon learning their unborn baby boy will be a Friend of Dorothy.
(video via Queerty)
In North Carolina, an anti-gay marriage amendment will go to the polls in May. However, the wording of the amendment has many politicians worried and even regretting their support of the amendment, as reported on ThinkProgress.
The amendment, as it is currently drafted, states that it will “provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.” However, the wording that prevents the state from “prohibit[ing] businesses from offering benefits to domestic partners, isn’t included on the ballot.”
Without that final sentence, politicians such as Republican State Senator Jim Davis are fearful of what the amendment might lead to as he said here:
I have a lot of libertarian in me. I believe firmly, passionately that a marriage should be defined as being between one man and one woman. But I also believe with all my heart that in a free America people who choose to live a different lifestyle should have a legal right to do so. Just don’t call it marriage. [This amendment will] restrict their freedoms a little more beyond my comfort zone.”
While I must give politicians like Davis some credit for realizing the epic failure of this amendment, I find the last sentence of his quote still rather troublesome. It’s okay to restrict freedoms of Americans as long as it’s within his comfort zone? It seems to me that we shouldn’t be restricting civil freedoms at all!
But the damage has been done. The amendment is on the ballot and extreme religious groups (i.e. NOM) have jumped on the bandwagon to get this amendment passed in North Carolina.
Now, we can only hope that the voters in the state will see the same flaws the proponents who helped pass the amendment now see.
Lady Gaga has released her latest video for “Marry the Night.” The video, which is more like a short film, is over 13 minutes long. In typical Gaga fashion, the video/film is a tad weird (we start in a mental ward, I think), and it progresses from there. Still, I love the song, and Gaga has a great line,”You may say I’ve lost everything, but I still have my Bedazzler.”
Hope you enjoy. Music starts at approximately 8:00 if you want to skip the non-music portion.