Posts
I thought I'd see what happened if I invited Central Floridians who are gay males to group together. In this redneck country, I am diffident about putting an HRC sticker on my car! I guess it was a mistake to live in the Homo Heights section of Dallas for 30 years, then come to the zipper under the Bible Belt (you know what Florida looks like on a map).
So come on down!
As of 12/06/09, I was notified that this group cannot be found in Search. I checked and we are a Public By Invitation Only, which means all members can invite, and it should be found in search. I have a feeling that Vox is not sophisticated enough to yield from a partial search. Should I change the group name to Florida Association of Gay Studs (FAGS)?
As of 12/07/09, counties represented are Broward, Citrus, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota, with embassies in Georgia, Illinois, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
JESUS' GENERAL: Sarah Palin & Carrie Prejean: The Future of the Republican Party?
How many Republicans do you suppose are looking forward to the possibility of Sarah Palin getting in bed with Carrie Prejean for the 2012 presidential race?
Two conservative women explore forbidden political pleasures from top to bottom...
OK, word has it that New Jersey will be the next state to vote on the issue of same-sex marriage. As of now, New Jersey has a civil unions law, which provides all of the benefits of marriage without using the word. As most know, this is a "separate but equal" status which is discriminatory. Equality is equality; and, same-sex civil unions are not truly equal unless they are considered official marriages recognized by the state (with all of the federal and state benefits which come along with it).
How many times have you walked in or out of your local grocery store and felt pressured to give a handful of change to the Salvation Army volunteer, ringing his little bell? I think we've all probably dug into our pockets, at one point or another, and pulled out a crumpled dollar bill, proudly exchanged merry, merries and then dropped the cash into the little red kettle. It is after all Christmas-time, and the Salvation Army is out in full force.
They do good things with the money, right? Well, I hate to be the Grinch, but the answer is yes and no. According to the official website of the Salvation Army, 83 cents of every dollar collected goes directly to client service. Sounds impressive. The Salvation Army delivers aid to 36 million people through a national network of soup kitchens, drug-treatment centers, hospitals, shelters for battered women, nursing care and day-care centers run by low-paid workers or volunteers. The Army even does great work for AIDS care. That's the good.
The Salvation Army boasts that it does its unique service to all people in the name of Christ. Well, with that mission, who wouldn't give? The answer is -- me. And here's why. The Salvation Army is a homophobic organization; they actively speak out against homosexuality, have anti-gay employment practices and even lobby Congress in an effort against gay rights. All of this is justified in the name of religion and with the use of the Bible, oh and your money.
According to their website: "The Salvation Army recognizes that same-sex friendships can be enriching, Christ-honouring relationships, bringing joy through mutual companionship and sharing. However, same-sex relationships which are genitally expressed are unacceptable according to the teaching of scripture. Attempts to establish or promote such relationships as viable alternatives to a heterosexually-based family life do not conform to God's will for society
For this reason, and in obedience to the example of Jesus whose compassionate love was all-embracing, Salvationists seek to understand and sensitively to accept and help those of a homosexual disposition and those who express that disposition in sexual acts. The Army is opposed to the victimisation of persons on the grounds of sexual orientation and recognizes the social and emotional stress and the loneliness borne by many who are homosexual.
The Salvation Army regards the origins of a homosexual orientation as a mystery and does not regard a homosexual disposition as blameworthy in itself or rectifiable at will. Nevertheless, while we are not responsible for what we are, we are accountable for what we do; and homosexual conduct, like heterosexual conduct, is controllable and may be morally evaluated therefore in the light of scriptural teaching.
For this reason such practices, if unrenounced, render a person ineligible for Salvation Army soldiership, in the same way that unrenounced heterosexual misconduct is a bar to soldiership. The Army recognizes the strength of feeling about sexual identity, and the difficulty many find in expressing this identity in keeping with scriptural standards."
Please choose your charities cautiously and wisely. If you do some light homework, you can quickly discover which organizations have your best interests at heart and which organizations use the name of Christ to work against you. So the next time you hear that little bell ringing, I hope you'll think of your gay friends and family and keep walking with your change or cash firmly stuffed in your pocket. After all, 'tis the season.
Hi I am new to VOX , this group and blogging and still finding my way around and just wanted to say hi.
In a vote of 38-24, New York state lost marriage equality today. There were some impassioned speeches made by several stand-out senators that brought tears to my eyes. It was a historic stand for equality, but in the end we lost.
Opponents of gay marriage often have said that the institution of marriage should be protected and have used this mantra to justify their opposition to gay couples obtaining the right. As I have written before, the real threat to the institution of marriage isn't gay marriage at all, but divorce.
D.C. is one Step Closer to Gay Marriage:
The District of Columbia City Council voted 11-2 in favor of a same-sex marriage bill today. This is the first of two votes needed to pass same-sex marriage before the mayor can sign it. The second vote is expected on December 15th; and by the way, Mayor Fenty has promised his signature. Since D.C. is over-seen by the U.S. Congress, by law there will be a 30 day mandatory review period before same-sex marriage can go into effect.
Every report which I have read so far indicates that the same-sex marriage bill is expected to pass and Congress is also expected to permit the new law.
The other two possible outstanding same-sex marriage votes remaining could be in New York and New Jersey. The latest on New York is that things are looking up for passage while New Jersey Democrats have started once again to push for a vote on the issue.
Now this is scary. Last night on The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow discussed a Newsweek article which exposed an attempt by some in the Ugandan government to outlaw homosexuality, punishable by death. Uganda wouldn't be the first country with such radical ideas. Many parts of the world have laws prohibiting homosexuality and some even punish the "crime" with death; however, what makes this more disturbing is that the author of this legislation has strong ties to prominent U.S. Evangelical leaders, namely Rick Warren, the pastor that gave President Obama's invocation. Even more disturbing than that, is that the Ugandan President and the bill's author are members of The Family, the Washington based C Street church made up of conservative U.S. legislators.
As I watched the segment, I couldn't help but think of the similarities between the Nazis of World War II and the Ugandan government, attempting to exterminate Jews and homosexuals. For anyone who might have missed The Rachel Maddow Show last night, I've included the video below.
