A mom's heart is always full of good wishes for her children--especially on Valentine's Day. Maybe one day soon, same-sex marriage will be approved and create even more meaning on Valentine's Day for our gay children.
In the online effort to get one million people to become fans of gay marriage, there are already more than a million signed up. That's great. And the latest polls show that three-fourths of Americans approve of gays serving openly in the military.
That's progress, but there's a lot of work ahead--and a mom's heart is full of hope.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Join Today
I just joined and you can join, too. It's called "I bet we can find 1,000,000 people who suport same-sex marriage." Quite an impressive and successful campaign. See, there's a lot of support out there.
Reasons to oppose gay marriage?
None
Nada
Nil
Zero
Zilch
Zip
So go to "I bet we can find 1,000,000 people who support same-sex marriage." Do it now. There were a lot of moms who joined.
Reasons to oppose gay marriage?
None
Nada
Nil
Zero
Zilch
Zip
So go to "I bet we can find 1,000,000 people who support same-sex marriage." Do it now. There were a lot of moms who joined.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Gays in history
It's interesting to note the important contribution gay artists have made throughout history.
Leonardo da Vinci way gay. His historic and famous mural of The Last Supper was completed in 1498. The mural depicts the reaction of each apostle when Jesus said that one of them would betray him. I wonder if Leonardo envisioned that the Catholic church would betray gays for centuries to come?
Michelangelo was gay. His incredible fresco adorns the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in Rome. Commissioned by Pope Julius II, Michelangelo created his masterpiece between 1508-1512. I wonder if the Pope knew he was gay?
Strangely, though da Vinci and Michelangelo lived and worked in the same era, it is said that they disliked each other intensely. Go figure!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Don't ask, don't tell--a political mine field
Finally, after 17 years of "don't ask, don't tell," Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Defense Secretary Robert Gates echoed their agreement that the law should be repealed allowing gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly in the military. This is a significant step.
As Adm. Mullen testified, "No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy that forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens."
"For me it comes down to integrity--theirs as individuals and ours as an institution," he said.
I was impressed by his honesty and eloquence. It's about time someone stood up to the outdated concept of "don't ask, don't tell."
Of course it's being turned into a political mine field and could take until 2012 to be integrated, because the naysayers and foot draggers (who worry more about the showers than the battlefields) will have to mess with it as long as possible.
Vice President Joe Biden wants the policy ended this year.
Personally, I'm not aware that the "invisible gays" in the military have caused major problems. But I am aware that American servicemen have an embarrassing history of fathering illegitimate, culturally shunned and abandoned children around the world. (And then there was that female soldier, Army Pvt. Lynnde England who tortured prisoners at Abu Graib and got pregnant and on and on).
Interestingly, somewhere in the background, The Pentagon--for the first time--has quietly approved a measure that permits military bases worldwide to offer the morning-after pill, an emergency contraceptive. I'll call that, "do ask (for the pill), don't tell (that you had unprotected sex)." I agree that this is a smart move and no doubt will go into effect immediately.
In the meantime, we need to put pressure on our leaders to step through the political mine field and repeal "don't ask, don't tell" quickly. (Then, once we get same-sex marriage approved, gays in uniform can marry. Oops, we don't dare talk about that yet!)
As Adm. Mullen testified, "No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy that forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens."
"For me it comes down to integrity--theirs as individuals and ours as an institution," he said.
I was impressed by his honesty and eloquence. It's about time someone stood up to the outdated concept of "don't ask, don't tell."
Of course it's being turned into a political mine field and could take until 2012 to be integrated, because the naysayers and foot draggers (who worry more about the showers than the battlefields) will have to mess with it as long as possible.
Vice President Joe Biden wants the policy ended this year.
Personally, I'm not aware that the "invisible gays" in the military have caused major problems. But I am aware that American servicemen have an embarrassing history of fathering illegitimate, culturally shunned and abandoned children around the world. (And then there was that female soldier, Army Pvt. Lynnde England who tortured prisoners at Abu Graib and got pregnant and on and on).
Interestingly, somewhere in the background, The Pentagon--for the first time--has quietly approved a measure that permits military bases worldwide to offer the morning-after pill, an emergency contraceptive. I'll call that, "do ask (for the pill), don't tell (that you had unprotected sex)." I agree that this is a smart move and no doubt will go into effect immediately.
In the meantime, we need to put pressure on our leaders to step through the political mine field and repeal "don't ask, don't tell" quickly. (Then, once we get same-sex marriage approved, gays in uniform can marry. Oops, we don't dare talk about that yet!)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Gay marriage trial paused for judge's review
After 12 days of testimony on the meaning of marriage, the nature of sexual orientation and the role of religion in shaping attitudes, this first federal case to decide if the U.S. Constitution prevents states from preventing or stopping same-sex marriages was halted in San Francisco yesterday. The judge said he will take time to review the evidence before allowing closing arguments. The trail will probably resume in March or April.
We must hope for fairness and justice at last.
We must hope for fairness and justice at last.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Cindy McCain a surprising supporter of gay marriage and the California Gay Marriage Trial
On Monday, January 11, the California Gay Marriage Trial began in the federal courthouse in San Francisco with Federal Court Judge Vaughn Walker presiding. Wow, wouldn't it be wonderful if the plaintiffs could take the case against Proposition 8 all the way to the Supreme Court and, hopefully, end the discrimination across the nation.
Remember, where it is legal, gay marriage has been approved by legislatures and courts--not voters. With Proposition 8, voters were twisted by the social conservatives into banning gay marriage.
As many have voiced, same-sex marriage approval is a lot like interracial marriage, which was finally allowed in 1967. Otherwise, we might never have had Barack Obama as President of the United States. Now, all these years later, it's time for gay marriage to win the day in court--and like interracial marriage, someday everyone will forget what all the fuss was about.
And of all things political, now we have Cindy McCain on our side. At first I balked at the idea, since I'm not of the Republican persuasion, and John McCain stands against gay marriage. But now, since Cindy McCain is a mother for gay marriage, I'm proud of her courage. Sometimes a child is the force that changes our hearts and minds and makes us realize that something we had never stood up for before is right. This time, daughter, Meghan McCain must have influenced her mother in a powerful way for her to stand up for gay marriage and be gutsy enough to take the ridicule she has received and still become a catalyst for change.
This is why I say that mothers are a strong force to bring about the realization and understanding that our gay children deserve the right to marry. Touch the heart of a mother and she will stand up for what is right--that's what Cindy McCain did.
Remember, where it is legal, gay marriage has been approved by legislatures and courts--not voters. With Proposition 8, voters were twisted by the social conservatives into banning gay marriage.
As many have voiced, same-sex marriage approval is a lot like interracial marriage, which was finally allowed in 1967. Otherwise, we might never have had Barack Obama as President of the United States. Now, all these years later, it's time for gay marriage to win the day in court--and like interracial marriage, someday everyone will forget what all the fuss was about.
And of all things political, now we have Cindy McCain on our side. At first I balked at the idea, since I'm not of the Republican persuasion, and John McCain stands against gay marriage. But now, since Cindy McCain is a mother for gay marriage, I'm proud of her courage. Sometimes a child is the force that changes our hearts and minds and makes us realize that something we had never stood up for before is right. This time, daughter, Meghan McCain must have influenced her mother in a powerful way for her to stand up for gay marriage and be gutsy enough to take the ridicule she has received and still become a catalyst for change.
This is why I say that mothers are a strong force to bring about the realization and understanding that our gay children deserve the right to marry. Touch the heart of a mother and she will stand up for what is right--that's what Cindy McCain did.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
Though it seems like discrimination based on sexual orientation should be ancient history in the workplace, a bill that was first introduced in Congress in 1994--the Employment Non-Discrimination Act-- may finally pass in 2010. The bill would protect individuals from being fired or denied jobs or promotions based on their sexual orientation and now includes a provision to protect transgender people as well.
Hard to believe, isn't it. Yet there is still opposition to the bill.
Fortunately, my congressman, Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz, who is co-sponsor of the bill, sees it as an issue of fairness. Arizona is one of 29 states where employees can still be fired for their sexual orientation, he said. Unbelievable, I say.
"Why would you want to exclude anybody who is industrious, smart and could do the job? That's just crazy," he said.
President Obama has promised to sign the bill, which is expected to reach a vote in the first quarter of this year.
Fortunately, I have never seen discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and can't imagine how heartbreaking it would be. Pass the bill--finally.
Hard to believe, isn't it. Yet there is still opposition to the bill.
Fortunately, my congressman, Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz, who is co-sponsor of the bill, sees it as an issue of fairness. Arizona is one of 29 states where employees can still be fired for their sexual orientation, he said. Unbelievable, I say.
"Why would you want to exclude anybody who is industrious, smart and could do the job? That's just crazy," he said.
President Obama has promised to sign the bill, which is expected to reach a vote in the first quarter of this year.
Fortunately, I have never seen discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and can't imagine how heartbreaking it would be. Pass the bill--finally.
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