Thursday, December 15, 2005
Today's thoughts
I see the police here in the DFW area are looking into the possibility that the unsolved murders of 7 gay men in the last 5 years may be linked. The suggestion that it might be a direction for police to check was suggested by "The Dallas Voice" and Dallas Councilman Ed Oakley.
Ford has agreed to resume advertising and support for the GLBT community, so of course the AFA is considering a boycott of Ford.
America's first "legal"gay couple has split up after 5 years proving that gays and Baptists have more in common than they want to admit. It is my opinion that the biggest threat to the sancity of marriage is Baptists since studys have shown that they have the highest rate of divorce.
I know lots of GLBT couples who have been together for 20 - 30 years or more. In fact, Dan and I after only 15 years, are relative newlyweds.
Dan and I attended a couples workshop once and found that we knew and understood each other much better than most of the straight couples there.
GLBTS are under attack again, see this out of Florida:
Subject: Fwd: [eqfl] Baptists Launch Attack on Programs that Support Gay Students In a message dated 12/15/2005 10:20:21 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, http://us.f517.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=nadine@eqfl.org&YY=59557&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b writes:Press releaseNews Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, (December 15, 2005)Contact: Brian Winfield, Communications Director, (727) 488-7799Hillsborough Students Under AttackFar Right Extremists Try to Bully Support Groups Out of Schools(TAMPA) A nationally coordinated attack on programs that support gay students arrived in Tampa Thursday night. A right wing church submitted petitions trying to bully the school board into shutting down student-led Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs).In June of this year the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution instructing parents to go after any programs that provide support to gay youth or promote tolerance and diversity on campus. Following that directive, Bell Shoals Baptist Church delivered about 1,100 petitions in a child's wagon.Parents, students and community leaders have already begun rallying to the students´ defense. Through phone calls, faxes and emails, thousands of supporters have contacted the school board and superintendent encouraging them to stand up for the students and follow the law.One of the key members of the anti-gay effort is Allan Trovillion. Many Floridians remember that Rep. Allan Trovillian, Sr drew national condemnation in 2001 when he told a group of gay students who described the bullying and violence they were experiencing in school that they were all going to hell and brought any violence or harassment they face on themselves.``You have to suffer the consequences of your actions,'' Trovillion told the high school students.``God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and he is going to destroy you and a lot of others.''Rep. Trovillion was unaware that a reporter was traveling with the students and his comments were published and widely condemned. At the school board meeting leaders of the anti-gay effort softened their language. The rhetoric may have changed but the goal has not, said Nadine Smith Executive Director of Equality Florida."If they cared about the safety of students, they would have spent time listening to the students explain why they built these organization, not bullying the school board to shut down one of the only support networks these young people have," said Smith. "They may have found more pleasant language to use in front of the media since the Trovillion incident, but there message is the same: We don't care what happens to gay students in our school."Bell Shoals has a long history of anti-gay organizing in Hillsborough County including church leaders support for repealing Hillsborough's non-discrimination policy that including protecting gay people from being fired or denied housing or public accommodations. More recently the church tried to rally support for the County Commission's anti- gay policy that bans any county agency from recognizing or participating in anything that portrays gay people in a positive light.Equality Florida is Florida´s largest statewide human rights organization working on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues. Through education and advocacy, the organization is dedicated to building a state of equal rights for all Floridians, inclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
My take:
In Utah State Sen Chris Buttars, backed by the right wing Utah Eagle Forum, is sponsoring a bill to ban all Gay-Strait clubs all Utah high schools.
The rate of suicide is much higher in GLBT students than in other teens.
These clubs and organizations are badly needed to help to educate young people that they are not alone. They are normal and they are ok. They are not sick.
These kids need to know that there are millions of adults out there who lead normal healthy & happy lives . We as caring GLBT adults must never pass up a chance to help these youg people. That's why it is up to us to protest and fight these attempts at every opportunity. Deacon Harry
Ford has agreed to resume advertising and support for the GLBT community, so of course the AFA is considering a boycott of Ford.
America's first "legal"gay couple has split up after 5 years proving that gays and Baptists have more in common than they want to admit. It is my opinion that the biggest threat to the sancity of marriage is Baptists since studys have shown that they have the highest rate of divorce.
I know lots of GLBT couples who have been together for 20 - 30 years or more. In fact, Dan and I after only 15 years, are relative newlyweds.
Dan and I attended a couples workshop once and found that we knew and understood each other much better than most of the straight couples there.
GLBTS are under attack again, see this out of Florida:
Subject: Fwd: [eqfl] Baptists Launch Attack on Programs that Support Gay Students In a message dated 12/15/2005 10:20:21 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, http://us.f517.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=nadine@eqfl.org&YY=59557&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b writes:Press releaseNews Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, (December 15, 2005)Contact: Brian Winfield, Communications Director, (727) 488-7799Hillsborough Students Under AttackFar Right Extremists Try to Bully Support Groups Out of Schools(TAMPA) A nationally coordinated attack on programs that support gay students arrived in Tampa Thursday night. A right wing church submitted petitions trying to bully the school board into shutting down student-led Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs).In June of this year the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution instructing parents to go after any programs that provide support to gay youth or promote tolerance and diversity on campus. Following that directive, Bell Shoals Baptist Church delivered about 1,100 petitions in a child's wagon.Parents, students and community leaders have already begun rallying to the students´ defense. Through phone calls, faxes and emails, thousands of supporters have contacted the school board and superintendent encouraging them to stand up for the students and follow the law.One of the key members of the anti-gay effort is Allan Trovillion. Many Floridians remember that Rep. Allan Trovillian, Sr drew national condemnation in 2001 when he told a group of gay students who described the bullying and violence they were experiencing in school that they were all going to hell and brought any violence or harassment they face on themselves.``You have to suffer the consequences of your actions,'' Trovillion told the high school students.``God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and he is going to destroy you and a lot of others.''Rep. Trovillion was unaware that a reporter was traveling with the students and his comments were published and widely condemned. At the school board meeting leaders of the anti-gay effort softened their language. The rhetoric may have changed but the goal has not, said Nadine Smith Executive Director of Equality Florida."If they cared about the safety of students, they would have spent time listening to the students explain why they built these organization, not bullying the school board to shut down one of the only support networks these young people have," said Smith. "They may have found more pleasant language to use in front of the media since the Trovillion incident, but there message is the same: We don't care what happens to gay students in our school."Bell Shoals has a long history of anti-gay organizing in Hillsborough County including church leaders support for repealing Hillsborough's non-discrimination policy that including protecting gay people from being fired or denied housing or public accommodations. More recently the church tried to rally support for the County Commission's anti- gay policy that bans any county agency from recognizing or participating in anything that portrays gay people in a positive light.Equality Florida is Florida´s largest statewide human rights organization working on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues. Through education and advocacy, the organization is dedicated to building a state of equal rights for all Floridians, inclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
My take:
In Utah State Sen Chris Buttars, backed by the right wing Utah Eagle Forum, is sponsoring a bill to ban all Gay-Strait clubs all Utah high schools.
The rate of suicide is much higher in GLBT students than in other teens.
These clubs and organizations are badly needed to help to educate young people that they are not alone. They are normal and they are ok. They are not sick.
These kids need to know that there are millions of adults out there who lead normal healthy & happy lives . We as caring GLBT adults must never pass up a chance to help these youg people. That's why it is up to us to protest and fight these attempts at every opportunity. Deacon Harry
