Polícia investiga homofobia em ataque a mulher nos EUA

in: http://m.estadao.com.br/

A polícia de Lincoln (Nebraska, EUA) disse na segunda-feira que cogita a hipótese de homofobia na agressão a uma mulher de 33 anos que foi amarrada na sua casa por três mascarados e teve palavras gravadas no seu corpo.

Cerca de 500 pessoas fizeram uma vigília em solidariedade à vítima no domingo na Assembleia Legislativa do Estado.

A mulher disse à polícia que três homens mascarados invadiram sua casa em Lincoln, na manhã de domingo, a amarraram e marcaram as palavras com uma faca no seu corpo. A polícia não revelou o teor das palavras, mas a imprensa local disse que eram insultos homofóbicos.

Pichações contra homossexuais foram deixadas na fachada da casa, segundo a polícia, e os agressores também provocaram um incêndio na cozinha. O fogo não se propagou, e os prejuízos se limitaram a cerca de 200 dólares.

A polícia local disse que está investigando o caso, mas que não divulgaria mais detalhes.

(Reportagem de Mary Wisniewski)


http://m.estadao.com.br/

Escócia apresenta projeto de lei para legalizar casamento gay

in: http://sul21.com.br/

O casamento gay deve ser legalizado na Escócia até 2013, anunciou nesta quarta-feira (25) o governo do país, responsável por elaborar um projeto de lei que estabelece aos casais do mesmo sexo os mesmos direitos de casais heterossexuais. A proposta será publicada ainda neste ano, mas deve ser aprovada pelo Parlamento e pela monarquia britânica. A primeira ministra do país, Nicola Sturgeon, está confiante de que a lei será aprovada. Todos os líderes de partidos escoceses apoiam a medida e a coroa britânica já demonstrou sua predisposição a aceitar a mudança. Além disso, grande parte da população do país se mostrou a favor (65%) do casamento gay em uma pesquisa do governo que obteve 77 mil respostas.

“Nós acreditamos que esta é a coisa certa a fazer em um país que aspira a ser uma sociedade igualitária e tolerante, como é o caso da Escócia”, explicou Sturgeon. A medida encontrou apoio de grupos de direitos humanos e de ativismo LGBT no país e ao redor do mundo, que comemoraram a decisão.

Apesar disso, a proposta encontrou forte resistência entre setores religiosos e conservadores da Escócia. De acordo com o diário britânico The Guardian, a Igreja Católica criou uma campanha online contra o projeto de lei com o apoio de grupos islâmicos e presbíteros. “Nós acreditamos que o tempo irá mostrar que a Igreja está totalmente certa em dizer que relações homossexuais são prejudiciais para qualquer tipo de amor expresso em amizades profundas”, disse o porta-voz da Igreja Católica na Escócia segundo a rede BBC.

Nem todos os grupos religiosos, entretanto, desaprovaram a medida. “Estamos conscientes que as opiniões divergem entre os nossos próprios membros, e que muitas pessoas estão ansiosas e chateadas com a situação atual”, disse o Reverendo Alan Hamilton, organizador do comitê de assuntos legais da Igreja Presbítera da Escócia, à BBC. “Acreditamos que a homofobia é um pecado e reafirmamos nosso forte compromisso pastoral a todas as pessoas da Escócia, independente de sua orientação sexual ou crenças”, completou ele.

Por conta destas divergências, o projeto de lei garante a liberdade religiosa das organizações e indivíduos que discordam do casamento de casais do mesmo sexo, excluindo qualquer tipo de punição a estes. Nenhuma instituição religiosa será obrigada a conduzir as cerimonias matrimoniais caso discorde da medida, explicou Sturgeon. Além disso, membros de grupos que decidirem incluir o casamento gay não são obrigados a conduzir os casamentos.

“O casamento gay diz respeito a igualdade e liberdade – liberdade dos casais, de grupos religiosos e humanistas que desejam este tipo de união, mas da mesma forma, liberdade de outros grupos que querem dizer não ao casamento de pessoas do mesmo sexo”, disse Tom French, coordenador da organização Equality Network.

A medida fará da Escócia o primeiro país do Reino Unido a legalizar o casamento gay. Desde 2005, os países permitem apenas a união civil, que difere até mesmo do casamento civil, de casais do mesmo sexo. Nesta terça-feira (24/07), o primeiro ministro britânico, David Cameron, disse que gostaria de ver o casamento gay legalizado no Reino Unido até 2015.

Com informações do Opera Mundi




http://sul21.com.br/

Evangélicos americanos são acusados de promover homofobia em África

in: http://www.tribunahoje.com/

Grupos evangélicos cristãos nos EUA estão tentando realizar uma colonização cultural da África, abrindo representações em vários países para promover ataques ao homossexualismo e ao aborto, segundo investigação realizada por um instituto de estudos liberal.

O instituto Political Research Associates (PRA), de Boston, diz que organizações religiosas americanas vêm ampliando suas operações em todo o continente, fazendo lobby em favor de políticas e leis conservadoras e alimentando a homofobia.

Os grupos em questão incluem o Centro Americano para a Lei e a Justiça (American Centre for Law and Justice - ACLJ), fundado pelo televangelista Pat Robertson, que implantou bases no Quênia e no Zimbábue.

De acordo com o relatório do PRA, a direita religiosa americana afirma, concretamente, que os ativistas dos direitos humanos são neocolonialistas cujo objetivo seria destruir a África. Grupos citados no relatório rejeitaram terminantemente as acusações.

Intitulado "Colonizando Valores Africanos: Como a Direita Cristã Americana Está Transformando a Política Sexual na África", o estudo analisou dados de sete países africanos e pagou pesquisadores para trabalhar por vários meses no Quênia, Malauí, Zâmbia e Zimbábue.

O PRA identificou três organizações que acredita que estão atuando agressivamente na África: o ACLJ, de Robertson, o grupo católico Human Life International e o grupo Family Watch International, liderado pela ativista mórmon Sharon Slater.

Cada uma delas identifica suas agendas como sendo autenticamente africanas, num esforço para retratar a defesa dos direitos humanos como um novo colonialismo cuja finalidade seria destruir tradições e valores culturais, diz o relatório.

Nos últimos cinco anos as organizações teriam aberto ou ampliado representações na África dedicadas à promoção de sua visão de mundo cristã e de direita. Uma rede frouxa de cristãos carismáticos de direita conhecida como o movimento de transformação se une a eles para alimentar as chamas das guerras culturais em torno do homossexualismo e do aborto, defendendo líderes políticas e ativistas africanos destacados.

O padre anglicano zambiano Kapya Kaoma, autor do relatório, disse que grupos cristãos de direita incentivam a percepção de que as relações entre pessoas do mesmo sexo são antiafricanas e impostas pelo Ocidente, uma visão que na realidade é baseada na Bíblia que chegou com o colonialismo, e não na cultura africana tradicional.

Ele deu o exemplo de uma jovem lésbica no Zimbábue que foi levada a várias igrejas para que o demônio fosse expulso de seu corpo, mas, mais tarde, louvada quando sua avó falou que na realidade ela estava possuída pelo espírito de seu tio morto, que nunca se casara.

Kaoma disse que a homossexualidade não é algo estrangeiro, mas é descrita como tal pela direita cristã.

A pesquisa constatou que alguns países são mais abertos à direita cristã americana que outros, em parte em função do apoio de autoridades governamentais.

Os próprios presidentes de Zâmbia, Zimbábue e Uganda acusaram partidos oposicionistas de promover a homossexualidade, para reduzir a influência dos partidos e agradar aos poderosos setores religiosos conservadores africanos.

O ACLJ foi convidado pelo presidente zimbabuano, por exemplo, Robert Mugabe, a abrir representações para treinar advogados para trabalharem sobre uma Constituição que refletisse os valores cristãos.

Um esforço semelhante estaria sendo feito para influenciar a redação das Constituições do Quênia e de Zâmbia, com a inclusão de frases como "a vida começa na concepção".

O relatório acusa Slater, da Family Watch International, de usar de um discurso alarmista, dizendo que a estratégia de controle populacional da ONU vai destruir a família africana.

Slater teria afirmado que os homossexuais são significativamente mais promíscuos que os heterossexuais e que têm maior probabilidade de praticar a pedofilia.

Kaoma disse: "Slater afirma que a ONU foi dominada por homossexuais. Ela inventa bobagens e as apresenta aos africanos como fatos. Ela argumenta que termos como direitos de gênero e identidade de gênero são termos em código que indicam homossexualismo."

Kaoma acha que os grupos americanos estão em fase de recuo nos Estados Unidos e, por essa razão, estariam buscando ganhos rápidos na África.

"Eles parecem saber que estão perdendo a batalha nos Estados Unidos, de modo que o melhor que podem fazer é ser vistos como a estando ganhando em outra parte do mundo. Isso lhes confere uma razão para estarem fazendo levantamento de fundos nos EUA. A África é um joguete na batalha que estão travando nos Estados Unidos."

O relatório foi saudado por ativistas dos direitos dos gays. Frank Mugisha, diretor executivo do grupo Minorias Sexuais, de Uganda, comentou: "Estou grato pela documentação mostrada neste relato, confirmando que é a homofobia que é exportada pelo Ocidente, e não o homossexualismo."

"Espero que este relatório funcione como alarme de despertar para as comunidades de fé em Uganda e no Ocidente perceberem que as guerras culturais americanas impostas a nós pela direita cristã colocam em risco não apenas a cultura africana, mas as próprias vidas de africanos LGBTI como eu."

A Human Life International reconheceu que tem várias filiadas na África, algumas das quais recebem dotações, materiais educativos e outros.

Um porta-voz da organização, Stephen Phelan, falou: "Achamos que é importante estarmos na África porque a investida contra os valores africanos naturais pró-vida e pró-família está vindo dos Estados Unidos. Então nos sentimos na obrigação de ajudá-los a entender a ameaça e a reagir a ela com base em seus próprios valores e culturas."

"É por isso que podemos operar com uma parcela minúscula do orçamento com que trabalham os verdadeiros colonialistas: os muito bem financiados controladores demográficos e governos ocidentais.

"Estamos em sintonia com os valores profundos e naturais de nossos irmãos e irmãs na África e os ajudamos a resistir ao avanço de interesses ocidentais muito poderosos que acham que pode haver crianças demais na África."

Phelan fez pouco caso da acusação da PRA de que sua organização estaria praticando um novo tipo de colonialismo.

"Esperamos que seus leitores mais refletivos notem a ironia presente no argumento do PRA. Governos ocidentais poderosos e ONGs muito ricas gastam bilhões por ano para impedir africanos de ter filhos, para mudar as leis africanas de modo a ficarem mais abertas a esse controle populacional, tudo como parte de um esforço para tornar o continente culturalmente mais semelhante ao Ocidente."

"E o PRA, um proponente desse esforço, está acusando um grupinho de organizações cristãs, que juntas gastam uma fração ínfima do orçamento anual do setor de ajuda ao desenvolvimento, de defender os valores africanos naturais pró-vida e pró-família contra o colonialismo. Onde começar?"

Slater também criticou o relatório. "Não temos representações na África, como Kaoma alega sem razão", disse ela. "Basta esse erro fundamental para indicar a falta de confiabilidade do relatório inteiro."

Ela acrescentou: "Não somos a direita religiosa cristã que Kaoma insiste em nos mostrar como sendo, apesar do que eu disse a ele e apesar do teor de nossos materiais publicados e de nosso site na internet. A única menção à religião em nosso site ou em qualquer de nossos materiais é nossa preocupação de que seja protegida a liberdade religiosa, independentemente da fé que possa estar sendo alvo de ataques."

"Nossa posição aqui é baseada em dados claros que indicam uma correlação forte entre observação religiosa e famílias estáveis, e não em qualquer crença ou doutrina específica."

Joy Mdivo, diretora executiva do Centro de Lei e Justiça da África Oriental, diz que a divisão americana paga os salários e o espaço comercial, mas que o CLJAO faz seu próprio levantamento de fundos para financiar atividades. "Alguém falou que recebemos dinheiro dos americanos para disseminar a homofobia, e eu respondi que não preciso disseminar a homofobia. Basta caminhar na rua, abraçar outro homem e parecer romântico. Não preciso dizer a ninguém o que fazer. Essa é a realidade de quem somos, apenas isso."

http://www.tribunahoje.com/

Cristã lésbica publica texto com “Oração ao Cristo do Arco-íris”, para celebrar os “valores espirituais da comunidade LGBT”

in: http://noticias.gospelmais.com.br/crista-lesbica-publica-texto-oracao-cristo-arco-iris-39549.html










A autora “cristã lésbica”, Kittredge Cherry, causou polêmica recentemente ao publicar em sua coluna no Huffington Post um texto no qual apresenta sua “Oração ao Cristo do Arco-íris”. O texto foi escrito pro Cherry para o Mês do Orgulho LGBT, época que a autora afirma celebrar “os valores espirituais da comunidade LGBT”.

Em sua “oração”, escrita em parceria com o teólogo gay Patrick Cheng, Cherry usa o simbolismo das cores do arco-íris, adotado como símbolo do movimento homossexual, para ilustrar “sete modelos de cristo” que estariam descritos no livro escrito por Cheng, “ From Sin to Amazing Grace: Discovering the Queer Christ ” (em tradução livre: Do pecado à graça surpreendente: Descobrindo o Cristo estranho).

De acordo com a autora, além de ilustrar tais modelos, ,a oração do arco-íris “Cristo incorpora os chakras, os sete centros de energia de cor do corpo humano no budismo e filosofia hindu”.

Entre outros aspectos destacados em sua oração, Kittredge Cherry, exalta um suposto “Cristo Erótico”, e pede para que lhe seja concedida “a graça de relacionamentos mútuos”, além de pedir coragem para “sair do armário” e também para fortalecer seu ativismo.

O ativista pró-família Júlio Severo comentou o texto afirmando que “os pecadores ao longo da história sempre buscaram refazer Deus à sua imagem”.

- A “gayzificação” de Jesus Cristo é talvez uma das formas mais ultrajantes e dementes de ativismo homossexual nessa era tão confusa espiritualmente – afirma Severo.

Leia o texto na íntegra, em tradução feita por Julio Severo:

Cristo do Arco-íris, tu encarnais todas as cores do mundo. Os arco-íris servem de pontes entre diferentes reinos: Céu e Terra, leste e oeste, gay e não-gay. Inspira-nos a nos lembrar dos valores expressados na bandeira do arco-íris da comunidade lésbica, gay, bissexual e transgênera.
O vermelho é a vida, a raiz do espírito. Cristo Vivo e Altivo, tu és a Raiz. Livra-nos da vergonha, concede-nos a graça do orgulho saudável para que possamos seguir a nossa própria luz interior. Com a listra vermelha do arco-íris, damos graças a Deus por nos ter criado como somos.
O laranja é para a sexualidade, o fogo do espírito. Cristo Erótico, tu és nosso Fogo, a Palavra encarnada. Livra-nos da exploração, e concede-nos a graça de relacionamentos mútuos. Com a listra laranja do arco-íris, desperta em nós o fogo da paixão.
O amarelo é para a autoestima, o centro do espírito. Cristo Nosso, Vós sois o nosso Centro. Livra-nos dos armários da discrição, e dá-nos a coragem e a graça de sairmos deles. Com a listra amarela do arco-íris, constrói nossa confiança.
Verde é para o amor, o coração do espírito. Cristo Transgressivo e Proscrito, tu és o coração, quebrando as regras com o amor. Em um mundo obcecado com a pureza, tu tocas os doentes e comes com os excluídos. Livra-nos da conformidade, e concede-nos a graça da depravação. Com a listra verde do arco-íris, enchei nossos corações com a compaixão indomada por todos os seres.
O azul é para a auto-expressão, a voz do espírito. Cristo Libertador, tu és a Voz, expressando-se contra todas as formas de opressão. Livra-nos da apatia, e concede-nos a graça do ativismo. Com a listra azul do arco-íris, motiva-nos a clamar por justiça.
O violeta é para a visão, a sabedoria do espírito. Cristo Coeso, tu és a sabedoria que cria e sustenta o universo. Livra-nos do isolamento, e concede-nos a graça da interdependência. Com a listra violeta do arco-íris, conecta-nos aos outros e com toda a criação.
As cores do arco-íris se juntam para formar uma luz, a coroa da consciência universal. Cristo Híbrido e Universal, tu és a Coroa, tanto humana quanto divina. Livra-nos das categorias rígidas, e concede-nos a graça de identidades entrelaçadas. Com o arco-íris, lidera-nos para além do preto e do branco, para que possamos experimentar o conjunto do espectro da vida.
Cristo do Arco-íris, tu iluminas o mundo. Tu fazes os arco-íris como uma promessa para sustentar toda a vida na Terra. No espaço do arco-íris, podemos ver todas as conexões escondidas entre sexualidades, gêneros e raças. Assim como o arco-íris, que possamos incorporar todas as cores do mundo! Amem.

Fonte: Gospel+

http://noticias.gospelmais.com.br/crista-lesbica-publica-texto-oracao-cristo-arco-iris-39549.html

Transgender romance movie a hit in Bangladesh

in: http://www.asiaone.com/






A film about a love affair between a transgender person and a Hindu boy has become a surprise hit in Bangladesh, with distributors saying on Sunday that it would now be given a general release.

"Common Gender", Bangladesh's first film dealing with transgender people, often known as hijras, opened in just six cinemas two weeks ago but full houses have encouraged cinema owners to extend its run and screen it nationwide.

"We opted to release the movie only in six cinemas in the first week as it lacked big stars and some labelled it as an art-house movie," said Enamul Karim, the film's distributor.

"But it's a resounding success so far. It is pulling in crowds and other cinemas are taking it up."

He added that an Indian producer was in talks to buy the film rights.

"We have had bumper shows and the trend is very good. We are now planning to show the film until the end of August," Syed Razfature Rahman, manager of Balaka theatre in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, said.

In the movie, Sushmita, a hijra, falls in love with a Hindu boy but the boy's parents refuse to accept Sushmita, eventually leading to her suicide.

Across South Asia, hijra communities of transvestites, eunuchs and asexual people are among the most marginalised groups in traditionally conservative societies.

Director Noman Robin said he made the film after he saw a transgender person attacked for using a female toilet at a shopping mall.

"The hijra was beaten in front of hundreds of people," he said.

Last October more than 1,000 hijras rallied in Dhaka for a government-sponsored demonstration to raise awareness of their rights.



 http://www.asiaone.com/

Irlanda admite referendo para legalizar casamento gay

in: http://www.jn.pt/

A Irlanda deverá realizar um referendo sobre o casamento homossexual, num país que apenas reconhece alguns direitos aos relacionamentos de gays e lésbicas, afirmou o ministro da Educação, o trabalhista Ruari Quinn.

De acordo com o ministro, o Partido Trabalhista, parceiro minoritário do Governo do conservador Fine Gael (FG), apoia a legalização destes matrimónios, que no entanto não figuram na Constituição irlandesa.

Os irlandeses deverão ser convocados às urnas para se pronunciarem em consulta popular sobre uma eventual alteração da sua lei fundamental, como está previsto na legislação do país.

O ministro dos Transportes, membro dos conservadores do FG, admitiu entretanto que "provavelmente" apoiará a legalização dos matrimónios entre homossexuais caso a questão seja colocada ao conjunto do país.

Em julho de 2010 a Irlanda ratificou a lei das Relações Civis, que pela primeira vez no país concedeu o reconhecimento legal das uniões de facto entre o mesmo sexo.

Desde então, as pessoas que coabitam garantem apoio legal em questões de propriedade imobiliária, bem-estar social, direitos de sucessão, pensões e impostos.

http://www.jn.pt/

Orthodox activists urge Facebook ban over gay wedding icons

in: http://rt.com/politics/facebook-gay-propaganda-ban-910/

Russian religious activists have demanded Facebook be banned in the country over “gay propaganda” among minors and have launched a campaign to criminalize homosexuality.

The scandal erupted earlier this month after the popular social networking website introduced same-sex marriage status icons: one depicting two brides, the other two grooms.

In response, an Orthodox community in the city of Saratov, southern Russia, issued an ultimatum demanding that Facebook stop “flirting with sodomites” and remove all content promoting homosexuality.

The activists sent a fax to the international network’s office in Russia and gave the company 24 hours to fulfill the demands. If Facebook does not comply, they threatened to sue internet service providers who give users access to Facebook content.

Since the ultimatum was ignored, the Saratov’s community began to collect signatures in support of returning a Soviet-era anti-gay article to the Penal Code, reports TemaSaratov news portal.

The campaign was launched in Saratov and several other Russian regions – including St Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Arkhangelsk – where gay propaganda is banned by law.

In just three days the activists managed to obtain 34,000 signatures, said the leader of the Orthodox public organization, Vladimir Roslyakovsky. The goal is to get the support of at least a million citizens, he stated, adding that Muslim, Catholic and Jewish communities are also participating in the campaign, since “Dealers who cash in on children have neither conscience nor religious beliefs.”

“We demand only one thing: Facebook should be blocked in the entire country because it openly popularizes homosexuality among minors,” Roslyakovsky is quoted as saying.

The organization’s leader has already sent a request to the Prosecutor General’s Office asking it to inspect the social network’s activities in terms of gay, lesbian and pedophile propaganda.

Once a million of signatures are collected, activists are also planning to submit an appeal to the State Duma.

“The US goal is that Russians stop having children. [They want] the great nation to turn into likeness of Sodom and Gomorrah,” Roslyakovsky told Saratov news portal.

According to the public activist, Facebook has already affected a large number of inexperienced youngsters and it is not clear what they will be like when they grow up.

“But I am confident that Russian laws and reasonable citizens will be able to protect their children from a fierce attack of sodomites,” he stated.

Male homosexuality was a criminal offence in the Soviet Union carrying jail sentence as a punishment. This article of the criminal code was canceled in 1993, but the LGBT community still reports discrimination since then.

This year, legislatures of several Russian regions introduced amendments that list “gay propaganda to minors” as an administrative offence that is punished by hefty fines. Some politicians suggested a similar move on a nationwide level, but this has not happened yet.

http://rt.com/politics/facebook-gay-propaganda-ban-910/

Asteroid named after Frank Kameny, astronomer and gay rights activist

in: http://www.globalpost.com/

Canadian amateur astronomer Gary Billings has named an asteroid he discovered after Kameny, who died last year at age 86.


TV reporter Roby Chavez shares a moment with gay rights activist Frank Kameny (L) during Chavez's wedding ceremony with Chris Roe August 21, 2010 at the Woodrow Wilson House in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/AFP/Getty Images)

Canadian amateur astronomer Gary Billings has named an asteroid he discovered after US gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny, who died last year at age 86.

Kameny, who had a doctorate in astronomy from Harvard, was a US government astronomer in the 1950s, was fired from his job at the US Army Map Service for being gay.

He was told that because of his sexual orientation, he was "automatically a security risk" and a "disruptive personnel factor,"according to Pink News.

He contested the firing in the US Supreme Court, organizing the first gay rights protests in front of the White House and the Pentagon.

Billings discovered Minor Planet 40463, located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, according to the Advocate. 

After learning about Kameny's life, he and a group of other astronomers have requested — in a citation to the Paris-based International Astronomical Union and the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts — to name the asteroid Frankkameny, the Associated Press reported.

Billings and Richard "Doc" Kinne, an astronomical technologist at the American Association of Variable Star Observers in Cambridge, told the AP that they wanted to honor Kameny even though he was pushed out of the astronomy field.

According to Pink News, Kameny also founded the Mattachine Society of Washington, one of the earliest gay and lesbian campaigning societies, and became the first openly gay candidate for Congress in 1971.

http://www.globalpost.com/

São Paulo é o estado brasileiro com maior número de mortes de homossexuais

in: http://www.athosgls.com.br/


Segundo levantamento do Grupo Gay da Bahia (GGB), São Paulo tem a maior ocorrência de morte de homossexuais(19) comparado a outros estados em que crimes de homofobia são mais frequentes.


O segundo da lista é a Paraíba (15), logo depois Bahia (14), Paraná e Piauí (10) eRio de Janeiro (09). O GGB não registrou os números de Roraima e Acre.


O estudo aponta ainda que neste ano o Brasil teve 165 gays assassinados, estatística 28% maior do que no ano passado, neste mesmo período. Deste número, 52% foram gays. Travestis representam 41%das vítimas.


Entre os estados mais homofóbicos, a Paraíba foi apontada em primeiro lugar, por sua população ser dez vezes menor que a de São Paulo e mesmo assim registrar 15 assassinatos.


CenaG 


http://www.athosgls.com.br/

Episcopal Church Approves Gay Couples' Same-Sex Blessings

in: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/


A man waves a rainbow flag in the street during the Gay Pride Parade in New York on June 24. The parade was held one year to the day of same-sex marriage being legalized in New York state.

Sixteen years after first allowing gays and lesbians to become priests and nine years after electing its first gay bishop, the Episcopal Church on Tuesday became the largest Christian denomination in the U.S. to offer religious blessings to same-sex couples.

The monumental decision, approved by a thick margin at the church's triennial General Convention in Indianapolis, means that priests in the 1.9 million-member church can officiate blessings to same-sex couples who are in long-term relationships beginning in December.

The church's House of Deputies voted 171 to 41, with nine people saying they were divided, to support a same-sex blessings liturgy that will be used during a three-year trial before the church meets again and decides if it should be permanent. The deputies' vote was done in two parts, with lay members approving the blessings by 78 percent and clergy members approving by 76 percent.

The vote followed Monday's decision by the church's House of Bishops supporting the measure by a 111 to 41, with three abstentions. Both groups have to approve new legislation.

Some Episcopal bishops currently allow same-sex blessings in their dioceses, but many have said they will not allow them unless the church has an official liturgy -- the words exchanged between a couple and a priest during the ceremony.

The new liturgy will not be mandatory. Bishops who do not approve of same-sex relationships will be allowed to bar its use in their dioceses. Priests who choose to not perform same-sex ceremonies will not face discipline.

The liturgy does not represent a religious marriage -- the church defines marriage as being between a man and a woman -- though some clergy in states that allow civil marriage officiate secular marriages in their churches.

During debate on Tuesday, many members of the church spoke in favor of same-sex blessings, while fewer spoke against them.

"I believe we are doing the loving thing, we are doing what Jesus would call on us to do," said the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, in an interview. "We are finding a way to to support and care for people who have shown lifelong care and love for each other," added Curry, who voted for the legislation and has been officiating same-sex marriages in his own diocese since 2004.

"This singular motion ... will result in the Episcopal Church of the United States marching not simply out of step with but completely out of line with the faith," said the Rev. David Thurlow of South Carolina, a deputy who planned to vote against the proposal.

Tuesday's vote followed the church's decision on Monday to allow the ordination of transgender people. That vote to change to the church's "nondiscrimination canons" to include "gender identity and expression" overwhelmingly passed the church House of Bishops and House of Deputies. It makes it illegal to bar from the priesthood people who were born into one gender and live as another or who do not identify themselves as male or female. It added to church rules against discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability and age.

The Episcopal Church is the U.S.-based wing of the Anglican Communion, an 85 million-member global denomination. In addition to its U.S.-based members, it has 173,000 members in other countries and territories, including the British Virgin Islands, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Taiwan and Venezuela.

Liberal trends in the church regarding the ordination of gay priests and bishops have increasingly strained its relations with its more conservative counterparts in the United Kingdom and Africa. The election in 2003 of its first gay bishop, the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, caused several dioceses to defect. The same day the Episcopal Church voted to allow transgender priests, the church's English counterpart, the Church of England, delayed until the fall a controversial vote on appointing women bishops.

The Episcopalians follow the 1.2 million-member United Church of Christ, which voted to approve same-sex marriage ceremonies in 2005. The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations and the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) also allow same-sex marriage ceremonies. In addition, Reform and Reconstructionist Jewish denominations allow same-sex blessings. In 2009, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America let churches recognize same-sex relationships, but it did not endorse an official church policy or liturgy for blessings.

At its biennial national meeting in Pittsburgh last week, the Presbyterian Church (USA) narrowly rejected a measure that would have changed its definition of marriage from being a union between a man and a woman to one between "two people." In April at its General Conference in Tampa, the United Methodist Church also upheld its teaching on homosexuality, which does not recognize same-sex marriages or unions.

Below is the text of "The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant: Liturgical Resources for Blessing Same-Sex Relationships" in the Episcopal Church.

"The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant: Liturgical Resources for Blessing Same-Sex Re...




"The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant: Liturgical Resources for Blessing Same-Sex Re...


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Google supports decriminalisation of gay sex, clarifies that same-sex marriage not a focus

in: http://www.fridae.asia/

The Internet was abuzz over the weekend with reports that Google has launched a worldwide push to legalise same-sex marriage but it has since clarified that it is not the case, a Google spokesperson told Fridae on Monday.



Googlers from over a dozen countries marched at the World Pride parade in London on Jul 7, 2012. 
Photo: Flickr

While Google’s Legalise Love campaign does indeed support the decriminalisation of homosexuality and elimination of homophobia worldwide, it is not a push for same-sex marriage as reported by various Internet websites.

The confusion over the focus of the campaign appears to have originated from a news story posted on gay networking site Dot429.com. It reported on Satursday: "Google is launching a new campaign called 'Legalize Love' with the intention of inspiring countries to legalize marriage for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people around the world."

It further added that the campaign officially launches in Poland and Singapore on Saturday, July 7th. CNN on Sunday reported that Legalise Love “will focus on countries such as Singapore, where certain homosexual activities are illegal, and Poland, which has no legal recognition of same-sex couples.”

When contacted by Fridae for more information, a spokesperson at Google’s Singapore’s office said the tech giant has no specific plans for Singapore or any other country, and that their campaign which involves partnering with organisations around the world has been ongoing. The California-based company has supported Singapore's Pink Dot, a public rally to support LGBTs, in 2011 and 2012; Trevor Project, an US-based organisation which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBT youths as well as numerous other LGBT-related initiatives and LGBT pride events worldwide.

The campaign is in fact part of the company’s diversity programme that aims to create a work environment where employees can “bring their whole selves to work.”

Google has said in a statement posted on their site:

“Though our business and employees are located in offices around the world, our policies on non-discrimination are universal throughout Google. We are proud to be recognised as a leader in LGBT inclusion efforts, but there is still a long way to go to achieve full equality. Legalise Love is our call to decriminalise homosexuality and eliminate homophobia around the world.

“At Google, we encourage people to bring their whole selves to work. In all of our 60 offices around the world, we are committed to cultivating a work environment where Googlers can be themselves and thrive. We also want our employees to have the same inclusive experience outside of the office, as they do at work, and for LGBT communities to be safe and to be accepted wherever they are.”

Google's Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe was quoted by Dot429.com as saying: “Singapore wants to be a global financial center and world leader and we can push them on the fact that being a global center and a world leader means you have to treat all people the same, irrespective of their sexual orientation."

Same-sex sexual relations between men is illegal in Singapore although the law is generally not enforced.

Palmer-Edgecumbe was speaking at the Global LGBT Workplace Summit in London on Friday last week. As part of the World Pride celebration in London last weekend, Google held their first ever ‘Legalise Love’ Conference involving 100 representatives from LGBT advocacy groups, employee networks, and diversity organisations.

Google is known to support gay rights. In 2008, the company’s co-founder Sergey Brin announced that the company officially opposes Proposition 8, a California ballot proposition that would make same-sex marriages illegal via a post on the company’s blog. In 2010, the company began providing additional compensation to gay and lesbian employees to cover a cost that they must pay when their (same-sex) partners receive domestic partner health benefits, which heterosexual married couples do not pay.

Meanwhile at Facebook, the company showed its support for gay marriage when the company earlier this month debuted same-sex marriage status icons that best reflect a person’s relationship status. In the past a bride and groom were used for straight couples who were married while no such icon was available for gay married couples. The move was first spotted when Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes married his partner Sean Eldgridge. In February 2011, it added civil unions and domestic partnerships to relationship status options.

http://www.fridae.asia/

Target Donates 100% of Gay ‘Pride’ T-Shirt Sales to Group Advocating Same-Sex Marriage

in: http://cnsnews.com/

(AP Photo)

For  June “Pride Month,” dedicated to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons, the Target Corp. announced it would sell “gay pride” t-shirts and donate 100 percent of the proceeds to the Family Equality Council (FEC), a group that, among other issues, supports same-sex marriage and works to remove restrictions against LGBT persons adopting children.

In June, Target Corp. agreed to sell t-shirts in its stores nationwide for $12.99 to help the Family Equality Council raise $120,000 towards the defeat of the Minnesota Marriage Amendment in the Great Lakes State this November, according to Minnesota Public Radio.

The t-shirts, 10 varieties, promoted pro-gay themes such as the rainbow coupled with the word “Pride” or “Harmony” and “Love is Love.” A typical ad for one of the t-shirts read: “PRIDE Mens Heather Grey Rainbow Colorblock Crew Graphic T-Shirt. Target will Donate 100% of PRIDE Merchandise Sales to Family Equality Council. Free shipping when you spend $50.”

Target’s communications director, Molly Snyder, told CNSNews.com: “Target supports inclusivity and diversity in every aspect of our business and has a long history of supporting the LGBT community through giving, volunteerism and event sponsorship and participation. Over the past year, we heard from our team members and guests that they’d like to see an assortment of Pride merchandise available at Target.”

"Love is Love" t-shirt sold at Target stores for June Pride Month. (AP Photo)

“Target was pleased to be able to bring our guests products they want while, in turn, helping support the LGBT community through the donation of 100 percent of the purchase price to the Family Equality Council,” she said.

Peter Sprigg, senior fellow for Policy Studies at Family Research Council, said Target should refrain from engaging in the culture war by not supporting same-sex marriage.

“The fact that they are donating all of the proceeds of these sales to the Family Equality Council, which is an explicitly pro-homosexual political advocacy group, it indicates that they are taking sides in the culture war,” said Sprigg. “And that’s something we think corporations should not do.”

He added, “We’re not in the business of calling for or sponsoring boycotts of particular businesses, but we will call attention to the corporate practices of these companies so that our constituents know what’s happening there.”

In 2010, Target Corp. was criticized for making a $150,000 contribution to MN Forward, an economic conservative group that endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. Following complaints reportedly from Target employees, Target Corp. CEO Gregg Steinhafel issued a letter apologizing for the political contribution and promised to be more mindful of LGBT concerns.

Steinhafel wrote, “We remain fully committed to fostering an environment that supports and respects the rights and beliefs of all individuals. The diversity of our team is an important aspect of our unique culture and our success as a company, and we did not mean to disappoint you, our team or our valued guests.”

The Family Equality Council was created in 1979 to advance gay rights and similar causes. It supports same-sex partnerships, adoption of children by homosexuals, and anti-bullying measures in schools, among other issues.

According to the Family Equality Council Web site, the group works at the federal, state, and local levels “to gain recognition of same-sex relationships and to fight off attempts to deny recognition to families who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender” with bills like the Respect for Marriage Act.

Additionally, the organization promotes adoption by homosexuals, reads its Web site, by “defeating legislation, policies, and practices that restrict LGBT parenting; promoting and passing new laws that promote LGBT parenting such as second parent adoption; and promoting policies and practices that are inclusive of LGBT parents.”

Recently the organization supported the Every Child Deserves a Family Act (H.R. 1681), a bill that was re-introduced by Rep. Pete Stark (D- Calif.) in May. It would prohibit “discrimination in adoption or foster care placements based on the sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status of any prospective adoptive or foster parent, or the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child involved.”

With respect to anti-bullying legislation, the Family Equality Council has promoted the Safe Schools Improvement Act and Student Non-Discrimination Act. These efforts seek to implement school policies ensuring that “all children have the same opportunity to thrive – which requires that they feel safe, supported and valued in school and are able to attend without fear of bullying, violence, harassment, and discrimination because of who their parents are or how their families were created,” states the Family Equality Council Web site.

http://cnsnews.com/

Hip-Hop World Gives Gay Singer Support

in: http://www.nytimes.com/

When Frank Ocean, a rising star in the R&B world, announced on Tuesday that his first true love had been a man, he seemed to be taking a giant risk with his career.

After all, Mr. Ocean, 24, is a rising star in the hypermasculine world of urban music, where singers cultivate images as lady-killers. He is a member of the Odd Future hip-hop collective, whose rappers are known for using anti-gay slurs. No other mainstream R&B artists have acknowledged having homosexual relationships. For decades, even the rumor of homosexuality had ruined artists in hip-hop circles.

But how big a gamble was it? Mr. Ocean has received strong support from other artists, his record label and cultural commentators, while the negative reactions have been largely muted and equivocal.

That lack of uproar seems to echo a broader shift in attitudes toward homosexuality and gay culture: Coming out is not as controversial as it once was. Mr. Ocean’s revelation occurred just days after Anderson Cooper, the CNN anchor, acknowledged that he was gay. It also comes just months after Jay-Z, Russell Simmons and other hip-hop figures forcefully supported President Obama after he announced his support for gay marriage.

“Ten or 15 years ago Frank Ocean could never have come out,” said Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of African-American studies at Duke University. “It would have been death to his career.”

It is too early to tell if Mr. Ocean, who declined to be interviewed for this article, will suffer for his honesty when his debut album, “Channel Orange” (Island Def Jam), is released later this month. Sales of his record will be viewed as a measure of how much times have changed. “It’s going to be a kind of litmus test,” said Nelson George, a filmmaker and the author of the novel “The Plot Against Hip-Hop.” “You can’t really know the real impact of this for six months to a year.”

It is worth noting that several major hip-hop stars have seemingly remained silent about Mr. Ocean’s decision, among them Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Drake and Nicki Minaj. Mr. Ocean was also the target of dozens of death threats and antigay comments on Twitter, mostly from men.

“There is still a very nasty streak of homophobia in this country that we have to overcome,” Mr. Simmons, a founder and former owner of the Def Jam label, said. “I’m hoping the support by his friends and the members of the creative community will override it and, whatever he loses, he will gain more.”

But Mr. Ocean’s declaration that he had fallen in love with a man and carried on an intimate relationship for more than a year, which he made in a rambling, poetic letter that he posted online, immediately attracted support from Mr. Simmons, who praised Mr. Ocean for his “courage and honesty,” adding that his statement “gives hope and light to so many young people still living in fear.”

Other hip-hop heavyweights signaled their support. Jay-Z, the rapper and label owner, posted a long defense of Mr. Ocean on his Web site written by the critic Dream Hampton. Joie Manda, the president of Island Def Jam, said that Mr. Ocean “broke down a wall that should never have been built.” Female R&B artists like Solange Knowles and Rita Ora published supportive messages online.

And Tyler, the Creator, the shock rapper who has collaborated with Mr. Ocean in the cutting-edge group Odd Future, said on Twitter that he stood beside him. The statement was all the more surprising since Tyler, the Creator, often insults gay men in his lyrics.

The positive reaction suggests that there has been a cultural shift, music critics said. For a new generation of R&B fans, it seems, just as for the rest of the population, sexual orientation has become a less toxic issue.

“To even have a climate where a relatively young person — he’s 24 — is comfortable enough not only to intimate this in his lyrics but to make a statement about it and put it on Tumblr says we have come a way as a society,” said Joan Morgan, a critic and the author of “When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost,” essays about feminism in hip-hop.

Jerry Boulding, urban editor for All Access, a radio trade publication, predicted urban program directors would still play Mr. Ocean’s songs if he maintained the quality of his previous work. “It becomes a question of talent — he obviously is talented,” Mr. Boulding said. “But he is going to have to pick his material well, because some of the things he sang about before he came out obviously won’t have the same meaning now.”

The publicity surrounding Mr. Ocean’s announcement might even work in his favor, generating interest in the new album, Mr. Boulding said.

Ebro Darden, the program director for Hot 97, a hip-hop station in New York, said that Mr. Ocean’s sexual orientation would not be a factor in the station’s calculations about broadcasting his songs. “Hot 97 has supported Frank Ocean since before his record label knew what to do with him, and we will continue to,” he said. “I hope people judge him based on his music, not personal preferences.”

There have been gay rappers before, but most were underground artists who never gained mainstream popularity. In the Bay Area a group of homosexual rappers formed the Deep Dickollective in 2000 and tried to start a “homohop” genre, putting out four albums before disbanding. The white lesbian rapper Invincible has developed a following in Detroit. The songwriter, rapper and bassist Meshell Ndegeocello and the independent R&B singer Rahsaan Patterson have also come out.

Mr. Ocean might have been a target of greater criticism, several critics said, if he were a tough-guy rapper or a seductive R&B singer in the tradition of Marvin Gaye. But his music is about nuanced heartbreak rather than seduction. “He’s never been read as a hypermasculine R&B singer,” Mr. Neal said. “His audience is already sensitive to this kind of issue.”

Though he is not yet a major star, he is still a promising and in-demand songwriter. Last year he released “Nostalgia, Ultra,” a mixtape that received rave reviews and included the R&B hit “Novacane,” which has sold 185,000 singles. He also contributed two hooks to “Watch the Throne” (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam /Roc Nation), last year’s collaboration between Jay-Z and Kanye West, and wrote the track “I Miss You” with Beyoncé for her most recent album, “4” (Columbia).

Because Mr. Ocean is an emotive singer who has written many songs about heterosexual relationships, his sexuality had never come into question until this week, when some critics noted the lyrics for three songs on his new album — “Bad Religion,” “Pink Matter” and “Forrest Gump” — seemed to address a male object of love.

Mr. Ocean had already decided to make his love affair with a man public in the liner notes to the album, but, as the BBC and other news outlets raised questions about his lyrics, he made the decision to publish a draft of those notes on his Tumblr blog on Tuesday, his publicist said. In that letter to his fans, written in December 2011, he said he had fallen in love and slept with a man he met four summers ago, when he was 19. The affair continued, he wrote, for at least two summers.

“By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant,” he wrote. “It was hopeless. There was no escaping. No negotiating with the feeling. No Choice. It was my first love. It changed my life.”

Chely Wright, a country singer who came out in May 2010, said Mr. Ocean’s willingness to explain his emotions to his fans, to go beyond a flat statement about his sexuality, had moved her to tears. She predicted he would lose some fans, just as she had in the conservative world of country music.

“It was so emotional and correct the way Frank penned a letter to his audience,” she said. Gay artists, she said, had a “responsibility to tell our stories in a bit more detail so our listeners and our fans don’t automatically think, ‘Gay sex! Oh my God,’ so they might understand the true nuanced journey of a closeted person in a conservative world.”

http://www.nytimes.com/

Transgender student named prom queen at Ontario high school

in: http://news.nationalpost.com/


Connor Ferguson, a transgender teenager from Trenton, Ont., was named prom queen at her high school last month.
Handout / Facebook

The night of her high school prom, Connor Ferguson anxiously pulled on a floor-length leopard print dress and slipped her feet inside six-inch high heels covered in glitter.

Handout / Facebook

Connor Ferguson, 18.

Despite loving the outfit she’d chosen, the 18-year-old transwoman from Trenton, Ont., considered not going to the prom at all, worried her peers might say something nasty or rude. She never expected they would name her prom queen.

“It was absolutely unreal. I’ll definitely remember that moment forever,” said Ferguson, who was crowned queen at Trenton High School on June 22.

“The cheers from classmates was overwhelming as well … So much support I cannot even put it into words.”

Ferguson heard rumours she might receive a vote or two from her classmates but she never saw herself winning.

“When I got there everyone was so welcoming,” she said. “It was so fun.”

The teen went out with friends later that night and everywhere she went she heard the words: “Congratulations on your win.”

Ferguson’s experience contradicts the notion that high school is a place where bullies thrive and difference is punished.

“I’ve gotten hardly any flack [at school] for being trans,” she said.

“So many of the students and faculty at school have given me words of praise. I cannot give enough thanks for having one of the best high school experiences.”

The story of Ferguson and her crown has spread on Twitter, giving the teenager a glimpse of fame.

Ferguson wrote a letter to CBC.ca last month, outlining her transition experience that began four years ago. At that point, she began building a women’s wardrobe and began using she and her, rather than he and him.

It is a process that has included harassment from some in Trenton, a military community 170 kilometres east of Toronto and home to roughly 20,000 people.

“I wake up every single day in my small town wondering if I’m safely able to leave my house,” wrote Ferguson, who has lived all her life in Trenton.

“I’ve had things yelled at me on the streets. I’ve even been driven at by cars. I don’t let silly things like this stop me from being a happy, confident individual. Regardless of my status as a woman or transwoman I try my hardest not to let the little things bother me.”

Ferguson said she fights abuse by dismissing it and not giving it her attention.

“That’s the thing — I literally do not give bullies my time,” she told the National Post. “I can’t be bothered with people who spew hatred. They genuinely have no [effect] on my life. I’m so happy with who I am, and I’m proud to be the young woman I am today. I think being a proud woman is something that catches them off-guard too. Don’t be timid … stand up for your happiness.”

Ferguson, who intends to study hairdressing, said she’s shocked strangers are heartened by her experience at prom.

“It’s honestly breathtaking. I cannot believe people are actually touched by such a simple act,” she said.

“All I’m doing is being a happy transwoman. It really doesn’t click with me that society thinks that’s intriguing, or different. I’m just myself, I can’t be expected to be anything else.”

http://news.nationalpost.com/

Man Cleared Of Rape Because Victim Was Transgender

in: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

A Swedish judge cleared a man charged with rape because the victim was a transgender woman with male genitalia.


From The Local:

"A man who attempted to rape a woman has been cleared of the charges by a Swedish court after it turned out that the woman he tried to rape was actually a man."

Prosecutors said the defendant was “brutally violent” in the "attempted rape", tearing off the victim's pants and grabbing at the victim's crotch, according to The Local's translation of Sweden's Nerikes Allehanda newspaper.

But because the victim had a penis, "The intended crime never had the possibility of being fulfilled,” Sjöstedt explained.

The unnamed defendant was found guilty of assault.

The ruling infuriated Hyper Vocal's Cooper Fleishman:

"More than anything, this case highlights the sheer absurdity of the double standard with which we treat male victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Changing the verdict solely because of the victim’s genitalia is like switching a grand theft auto charge to petty theft because the car happened to be blue when the thief thought it was green."

Queerty's Benji Douglas added, "In essence, the judge ruled that it’s not possible to rape trans women."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

ARGENTINA: Transsexuals Given Gender Choice ID cards by President Cristina Fernandez

in: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/



Argentine President Cristina Fernandez spearheads new law that grants people ability to choose their own name and gender on ID cards without seeking official approval.

For the first time, transsexuals in Argentina will have the option to be officially recognised with the gender they identify without first seeking court or medical approval.

Speaking at a ceremony at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez handed out the National Identity Cards to a handful of transsexuals in attendance, featuring their name, photo, and for the first time, the gender with which they identify.

Fernandez declared that the new law would bring about greater equality in Argentina.

"I want to say something about all of you. Today you are going to have the same rights that I and millions of Argentines have had from the day we were born. This is the society that we want. A society of reparation for everything you've had to go through to reach this point."

Before the law was passed, applicants had to meet medical or psychiatric criteria in order to change their gender on official documents, meaning that those who desired to be of a different biological sex were discriminated against unless they took hormonal treatments or underwent sex reassignment surgery.

Majamara Abrodos, a transsexual woman whop received an ID card at the ceremony, spoke of what the new law meant to transsexuals across the country.

"It is the freedom to be who you are, to live openly in your country being who you are, that is all. It is nothing more and nothing less for us who for so many years were denied this. It's basically to learn to live in freedom and to live freely, which is tough."

Argentina has been at the forefront of equality issues in Latin America, becoming the first South American nation to pass a law recognising same sex marriage in July 2010.

In another liberal move, the President used the ceremony to sign a decree that allows children of same-sex married couples to have the last names of both their parents on their identification documents.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/