Sortroom.net

‘Phelps’, taken by Ron’s Log.

Wayne Besen, on his blog, discusses the the idea of a Southern Baptist leader Rev Albert Mohler Jr that one day, were a genetic propensity to homosexuality ever discovered, he would condone the use of anti-gay treatments to correct these traits. The idea is interesting because it comes from a man who is clearly in a position of power in his community. He’s riding high and there are few natural predators. There’s no need to watch your back, right? But what if he did have to? What if he were to consider his stated view but from the position of a Christian who is unpopular. You go to Turkey, go to China, go to Indonesia and perhaps the idea that eradicating gays might not be quite as powerful. Why? Not that these men and women who criticise everyone else’s lifestyles would have had a change of had, not that their hatred would have diminished, but in the light of threats to their own eradication and extermination perhaps they would have less haste in persecuting others. Besen says:

Before you dismiss this question as hypothetical or academic, consider that research into the origins of spirituality is a robust field of inquiry. There are currently about a dozen studies that show shared personality traits among religious people, suggesting a genetic or biological basis. …In Mohler’s world, conservative Christians are a majority and considered a paragon of virtue. However, the late singer John Lennon is not the only person who has “imagined” a world without religion and its Inquisitions and suicide bombers. Indeed, there are prominent scholars and writers who consider religion to be little more than a psychological defect – much like the Southern Baptists now consider homosexuality.

While the right in America is strong they think of their worldview as omnipotent and supreme. But their lack of humility and their absolute faith, which often equals a disregard of and lack of respect for the views of others could be a threat to themselves. Who is to say that in some future time, our increasingly laïque and secular societies will not view religion as a greater threat to humanity than ‘alternative’ sexualities? Gays don’t start wars because other people aren’t gay, we just want to be left alone. But those crazy christians are just bringing fire onto themselves. By pushing to continually persecute gays, legislating against us, protesting against us, hating against us, praying against us, shooting, stabbing and killing us, they will eventually undermine their own position of what is for now strength. Love thy neighbor flys out the window when those neighbors are both guys. Maybe they should rethink that?

Wayne Besen: Mohler’s Slippery Slope

formerly.. Just how gay is the right?

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There’s a boy in the US’s Midwest who writes a blog that I’ve been reading of late. It’s an anonymous blog: he doesn’t post photos of himself, he doesn’t tell his readers where he lives or goes to University or what his real name is. He writes under the pseudonym ‘Phil’. He’s a politics student and a swimmer on the school team. He sounds like a nice guy. His parents are pretty conservative, and over the last few weeks he’s been wrestling with the process of how to come out as gay to his family. I know, it’s hard. He’s drafted a letter to his parents to give them after talking to them, he’s doubted himself and his family, he’s defended his sexuality and he’s recounted conversation with his parents. They seem like the kind of people who would be hard to convince to support an opinion they didn’t immediately believe.
On December 12th he wrote about being honest and coming out to his family. Then on December 17th he did it and wrote about it on the 18th: Coming Out to my parents, Part I, followed by the conclusion of his experience in Coming Out to my parents, Part II. It’s really worth reading because it shows the torment through which a lot of people have to go in order to be honest about their sexuality with their families, though the concept could apply to any number of ‘coming out’ problems – breakdown of a marriage, falling in love with someone from the ‘wrong’ religion… Phil’s words on the 18th:

The internal screaming took over my body and shook it. It ran up and down my spine, louder and louder. I got dizzy. I got sick to my stomach. I stared them in the eyes, waiting for a reaction. It felts like ages, years, centuries, but I know it was just a couple seconds. I saw the words hit them in the face. “There’s no going back Phil.” I thought to myself. “This is it. Be confident. Be strong.” Their facial expressions changed, and I didn’t know what to do. Run for the door, or run into a full embrace and hug?

micifus.typepad.com

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The San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center is starting a program this month with a $150,000 city grant that will help newcomers to the city find housing and work and foster a social network [in reaction to the perceived unwelcoming nature of the SF gay community]. That isolation can lead to depression, which itself can lead to substance use and abuse and risky sexual behavior.

A young man from a state like Kansas may feel safe having unprotected sex with people of the same age and reserving condoms for encounters with older men, because it seemed safe to do that elsewhere.

“That’s a harm reduction strategy, but there’s a higher risk in San Francisco than in Kansas,” says Jason Riggs, spokesman for the Stop AIDS Project. Nearly a quarter of all gay men in San Francisco are HIV positive, according to city and federal statistics. “Risk assessments and studies indicate that living in San Francisco less than one year is a predictor of high risk (for HIV).”

San Francisco Chronicle: Gay men find it’s not easy being new in town
Programs address problems inherent in relocating to S.F.

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Another result of America’s crazy tax system where taxes on prizes are paid by the winner instead of at the point of entry into a competition. A prize of around-the-world airline tickets from an American Airlines contest has caused one man no end of grief. The tax on the tickets ended up being more than the tickets would have normally been sold for, but because of tax regulations in the United States, the IRS must have figures for the highest retail value of the goods.

The contest’s fine print explains that winners must pay federal and state income taxes, where applicable, on American’s “approximate retail value” of the 12 round-trip tickets for two, which the airline valued at $52,800, or $2,200 per ticket.

Jack McCall, a New York resident who won American’s grand prize in the video category by submitting a video montage of snapshots he and his wife collected during their travels around the world, estimates that federal, state and local taxes on the prize could amount to roughly $19,000, given the couple’s probable federal tax bracket and because they live in New York City, where income taxes are high. That’s equivalent to about $800 for each of the 24 tickets.

And in today’s cut-rate airline pricing environment, American’s valuation is far more than a winner would likely pay if he or she simply bought the tickets. The result: The tax bill could be higher than the tickets actually sell for.

“I don’t know where they got that $2,200 from,” says Mr. McCall. “I’ve never spent more than $1,000 for a plane ticket in my life.” Mr. McCall, who is declining the prize, says he could do far better purchasing them himself.

WSJ.com – Contest Winner Declines
‘Free’ Airline Tickets

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The next quirk they came across was health insurance. As it so happened, the birth mother’s health insurance coverage was not as robust as the her partner’s insurance. You know how that goes, better job and all that, right? Well the baby’s medical coverage could not be claimed against this better policy for obvious reasons — she wasn’t legally the child’s parent. So this ended up costing them a lot of money out of pocket for medical expenses, and there were even some areas where the child didn’t get the same level of care as she could have if she had been covered under the better insurance policy. Again, it seemed unfair not only to the parents financially, but to the baby in regards to her health care.

All these issues because same sex marriages are currently illegal. Okay. So let me think for a minute, that if they were legal, how would they effect my life. Would I have to pay more taxes? No. Would married gay people get a special check out line at the supermarket to get through line faster than me? No. Do they get their own special lane to avoid traffic jams? No. Do they get cheaper car insurance? No. Free car? No. Free socks? No.

So my question would be… what the fuck do I care if gay people want to be married?”

ehowa.com: my thoughts on gay marriage

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“I just learned that Alaska is expanding its aerial wolf shoots and will allow 900 wolves to be slaughtered by trophy hunters and to keep elk populations “healthy”. OUTRAGEOUS!

Please sign the petition to the governor of Alaska:

Defenders of Wildlife

“The “reasoning” behind Alaska’s reinstated aerial wolf kill program, according to the governor and his board of game, is that McGrath residents (population 470) are going hungry – the area’s wolves, supposedly, are gobbling up moose before townspeople have had a chance to kill and eat them themselves. Aside from the ethical considerations concerning this viewpoint, that humans, as a “superior” species must put their own convenience and needs before that of animals in their area – animals that existed in that area long before man and, according to the laws of nature, kill and eat only to survive – let’s look closely at the other facts. Let’s even pretend for a moment there is nothing wrong with this human-centric outlook. Is the current aerial wolf “control” program merely about eliminating 45 or so McGrath area wolves? What’s all the fuss really about?”

– Kerkwood Wolf.com link

IMAGE from portland indymedia
Simone

Save the wolves – read some of the links and find out for yourself. The issue is whether we value our diversity in nature or whether humans should force themselves upon their surrounding habitat no matter how inhospitable it may be. If we can’t even create our own food in an area, should we even be there? Whatever your respons, aerial hunting is morally corrupt and an abomination to be halted.

CNN 5th Nov
Environment News Service
What it looks like

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Pride was hot – literally. I was burning up and now my face is all painful and sensitive. Plus, there were lots of fat ugly people there. But overall it was fun and a bit of a giggle with the crazy, massive crowds that gathered for the parade and the immensity of the whole celebration that covered at least ten blocks. It was huge and fun and crazy. More details later.

Ok, so we actually only got there around noon, stupid us, meaning that we actually missed most of the parade. Big whoop. But still, oops. Not that there was any shortage of camp men to laugh at though – this is San Francisco after all. The crowd watching the parade was loud and run, pushing and trying to get a better look at all the participants fooling abuot in front of our faces, and cheering whenever a ‘just married’ float/car came past.

After about a half hour the parade ended. Just like that – there was no real indication the thing was about to stop until I saw a huge block of perhaps fifty ’safety monitors’ walking along, completely blocking the road. That ended it in typical ‘there’s nothing to see here, big fat dyke blocking your view’ kind of style. So we wandered off, around, and then over the barriers to try and find somewhere not suffused with straight people who seemed to have taken over the event. It’s nice to see lots of ‘understanding’ mothers, daughters, fathers and sons, but sometimes you just want the straight people to not be there. But then at the same time I realise that it’s amazing they come, something I personally really appreciate and would personally thank them for if I had the guts and the shamelessness.

So then it was on to the food, the beer, the tacky stage and the mini dj stations. The whole event covers such a large area that its impossible to not have something to do, even if it is going to a display of S&M, or a gay line dancing class. I’d go again for sure, though of course it’s by far the most fun if you have a gaggle of friends to go along with. I think it’s hard to attend an something like pride with just one other person – you don’t have the extra eyes and ears that act like a collective radar for anything outrageous, silly or slanderous, but you are constantly having to be aware of whats going on around you rather than enjoying just being there.
Oh, Graham Norton was there looking as camp and British as ever, and then a million acts culminating in Chaka Khan doing an awful attempt at trying to not look old, set. The stage stuff was rubbish but funny, really not that bad… though I did get burnt standing in the sun, which has not been fun.

Anyway, it was fun, busy and hot… all that a pride could ever want to be… just for next year’s pride
Alaina’s photos

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