SINKING

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Faster than a crack whore pouncing on a twenty-dollar bill, the rats are abandoning the sinking ship; others haven't even had a chance to come aboard before they begin to sink!

George Bush's nominee for Surgeon General has drawn a lot of heat for among other things, his crack-pot anti-gay views as a leader in the United Methodist affiliate of the Institute on Religion and Democracy. But a new report may finally sink his already controversial nomination in a sea of conflicts of interest that have marked his career.

Dr. James Holsinger has also been a longtime leader of the Confessing Movement in the United Methodist Church. The Confessing Movement is a rightwing "renewal group" affiliated with the Washington, DC-based Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD), whose purpose for a generation has been to divide and disrupt the historic churchs of mainline protestantism in the interests of advancing neoconservatism and the religious right.

Holsinger was elected to the highest court in the Methodist Church a time when the IRD-affiliated church "renewal" groups had launched efforts to use church judicial systems to enforce their notions of orthodoxy, particularly on matters related to homosexuality.

Now, an investigation by Rev. Andrew J. Weaver, Ph.D. and Lawrence H. McGaughey, Esq., and published at Media Transparency, shows that Holsinger used the sale of a United Methodist Church-owned hospital in Kentucky, as a cash cow for his personal ambitions. It took years of litigation by the church to find out what had happened to its money, only to learn that Holsinger had diverted millions to endow professorships at the Chandler Medical Center at the University of Kentucky where he served as Chancellor and fundraiser-in-chief.

Meanwhile, Weaver and McGaughy report Holsinger did not disclose to his fellow church justices that he he was party to significant litigation against the church in the state courts -- and thereby surface any potential conflicts of interest. The litigation cost the United Methodist Church (UMC) millions of dollars in legal fees to recover its assets.

The article also raises questions about how those assets (that were not given away) were managed while under the control of Dr. Holsinger and his associates, some of whom apparently also had conflicts of interest.

Time to say goodbye, James!

GAY MARRIAGE~A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT

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The marriage window opened in Polk County, Iowa, for a few hours Friday, until around 11:30, when District Court Judge Robert Hanson stayed his order legalizing same-sex marriage pending an appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court. But the win is sweet nonetheless. Hanson's opinion laid out one of the strongest arguments in support of marriage equality ever articulated by an American court.

Hanson's 63-page opinion Thursday held that the denial of marriage violates the due process and equal protection rights of same-sex couples under the state constitution. Hanson initially struck the state ban on gay nuptials, and ordered the county clerks to issue marriage licenses at once. Some 20 couples reportedly applied Friday morning before Hanson put on the brakes.

Hanson wrote that marriage was a fundamental right under the state constitution's due process clause, and as such, its denial triggered the highest level of court scrutiny. He also ruled that Iowa's statutory ban on same-sex marriage violated the state's equal protection clause by discriminating on the basis of sex, a determination that also required heightened scrutiny.

Finally, Hanson ruled that the state's asserted justifications for maintaining a marriage ban did not even pass the lowest standards of court review. Assuming that a state interest in promoting "responsible procreation" was a legitimate purpose, Hanson wrote, the remedy of blocking all gay couples from matrimony bore no rational relationship to the state's alleged goals. The fact that heterosexual felons, older couples, and couples with no interest in having children were free to marry also undercut the state's argument.

Iowa may be a red state, but as Hanson pointed out, it has a history of far-sighted jurisprudence. The state was the second, after California, to toss out laws against interracial marriage, years before the U.S. Supreme Court took action in Loving v Virginia.

This year, the Iowa state legislature passed a gay rights bill into law, banning sexual orientation and gender identity bias in employment, housing and public accommodations. The law was signed by youthful Gov. Chet Culver, a Democrat.

On Friday, Culver called on the legislature to stay out of the marriage wars until the case has been heard by the state supreme court. Iowa is one of 23 states that has not amended its constitution to ban same-sex marriage, although a Defense of Marriage Act was passed in 1998.

OPEN MOUTH ~ INSERT PENIS

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I've previously written about married, Florida Republican State Representative Bob Allen, who offered an undercover policeman $20.00 to perform oral sex and then went on to say the reason he made this offer was because the park where he was going to use the mens room [cruising], was full of big black men and he was scared; angering the black community ....... well it seems he has now angered the Latino community as well.

Florida Rep. Bob Allen, stripped of his committee assignments this week by a House speaker seeking his resignation over his gay sex scandal, instead made more enemies with an apparent slur against Florida's Latino leadership. "I would think this leadership more than anyone would think that we don't want to copy totalitarian governments but copy American principles," Allen told the Miami Herald on Wednesday in an apparent reference to House Speaker Marco Rubio being Cuban-American.

Allen was forced to backpedal as yet more of his fellow Republicans called for his head.

"The fact that he's comparing the consequences of the allegations of his sexual misconduct to the plight of dissidents trapped in Castro's gulag is at best absurd and at worst insulting. He needs to go," Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, told the Herald, adding that Allen's comments made him "physically irked."

The party leadership wants Allen to resign before his Aug. 23 arraignment on a misdemeanor charge of solicitation to commit prostitution.

Even Gov. Charlie Crist weighed in, telling the Orlando Sentinel that "I have to respect the wishes of the speaker. . . . It's a House issue."

Allen, R-Merritt Island, was arrested July 11 outside a Titusville park public restroom after allegedly offering a male undercover officer $20 and oral sex.

The lawmaker, who last year co-sponsored legislation to tighten penalties for public sex and indecent exposure, insists he is innocent, and said last month that his actions were prompted by fear because the undercover cop and passersby were all black.

"The House will continue to respect Rep. Allen's right to defend himself against the charges which arose when he was arrested," Rubio's office said in a statement.

"However, we must acknowledge that in addition to being a private citizen, he is a public official. As such, we are judged by a higher standard than procedural innocence. . . . It is my personal belief that because of the allegations against him, Rep. Allen can no longer effectively serve the people of his district in the Florida House."

Allen told the Sentinel that he was "the most misunderstood guy on Earth.

"Never was I trying to ever say Marco is the new Fidel. That's the most insulting thing you can tell anyone in Miami," Allen said. "I would have used North Korea if I thought more."

BLIND AT THE HOLY SEE

This is a very interesting and informative article expressing the views of Wayne Besden for 365gay.com..........


In the wake of sex scandals involving children, the Roman Catholic Church should either change its mores or close its doors.

Since 1950, the United States arm of the church has paid an astounding $2 billion to settle claims of childhood sexual abuse. Yes, that is billions with a capital "B" that could have gone towards raising orphans, housing the homeless and feeding the "foodless." Instead, the church has had to reach deep inside its pockets, because some priests can't keep their hands out of the pants of others.

About a quarter of the fortune paid to the unfortunate victims has come from the Los Angeles archdiocese. Its leader, Cardinal Roger Mahony, apologized Sunday to the hundreds of abused who will be compensated, as if you can put a price on the church's vice.

"There really is no way to go back and give them that innocence that was taken from them. The one thing I wish I could give the victims...I cannot," he said. "Once again, I apologize to anyone who has been offended, who has been abused. It should not have happened and should not ever happen again."

Of course, it will happen again, since none of the underlying structural problems have been addressed. The church simply cannot continue its practice of recruiting spiritual leaders from a pool of repressed, self-loathing, sexually and emotionally stunted men and not expect a sordid sequel.

An apology without genuine reform is an empty gesture and mere disastrous dogma that will continue to strip-mine more weeping souls. What substantial measure has the church taken to prevent future victims? Have they even once broken with orthodoxy or taken difficult steps that actually matter? The answer is an emphatic, shameful "no."

There are only three reforms that will alter the status quo:

** Ending celibacy and allowing priests to marry

** Ordaining openly gay people

** Allowing women into the priesthood.

Anything short of these dramatic changes is mere window dressing that will lead to future problems.

Celibacy: This largely discredited idea of "sexual purity" rarely works in practice. It may succeed for people with unusually low sex drives, but for normally functioning males, it is seldom a viable way of life. Sex is a natural drive and love is its magnificent emotional counterpart. To deny this aspect of one's humanity over an extended or indefinite period of time is wishful thinking. Until priests can get married and experience human touch, they will be dangerously out of touch. Sometimes, such deprivation leads to a twisted mindset that drives priests to take advantage of vulnerable people - such as altar boys.

Allowing marriage will also help end the priesthood as a place where self-loathing gay people can shield their true identity. Homosexuals (and heteros too) with such unresolved internal conflicts do not belong in the priesthood, as their repression may sometimes manifest in unhealthy ways.

Openly Gay Priests: Once the Church has weeded out emotionally disturbed closet cases, it can attract morally and spiritually secure gay people. To do this, however, Rome would have to allow marriages - or commitment ceremonies - for gay priests. Sadly, the Pope seems more interested in blaming gay people for the churches' scandals and calling them "disordered."

It is insulting for the morally compromised Catholic Church to blame gay people for its own dishonorable record. After all, if homosexuality alone was responsible for child abuse, it would be the gay rights organizations getting sued, not the Vatican. Rome's anti-gay campaign might be good politics, but it will also foster the perpetuation of pedophilia, even as they apologize for past transgressions.

Women Priests: The primary reason to allow women into the priesthood is because it is fair. Rome should terminate its archaic and discriminatory policy of sexist exclusion and send sisters to seminary. A secondary reason to admit women is that it will end the bad boys club that currently exists. Having women giving mass will make it more difficult to have mass cover-ups. Of course, this is common sense, which is a commodity in short supply if you consider the blithely blind child abuse record of the Holy See.

Unfortunately, there is a moral vacancy at the Vatican, so the drumbeat of denial goes on. Some "Good Fathers" will continue to fondle, the hierarchy will hide the horrors, Rome will retreat from reality and spin its festering sin. I don't have the faintest idea of where God resides in this dreary drama. But, faux apologies aside, it is my impression that Rome has yet to really go to confession.

JOSEPH CHRISTIAN LEYENDECKER

Joseph Christian Leyendecker
(23 March 1874–25 July 1951) was a popular American illustrator.

Of Dutch ancestry, born in Germany, he emigrated to the United States at the age of eight in 1882 from Montabaur, Germany, with his parents, Peter Leyendecker and Elizabeth née Oreseifen, his sister, Augusta, and two brothers, Francis Xavier "Frank" Leyendecker, and Adolph Leyendecker.

Leyendecker obtained a job at an engraving company, and attended the Chicago Art Institute under Vanderpoel, and five years later attended, with his brother Frank, the Académie Julian in Paris.

Over forty years, Leyendecker illlustrated covers for the enormously popular Saturday Evening Post.

In total, he produced over 300 illustrations for the magazine.

Leyendecker drew propaganda posters during World War I, encouraging people to buy war bonds.

He obtained major advertising and illustrating commissions, which made him possibly the most influential commercial artist in the United States at the time.

His Arrow Collar Man, who was modeled on his lover, Charles Beach, became the masculine equivalent of the Gibson Girl, an ideal of beauty to be emulated by the mass of American men. Leyendecker also did advertising illustration for Hart, Schaffner & Marx.





Leyendecker was the chief influence on, and a friend of, Norman Rockwell, who was a pallbearer at Leyendecker's funeral.

In 1914 the Leyendecker brothers built an estate in New Rochelle, New York, where they, their sister, and Charles Beach, lived.

Leyendecker was elected to the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1977.

WHAT IS THIS MAN THINKING?

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I THINK THE RED PRADA SHOES ARE TOO TIGHT~
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LORENZAGO DI CADORE, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI has reasserted the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says Orthodox churches were defective and that other Christian denominations were not true churches.

Benedict approved a document from his old offices at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that restates church teaching on relations with other Christians. It was the second time in a week the pope has corrected what he says are erroneous interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that modernized the church.


Meanwhile, back in the USA..... those Catholic pedophile priests appear to have been very busy!

The Los Angeles, California archdiocese and its insurers will pay between $600 million and $650 million to about 500 plaintiffs who have been abused—an average of $1.2 million to $1.3 million per person. The settlement also calls for the release of confidential priest personnel files after review by a judge assigned to oversee the litigation, the sources said.

The settlement would be the largest ever by a Roman Catholic archdiocese since the clergy sexual abuse scandal erupted in Boston in 2002.

Among the largest total payouts was $100 million in 2004 by the Diocese of Orange, Calif., to settle 90 claims.

The Archdiocese of Boston agreed in 2003 to pay $84 million for 552 cases, roughly the same figure the Diocese of Covington, Ky., agreed last year to pay to settle about 360 claims.

Facing a flood of abuse claims, five dioceses—Tucson, Ariz.; Spokane, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; Davenport, Iowa, and San Diego—sought bankruptcy protection.

Last month, the Archdiocese of Portland agreed to pay about $52 million to 175 people, while setting aside another $20 million for anyone who comes forward in the future.

The Diocese of Spokane, Wash., also recently emerged from bankruptcy protection after agreeing to pay $48 million to settle about 150 claims.

The Los Angeles archdiocese, its insurers and various Roman Catholic orders have paid more than $114 million to settle 86 claims so far.

THE BIBLE AND THE GAY COMMUNITY~

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Most Christians don't know this about the bible:

Jesus says nothing about same-sex behavior.

The Jewish prophets are silent about homosexuality.

Only six or seven of the Bible's one million verses refer to same-sex behavior in any way -- and none of these verses refer to homosexual orientation as it's understood today.

- Rev. Mel White (Soulforce)

Proof that fundamentalists selectively quote the Bible:

A lesson about the book of Leviticus . . .

Homophobic fundamentalists often quote two particular verses that seem to be against gay people. These two verses, both of which appear in the book of Leviticus, are . . .

"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." (Leviticus 18:22)

and . . .

"If a man lie with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20:13)

Below, we'll take a look at other scripture verses that are in the exact same book (Leviticus) as the above verse. This exercise proves that those preachers who are so enthusiastic about quoting the book of Leviticus to affirm their personal prejudice against people who are gay or lesbian become awfully quiet when it comes to other verses that appear in the very same book.

Remember, this isn't about faith whatsoever. It's about people who have pre-existing anti-gay prejudice in their hearts. They choose the Christian Bible as the tool which which they attempt to affirm and legitimize that pre-existing prejudice.
Sadly, the truth is that they just don't like gay people.

"For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him." (Leviticus 20:9)
Imagine what would happen today if we killed every child who was disrespectful to his parents. Fundamentalists explain this verse away, saying that it is part of the Old Levitical Holiness Code and is not meant to be taken literally.
But the above verse is just a mere 3 verses before Leviticus 20:13, one of their favorite anti-gay scriptures which, of course, they do choose to apply literally.
It's just incredible, isn't it?

Fundamentalists change their entire methodology of scriptural interpretation when it suits their purpose, even when dealing with verses that are a just couple of sentences away from each other!

"If a man lies with a woman during her sickness and uncovers her nakedness, he has discovered her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from her people." (Leviticus 20:18)

Imagine what would happen today if we deported every man and woman who had ever had sex together while the woman was having her period. Fundamentalists decline the opportunity to take this verse literally, which is merely 5 verses after Leviticus 20:13.

"Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property." (Leviticus 25:44-45)

Did you ever wonder where racist, uneducated Southerners in the 19th century got the idea that slaves were just property and not people? Directly from the above verse, which fundamentalists do not, of course, take literally.

"Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." (Leviticus 19:27)

"Bible-believing" fundamentalists never preach against the evils of shaving, as they do not take this verse literally for our day. Of course, they most certainly would do so if they had a personal bias against shaving, but apparently, they do not.

"...and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you." (Leviticus 11:7)

As you can see, the book of Leviticus also prohibits the eating of pork (a swine is a pig). Of course, fundamentalists do not choose to use this verse to preach against eating pork. Sadly, however, they have no problem abusing the Bible to condemn gay and lesbian people. Remember, it's about their personal prejudice against gay people, not about a true desire to understand what the Bible actually says.

"...do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear material woven of two kinds of material." (Leviticus 19:19)

Farmers in this country almost always grow more than one kind of crop in their fields. In fact, they often must do so for ecological reasons. Fundamentalists do not apply this verse literally. If they were to preach against farmers, there would be an uproar, and rightfully so.

Fundamentalists also ignore the Biblical command to not wear clothes that have two different kinds of material. The shirts that many fundamentalists are often seen wearing must be a cotton/polyester blend, the most common in the United States of America.

They may be "Bible believing" Christians, but this is yet another verse that they don't believe should be applied to today.

~Author Anonymous

Following are a few more quotes "just for your reading pleasure" ......

DEUTERONOMY 22:13-21
If it is discovered that a bride is not a virgin, the Bible demands that she be executed by stoning immediately.

DEUTERONOMY 22:22
If a married person has sex with someone else's husband or wife, the Bible commands that both adulterers be stoned to death.

MARK 10:1-12
Divorce is strictly forbidden in both Testaments, as is remarriage of anyone who has been divorced.

LEVITICUS 18:19
The Bible forbids a married couple from having sexual intercourse during a woman's period. If they disobey, both shall be executed.

MARK 12:18-27
If a man dies childless, his widow is ordered by biblical law to have intercourse with each of his brothers in turn until she bears her deceased husband a male heir.

DEUTERONOMY 25:11-12
If a man gets into a fight with another man and his wife seeks to rescue her husband by grabbing the enemy's genitals, her hand shall be cut off and no pity shall be shown her.

HYPOCRISY THRU THE AGES ~

The first edition of the English Bible commonly known as the "King James Version" was printed in 1611.

King James VI of Scotland & I of Great Britain had sponsored the project, and the translators appropriately dedicated the new Bible to him."

Throughout his youth, James was praised for his chastity, since he showed little interest in women; and although he preferred the company of males and showed a special fondness for the Duke of Lennox; a suitable marriage, was necessary to reinforce his monarchy, and the choice fell on the fourteen-year-old Anne of Denmark (born October 1574), younger daughter of the Protestant Frederick II. The couple produced three surviving children: Henry, Prince of Wales, who was to die, probably of typhoid, in 1612, aged 18; Elizabeth, later Queen of Bohemia; and Charles, the future King Charles I of England.

Shortly after his marriage to Anne, King James having already been involved in a love affair with the Duke of Lennox; took as his current lover in England, a young man whose special relationship with the king would earn him the Earldom of Somerset.

By 1615, however, Somerset's fortunes declined and James succeeded in luring his most famous lover, George Villiers, later Duke of Buckingham, into bed. What are we to make of these relationships between King James and his so-called "favorites?"

in 1617 James addressed the venerable Privy Council with an official affirmation of his right to love men:

"I, James, am neither a god nor an angel, but a man like any other. Therefore I act like a man and confess to loving those dear to me more than other men. You may be sure that I love the Earl of Buckingham more than anyone else, and more than you who are here assembled. I wish to speak in my own behalf and not to have it thought to be a defect, for Jesus Christ did the same, and therefore I cannot be blamed. Christ had John, and I have George."

Quote from a letter written by James I to the Duke of Buckingham: "I desire only to live in the world for your sake, and I had rather live banished in any part of the world with you, than live a sorrowful widow-life without you. And so God bless you, my sweet child and wife, and grant that ye may ever be a comfort to your dear dad and husband."

Théophile de Viau did not mince words in describing the king's relationship. In his poem, Au Marquis du Boukinquan, (1623) de Viau writes:

Apollo with his songs
Debauched young Hyacinthus
Just as Corydon fucked Amyntas,
So Caesar did not spurn boys.

One man fucks Monsieur le Grand de Bellegarde,
Another fucks the Comte de Tonnerre.
And it is well known that the King of England
Fucks the Duke of Buckingham.

Assasinated in 1628 the Duke of Buckingham's body was entombed in the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey, hitherto reserved for royalty, where it now resides beneath a recumbent bronze effigy near the tomb of his beloved King James who died in 1625. On a tablet facing the tomb is the famous (Latin) inscription describing him as "THE ENIGMA OF THE WORLD."

The magnificent Buckingham tomb is on James's left; on his right is the tomb (with bronze figures representing Hope, Truth, Charity and Faith) of his other lover, Ludovic Stuart, Duke of Richmond and Lennox.

King James was responsible for the restoration and remodelling of the Henry VII Chapel—presumably to celebrate for eternity his love for two men.

Many earlier historians treated the subject of James' homosexuality with shock, disdain, and denial. Only recently has the subject been treated more seriously and fairly by scholars such as Caroline Bingham, Jonathan Goldberg Roger Lockyer, and David Bergeron.

GAYS ONCE AGAIN RESPONSIBLE FOR DISASTERS!

Pictured at left with the former mistress/present wife of Prince Charles, Graham Dow seems to have no problems with adultry, while blaming gays for the recent disasters in the UK.

A senior Church of England bishop says floods that have caused widespread damage in the UK are the result of God's wrath on a permissive society that endorses gay right.

"We are in serious moral trouble because every type of lifestyle is now regarded as legitimate," the Rt Rev Graham Dow, Bishop of Carlisle, told the Sunday Telegraph.

"In the Bible, institutional power is referred to as 'the beast', which sets itself up to control people and their morals. Our government has been playing the role of God in saying that people are free to act as they want," he told the paper, adding that the introduction of recent pro-gay laws undermines marriage.

"The sexual orientation regulations [which give greater rights to gays] are part of a general scene of permissiveness. We are in a situation where we are liable for God's judgment, which is intended to call us to repentance."

Dow is a leading church conservative. The worldwide Anglican denomination has been engaged in a feud between conservatives and liberals over the role of gays in the faith since the American branch, the Episcopal Church, elected Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.

Some church conservatives want the Episcopal Church expelled from the Anglican communion.

In May Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the titular leader of the worldwide church, told Robinson he was not invited to a conclave of bishops to be held in London. Last week Williams backtracked slightly saying Williams could attend the session but only as a non voting observer.

Bishop Dow's remarks Sunday are likely to add fuel to the already enflamed divisions within the denomination.

Gay members of the Church of England on Sunday expressed their outrage.

The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association called Dow a "bronze age primitive".

365gay. com

It is certainly refreshing to read that not all of the RELIGIOUS NUTZOIDS are located in America; but evenly distributed throughout the world!

PRIDE 2007

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Waking up yesterday morning to thoughts of intense heat and humidity with a possibility of rain, I was reluctant to attend PRIDE, but decided that it was important to support the gay community.

Police estimates indicate that there were approximately 70,000 people in attedance at the promenade which included Grand Marshall former Largo City Manager Susan Stanton who was fired after choosing to live openly as transgendered; along with Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. The promanade lasted more than two hours and included several gay friendly political and religious organizations as well as floats from area gay bars and businesses. My favorite delightfully irriligious but extremely charitable Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were passing out condoms and after receiving a packet of six condoms, I entertained those around me by exclaiming..... "great, these should last me a couple of years!"

Those in attendance were considerate of one another; united as family.

Booths lined up in a six block area included vendors selling crafts and pride merchandise; others were business or political oriented. I spent time talking to volunteers at the Barack Obama for President booth and I continue to support his bid for the presidency.

It was wonderful to socialize with friends (old and new) as well as some of my co-workers but after four hours in the blazing sun, it was time to leave. I left with a great sense of pride in my community!

THE FACE OF HOMOPHOBIA

Police say four protesters were taken into custody after they were seen holding signs above their heads while within the street festival. Officers say they repeatedly asked the protesters from Georgia to follow a city ordinance which does not allow hand held signs that are larger than the sign holder's torso or signs held on a stick within a closed street. Joshua Pettigrew, Douglas Pitts, Willie Lee Holt III and Francis Primavera have been taken to the Pinellas County Jail, charged with violating a city ordinance.

I'm not certain how things are done in Georgia, but as soon as there is an arrest in Pinellas County, Florida, it immediately becomes public information. These are the men who chose to drive to St. Petersburg, Florida to disrupt GAY PRIDE; spewing hatred in the name of christianity.

NOTE from the author: These photos may be visually offensive!

Name: BALL, WILLIAM G
DOB: 4/8/1960
Docket #: 1255927
Arrest Date: 6/30/2007 3:00:43 PM
Race: WHITE
Sex: MALE



Name Docket No. Booking Date Arresting Agency
BALL, WILLIAM G 1255927 6/30/2007 3:00:43 PM ST. PETERSBURG POLICE
Address City State Zip Code
200 PRIMROSE RD GRANDWILLE GA 30222
Race Sex DOB Place of Birth Arrest Age
WHITE MALE 4/8/1960 GA 47
Eyes Hair Complexion Height Weight Occupation
GRN BRO MED 5'11 275


Name: HOLT, WILLIE LEE
DOB: 9/5/1975
Docket #: 1255928
Arrest Date: 6/30/2007 3:02:16 PM
Race: WHITE
Sex: MALE


Name Docket No. Booking Date Arresting Agency
HOLT, WILLIE LEE 1255928 6/30/2007 3:02:16 PM ST. PETERSBURG POLICE
Address City State Zip Code
257 WHITE OAK TRAIL JEFFERSON GA 30359
Race Sex DOB Place of Birth Arrest Age
WHITE MALE 9/5/1975 GA 31
Eyes Hair Complexion Height Weight Occupation
HAZ BRO 6'04 330

Name: PITTS, DOUGLAS C
DOB: 11/12/1956
Docket #: 1255930
Arrest Date: 6/30/2007 3:10:35 PM
Race: WHITE
Sex: MALE



Name Docket No. Booking Date Arresting Agency
PITTS, DOUGLAS C 1255930 6/30/2007 3:10:35 PM ST. PETERSBURG POLICE
Address City State Zip Code
1843 NEW CORNITH ROAD MEWMAN GA 30263
Race Sex DOB Place of Birth Arrest Age
WHITE MALE 11/12/1956 SS 50
Eyes Hair Complexion Height Weight Occupation
BRO BRO FAR 5'08 200

Name: PRIMAVERA, FRANCIS N
DOB: 12/27/1981
Docket #: 1255929
Arrest Date: 6/30/2007 3:09:40 PM
Race: WHITE
Sex: MALE



Name Docket No. Booking Date Arresting Agency
PRIMAVERA, FRANCIS N 1255929 6/30/2007 3:09:40 PM ST. PETERSBURG POLICE
Address City State Zip Code
5571 FORREST RD HOGANSVILLE GA 30230
Race Sex DOB Place of Birth Arrest Age
WHITE MALE 12/27/1981 TX 25
Eyes Hair Complexion Height Weight Occupation
HAZ BRO LGT 600 205

THE STATISTICS OF HATE!

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"What is the good of having the statue without the liberty?"

During the past several months, I've posted story after story about crimes committed against the LGBT community; urging readers to contact their senators to vote for passage of the Hate Crimes Bill.

The statistics in the following article are staggering..... We, as a community must unite, raise our voices and be heard. During this month of PRIDE celebrations, reflect on the men and women who "fought back" during the Stonewall riots and think of where we might be today if we had not finally said, "enough is enough"!

Study: Anti-Gay Hate Crimes Widespread
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Nearly four in 10 gay men and about one in eight lesbians and bisexuals in the United States have been the target of violence or a property crime because of their sexual orientation, according to a new study.

"This is the most reliable estimate to date of the prevalence of anti-gay victimization in the United States," said University of California, Davis, psychology professor Gregory Herek who conducted the study.

"The data demonstrate that crimes against sexual minority adults, especially gay men, are disturbingly widespread."

Herek's findings were based on a survey he conducted in the fall of 2005 with a nationally representative sample of 662 self-identified gay men, lesbians and bisexuals. The study will be published in a future issue of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence.

Overall, 21 percent of the people in the survey reported being the victim of violence or a property crime -- including physical assault, sexual assault, theft and vandalism -- because of their sexual orientation.

In addition, 49 percent said they had been verbally abused because of their sexual orientation, 23 percent reported being threatened with violence, 12.5 percent reported having objects thrown at them, and 11 percent reported housing or job discrimination.

The total exceeds 100 percent because some individuals reported being the target of multiple attacks.

"These data highlight the continuing need for criminal justice programs to prevent and deter anti-gay crimes, as well as the need for victim services that will help to alleviate the physical, economic, social and psychological consequences of such crimes," Herek said.

The study found significantly different rates of victimization among gay men, lesbians and bisexuals.

More than a third of the gay men said they had experienced violence or property crime because of their sexual orientation, or about three times the proportion of lesbians and bisexuals.

Gay men also reported the highest rates of harassment and verbal abuse. And gay men and lesbians reported two to four times more housing and job discrimination than bisexuals.

The disparities persisted after Herek controlled statistically for age, race, ethnicity and education he said.

"Men are generally more likely than women to be the targets of most kinds of violent crime, and this pattern seems to hold in anti-gay hate crimes as well," Herek said.

"The gay men and lesbians in the study were much more likely than the bisexual men and women to be open about their sexual orientation. Their greater visibility probably also makes them easier targets for discrimination than bisexuals."

Survey respondents were randomly selected from a panel of more than 40,000 U.S. households maintained by Knowledge Networks, a survey research firm.

The firm recruits panel members via standard telephone sampling methods; in return for regularly completing online surveys, the panel members receive free Internet equipment and access.

Previous studies of anti-gay hate crimes have relied on samples that were smaller or not representative of the U.S. population, Herek reported.

In the new study, survey respondents had an average age of 39. Most had attended some college. Two thirds were white, 16 percent black and 12.5 percent Hispanic.

Data collection for the study was supported by a grant from the Gill Foundation, a Denver-based organization that supports equal opportunities for people regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression.

Legislation that would add gays and lesbians to the categories included under federal hate crime law is currently before Congress.

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed the House last month and is pending in the Senate.

The White House has threatened to veto the measure if it passes.

THE MESSAGE OF ISOLATION, SHAME AND FEAR

Former 'Ex-Gay' Leaders Apologize For 'Bringing Harm'
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(Los Angeles, California) Three former leaders of an international ministry that counsels gays to change their sexual orientation apologized for their efforts, saying that though they acted sincerely, their message had caused isolation, shame and fear.

The former leaders of the interdenominational Christian organization Exodus International said Wednesday they had all, over time, become disillusioned with the group's ideas and concerned about what they described as the wrenching human toll of such gay conversion efforts.

"Some who heard our message were compelled to try to change an integral part of themselves, bringing harm to themselves and their families," the three, including former Exodus co-founder Michael Bussee, said in a joint written statement presented at a news conference in Hollywood. "Although we acted in good faith, we have since witnessed the isolation, shame, fear and loss of faith that this message creates."

The news conference was held in a courtyard outside an office of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center. It was timed to coincide with the opening of Exodus' annual conference, which is being held this week at Concordia University in Irvine and expected to draw about 1,000 people.

Exodus' president, Alan Chambers, said he disagreed with its critics and the ministry's methods have helped many people, including him.

"Exodus is here for people who want an alternative to homosexuality," Chambers said by phone. "There are thousands of people like me who have overcome this. I think there's room for more than one opinion on this subject, and giving people options isn't dangerous."

Bussee left Exodus in 1979 after he fell in love with a man who was a fellow ex-gay counselor with the group. He speaks out frequently against ex-gay therapies.

The others speaking at the news conference included Jeremy Marks, former president of Exodus International Europe, and Darlene Bogle, the founder and former director of Paraklete Ministries, an Exodus referral agency based in Hayward, California.

Chambers, who is married and has children, said he and other current Exodus officials are careful to warn those who seek help that such a path is not easy.

Sexual orientation, he said, "isn't a light switch that you can switch on and off."

Founded in 1976, the Orlando, Florida-based Exodus has grown to include more than 120 local ministries in the United States and Canada and over 150 ministries in 17 other countries. The group has monthly newsletters, annual conferences, speaking engagements and Web services. It promotes "freedom from homosexuality" through prayer, counseling and group therapy.

The Associated Press

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER VETO THREAT

President Bush issued a warning to Congress on Wednesday that he will veto budget appropriations for the District of Columbia unless the measure contains language barring the district from using any of the money for its domestic partner registry.

The registry allows same and opposite-sex unmarried couples to register their relationships.

Three quarters of the District of Columbia's budget comes from local revenue - city taxes and fees. But, about $120 million in additional funds comes from the federal government. That money is contained in the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act.

Under Republicans the legislation stated that none of the federal money could be used to support the partner registry.

When Democrats took control of Congress the requirement was removed.

In threatening a veto the White House on Wednesday issued a statement saying: "The Administration strongly opposes the bill’s exclusion of a longstanding provision that disallows the use of Federal funds to register unmarried, cohabitating couples in the District, to enable them to qualify for benefits on the same basis as legally married couples.

Under Federal law, legal marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Federal tax dollars are not used to extend employment benefits to domestic partners of Federal employees, and D.C. should not enjoy an exception to this rule."

The Domestic Partner registry includes such partner rights as hospital and nursing home visitations, medical decisions, and inheritance rights.

"With his popularity at an all time low, this President has yet again dipped his cup into the well of anti-gay bigotry," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "He has issued a veto threat on funding for the District of Columbia because long-term, committed couples want to have such basic rights as visiting each other in the hospital and making medical decisions for their partner. The anti-gay zeal of this Administration has reached a new low."

Gay Democrats seized on the veto threat as another example of wedge politics."This is a misleading veto threat designed to parrot the talking points of the anti-gay special interests which control and finance the Republican Party, said National Stonewall Democrats Executive Director Jo Wyrick, "President Bush would never threaten to withhold federal funds from California because it employs a domestic partnership registry. Yet, Republicans feel that the District of Columbia is their financial playground that they can use to bully local families at the pleasure of their anti-gay agenda. That is wrong.

It is the second time in two months the president has threatened a veto over a gay issue.In May the White House said that if legislation adding gays and lesbians to federal hate crime laws the president would nix it.

PRIDE

North America's Big 4 Celebrate Gay Pride

They danced, they gyrated, they flexed and they showed their political clout a the gay communities in New York, Toronto, Chicago and San Francisco marched to the tune of LGBT liberation on Sunday.

On the sidelines crowds estimated at close to a million watched in New York and Toronto with between 300 and 600 thousand on the streets in Chicago and San Francisco.

For marchers in New York and San Francisco marriage was on everyone's mind.

Legislation to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry has passed the Assemblies in California and New York, but is unlikely to be enacted in either state this year.

In New York the Republican-controlled Senate has vowed not to allow the bill to come to a vote. The bill has the support of Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

Gay activists had a message for lawmakers who oppose same-sex marriage on religious grounds: Not all faiths oppose gay rights.

The parade down Fifth Avenue was led by Religious groups including Christians, Jews and Buddhists.

"We stand for a progressive religious voice," said Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum of New York City's Congregation Beth Simchat Torah. "Those who use religion to advocate an anti-gay agenda I believe are blaspheming God's name."

In California, the sticking point is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger who has said he would veto the bill if it passes the state Senate.

The issue of gay marriage is also before California Supreme Court with oral arguments expected later this year.

Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis, plaintiffs in the marriage equality lawsuit and leaders of Marriage Equality USA, will appear along with four generations of their family, as Community Grand Marshals for this year’s LGBT Pride Parade in San Francisco.

Prior to the start of Sunday's march in San Francisco, Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of Democratic presidential contender John Edwards, was the keynote speaker at a Pride Breakfast for the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and announced her support for gay marriage.

"I don't know why someone else's marriage has anything to do with me,'' Edwards said at a news conference before the parade. ``I'm completely comfortable with gay marriage.''

That position puts her at odds with her husband. The former North Carolina Senator says he opposes " any form of discrimination,'' and although he supports civil unions opposes same-sex marriage.

In Toronto, where same-sex marriage is legal - as it is across Canada - the city kept its marriage bureau open throughout the weekend. Several dozen couples, many from the US were wed.

With full civil rights achieved the city's pride parade was a festival followed by a street party in the gay village that went on through the evening.

In Chicago one of the biggest highlights of gay pride was the city's new LGBT Community Center.

The $20-million complex, on the city's North Side, near Wrigley Field, will offer educational, recreational and social services along with theater events and social functions.

365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

A LESSON IN HYPOCRISY

Tyler Whitney, is an 18 year old self-professed up-and-coming conservative activist who currently works as a webmaster for the GOP's most rabidly anti-gay presidential candidate Tom Tancredo.

Whitney also reportedly leads an antigay political group on his college campus and has carried a "Go Back in the Closet!" sign at an antigay protest.

Recently, Between the Lines, a gay newspaper in Michigan published a story that noted Whitney has told some friends that he is gay, which was then picked up by loads of national gay bloggers.

Bay Buchanan, an adviser to Tancredo, has said that Whitney's "sexual preference is a personal matter" and that it should have "nothing to do with the campaign."

But Noted gay advice columnist
Dan Savage disagrees:

"Sorry, Bay, but gay-bashing thugs-people like you, your horrible brother Pat, your vile candidate-can't have it both ways.

If Whitney's sexual preference is a personal matter, then so is mine. If Whitney's sexual preference shouldn't have anything to do with the campaign, then neither should mine-nor should the sexual preference of any other American.

But so long as the GOP attacks gay Americans, Whitney's sexuality-and his hypocrisy-has everything to do with the campaign."

Whitney is most likely wishing he could quietly "Go Back in the Closet!"

Talk about hypocrisy!

Dan Savage continues:

Some folks will question the ethics of outing a messed up 18 year-old.

Like lots of young 'mos from conservative backgrounds, Whitney seems to have compensated for his sexuality by going off the anti-gay deep end. What better way to cover up for your homosexuality than working against the rights of gay people?

But by eighteen you're old enough to know better-if you're 18 and gay in America, you're old enough to know that you don't have to live a lie.

If you're 18 and gay and not ready or willing to come out, you're old enough to know that keeping your closeted mouth shut about gay issues is the option that doesn't make you a flaming hypocrite.

And if you're 18 and closeted and gay and politically active, as Whitney was, you're old enough and savvy enough to know that aligning yourself with anti-gay politicians, marching with assholes that carry "Straight Power!" signs at anti-gay rallies, and being best buds with a guy that thinks gays should be imprisoned is as good as painting a bulls eye on your back.

You not only risk being outed, you invite it.

Hell, you've earned it.

STOP THE HATE

This video comes from one of my BLOGMASTERS and dear friend, Connie.

The senate will soon vote on the Matthew Shepard Act, the hate crimes bill. Opponents of civil rights for gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered people in America have drawn a line in the sand and are working 24/7 to stop this important bill. We must counter the voice of the radical right with the voice of the LGBT and allied communities who support human rights for all people.

The irony is that 73% of Americans support this bill’s measures, but the majority of people contacting senators oppose the bill. We can not be silent. The senate and the president must hear from supporters of the Matthew Shepard Act.

Please WATCH THE VIDEO and then click on the link below to send a letter to your senator today!

Time is running out.......... CLICK HERE!

THANKS, DON~

BARACK OBAMA SPEAKS OUT!

DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BARACK OBAMA IS THE FIRST TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE ANTI-GAY BIAS OF BUSH NOMINEE FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL~

"America’s top doctor should be a doctor for all Americans, and so I have serious reservations about nominating someone who would inject his own anti-gay ideology into critical decisions about the health and well-being of our nation. As with other nominees, I will listen to the testimony of Dr. James Holsinger, but this Administration must know that the United States Surgeon General's office is no place for bigotry or ideology that would trump sound science and good judgment."


Surgeon General Nominee Holsinger Has Broad Anti-gay Bias

George Bush's nomination for U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. James Holsinger

Holsinger's anti-gay bias has come under closer scrutiny in the past couple of days with the release of a paper he wrote in 1991 on the dangers of "anal eroticism" in which he concluded that gay sex is "intuitively" unnatural. Here's a bit of it:

"In fact, the logical complementarity of the human sexes has been so recognized in our culture that it has entered our vocabulary in the form of naming various pipe fittings either the male fitting or the female fitting depending upon which one interlocks within the other. When the complementarity of the sexes is breached, injuries and diseases may occur..."

Holsinger also voted to oust a lesbian pastor from the United Methodist Church, the NYT reports:

"As president of the Methodist Church's national Judicial Council, Holsinger voted last year to support a pastor who blocked a gay man from joining a congregation. In 2004, he voted to expel a lesbian from the clergy. The majority of the panel voted to keep the lesbian associate pastor in place, citing questions about whether she had openly declared her homosexuality, but Holsinger dissented."

The congregation Holsinger helped establish, Hope Springs Community Church, as I noted earlier, advocates "curing" gays and lesbians.

PRELUDE

It started in 1969 in New York City on the evening of June 27th.

The Stonewall Inn, a very popular gay hangout in the Greenwich Village section of the city, was packed with its usual crowd.

What was somewhat unusual about the night was that New York City Alcohol and Beverage Control Board agents, along with a group of NYPD officers, raided the bar to enforce a seldom-used law.

This action was not uncommon, as raids on gay establishments were carried out around the city with virtually no resistance. Patrons were escorted out of their gathering places, sometimes by force, occasionally beaten, and quite regularly arrested for no just reason. And in fact, the raid on this night was the second on that very establishment in less than seven days.

But there was one thing very different about this night.

Lesbian and gay men decided spontaneously and for the very first time to fight the police harassment. The crowd, both inside and outside of the bar, erupted with violent resistance as the officers began to pick and choose which customers would be hauled off to jail. More and more law enforcement officers were summoned, and the patrons became even more united in increased outrage.

Word of this event spread like wildfire, and larger throngs gathered on the following nights to denounce and protest the mistreatment. These rallies became known as the "Stonewall Rebellion" and the "March on Stonewall," and were the genesis of the modern gay and lesbian freedom movement. They were directed against the violence and widespread discrimination against the community. Out of these demonstrations was born the gay community's quest for equality, liberation, and basic civil rights.

Prior to that summer there was little public expression of the lives and experiences of gays and lesbians. The Stonewall Riots marked the beginning of the gay liberation movement that has transformed the oppression of gays and lesbians into calls for pride and action. In the past twenty-five years we have all been witness to an astonishing flowering of gay culture that has changed this country and beyond, forever.


Featuring the Art of Joe Phillips