Abracadabra ... Mormons are now gay!

Feb 16, 2012 - The discovery this week of a proposed posthumous baptism for Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel ( Romanian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, Holocaust survivor and author of 57 books ) - who is alive - has revived a longstanding controversy surrounding the Mormon Church's practice of performing "saving ordinances" on behalf of its members' non-Mormons ancestors.

After The Huffington Post broke the story, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints moved quickly to assure Wiesel that it wouldn't allow a baptism—before or after his death. But the incident had already dragged Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney into an escalating, semi-informed debate that's bobbed in and out of public consciousness for nearly two decades.

The practice of posthumous baptism has been part of the church's theology almost since its founding. But since Jewish leaders first expressed concern in 1995 that the ordinances were being performed for Holocaust victims—a perceived affront to Jewish pride and heritage—the Mormon Church has made efforts to keep those names out of their temples.

READ THE FULL STORY ...

As a response to this revelation - and in the wake of the Mormon Church funding the defeat of Prop 8 which made same-sex marriage illegal again in California - the following website now offers similar rites for Mormons!

Sadly, many Mormons throughout history have died without having known the joys of homosexuality. With your help, these poor souls can be saved. 

Simply enter the name of your favorite dead Mormon* in the form below and click Convert! Presto, they're gay for eternity. There is no undo. 

Don't know any dead Mormons? Click the "Choose-a-Mormon" button and we'll find one for you. 

You're welcome!     

CONVERT A MORMON HERE ...

Let's go to Fogo

Fogo Island Arts Corporation is a contemporary arts experiment on Fogo Island and Change Islands located just off the coast of Newfoundland [ WIKI ].

The Arts Corp sees arts and creativity as powerful means of stimulating and regenerating the islands by delivering an integrated strategy incorporating the arts, geo tourism and social enterprise.

Arts Corp activities have two intertwined strands – an international Residency Program and a Production Program, both of which engage with locally inspired as well as trans-national processes.

'Like' their Facebook page here.

Bridge the Digital Divide

This man, his ideas and his implementation of them is really inspiring. He offers a snapshot of world poverty then discusses how internet can Bridge the Digital Divide.

Five billion people can’t use the Internet. Aleph Molinari empowers the digitally excluded by giving them access to computers and the know-how to use them.

Through education and technology-focused community centers, Aleph Molinari empowers the 5 billion people who cannot access or use the Internet and other technologies. Full bio »

Pro-Choice Protest of the Day

Pro-choice Oklahoma state Senator Constance Johnson (D) introduced an amendment to the Sooner State’s pro-life “personhood” bill (SB 1433) making masturbation illegal.

Oklahoma lawmakers are currently debating legislation that would make it mandatory for women to listen to their fetus’s heartbeat before being allowed to have an abortion.

To protest the bill, Sen. Johnson sought to have an amendment added that would make “any action in which a man ejaculates or otherwise deposits semen anywhere but in a woman’s vagina…an action against an unborn child.”

Ottawa's first steps to be "Suicide Safer"

Hundreds of people representing more than 40 organizations gathered at Ben Franklin Place for the launch of the Community Suicide Prevention Network's three-year plan to build a "Suicide Safer Ottawa".

Billed as the city's first summit on youth suicide prevention, the event featured politicians, health care leaders, educators and young people. The goal of the event was to bring Ottawans together to talk about what was already in place and what will be needed to be in the future to help prevent youth suicide, an issue that has captured local and provincial attention in recent months.

READ MORE ...

The “Know What to Do” guide and other valuable information is available online here or at www.facebook.com/preventingsuicide.

 Copies of the guide can be ordered from the Ottawa Public Health Information Line at:   

613-580-6744, TTY: 613-580-9656,  

Toll free: 1-866-426-8885 

Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm.

No one should ever suffer alone. We’re just one call away.

24/7 Crisis Line

613-260-2360 or
1-877-377-7775 (toll free for Eastern Ontario)

Reimagine CBC

Reimagine CBC is a solutions-focused community igniting a national conversation to reimagine the role of public media in the age of participation.

The CBC is in the process of conducting a major strategic review both internally and through outside regulators. The question is, who will shape the CBC of the future? We think Canadians should.

Add your ideas to the forum or make a post on social media via Facebook or Twitter. And don't forget to vote for your favourite ideas.

NOTE: Reimagine CBC is a project of OpenMedia.ca and LeadNow.ca and is not officially affiliated with the CBC in any way.

Infinite Forest

NYC's West Village AIDS Memorial Park competition

Brooklyn architecture firm Studio a+i has nabbed the top prize in a design competition for a public park and memorial on a wedge of land in New York City's West Village.

Called Infinite Forest, it is devoid of statues, sculptures or plaques. Instead, the architects have proposed three separate, 3.6-metre-tall facing mirror walls that frame – and reflect – 20 white birch trees and delineate the triangular block from the surrounding neighbourhood. For the wall's street-facing sides, the design proposes a chalkboard finish that welcomes impromtu chalk-written messages from visitors and passersby.

The site was initially occupied by St. Vincent's Hospital, a facility that once housed the globe's most advanced HIV treatment programs. Below the park, the firm has proposed a wedge-shaped, learning centre, equipped to host exhibitions and performances and accessed by stairs and ramps and lit via skylights. 

"The image is just so captivating. It succeeds as an urban space that is both a neighbourhood park and a memorial. I didn’t see it as an either/or," says Michael Arad, jury chair and designer of the National September 11 Memorial.

Is Capital Pride socially disabled?

A proposed smoking ban on municipal properties such as City Hall could hurt attendance at the Capital Pride festival, say organizers who are calling for a grace period this summer if the new rules are approved.

Starting July 2, proposed bylaw amendments would issue tickets for smoking on city properties such as parks, beaches, sports fields and areas outside municipal facilities, as well Marion Dewar Plaza outside City Hall where the 2012 Capital Pride festival will take place.


In a press release, festival organizers stated that smoking rates are higher in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender and queer communities, and the proposed ban could discourage many people from attending the event.

READ THE WHOLE STORY ...

O P I N I O N

OK, I am a strong supporter of Ottawa's Capital Pride, but this request to the City to extend special rules so people can smoke at Pride is ridiculous. Do they really believe that the LGBTQ Community has 'special needs' when it comes to smoking cigarettes?

I smoked for many years, and one of the best things I ever did for myself was quit 15 years ago. When smoking in bars subsequently became illegal, I breathed a  sigh of relief that I no longer had to breath the fumes or go home stinking of other people's smoke.

Yet despite all the legal changes, it is still impossible to enjoy Ottawa's patios without having to wade through a cloud of second-hand smoke. Most smokers still do not abide by the rule to move 15' away from the building, so the smoke is even stronger because they all squeeze into a small space by the door.

Pride is no different. It is time for the LGBTQ Community to act like other grown-ups and stop imposing their self-destructive habit on the rest of us who wish to live without it. It's time to stop asking for special rules or nobody will ever take our community seriously.

Besides, I have no doubt that the decrease in smokers who come to Pride will be more than offset by the increase in non-smokers able to come and enjoy the smoke-free environment.

... and we welcome Washington State!

Washington state lawmakers voted to approve gay marriage Wednesday, setting the stage for the state to become the seventh in the nation to allow same-sex couples to wed.

The action comes a day after a federal appeals court declared California's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional, saying it was a violation of the civil rights of gay and lesbian couples.

The Washington House passed the bill on a 55-43 vote. The state Senate approved the measure last week, and Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to sign the measure into law next week.

READ THE FULL STORY ...

California's Prop 8 recinded and Supreme Court may not hear Appeal

I suggest that Obama will resolve this question on a Federal level when he is re-elected in November with a strong mandate.

  Until Tuesday, it looked like California's Proposition 8 gay marriage case would be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. But that looks less certain now.

The narrow California-only approach adopted by the 9th Circuit means the high court might choose to steer clear of the dispute.

If so, that would leave for another day — perhaps several years in the future — a national ruling on same-sex marriage.

READ THE WHOLE STORY ...

2013 - 3rd World Outgames

Antwerp ... city of 172 nationalities, fashion, diamonds and gay nightlife invites you to the 3rd World Outgames in 2013.

Sexual Minority Stress & Mental Health

Sexual minority stress, along with aging-related stress, jeopardizes the mental health of midlife and older gay men, according to a new study published by the American Journal of Public Health. In the study, sexual minority stress included the men’s perceptions that they needed to conceal their sexual orientation or being avoided because of their sexual orientation.

The study also found that legal marriage for same-sex couples may confer a unique protective effect against poor mental health. Having a same-sex domestic partner or same-sex spouse boosted the emotional health of the studied men, but having a same-sex legal spouse appeared to be the most beneficial relationship arrangement.

“This study shines a light on the mental health of a generation of gay men who survived the early years of the AIDS crisis and came of age on the heels of the gay rights movement.”

The study’s findings further suggest that targeted campaigns may be necessary to address this generation of gay men’s heightened risk for poor mental health. Sexual orientation stigma, the loss of many of their peers to AIDS and general aging-related stress, such as concerns over finances and independence, also affected the mental health of these midlife and older gay men.

READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE ...


For more information about this study, please see the American Journal of Public Health at:
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300384

Silence = Death 2.0

What would you do if you were old, disabled or ill - and the person feeding you put down the spoon and said that you are going to hell unless you change your sexual preference?       

         Sound absurd?

         Social workers around the world say  it’s happening every day.

         Gen Silent is the critically-acclaimed documentary from filmmaker Stu Maddux that asks six LGBT seniors if they will hide their friends, their spouses- their entire lives in order to survive in the care system.

Watch the Trailer here ...

Stephen Colbert's Super PAC isn't Stephen's anymore

 

Dear Super PAC Super Members,

Hi there. I'm Jon. It looks like I'm running this thing now. All the details are in the press release below. Quick question: does anybody know where the key to the Super PAC bathroom is?

Thanks,

Jon Stewart
President Pro Tem
Americans For A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow 

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FOR REALLY IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Under New Management!
BASIC CABLE, USA – Americans For A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, an FEC registered Super PAC, today announced the addition of Jon Stewart to its executive board (along with the subtraction of Stephen Colbert).

With this change the group, which had been known colloquially as Colbert Super PAC, can now be referred to as The Definitely Not Coordinating With Stephen Colbert Super PAC. They have already begun updating all of their letterhead with sharpie. 

READ THE REST OF THIS IMPORTANT DOCUMENT NOW !

OPEN LETTER TO STEPHEN COLBERT

The following letter was posted by me today in the community forum of The Colbert Nation website today:

TV Pundit and Class Clown Stephen Colbert proudly flies the
LGBT Community's Pride Flag UPSIDE-DOWN!

UPSIDE-DOWN Gay Pride Flag ?!? ... SCURRILOUSSSSS
(Colbert Report: July 21, 2011)

Dear Mr. Colbert,

I have watched your show since its inception (ie. idea was planted in the sleeping American Public's mind) for no other reason than to get mad at you for the heterosexist War you continue to wage against the LGBT/Gay community.

You have pissed me off in the past with your turgid tirades against gay rights and the losing battle (Ha Ha!) against gay marriage, but THIS TAKES THE (beautifully decorated) CAKE!

HOW DARE YOU display the LGBT flag upside-down in your recent piece about/against teaching gay history in schools?!? (See the episo)

I cannot believe that this was merely an oversight on the part of your Graphics team. No, rather, I am now convinced that such deep-seated disdain for the LGBT Community are really just pathetic attempts to obfuscate your own same-sex attractions.
Come out of the closet Stephen and stop looking at the Gay Pride Flag as if you were hanging upside-down in a kinky restraint device in your basement!

If you don't stop disrespecting the LGBT Community, we may be forced to organize a fun and colourful march to protest you, your medieval attitudes and perverse propaganda, STEPHEN!

Truculently Yours,
iDouglas
(Ottawa, Canada)


FOLLOW THIS LINK to the correct version of the Internationally accepted LGBT Community Flag

OR HERE FOR THE WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE

VIEW THE OFFENDING EPISODE IN CANADA HERE

This is how the LBGT Pride Flag SHOULD appear!

The True North GAY and Free!!!

Obama officially ends ban on gays in military

United States Marines attend a training session to familiarize them with the military's new position regarding gay and lesbian service members and the repeal of the don't ask, don't tell policy at Camp Pendleton. (Lenny Ignelzi/The Associated Press)

Last Friday, President Barack Obama fulfilled a 2008 campaign pledge and formally ended the ban on gays in the military. 

After meeting with Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the president certified to Congress that repealing the ban would not jeopardize the military's ability to fight.

"As commander in chief, I have always been confident that our dedicated men and women in uniform would transition to a new policy in an orderly manner that preserves unit cohesion, recruitment, retention and military effectiveness," Obama said in a statement. "Service members will no longer be forced to hide who they are in order to serve our country."

Obama's action means that effective Sept. 20, gay service members will be able to openly acknowledge their sexual orientation. And it opens the door for those discharged over the past 17 years under Clinton's policy to re-apply to the military and possibly serve again.

OutGames 2011 in Vancouver this week

2nd GLISA North America Outgames
Vancouver 2011 | July 25th - July 31st

This continental event will include multi-sport elements supported by the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association [ GLISA ]. 

A key component to the games is the Human Rights Conference with workshops on diversity, and an awards ceremony recognizing individuals and corporations that have influenced LGBT rights. Additional elements include Cultural Activities and Opening and Closing ceremonies. 

Come enjoy one of the many events taking place during Pride Week! 

Don’t miss being part of one of the largest events happening in Vancouver this summer. With upwards of 1,000 athletes and participants expected in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, this is definitely going to be a week to remember!

OutGames

OutGames bring together lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) athletes from around the world in unprecedented numbers for a celebration of sport, culture and human rights. In the spirit of true inclusiveness, the OutGames are open to all, regardless of sexual orientation. 

OutGames Core Elements

Sport
Each OutGames has a sport component offering 8-10 sport disciplines at the Continental level and 30-35 sport disciplines at a World OutGames level. OutGames include events for everyone, from seasoned athletes to recreational participants. Which sports are included in an OutGames, is determined by both the Host City and GLISA and can be flexible to include sports that are regional or continental favourites.

Culture/Celebrations
Cultural activities include music, dance and social activities, such as country and western dance, marching bands, concert bands, big bands, colour guard, cheerleading, choral festivals and leather events to name a few. The events range from participatory to observatory and judged and non judged. All OutGames also include Opening and Closing Celebrations featuring dance, music, song, choreography and athleticism.

Human Rights Conference
World OutGames will play host to an International Conference on LGBT Human Rights, where delegates from every continent will come together for workshops and discussions led by internationally respected leaders in human rights, researchers, legal scholars and trade organisations.

Although the specific components of each OutGames vary slightly to reflect the priorities of the Host City’s region or continent, there are similar components to each set of OutGames. We provided a general overview here of the core elements of World and Continental OutGames, to see the specific components of any of the upcoming OutGames we encourage you to view the links on either the World or Continental OutGames pages under OutGames on the menu.

“Breast Milk Baby” coming to a store near you

When I first read about this, I thought it was rather creepy, but after reading the whole story of this, I can see how much it could help people understand the importance of breast-feeing.

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In a press release yesterday, Spain-based Berjuan Toys announced their commitment to bring their Breast Milk Baby doll to the U.S. after it sold well overseas. The company has generated more than $2 million in sales since the dolls were first released in Spain four years ago.

The doll previously received a formal endorsement from the Spanish breastfeeding organization FEDALMA, as well as support from members of other international breastfeeding organizations.

Each doll comes with a “fashionable” halter-top to be worn by the child; it’s decorated with two flowers carefully positioned where the nipples would be. The doll then makes motions and suckling sounds when a sensor in its mouth comes close to sensors inside the flowers. Available in both genders and three different skin colors, the six types of Breast Milk Babies are currently on sale in Europe and available online for $89.

Learn where modern Gay Pride started

When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City on June 28, 1969, the street erupted into violent protests that lasted for the next six days. The Stonewall riots, as they came to be known, marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world.

This documentary on PBS' American Experience beautifully outlines the history and the context that changed attitudes in America and many other parts of the world.

Watch the full episode. See more American Experience.

Gay teens benefit from supportive environment

LGB-Supportive environment reduces risk by 20%, study suggests

Gay teens are much less likely to attempt suicide when they live in a supportive social environment — such as having gay and lesbian groups at school — compared with those who do not, a U.S. study suggests.

Several international studies have found higher attempted suicide rates among lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth compared with heterosexuals. Overall, suicide is the third leading cause of death among youth aged 15 to 24, researchers say.

The study in Monday's issue of the journal Pediatrics found LBG youth living in a social environment more supportive of gays and lesbians were 20 per cent less likely to attempt suicide than LGB youth living in environments that were less supportive.