Brouhaha in Boulder: A Tough Witness

Brouhaha in Boulder

A Tough Witness

March 19, 2010

Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Boulder, Colorado, recently informed the parents of two students that their children wouldn’t be re-admitted for next fall’s term.

Normally, that would be a matter between the parents and the school and not the stuff of national news. But not this time.

That’s because the parents in question are a lesbian couple.

Father Bill Breslin, the parish priest, explained that the decision was motivated by concern for the children’s well-being. According to Breslin, “If a child of gay parents comes to our school, and we teach that gay marriage is against the will of God, then the child will think that we are saying their parents are bad…We don’t want to put any child in that tough position.”

That prompted Breslin to ask an obvious question: “Why would good parents want their children to learn something they don’t believe in?” He noted that “there are so many schools in Boulder that see the meaning of sexuality in an entirely different way than the Catholic Church does. Why not send their children there?”

Not surprisingly, what’s best for the children isn’t what’s at stake for the Church’s critics. Students from Iliff School of Theology, a liberal Protestant institution, protested outside of the Archdiocese of Denver’s offices, holding up signs that read “Standing on the Side of Love.”

Please.

As Archbishop Charles Chaput, a formidable defender of orthodoxy, explains, Catholic schools “exist primarily to serve Catholic families with an education shaped by Catholic faith and moral formation.” So it’s reasonable, he says, to expect “school families to live their Catholic identity faithfully.”

Now, Catholic schools do accept students of other faiths and no faith. They accept children of single parents and divorced parents. But they also expect that these parents will not offer a “serious counter-witness” to Catholic teaching in their actions.

It’s difficult to imagine a more obvious “counter-witness” than the case of the lesbian couple in Boulder. Orthodox Christians of all denominations hold that sexual intimacy outside a marriage is morally wrong and that marriage is a covenant which can only occur between a man and a woman.

As Chaput says, these teachings “are central” to a Christian understanding of “human nature, family and happiness, as well as the organization of society.” Ignoring the contradiction would undermine the purpose for which Christian schools exist.

A Boulder gay rights group vowed that “decisions like this aren’t going to be tolerated.” I guess that means that in the name of “tolerance” and “love,” they won’t let Christians impose their faith on themselves.

This is exactly why Christian leaders from all denominations, including Archbishop Chaput, wrote the Manhattan Declaration—and why now nearly half a million Christians have signed it. Please, come to BreakPoint.org, and we’ll show you how you can sign the Manhattan Declaration yourself and take a stand for religious freedom, traditional marriage, and the sanctity of life.

We have to act. Because, given the trajectory of our culture, it won’t be long before many, indeed most of us, are facing the kind of challenges the Sacred Heart of Jesus School did. May we, please God, all of us stand for Truth.

[Via http://biblenewstoday.wordpress.com]

Why Wahoos are Woeful in Office!

So I really have been trying to keep the number of “Educated Opinion” posts to a minimum these days but I couldn’t resist this one any longer…

For quite some time now I have been trying to figure out what happened to our Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.  You may remember him as the man who campaigned on, “reserving public safety is the first responsibility of state government.”  Or perhaps you remember the candidate who, “will continue to make every effort to make the Virginia Budget accessible to all Virginians so that they can hold their elected representatives accountable for every dollar they spend. Additionally, I will lead the way by putting the budget of the Attorney General’s office on-line for all to see.”  Better yet, perhaps you reminisce about the guy who, “will direct the Attorney General’s office in a manner that is as minimally burdensome on our businesses and economy as possible.”

I have yet to see any headlines in these departments from the Office of the Attorney General.  What I have seen though are the following:

• VA Challenges EPA’s Stance on Global Warming (and Climate Change)
• VA Attorney General to Colleges: End Gay Protections then a week later… Cuccinelli Not Giving In on College’s Gay Bias Policies
• Cuccinelli’s Office Confirms Virginia Will Sue Over Healthcare and further… Cuccinelli Renews Threat to Challenge Health Care Reform
• Cuccinelli Denies He’s a Paranoid Birther (aka thinks President Obama isn’t a by-birth-American citizen) and here’s the video/audio

Wow, I mean wow… take a moment, regain your breath, slow your heart rate down… okay hopefully you’ve returned to a state of calm now.

So what in the world was Virginia thinking when they elected this guy?  I’m not sure because I voted for Steve Shannon, who granted could have gone just as AWOL (Absent Without Leave) on his campaign promises as AG Cuccinelli has apparently.  Interesting thought when you take into consideration all the criticism President Obama has received about abandoning campaign promises.  Ken Cuccinelli makes Obama look like the Pope in terms of truthful campaigns.

So what in the world could have caused such a change in character by Ken Cuccinelli?  Perhaps he’s just a really good politician– you know say one thing and mean to do another.  Or perhaps the voters of Virginia have been drinking their contaminated water supply and thus become less intelligent and weren’t able to pick up on the bullshit cow-with-horns-poop Cuccinelli was dishing out.  Better yet, maybe it’s the fact that Cuccinelli graduated from that school in Charlottesville… The (other) University of in Virginia.

Naaahhh… silly reader.  It’s none of those things (okay at least not primarily).  See his real intentions are rooted in his future “career” as a politician.

Side note… I believe there is no such thing as a career as a politician and I share that belief with Thomas Jefferson who said, “experience hath shown, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”  In other words… spend too much time as a politician and you can’t help but succumb to its evil ways of lying, deceit, and inefficiency.  Guess Mr. Cuccinelli didn’t pay attention to that part of his alma mater’s founding father’s teachings.

Okay so back to the notion that Cuccinelli is doing all of this show-boating and stunting to set himself up for a run for office.  What office you might ask?  Well look at our current governor, Bob McDonnell was none other than the former Attorney General in Virginia.  In fact a pretty good number of previous Virginia governors served first as the Attorney General.

So what’s so scary/bad about all of this?  Well, in my opinion, it is that Cuccinelli is starting to craft state policy.  He’s losing sight of what he’s charged with as the Attorney General, which is to protect the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia and handle all its legal affairs.  In fact there’s a great column on this nonpartisan observation in the Daily Press (surprising I know– that paper is usually terrible!).

That’s a wrap folks.  Think about it, regardless of how you voted, or which side of the isle you sit on.  An Attorney General creating state policy with no checks or balances is never a good thing, no matter which party he claims as his own.  I promise, I’ll be back to the good food, drinks, and laughter with the next post!

Until next time, Cheers!

[Via http://coastalwind.wordpress.com]

In Africa, a step backward on human rights - Desmond Tutu

Hate has no place in the house of God. No one should be excluded from our love, our compassion or our concern because of race or gender, faith or ethnicity — or because of their sexual orientation. Nor should anyone be excluded from health care on any of these grounds. In my country of South Africa, we struggled for years against the evil system of apartheid that divided human beings, children of the same God, by racial classification and then denied many of them fundamental human rights. We knew this was wrong. Thankfully, the world supported us in our struggle for freedom and dignity.

It is time to stand up against another wrong.

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people are part of so many families. They are part of the human family. They are part of God’s family. And of course they are part of the African family. But a wave of hate is spreading across my beloved continent. People are again being denied their fundamental rights and freedoms. Men have been falsely charged and imprisoned in Senegal, and health services for these men and their community have suffered. In Malawi, men have been jailed and humiliated for expressing their partnerships with other men. Just this month, mobs in Mtwapa Township, Kenya, attacked men they suspected of being gay. Kenyan religious leaders, I am ashamed to say, threatened an HIV clinic there for providing counseling services to all members of that community, because the clerics wanted gay men excluded.

Uganda’s parliament is debating legislation that would make homosexuality punishable by life imprisonment, and more discriminatory legislation has been debated in Rwanda and Burundi.

These are terrible backward steps for human rights in Africa.

Our lesbian and gay brothers and sisters across Africa are living in fear.

And they are living in hiding — away from care, away from the protection the state should offer to every citizen and away from health care in the AIDS era, when all of us, especially Africans, need access to essential HIV services. That this pandering to intolerance is being done by politicians looking for scapegoats for their failures is not surprising. But it is a great wrong. An even larger offense is that it is being done in the name of God. Show me where Christ said “Love thy fellow man, except for the gay ones.” Gay people, too, are made in my God’s image. I would never worship a homophobic God.

“But they are sinners,” I can hear the preachers and politicians say. “They are choosing a life of sin for which they must be punished.” My scientist and medical friends have shared with me a reality that so many gay people have confirmed, I now know it in my heart to be true. No one chooses to be gay. Sexual orientation, like skin color, is another feature of our diversity as a human family. Isn’t it amazing that we are all made in God’s image, and yet there is so much diversity among his people? Does God love his dark- or his light-skinned children less? The brave more than the timid? And does any of us know the mind of God so well that we can decide for him who is included, and who is excluded, from the circle of his love?

The wave of hate must stop. Politicians who profit from exploiting this hate, from fanning it, must not be tempted by this easy way to profit from fear and misunderstanding. And my fellow clerics, of all faiths, must stand up for the principles of universal dignity and fellowship. Exclusion is never the way forward on our shared paths to freedom and justice.

The writer is archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu of Cape Town, South Africa. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

In commemoration of human rights day (21st March 2010)

Article appeared in Washington Post, 12 March 2010.

[Via http://minilicious.wordpress.com]

You’re Outta Here!

I’ve often had a fantasy that everyone would turn some shade of pink related to their position on the Kinsey Scale. Pale white heteros to shocking pink homos. Even if it were just for a week, I think our fight would be over. People could not deny knowing or admiring any homosexuals if that highly paid action hero were to suddenly turn the color of a memorial day peony. Imagine how festive the CPAC convention could have been!

via You’re Outta Here! | Our Big Gayborhood.

Jester over at Our Big Gayborhood invites a discussion on whether it’s only right to out gay people.

Inspired by the recent stories of Roy Ashburn and Sean Hayes, Jester asks the question:

Do celebrities or other public figures have a responsibility to come out of the closet?

What do you think?

[Via http://biggaycloset.com]

It's all about the "Characters"

It Ain’t Just The Size is a unique book with characters that have strong, yet separate identities. Although my book has yet to be released it is being called “Literary Gumbo”… “Refreshing”… “Powerful”… “Inspirational” .  As you can see tell there is a lot in store for you when you pick up a copy of It Ain’t Just The Size.

Special $5 special discount, pick yours up today.

Lance

Ex-Con. After playing in a semi-pro basketball league he is now a college student trying to make his way in the world. No stranger to being against the odds he stays  focused on school, his daughter, and  the time he has lost. He has a good job and a good heart but things beyond his control hold him back. Not only is he worried that if he doesn’t get a scholarship that his college career is over, but also that love may not be in the cards for him. He is the kind of guy that works hard all of his like and never gets any credit. He usually has a book around him.

PrinCess

She oversees Planned Parentage clinics in the L.A. area. She has returned to her old Long Beach after a three year absence, to heal her heart. She doesn’t suffer fools or hold her tongue for no man. so it’s best to stay on her good side. She is a college educated, intelligent, strong woman who seems to have it all, but does she?

Jennifer

She is a school teacher, that is in a relationship with Sadari.  Jennifer is noted for her beautiful, but even  moreso for being angry. She is even more opinionated than her girlfriend.

Billy

He is the youngest character. he is 6′2″ and has dred locs. Billy is an admitted kleptomaniac, pathological liar, alcoholic and he is damn proud of it. He is currently between jobs, but more on that later. He asks those typical children questions, like why for and how come. What’s on his mind…sex, plain and simple. He is never without his backpack, or a cup of alcohol.

Sadari

She works in a law firm. Although she is very much involved in another relationship she secretly wants to be with Lance. Sadari is he is opinionated, insightful and determined, but will she get her man?

Bori

A young Puerto Rican, who used to deal drugs. He has a temper and sometimes he seems to appear out of nowhere. Bori is trying to become a better man for himself, and a better father for his daughter… there is just one thing standing in his way … see video:

Qui

Lance’s eight year old daughter. She is bright and inquisitive.

1-Beer

An older woman in her 50s. She is always seen with one beer in her hand. She is streetwise. She keeps her ear to the streets, so she knows the temperature.

The Talent

The Talent is comprised of one person with a guitar, and one person with a portable drum set. They roll together. They only speak with their music.

Got Questions? Now Get Answers

MG Hardie

[Via http://mghardie.wordpress.com]

Event: "City of Borders" in Cleveland

City of Borders is a film following the intertwined lives of a group of queer people living on the Israel/Palestine border. It will screen during the Cleveland International Film Festival Friday, March 26, at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 28, at 7:40 p.m. The film will have English, Hebrew and Arabic subtitles.

Co-sponsored by TransOhio, discounts are available for TransOhio friends, family and allies.

If you don’t live in Cleveland, e-mail TransOhio@gmail.com for carpool arrangements to see City of Borders.

For more information, full film schedule and times, visit the Cleveland Film Festival Web site.

City of Borders full plot summary

They are Israeli. They are Palestinian. They are gay. They are lesbian. And they come to the Shushan Pub in Jerusalem to discuss love, politics and religion. This documentary follows the daily lives of pub owner Sa’ar Netanel and four young people, Israeli and Palestinian, whose interwoven personal stories show the intricacies and challenges of living a gay lifestyle in the Middle East, within a very complex cit of borders.

Shushan, says pub owner Netanel, is the one place in the city where they can be themselves. Netanel opened the pub in 2003, the same year he was elected to the city council as its first openly gay member. Adam, a former Israeli soldier, who was stabbed by an Orthodox Jew while marching in a gay pride parade, proudly shows off his scar. Reva, a Jewish doctor, wants a baby while her Palestinian lover Samira, a nurse, does not. Their relationship breaks two taboos: same sex relations and relations between Arabs and Jews. And there is Boody, a devout muslim Palestinian who performs as a drag queen. When his life is threatened, he unwillingly leaves Jerusalem for the United States where he eventually settles in the Cleveland area.

[Via http://stuffqueerpeopleneedtoknow.wordpress.com]

walking the dog

Tall wheat is blowing in the wind as I look down upon it from the dyke. Maxi, my lesbian Jack Russel, is terrorising Berend, my brother’s lover’s male Golden Retriever, which is gayer then christmas since it’s totally trying to be Maxi’s (lesbian) bottom.That or he’s a masochist.  I brought Berend so Maxi would have a playmate to run with here in these green and cream colored pastures. Life is good on the dyke, no other people around and only pretty dutch countryside pictures to look at.

[Via http://gembolding.wordpress.com]