Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Via JMG: Married After 64 Years


Here's the first paragraph from a great New York article, Reasons To (Heart) NY:
When the Columbia Library closed each night at ten, it was the custom of John Spofford Morgan, who was studying for a master’s in international affairs, to hop on the subway and head downtown to the New Verdi on West 72nd. Back then, there were two kinds of bars for gay men, he says: pickup joints and old-friends joints. The New Verdi was the latter, but it turned into the former when at around 10:30 on May 17, 1947, Louis Halsey walked in. “Love at first sight,” says Lou now. “Was it?” John wonders. “For me it was slower.” In any case, Lou and John spent the night together, just as they have spent most nights in the 64 years ensuing. Last month, they got married.
(Via - Boy Culture)


Reposted from Joe

Via JMG:HomoQuotable - Richard Socarides


"Barack Obama’s self-described 'evolution' on same sex marriage appears likely to end with a strategically timed (if low-key) pre-election announcement of his support for marriage equality. [snip] Having the President publicly endorse marriage equality will be an important symbolic and substantive turning point. It would likely accelerate the pro-equality shift in public opinion, including in minority communities. It will make it easier for federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, to rule in favor of gay rights in the face of arguments that doing so is out of the mainstream of American political thought. And it might just help get President Obama reelected." - Former Clinton adviser Richard Socarides, writing for the New Yorker.


Reposted from Joe

PGMC goes Gaga for the Holidays

Via JMG: YouTube Names Zach Wahls As Most-Watched Political Clip Of 2011

YouTube says: "Surpassing the President and various presidential hopefuls in views, the #1 video on our list comes from a young man in Iowa speaking candidly to his government. Zach Wahls’ 3 minute speech defending gay marriage has been viewed more than 18 million times."






YouTube's 2011 Political Top Ten:

1. Zach Wahls speaks about family
2. President Obama at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner
3. Strong [Rick Perry ad]
4. President Obama on death of Osama bin Laden
5. Brother, can you spare a trillion? Government gone wild!
6. Seth Meyers remarks at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner
7. Rick Perry - Proven Leadership
8. Jon Stewart Goes Head-to-Head Bill O'Reilly
9. Now is the time for action! [Herman Cain ad]
10. President Barack Obama's First Ad of 2012 [NRSC Ad]


Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: "Ex-Gays" In Caribbean Newspapers


Igor Volsky reports that the above full-page Exodus International ad appeared this week in newspapers in Trinidad and Jamaica. Embiggen for bullshittery.


Reposted om fJoe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma December 20, 2011

Meditation Needs Context

The practice of mindfulness-awareness meditation does not take place in a vacuum. It happens within a certain context and point of view. In the Buddhist tradition, meditation is often presented in the context of view, meditation, and action. Each of these three is essential, as a system of checks and balances. If we do not understand the view, the practice of meditation can be more of a trap than means of freeing ourselves from deception. Rather than loosening our ego-clinging, it could further perpetuate our ignorance and grasping. Rather than connecting us to our world, it could draw us away from it. Meditation in and of itself is no magical cure-all. Proper understanding and proper motivation are important. The view informs the practice.
- Judy Lief, "Is Meditation Enough?"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Via Gay Poltics Report: Obama will make his case to LGBT voters

The re-election campaign of President Barack Obama is set to remind LGBT voters of significant accomplishments achieved during his administration, including the legislative victory ending the military’s ban on gay and lesbian troops, a record number of openly LGBT presidential appointees and a new emphasis on LGBT rights in U.S. diplomacy abroad. But some argue that the president's promise to be a "fierce advocate" for LGBT equality will remain unfulfilled until he embraces marriage for same-sex couples.
 
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