From Cybil Shepard

Cybil Shepard, in all her fabulousness, will probably catch more grief than favor with these statements, but I just wanted to say how fantastic she is. She really has never been one to shy away from being publically honest with how she feels. In this installment, Cybil Shepard lays the passage of Prop8 defintively at the feet of the Mormons and the Catholics, saying: "Most of the money came from Utah, it’s very unfortunate."

She goes on:

He [Martin Luther King, Jr.] was killed in my hometown of Memphis, three and a half miles from my high school and I’m a product of the segregated south and I got to see that hatred up close, live that hatred, colored only, whites only, and when he was killed I was stricken with guilt and shame. I felt as though I hadn't done enough to help the civil rights cause and as I gradually began to understand, what is the most recent excuse to deny people rights under the law? To treat them as less than human and once you get that kind of right thinking you realize how important it is to stand up for the gay and lesbian kids who are at greater risk because they don't have community support and sometimes their parents kick them out. Particularly in L.A we have more runaways then anywhere in the world...

I’m a Christian Pagan Buddhist Goddess worshiper, but I’m also a feminist. I think the ultimate glass ceiling is God, in another words, if we think God is a man, then we make man a God, and I studied and learned that there is a whole other history of the worshiping of the great mother. I really think that probably God is a woman, that helped me to break through that celestial glass ceiling.

I love you, Cybil, but I think you lost even me on that last bit there.

El Papa, "Condoms not good for AIDS."

I mean, he's not completely unreasonable, he's saying that abstinence is better and condoms promote sex. That's true, right? In much the same way eyeglasses promote poor eyesight.

From IndyStar.com:

In his four years as pope, Benedict had never directly addressed condom use, although his position is not new. His predecessor, Pope John Paul II, often said that sexual abstinence - not condoms - was the best way to prevent the spread of the disease.

Benedict also said the Roman Catholic Church was at the forefront of the battle against AIDS.

"You can't resolve it with the distribution of condoms," the pope told reporters aboard the Alitalia plane heading to Yaounde. "On the contrary, it increases the problem."

The pope said a responsible and moral attitude toward sex would help fight the disease, as he answered questions submitted in advance by reporters traveling on the plane. His response was presumably also prepared in advance.

FOXNews is quick to bring up the issue that most sources are emphasizing the "no on condoms approach." Because, you know, FOXNews is the moral paragon of the country.

Meanwhile, people continue to have sex and people continue to get AIDS. You know, because years of abstinence-abstinence-abstinence worked for this country and everyone else...

...after all, just look at the Palin's.

Look: let's be honest. Abstinence is the best way to protect yourself from getting STD's and against unwanted pregnancies. It's the truth. No one is denying that. But the problem is not whether or not we go out and teach abstinence, it's whether or not we add the rejoinder "but if you choose to have sex, you should use..."

It's called comprehensive sex education, not "happy-fun-fuck-orgy-time" sex education. Responsible, complete, intelligent.

Health and Gay People

What's wrong with this anti-gay article (written by a Christian celibate man who "left the gay community") quoting these statistics:

· Life expectancy of gay/bisexual men in Canada is 20 years less than the average; that is 55 years.
· GLB people commit suicide at rates from 2 to 13.9 times more often than average.
· GLB people have smoking rates 1.3 to 3 times higher than average.
· GLB people have rates of alcoholism 1.4 to 7 times higher than average.
· GLB people have rates of illicit drug use 1.6 to 19 times higher than average.
· GLB people show rates of depression 1.8 to 3 times higher than average.
· Gay and bisexual men (MSM) comprise 76.1% of AIDS cases.
· Gay and bisexual men (MSM) comprise 54% of new HIV infections each year.
· If one uses Statistics Canada figure of 1.7% of GLB becoming infected, that is 26 times higher than average.
· GLB people are at a higher risk for anal cancers.

How about other studies showing similar health differences in other minorities? Let's say, African Americans, for example. Or, Asian Americans. (NOTE: literally the first websites that popped up)

The problem with a baseline is that sometimes it's the wrong base. White guys have higher rates of heart attacks -- does that make heterosexual sex wrong? Or the WASP-y lifestyle? Oh, and can we start talking about obesity? Seriously. Don't play the health game, especially when this is your closer:

The culture of pushing sex down people's throats is not working. There is nothing wrong with abstinence from sex. This goes for everyone who is not married to someone of the opposite sex. I've been single and chaste for many years after having left the gay community. You don't die from not having sex. It's not like air or water.

Recent laws, policies and public funding aimed at reducing the rate of suicide, addiction, partner abuse, and STI's by granting more sexual freedom have not diminished those statistics. In fact, there has been an increase since the beginning of the 'rights' movement in the early 70's, and it's getting worse, not better. In places like San Francisco and the Netherlands where gay sex has been normalized, many of these stats are worse, so I have difficulty with the theory that more freedom, money and legislation will reduce these stats. That is just not where the facts point.

The Church talks about Natural Law and says that if something is true it will prove true in many ways. The Bible says gay sex is a problem, biology doesn't support it, and health statistics demonstrate its problems. Why not abstain? That's what I'm doing.

Or when this is linked off your front page.

How much of the mental health/depression issues, for example, arise for your outright bigotry? Leave the gays alone, guys. Seriously. We were perfectly content to leave you alone, but, every now and again, some of the religious folk in the world... well, it just makes it hard to live and let live.

I can tell you now, shaming people does not a healthcare relationship make.

But that doesn't alleviate our duty to protect ourselves and make sure that we have a good thorough understanding of health concerns that affect us, and have important discussions on how we can better improve our health.

Catholics Hate Gay Connecticut

The Catholics have lost their freaking minds, out of Connecticut:

The Connecticut Catholic Conference is asking lawmakers to expand the category of those who don't have to comply with the state's new same-sex marriage law if their religion holds that such unions are wrong.

People such as florists, wedding photographers and justices of the peace.

"Same-sex couples have their liberties protected fully. Religious people are wondering, 'How is this going to affect me?'" said David Reynolds, lobbyist for the Catholic Church.

Reynolds raised his concerns Friday as the legislature's judiciary committee considered a bill to ensure that existing statutes comport with the landmark state Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.

"A situation has been created ... where state policy seriously conflicts with the religious beliefs of a large number of the citizens of the state," Reynolds said. He cited examples in other states where businesspeople have faced legal action because they declined, on religious grounds, to provide goods or services to same-sex couples.

Don't the Catholics have some souls to save? Some counseling to do? Some sermons to preach? Something else to do besides encourage discrimination against LGBT people in the state?

I mean really. It's been a weird week for gay people.

Don't forget the shady shit done by the Kentucky Senate in advancing the anti-gay adoption bill. Apparently, when you're losing, just play dirty politics and everything will be OK.

Catholics are sexy

From @WLWT (the full story here):

The most powerful Catholic in Cincinnati is outraged over sex education at the University of Cincinnati.

Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk publicly criticized UC for a week-long program known as Sexploration.

The program features speakers and events, as well as condom giveaways and a “Pizza and Porn” night.

Sponsors include the university's Wellness Center and Pure Pleasure Inc., which sells lotions and sex toys.

People connected with the program say it’s a great educational experience for students and can help them make healthy decisions about sex.

Pilarczyk called the week of activities "profoundly disturbing." He issued a statement Wednesday criticizing the university for allowing what he calls "the gross disregard of the moral sensibilities of many in the university community."

A university spokesman said the program responds to student interest in sexual wellness and health. He said the Wellness Center is supported by student fees, not tuition, and that programs focus on issues of interest to students.

A public relations director for Pure Romance released a statement saying that a major component of the event “is to help students understand all the aspects that are important in maintaining healthy relationships.”

UC students have sex? I would never have guessed. 

[meanspirited]To the Archbishop of Cincinnati: get a clue.[/meanspirited]

When Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come on to unto me" he didn't mean that... Sorry, that was really really really anti-Catholic. But, seriously, fresh out of their child abuse scandal, I'm amazed that the Catholic church has much street cred left on the issue of sex. Let them eat cock, IMHO. 

The UC students, that is, not the abused children or the priests...

RELIGION: Vatican will excommunicate female priests

Oh, good. Because what the Catholic Church needs is another reason to scare people away.

The Vatican issued its most explicit decree so far against the ordination of female priests on Thursday, punishing them and the bishops who try to ordain them with automatic excommunication.

The decree was written by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and published in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, giving it immediate effect.

A Vatican spokesman said the decree made the church's existing ban on female priests more explicit by clarifying that excommunication would follow all such ordinations.

Taken from an MSNBC story.


Photo taken from here.

GENERAL STUFF: St. Benedict the Black

Why does this make me giggle??? The good natured, wise, older black man who cooks? Didn't I see this stereotype somewhere. Oh yea...



I think the patron saint of Latinos in America should be the father of many, running a small Mexican restaurant outside of Dallas... hard working, troubled, but with a great love of his family.

I've spent the last couple minutes reading up on my Saints. Seriously, guys?

Seriously?

POLITICS: Seven Deadly Sins

First caught this on the CNN homepage, then found it again on FOX, then saw it on Neatorama, and then on ABC News... so! I thought I might finally post it.

The Vatican, in all his wonderfulness, has released a list of the NEW Seven Deadly sins in addition to the original, which were written out by Dante -- lust, sloth, gluttony, greed, wrath, envy and pride.

The new ones are (although I'm getting some differences on some of these from different sources):

1) Genetic Modification (AHN), Genetic Manipulation (CNN), Genetic Engineering (ABC & FOX)
2) Human Experimentation (AHN), "Morally Dubious" experiments such as stem cell research (Neatorama)
3) Polluting the Environment (AHN & FOX & CNN & Neatorama)
4) Social Injustice (AHN), Causing Social Injustice (FOX), Contributing to the Widening divide between rich and poor (Neatorama)
5) Causing Poverty (AHN & Neatorama), Inequality of Wealth (ABC),
6) Financial Gluttony (AHN), Inequality of Wealth (ABC), Being Obscenely Rich (FOX), Excessive Wealth (Neatorama)
7) Taking Drugs (AHN), Drug Abuse (ABC & Neatorama), Drug Dealing (FOX)
( 8) Abortion (FOX))
( 9) Pedophilia (FOX))
( 10) Bioethical violations such as birth control (Neatorama))

HA! Read the ABC article linked above and the slight about Eliot Spitzer.

And, no, really. FOX lists two more that no one else does, and skips over human experimentation and causing poverty. And Neatorama adds one more.

In fact, the only thing that every source agrees on.. polluting is bad. So I do what I always do... go to the source.

The Official Website for the Catholic Church
Which, ironically, has nothing about it.

How about...

The Holy See -- After all, it is their paper, L'Osservatore Romano, that everyone was talking about.
Also, ironically, nothing on that, either.

In fact, it took the Associated Press article to shed light. It will be listed in the upcoming L'Osservatore Romano, and the one available currently is last weeks.

This is the entire AP article, and what every other story is based off of:

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A Vatican official has listed drugs, pollution, genetic manipulation and social and economic injustices as new areas of sinful behavior.

Sins increasingly manifest themselves as behavior that damages society as a whole, Monsignor Gianfranco Girotti said in an interview published Sunday by the Vatican's daily newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.

"While sin used to concern mostly the individual, today it has mainly a social resonance, due to the phenomenon of globalization," said Girotti, who heads the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican body that issues decisions on matters of conscience and grants absolutions.

Catholic teaching distinguishes between lesser venial sins and mortal sins.

Listing the new areas of sinful behavior, Girotti denounced "certain violations of the fundamental rights of human nature through experiments, genetic manipulations."

He also mentioned drugs — which "weaken the mind and obscure intelligence" — pollution, and the widening social and economic differences between the rich and the poor.

Girotti said the Catholic Church continued to be concerned by other sinful acts, including abortion and pedophilia.

He said Church authorities had reacted with "rigorous measures" to child abuse scandals within the clergy, but he also claimed that the issue had been excessively emphasized by the media.

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I'll update you as soon as the actual stuff comes out

UPDATE: Why is this under politics? Because they all have extremely political implications. And why do they all seem to be directed at the US, specifically?