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Google Sets New Industry Standard in Transgender Health Care Benefits

It’s nice to see an industry leader such as Google step out front on this important issue. Google’s stance will make it easier for other companies to follow suit and offer similar benefits, and, as a matter of competition, make it harder for other companies to refuse to do so. When employers in the same field are desperately fighting to poach top talent from each other, as they are (see the Microsoft bacon cart for more evidence of this trend), Google’s new policy sends a strong message about how they value all of their employees. It can only be a sign of better things to come in the high-tech world, and eventually across the entire corporate spectrum.

At Google, a Transgender “Gold Standard”

The updated benefits, announced internally by company officials on Friday and effective immediately, cover transitioning procedures and treatment in accordance with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s (WPATH) Standards of Care, and include gender reassignment surgical procedures determined to be medically necessary by a doctor.

Some of the procedures covered by Google’s health care plan include genital surgery, as well as facial feminization for transgender women and pectoral implants for transgender men — surgeries that can be considered medically necessary depending on the “unique clinical situation of a given patient’s condition and life situation,” according to WPATH’s seventh version of care standards, published in September.

The article goes on to say:

Google also has more than doubled the maximum dollar amount for transgender health care benefits, from $35,000 to $75,000, the minimum amount required for a 100% rating on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2012 Corporate Equality Index, which is expected to be released in the coming weeks. The benefits are covered by the company’s existing insurance providers and apply to domestic employees, Newman said. Google is considering extending similar benefits to international employees, though it does not currently have a timeline for doing so.

in News of Note by Alison Gardner 22 Nov 2011 1 comments

Who Are You Calling an Anarchist?

For more on Transhuman Erotic Freedom…

También en español “I heartily accept the motto, ‘That government is best which governs least’; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe– ‘That government is best which governs not at all’; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which we will have.”

—Henry David Thoreau, American Anarchist

Gunpowder Plot Conspirators

Remember, remember the 5th of November…an appropriate date to consider current events in the Occupy movement in relation to traditional concepts of minimalist governance. Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators, though opposed to the reigning government, were not anarchists. They were terrorists, who would have created chaos had they succeeded in blowing up Parliament and killing King James I in 1605. Those who benefit from the status quo encourage public fear of true anarchy by calling it “chaos,” a concept quite opposed to anarchy.

Anarchy is an approach to the organization of society without permanently established titular leadership. Mon-archy is rule by one person. Tetr-archy is rule by a group of four. An-archy is rule by no person. Many political philosophers, acting as water-carriers for depraved elites, have pretended that social chaos will be the final result of anarchic government; however, history shows that anarchy can be highly effective and anything but chaotic. Unfortunately, such successes are never celebrated by the established elites, including those who report and write history, because they disprove the fallacious principles on which command-oriented society is based. Invariably some conspiracy of challenged elites steps in and violates all principles of human decency and constitutional law to suppress such groups, as we see now happening in many Occupy locations.

Guy Fawkes was no anarchist. The purpose of the Gunpowder Plot was to bring the Roman Catholic church back into control of the English monarchy. That would have been a step backwards into rigid and brutally authoritarian control of every element of English society. Guy Fawkes is more akin to today’s false religionists of fundamentalism who today work to make the United States into a mock-christian theocracy. Fawkes was a simple terrorist, bent on creating as much chaos as possible without rational purpose or valued outcome.

How times and popular images have changed. Once a kind of post-Halloween bogeyman to be hanged and burned in effigy on the fifth night after All Hallows’ Eve, “the old guy” gradually became a more popular and sympathetic image in the public mind. Children’s books were written. The Fawkes legend grew in the direction of his being a positive rebel against the ruling elites, and now the Occupy movement uses a modern caricature of his image to represent the 99%.

At the same time the idea of social chaos was conflated in the public mind with social organization based on anarchist principles—the most basic of which is that government is precluded from using violence against its own citizens. Such would surely be a far cry from the massive ongoing, and allegedly Federally facilitated, conspiracy of urban police to terrorize citizens exercizing their right of protest.

Anarchists, not Terrorists

Anarchy is a viable and effective form of government to the extent that citizens freely embrace principles of mutual respect, freedom of expression, and social equality. Not all people are equal in intellect, knowledge, social capacity, and leadership ability. Anarchy does not attempt to suppress the contributions of such people, but integrates them into the larger fabric of society, helping good ideas succeed. But this will not work well in a world where people refuse to work together across class and social lines to address real challenges and refuse to acknowledge a social duty to provide protection to the most vulnerable.

The problem is basically lack of love between people—of mutual trust. When people refuse to love others, but mistrust them or even abuse them for personal gain or for the egotistical satisfaction of a failed self-image, there must be some means of conflict resolution. Conventionally this is done by appeal to a higher authority. Some may appeal to their idea of god; however, those who seek a defined and prompt material or legal remedy will probably appeal to human governmental power. In a functional anarchy, this appeal would come before the local, voluntary, communal “administration” governed by group wisdom. There is no need for oppressive human governmental power in a society founded on love and mutual trust as opposed to greed and mutual fear. Government as it exists today promotes government interference, itself producing litigatable or regulatable conflicts, and creating more job opportunities for those who relish imposing arbitrary groupthink nonsense on their fellow humans.

The ideal state, in which the collective community is dynamically self-governing, does not require rigid administrative, judicial, or legislative compartments. When the collective is required to react it develops any governmental structures needed using methods appropriate to specific situations. Such structures persist only until task is done. They work to find as complete as possible solutions to real problems and shun cowardly incrementalism when larger change is required. They are the antithesis in organization and function of the myriad agencies of traditional human governments, including many of the United States.

A Vision of New Harmony

This vision of a perfected human society is what is actually meant by anarchy. Anarchy has long been viewed as the ideal form of government by those who oppose coercive aspects of social regulation. Although a few anarchist societies have flourished, they have invariably been violently suppressed by all other political groups—capitalist, fascist, catholic, communist, protestant, socialist, christianist, republican, islamist, democratic, imperialist, etc., all of which depend on physical and psychological violence directed against their own constituents to maintain their power and privilege.

There is no component of our society that does not fear the rise of successful anarchy. And this is the cause of the systematic suppression of erotic freedom by elites, for erotic freedom is the key to the final expression and realization of a truly anarchic society.

In our next post, we will explore in depth how sexual freedom is becoming the true foundation of a new social system based on liberty, justice, freedom, and equality for all who will embrace love, live truth, do good, and make beauty.

Love Poly Style

This video comes to us from Newsweek, and is called “POLYAMORY: Making Poly Love Work.” For anyone not familiar with the term polyamory (from Greek πολύ [poly, meaning many or several] and Latin amor [love]), Wikipedia defines it as “the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved.”

From the Newsweek article:

Terisa and Matt and Vera and Larry—along with Scott, who’s also at this dinner—are not swingers, per se; they aren’t pursuing casual sex. Nor are they polygamists of the sort portrayed on HBO’s Big Love; they aren’t religious, and they don’t have multiple wives. But they do believe in “ethical nonmonogamy,” or engaging in loving, intimate relationships with more than one person—based upon the knowledge and consent of everyone involved. They are polyamorous, to use the term of art applied to multiple-partner families like theirs, and they wouldn’t want to live any other way.

Is Sex For Pleasure Uniquely Human?

Talk Nerdy To Me: Is Sex For Pleasure Uniquely Human?

“We have a lot of sex. In human culture, sex is so much more than a means of reproduction. Sex is emotional. Sex is communicative. Sex is fun. And when it comes down to it, for most of us, sex just feels good. We have sex for pleasure significantly more often than we have sex for reproductive purposes. Is this one of those things that makes us uniquely human?

“One indication that animals enjoy sexual activity is the act of masturbation. We’ve all seen our dogs do it. Male dogs will pretty much hump anything they can wrap their legs around. Masturbation in horses is also quite common. There’s even a seminal (no pun intended) paper on squirrel masturbation. In fact, a lot of animals go solo. Birds, walruses, sheep, turtles, elephants, bears, and many more species have been observed engaging in autoeroticism. Porcupines have even been witnessed to fashion vibrators out of sticks. Interestingly, although all of these animals have been documented to play with themselves, it is exceedingly rare that they actually get off. That is, masturbation to the point of orgasm/ejaculation appears to be a fluke outside of the human species (except maybe in squirrels).

What makes us so different that our masturbatory experiences are “goal-oriented” when other animals’ are not? And why is our masturbation frequency significantly higher than that of other species? Jesse Bering hypothesizes that it is because humans have the unique ability to form mental representations of erotic material. It may be the case that what sets us apart is our ability to write, produce, edit, and even star in our own mental porn.”

I find the differences in motivation and frequency the most interesting. With our greater capacity for thought, intuition, and imagination, our ability to enjoy sex, both alone or with partners, reaches depths beyond other animals. While we may have the upper hand, it is still important to acknowledge the similarities that we share with other species. People that believe masturbation is unnatural may not seek evidence, but the fact that other species engage in sexual activity purely for pleasure proves that we are all sexual creatures.

Image source: Mila Zinkova

in News of Note by Jack Diehl 20 Nov 2011 0 comments

A Mission Accomplished

We are pleased to report the DC TLGB Watch’s Transgender Day of Action in Washington, DC, was, and continues to be, a notable success by any standard.

Even a few days ago, when elected/appointed officials became a little nervous on rumors that street demonstrations and set of demands with deadlines were coming to their doorsteps, the Trans community leaders were offered some coordinated face-time with the Office of Mayor Vincent Gray together with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the US Attorney for Washington, DC (USAO), a fresh approach to replace their usual divide and conquer strategy to make these problems magically disappear. (Because we still do not have statehood in Washington, DC, our justice system is federally administered by the USAO, and this causes obstacles of its own that interfere with bringing justice and equality to the Trans community.)

So, even before the first boot hit the ground or the first demand leapt from our bullhorn, we saw a new willingness among these officials to start responding proactively on a level this crisis of anti-Trans violence and police bias warrants. But that was just the beginning.

After marching in front of the MPD with 40+ Trans victims, activists, and allies, with chants like “Hey, Hey, Ho Ho, Transphobia has got to go,” and delivering our demands in writing directly to MPD Police Chief Cathy Lanier, we read each demand out loud from the sidewalk as a media scrum pressed in to interview spokespeople in the Trans community. Minutes later, while headed over to the federal building a few blocks away that houses the USAO, to rally again and deliver our demands to the US Attorney, we were chased down in the street by a press aide from Police Chief Lanier’s office with a an official statement.

Lanier’s incredible “rebuttal” of our demands was an insult and misrepresentation of the countless hours and years community leaders have spent in meetings with her and her predecessor with little to show for it except for increasing anti-Trans violence and murder. With just a few sentences, she tried to blame the Trans community for its failure to send representatives to an unannounced, hastily organized MPD meet-and-greet last week, a sign, in her mind at least, that we were the ones not being serious about working in partnership with them to bring about change. This was at once ironic, ludicrous, and infuriating because this defensive statement was so obviously hastily prepared a few floors up simultaneous with our street demonstration, and at the same time, indisputably and so sadly demonstrates to everyone who can read how unserious and off the page she and her department have been.

We’re talking about a spike in anti-Trans murders, two in the last 4 months, rampant anti-trans violence, including attempted murders at the hands of police, and police bias and police profiling especially within DC’s highly questionable and indeed unconstitutional “Prostitution Free Zones.” What are they focused on? They want to argue with us about who came out for a coffee, a completely cynical deflection carried out in the most petty, amateurish, and self-disclosing way. The Chief cannot help but fail each time she approaches these important issues because she first must change her own very bad attitudes, and then be in a position to get serious about the gravity and urgency this shame in the nation’s capital deserves.

Today, the emails to our community are buzzing back and forth from Chief Lanier and her commanders. They are scrambling to reach out now that we have taken to direct action to bring this crisis to the attention of every American and established what their priorities must be. Maybe now they can begin to change the situation by changing themselves and understanding just how they discriminate against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and, especially, Trans people by offering public relations tricks in place of honest dialogue. At least now, they are on notice that they must turn that corner and rise to their responsibilities.

We have come together in coalition with a set of demands we all agree on and we have set dates for completion. Now it is up to the Trans community leaders to press them in high level meetings with our elected/appointed officials, telling these decision-makers that they can keep the street activists at bay only if and when real progress starts and continues. We are a strong coalition representing a dozen prominent organizations dedicated to improving life for DC Trans residents. Now, at a moment’s notice, we can put boots on the ground, again and again, until real, systemic, and sustainable change comes to Washington, DC. We will do this until the anti-Trans violence and police bias in DC comes to an end, including the harmful Prostitution Free Zones.

in Campaigns / Events / Grassroots / Public Information / Transunity & Transleadership by Alison Gardner 18 Nov 2011 0 comments

The Sexual Freedom Project: Bisexuality

For some people, bisexuality is their sexual orientation, and it’s here to stay. For some other people, coming out as bisexual is a first step to admitting that they’re gay — to friends and family, perhaps even to themselves. The men in these two videos have a lot to say about bisexuality. (Note: Some video not appropriate for certain environments.)

Did these videos make you change your opinions about bisexuality, or even reconsider them?

What’s your reaction upon learning someone is bisexual? Do you automatically think they are just confused, just as straight people think of gay people?Is it ever our place to try to influence someone else’s sexual orientation. Some believe bisexuals suffer discrimination from all sides, from both gay and straight people, so what do you think?

Let us know share your voice. Make a video, write a poem, song, or an essay — or even create an original work of art — and express your thoughts on these topics. If we feature your contribution on the site, we will send you a free VenusPlusX t-shirt to thank you.

in The Sexual Freedom Project / Videos by Tiye 18 Nov 2011 0 comments

What We Can Learn From the Dutch About Teen Sex

What Mind Reading: What We Can Learn From the Dutch About Teen Sex

“Teen birth rates are eight times higher in the U.S. than in Holland. Abortion rates are twice as high. The American AIDS rate is three times greater than that of the Dutch. What are they doing right that we’re not?…

“Coming out of the sexual revolution, the Dutch really decoupled sex from marriage, but they didn’t decouple sex from love. If the first piece is that there weren’t these immediate associations of teen sex with danger, the second is that it remained anchored in the concept of steady relationships and young people being in love….

“It seems terribly sad to me that we view teenage love as being about “just hormones” and teen boys as incapable of being in love — but then we turn around and bemoan this culture of “hooking up,” when we’ve basically given adolescents no space to actually have loving relationships….”

If embracing sexuality is proven to be so healthy in Europe, how does America justify its aversion to it? It’s quite clear that repressing sexuality does not improve relationships or encourage healthy sexuality activity. We are denying young people one of their most basic human rights, real sexual freedom.

Image source: Courtney Carmody

in News of Note / Sex Education by Jack Diehl 17 Nov 2011 1 comments

The Sexual Freedom Project: Take It Personally…Please

Thursday at 1:00 PM in Washington, DC, the Transgender Day of Action will confront the Metropolitan Police Department, the United States District Attorney for DC, the Mayor, and Members of the City Council about systemic bias against the trans community in our nation’s capital. Local activists, members of the LGBT community, and concerned area residents will be participating in this action to bring media and political attention to the serious ongoing problem of neglect and abuse of trans folks in DC. It is in honor of that action that we bring you today’s video, “Transgender People In The Workplace.”

Have you witnessed biased and prejudiced jokes or remarks about someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity? What was your reaction and action? Did you take it personally even if it wasn’t about you?

in Campaigns / End Police Bias / Events / The Sexual Freedom Project / Transunity & Transleadership / Videos by Tiye 16 Nov 2011 0 comments

Call to action this Thursday, November 17, Washington, DC

Download Poster

Media Advisory Available

Goals and Demands

This urgent Call to Action for Thursday, November 17 starts at 1 PM in front of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD, 300 Indiana Avenue NW). Local activists have mobilized on behalf of Trans people in the District who have unfairly suffered police profiling, police bias, police harassment, undertrained police, and, indeed, violence at the hands of police. The disproportionate statistics in our nation’s capital reportedly tower over any other city or state.

WHAT: Transgender Day of Action

WHEN: Thursday, November 17, 2011, starting at 1 PM

WHERE: MPD Headquarters (300 Indiana Avenue NW) to the US Attorney’s Office (555 4th Street NW) and City Hall.

WHY: Because you don’t want to miss joining the trans community and its allies coming together to demand change.

HOW: Activists deliver a set of written goals and demands with date certain expectations and consequences.

WITH: Transgender Day of Remembrance, Sunday, November 20, 5 PM, at Metropolitan Community Church (474 Ridge Street NW)

MEDIA: Miguel, glaatuasmig@gmail.com, 571-218-7505; Alison, alison@venusplusx.org, 202-290-7077

The grim media reports trumpet the District’s rise in violent crime against Trans people, including two murders this summer, LaShai McClean, 23, on July 20, and Gaurav Gopalan, 35, on September 10, while experts content that crimes against Trans people are generally under reported or misrepresented by the police. And MPD’s clearance rate for assaults and murders involving trans victims is just a quarter of the average rate, 20% versus 80% of crimes solved, respectively, according to Police Chief Lanier.

The coalition called DC TLGB Police Watch organized this summer to support our community leaders who have tried for years to bring about systemic and sustainable change and instead have seen violent crimes and the Trans murder rate skyrocket. TLGB conveys our assertion of Trans issues when advocating on behalf of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans (LGBT) rights.

On November 17, working in concert with our community leaders and the upcoming DC Transgender Day of Remembrance (Sunday, November 20, DC’s Metropolitan Community Church, 474 Ridge Street NW), we will take to the sidewalks and street to expose publicly this national shame to every American, and in this way also participate in remembering and honoring the many trans folk who have laid down their lives in the struggle for dignity and equality. On their behalf, we will hand-deliver to our city and federal officials, including MPD, a set of specific, written demands with date certain expectations signaling unrelenting public pressure until they take the serious, emergency measures this urgent crisis warrants.

Help us end the culture of transphobia and homophobia that exists within the MPD, city government, and DC’s federally administered justice system.

Volunteer to participate at Facebook/Transgender Day of Action or TLGBpolicewatch.tumblr.com. Download the Poster for your homepage or blog, listen to TransFM’s Ethan St. Pierre’s interview with Ruby Corado and Alison Gardner, and catch up with last Wednesday’s recent Hearing on Hate Crimes before members of the DC City Council. (Media contact 202-290-7077.)

We are counting on your boots on the ground at the November 17 Transgender Day of Action, and your welcomed presence a few days later at the November 20 Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Work with us to demand systemic and sustainable change in Washington, DC.

DC TLGB Police Watch (to date): DC Trans Coalition (DCTC), Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive (HIPS), Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA), GetEQUAL DC,International Socialist Organization (ISO), Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance, Cedar Lane UU Church LGBT Task Force, Rainbow Response, Transgender Health Empowerment, Gender Rights Maryland, and VenusPlusX.

in Campaigns / Events / Grassroots / Public Information / Transunity & Transleadership by Alison Gardner 15 Nov 2011 0 comments

What’s Hot Right Now (11/7/11)

Williams Institute, DC Hate Crimes Hearing, Think Progress/lgbt, OLB Research, The Trans Women’s Anti-Violence Project, plus

We have long been grateful to the Williams Institute, a University of California Los Angeles think tank advancing sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy. In DC we are particularly indebted to the Institute for its involvement and financial support of the current Needs Assessment for our trans community, since the last one was done over 10 years ago. This study is organized and administered by the DC Trans Coalition (DCTC), and more info on it can be found on the DCTC homepage. Those of you familiar with the shameful epidemic of violence against trans folks in your nation’s capital, including two murders this year, can recognize how vital this new Needs Assessment will be, the research and data it will reveal to judges, legislators, policymakers, media, and the public, in bringing about systemic and sustainable change.

On that subject, since we have been involved and are tracking grassroots actions to affect that change, we want to commend a few of DC TLGB Police Watch and November 17 Transgender Day of Action coalition partners for their riveting testimony before the DC City Council Judiciary Committee’s Hearing on Hate Crimes this past Wednesday.

In particular, DC’s GLOV (Gays & Lesbians Opposing Violence) which works vigorously to reduce violence against against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) individuals through community outreach, education, and monitoring cases to ensure that the rights and dignity of LGBT victims are respected and protected. Three representatives from GLOV testified, include a young man who was the victim of a horrible example of LGBT violence. Jason Terry well represented DCTC, and his full written testimony (which he ably summarized in 5 minutes of live testimony), now on the DCTC homepage, is worth study as a sort of manifesto of what we are all talking about. We urge everyone to review the tape to see also the testimony from the Metropolitan Police Department and the counsel to the Office of the US Attorney (since DC doesn’t have statehood that’s the best we’ve got for now) telling those assembled they have no answers for the current spike in crimes against trans or don’t know why these crimes get under-charged (simple assault for rape, for example) and unsolved at a rate less than half in comparison for other crimes, 20% and 50%, respectively.

Special thanks go to Ethan St. Pierre and TransFM for the live interview this week with Ruby Corado, well-known DC trans activist and leader, and me, on the upcoming Transgender Day of Action happening in conjunction with the DC Transgender Day of Remembrance. It will really help us get the word out. Also, the poster for this joint event is available now and we hope more people would lift it, print it, distribute it, or put it on their homepage.

Ethan is a great activist and the curator for the International Transgender Day of Remembrance Registry, a special resource, a place to put things in perspective whenever you think you are too tired or discouraged to do one more thing.are too tired to do one more thing.

New and related information sources on tumblr.com are getting a lot of attention and deserve highlighting, too, including of course DC TLGB Police Watch along with The Trans Women’s Anti-Violent Project .

It’s not too early to point your attention to the upcoming Second Annual Momentum Conference across the river from DC in Arlington, Virginia. We attended last year and found it to be unique in terms of the scope of the program matched by the breadth of interests represented by the diverse attendees. It quickly sold out last year so we encourage you to get tickets early. Its mission is to bridge the baffling dichotomies our culture creates around sexuality by providing a safe place to listen, discuss, and learn about sexualities and gender without the fear of reprisal or shaming, a space for acceptance and appreciation of diversity, including for those in the LGBTQ, sex-work, BDSM, and non-monogamous communities.

And, what about Bank Transfer Day? We’ve been tracking this and are impressed with the results. This week it was reported that 650,000 people have moved their money from the large corporate banks back to community banks and non-profit credit unions. This is a form of civil disobedience that slams corporate greed and eliminates our paying for it. Although explicitly separate from the Occupy movement, it clearly was born from the same point of view.

We appreciate Think Progress‘s thriving LGBT reporting, which recently brought to our attention the work of OLB Research Institute and its recent report done with George Mason University and Indiana University on the health advocacy implications gay and bi men’s sexual behavior. They have further dispelled the myth that all gay and bi men have (and should have) anal sex, and showed that the ratings for pleasure were higher among older men and frequency of orgasm was higher when with a relationship partner. Equally interesting to us is the fact that OLB Research Institute is an arm of On Line Buddies network including Manhunt, an online service matching male partners for fun and games. The vertical integration of this enterprise represents a nascent model proving once again that those who love sex can become credible and respected sources or research.

Recently, Dan and Alison were in New York City meeting with colleagues and friends. Alison traveled from Zucotti Park with Occupy Wall Street to Washington Square Park to the amazing culminating occupation of Times Square on October 15. Saturday night while all the theater and party goers were trying to get to their destinations, we stood immovable. The peaceful crush of people itself conveyed the quality and bearing of the 99%, their collective goodness and good intentions alive in the very air. I’ve never spooned standing up with so many people I didn’t know than that night.

While in NYC, Dan attended the Singularity Summit 2011, a mixed bag but with at least a few transhumanists who are focusing on improving the here and now as much as speculating on potential outcomes of someday technologies and policies. “The ideals of social justice were served by an outstanding presentation from Jaan Tallinn, a founder of Skype and Kazaa,” Dan reported. Background on “singularity” and “transhumanism” is readily available, if you are not put off by its ivory tower.

Wayne Besen’s Truth Wins Out continues be front burner for us. In the last couple of weeks, we applauded its campaign partnership with the Southern Poverty Law Center to target destructive ex-gay “conversion therapy.” Since then, Truth Wins Out called out Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum for promoting “Christian Sharia,” and asking the only question that matters, “Is Rick Santorum flirting with tyranny and treason?” Most notably, Truth Wins Out led the fierce blowback against Catholic extremist Daniel Avila for a radical article he wrote in Roman Catholic Church’s publication, The Boston Pilot, that suggested that the devil may be responsible for making people gay. Avila’s resignation from his job as an advisor with with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops quickly followed. So we urge you all to sign up for Truth Wins Out updates and donate if you can.

In closing . . . “Gay is good,” said octogenerian Frank Kameny who left us on October 11, which happened to be National Coming Out Day and the second anniversary of the National Equality March. Late last week, his bodily remains laid in state at DC’s Carnegie Library so elected officials, veterans, and his hundreds of close friends and admirers could pay their final respects. “Gay is good” is not only true, it is the essence of an entire movement determined to show the world that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people make wonderful, creative, and priceless contributions to the world. Thanks, Frank, for setting our sail, see you later.

in News of Note / Public Information by Alison Gardner 07 Nov 2011 0 comments

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