We all need someone to hate and we are running out of options. If you hate Jews you are labeled a Nazi. Hating African Americans could make you look like a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Hating Hispanics makes you seem racist and uncultured. Nope, those ships have sailed; sorry, you missed your chance. The new bandwagon of basher's choice is gay hate.
Why should we all hate gays? Well, because it will make the world a better place, of course! Without gay hate our personal lives would crumble, our families would fall apart, our churches would be in ruin, and even our government would fail.
Personally, hating gays saved my life. Before I found gay hate, I was a diabetic smoker struggling financially and living alone. After I started hating the gays, church socials and anti-gay protest groups took up so much of my time that I quit my job and foreclosed my house. I moved into a homeless shelter and turned everyone there into gay haters as well. Now I'm never alone; we're like one big hateful family! Best of all, hating gays keeps me so busy I don't even have time to worry about my growing list of health problems. It's like they don't even exist!
Hating gays can also save your marriage. Did you know that if you are considering divorce that fighting to keep gays from getting married can save your relationship? It's true, so join an organization like NOM today and stop fighting against your spouse; start fighting with them. When you successfully crush the hopes and dreams of getting married that millions of gays have, it won't matter anymore that your husband sleeps with cheap hookers and gave you AIDS. You will be proud that this is a privilege that only you have. Congratulations, you're part of the elite majority!
Churches rely on your support in gay hate. In these hard times, many churches have felt the pinch in their pockets and they need strong, emotional causes to fire you up so you'll open up. If they didn't have the gays to focus on then churches would have to start trying to solve real problems like sickness and murder. Then the congregation would realize talking to a supernatural deity that hangs around in space can't really solve all their problems and their purses would be closed for good. So hate the gays and empty your wallets!
Without gay hate our government wouldn't know what to do. If our Representatives and Senators couldn't waste their time fighting over the least unconstitutional ways to deny the gays their civil liberties then they would have to focus on our real issues. Without spending billions of tax dollars on homophobic legislation, they might have enough money to end the recession and fix our National debt, but nobody wants that! They certainly don't because if we didn't have so many problems they wouldn't have jobs. So call up your local congressman (or woman, no prejudices here) and tell them you hate gays. Let them know that gay children should be bullied in school and gay adults shouldn't have jobs.
The world would be a better place if we all hated the gays. We wouldn't have time to worry about Iraq if we were too busy fighting amongst ourselves. You wouldn't have to feel bad about eating 1,000 calorie french fries if you knew you were supporting Chick-fil-A's anti-gay agenda. Gay hate saved my life, it saved my mother's marriage, it's working hard for the church, and the government loves it. Even the gays should hate gays! Everyone is doing it, and you should too!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Saturday, June 30, 2012
HRC - Support General Mills
Today I recieved an e-mail from HRC, Human Rights Campaign, asking for support for General Mills, the cereal maker. Apparently, Minnesota is having a ballot on a constitutional ban of marriage equality and General Mills is actively working to fight it. NOM, National Organization for Marriage, a right-winged group fighting to keep the LGBT community from being allowed to marry, is starting a boycott of all General Mills products.
This is the perfect time to show your support, not only for marriage equality but also for pro-equality companies that protect their LGBT employees, by signing a thank you letter to General Mills and by buying General Mills products.
To sign the thank you letter visit:
https://secure3.convio.net/hrc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1473
^Notice that this is a secure website (httpS), HRC protects your privacy
To support the General Mills company buy these GM products:
Baking:
Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Gold Medal, Pillsbury, Pillsbury Atta, Jus-Rol (UK), Knack & Back (Germany), La Saltena (Argentina)
Cereals:
Big G, Cascadian Farms, Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fiber One, Kix, Lucky Charms, Monsters, Total, Trix, Wheaties
Dough/Pastries:
Pillsbury, Jus-Rol (UK), Knack & Back (Germany)
Fruit:
Cascadian Farms Organic Fruit
Ice Cream:
Haagen-Dazs
Meals:
Betty Crocker, Good Earth, Hamburger Helper, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Green Giant, Macaroni Grill, V.Pearl, Diablitos Underwood (Venezuela)
Organic/Natural:
Cascadian Farm, Food Should Taste Good, Larabar, Muir Glen
Pasta:
Frescarini, Wanchai Ferry, Latina (Australia), La Saltena (Argentina)
Pizza:
Totino's, Jeno's
Snacks:
Bugles, Cascadian Farm, Chex, Food Should Taste Good, Fiber One, Fruit Snacks, Gardetto's, Larabar, Nature Valley
Soup:
Muir Glen, Progresso
Vegetables:
Green Giant, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen
Yogurt:
Yoplait, Yoplait France, Liberte, Mountain High
Find fun General Mills items at:
http://shop.generalmills.com/
This is the perfect time to show your support, not only for marriage equality but also for pro-equality companies that protect their LGBT employees, by signing a thank you letter to General Mills and by buying General Mills products.
To sign the thank you letter visit:
https://secure3.convio.net/hrc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1473
^Notice that this is a secure website (httpS), HRC protects your privacy
To support the General Mills company buy these GM products:
Baking:
Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Gold Medal, Pillsbury, Pillsbury Atta, Jus-Rol (UK), Knack & Back (Germany), La Saltena (Argentina)
Cereals:
Big G, Cascadian Farms, Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fiber One, Kix, Lucky Charms, Monsters, Total, Trix, Wheaties
Dough/Pastries:
Pillsbury, Jus-Rol (UK), Knack & Back (Germany)
Fruit:
Cascadian Farms Organic Fruit
Ice Cream:
Haagen-Dazs
Meals:
Betty Crocker, Good Earth, Hamburger Helper, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Green Giant, Macaroni Grill, V.Pearl, Diablitos Underwood (Venezuela)
Organic/Natural:
Cascadian Farm, Food Should Taste Good, Larabar, Muir Glen
Pasta:
Frescarini, Wanchai Ferry, Latina (Australia), La Saltena (Argentina)
Pizza:
Totino's, Jeno's
Snacks:
Bugles, Cascadian Farm, Chex, Food Should Taste Good, Fiber One, Fruit Snacks, Gardetto's, Larabar, Nature Valley
Soup:
Muir Glen, Progresso
Vegetables:
Green Giant, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen
Yogurt:
Yoplait, Yoplait France, Liberte, Mountain High
Find fun General Mills items at:
http://shop.generalmills.com/
Friday, June 29, 2012
Social Networking Sites - Pitfalls for LGBT
The last thing I want to do is promote a fear culture in the LGBT community. However, in a world where the right to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, or trans is not federally acknowledged in our housing, churches, schools, or businesses I understand that it can be downright scary to be openly gay. Most choose only to be open with friends and maybe a few family members. But you may be outing yourself to a lot more people in ways that you do not even realize.
With the advent of Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites people have essentially begun writing online diaries detailing their every thought and activity. Sometimes we forget that we are "sharing" this information with the entire world. Something that seems as innocent as "liking" a movie, book, or band can end up getting you fired if your boss where to connect it with homosexuality. And things are only becoming more complicated as these social networking sites create options for linking. Now, if I'm logged onto my Facebook account and I have the "social media" app turned on, any videos I watch, articles I read, or websites I visit are automatically displayed on my wall or to my friends. The ability to link sites like Facebook and Twitter means that your status updates could automatically post to people you had not intended to share them with.
Even if you think that you are safe; you have your Facebook set to private and you never "share" or "like" anything LGBT; you can still be betrayed by any one of your 500 "friends," especially if you are friends with co-workers. Messages you thought were private or status updates you thought were inside jokes are suddenly leaked and you are walking out of the boss's office with a cardboard box. It may seem crazy, but crazy happens.
Recently many guidelines on how to use social media safely have cropped up all over the internet. As businesses and schools are flooded with more and more applicants every year they have turned to the internet to find out what you are not putting on your application. They will Google search your full name to see what you, or others, are spreading about you online. They will comb through your Facebook and other websites you have joined to see what you are posting and how you are behaving. If they do not like what they see, they could see you to the door. Be careful when posting online. It is better to be safe than sorry; and if you are not sure, do not post.
Advisory on online conduct:
http://time.com/money/3510967/jobvite-social-media-profiles-job-applicants/
With the advent of Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites people have essentially begun writing online diaries detailing their every thought and activity. Sometimes we forget that we are "sharing" this information with the entire world. Something that seems as innocent as "liking" a movie, book, or band can end up getting you fired if your boss where to connect it with homosexuality. And things are only becoming more complicated as these social networking sites create options for linking. Now, if I'm logged onto my Facebook account and I have the "social media" app turned on, any videos I watch, articles I read, or websites I visit are automatically displayed on my wall or to my friends. The ability to link sites like Facebook and Twitter means that your status updates could automatically post to people you had not intended to share them with.
Even if you think that you are safe; you have your Facebook set to private and you never "share" or "like" anything LGBT; you can still be betrayed by any one of your 500 "friends," especially if you are friends with co-workers. Messages you thought were private or status updates you thought were inside jokes are suddenly leaked and you are walking out of the boss's office with a cardboard box. It may seem crazy, but crazy happens.
Recently many guidelines on how to use social media safely have cropped up all over the internet. As businesses and schools are flooded with more and more applicants every year they have turned to the internet to find out what you are not putting on your application. They will Google search your full name to see what you, or others, are spreading about you online. They will comb through your Facebook and other websites you have joined to see what you are posting and how you are behaving. If they do not like what they see, they could see you to the door. Be careful when posting online. It is better to be safe than sorry; and if you are not sure, do not post.
Advisory on online conduct:
http://time.com/money/3510967/jobvite-social-media-profiles-job-applicants/
Don't Ask, Don't Tell - Is It Really Over?
Since the late 1700's the military saw fit to persecute soldiers for gay acts. For 70 years they wrote hate into their military policies. For nearly 19 years our soldiers lived under a prejudiced policy known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell. On September 20, 2011 when Don't Ask, Don't Tell and other policies banning LGBT persons from the military were lifted there was much celebration. It seemed the battle was won. I long to tell you that all is well and done and that LGBT civil rights soldiers may go home. But I cannot. Not when civilians still battle their own version of Don't Ask, Don't Tell in school and at work. It would seem illogical for our military laws and our civilian laws to be incongruent, but they are. LGBT Americans are dealing with discrimination at home every day.
Discrimination of the LGBT society begins early on. During the first steps of a new generation, when our children begin to dream of a bright future, they walk across a threshold that promises to instil them with knowledge and hope. But all too often in schools, children become the victims of bullying and harassment and it is not always inflicted upon them by other children. Sometimes the aggressors are teachers, principals, school boards, or even law makers. It seems natural, common sense even, to protect the delicate innocence of our children, our future, and yet very few states have passed laws protecting our LGBT youth at school. The first kind of protection available is enumerated anti-bullying laws which protect LGBT students from harassment, yet only 17 states and Washington, DC have passed these laws. Another kind, non-discrimination laws, would protect LGBT students from discrimination within the school system, but few states have implemented them. Only 13 states, and Washington, DC, have passed non-discrimination laws protecting students based on sexual orientation as well as gender identity. Wisconsin passed a non-discrimination law protecting students based on sexual orientation but not gender identity. This alone may actually seem heartening; it makes it look as though while we are not fully protecting our youth we are at least getting there. That is, until you see the other side.
Some states have actually enacted laws that promote discrimination of our LGBT youth. Missouri and South Dakota have passed laws forbidding enumeration policies so that no measurements can be taken to stop bullying based on sexuality or gender identity. Other states have "No Promo Homo" laws which forbid teachers from addressing homosexuality or gender identity and some go so far as to force teachers to portray the LGBT community negatively. These laws are actually being upheld in 8 states. Minnesota used to be one of them, but after a rash of attempted suicides resulting in nine deaths they saw the light and killed the law choosing to protect gay youth instead. Tennessee almost passed a "Don't Say Gay" bill which had been under debate for two years and was on it's way to it's final vote before lawmakers realized it was erroneous due to the fact that their K-8 grade levels have no sexual education courses. However, they still demand that state education officials send letters to every school mandating that they not teach about homosexuality. It is terrifying to imagine what sort of environment our kids are being subjected to every day in a place where we feel they are deeply safe and protected.
Things do not get any easier for adults either. Trying to find work in a poor economy is difficult, but for those who are LGBT it can seem impossible. Only 18 states and Washington, DC have anti-discrimination laws set up to protect people based on sexual orientation and gender identification. Only 3 more protect non-heterosexuals, though they ignore Trans* persons. That leaves our lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and queers at risk in 29 states and our Trans* community at risk in 32. State lawmakers have attacked LGBT protections tooth and nail. Kansas lawmakers tried to pass a bill which would allow employers to site their religion as a reason not to follow the anti-discrimination laws in the workforce and even deny service to people who employees perceive to be gay. It was overwhelmingly supported by and passed in the House but was luckily shut down by the Senate before it could be signed by Governor Sam Brownback, who had shown support for the bill. Arizona tried a similar stunt with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act which passed in the House and Senate before being vetoed by Governor Jan Brewer. Indiana, Maine, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, and Oklahoma have all introduced similar pieces of legislature and Mississippi actually succeeded in passing their Religious Freedom Restoration Act on July 1st.
This will not end until federal laws mandate LGBT safety. Right now it is up to each individual state to decide for itself how to handle these issues and so far our states are failing miserably. There is hope, however, in federal anti-discrimination laws that would create nationwide policies to end discrimination against persons of LGBT persuasion at school and in the workforce. If passed they would trump all state and district laws, so that places like Mississippi cannot write hate into their judicial systems. There are petitions being signed to persuade our law-makers to create federal anti-bullying laws to protect our students. Also, right now ENDA, Employment Non-Discrimination Act, is in the process of becoming law to protect our LGBT community at work, though it needs help. There are too many people right now fighting against ENDA, and they use erroneous arguments to do so. One article reads that ENDA is not needed "Since businesses seldom discriminate based on sexual orientation..." I do not know about you, but I believe discrimination is wrong no matter how "seldom" is occurs.
Imagine a young child hearing their biology teacher discount their questions about homosexuals because it is not consistent with natural reproduction. Or listening to their sexual education teacher say that homosexuals spread HIV and AIDS. Imagine being called a faggot or dyke at work and having no legal precedent to take action against such harassment. Or being shaken to the core by sudden unemployment. Stories like these are more common than you expect and it is time to show the world that we will not bow down to hate any longer. Why are we allowing ourselves to be pushed into closets that are not our own? I say no more! Let your voice be heard! Fight for anti-bullying laws and the children that cannot fight for themselves. Fight for ENDA and the "enda" discrimination!
To fight for the end of discrimination in schools:
http://glsen.org/learn/policy/federal/SNDA
http://www.lambdalegal.org/publications/out-safe-respected/?kw=gay%20in%20school&gclid=CJZ_o7L68bACFVITNAodgVwitw
To fight for ENDA to end employment discrimination:
http://www.hrc.org/campaigns/employment-non-discrimination-act
http://www.transequality.org/ENDA/
Citations:
Schools Discrimination Laws (with maps) - http://glsen.org/article/state-maps
Minnesota No Promo Homo - http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/02/minnesota-district-teen-suicide-problem-ends-anti-gay-policy
Tennessee Don't Say Gay - http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/did-tennessee-go-all-the-way-with-anti-gay-school-sex-bills/politics/2012/04/30/38724
Map of LGBT Employment Laws - http://hrc-assets.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com//files/assets/resources/statewide_employment_5-2014.pdf
Kansas Discrimination Bill - http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/02/21/kansas_anti_gay_segregation_bill_was_the_discrimination_law_a_ploy_by_gov.html
Arizona Religious Freedom Restoration Act - http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/26/politics/arizona-brewer-bill/
Full List of State Discimination Bills - http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/arizona-states-anti-gay-laws/story?id=22696419
Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act - http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/mississippi-governor-phil-bryant-signs-anti-gay-bill-105378.html
Federal Employment Non-Discrimination - http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/qanda.html
ENDA:
HRC - http://www.hrc.org/campaigns/employment-non-discrimination-act
The Bill - http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40934.pdf
Propaganda Against - http://cei.org/blog/employment-non-discrimination-act-makes-little-sense-chemotherapy-cold
Discrimination of the LGBT society begins early on. During the first steps of a new generation, when our children begin to dream of a bright future, they walk across a threshold that promises to instil them with knowledge and hope. But all too often in schools, children become the victims of bullying and harassment and it is not always inflicted upon them by other children. Sometimes the aggressors are teachers, principals, school boards, or even law makers. It seems natural, common sense even, to protect the delicate innocence of our children, our future, and yet very few states have passed laws protecting our LGBT youth at school. The first kind of protection available is enumerated anti-bullying laws which protect LGBT students from harassment, yet only 17 states and Washington, DC have passed these laws. Another kind, non-discrimination laws, would protect LGBT students from discrimination within the school system, but few states have implemented them. Only 13 states, and Washington, DC, have passed non-discrimination laws protecting students based on sexual orientation as well as gender identity. Wisconsin passed a non-discrimination law protecting students based on sexual orientation but not gender identity. This alone may actually seem heartening; it makes it look as though while we are not fully protecting our youth we are at least getting there. That is, until you see the other side.
Some states have actually enacted laws that promote discrimination of our LGBT youth. Missouri and South Dakota have passed laws forbidding enumeration policies so that no measurements can be taken to stop bullying based on sexuality or gender identity. Other states have "No Promo Homo" laws which forbid teachers from addressing homosexuality or gender identity and some go so far as to force teachers to portray the LGBT community negatively. These laws are actually being upheld in 8 states. Minnesota used to be one of them, but after a rash of attempted suicides resulting in nine deaths they saw the light and killed the law choosing to protect gay youth instead. Tennessee almost passed a "Don't Say Gay" bill which had been under debate for two years and was on it's way to it's final vote before lawmakers realized it was erroneous due to the fact that their K-8 grade levels have no sexual education courses. However, they still demand that state education officials send letters to every school mandating that they not teach about homosexuality. It is terrifying to imagine what sort of environment our kids are being subjected to every day in a place where we feel they are deeply safe and protected.
Things do not get any easier for adults either. Trying to find work in a poor economy is difficult, but for those who are LGBT it can seem impossible. Only 18 states and Washington, DC have anti-discrimination laws set up to protect people based on sexual orientation and gender identification. Only 3 more protect non-heterosexuals, though they ignore Trans* persons. That leaves our lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and queers at risk in 29 states and our Trans* community at risk in 32. State lawmakers have attacked LGBT protections tooth and nail. Kansas lawmakers tried to pass a bill which would allow employers to site their religion as a reason not to follow the anti-discrimination laws in the workforce and even deny service to people who employees perceive to be gay. It was overwhelmingly supported by and passed in the House but was luckily shut down by the Senate before it could be signed by Governor Sam Brownback, who had shown support for the bill. Arizona tried a similar stunt with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act which passed in the House and Senate before being vetoed by Governor Jan Brewer. Indiana, Maine, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, and Oklahoma have all introduced similar pieces of legislature and Mississippi actually succeeded in passing their Religious Freedom Restoration Act on July 1st.
This will not end until federal laws mandate LGBT safety. Right now it is up to each individual state to decide for itself how to handle these issues and so far our states are failing miserably. There is hope, however, in federal anti-discrimination laws that would create nationwide policies to end discrimination against persons of LGBT persuasion at school and in the workforce. If passed they would trump all state and district laws, so that places like Mississippi cannot write hate into their judicial systems. There are petitions being signed to persuade our law-makers to create federal anti-bullying laws to protect our students. Also, right now ENDA, Employment Non-Discrimination Act, is in the process of becoming law to protect our LGBT community at work, though it needs help. There are too many people right now fighting against ENDA, and they use erroneous arguments to do so. One article reads that ENDA is not needed "Since businesses seldom discriminate based on sexual orientation..." I do not know about you, but I believe discrimination is wrong no matter how "seldom" is occurs.
Imagine a young child hearing their biology teacher discount their questions about homosexuals because it is not consistent with natural reproduction. Or listening to their sexual education teacher say that homosexuals spread HIV and AIDS. Imagine being called a faggot or dyke at work and having no legal precedent to take action against such harassment. Or being shaken to the core by sudden unemployment. Stories like these are more common than you expect and it is time to show the world that we will not bow down to hate any longer. Why are we allowing ourselves to be pushed into closets that are not our own? I say no more! Let your voice be heard! Fight for anti-bullying laws and the children that cannot fight for themselves. Fight for ENDA and the "enda" discrimination!
To fight for the end of discrimination in schools:
http://glsen.org/learn/policy/federal/SNDA
http://www.lambdalegal.org/publications/out-safe-respected/?kw=gay%20in%20school&gclid=CJZ_o7L68bACFVITNAodgVwitw
To fight for ENDA to end employment discrimination:
http://www.hrc.org/campaigns/employment-non-discrimination-act
http://www.transequality.org/ENDA/
Citations:
Schools Discrimination Laws (with maps) - http://glsen.org/article/state-maps
Minnesota No Promo Homo - http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/02/minnesota-district-teen-suicide-problem-ends-anti-gay-policy
Tennessee Don't Say Gay - http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/did-tennessee-go-all-the-way-with-anti-gay-school-sex-bills/politics/2012/04/30/38724
Map of LGBT Employment Laws - http://hrc-assets.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com//files/assets/resources/statewide_employment_5-2014.pdf
Kansas Discrimination Bill - http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/02/21/kansas_anti_gay_segregation_bill_was_the_discrimination_law_a_ploy_by_gov.html
Arizona Religious Freedom Restoration Act - http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/26/politics/arizona-brewer-bill/
Full List of State Discimination Bills - http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/arizona-states-anti-gay-laws/story?id=22696419
Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act - http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/mississippi-governor-phil-bryant-signs-anti-gay-bill-105378.html
Federal Employment Non-Discrimination - http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/qanda.html
ENDA:
HRC - http://www.hrc.org/campaigns/employment-non-discrimination-act
The Bill - http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40934.pdf
Propaganda Against - http://cei.org/blog/employment-non-discrimination-act-makes-little-sense-chemotherapy-cold
Don't Ask, Don't Tell - A History
Ever since the Revolutionary War period, sodomy has been considered a crime and in 1778 the military discharged it's first soldier for the act of sodomy. His name was Lieutenant Gotthold Frederick Enslin; he was the first but he would not be the last. At this point a soldier was only discharged for committing sodomy because of it's status as a criminal act, but not for thoughts of sodomy or homosexuality. During World War II psychiatric screening became a way to decipher between those fit for the military and those not fit. By now homosexuality was considered a psychopathology and it was at this time, in 1942, that the military created regulations disallowing homosexuals. There was some incongruence, however, in how this was handled. Some soldiers admitted to homosexual thoughts or tendencies and were allowed to join the military anyway as long as they did not act on their urges. Beginning the 1980's, as the military began to feel threatened by the movement of LGBT civil rights, the Department of Defense created seperation policy number 1332.14 which promised to "promote the readiness of the Military Services by maintaining high standards of performance, conduct, and discipline." It then detailed separation policies meant to weed out persons who did not meet these high standards and in Part 1 Section H it stated, "Homosexuality is incompatible with military service. [The presence of homosexuals] seriously impairs the accomplishment of the military mission. The presence of such members adversely affects the ability of the Military Services to maintain discipline, good order and morale; to foster mutual trust and confidence among servicemembers, to ensure the integrity of the system of rank and command; to facilitate assignment and worlwide deployment of servicemembers who frequently must live and work uder close conditions affording minimal privacy: to recruit and retain members of the Military Services; to maintain the public acceptability of military service; and to prevent breaches of security." At this point homosexuality, acted upon or not, was strictly forbidden in the military.
In December of 1988, Theodore R. Sarbin and Kenneth E. Karols of the Defense Personnel Security Research and Education Center published their findings on homosexuals and the military in their paper "Nonconforming Sexual Orientation In The Military and Society." They discredited the military's statements that homosexuals are incompatible with the military and impair the military mission. They argued that there was growing evidence of a biological cause for homosexuality and that "homosexual men and women as a group are not different from heterosexual men and women in regard to adjustment criteria or job performance." The military completely ignored their findings and buried their research.
Also at this time, there was some disagreement within the courts as to whether or not the military ban on homosexuals was justified. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled 2 to 1 in favor of homosexuals in February 1988. They felt that the military's ban on homosexuals was unconstitutional. In his notes on the case, Judge Norris wrote, "Laws that limit the acceptable focus of one's sexual desires to members of the opposite sex, like laws that limit one's choice of spouse (or sexual partner) to members of the same race, cannot withstand constitutional scrutiny absent a compelling governmental justification." At this time, however, the Supreme Court was ruling in favor of the military and so the military was allowed to continue discharging homosexual soldiers.
After his inauguration, President Clinton tried to eliminate military policies banning homosexuals but he was faced with such opposition that he instead enacted what has come to be known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" or DADT. On December 21, 1993, DOD Directive 1332.14 was revised to say, "Commanders or appointed inquiry officials shall not ask, and members shall not be required to reveal, whether a member is a heterosexual, a homosexual, or a bisexual." It then went on to list appropriate reasons to initiate a search into someone's sexuality and evidence that is allowed to be used against a person as proof of non-heterosexuality. During the years of DADT, treatment of LGBT personnel within the military became worse and involuntary discharge of LGBT personnel increased. In light of this, Democratic opposition to DADT became fierce and there were promises to repeal the policy. Our government, however, was run by conservatives and nothing was done. Even in light of a 2003 poll of US adults which showed that 79 percent approved of LGBT military personnel being allowed to serve openly, nothing was changed.
It was not until December 22, 2010, after much battling in Congress, that President Barack Obama passed legislation allowing gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military. Even then, it was not until September 20, 2011, after the military had implemented new policies and regulations protecting homosexuals and bisexuals and felt that the military personnel had been properly trained for these changes, that DADT and military bans of homosexuals were officially lifted.
Citations:
LGBT Military History - http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/military_history.html
DOD Instruction No. 1332.14 - http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/133214p.pdf
DOD 1332.14; Part 1, Section H (extract) - http://dont.stanford.edu/regulations/regulation41.pdf
Sarbin and Karols "Nonconforming Sexual Orientation in the Military and Society" - http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/Personnel_and_Personnel_Readiness/Personnel/229.pdf
Judge Norris and the courts - http://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/11/us/homosexual-ban-in-army-rejected-by-appeals-court.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Revision to DOD 1332.14 - http://dont.stanford.edu/casestudy/appendixE.pdf
DADT Repeal - http://www.hrc.org/laws-and-legislation/federal-laws/dont-ask-dont-tell-repeal-act-of-2010?gclid=CP-jy62z77ACFYFo4AodeAkSxQ
In December of 1988, Theodore R. Sarbin and Kenneth E. Karols of the Defense Personnel Security Research and Education Center published their findings on homosexuals and the military in their paper "Nonconforming Sexual Orientation In The Military and Society." They discredited the military's statements that homosexuals are incompatible with the military and impair the military mission. They argued that there was growing evidence of a biological cause for homosexuality and that "homosexual men and women as a group are not different from heterosexual men and women in regard to adjustment criteria or job performance." The military completely ignored their findings and buried their research.
Also at this time, there was some disagreement within the courts as to whether or not the military ban on homosexuals was justified. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled 2 to 1 in favor of homosexuals in February 1988. They felt that the military's ban on homosexuals was unconstitutional. In his notes on the case, Judge Norris wrote, "Laws that limit the acceptable focus of one's sexual desires to members of the opposite sex, like laws that limit one's choice of spouse (or sexual partner) to members of the same race, cannot withstand constitutional scrutiny absent a compelling governmental justification." At this time, however, the Supreme Court was ruling in favor of the military and so the military was allowed to continue discharging homosexual soldiers.
After his inauguration, President Clinton tried to eliminate military policies banning homosexuals but he was faced with such opposition that he instead enacted what has come to be known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" or DADT. On December 21, 1993, DOD Directive 1332.14 was revised to say, "Commanders or appointed inquiry officials shall not ask, and members shall not be required to reveal, whether a member is a heterosexual, a homosexual, or a bisexual." It then went on to list appropriate reasons to initiate a search into someone's sexuality and evidence that is allowed to be used against a person as proof of non-heterosexuality. During the years of DADT, treatment of LGBT personnel within the military became worse and involuntary discharge of LGBT personnel increased. In light of this, Democratic opposition to DADT became fierce and there were promises to repeal the policy. Our government, however, was run by conservatives and nothing was done. Even in light of a 2003 poll of US adults which showed that 79 percent approved of LGBT military personnel being allowed to serve openly, nothing was changed.
It was not until December 22, 2010, after much battling in Congress, that President Barack Obama passed legislation allowing gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military. Even then, it was not until September 20, 2011, after the military had implemented new policies and regulations protecting homosexuals and bisexuals and felt that the military personnel had been properly trained for these changes, that DADT and military bans of homosexuals were officially lifted.
Citations:
LGBT Military History - http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/military_history.html
DOD Instruction No. 1332.14 - http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/133214p.pdf
DOD 1332.14; Part 1, Section H (extract) - http://dont.stanford.edu/regulations/regulation41.pdf
Sarbin and Karols "Nonconforming Sexual Orientation in the Military and Society" - http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/Personnel_and_Personnel_Readiness/Personnel/229.pdf
Judge Norris and the courts - http://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/11/us/homosexual-ban-in-army-rejected-by-appeals-court.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Revision to DOD 1332.14 - http://dont.stanford.edu/casestudy/appendixE.pdf
DADT Repeal - http://www.hrc.org/laws-and-legislation/federal-laws/dont-ask-dont-tell-repeal-act-of-2010?gclid=CP-jy62z77ACFYFo4AodeAkSxQ
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Love Is All There Is
In my last blog entry, I detailed the surprising sex lives of a few unorthodox animals. I hope you found it interesting and possibly the start of a friendly debate. I wonder if during that debate the subject of love was mentioned. Usually, love and sex hold hands and one cannot be spoken of without the other interrupting. Many opponents to the LGBT community believe that it is not possible to love someone of the same sex or gender. I do not agree. How can we control something that is so far beyond our scope of conscious thought. Love is a basic, primal urge controlled by factors of the brain beyond the ability to reason or make decisions.
Love is in the air; it is a timeworn cliche which is strikingly accurate. Love literally begins in the air when pheromones, scent-signaling chemicals that are responsible for initial attraction, are sent and recieved by two people. Pheromones can tell us not only who is reproductively fit but also who would make a good reproductive match for us physically. After the initial attraction from pheromones steers us towards a possible match, we then put that match to a taste test. It is speculated that kissing is a further way for our bodies to unconsciously tell us whether or not our mate is a good match for us. After our bodies have led us to an attractive and conducive mate, then our brains can kick it in over-drive with a cocktail of hormones that send us reeling, head over heels in love.
It begins with dopamine in the ventral tegmental, a region of tissue low in the brain. Dopamine regulates reward; it is what makes us feel good when we eat, give a gift, or receive a pleasant surprise. It is also present in high quantities when we are around a person we love. The dopamine ecstacy of being near our love is turned into an obsessive need for them by another part of our brain, the nucleus accumbens. This area of the brain is higher and farther forward and this is where dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin combine. Oxytocin is so powerful that it is the key ingredient our bodies use to bind a mother to her child. During labor a woman screams, kicks, and swears that she will kill anyone that tries to impregnate her again, and mere moments later when her baby is released to the world her body floods with oxytocin and she can think of nothing more than holding and loving her baby. This strong attachment is felt also in the head whirling, can't think, can't sleep days, weeks, even years of new love. Obsession becomes addiction in the caudate nuclei, two regions of the brain, one on either side of the head. This is where the patterns and habits that control our motor skills are stored. This area of the brain has an elephant's memory and refuses to let us forget our elation, our craving, or the person responsible for it.
When looked at from a scientific perspective it becomes obvious that love is an unconscious reaction within the brain to chemical signals over which we have no control. Basically, it is not something we choose; it just is. So the next time you start to say, "Why can't you stop being gay, just be straight," stop and think what you are really asking. You are asking someone to denounce their most basic urge and relinquish one of the most revered and rewarding emotions that humans are fortunate enough to have. So perhaps you should love thy neighbor a little more and judge a little less. As the Beatles say, "All you need is love."
Citations:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1704672-1,00.html
Love is in the air; it is a timeworn cliche which is strikingly accurate. Love literally begins in the air when pheromones, scent-signaling chemicals that are responsible for initial attraction, are sent and recieved by two people. Pheromones can tell us not only who is reproductively fit but also who would make a good reproductive match for us physically. After the initial attraction from pheromones steers us towards a possible match, we then put that match to a taste test. It is speculated that kissing is a further way for our bodies to unconsciously tell us whether or not our mate is a good match for us. After our bodies have led us to an attractive and conducive mate, then our brains can kick it in over-drive with a cocktail of hormones that send us reeling, head over heels in love.
It begins with dopamine in the ventral tegmental, a region of tissue low in the brain. Dopamine regulates reward; it is what makes us feel good when we eat, give a gift, or receive a pleasant surprise. It is also present in high quantities when we are around a person we love. The dopamine ecstacy of being near our love is turned into an obsessive need for them by another part of our brain, the nucleus accumbens. This area of the brain is higher and farther forward and this is where dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin combine. Oxytocin is so powerful that it is the key ingredient our bodies use to bind a mother to her child. During labor a woman screams, kicks, and swears that she will kill anyone that tries to impregnate her again, and mere moments later when her baby is released to the world her body floods with oxytocin and she can think of nothing more than holding and loving her baby. This strong attachment is felt also in the head whirling, can't think, can't sleep days, weeks, even years of new love. Obsession becomes addiction in the caudate nuclei, two regions of the brain, one on either side of the head. This is where the patterns and habits that control our motor skills are stored. This area of the brain has an elephant's memory and refuses to let us forget our elation, our craving, or the person responsible for it.
When looked at from a scientific perspective it becomes obvious that love is an unconscious reaction within the brain to chemical signals over which we have no control. Basically, it is not something we choose; it just is. So the next time you start to say, "Why can't you stop being gay, just be straight," stop and think what you are really asking. You are asking someone to denounce their most basic urge and relinquish one of the most revered and rewarding emotions that humans are fortunate enough to have. So perhaps you should love thy neighbor a little more and judge a little less. As the Beatles say, "All you need is love."
Citations:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1704672-1,00.html
Monday, June 25, 2012
Wild Sex
Welcome to my blog! I was inspired to create this blog because of a conversation I had where the topic was basically "is homosexuality natural?" Paraphrasing, my acquaintance said that in nature sex is limited to one male and one female and that only humans have deviated from this path. This remark is fraught with such ignorance that it was not hard to pull it apart in a matter of moments. Here is why:
Pan paniscus, a pygmy chimpanzee better known as the bonobo, is an ape of central West Africa. Bonobos are notorious for their rampant sexual behavior and they have sex so often that their external sexual organs are perpetually swollen. And they do not limit themselves to male/female contact. Males have sex with other males and females have sex with other females and all seem quite happy about the arrangement. In fact, it has been speculated that sex for bonobos is way to keep the peace. They use it as a way to say hello, to say goodbye, and to make amends after an argument.
Cnemidophorus uniparens, is a species of whiptail lizard that is completely unisexual; there are no males, only females. Uniparens uses psuedocopulation in all female “orgies” to induce self fertilization to continue the species. Depending on her ovarian cycle she may engage in male or female copulatory behaviors. Early in her ovarian cycle, uniparens will present female mating behaviors and allow herself to be mounted by another who is late in her ovarian cycle. They will show all usual signs of intercourse, however, neither have penis nor sperm and there is no exchange of reproductive material. They reproduce by fertilizing their own eggs, a process called parthenogenesis, and thus create clones.
Annelids, or worms, are quite often hermaphrodites. For simplification, I will focus on Lumbricus terrestris, the earthworm. These worms have both male and female reproductive organs and when they mate they slide their bodies together in opposite directions so that the male end of one reaches the female of the other and vise versa. Both release sperm and both have their eggs fertilized in one encounter.
Shrimp, some fish, and two species of frogs can change their sex and gender. Females of Hyperolius viridiflavus ommatostictus, a species of African reed frog, has been shown to possess this remarkable ability. When the number of females greatly exceeds the number of males, some females will actually transition to become, behave as, and mate as males. Their transition is so complete that they are indistinguishable from other males and are able to successfully reproduce with females.
The examples I have given are only the tip of the iceberg. There are scientific documents detailing the homosexual activities of hundreds of species of animal. Nature has many ways of having sex. True, it is usually heterosexual and most often results in reproduction, but not always. Sometimes it is done for fun or to relieve stress, sometimes it is done with one's own gender or the gender that one used to be, and sometimes it is even done with oneself! Nature has no boundaries and does not shy away from words such as homosexual, hermaphrodite, or even transsexual. So why should we? Humans are not above the laws of nature and the laws of nature do not serve to appease our whims.
Citations:
Whiptail Lizard - http://www.nerve.com/content/the-science-of-sex-lesbian-lizards
Worms:
Phylum Annelida - http://www.earthlife.net/inverts/annelida.html
Earthworms - http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~rlenet/Earthworms.html
Frogs - http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_n9_v137/ai_8784789/
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