Reasonably Logical

Everyone, I have a birthday coming up at the end of November and I’d like to ask a favor of you. If you were otherwise considering giving me a gift, please don’t. Instead, I ask you to do two things: 1) Vote against Proposition 8 if you’re a California resident, and 2) make a donation to the No on 8 Campaign whether you are a Californian or not. The upcoming vote is likely to be a very close one and your support is much more valuable to me than any physical gift could be.

Here’s a few (of the many) reasons you should oppose Proposition 8:
- You believe in separation of church and state. Proposition 8 is a direct effort to introduce religious morality into the state constitution. Even if you don’t personally support gay marriage, the thought of having one particular religion’s idea of morality inscribed in the state constitution should scare you.
- You don’t believe a minority should be at the whim of the majority. Proposition 8 takes rights away from a minority group. If it passes, the majority of the population will be voting to directly strip rights from a minority. Given that everyone is a minority in some way (race, sex, age, occupation, etc..), do you really want to be setting that precedent?
- You believe in equal rights under the law for all. However you look at it, the CA Supreme Court has very clearly stated that denying gay people the right to marry is discrimination. Proposition 8 wouldn’t change that fact; it would simply inscribe discrimination into the state constitution.
- Finally, and most importantly, because I’m asking you to. This is an issue that is important to me personally, and I am asking for your support.

For the record, the above is not a generic form letter or anything like that. I wrote it (from scratch) because this is a cause I personally believe strongly in. I would greatly appreciate your support in opposing Proposition 8.

Yours,
Philip

I am sending an email with the text above to many of my friends and family in California and around the country. This is a cause I believe in, and I’m asking my friends and family to stand with me.

If you’re reading this, I encourage you to do the same. From what I’ve heard, this is going to come down to a very close vote. Every single person you talk to, and every single dollar you raise will make a potentially critical difference.

Update (11-20-08; Yes, after we lost.): Pam’s House Blend has a really good argument about why everyone - gay or not - should be downright scared by the Prop 8 decision. Go read it! But first, I’ll leave you with a poem to think on.
“In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.”

The case that has been before the Connecticut Supreme Court on marriage equality has been decided. They’re announcing the results within the next 1/2 hour. We don’t know what they are yet, but we know it was a very close decision. If you’re a person of faith, please join me in praying for a pro-equality result. I will be.

Love Makes a Family

CT Supreme Court

UPDATE (10:40 am): The case has been released and is a pro-equality decision! Connecticut is the 3rd state to have gay marriage!

Check out the actual decision!

I learned today that the Prairie Flame has stopped publication for good. The Flame was a newspaper for the GLBT community in downstate Illinois that ran for more than 12 years. Beyond news coverage, the Flame also included a insert that listed area resources and organizations. (I still have several copies scattered around.) This listing provided the majority of the resources that are now tracked by the Champaign County LGBTQA Resource Guide website I still maintain.

While it might not have been the best of papers - honestly I usually got my news elsewhere - it was a good central source for things happening in the GLBT community in downstate. The Flame was somewhat of an area institution; one that I at least will miss.

Putting out the flame
After 11 years of publishing a newspaper for the gay community, Buff Carmichael calls it quits
SEPTEMBER 11, 2008
BY DUSTY RHODES, Illinois Times

Since the invasion of Iraq six years ago, the treatment of Iraqi gays has steadily diminished. Under Hussein, gay men were largely ignored. While they didn’t have many rights, they also weren’t hunted down and killed as is happening today. With the religious extremism that has been brought forth by the civil war in Iraq, Iraqi gay men are being hunted by all sides. Now that the actual fighting has died down, more and more Iraqi gay men are facing violence, rape, and death.

Disturbingly, this trend is getting very little attention internationally. Over the last couple of years, I’ve seen three articles - two of them within the last month - on gays in Iraq. (See links below) There has been no action taken by international forces, and the United States barely seems to have noticed. Our government and troops do nothing, and our gay political groups are so caught up in domestic concerns that they haven’t even raised the issue.

Thankfully, there is some evidence that this might be changing somewhat. There is a group in London (Iraqi LGBT) - primarily of Iraqi ex-pats - which is organizing an underground railroad to get some Iraqi gay men out of the country. The issue is finally getting mainstream press coverage with both a CNN and Newsweek article in the last month.

Despite this, there is still a lot more than needs to be done. I strongly suggest you read the articles linked below and think about the issue. Talk about it with your friends. Better yet, talk about it with your congresspeople. And possibly most importantly, if you’re involved with a gay political group (HRC, NGLTF, NCLR, Lambda Legal, GLAAD, etc..) bring it up with them. We have no excuse as a country, as the LGBT community, or as individuals to this issue any longer.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Do Kill
Nobody wants to talk about gays in Iraq, much less who is killing them.
By Lennox Samuels
Newsweek Web Exclusive

Gays in Iraq terrorized by threats, rape, murder
By Frederik Pleitgen, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Wayne Drash
CNN

Iraq struggles to stop persecution of gays
Monday, April 16, 2007
Deb Price, Detroit News
(This article has apparently been taken down. The link is dead and I can’t find reference to the article on their site.)

Rather than make a separate post for each of these, I’m stringing together a couple of interesting news articles and making one big post out of them.

Judge OKs adult trial for teen suspect
Attorney sought juvenile court for fatal shooting case
By Raul Hernandez, Ventura County Start
Friday, July 25, 2008

The judge responsible for the trail of the young boy who shot a (gay) classmate in California a few months back has decided that he must face an adult court, not juvenile court. Excuse me but the kid is 14! If he’s not a juvenile, who the heck is?

I thought I’d mentioned this before, but I can’t find the reference if I did.

Bush signs sweeping AIDS bill
Landmark measure repeals ban on HIV-positive immigrants and visitors
By LOU CHIBBARO JR, Washington Blade | Jul 30, 3:00 PM

OK, some mostly good news this time. The long standing ban against people with HIV traveling to the United States has been repealed. The congressional mandate was reversed, but there is still one more step to see it totally gone. The Department of Health and Human Services must change their policy, and unfortunately that is unlike to happen as long as we have Bush in office.

Assembly’s Gay Rites Backers Reap Benefits
Donations Pour In for Republicans
By JACOB GERSHMAN, Staff Reporter of the Sun | August 7, 2008

Nice to see that some Republicans can vote in support of gay marriage and keep there seats. Maybe my party isn’t total hopeless after all…

OK, more articles to come, but I need a break from typing.

Not that I have anyone to drive there with… (I’m taking applications for that position if anyone’s interested. -_- )

I doubt this is really news to anyone given how much press coverage it got, but given the significance I figured I’d go ahead and post it anyways. For the first time ever, out-of-state same-sex couples can get married in Massachusetts.

Mass. lawmakers OK all gay marriages
Advocate News
Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Thought I’d go ahead and share this article from UIUC’s ACES News. According to a study done by an assistant professor there - Ramona Faith Oswald - legal recognition of same sex relationships is most often sought by parents and people of religious faith. While not exactly a surprise, it sure contradicts the messaging of the religious right.

In the interest of full disclosure, Oswald is an acquaintance of mine whom I’ve worked with on various community initiatives including the Champaign County LGBTQA Resource Guide website which I still maintain.

Belief in God, Parenthood Prompt Gay Partners to Make Commitment
Published: Jul. 30, 2008
Source: Ramona Faith Oswald, (217) 333-2547, roswald@uiuc.edu

URBANA - Which gay and lesbian couples are more likely to legalize their relationship and hold a commitment ceremony? Those with children and strong religious beliefs, says a new University of Illinois study.

“Opponents of relationship recognition for same-sex couples often say that we have to protect children, or that same-sex relationships are against God. But this study suggests that lesbians and gay men who seek relationship recognition may be acting to protect their children and enact their own religious beliefs,” said Ramona Faith Oswald, a U of I associate professor of family studies.

…

Couple bequeaths fund to help gay youth, fight AIDS
By DON CUDDY
Standard-Times staff writer
June 09, 2008 6:00 AM

I have the utmost respect for these gentlemen and their effort to make a difference even after they themselves have passed on. Personally, I hope to make a difference in the world before I die, but if I can’t or maybe even if I can, I want to do something similar to this.

For those who haven’t heard, the California Supreme Court struck down a law banning same-sex marriage in CA. Thus CA becomes the second state in the union to allow gay folks to get married. Already opposing groups are trying to organize constitutional amendments at both state and federal levels, but I don’t really see that happening. Yahoo! Now if only I hadn’t just given up my CA residency. Oh well, I’m in no need of a marriage license just yet.

The other big piece of news I doubt many folks have heard about. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a decision which could very well be the end of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Essentially, the ruling said that just being gay isn’t a determent to troop moral. (Duh!) Instead, the military will have to prove that each individual soldier dismissed under the policy has individually caused harm to troop moral or military readiness. Of the two, this may very well be the more important in the long run.

Here are two news articles related to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” case. Read the top one first, its much more clear. The second one is somewhat confusingly written.

Federal court rules against military gays policy
GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer
Thu May 22, 7:52 AM ET

Court: Gay officer can pursue lawsuit against military
CNN, May 22, 2008

I think I posted something about this case last year. I’m glad to see this one come to a “happy” ending at least. Here’s one gay kid that Iran won’t be hanging.

According to the article, Iran has executed more than 4,000 gays and lesbians since 1979. Its sure as hell one country I’m never going to visit.

Gay Iranian granted asylum in UK
A gay Iranian teenager who said he could be executed if he was sent home has been given asylum in Britain.
BBC News