Gay Marriage (or something like it)

Thursday, July 16, 2009

We Have Dreams Too...

So I was mucking around on Facebook and was turned onto this by Willow Witte from Join The Impact. It’s a portion of a speech given by President Barack Obama at the NAACP’s Centenial Convention…

Some folks commented on the Facebook some things along the lines of “Why not now?”

I responded with…

“Presidential, or High Court, rulings are meaningless until we can get a clear majority of support across the Nation. Not that it wouldn’t be NICE mind you…. but still…. head to head, heart to hear, one on one until Freedom truly rings for us as well.”

I truly believe that. The struggle for Civil Rights, whether for GLBT rights, or for Freedom of Religion, is not one that will be won solely through the declarations or rulings of law; Civil Rights and Equality will come about when our neighbors and friends and co-workers have an understanding of who and what we really are.

Whether the “we” is Queer or Pagan Truth is our sword and our shield in this struggle.

In looking through the net about Obama’s Speech I have also just found out about the National Equality March

Our One Single Demand:

Equal protection in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states. We will accept no less and will work until it is achieved. Equality Across America exists to support grassroots organizing in all 435 Congressional Districts to achieve full equality.

Equal Protection encompasses many issues, including:

Repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) so that every marriage in every state has the same federal rights.
Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell so that LGBT persons may serve in the military openly and with the same rights as their straight counterparts.
An end to workplace discrimination for everyone with an Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that protects everyone.
The right to adopt children and raise families like any other parents.
Hate Crimes legislation that includes LGBT people and protects us like any other targeted group.
Immigration reform that recognizes same-sex couples and ends the needless separation of families.

Our philosophy:

As members of every race, class, faith, and community, we see the struggle for LGBT equality as part of a larger movement for peace and social justice.

~From the Equality Across America website

Veritas, Justitia, Libertas,

I Invoke You,

Uncle Sam and Columbia,

I Summon, Stir, and Call Ye Forth,

Let Freedom Ring with the words

“Equal protection in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states.”

So Mote It Be!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

An inspiring ad, and I'm considering consolodation

Hey folks,

First up in my increasingly infrequent postings is this ad I found in my online wanderings today, the title really does not at all do this wonderful and inspiring video justice....

Also, I am considering, just considering, consolodating this blog into my primary blog. For me at least I think I need to bring together all of my personal passions into one blogstream. I am thinking it might help me to write more if I am faced with one blog and one methodology....

Peace,
Geoffre

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Fun Summer Crafts Project!!!

Hey folks,

So some of us folks who are in the Pagan community are involved in a discussion of Pagan Values, and I found the following wonderful image at a blog I go to pretty regularly...

So kids, for a fun and productive June arts and crafts project for your blogs and websites how about fomenting a social revolution? Here’s how!

1. Right click on the image above and choose “Save Image As” to save it to your Computer.

2. Upload it to your blog or website as a virtual protest sign!

3. If this cause moves you, and you’d like to take action, check out the Join The Impact blog and click on the link below!

Peace, and Humor and Civil Rights for All,

Geoffrey

Thursday, May 21, 2009

DOMA Flip-Flop Campaign... !REPEAL DOMA NOW!

Their site is a little hard to read. (Gray font, on a black background... THIS is the best choice a homosexual (or a friend and ally of one) could come up with?!?)

So here is the link to print out your own flip-flop card, and here is one to print out a blank one to write a more personalized message on.

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Friday, May 15, 2009

Gays in the military May 2009, isn't it about time we moved forward?

You can find more information about Dan Choi here.

So many informed and expert sources have come out AGAINST "don't ask, don't tell" and also AGAINST the idea that Queers serving in the military will be a moral problem. And STILL the Fundementalist Right says that Gays are infiltrating the military, how gays are bad and equal rights for gays will weaken our country, our families, our culture. They said the same garbage about equal rights for women, they said the same thing about blacks when my father served during the Korean war...

Isn't it about time we, as a nation, moved past THEIR petty prejudices?

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Ok folks, time to step up!

Ok, folks. Here's the deal get the code for this video from youtube, share it with as many as you can.

While your at it use the fabulous resource that is Contacting The Congress to contact your legislators and ask them to support the Hate Crimes legislation.

And drop President Obama a line on the issue while you are at it.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Activist alert, Info on the latest anti-marriage ad...

Hey folks,

Not a lot of time right now, but I wanted to drop in and say how thrilled I am at the goings on in Iowa and Vermont. I also wanted to share a couple of links to information about a new Ad campaign you may have already heard about.

A group cleverly mis-named the National Organization for Marriage, had spent $1.5 million dollars on an ad campaign spreading a lot of lies and misinformation about the issue of Gay marriage hiring actors to portray concerned citizens...

Information available from the HRC and from CBS news...

If you would like to support the cause of Gay Marriage, and of GLBT Civil rights in general, please feel free to check out these sites...

Freedom to Marry

Marriage Equality USA

Yes On Gay Marriage

And the many sites to the right in the Sidebar! --> --> -->

Who, What, and Why

Hello,

My name is Geoff or Geoffrey and as I write this I am a 36 year old Gay man living in Florida, USA. I am elated at the election of President Elect Barack Obama and deeply saddened at the backward steps taken in GLBT Rights and Equality in the Ballot Initiatives in several states in 2008.

When faced with discrimination we but have two choices. We can accept it, shake our heads, and go about our day; or, we can say

"No, this is not acceptable and this is not what the United States is supposed to be about!"

I am choosing to say the second with this blog.

Peace,
Geoffrey David Stewart

The Beginings of a Plan of Action

We the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Allied People of the United States of America in order to continue forming that ‘more perfect union’ that has been the goal of our nation for 232 years; in order to provide for the equal protection under the law for ourselves, our future wives, our future husbands, and for our friends, families, and children, do hereby establish this plan of action.

~We will not only support the national organizations that are our allies in this movement, but we will also commit to personally standing up for our rights, for ourselves and our posterity.

~We will step out of our comfort zones to calmly and consistently and constantly stand up for GLBT civil rights. We will attend and speak at public meetings, we will write letters to the editor ~ and post online.

~We will welcome every opportunity to engage in a respectful dialogue with others in furtherance of GLBT civil rights and equality.

~We will educate ourselves, our friends, our families, our neighbors, and our communities about civil rights in general, and about GLBT civil rights. We will share with anyone who will listen who we truly are, where we are legally, and where we wish to be.

~We will reach out to our communities of faith; not only those open and welcoming churches and congregations, we will also support our GLBT brothers and sisters in GLBT Denominational groups such as Dignity and Kinship.

~We will speak and live to the truth that homosexual, bisexual, and transgender people are trying to seek equal protection under the law so that we can live our lives, not some ‘lifestyle’.

~We agree with Coretta Scott King, "Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood…” and that, "This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next minority group."

~We shall stand up for everyone’s civil rights, including Freedom of Religion, and Freedom of Speech, even when we disagree with some of the beliefs or opinions of others we must be willing to defend their right to them. Because we also agree with Dr. Martin Luther King, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”