Chicago Christians Issues Non-Verbal Message To The LGBT Community

No written article needed, as these pictures already speak a thousand words. 

Chicago Christians attended this months 2012 Chicago Gay Pride parade with a strong message.

The photo below shows the acceptance of their apologies by a gay pride participant. Like the song goes, "What the world needs now, is love sweet love -- it's the only thing that there's just to little of."

2012 LA

'Sex' And The 'City' Star Cynthia Nixon Weds Girlfriend

On May 27, 2012, 'Sex and the 'City' star Cynthia Nixon (seen above-r), finally wed her fiancé of eight years, Christine Marinoni! 

The couple wed in New York City now that gay marriage is legal in this state. Nixon wore a stunning custom made Carolina Herrera dress.

Nixon 46 and Marinoni 45, can now relish in their marriage victory with hopes that others can one day be legally wed also. 

The beautiful couple have a one year old son together, along with Nixon's three children from a previous marriage.

Congrats guys!

2012 LA

NAACP Endorses Marriage Equality

Two days ago, the 103 year old Institution NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) took a board vote on marriage equality which passed 62-2. 

The president of the NAACP Ben Jealous (seen above), stated that this is an important day as he himself began choking up while sharing a story of his parents, who at one point couldn't get married due to the discrimination of whites and blacks marrying. 

This is yet another historical moment that defines the progression within our country, and once again the American people took a stand for civil rights simply because it is right, rather than committing to the status quo. 

The NAACP has fought hard for over a century to protect the civil rights of black people and still do to this day, and now gay and lesbians have been added to that agenda. 

Those who are in opposition of marriage equality often revert to the Bible as the reason why, but evidence has shown that Jesus never once mentioned gay people in the Bible, therefore, proving that discrimination towards same-sex couples was purely created by a certain group of people in order to cause divisiveness among the races. 

Going by the Bible in its literal interpretation, would be like saying we should go by what republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney literally says; you can't. 

Just like Mitt Romney's etch-a-sketch moments on the campaign trail, certain parts of the bible have been rewritten to many times by those who interpret it to mean what they want it to mean. 

I don't believe Jesus would want anyone being discriminated against because Jesus himself, didn't discriminate against those that discriminated against him. Jesus simply said "They know not what they do." 

To me the latter means, that an ignorant person can't seem to comprehend the enormity of what their prejudice rhetoric and/or actions are capable of. However, a person that is consciously aware of the divisiveness they cause is more dangerous to society than you and I could ever imagine.

Moreover, those in opposition of marriage equality need to realize that it has nothing to do with the church, but everything to do with civil rights and the fact that discrimination in any form is never okay.  

2012 LA 

Bristol Palin Slams President Obama On Same-Sex Marriage

Bristol Palin (seen above-r), daughter of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, responded to President Obama's affirmation of gay marriage by saying this,  

"While it’s great to listen to your kids’ ideas, there’s also a time when dads simply need to be dads," she voiced in a blog post for a religious website. "In this case, it would’ve been helpful for him to explain to Malia and Sasha that while her friends parents are no doubt lovely people, that’s not a reason to change thousands of years of thinking about marriage.  Or that – as great as her friends may be – we know that in general kids do better growing up in a mother/father home. Ideally, fathers help shape their kids’ worldview."

"Sometimes dads should lead their family in the right ways of thinking, in this case, it would’ve been nice if the President would’ve been an actual leader and helped shape their thoughts instead of merely reflecting what many teenagers think after one too many episodes of Glee."

And sadly this is exactly why prejudice exists in America, due to people like Bristol Palin whose uneducated rhetoric misinforms instead of correctly informing those that listen to her. It would seem that Bristol refuses to think with her own brain, as she thinks it's better to let her parents shape her views for her.

If it were meant for everyone to think the same way, then we wouldn't have our own individual minds, right? God should have just created one person and one person only, if we were all supposed to be narrow-minded. With everything the same nothing would ever change.

What is it with republicans and their "one way" thinking? Are they trying to say that our powerful and almighty creator only had a one track mind? And how dare they think God to be so lame, as if God couldn't or wouldn't do more than one thing multiple ways?

What if God created us all different as a test to see if his love that's supposed to reside within us, is stronger than our hatred and bigotry for one another? 

Native Americans are murdered for being different, Black people are murdered for being different, Jewish people were murdered for being different, LGBT people are murdered for being different, and presidents were assassinated for thinking different. So I'd like to know, when does the bullying of people who are different end?

In regards to Bristol saying, "Or that – as great as her friends may be – we know that in general kids do better growing up in a mother/father home."  

Statistics seem to suggest otherwise and due to the overwhelming divorce rates of heterosexual couples, it is a proven fact that divorce has the worse impact on children not the sexual orientation of their parents. 

Moreover, it is also a statistical fact that children fare better in gay households, because in heterosexual households the parents tend to force feed children what they're expected to be like (hint Bristol Palin), verses a gay household that doesn't place restrictions on a child's self-expression. 

Bristol if your parents taught you about marriage and a two parent household being very important, then why did you have a baby out of wedlock? Better yet, why did you not marry the father of your child?  

Are you suggesting that Americans should condemn you for going against the Bible, and not being married before you had kids? Are you suggesting we send child protective services to your home to retrieve your son, since you live in a one parent household? 

What are you going to teach your son when he asks you why you're a single mother? Are you going to lie and say his father is dead, or will you explain to him that ALL families are "different"? 

President Obama said it best when he said,  

"You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples," he told ABC's Robin Roberts.  

"There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently. It doesn’t make sense to them and, frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective."

Right on Preezy of the United Steezy! 

2012 LA 

President Obama Affirms He Is For Same-Sex Marriage

Yesterday, President Barack Obama made breaking news when announcing he indeed favors and supports same-sex couples marrying. 

Obama is the first president in the history of the United States to ever take this stance, and hopefully he won't be the last. This moment is just as important as when we elected our first Black president of the United States, because for the first time in history gay and lesbian people will be recognized as equals under the law.

Meeting with gay military families that put their lives on the line for American families everyday, and associating with same-sex couples whose kids are friends with his two daughters Sasha and Malia; President Obama's views fully evolved to what is morally and socially right for America.

After Vice President Joe Biden gave his favorable views on same-sex marriage, the media kept pushing the gay hot button until President Obama finally spoke out -- affirming his favorable opinion on the matter.

Questions began to swirl about why Obama chose to come forward now with his personal belief, while others believe this may be a political ploy for the Obama administration to gain votes. 

 The Illinois senator already had the majority of the gay vote; who do you think voted for him in 2008? Most gay and lesbian people would never vote republican, as it's obvious that they're not for us but against us. Even if republicans decided to one day change their anti-gay mantra, same-sex couples would still be leery of voting for them due to their previous anti-gay track record. 

Personally, I always felt President Obama was for gay marriage even though he never said it, as to not upset those who are strongly opposed to it -- such as the Black church. Although rumor has it that Obama, didn't originally plan to speak on this matter until two months before election day -- it was obvious that it happened right on time in order to give those opposed to it a chance to react, understand, and accept his position. 

It would seem that President Obama, took into careful consideration the positive impact marriage has on any family but most of all, the human right and validation it gives the LGBT community to not feel like second class citizens in our own country. 

It has always been about equality, civil rights, and human rights, when any specific group has been oppressed. It appears that republicans love to use religion to divide the American people, but religion has nothing to do with it. People choose to interpret certain parts of the Bible to fit their way of life, while using it to destroy and harm other people that are different from them. Anyone can follow a certain religion and believe whatever they want about that religion, but using religion to promote fear in order to gain a majority vote, or even using religion to oppress a certain group of people just because their different should never be okay.

Republicans have affirmed time and again that the purpose of marriage is procreation only, and that children are better off in a two parent household with a mother and a father. But what about the husband and wife who married and can not procreate due to fertility issues? Should they not adopt or use a surrogate?

Or what about the husband or wife that passes away, leaving behind children and one parent. Should that one parent give their children or child up for adoption, because the home no longer has two parents? 

What about the feminist woman who prefers to be a single mother, and can afford to take care of her children? Should she not raise a child because a man isn't present in the home? 

My point is, there are to many ways to define what a family is and for republicans to try and fit all Americans in one box just isn't realistic. We're all different, we all live in the same country, and we're all stronger together than apart. Eventually, the bigotry has to end.

During slavery times in the United States of America, African Americans were oppressed by religion as well. Black people were told they had no souls, that they weren't smart enough to learn, that God never wanted them to be financially well off, that they weren't good enough to marry a white person, and that they'd never be as good as any white person because that's the way God intended it to be. 

African Americans along with other minorities realized that slavery wasn't Gods plan for them, in which they fought harder to prove that very fact. Due to our ancestors' efforts we now have our first Black president who wishes to be fair with everyone across the board, and the only way to do that is with love, compassion, and fair laws; President Obama gets that and for those who still haven't, I can only hope that eventually you will.

President Barack Obama's LGBTQ Track Record:

1) 2009 - Signed Hate Crimes Prevention Act

2) 2010 - Expanded Family Medical Leave Act for LGBTQ Parents

3) 2011 -  Ended "Don't Ask Don't Tell" military policy

4) 2011 - Directed DOJ to Stop Defending Defense of Marriage Act

5) 2011 - Endorsed Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act

6) 2012 - Supports Employment Non-Discrimination Act

7) 2012 - Signed HUD bill that prevents Gay and Lesbians from being discriminated against when purchasing homes

8) 2012 - President Obama affirms he is for same-sex marriage

For the record: Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney, is set to speak this Saturday at Liberty University, an institution that forbids openly gay students from applying; yet this very institution received over $445 million dollars of federal taxpayer dollars in 2010, funds that should be used for any student trying to attain a higher education not just heterosexual students.

2012 LA

Republican Maureen Walsh Sides With Marriage Equality

Republican Maureen Walsh, speaks candidly about the acceptance of marriage equality.

2012 LA

Who Should Define Marriage?

Should marriage be defined for the people and by the people; before we get into that, we must first learn the history of marriage. 

The interesting thing about the history of marriage is that it has always evolved. The practices of marriage from centuries ago, still play out in the 21st century. 

For example: In ancient Greece it's written that inheritance is more important than actually having feelings for your partner. Females were forced to divorce their husbands and marry male relatives in order to keep the family name going if there were no more male heirs. This practice still happens today but it is now called, "inbreeding."

Have you ever heard of the hit show Wife Swap, where men trade their wives for several weeks and then report back on the outcome? 

Wife swapping was a normal practice in ancient Rome; it was often done as a career move for men to strengthen family bonds. This practice still happens today but it is now called, "swinging."

Are you familiar with the TV show Sister Wives, where one man co-exists and procreates with as many wives as he can handle? 

This practice of marriage was very popular in 6th-century Europe -- among men for political and strategic purposes. Some men would even marry their sister-in-laws! This practice still happens today and it's called, "polygamy."

If you're into politics I'm sure you've seen many a scandal when it comes to politicians and their cheating ways. 

In 12th-century Europe, upper class marriages were often arranged -- as many cultures today still participate in arranged marriages. And wealthy men in those days believed love shouldn't be apart of a marriage, but that love could be found outside of the marriage with other people. This cheating practice still happens today and it's called, "adultery."

Today, gay and lesbian individuals are fighting for marriage equality. Thus far only 8 states have followed suit; it's a start but we have a long way to go. 

With regards to politics, republicans have been the strongest opponents of marriage equality although many republican Mayors, Congressmen, and Governors have recently been outed as homosexual. 

Which brings me to 14th-century Europe, when people were not allowed to pick their own mates but instead was forced to marry a mate that government chose for them. If a person went against the government's rule and married who they wanted to marry, the government made the couple pay a fee; gay and lesbian couples pay the fee of oppression, higher taxes, violence, and degradation with no relationship validity or acknowledgement.

During the Victorian era in the United States of America, marriage was again all about currency. Some men were well off but others sought out wealthy heiresses to marry, while still turning to family, friends, and other lovers for intimacy. In the 1690's Protestant ministers, would warn couples not to love each other to much; after all marriage was to be strictly business.

In 18th-century Europe, women began finding their voices and speaking out against loveless marriages while being forced into them. Also, in the 18th-century in the United States due to horrific racism and prejudice, Black people were not allowed to marry White people and vice versa. White men were adamant about race mixing but had no qualms about raping Black women and impregnating them -- therefore, mixing races.

The 1950's in the United States brought on mandatory marriages. Everyone had to get married and have a picture perfect nuclear family. If a person chose to not marry they were considered "sick", "immoral", or "neurotic." Today, these are the same degrading words used against gay and lesbians for wanting to get married.

In the United States in the 1970's, women became more self-sufficient and began changing social rules by cutting the umbilical cords that their husbands used to strangle them. As a result, the divorce rate catapulted to the highest it had ever been.

And in the 21st century marriage is the ultimate expression of love, and everyone wishes to have a wonderful wedding. And again, no one should be able to define that wonderful wedding except for the two people it's happening too.

In conclusion: the history of marriage seems to stress obedience, and always obedience to the men who controlled every aspect of their spouses life. 

History seems to preclude love as if it were the most revolting thing, but history also shows that women and ordinary people had no say over their lives and were always controlled by a bigger entity. 

What I find amazing about this information is that no matter how BIG the entity, in the end, women and ordinary people stood their ground and demanded change for the better; defining every moment in time by the people and for the people.

Let's keep the marriage equality momentum going shall we?!

2012 LA

Bernice King Gives "Gay" Unity Speech

At Atlanta, Georgia's, annual Martin Luther King Jr. rally Bernice King (seen above) daughter of assassinated civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., included gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people among the various groups she said needed to come together to fulfill her father's legacy.

Bernice King was passionate with her message. She stated that she didn't care if people were Hindu, Buddhist, Islamist, were from the North side or the South side, were black or white, were “heterosexual or homosexual, or gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender” — that all people were needed to create unity.

LGBT people who attended the rally said they were shocked that King – who has a long anti-gay past — actually acknowledged the community in a public speech, but said they were also glad because it shows people can evolve. But sometimes it takes something bigger than you, to realize it isn't about you.

Ms. King was a member of Bishop Eddie Long's (seen above-l) New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, and the two led a march of thousands through the streets of Atlanta to protest among other issues -- gay marriage. She has also said that her father "did not take a bullet for same-sex marriage."

The civil rights activist may have had an epiphany when realizing that the same Bishop Eddie Long she worked side by side with, was the same Bishop brought up on charges for a sex scandal in which he was sued by young men who accused him of coercing them into sexual relationships.

There are many gay pastors that hide behind churches, wives, and lies, in order to mask the fact that they are gay. These pastors are scared to come out for fear they'll be publicly condemned by the church. In Bishop Longs' case him being gay isn't a crime; but pedophilia is a crime and should be handled as such.

Kudos to Bernice King for evolving and making such a strong statement that unity requires all people, and not just a select few.

2012 LA