American "Family Research Council" Nonprofit
 

"Family Research Council head Tony Perkins sent out this tweet Monday praising Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni for embracing criminalization of homosexuality. Museveni was once a highly regarded resistance fighter turned statesman, but now appears to be another president for life."



http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election...anti-gay-push/

Obama Nominates Hispanic Lesbian for Federal Judgeship
If confirmed by the Senate, Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro would be the first out gay Hispanic woman to serve on the federal bench.

BY Julie Bolcer.November 27 2012 12:17 PM ET


http://www.advocate.com/society/law/...wlZM14.twitter

Another Latina in Leadership
 

I generally don't read Fox News but I found this story when reading about immigration reform from a policy list I subscribe to. The story is not about immigration reform.

I wish it was good news but it is not. I am posting it because I want others to be aware of some of the women in this world, not just in the USA, that are making a difference.

__________________________________________________

Mexican Mayor Maria Santos Gorrostieta Killed by Gunmen was Defiant to the End

Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/new...#ixzz2Dj9T62UP

Sun, there has been information from the Southern Poverty Law Center posted in the threads. There was a Femme, and I cannot remember her name because she has not been around in awhile. She use to bring stuff from the SPLC into the discussions here in the threads.

* FYI: Go check out the Hate Map and click on your state. You will see the groups that SPLC consider Hate Groups. California leads the list with 84 groups identified. Unbelievable! :|


http://www.splcenter.org/



http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map

The Media In The 21st Century
 

I am usually not quite sure where to post some of the stuff I post. I do not want to start an entire thread for discussing the media unless people really want to talk about it.

I read a lot of "stuff." I usually do ask the questions, Who wrote this? Who is the audience? What site, did this piece originate from? Until very recently I was unaware of some of the work the United Nations is doing in regards to "equitable Media Representation.

I came upon this site of videos of called "Journeys of Belonging" and was moved and of course got the old analytical wheels turning. This video addresses many of the same concerns we discuss here on the site; gender, class, race, sexuality, religion. I want to share some links with the community. You may be interested in reading.

__________________________________________________ ____




Journeys of Belonging is an original multimedia project that takes an in-depth look at the personal narratives of 17 women and men of diverse age, faith and cultural backgrounds. It has been jointly developed by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, the British Council, the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the Reynolds Institute.

http://journeysofbelonging.org/



About the British Council

The British Council is the UK's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. We work in over 100 countries in the arts, education, society and English. The Our Shared Future project, based in the US, aims to improve the public conversation about Muslims and intercultural relations in the US and Europe. Our Shared Future is supported in large part by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

http://www.britishcouncil.org/usa

http://www.oursharedfuture.org




About the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations

The United Nations Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC) aims to improve understanding and cooperative relations among nations and peoples across cultures and religions. It also helps to counter the forces that fuel polarization and extremism. The UNAOC was established in 2005, at the initiative of the Governments of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the United Nations.


http://www.unaoc.org

Ivy League or State University?
 

College Approves BDSM Group

By Nathalie R. Miraval, CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Published: Thursday, November 29, 2012



http://www.thecrimson.com/article/20...club-approved/

West Point Hosts First Same-Sex Marriages
 

West Point Military Academy has made history by hosting the institution's first same-sex marriages.

The 210-year-old Academy hosted the nuptials of Brenda "Sue" Fulton, a 53-year-old West Point graduate, and Penelope Gnesin, 52, at the Academy's Cadet Chapel on Dec. 1. "It was such a sacred, joyous day," Fulton told CNN.

The chapel was the first place Fulton heard the Cadet Prayer – which includes the line, "make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong" – and it resonated with her.

"As both Penny and I worked to support LGBT military people, those principles were always in front of us," Fulton said. "To be able to celebrate this with so many of our straight and gay military folks, bi and trans, was really overwhelming."

Prior to Fulton and Gnesin's ceremony, Army 1st Lt Ellen Schick and Shannon Simpson wed in West Point's original Old Cadet Chapel on Nov. 24.

"Ellen is very proud to serve her country and wanted a military wedding," Simpson told OutServe Magazine. "We felt that we should be allowed the same opportunity to marry on a military post as any heterosexual military couple."

http://www.people.com/people/article...ntent=My+Yahoo

Certainly the "Wedding Industry" awaits the Supreme Court hearing Prop 8, but more importantly are the tens of thousands of couples who are waiting. The more that I see how the "sanctity of marriage" is turned into such a farce by so many "straight" people who do nothing to honor the institution, the more eager I am to see marriage equality across the nation.


Gay Couples and Wedding Industry Await Supreme Court Ruling on Proposition 8

Bisexual
 

Patterns and Predictors of Disclosure of Sexual Orientation to Healthcare Providers among Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals

By Laura E. Durso & Illan H. Meyer
December 2012

New research shows that bisexual men and women are less likely than gay men and lesbians to disclose their sexual orientation to healthcare providers. The study, which examined nondisclosure of sexual orientation among lesbians, gay men and bisexual men and women, found that concealment of sexual orientation from healthcare providers was related to poor psychological wellbeing.

Public health professionals recommend that lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGB) disclose their sexual orientation to healthcare personnel to facilitate optimal care. The study found that LGB individuals with greater internalized homophobia were less likely to disclose their sexual orientation to healthcare providers than individuals with lesser internalized homophobia. LGB individuals who were connected to the LGBT community were more likely to share their orientation with providers than those with lesser connection to the community. Expectations of rejection and discrimination and past experiences with everyday discrimination did not predict disclosure to health care providers.
The study was conducted in New York City among 396 LGB individuals. Nondisclosure was higher among bisexual men of whom 39% did not disclose to any medical provider and bisexual women of whom 33% did not disclose to any medical provider. Disclosure was much more prevalent among gay men and lesbians among whom only 13% and 10%, respectively, did not disclose their sexual orientation to any medical provider. Among lesbians, greater nondisclosure was found among racial/ethnic minorities, women with lower educational level, and women with children. Among both gay and bisexual men, greater nondisclosure was found among younger men and men who were born outside the U.S.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and is published in Sexuality Research and Social Policy.

Click here for the full study.


http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.ed...srsp-dec-2012/

International
The lottery of life
Where to be born in 2013

Nov 21st 2012 | from The World In 2013 print edition

Warren Buffett, probably the world’s most successful investor, has said that anything good that happened to him could be traced back to the fact that he was born in the right country, the United States, at the right time (1930). A quarter of a century ago, when The World in 1988 light-heartedly ranked 50 countries according to where would be the best place to be born in 1988, America indeed came top. But which country will be the best for a baby born in 2013?

Best places to be born (from The Economist):
1. Switzerland
2. Australia
3. Norway
4. Sweden
5. Denmark
6. Singapore
7. New Zealand
8. Netherlands
9. Canada
10. Hong Kong

*The USA tied with Germany for 16th place.

http://www.economist.com/news/215664...3-lottery-life

The hospital said in a statement: "We can confirm that Jacintha was recently the victim of a hoax call to the hospital.

"She was an excellent nurse and well-respected and popular with all of her colleagues."



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20645838

Arwen, I completely agree with you. In fact I was trying to figure out how and where to start a thread to talk about Media, Reality TV and such. I want to know what other people are thinking. Do any of us take any responsibility for the TV programs we watch, media we read, buy? Does this seemingly cultural obession with celebrity and observing the lives of others, (Reality TV, Radio DJs with morning shows that do the "pranks." Thank you Howard Stern.)

What is the role of the consumer and the media? Have we had enough yet?

Victory for lesbian, years after her longtime partner's death

Here's the story of the Lesbian couple whose love brought one of the most important cases of our lifetime to the Supreme Court.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/18/us/new...html?hpt=hp_t2

We saw this on TV last night. It is very exciting to see this happening. I heard one person say they believe the outcome will be giving the individual states the right to decide. If this is the case I wonder how that can or will effect SS benefits. Seeing that is a federal run program I don't see how any state could keep you from getting this at all.

US Government Plans To Install Sophisticated Audio Surveillance On Public Buses

http://www.businessinsider.com/us-plans-audio-surveillance-on-buses-2012-12

"Documents obtained by The Daily reveal that the technology is in the process of being implemented in Eugene, Ore.; San Francisco; Athens, Ga.; Baltimore; Traverse City, Mich.; Hartford, Conn.; and Columbus, Ohio.

In San Francisco the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provided a grant that covers a $5.9 million contract to install the surveillance system on 357 buses and trolley cars over four years, with an option for 613 more vehicles."