11/8/08

Chicago Protest TONIGHT Against Prop. 8 Leader James Dobson


Focus on the Family's James Dobson spent $800,000 on Proposition 8 to stop gay people form marrying in California. Tonight, this dangerous ideologue will be inducted into the Museum of Broadcast Communication's Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago.

He will be met with a protest this evening from LGBT organizations at 5:30 PM, outside of the Renaissance Chicago Hotel, 1 W. Wacker Drive (corner of Wacker & State).


Focus on the Family's James Dobson

It truly is mind-blowing that the Radio Hall of Fame would honor a leader of Proposition 8 on the same week he played a key role in helping the amendment pass. Dobson put his Media Empire and vast amounts of money into the service of denying equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. And, the Radio Hall of Fame reacts disgracefully by giving this demagogue a trophy.

If you live in the Chicago area, join us tonight and participate in our demonstration. If you cannot actually be with us, please be there in spirit by giving a generous contribution. We are only able to make our voices heard with your help.

Wayne Besen"
wbesen@truthwinsout.org

kelli Busey
Planetransgender
kellibusey@yahoo.com

11/7/08

Protest set Sunday over anti-gay sermon at First Baptist Dallas



"Not ok to be Gay" says First Baptist senior pastor, the Rev. Robert Jeffress.

Rev. Jeffress is known for his failed effort to ban books books from the Wichita Falls TX library which resulted in the public donating hundreds of copies to replace those that Rev. Jeffress refused to return.

Many who people have been upset by the Mormons November 4th interference in California's civil rights efforts are equally disturbed to learn that right here in our beloved Texas religious demagogues are seeding homophobia and bigotry.


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A street demonstration is scheduled across the street from the church entrance on San Jacinto Street at 10 a.m. Sunday. Those attending are encouraged to bring signs.

For more information about the protest, e-mail Fulcher at samblade8@yahoo.com.

By kelli Busey
Nov.08, 2008
planetransgender

Queer UK protests Stonewall's Julie Bindel at Victoria and Albert Museum



By kelli Busey
Nov. o7, 2008
planetransgender

The Awards ceremony in which unapoligetic transphobic Julie Bindel was awarded the writer of the year award from the UK's inappropriately named "Stonewall" group was protested by a large group of mainly young and disenfranchised Transgender, Queer and Allies.

London as reported by Loz Flowers

"Stonewall, despite naming itself after an event in which trannies took part, has never made any bones about being an organisation that does not represent transsexual people. However, for it's 2008 awards it decided to accept a nomination for best journalist for Julie Bindel, a writer with a history of transphobic opinions and writing.

So a group of about 150 pissed-off transsexual people and their allies held a fun and trouble-free protest outside of the Stonewall Awards at the Victoria and Albert Museum on the evening of the 6th of November 2008 to remind them of what they seemed keen to forget or ignore."

11/6/08

Californian Gay's Protest Mormon Church Intervention in Constitution

By kelli Busey
Nov. 07, 2008
planetransgender

What do we want? Equal Rights Now.

The battle cry of the GLBT community began resounding throughout California after the passage of Prop 8. Many in the GLBT community found the Mormons contribution particularly offensive and gathered at Tabernacles to make it known.



Mormons have since have defended there participation and made calls for calm claiming that while the leadership of the Mormon Church did ask for members to donate for the passage of prop.8 technically the Church did not directly contribute monetarily.

Ten Questions for California United Methodists who voted on Proposition 8


Ten Questions for California United Methodists who voted on Proposition 8
By Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell

cross posted directly from the Reconciling Ministries Network Blog (RMN)

Full Disclosure: I am a 75 year old, African American United Methodist clergyman who was first ordained in 1956. I am straight and have been in a heterosexual marriage for almost 51 years. If I had been a resident of California, I would have voted No on Proposition 8 that defined marriage as being limited to one man and one woman.

1)Was your vote determined by your understanding of Scripture and/or legislation in the United Methodist Book of Discipline?

2)If Proposition 8 had read: "Marriage should be limited to one man and one woman of the same race/ethnicity", would your vote have been the same?

3)Do you believe that in our democracy, numerical majorities have the right to vote to limit the civil rights of numerical minorities?

4)Do you realize that while the U.S. Supreme Court declared in 1954 that the practice of racial "separate but equal" public schools was invalid, the United Methodist Church did not eliminate its "separate but equal" racial Central Jurisdiction until 1968? Does this not suggest that there is a history of the state proclaiming equality before the church? Why did a majority of the voters of California support the "same old, same old"?

5)How are heterosexual marriages in California enriched and enhanced because of the majority vote to deny same gender marriage?

6)Do United Methodists of Color and others who voted to support Proposition 8 realize that the Biblical and Church rationale that some of its initiators professed, was the same rationale that once restricted the rights of people of color? If they now develop a Proposition to limit the civil rights of persons of color, would you support it?

7)Some persons who are against same gender marriage did not vote for Barack Obama because his father was black and his mother was white and "The Bible forbids interracial marriage". Was a vote to support Proposition 8 on Biblical grounds a vote to support those who "use" the Bible to justify their resistance to interracial marriage?

8)I am disappointed as are others because many people of color who were strong supporters of Barack Obama were also supporters of Proposition 8. But, my disappointment is made more moderate because of the history of white majority decisions that limited the rights of people of color. Is it helpful for us as United Methodists to acknowledge the linkages between all of the actions to restrict the civil rights of persons whether because of race/ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation?

9)Do you agree that it would be un-democratic, un-civil, unreasonable and unfaithful to allow the majority vote to support Proposition 8 to make invalid the thousands of same gender marriages that were performed when they were legal? If ever a "grandfather clause" was in order, it is now in order in California

10)The tears of joy that many of us shed in response to the election of Barack Obama were a response to our acknowledgment of the utter foolishness of the attitudes and actions that once made impossible the election of an African American President. When same gender marriage becomes legal in California and the rest of the nation, we will again shed tears as we remember the foolishness of the vote to support Proposition 8. Regardless of how you voted, do you now dare admit how tragic it was to even consider a Proposition 8 in the 21st century?

7 Arrested In L.A.-Area Prop. 8 Protest


by Kelli Busey
Nov. 6, 2008
planetransgender

WKSBW Channel 8 : 7 Arrested In L.A.-Area Prop. 8 Protest One protester after dancing on a police car was brutally taken down WKSBW reports high state of tension between opponents and proponents of Prop. 8. Police have riot gear at the ready and even worn in some instances.