Disqus - Latest Comments for jaysays

Re: Anti-Gay San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor Heckled at Orlando Vigil: ‘Shame On You!’ — WATCH

jaysays — Fri, 17 Jun 2016 14:32:29 -0000

When Pride Center San Antonio announced that she would be a speaker, we begged them to reconsider. Instead, they remained steadfast, stating she would just be delivering a prayer, not speaking. They put this woman, who prayed alongside people like Pastor Charles Flowers who calls for the deaths of LGBTQ people, in front of a crowd of LGBTQ people in mourning. Now, so-called leaders of our community are in the news claiming those queer voices who refused to be silent were “disrespectful” and did not “honor” the victims.

We honor the victims by refusing to give a platform to homophobia. We honor the victims by refusing to remain silent in the face of opposition. We honor the victims more with our beautiful queer voices than we do by defending homophobia.

Since the vigil, so called “leaders” in our community have stated that our queer voices incited a “mob” that could not be controlled. Pride Center San Antonio is responsible for giving this homophobe a place of honor before our grieving community and were fully aware that the community largely opposed her being placed in such a position. She degraded and dismissed us during the NDO battle and has NEVER accepted an invitation at any LGBT event until now.

It is no surprise that one of their Board Members for Pride Center San Antonio, who organized the event and refused to dis-invite Taylor is also on her advisory committee. This is a conflict of interest for our community.

Re: Melissa Harris-Perry Narrowly Escapes An Attack During Iowa Caucuses

jaysays — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 12:55:19 -0000

I fear racing churches until such time as Citizens United is over turned. At least now there's a very slight bit of political resistance for fear of losing tax exemption. Imagine taxing them and allowing them to achieve open political power as "people." The right would have their church corporations all over every issue and would slaughter the free thinkers on every political issue with that kind of money and numbers.

Re: Texas Judge resigns after being caught texting instructions to prosecutors to help win convictions

jaysays — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 18:02:24 -0000

While everyone is screaMing political party, no one is noticing this was nearly three years ago. Congratulations America!!! You've do polarized things with two party politics, you can't even see a date stamp.

Re: Why The Advocate's Choice of Pope Francis for Person of the Year is a Mistake | Religion Dispatches

jaysays — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 17:09:48 -0000

"If a mere change in language can move The Advocate to make Pope Francis their Person of the Year over Edie Windsor, whose case helped DOMA to crumble, I’m stunned." I concur. I'm stunned. I wonder though if this isn't a brilliant play by the closest thing to an LGBT media giant we've got to change the language used by the LGBT community as well. I do hope that is the case and this is more a sentimental nod to freedom of religion and from religion, moving all parties toward a more mutually compassionate stance.

Re: What will GetEqual end up getting?

jaysays — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 20:37:44 -0000

Don't misunderstand me when I say I may vote for Obama. That does not mean that I would ever cast a vote for the GOP. Dr. Jill Stein has caught my eye. Too many people feel there are only two options, and as long as we act as such there will always be two options.

If you recall from history books, when suffragettes launched protests against the President for failing to move women's rights forward, the chorus (even within their own ranks) rang out with, "How dare you protest a wartime President!". This to me is similar. If Romney where President and refused the EO, this post would read very differently and likely call our populace to immediate action. However, because Obama has "done more for us than any other president" the criticism and actions are taboo.

However, the bar is set very, very low for doing anything as President that furthers LGBT rights.

Check out Paul Yandura's interview at thenewcivilrightsmovement.com if you get a chance. I found it insightful.

Re: What will GetEqual end up getting?

jaysays — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:04:15 -0000

Sure, Thomas. I suppose "last chance" would have been a better choice of words. We can play out the possible scenarios over and over again just for fun.

1) Obama doesn't sign EO and is re-elected with the current House and Senate standing as is - No ENDA, No EO.

2) Obama doesn't sign the EO and is not re-elected (assuming Romney wins) and the House and Senate standing as is - No ENDA, No EO.

3) Obama signs EO and is re-elected with the current House and Senate standing as is - No ENDA, but there is an EO.

4) Obama signs EO and is not re-elected with the current House and Senate standing as is - No ENDA, but there is an EO that may (or MAY NOT) be cancelled by Romney - which I believe is highly unlikely considering a 74% support for it.

5) Obama doesn't sign EO and is re-elected with the a new majority Democratic House and Senate - No EO and No ENDA (why not ENDA? There was a majority for two years and it sat in committee - there is no guarantee of democratic support).

6) Obama does sign EO and is re-elected with the a new majority
Democratic House and Senate - There is an EO and No ENDA (why not ENDA? There was
a majority for two years and it sat in committee - there is no
guarantee of democratic support).

Of course it is "possible" that there will be an ENDA in the next congress under Obama and highly improbable under Romney, but we have a guarantee of something with the signing of the EO.

The smartest course of action would be for Obama to go to the House and Senate and say - "You have one/two month(s) to implement an ENDA legislation. If you do not, I will sign an EO for non-discrimination in federal contracting." This would: (a) show him to be a solid leader; and (b) not make a liar out of him for saying he would sign the EO when he was candidate Obama.

I'm sure there are dozens of other potential scenarios, but it turns out my psychic was a fraud.

The insane thing about this whole "controversy" is that there is no "right" answer. Certainly we can all agree that if we knew the right course of action to get equal (no pun intended), we would already be treated equally under the law. I really dislike the belittling language used by both sides of the argument. If it is an opinion, it should not be presented as fact and Viktor presented a lot of inaccuracies as "fact" in his posting. He also made inaccurate claims about the strategy sessions and conversations that went on with GE before launching this campaign and provided ZERO sources or citations... just blanketed it with "I say it is so it is." When referred to trusted sources used by numerous social justice advocacy organizations regarding the MAP, it was dismissed with "Honestly,

Another observation: You state that "Their [GetEQUAL's] efforts may assist in electing a GOP President."

According to Reuters, Obama's falling poll numbers in the battle with Romney are a result of "A tepid economic recovery" and "voter pessimism about the future" - along with his below 50 percent job approval rating. About 2/4 of voters still think the economy is in a recession and most think they are worse off than they were 4 years ago. It seems like if Obama doesn't win the election, it won't be because of GetEQUAL, but because of his actual or perceived failures as POTUS.

I don't and won't "Obama-bash" --- I may even vote for him --- but I believe it is our responsibility to continue an issue-oriented conversation. I disagree with Obama on: (1) legal marriage being only between a man and a woman; and (2) his refusal to sign the EO.

Wow - sorry for the length of the commentary. It's a subject of great interest to me and an excellent topic to discuss social justice strategies within the context of a political campaign.

Re: What will GetEqual end up getting?

jaysays — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:55:22 -0000

Thanks Thomas, but there's a problem with the logic here - Obama may not win in the fall anyway and this may be our "last hope."

Re: Glee: On My Way

jaysays — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:47:26 -0000

What may be worse for me than the victimized (time and time again) gay teen, is the loss of *happy tears*. Take for example the "Baby, It's Cold Outside" scene. I watched that moment in TV history and thought - "WHY COULDN'T I HAVE SEEN THIS AS A KID?!" I teared up not because it was tragic, but because it was so very sweet. As gay teens in my era, we were almost fully denied courtship and flirtation. We were not all victims of this - but victorious over it. I'm over the great dramatic tragedy. I prefer tearing up at the happy scenes, like when Kurt gets his finals letter and his father is so proud... heart strings = pulled. Stop upsetting me just for the sake of upsetting me, Glee!

Re: Same-sex couples snubbed at mass marriage

jaysays — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:54:41 -0000

If heaven is full of people like Sullivan, it sounds hellish. The presumption by the theologians commenting here is that their beliefs must be conformed to by all of society. There are many countries that implement 'Gods law' ... Afghanistan under Taliban rule comes to mind. I suppose these theocrats hope for a more Taliban-like America?

The problem is that efforts were made to book an affirming and welcoming ceremony by other clergy and Sullivan could keep his woman serves man ceremony. However, the Court officials advised Sullivan has the Courthouse booked for the foreseeable future, including Feb. 14, 2013.

Re: The illusion that makes up NOM’s base of support

jaysays — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 13:52:22 -0000

We've all known that NOM was basing their arguments on their own ideas of religion, but they've attempted to disguise the argument behind "protection of traditional marriage." The effort seemed to be to distance themselves from religious based arguments in hopes of finding some way to keep obviously unconstitutional restrictions on the books. Clearly, standing before a court saying, "religion prohibits marriage between same-sex partners" will not hold up in a court room anymore than arguing "religion prohibits eating pork" will keep a law on the books banning pork consumption.

So they've hunted and hunted and came up with bits like civil marriage equality: (1) violates the religious rights of others; or (2) harms traditional marriage.

I hope you will soon touch on how your change of opinion has affected your following - i.e. did people run screaming from your feed/facebook/twitter, or did some actually understand your POV?

Re: San Antonio Current - NEWS+FEATURES: Dan Ramos' queer position, radiation clouds/Texas nukes, and warbler warning on Forestar deal

jaysays — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:46:49 -0000

Let's not forget ousting Dan is not simply a party issue - we are the people and our voices should be louder than those of any political party. Join us tomorrow in telling elected officials (none of whom have denounced these comments) that racism and homophobia have no place in our political leadership. http://www.facebook.com/eve...

Re: Gay Couple Files Complaint against Dallas Morning News

jaysays — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 01:48:36 -0000

What?!?!? You're kidding, right? So, if the law requires it, we should abide by it? The law provided for segregation and if no one resisted discriminatory laws, the law would still allow segregation.

Sure the newspaper "can" deny it under any excuse they want to, but there should be consequences for their actions. This is about showing that there are consequences rather than just sitting back and accepting the fact that people can degrade our community. So sad to see that someone accepts their place as a less than. So very, very sad.

Re: Gay Couple Files Complaint against Dallas Morning News

jaysays — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 01:44:07 -0000

Why must the majority push their views on a minority and use those views to oppress, degrade and dehumanize them?

You mean like the majority bought and sold humans into slavery? Or like the majority through Jewish people into gas chambers? Or like the majority refused to allow women to vote? Or perhaps how the majority murdered "witches"?

Majority does not mean "right."

Re: Gay Couples Sneak Into Texas Mass Wedding

jaysays — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 12:25:19 -0000

Thank you. It was wonderful to see these gorgeous couples walk into the group and take their rightful place among them. While we were not legally equal, they all refused to be socially inequal - and owned their equality.

I always pictured my wedding very differently, but considering the state of the nation, I wouldn't have it any other way!

Re: Gay Couples Sneak Into Texas Mass Wedding

jaysays — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:06:01 -0000

It's so funny. Some news reports say we crashed the wedding, some say we sneaked into the wedding. The fact is we walked up quietly and took our place with lots of cameras on us. 4 couples were standing within 3 feet of the minister, right in front of him. At one point he said "husband" instead of "wife" and the crowd noted it immediately and we all got a chuckle. I have trouble believing he didn't notice. I'll also note that I am 6'4" tall and my husband is 6'7" tall (right behind the bride in the video still) - we are really hard to miss in a crowd.

I adore the fact that he claims our vows under God have no value without the marriage certificate. That's absolutely true. Religion has no value in law. That's the point and that's why we did this.

It was gorgeous to see all the couples affirm themselves as full citizens and I'm proud to say that my husband and I, after 13 years of love and commitment, have tied the knot.

Now, we are ready to GetEQUAL!

Re: Johnny Weir Too Flamboyant For Figure Skating. (Is that even possible?)

jaysays — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:59:57 -0000

Well, I happen to love Johnny Weir and think he is fabUloUsly flamboyant. We should all be so lucky to be as beautiful as him.

Maybe the ladies are just bitter that he's prettier?

Re: Married GOP Prop 8 supporters brags about lurid affairs with various women

jaysays — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:43:54 -0000

There are some wonderful people stepping up in California now for the 2010 ballot initiative.

When we get tired of our leadership, it's time for us to step up and lead. I'm happy to see people doing that in California and across the United States. People aren't just complaining about the problems, they are presenting solutions!

Re: this was pretty dumb

jaysays — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:38:31 -0000

Funny, I was reading through various blogs and read Pam's just before yours. Hadn't seen Jeremy's post yet, but would have made it there eventually.

While I don't agree with censorship, I am a little heart-broken that Peter isn't gone for good... or at least for longer than a short while.

Re: buying anti-gay marriage sticker equals supporting equality. huh?

jaysays — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:13:50 -0000

Hmm.. I just don't see where the logic fails. If LGBT folks get the free stickers, postage and money on printing is wasted. They can destroy the stickers, so the purpose is lost. Additional mail from NOM costs them more money... so if they waste their money delivering their message to those that are adamantly against their message, they cannot spend the money elsewhere.

Please explain, "yeah, right..." How does it fail?

Re: Surveillance Video Of LDS Plaza Kiss, charges dropped

jaysays — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:05:31 -0000

Well, if it was altered to view them more favorably, they should have done a better job.

Re: Surveillance Video Of LDS Plaza Kiss, charges dropped

jaysays — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:36:27 -0000

I'm glad the two guys kept their arms around each other initially. Why wasn't the couple that walked by told to leave then forcefully detained? HMMMM? I wonder.

Re: Sailor faces 16 charges in slaying of comrade

jaysays — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:40:26 -0000

You've got to be kidding me! This is his family you are talking about - they obviously loved him. What family of a murder victim doesn't want answers to gain closure!!!!???

Had he been a "straight" man in the military, you'd be honoring his family, not insulting them and making these unconscionable claims that they are looking to sue and end DADT. You should be ashamed of yourself for making such accusations. What if it were your child? Would you not ask "why"? That's what we do when anyone is taken too young or for too stupid a reason... "why god? why did this happen?" Where is your humanity!?

HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT A MAN IS DEAD AND HIS FAMILY IS GRIEVING?!

Re: Will GLAAD take action against this blogger?

jaysays — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:01:21 -0000

I was kind of contemplating this last night as I watched John Cameron Mitchell refer to "trannies" and remembered the outrage over the term. Oddly, my stylist refers to herself and many of her friends as trannies too. Personally, I hate the word. I don't like "fag" or "faggot" much either, but I'm as guilty as the next in using the words to make a point. Sometimes, they are the words that need to be used.

Re: the best yet

jaysays — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:54:05 -0000

Well, it's not condemned in their commandments...

Re: NOM, NOM, NOM NOM

jaysays — Sat, 09 May 2009 19:51:04 -0000

Oh there is one! Click Click Clicking away. I tried filtering them with google, but they keep coming up on my site. I intend to email google about it and figure out why as I prefer they not be there. For the record, a long long time ago, I posted the "Click Ad Protest" because of this very issue at http://jaysays.com/2008/12/... - oddly, it never took off. I thought it was pretty friggin brilliant.

Click click click... I'll just keep clicking for a while.. not sure if it will count multiple times or not.

Cheers!