I can't imagine...

What a unifying perspective.

behavior

musings

Questions for heterosexuals

A while back I ran across some very excellent questions crafted by Lindsey at *! [emphatic asterisk].
Seems like a good day to share these again.
These questions turn the tables on heterosexual friends, family, church members who so often expect homosexual individuals to explain their “lifestyle.”
Here are some of her questions: (read the entire post here)

How long have you known you’re heterosexual?

Why do you feel the need to behave in ways that reinforce negative heterosexual stereotypes?

Why do you allow your heterosexuality to affect so much of your life?

Must you really behave (or dress) in a way that flaunts your heterosexuality (or makes it so hard to ignore)?

How did the people in your life react when they realized you are attracted to the opposite sex?

Does the fact you’re a heterosexual make family events awkward?

Does your church know that you’re heterosexual?

Are you ever attracted to the same sex, maybe just a little?

Don’t you ever wonder if you might be mistaken about your sexuality?

Contrary to the evidently popular belief, it is possible to be gay and Christian, or gay and a good sibling, wife, mother, daughter -- or gay-friendly and a good citizen, etc.

gay-christians
sexuality-and-spirituality
glbtq-christians
GLBT
lgbt

Too Soft for Dobson?

UPDATE: “Focus on the Family” has admitted this week (May 24, 2011) that it is losing the battle on same-sex marriage, particularly among young people. No wonder Dobson said that F.O.T.F. is too soft for him!

As someone who grew up being burnt by adults who espoused Dobson’s fiery rhetoric, I am not at all surprised to hear that evidently he believes his organization “Focus on the Family” had gone too soft for him. I wonder how many real families out there have been hurt more than helped by Dobson through the decades. I personally know of plenty.

“Dobson’s departure from Focus only to start a similar ministry has some outside observers speculating that Dobson was forced out of Focus–and that a bitter Dobson decided to create a competing organization. Dobson, they say, may also feel that Focus’ kinder and gentler approach under CEO and president Jim Daly is not doing the trick, motivating Dobson to start a family nonprofit where fiery rhetoric is the norm.“

Well, whatever the real back story (my gut instinct has never trusted in the impetuous impulsion of Dobson). Here is a little more information on Dobson’s new venture, and then further information on the growing disharmony in the F.O.T.F. camp. From all I have seen, Dobson has ever really been a bridge builder.

religion-and-politics
gay-life
politics

Why is this still an issue?

Can you honestly believe that LGBT Americans are actually still in this particular battle? For the same, basic, simple right to marry as anybody else?

This may be one of the best rebuttals to the “re-defining marriage” mantra, given by Keith Olbermann:

"I keep hearing this term 're-defining' marriage. If this country hadn’t re-defined marriage, black people still couldn’t marry white people. Sixteen states had laws on the books which made that illegal in 1967. 1967.
The parents of the President-Elect of the United States couldn’t have married in nearly one third of the states of the country their son grew up to lead. But it’s worse than that. If this country had not 're-defined' marriage, some black people still couldn’t marry black people. It is one of the most overlooked and cruelest parts of our sad story of slavery. Marriages were not legally recognized, if the people were slaves. Since slaves were property, they could not legally be husband and wife, or mother and child. Their marriage vows were different: not 'Until Death, Do You Part,' but 'Until Death or Distance, Do You Part.' Marriages among slaves were not legally recognized.

You know, just like marriages today in California are not legally recognized, if the people are gay.
…
What is this, to you? Nobody is asking you to embrace their expression of love. But don’t you, as human beings, have to embrace… that love? The world is barren enough.
It is stacked against love, and against hope, and against those very few and precious emotions that enable us to go forward. Your marriage only stands a 50-50 chance of lasting, no matter how much you feel and how hard you work.
And here are people overjoyed at the prospect of just that chance, and that work, just for the hope of having that feeling.  With so much hate in the world, with so much meaningless division, and people pitted against people for no good reason, this is what your religion tells you to do? With your experience of life and this world and all its sadnesses, this is what your conscience tells you to do?"

Marriage & Relationship Recognition
GLBT
same sex marriage
domestic-partnership
same-sex-relationships
lgbt