Wow… On the West Coast, there really are a few cities that you look towards for GLBT leadership.  Those cities are San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Portland (probably in that order – at least in my mind).  We have leadership in those cities that not only welcome the GLBT community, but help fight the ignorance and hate from those on the right.  But what’s going on in Seattle right now is scary as hell.

The City of Seattle has various groups that employees of the city can join.  One of those groups is the GLBTQF (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning, and Friends) Club.  The city gives each of the groups $1,000 per year and allows employees to work on behalf of their group for two hours per month.  That’s all fine and dandy.  And then along comes Seattle City employee Philip Irvin.  He wanted to join the GLBTQF Club, but he was not allowed.  Why?  Because Philip is a fundamentalist who does not think that gays should be allowed to exist, much less have a club.  Obviously the GLBTQF Club is within their rights to refuse him entry.  After all – would you want to bring someone into your home that’s just going to yell at you endlessly?  No – that’s why we all moved out of our families homes!

Well Philip would not let it sit.  To “get even” with the group, he is suing the city and is asking to force the names of everyone in the GLBTQF Club to be named publicly.  He wants the names of ALL GLBTQ Seattle employees to be published so that everyone knows who they are and the City of Seattle almost went along with it, until a temporary injunction could be put into place.  If the names are released what are you going to do, Mr. Irvin?  Will these employees end up like Dr. George Tiller?  Haunted constantly, and then some whackjob goes and tries to assassinate them, too?

Think I’m a little out there?  Think again.  The rate of hate crimes – specifically murder – against GLBTQ folks is rising at an alarming rate.  Yeah. This is 2009, and people are still being racist, homophobic, murdering bastards.  So excuse me for NOT wanting to give out the names of the GLBTQF Club employees!

As promised, Vermont’s Republican  Governor Jim Douglas vetoed civil marriage equality for all Vermont residents.  But this morning, the Vermont House and Senate have both voted to override the veto.  This means Vermont is the fourth state to guarantee equal protection to gays and lesbians.  No longer are gays and lesbians second-class citizens in Vermont.  Vermont becomes the fourth state, behind Massachusettes, Connecticut, and Iowa to legalize marriage.

As I posted previously, those biggoted “Christians” will say whatever they can to stop equality from going forth.  Religion has been used to justify killing, jihads, the repression of women, and the like over the years, and it will be turned to in the future, to justify discrimination and repression.  It’s sad.  Religion is such a beautiful thing, but people like Don Wildmon and his ilk lie (which, of course, is against a commandment he is supposed to be teaching!) to the public, scaring them into subservience.  As I heard one of his ilk say, “I don’t like what Obama’s doing”.  When I asked what specific they objected to, they said, “I don’t know.  I just know I don’t like it.”

So it’s wonderful to see truth and justice win out twice in one week.  But it makes me think of the injustice done throughout other states, like my beloved Oregon, like one BlueOregon.com contributor posted recently on their site.  It made me go and find the actual text of the current Oregon Constitution.  In it, the very first statement is:

Section 1. Natural rights inherent in people. We declare that all men, when they form a social compact are equal in right: that all power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety, and happiness; and they have at all times a right to alter, reform, or abolish the government in such manner as they may think proper.

That first statement is powerful.  “We declare that all men, when they form a social compact are equal in right…” That, to me, says that every single Oregonian has the same rights as every other Oregonian.  But the people of Oregon actually undid that, specifically for gays and lesbians when this was added to the Constitution:

Section 5a. Policy regarding marriage. It is the policy of Oregon, and its political subdivisions, that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or legally recognized as a marriage. [Created through initiative petition filed March 2, 2004, and adopted by the people Nov. 2, 2004]

It is truly sad.  A document that is there to insure the rights and responsibilities of all people, and the singling out of a specific group for discrimination.  How right would it be if that article read this way instead?

Section 5a. Policy regarding marriage. It is the policy of Oregon, and its political subdivisions, that only a marriage between one WHITE man and one WHITE woman shall be valid or legally recognized as a marriage. [Created through initiative petition filed March 2, 2004, and adopted by the people Nov. 2, 2004]

People would be up in arms, would they not?  Because that is discrimination against people of color, saying that only “white folks” can get married.  How very true.  So the very basis of Section 5a of the Oregon Constitution is shameful, and should be removed.  And according to Nate Silver over at FiveThirtyEight.com, that could easily happen today, in Oregon, in 2009.

One of my favorite talk show hosts is Mike Malloy, now self-syndicating since NovaM Radio went the way of the DoDo bird.  I’m listening to his Friday podcast (which you can subscribe to by clicking here) and his explanation of the Friday Iowa Supreme Court ruling.  He made it so clear, without any fluff.

Basically, Mike said,  the Iowa Supreme Court upheld that the equal protection clause in their Constitution is there to protect everyone, including gays and lesbians.  Yes, they did not LEGALIZE gay marriage.  They just said that gays and lesbians have the same right to equal protection under the law that heterosexuals do.  If you think of it this way, which is truly how they ruled, then there are no “special rights” as the biggoted right-wing of this country says.

That’s the thing.  The right wing and homophobes who use religion to oppress people – just like they did interracial marriage.  The Virginia judge in “Loving v. Commonwealth of Virginia” wrote:

Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.

So is it not a surprise that these “Christians” use the bible to now discriminate against gays and lesbians, quoting bible versus.  Then again, I remember hearing Jim Wallis, the best selling theologin saying that hypocrasy was the ultimate sin.  Who’s to say these “Christians” spewing hate aren’t committing the ultimate sin?

OMFG.  So I get my daily “rant” from OneNewsNow.com, that thinks that they are being oppressed by everyone in this country.  Oppressed, just because people believe freedom OF religion includes freedom FROM religion.  Well today’s “poll” was somewhat of an eye opener.  Get a gander:

Do NOT get me wrong.  Christians have every right to their own beliefs.  Just like Muslims have their right to their beliefs, Jews have their rights, Mormons have their rights, etc, etc.  But sounding the alarm for being “suppressed by the secular media” because your “rights are being taken away”, now that is a load of bull.

And damn… We homosexuals have a hell of a lot of power, according to these people.  We control the media – or at least the media fears us!  *facepalm*

Want to blow one of these people’s minds?  Introduce them to a Christian HOMOSEXUAL!