A question of LOVE

I found this on the internet. I'm not one of his fans, but I agree with everything he says here... And I guess many of us do too.




Here's the direct link on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhrNjMgmrds

The full text of his comment:



SPECIAL COMMENT
By Keith Olbermann


Finally tonight as promised, a Special Comment on the passage, last week, of Proposition Eight in California, which rescinded the right of same-sex couples to marry, and tilted the balance on this issue, from coast to coast.

Some parameters, as preface. This isn't about yelling, and this isn't about politics, and this isn't really just about Prop-8. And I don't have a personal investment in this: I'm not gay, I had to strain to think of one member of even my very extended family who is, I have no personal stories of close friends or colleagues fighting the prejudice that still pervades their lives.


And yet to me this vote is horrible. Horrible. Because this isn't about yelling, and this isn't about politics. This is about the human heart, and if that sounds corny, so be it.

If you voted for this Proposition or support those who did or the sentiment they expressed, I have some questions, because, truly, I do not understand. Why does this matter to you? What is it to you? In a time of impermanence and fly-by-night relationships, these people over here want the same chance at permanence and happiness that is your option. They don't want to deny you yours. They don't want to take anything away from you. They want what you want—a chance to be a little less alone in the world.

Only now you are saying to them—no. You can't have it on these terms. Maybe something similar. If they behave. If they don't cause too much trouble. You'll even give them all the same legal rights—even as you're taking away the legal right, which they already had. A world around them, still anchored in love and marriage, and you are saying, no, you can't marry. What if somebody passed a law that said you couldn't marry?

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.

And uncountable in our history are the number of men and women, forced by society into marrying the opposite sex, in sham marriages, or marriages of convenience, or just marriages of not knowing, centuries of men and women who have lived their lives in shame and unhappiness, and who have, through a lie to themselves or others, broken countless other lives, of spouses and children, all because we said a man couldn't marry another man, or a woman couldn't marry another woman. The sanctity of marriage.

How many marriages like that have there been and how on earth do they increase the "sanctity" of marriage rather than render the term, meaningless?

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?

With your knowledge that life, with endless vigor, seems to tilt the playing field on which we all live, in favor of unhappiness and hate... this is what your heart tells you to do? You want to sanctify marriage? You want to honor your God and the universal love you believe he represents? Then Spread happiness—this tiny, symbolic, semantical grain of happiness—share it with all those who seek it. Quote me anything from your religious leader or book of choice telling you to stand against this. And then tell me how you can believe both that statement and another statement, another one which reads only "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

You are asked now, by your country, and perhaps by your creator, to stand on one side or another. You are asked now to stand, not on a question of politics, not on a question of religion, not on a question of gay or straight. You are asked now to stand, on a question of love. All you need do is stand, and let the tiny ember of love meet its own fate.

You don't have to help it, you don't have it applaud it, you don't have to fight for it. Just don't put it out. Just don't extinguish it. Because while it may at first look like that love is between two people you don't know and you don't understand and maybe you don't even want to know. It is, in fact, the ember of your love, for your fellow person just because this is the only world we have. And the other guy counts, too.

This is the second time in ten days I find myself concluding by turning to, of all things, the closing plea for mercy by Clarence Darrow in a murder trial.

But what he said, fits what is really at the heart of this:

"I was reading last night of the aspiration of the old Persian poet, Omar-Khayyam," he told the judge. It appealed to me as the highest that I can vision. I wish it was in my heart, and I wish it was in the hearts of all: So I be written in the Book of Love; I do not care about that Book above. Erase my name, or write it as you will, So I be written in the Book of Love."

The Hottest women... according to lesbians!

For the second year in a row, Afterellen.com have chosen the 100 top women that lesbians find HOT. All the members of the website voted for their 10 top women. Most of my choices made the list, including Number 1, Tina Fey.  

They are not the typical "hotties" with big breast and short skirts wearing wet white t-shirts!.  They are smart beautiful women who can be great role models for little girls.

 I took some of my favorite pictures that they have on the site and made this little collage.


Again they are an incredible group of women, of different sizes, colors and ages. It is a refreshing look at women, that not always are the ones that men find hot.  

Take a look at After Ellen and see the whole 100 hottest women of 2008.

Gay Pride

I´ve been gay for a long time, but only for the last 12 years or so I´ve been more open. Last weekend in Berlin, there was a Street Fair dedicated to Gays and Lesbians. It was pretty crowded like always, and I got the chance to meet people that basically I only see once a year! We got together with friends, and walked around a little. I took some pictures and I´ll post them later when I get back to Berlin. Today is practically impossible because I can´t dump them into this computer. So, I owe you those pictures!
This weekend is the "Christopher Street Day" in Berlin. There will be a parade to celebrate Gay Pride; people will fill up the streets. There will be the gay supporters, the closeted, the out and proud, and of course the curious passer by that can´t take their eyes of those beautiful men that are walking around with such tight and sexy outfits it makes it impossible not to look! The good thing about Berlin, is that being naked is allowed, and there will be also many people walking around completely naked. The bad thing, is that many of them don´t have such great bodies...
Unfortunately I will not be there this year to show you some pictures, but I´ll try to get some from my friends.
I´ve been to many parades! Loved the ones in New York City! Now I reached the point in my life that is not so important to go and march and be "out and proud". Being a lesbian on my everyday life, is perhaps the best I can do, even when I can´t be that out and proud!
Happy Gay Pride Month!

Easy Dating for lesbians...?

I was just talking to a friend about dating. She insists that she rather spend her days off at home, instead of going out on a date with someone that she doesn't know, just so she can feel she is dating. That made me think of the time I was on the "dating scene".
My first girlfriend was a very dear friend. We were friends before, we are still best friends. It was nice because it was a discovery of how wonderful was to kiss a woman! But our love was a long distance thing. We only spent 6 weeks together on vacation, and that was ok.
Then, I realized that I might be a lesbian after all. So I started getting on the chat rooms in AOL, finding people to talk to. I met a woman in 2 different rooms and that's how we started to talk with each other. Yes, my first real lesbian relationship experience was with someone I met on the internet! We lived very far away, but we met, and then we did our best to meet at least once every 2 or 3 months. The phone bill was huge! But at least all those points went into my frequent flier program! We were together for 3 years. She moved in with me after a year and a half, and within 6 months, I knew we wouldn't last. So, we were over but still living together, when I met someone that became my obsession! I fell for that woman like for nobody before. It was too much! I was crazy about her! But she didn't care for me at all!
I was in such bad shape that I decided I had to take her out of my system, and then it was my time for dating!
As many of you know, dating for lesbians is not that easy. If you are not into the bar scene (like me), it is rather difficult to meet people. And if you meet someone who is part of a group, most likely everyone on that group has dated another group member at some point. That simply makes me uncomfortable. So, I did what technology has made easy: I got into the "lesbian personals" of a couple of websites and started meeting people.
At that moment, there were not available those questionnaires where you can choose options of who are you, and what you are looking for.
I wished I could've find ads with pictures like this, for example:

Hello! I'm just coming out of the closet, and even though I belong to a group of beautiful rich women, I would love to meet that someone special who can teach me the simple things in life. I love Tennis, I have a great cat who is practically my husband, and I have few friends that you might be interested in! Of course keep in mind that this would be only an imaginary relationship, because as you might figure out, I'm not a lesbian, but I play one on TV!


or maybe something like this:


I've been through so many relationships with my leading men, I know 'real love' has to be somewhere. I want someone real that can understand me and love me for who I am, and not for who I play. I've made many mistakes, from cutting my hair too short, to marrying a Lovit that only lasted a while. I was even dumped once. I see doubles in my future, but I would like to try something different for a chance! Are you the one that will help me find my true self?

I would have volunteered with either one of them! (come on, dreaming is free today!)
Back then, AOL had a section where women would place ads and other women would answer.
I discover I was actually "hitting" some special people with my writings. I had so many answers!! It was great.
I met people with whom I had an immediate connection, we had a great time. We wanted to see each other again, but not in a romantic way... I am fortunate enough that I'm still friends with some great women I met through that dating section.

I had some adventures, mostly one nighters. I had also some nightmares! It was interesting, but it got to a point where I decided that I couldn't do it anymore! I remember the last date I went on that time. The woman was great looking, but after 20 minutes of conversation, I was there thinking I could've stayed home and clean my closets! It was too much for me to go into a "blind date" with someone that made me feel I wasted my time. I stopped dating all together and just went out with friends. My friends tried to set me up a couple of times, but nothing really happened.
Dating was not easy. It was fun sometimes, but not everytime. It was only when I wasn't looking that I found the "almost perfect"!

Gay Marriage at Disney: LEGAL!!

Disney Legalizes Same-Sex Unions
Real social change doesn't come from Washington.

Jesse Walker | April 9, 2007
Gay couples are now free to buy a Fairy Tale Wedding package at Disneyland, Disney World, or Disney's cruise ships, with "a ceremony setting befitting the dreams of a princess." The Disney properties have long allowed same-sex couples to tie the knot on the premises, but this is the first time those unions are being given official sanction. The Magic Kingdom has thus proved itself more progressive than the motherland, or as progressive as you can be while throwing around the word "fairy."

The reactions have ranged from the anti-gay activist Sonja Dalton's remark that this would be "a fantasy wedding indeed" to the gossip site TMZ.com's depressed discovery that homosexuals can be tacky too. (It's called camp, darlings.) But the most interesting fact here is just why Disney would change its policy. It wasn't because regulators ordered it to do so. If anything, the government has been increasingly unfriendly to gay unions, with multiple states passing laws refusing to recognize same-sex marriages. Nor was it pressure from activists, though The Advocate reports that "the change follows criticism from LGBT news outlets." (From the other side of the issue, the Southern Baptist Convention boycotted the Disney empire from 1997 to 2005 because of its "promotion of homosexuality.") It was the fact that two potential customers asked to purchase the service, and the company decided it had more to gain from saying yes than saying no.
click title for full article

I think it is great for all those people that actually want to get married, be it homosexual or heterosexual couples! I support the Same-sex marriages, just because we are all citizens, and we all should have equal civil rights. The religious organizations can do whatever they want, but the State is under the obligation to protect the civil rights of ALL the citizens, and make sure they have EQUAL RIGHTS. So, if a couple wants to marry and enjoy the benefits of filing taxes, immigration, inheritance, adoption, and all those rights that are attached to the contract of marriage, why not make it a LEGAL RIGHT for EVERY COUPLE? Most of the people that oppose gay marriage argue under religious reasons. And the State should have NOTHING to do with the Church.
Personally, I don't believe in marriage. But I will support every homosexual couple that wants to marry and its registered at Pottery Barns or any of those places!

DISCRIMINATION: a nasty habit

I found this on the internet:

Lesbian Couple in Wyo. Denied Communion
Apr 5, 01:22 PM EST
By KATHLEEN MILLER - Associated Press Writer

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) -- Leah Vader and Lynne Huskinson, a lesbian couple who got married in Canada last August, sent a letter recently to their state legislator decrying a Wyoming bill that would deny recognition of same-sex marriages. The lawmaker read the letter on the floor of the Legislature.
Soon after, the local paper interviewed the couple on Ash Wednesday and ran a story and pictures of them with ash on their foreheads, a mark of their Roman Catholic faith.
It wasn't long after that that the couple received a notice from their parish church telling them they have been barred from receiving Communion.
"If all this stuff hadn't hit the newspaper, it wouldn't have been any different than before - nobody would have known about it," said the couple's parish priest at St. Matthew's, the Rev. Cliff Jacobson. "The sin is one thing. It's a very different thing to go public with that sin."
Click the title for full story
The end of the article:
"Vader said the couple never made any secret of their relationship. She pointed to statuettes of two kissing Dutch girls in front of their single-wide trailer home. She also said that the couple posed for a church directory family photo with Vader's children from a previous marriage, and that the church has sent mail to both of them at the same address for years.
Huskinson questioned why Catholics having premarital sex and using birth control are not barred from receiving Communion, too. But the parish priest said the difference is this: The other Catholics are "not going around broadcasting, `Hey I'm having sex outside of marriage' or `I'm using birth control.'"

I grew up as a Catholic, and I do follow the philosophy of Jesus, but I just can't cope with a Chruch that is acting this way! I can't believe that this Church wants to make John Paul II a saint, when he was the most homophobic Pope in history! I can't believe that Hate is a family value, much less a Christian value. I can't believe when they tell us that GOD hates homosexuals, when according to them, GOD created each and EVERYONE of US.

Today, I am a PROUD FORMER CATHOLIC simply because I know that Jesus Christ wouldn't have acted the way the Church is doing it.
And I know if we want a different future, we have to start teaching our children to accept and to not discriminate. Check out this videos on YouTube. It is an experiment a teacher did with third graders, and there is a big lesson there. Kids are what we teach them. Let's stop discrimination.
A Class Divided, Part 1
A Class Divided Part 2
A Class Divided Part 3