Combined Gay News Headlines (T5T-1)

The Orthodox Jewish Rabbis Furious Anyone Thinks They've OK'd Gay Marriage

A group of Orthodox Jewish rabbis in New York City are demanding Americans don't just think of the Mormon and Catholic churches as hateful places of worship, but synagogues too! It's unclear how many "prominent rabbis" are joining a memo published in the conservative Zeh Journal, or exactly who they are, but a "broad consensus [...]

How to Goose Up the Math to Make It Sound Like We've Lost Fewer Marriage Battles

You know that 0-31 record on gay marriage being bandied about? As in, we've lost 31 state marriage battles across America? That sounds like a terrible batting average when it comes to gays securing their marriage rights. So what if we forget about the states that banned same-sex marriage, via constitutional amendment or state law, [...]

Another Gay Gets a TV Talk Show: Oprah's Nate Berkus Coming Next Fall

Continuing the trend of gays and blacks running talk television (see: Wanda Sykes, Ellen), Oprah's home decorator-cum-household name Nate Berkus is getting his own syndicated chat fest. CONTINUED » Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: Nate Berkus, Oprah, Television

McCoffee

So ever since I’ve started back on the 9 to 5 thing with FedEx Office I’ve been working a cup of coffee into my regular morning routine.  I’ve never liked the actual taste of Starbucks regular coffee, it’s way too strong for me, so I’ve been on the look out for an alternative.  Well, low [...]

Question Of The Day!

Question: What do you get when you mix PMS with GPS? Answer: A crazy bitch who will find you!

Win Free Tickets To Kelly Clarkson This Wednesday!

That’s right! We got tickets for Kelly’s upcoming tour spot right here in Fresno on December 1st. Come out to this weeks Integration and you will be entered into a raffle drawing for a pair of floor seat tickets. All you have to do is show up before midnight and you’re in for a chance to win! For more info [...]

Maine’s super-volunteers and passionate student allies

In the days leading up to my departure for Maine, I wasn't sure what to expect from the people I'd meet here. I'm no stranger to ballot campaigns; we've had our share of those in Oregon. I rode on Tuesday to a suburb outside of Portland, Maine with another volunteer staff to meet with nine high school students about their interest to get involved with the No On 1 campaign. Our goal was to start a “Friends and Family” Volunteer Recruitment Phone Bank with them on the spot, and to organize a few times when they and their friends could volunteer together, canvassing door-to-door the weekend before Election Day. We rolled up to their neighborhood Starbucks at about 3 o'clock and met the students inside. They'd come straight after school, and had heard about the campaign at an all-ages concert, where they'd been watching their favorite local band. Tavorite local band. Three of the youth were band members! A few of them had worn their No On 1 buttons to school that day, and mentioned that they'd started conversations with other students about the issue, and what it meant to them. After introducing ourselves and briefly describing the state of the campaign, we read through a script and role-played it, making sure to arm the students with the facts needed to express to their friends and family members how much this means to them and why we need their help in the last two weeks of the campaign. When we asked the students to get out their mobile phones and start calling to sign their friends up for volunteer shifts with the campaign, they excelled at the task! After about a half hour, the students made a plan to gather together with their newly signed up volunteers for a morning canvass on Halloween, knocking on doors to get out the vote. None of the nine students were affiliated with the Gay Straight Alliance at their school, (and none mentioned that they identified as LGBT,) but all shared a sense that whoever you are and whomever you love, couples deserve to be recognized equally under the law.

From Maine with Love

We are 11 days away from the November Election. The Portland, Maine office is humming with volunteer activity. Every day, volunteers drop off food prne office is humming with volunteer activity. Every day, volunteers drop off food provisions for all the other volunteers. The first day we had homemade chili, yesterday egg salad sandwiches, and this morning someone brought in some carrots from their own yard. Mainers are chipping in any way they can. My time has been spent in the office working in the communications department while Travis Prinslow and Meleanie Altaras have been adopted into the Data and Campus Outreach departments. We work 9 to 9, when we're lucky and have been working on a variety of projects. From confirming volunteers, to getting people to vote early and in person volunteer recruitment. The amount of work that goes into a campaign is astounding. You walk into any office and you hear typing, people on the phone, stapling, paper shuffling and people being directed. It's a small preview of what Oregon will be dealing with soon enough. However, Oregon's fight will be much larger-- Maine's population is a third the size of Oregon's. I'm grateful that Basic Rights Oregon is starting early and getting all our ducks in a row before we enter our own fight. Maine's latest YouTube celebrity goes by the name of Phillip Spooner. Mr. Spooner is 85 years old, a WWII vet, and a lifelong republicanâ€"he is also in favor of marriage equality. Click here to watch his testimony in April during the Marriage hearings. His video has officially gone viral, with close to 500,000 views. Mainers are excited to have someone like Mr. Spooner speaking up for equality, so much so that he has unofficially become the face of the campaign. Click here to watch a segment of Mr. Spooner being interviewed about his views on Marriage Equality. The opposition is using children to scare voters into voting against equality. They are running ads claiming that "gay sex education" will be taught in schools. Fortunately, the Maine campaign has been very diligent about countering their ads and has caused a stir by featuring a French catholic woman who supports her son's right to get married. Yolande Dumont is also a Maine celebrity and has inspired Catholics and other religious denominations to come out and support the No on 1 campaign. Of course the Catholic DIoces is bankrolling the opposition's campaign along with National Organization marriage and Shubert Flint of prop 8 fame. When Yolande first came on the airwaves the Catholic Diocese was up in arms and started to spend resources countering Yolande's message. This is exciting because the opposition is now on the defensive. Not only do they have to counter multiple legislators, and educators on the whole "Teaching gay in Schools" issue, now they have to make sure that other fair minded Catholics reject Yolande's message. If the No on 1 Campaign wins on Election Day it will be a model on how to defeat the oppositions' vitriol and lies. Although, Maine is literally the farthest place from Oregon in the country, their efforts will have a huge impact on our work. They need all the help they can get. If you have not donated to the NO on 1 campaign you can do so by clicking here. If you cannot afford a donation but have some extra time on your hands you can phone bank from Oregon with their Call for Equality Program sign up here. I'm going to get back to work now but feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions about getting involved in the Maine campaign. In solidarity, Alejandro Juarez Comm unications Coordinator Basic Rights Oregon (503) 222-6151 x 105 alejandro@basicrights.org

“You Have Always Been Welcome Here”, a play about the lives of four tAlways Been Welcome Here”, a play about the lives of four transgender people as they explore their relationships to family, gender, Christianity and spirituality is coming to Pendleton thanks to Pendleton PFLAG!

“You Have Always Been Welcome Here” here Presented by PFLAG Pendleton in cooperation with Communities of Welcoming Congregations & The Drama Queens    -   “You Have Always Been Welcome Here” portrays the lives of four transgender people as they explore their relationships to family, gender, Christianity and spirituality.   Rev. Tara Wilkins, executive director of Community of Welcoming [...]]]a Wilkins, executive director of Community of Welcoming [...]

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