Marine makes first same-sex marriage proposal in the White House
By Scott Stump
TODAY contributor
U.S. Marine Corps captain Matthew Phelps asked, and his partner Ben Schock said yes.
On Saturday night, Phelps was photographed getting down on one knee in what is believed to be the first same-sex marriage proposal ever made in the White House. The couple’s engagement came 14 months after the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ policy officially ended, and the joyful photo was quickly passed around on social media shortly after it was posted online by the American Military Partner Association. The proposal occurred while Phelps and Schock were taking a Christmas tour of the White House together.
read more here
Showing posts with label gay in military. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gay in military. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Fort Bragg Officer Spouse changed rule after gay spouse wanted to join
Some Spouse Clubs Deny Membership to Gays
Dec 13, 2012
Military.com
by Amy Bushatz
The Fort Bragg Officer' Spouses' Club last week denied membership to a gay military spouse, sparking a firestorm of questions about how gay military spouses should be included in on-base activities, if at all.
The club, which is a private organization and not governed by the Defense Department, last week told Ashley Broadway, a gay spouse who married Lt. Col. Heather Mack in D.C. in November, that she is not permitted to join because she is not a DoD active-duty dependent ID card holder.
At the time of the denial, the club’s bylaws did not specify an active-duty ID as a membership requirement. Their website was updated Monday to reflect the new rule. “I truly, truly felt like things are changing and finally, after all of these years of standing in the corner and having to lie about being her sister or roommate, I see the tides turning” Broadway said. “When I received that denial it was like – whoa.”
read more here
Dec 13, 2012
Military.com
by Amy Bushatz
The Fort Bragg Officer' Spouses' Club last week denied membership to a gay military spouse, sparking a firestorm of questions about how gay military spouses should be included in on-base activities, if at all.
The club, which is a private organization and not governed by the Defense Department, last week told Ashley Broadway, a gay spouse who married Lt. Col. Heather Mack in D.C. in November, that she is not permitted to join because she is not a DoD active-duty dependent ID card holder.
At the time of the denial, the club’s bylaws did not specify an active-duty ID as a membership requirement. Their website was updated Monday to reflect the new rule. “I truly, truly felt like things are changing and finally, after all of these years of standing in the corner and having to lie about being her sister or roommate, I see the tides turning” Broadway said. “When I received that denial it was like – whoa.”
read more here
Friday, November 30, 2012
Military needs to rethink what "military family" means
Married gays, lesbian still viewed as 'single' by military
By TOM PHILPOTT
Special to Stars and Stripes
Published: November 29, 2012
With the repeal last year of the "don’t ask, don’t tell" law, many military people, including senior leaders, assumed that married gay and lesbian couples had gained not only job security but also equality in allowances, benefits and access to family support programs. That assumption is wrong.
Since the law took effect 14 months ago, the Defense Department has kept in place policies that bar spouses of same-gender couples from having military identification cards, shopping on base, living in base housing or participating in certain family support programs.
Repeal of "don’t ask, don’t tell," says Army Lt. Col. Heather Mack, 39, “simply just prevented me from losing my job. It didn’t do anything else.”
Mack’s spouse, Ashley Broadway, also 39, can shop in stores on nearby Fort Bragg, N.C., only in the status of “caregiver” for their son, Carson. Lacking a military dependent ID card, Ashley has been challenged by checkout clerks when her shopping cart includes items such as deodorant that clearly aren’t needed by their 2-year old.
read more here
By TOM PHILPOTT
Special to Stars and Stripes
Published: November 29, 2012
With the repeal last year of the "don’t ask, don’t tell" law, many military people, including senior leaders, assumed that married gay and lesbian couples had gained not only job security but also equality in allowances, benefits and access to family support programs. That assumption is wrong.
Since the law took effect 14 months ago, the Defense Department has kept in place policies that bar spouses of same-gender couples from having military identification cards, shopping on base, living in base housing or participating in certain family support programs.
Repeal of "don’t ask, don’t tell," says Army Lt. Col. Heather Mack, 39, “simply just prevented me from losing my job. It didn’t do anything else.”
Mack’s spouse, Ashley Broadway, also 39, can shop in stores on nearby Fort Bragg, N.C., only in the status of “caregiver” for their son, Carson. Lacking a military dependent ID card, Ashley has been challenged by checkout clerks when her shopping cart includes items such as deodorant that clearly aren’t needed by their 2-year old.
read more here
Friday, November 23, 2012
Soldier’s last wish: Let DOMA die before I do
Soldier’s last wish: Let DOMA die before I do
Washington Post
Posted by Andrea Stone
November 22, 2012
Charlie Morgan should have been dead by now.
“I was to have expired last month, in October,” said the 47-year-old career soldier who has battled Stage IV breast cancer for four years and was given less than six months to live when she voluntarily stopped chemotherapy in April. “But I’m still here.”
She hopes to live to see the United States Supreme Court do right by her and her family.
You see, as a chief warrant officer in the New Hampshire National Guard, Morgan is eligible for all the benefits a grateful nation can provide its military service members. But as a lesbian married to another woman, her wife will not receive the survivor benefits other military widows get and which she will need to help raise their daughter Casey, 5, after she is gone.
read more here
Washington Post
Posted by Andrea Stone
November 22, 2012
Charlie Morgan should have been dead by now.
“I was to have expired last month, in October,” said the 47-year-old career soldier who has battled Stage IV breast cancer for four years and was given less than six months to live when she voluntarily stopped chemotherapy in April. “But I’m still here.”
She hopes to live to see the United States Supreme Court do right by her and her family.
You see, as a chief warrant officer in the New Hampshire National Guard, Morgan is eligible for all the benefits a grateful nation can provide its military service members. But as a lesbian married to another woman, her wife will not receive the survivor benefits other military widows get and which she will need to help raise their daughter Casey, 5, after she is gone.
read more here
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Parents speak out for fallen soldier son
There has been a lot of press on "marriage is between one man and one woman" but no one really says where that came from. If you use the Bible then you must have notice how many men in it had many wives along with concubines like Hagar. If you refer to the New Testament then you would have to have noticed the many sections on divorce and adultery. The truth is that if people want to simply use the Bible to back up anything in this country, they avoid the documents that established this nation. It was never supposed to be about forcing anyone to believe or follow one faith over another. The law of this nation is what everyone has to live by and the law of the faith we choose is what all within that faith are supposed to live by.
There are so many different denominations of Christians, few have thought of those differences when they hear the word "Christian" and how it is up to all of us to decide on our own. The Presbyterian Church USA allows gay people.
If this nation formed to provide a safe place where people could worship as they see fit were to take a religious stand, then what does that say about the churches that have no problem with gay people? It is always too easy to claim one thing as long as no one notices the other.
There are so many different denominations of Christians, few have thought of those differences when they hear the word "Christian" and how it is up to all of us to decide on our own. The Presbyterian Church USA allows gay people.
If this nation formed to provide a safe place where people could worship as they see fit were to take a religious stand, then what does that say about the churches that have no problem with gay people? It is always too easy to claim one thing as long as no one notices the other.
A preacher, a teacher, a soldier's parents, a GOP leader: Allies in marriage votes
By Wayne Drash
CNN
November 18, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
A diverse coalition joined forces to bring historic change on same-sex marriage
Minnesota parents of a fallen soldier who was gay worried his death would be in vain
Republican in Maine feared backlash but broke with party line anyway
A preacher in Maryland spoke up to counter media dominance of right-wing pastors
(CNN) -- After their son was killed in battle in Afghanistan, Lori and Jeff Wilfahrt crisscrossed their home state of Minnesota. They spoke at churches, schools, book clubs. They spoke of Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt's love of country and the Constitution.
They spoke, too, of grief. They are a mother and father who utterly miss their son, a soldier who was openly gay.
On Tuesday, November 6, the Wilfahrts entered their polling station in Rosemount to vote against a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between a man and woman. Both parents wondered: Had their boy died protecting homophobes who would deny him rights back home?
In Frederick, Maryland, the Rev. Barbara Kershner Daniel had lived with guilt for nearly 25 years. A fellow preacher who was gay had asked her to officiate his wedding with his partner. She told him no.
"Why did I do that?" she has asked herself ever since.
Mark Ellis, the former GOP state chairman in Maine, knew where he stood on the issue of same-sex marriage. Yet he struggled with whether it would hurt him professionally to break from his party.
In the northern suburbs of Seattle, middle school band and orchestra teacher Michael Clark had always spoken of dignity and respect for all. He and his partner of 18 years sat together at their dining table to vote early this year.
Their ballots weren't just votes. They were an affirmation of their love.
read more here
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Military discharge for being gay, Combat PTSD, philanthropist arrives
Marvin Carter says he's helping others because he is also helping himself. In a way, that is why everyone involved in helping others does it. They remember. They remember what it was like when they needed help but no one would help them. When you need help and don't get it, you lose hope. You can also get very angry when you see others being helped, provided with what you need. You also wonder what the hell is wrong with you when you can't get a hand. Some people become bitter. Some people become filled with so much hopelessness they want to die instead of spend one more day suffering. Then one day comes when hope, no matter how small, gives them what they need to try again. They know the difference they can make in someone else's life.
Officer and a Philanthropist
From a military discharge for being gay to struggling with PTSD, today Marvin Carter is helping others to help himself
By Will O'Bryan
Published on November 1, 2012
With Veterans Day coming up Nov. 11, the nation takes some time this month to honor the veterans of the U.S. armed forces. One of them is Marvin Carter, though he's still waiting for the honor – or at least the benefits.
Nearly three decades ago, Carter, 60, was discharged from the Marine Corps for being gay. It was the sort of discharge that cut Carter off from the investment he'd made in the military between 1972 and 1985. In short, the Pentagon discharged Carter with not so much as a thank you, but with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and no access to Veterans Health Administration medical services to treat it.
Rather than stress from being a closeted Marine – or the stress of surviving three military plane crashes – Carter and the professionals treating him suspect his PTSD is rooted in a particularly nerve-racking military tactic.
''We flew covert ops and we would get shot at on a regular basis, especially by the North Koreans and Yemenis. They were always the worst,'' recalls Carter, who speaks not with any gung-ho bluster, but with calm reserve. ''Our evasive technique was called a 'dead drop.' We were flying at 35,000 feet. When they would start to shoot – I was the mission commander – I would get in position. The pilot would get his fingers on the engine. We would turn all the engines off. When we go to a thousand feet, the pilot would turn on the engines. It was a very common evasive technique, but the g-forces on you were incredible. [My doctor] really thinks that doing that on a weekly basis for two years probably took a tremendous toll on my brain.''
read more here
Saturday, October 20, 2012
For gay people military discharge meant "psychological" problems
This is what gay people in the military had to put up with. All this was going on because they wanted to serve this country but happened to love the wrong "type" of person.
Group seeks to clean up paperwork for outed troops
By LEO SHANE III
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 20, 2012
WASHINGTON — For the last 18 years, Ross Peterson was reluctant to share his military discharge paperwork with anyone.
“For job interviews, for veterans preference, for veterans benefits, they all want to see your DD-214,” the Army veteran said. “But mine was stamped less-than-honorable with ‘engaged in homosexual acts’ across it. So every time I had to show it, I was outing myself.”
Peterson’s problem isn’t unusual. Gay rights advocates say that before the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law was repealed last year, rules governing what kind of dismissal outed troops received and what information was put on their paperwork was uneven.
Some troops received honorable discharges and clean separation forms. Others received less-than-honorable designations, sometimes simply because of a commander’s bias against gays. Others received confusing or unnecessary commentary about their sexual orientation on their paperwork.
“They actually gave me an option of ‘personality disorder’ or ‘psychological problems’ when they filled out my papers,” she said. “It was easier to give me a quick discharge with those [classifications]. I was pretty upset.”
The honorable designation meant that Trueman had access to her veterans education benefits and VA home loans — veterans with other-than-honorable discharges can’t get them — but she said the “personality disorder” stamp made her reluctant to share her military paperwork with potential employers.
read more here
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Military refused to acknowledge spouse of fallen soldier
When This Woman Was Killed In Combat It Exposed How The Government Really Treats Same-Sex Spouses
Business Insider
Robert Johnson
Oct. 15, 2012
When the first of October rolled in a couple of weeks ago it reminded many of us that summer was really over. Forget Labor Day and September 21, the first day of fall; October is changing leaves, pumpkins, and Halloween.
Unfortunately that routine awareness was lost to three members of the North Carolina National Guard who were killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan, at about 9 a.m. that morning, as they made their way through an open air market.
The deaths passed largely unnoticed by Americans outside the military, but what caught global attention is Sgt. Donna R. Johnson's wife and the fact that the Army refuses to acknowledge her very much at all.
Gannett-owned Army Times is taking the brunt of the protest, but the Times only followed the AP's lead, when it mentioned the other two male soldiers killed were survived by wives, while failing to mention Johnson's wife Tracy Dice.
back to story here
Westboro hate group held off by huge crowd
Business Insider
Robert Johnson
Oct. 15, 2012
When the first of October rolled in a couple of weeks ago it reminded many of us that summer was really over. Forget Labor Day and September 21, the first day of fall; October is changing leaves, pumpkins, and Halloween.
Unfortunately that routine awareness was lost to three members of the North Carolina National Guard who were killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan, at about 9 a.m. that morning, as they made their way through an open air market.
The deaths passed largely unnoticed by Americans outside the military, but what caught global attention is Sgt. Donna R. Johnson's wife and the fact that the Army refuses to acknowledge her very much at all.
Gannett-owned Army Times is taking the brunt of the protest, but the Times only followed the AP's lead, when it mentioned the other two male soldiers killed were survived by wives, while failing to mention Johnson's wife Tracy Dice.
back to story here
Westboro hate group held off by huge crowd
Monday, October 15, 2012
Westboro hate groups held off by huge crowd at funeral
Westboro Baptist Church Protester Bull-Rushed At Military Funeral Protest
(VIDEO)
The Huffington Post
By Nick Wing
Posted: 10/15/2012
The Westboro Baptist Church's attempt to picket a military funeral in North Carolina over the weekend drew a lively counter protest that crested when a service member in the crowd bull-rushed a congregant attempting to stomp on the American flag.
The service was meant to honor 29-year-old Staff Sgt. Donna Johnson, who was among 14 people killed earlier this month in a suicide bomber attack in Afghanistan. Johnson was reportedly gay, and is survived by her wife Tracy Dice, also a member of the armed forces. Westboro, which frequently links the death of American soldiers to the nation's growing acceptance of gays, made no mention of Johnson's sexuality in a release announcing their intent to demonstrate.
read more here
(VIDEO)
The Huffington Post
By Nick Wing
Posted: 10/15/2012
The Westboro Baptist Church's attempt to picket a military funeral in North Carolina over the weekend drew a lively counter protest that crested when a service member in the crowd bull-rushed a congregant attempting to stomp on the American flag.
The service was meant to honor 29-year-old Staff Sgt. Donna Johnson, who was among 14 people killed earlier this month in a suicide bomber attack in Afghanistan. Johnson was reportedly gay, and is survived by her wife Tracy Dice, also a member of the armed forces. Westboro, which frequently links the death of American soldiers to the nation's growing acceptance of gays, made no mention of Johnson's sexuality in a release announcing their intent to demonstrate.
read more here
Call her "Keith" deployed soldier begins sex change
Deployed soldier begins sex change
Army Times
By Andrew Tilghman
Staff writer
Posted : Monday Oct 15, 2012
She’s a lesbian, and almost everyone in her unit knows it.
She wears her hair cropped short and has a distinctly boyish appearance.
And she’s becoming manlier by the day, now that she’s started taking male hormones.
Call her Keith. That’s the name this 26-year-old specialist, now deployed to Afghanistan, plans to take when she completes a transition begun several months ago when she started giving herself testosterone injections every other week, under the direction of a civilian doctor who specializes in gender changes.
“It’s going well. My voice is deeper, I’m getting more muscle. I feel more energy. I feel more like myself,” she told Military Times in a recent interview via Skype from her containerized housing unit in Afghanistan.
read more here
Army Times
By Andrew Tilghman
Staff writer
Posted : Monday Oct 15, 2012
She’s a lesbian, and almost everyone in her unit knows it.
She wears her hair cropped short and has a distinctly boyish appearance.
And she’s becoming manlier by the day, now that she’s started taking male hormones.
Call her Keith. That’s the name this 26-year-old specialist, now deployed to Afghanistan, plans to take when she completes a transition begun several months ago when she started giving herself testosterone injections every other week, under the direction of a civilian doctor who specializes in gender changes.
“It’s going well. My voice is deeper, I’m getting more muscle. I feel more energy. I feel more like myself,” she told Military Times in a recent interview via Skype from her containerized housing unit in Afghanistan.
read more here
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Chick-fil-A promises "treat every person with honor, dignity and respect"
This is good news considering how many gays serve in the military and risk their lives everyday.
Chick-Fil-A Agrees To Cease Funding To Anti-Gay Organizations
Chicago LGBT Group Claims
Posted: 09/19/2012
Could Chick-fil-A be turning over a new leaf?
A Chicago-based lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocacy group reports that the restaurant chain -- which was at the epicenter of a media firestorm this summer after its president confirmed his company's anti-gay stance -- has agreed to cease donations to right-wing groups that oppose same-sex marriage.
In a press release, the Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA) cites Alderman Moreno as confirming that Chick-fil-A officials declared in an internal document that the company "will treat every person equally, regardless of sexual orientation." TCRA reportedly served as an advisor to Alderman as he negotiated these concessions with Chick-fil-A executives, though details of exactly what those negotiations entailed remain unclear.
"We are very pleased with this outcome and thank Alderman Moreno for his work on this issue,” Anthony Martinez, executive director of TCRA, said in the statement. “I think the most substantive part of this outcome is that Chick-fil-A has ceased donating to organizations that promote discrimination, specifically against LGBT civil rights. It has taken months of discussion, both with our organization and with the Alderman, for Chick-fil-A to come forward with these concessions and we feel this is a strong step forward for Chick-fil-A and the LGBT community, although it is only a step.”
Said to be titled "Chick-fil-A: Who We Are," the fast food chain's "internal memo" reportedly states that they will "treat every person with honor, dignity and respect-regardless of their beliefs, race, creed, sexual orientation and gender."
read more here
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Army general is military's first openly gay flag officer
Army general is military's first openly gay flag officer
CNN
August 10, 2012
The U.S. military has its first openly gay flag officer with the promotion of Tammy Smith to the rank of Army brigadier general on Friday.
Smith received her stars in a private ceremony at the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, according to a press release from the Service Members Legal Defense Network, an organization promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in the U.S. military.
Friday was also the first day she publicly acknowledged her sexuality, according to a report from Stars and Stripes, and that acknowledgement comes less than a year after the military ended the "don't ask, don't tell" policy under which an active-duty service member faced punishment or discharge if he or she admitted being homosexual.
read more here
CNN
August 10, 2012
The U.S. military has its first openly gay flag officer with the promotion of Tammy Smith to the rank of Army brigadier general on Friday.
Smith received her stars in a private ceremony at the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, according to a press release from the Service Members Legal Defense Network, an organization promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in the U.S. military.
Friday was also the first day she publicly acknowledged her sexuality, according to a report from Stars and Stripes, and that acknowledgement comes less than a year after the military ended the "don't ask, don't tell" policy under which an active-duty service member faced punishment or discharge if he or she admitted being homosexual.
read more here
Monday, July 30, 2012
Air Force chaplain quits Southern Baptist Convention over gay wedding
Air Force chaplain quits Southern Baptist Convention over gay wedding
July 29, 2012
Justin Griffith
On Friday, The Associated Press ran a story chronicling the fallout over the first gay wedding on a military base, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Chaplain Col. Timothy Wagoner has abruptly left the Southern Baptist Convention, even though he didn’t conduct the ceremony.
A few days before the wedding, Col. Wagoner decided to attend as a show of support to the base community, and to Tech. Sgt. Erwynn Umali.
Umali no longer has to hide his sexual orientation from his peers in the Air Force. He’s also paving the way for many other gay and lesbians in the military to demand a similar level of equality. He met his partner in a church that now considers them apostates. They both remain religious, and having a chaplain’s presence was very important to them.
read more here
July 29, 2012
Justin Griffith
On Friday, The Associated Press ran a story chronicling the fallout over the first gay wedding on a military base, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Chaplain Col. Timothy Wagoner has abruptly left the Southern Baptist Convention, even though he didn’t conduct the ceremony.
A few days before the wedding, Col. Wagoner decided to attend as a show of support to the base community, and to Tech. Sgt. Erwynn Umali.
Umali no longer has to hide his sexual orientation from his peers in the Air Force. He’s also paving the way for many other gay and lesbians in the military to demand a similar level of equality. He met his partner in a church that now considers them apostates. They both remain religious, and having a chaplain’s presence was very important to them.
read more here
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Chick-fil-A holier than cow
Chick-fil-A holier than cow
by
Chaplain Kathie
Chick-fil-A has caused a lot of pain in this country and attacked "gays" they seem fine with hating. I listened to a lot of people claiming to be Christian while knowing very little about what Christ said. (Good Lord do these people own a Bible with Red Letters?) Do they ever read the Sermon on the Mount?
This is the most famous and loving thing Christ had to say about how we treat each other and how we should live our OWN lives.
Christ talked about adultery and divorce but you don't hear any of these people talk about either one of them even though Christ also said no one sin is worse than another, with all equal in the eyes of God. He talked about forgiving, giving to the needy, keeping your word, and "True and False Disciples"
While Christ had a lot to say while He walked the earth, who gets quoted on the gay issue is Paul. Paul, you know the same guy who spent his days hunting down Christians because he was so sure he was right and everyone else was evil when they followed Christ until he was on the road to Damascus and Christ set him straight on all he got wrong. As Saul, he was a know it all. As Paul he was learning, then teaching, but he was still "Saul" deep inside with his own ideas.
The bottom line in all of this is we can intend to do good and get it wrong so we all need to actually look at what Christ said. He never said one word about being gay even though we know there were gay people at the time.
So this is how you may be able to make sense out of all of this.
If you believe that being gay is a sin, it is not. Adultery is. So it is not the fact that gay people have sex, but more they are having sex with someone they are not married to. If a straight couple gets divorced and marries someone else while their ex-spouse lives, they are committing adultery. I'm guilty of that because while my first marriage was annulled by the church, my husband's first marriage was not by his. A lot of marriages ended yet you don't see a company like Chick-fil-A coming out and condemning divorce and adultery because society has accepted it as part of what is normal in most households.
There is what society says is fine and what Christ said was not, so how can we justify one sin over another? We can't, or we shouldn't.
When in doubt, I turn back to the Sermon on the Mount and try to live the way Christ said I should and treat people accordingly. Not perfectly in anything because right now I am judging Chick-fil-A and have not missed that point. They have the right to do and not do with their business just as people have the right to believe what they believe. Too bad they don't think others have the same right.
I am not gay but I am a sinner in other ways. What they do in their own lives does not hurt me but what I do and say can hurt them and hurting someone else is not what Christ preached.
There are gay men and women risking their lives in the military right now wondering how that can be forgotten just because they are gay.
On a personal note, the only thing I like at Chick-fil-A is their fries but just like their position on gay people, their fries are flat and full of holes.
by
Chaplain Kathie
Chick-fil-A has caused a lot of pain in this country and attacked "gays" they seem fine with hating. I listened to a lot of people claiming to be Christian while knowing very little about what Christ said. (Good Lord do these people own a Bible with Red Letters?) Do they ever read the Sermon on the Mount?
This is the most famous and loving thing Christ had to say about how we treat each other and how we should live our OWN lives.
The Beatitudes
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Christ talked about adultery and divorce but you don't hear any of these people talk about either one of them even though Christ also said no one sin is worse than another, with all equal in the eyes of God. He talked about forgiving, giving to the needy, keeping your word, and "True and False Disciples"
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
While Christ had a lot to say while He walked the earth, who gets quoted on the gay issue is Paul. Paul, you know the same guy who spent his days hunting down Christians because he was so sure he was right and everyone else was evil when they followed Christ until he was on the road to Damascus and Christ set him straight on all he got wrong. As Saul, he was a know it all. As Paul he was learning, then teaching, but he was still "Saul" deep inside with his own ideas.
The bottom line in all of this is we can intend to do good and get it wrong so we all need to actually look at what Christ said. He never said one word about being gay even though we know there were gay people at the time.
So this is how you may be able to make sense out of all of this.
If you believe that being gay is a sin, it is not. Adultery is. So it is not the fact that gay people have sex, but more they are having sex with someone they are not married to. If a straight couple gets divorced and marries someone else while their ex-spouse lives, they are committing adultery. I'm guilty of that because while my first marriage was annulled by the church, my husband's first marriage was not by his. A lot of marriages ended yet you don't see a company like Chick-fil-A coming out and condemning divorce and adultery because society has accepted it as part of what is normal in most households.
There is what society says is fine and what Christ said was not, so how can we justify one sin over another? We can't, or we shouldn't.
When in doubt, I turn back to the Sermon on the Mount and try to live the way Christ said I should and treat people accordingly. Not perfectly in anything because right now I am judging Chick-fil-A and have not missed that point. They have the right to do and not do with their business just as people have the right to believe what they believe. Too bad they don't think others have the same right.
I am not gay but I am a sinner in other ways. What they do in their own lives does not hurt me but what I do and say can hurt them and hurting someone else is not what Christ preached.
first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
There are gay men and women risking their lives in the military right now wondering how that can be forgotten just because they are gay.
On a personal note, the only thing I like at Chick-fil-A is their fries but just like their position on gay people, their fries are flat and full of holes.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Troops get OK to march in gay parade in uniform
Troops get OK to march in gay parade _ in uniform
Published: July 19, 2012
By JULIE WATSON
Associated Press
CAMP PENDLETON, CALIF. — About 200 active-duty troops participated in last year's San Diego gay pride parade, but they wore T-shirts with their branch's name, not military dress.
This year for the first time ever, U.S. service members will be able to march in a gay pride event decked out in uniform.
In a memorandum sent to all its branches, the Defense Department said it was making the allowance for the San Diego parade on Saturday - even though its policy generally bars troops from marching in uniform in parades.
read more here
Published: July 19, 2012
By JULIE WATSON
Associated Press
CAMP PENDLETON, CALIF. — About 200 active-duty troops participated in last year's San Diego gay pride parade, but they wore T-shirts with their branch's name, not military dress.
This year for the first time ever, U.S. service members will be able to march in a gay pride event decked out in uniform.
In a memorandum sent to all its branches, the Defense Department said it was making the allowance for the San Diego parade on Saturday - even though its policy generally bars troops from marching in uniform in parades.
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Sunday, June 17, 2012
Iowa soldier marries boyfriend in civil ceremony
The Marriage of a Soldier and His Boyfriend (VIDEO)
by Steve Williams
A video of two men, one of whom appears to be an active servicemember, getting married in the state of Iowa is taking the Internet by storm.
The men, referred to as Paul and David, are married by an officiant who comments “I’m very proud to live in a state that honors the rights of everybody to love and be loved.
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by Steve Williams
A video of two men, one of whom appears to be an active servicemember, getting married in the state of Iowa is taking the Internet by storm.
The men, referred to as Paul and David, are married by an officiant who comments “I’m very proud to live in a state that honors the rights of everybody to love and be loved.
read more here
Saturday, April 28, 2012
First Gay Marriage Proposal on Military Base at Camp Pendleton
How would anyone know this is the first one?
First Gay Marriage Proposal on Military Base at Camp Pendleton
Friday, April 27, 2012
By Beth Ford Roth
A Navy veteran and active-duty Marine may be the first gay couple ever to have gotten publicly engaged on a military installation. It happened this week when Cory Huston proposed to Avarice Guerrero at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County.
San Diego LGBT Weekly broke the story, and was there when Huston got down on bended knee to ask Guerrero to marry him. Guerrero had just returned from a ten-month deployment to Afghanistan.
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Gay marine homecoming sealed with a kiss
Gay marine homecoming sealed with a kiss
Posted: Feb 27, 2012
KANEOHE (HawaiiNewsNow) – A kiss is still a kiss, right?
In 1945, an impromptu kiss in Times Square New York for V-J Day - between a sailor and a nurse - chronicled a generation. In 2012, it's another kiss that could be changing one.
Last Wednesday, during a routine homecoming at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, 25 year old Sergeant Brandon Morgan jumped into the waiting arms of his new boyfriend, Dalan Wells. The image - framed by the American flag - is going viral and getting thousands of Facebook comments nationwide.
"We've known each other for four years, but we only just started going out this last deployment," explains Morgan. "And I've known how I've felt about him - ever since we've met but had to keep it down."
"Down" because it's only been six months since the Don't ask, Don't tell law was repealed. Without it, the couple says they'd likely have reunited with a simple handshake.
"Apparently this photo has been dubbed 'The Kiss Seen or Heard ‘Round the World' and is breaking barriers," says Morgan. "People feel more confident to live their own life and be truthful to who they know they are."
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Posted: Feb 27, 2012
KANEOHE (HawaiiNewsNow) – A kiss is still a kiss, right?
Sgt. Brandon Morgan and his partner embrace after returning from a recent deployment. Photo Credit: Gay Marines Facebook PageA Kaneohe couple wasn't planning on becoming famous or making splashy headlines, but the pair's happy homecoming has done just that.
In 1945, an impromptu kiss in Times Square New York for V-J Day - between a sailor and a nurse - chronicled a generation. In 2012, it's another kiss that could be changing one.
Last Wednesday, during a routine homecoming at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, 25 year old Sergeant Brandon Morgan jumped into the waiting arms of his new boyfriend, Dalan Wells. The image - framed by the American flag - is going viral and getting thousands of Facebook comments nationwide.
"We've known each other for four years, but we only just started going out this last deployment," explains Morgan. "And I've known how I've felt about him - ever since we've met but had to keep it down."
"Down" because it's only been six months since the Don't ask, Don't tell law was repealed. Without it, the couple says they'd likely have reunited with a simple handshake.
"Apparently this photo has been dubbed 'The Kiss Seen or Heard ‘Round the World' and is breaking barriers," says Morgan. "People feel more confident to live their own life and be truthful to who they know they are."
read more here
Saturday, February 4, 2012
DADT repeal crusader Dave Guy-Gainer dies
DADT repeal crusader Dave Guy-Gainer dies
Posted on 03 Feb 2012
Dave Guy-Gainer, who was a leading local advocate for the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” died unexpectedly at his home in Forest Hill on Thursday.
Guy-Gainer was 63. A public memorial will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Legacy of Love monument on Cedar Springs Road at Oak Lawn Avenue.
Guy-Gainer, a retired Air Force chief master sergeant who came out after leaving the service, was a member of the board of Equality Texas and a founding board member of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. He worked tirelessly for the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” He also ran unsuccessfully in 2010 for the City Council in Forest Hill, a small town in Tarrant County south of Fort Worth.
Guy-Gainer was invited to the White House for the DADT repeal legislation signing ceremony.
read more here
Posted on 03 Feb 2012
Dave Guy-Gainer, who was a leading local advocate for the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” died unexpectedly at his home in Forest Hill on Thursday.
Guy-Gainer was 63. A public memorial will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Legacy of Love monument on Cedar Springs Road at Oak Lawn Avenue.
Guy-Gainer, a retired Air Force chief master sergeant who came out after leaving the service, was a member of the board of Equality Texas and a founding board member of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. He worked tirelessly for the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” He also ran unsuccessfully in 2010 for the City Council in Forest Hill, a small town in Tarrant County south of Fort Worth.
Guy-Gainer was invited to the White House for the DADT repeal legislation signing ceremony.
read more here
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Female veteran sues U.S. over denial of full benefits
Female veteran sues U.S. over denial of full benefits
The Pasadena woman, a 12-year Army veteran who served in Iraq, says she was denied full benefits because she is married to a woman. The suit targets the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.
By Carol J. Williams, Los Angeles Times
February 2, 2012
A Pasadena woman who served 12 years in theU.S. Army, including tours of duty in Iraq, filed suit Wednesday against the Department of Veterans Affairs for denying her full disability benefits because she is married to a woman.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles by Tracey Cooper-Harris seeks a ruling that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutionally discriminates against legally married same-sex couples.
Cooper-Harris, who earned the rank of sergeant and more than 20 medals during her Army service, was honorably discharged in 2003 and married her spouse, Maggie, during the six-month period in 2008 when same-sex marriage was legal in California. The veteran who trained and provided care for military service animals, such as explosives-sniffing dogs, has suffered from post-traumatic stress disordersince returning to civilian life and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2010.
The regional VA medical center determined that Cooper-Harris' illnesses were "service-related" and she has been collecting benefits since the diagnosis but at the lesser rate paid to single veterans. She petitioned the VA for recognition of her spouse as her legal beneficiary but was denied in a letter in August in which the VA wrote that her marriage "is not valid under current federal regulations."
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The Pasadena woman, a 12-year Army veteran who served in Iraq, says she was denied full benefits because she is married to a woman. The suit targets the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.
By Carol J. Williams, Los Angeles Times
February 2, 2012
A Pasadena woman who served 12 years in theU.S. Army, including tours of duty in Iraq, filed suit Wednesday against the Department of Veterans Affairs for denying her full disability benefits because she is married to a woman.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles by Tracey Cooper-Harris seeks a ruling that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutionally discriminates against legally married same-sex couples.
Cooper-Harris, who earned the rank of sergeant and more than 20 medals during her Army service, was honorably discharged in 2003 and married her spouse, Maggie, during the six-month period in 2008 when same-sex marriage was legal in California. The veteran who trained and provided care for military service animals, such as explosives-sniffing dogs, has suffered from post-traumatic stress disordersince returning to civilian life and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2010.
The regional VA medical center determined that Cooper-Harris' illnesses were "service-related" and she has been collecting benefits since the diagnosis but at the lesser rate paid to single veterans. She petitioned the VA for recognition of her spouse as her legal beneficiary but was denied in a letter in August in which the VA wrote that her marriage "is not valid under current federal regulations."
read more here
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