The Good News | 10.19.11

We spend so much time bummed out by the ugliness that goes on in the world, it's important to take time to appreciate the good news...

NJ Governor Chris Christie publicly denounced the anti-gay statements made by teacher Vicki Knox (Joe My God)

HRC has launched a national version of their popular NY campaign 'Americans For Marriage Equality.' The first video features Newark Maryor and superhero Cory Booker. (HRC)

Former 'Ex-Gay' activist John Smid tells Chris Matthews he's gay and gays cannot turn straight. (Towleroad)

Botswana's former president calls for decriminalization of homosexuality. (Towleroad)

After 24 years of research, the anti-malaria vaccine known as RTS,S (aka Mosquirix) is in the final stage of clinical trial and could potentially be the world's first effective anti-malaria vaccine, saving millions of lives. (Treehugger)

A Gallup poll released yesterday is the first to find plurality support for marijuana legalization, a huge step in eliminating the wastes of time, money and resources spent enforcing the criminalization of a plant found in nature. (NYT)

Several prominent Coloradan political leaders are appearing in a video message telling gay and lesbian teens that "it gets better." (KWGN)

Shaquille O'Neal appears in a new anti-LGBT bullying video by the American Federation of Teachers and GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) as part of National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. (Bleacher Report)

Hundreds of LGBT voters join conservative party to help state senator Mark Grisanti (R-Buffalo) (WGRZ)

The Rev. Boon Lin Ngeo, a Malaysian Protestant pastor whose message of tolerance for homosexuals has drawn fire in his country, urges change in Malaysia. (NYT)

Richard Dawkins: Who Was The First Human?

Whatever your opinion of Richard Dawkins, it's difficult to deny that he has a gift for explaining extremely complex and unimaginable scientific processes in such a way that a child could understand. Some of his thought experiments, such as his wonderful 'hairpin turn' thought experiment in 'The Greatest Show on Earth', are compelling for their ability to provoke an 'aha!' moment in young children, and adults who may not have had the good fortune to be taught evolution, or to be taught it well, in school.

In the below video, from his appearance at The New Yorker Festival, Dawkins walks us through one of the thought experiments in his book for all ages, 'The Magic of Reality.' Through such experiments, children can begin to grasp the immensity of time required for evolutionary change as well as the fact that no particular living thing is ever the first of its kind.

Herman Cain Sings 'Imagine (There's No Pizza)'

All he is saying is give pizza a chance.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is very likely your next GOP presidential candidate:

Bullied Teen Jamie Hubley's Catholic Funeral

Jamie Hubley

Another bullied gay teenager took his own life this weekend.

Fifteen-year-old Jamie Hubley of Ottawa, Canada, documented the final month of his life on his Tumblr page, voicing in painful detail his struggle with depression and heartbreaking need for acceptance as an openly gay teenager.

“I wish I could be happy, I try, I try, I try ... I just want to feel special to someone,” he wrote.

The Ottawa Citizen reports:

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for Canadians between the ages of 10 and 24 and disproportionately affects gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth.

“From the outside, he looked like the happiest kid. He was always smiling and giving everybody hugs in the halls,” said Steph Wheeler, a close friend who had known Jamie since the pair were in figure skating together as children a decade ago.

But Wheeler, 16, knew the sensitive Grade 10 student was struggling with being out in high school and often felt the sting of verbal bullying.

A gifted actor and singer — he loved Lady Gaga, Adele and Katy Perry, and posted numerous videos of himself singing on his personal YouTube channel — Jamie wrote a month ago that he was looking forward to taking dance lessons this winter.

“Something to look forward to,” he wrote.

But he also wrote of his sadness and despair, about being called a “fag.”

In a post three weeks ago, he said he was depressed, that medications he was taking weren’t working, and that being gay in high school was so hard — a thousand times harder in real life than on the popular television show, Glee, which he loved.

“I hate being the only open gay guy in my school ... It f---ing sucks, I really want to end it,” he wrote.

On Friday, Jamie made his final blog post, which included the following words:

Well, Im tired of life really. Its so hard, Im sorry, I cant take it anymore.

Being sad is sad : /. I’v been like this for way to long. I cant stand school, I cant stand earth, I cant stand society, I cant stand the scars on my arms, I cant fucking stand any fucking thing.

I dont want my parents to think this is their fault either… I love my mom and dad : ) Its just too hard. I dont want to wait 3 more years, this hurts too much. How do you even know It will get better? Its not.

I hit rock fucking bottom, fell through a crack, now im stuck.
Remember me as a Unicorn :3 x) MAybe in my next life Il be a flying squirreel :D
I'Il fly away.

I couldn't help but notice in the Ottawa Citizen article that Jamie's funeral will be held at Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (emphasis mine):

Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church

[Homosexuality's] psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

I have no direct knowledge of this particular church's approach to the topic of homosexuality, nor do I have direct knowledge of Jamie's religious views, his parents' religious views, or the family's involvement with this particular church.

Regardless, Jamie's family and friends will pay tribute to Jamie's life in an church institution which undoubtedly contributed to his death.

Religious institutions, as well as the harmful words of religious leaders (or lack of supporting words) are complicit in anti-LGBT bullying.

One can hope that on Thursday, those officiating the funeral of Jamie Hubley at Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church, will use this opportunity to re-think their organization's attitudes on homosexuality. We will only see progress when we break from archaic and harmful ideologies of the past. Hopefully, the spearkers and congregants at Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church will not turn a blind eye to the dogma with which they are associated.

"Love the sinner, hate the sin," is no less harmful than outright hatred when one's sexuality is part of who they are.

Bryan Fischer: Fornication & Homosexuality Should Be Illegal

Bryan Fischer, of the American Family Association, has done it again. He's calling for the criminalization of homosexuality. And fornication.

Nothing is surprising coming from Fischer's mouth. What do you expect from the loudest voice of a designated hate group?

Not much we can do to shut him up. But we can continue to expose him as the hateful, xenophobic, homophobic, asshat that he is.

Perhaps one day our nation's leaders will stop associating with, and pandering to, such bigots.

Personal Cremation Urns: Ashes In A Head

An urn you can believe in

According to the National Funeral Directors Association, more and more Americans are opting for cremation. The cremation rate in the U.S. rose from 25% in 1999 to 36% in 2009. By 2015, they project that number to reach nearly 50%.

Bad news for embalmers. But great news for urn manufacturers.

Enter Cremation Solutions, who have launched a line of Personal Cremation Urns, a concept which may or may not have been inspired by Futurama.

From the Website:

Never forget a face! 

Personal Cremation Urns for ashes are a new and exciting way to memorialize your loved one.  

Now we can create a custom cremation urn for ashes in the image of your loved one or favorite celebrity or hero, even President Obama!  

Personal Urns for ashes combine art and the very latest in technology to create a family heirloom that will be cherished for generations. 

They are built from just one or two photographs of any persons face. They are made of a tough polymere compond and a solid marble base. This is the most heartwarming and special memorial product available anywhere - "A Personal Urn."

Personal urns can have hair added digitaly for short haired people, as in the sample of President Obama. For longer hair we can add a wig to your specifications.

The Full sized Personal Urn for ashes stands at 11" and will hold all of the ashes of an adult. 

Keepsake sized Personal Urn for ashes stands at 6" and will hold a portion of the cremation ashes.

Hair today, gone tomorrow

One would assume that if the 6" won't hold all the ashes of an adult, it would be ideal for those who wish to spread the ashes among family members. Perhaps as key chains, or hood ornaments.

Then there's this:

We will send you a proof of the Personal Urn for your comments and approval before we go ahead and manufacture.

Heh.

Ahead.

The We Do Campaign

Via Campaign For Southern Equality:

Since the WE DO Campaign launched on October 3, eighteen same-sex couples have requested – and been denied – marriage licenses at the Buncombe County Register of Deeds Office in Asheville, NC. The purpose of the campaign is calling for full equality under federal law for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and resisting an unjust state law in North Carolina that prohibits marriage equality.

“There comes a time when you can no longer live as a second-class citizen and when you are called by your conscience to directly resist those laws that treat you as unequal,” says Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Executive Director of the Campaign for Southern Equality and a candidate for ordination in the United Church of Christ. “We are saying, simply, we are equal people and laws that treat us as unequal, must change. We will continue to resist them until they do.”

On October 14, the final day of this phase of the campaign, Rev. Joe Hoffman and Rev. Cartledge will lead a public, interfaith blessing of all LGBT families at Roger McGuire Green, in front of the Buncombe County Courthouse. They will be joined by clergy from across faith traditions and from across the country. Following the blessing, clergy and community members will lead a large public action, which will be followed by an act of civil disobedience.

I'm not sure how anyone can watch the below video and not be overcome with sadness and frustration. To think that many out there feel a sense of satisfaction from viewing it is even more depressing.

Hopefully, for many, this video will serve to show how wrong these archaic laws truly are. We will look back on this time in history in shame and disbelief.

If you are in the Asheville area and wish to show your support for equality, you con read about today's schedule here.