New Rights? Special Rights? No. The Same Rights.

There you have it!!!

evoL =

A quote from the judge who ruled for marriage equality in Utah

View original post

There is no stopping this wave …..

Equality train has left the station …… still have add Utah!! 

Utah is number 18. There are 32 states still to go.

We ALL are ONE!!

We ALL fight the fight!! 

The Empire State Building … New York City

~~RAINBOW COLORS~~

10 Sentences that can change your perspective on life

Reality check!! This is it …..

UGANDA …. has criminalized homosexuality with life in prison!!

… and criminalizes relatives, teachers, parents, neighbors and others who don’t report gays to the authorities!!

The Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill (often called the “Kill the Gays bill” in the media due to the originally proposed death penalty clauses) was passed by the Parliament of Uganda on 20 December 2013 with the death penalty proposal dropped in favor of life in prison. The bill must be signed by the President of Uganda before becoming law.

The legislative proposal would broaden the criminalization of same-sex relations in Uganda domestically, and further includes provisions for Ugandans who engage in same-sex relations outside of Uganda, asserting that they may be extradited for punishment back to Uganda, and includes penalties for individuals, companies, media organisations, or non-governmental organizations that know of gay people or support LGBT rights.

The private member’s bill was submitted by Member of Parliament David Bahati on 14 October 2009. Same-sex relationships are currently illegal in Uganda — as they are in many sub-Saharan African countries — punishable by incarceration in prison for up to 14 years. A special motion to introduce the legislation was passed a month after a two-day conference was held in which three American Christians asserted that homosexuality is a direct threat to the cohesion of African families. Several sources have noted endemic homophobia in Uganda has been exacerbated by the bill and the associated discussions about it.

The bill, the government of Uganda, and the evangelicals involved have received significant international media attention as well as criticism and condemnation from many Western governments and those of other countries, some of whom have threatened to cut off financial aid to Uganda. The bill has also received protests from international LGBT, human rights, civil rights, and scientific organisations. In response to the attention, a revision was introduced to reduce the strongest penalties for the greatest offences to life imprisonment.

Intense international reaction to the bill, with many media outlets characterising it as barbaric and abhorrent, caused President Yoweri Museveni to form a commission to investigate the implications of passing it. The bill was held for further discussion for most of 2010. In May 2011, parliament adjourned without voting on the bill; in October 2011 debate was re-opened. Bahati re-introduced the bill in February 2012.

In November 2012, Uganda agreed to pass a new law against homosexuality by the end of 2012 as a “Christmas gift” to its advocates, according to the speaker of parliament. Although the death penalty was originally planned to be included in the bill, the Legal Affairs Committee has reported verbally that there is the recommendation to drop the death penalty. The final version did not include the death penalty.

The Anti Homosexuality Bill, 2009
An Act to prohibit any form of sexual relations between persons of the same sex; prohibit the promotion or recognition of such relations and to provide for other related matters.
Legislative history
Bill citation	The Anti Homosexuality Bill
Bill published on	14 October 2009
Introduced by	David Bahati
Summary
Broadens criminalization of same-sex relations in Uganda

The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power protests in New York City against the bill.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda_Anti-Homosexuality_Bill

Multiple articles on this subject are found here: http://oblogdeeoblogda.me/about/

oblogdeeoblogda.me Blog: http://oblogdeeoblogda.me/2013/12/20/uganda-parliament-passes-anti-homosexuality-bill/

Related article: http://globalequality.wordpress.com/author/globalequality/

~~A HEARTFELT MESSAGE~~

I will borrow this video because I had a hand in its creation. I still strongly believe in the message that it’s trying to get across.

One Pride Worldwide

Published on Mar 11, 2013

We demand Equality on a Global Scale. What touches one touches all.

Equality now!

We ALL are ONE!!

We ALL fight the fight!! 

BREAKING …. Utah is moving to the right side of history!!

BREAKING: Federal Court In Utah Says Marriage Equality Is Required By The Constitution

United States v. Windsor, the Supreme Court’s landmark decision striking down the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, was not the clearest opinion the justices have ever produced. Although that opinion was firmly rooted in the Constitution’s guarantee of equality for all Americans, it contained just enough states’ rights language to give anti-gay lawmakers in the states some hopes that marriage discrimination could remain alive in conservative enclaves throughout the country.

If a Utah federal judge’s opinion that was released Friday is upheld on appeal, however, there will no longer be any doubt that marriage equality belongs to all Americans. “The Constitution protects the Plaintiffs’ fundamental rights, which include the right to marry and the right to have that marriage recognized by their government,” Judge Robert Shelby concludes in his opinion striking down Utah’s ban on marriage equality — and this right applies to everyone.

The same Constitution, Shelby explains “protects the choice of one’s partner for all citizens, regardless of sexual identity.”

Although Shelby largely relies on the argument that marriage is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution, he also made sharp nods towards the promise of equality. “Rather than protecting or supporting the families of opposite-sex couples,” he explains, Utah’s “Amendment 3 perpetuates inequality by holding that the families and relationships of same-sex couples are not now, nor ever will be, worthy of recognition.”

Rather than protecting or supporting the families of opposite-sex couples, Amendment 3 perpetuates inequality by holding that the families and relationships of same-sex couples are not now, nor ever will be, worthy of recognition. Amendment 3 does not thereby elevate the status of opposite-sex marriage; it merely demeans the dignity of same-sex couples. And while the State cites an interest in protecting traditional marriage, it protects that interest by denying one of the most traditional aspects of marriage to thousands of its citizens: the right to form a family that is strengthened by a partnership based on love, intimacy, and shared responsibilities. The Plaintiffs’ desire to publicly declare their vows of commitment and support to each other is a testament to the strength of marriage in society, not a sign that, by opening its doors to all individuals, it is in danger of collapse.

Beyond Judge Shelby’s conclusion that marriage is a question of constitutional rights, not one of states’ rights — as he explains, “the Fourteenth Amendment requires that individual rights take precedence over states’ rights where these two interests are in conflict” — Shelby’s opinion appears designed to tear down whatever intellectual infrastructure remains supporting marriage discrimination.

The leading argument advanced by supporters of discrimination in same-sex marriage cases is that marriage is necessarily tied to procreation, so same-sex couples can be excluded because they cannot produce biological offspring. Yet, as Shelby points out, the ability to procreate is not “a defining characteristic of conjugal relationships from a legal and constitutional point of view.” Such an argument does not simply “demean[] the dignity” of same-sex couples, it also degenerates “the many opposite-sex couples who are unable to reproduce or who choose not to have children.” Indeed, under Utah’s argument for maintaining marriage discrimination, “a post-menopausal woman or infertile man does not have a fundamental right to marry because she or he does not have the capacity to procreate.”

For full article:  http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/12/20/3097681/breaking-federal-court-utah-says-marriage-equality-required-constitution/#

We ALL are ONE!!

Equality Utah 2011 Allies Dinner: We Believe intro video

 

 

We ALL fight the fight!! 

I think this is funny. I do. Really.

Hey, the Elf needs to go too!! LOL …

Whatever Works

Of course he poops Peppermints!

View original post

Countdown to Christmas ….. Classic #5

Can’t believe how fast this year has gone by!!

Can’t believe how fast Christmas has come down upon us!!

There are only 4 days left until Christmas day.

Let’s start to get into the spirit of the holidays.

Let’s continue the countdown of classic Christmas songs … here’s #5

Published on Mar 10, 2013

Michael Bublé Duet With Thalía – Mis Deseos/Feliz Navidad

Title: Mis Deseos/Feliz Navidad
Artist: Michael Bublé Duet With Thalía
Album: Christmas
Genre: Latin
Year: 2011

~~Lyrics~~
A donde sea que yo esté
Tu corazón alcanzaré
Y una sonrisa en tu mirada pintaré

No habrá distancia entre los dos
Al viento volaré mi voz
Con mis deseos a tu alma llegaré

Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad

Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
Celebremos juntos la vida
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
Y que viva la alegría
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
Celebremos juntos la vida
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas
Y que viva la alegría
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad

Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
Celebremos juntos la vida
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas
Y que viva la alegría
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
Celebremos juntos la vida
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas
Y que viva la alegría
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad,
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad

Feliz Navidad
All the love and joy
Feliz Navidad
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
Navidad Navidad Navidad

I wish you all the love and joy
All the love, the love, and joy, my love

Feliz Navidad
I wish you all the joy
No one ever can destroy
The love I’ve got for you
In this heart, my life

Felicidad
All the love and joy
Alegría
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
Navidad

Michael Bublé Duet With Thalía – Mis Deseos/Feliz Navidad

We ALL are ONE!! 

We ALL are connected through the CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!! 

Winter’s Solstice …. December 21, 2013!

Winter Solstice On December 21: Shortest Day of Year

Winter Solstice is an astronomical phenomenon occurring in December every year when Sun’s elevation with respect to Earth reaches its lowest value (-25.5 degrees). It is accompanied by the longest day on South Pole and the longest night on North Pole of Earth. In 2013, it occurs at 17:11 UTC on December 21.

For the Northern Hemisphere, at the moment of winter solstice, the sun is at its greatest height as observed from the South Pole. Similarly, for the Southern Hemisphere, at the moment of the winter solstice, the sun is at its greatest height as observed from the North Pole. In the Northern Hemisphere the winter solstice is also the Southern solstice and occurs in December, In the Southern Hemisphere this is the Northern solstice which occurs in June.

Depending on one’s position on the globe, the December solstice usually occurs on the 21st and the 22nd and the June solstice usually occurs on June the 20th or 21st. However, it is sometimes possible for a solstice to coincide with three different dates. Thus the December 2016 solstice coincides with 20th of the month in American Samoa, with the 21st in London and with the 22nd at Kiritimati.

The axial tilt of Earth and gyroscopic effects of the planet’s daily rotation keep the axis of rotation pointed at the same point in the sky. As the Earth follows its orbit around the Sun, the same hemisphere that faced away from the Sun, experiencing winter, will, in half a year, face towards the Sun and experience summer. Since the two hemispheres face opposite directions along the planetary pole, as one polar hemisphere experiences winter, the other experiences summer.

More evident from high latitudes, a hemisphere’s winter solstice occurs on the shortest day and longest night of the year, when the sun’s daily maximum elevation in the sky is the lowest. The winter solstice itself lasts only a moment in time, so other terms are used for the day on which it occurs, such as “midwinter”, or “the shortest day”. For the same reason, it should not be confused with “the first day of winter” or “the start of winter” (Lidong in the East Asian calendars).

The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days. The earliest sunset and latest sunrise dates differ from winter solstice, however, and these depend on latitude, due to the variation in the solar day throughout the year caused by the Earth’s elliptical orbit (see earliest and latest sunrise and sunset).

Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but many cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time.

Winter solstice
Lawrence Hall of Science visitors observe sunset on day of the winter solstice using the Sunstones II
Also called	Midwinter, Yule, the Longest Night
Observed by	Various cultures, ancient and modern
Type	Cultural, seasonal, astronomical
Significance	Astronomically marks the beginning of shortening nights and lengthening days
Celebrations	Festivals, spending time with loved ones, feasting, singing, dancing, fires
Date	Between December 21 and December 22 (NH) Between June 20 and June 21 (SH)
Frequency	annual
Related to	Winter festivals and the solstice

History and cultural significance

The solstice itself may have been a special moment of the annual cycle of the year even during neolithic times. Astronomical events, which during ancient times controlled the mating of animals, sowing of crops and metering of winter reserves between harvests, show how various cultural mythologies and traditions have arisen.

This is attested by physical remains in the layouts of late Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites, such as Stonehenge in Britain and Newgrange in Ireland. The primary axes of both of these monuments seem to have been carefully aligned on a sight-line pointing to the winter solstice sunrise (Newgrange) and the winter solstice sunset (Stonehenge).

Significant in respect of Stonehenge is the fact that the Great Trilithon was erected outwards from the centre of the monument, i.e., its smooth flat face was turned towards the midwinter Sun.

Neolithic site of Goseck circle. The yellow lines are the direction the Sun rises and sets at winter solstice.

The winter solstice may have been immensely important because communities were not certain of living through the winter, and had to be prepared during the previous nine months. Starvation was common during the first months of the winter, January to April (northern hemisphere) or July to October (southern hemisphere), also known as “the famine months”. In temperate climates, the midwinter festival was the last feast celebration, before deep winter began.

Most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter, so it was almost the only time of year when a supply of fresh meat was available. The majority of wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking at this time. The concentration of the observances were not always on the day commencing at midnight or at dawn, but the beginning of the pre-Romanized day, which falls on the previous eve.

Since the event is seen as the reversal of the Sun‘s ebbing presence in the sky, concepts of the birth or rebirth of sun gods have been common and, in cultures using winter solstice based cyclic calendars, the year as reborn has been celebrated with regard to life-death-rebirth deities or new beginnings such as Hogmanay‘s redding, a New Year cleaning tradition. Also reversal is yet another usual theme as in Saturnalia‘s slave and master reversals.

The solstice occurs because the Earth is tipped on its axis 23.5 degrees. In the northern hemisphere in the summer, the axis is pointing its most toward the sun on June 21. On that day the most light reaches us and we experience the longest day of the year and warmer temperatures: the summer solstice.

The reverse is true on Dec. 21. Then the axis is pointing its most away from the sun, bringing less light and colder temperatures. That is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year.

It’s the opposite in the southern hemisphere, where Dec. 21 marks the longest day of the year and June 21 the shortest.

The midpoints, on March 20 and Sept. 22, are known as the equinoxes. On these days the axis is exactly in between and night and day are the same length, 12 hours.

All these dates loom large in myth and folklore.

For full article/Source: http://www.digtriad.com/news/article/309944/57/Winters-Darkest-Day-December-21

Celtic Winter Solstice with a Greensleeves twist

Uploaded on Dec 5, 2010

We can thank the Druids for our wonderful Pagan Holidays.

We ALL are ONE!! 

We ALL are connected through the SEASONS!! 

Winter Solstice Celebration at New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine, by Paul Winter

Uploaded on Jun 9, 2010

New York’s Holiday Celebration of Music, Dance and the Return of the Sun. Learn more about Winter Solstice at: http://www.solsticeconcert.com

For three decades, Paul Winter’s Solstice Celebration has joined The Nutcracker and Radio City Christmas as one of New York’s favorite holiday traditions. The concerts—which are broadcast each year on 250 National Public Radio stations—have grown to become a holiday tradition in the Northeast.

To start the day ….

Not to rub it in but it’s beautiful in Florida.

Sunny, warm and the Christmas spirit is definitely in the air … at least in my house!!

The high today will be 82 degrees!! Sorry …. up north!! There are some perks to living in Florida.

Decorations all over the place, lights already in place and the Christmas tree in all it’s splendor!! 

Il Volo is among one of my many favorite artists.

This is a song from their new CD and it’s so inspiring and so well done. I hope you enjoy it!

“Beautiful Day“

[Gianluca]
You’re on the road
But you’ve got no destination
You’re in the mud
In the maze of her imagination
You love this town
Even if that doesn’t ring true
You’ve been all over
And it’s been all over you

[Piero]
It’s a beautiful day
Don’t let it get away
It’s a beautiful day

[Ignazio]
Touch me
Take me to that other place
Teach me
I know I’m not a hopeless case

[Gianluca]
See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out

[Piero]
See the bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light and
See the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out

[Ignazio]
It’s a beautiful day
Don’t let it get away
Beautiful day

[Piero]
Touch me
Take me to that other place
Reach me
I know I’m not a hopeless case

[Ignazio]
What you don’t have you don’t need it now
What you don’t know you can feel it somehow
WHat you don’t have you don’t need it now
Don’t need it now
Was a beautiful day

[Piero]
Was a beautiful day

[Gianluca]
It’s a beautiful day
Don’t let it get away
Beautiful day

 

Il Volo in “Beautiful Day”

We ALL are ONE!!

We ALL are connected through MUSIC!! 

Ugandan homophobic law and United States religious fundamentalists

Since I heard about this law and the US religious fundamentalists role in it’s passing or their involvement with this, I always thought that it’s an experiment …. see how well it works there and how to bring it to the USA. Intention …. stop the wave of states that have approved marriage equality. I sure hope I’m wrong!!!
Going back to the painful, hurtful times when you had to “hide” who you were and who you loved!! SMH ……

Dear Kitty. Some blog

This video from the USA says about itself:

Anti-Gay Fervor in Uganda Tied to Right-Wing U.S. Evangelicals, Part 1 of 2

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Human rights activists in Uganda are warning that the lives of gay people are in danger after a newspaper published a front-page story featuring the names and photographs of what it called Uganda’s 100 “top” gays and lesbians alongside a yellow banner that read “Hang Them”. We look at the ties of the anti-gay movement in Uganda to the far-right evangelical movement here in the United States with Jeff Sharlet, author of “C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy“.

This video is called Anti-Gay Fervor in Uganda Tied to Right-Wing U.S. Evangelicals, Part 2 of 2.

From daily The Morning Star in Britain:

Gay Ugandans now face life behind bars

Friday 20th December 2013

Parliament passes law punishing ‘aggravated…

View original post 424 more words