A single unified LGBTQ+ conversation

Well, NYC is where it all started, so there's that. My friends are organising this specifically as a political statement and deference to Sylvia Rivera.

There's $90 more in the GoFundMe for Chloe. Damn card activation fee

I wish I could go, but I won't be able to.

Thanks, Sixy .

Smokey, what'll keep you?

Location and time. I'm busy, and won't be able to get to NYC.

Shame. No time at all? Maybe someone could take you along for the ride.

Not likely. I'll try, but its doubtful.

I'll talk to the folks I know, maybe someone could pick you up. But yup, your schedule of course has priority.

edited 9th Jul '14 7:04:42 PM by TAPETRVE

Even if I had the ability to go, I don't feel like I'd really fit there. I don't think of myself as being trans, even though I'm not cis. It still feels kinda disrespectful to others to do so and I don't think that's gonna change.

Oh look, ENDA is poisoned with religious exemptions

edited 10th Jul '14 9:19:05 AM by Sixthhokage1

Yup, and GLAAD still stick up for it.

GLAAD dropped their support of the bill. Also edited that post with a shortened link because forum broke it.

I'm hoping HRC drop their support too, although given what they've done that doesn't seem likely.

Also, I love the comment by this sauna's manager after paint was thrown at it

Fuck ENDA.

More like fuck employers who discriminate and the politicians who want to give them a free pass.

I say fuck opportunism. This whole table scraps policy needs to stop.

Fuck them and fuck this poisoned incarnation of ENDA. But this makes me think of the Civil Rights Acts in American History and how it took until the 6th one, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, for the progress to really stick.

Religious beliefs are not a fucking excuse for discriminating. Whose fucking idea was it that they don't have to be decent human beings because 'it's against my religion'?

Well... playing the Devil's Advocate(Ironically)...

Several sects of Christianity, in particular the more literal, conservative ones, take an intolerant stance because, in their opinion, their religion calls them to be intolerant. Christianity is a missionary religion - the followers are supposed to spread the word and values of Christ to others, and it's the opinion of those more conservative sects that part of that is to refuse to stand by when they see someone breaking the word/law of Christ. Ethically, being tolerant is worse in their eyes than harassing someone until they repent and convert. They feel an obligation to tell someone when they're doing something wrong, and to try and convince them to do otherwise - and to a lot of those people a method of convincing someone to change is to punish and effectively bully the, for their wrongdoings.

Now, all that said it would be naive of me to claim that all those people are doing it because they genuinely believe it's the right, helpful thing to do. Many of them are simply using an excuse to throw their weight around, or to discriminate against something that makes them feel personally uncomfortable. Even those who do think they're doing the right thing often commit acts that are morally reprehensible under any other circumstances, and even in the context of their own religion - a family praying for bad things to happen to their gay son so he learns the 'error of his ways' comes to mind. But however misguided or wrong they are, no, I don't think it's as simple of 'they should be more tolerant', sadly.

Of course, in Canada someone's religious rights(Or indeed, any rights), end when they infringe upon someone else's rights. Regardless of what someone believes it is never okay to hurt someone else because of it, or to force those opinions upon other people. I'm less aware of what the equivalent of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the US says on the matter, but I imagine at the end of the day it's similar.

And my response to this belief is that nobody is going to listen to harassment. My evangelism is to try to live an attractive example, and let people know that this is who I am and that I can answer questions about that. If I have a friendly relationship with somebody, I might initiate discussions in a tone in which we can hopefully both come away having learned something.

Even when people try to justify it like that, it doesn't make them any less scum.

Coming Out Simulator 2014. Sounds like an attempt at bad satire. Plot twist: It isn't.

Look what just showed up in my email: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/response-we-people-petition-non-binary-genders

Welllll... Based on how mine ended, I'm not coming out, ever.

It might not wind up like that.