g_b Care2 E-Card from Pratap Patrick Paikaray [Pratibha Rani Sixer]
* Pratap Patrick Paikaray [Pratibha Rani Sixer] has sent you a Care2 e-card! To view your card, simply click on this address: http://www.care2.com/ecards/p/8362-8730-12605-3698 Care2.com - Over 5 million members strong! Change Lives. Change the World. Make a Difference. * The card was sent December 29, 2006.and will be available for 14 days. WHAT CAN YOU DO AT CARE2 ? * Make a difference -- discover hundreds of easy ways to change the world. * Meet others who care / find out which of your friends are already members. * Discover thousands of Healthy Living tips. * Sign petitions / influence your representatives. * Read and share blogs, photos, polls, recipes etc. * Much, much more...and all for free. WHAT'S YOUR PASSION? Health, Human Rights, Education, Environment, Women's Rights, Children, Pets, Peace? You'll find individuals and organizations who share your passion. BE A PART OF SOMETHING IMPORTANT After reading your e-card, check out the rest of the Care2 community and network. You'll like what you find! http://www.Care2.com
g_b Care2 E-Card from Pratap Patrick Paikaray [Pratibha Rani Sixer]
* Pratap Patrick Paikaray [Pratibha Rani Sixer] has sent you a Care2 e-card! To view your card, simply click on this address: http://www.care2.com/ecards/p/8353-2002-22398-2436 Care2.com - Over 5 million members strong! Change Lives. Change the World. Make a Difference. * The card was sent December 20, 2006.and will be available for 14 days. WHAT CAN YOU DO AT CARE2 ? * Make a difference -- discover hundreds of easy ways to change the world. * Meet others who care / find out which of your friends are already members. * Discover thousands of Healthy Living tips. * Sign petitions / influence your representatives. * Read and share blogs, photos, polls, recipes etc. * Much, much more...and all for free. WHAT'S YOUR PASSION? Health, Human Rights, Education, Environment, Women's Rights, Children, Pets, Peace? You'll find individuals and organizations who share your passion. BE A PART OF SOMETHING IMPORTANT After reading your e-card, check out the rest of the Care2 community and network. You'll like what you find! http://www.Care2.com
g_b Auld Lang Syne [Re: Questions]
Darling Deep, I've been out now for seventeen years [id est, half my life] so the novelty has worn off for a long time already. I usually need to talk about being queer at the interview stage itself so that I'm not expected to conform to dress codes that are [or have been considered] more appropriate for men. Ergo, where I now work, I'm exempted from wearing western collars which are mandatory for male employees; however, at the same time, I'm forbidden from wearing sarees [which in a way is a mutual compromise that cannot really be considered unreasonable...particularly when I contrast it with companies like ICICI and Dell where I was allowed to wear sarees but not protected against discrimination]. At Hyperion, my colleagues had to work their way around their homophobia: the women managed in a couple of months but the boys took a little longer; which leaves my manager [who is Catholic like me but homophobic to a degree] & the aforementioned bisexual colleague in the Dutch Marketing Team who is quite virulently homophobic most of the time...we hear in Church that we all need a cross lest we take our blessings for granted and the twain must be mine [to endure and perhaps even learn from]. My customers for the greater part are spared the particulars of my identity and orientation and thank God for small mercies!!! Nobody including the homophobic bisexual is disinclined to touch me...for the greater part, I have never had to encounter that degree of homophobia...well, thats a lot of boring answers already but your questions were rather straightforward...did I mention that ALL my colleagues think I have a talent to always blame ev'rybody else for ev'rything that doesn't seem quite right?!? But there we go again!!! Lotz o' luv and kisses & Merry Xmas once 'gain, Pratibha Rani Sixer [Pratap P Paikaray, Bengaluru]. On Sun, 17 Dec 2006 GM wrote : Dear Pratibha, It sure does take courage to come out in the corporate world...hats off [assuming I wear any - ON MY HEAD, if you please] to you. Tell me, how did Hyperion's Dutch Marketing team take it when you came out to them? Did you come out during the interview stage? How do your bosses react? What about your customers? Do homophobic collegues refrain from touching you? You will forgive me for asking you such personal [though hopefully not hurtful to you] questions. I am curious. Most of my gay friends have not cared to tell folks at their workplaces. I have always had a positive effect whenever I have come out to my collegues. I hope my questions are not percieved by you to be rude or derogatory in any way - since I did NOT mean them that way. Love, Deep
Re: g_b RESEND: Frank Rich on 'Brokeback Mountain'
This movie has it all, and then some. I saw it last night and woke up at four am. thinking about these characters, recognizing my own rural upbringing and past. I was deeply moved by this movie...in a way that touched real issues. No cynical, catty, effeminate stereotypes here, just real people experiencing real life and dealing with it in the only way they know how. It reminds me to be Thankful for the very fact this movie could be made.. and to remember there are still men who have the same conflicts today, in spite of all the "acceptance" on television and in the press. Gay men everywhere still have demons to deal with...we might be better for it if we could find our own brokeback mountain getaway...instead of looking for it in recreational drugs.--- In gay_bombay@yahoogroups.com, Pankaj Gay <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Its an Fantastic movieIts the story of ove between 2 guys and it is more realisticIts about these 2 guys who meet as Work Buddies , Fall in Love Have Sex ...Cant express each other Cant get married , think its not the norma way ...so go ahead and get married to females have kids ...but the passion for each other stil remains and so they meet again for fishing trips ..wonderful movie worth seeing > > > > S S <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Frank Rich is a columnist from the New York Times who > often uses images from popular culture (especially > television and films) to comment on the US society. He > has the following piece on the success of the film > 'Brokeback Mountain': > > December 18, 2005 > Op-Ed Columnist > Two Gay Cowboys Hit a Home Run > By FRANK RICH > WHAT if they held a culture war and no one fired a > shot? That's the compelling tale of "Brokeback > Mountain." Here is a heavily promoted American movie > depicting two men having sex - the precise sex act > that was still a crime in some states until the > Supreme Court struck down sodomy laws just two and a > half years ago - but there is no controversy, no Fox > News tar and feathering, no roar from the religious > right. "Brokeback Mountain" has instead become the > unlikely Oscar favorite, propelled by its bicoastal > sweep of critics' awards, by its unexpected dominance > of the far less highfalutin Golden Globes and, perhaps > most of all, by the lure of a gold rush. Last weekend > it opened to the highest per-screen average of any > movie this year. > Those screens were in New York, Los Angeles and San > Francisco - hardly national bellwethers. But I'll > rashly predict that the big Hollywood question posed > on the front page of The Los Angeles Times after those > stunning weekend grosses - "Can 'Brokeback Mountain' > Move the Heartland?" - will be answered with a > resounding yes. All the signs of a runaway phenomenon > are present, from an instant parody on "Saturday Night > Live" to the report that a multiplex in Plano, Tex., > sold more advance tickets for the so-called "gay > cowboy picture" than for "King Kong." "The culture is > finding us," James Schamus, the "Brokeback Mountain" > producer, told USA Today. "Grown-up movies have never > had that kind of per-screen average. You only get > those numbers when you're vacuuming up enormous > interest from all walks of life." > In the packed theater where I caught "Brokeback > Mountain," the trailers included a National Guard > recruitment spiel, and the audience was > demographically all over the map. The culture is > seeking out this movie not just because it is a > powerful, four-hankie account of a doomed love affair > and is beautifully acted by everyone, starting with > the riveting Heath Ledger. The X factor is that the > film delivers a story previously untold by A-list > Hollywood. It's a story America may be more than ready > to hear a year after its president cynically flogged a > legally superfluous (and unpassable) constitutional > amendment banning same-sex marriage for the sole > purpose of whipping up the basest hostilities of his > electoral base. > By coincidence, "Brokeback Mountain," a movie that is > all the more subversive for having no overt politics, > is a rebuke and antidote to that sordid episode. > Whether it proves a movie for the ages or as transient > as "Love Story," it is a landmark in the troubled > history of America's relationship to homosexuality. It > brings something different to the pop culture > marketplace at just the pivotal moment to catch a > wave. > Heaven knows there has been no shortage of gay-themed > entertainment in recent years. To the tedious point of > ubiquity, gay characters, many of them updated > reincarnations of the stereotypical fops and > fussbudgets of 1930's studio comedies, are at least as > well represented as other minorities in prime-time > television. Entertainment Weekly has tallied nine > movies, including "Capote" and "Rent," with major gay > characters this year. But "Brokeback Mountain," > besides being more sexually candid than the norm, is >
g_b [lgbt-india] Gay Penguins: chapter 2
On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 Somak Ghoshal wrote : My dear Friends, The story gets curiouser and curiouser... http://www.salon.com/it/feature/1999/03/cov_15featurea.html The FABULOUS kingdom of GAY animals - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A BIOLOGIST OFFERS THE FIRST VISION OF A TANTALIZINGLY DIVERSE NATURAL WORLD: NOT ALL ANIMALS ARE STRAIGHT ARROWS. BY SUSAN McCARTHY | The scientist gasps and drops the binoculars. A notebook falls from astonished hands. Graduate students mutter in alarm. Nobody wants to be the one to tell the granting agency what they're seeing. A female ape wraps her legs around another female, "rubbing her own clitoris against her partner's while emitting screams of enjoyment." The researcher explains: It's a form of greeting behavior. Or reconciliation. Possibly food-exchange behavior. It's certainly not sex. Not lesbian sex. Not hot lesbian sex. Six bighorn rams cluster, rubbing, nuzzling and mounting each other. "Aggressosexual behavior," the biologist explains. A way of establishing dominance. A zoo penguin approaches another, bowing winsomely. The birds look identical and a zoogoer asks how to tell males and females apart. "We can tell by their behaviour," a researcher explains. "Eric is courting Dora." A keeper arrives with news: Eric has laid an egg. They've been keeping it from us: There are homosexual and bisexual animals, ranging from charismatic megafauna like mountain gorillas to cats, dogs and guinea pigs. There are transgendered animals, transvestite animals (who adopt the behavior of the other gender but don't have sex with their own) and animals who live in bisexual triads and quartets. Bruce Bagemihl spent 10 years scouring the biological literature for data on alternative sexuality in animals to write "Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity," 768 pages about exactly what goes on at "South Park's" Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary. The first section discusses animal sexuality in its many forms and the ways biologists have tried to explain it away. The second section, "A Wondrous Bestiary," describes unconventional sexuality in nearly 200 mammals and birds -- orangutans, whales, warthogs, fruit bats, chaffinches. Bagemihl's dry style is obedient to the precepts of scientific writing. He explains why animals can be called homosexual or bisexual, but not gay, lesbian or queer, and he follows the rules -- though "homosexual" frightens some who prefer terms like male-only social interactions, multifemale associations, unisexuality, isosexuality or intrasexuality. (Fortunately, as a book reviewer, I am not bound by this rule. We're talking gay animals!) Yet the book is thrillingly dense with new ideas, and with scandalous animal anecdotes. In other words, an ideal bedside read. It's not just about hot sex. Bagemihl includes nonsexual bonds. Friendships. Female grizzlies sometimes form partnerships, traveling together, defending each other, raising cubs together and putting off hibernation in what seems to be an attempt to stay together longer. Nor is it all cuddling and consensuality. Bagemihl chronicles homosexual incest (foxes), rape (albatrosses) and homophobia (white-tailed deer). His favorites are beasts with "a special courtship pattern found only in homosexual interactions." Two percent of male ostriches ignore females and court males with a lively dance that involves running toward your chosen partner at 30 mph, skidding to a stop in front of him, pirouetting madly, then "kantling," which includes crouching, rocking, fluffing your feathers, puffing your throat in and out and twisting your neck like a corkscrew. A male ostrich courting a female omits the speedy approach, shortens the display, adds a booming song and may include symbolic feeding displays. Male ostriches have not been seen actually having sex, unlike male flamingo pairs, who mate, build nests and sometimes rear foster chicks. Some homosexual animals have one-night stands and some have long marriages. Gay and lesbian geese stay together year after year. Bottlenose dolphins don't form male-female couples, but males often form lifelong pairs with other males. Some are interested only in males, but others are bisexual and happily indulge in beak-genital propulsion and more with male or female alike. Male black swans court and form stable pairs. With two males, they are able to defend huge territories from other swan couples, which sounds like a double-income-no-kids situation except that they often manage to wangle some eggs from somewhere -- all right, they steal them -- and become model parents, twice as successful as straight parents. There's a certain temptation to leaf through the bookshouting "Caribou? ay! Red-necked Wallaby? Gay! Golden Plover? GAY GAY GAY!" But of course it's not that simple. All bonobos and 1 percent of ostriches participate in homosexual activities -- so within the animal kingdom there is tremendous iversity of sexualities. Moreover, th
g_b [lgbtmuslim] Fw: Same-Sex Debate: Muslim Canadian Congress responds to Canadian Islamic Congress
On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 Jack Fertig wrote : Here's some good news from another list: February 10, 2005 Some Muslims are supportive of same-sex marriage By Tarek Fatah The Kitchener-Waterloo Record http://www.therecord.com/ Zubair Choudhury, a Muslim spokesperson of the Conservative party, recently mused that the problem with same-sex marriage is that if we allow homosexuals to marry, then they will want to adopt children and then these children will grow up to be gays. He was participating in a TV debate defending his party's opposition to Justice Minister Irwin Cotler's Bill C-38. Apparently, the contradiction in his logic was lost on him. For if children of gay parents stand a chance of ending up as gays, then children of heterosexual parents should also grow up as straight kids. But the fact is all gays were born to straight parents. I would like to give Choudhury the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he simply does not understand that gays are born gay by God's will and that homosexuality is not a choice people make like buying cars or TV sets. Unfortunately, he is not alone. One Toronto-area imam was caught on the CBC as saying that allowing gays to marry would be the first step towards permitting incest. Other Muslim social conservatives and extremists have made no secret of the fact that they consider same-sex marriage as equivalent to bestiality. The hate against Canada's gays and lesbians has acquired a new legitimacy; homophobia now comes carefully camouflaged as opposition to Cotler's proposed legislation. The ill informed have now been joined by the Waterloo-based Canadian Islamic Congress. In a press release issued last week, the congress said, "Marriage has been a religiously defined institution for ages in all religions." Describing the introduction of the bill as "politically suicidal for a minority government with such fragile credibility," the congress stated the bill does not protect religious institutions against charges of discrimination. It raised the complaint by a B.C. lesbian couple against the Knights of Columbus for refusing to rent them a wedding hall. The case is now before the B.C. human rights tribunal. The congress claimed, "If Bill C-38 passes, there could be many more such cases." What the congress failed to mention is that the Knights of Columbus is a service organization, not a religious one. Although it is a Roman Catholic group, it rents its hall to the public and has never made any requirement in the past for the renters to follow Roman Catholic practices. The case has nothing to do with marriage and will be won or lost on the B.C. human rights code, not on Bill C-38. Lost to the congress was the fact while the Qur'an specifies who can marry (and does not explicitly exclude same-sex marriages), there is no requirement in Islam for a Muslim cleric to be involved in the marriage ceremony, or that it take place in a mosque. As such, while some Muslims may not recognize or approve of same-sex marriages, it appears that Muslim opponents of such marriages have no capability, with or without Bill C-38, to prevent Muslim same-sex couples from marrying using Islamic customs. However, not all Muslims are opposed to equality rights of gays and lesbians. The Muslim Canadian Congress, a Toronto-based grassroots organization, welcomed the legislation presented and has urged Muslims and other minority groups to stand in solidarity with gays and lesbians. Addressing a press conference in Ottawa on the first reading of Bill C-38, Rizwana Jafri, president of the Muslim Canadian Congress, said Muslim Canadians have experienced life as a marginalized minority and have relied on the Canadian Charter of Rights to fight for their right to be treated as equal citizens. "It is incumbent upon us, as a minority, to stand up in solidarity with Canada's gays and lesbians despite the fact that many in our community believe our religion does not condone homosexuality," she added. "This legislation is not about religion; it is about fundamental and universal human rights that are a guarantee that all Canadians, irrespective of their religious or ethnic background, feel part of the same family. While, within this family, we may agree to disagree, we must respect each other and treat others with dignity that is a hallmark of civil society," Jafri added. Muslims and other racial and religious minorities in Canada must understand that same-sex marriage is today legal in seven Canadian provinces and applicable to 90 per cent of the Canadian population. Whether Bill C-38 succeeds or fails, gay and lesbian marriages will continue to be legal across Canada. By being party to discrimination against a minority, in the future, we Muslims will have little credibility when we protest the discrimination that so many of us face on a daily basis. Human rights are universal rights. These rights need to be respected even when they apply to groups that we may find contravening our religious teachin
g_b Re: [lgbt-india] Benny Hinn show: You can't ignore it!
really lok, a private religious gathering is nobody else's business. no christian sect preaches hatred [altho' many christians practise it]. why does it surprise you that indian evangelists are organising hinn's sessions...would you like indian christians to organise the kumbh mela instead? also, how do christians gathering together to pray "destroy countries' (sic) social fabric"?!? clearly, you can't even spell 'gujarat', let alone write intelligently about it...and the connection you seem to imply between hinn and gujarat is unbelievably mindboggling...be cautious by all means, but your alarmist venom is what gives right wingers like us a bad name and lets the godless commies take the higher moral ground. as regards, beloved begum kavi's comment about hinn "getting his due" is concerned, not only has dharam singh, the chief minister of karnataka rejected sundry hindu appeals to cancel the show, he is also expected to lend his solidarity by attending it, affectionately, pratibha rani sixer, bangalore. ps: the wellknown bisexual activist rajiv dua and his straight baby brother sanjeev dua [the latter has contributed his personal time, energy and resources towards reducing homophobia in the indian corporate world] speak very highly of you...and i can't but be disappointed with your observations... On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 Lok Prakash wrote : This is really SAD. This stupid man [Benny Hinn, the so called healer] from 'Videsh' comes to us and preaches what is completely 'hate against Hindus'. I suspect there are lot of Indians behind this scene too as apparent from this news article forwarded by Ashok! All the media persons should take this up and follow it till we get satisfactory answers. This kind of large scale 'Right wing/conservative demonstrations' can destroy countries' social fabric. At least we can't afford it as we have just seen Gujrat. Please forget about your own 'Right wing' ones for the time being as they have no such strengths compared to these ' ultra right wing Christian healers'. They can influence world politics and economy. We need to be very cautious. Thanks Lok On 1/16/05 2:54 PM, "pratap patrick paikaray" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: if evangelists, sikhs, protestants, muslims and hinayanas want to condemn the idolatry of catholics, hindus and mahayana buddhists, let them; their holy books exhort them to...they have a right to [and they may well be right when one considers that the holy books of catholics and hindus don't seem to condone the practice either]. its a little irritating to see common indian names like colaco/colaso misspelt...also as far the question of hinn healing the pope goes...any evangelist [not tongue-tied by political correctness like gul kriplani] will tell you that the pope [being an idolatrous unbeliever] can only be healed by death pratibha rani sixer, bangalore. Group Site: http://www.gaybombay.info == NEW CLASSIFIEDS SECTION SEEKING FRIENDS? VISIT www.gaybombay.info click on classified section and type your message in the post section once the link opens This message was posted to the gay_bombay Yahoo! Group. Responses to messages (by clicking "Reply") will also be posted on the eGroup and sent to all members. If you'd like to respond privately to the author of any message then please compose and send a new email message to the author's email address. For Parties and events go to: http://calendar.yahoo.com/YYY,04497/srt,0/gaybombaygroup/?v=42&POS= Post:- gay_bombay@yahoogroups.com Subscribe:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Digest Mode:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] No Mail Mode:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Individual Mail Mode:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Contact Us:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archives are at http://www.mail-archive.com/gay_bombay%40yahoogroups.com/maillist.html Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gay_bombay/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
g_b Re: gb Re: Partying Is Such Sweet Sorrow : Jug Suraiya
it definitely isn't [justified partying with straight friends]...trust the commies to do something like that, i don't see how admitting to a crime mitigates its effects, i do hope nobody thinks this a [knee] jerk reaction, luv and kisses to begum kavi, athar, sunil, sachin jain, mario, vikram doctor, sopan muller, manohar, duncan, georgina maddox, rajiv dua, asfan patel, adityada, geeta kumana, shirish gajjar, natasha et al, pratibha, b'lore. On Mon, 03 Jan 2005 ganesh_5000 wrote : Thank you Mario for posting this lovely piece by Jug Suraiya. While it doesn't offer definitive answers, it at least tackles the issue and helps us go beyond knee-jerk reactions. Your mail suggests a delightful new topic for all of us to fight over. Is it morally and ethically justified for gay people to spend New Year's with straight friends? I would expect responses that vary from Right to Left, Brahminical to Non-, Orthodox to Un-, and Tolerant to In- ... But before everyone starts, I'm ONLY JOKING, OK? Happy New Year to everyone, wherever they partied or didn't! Sunil --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Mario D'Penha <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: For those on these lists who've been wondering about whether it was justified to attend or organize a New Year's bash in the midst of the tsunami tragedy, here's a nice piece that came in on New Year's day in the Times. Personally, I did not go for the GB party, though not because of the tsunami. I had planned on spending New Year's with close (and admittedly, straight) friends. In any case, I think I would agree with Jug Suraiya here, especially when he affirms the importance of not losing hope as opposed to dwelling on the tragedy, and thus concentrating on life more than on death. Happy New Year! Much love, Mario Group Site: http://www.gaybombay.info == NEW CLASSIFIEDS SECTION SEEKING FRIENDS? VISIT www.gaybombay.info click on classified section and type your message in the post section once the link opens This message was posted to the gay_bombay Yahoo! Group. Responses to messages (by clicking "Reply") will also be posted on the eGroup and sent to all members. If you'd like to respond privately to the author of any message then please compose and send a new email message to the author's email address. For Parties and events go to: http://calendar.yahoo.com/YYY,04497/srt,0/gaybombaygroup/?v=42&POS= Post:- gay_bombay@yahoogroups.com Subscribe:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Digest Mode:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] No Mail Mode:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Individual Mail Mode:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Contact Us:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archives are at http://www.mail-archive.com/gay_bombay%40yahoogroups.com/maillist.html Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gay_bombay/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
g_b [al-fatiha-news] News: Muslim Parents in Toronto Upset About Class Discussions on Gay Families / Muslim Woman Speaks Out for Empathy
1) Muslim Parents Demand School Remove Their Children From Class On Discussions on Gay Families 2) Premier calls for 'gay-ed' tolerance; School refuses to excuse Muslims; Teachers flocking to diversity class 3) Editorial by Muslim - Fostering empathy; Family values row over `gay-ed' class --- 1) Muslim Parents Demand School Remove Their Children >From Class Discussions On Gay Families Wednesday, November 16, 2004 by Jan Prout 365Gay.com Toronto Bureau (Toronto, Ontario) Muslim parents Monday night demanded that their children be removed from a mandatory class on diversity. The group told the Toronto District School Board that the program promotes homosexuality. The parents, whose children are enrolled in the downtown Market Lane Public School, were particularly angered by discussions in the course on same-sex marriage, and families where both parents are gay. Speakers said that the program is disrespectful of Islam. About 150 people packed the meeting room in a nearby community center. After listening to the presentations the board refused to exclude the students as a group deciding that removing any group of students from the class would violate the rights of children of same-sex parents. Individual parents who do not want their children to take part in the class can remove them, the board decided. Part of the class includes a video by a school board social worker illustrating the feelings of children who have same-sex families and the taunts they receive at school. "There is sometimes the misunderstanding that anti-homophobia education is sex education. It does not involve the explicit description of sexual activity. It discusses families," said Michelle Flecker, an equity worker at the board who reviewed the board's policies for the meeting. While the board has a policy to consider accommodation based on religious rights, "religious beliefs do not trump human rights," Patricia Hayes, a human rights expert with the school board told the Toronto Star. "They showed a gay lifestyle to the kids without the knowledge of the parents," said Mohamed Yassin, a father of three. "They're willing to help gay students with support. Gay people have their rights. I have my rights," Yassin told the Star. Toronto has a large Muslim community. Of the 560 students at Market Lane, about 10 to 15 per cent are Muslim. --- 2) Premier calls for 'gay-ed' tolerance School refuses to excuse Muslims Teachers flocking to diversity class >From the Toronto Star - Nov. 18, 2004 http://tinyurl.com/6pwof ROBERT BENZIE, TESS KALINOWSKI AND LESLIE SCRIVENER STAFF REPORTERS Premier Dalton McGuinty is urging parents who seek to exclude their children from "anti-homophobia education" at a downtown Toronto school to be more tolerant. "To me this speaks to a kind of broader issue. What kind of society do we want to live in, what kind of society are we trying to build?" the Premier told reporters yesterday. "I think the kind of society that we should all aspire to is where we respect each other's difference. That's fundamentally what this is all about and I think our children should be taught to respect the differences that we manifest." Some Muslim parents at Market Lane Public School met Tuesday night with the Toronto District School Board to discuss their desire for the exclusion of their children from classes on families with same-sex parents. Some parents said they felt their religious rights were being trampled on in the name of gay rights. About 10 to 15 per cent of the 560 students at the school are Muslim. The board has refused to accommodate their request.Children with same-sex parents have the right to have their families represented in educational material in the same way other kinds of families are included, said board officials. Even though students are excused from sexual education classes on religious grounds, the board says anti-homophobia education does not include descriptions of sexual activities. McGuinty said it's "up to the trustees" to determine whether parents can pull children from the classes, but he noted that tolerance is a two-way street. "It's important all our children all our children have the opportunity to learn about those things that distinguish one of us from the other and that they learn to respect those differences," he said. The Halton District School Board, like the Toronto board, says no one is exempt from anti-discrimination education because of religious beliefs. "We know they are going to be in class with kids of same-sex parents and they have to respect that, treat everyone kindly and not exclude them," said Suzanne Muir, diversity co-ordinator for the Halton board and a Muslim. While some Muslims may feel that education about same-sex families amounts to tacit approval of gay lifestyles, Muir says she sees it differently: I
g_b [al-fatiha-news] News: Sharia Court in Nigeria Issues Warrant for Gay Man; Fears of Stoning and Violence
Al-Fatiha - LGBTIQ Muslims <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: http://uk.gay.com/headlines/7191 Monday 29 November, 2004 Fears of stoning and violence, as Sharia court issues warrant for gay man Ben Townley, Gay.com UK A Sharia court in Nigeria has issued an arrest warrant for a man, who, if caught, could face stoning to death for having a gay relationship. The Islamic hardline court, which has been faced with international controversy before for its stance on adultery and women's rights, is based in Keffi and, according to Nigerian press reports, is looking to arrest the man after his partner "confessed". However, the wanted man managed to escape before he could be arrested. Both are being charged with the "unholy" act of being gay, although the trial has been postponed for both men, until the fleeing man is caught. The news comes as gay refugees and their plight are beginning to garner more recognition here. Earlier this month, the Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group held a fundraiser in a bid to increase awareness and cash to help lesbian and gay people fleeing countries that view gay sex as illegal. The event was attended by an Ugandan refugee, who had fled her country after being raped and tortured by local police for being a lesbian. She had her case rejected six times by the UK Government, before they agreed to give her refugee status earlier this year. Additionally, Outrage have begun a campaign to get an Algerian gay refugee protection in the UK. Campaigner Peter Tatchell has written to the Home Office calling for Ramzi Isalam to be given full refugee status in the UK, after his friends were murdered because of their sexuality. Sharia courts are based on tough Islamic infused law, and dole out the death by stoning penalty for what are viewed as serious crimes that are often linked to sexuality and "morality". Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~--> $4.98 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything. http://us.click.yahoo.com/Q7_YsB/neXJAA/yQLSAA/WfTolB/TM ~-> Group Site: http://www.gaybombay.info == NEW CLASSIFIEDS SECTION SEEKING FRIENDS? VISIT www.gaybombay.info click on classified section and type your message in the post section once the link opens This message was posted to the gay_bombay Yahoo! Group. Responses to messages (by clicking "Reply") will also be posted on the eGroup and sent to all members. If you'd like to respond privately to the author of any message then please compose and send a new email message to the author's email address. For Parties and evenets go to: http://calendar.yahoo.com/YYY,04497/srt,0/gaybombaygroup/?v=42&POS= Post:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Digest Mode:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] No Mail Mode:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Individual Mail Mode:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Contact Us:- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archives are at http://www.mail-archive.com/gay_bombay%40yahoogroups.com/maillist.html Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gay_bombay/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
