(UPDATE: I’ve removed the link in the first paragraph for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. The event is for real, but they are obviously having problems with the web site.) Today is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, and also the day Human Rights Watch released their annual LGBT Rights: The 2013 [...]
About Joyce Arnold
Liberally Independent, Queer Talk beat, equality activist, writer.Author Archive | Joyce Arnold
Results of West, Texas Investigation
Late this afternoon federal authorities announced the results of their West, Texas investigation, to this point. The Texas fire and explosion of the West Fertilizer Company plant happened on April 17th. Local station KCEN TV carried the press conference that included representatives of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms spoke. As expected, the origin of the [...]
Queer Talk: Marriage Equality Support in AZ, MI, VA
A recent Gallup Poll shows that support for marriage equality continues to increase across the nation, while state polls also show growing support, including in AZ, MI, VA, (Arizona, Michigan and Virginia). While not alone, those three states show significant swings. In general, as the Gallup Poll report headlines, “Same-Sex Marriage Support Solidifies Above 50% [...]
Food Stamp Cuts Approved by House Agriculture Committee
Yesterday the House Agricultural Committee approved a farm bill that included, according to NPR, cutting the food stamp program by $2.5 billion a year. Both those supporting this cut (primarily Republicans) and those opposing (primarily Democrats) quoted the Christian Bible, including from the New Testament book of Matthew, “When I was hungry you gave me [...]
Tornadoes In Texas Kill 6 [Video]
According to the Dallas Morning News, tornadoes kill at least six people in North Texas, with fatalities occurring in Granbury. One video of the Granbury tornado is below. (You might want to turn your volume down.) Granbury, where the deaths occurred, also saw dozens of injuries and significant property destruction. At a press conference Thursday [...]
Queer Talk: “Selling Homosexuality to Kids”
Linda Harvey of Mission America recently claimed that various entities are selling homosexuality to kids, or as Right Wing Watch put it, identifying one of the “sellers” of homosexuality, “Gay news sites trick kids into becoming gay.” I thought I should warn you about that in particular, since Harvey includes other websites “sympathetic to the [...]
Queer Talk: UN Anti-Homophobia Video
From the Human Rights Office of the UN, a new anti-homophobia message, by way of a video. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) represents the world’s commitment to universal ideals of human dignity. We have a unique mandate from the international community to promote and protect all human rights. [...]
Queer Talk: Minnesota Senate Approves Marriage Equality, Governor to Sign
As expected, and via the live feed at The Uptake, this afternoon the Minnesota Senate (37-30) joined the House (75 to 59) in approving marriage equality. Governor Mark Dayton has said he’ll sign tomorrow. Minnesota thus becomes the 12th state, plus the District of Columbia, to provide marriage equality. Same-sex couples can begin marrying in [...]
Guns Don’t Kill Kids, Kids Kill Kids? [Video]
Reading “A Rifle Designed for Kids” at The Daily Banter made me wonder: Can the often used, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” line be reworded to reflect one subheading of such killing – “Guns don’t kill kids, kids kill kids”? That feels as if I may be going “too far,” that maybe it’s [...]
Queer Talk: Full Equality is the Goal
Marriage equality is the current enormous focus of the bigger goal of full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and via TPM, one response from Thursday’s pro-marriage equality vote in Minnesota reveals something about why the goal of equality is broader than marriage. After the bill passed, state Rep. Peggy Scott (R) said: [...]
Joe Biden and Al Gore on KXL
VP Joe Biden (at Buzzfeed) and former VP Al Gore (at Price of Oil) have both recently opposed KXL, TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline. Biden’s comment was to a Sierra Club member on a ropeline in South Carolina. His office quickly said his position really hasn’t changed, and he awaits the results of the State Department [...]
Ted Cruz: “Republican Crush,” Democrat’s “Face” of Opposition Choice
At Taking Points Memo, Brian Beutler writes, “Meet Democrats’ Newest Republican Crush: Ted Cruz?!?!” At the Dallas Morning News, Wayne Slater writes that Obama’s trip to Texas today is to “make Ted Cruz-Republicans the face of Washington opposition.” Both, I’d guess, are accurate. From Beutler, at TPM: (Democrats) distaste for his (Cruz) antics and his [...]
Queer Talk: Minnesota One Step Closer to Marriage Equality
The Minnesota House just passed a bill which brings the state one step closer to marriage equality. Expectations are that the Senate will vote by Saturday, where passage is anticipated. Gov. Mark Dayton says he’ll sign it. If that happens, marriage equality will go into effect August 1. The vote was 75 to 59. One [...]
Big Money’s Obama or Obama’s Big Money?
The fact is, of course, that the two questions point to the same thing: Obama’s big money and Big Money’s Obama (as Vice.com put it) are both descriptive of the same big, bipartisan election / governance system that to a very significant extent runs our nation. From Matt Taylor, at Vice: Last week, in an [...]
Queer Talk: Texas “Governor for a Day” Delivers Pro-LGBT Speech [Video]
As president pro tempore of the Texas Senate, San Antonio Democratic Sen. Leticia Van de Putte received the ceremonial honor of being sworn in as “Governor for the Day,” and she used the opportunity to deliver a pro-LGBT message. The words – 3 minutes, 25 seconds; check out the video below – were not “ceremonial,” [...]
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