gayNEWS: F.D.A. Easing Ban on Gays, to Let Some Give Blood

Interesting news coming out of the FDA just before Christmas. Some gay men (those who have NOT had sex with another male in the last 12 months) will now be able to donate blood. This is a huge shift from the previous lifetime ban for all gay men that has been in place since the early days of the AIDS epidemic in 1983.

"Ics-codablock-blood-bag sample" by ICSident - eigenes Bildmaterial.
Licensed under GFDL via Wikimedia Commons

This issue is being promoted as a rights issue... gay men should have the right to donate blood, just as heterosexuals do. And there is point to be made that monogamous gay men having protected sex are less likely to contract HIV than a heterosexual who sleeps around. But, ultimately, the recipient of the blood donation doesn't want ANY chance of receiving a contaminated supply and that burden falls squarely on the organizations collecting and testing each donation and not on the sexual orientation of the donor. That said, ALL people should be willing to remove themselves as potential donors if there is any chance of them contaminating the supply. It's the honorable and right thing to do.

Here's a snippet from the New York Times article...

"While the burden of H.I.V. in the United States falls disproportionately on gay and bisexual men — Mr. Cahill cited estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that two-thirds of an estimated 50,000 new H.I.V. infections in the United States each year occur among men who have sex with men — the vast majority of gay and bisexual men are not H.I.V. positive."

The FDA calculates that these changes to the policy "could add about 317,000 pints of blood to the nation’s supply annually, an increase of 2 percent to 4 percent."

So is this new policy the FDA's Christmas present to the gay community or did they try and bury the story by releasing it at the peak of the Christmas frenzy?

Here's the full article from the New York Times.

gayNEWS... Gay Couple Accused of Sexually Abusing Several Adopted Children

From the Huffington Post...

George Harasz And Douglas Wirth, Gay Couple, Face Trial For Alleged Sexual Abuse Of Foster Sons

"Harasz, 48, was charged with sexual assault in the first degree, two counts of injury to a minor, aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault in the third degree and cruelty to persons. Wirth, 43, was charged with sexual assault in the third degree and injury to a minor."

Learn More at the Huffington Post...

gayNEWS... Ric Alba's Huffington Post Interview

Ric Alba, former bassist with the Altar Boys (whom I interviewed for Stained Glass Rainbows) was recently interviewed by Bert Montgomery. Here's the print interview that appeared over at The Huffington Post... Faith, Self-Discovery and Christian Music: An Interview with Ex-Altar Boy Ric Alba

And here's a SOUNDbite from my interview with Ric for Stained Glass Rainbows... SOUNDbite... Ric Alba

gayNEWS... National Cathedral & Same-Sex Weddings

Now that Gay Marriage has been legalized in Maryland, the Associated Press is reporting that the National Cathedral will begin performing same-sex weddings... 

To quote the article...

"Official Episcopal law still defines marriage as between a man an a woman, so the cathedral says it will be performing weddings that combine civil marriage ceremonies under local law with a blessing from the church. They will use the new language approved for same-sex couples instead of the marriage ceremony from the Book of Common Prayer."


READ MORE...
FAMOUS CHURCH'S BELLS TO RING FOR SAME-SEX COUPLES

I would imagine that this will cause Shirley Phelps-Roper and her friends from Westboro Baptist to return to the DC area for another protest. I captured great conversations for Stained Glass Rainbows with her and her colleagues at a previous protest at the National Cathedral outside of Washington, D.C.

Shirley Phelps-Roper protesting in front of the National Cathedral 

America is Doomed

You're Going To Hell

The Youth of America Speak Out

gayNEWS: Lesbian-Raised Zach Wahls Speaks About Family

Mariana Bell, one of the talented musicians who submitted music for the Stained Glass Rainbows Music Quest (and survived Round One of the cuts) posted a link on her Facebook account to this video.

Zach Wahls, is a University of Iowa student who spoke about being raised by lesbians during a public forum on House Joint Resolution 6 in the Iowa House of Representatives. Wahls opposed House Joint Resolution 6 which ultimately passed the Iowa House on February 1st, 2011.

UPDATE: This resolution proposed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Iowa. After being passed in the House it went to the Iowa Senate and is expected to remain active through the current legislative session. Same-sex marriage became legal in Iowa on April 3rd, 2009 and remains so as of this posting (1 DEC 2011).



During the making of Stained Glass Rainbows, I've interviewed many people that are for same-sex marriage and many people who are against it. Some consider it a states rights issue, while others want the battle taken up on the national stage. What do you say? Pro/Con? State/Federal? Marriage/Civil Union?

gayNEWS... PCUSA Ordains First Gay Minister

It only took 20 years for the Presbyterian denomination (PCUSA) that Scott Anderson resigned from when he came out as a gay man to welcome him back into church leadership.

To quote Bob Dylan... "For the times they are a-changin'."

Scott's most interesting quote in the article is this... "And I give thanks for those who disagree with what we're doing today yet who know that we are one in Jesus Christ."

READ MORE... http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/08/us-presbyterian-church-ordains-first-gay-minister/

gayNEWS: Lesbians 11-Year-Old Adopted Son to become a Girl

The lesbian parents of an 11-year-old boy who is undergoing the process of becoming a girl last night defended the decision, claiming it was better for a child to have a sex change when young.

Thomas Lobel, who now calls himself Tammy, is undergoing controversial hormone blocking treatment in Berkeley, California to stop him going through puberty as a boy.

But Pauline Moreno and Debra Lobel warn that children with gender identity disorder forced to postpone transitioning could face a higher risk of suicide.

READ MORE of this article at MailOnline...

gayNEWS: Gay Teen Suicide: Are Christians Culpable?

The wave of gay teen suicide continues. This past week, 14 year-old Jamey Rodemeyer from Buffalo, New York became the most recent gay teen to take his life. (Or at least the most recent one that was covered extensively by the national media).


Here are a couple of quotes (reported in a Washington Post article) that had been posted online prior to Jamey's death...

“JAMIE IS STUPID, GAY, FAT ANND UGLY. HE MUST DIE!”

“I wouldn't care if you died. No one would. So just do it :) It would make everyone WAY more happier!”

The media & bloggers are also widely reporting that Lady Gaga has been using Jamie's death as a platform to speak out against gay bullying. Here are three of her recent tweets...

"Jamey Rodemeyer, 14 yrs old, took his life because of bullying. Bullying must become be illegal. It is a hate crime."

"The past days I’ve spent reflecting, crying, and yelling. I have so much anger. It is hard to feel love when cruelty takes someones life."

"I am meeting with our President. I will not stop fighting. This must end. Our generation has the power to end it."

Do Christians help create an environment that promotes gay teen bullying? A Facebook friend posted a link to this video today.

gayNEWS: Public School Punishes Boy for Opposing Homosexuality

An honors student in Fort Worth, TX, was sent to the principal’s office and punished for telling a classmate that he believes homosexuality is wrong.

Student Suspended for Saying Gay Is Wrong: MyFoxDFW.com

FOXNEWS: Read the full story...