Christus Vox

Transexualising Jesus?

nobody@vox.com(ed) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:10:22 -0800

“About 300 protesters held a candlelit protest outside a Glasgow theatre over the staging of a play which portrays Jesus as a transsexual. The protest was held outside the Tron Theatre, where Jesus Queen of Heaven, in which Christ is a man who wants to become a woman, is being staged. It is part of the Glasgay! arts festival, a celebration of Scotland's gay, bi-sexual and transsexual culture.” [source] Though I’m officially a catholic – even though I’ve given the ‘roman’ prefix an irreverent boot for their playing ‘bourgeois socialist’ in global affairs – I’m not overly concerned about the portrayal of Jesus as a transsexual. After all, if God made man in his image, and if the overuse of ‘man’ and ‘his’ in biblical texts is due to the patriarchal state of affairs wherein it is made sense of, than it would be more true to say that God made WO/man in HER/is image wouldn’t it? Therefore, God might simply be a hermaphrodite, at least insofar as we are to literally appreciate the phrase, ‘God made wo/man in her/is image’.

http://www.according2ed.com/2009/11/transexualising-jesus.html

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according2ed: Was Jesus a 'Leftie'?

nobody@vox.com(ed) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:10:52 -0800

Most certainly. That is why I saw nothing amiss with Chavez proclaiming Jesus as the ‘greatest socialist in history’ during his inauguration as el presidente of Venezuela – though whether he lives up to the ideals of his spiritual mentor is another matter altogether.

http://www.according2ed.com/2009/11/was-jesus-leftie.html

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The Political Meaning Of Easter By Jim Rigby

nobody@vox.com(Chezz - C'Tack!) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:34:53 -0700

Even in progressive churches that challenge the political and theological orthodoxy, Easter is a day many people want to find comfort in the traditions of Christianity -- a special day for putting on one's sharpest-looking outfit for church and the family gathering. But especially on Easter I feel called to preach in a way that reminds us that if we take the text and our tradition seriously, we will be uncomfortable in our imperial society.

http://www.countercurrents.org/rigby080409.htm

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Christians, Resurrections And Revolutions By Eileen Fleming

nobody@vox.com(Chezz - C'Tack!) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:07:16 -0700

08 April, 2009Countercurrents.org "You may be an ambassador to England or FranceYou may be a state trooper, you might be a young TurkYou may be the head of some big TV networkYou may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome. You might own guns and you might even own tanksyou might even own banks. But you're gonna have to serve somebody. Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord , but yes indeed you're gonna have to serve somebody." -Bob Dylan, 1979. In the March/April 2008 edition of Tikkun Magazine, Walter Wink, Professor emeritus of Auburn Theological Seminary, pondered upon what happened to Jesus and his disciples: "No two resurrection accounts in the four Gospels are alike. At the core of all these accounts is the simple testimony: we experienced Jesus as aliveThe resurrection appearances did not take place in the temple before thousands of worshipers, but in the privacy of homes or cemeteries. They did not occur before religious authorities, but to the disciples hiding from those authorities. "What happened was every bit as real as any other event, only it was not historically observableThough skeptics might interpret what the disciples experienced as a mass hallucination, the experience itself cannot be deniedwhat may have happened: the very image of God was altered by the sheer force of Jesus being. God would never be the same. Jesus had indelibly imprinted the divineIn Jesus God took on humanity, furthering the evolution revealed in Ezekiel's vision of Yahweh on the throne in "the likeness, as it were, of a human form." -Ezek. 1:26. "Something also happened to the disciples. They experienced the most essential aspect of Jesus as remaining with them after his deathafter his resurrection, to interpret the unleashing of those powers [to heal, preach, and cast out demons] in themselves, [was] as if Jesus himself had taken residence in their heartsIn their preaching they extended his critique of domination. They continued his life by advancing his mission. They persisted in proclaiming the domination-free order of God inaugurated by Jesus." [1] When Jesus quoted the psalmist, "I said, you are gods: you are all children of the Most High God" he not only agitated the temple teachers of the law, he challenged state authorities by equating all people as sisters and brothers and co-equals with Cesar. It has been said, tell me your politics and I will know who your god/God is: A god of war, or the God of peace? A god of injustice, or the God of justice? A god who seeks vengeance or the God of compassionate mercy? A god of violent retaliation or the God of nonviolence? When we who claim to be Christian learn of and worship the God Jesus illuminated; the God of peace and nonviolence, not the god of state or nation, we will be a person who seeks peace by pursuing justice and remain physically nonviolent, but never silent. Jesus was NEVER a Christian; the term 'Christian' was not even coined until the days of Paul, about 3 decades after Jesus/AKA: The Prince of Peace walked the earth and taught that it is the peacemakers who are the children of God, NOT those that bomb, occupy or torture others. 2,000 years ago The Cross had NO symbolic religious meaning and was not a piece of jewelry. When JC said: "Pick up your cross and follow me" everyone THEN understood he was issuing a POLITICAL statement, for the main roads into Jerusalem were lined with crucified agitators, rebels, dissidents and any who disturbed the status quo of the Roman Empire and Military Occupying Forces. Jesus, while never a Christian, was a social, justice, radical revolutionary Palestinian devout Jewish road warrior who rose up against the corrupt Temple authorities and challenged their job security by teaching the people they did NOT need to pay the priests for ritual baths or sacrificing livestock to be OK with God; for God LOVED them just as they were: Sinners, poor, diseased, outcasts, widows, orphans, refugees and prisoners all living under the Roman Empire and Military Occupation. What got JC crucified was disturbing the status quo of the Roman Empire and Occupying Forces by teaching the subversive concept that God preferred the humble sinner, the poor, diseased, outcasts, widows, orphans, refugees and prisoners all living under the Roman Empire and Military Occupation above the elite and arrogant. The early followers and lovers of Jesus were called members of THE WAY-being THE WAY he taught one should be and that his sisters and brothers were those that DID the will of the Father: "What does God require? He has told you o'man! Be just, be merciful, and walk humbly with your Lord." -Micah 6:8 "Everyone in the world knows that Jesus and his teachings were non-violent: except Christians." -Gandhi Jesus has been accused of being a pacifist, but his nonviolent responses to evil were never passive! Turning the other cheek when struck is the sublime response to resist violence by disarming the attacker by maintaining the highest ground: self-controlled nonviolence. "In the nations in which Christianity has predominated, Jesus' teaching on nonviolence has been perverted into injunctions to passive nonresistance, whichis the very opposite of active nonviolenceJesus always resisted evilThe Greek word translated as resist [antistenai], is literally to stand [stenai] against/anti. "The correct translation is given in the new Scholars Bible: Don't react violently against the one who is evil. The meaning is clear: don't react in kind, don't mirror your enemy, and don't turn into the very thing you hate. Jesus is not telling us not to resist evil, but only not to resist it violently." [2] Programs of practical nonviolent responses to the evil that is violence have been articulated since the days of Hebrew midwives, Jainism, Buddhism, Jesus, St. Francis of Assisi, Gandhi, Martin Luther King and the Muslim Badshah Khan. Jesus vented his righteous wrath when ever confronted with hypocrisy by being outspokenly courageous, aggressive and sarcastically witty. He also was always gentle with humble sinners, children, misfits, outcasts, cripples, diseased, widows, orphans, prisoners, refugees and preferred to spend his time alone in prayer or in the company of regular people. Legend has it that President Bush got a message from God to go and bomb Baghdad. I contend that had he meditated/thought upon what his self-proclaimed favorite philosopher-Jesus-actually taught and modeled, he would have changed course. A few months after America began to bomb Baghdad, President Bush granted an interview with a TV reporter who asked had he prayed for Saddam Hussein before bombing his country. Bush looked like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights, stuttered some and then admitted he had not. Jesus was very clear that one must pray for, forgive and bless/do good towards one's enemies. One's enemies can teach one more about oneself than listening to one's own voice. Jesus warned the adults of his time to never do anything that would cause harm to children. USA sanctions on Iraq before 2005 had already killed nearly a million people- over half of them children under five. There is nothing about Jesus' life and teachings that can support the anti-democratic dictatorships and State in the Middle East, some of which would collapse without benefit of American foreign policy and USA tax dollars. No pretext, rationale or spin can change the fact that Jesus would never condone violence, no matter who wears the uniform or how noble one believes their cause; not for mom, apple pie, democracy or Zionism, would Jesus say it was OK to wage war that terrorize children and all innocent beings. It will take an evolutionary step-a transformation of hearts and minds to stop the cycle of violence, and the only force that can defeat that evil, is by NOT mirroring it. Jesus called us to love all our neighbors, to show compassion toward everyone, to seek justice for the poor, to forgive our enemies, to put down the sword and take up the cross of struggle for justice and peace. Jesus laid down our life and calls his followers to risk theirs for love of God in all of humanity, and that includes our enemies. Jesus' death on a cross said: enough! This violence against another life ends with my broken body. But, many did not know what they were doing, because they did not know god was already within all themselves and every other, for all are gods; all are children of the Most High God. Jesus might call it a blasphemy what is spun as "collateral damage" for human kind was created in the image of the Divine. The command remains "thou shall not kill" and the promise he gave was that the peacemakers are the daughters and sons of The Lord. "We live in a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants, in a world that has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. We have solved the mystery of the atom and forgotten the lessons of the Sermon on The Mount. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about dying than we know about living." - General Omar Nelson Bradley, Armistice Day, 1948. About 2,000 years ago, when Christ was about 33, he hiked up a hill and sat down under an olive tree and began to teach the people; "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven." In other words: it is those who know their own spiritual poverty, their own limitations and sins honestly and trust God loves them in spite of themselves who already live in the Kingdom of God. How comforted we will all be, when we see, we haven't got a clue, as to the depth and breadth of pure love and mercy of The Divine Mystery of The Universe. God's name in ancient Aramaic is Abba which means Daddy as much as Mommy and He/She: The Lord has said, "My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not yours." -Isaiah 55:8 Christ proclaimed more: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." The essence of meek is to be patient with ignorance, slow to anger and never hold a grudge. In other words: how comforted you will be when you also know humility; when you know yourself, the good and the bad, for both cut through every human heart. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be filled." In other words: how comforted you will be when your greatest desire is to do what "God requires, and he has already told you what that is; BE JUST, BE MERCIFUL and walk humbly with your Lord."-Micah 6:8 "Blessed are the merciful, they will be shown mercy." In other words: how comforted you will all be when you choose to return only kindness to your 'enemy.' "For with the measure you measure against another, it will be measured back to you" Christ warns his disciples as he explains the law of karma in Luke 6:27-38. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they see God." In other words: how comforted you will be when you WAKE UP and see God is already within you, within every man, every woman and every child. The Supreme Being is everywhere, the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. Beyond The Universe -and yet so small; within the heart of every atom. "Blessed are The Peacemakers: THEY shall be called the children of God." And what a wonderful world it would be when we all seek peace by pursuing justice; for there can be none without the other. "Blessed are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires, theirs is The Kingdom of Heaven." And one fine day the lion will lie down with The Lamb and man will make war no more and that is the Kingdom of God. "I said you are gods: you are children of the Most High God."-Psalm 82:6. When we come to that evolutionary realization-as Jesus had-no way would we, could we wage war, harm children or remain silent in the face of injustice, oppression or hypocrisy. "You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome. You might own guns and you might even own tanksyou might even own banks. But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed you're gonna have to serve somebody. Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord. But you're gonna have to serve somebody."-Bob Dylan, 1979. Imagine what a transformed world it would be, if every Christian would ponder upon just who their Jesus is, just what god/God do they serve. That would be revolutionary! "If enough Christians followed the gospel, they could bring any state to its knees." -Father Philip Francis Berrigan 1. http://www.spiritualprogressives.org /article.php/20090402223955947

http://www.countercurrents.org/fleming080409.htm

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Pope 'distorting condom science' - hmmm

nobody@vox.com(ed) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:20:05 -0700

Speaking during his first visit to Africa, the Pope said HIV/Aids was "a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which can even increase the problem".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7967173.stm

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I want to be a full Israeli citizen.

nobody@vox.com(Chezz - C'Tack!) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:42:06 -0800

NAZARETH, ISRAEL // When Israel’s 18th parliament opens today, there will be only one Arab woman among its intake of legislators. Haneen Zoubi has made history: although she is not the first Arab woman to enter the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, she is the first to be elected for an Arab party. Sitting in her home in Nazareth, the effective capital of Israel’s 1.2 million Palestinian citizens, she is dismissive of her predecessors, two women elected on behalf of Zionist parties. “They were worse than decorations,” she said. “Decorations don’t do any harm, but these women damaged our society. They were no role models at all.” Ms Zoubi, 39, a representative of the Tajamu Party, known for its Palestinian nationalist platform, has already shown she will not be following in their path. On a recent induction day for Knesset members, she made headlines locally when she pointed out to an official who repeatedly referred to “the territories” that he meant “the occupied Palestinian territories”. Her election is not Ms Zoubi’s only pioneering moment. She was the first Palestinian citizen to graduate from a media studies course in Israel, at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and she established the first media classes in Arab schools. For the past six years she has headed an organisation exposing Israeli media bias. Her priority now, she said, is to advance both the cause of the fifth of the country’s population who are Palestinians, commonly referred to as “Israeli Arabs”, and the cause of Palestinian women in Israel. “I don’t want to become the Knesset address for Arab women’s issues. I need to raise the interest of the men in my party on women’s issues, not allow their interest to wane because they can dump the issue on me.” But she said she does represent a demand among the minority’s women for change and political involvement. “Women congratulate me in the street. Even women I know who are usually supporters of the Islamic movement or who were planning to boycott the election because of [Israel’s recent attack on] Gaza came and told me they voted for me.” Alongside her will be nine male Arab party legislators: two from Tajamu, four from an Islamic party and three from the Communist party. A remaining one is Jewish. They will be facing the most hostile Knesset in history. Of the parliament’s 120 members, at least 65 are classified as belonging to the right and far-right and may yet form a governing coalition. Avigdor Lieberman’s party, Yisrael Beiteinu, which threatens to strip Israel’s Palestinians of citizenship unless they pledge loyalty to a Jewish state, has 15 seats. One of the National Union’s four legislators, Michael Ben-Ari, a former member of an outlawed anti-Arab terrorist group, is appointing two extremist settlers from Hebron as parliamentary aides. “In a proper state, Lieberman’s programme would be declared illegal. But the real concern is not his platform but that it has been legitimised by the main Zionist parties,” including Kadima, whose leader is Tzipi Livni, and the Likud Party of Benjamin Netanyahu, who is attempting to cobble together a ruling coalition. Tajamu is almost universally despised by Jewish legislators. Its founder, Azmi Bishara, is living in exile after he was accused of treason over the 2006 Lebanon war; its officials are hounded by the secret police, the Shin Bet; and, as in other recent elections, Zionist parties attempted to bar Tajamu from running. The courts overruled the move. Ms Zoubi said she will not be fazed. “The Knesset is always hostile to Arab Knesset members and we are well used to their racist language. Even the building shows us we are not welcome. Everywhere there are Jewish symbols – from the Star of David on the flag to the menorahs – that we as Palestinians cannot identify with.” Like other Palestinian citizens, she has watched the TV news bulletins showing Jewish legislators, even cabinet ministers, shouting down Arab legislators in the Knesset chamber and having them ejected. The racist discourse that lies behind Knesset debates is a concern, she said. “It is frustrating and exhausting having always to be on the defensive about why I identify as a Palestinian, why I am not a Zionist, why the Jewish state is not democratic and cannot represent me, why I am entitled to citizenship. It is a Sisyphean labour.” The party’s platform – developed by Mr Bishara – is to reform Israel from a Jewish state into a “state of all its citizens”, a programme now advocated by all the Arab parties. “The Jewish public don’t like self-confident, unapologetic Arabs, which is why Azmi was always feared. But actually I think there is a base of support even among Jews for reforming Israel into a proper democracy, maybe as much as 30 per cent.” She hopes that her election – by breaking one of Jewish society’s stereotypes about the Palestinian public – may start to win over more Israeli Jews to the party’s programme. In the meantime, she said, Tajamu will work to oppose confiscation of Arab land and house demolitions, and demand proper infrastructure in the minority’s communities, as well as have their educational and economic rights recognised. But she is critical of the Palestinian minority’s dominant political demand for many decades: equality. “The struggle solely for equality treats me as a number, it reduces me to part of a mathematical formula. It ignores my history, identity and narrative as a Palestinian. I want to be a full Israeli citizen, but it must not come at the expense of my people’s collective rights to an identity and a past.”

http://www.jkcook.net/Articles2/0374.htm#Top

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Catholic paper defies Malaysian ban on use of ‘Allah’

nobody@vox.com(ed) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:02:55 -0800

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 21 – Catholic newspaper Herald has defied a ban on using the word “Allah” as a translation for “God”, in a row with the government, which has earlier threatened to close the weekly publication.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/16408-catholic-paper-defies-ban-on-use-of-allah

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La Beauté de l'art...

nobody@vox.com(regardlese) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:12:41 -0800

http://imagomundi.vox.com/library/post/la-beaut%C3%A9-de-lart.html

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Jesus or Allah?

nobody@vox.com(Connie) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:39:18 -0700

How is it that God spent such a great deal of time to preserve and save the children of Israel (long before Mohammed) and then ended up giving it all to the Arabs? And then telling the Arabs to kill the Infidel Jews? The truth is HE DIDN'T and this book explains what happened.

http://www.dream-link.org/spiritualthings/JesusorAllah.htm

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A Letter to Louise - A Biblical Affirmation of Homosexuality

nobody@vox.com(Chezz - C'Tack!) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:57:23 -0800

Shortly after I had gone from the seminary to my first pastorate in 1948, Louise invited my wife, Anna Marie, and me to have Sunday dinner with her family. She has been one of our dearest friends ever since. Recently, during one of the many visits we have had since then she said to me “My brother hates God because God made him gay, and he knows he is going to hell, and I do, too, for that is what the Bible says.” At that time I had only some suppositions - quite negative - about homosexuality and had never thought it needed study. But her words made me want to know as much as I could learn. When I began reading I soon realized things about myself I now deplore: I was ignorant of the many facts about homosexuality and what the Bible says about it. Yet, without facts, I had pre-judged it; I was prejudiced. With little thought I had read into the Bible what I presumed it ought to say instead of reading out of it what it did say. My idea of not needing to study the subject was pure anti-intellectualism. I am now grateful to God that He led me to study. I read some two score books, most by eminent sociologists, psychologists and theologians. Then I wrote this letter to Louise, reflecting what I have come to believe is the truth about homosexuality, what the Bible says and what God wants us to think and do about it. Now I want others to study seriously this matter of such importance to many lives and many churches and denominations. I asked for and received Louise’s permission to share her letter with others. I pray it may be helpful. Bruce W. Lowe, January 2002

http://www.godmademegay.com/

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Lawrence “Larry” King a teen was shot to death for being gay

nobody@vox.com(Chezz - C'Tack!) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:10:20 -0800

By Tanene Allison February 27, 2008 Lawrence “Larry” King was shot to death and the media thought that you didn’t need to know about it. Larry, as you might have now learned, was fifteen and in his junior high school computer lab when Brandon McInerney, 14, followed through on a previously declared threat and shot King. The mainstream media apparently didn’t think that you needed to know that King had recently come out as gay and had started to wear lipstick, mascara, earrings, and a pair of particularly fierce high heeled boots. The first LA Times article on the shooting made no reference to Larry’s sexual orientation, or his manner of dress. When the mainstream media first reported the murder, it was stated that the violence stemmed from a “personal dispute” between the two boys. In contrast, ten years ago, the first AP story on Matthew Sheppard’s assault included information about his sexual orientation, a fact that had played a role in his victim status. Youth groups across the country began holding marches in King’s honor. Details of his death was spread virally on youth-dominated, Facebook. Queer media outlets bubbled over with coverage of the story. The mainstream media remained silent. Only now, two weeks after King’s murder, is the mainstream media providing coverage of the story. All of those who did not cover the story when it was, well, news, are now covering how it was a story no one else covered either. Anderson Cooper, wrote in his blog: “Tonight… we are focusing on a story that hasn’t received the attention it deserves…According to many accounts, he had been bullied repeatedly, and some parents have even claimed students knew of threats to Lawrence’s life. At this point it doesn’t seem clear how much school officials knew of the bullying, but a full investigation needs to be done. If this had been an African-American student bullied by a teenage skinhead, would it have received more attention? “Would school officials have taken it more seriously if it had been a Christian campus leader attacked by another student because of his/her religious beliefs? I don’t have the answers to those questions, but I do think they are worth asking.” All good questions, and I’m grateful they’re being asked, but where was Cooper two weeks ago? Not that Cooper is alone in his delay. It took the two Democratic candidates for President thirteen days to release comments on King’s death. The New York Times took four days before running an AP snippet on the murder, and eleven days before they wrote their first story. MTV News, a leader in coverage of youth issues, ran its first story on King nine days after the murder. You get the idea. I bring this all up because these are indeed questions to which there are no easy answers. It is not a new concept that violence against the queer community is often seen as a non-story. And yet, despite temptation to declare this mainstream silence as a blatant expression of homophobia, I believe it’s more complicated than just that. As a journalist who presently works in a position where it is my job to notice civil rights stories the media is ignoring, and to seek appropriate coverage, this case particularly stood out for me. Despite my daily intake of large amounts of newsfeeds, I also first learned of this story via a friend’s Facebook post. Although this particular story falls outside of the purview of my job, I began emailing various journalist friends to figure out what was going on with their silence. These email exchanges quickly produced no real answers. In an exchange with one of my most queer-friendly, mainstream media pals, no answers were found to the question of the silence. It was almost as if the institutional hindrances to seeing this as a story were so thick that they were impossible to define. I asked my journalist source why the story hadn’t received the coverage it deserves. She said she didn’t really know, but likely the large shooting outside of Chicago was simply seen as a larger story. I pointed out that King was shot and two news cycles went by before the Illinois shooting. I pointed out that it was hard not to see shades of homophobia in the media not seeing King’s death as a big story. She wrote back that a boy wearing women’s clothing is exactly the type of thing the media would love to make a story out of. I replied that regardless of that assumption, the lack of coverage would say otherwise. This went on for a number of rounds. Our exchange ended with her agreeing to research the story a bit more, and with her asking if I had contacts for King’s friends and family. I had to point out that I wasn’t inquiring to pitch her for my work; that I was merely an upset citizen, trying to make sense of the silence. Her news organization took days more before they ran their first piece of coverage. That “Mainstream Media” is made up of endless such folks, people who cared about the story, who engaged in private exchanges about it. And yet, and yet, the coverage remained absent. I believe that we know the answer to Anderson Cooper’s questions. Yes. Yes, the death of Queer folks earns less mainstream outrage. (Has anyone heard of Simmie “Beyonce” Williams Jr.? Another feminine dressing, out-as-gay, young male of color, who was murdered this last weekend? Or Senesha Steward, who was killed in early February? It also deserves to be examined what role the races of these youth played in the lack of coverage their murders were given.) Yes, such crimes tend to be taken less seriously. What I don’t know is why. Why the impenetrable silence on this story, when reporters in numerous organizations agree that it was always a story worth covering? And perhaps even more bizarrely, why the sudden onrush of belated coverage? Why is it now popular for the mainstream media to cover how unpopular it was for the mainstream media to cover King’s death in the weeks after it first occurred? Lawrence King is dead. And were it not for groups of hurt and angry young people, none of us may have ever heard King’s name. Whether the mainstream media agrees or not, that fact is something worth our attention. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. * Digg * del.icio.us * Reddit * StumbleUpon * Technorati * Fark * Facebook * NewsVine * YahooMyWeb Filed under: Crime, Culture, News 3 Responses to “Why the mainstream media doesn’t care about the murder of gay teens” 1. Shams, on February 28th, 2008 at 1:31 pm Said: As a member of the MSM also, and as someone who did not hear about the story until it appeared in the magazine that I work for, I think the response time lagged for a couple of reasons, none of them involving homophobia. 1) King is a racial/ethnic minority. Racial/ethnic minorities do not attract the MSM’s attention as much as attractive white people do, period. Race/perceived race/nationality, I believe, trump homophobia in the newsroom in terms of attracting coverage. Look at all the young Latinas and Asian and black women who were pregnant and killed by lovers during the time that Lacy Peterson was big, big news (like every week/day news). They were all ignored, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Minority women (gay, straight, bi, etc), transwomen and teenaged girls are always ignored when they go missing like Natalee Holloway. I am convinced this had more to do with Lawrence King’s race than with his sexuality/gender identity. Newsrooms in the mainstream media are almost completely devoid of ethnic-looking Spanish-speaking Americans and other minority groups in this country, so when they’re looking for a story, the editors are looking for a story about themselves. Period. This is obviously a problem, but it’s a negligence problem, not malicious avoidance. I know that in my newsroom, there are a lot of people looking and searching specifically for stories about people in the queer/two spirit communities. Myself included. We are on a personal as well as an editorial mission to broaden our scope and to get our own community represented. 2) His family situation is complicated. He was a ward of the state. When you have a child killed that was in foster care, there are a number of legal difficulties to writing a story about that child. End of story. I’m sure that this took a lot of time to work through. And that may have had some effect on the way it was reported initially. For instance, after the shooting, it became clear to most observers that it was a hate crime. But you’re dealing with a suspect who is a minor, who is not convicted or even charged. You cannot say that he “committed a hate crime” or that it is “an apparent hate crime.” Your sources in the police department can say that, but to print it, is slander until the DA charges him with a hate crime. Until someone is charged, you can’t speculate on the motive. Until someone is convicted, you cannot say that they “committed” anything. There are a lot of legal and logistical things that go on in mainstream newsrooms that the blogging and online community do not have to deal with. Whether they turn out to be positive hurdles or negative hurdles has yet to be determined and is the subject of much debate (ie. how do we get the story in the book as fast as possible without putting ourselves in a legally risky position? How do we report out a story that involves speculation and underage criminality and a legal guardianship that respects privacy?) Before blaming the MSM for being slow in its response due to something as charged as homophobia or outright racism, think about other possibilities of unintentional negligence (never a good thing, I admit), legal difficulties and barriers to finding out information. Blogs can print speculation. The Wall Street Journal cannot. 2. Bob Zuley, on February 28th, 2008 at 3:39 pm Said: February 25, 2008 BY NEIL STEINBERG Sun-TimesColumnist Why hast thou forsaken him? A reader inquires why no one in Chicago has yet written aboutLawrence King, the Oxnard, Calif., boy who was murdered two weeks ago forthe crime of being gay. King, 15, had begun sometimes coming to class wearing makeup, acapital offense in the view of 14-year-old Brandon McInerney, who,according to police in the town north of Malibu, strode into their middleschool computer lab Feb. 12 and shot King in the head in front of twodozen classmates. “Where’s the moral outrage?” asks reader Bob Zuley, who answershis own question: “This hateful behavior is learned by a society thatcondones homophobia expressed through families that practice bigotry,churches and schools that practice exclusion, and national leaders thatfight to prevent equality and acceptance.” Sounds right to me. But is that the complete answer? One couldonce count on Chicago’s active gay community to raise an outcry oversuch matters, but they have gone quiet in recent years. I’m mystifiedas to why — perhaps the reduced lethality of the AIDS crisis haslowered the flame under gay social activism. Perhaps gays have growncomfortable and secure — a tad prematurely, perhaps, given crimes such as theone against King. Perhaps their voices are lost in the swelling informational cacophony. Religious groups are another matter. They’re always going on howthey love the sinner while loathing the sin. That said, and given how religion is responsible for much of the vacant faux moralblather that underlies hatred of gays, you’d think they’d step up after casessuch as King’s with the bold pronouncement that, vile as the sin of homosexuality is, you shouldn’t murder gays, at least not whilethey are still children. We seem to expect the entire Muslim community torise as one and publicly denounce every act committed in their faith’sname anywhere in the world. Why shouldn’t our home-grown faiths take responsibility for the fruit of their efforts? Typically, condemnation for a crime falls upon the criminal. Butwhen that criminal is a child, it is easier to see the hand ofsociety at work. Lawrence King died for your sins. 3. Bob Zuley, on February 28th, 2008 at 3:40 pm Said: . . . from the Illinois House of Representatives FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION: February 27, 2008 State Rep. Greg Harris (773) 348-3434 Greg@GregHarris.org Rep. Harris’ Statement in Response to the Murder of Lawrence King 15 year-old victim attacked due to his sexual orientation CHICAGO – I am gravely concerned about senseless acts of violence occurring across our nation. On February 12th of this year, 15 year old Lawrence King of Oxnard California was murdered by a classmate while in his school’s computer lab. Lawrence King was not a victim of the kind of random violence that has become prevalent in our nation’s schools, most recently at Northern Illinois University in my home state of Illinois; rather he was targeted because he was openly gay. He was not harming anyone, he was not threatening anyone; he was killed because he had the courage to be himself. I am outraged by this act of classroom violence and wish to make clear that intending harm against people based on their sexual orientation is, without exception, completely and totally unacceptable, as are attacks based on religion, race, ethnicity, gender or any personal characteristic. Members of the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transsexual and questioning community deserve to live their lives proudly without fear of being victimized by these despicable acts of targeted violence. I urge my colleagues across the nation to join me in condemning this act of disturbing brutality

http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2008/02/27/why-the-mainstream-mediadoesn%E2%80%99t-care-about-the-murder-of-gay-teens/

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McCain Refuses to Renounce Texas Far Right Fundie Endorsement

nobody@vox.com(Matthew 25) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 16:05:24 -0800

John McCain is refusing to renounce the endorsement of a prominent Texas televangelist who Democrats say peddles anti-Catholic and other intolerant speech. Instead, the Republican presidential candidate issued a statement Friday afternoon saying he had unspecified disagreements with the San Antonio megachurch leader, John Hagee. Hagee endorsed him at a news conference Wednesday in San Antonio.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/01/AR2008030100399.html

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Jesus tomb found, says film-maker

nobody@vox.com(ed) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:19:55 -0800

Unveiling his documentary The Lost Tomb of Jesus, Mr Cameron said the chances of finding that combination of names together was like finding a grave marked Ringo next to others marked John, Paul and George.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6397373.stm

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PrideSource: Bishop calls for gay Christians to come out of the spiritual closet

nobody@vox.com(Chezz - C'Tack!) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:57:47 -0800

The most visible and powerful voice for LGBT equality in the Christian community will address thousands of activists on Feb. 9 during the National Creating Change Conference in Detroit. In 2003 Rev. Gene Robinson's consecration as the U.S. Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop sent shockwaves across the globe that threatened to divide the Anglican Church. Despite death threats, relentless media attention and political fallout, Robinson has become a beacon of hope and reason for those focused on working for change within faith based communities. "Because religion has treated LGBT people so horribly it is the last place we will look for support," said Robinson during an interview with BTLlast week. "There is no civil rights issue so closely tied to religious issues as homosexuality." His plenary address at Creating Change will outline the connections between the fight for LGBT rights and religion. "We cannot ignore the religious piece of the argument, since it is the greatest stumbling block to us making progress. I think it will take religious voices to counter the religious right." Coming out as people of faith The very nature of the "religious right" and the pervasive use of the Bible to justify denial of LGBT rights, said Robinson, has made tackling faith based roadblocks the last priority for many activists, leading many into a spiritual closet. "LGBT people need to come out as being religious. I think it sometimes easier to come out as gay than it is to come out as religious." During a recent visit at the D.C. offices of the Human Rights Campaign, he asked a group of 100 staffers to raise their hands if they were active in a church. "About two-thirds of them raised their hands," recalled Robinson. "But only 3 people said they had told other people in the building that they were religious." To create change, Robinson believes that LGBT people of faith need to view themselves as missionaries - building bridges between churches and the greater lesbian and gay community. Reclaiming Religion "Religion is not monolithically our enemy." But, homophobia justified by Biblical interpretation leads many LGBT people to stereotype all churches as the right arm in the religious right. Robinson points to his consecration as proof that change is possible in faith based communities. "In the Episcopal church, with me being elected, there have been lawsuits and people leaving the church. This is the church risking its life for gay and lesbian people. The church has put itself on the line to protect us." Calling the notion of "church or a belief in God" far from a stagnate thing, Robinson encourages LGBT people to seek out communities of faith that accept them for who they are. "The church that you left when they were feeling so discriminated against may not be the church that it is there now. There is a church or synagogue that can, with an open heart, help you put back together your spirituality." Article continues.............

http://www.pridesource.com/article.shtml?article=29144

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Woman 'blessed by the holy toast'

nobody@vox.com(ed) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:53:17 -0800

Mrs Duyser took a bite from the toast 10 years ago A half-eaten slice of elderly cheese on toast purportedly showing the image of the Virgin Mary has attracted 100,000 hits on the eBay auction website. A Florida woman put the sandwich up for sale, saying it has brought her great luck since she found it 10 years ago. eBay originally withdrew the item, suspecting it might be a joke. But it has now apparently been reassured that the offering is genuine. The snack has attracted a bid - thought to be a hoax - of $99.9m. Diana Duyser, 52, of Hollywood, Florida, set a starting price of $3,000, and pleaded with people not to post hoax bids. 'Total shock' She described how she came across the mysterious morsel. "I made this sandwich 10 years ago. When I took a bite out of it, I saw a face looking up at me - it was Virgin Mary starring (sic) back at me. I was in total shock," she explained. Mrs Duyser has since kept the toastie surrounded by cotton wool, in a plastic container on a stand. I do believe that this is the Virgin Mary Mother Of God Diana Duyser She says a decade on from its conception, it has not shown any sign of mould or crumbling - which she considers "a miracle". She also believes its mystical properties have brought her blessings, including $70,000 won in a nearby casino. Other visitors to the website were sceptical, however. Mocking imitators posted pictures of Elvis and a "burnt George Bush" depicted on slices of toast. Another tried to sell T-shirts showing Mrs Duyser's sandwich, while a budding artist posted a watercolour based on the image. There were no bids. Mr Duyser dismissed the naysayers. "I do believe that this is the Virgin Mary Mother Of God," she proclaimed. eBay spokesman Hani Durzy said the company had decided to allow the auction to continue. "There's nothing to indicate that the seller isn't willing to give up this cheese sandwich to the highest bidder," he said. But Mrs Duyser added a note for any misguided bidder who might consider paying thousands - or millions - of dollars for a blessed breakfast snack. "I would like all bidders to know that this item is not intended for consumption," she made clear. E-mail this to a friend Printable version

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4019295.stm

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Pope backs football life lessons - bbc

nobody@vox.com(ed-infinitum) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:22:43 -0800

He raised concerns about corruption damaging the image of the so-called Beautiful Game but said younger generations could learn from it. The Pope was meeting Italian football professionals and a delegation from the lower division Serie D. The German-born pontiff is said to be a fan of Bavarian giants Bayern Munich. "I'd like the game of football to be a vehicle for the education of the values of honesty, solidarity and fraternity, especially among younger generations," he told the footballing pilgrims.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7179757.stm

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Come Emmanuel Now

nobody@vox.com(ed) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 08:47:29 -0800

COME EMMANUEL NOW Come Emmanuel – now Lift the curtain of darkness, Remove the shadow of hate. Come Nazarene – again, To guide once more out feet On the path of peace and love. Return Lamb of God As the light that shines in the darkness, The voice crying in the wilderness. Return this millennium...

http://shobha448.vox.com/library/post/shobha---sunday-december-23-2007-114920-am.html

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Gifts from the heart. - a reflection by Enguist

nobody@vox.com(ed) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 09:01:49 -0800

Christmas day represents Jesus’ birthday. Like most birthday celebrations of our loved ones, we tend to think about gifts: what we can give Jesus. Here are some thoughts on gifts He would treasure… 1. THE GIFT OF PRAISE Praise Him… For blessings that brought a smile to your face or laughter to...

http://enguist.vox.com/library/post/gifts-from-the-heart.html

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New Stem Cell Method Could Ease Ethical Concerns - New York Times

nobody@vox.com(Matthew 25) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:43:21 -0800

Two teams of scientists are reporting today that they turned human skin cells into what appear to be embryonic stem cells without having to make or destroy an embryo — a feat that could quell the ethical debate troubling the field....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/21/science/21stem.html?_r=1

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UN Webcast

nobody@vox.com(Yahya'Bene'Dicere) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:45:10 -0700

2:45pm Media Stakeout: Outside the Security Council Chamber. 7:45pm Dinner: Hosted by the Secretary-General in honour of Heads of State and Government or Heads of Delegation attending the General Debate of the General Assembly 62nd session.

http://www.un.org/webcast/

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