Thanksgiving tribute to straight allies

A “No on Prop 8” yard sign quotes Jesus: “Love thy neighbor”

[Editor’s note: The following Thanksgiving reflection was originally written by a lesbian as a thank-you letter to her neighborhood association in California after the Nov. 4 election. The author wishes to remain anonymous.] Thank you to all our straight neighbors, allies and friends who put up yard signs, made phone calls and supported the huge lesbian and gay civil rights movement to make marriage for our people legal in the State of California. I loved those NO ON 8 SIGNS!! I know not everyone here supports gay or lesbian marriage, but speaking as a person who has been with my partner for 33 years, it is a real issue for real people. I remember the days when there were no straight people at any of our events, and certainly for decades straight people wanted nothing to do with us. Now something amazing has changed, and I feel proud of our little neighborhood where people literally put signs in the yards that I felt personally supported me. I smile every time I drive by all your houses now because I remember where all the signs were. And some are still up long after the election. In time, even the most hardened bigots will do what all social change activists advocate -- get to know the people you think are bad PERSONALLY. Come on over for coffee, and don't listen to the lies of people who call themselves Christians, but seemingly have so little knowledge of how Jesus really lived his life. Thanks again! And be sure to look on the Internet for the protests we're having all over the city. Civil rights takes generations sometimes, and real social change doesn't occur over night, but we sure made a good showing. I would say that we in our neighborhood have become a shining city on a hill -- just like the Pilgrims envisioned as they sailed over on the Mayflower (Thanksgiving is coming soon :-). Happy Thanksgiving!

Another real-life yard sign from a California neighborhood

November sunlight shines on more election signs of the times

“No on Prop 8” protest video is most popular

My video “No on Prop 8 protest for gay marriage” was ranked of the most-viewed videos at YouTube in the “non-profits and activism” category on Nov. 17. It was about the 70th most popular video in that category overall and in Germany and Hong Kong. It’s also one of the most popular videos that JesusInLove.org has ever made, with 1,863 views and counting, plus many 5-star rankings. The video shows more than 500 people protesting the ban on same-sex marriage at the “Stop the H8” rally against Proposition 8, in front of City Hall in Pasadena, California, on Nov. 15. The Jesus in Love video channel produced four short videos of the protest, and this one is by far the most popular. I think that viewers like it because I walked all around the edge of the crowd while filming it, so it really captures the size and diversity of the group protesting for GLBTQ rights. Join the Impact has lots more info on the protests nationwide and the movement to promote love and equality.

JesusInLove.org marks 3rd anniversary

The Festival of Progressive Spiritual Art was one of the highlights of JesusInLove.org's first 3 years

Today JesusInLove.org celebrates its third anniversary as an online resource for GLBT spirituality and the arts. We have presented a positive vision of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender spirituality and tracked censorship of queer religious art for three years now. I founded JesusInLove.org because Christian rhetoric was being misused to justify hate and discrimination against LGBT people, but Jesus taught love for everyone, including sexual outcasts. I hoped to stimulate dialogue and consciousness of love and that has happened over the last three years. JesusInLove.org has taken off and become important in the world. JesusInLove.org was launched on Nov. 17, 2005 with a news release titled “New Website Dares to Show Gay Jesus.” Since then it has reached thousands of people all over the world and co-sponsored the first National Festival of Progressive Spiritual Art. Jesus in Love has grown from a single website into an online network that includes this blog, videos, e-newsletter and an image archive. We have won many honors -- and we also get a lot of hate mail from conservative Christians. A typical comment is, “Gays are not wanted in the kingdom of Christ! They are cast into the lake of fire.” Right-wing Christian bloggers labeled me “a hyper-homosexual revisionist” and denounced my projects as “garbage,” “insanity,” and “a blatant act defamation and blasphemy.” The ongoing religious bigotry proves that JesusInLove.org is needed now as much as ever. We will continue to promote spirituality and the arts for GLBT people and their allies by displaying and discussing art on progressive religious themes. We are dreaming of new ways to follow our vision, including the following: • Sponsor a contest of GLBT and/or progressive spiritual art with cash prizes and a well known judge. Winners can be displayed online, made into a calendar, even shown at a gallery. There are many possibilities. • More complete tracking and reporting of censorship of GLBT religious and spiritual artistic/literary expression. This aspect of JesusInLove.org generates a lot of inquiries and interest. • Build an archive of GLBT religious and spiritual images with permission from each artist for use -- acting as agent for the artists and possibly collecting fees for them. JesusInLove.org already gets many permission requests from people who want to use the images. I’d love to hear what others think of these projects, and what your dreams are. Please contact me or leave a comment. The first JesusInLove.org news release from the original launch is available in the Jesus in Love media room, along with other major news releases from the past three years.

Creative signs stop hate at protests

“Who would Jesus discrimin8 - Overturn Prop 8” was one of the many creative signs carried today as protests were held simultaneously in every U.S. state. JesusInLove.org was among the more than 500 protesters at Pasadena City Hall in California. I took photos of many protestors and their signs. Those with religious themes are especially suitable for this blog, but I’m also posting some others that are too good to be missed. Visit the Jesus in Love YouTube page to our videos of the event. Join the Impact has more info on the protests and the movement to promote love and equality. “The Bible is not a weapon of hate.” Thanks to this protestor for getting at how homophobes abuse the Bible to stop same-sex marriage. I love the rainbow signs held by these three black women: “I won’t until you can.” “Separate is not equal” and Love is for all.” St. Augustine’s words are used to support same-sex marriage. The sign quotes him as saying, “An unjust law is no law at all.” “Mormons want 3 wives -- but I can’t have 1 husband! Get a grip!” Clever jab at the Mormon Church, which funded much of the latest campaign to ban same-sex marriage. This protestor’s shirt reads, “Marriage is a human right, not a heterosexual privilege.” She was wheeled to the protest in a wheelchair by her daughter. Even dogs want to "Stop the H8" as it says on the collar of this Great Dane who attended the protest. Many kids were at the protest, including this mother-and-child pair with a sign saying, “2 mommies can raise a president.” I can hardly wait for that election! “Support love. Stop H8” “Love not H8.” That about sums it up.

Stop the H8 protests support glbt marriage

Thousands of people rallied for same-sex marriage in simultaneous protests held in every state today. JesusInLove.org was among the more than 500 protesters at the City Hall in Pasadena, California, who rallied to stop the hate behind Proposition 8, the law that just passed banning same-sex marriage. There was a strong sense of unity, love, hope and creativity as expressed in the signs. There was a strong sense of unity, love, hope and creativity as expressed in the signs. I recorded these 4 short videos. Visit the Jesus in Love YouTube page to see the rest. I will post photos soon. Join the Impact has more info on the protests and the movement to promote love and equality.

Is this the new Stonewall Rebellion?

Thousands of same-sex marriage supporters stormed the Mormon Temple near Beverly Hills yesterday. They targeted the Mormon Church because it raised most of the money for Proposition 8 campaign to ban same-sex marriage. I was shocked at the protestors’ rage when I saw the protest on the local news last night here in L.A. I found the news video to post here because the written news reports fail to capture the deep rage of the glbt community. I’ve never seen a mob of queers storm a church before. This may be a turning point, like the Stonewall Rebellion that launched the gay rights movement in 1969. That historic moment was barely reported at the time. This may be a turning point. This protest was not like the old days where we used to sing, “We are a gentle, angry people.” Now we are an angry, angry people. P.S. For those who wage war with words, click here to visit WOW Report’s info on how to report the Mormons to the IRS to get their tax-exempt status revoked for violating the separation of church and state.

Vote with love on Election Day

I hope that love will guide voters this election, so I wrote this prayer: God, The U.S. presidential election has awakened people and stirred our passions this year as never before. Today Americans are voting. May all be guided by the spirit of love and wisdom in our choices. And when the polls close, may the spirit of love and wisdom continue to prevail in our reactions to the outcome -- no matter who wins. In elections there are winners and losers, but we all lose if the winners fail to reach out to their fellow citizens who voted in the minority. May we move forward together. In your many names we pray. Amen

Finally, a gay-spirit election video

I am so sick of election propaganda that I almost didn’t watch this video, “Love Poem (No on 8)” even though I oppose Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage. A friend sent me the video link, so I took a chance on it. I was amazed and uplifted by the video. It shows a wide variety of people reading one of the world’s great poems about love, I Corinthians 13 in the Bible. The video adds a lovely visual surprise ending after the Bible reading. It’s the famous chapter that includes these lines: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal… Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away… So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” It’s enlightening to consider the scripture in the context of the election tomorrow. For example, today’s politicians may speak with the tongues of angels, but do they have love? Or are they just noisy gongs?