Never a Dull Moment
(Compiled, with Comments)

Moral Maxim
By Fr. Richard R. Mickley, OSAe., Ph.D.

I read somewhere in today’s Inquirer that there is too much going on in the Senate – with the trial of Senator (Manny) Villar, the sex video inquiry regarding Dr. Hayden Kho’s multiple sex encounters and drugs (and I watched the televised sex hearing  long enough to hear  his forthright answers, and see Katrina’s near emotional collapse)...

But this is not a dull moment, either, in the LGBT world – and we are everywhere. That’s for sure.

I don’t have time to surf the net very often, but my very wise friend in California, Fr. Paul, is a veritable fountain of news, good and bad news. His emails keep me up to date on a lot of important subjects. Unless otherwise noted, the following summaries or tidbits are gleaned from  the voluminous correspondence from Fr. Paul in recent days.

DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL
The newspapers here in the Philippines give us hints from time to time that the policy on gays in the military here is under scrutiny. Bawal. They have a mess on their hands in Uncle Sam’s armed forces. Let’s pray the mess is not magnified here.

While campaigning for the presidency, President Obama said something like this:
America is ready to get rid of the “don't ask, don't tell” policy. That work should have started long ago. It will start when I take office. All that is required is leadership. (Fall 2007 to Human Rights Campaign).

Now, that leadership is not being shown yet in the first three months of his presidency. Good, bemedaled, heroes of the battlefield are being fired by the military for letting their same-sex attractions be known.

Fr. Paul’s source comments: “There have been almost a dozen studies on the topic. Going back to 1993, RAND did a study on the impact of openly gay and lesbian soldiers on unit cohesion. Their conclusion: no negative impact. Every scientific, credible study since then has come to the same conclusion.

EQUAL MARRIAGE IN CALIFORNIA, OVERTURNED 
The California Supreme Court has ruled that California's ban  (by vote of the people [the majority voting on, against, the rights of the minorlty]) on same sex marriages stays. No more same-sex marriage in California. (But it is still legal in several other states).

The good thing is that the 36,000 gay men and lesbians who got legally married  last year -- are still legally married. Their weddings took place before the people (the majority pf people in  the culture deciding the rights of the minority, a segment of the population) voted on Proposition 8 ballot - to stop same sex marriages.

Let that stand as one more example of the frailty of human nature. Too many people are not “good” enough to be in the majority and vote justly for the minority.
The California Supremes (as in Supreme Court) just published their decision last week.

The same court which allowed same-sex marriage ruled that Proposition 8 stands, a vote by the people to overturn the Supreme Court.

However, the 18,000 same-sex marriages which took place last year stand.
People in favor of social justice are repulsed by the decision. The malicious religious are relishing in it.

People favoring social justice are at least happy that the  same-sex couples who have been married are allowed to stay married.

The malicious religious want to undo those marriages. Not only that, they still want to prohibit civil unions, domestic partnerships and other legal methods for same sex couples to protect their homes and their families. The malicious religious also want to prevent same-sex couples from adopting children. The malicious religious also want to deny custody to members of same-sex households of their own children.

People in favor of social justice will pursue the issue, as I will.

HARVEY MILK
Father Paul sent me a capsule biography of Harvey Milk. I lived through that dark moment of California history when he was martyred, but found this little thumbnail sketch helpful to put the story in perspective. If you have seen the movie, or have not seen the movie, it may be helpful.

San Francisco City Supervisor, Murder Victim. Born in Woodmere , New York , Harvey Milk attended Albany State College. Thereafter, he served in the U.S. Navy and was honorably discharged. Openly gay, he moved to San Francisco at the age of 42 and settled in the predominantly gay Castro district, where he opened a camera store. He eventually became involved in local politics, first as a leader among neighborhood business owners and later winning election to the Board of Supervisors. He was popularly referred to as the "Mayor of Castro Street" and was the first openly gay elected official of a large U.S. city
During his tenure as a supervisor, which lasted only 11 months, he sponsored a gay rights bill.

His fellow supervisor, Dan White, resigned from the board as a result of his frustration at the meager part-time supervisor salary ($12,000/year), which did not allow him to adequately support his family. Changing his mind shortly thereafter, White hoped that Mayor George Moscone would reappoint him to the Board of Supervisors. Moscone declined to do so.

White consequently obtained a gun and ammunition and sneaked into City Hall via a basement window. Confronting Moscone in his office, White fired several shots, killing the mayor.

He then reloaded and headed for Milk's office, accomplishing the same end.

White denied premeditation and was convicted of voluntary manslaughter by claiming diminished capacity (including the famous "Twinkie defense," wherein White's attorneys claimed that chemicals in junk food consumed by White had caused depression).

He was sentenced to a mere seven years and eight months in prison. This minimal sentence sparked the "White Night Riots," wherein the gay community protested the inadequate punishment for this heinous crime. 

BRUTALITY IN IRAQ AND RUSSIA
Iraq
As the murder campaign targeting Iraqi gays intensifies, a leading Arabic television network last week revealed the use of a horrifying new form of lethal torture against Iraqi gay men. Anti-gay Shiite death squads are sealing their  gay victims’ anuses with a powerful glue, then inducing diarrhea, which leads to a painful and agonizing death.

The use of this stomach-turning new torture was first reported by the Al Arabiya network, which is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates and was alerted to the story by a leading Iraqi feminist and human rights activist. (Doug Ireland)

Russia 
Meanwhil,e on May 15 in Moscow, riot police violently broke up several gay rights demonstrations, hauling away scores of protesters hours before the Russian capital hosted a major international pop music competition. City officials had warned they would not tolerate marches or rallies supporting the rights of gays and lesbians. Activists had targeted Moscow, which was holding the finals of the Eurovision song contest on Saturday, to press their claims that Russia officially sanctions homophobia.

Police seized gay rights protesters as well as some members of religious and nationalist groups that staged counter-demonstrations. They also took away gay rights activists for simply talking to reporters, and ripped the bra and shirt off one female protester.

CONCLUSION
It doesn’t take much of a scorecard or scorekeeping expertise to see that the developments this month were preponderantly on the negative side.
Could any of these inhuman developments happen in our predominantly Christian nation? It’s a terrifying question.

Ponder: what is the power that locks the Republic of the Philippines into the otherwise inexplicable position of being the only nation in the world which does not recognize the universal human need (indeed, human right) to be able to legally separate from an incompatible marriage partner through divorce?

Fr. Richard R. Mickley, OSAe., Ph.D. is the founder and abbot of the Order of St. Alread, active in the LGBTI advocacy movement in the Philippines. He is a Korean war veteran, and enjoys the war against sex-negative theology, and promotes the peace and joy of sex-positive theology.  With a doctorate in psychology, he combines psychology and religion to bring insights into human nature as God brought it into being.   
He has been guest speaker on these subjects in many conventions, universities, and organizations. His hobby is writing. His special interest, aside from the study of St. Aelred, is studying the life and ideals and principles of his idol, Jose Rizal.
For more information, contact The Order of St. Aelred at the St. Aelred Friendship Society in 82-D Masikap Street, Barangay Central, Quezon City; call (+632) 9218273, or 9209034909; email saintaelred@gmail.com; join http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saeffriends; or visit geocities.com/staelredmonasterymanila, http://richardrmickley.blogspot.com, or the Catholic Diocese of One Spirit (CDOS) Web site onespiritcatholic.org.