Comments on: More Global Interfaith Unity Through Hatred of Gays

By: Timothy (TRiG)

Timothy (TRiG) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:31:03 +0000

As I remarked on h2g2, there have been tolerant and intolerant remarks from both Christians and Muslims. And many Islamic countries do not criminalise homosexual acts. (Indonesia, Turkey, Jordan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Mali, Niger, Tchad, Guinea-Bissau, and Albania.) TRiG.

By: Mark Zamen

Mark Zamen — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:10:31 +0000

The court decision in India is a step in the right direction. It is no surprise that religious groups are rallying to prevent this advance from taking effect. This serves as yet another reminder that a large segment of society, both in the U.S. and abroad, still regards gay men and women as second-class citizens – or worse. That is the salient point of my recently released biographical novel, Broken Saint. It is based on my forty-year friendship with a gay man, and chronicles his internal and external struggles as he battles for acceptance (of himself and by others, including fellow Mormons). More information on the book is available at http://www.eloquentbooks.com/BrokenSaint.html.

Mark Zamen, author

By: jaysays

jaysays — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:37:17 +0000

This part, particularly the last sentence, should be repeated over and over and over again... but I'm too optimistic people would 'get it': "The first records of sodomy as a crime at Common Law in England were chronicled in the Fleta,1290, and later in the Britton, 1300. Both texts prescribed that sodomites should be burnt alive. Acts of sodomy later became penalized by hanging under the Buggery Act of 1533 which was re-enacted in 1563 by Queen Elizabeth I,after which it became the charter for the subsequent criminalisation of sodomy in the British Colonies. Oralgenital sexual acts were later removed from the definition of buggery in 1817. And in 1861, the death penalty for buggery was formally abolished in England and Wales. However, sodomy or buggery remained as a crime 'not to be mentioned by Christians.'" [emphasis added] If only they wouldn't mention it, we could all get on with our lives, eh?