Dec 22, 2012

REFLECTIONS AT THE FOOT OF THE VOLCANO: Fascinating People, Beautiful Places and Memorable Things!


Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu,  Nobel Laureate emeritus, fearless living Saint and beloved champion of the marginalized, the oppressed and despised LGBTI people of Africa and beyond.
¨Churches say that the expression of love in a heterosexual monogamous relationship includes the physical, the touching, embracing, kissing, the genital act - the totality of our love makes each of us grow to become increasingly godlike and compassionate. If this is so for the heterosexual, what earthly reason have we to say that it is not the case with the homosexual?¨ Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu

ATTENTION MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT -- UGANDA: ¨God does not discriminate among our family¨ Archbishop Desmond Tutu

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The Rev. Lawrence Rosebaugh, a 74-year-old priest spent most of his life living among the poor in Central and South America, was shot to death Monday during a robbery in Guatemala.

"As a priest, he was not the collar type of priest, When you looked at him, you'd think he was the poorest of the poor. And those are the ones he served..." Sam Hladyshewsky, a former priest and close friend

REAL PEOPLE, REAL SAINTS: The Rev. Lawrence Rosebaugh, Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, worker amongst the poorest of the poor--murdered

***



Estimados Amigos,

I've lived in Latin America for over 20 years and I've always felt the underlying, as well as surface blasting, passion of Los Latinos while enjoying their great hospitality and earning many of their friendships too...  Leonardo Ricardo/Leonard Clark Beardsley

VIVA LATIN AMERICA -- Always/siempre there thrives a spiritualife, religious enthusiasm and outward displays of authentic happiness are celebrated around me.

***

 

Beverly Emiko ¨Mom¨ Nakatani Sakai, February 1, 2012, Antigua, Sacatepequez, Guatemala, Central America, Rest in Peace

One of my favorite stories Beverly shared was of Pearl Harbor Sunday...she rushed her little sister home from Sunday School (she didn´t have a house key but knew where one was hidden to unlock and get in on emergencies)...she kept looking up at the sky to see the many airplanes circling about with O´s on their wings...the skies were black with smoke. Beverly´s Mom was a head nurse at Queens Hospital (Queen Anna of holy Anglican memory/history) and working hard to take care of the wounded and critically injured as they entered for care...it always struck me that Beverly was doing the same thing, taking good care of others on that deadly Sunday in Hawaii. Part of a fine family of notable Japanese Americans. Americans who have been a positive force in all of our lives for generations..(her favorite color was blue).  Leonardo Ricardo/Leonard Clark Beardsley

Beloved Beverly Emiko Nakatani Sakai ¨Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory¨

***


When I was a little kid. A kid in Grade School. I remember each Valentines Day we´d have a Valentines Day Party in our classroom. I think the Mom´s brought in refreshments and the last couple of hours in the afternoon on Valentines Day were devoted to frolicing about, playing lovey-dovey games and opening the individual Valentine mail boxes we had wrapped and decorated for OURSELVES! Yes, there they were all those former shoe boxes now all decorated with cupids, hearts and various throbs of electriclike love designs! Surely you remember them, that is, if you were a kid when kid´s were still celebrating holidays like Valentines day in Grade School...?   LeonardoRicardo/Leonard Clark Beardsley

http://leonardoricardosanto.blogspot.com/2012/02/my-school-daysdaze-valentine-boxes.html

***


Bachelor of Psychology-Pedagogy and Master of Sexuality, Mariela Castro

¨Bachelor of Psychology-Pedagogy and Master of Sexuality, Mariela Castro is known internationally as a champion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights in Cuba.

PLEASE MEET MARIELA CASTRO: Internationationally known champion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and intersex right in Cuba

***



“The Schechter Rabbinical Seminary views the serious process leading to this decision as an example of confronting social dilemmas within the framework of tradition and halachah,” or Jewish law, Hanan Alexander, chair of the seminary’s Board of Trustees, said in the statement. “This decision highlights the institution’s commitment to uphold halachah in a pluralist and changing world...”

TRADITION AND HALACHAH: ISRAEL’S MASORTI MOVEMENT TO ORDAIN GAYS AND LESBIANS AS RABBIS

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¨According to research to be published in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, scientists across New York, Essex and California have found evidence that gay men and lesbians remind homophobes of themselves, causing an aversive reaction and instilling fear. The study also claims that the root of the problem lies in the homophobic attitudes in which they were brought up as a child...¨

HOMOPHOBE MELTDOWN/HEEBIE-JEEBEE ALERT: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology have found evidence that gay men and lesbians remind homophobes of themselves...

***


¨Gay marriage celebrated its third anniversary in Iowa on Tuesday.  In was on April 3, 2009 that the Iowa Supreme Court handed down its unanimous Varnum v. Brien decision which brought marriage equality to the Midwest... ¨

THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF GAY MARRIAGE IN IOWA: Varnum v. Brien decision brought marriage equality to the Midwest/U.S.A.

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¨The Land of Eternal Spring¨ Our world around us takes on the spirit of lush fertility and it´s put to good use...it stimulates me and my art grows...  Leonardo Ricardo/Leonard Clark Beardsley



KEEPING ON MESSAGE/FASCINATING RHYTHM: The ¨Land of the Eternal Spring¨ renews itself once again

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¨Men like Freud, Kinsey, Marx, and Darwin, all pioneers in their own fields, had to combat the customs of their cultures to make their contributions to human knowledge.

Similarly, older historical figures, amongst them Socrates, Galileo, and Columbus, all had to contend with their prevailing cultures and authorities. The concern herein is not with the actual discoveries and contributions made by such men, often at extreme and deeply personal levels of self-confrontation, but with the fact that they had to question, deny, defy and combat the stultifying and entrenched values of their cultures with risk to their own welfare.

With many of their achievements, they set the world stage for the progress of science, technology, and, with the work of the humanist enlightenment philosophers, advanced the concepts of individual freedom...¨

ATTENTION ARCHBISHOP OF YORK AND OTHERS : We don’t need religious moral guidance for good conduct, something which religions acquired from our innate sense of ethics and human goodness, and then perverted.

***


Recently, at this blog/comment section, a Lesbian, not-so-much-a-friend-as-a-remote-acquaintance, suggested to me that ¨Gay¨ men actually treated women with less respect than their/her due. I was flabbergasted and looked throughout the web for ANY information to back up such a, to me, unfair, blusterous and insulting claim. There was/is none, zip, empty, void, zero. Today I found this ¨commentary¨ at Bilerico Project and it´s the closest thing I ´ve found on the subject of Gay Misogynist speculating...it´s linked below but I especially identified with this part: ¨...if a friend were to call me out for perceived misogyny, I would no doubt listen, for I have found that I become a better person from examining my failings.¨ I´ve listened, I´m still listening and willing and able to listen. However, I still think ¨Gay¨ men and our respect, admiration and in most cases great trust and friendships with women is the standard amongst us...that basic warmth and natural acceptance of *others* is most often present in our friendships with Lesbians, Bisexual women and Heterosexual women too. Leonardo Ricardo/Leonard Clark Beardsley





HAPPY MOTHERS DAY: ¨...what makes someone a misogynist, and am I one?

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The No Anglican Covenant Coalition is an international group of Anglicans concerned about how the proposed Anglican Covenant would radically change the nature of the Anglican Communion

LONDON With diocesan synod voting in the Church of England completed, and with 26 dioceses having rejected the proposed Anglican Covenant, the No Anglican Covenant Coalition is preparing for the next steps in its international campaign, including the appointment of a new Moderator, the Revd Malcolm French, a parish priest in the Anglican Church of Canada. The Revd Jean Mayland, a retired priest, will be the No Anglican Covenant Coalition Convenor for the Church of England...¨

NO ANGLICAN COVENANT: ¨Coalition Plans Next Steps¨

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PRESIDENT OBAMA WINS! ONWARD WE GO (all of us together, thank you very much)!

REELECTED! GREED, PREJUDICE, BIGOTRY, FEAR AND HATE REJECTED

VALIDATED!
 
¨God, gods, and goddesses willing, we may be watching the beginning of the end of homophobia as a political force.¨  http://counterlightsrantsandblather1.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-big-gay-night.html
 
 
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays 2012 from our blog to your home
Leonardo Ricardo/Leonard Clark Beardsley

6 comments:

JCF said...

I scrolled through this post, Estimado Leonardo, because I was headed towards the comment button: I had been struck (again) by the beauty of your art, and wanted to note (con gracias!) its beauty.

...so I was a little surprised to see what (IIRC) was a reference to me.

I'm surprised, and I'm not. LGBT African-Americans may remark upon racism among white LGBTs, and get the same defensive "What??? No, Never!" reaction.

We all have our blind spots, Kyrie eleison.

My point was never that misogyny among gay men is worse than it is among straight men (on average, not even close!)

However, I must note that, until I spent time on gay male(-dominant) blogs, I had *never* seen this little bon mot:

Can't
Understand
Normal
Thinking


I just report what I see. Go figure.

[For the record, I ID as genderqueer, not lesbian.]

Feliz Navidad, Estimado Leonardo. May the beauty of your artwork be translated in the world as Justice for ALL, by ALL.

Leonard said...

GREETINGS JCF,

I love it when you come here. I seem to get few commentors, but the ones wgi comment are super and I value you and my other followers greatly. Happy Christmas and have a GREAT New Year.

The reason I held the ¨comment¨ from the Lesbian Priest in my head for so long was that I found it disturbing, insulting and quite the opposite of what I have seen as inter-gay behavior in the world around me...perhaps, I'm wrong and much has changed and I too, have gone through transformations regarding my opinion of others, different than me others...as time grows on. But, I resented her remark being dumped at my blog.

Three Summers ago I worked at a Convention with a Male/Female person who was a delight...he is male but dresses like a female mostly and lives in P.Town and is a ¨minister¨ who officiates at Gay Marriages. That friendship blossomed and I can tell you that I would never have even been friendly to him in times past -- terrible attitude that I had toward people like me that didn't pass for whatever I thought was prudent/correct...it was the potential shame of being perceived to be ¨like him¨...I was a coward, it wasn´t about HIM, or anyone like him, it was about me being a snob and a weenie!

I remember when I was in High School I went with friends to see Christian Jorgenson at a restaurant/nightclub in Long Beach...Christian Jorgenson was dignified, warm, charming and quite the lovely person...sort of a straight up person...anyway, I forgot all about her and my admiration for her until right NOW! Endless growth, emotional, spiritual...quite an adventure.

Big Christmas hugs to you and yours,
Leonardo

JCF said...

Maybe you're the wrong person to ask this, Len---maybe this is only a part of the drag queen community---

But what is the attraction of (SOME) gay men to the C-word? I really enjoy "RuPaul's Drag Race", but am, truthfully, off-put by how in almost every episode, Ru tells his queens how they'll be judged on their

Charisma
Uniqueness
Nerve, and
Talent

[And then there's adding a 't' to a (sarcastic) "Honey", to turn it into "Hunty": yeah, we get it.]

Some special focus to disparaging female genitals?

[I'm certainly not saying women don't do this. But I think calling a guy a "dick" or a "prick" is more equal-opportunity insult, used by both men and women. I'm not aware of women calling each other, even in hatred, a (C-word). "Bitch" yes, "Cunt" (better show I can type it), no.]

Anyway, I don't understand it. Of course, I know that gay men aren't in any way attracted to vaginas! But it seems more personal: personal loathing for any human (except perhaps one's BFF---at least to her face!) who *has* a vagina.

Sorry to go on about this, Len, but whenever I spend time at Joe.My.God---and for the most part, I do enjoy it!---I'm sure to have the C-word thrust at me there. It's just very commonly used. I wish I knew why.

Leonard said...

You and I notice the same things.

On the Rue Paul Show (on my limited cable t.v. I sometimes watch it for some unknown reason to me in my consceiousness) I absolutely hate the vile language and the ¨girl¨ off-the-cuff gender changing remarks. I remember in the early sixties when I was a 18-21 year old in the Gay Bars of San Francisco (not even pictured ID´s then so we just used someones else drivers license if needed -- rarely needed because they like the young guys in the bars -- good for business, I expect and mob controlled) ¨camp¨ became legend. It was fun for a few years and was far broader than simply gender-bending language. We also changed gender descriptions when we were discussing our dates, boyfriends, prospects in front of stright people so they wouldn't know who we were talking about...sometimes we used female names to identify certain good friends so we knew who we were talking about but anyone around us wouldn't...such as Paul switched quickly to Paula/etc. It became another language as you may know to protect our anonymous Gay life. There were always degradating words along the way that came and went in popularity of use. Quite a vivid array of filth (as we still see at JMG where participants apparently feel free enough to say ANYTHING AT ALL). I think Ass Hole is less used for a female and more for a male and perhaps, just perhaps, the ¨C¨ word replaces it when blasting a female...I really don't know but I do know that when I think of Peter Akinola, Henry Luke Orombi, David Panderson, Bob Duncan, David Schofield, Jack Iker and few other notable faux religious leaders (even in Rome) my anger takes me to works you described above and WORSE! You see, I'm incapable of explaining (mostly) the rage I feel when our LGBTI brothers and sisters are victimized, exploited, demonized and punished for simply ¨being¨...I feel such depth of anger, perhaps because a partner of 14 years was murdered years ago, that I can hardly deal with the lowest of the low who direct their vileness at us at Church or beyond Church in the gutters of humanity...slums or mansions. As far as everyday slamming of people by calling them ugly names goes, well, I think it is simply fads of useage...meant, of course, to smear the recipient (it's a ping pong game of ugliness that is meant to hurt) -- it often works it's way into causing severe damage and harm (and as we know may end good friendships forever when carelessly thrown about). I can do better on this front also.

Leonard said...

I went down to the kitchen to pour fresh coffee for Juan Carlos and I...it's our first of the day and I took it to him in his cozy room -- it's hard for him to stay in bed on a day off because he is a driven sort (compulsive) and feels his lot is to work in order to earn the right to be. So many twists and turns around us but I am reminded that he hates Rue Paul and if he comes into my room when I have it on (we have tv's in all the bedrooms but I have few English stations, which I love to watch often because of the English) he makes ugly remarks and walks out. I think that in Latin America and where even heterosexual women are challenged by their lot when abused by heterosexual MEN (Guatemala has a terrible record of spouce abuse) demeaning of other humans is ¨normal¨ in otherwise charming/well-mannered Macholand. The VERY BEST manners in the world are taught to children and used by adults (face to face) but then, ¨hijo/hija de puta¨ and ¨hijo/hija de perra¨ are used regularly! Contrasting behavior with odd acceptance for popular useage (especially on the street)...in Guatemala young people exclaim: ¨Gran Puta¨ to make a point about something dramatic and it actually has nothing to do with gender or prostition at all. One other thing that is important and revealing...in Latin America there is a huge number of trans and drag murders annually...in Honduras a epidemic of them currently and Puerto Rico too...these killings, I think, reflect even worse kinds of innermost sexual conflicts that come from the killer! Such loathing of others coupled with a sexual desire for those loathed is very explosive it seems. Meanwhile, everyday punks joke about sex and continue to slander gay people, trans people (seen or unseen) in much the same way that Norte Americano bigots do (both in and outside of Church). My personal feeling is that the world is REVEALING everyone in it before us and those who are mentally unstable or simply unprepared for sexual discoveries within are having a very hard time of it...they will lash out against anything and anyone before they will deal with the REAL causes for their very own fear and hate -- it may get uglier, in the words and actions department, before unwholesome character issues are dealt with by the perps themselves...with themselves.

Leonard said...

JCF, wonderful:

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/the-last-closet-why-i-wont-be-home-for-christmas/news/2012/12/23/57097?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNewCivilRightsMovement+%28The+New+Civil+Rights+Movement%29