Min the Mighty Old Rock-hard God

This 3000-plus year old limestone monolith is over life-size and honors Min, an Egyptian male fertility god whose worship preceded the dynastic era and which continued through it.

Malay Gays face Conservative Islamic Foes…but are backed by Islamic Renaissance Friends

As Malaysia moves into its election season, religious conservatives in the Islamic majority country are using the “proliferation of the LGBT problem” as a political weapon. According to an article in the Bay Area Reporter: “A large anti-LGBT demonstration is scheduled in Dataran Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur on April 21.” That is Saturday. Gay Malaysians have good reason for concern. They also have some interesting friends. House speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia recently rejected a motion that would have banned LGBT people from serving in Parliament. International outcry derailed a move to ban representation of unconventional sexualities in publicly funded media. And Dr. Ahmad Fuad Rahmat of the Islamic Renaissance Front is explicit in his support. He says, in a passionate defense of the (successfully) banned Queer Arts Festival Seksualiti Merdeka: “We are living in a heterogeneous society full of diversity. In order for a society to mature, it must be able to remodel itself to be inclusive in nature. There should be no discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation, irrespective of race and religion. Every single citizen has the right to live and express his or her conviction without fear.” Hear, hear! Click here for the entire text. As of this writing, sodomy is punishable in Malaysia by up to twenty years in prison. For something fun and sexy (homoerotic sandwich cookies!) from Malaysia, here.

Waterbury, CT: Mosque Under Construction

Just drove by an interesting construction project in Waterbury, CT: a mosque (the walls are blanketed in a particularly loud shade of green plastic sheets), partially obscured by pizza and furniture billboards.
-AidanAbroad

New Jojo Mendoco Gay Cali Manga! The Rapture of Sister Merci Killing…Leather Nun!

Carried away on the shoulders of the Swiss Guard…and available to Los Angeles area collectors. Check out the silent auction at the Eagle LA on Friday October 21 at the Mr. Sister Leather contest. For more Catholic fun from JoJo Mendoco, click here. For his take on war, here. And for some S/m, here and here.

Sex to die for…Iran hangs three men for sodomy.

AFP/File, Behrouz Mehri

“Six men were executed by hanging in a prison just outside the city of Ahvaz early Sunday morning. Two were convicted rapists, one a drug trafficker, and the last three were found guilty of committing ‘forbidden acts against religion.’ Under Articles 108 and 110 of the Iranian Islamic Penal Code, the punishment for ‘Hadd’ or as the west calls it, sodomy, is death.”

via Queer Landia. For a list of the six countries which punish male homosexuality with the death penalty, click here. For the rest of the Queer Landia article, here.

Payphone: Free Call to God

Seen on a pay phone at the CalTrain station in San Francisco: Apparently you can now call God (or a bank) for free. There were too many drunk Giants fans swarming the station, so I didn’t stick around and make a toll-free call to God…but if anyone else has gotten through to the Divine on this pay phone, I’d love to hear how your call went!
-AidanAbroad

Damn Vinegar! Jesus Christ is on the Internet and is following us on Twitter!

Jesus Christ - Twitter Avatar

Breaking internet meme: this site was surprised when one of its associates was notified that his newest Twitter follower was none other than Jesus Christ Himself! With a tag line of “Follow Jesus in your life and on Twitter” J.C. seems to have appeared on the internet just this morning. None of His posts are older than an hour, but this son has been busy. He goes by @JesusProphet online and has already tweeted at Lady Gaga that she looks “like the cowardly lion.” Seemed like a compliment! Other choice bits include “White people are funny, they really think I am one? Come on, get a map.” and “I think I’m starting to get splinters.” You can find Christ on Twitter @JesusProphet. And yes, we are following Him back.

UPDATE: RIP JC of the Internet. After a mere two-hour existence on-line, Jesus Christ has had His Twitter account suspended. Religious satire lives fast and dies quick on the Internet. More to the story…no doubt.

Religious Homophobes Host “Purity Parade” in Belize

Purity Parade - Screenshot from Belize News video‬‏

News from Belize: A “Purity Parade” protesting LGBT activists’ legal motion to decriminalize homosexuality. (Here is a little more information on the motion, put forward by LGBT human rights group UNIBAM.)

Their arguments aren’t too interesting – the same old “marriage should be between a man and a woman,” and the same old, tired (and inaccurate) reasoning: “Why? Because Jesus said so.”

The concept of an a “Purity Parade” is kind of interesting, but the execution is rather disappointing. I must say, Pride parades are much more interesting to watch. Maybe they should ask us for lessons.

-AidanAbroad

Other Blogs: Other Sheep go on a Caribbean Cruise.

Left to right: Jose Ortiz, Jonathan Chavez, and Steve Parelli West coast of St. Lucia, Thursday, April 21, 2011.

Other Sheep is an organizational blog about “faith and LGBT concerns worldwide.” Run by long-time partners Rev. Steven Parelli and Mr. Jose Ortiz, Other Sheep recently returned from a nine-day cruise through the Caribbean. Rev. Parelli reflects on what has changed (and what has not) since he was a closeted Baptist teenager on Martinique in 1970. To read the Other Sheep travelogue, click here. For a big evangelical coming-out party, unrelated to Other Sheep, click here.

Maybe God DID make Adam and Steve: Georgia Megachurch (former) Bishop Jim Swilley Comes Out

In the wake of the recent spate of publicity around suicide among queer youth, Georgia evangelical megachurch pastor Jim Swilley has come out publicly. In a sermon to his congregation, he equated two major themes in his life: his call to God and his sexuality. Swilley and his wife of 20 + years recently divorced amicably, and Swilley credits her with urging him to live openly as the gay man they have both always known him to be. The couple have four children and together grew the Rockdale County Church into the huge Church in the Now. Pastor Swilley has stepped down from the College of Bishops of the International Communion of Charismatic Churches – at their request.

Pastor Swilley is to be commended for his decision and action to come out. His life will never be the same. He is no longer a bishop. He may lose his church. Certain good “christian” bloggers are savaging him on-line, throwing up dreck about his being a “tool of Satan.” But most religious people are not like that. The fringe has been representing the center too long. The military is already teeming with gays. So are many churches. Most soldiers don’t care. Most folks sitting in church Sunday morning don’t care. Most already know gay people: a friend, a cousin, a co-worker. Attitudes are changing, and actions such as the pastor’s are key in this shift. We really are everywhere. Even in the mainstream.

Enormous physical and emotional harm is done to queer youth at the hands of cowardly bullies and disinterested school administrators. Enormous harm is also done daily to many of these same kids in the pews of their churches. The effects of spiritual violence can be as devastating as any other trauma. For queer people of faith, seeing young people alienated from the Divine because of the actions of bullies in pulpits is tragic. Out people of faith, including clergy, are powerful antidotes to religious hatred. God loves all His children. As friend of this site Tim’m T. West has been known to say: “If it ain’t Love, it ain’t God.”