Easter, God and the significance

Easter, what does that mean to us as gay latino men? Any connections between the first we learned about God and the first time we felt rejection and/or the needing to be loved/accepted?

Maybe we should take a look to see the significance of those two times in our lives...How does it all tie in.

HEALTH REFORM: This Is What Change Looks Like

We made it. Late last night, the House passed the Senate’s health care reform bill (by a vote of 219-212) and a package of fixes to the bill (220-211). Afterwards, President Obama spoke about the historic nature of the health reform vote and all the good it will do for the American people.

“This isn’t radical reform,” said the president, “But it is major reform.” Health reform will transform the health care system into something more sustainable and affordable for everyone, not by tearing it down and starting over, but by strengthening the system that already exists, realigning incentives, and asking everyone do their fair share to make our health system work. Obama thanked everyone who refused to give up the fight for reform. “As momentous as this day is, it's not the end of this journey,” said Obama, but it does represent “another stone firmly laid in the foundation of the American Dream.”

“This is what change looks like,” he said. See the whole speech at the White House Blog:

Paquita hatin' on the Gays? Thoughts.....

We're used to Paquita la del Barrio hating on men but now the singer is also expressing her homophobia.

'I rather see a kid die,' said Paquita to Escandalo TV when asked if she wouldn't like a gay couple adopting a poor kid off the streets. The singer, who's made her fame by singing about heartbreak and comparing men to rats, didn't stop there.

Her homophobic comments continue with the nonsensical 'my respects to them, I love them very much but'..wait..she loves gays or should we say 'them'?

If this is her idea of love no wonder Paquita has lots of songs about being dumped.

Joint Chiefs set to review 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy

Washington (CNN) -- Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen will meet with other members of the Joint Chiefs on Monday to discuss President Obama's plan to repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for gay and lesbian service members, according to two U.S. military officials.

The closed-door meeting is considered exceptionally sensitive, the sources say, because the chiefs -- each of whom heads a military service -- are said to be concerned that changing the policy would be too disruptive to military forces.

The policy, which has been in effect since 1993, prohibits openly gay men and women from serving in the U.S. armed forces. The policy bans military recruiters or authorities from asking about an individual's sexual orientation, but also prohibits a service member from revealing that he or she is gay.

Obama announced his intention to repeal the policy during last week's State of the Union address.

"This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are," he said.

The Senate Armed Services Committee is scheduled to hear from Adm. Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday on how the Obama plan to repeal the policy might be implemented.

Conservatives, however, still largely oppose a repeal.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, whom Obama beat in the 2008 presidential election, recently said that such a repeal "would be a mistake."

"This successful policy has been in effect for over 15 years, and it is well understood and predominantly supported by our military at all levels," said McCain, a former Navy pilot.

"We have the best-trained, best-equipped and most professional force in the history of our country, and the men and women in uniform are performing heroically in two wars. At a time when our armed forces are fighting and sacrificing on the battlefield, now is not the time to abandon the policy."

But in a message to Pentagon leadership, Gen. John Shalikashvili, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it's time to repeal the policy.

"As a nation built on the principle of equality, we should recognize and welcome change that will build a stronger more cohesive military," he said. His letter was sent out by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, who supports repealing the policy.

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization that works with those affected by the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, has praised Obama's call for repeal.

"We very much need a sense of urgency to get this done in 2010," the group recently said. "We call on the president to repeal the archaic 1993 law in his defense budget currently being drafted, that is probably the only and best moving bill where DADT can be killed this year. ... The American public, including conservatives, is overwhelmingly with the commander in chief on this one."

Obama campaigned on the promise that he would repeal the policy in his first year of office. Speaking to the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign in October, Obama admitted that "our progress may be taking longer than we like," but he insisted that his administration was still on track to overturn the policy.

"Do not doubt the direction we are heading and the destination we will reach," he said.




A closed door meeting? I wonder how many Generals are gay? Half the Roman Army was gay and still won wars,Rome fell on its own sword,their politicans remind me of the two party system we now have.

Cindy McCain Joins California’s No H8 Gay-Rights Campaign

One of the planks of the conservative platform upon which presidential candidate John McCain ran in 2008 was his opposition to gay marriage. So imagine the surprise of the organizers of the "No H8 Campaign," which is a photo project devoted to collecting images in protest of the passage of Proposition 8, when McCain's wife Cindy volunteered to be included.

“In the year since we’ve started the NOH8 Campaign, we’ve been surprised at some of the different individuals who have approached us showing their support. Few, though, have surprised us more than Cindy McCain — the wife of Senator John McCain and mother to vocal marriage equality advocate Meghan McCain. The McCains are one of the most well-known Republican families in recent history, and for Mrs. McCain to have reached out to us to offer her support truly means a lot."

Currently, Proposition 8, which took away the rights of gay couples to marry in California last year, is being debated in federal court. The trial is not being broadcast, but live-acted reenactments are expected to be streamed here after each session, starting today.



Read more: Cindy McCain Joins California’s No H8 Gay-Rights Campaign -- Daily Intel http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/01/cindy_mccain_joins_californias.html#ixzz0dIdoXufK