This short video was released on more than 3 weeks ago. Nevertheless, it’s still a worthy watch for those who haven’t catch it.

Taken from Time:

Oh, those crazy Hollywood liberals—show ‘em an opportunity to school the nation on civic duty, and they never fail to jump. While this tendency can sometimes lean towards the sanctimonious, not so this farcical Funny or Die skit, in which composer Marc Shaiman wrangled a glittering cast of comedians to weigh in on the controversial California ballot initiative passed last month.

As you might expect, “Prop 8 — The Musical” is Shaiman’s attempt to pick apart the anti-gay marriage lobby’s logic. Lending support to the cause are Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Maya Rudolph, Craig Robinson, Neil Patrick Harris and Allison Janney (who, in a cheeky nod to Mormons’ support of the ballot initiative, is listed in the title credits as “Prop 8 Leader’s #1 Wife”). Despite the collection of comedic chops on stage, the spoof isn’t trying to be funny. Well, OK, it is — but the larger point it intends to hammer home is that not all Biblical doctrine is eminently reasonable (avid West Wing watchers will recall one or two of these lines from a famous Jed Bartlet smackdown). And though the video isn’t a full barrel of laughs, it’s packed with its share of wit, with both Black (as a laid-back, rotund Jesus) and Harris turning in pretty good solos. (See the Top 10 Plays and Musicals.)

Shaiman, whose songwriting credits include showstoppers from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, called his troupe the “Sacramento Community College Players” because of outrage that the city’s California Musical Theater director had given money to a pro-Prop 8 campaign. In an interview with the New York Times, he calls the video a “viral picket sign.” Though he concedes he executed the idea “six weeks later than he shoulda,” he nailed the viral aspect. In just a few days, it’s racked up more than 2 million views.

lllllllllllll

Many thanks to JC for contributing this post.

As we walk on the long weary path we call our lives, we stumble upon parts in which we are forced to make a choice. Some choose to take the path less taken; some choose to follow their hearts’ desires. But all in all, will it bring us to the future we hope for remains questionable. The choices we make and the choices others make are sometimes merely a simple indication of our hearts’ desires. What do we want for ourselves? Some of us can’t really answer this question. Those who are generally holier than thou would reply that they want to please God and to live in His will. Others who are deluded by the prospects of fame and fortune will merely say I want to be rich and famous. But what do YOU want? What does your heart desire most? That’s a question you have to answer in your own time, and till you manage to answer this question, you haven’t truly matured yet.While others may believe that our choices are selfish and against both God’s will and against the norm, we pursue them anyway. In the process, others will still try to change our choices as a feeble attempt to put their choices in our path. Your parents will do certain things and say it’s for your own good. Your friends will say that they’re doing this because they care for you. Both reasons are generally truthful but the very last question remains, but what’s your role in this decision making process? Will their choice fill the void in your heart? Will you be the person you dream of being and all in all, will that silent wish of yours ever come true? There is no reason for you take make a choice just to please others. Perhaps it is time for us to go against the world and stand up for who and what we are.

We have to come to an understanding that all of us seek different things and that’s why sometimes we end up believing that the other party is misled. What is right and what is wrong remains a question without an answer. While some of us may place their lives on the top of their decision making hierarchy, others may not do so. A mother who had lost her daughter in an accident may put her only remaining son on the very top of her list of factors to consider while a father in the same condition may put his supply of alcohol and sex on the top of his list. The general human nature would believe that what the mother is doing is right and what the father is doing is obviously wrong. But who would ever know that it was the mother’s protective actions that broke her homosexual son’s heart whilst the father’s choice of being sick and drunk that made the family stay together to nurse him? The way life works is beyond our comprehension. We are but mere mortals living to fulfill our very own purpose.  Every step we take to realize our dreams will sometimes be the undoing of our wishes. But then again, it’s just the human nature to keep on trying. Sometimes we try so hard, even when we know that the future we are trying so hard to avoid is indeed, inevitable. It’s like trying to make a straight guy fall in love with you, you know the odds are definitely against you but you love him anyway. Secretly you are betting on the 0.1% chance that he may be a bisexual even when he secretly onfides in you that he’s interested in a certain hot chick.

I fell in love with my best friend, and even though I knew he was straight and I would get hurt, I loved him anyway.Guess all we can do is to keep on choosing, regardless of where it’ll lead us to. We only have a choice over the action and none over the result. This little power of choice is all we have, though it can’t always bring us the ending that we want, we can always still live in denial and believe that it will bring the happy ever after we yearn. This little bit of belief is however what we call HOPE.

Wherever the trail leads you and whatever the choice you make, have hope and one day it will lead you to your very own fairytale.

Abdul Khalik ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 03/28/2008 1:38 AM  |  Headlines

Homosexuals and homosexuality are natural and created by God, thus permissible within Islam, a discussion concluded here Thursday.

Moderate Muslim scholars said there were no reasons to reject homosexuals under Islam, and that the condemnation of homosexuals and homosexuality by mainstream ulema and many other Muslims was based on narrow-minded interpretations of Islamic teachings.

Siti Musdah Mulia of the Indonesia Conference of Religions and Peace cited the Koran’s al-Hujurat (49:3) that one of the blessings for human beings was that all men and women are equal, regardless of ethnicity, wealth, social positions or even sexual orientation.

“There is no difference between lesbians and nonlesbians. In the eyes of God, people are valued based on their piety,” she told the discussion organized by nongovernmental organization Arus Pelangi.

“And talking about piety is God’s prerogative to judge,” she added.

“The essence of the religion (Islam) is to humanize humans, respect and dignify them.”

Musdah said homosexuality was from God and should be considered natural, adding it was not pushed only by passion.

Mata Air magazine managing editor Soffa Ihsan said Islam’s acknowledgement of heterogeneity should also include homosexuality.

He said Muslims needed to continue to embrace ijtihad (the process of making a legal decision by independent interpretation of the Koran and the Sunnah) to avoid being stuck in the old paradigm without developing open-minded interpretations.

Another speaker at the discussion, Nurofiah of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), said the dominant notion of heterogeneity was a social construction, leading to the banning of homosexuality by the majority.

“Like gender bias or patriarchy, heterogeneity bias is socially constructed. It would be totally different if the ruling group was homosexuals,” she said.

Other speakers said the magnificence of Islam was that it could be blended and integrated into local culture.

“In fact, Indonesia’s culture has accepted homosexuality. The homosexual group in Bugis-Makassar tradition called Bissu is respected and given a high position in the kingdom.

“Also, we know that in Ponorogo (East Java) there has been acknowledgement of homosexuality,” Arus Pelangi head Rido Triawan said.

Condemnation of homosexuality was voiced by two conservative Muslim groups, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and Hizbut Thahir Indonesia (HTI).

“It’s a sin. We will not consider homosexuals an enemy, but we will make them aware that what they are doing is wrong,” MUI deputy chairman Amir Syarifuddin said.

Rokhmat, of the hardline HTI, several times asked homosexual participants in attendance to repent and force themselves to gradually return to the right path.

Dear all,

A bunch of us will be organizing a screening/vigil in conjunction with the Remembrance of Transgender Day.

Following are the details:

Date : 22nd Nov 2008, Saturday
Time : 8.00 pm
Venue : Bau Bau Cafe, Mezzanine Floor, Annexe Central Market
Movie :
A Jihad for Love (81 mins)
A documentary on gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims across the Muslim and Western worlds.

back up
TransAmerica (103 mins)
A pre-operative male-to-female transsexual takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she fathered a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.

Why are we celebrating the Remembrance of Transgender Day?

To memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgender, each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgender people. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people, an action that current media doesn’t perform. Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of transgender people who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect in the face of national indifference and hatred.

On average two transgender people are murdered each month, according to global figures. This year alone 26 transgender people were killed. Out of the 26 recorded murders this year all were brutally violent, apart from one person who died by drowning – a pattern which has repeated over the past ten years and 245 murders. In the Middle East and some parts of Asia and India murders are still rife and often they’re committed by law officials so the deaths are not recorded.

And also to put an end to all sorts of discrimination/hatred/violence against people due to their sexual orientation or identity.

If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to email me. (I do entertain hate mails as well.)

p/s: please bring your own candles.

We are a collective with no name so please bear with us.

Thank you to Bau Bau Cafe for the venue and Amnesty International for the projector. I think this is also supported by Tilted World and Cinta itu Buta.

One Whispering Night

“Where do you stay? I want to meet you and see what you look like…”

We met in my car under the shadow of the midnight moon.
His face looking at mine for the first time. And I loved it
how his smile was shining brighter than the moon’s light.
The moon was watching us, but I was watching him more closely.

His gentle gestures of planned lust were obvious.
We chatted in the car, the winds suddenly made their way home,
and we were left all alone
to mingle and bond and share our first moments together in peace.

He shared his milestones in life; I shared mine.
His face kept looking straight but his eyes focused on me
and I knew cupid was working hard that night,
because my heart felt that arrow shoot right through my flesh.
I knew it was love.

It was on this Whispering Night
that magic became reality and reality felt like magic,

Two guys in a car, in an enclosed space
that would have been perfect to turn his gentle gestures to lustful ones.
But we both acted cool and curious about each other,
as smiles and glances were exchanged for the next few hours,
no touch, nothing physical – not yet.
Maybe never.

Until finally it came, the moment to say goodbye,
because it was already 4a.m. and the sun was fighting to come out.

It wasn’t just the sun fighting to come out, but our hearts
were bursting into flames and we knew
that if we wanted to touch, it should happen soon.
But gentle it must be.

“It’s late”, we said. Hinting either to end our meet,
or get on with the kissing.
And touching.

Neither wanted to leave, but both of us knew it was just the beginning
and little did we know that the best was yet to come.
It was lust at first, but it turned into love,
and the night ended with a kiss, a long one, a gentle one.
And of course some touching.

Maybe a bit more than just ‘some’.

And that’s how two boys fell in love -
one dark sky and one bright moon
one kiss
all in one Whispering Night.

“We didn’t vote on your marriage.”

Nakedwriter covers the Protest Against Prop 8 from downtown Boston.

Under the dreary skies of a downpour, I trudged along the sidewalks to the meeting place. No one seemed to be around. I wondered if the weather had dampened our spirits. “Even God doesn’t like us,” remarked one of my co-protesters.

And then, almost without warning, a group of semi-soaked individuals, umbrella and poster clad, came marching upon us. “Gay, straight, white, black. Marriage is a civil right!” they chanted. I was engulfed by the crowd, pulled along, and marched closely, chanting:

Gay. Straight. Black. White. Marriage is a civil right!

Supporters we passed cheered and clapped, while drivers honked their support. We made our way, half wet, to the plaza in front of the Boston City Hall. It was quite empty, quite quiet.

It took another half an hour before the crowd swelled. All sorts of people, families, couples, individuals, college students, teachers, mothers, legislators, musicians, artists, bikers, were present with their chants and boards.

“Prop 8 = Hate”

“California. WTF??”

“Liberty and Justice for All.”

“All Families are Equal.”

Speeches soon began. They crowds chanted for equality. Boo-ed at DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act). Chanted for change. Boo-ed at the people who mislabel us. Chanted for hope.

A journalist asked us, why were we internationals, unconcerned with the legalities of a foreign America, bothered about showing up. “America is seen as a pioneer. Change is followed elsewhere in USA’s footsteps…” pause “when it pertains the rights of LGBTQ,” someone said. “Because we’re fighting for an international cause: the right to love.”

“Because at home, women are told they can’t dress too manly,” I added.

At about 12.00pm to 2.00pm today, activists from KataGender and Food Not Bombs Kuala Lumpur as well as Tilted World contributers (not me - I had an exam :-P) marched from Ampang Park LRT station to KLCC to protest against the fatwa on tomboyism.

From Malaysiakini:

About a dozen protesters marched through Kuala Lumpur denouncing the recent ‘discriminatory’

MCPX

fatwa(religious decree) against tomboys. 

 Those involved were from two groups Katagender (which promotes gender sensitivity) and Food-not-Bombs, and included several men.

Armed with a large banner which read Lawan semua fatwa menindas perempuan (Oppose all fatwa which oppresses women)”, the protestors marched from the Ampang Park LRT station to the vicinity of KLCC.

Other small posters read ‘Tomboy is not a crime’ and ‘Stop controlling clothing and thoughts of the rakyat’.

As the protesters marched, they chanted slogans such as “Stop oppression against women” and “Short hair, who cares?” which drew the attention of curious lunch-time onlookers.

The group gathered briefly near the Jalan Ampang entrance to KLCC to chant slogans and distribute leaflets but dispersed after security personnel told them to leave.

One leaflet, citing information available on the Internet, explained the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation.

Another was an open letter to the National Fatwa Council. Among other aspects, it decribed the fatwa as discriminatory. The letter will be posted as an online petition, to gather public support.

 Dressing and sexual orientation 

On Oct 23, the council had ruled that Islam is against tomboys - specifically females displaying masculinity. It claimed that tomboys are inclined to behave like men and indulge in homosexuality.

Spokesperson for the protesters Lee Wei San said that the council’s decision was ill-conceived.

“What we are saying is that gender expression, identity and orientation are different things altogether,” said Lee.

She said that women should have the right over how they want to express themselves or dress.

“Why is the woman’s body always the battlefield of society’s morality?”

Another member of the group, who requested anonymity, said when contacted: “We got together because we feel strongly about the issue, even though the majority of us are not tomboys.”

Sign the peitition ‘Open Letter To The National Fatwa Council and Malaysians‘ here.

Love conquers all: Californian feminists and gay-rights activists Del Martin, 87 and Phyllis Lyon, 84 finally got married in June 2008, after a 56-year romance. Martin died in August 2008, but her legacy will live on.

The results mark the end of a 5-month long campaign by both the proponents and opponents of Proposition 8, and the most expensive social policy initiative in history. Some would day, this presents a huge blow to the gay/civil rights movement in not only California, but the world at large as well.

I beg to differ.

In 2000, Californians voted, by a margin of 23% (61.5-38.5), to instate Proposition 22 which, like Proposition 8 ‘08, restricted marriage to that between a man and a woman. (Proposition 22 was overturned by the Californian Surpreme Court in May 2008. Hence, Proposition The difference between the margins of the results of Proposition 22 ‘00 and Proposition 8 ‘08 indicates that the continuous efforts of the gay/civil rights movement have not been in vain, and that there has been a significant shift in attitudes towards same-sex marriage. The outcome of Proposition 8 marks, to me, not a failure but a drastic improvement. And there is good reason to believe that even greater improvements are imminent.

Firstly, all laws are subjected to change. Give it a few years, and gay rights advocates will sponsor another Proposition to be tabled at the ballot. Defeat it again, and a further bill will be tabled. There will be no end to the Battle of Propositions until a solid general consensus is achieved.

Secondly, the majority of the religious conversatives and non-college educated voted “YES” on Proposition 8, while the majority of the nonreligious, liberal and college-educated voted “NO” on Proposition 8. Over 70% of those aged 25 and below voted “NO” on Proposition 8.

As society progresses, the conservatives give way to the liberal and the young give way to the old, will there come a day when the majority of Californians will vote “YES” for the right of same-sex couples to marry? I believe so.

So hang in there, and keep your spirits up, because the gay and civil rights movement will continue long after Nov 4 in California, until every hill is exalted, until every mountain is made low, and until every man and woman in every country in the world is free and equal.

Forget about San Francisco. Forget about Sydney. Forget about Amsterdam.

Hang on to your tanktops, sequins and feather boas, boys! Seems like the gayest place in town these days is our very own fabulous little island of Penang. How else can you account for the nigh impossible number of gay parties being raided over there? Even caught a few boys with their pants down this very weekend making the headlines.

Seems like in a recent raid of a fitness center-cum-sauna, glowing pearl necklaces were found adorning quite a number of the patrons, presumably caught in the act. A concerned samaritan ( the twat! ) tipped overzealous vice cops off that the space had been used for clandestine trysts - and boy were they right! Not only did they manage to round up 70 unfortunate patrons - including British and Chinese nationals - the boys in blue also found gay magazines, tubes of lube, boxes of condoms and pornographic movies.

Blimey. Quite the party! Imagine the chagrin of the partygoers.

Does that shock me? No. After years of work in the gritty city - seeing the best and worst life has to offer, I’m pretty much unshockable these days. Hell I wasn’t exactly a saint before. And you guys know I’m far from prudish.

What puts me in a rage isn’t the fact that they were having a wild gay sex gala without sending me an invitation. Well, that does put me off a little - I know it’s been a while since I was out there but hey, they could have sent an invite

The line-up!
What actually drives me up the wall as usual is the sanctimonious morality police. Blame it on good old Section 377. Seriously, morality should not be governed by the law when it comes to affairs held behind closed doors between consenting adults. Not saying that we should all simultaneously hold mass roman orgies in public places but let’s just place this in context.

They’re all consenting adults. If an innocent underaged waif were to be present, I’d agree to lock the paedophilic lot up and toss away the key. But since they’re all grown men of sound mind, I don’t really give a damn what goes on behind closed curtains. What’s wrong a bit of slap and tickle? They could pretend to be furry forest creatures and indulge in humpy bunny sex for all I care.

They’re in a semi-private area. Sure, if they were out canoodling in public parks and recreational areas behind bushes and trees, they should be duly drawn and quartered. After all it’s the risk ( and the the thrill! ) that they take. But it’s in a closed private sauna dammit. I don’t recall them having an open invite.

And they aren’t making a nuisance of themselves! If the guys were yelling lewd obscenities and spanking the daylights out of each other till the wee hours of the morning, I’d certainly sound an alarm. Hell, even if they were a married heterosexual couple of 80 making loud whoopee all night long, I’d alert the police for the insane ruckus as well. But they weren’t.

So for god’s sakes, let them have their fun.

At least judging by the incriminating items found at the site, they practise commendable safe sex.

Look, I know in the general view amongst the more conservative Muslims and many non-Muslims ( especially those following Judaeo-Christian doctrines ), homosexuality is not vastly accepted. Far too liberal a view for them I’m sure. Though I never can quite understand how two guys in love can actually lead to a dramatic decline in society morals.

Fair enough though, to each his own. I don’t need your acceptance but that doesn’t mean I’d want to have your puritanical values and cultural norms shoved down my throat as well. Even less do I need a self-righteous Big Brother to come knocking on my door checking on my unnatural sexual practices. Here the question is how do you use the law ( based on prudish colonial statutes written in the Victorian era, I’m sure ) not to intrude on people’s privacy and their own private choices?

What next? Stoning adulterers? Strangling unwed mothers? Drowning pagan witches?

With such blatant discrimination ( and the infamous Section 377 forever hanging over our heads ), is it any wonder that young gay boys are driven to end their lives?