Gilbert Baker the rainbow flag man passes

Gilbert Baker at San Francisco Pride 2012

Gilbert Baker (June 2, 1951 – March 31, 2017) was an American artist and gay rights activist who designed the rainbow flag in 1978. Baker's flag became widely associated with LGBT rights causes, a symbol of pride that became ubiquitous in the decades since its debut.

Baker was born on June 2, 1951, in Chanute, Kansas.[1] He grew up in Parsons, Kansas, where his grandmother owned a women's clothing store. His father was a judge and his mother was a teacher.

Baker served in the United States Army from 1970 to 1972. He was stationed in San Francisco at the beginning of the gay rights movement. After his honorable discharge from the military, he taught himself to sew. He used his skill to create banners for gay-rights and anti-war protest marches. It was during this time that he met and became friends with Harvey Milk. He first created the Rainbow Flag in 1978.Baker refused to trademark it.

In 1979, Baker began work at Paramount Flag Company in San Francisco, then located on the southwest corner of Polk Street and Post Street in the Polk Gulch neighborhood. Baker designed displays for Dianne Feinstein, the Premier of China, the presidents of France, Venezuela and the Philippines, the King of Spain, and many others. He also designed creations for numerous civic events and San Francisco Gay Pride. In 1984, he designed flags for the Democratic National Convention.

In 1994, Baker moved to New York City, where he lived for the rest of his life. Here, he continued his creative work and activism. That year he created the world's largest flag (at that time) in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots.

In 2003, to commemorate the Rainbow Flag’s 25th anniversary, Baker created a Rainbow Flag that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean in Key West After the commemoration, he sent sections of this flag to more than 100 cities around the world. Due to his creation of the rainbow flag, Baker often used the drag queen name "Busty Ross".

Baker died in his sleep on March 30, 2017, at the age of 65, in New York City. He is survived by his mother and a sister, both of whom reside in Texas, as well as his life partner Alex Bruno from Laurence Harbor, NJ.Upon Baker's death, California state senator Scott Wiener said Baker "helped define the modern LGBT movement".

The colors on the Rainbow Flag reflect the diversity of the LGBT community. When Baker raised the first rainbow flags at San Francisco Pride (his group raised two flags at the Civic Center) on June 25, 1978, it had eight colors, each with a symbolic meaning:

Thirty volunteers had helped Baker hand-dye and stitch the first two flags in the top-floor attic gallery of the Gay Community Center at 330 Grove Street in San Francisco. As they were not supposed to use dye in public washing machines, they waited until late at night to rinse out the dye from their clothes, and put chlorine bleach in the washing machines after they left.

The design has undergone several revisions to first remove then re-add colors due to widely available fabrics. As of 2008, the most common variant consists of six stripes, with the colours red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Baker referred to this version of the flag as the "commercial version", because it came about due to practical considerations of mass production. Specifically, the rainbow flag lost its hot pink stripe when Baker approached the Paramount Flag Company to begin mass producing them, and the hot pink fabric was too rare and expensive to include. The rainbow flag lost its indigo stripe before the 1979 Gay Freedom Day Parade, as the committee organizing the parade wanted to fly the flag in two halves, from the light poles along both sides of Market Street, so it became a six-striped flag with equal halves.

Media

In 2003, Baker and his Key West project were the subject of Rainbow Pride, a feature-length documentary by Marie Jo Ferron, bought by PBS National and debuting in New York on WNET. Baker recreated his original Rainbow Flag for the Academy-award winning 2008 film Milk, and is shown being interviewed on one of the featurettes of the DVD release.

In 2017, Baker was portrayed in Dustin Lance Black's When We Rise. In the second part of the miniseries Baker's character is shown sewing the flag and later on explaining to Ken Jones the reasoning for the colors he had chosen.

Museums & archives

Baker's work and related historical artifacts are represented in several major museum and archival collections. The GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco owns one of the sewing machines Baker used to produce the original rainbow flags in 1978, along with one of the limited-edition recreations of the eight-stripe design he produced to mark the 25th anniversary of the flag. In 2012, the society displayed both objects in an exhibition on the history of the flag at the GLBT History Museum which it sponsors in San Francisco's Castro District. In 2015, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City acquired examples of the rainbow flag for its design collection, where curators ranked it as an internationally recognized symbol similar in importance to the Creative Commons logo and the recycling symbol

Florida has reached a deal to purchase the Pulse nightclub ........

The city of Orlando, Florida has reached a deal to purchase the Pulse nightclub and turn it into a memorial for the victims of what was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer’s office confirmed the queer nightclub’s $2.25 million purchase in an email to The Huffington Post Tuesday, pending a November 14 vote by City Council. His office added that there are no immediate plans to change the site.

“We do know that we want to maintain it for a period of time ― 12 to 18 months ― so that people from around the country and world who want to visit the site can do so,” the mayor said in a video posted to Twitter.

Since the June 12 shooting, in which 49 people were killed and 53 were wounded, the downtown site has served as a makeshift memorial that has been visited by tourists and politicians alike.

Dyer, speaking to the Orlando Sentinel, said the city’s ultimate goal will be to “create something to honor the memory of the victims that are deceased [and] those that were injured, and a testament to the resilience of our community.”

He said he will solicit ideas for the memorial from the surrounding community.

The purchase price is roughly $600,000 more than its appraised value, the Sentinel reported.

The nightclub’s owner, Barbara Poma, who owns it with her husband Posario, had previously pledged through a spokesperson to turn it into a memorial to the victims, most of whom identified as queer people of color.

Barbara Poma opened the dance venue in 2004 in honor of her late brother, John,who died from AIDS in 1991.

Back in August, it was reported that a newly established nonprofit called OnePULSE had filed plans to turn the nightclub into a memorial.

In June two Jamaicans said to be victims in Orlando mass shooting, It is possible that at least two Jamaicans were among the victims of the Orlando mass shooting on Sunday.

Foreign affairs minister, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith is advising that the Jamaican Consulate General in Miami has received unconfirmed reports that Jamaican nationals were casualties in the attack. However, efforts are underway to confirm these reports.

Senator Johnson Smith is overseas on official travel and has been monitoring the developments. 

Mr. Franz Hall, Jamaica’s Consul General (CG) explained that “checks are being done through the Office of Foreign Missions and also the hospitals in Orlando, in an effort to confirm these reports.”

Senator Johnson Smith has instructed the Consul General to remain in touch with the community and its leaders to provide support where possible. No serious followup came officially.

Howeve singer Shane Tomlinson was confirmed:

also see:

My heart & prayers go out to the Pulse victims & their families

Dormant anti gay feelings resurface in Florida shooting aftermath

Gay club killing unlikely in Ja .............

Rainbow flags vs Jamaicans murdered which is more important?

Ronnie Thwaites’ rubbish on flying rainbow flags grooms children into “particular lifestyle” (contains last pefomance of Shane Tomlinson's one of the Jamaicans who died)

Christians should apologise to gay people — Pope Francis

These Are the Names of the Victims of the awful incident

Peace & tolerance

H

Attorney General moves to strike out Public Defender appeal in Buggery Law case locally

Attorney General, Marlene Malahoo-Forte has filed an application seeking to strike out an appeal made by Public Defender, Arlene Harrison Henry, to have her named as an interested party in the Maurice Tomlinson buggery suit.

The Public Defender made the application last month challenging a Supreme Court ruling barring her from joining as an interested party in the case.

The Attorney General is arguing that the Public Defender did not follow established procedure in filing her appeal.

Gay rights activist and attorney-at-law, Maurice Tomlinson filed the suit last year.

In his constitutional motion against the Attorney General, he’s seeking to have the buggery law nullified in relation to consensual sex between men.

He claims that criminalising anal sex amounts to a denial of equality before the law for gay men.

The Public Defender sought to join the case claiming her office was created for the purpose of protecting and enforcing the rights of all citizens.

That application was denied by the Supreme Court.

The Court said the Public Defender was attempting to insert herself in a nationally divisive issue and could lose the confidence of many Jamaicans if allowed to do so.

It also ruled that her neutrality would also make her contribution of little assistance.

Last month lawyers representing the Public Defender filed a motion appealing the decision.

The appeal dated the 13th of July says the learned judge acted unreasonably by denying the applicant’s request.

But the Attorney General is moving to have that appeal struck out.

Lawyers representing the AG’s Department filed a motion arguing that the rules of the Court of Appeal require an applicant to first seek permission in writing when filing an appeal.

They argue that since this was not done there’s no proper appeal before the court.

The AG is also arguing that the notice of appeal filed by the Public Defender on July 13 is not valid and should be struck out.

also see:

Attorney General Malahoo Forte condemned for comments on US Embassy's rainbow flag

Rainbow flags vs Jamaicans murdered which is more important?

Public Defender appeals block from Buggery Constitutional Challenge

Independence Pride, Not Gay Pride' - Protesters Tell US Embassy To Cool Its 'Homosexual Agenda'

So the fearmongering continues from antigay groups as JFLAG carried out there pride events and the supported actions of the US Embassy has infuriated some folks.

No more rainbow flag, try the Jamaica flag, was the message protesters hoped to send to officials of the US Embassy in Kingston yesterday.

The Gleaner reported:

As Jamaica celebrated its 54th year of Independence yesterday, several Jamaicans sought to put a red line under that status by staging a peaceful protest outside the United States Embassy building in Kingston.

The protesters were riled up by what they claim is an attempt by the embassy to push a homosexual agenda in Jamaica.

rainbow lighting theme at the US embassy, supposedly requested by JFLAG

According to spokeswoman for the protesters, Phillippa Davies, the protest was arranged to show disapproval with "the embassy's action to raise the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community trademark rainbow flag last Thursday".

While the embassy has flown the rainbow flag in the past, last Thursday it went further by lighting the building with the rainbow colours.

For Davies, since the embassy has shown its support for the local LGBT pride week, Independence Day was the perfect opportunity to respond.

"We think it's fitting to mark our Independence by reaffirming our right to self-determination as a sovereign people, so today (Saturday) we think it is appropriate to say that this continuing bullying, provoking and imperialistic action by the US Embassy and others ... to coerce countries around the world to accept a political ideology that is against freedom; against human dignity, against the natural family and against God, we will not accept it," said Davies.

"We are out here with the colours of the Jamaican flag; these are colours that we are proud of. There is nothing to be afraid of. These colours represent our heritage of freedom fighting, of standing for justice and true freedom, not just for us, but for people across the world. So these are colours and truth that we stand by," added Davies.

Would Not Be Bullied

She told The Sunday Gleaner that she considers her country an independent one, and declared that the protesters would not be bullied.

According to Davies, the US Embassy in Kingston is using what happens in its home country to force an ideology on Jamaica that is not correct.

Davies was quick to declare that there was nothing homophobic about the protest.

"This political agenda is being advanced by the US and other Western nations and it is against our independence. It is against our sovereignty as free people, so today is the day that we take this seriously and we stand," she stressed.

"It's not true to say that it is American soil. The Vienna Convention gives certain privileges to guests in our country, whether it is America, France or Canada, but the soil on which this building right here on Old Hope Road rests is Jamaican soil, and if they are our guests then they are to behave appropriately.

"They are not to disrespect our laws, they are not to disrespect our heritage, and they are not to disrespect the norms that govern our policies and our laws. So to do something, with knowing what that flag represents, it is disrespectful, and that is not how you behave as a guest of the Jamaican people."

In the meantime, fellow protester, Helen Ann Brown, who described herself as a radical Christian, said they were protesting for Jamaica, not for Christians.

"Even the Rasta man say it wrong. Even the men on the street say it wrong. I am here defending the interest of the nation of Jamaica, and I am here to fight against cultural imperialism, and that is what some nations that have money are about," said Brown.

ENDS

Where oh where will this end?

Wasn't it these same church folks after their prayer vigil recently on crime who claimed: "Jamaicans encouraged to promote peace, love and unity" ......... shouldn't that include tolerance and understanding?

also see previous entries on rainbow flags and such:

Historical distortions, achievements & claims of firsts 

Ronnie Thwaites’ rubbish on flying rainbow flags grooms children into “particular lifestyle" 

Legal opinion on the use of flags at Embassies & suggested protocol for tweets 

Flags, forced evictions & foolishness

Oh to change hearts and minds

Peace & tolerance indeed 

H

Stonewall, some thoughts on the 47th anniversary

The standoff at the Stonewall riots 1969

I often wonder what we can learn from one of the pivotal moments in the history of global LGBTQI struggles, especially so from our neighbours to the north. We tend in Jamaica not to respect history overall and more so LGBT timelines and how they help to or ought to help inform us today. Young mostly poor and disenfranchised LGBT persons in 1969 decided enough was enough in a crammed section of New York City in as far as protracted police homophobia was concerned they spontaneously launched a broadside in rebellion. 

July 4, 1965 Philly march the precursor to the Stonewall moment

Little did they know that that faithful night at the now infamous Stonewall club ironically ran by the mob even in the face of prohibition would spark the fire for this end of the global struggle for LGBT rights. The visibility and indeed the dignity march earlier at the Philadelphia bell is another defining moment as well and other dotted moments that influenced the push towards change. Ironically nearly all the other more posh gay clubs on the strip in New York at the time had the more privileged white audience which highlights the class divide, the mostly patronized clubs did not have the kinds of pressure from the police as Stonewall did, bribes had a hand in that as both the mob collected extortion money and rouge cops theirs for ignoring those joints. The race and class elements should not be left out, a class challenge we struggle with here in Jamaican LGBT life presently. The police would have been targeted in NY at Stonewall too as they knew the Italian mob had a hand in running the joint after it was closed before when run privately as the managers had some challenges in keeping it going, they had issues with getting drinks for sale as prohibition was still in vogue.

The riots also was the catalyst to push for the adaptation and use of the rainbow flag as the symbol for LGBT rights and identity, it was present the very night in a different version then and came to represent the fact that race meant nothing that night and sexual orientation disappeared for a moment; everyone just came together as a collective to respond to the longstanding pressure from the cops and by extension general society as similar to now in Jamaica. Despite the training exercises geared towards police (mostly new recruits) we still hear of police abuse, attempted extortion and undo pressure occasionally. Despite the strengthening of corruption investigating arms the cases that do get investigated sometimes fizzle as impacted individuals do not or feel no need to follow up in court to a final resolution of said matters or are patient with an already creaking justice system.

The mob who ran Stonewall knew that the poorer trannies, drag queens and gays would not have the means, money or be scuffed at at the other gay clubs for more uptown patrons especially as one goes to Manhattan’s side. So mostly young LGBT who seemed to have nothing to lose who patronize that joint and they took matters into their own hands as the breaking point came. I had the opportunity to have spoken to and subsequently watched the PBS documentary involving one of the living participants some time ago who was at the club that faithful June 28, 1969. It felt good to be in touch with history. Some have said in Jamaica we need our version of a Stonewall moment to try to defuse the nationally entrenched homo-negativity and effemophia out there as years of multi-generational resistance needs to be broken.

The police would enter the club repeatedly in one night so much so that the patrons and staff developed a signalling system; no sooner had the cops in uniform or the known plain clothes officers who would entrap drag queens and gays as the law then allowed for such arrests, the club lights would be switched on and everyone would stop dancing, music muted and patrons separate from each other. This catch us if you can coordinated response went on for some time but persons just got tired of it and I can understand as an event planner and DJ having to engage police over some near twenty years. The nearby parked freezer trucks at Stonewall would become sweaty sex shops for orgies, cruisers and quickies which the cops some in plain clothes would pretend to be gays as well and then entrap and or arrest or abuse men who were caught; drag queens and early trannies as they were called then in particular had a hard time as an anti cross-dressing piece of legislation was used against them. The glory-hole phenomenon in both public bathrooms at the club and club stalls were targeted with sometimes not so convincing cross dressed undercover cops who would pounce, a nearby downlow club to Stonewall for married men specifically was also targeted and the photos of those arrested would be splashed across the press pages especially when requested bribe demands were not met.

Trouble is the Jamaican sub groups who would be the ones as in the Stonewall riots; the lower socio-economic groups are not sufficiently driven yet I feel, and the homeless populations are scattered too much for a cohesive or collective resistance; not to mention that they are effectively sedated with tokenism by so called NGOs who thrown crumbs to keep them interested in the form of sodas and dry biscuits and such married with workshop after workshop after workshop at hotels then they have to go right back to the makeshift shelters from tarpaulins, how long can the trick continue? The privileged, protected sections of the populations aren’t interested in such a move of real interventions which is dirty work, JFLAG and now joined by others still do not want to get their hands dirty directly with such populations but are quite prepared to use them as poster material for social media smooth-overs and public relations campaigns. The defragmentation may never yield a Stonewall like response with truth, depth and meaning as weapons to breathe life into the resistance and not the farce of a unity that now obtains. The public are not fools and they are well aware of the class divide. Only recently on a radio talk show during the rainbow flag fiasco after the Orlando shooting several callers to a show on Newstalk 93FM mentioned the (not sure if because one caller mentioned ‘uptown gays’ others call in and follow suit) class divide that they have been seeing, members of the public do pay attention to the social media sites of JFLAG and others and have been making a note. Dane Lewis, Executive Director of JFLAG physical size and even skin colour has not gone unnoticed sadly as the two Jamaicas class divide problem plays itself out. He has been compared by homophobic callers to the fat politicians in power who are comfortable and who do not have to do much but take pictures and make appearances but are in fact ineffective otherwise and comfortable. But who pays attention to public sentiments when one is comfortable or feel immune from the common classes?

I have often said revolutions are not paid for with rose water and at some point there is going to have to be some whether proper organised resistance or some spontaneous event not the softy placard holding at Emancipation Park with police protection or some so called pride event held well away from the public or during peak hour times in the middle of the public, then marketed as bold. Jamaicans are not fooled by that as the background of the many of the photos tell the truth as to what is at stake. Such observations have not escaped the notice of persons and one talkshow host some years ago questioned the authenticity of the LGBT advocacy or sections of it as a farce which just feeds into an already disbelieving, disapproving and dismissing cynical public; many of whom claim that the collective we are all liars and are playing on foreign support to impose homosexuality on the nation. Maybe the variables are not close together as they ought to be to create some spark for our Stonewall moment. Legal reform and the more coordinated resistance is the least of our problems more so than the changing of hearts and minds nationally. I raised such a concern in a previous post on the 12th anniversary of the death of Brian Williamson, the struggle feels so splintered and rudderless than as a cohesive movement; Ian Boyne alluded to it in a Gleaner article where he described the arrogance and intolerant view of intolerance which I could not agree with more.

The underground railroad route via asylum is only bleeding the bodies for the fight too so we may never see our Stonewall at all.

The resistance in New York that faithful June did not have the fluff of well dressed privileged gays, NGO executives, preppy lawyers and volunteers from academia, they were in their pristine clubs left alone as bribes kept the cops at bay, oh no it was ordinary folks, poor whites, homeless gays and drag queens and poor gay/bisexual masculine types who led the charge into battle knowingly or unknowingly, who knows a similar occurrence may be here. As the PBS documentary which upon preparation of this post I suddenly cannot find online as before but from memory, one of the survivors said it with words to the effect that himself and others never knew that they would be the spark at that time in the struggle towards change. They suddenly realized they had power they never knew on the outside of the club when they started to shout words such as 2, 4, 6, 8 is that copper really straight and so on as they took on the police physically. Sometimes I wish I was there, that moment when persons who felt alone felt part of a meaningful collective with a suddenly realized defined purpose with your enemy in sight and the response is powerful.

The US struggle which seem to have defined the global push for LGBT rights is ongoing despite the gains made such as the SCOTUS gay marriage ruling, transgender visibility and understanding, some bisexual visibility though more is needed, push for true tolerance and legal reforms but challenges are there such as the recent transgender bathroom push back and murders that go unsolved in African American communities. The poorer classes are still overlooked or their issues are poorly attended to which is the lesson Stonewall has shown me at least. The class divide gives the appearance that the privileged are the ones who want rights to continue their cementing of said privilege while those on the fringes stay there, their issues are just materials for studies, cocktail party discourse, and academic fodder and such as persons pat themselves and each other on the back. Where is the real unity?

The class divide in the US is clear today as ever as before, grass roots transgender activists for example cry foul repeatedly as more executive heavy supposed NGOs pay attention to bureaucratic red tape that real issues namely homelessness and murder rates spiraling in black transgender populations especially. Mostly white run powerhouses while gaining much valued political power the emphasis is on prepping up bureaucracy that real advocacy, they worry more about maintaining such bureaucracies in order to keep their doors open and well paying jobs with emoluments more than the respective sub community challenges and sadly; the recent UN position on HIV and marginalized groups showed up the status quo quite clearly and the threat of Global Fund’s pull from Jamaica by 2018 is the other example as many are fretting about their jobs than the target populations challenges. The basic aims of the struggle are effectively lost in translation and more egregiously the newer generations already ignorant to how we got here have only added a more individualistic component to the already murky mix. There is just too much fluff blocking the thrust that would be needed for our Stonewall type moment(s) truth of self is the key devoid of any noise and layers; with social media adding another element of distortion of said truths with narcissistic mirroring and falsified bettering of self how can enough anger and displeasure spontaneously turn into a quickly coordinated response?

More anon

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:

Ian Boyne on Grow Up On Gay Intolerance!

The Intolerant View Of Tolerance ............... 2012

New Imperialists in Pink (a submitted article)

The Rainbow Flag is 38 today

A milestone indeed for the symbol of LGBT prowess worldwide; what timely recognition given we are cooling down from the recent flag fiasco and furore as caused by someone who ought to have known better.

the man himself Gilbert Baker

The rainbow flag, sometimes LGBT pride flag or gay pride flag, is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride and LGBT social movements in use since the 1970s. The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBT community, and the flag is often used as a symbol of gay pride in LGBT rights marches. It originated in California, but is now used worldwide.

Designed by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978, the design has undergone several revisions to first remove then re-add colors due to widely available fabrics. As of 2008, the most common variant consists of six stripes, with the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The flag is commonly flown horizontally, with the red stripe on top, as it would be in a natural rainbow.

The original gay-pride flag flew in the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade on June 25, 1978. It has been suggested that Baker was inspired by Judy Garland's singing "Over the Rainbow" and the Stonewall riots that happened a few days after her death. The flag also strongly resembles the ribbon colors of the WWI Victory Medal, though no connection is evidenced. Another suggestion for how the rainbow flag originated is that at college campuses during the 1960s, some people demonstrated for world peace by carrying a Flag of the Races (also called the Flag of the Human Race) with five horizontal stripes (from top to bottom they were red, black, brown, yellow, and white). Gilbert Baker is said to have gotten the idea for the rainbow flag from this flag in borrowing it from the Hippie movement of that time largely influenced by pioneering homosexual activist Allen Ginsberg. The flag consisted of eight stripes; Baker assigned specific meaning to each of the colors, here are two versions of it:

Thirty volunteers hand-dyed and stitched the first two flags for the parade.

Original eight-stripe version designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978

Version with hot pink removed due to fabric unavailability
(1978–79)

Six-color version popular since 1979. Indigo changed to royal blue.

After the November 27, 1978, assassination of openly gay San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk, demand for the rainbow flag greatly increased. To meet demand, the Paramount Flag Company began selling a version of the flag using stock rainbow fabric consisting of seven stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, and violet. As Baker ramped up production of his version of the flag, he too dropped the hot pink stripe because of the unavailability of hot-pink fabric. Also, San Francisco-based Paramount Flag Co. began selling a surplus stock of Rainbow Girls flags from its retail store on the southwest corner of Polk and Post, at which Gilbert Baker was an employee.

In 1979 the flag was modified again. When hung vertically from the lamp posts of San Francisco's Market Street, the center stripe was obscured by the post itself. Changing the flag design to one with an even number of stripes was the easiest way to rectify this, so the turquoise stripe was dropped, which resulted in a six stripe version of the flag — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.

In 1989, the rainbow flag came to nationwide attention in the United States after John Stout sued his landlords and won when they attempted to prohibit him from displaying the flag from his West Hollywood, California, apartment balcony

For the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in 1994, flag creator Baker was commissioned to create the world's largest rainbow flag. It took months of planning and teams of volunteers to coordinate every aspect. The flag utilized the basic six colors and measured thirty feet wide. Foot-wide sections of the flag were given to individual sponsors as part of a fundraiser for the Stonewall anniversary event once the event had ended. Afterwards additional large sections of the flag were sent with activists and they were used in pride parades and LGBT marches worldwide. The Guinness Book of World Records confirmed it as the world's largest flag.

In 2003 Baker was again commissioned to produce a giant flag. In this case it marked the 25th anniversary of the flag itself. Dubbed "25 Rainbow Sea to Sea" the project entailed Baker again working with teams of volunteers but this flag utilized the original eight colors and measured a mile-and-a-quarter (2 km) across Key West, Florida from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf Coast Sea. The flag was again cut up afterward, and sections sent to over a hundred cities worldwide.

Variations

Many variations of the rainbow flag have been used. Some of the more common ones include the Greek letter lambda (lower case) in white in the middle of the flag and a pink triangle or black triangle in the upper left corner. Other colors have been added, such as a black stripe symbolizing those community members lost to AIDS. The rainbow colors have also often been used in gay alterations of national and regional flags, replacing for example the red and white stripes of the flag of the United States. In 2007, the Pride Family Flag was introduced at the Houston, Texas pride parade.

In the early years of the AIDS epidemic, AIDS activists designed a "Victory over AIDS" flag consisting of the standard six-stripe rainbow flag with a black stripe across the bottom. Leonard Matlovich, himself dying of AIDS-related illness, suggested that upon a cure for AIDS being discovered, the black stripes be removed from the flags and burned.

rainbow flag being flown at the US Embassy Kingston Jamaica in memory of the Orlando shooting of Pulse nightclub, a gay joint. 

Other countries' LGBT communities too have adopted the rainbow flag. South Africa with one of the most liberal constitutions in the world, has recently adopted The LGBT flag of South Africa at one of the world's biggest costume parties the Mother City Queer Project 2010 to a crowd of 10 000 party goers. The creator Eugene Brockman said "the flag honors every Gay Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender person as they make the Rainbow Nation dazzle".

Fly high yah man, the colours of the rainbow indeed.

Peace & tolerance

H

Legal opinion on the use of flags at Embassies & suggested protocol for tweets from public officials

The following is an opinion shared originally in the Star news on the legal aspects of embassies, protocol and flags.

Just last week, Attorney General Mrs Marlene Malahoo Forte, QC, was embroiled in controversy after she tweeted that it is "disrespectful of Jamaica's law to have the rainbow flag flown here". The rainbow flag is widely known to be associated with the LGBT community, which lost 49 of its members in what has been described as the worst mass shooting in the USA.

Following the shooting, President Barack Obama ordered that flags at the White House and on all United States government buildings be flown at half-staff. As a result, the US Embassy in Jamaica complied by flying the US flag along with the rainbow flag at half-mast.

the tweet that started it all

The learned attorney general did not make reference to the Jamaican law, which she said was being disrespected despite being asked by the US Embassy to provide the legal reasoning for the tweet. I suspect that there has been no response in this regard, for the simple reason that flying the rainbow flag anywhere in Jamaica does not constitute a breach of Jamaican law, even though many may view it as being offensive.

SOVEREIGN TERRITORY

The tweet by the attorney general raises two fundamental issues: the first one is whether the US Embassy is the sovereign territory of Jamaica, the receiving State, or the sovereign territory of the USA, the sending State; and the second is whether there ought to be a protocol governing the use of social media by government ministers and other public officials.

With respect to the first issue, the answer is to be found in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961 (the Convention). Article 22 specifically provides that 'the premises of the mission shall be inviolable'. As such, the agents of the receiving State may not enter them, except with the consent of the head of the mission. The receiving State 'is under a special duty to take all appropriate steps to protect the premises of the mission against any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the mission or impairment of its dignity'. Also, the premises of the mission, their furnishings and other property shall be "immune from search, requisition, attachment or execution".

Article 21 of the Convention provides that "the mission and its head shall have the right to use the flag and emblem of the sending State on the premises of the mission..."

The Convention does not state that the property belongs to the sending State. However, it is on account of the foregoing provisions that the premises on which the US Embassy is located are treated, for all intents and purposes, as being a part of the US territory. In reality, though, it is still Jamaica's territory with concessions given to the USA by virtue of the rules, norms and custom of international relations.

It is for that reason that although one may argue that the rainbow flag is not the American flag, the US Embassy is still free to use the premises it occupies as it sees fit, which would involve the flying of any flag it chooses. That is its right and privilege under international law.

NO ADEQUATE DIRECTION

With respect to the second issue, it is clear that despite the proliferation of social media, successive administrations have allowed high-ranking government officials to use social media sites without control or adequate directions. The attorney general tried to retract her comments by suggesting that she was misunderstood but, like a spent arrow, her comments could not be taken back; the damage (as some have viewed it) had already been done; that is one of the dangers of social media.

So, the issue is much deeper than a tweet or the flying of the rainbow flag. A protocol on the use of tweets, and social media in general, by public officials may have prevented this outcry. It is therefore high time for Government to develop a protocol regarding the use of social media by its officials. It could go a far way in preventing embarrassment to the Government and people of Jamaica in the long run.

Meanwhile the Gleaner's editorial five days ago was instructive:

it read in part:

Our suspicion is that Marlene Malahoo Forte was enticed, and ultimately the victim of what, for the modern politician, can be two very seductive lures. One of is the pull of populism. The other is the power of myriad social-media platforms, with their sense of immediacy and no restrictive band for discourse, to, not infrequently; induce even presumably sensible people to spout off on serious matter with an apparent absence of thought.

First, when Mrs Malahoo Forte tweeted this week about the Orlando massacre, no one would doubt her abhorrence and, therefore, genuine condemnation of the action of Omar Mateen. Mateen's attack was a gay club. It is reasonable to assume that the vast majority of his victims, the 49 who are dead and the more than 50 who were injured, where either gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender people. Whatever else were Mateen's motives, what happened on Sunday in Orlando, Florida, was also a vulgar act of hate, perpetrated against a specific group of people, in which at least one person whose parents are Jamaicans, was killed. In many parts of the world, people are showing solidarity with the gay community against this outrage by flying the rainbow flag or lighting buildings in its colours.

NOT A PRIVATE MATTER

In Jamaica, as at many other American missions around the world, the rainbow flag was hoisted at half staff alongside the stars and stripes, at the US embassy. That Mrs Malahoo Forte said, was "disrespectful of Jamaican laws". Then she added the disclaimer that her statement was a personal view - except that as attorney general, the Government's senior legal officer and a member of the political executive bound by the tenet of collective responsibility, declaration about public law isn't a private matter.

But of what Jamaican laws the Americans were disrespectful is unclear. Indeed, in her current job, and as a former junior foreign affairs minister, Mrs Malahoo Forte would know that under article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations the premises of a diplomatic mission "shall be inviolable" and that Jamaica is under "special duty" to protect that inviolability, including their absolute right to fly that rainbow flag. Neither is there any law in Jamaica that explicitly or implicitly prohibits the rainbow flag or prevents free speech or the expression or preferences, or solidarity with any group of persons.

CRIMINAL OFFENCE

Mrs Malahoo Forte, however, ignorant of anti-gay sentiment in Jamaica, from which, we believe, she probably felt she could extract political value by ingratiating her way into it. That has been tried in the past, and it is for fear of a potential political backlash against a government that initiated such a move, that buggery, or anal sex, remains a criminal offence in Jamaica.

The fact that this archaic law remains does not preclude people's right to lobby - by whatever legal means, including the flying of flags of their choice - against it, or against other acts or laws that discriminate against gays. These are principles we expect to be upheld and defended by the attorney general, or anyone giving legal counsel to the State, thereby acting on behalf of all its people. A potentially unintended consequence of what Mrs Malahoo Forte did was to suggest that some Jamaicans, because on their sexual orientation, are less equal, without the same right to expression and protection than others.

ENDS

also see:
Ronnie Thwaites’ rubbish on flying rainbow flags grooms children into “particular lifestyle”

Ian Boyne on Grow Up On Gay Intolerance!

Flags, forced evictions & foolishness

Reverend Al Miller has no moral authority (yet again) to speak on flags & correctness

Rainbow flags vs Jamaicans murdered which is more important?

Attorney General Malahoo Forte condemned for comments on US Embassy's rainbow flag

Dormant anti gay feelings resurface in Florida shooting aftermath

finally the Marcia Forbes media practitioner and former TVJ General Manager offered some advice in the Gleaner: Don't Hit 'Send' - Political Parties Urged To Establish Communication Policies As Social Media Gaffes Continue

Rainbow Flag Controversy @ US Embassy Jamaica... 

Flags, forced evictions & foolishness

First let's me address the foolishness on whether flags exist for heterosexuals, yes they actually do exist but if our hetero brethren are so used to their comfortable privilege then they would not understand our struggle hence our reference to the rainbow flag.

Heterosexual flags #1 & 2

Hetero- romantic flag 

the meanings of the rainbow colours

As the aftermath of the latest round of national ignorance laden homophobic uproar over a simple rainbow flag being flown on an embassy’s property continue, the usual spike as expected presents itself in incident outcomes outside of the vitriol and social media storms. Whenever there are major homophobic laced public discourse there seems to be either said discourse act as a catalyst to some negative event such as verbal abuse at least to forced evictions or worse. This year already without the flag controversy looks worrying to me but not surprising as I have seen this cycle before as in the aftermath of Brian Willimanson’s murder where there was almost a national celebration of his death given he was the face of LGBT visibility and also the murder of Ambassador Peter King; rumours of tapes with celebrities and himself having sex.

Several attacks were as a clear result of that case as some persons based on the narrative obtained in reports from victims the justification implied is if he as an uptowner homosexual he was killed then others on the lower totem pole also deserve it. (Un) confirmed reports have been coming to hand since this latest national homo-negative round and two such reports have to come hand with one forced eviction in St Catherine of an unemployed man in his twenties and who was given an ultimatum to find somewhere to go or find a man and a near miss altercation of a cruiser who nearly got caught. In finding a man it implies that homosexual liaisons involve some financial or lifestyle improvement rewards, stemming from an older homo-negative belief of paedophile or predatory intent similar to the misogynistic driven predatory intent of men on teenage girls.

The relationship with the young man and his mother had been deteriorating for a while as he had graduated from a skills training institution he had not picked up a job as his mother expected or thought such an achievement would be automatic. Then there were the proverbial inquiries about a girlfriend and why he has not shown any interest in the local community females as the other young male adults; an expectation that some parents or siblings put enormous pressure to fulfill as a marker of becoming or being a real man. Repeated arguments, occasional deliberate absence from the house just to avoid said clashes, calls and text messages from other family either condemning him or asking what is happening with him, this of course coming from the strength of his mother telling them the issues.

Gleaner's Lasmay takes a bite at the issue

The rainbow flag controversy came into play it seems as it unfolded and his mother reacted to the hoisting of it on the US Embassy property at Hope Road as “the gay dem too bright wid it” in other words the gays are too barefaced, a sentiment that had come to hand repeatedly almost everywhere one goes. I encountered similar sentiments at a local community shop where I live, what as interesting however was when someone in the gathering of mostly men suggested that if they passed the embassy and saw the flag and the meaning was not made public would they know if it were a gay flag? Many said no. Which was very interesting to me; just a simple yet misguided tweet from a person who ought to know better sent the entire nation into frenzy when more important issues require attending to. Bearing in mind our justice system needs so much improvement but the Attorney General finds time to make stupid tweets.

The impacted man’s mother agreed with the antigay church groups who came out swinging and claimed according to him as we spoke that she was not going to tolerate such things near her once she can prove it. It was at that point she asked him outright whether he was gay or not. To which he tried to dodge just avoid another argument; however this time it was unavoidable and the shouting match like many before repeated itself. Tersely worded phrases flew between the two and then came the piled on justification for him to leave the house, to include his unemployed status, his perceived homosexuality by virtue of him having no overt female companions as the other young men in the area or at best a baby mother or two as evidence of his virility and the visibility in short as being too frightening to endure for her. He was ordered to remove his things such as clothing and such just two days ago to which he complied. He reached out to friends who have been assisting him, from which he was referred to me and others.

I suggested to him as he is staying with someone with a steady internet connection he should try to get some cash and enroll in the business processing outsourcing, BPO sector, they have been some active recruitment with prior paid registration and training with headphones to work from home. The pay is not all that hot as low as $280/hr but it can be a start to make himself a little financially stable; also he can regulate his own work hours so long as he makes the standard forty hour work week. The initial cost though is some $15,000 dependent on the items included in the engagement as online training and support if included is what spikes the amount.

The second case had a narrative of opposition to the rainbow flag hoisting matter in Kingston as a cruiser who got himself into some trouble navigating a space and an intended target he was going after for a quickie. In Kingston the man in his early forties and who is a good buddy of mine told me of his ordeal by phone. The incident occurred on June 18, 2016 around 6 am; a time for excellent ‘hunting’ for a good hookup as men on the prowl whether they identify as gay or not. The 40+ cruiser made an error in judgement and was almost caught by a man who was urinating nearby at a wall; the urinating man made an alarm to which other men nearby who were sitting in a truck joined the pursuit. The cruising communities or sections of it has been having its fair share of challenges including the usual loss of space, internal clashes and inter MSM community clashes as well.

The argument from the truck men and ‘urinator’ (well endowed and all) was the usual anti gay ‘fire burn’ rhetoric was evident but the men then added as part of their justified scorn is the supposed outwardness of the raising or flying of a rainbow flag in public, which is so ridiculous to me. Fear is really the enemy to contend with in changing hearts and minds but will we ever see real and profound tolerance in this lifetime is a question that has been on my mind in recent times. What is even worse is when the nonsense is supported by prominent persons who one would think ought to know better such as Ronnie Thwaites who claimed the flag is a grooming tool for children to essentially accept “a particular lifestyle.”

Other reverends and politicians have been hopping on the matter to get their five minutes of fame I suppose, especially those on the opposition side, they seem to want us to forget that the suggested (promised) conscience vote did not materialize under their time in office yet they come out blasting the Attorney General for her tweet while others such as Damion Crawford clashed with the US consulate representative Jeffrey Polacheck who is to me too soft but he shakily held his ground. Crawford claimed he agreed that the rainbow flag was a political statement but what is so annoying to me that whether or not it was a hate crime or a misguided struggling gay/bi man who snapped that caused the shooting the victims were LGBT as far as we know it, therefore it would seem to me that the rainbow flag would be appropriate and more so since the US embassy or any embassy is considered foreign soil representing the country’s flag it flies. It is not as if the flag will remain forever and the tempers that have flared do not do so when Jamaicans are killed. Where is the outrage for other daily atrocities?

As other confirmed cases come to light they will be mad known and as always be vigilant, be safe.

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:

Ronnie Thwaites’ rubbish on flying rainbow flags grooms children into “particular lifestyle”

Rainbow flags vs Jamaicans murdered which is more important?

Reverend Al Miller has no moral authority (yet again) to speak on flags & correctness

Attorney General Malahoo Forte condemned for comments on US Embassy's rainbow flag

Gay club killing unlikely in Ja ...........

Time for rational dialogue (indeed) on sexuality and tolerance

I am pleased at some of the more rational discourse that seems to be slowly emanating from some persons although they may totally support or agree with matters of sexual orientation. The following appeared in the Observer for all intents and purposes is worth reviewing in fairness as written by Christopher Burns.

The original title was: "Time for rational dialogue on sexuality and tolerance"

He wrote:

We would only be postponing the inevitable were we to engage political expediency over serious and far-reaching human rights actions including, but not limited to, granting our citizens justiciable rights. Recent events in Orlando, Florida, should also impel us to consider opening up the public square to address issues we have been sweeping under the carpet for years, hoping they just go away.

I can hear, “Burns, yuh mad?!” I am not mad at all, just brave!

None of this means we should mortgage our morality, disband our social and cultural mores, or surrender our sovereignty to outside forces or powers. In all we do we must, as a country and people, protect what is uniquely ours. Nevertheless, we cannot operate in a way that promotes or pits one group against or over the other; neither should we ignore the fundamental truth that speaks to our common identity as human beings — complex though it is.

It ought to begin with dialogue that encourages tolerance over hate and bigotry. It must eschew behaviours such as that of a father who, in February 2004, concerned that his son might be gay, turned up at the Dunoon Park Technical High School in east Kingston and encouraged other students to “beat di bwoy” who was an eleventh-grader at the time. Had it not been for the intervention of a teacher, the boy could have been killed. It was so bad one of the teachers gave an eyewitness account that went, “They were intent on killing him…They were like a pack of wild animals who had smelled blood, and if it wasn’t for another staff member who jumped on top of him, you would be reporting on a mob killing...”

To begin with, humanity is very complex. Hence, we must be slow to judge, to condemn, or to wish harm for those we disagree with, especially in the name of religion or based on some false sense of piety or enlightenment. For, try as hard as we might, we never know what our sons or daughters are going to become. We can only hope for the best for them, but we can never be certain of the choices they will make or the path they will pursue in their personal lives. If they choose the “forbidden path”, does it automatically disqualify them from being recipients of our love, care, support, and protection? I think not, since we can hate the sin but still love the sinner — we all sin anyway.

There are many mysteries about our behaviours, choices, interests, likes and dislikes that remain enigmatic, so much so, neither science nor religion has been able to unravel the mysteries — such is the nature of mankind. Human and social biology is indeed intricate, yet much of it is responsible for our individuality and unique qualities. Still, it is remarkable that people are people wherever we go.

One does not have to hold scholarships in sociology or religious studies to know that our complex humanity is shaped, in no small measure, by modes and methods of socialisation, years of religious indoctrination, and early cultural moulding. With the complexity and exposure to various socio-religious dogmas, and moral and cultural teachings, come myriad problems and misunderstandings, chief among which are insensitivity, insensibility, assumptions, mis-assumptions, ready acceptance, intolerance, hatred, bigotry, indifference, and downright cruelty.

The sad truth is that none of these diverse offshoots is limited to any one culture, ethnicity, race, civilisation, country, or religion. The maladies are as universal as the casing of the sky. There have been many instances in human history, and indeed in the history of the world, where humanity has engaged horrible crimes against other homo sapiens and has displayed the worst behaviour toward one another for one reason or another.

At times, there appears to be justification for some of the actions, such as when good men stood up to defeat general ugliness, genocide, slavery and other dastardly deeds. However, there other times when our actions and treatment of each other are completely unjustifiable, sadistically unnecessary, heartlessly brutal, and nauseatingly animalistic, mostly in the name of religion and politics. Is it because so many see these two things as indispensable to survival? Even so, there is everything destructive about those forms of extremism.

In the aftermath of some of the most barbarous, wicked and selfish acts against certain individuals, ethnicities, groups, children, women, individuals with disabilities, or an entire generation, while some ponder the existence of God and question the purpose or usefulness of having such deity, others celebrate and give succour to evil.

Those who contemplate God’s existence often ask, how is it possible for the God of equipoise, love, mercy, omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience allow such crimes, actions, and circumstances to happen, most times against innocent children, old people, the historically dispossessed, socially and economically marginalised and vulnerable? It makes us wonder if God picks sides in some to these despicable atrocities, and why it always appears that might trumps right.

This brings me to last week’s terrorist attack on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where 49 persons were killed and 53 badly injured. Pulse, as it is being reported, is a gay nightclub and meeting point for members of the LGBT community. Pulse came of age after the AIDS/HIV crisis in the United States during the mid-1980s. Gay people have a right to peaceful assembly, a right to love as their hearts dictate, and a right to the freedoms that all of us — heterosexual or asexual — enjoy or aspire to enjoy. While we may not understand their preferences and vice versa, we may loathe the look of their relationships, but it is not right or reasonable to murder them en masse on the assumption or evidence that they practise homosexuality or bisexuality.

One does not have to be homosexual, or even crypto-homosexual, to see evil in the actions of the killer — Omar Mir Seddique Mateen. Therefore, before we jump for joy and declare senselessly and uncaringly that “a bayyy, a good fi dem…di ‘ole a dem fi dead…”, let us consider the possibility that Omar Mir Seddique Mateen might have killed a man or woman, a son or a daughter, who held the secret cure to some of the world’s most deadly diseases. Mateen may have killed the mother or father of a child whose very future and existence depended upon the presence and involvement of its parent(s). We should never assume that because someone attends a gay or straight nightclub that that automatically makes the individual gay or straight; nothing could be further from the truth. Therefore, we must be circumspect in our readiness to condemn and to heap fire in people’s bosoms.

Quicksand judgement

Consider this: As part of my professional development and certainly during postgraduate research work, I would visit many places, interview people from all walks of life, virtually live among them, in order to understand their behaviour and way of life. One of my close friends is a successful prosecutor. She is married to a former FBI officer whose job takes him many places. He is as heterosexual as heterosexuals get, yet, it was not strange for him to visit gay clubs, reggae clubs or other night spots across Florida, because that was how he observed, ingratiated himself, and caught criminals.

He is a very successful professional. He often tells of the many instances when he would cross-dress — drag queen RuPaul could not outstage him when it comes on to cross-dressing. He did this just to catch lawbreakers. Were he still with the FBI, he could well have been at the Pulse nightclub, scoping it for hardened drug dealers, violent criminals, or murderers. He could have been there trying to close in on a case of child molestation while Omar Mateen was busy spraying bullets all over the place. We would have lost a decent citizen and an eminent law enforcement professional just because his job caused him to be at a gay club. We must move away from narrow-mindedness and think more broadly. Members of the church community have an enormous role to play in shifting the thinking and mindset in this regard.

I am not a churchman. I do not embrace all aspects of Christianity. I do read theBible on occasion and find the stories mostly interesting. Of all the books of theBible, I happen to appreciate the books of Job, Nehemiah and Ephesians, but I love the book of Proverbs more than any other because it teaches wisdom. I would recommend the book of Proverbs, especially to Christian fundamentalists and bigots whose fixation with the book of Leviticus is tantamount to cruelty.

I was not surprised, but rather embarrassed by utterances from two so-called evangelical US pastors. First, Bible-thumping, hand-clapping, foot-stamping, religious bigot Roger Jimenez, pastor of Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento, California, emitted so much bile it would cause a John crow’s stomach to turn. Pastor Jimenez, relying on a passage from the story of David in the Old Testament, said with respect to the Orlando shootings: “There’s no tragedy…I wish the Government would round them [gays] all up, put them up against a wall, put a firing squad in front of them, and blow their brains out...The Bible tells us to hate the enemy of God...”

Shamefully, when asked about a gay or lesbian person, a bisexual person, or a transgender person who is a Christian, Pastor Jimenez casually replied, “Well, here’s the thing: if you read Romans, Chapter 1 in context, God gave them over to a reprobate mind..” I wonder what he would do, had his son, daughter, mother, or brother been killed while visiting Pulse nightclub in pursuit of winning souls for Christ? He would no doubt say they are ‘heaven bound’.

As if Pastor Roger Jimenez’s diatribe and caravan of hate were not enough, another religious lunatic, this time, Pastor Steve Anderson of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona, created his own YouTube sermon Sunday [YouTube has since removed the offensive video] in which he advanced copious nonsense, aimed at inciting violence and hatred toward homosexuals.

Anderson said: “The good news is that there’s [sic] 50 less paedophiles in this world, because, you know, these homosexuals are a bunch of disgusting perverts and paedophiles. That’s who was a victim here, a bunch of, just, disgusting homosexuals at a gay bar, okay? But the bad news is that this is now going to be used, I’m sure, to push for gun control, where, you know, law-abiding normal Americans are not going to be allowed to have guns for self-defence. And then I’m sure it’s also going to be used to push an agenda against so-called hate speech...”

Pastors Steve Anderson and Roger Jimenez are not alone in their disgusting piety. They have friends and company inside and outside the church who share similar or even stronger passion and hatred for people whose sexual interests and preferences they do not understand or share.

Clearly, it is their inalienable right to disagree with or disavow any practice they deem counter-intuitive to their religious beliefs or find offensive to their conscience. However, it is completely wrong to incite violence against a group of people whose sexual involvement and appetite only they and their God understand.

There is no demur on my part — none whatsoever — that no one should be forced to embrace practices he or she finds objectionable or unconscionable. However, it is beyond backward and cruel to do as Pastors Anderson and Jimenez and then use Leviticus 20: 30 as an anchor and as justification for their bigotry. Yes, Leviticus 20: 13 says, “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them...” Yet, Proverbs 6: 16-19 speaks very clearly and sensibly about the things that the Lord hates.

Here is how Proverbs 6: 16-19 presents the thing that the Lord likes: “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief; A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren…” Based on Proverbs 6:16-19, reasonable inference can be drawn that the Lord does not agree with much of what Pastors Anderson and Jimenez stand for or represent. Remember, I am neither a “ Bible man” nor a Christian, but I know better than to buy into the gospel of hate and bigotry.

There is always going to be disagreement around the subjects of love and relationship. Some of the disagreements are going to be shaped by experiences, fear, religious indoctrination, and a host of other things, which should cause more of us to agree to disagree than to wage war against each other and incite violence toward a group with which some of us hold staunch disagreement. Tolerance is therefore an imperative, especially in societies where members of minority groups have to walk on egg shells every day of their lives, and where governments are less concerned about comprehensive human rights, but care more about political expediency and populism.

Burnscg@aol.com

ENDS

also see:

Ian Boyne on Grow Up On Gay Intolerance! from sister blog

What the PM should tell Mrs Malahoo Forte (Observer)

Ronnie Thwaites’ rubbish on flying rainbow flags grooms children into “particular lifestyle”

Reverend Al Miller has no moral authority (yet again) to speak on flags & correctness

Flags, forced evictions & foolishness

Dormant anti gay feelings resurface in Florida shooting aftermath

a previous piece by Mr Burns: Bad men seem to love women's wigs (Observer opinion piece) regarding the cross dressing issues and the fugitive Dudus Coke