Speak! Or forever hold your peace

Whoa...congrats

2008-07-05T09:13:26Z

Congratulations to the transgender man who gave birth to a baby girl.

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I'm gonna need one of these soon

2008-07-03T10:45:17Z

The Road Trip of Your Life

You see life as a journey you must take alone. Independence and individuality are primary to you.

Your life is quite hectic. You try to slow down when you can, but it's not easy!

You're willing to take a few risks in life. You may not take the road no one travels, but you're happy to take the road less traveled.

You are able to find a fairly healthy balance between work and play. You work when you need to, but you never let yourself burn out.

In another life, you could have been a great artist. You trust your creative instincts enough to let them lead you.

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Obama on Homosexuality

2008-07-03T08:42:53Z

Obama's letter opposing same-sex marriage ban

The text of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's letter to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club in San Francisco:

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the opportunity to welcome everyone to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club's Pride Breakfast and to congratulate you on continuing a legacy of success, stretching back thirty-six years. As one of the oldest and most influential LGBT organizations in the country, you have continually rallied to support Democratic candidates and causes, and have fought tirelessly to secure equal rights and opportunities for LGBT Americans in California and throughout the country.

As the Democratic nominee for President, I am proud to join with and support the LGBT community in an effort to set our nation on a course that recognizes LGBT Americans with full equality under the law. That is why I support extending fully equal rights and benefits to same sex couples under both state and federal law. That is why I support repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, and the passage of laws to protect LGBT Americans from hate crimes and employment discrimination. And that is why I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution or those of other states.

For too long. issues of LGBT rights have been exploited by those seeking to divide us. It's time to move beyond polarization and live up to our founding promise of equality by treating all our citizens with dignity and respect. This is no less than a core issue about who we are as Democrats and as Americans.

Finally, I want to congratulate all of you who have shown your love for each other by getting married these last few weeks. My thanks again to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club for allowing me to be a part of today's celebration. I look forward to working with you in the coming months and years, and I wish you all continued success.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

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Will this actually win him more votes, or lose him conservative states like Utah and Pennsylvania?

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Ingrid's free!

2008-07-03T06:12:45Z

Ingrid Betancourt, former Colombian presidential candidate, has been rescued from the FARC. Yay!

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Don't let homophobia undermine human rights

2008-06-30T14:26:46Z

30 June 2008

We, the undersigned, are deeply disturbed that Anwar Ibrahim has been accused of 'sodomy', yet again, in what looks like another attempt to destroy his political career. We are not promoting or supporting Anwar as a leader or an individual in any way, but we are addressing the issues that have been raised by this latest allegation against him.

We believe simply that Anwar's human rights are being violated once again. In effect, we are seeing a virtual repeat of the incidents of 1998, when sodomy allegations against Anwar became a tool to urge the Malaysian public to refuse his potential leadership. The underlying assumption here now, as it was then, is that due to Anwar's alleged sexual practices, he is not fit to become a national leader.

We, the undersigned, do not care what Anwar's, or any other politician's, sexuality is. As far as we are concerned, an individual's sexual practices and orientation is a personal matter. Furthermore, the privacy of every individual must be respected. For public leaders, sexual conduct should only become an issue when it can be proved to have led to the abuses of power such as the misappropriation of public funds or resources.

What is more disturbing is that Sections 377a and 377b of the Penal Code have been used by the State to silence political dissent, upon interpretation of the phrase 'carnal intercourse against the order of nature'. In effect, these laws, and the State's repeated use of them, demonize an entire sector of society – lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals (LGBTs), and even non-conformist heterosexuals. They create an environment that not only allows for, but encourages, discrimination and violence against LGBTs.

But LGBTs are part of our society, whether we like it or not. They are tax payers, they are productive workers, they are students, and some of them are pious people who contribute positively towards their mosques, churches and temples. And yes, some enter politics in the hope of exercising political leadership. Yet in all of these areas, they are discriminated against and are seen to be deviants by the State. This is in direct contravention to international instruments and conventions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that no one should be discriminated against on any grounds.

However, not all Malaysians share the State's view. In August 2003, a group of concerned citizens and NGOs – from a variety of backgrounds – submitted a memorandum to the National Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), calling for an end to discrimination and violence against LGBTs. We, the undersigned, wish to resurrect the spirit of that memorandum, and we hereby reiterate its call to:

· Demand that the State respects the human rights of all citizens, including LGBTs, as enshrined in our Federal Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

· Demand that the State repeals all laws that criminalize sexual behavior among mutually consenting adults

· Abolish policies and regulations which prohibit the media from portraying LGBTs and their issues in a fair and balanced manner, and to urge the media to be fair and non-discriminatory in handling of sexuality issues.

We believe that this is an issue that should be of concern not just to the LGBT community, but to anyone who supports justice and democracy. Any violation of an individual's or a group's human rights should be of concern to us all. It is also important to note that apart from the Penal Code, there are a whole host of laws regulating sexual practices and behaviours in Malaysia, such as the Syariah enactments in various states which in many cases proscribe whipping for various sexual acts between consenting adults, some of which, like sodomy, can be practiced by heterosexuals as well as homosexuals. Thus this is not just a matter affecting LGBTs, but all Malaysians.

Endorsed by:

Alina Rastam, writer and activist

Shanon Shah bin Mohd. Sidik, writer, performer and activist

Ahmad Hafidz Bin Baharom Alam Shah, blogger

Wan Mohd Aimran bin Wan Mohd Kamil, blogger

PS: Feel free to copy and paste, and add your name at the bottom.

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Leave Anwar alone, you bitches!

2008-06-29T11:24:02Z

Someone's fabricating another story about Anwar Ibrahim sodomizing an aide. True or false (most definite false), is anal sex the way to go to bring down the defacto leader of the Malaysian Opposition?

You guys tried it once, bringing a mattress into court. Do you really think you can pull this off again?

All this is is a scare tactic placed by the government to discredit a politician who may be the future Prime Minister of Malaysia should he succeed in convincing politicians in Sabah and Sarawak to switch sides this coming September 16th.

So whoever is fabricating this tale, I hope the police charge them with false information and lock them up.

And why is Anwar in the Turkish embassy?! Dude, call the police and make a statement. You've nothing to hide.

Don't think this IGP's going to punch your eye out....

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Hmmph.

2008-06-29T10:13:07Z

I think a lot of things, I honestly do, and some of the things I think up are extremely brilliant.

For example, why didn't the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) put up a campaign to collect more donations with a screening of Jack Black's latest flick, "Kung Fu Panda"?

Also, is there a campaign by the WWF to gather the newspaper agencies to print on recycled paper? Is that already being done in Malaysia?

I've always thought that to fix the world one should start within himself, followed by their society, followed by their nation before going all the way forward to an international cause.

That would have been a good show for the environment, wouldn't it?

Same goes for Amnesty International. For the movie "Rendition", or even "Road To Guantanamo" or, heck, the new "Harold and Kumar" flick, why not sponsor those or open booths or something?

Greenpeace would go well with "The Happening", wouldn't it?

While it may seem absurd to use these venues to promote a serious cause, you may never know who you get interested in pursuing them with good intentions.

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Bye, George, say hi to "the man who lives in the clouds"...

2008-06-23T09:16:25Z

Rest In Peace

George Denis Patrick Carlin

May 12, 1937 - June 22, 2008

The world is no longer the funny, cynical and entertaining place it used to be.

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An ex-classmate of mine needs help...

2008-06-13T16:32:30Z

I guess when someone close to you needs help, you do whatever you can to spread the message.

As in the Straits Times today....

Syafawati Abdul Hamid needs urgent surgery to implant a cartilage in her right knee.

KUALA LUMPUR: She used to be active in sports but now, even a walk in the park will cause her unbearable pain

Syafawati Abdul Hamid, 25, is suffering from cartilage degeneration in her right knee and requires another RM11,800 for cartilage culture and implantation surgery.

The operation, which costs RM23,800, will require a sample of her cartilage tissue to be flown to Korea where it will be cultured.

The cultured cartilage tissue will be sent back to Malaysia after three weeks and the surgery will be done by local specialists at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia.

The Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Information Technology graduate found out about her medical problem in May 2007.

She was told that if she did not undergo the surgery immediately in five years, she would have to regularly replace an artificial implant which would be inserted into her knee.
Syafawati received RM12,000 medical insurance from her company, Edaran Komputer Sdn Bhd, where she worked as a programmer.
However, her monthly RM2,000 salary was inadequate to pay for the balance.
Her family could not afford to pay for her surgery because her father, who is a government servant, has to fend for her four younger siblings who are still studying.
Syafawati is expected to continue her Masters in Information Studies this July in UiTM Shah Alam.

Cheques for donations should be made payable to the New Straits Times Press Bhd, with Syafawati's full name written on the reverse, and addressed to: The Cashier, Finance Department/Charity Unit, The News Straits Times Press Bhd, Balai Berita, 31 Jalan Riong, 59100 Kuala Lumpur.

Will give you some cash, Syafa. Just wondering why you didn't tell us all first.

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Quote of the day

2008-06-12T09:14:00Z

Simon Amstell They tried to make me go to rehab...
Amy Winehouse I said no no no
Simon Amstell Correct. But in hindsight do you think yes maybe?
- Next Lines on Never Mind The Buzzocks Series 14, Episode 10

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