Dear friends and allies. It’s great that Barack Obama said he believes that gay people should be able to get married. It would be even better if he was actually going to back that up with some action, rather than saying it’s for states to decide, but still, it’s nice to hear. However, we’re deluding ourselves if we think that this is some major milestone towards ending homophobia. Being able to get married is very important to some people, whether it is for the benefits, the socially acceptable way to show commitment to a partner, or just the idea of being legally equal to the person next door. However, access to marriage regardless of gender is only one front of many in the path towards queer liberation. Marriage itself is a heterosexist institution with a long baggage, and the idea that that’s what everyone should aspire to is restrictive, exclusionary, and violent. The idea that queer people should be thrilled that now they can buy into that institution, just like everyone else, is oppressive. And straight people who share their joy over this landmark but otherwise do very little to check their privilege or work towards ending heterosexism? No cookie for you.
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Chris Hall (Why Sex Is Not Spiritual - The Exhibitionist) Hmmm. Not sure what I think about this. It’s an interesting idea, but I think if people feel spiritually about their sex lives, or feel like it can include something more, I’m not going to tell them they’re wrong. |
“Fear, separation, hate and anger come from the wrong view that you and the earth are two separate entities, the Earth is only the environment. You are in the centre and you want to do something for the Earth in order for you to survive. That is a dualistic way of seeing.
“So to breathe in and be aware of your body and look deeply into it and realise you are the Earth and your consciousness is also the consciousness of the earth. Not to cut the tree not to pollute the water, that is not enough.”
