Senator Harry Reid issued a statement on marriage equality that balances his religious beliefs with his liberal principles.
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aziz
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Shams al-Nahar
Happy Birthday my beloved Magical Unity Pony!
Hope you liked your present. -
johnpi
In researching another story about homophobia in Muslim communities, I came across this three-years-and-still-going thread about in-the-closet Muslim lesbians. It seems that a lot of “secret” Muslim lesbians are finding succor on this thread, so I thought I would pass it along. The descriptions of flourishing lesbian communities in some Muslim countries are also noteworthy. Some excerpts:
From Saudi Arabia:
Yes there are many Muslim Lesbians around. I am from Saudi Arabia, the worst country there is for Homosexual yet, I am telling you I have never faced any problems. Ok, I am not very “visible” but it is my choice for a variety of reason one of which is my style and fasion taste. But, dykes are every where. We have a famous shopping mall here in Riyadh with a floor for women only. That place is heaven! Just visit the place on weekends and you will be amazed at the number of “couples” strolling around, window shopping etc. There are a few lesbian spots on the floor as well.
From Malaysia:
How are you? I was born, raised a muslim and I practice Islam well… quite religiously. hehe..
I am out to most of my friends, and most of them are practicing muslims. and they cant be more supportive. Well, two or three have showed negative responds and those two/three were egyptians. But we Malaysians are really quite open about it. They treat me the same if not better.
These supportive friends of mine, they know and love me for who i am. Alhamdulillah, being gay does not change their perspectives on me. I even changed some of their mind about lesbians and homosexuals.
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HOMOPHOBE
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johnpi
India decriminalized homosexual acts.
The petition had been staunchly opposed by religious groups, particularly leaders of India’s Muslim and Christian communities who argued that all homosexual acts were “unnatural” and should therefore be banned.
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razib, murtad fitri
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matoko_chan
Yes, Razib, we see they are black.
Paging Heather MacDonald!-
razib
can you please not comment on my posts? thanks.
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matoko_chan
Your wish is my command.
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razib, murtad fitri
over at secular right my co-blogger john derbyshire wrote a post arguing against gay marriage on secular grounds. now, contrary to what some mentally ill people might imply (you know who you are) i personally support the right of homosexuals to marry. but i also think that we’re at a point in the united states where there isn’t a strong consensus in either direction, though the data suggest that over the long term those who oppose gay marriage are fighting a futile battle. i find it interesting that many of the comments imply those who oppose gay marriage are ipso facto bigots. in any case, these sorts of instances illustrate to me the validity of winnifred sullivan’s thesis in the impossibility of religious freedom, and the operational sham that is classical liberalism.
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thabet
Reminds me a little of the concept of tawatur, or ‘mass transmission’, in the Islamic(ate) tradition.
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razib
i was struck by ex-gov of new jersey, who as outed as gay, portraying the victories for gay rights as struck for freedom. i can see what he’s saying, but it seems pretty clear it’s more a victory for equality, specifically equality before the law. additionally, anti-discrimination laws are curtailments of freedom to discriminate and translate personal prejudice in public choice. and as noted above in my own age category outside of conservative evangelicals you are as free to be against gay marriage as you are to be against interracial marriage.
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ned
Razib, as someone who’s Pakistani, gay, and has been with only one person in a long-term monogamous relationship her entire life, I will agree with you that it is not fair to call every opponent of gay marriage homophobic. I have conservative friends who are not thrilled by the idea but I would not call them homophobic. I have suggested among queer circles that people should learn to differentiate between homophobes and what I might call “homoskeptics” (though both words are etymologically stupid and ugly to be honest). Some people are simply skeptical of the value of long-term gay relationships. I think they are being narrow-minded and unfair, but I don’t think their skepticism amounts to bigotry.
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aziz
the bigotry issue is a red herring – derbyshire’s screed amounts to essentially a rationalization of “ewwwwww!”
I have a robust response to Derb at COB up now.
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johnpi
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Kawthar
Lebanon enjoys a relative degree of sexual tolerance and freedom compared to the rest of the Middle East, but when two gay men were beaten up by police in broad daylight and nobody said or did anything to stop it, Beirut’s gays and lesbians decided to stand up. Last week, more than 200 gay and lesbian Lebanese gathered in peaceful protest of the police beating, as well as protesting Article 534 of the Penal Code, which condemns “unnatural sexual intercourse”, marking the first ever gay protest in the Arab world, according to organizers.
More here.
HOMOPHOBE is discussing. 
matoko_chan and 
razib are discussing. 
ned, 
BULLSHIT!!! LESBIANISM IS HARAM in ISLAM, and it’ll never become OKAY.