Square Zair Pair Faces Down Westboro Baptist And Wins!

Well, the Westboro Baptist Church, AKA The Cathedral Of Hate, is at it again, this time going after a children’s book.

A children’s book! Okay, so it’s a gay kid’s book, er, a book about being gay, not necessarily for gay kids. It’s Square Zair Pair, written by Jase Peeples, and it aims to expand the way kids think about romantic partnerships and relationships; you know, like including same-sex relationships in the mix.

The book is the story of the Zairs who are neither male nor female; the Zairs do everything in pairs — one round paired with one square. One day when two square Zairs … Two.Square.Zairs … develop a bond with one another and are faced with the prospect of a community banding against them. They deal with rejection from the other Zairs before their community eventually recognizes how diversity actually makes them stronger.

Huh. That’s a good lesson … and not just for the kids, you know?

Anyway, the Westboro Baptist Church [WBC] heard about the book and instantly took their hate to social media to express their hate and also threaten to protest Peeples' reading of the book at Books Inc. in San Francisco. And, as they do because they’re a bunch of lonely, unloved, and unlovable asshats, the WBC actually took illustrations from Square Zair Pair and superimposed their hate mongering signs into the hands of the characters.

Hate is funny. However, the local San Francisco community heard of the WBC threat to protest the reading, and hundreds of folks turned out to form a counter-protest. And the Westboro Baptist Church? They didn’t even show up. 

Possibly because it was in San Francisco, that queerest of cities, and maybe the WBC was afraid their members would skip the protest to head to the Castro for cocktails …

Jase Peeples, Square Zair Pair author, was amazed by the community reaction:

"It was an incredible moment to share the story with everyone who came out to support and take a stand against Westboro. I couldn't have asked for a more supportive environment and was reminded how powerful our community can be when we come together. It really was a morning where love won, and hate was nowhere to be found." 

I never thought I’d say this, but Goddess Bless the WBC for bringing attention to this book, and bringing out many more people than might have attended the reading in the first place.

And, of course, congratulations to two WBC members, Adam and Steve, who fell in love over Mimosas at QBar and are now setting up house in Noe Valley.

Just sayin’.

Huffington Post Queer Voices

Fred Phelps Is Dying: My Thoughts

There are reports that Westboro Baptist Church [WBC] founder Fred Phelps is on his deathbed, and that news is causing many in the LGBT community to sing for joy, and promise to disco on his grave for his decades of God Hates Fags picketing of soldier’s funerals, funerals of celebrities, and even Matthew Shepard’s funeral back in 1998.

The news broke over the weekend, when Phelps’ estranged son Nathan posted this to his Facebook page:

“I've learned that my father, Fred Phelps, Sr., pastor of the "God Hates Fags" Westboro Baptist Church, was ex-communicated from the "church" back in August of 2013. He is now on the edge of death at Midland Hospice house in Topeka, Kansas.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this. Terribly ironic that his devotion to his god ends this way. Destroyed by the monster he made.

I feel sad for all the hurt he's caused so many. I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved. And I'm bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members who left from seeing him, and saying their good-byes.”

Mark Phelps, another son of Fred, and also estranged, confirmed the reports that Phelps is dying; a spokesman for the WBC denies the rumor.

Well, true or not, I’m here to tell you that I won’t dance on his grave, I won’t celebrate the end of his life, I won’t be happy that someone is dead. Hate is hate, no matter how you slice it. And if you try to face down hate with hate, if you celebrate and laugh and dance at the death of a hateful person, aren’t you really just as hateful?

More hate doesn’t stop hate; love stops hate. Just ask Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother, who said this when she was asked how she felt about Fred Phelps:

“Oh, we love Freddy. If it wasn’t for him there would be no Matthew Shepard.”

Sadly, I agree. Without Fred Phelps and his merry band of Gad Hates Fags church members, I doubt the murder of Matthew Shepard would have made much of a splash outside of Wyoming. But, because Phelps and the WBC made a move to picket Shepard’s funeral, and to, in essence, celebrate the gay bashing and murder of a young man, the name Matthew Shepard became news everywhere. It made many in the gay community finally stand up and demand that we do something about hate crimes; it made all of us aware that gay people were being bashed and beaten and killed simply for being gay.

And Fred Phelps’ hate — misguided as it was and is — spurred on the movement to make Hate Crimes Legislation an issue in this country; his venom toward the gay community, and his use of God as some kind of weapon against the LGBT community, made sure that we all realized gay bashing a very real thing that won’t be swept under the rug any longer; he made us talk about it, and legislate it, and punish people for the hate crime that it is.

So, I understand Judy Shepard. I know she doesn’t like Fred Phelps or his church, but she understands that they have, in their own sad pathetic hateful way, helped the cause.

Fred Phelps and his family’s hateful faith — as much of an oxymoron as it sounds — created an awareness in all of our lives about anti-LGBT crimes that, maybe for decades before, went unreported and unrecognized because no one talked about it.

It was, in a sad way, a good thing. So, I won’t dance or sing or celebrate his death when it happens. I read what George Takei said about the death of Fred Phelps and he said it so much better than I:

"I take no solace or joy in this man's passing. We will not dance upon his grave, nor stand vigil at his funeral holding 'God Hates Freds' signs, tempting as it may be. He was a tormented soul, who tormented so many. Hate never wins out in the end. It instead goes always to its lonely, dusty end."

Hate never wins; and to fight hate with hate is a losing battle. I think the best way to picket Fred Phelps’ funeral, to celebrate the end his life and sing about his death is to do absolutely nothing; to ignore him like he refused to do to us when he stood in our faces and told us we’re going to Hell; to do nothing and stay silent and not hate.

Hate never wins, and whether or not you believe in God, you must know that most folks who do believe, feel that God is love, and only love.

And even Fred Phelps knows that now.

Good News Friday II: After Selling Pink Lemonade For Peace, Equality House Hosts A Same-Sex Wedding

Before I get into this post, I wanted to show a picture of the sign that the Westboro Baptist Church put up while Jayden Sink--of that post just below this one--was selling her Pink Lemonade for Peace.

Lovely. But no signs, no obscenities shouted, will stop the Equality House--located in Topeka, just across the road from God Hates Fags Central™, AKA Westboro Baptist Church--from continuing to fight for equality.

See, now the Equality house will be the site of the wedding of Little Rock, Arkansas residents Kimberly Kidwell and Katie Short. Sure, same-sex marriage is illegal in Arkansas, and it’s illegal in Kansas, but it’s a symbolic ceremony and all the more powerful being performed in full view of the WBC.

Aaron Jackson—who runs his nonprofit, Planting Peace—out of the Rainbow Flag colored Equality House, says he hopes publicity surrounding the ceremony will send a signal to the U.S. Supreme Court as it prepares to decide two key cases regarding the constitutionality of gay marriage.

“We would like marriage equality, and we don’t think people should be treated as second-class citizens.”—Aaron Jackson

Planting Peace sent out a message on social media outlets asking if any same-sex couples would like to be married in front of Equality House, and after reviewing the responses, Jackson decided that Kidwell and Short, who have been together five and a half years, would be “a good fit.”

Lizz Phelps, a spokeswoman for God Hates Fags the Westboro Baptist Church says Planting Peace has been doing a “wonderful” job of bringing attention to issues she considers significant, and she hopes that the Supreme Court will rule in favor of Marriage Equality because when that happens Jesus Christ will return.

Phelps said the legalization of same-sex marriages in the days of Noah were soon followed  by the Great Flood, “and it says in the Gospel that as in the days of Noah, so will it be in the time of the return of our savior.”

Bob, however, says the Baby Jeebus--who never said a word about The Gays--will return to Earth because he wants to party with all those same-sex couples who will have the right to marry.

But I digress ….

Kudos to Aaron Jackson and Equality House for their continued support of all things peaceful and equal, and Congratulations to Kimberley and Katie on their wedding.

Good Friday, indeed.

source

Good News Friday: Jayden Sink Faces Down The Westboro Baptist Church In The Name Of Peace

Jayden Sink wanted to sell lemonade; and she wanted to sell pink lemonade. She wanted to sell pink lemonade for peace. And she did, setting up her stand at the Equality House [see my post HERE] which is located just across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas.

 What happens when a little girl decides to set up a lemonade stand for peace outside the Westboro Baptist Church headquarters in Kansas? Members of the community step out in droves to show support, even as the hate group tries to quash it.

Jayden, the daughter of Jon Sink, founder of the philanthropic arts group FRESHCASSETTE—Creative Compassion, set up her lemonade stand at Equality House, painted the colors of the pride flag, is owned by Aaron Jackson, a founding of Planting Peace, a multi-pronged nonprofit aimed at spreading goodwill and equality around the globe, when her parents told her that the church across the street had a message of hate.

Jayden decided to raise money for peace. So she painted a banner for the event reading, "Pink Lemonade for Peace: $1 Suggested Donation" and she set up her stand on the lawn and waited.

During the day, Westboro Baptist Church sent representatives outside to try and find a way to stop Jayden; they attempted to call the local police and when they were told that little girls can sell lemonade in Topeka, they began yelling profanities at those who stopped for a cool drink.

All their interference and shouting didn’t stop Jayden from raising $400 during the day, but adding an additional--as of Thursday--$21,000 from an online campaign [HERE].

Aaron Jackson:

"As we all know, the Westboro Baptist Church puts a lot of hate into the world. Since we cannot stop them, the next best thing is to smother it with love. That is what 5-year-old Jayden accomplished today! Jayden set up a lemonade stand in front of the church. Not only did she quench the thirst of a lot of loving supporters, the money she raised was donated to Planting Peace so she could help Planting Peace promote a more peaceful world."

If a little girl can stand up to the Westboro Baptist Church in such a non-threatening, non-confrontational, positive way, she is setting quite the example for the rest of us. She was just selling lemonade, she was also selling hope.

source

Equality House: Aaron Jackson Paints Rainbow Home Across From Hate Church

When we were looking for a house we were quite picky. I was shown one that was down the street from a factory; it was instantly scratched off the list. As was the one across from the school and the one on the busy road, and the one that was the best house in a neighborhood of worse houses.

But, imagine owning a home across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church [WBC]. I get chills. What would you do about it? I mean, day after day, ‘God Hates Fags’.

Well,  Aaron Jackson, one of the founders of Planting Peace—a nonprofit organization that spreads “peace in a hurting world”—bought  the house  that sits directly across from the WBC compound six months ago, and this week they decided to paint it like the Gay pride Rainbow Flag.

God Loves Flags, you know.

This new project of Planting Peace—called the "Equality House"—is the first in a new campaign the group plans to wage against the group. The WBC is known for its rabid tactics of protesting what they call America’s pro-Gay, anti-God agenda, by bringing their special brand of hate to pride parades, soldier funerals and other events like the Sandy Hook memorial services.

"I read a story about Josef Miles, a 10-year-old kid who counter protested the Westboro Baptist Church by holding the sign that says 'God Hates No One.' I didn't know anything about the church or where they were located, but that story kept popping up. And one night I wondered, Where is this church? I got on Google Earth, and I was 'walking down the road,' and I did a 360 view. And I saw a 'For Sale' sign sitting in the front yard of a house. Right away it hit me, Oh my gosh, I could buy a house in front of the WBC! And immediately I thought: And I'm going to paint that thing the color of the pride flag."—Aaron Jackson

Jackson has always wanted to get involved in LGBT activism, but didn’t know how, or what to do, until he saw that For Sale sign.

"The reason I haven't gotten into the gay rights activism is because, in a sense, it's almost silly -- it's 2013, are we really still in this position? It just seems ludicrous, but it is a real issue and kids are killing themselves. I've wanted to do something, and I knew when I saw that house for sale that it all came together. Everyone who knows me knows that I'm a little crazy and there's no red tape in my charity. When I want to do something, I do it."—Aaron Jackson

So, Jackson and Planting Peace bought the house for roughly $83,000, and Jackson lived in it for about a month, waiting to spruce the place up.  In that time, he met several members of the church, including the founding Phelps family, and learned that the WBC owns a majority of the home surrounding the church.

“I walk through the area every day, and I see them running in between each other's houses. One day I was walking, and Shirley Phelps [a WBC spokesbigot, and daughter of WBC leader Fred Phelps] was on her four-wheeler. And I said, 'Hey guys, how are you?' And [Phelps and her husband] responded, 'Oh, we're good. How are you?' We had a short conversation, and she was extremely nice, and she made a joke and we all laughed. It's the craziest thing -- and it really throws you off -- because she's the type of woman who calls you "hun" and "darling" -- she's very Southern. It's like, aren't you the lady that's supposed to be casting me into hell? It's truly mind-boggling, but I can't say anything personally bad about her because she was kind to me and she made me laugh. She'd probably be fun to hang out with."—Aaron Jackson

But pleasantries aside, Jackson waited, and thought about what he might do. As, as he did so, he noticed that members of the church were watching him. They noticed that he :::gasp::: drove a Prius with an original ‘Reelect Jimmy Carter’ sticker on it, and Jackson figured that they had figured him out; a liberal. Right there in the neighborhood. And then he decided; Aaron Jackson and Planting Peace painted their home the colors of the Gay pride Rainbow flag, front to back, side to side.

"We want this house to be a message that where there's hate, there's also love. But we also want to raise awareness and capital, and we want to put all that money into creating and sustaining anti-bullying programs, along with supporting anti-bullying programs that already exist. Beyond the symbolic message of the home, [the house] will be utilized by volunteers to live here, and these volunteers will work on promoting equality anywhere in the world and managing these anti-bullying initiatives that we plan on creating."—Aaron Jackson

And don’t get him wrong, Aaron Jackson knows that the WBC feeds off this type of media attention, but, he knows, the attention they receive also brings attention to his cause, to bullying issues, to LGBT rights.

And Jackson believes that Equality House is just one more step in bringing about the end of the Westboro Baptist Church. Lately, the WBC has been facing a backlash, not just from the public at large but from some former members as well; Lauren Drain, for example, wrote a book about her life in the church and has suggested that founder Fred Phelps is one of the self-loathing closeted homosexual types—which obviously explains his over-the-top hatred of The Gays. And throw into the mix the numbers of city governments that have passed legislation aimed at limiting the group's ability to picket, and, well, you can see them beginning to fade. Jackson is confident that the WBC’s loss of power and relevance is just one sign of the good things still to come for the LGBT community.

"I love seeing all of these Republicans and all these people who have been anti-gay all this time jumping ship because they know they're on the wrong side of history. It's an amazing thing to see. I know we have a long way to go in fighting bigotry, but we all know the gays are going to win. It's going to happen."—Aaron Jackson

Of course, the WBC, never one to face reality, to understand facts, has a different side to the story. The church released this statement:

"We thank God for the Sodomite Rainbow House. It is right across the street from the ONLY church that loves people enough to tell them the Bible truth about the filthy, soul-damning, nation-destroying sin of sodomy...The Sodomite Rainbow house helps shine a bright spotlight on this!"

And even Shirley Phelps-Roper says she loves Equality House: 

“I love it. What he does is he keeps the eyes of the whole earth on this message. Now everyday all people are thinking about is God will not have same sex marriage.”

Actually, Shirley, what Aaron Jackson and Planting Peace have done is show that, even alongside hate and intolerance, love and acceptance takes a stand. He’s shown that bullies don’t always win; sure, they might win a battle here and a skirmish there, but, in the end, everyone will see that his little Rainbow House stood up to, what you think, is the mighty Westboro Baptist Church and didn’t back down.

And never will.

HuffPost Gay Voices

Planting Peace

Equality House

Random Musings

In the Color Me Not Surprised News, actor and singer, and Gomer Pyle of The Andy Griffith Show, Jim Nabors has come out as a gay man. Not exactly the biggest secret, you know. But, in the Pleasant Surprise News, is the fact that Nabors came out, to the world, because he married his longtime partner, Stan Cadwallader, in Seattle.

Nabors released a statement to Hawaii News Now:

"I'm 82 and he's in his 60s and so we've been together for 38 years and I'm not ashamed of people knowing, it's just that it was such a personal thing, I didn't tell anybody. I'm very happy that I've had a partner of 38 years and I feel very blessed. And, what can I tell you, I'm just very happy."

Congratulations to the happy couple, and, of course, as both a wedding gift and coming out present, they will be receiving the Homo HQ Coming Out Toaster Oven with our good wishes.

So, Cissy Houston has written a book about her daughter, Whitney, and timed it to come out right before the first anniversary of Whitney’s death.

Lovely parenting, but, hey, she’s got bills.

But one of the most interesting parts of Houston’s new almost-tell-all is that if Whitney had come out to Cissy as a lesbian she would not have liked it, or condoned it.

Lovely parenting.

Also comes word that it wasn’t Bobby Brown who hooked Whitney on The Cocaine; it was Whitney’s own brother, Michael, who says she began using back in the 80s, loooooong before she met Brown. Now, Brown doesn’t get points for that because he’s a drug addict and spousal batterer, but now we know that the whole Houston clan was wrong that he got Whitney into drugs.

Cissy also mentions that, as Whitney got older, she rarely saw her daughter, which got me to wondering….

Whitney is gay. Whitney’s longtime friend, and personal assistant, Robyn Crawford was her lover. Whitney knew Mama Houston would not be having as lesbian daughter so she distanced herself from Mama. Whitney wanted a relationship with Mama, and wanted to be open about Robyn, but couldn’t, so she took to drugs to self-medicate.

Now, this could be totally off-base, or Whitney Houston could have been just another case of a young gay person turning to drugs because their own family refused to accept their sexual orientation.

That’s just my Two Cents.

Out in Wyoming a bill to make same-sex marriage legal failed by a 5-4 vote.

But, and this is a little but, the vote for a domestic partnerships bill was approved by a 7-2 vote.

It’s nice, you know, but it’s ‘less than’.

You can do better Wyoming.
UPDATE: Apparently not. 
The first pro-gay legislation that has reached Wyoming's House floor for debate was defeated Wednesday as the House voted 35-24 to reject a domestic partnership bill that would have given same-sex couples in the state the opportunity to gain most of the legal rights of marriage.

This.Kills.Me.

A former Episcopal priest, who is royally pissed off that his church hierarchy has accepted The Gays, has decided to switch teams and play for the Catholics because their Gay Hate runs deep.

So, John Cornelius has become New York state's first married Catholic priest, though he has agreed, as part of the deal to switch sides, to stop screwing his wife and become celibate.

His wife is said to be ecstatic over the arrangement.

So, Immigration Reform, huh?

And bipartisan at that.

Meaning the GOP is onboard. And what a surprise that is, considering one of those GOPers is John McCain who was so virulently anti-immigration that just a couple of years ago, while running for re-election, he proposed stricter immigration laws, higher border fences and guards with guns to shoot the brown folks who might be sneaking in through Arizona.

Why the switch Grampa? Did you suddenly have a change of heart or….what’s that? Yes, the GOP lost the White House this last November in large part because their candidate was a dick and because the Hispanic vote went overwhelmingly Obama.

So, you’re pandering.

Same old GOP.

But, while we’re on the subject of Immigration reform, and that bipartisan effort, which came just minutes before President Obama unveiled his Reform plans, let’s take note that McCain’s plan doesn’t include any mention of same-sex binational couples because he says, and I’ll paraphrase, “The Gays don’t matter.”

Obama’s plan, however, does have inclusions for same-sex binational couples.

So, while McCain and his ilk are trying to pander to the Hispanic vote they’re still unable to handle The Gays.

Again, same old GOP.

MGB™, aka Mama Grizzly Bore™, aka Half-Term-Quitter-Delusional-Fuck-Monkey-Blabberer™, has been quietly ‘let go’ from FauxNews.

Finally they did something right.

But MGB™ says her fight isn’t over and she’ll be Teabaggin’ till the End Times:

"I was raised to never retreat [unlike when she quit being Governor of Alaska because it got too hard] and to pick battles wisely, and all in due season. When it comes to defending our republic, we haven't begun to fight! But we delight in those who underestimate us."

This is nearly everyone in the world with more than two brain cells to rub together.

Face it, MGB™, you’re done. When the most inane, rightwing, conservative, Tea Party loving news channel calls you irrelevant, you’re irrelevant.

Go have someone write a book for your, and I suggest the title, Going Unemployed.

The Westboro Baptist Church has filed a Supreme Court amicus brief against the repeal of Proposition 8 and while they say they support "neither party" in the case, their, um, legal citations are all Bible verses.

Yeah.

So, there was this guy, in Tennessee naturally, who took his dog to be euthanized.

The dog was mean? No.

The dog was rabid? No.

The dog was incurably ill? No.

The man thought the dog was .... wait for it .... gay.

So, of course, like most things that are presumed to be gay it should be put to death,

Luckily there are sane heads, even in Tennessee--sorry to the Sane Headed Tennesseans who read ISBl .... I don't count you among the crazies--have rescued the dog and will neuter him and give him all the appropriate shots and set him up for adoption.

To an owner with a brain, this time.

Stopping Hate

Forty-eight states, along with the District of Columbia, have submitted a brief to the Supreme Court in support of a father who sued anti-gay protesters--AKA Fred Phelps and his band of miscreants and morons from Westboro Baptists Church--over their demonstration at the 2006 funeral of his son, a Marine killed in Iraq.

Only Virginia and Maine declined to sign the brief by the Kansas attorney general.

Albert Snyder sued over protests by the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church at his son's funeral in Maryland; WBC regularly pickets funerals because they believe war deaths are punishment for U.S. tolerance of homosexuality.

Interesting logic. Or lack of logic might be better.

The Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether the protesters' message is protected by the First Amendment, while the brief, filed by the states--except Maine and Virginia--argue that they have a compelling interest in protecting the sanctity of funerals.

Standing Up To Hate

Leaders of Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, a West Village synagogue that caters to gays and lesbians, didn't want to ignore a planned visit by members of the rabidly anti-gay and anti-Semitic Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church so they did the only thing they knew how to do.

Turn it into a fundraiser!

They asked supporters to pledge a dollar or more for every minute that six protesters stood near their synagogue hurling epithets and holding signs that read "God Hates Fags" and "Jews Stole the Land."

The final haul after 50 minutes: $10,000.

"Their very presence will actually raise money for the mission of this community," said Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum of the synagogue, which now holds services in rented space. ""We're not intimidated by them. We're joining together today to show that we...simply reject their language, their violence, and we won't be scared away by them....The synagogue wants a building so we're hoping this will help us get a building."

And I hope they get a building, too, using the money they raised standing up to hate.

Makes A Gay Heart Proud

from KansasCity.com
Now this story comes from Kansas; one of those square states, in the middle. And a lot of times those square states get a bad rap because of their politicians and churches and such. But in a little spot of heaven, called Prairie Village, a group of high school students--yes, high schools students--stood toe-to-toe with Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church of Hate and his legion of Haters.

These students, from Shawnee Mission East High School, which has a Gay and Straight Alliance at the school, and even elected a young gay man as homecoming king in 2007, filled three corners of an intersection and kept Phelps and his lot of morons confined to just one corner.

These are kids, people; well, not kids in that old school sense of the word. They are young bright men and women, gay and straight, who won't take hatred for another minute. Their signs tell their stories; their hearts tell their stories. Reading those signs makes this gay heart proud.

These young people in Kansas are the future, and it's looking pretty good.

I was reading somewhere the other day, that it's the fifteen-year-olds who are the most gay-friendly of the next generation. Wouldn't it be nice if all of us, even those pretty far removed from fifteen, could stand together and shout down Fred Phelps and Sally Kerns and the Mormon Church and the Pope.

That's my idea of heaven.

Life In A Baptist Town

We moved from Miami to Smallville, smack in the middle of a Red Sate in the Bible Belt. Talk about culture shock.
One of the first questions people ask upon meeting you is, "Where do you worship?"
Not "Where are you from?" or "Where do you work?" or "Where do you live?"
Where do you worship.
I don't go anywhere to worship, I say. I am a Free Thinker, I say.
Free Thinker? Their eyes glaze over and I can almost hear them say, "Free Thinker? Bless his heart."
Translated to English from the Southern, Bless your heart roughly means You are an idiot.
But, they say, where do you talk to God.
And I tell them that I don't need to go to a church to talk to god--lower case 'g'. If I want to talk to god or see proof of god, I'll go outside and look at the trees, the birds flying overhead, the bright blue sky or a cold gray one dripping with rain. If I want to talk to god, I just do it....in my yard, in my car, in my kitchen. If god listens from everywhere, he'll hear me no matter where I speak. And I don't need to prove that in a room full of mostly strangers every Sunday morning.
I am not a fan of organized religion, for a lot of reasons. I think religion is restrictive. It's a lot of can'ts and shouldn'ts judgments and condemnations. That isn't god.
God, I say, is love. God made me. I am gay. God loves me. And he doesn't need to see me in the third pew from the front, sitting next to a woman in a giant hat, fanning her double chins, and dripping sweat onto her Gideons, to know how I feel.

I just finished reading at Towleroad about the Westboro Baptist Church protesting the election of a transgender mayor, Stu Rasmussen, in Silverton, Oregon. Their "God-loving" members stood on the American flag they had tossed into the streets with signs calling President-elect Obama the Anti-Christ, signs that said Death to Fags, God Hates Fags. Luckily, the townspeople protested the Westboro Baptist Church and stood up for their mayor, stood up for themselves, and stood up for God Is Love.

Now, I know that all religions aren't Fred Phelp's religions, but his 'church' and what the Mormon church did in California by funding the Yes on H8 campaign, reinforce in my mind what is wrong with religion.
It isn't what we can't do.
What we shouldn't do.
It isn't what you say I should do, or what I say is best for you.
It's what we should do, that god wants for us.
God is Love. Upper case 'G'.