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Global LGBT Recap: Nigeria Jails Gays, Russian Orthodox Spox Calls for Criminalization Referendum

By Peter Montgomery

…cluded a specific warning about Russia’s anti-gay “propaganda” law: LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER (LGBT) ISSUES: In June 2013, Russia’s State Duma passed a law banning the “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” to minors. The U.S. government understands that this law applies to both Russian citizens and foreigners in Russia. Russian citizens found guilty of violating the law could face a fine of up to 100,000 rubles ($3,100)….

Hajj Journal: Door Number 89: The Door with No Name

By Amina Wadud

…al-Nisaa yajuz tusalli hinna?”—are women allowed to pray here? And she said, “yes, this is the women’s section.” Cool. I mean, literally. This was the coolest temperature of all the sections of the mosque that I had been in. I changed my plans and decided I would have a quick lunch at the mall, and then return and get the opportunity to pray on the first floor and not be hassled. Yay! Clearly, I was celebrating prematurely. In all my attention to…

Unprecedented Anti-LGBTQ Statement By Orthodox Church in America Should Be Christian Nationalist Warning Sign to US Orthodoxy

By Katherine Kelaidis

…an Christianity, whether it be evangelical or mainline Protestant, Catholic, LDS, or another denomination. Christian nationalists are on the rise and statements like those released last week suggest that the OCA is looking for its place at the table. Further evidence is offered by the fact that the OCA’s movement toward its current culture warrior posture began under the leadership of Metropolitan Jonah (born James Paffhausen, Jr.). The first conv…

Can Mormon Glenn Beck Unite the Christian Right?

By Kathryn Joyce

…Right Globalized, served as UN representative of the Presbyterian Church (USA), where she witnessed the beginning of conservative activism at the UN, bullying its way into influence at the international level. She recalls the chills she felt in 2000, when right-wing Catholic activist and WCF member Austin Ruse, of the Catholic right-wing group C-FAM, “sent around a note asking the Abrahamic faiths to rise up together.” Ruse, a convert to Catholic…

Gambian Prez Rails Against Gay ‘Evil Empire’; Irish Priest Comes Out During Mass; Trans Talk on Tunisian TV Sparks Debate; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…Celebrity autograph signing? Nope! It’s a Sunday Mass!,” said MJ Francisco, 31, who is gay and was inspired by Francis to attend Mass for the first time in two years. “I really think that Pope Francis’ gospel of inclusion, while shaking the conservative set, has attracted a far larger number of people back to the Church, especially the young.” The Philippines is the bulkhead of the faith in Asia, where 130 million Catholics now account for about…

Pope’s US Visit Provokes Intense Attention; New Vatican Book on Man-Woman Complementarity & New Int’l Report on Christian Role Models for LGBT Equality; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…hington Blade’s Michael Lavers: Marianne Duddy-Burke, president of Dignity USA, a group of LGBT Catholics, during an interview with the Washington Blade expressed disappointment that Francis did not speak out against anti-LGBT violence and the criminalization of homosexuality while addressing the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Duddy-Burke also criticized the Argentine-born pontiff for referring to “ideological colonization” and “behaviors that…

Death in the Desert: Riding With the Samaritans

By Lauri Lebo

…thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. Luke 10:36-37 Traveling along the W. Tucson-Ajo Highway Friday morning near the Arizona-Mexico border, dawn is still a long way off. Brother David Buer, a Franciscan friar, sits in the backseat while I ride shotgun next to Jeff Millsap, a 40-year-old community activist. We are headed to the Tohono O’odham Nation, the third largest reservation in…

Conservative Bishops Unhappy At Synod, But Ignore Walkout Call; Australian Religious Leaders Step Up Marriage Equality Opposition; Italy Debates Civil Unions; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…e awarded the Man Booker Prize. “However,” writes Joe Williams at Pink News, “a number of Jamaican commentators have highlighted that while being celebrated as a Jamaican author, James in fact fled the country due to his sexuality.” Terrified and tired of living as a closeted gay man in Jamaica, James described the moment he realised he had to get out of the country – alive or dead. Speaking before the awards, the author also described being label…

Bishops’ Advice on Planning Cheap Dates: No Sex

By Kate Childs Graham

…they serious? Couples (married or not) are going to turn off the TV, cell phone, computers and lights and…have a pillow fight? Come on now. That’s the best advice they can give? And a heartfelt treat at the end of the treasure hunt. What could that be? A Snickers bar? A pint of Ben and Jerry’s? Why are the bishops afraid to mention sex? This site is meant for married couples, so sex (as long as it is contraception-free and open to baby making) is…

Who Is “Sam Bacile?”

By Sarah Posner

…an Coptic Christian convicted of financial crimes. Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, who lives outside Los Angeles, confirmed on Wednesday he managed and provided logistics for The Innocence of Muslims. Nakoula, who pleaded no contest to federal bank fraud charges in 2010, told AP in a brief interview outside his home that he considered Islam a cancer and that the film was intended to be a provocative political statement assailing the religion. He den…