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Mormon Women Declare “Wear Pants to Church Day” December 16

By Joanna Brooks

…t clearly comes from a place of fear that allows Mormons to justify acting online in ways they’d never act in person. People call for the excommunication of women who would wear pants and cite the loving example of Jesus Christ in the same sentence. But the positive comments have been wonderful. Early on, one woman wrote in, “These are my people!” I feel like everyone wants to belong—being Mormon is your tribe. When you feel isolated from your tri…

How to Choose a Tour Company for Your Hajj

By Amina Wadud

…’ incredulity), none of the US companies even had their 2010 hajj packages online yet. There was no rush, from their perspective. We are not up against large numbers of people trying to make it—like in Egypt, Indonesia, or Iran. As it happened, not long after I had settled back in the U.S., I came across an ad from a colleague offering a special hajj package, at 30% more than the other companies. When I sent this offer to the friend who was also p…

Personhood Leaders’ Smear Campaign Debunked

By Lara Riscol

…A & currently the Masons are under investigation for criminal conspiracy & online criminal libel for making numerous false reports of child abuse against an innocent family. [Link to Enyart charges added, but no corroboration could be found for the allegations against the Masons —Ed.] Bob Enyart is an influential pastor of the Denver Bible Church, under whose auspices the Masons organize—he’s an inflammatory anti-gay, anti-choice activist and nati…

Taking It to the Streets: Anonymous vs. Scientology

By Gabriel Mckee

…n with this, leaked Scientology materials have been increasingly available online—most recently Revolt in the Stars, a 1975 novella/screenplay by L. Ron Hubbard containing Scientology’s rumored creation story about nuclear weapons, volcanoes, and the galactic warlord Xenu. Revolt has been available online for some time, but the current version, hosted on Wikileaks and Gawker-owned science fiction blog io9, has broader exposure. Anonymous hopes to…

Medieval Multitasking: Did We Ever Focus?

By Elizabeth Drescher

…it in my status bar. Just about then, a student from a course I’m teaching online about online teaching emailed me with a question about a compline prayer that had been tweeted by Virtual Abbey the night before. That took me into the New Zealand Book of Common Prayer, with a brief sojourn into the tragedy that is Lindsay Lohan, who, frankly, could use some time reflecting on the “Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,” if you ask me…

More Bleak Times For Indonesian LGBTs; South Africa Bans Extremist Anti-Gay US Pastor; Mexican Marriage Struggle Heats Up; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…has drawn attention to his Arizona-based Faithful Word Baptist Church with online videos of his extremist positions, including one in which he celebrated the June massacre at an Orlando gay bar. Mamba Online says the decision “follows a determined campaign by LGBT activists, led primarily by GaySA Radio, to stop the preacher, who calls for the execution of gay people, from spreading his shocking views in the country.” More details: “We have a duty…

Catholic Cardinal Slams Jesuit’s Bridge-Building Book; and More in Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…quiry into the website My.Kali, a Jordanian queer-inclusive social affairs online magazine published since 2007. The commission concluded that same month that the magazine had violated the Press and Publication Law and issued instructions to block access to its website in Jordan. … The law defines online publications subject to the licensing requirement as those that “engage in publication of news, investigations, articles, or comments that have t…

Anti-Gay Campaign In Indonesia Leads to Arrests; Mexico’s Religious Right Wars Against Secular State & LGBT Equality; Muslim Preacher Sparks Controversy in UK Re Death Penalty For Gays; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…r-old gay man from Lebanon was arrested after posting a photograph in drag online and is facing the death penalty for charges that include offering sexual services to other men. France: New Gender ID Law, New Anti-Marriage-Equality Protests The Associated Press reports that tens of thousands of people protested in Paris on Sunday against a law allowing same-sex couples to get married and against use of assisted reproduction and surrogate mothers t…

Escape From Manhattan: Tech, Tragedy and Storytelling in Sandy’s Wake

By Rachel Wagner

…eal sense of empowerment and belonging as a result of gaming environments, online worlds, discussion boards, and real-life fandom events. Jane McGonigal’s argument in Reality Is Broken (2011), that games can give us a sense of accomplishment and confidence that spills over into our real lives, is not wrong. And fandom, of the kind that brings people together in joyful imaginative play, as I saw at Comic Con, represents the best of Victor Turner’s…

‘The Quiet Damage’ Details the Heartbreaking Effect of QAnon on Five American Families — But Critical Questions Linger

By Susannah Crockford

…edia platforms also make vast sums from conspiracy theories. The increased online activity during the Covid pandemic in a feedback loop with the stress and social isolation made people more vulnerable and the platforms richer still. Unrest and uncertainty fuels conspiracy theories which are then given more reach by social media. Yet banning and removing videos is simply taken as confirmation—evidence that they were removed for speaking the truth….