15 June 2016

Amerigod speaks

YouTube preachers were falling over themselves
to heap scorn and abuse on the folks in Orlando.
YouTube is pulling them as hate speech.
 

 
A sermon by Pastor Roger Jimenez, of Verity Baptist Church,
is similar and was also removed by YouTube as hate speech... but not before it was copied:
 
Later, Pastor Jimenez refined his position:
“As a Christian, we shouldn’t be mourning the death of 50 sodomites. Let me go ahead and start right there. As a Christian, we shouldn’t be sad or upset,” Jimenez said in his sermon, which was posted online to YouTube. YouTube has since removed the sermon, deeming it “hate speech.”
ABC10 News spoke with Jimenez at his Sacramento home on Tuesday morning. He said he did not have any regrets about the sentiments expressed in his Sunday sermon.
“The bible does teach that homosexuality deserves the death penalty. Leviticus 20:13 says that if a man lie with mankind like he does with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination and will surely be put to death. Romans 1 says that they which commit such things are worthy of death,” Jimenez said. “My whole point was, if people die who deserve to die, we don’t need to be mourning that. This gunman there that shot people up, the bible says he deserves to die, he died and we shouldn’t be mourning his death, either. That’s the whole point I was making, and it’s been taken out of context.”
Jimenez was asked to explain how his statements are not an incitement to violence against the LGBT community.
“I’m not calling people to arms. And I’m not telling people they should go do this … What I’m saying is that if the government followed the laws of God, that’s what they would be doing. And if the government did that, I’d be fine with that,” Jimenez said.
When asked to clarify whether he was saying that he’d support the government killing gay people, Jimenez said, “I would be fine. I would be totally okay with that, if the government did that. That’s what they would do, if we lived in a righteous nation.”
Jimenez said he will be holding his weekly sermon on Sunday as usual, and invites Christians who are not afraid of the media to attend Verity Baptist Church.

other Christians disagree
 

"Saying that singling people out because of their religion, sexual orientation,
or nationality must be offensive to God, Bishop Robert Lynch responded to the
attacks on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando..."
read the full article on the Tampa Bay Times

14 June 2016

support the survivors and families of the Orlando massacre

edited email from SumOfUs, by Taren S-K

with respect,

Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34
Stanley Almodovar III, 23
Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20
Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36
Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22
Luis S. Vielma, 22
Kimberly Morris, 37
Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30
Darryl Roman Burt II, 29
Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32
Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21
Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, 25
Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35
Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50
Amanda Alvear, 25
Martin Benitez Torres, 33
Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37
Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26
Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35
Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25
Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31
Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26
Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25
Miguel Angel Honorato, 30
Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40
Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32
Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19
Cory James Connell, 21
Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37
Luis Daniel Conde, 39
Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33
Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25
Jerald Arthur Wright, 31
Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25
Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25
Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24
Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33
Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49
Yilmary Rodriguez Sulivan, 24
Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32
Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28
Frank Hernandez, 27
Paul Terrell Henry, 41
Antonio Davon Brown, 29
Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24
Akyra Monet Murray, 18
Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25

May you rest in power.

The whole team at SumOfUs


Make a financial donation in support of families and survivors:
Attend an event:
Find resources:
This issue hits so close to home because the world tells LGBTQ people and people of color that their lives are not important. Despite celebrating in so many countries that love has won and marriage equality is a reality, politicians and preachers of hate create a world in which taking LGBTQ lives in cold blood is not only possible but justifiable.
That’s why coming together today to stand against hate and for our right to love whoever we want is so valuable and crucial for our movement.
More Information:

Worst Mass Shooting in Modern US History Takes Place at Orlando Gay Club on Latino-Themed Night, ReMezcla June 12, 2016
Latinx LGBTQ Community & Its Stories of Survival Should Be at Center of Orlando Response Democracy Now, June 14 2016
The AR-15 is the gun of choice for mass shootings and it’s easier to buy in Florida than a pistol, Quartz, June 12th, 2016


SumOfUs is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy. Please help keep SumOfUs strong by chipping in CA$3 or become a SumOfUs core member with a regular monthly donation.

12 June 2016

Mass shooting claims 50 lives in targeted attack

(this post has been edited and expanded)

We expected, at least anyone familiar with queer history did, a backlash against marriage equity in the U.S. Add the recognition of trans folk and you get entire demographics losing their minds.

The religious right regards us, as lgbt people, with utter, visceral loathing. In Canada, these extremists are held in check by the moderate majority. In the sothern US they ARE the majority. Not long ago, Ted Cruise and two other Republican presidential candidates raised their voices calling for the execution of homosexuals.

The only thing about this act of terrorism that surpises me is the religion of the murderer. Statistically, I expected southern Baptist.

from NBC:

"... The massacre — the worst mass shooting in the history of the United States — began when the gunman stormed the Pulse Nightclub about 2 a.m. ET with an AR-15 type rifle and a handgun

                    
The gunman called 911 before the attack, expressing fealty to ISIS. He twice had been investigated by federally authorities for alleged comments he made about terrorism, but both investigations were closed.
The names of the first victims identified in the shooting include seven men between the ages of 20 and 36 years old.
Mateen had security and firearm licenses and the gunman's weapons were legally purchased within the past week.
President Obama called the attack "an act of terror and hate." ..."

full NBC article with video here

from MailOnline:

"... ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadliest mass shooting in US history and says the gunman who slaughtered at least 50 innocent party-goers in an Orlando gay club was one of its fighters...

Shortly before the attack, Mateen, who was born in New York to Afghan parents, called 911 and pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, law enforcement officials told NBC News.

And the terror group's Amaq news agency said on Sunday the Islamist militant group was responsible for the shooting.

'The armed attack that targeted a gay night club in the city of Orlando in the American state of Florida which left over 100 people dead or injured was carried out by an Islamic State fighter,' Amaq said.

U.S. officials cautioned, however, that they had no immediate evidence of any direct connection with ISIS or any other foreign extremist group, nor had they uncovered any contacts between the gunman and any such group.

read the full MailOnline article here

related: