Gay Flamingos

Naloka lang ako sa balitang napanuod ko sa CNN (courtesy of Yahoo! News)..
about sa adoption ng freshly hatched eggs..
Carlos and Fernando ang names nila..
taray mga latina!
kung iisipin mo, very gay talaga ang flamingo..
PINK ba naman dba?
tpos ang lalandi pa nila kumilos..
naku, kailangan ng gawin official bird ang flamingo ng mga bakla!!

sabi nga sa research ko (well, copy paste!)

Like penguins, flamingos tend to swap partners each year and practice monogamy during that particular breeding period, but Carlos and Fernando have been together for five years, and a keeper at the reserve says they'll probably stay that way forever.

but what is really interesting about this is this..

"They are not picked on by the other birds. If anything they are afforded more respect because two males together can be a pretty fearsome prospect for the other flamingos."

dba? to think mga animals sila ah..

pero alam nila ang word na RESPECT..

Lola Aretha.. GO! Sabihin mo nga!

Shoud I Go Topless?

ANG INIT!!!!
Dahil sa pesting global warming na ito..!!
What's the best thing to do this summer?
GO TOPLESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pero a topless sandal?
Here are samples of topless sandals..
Diba ang cute?
OO ng design..
HINDI ng concept..!
Walang strap na tsinelas?
PLEASE..




Here's a demo video from http://topless-sandal.com



nung sinuot na na niya yung sandals..
lalo kong nasabi na "Ayokong Magtopless, kasi senseless!"

Election Day
(May 14, 2007)

Dumi ng kuko ko ah,
Dahil sa indelible ink kasi..

Buti walang aberya sa pagboto..
Smooth sailing lang..

I was even joked because of my name..
Richard Raymond..
Yes, because of the famous Gutierrez Twins..
Richard (the guy) and Raymond (the gay)..

Here are my senatoriables:
1. ANGARA
2. AQUINO
3. ARROYO
4. DEFENSOR
5. ESCUDERO
6. LACSON
7. PANGILINAN
8. PAREDES
9. PIMENTEL
10. RECTO
11. VILLAR
12. ZUBIRI

Party List: AKAPIN (for disabled people)

naiirita pag naririnig ko sa radio or napapanood sa tv na maraming ayaw bumoto.. leche kayo! ewan ko ba sa inyo.. ayaw daw nilang bumoto kasi nga baka magkadayaan daw ulit.. hoy! ndi nyo kaya naisip na lalong pwedeng magkadayaan kasi yung supposed na boto nyo sa gusto nyong tao eh mapunta sa iba? pwede nilang gamitin ang ndi nyo ginamit na right to vote nyo para sa ibang tao.. tapos magrereklamo kayong naghihirap kayo.. STUPID!

in fairness to ABS-CBN, I love their election coverage.. "Boto Mo, I-patrol Mo!" daming taong nagpaparticipate.. kasi nga naman, through text lang..

intermission number..

sana nga..

For Tommorow
(May 14, 2007)


VOTE WISELY!

Mother's Day

forwarded text message from Jason..

Para s mga

Inang

walang pekpek

pero nagpapatira..

mga walang dede

pero nagpapasuso..

walang pinapaaral

pero nagsusustento..

Happy Mother's Day 2 u!

o, dba?

the motherly roles we play..

happy mudang day sa lahat ng mga ate ko dyan!!

HOMOSEXUALITY and BUDDHISM

This post was inspired with LasTresEstrellas' nomination for comment of the month. This is not intended to start any debate of some sort about our own religions. This is an article (Q&A portion) of one of the UK members of Soka Gakkai International (my buddhist organization).

Q: There is currently an open rift in the Anglican Church about homosexuality. Is there anything similar in the Buddhist faith?

A: In Nichiren Buddhism and specifically SGI, the organisation I’m a member of, there is thankfully no rift to heal.

Q: Do you think there should be exemptions for religious groups in the proposed Sexual Orientation Regulations?

A: No! There should be no exemptions for any group where equality is concerned.

Q: Where does your faith stand on the issue of gay weddings?

A: As soon as civil partnerships became law we began to celebrate gay weddings at our head centre, Taplow Court. However, there have been many same-sex Buddhist ceremonies that have taken place over the years within SGI.

Q: When an openly gay man was elected as the Bishop of New Hampshire it provoked strong outrage. What does your religion feel about the appointment of gay men and women to prominent positions?

A: We have many LGBT people within our organisation in prominent positions. Currently the Young Men’s Leader of our USA branch is openly gay. The previous Young Men’s Leader of SGI-USA was also openly gay. Within SGI-UK, there are many national leaders who are lesbian and gay. LGBT members have been prominent throughout the history and growth of SGI across the world.

Q: In your experience, what do you think congregations really think about gay men and women?

A: As with any section of society you will find people who are homophobic. Although Nichiren Buddhism does not believe in discrimination, you’ll naturally find people within SGI who are. The difference here is the fact that our teachings say that there should be no discrimination and therefore the more you chant and bring forth your Buddhahood, the more you learn to accept.

I remember that I introduced someone to Buddhism who was homophobic. He didn’t realise that I was gay. The District (small group of local people who get together to meet and chant) he was in was full of lesbian and gay members. He was able to confront his homophobia and move forward. That’s the beauty of this Buddhism, you face your challenges and move on.

Q: What has been the reaction of your own congregation to the fact that you’re gay?

A: It has never been an issue. I’ve been openly gay since I was 15 / 16 years old. I’ve always known I was gay, so I’ve never hidden the fact. If someone has had an issue with it, then that’s their issue and not mine. If it’s an issue for them, I like to think that I’m assisting them in confronting their homophobia and moving forward in their life.

Q: Could you have come out to them say, ten to fifteen years ago?

A: Most definitely – I’ve been practising Buddhism for nearly 17 years now and it’s never been an issue for me.

Q: So what does your particular faith say about gay men and women?

A: Nichiren Buddhism doesn’t believe in homosexuality. Then again, it doesn’t believe in heterosexuality or bisexuality. It believes that first and foremost we are Buddhas, whatever sex, sexuality, gender, race etc, we happen to be is irrelevant. We are all equal regardless of what sexuality we are.

Q: Do they have a specific teaching or stance on homosexuality?

A: No. We base our faith and our teachings on the Lotus Sutra. In the Mahayana tradition the lotus Sutra is often regarded as the culmination (or quintessence) of Shakyamuni's teachings. The Lotus Sutra teaches that we are all equal and it was the first sutra to teach that women are equal to men – something that wasn’t widely accepted over 3,000 years ago when it was first taught.

There are no specific teachings on homosexuality as it just isn’t an issue.

Q: Even if they are in a loving and stable relationship many gay men are expected to be celibate. Is this a realistic expectation?

A: This is certainly not expected from within Nichiren Buddhism and SGI. I remember years ago there was a question from a young gay man to a senior leader about whether it was ok to have more than one sexual partner at the same time. The response that came back was basically yes, as long as all parties were aware of the situation.

Q: Have you experienced any homophobia from within your church?

A: Obviously church isn’t the correct term – however from within practicing members of SGI-UK, yes I have experienced homophobia. However as I mentioned earlier, just because people start to chant and practice Buddhism, it doesn’t mean that there won’t be any homophobia. It just means people haven’t had a chance to move their life forward on that particular aspect of their life.

Through chanting nam-myoho-renge-kyo you are able to confront all the negative aspects of your life and change them. Any form of discrimination, I believe, is negative, so sooner or later that person will be able to move forward and grow.

Q: What would you say to the people who are against gay men and women being openly active with their faith?

A: I believe that all people have a right to express whatever views they have. When they then start to use those views to tell me, or others, how to live, then they shouldn’t have that right. I have views on certain things, however I certainly wouldn’t want my views and opinions to interfere in other peoples’ lives, as long as they are not hurting or abusing others.

Q: Do you believe that homosexuality and the Church will ever comfortably sit side by side?

A: To be honest, I’m not sure; and to also be honest, I really don’t care. I stopped going to church when I was 15 years old because I was told that my homosexuality was wrong. I knew very strongly at the age of 15 what I was and who I was and I certainly wasn’t going to be told otherwise by anyone.

Q: So what would your religious gay utopia be like?

A: I think that within SGI we have that. There will always be people who disagree with me and my views and on homosexuality. However that’s the beauty of chanting and practising the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. Through our faith we can challenge, confront and move forward. The main point is that the ‘teachings’ are non-discriminatory.

The head of our organisation, Daisaku Ikeda, sends messages of support to the LGBT members, telling us to live with “confidence, pride and courage – to live true to yourself”. Where do you hear that from any head of a religious organisation nowadays?

Q: What would you say to anyone who was gay, had a strong faith but was finding it difficult to resolve their sexuality with the many anti-gay teachings?

A: I feel that each person needs to find what is best and suitable for them. If people want to believe in a God, yet find that their congregation, church etc is homophobic, then they have to try and reconcile that themselves. However, why be part of an organisation that doesn’t respect or accept you? Why only be tolerated?