I lost a follower today

I lost a follower today. On Twitter.

It was because of a post I wrote in support of Syrian refugees.

When they said they were unfollowing me, and why, I simply responded that if they were connected with me here and had read my blog, that the comment I made would be no surprise.

I have been surprised about the huge amount of anti-refugee speak from people in this country. Even on my Facebook page. So I decided to post this:


I must say that I am surprised by how many people I am connected with here are part of the frenzy against Syrian refugees coming to the States. I get the fear part. If you know me, you won't be surprised that I would do anything I can for these people, my fellow human beings who have suffered so much. So much, in fact, that they have left their home and everything they own just to survive and hopefully create a safe place for them and their children. And for those of you who have made comments about supporting veterans before refugees, that is super pathetic. I can, and do, support both. And the homeless, and abused kids, and people living in poverty, animals being tortured and anyone who is treated like shit just because of who they are.

This world is a living hell for many people. Most reading this live in a privilege that those seeking basic humanity can't even dream of.


I know there are many who disagree, yet my blog has always been an honest reflection of who I am and my thoughts about pretty much everything. I have always welcomed debate and I have always listened to viewpoints contrary to mine. Dialogue. And, I have always been outspoken against the constant demonizing of many just because there is disagreement.

Thank you for reading this.

From Kentucky to Syria

What a week.

There is so much being said and written about what happened this week in a small town in Kentucky. And then there is the refugee crisis in Europe as thousands continue to flee the violence and persecution in Syria.

It is a wonderful chance to be a voice for the voiceless.

As anti-gay bigots gathered in Kentucky to celebrate the release of Kim Davis, the county clerk found in contempt of court and jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, I kept thinking of gay couples around the country who still do not feel safe in their communities. Watching a man scream "sodomites" at gay people gathered at the court house I shook my head and wanted to do something for people who have to live in a place where such bigotry is rampant.

Across the Atlantic, tens of thousands of refugees face similar bigoted situations. Let's start by calling them migrants. That sounds better when refusing to care for them in any way. In fact, they are people like you and me, whose very lives are at risk because of who they are, where they live or what they believe. They want to live. They want their children to be safe.

In both cases bigotry is at high levels. Whether it is in the name of Jesus or in the name of nationalism, the way people are being treated disgusts me.

We can speak out. On social media, with our friends and neighbors, and with our check books. We must speak out against bigotry and for compassion.

Love one another.

Kentucky and Syria might seem like far away places, yet what is happening in these places can happen anywhere. We can be silent or we can be their voice.

Thanks for reading.

More dead Egyptians and Syrians

If you watch the national news or read any news-oriented websites you must know that in the last couple of weeks Egypt has exploded in violence that has left over 1,000 dead. In Syria, the death toll from violence since citizens began demanding the ouster of President Assad has added to the tens of thousands already killed by an attack that some say were chemical attacks leaving another 1,000 plus Syrians dead.

In the US, we are being informed about all of this, yet our nation seems to be just standing by and watching.

Believe me, I understand that both situations are complex. I also understand that, even though they won elections fair and square, many people, including many Americans, do not like the Muslim Brotherhood.

I'm also pretty sure that many in the Muslim Brotherhood and some in the Syrian resistance to not care much for gay people.

I am still sickened by all of the death.

Last week I watched as an older man, older than me, stood in front of a tank in Egypt waving his arms in what looked like an effort to stop the tank. Minutes later he was gunned down.

Yesterday I saw the video of bodies lined up in Syria after a supposed chemical attack.

I have always known that there is a lot of hate in this world.

So many viewpoints and so many things to think about.

In the midst of all of this slaughter, I don't even know what to do. Writing about it helps. Having conversation with others helps.

As a blogger who always tries to be a voice for the voiceless, I am a little puzzled. In Egypt a fairly-elected government is in jail, and when their supporters protest, they are shot dead. Yes, many refused to leave encampments, just like many Occupiers in the US refused to leave. And in Syria, how many will have to die?

Yes, both situations are complicated.

And more and more people will continue to die.

Thank you for reading.

Men we love!

We were thrilled to be able to share our list of women we love, and even more thrilled that so many people read the post and told us who the women are that they love!

So now I thought we should share a list of the men we love! Just like the list of women we love, some of these we know and some we don't. We love them for the amazingness that they bring to this world. Not listed are our male family members we love so much, and those in our close-knit family of choice. They get our love every day!

Bruce Friedrich. A true voice for the voiceless, all of the voiceless. I have been honored to know Bruce for about 15 years and I feel like I am a better person because of that. Bruce is filled with love for all living beings and spends pretty much every waking moment working to make the world a safer, more just place for all.

William Carupia Cuñapa. President of the Indigenous Organization of Antioquia, (Organización Indígena de Antioquia (OIA) an organization representing Indigenous communities in the north-western department of Antioquia, Colombia. No matter how many threats he receives in his work towards justice for Colombia's Indigenous communities, he simply keeps going.

Christopher Murphy. A day doesn't go by when Christopher is not posting a photo of a beautiful dog or two that he is transporting somewhere around central Florida. He is a man of action and a vegan hero to us!

Jon Camp. Jon Camp is another huge voice for the voiceless. As a part of the Vegan Outreach team, he goes to pretty much every corner of the country supporting local activists and passing out vegan literature. His tireless efforts mean that every day more and more people get the information they need to consider going vegan.

Matthew Paul Turner. One of my favorite authors. One of my most memorable reads was with one of his books, writing about chatting with a gay guy in his church and welcoming him (the guy had been kicked out of his church). I was in tears reading that. Both Mike and I have had tough times with people who use Jesus to demonize us as gay men and Matthew gives me hope for a future with less hate and less violence towards LGBT people.

Brad Palmertree. Imagine being openly gay in the south. Not in a major, gay-friendly city, but in a small city in Tennessee. Then imagine being a voice for gay youth. An out, open voice. Brad is hugely courageous and I am lucky to know him. He is a huge advocate for justice, a loud voice for safe schools for LGBTQ kids, and as young as he is I think he's just getting started.

Anonymous Syrian Activist. Another 200+ people were killed in Syria this week. I am connected to activists in and out of Syria who blog, tweet, and YouTube what is going on there. I have blogged about the massacre of activists and protesters, a massacre that seems to continue every day. One in particular I follow who does not use his real names. I am always thinking of him with love, this totally courageous person.

Believe it or not, having now written about women and men we love, I realize that there are just so many. We are so incredibly grateful to know people like this, or in some cases to simply know of them.

Thanks for reading!

Too many dead protesters in Syria

I started my path fighting to make the world a better place while spending a year in Colombia as an exchange student at age 16. My life was forever changed and I returned to the US intent on delving into human rights.

I watched with excitement as I saw protests all over the world in support of protesters in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Syria.

I continue to be horrified, sickened, and disgusted as I read the daily death counts in Syria. Depending on who you believe, more than 2,000 have been killed, tortured, jailed or disappeared solely for protesting against the government. As you may know, almost always these protests have been peaceful.

As these beautiful people continue to be massacred, I wanted to take a few minutes and spread the word to please remember these folks. Please talk about them, write about them, blog about them. As an activist and one who has protested since I was 16, one should be able to protest without being shot, tortured, or threatened.

Will you stand with me in solidarity with the brave protesters in Syria? They continue, against all odds, to protest and to make their peaceful argument for freedom.

If you are interested in keeping up with what is going on in Syria, from an activist's viewpoint, you can follow this guy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MalathAumran There are also several Facebook pages written by those who are part of the protest movement.

Thanks so much for reading! I continue to be so grateful for everyone's support!