I saw Israeli singer Ivri Lider performing at World Outgames this afternoon. I was happy to see that he considers Ahmet Yildiz his family.

Killing innocent people in Tibet is all good. Circumcising Jewish boys is horrendous. Blogge Bloggelito—once one of Sweden’s most read-worthy bloggers—has lost his mind. It’s sad to see libertarians turning into xenophobes.

On Friday, two men were charged with hate crimes after attacking three gay men attending the World Outgames event. Today, Copenhagen police have charged a 31-year-old man after he threw powerful explosives at athletes participating in the games.

Drug-related deaths per million inhabitants:

• The United States: 38.0
• The Netherlands: 2.4

Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly says Amsterdam’s liberal attitudes towards sex and soft drugs have made the city a “mess” and “cesspool of corruption.” He is wrong, liberalism works.

“The biblical Ruth is lucky she isn’t converting to Judaism in 2009,” Forward writes in a leading article. “If she were converted in the United States, Europe or anywhere outside Israel and then decided to make aliyah, she would have to prove that she lived in the same Jewish community for 18 months (nine months before the conversion, nine months after), studied with an approved rabbi for at least 350 hours and could produce a copy of the curriculum. Our contemporary Ruth also had better hope that she has no non-Jewish relatives living in Israel, because that would prompt an immediate veto of her application.”

A small step for Corien Jonker, a giant leap for CDA:

Christian Democrat member of parliament and emancipation spokesperson Corien Jonker will be travelling on a boat together with about 40 Christian gays and lesbians.

I had forgot all about Mandy Smith until I read this article in the Daily Mail. When I was a teenager, I had her single, “I Just Can’t Wait”. Can’t remember if I bought I myself or if I borrowed it from a friend. Anyhow, I was fascinated by her for the same reason I liked Patsy Stone years later. You know, the decadent girl with an aura of substance abuse about her. Maybe it’s a gay thing. I mean, Absolutely Fabulous never made it big outside the gay community. What’s funny is that old Mandy has turned into a devout Christian who claims to have seen the Virgin Mary. Who would have thought?

Update: I found the record cover. See picture.

Two new kippot arrived by post from Israel today. I particularly like the multicoloured, rainbow-style kippah.

From the inbox:

There’s a fallacy in your argument about consent to circumcision. Circumcision is (pretty much) irrevocable, and while a child or adult can consent to it, they can only withhold their consent if it hasn’t been done to them already. Therefore, a law forbidding it to be done to anyone before they are old enough to give OR WITHHOLD their consent makes sense. In the case of Boldt vs Boldt, the judge ruled that a child at 14 was old enough to refuse to be circumcised despite his custodial father’s wish - but obviously this choice is nugatory if he has been circumcised already.

You are out of date in your discussion of intersexed babies. Adult intersexed people have protested about what was done to them (often destroying what sexuality they would have had) and the medical profession now listens. As far as is consistent with physical health, intersexed babies are to be left alone until they can indicate what sex they identify with, rather than having an arbitrary decision forced on their bodies, which may be at odds with their gender identity. And some are choosing to continue to identify as intersexed.

Not even the removal of supernumerary digits is universal, and there is a case for leaving that until the person themself can decide. At least one musician, guitarist Hound Dog Taylor, was famous for having six fingers.

I think I said everything I want to say in two of my latest entries on this topic. Read them here and here.

Swedish Arabs speak out against homophobia. A new organization gathers gay Arabs in Stockholm during the ongoing Gay Pride Week.

(Via Sydsvenska Dagbladet.)

Swedish newspaper Expressen has a very good leader about male circumcision. It is nice to read some sane thoughts after the past few days’ outbreak of raging narrow-mindedness. In short, the newspaper says that a small piece of skin is nothing to argue about and that the Jewish and Muslim tradition of removing the foreskin is no worse than piercing a child’s ears.

I like this:

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday that Iran would not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and reiterated Washington’s commitment to protect close ally Israel from any threat posed by Tehran.

And this:

Clinton said major powers would make very clear to Iran what the costs of pursuing their nuclear ambitions would be.

The Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, which is the National Cathedral of Denmark, is draped in rainbow colours for the ongoing World Outgames.

Yesterday’s entry on xenophobia in the Swedish circumcision debate has sparked some reader reactions. One reader writes:

I think what you think is intolerence towards non-Lutheran religious beliefs is actually a real concern about human rights. I’d like to hear you present a few good arguments in favor of cutting in a person’s body without their consent (when it’s not out of medical necessity). That’s the only thing that matters here. And, if you think this should be permitted, where do you draw the line? Can I cut my son (should I have one) when he’s seven even if he protests? At 18? Can I cut my neighbour in the face because I believe in it?

To me it looks like you’re in favor of circumcising newborns without their consent. Why?

My reply:

What bothers me is that many people are so eager to make a distinction between themselves and “the foreigners” without realizing that Jews and Muslims are—and have been for a long time—part of Swedish culture. The Jews have circumcised their sons in Sweden since the first Jewish congregation was established in Stockholm in the 1770s. It is absurd to speak of the Swedish Jews as foreigners, and it is xenophobic to speak of Jewish culture in degrading terms. It suggests to me that many are less concerned about the circumcised boys than they are to make themselves superior.

I think parents should have the option to circumcise their newborn sons. The procedure is done annually on many millions of boys, and there are very few reports of complications. Most complications result from unprofessional surgery, where people with no medical expertise try to perform the procedure. Done correctly by trained professionals in a safe environment, male circumcision is harmless.

To Jews and Muslims, circumcision is about being part of an ethnical group. It does not have as much to do with religion as many outsiders think. Now, some have argued that this is not a valid argument. I disagree. Medical professionals in Sweden and around the world perform minor surgery on newborn children for that purpose alone. This is why doctors cut the extra toes and fingers on babies born with polydactyly. This is also why many parents to newborn intersexuals (hermaphrodites) have do decide what sex they want for their child. There are no strict medical reasons for doing anything to these children, but fitting in is considered a valid reason in itself.

I can imagine that male circumcision becomes less important for Jews and Muslims in the future. Many people within these ethnical groups wish to see a change. But personally, I see no problem with male circumcision. A newborn boy is the responsibility of his parents, and they should have the right to do what they think is best for their son as long as it does not involve really severe risks.

An older child has a say in what his or her parents do. That is the case on most issues, and it is only natural that it also involves a decision on circumcision. When a child is mature enough to voice an opinion, it should be respected.

Swedes often think of ourselves as tolerant, but whenever any other culture than Christianity is discussed, many people in this country fail to show the slightest acceptance. This is particularly the case when religious circumcision or ritual slaughter is the topics. Yesterday, Sweden’s largest newspaper Dagens Nyheter ran yet another article on a new law that will make it easier for poor and religious parents to circumcise their sons in hospitals. The new rule is meant to help prevent infections and other complications from unprofessional circumcisions. But as always, Swedes are reacting with hostility towards Jews and Muslims. Although Jews have lived in Sweden since the seventeenth century and the first Muslims immigrated in the 1940s, everything and everyone not culturally secular or Lutheran is labelled foreign.

Yes, there are a few valid arguments against male circumcision. There are also a few very good arguments that speak in favour of circumcising newborn boys. What bothers me is that so many Swedes focus on the alleged barbarism and primitivism of ritual circumcision and minority religions instead of discussing the arguments. I am also concerned about the unwillingness to recognize the intention of the new law. Many are indifferent to the boys’ welfare when they voice their principled stand against circumcisions performed in hospitals.

Update: The Local has an article in English. Interesting to note is that many of the reader comments are far less hostile than those on Swedish-language news websites.

People who convert to Judaism cause problems for the Jewish state since its religious courts are “occupied” by the ultra-Orthodox, who refuses to accept the authority of the vast majority of rabbis. For many years, the Israeli government has invested large sums of money into conversion classes in order to turn non-Halachic Jews into “real” Jews (I hate to discuss people in these terms, but that is what the quarrel is about). However, the prospective converts are often discouraged and give up because they are so badly treated by the religious establishment. Progressive Jews have fought for a reform for many years, but it is only now that more modern Orthodox rabbis speak out. Rabbi Seth Farber is one of those who are fed up with the current system:

We need to reinvent conversion in Israel as part of a dialogue between the modern Orthodox and the Reform and Conservative communities. We should insist that the State of Israel sign on to a modus operandi that will not keep us beholden to the views of a select few.

As an Orthodox rabbi, I believe that we can create a conversion system that does not compromise halacha [Jewish Law] in any way, but maximizes transparency, integrity and commitment. We need to set goals and develop a program that will take us there. We cannot afford to wait another six months or a year.

I second that.

The symptoms of Swine influenza are chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness, and general discomfort. I have all of those, so now I have convinced myself that I have caught the trendiest influenza in years.

David McFadden of the Associated Press has written an article on the raging homophobia in Jamaica. As is the case with all homophobic Christians, local church leaders blame the victims of the violent oppression they are subjected to. Homosexuality is linked to rape and paedophilia. This has resulted in homophobia so severe that many Jamaican men refuse to get digital rectal examinations for prostate cancer. “Because it is a homophobic society, there’s such a fear of the sexual implications of having the exam that men won’t seek out help,” Dr Trevor Tulloch of St. Andrews Hospital is quoted as saying.

(Via Box Turtle Bulletin.)

It is not unproblematic, but I like Binyamin Netanyahu’s firm stand on Jerusalem. “We cannot accept the idea that Jews will not have the right to live and buy (homes) anywhere in Jerusalem,” the BBC quotes him as saying. “Unified Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people and the state of Israel. Our sovereignty over it is unquestionable.”

I have spent the weekend at a colleague’s house, which is just by the lake seen in the picture.

Iranian police fired tear gas at democracy activists during Friday Prayer. This is quite remarkable in a state that says it is based on Islamic law.

The Economist has an interesting article on new ways to detect dark matter.

“The Church of England has condemned a proposal by the Church of Sweden to grant same-sex couples the right to religious wedding ceremonies,” The Local writes. The Swedish Christians should ignore the condemnation and the English should rethink their position and listen to Richard Harries and other bishops like him.

More on the Church of England’s stand on homosexuality here.

A new survey of Danes reveals some interesting figures:

• 32% are embarrassed when they see naked men in public
• 26% are embarrassed when they see naked women in public
• 23 % do not like to see gay couples kissing
• 18% do not like to see straight couples kiss and make out in public
• 9% are tired of seeing topless women in public

Related article.

In a leading article published by Swedish newspaper Södermanlands Nyheter, Johan Folin argues that the so-called Copenhagen criteria should be used to convince Lithuania to change the law that—among other things—bans unbiased information about homosexuality. Read the article here.

According to Jon Voss, chief editor of Swedish gay magazine QX, this headline reads “homosexuality is love” in Lithuanian. And the Lithuanians need to know! Yesterday, the parliament in this Baltic country passed a law that bans information on homosexuality in schools and in media accessible by young people.

The irony is that Lithuania fought long and hard for its independence from the Soviet Union. Freedom of speech was at the top of the agenda. And now, after eighteen years of post-communist democracy, it introduces a law that bans free speech. Joseph Stalin would be so proud.

Richard Posner, a prominent judge and Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, has written what must be about the stupidest thing I have read:

Expanding copyright law to bar online access to copyrighted materials without the copyright holder’s consent, or to bar linking to or paraphrasing copyrighted materials without the copyright holder’s consent, might be necessary to keep free riding on content financed by online newspapers from so impairing the incentive to create costly news-gathering operations that news services like Reuters and the Associated Press would become the only professional, nongovernmental sources of news and opinion.

The next natural step could be to ban the mentioning of copyrighted materials in academic writing without prior consent.

Gay men from around the world show their solidarity with a Turkish victim of honour killing. This, my friends, is identity politics at grass-root level.

Background here.

Only a tiny few do. At least that is what Rabbi Andrew Sacks seems to think. And although I must stress that I have no personal experience of the Chief Rabbinate, the stories I have heard from others within the Progressive movement have convinced me that it is about time Israel got rid of this institution. Israel should welcome all Jews, introduce civil marriages, and allow family members to be buried in the same cemetery regardless of Halachic status.

Author and sex researcher Kris Saknussemm has made his own top-ten list.

“The crisis is a unique opportunity to make progress,” says EU commissioner Neelie Kroes. She is right. Europe should take this opportunity to rid itself of overregulation and unneeded bureaucracy.

After the Mormon guards cuffed and humiliated two men who kissed in public, the Utahan gay community arranged a traditional kiss-in.

A new insight into the intellectual meltdown of the Left, this time delivered by Swedish professor Bo Rothstein. In short, he argues that “identity politics” is to blame for the problem many European socialist parties have at the polls. In other words, it is the idea that minority groups should enjoy equal rights that is to blame for the lack of voter enthusiasm for socialism. So, to gain popularity, Rothstein prescribes—although not spelled out—a return to traditional bigotry, with policies based on racism, sexism, ethnical prejudgements, and homophobia.

This is yet another example of the complete lack of respect for individuals and human rights I wrote about yesterday.

Rothstein’s article is available in English here.

I know I shouldn’t pay attention to a blogger as crazy as Anders Svensson,* but he is too surreal and hilarious to ignore. In the past, he has argued that Sinn Féin, IRA, ETA, and other outspoken European communist terrorist groups were in fact liberal. Now he is at it again. This time he blames capitalism for what the Chinese Communist Party is doing to the Uighur minority in the Xinjiang province.

* It is often difficult to distinguish the communism of Anders Svensson from the hateful conservatism of the Religious Right. Svensson excuses forced marriages and denies that honour killings are a problem, arguing—like the Christian Right—that statistics can be used to determine the seriousness of a crime. This, naturally, results in a reasoning that legitimizes the oppression of minority groups that are often the target of hate crimes.

The extreme right and the extreme left are often hard to tell apart, and one thing that makes it so is their complete disregard for the fact that people are individuals and not large groups whose problems are best solved by simple mathematics and handheld calculators. Honour killings, forced marriages, and hate crimes are only small problems if you ignore the impact it has on the victims.

Cartoon by Yaakov Kirschen.

Two people in love were harassed by religious police in Salt Lake City. One could be excused for mistaking these Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints security guards for the Islamist thugs that harass people in the streets of Teheran or Riyadh.

(Via Box Turtle Bulletin.)

In 1989, Margaret Thatcher became the first politician of stature to raise the alarm about global warming:

When her adviser Crispin Tickell pointed out to her that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was rising and that carbon dioxide was a greenhouse gas, she got the point instantly and alerted the world in a speech to the United Nations.

Al Gore forgot to mention this in his film.

The local chapter of Swedish gay-rights organization RFSL in Kristianstad was attacked by stone-throwing youth late last night.

Despite the authorities’ warnings and an increasingly brutal police force, the people of Iran continue to march for liberty and justice. Brave people!

Update: CNN has more.

This is cool.

Sushil Kumar Kaushal, a Hindu astrologer, seeks to overturn a recent Indian Supreme Court ruling that decriminalized gay sex. In his petition, he uses many of the classic arguments against homosexuality, among them the popular biological myth that animals do not engage in homosexual activities and the slippery-slope idea that accepting homosexuality would somehow lead to future acceptance of bestiality. The problem for Kaushal is that gay sex is frequent in nature and that slippery slopes are imaginary only—but I guess that will not deter an astrologer.

Dan Mage:

I tell people that libertarianism simply puts the responsibility for caring about other people back on you. It’s much easier to say that that “the government should do something about it,” than to take any personal responsibility for your life, your community, your country and the planet.

Spot on!

Jeffrey Goldberg in an interview by Michael J. Totten:

Just because a belief sounds ridiculous to you doesn’t mean it’s not sincerely held... So I think it’s best to err on the side of taking people at their word. That doesn’t mean you can’t analyze it and break it down on the politics, break it down on the psychology, and break it down on the religion. But take them at their word. I believe Hamas when it says it wants to eradicate Israel. Why shouldn’t I believe them? ... Palestinians, over the years, have proven that they’re willing to sacrifice generations of people to achieve their goal of a Jewish-free Palestine.

I think he is absolutely right. Far too many “pro-Palestinians” in Europe try to alter and interpret Hamas and other terrorist groups into something they are not. The truth of the matter is that the terrorists mean exactly what they are saying—no interpretation needed. When Hamas leaders say they will not settle for less than the complete destruction of Israel and the Jewish people, that is precisely what they mean.

This is why there cannot be any final peace deal made between Israel and the Palestinians; this no matter how much Barack Obama threatens Israel with less military aid. For Jews in Israel, fighting the Palestinians is all about survival. To surrender is to commit suicide.

Read the interview in full here.

A new opinion poll has found that 38% of gay men in Britain intend to vote for the Conservative Party at the next general election.

I have said for many years now that the only reason gay men tended to vote for the left were the conservative politicians’ tendency to make homophobia and exclusion part of their political platform. As more and more conservatives realize that that was a mistake, the gays begin to vote for them.

This is a coin in the Spintria series that shows homosexual intercourse. Why don’t we have coins like this nowadays?

More information here.

(Via Andrew Sullivan.)

That, in short, is the finding of a new report published by the Swedish Security Service and the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention. The authors warn of the attraction of the simplified, black-and-white worldview offered by political extremism.

They are absolutely right! There is no real difference between the Far Right and the Far Left. The two groups often hate each other, but they share that same dualistic take on politics and society. In their mind, everything comes down to a war between good people and evil people; and in the universal battle between the two, there is no room for the reasoning and compromising associated with democracy.

I have personally experienced the hatred of both groups, and it is obvious to me that nothing provokes an extremist as much as a person who believes in equality and liberty.

Download the report here.

Read more in Swedish here, here, and here.

The ban on smoking is not popular at the Cafe De Kachel in Groningen. After being fined 1,200 euros for breaking the law, the owners appealed to a higher court and won.

I consider this a small victory for liberty and pluralism. I personally prefer to have my drinks in a smoke-free bar, but it should be up to the owners to set the rules.

Dan Savage translates the words of a Texan police chief who defends the attack on a gay bar in Forth Worth. A young man is suffering from a severe brain injury after being beaten by the police.

I read on BBC News that about 800 pages of the earliest surviving Christian Bible have now been photocopied and published on the Internet. Cool.

Yours truly in the sun, listening to Moby’s new album. The really hot summer days are few in this part of the world, so I try to make the most of them now they are here.

Far-right news website World Net Daily has my favourite headline of the day.

Venezuela’s de facto dictator Huga Chávez revokes the licenses of 240 radio stations. He also threatens to shut down Globovisión, the only remaining television network critical of his rule.

Sweden’s Supreme Court has ruled that a testimony from the victim of an alleged rape is not enough to secure a conviction without additional supporting evidence. I realize that many rape victims find the ruling disturbing. But I think it is good. Considering that a rapist could be sentenced to many years in prison, it has to take more than the plaintiff’s story for conviction.

If you are able to read Swedish, do not miss Uffe Wickberg excellent article on the Christian Democrats.

Two big arenas with large screens outside. Michael Jackson never was much for minimalism, so in that respect this spectacle is fitting.

A ruling by the Delhi High Court overturns the ban on sex between consenting adults of the same sex introduced under British rule.

David Cameron, leader of the British Conservative Party, has apologized to the gay community for Section 28, a law—introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet in 1988—that banned the “promotion” of homosexuality.

One of Andrew Sullivan’s readers sent him this observation about the fundamentalists’ appreciation of liars:

The ability to lie well is a valuable part of the fundamentalist psychology. My son isn’t gay, he just hasn’t found the right woman! Those rocks aren’t 50 million years old, they just look like it as a test of our faith! My sexless marriage isn’t foundering, it is filled with God’s spirit! The minister isn’t molesting little Maria, they’re just very close! It isn’t torture, it is being tough on terrorists!

Fundamentalists can recognize a truly audacious and talented liar from miles away. Instead of running the other way, as you might expect, they gather around the powerful liar, for they know that their own lies will be respected and protected by a leader who understands the paramount importance of preserving their whole system of denial.

Brilliant!

Postscript: Speaking of Sullivan, Eric at Classical Values writes about an attempt to link his homosexuality to his opposition to Sarah Palin.

My favourite headline of the day.

Sally Kern is back!* This time she blames the gays for the bad economy. The accusation is made in a proclamation, which, according to her website, will be signed by religious leaders, elected officials, and citizens of Oklahoma on 2 July 2009. Here is the proclamation in full, with the most ludicrous remarks in boldface:

We the People of Oklahoma, Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessing of Liberty; to secure just and rightful Government; to promote our mutual Welfare and Happiness, do establish this proclamation and call upon the people of the great State of Oklahoma, and our fellow Patriots in these United States of America who look to the Lord for guidance, to acknowledge the need for a national awakening of righteousness in our land.

WHEREAS, “It is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand” (John Adams); and

WHEREAS, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by Religion and Morality” (John Adams); and

WHEREAS, “Our Constitution was made only for a Moral and Religious people” (John Adams); and

WHEREAS, “We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government ... but upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God” (James Madison); and

WHEREAS, “Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God (Benjamin Franklin); and

WHEREAS, “God who gave us life gave us liberty and can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God” (Thomas Jefferson); and

WHEREAS, “Whether any free government can be permanent, where the public worship of God, and the support of Religion, constitute no part of the policy or duty of the state” (Joseph Story); and

WHEREAS, “We hold sacred the rights of conscience, and promise to the people…the free and undisturbed exercise of their religion” (Roger Sherman); and

WHEREAS, “This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians” (Patrick Henry); and

WHEREAS, “When you…exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed upon your mind that God commands you to choose just men who will rule in the fear of God” (Noah Webster); and

WHEREAS, “The principles of genuine Liberty and of wise laws and administrations are to be drawn from the Bible” (Noah Webster); and

WHEREAS, the people of Oklahoma have a strong tradition of reliance upon the Creator of the Universe; and

WHEREAS, we believe our economic woes are consequences of our greater national moral crisis; and

WHEREAS, this nation has become a world leader in promoting abortion, pornography, same sex marriage, sex trafficking, divorce, illegitimate births, child abuse, and many other forms of debauchery; and

WHEREAS, alarmed that the Government of the United States of America is forsaking the rich Christian heritage upon which this nation was built; and

WHEREAS, grieved that the Office of the president of these United States has refused to uphold the long held tradition of past presidents in giving recognition to our National Day of Prayer; and

WHEREAS, deeply disturbed that the Office of the president of these United States disregards the biblical admonitions to live clean and pure lives by proclaiming an entire month to an immoral behavior;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we the undersigned elected officials of the people of Oklahoma, religious leaders and citizens of the State of Oklahoma, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world, solemnly declare that the HOPE of the great State of Oklahoma and of these United States, rests upon the Principles of Religion and Morality as put forth in the HOLY BIBLE; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the undersigned, believers in the One True God and His only Son, call upon all to join with us in recognizing that “Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord,” and humbly implore all who love Truth and Virtue to live above reproach in the sight of God and man with a firm reliance on the leadership and protection of Almighty God; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the undersigned, humbly call upon Holy God, our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, to have mercy on this nation, to stay His hand of judgment, and grant a national awakening of righteousness and Christian renewal as we repent of our great sin.

It would be hard to produce a more pretentious document. Not least considering the clever distortion of the great thinkers quoted. Does anyone honestly believe that John Adams would side with Kern and her gang against civil liberties? And why would anyone assume that Thomas Jefferson—an outspoken Unitarian deist who loathed theistic ideas—would have anything in common with a bunch of theocracy advocates? It is obvious that Sally Kern knows nothing about homosexuality, but strangely enough, it seems she knows very little about America, too.

* This is not the first time Sally Kern tries to put blame on gay people. Kern made headlines in March 2008 after she had said that the “homosexual agenda” is destroying America.

I just read an article by Johann Hari. He describes how the fight for gay rights has gone global. The whole article is worth reading, but I particularly like this passage:

The conversation about gay people has been so soaked in theology for so long that it’s important to state some hard empirical facts. Homosexuality is a naturally occurring phenomenon that happens in every human society. Everywhere, around 2-5 percent of human beings prefer to have sex with their own gender. It occurs at the heart of nature: only last week, a major study by Professors Nathan Bailey and Marlene Zuk of the University of California found: “The variety and ubiquity of same-sex sexual behavior in animals is impressive—many thousands of instances of same-sex courtship, pair bonding and copulation have been observed in a wide range of species, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, mollusks and nematodes.”

When heterosexual paedophiles rape children—as in the case of Stephen E. Quick and Samantha Light in Indiana—it is not considered a characteristic of all heterosexuals. However, when a gay paedophile rapes children, the anti-gay lobby tries its best to make it a characteristic of all homosexuals. I think it is about time to honour this particular form of biased and prejudicial association fallacy by adding it to the list of fallacies.

A man in Florida has been charged with domestic battery after he drenched his wife with a garden hose for smoking in the house. Seriously, I don’t condole hosing down one’s spouse against his or her will, but I think it’s silly to make a court case out of it.