2012 ended with the Associated Press publishing a new stylebook for journalists that bans the use of the words “homophobia” and “Islamophobia.” The AP argues that “phobia” describes an illness or mental disability and, thus, isn’t accurate in “political or social” reporting. As Michelangelo Signorile
Through the years Sightings has never commented on presidential campaigns, and the contest held this year is no exception. Today, self-liberated from the practice of opting-out, we can survey the comments on “public religion” in the campaign and election just past. We usually footnote these
I want to share this obvious observation: Even if there were some remote chance I could become pope… they would never let me. The reason is simple — and it is not because of my progressive views of Christian theology, or the fact that I
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have long been held responsible by some Christian conservatives for causing many of the greatest natural disasters of modern times. For example, back in May 1978, Anita Bryant, Florida Orange Juice queen and chief organizer of her so-called “Save
That’s the gist of an all too common question. And when looking at the daily news, there’s clear reason for asking it. Recently we saw again what can happen when anti-Muslim Christians — this time using a film — chose to rile up anti-Christian Muslims.
A person is Gay or Straight whether or not he/she can engage in sexual activity! Most Gay people engage in sexual activity just as most Straight people engage in sexual activity, but those activities don’t define whether or not they are Gay or Straight. There
Sightings, at least in its Monday column releases, regularly classifies many topics dubbed “church and state” as being unsolvable. We have quoted Walter Berns who wrote that the Founding Fathers, who get so regularly invoked in contemporary debates, solved the problem of church and state
Questioned about the opposition his company, Chick-fil-A, has received on its position supporting the so-called “traditional family,” CEO Dan Cathy quipped “Well, guilty as charged.” In a recent article appearing in the Baptist Press (July 22, 2012), he continued that “We are very much supportive
It’s silly season. And it would be laughable if elections weren’t downright serious. We’re about to see the worst of politics. It’s been building all summer, but now the money really flows. So, here we go. “Awash in money” is an understatement as the 1%
While I write, I like to listen to YouTube. My tastes are quite eclectic, including everything from Norwegian folk tunes to the Ragtime of Scott Joplin. One evening, hoping to transition into relax-mode, I tried something new: a nine-minute recording of the Tibetan “Om” chant.