This past Friday, the United Nations (U.N.) passed a ground breaking resolution – for equal rights for everyone, including those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) community. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State International Organizations Suzanne Nossel called it “a key part in setting a new norm that gay rights are human rights and that that has to be accepted globally.” President Barack Obama called it a “significant milestone in the long struggle for [LGBT] equality.” The resolution was introduced by South Africa. What makes it so ground breaking? It is the first ever U.N. resolution that includes equal … Continue reading →

To eat at Chick-fil-A or not? Suddenly, THAT is the question. The whole outrage against or support for (depending on your views) Chick-fil-A thing continues. The whole thing started when Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy told Baptist Press in an interview that the company is against gay marriage. Naturally, that made some celebs (Ed Helms being the latest to voice his opinion) call for a boycott. Several LGBT groups also called for boycotts. Philadelphia City Councilman James Kenney said, “There is no place for this type of hate in our great City of Brotherly and Sisterly Affection.” Boston Mayor Thomas Menino … Continue reading →

When you read this headline, you might thing “What does this have to do with Green Living?” Well, if you’ve read my blog before, you know that I believe that social conscious and civil rights are a huge part of living green. Yes, it is great to recycle your flip flops, but if those flip flops were made by slaves in a third world country, it’s still not green. As a child of the ‘60s, I’ve seen people protest for equal rights for African Americans and women. Now, at least in America, it seems the big civil rights struggle is … Continue reading →

Actor Christian Bale was in Beijing, China this week to promote his latest film, “The Flowers of War.” The film, by Director Zhang Yimou, is about an American priest that sheltered prostitutes and female students during a 1937 Japanese invasion. While there, Bale decided to go see Chen Guangcheng, an attorney and proponent of human rights. The forty-year-old Chen, who is blind, was under house arrest for six months in 2005-2006 after talking to Time magazine about forced abortions performed in the Shandong Province of China. In 2006, he was arrested for destruction of property and disrupting traffic by assembling … Continue reading →

I am one that was born to read bumper stickers. Nothing is more frustrating than to see an interesting bumper sticker that I can’t read. The other day, I saw one on the car in front of me that simply said “itgetsbetter.org.” I was hoping I’d be able to remember that address to look it up when I got home. It has been almost a year since Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi committed suicide by jumping from the George Washington Bridge after learning his roommate had secretly set up a web cam to broadcast his sexual encounter with another man. I … Continue reading →