1. Cuffs meeting not tied down by sanctions
2. Banning Gay Marriage 'Would Help Polygamists'
3. This store's a hot topic
4. What Were They Thinking? Nobel Goes to Porn-Writing Phobic
5. Does a moral slippery slope really exist? Judge for yourself
6. Homosexual S&M part of Christianity?
1. Cuffs meeting not tied down by sanctions
2. Banning Gay Marriage 'Would Help Polygamists'
3. This store's a hot topic
4. What Were They Thinking? Nobel Goes to Porn-Writing Phobic
5. Does a moral slippery slope really exist? Judge for yourself
6. Homosexual S&M part of Christianity?
Cuffs meeting not tied down by sanctions
by Tom Barton
Iowa State Daily
October 15, 2004
It's been nearly a year since Cuffs began its struggle with the university to keep from being tied down.
In an ironic message of defiance against the university's decision to sanction the group's activity, Cuffs is beginning again to tie up its members.
Cuffs President Duane Long Jr., laid out 18- to 25-foot white nylon ropes, a black leather arm restraint, black bondage tape, neon "zip" ties and — of course, the black leather cuffs.
It was a message of disagreement with what the group describes as unreasonable restrictions of its First Amendment rights.
Standing before 13 onlookers Thursday night in the Cardinal Room of the Memorial Union, Long picked up a piece of rope and began to twist, bend, loop, pull and tuck it into a "larks head" knot. He then took the wrist of voluntary member and pulled it through the loop, tugging it to securely bind her wrist. As he worked, he described the various steps and safety procedures to consider.
The scene is similar to another event — the one that began the group's ordeal with the university judiciary.
[cont.]
To read this article, go to:
http://www.iowastatedaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/10/15/416f5686230e7
To respond, write to: letters@iowastatedaily.com
or comment via link at the bottom of the article
Banning Gay Marriage 'Would Help Polygamists'
by staff writer
365Gay.com
October 13, 2004
(Salt lake City, Utah) – Same-sex couples got some unexpected support Tuesday from a group that fights polygamy.
One of the arguments used by conservative groups which support amending the Utah constitution to ban same-sex unions has been that allowing gay marriage would open the floodgates of polygamy.
But, Tuesday a group called Tapestry Against Polygamy which helps in the prosecution of polygamists, said that the proposed amendment would actually give people who practice it a legal loophole to avoid going to court.
Tapestry Against Polygamy Executive Director Vicky Prunty said the language is too vague, especially the second part of the proposed amendment because it could invalidate domestic unions for heterosexuals.
[cont.]
To read this article, go to:
http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/10/101304polyBan.htm
To respond, write to: editor@365gay.com
This store's a hot topic:
Plans for a lingerie shop in Folsom's Historic District are raising objections
by Jamie Francisco
The Sacramento Bee
October 12, 2004
In the 700 block of Sutter Street, the heart of Folsom's Historic District, a silhouette of a woman crouched in spiked heels hangs in an empty storefront.
It is a banner advertising Ms. Teaz, a shop that will be filled with handmade corsets, silky lingerie and a discreet back room stocked with adult novelty items, which is scheduled to open its doors in early November, said Sam Dafour, the owner.
As Dafour and his wife peruse prospective merchandise this week at the International Lingerie Convention in Las Vegas, members of the Folsom Historic District Association are working feverishly to block the store's opening.
"Folsom's a bedroom community," said Dan McNeil, spokesman for the group, which represents more than 60 businesses in the city's Old Town. "It's just not appropriate for Sutter Street."
At issue isn't the sexy lingerie, but the novelty items for sale in the back, McNeil said. Dafour contends he intends to sell gag items suited for bachelorette parties. But pointing to Dafour's business plan, which lists possible merchandise such as "leather gear" and "how-to media," merchants are concerned Ms. Teaz will offer seedy merchandise that will sully Sutter Street's G-rated image, McNeil said.
"They call it erotic art," he said. "We call it bondage."
[cont.]
To read this article, go to:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/11063748p-11980570c.html
To respond, write to:
the author at jfrancisco@sacbee.com or the editors at opinion@sacbee.com
What Were They Thinking? Nobel Goes to Porn-Writing Phobic
by Manuela Hoelterhoff (opinion)
Bloomberg.com
October 12, 2004
"Who?" In the English-speaking world, the Swedish Academy's announcement last week that Elfriede Jelinek had won the Nobel Prize in literature produced widespread incredulity.
Actually, the announcement produced two sorts of incredulity. The first, more widespread and benign, was among those who had never heard of the 57-year-old Austrian novelist and playwright. Despite the fact that her 1983 novel "The Piano Teacher" was made into a repellent 2001 movie starring Isabelle Huppert, Jelinek is barely known in the U.S. (Unscientific confirmation: five large bookstores in the towns of Boston; Westport and Norwalk in Connecticut; and New Paltz, New York, turned up only one copy of a Jelinek title.)
The incredulity among those who didn't know Jelinek's work was nothing compared with the incredulity, heavily seasoned by outrage, among those who did. Jelinek's particular brand of kinkiness tends to the sadomasochistic.
The official Nobel "bio-bibliography" says that in her novel "Lust" (1989), Jelinek "lets her social analysis swell to fundamental criticism of civilization by describing sexual violence against women as the actual template for our culture." That is just lit-crit-speak for an exhibition of pornographic violence.
[cont.]
To read this article, go to:
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000039&cid=kimball&sid=aC5wITC_.6Bw
To respond, write to:
the author and editor at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net
Does a moral slippery slope really exist? Judge for yourself
by M.D. Harmon (opinion)
Portland Press Herald (Maine)
October 11, 2004
Readers may wonder, when I refer to differing religious viewpoints and their effects on our culture, I always note that my sympathies lie with orthodox, traditional believers.
Now, I've found a few recent (and rather stunning) examples to illustrate my reasons. Unless we decide to change some things very soon, these cases show where our public culture is inevitably headed.
Under the headline, "Can you feel our pain?", the Website of Touchstone magazine, a journal of traditional Christianity, reprinted the following item (at www.touchstonemag.com).
David Virtue, a traditional Anglican who runs a blogsite called "Virtuosity," and Dr. Robert Gagnon of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian institution, reported that the American Academy of Religion (the nation's most prominent academic body in the field) is holding a seminar titled "Power and Submission, Pain and Pleasure: The Religious Dynamics of Sadomasochism."
Thomas V. Peterson, Alfred University: "S/M Rituals in Gay Men's Leather Communities: Initiation, Power Exchange and Subversion."
Ken Stone, Chicago Theological Seminary: " 'You Seduced Me, You Overpowered Me and You Prevailed:' Religious Experience and Homoerotic Sadomasochism in Jeremiah."
Timothy R. Koch, New Life Metropolitan Community Church: "Choice, Shame and Power in the Construction of Sadomasochistic Theologies."
Julianne Buenting, Chicago Theological Seminary: "Oh, Daddy! God, Dominance/Submission and Christian Sacramentality and Spirituality."
The Metropolitan Community Church is oriented toward homosexuals, while the other speakers represent prestigious schools (the Chicago seminary serves the United Church of Christ). Apparently they think a fulfilling faith includes whips and chains.
[cont.]
To read this article, go to:
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/viewpoints/harmon/041011harmon.shtml
To respond, write to:
the author at mharmon@pressherald.com or the editors at letterstotheeditor@pressherald.com
Homosexual S&M part of Christianity?
Religion 'scholars' ponder 'leather' as foundation for 'spiritual identity'
by staff writer
WorldnetDaily
October 8, 2004
An annual convention of American religion scholars from prominent institutions will feature sessions favorable toward sadomasochism, transvestism, transsexualism and polyamory – participation in multiple sexual relationships.
One paper scheduled to be presented interprets a passage in the book of Jeremiah "through the lens" of a sadomasochistic encounter between God and a man.
The presentations offered at the American Academy of Religion's 2004 Annual Meeting in San Antonio next month demonstrates that "bringing male homosexual behavior into the mainstream produces a slippery slope" that serves only to destroy basic societal norms rather than tame risky behavior, says Robert A. J. Gagnon, associate professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
Founded in 1909, the American Academy of Religion is the U.S. national umbrella organization for professors of religion, including church historians, theologians, ethicists and scholars in world religions. More than 7,500 scholars are expected to gather to share research and collaborate on projects.
[cont.]
To read this article, go to:
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40813
To respond, write to: letters@worldnetdaily.com
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