I Am Gay. I Am Proud.

Make It Stop

Every day, teenage gays, lesbians, and transgenders are bullied relentlessly by those with hate in their heart and full of ignorance. Some of these kids commit suicide.

Some teenagers, when they come out of the closet, are accepted by most of their friends and families. Not all are granted this lenience. Some kids are bullied at school by their peers and the faculty who are supposed to protect them do not do their jobs because of their own homophobia.

“In my household, being gay was, and is, no big deal. When my brother came out, we hugged him, said we loved him, and that was that…Just for the record, we don’t feel that there is actually anything alternative about our family values…I don’t consider myself just an ally to the LGBT community, I consider myself your family…if anyone, ever, tries to hurt you, I’m going to give them hell…There are people who have said that I’m being brave for being openly supportive of gay marriage, gay adoption, basically of gay rights. But with all due respect I humbly dissent. I’m not being brave. I’m being a decent human being. And I don’t think I should receive an award for that, or for merely stating what I believe to be true, that love is a human experience, not a political statement. However, I acknowledge that sadly we live in a world where not everybody feels the same. My family and I will help the good fight continue until that long awaited moment arrives, when our rights are equal and when the political limits on love have been smashed.” --Anne Hathaway

http://pleaseconvinceme.blogspot.com/2012/08/same-sex-marriage-anne-hathaway-reason.html

Adam Levine has long been a supporter of the LGBT community and once again he's putting his money where his mouth is -- this time in regards to gay marriage.

The Maroon 5 singer and "The Voice" star recently revealed that the band, which is up for the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance on February 12, has changed the location of their upcoming post-awards show party due to an unnamed Los Angeles restaurant's backing of Proposition 8, which made gay marriage illegal in California.

Levine told People magazine, "We used to go to this Mexican restaurant to celebrate after the Grammys but the place supported the movement to make gay marriage illegal [in California] so we bailed on that."

Levine, whose brother is gay, has lent his voice and face to other pro-LGBT causes like the "It Gets Better" campaign in support of gay teens and earlier this year he appeared on the cover of Outmagazine.

The singer's outspokenness isn't limited to LGBT activism. In October he lashed out at FOX news on Twitter for using Maroon 5's music on the air saying, "Dear Fox News, don't play our music on your evil f***ing channel ever again. Thank you."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/adam-levine-maroon-boycott-restaurant-gay-marriage_n_1232252.html

Supreme Court DOMA Decision Rules Federal Same-Sex Marriage Ban Unconstitutional

WASHINGTON -- The Defense of Marriage Act, the law barring the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages legalized by the states, is unconstitutional, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday by a 5-4 vote.

"The federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion. "By seeking to displace this protection and treating those persons as living in marriages less respected than others, the federal statute is in violation of the Fifth Amendment."

Justice Kennedy delivered the court’s opinion, and was joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito all filed dissenting opinions. Justice Clarence Thomas joined Scalia's dissent in whole and parts of Alito's opinion.