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DUSTIN LANCE BLACK gave an incredibly moving speech to UCD’s Law Society about gay rights this week.
The activist and Oscar-winning screenwriter spoke about growing up as a member of the Mormon Church in Texas, when being gay was still illegal in the US.
Black told students the Mormon Church “makes the Catholic church seem really open-minded”, noting he was taught from a young age that being gay was akin to being a murderer.
Growing up in that church I heard from a very, very early age that homosexuality was sin next to the crime of murder. So from the age of 3, 4, 5, 6, – when I was just a little kid, three foot tall – I knew that I was right down there with all the sinners and the murderers and the rapists. It was very scary.
During the moving speech, Black spoke of the fear he felt about coming out to his family.
“I knew that I was a sinner. I knew that I was a criminal,” he said.
Black said he and his mother “talked endlessly” about everything.
One night when he was home from college for Christmas, he said his mother started to complain about the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell rule in the US military being “too inclusive”.
Black said he prayed, in vain, for him not to cry in front of her because she would then know the truth about his sexuality.
Before I knew it that first tear had hit my cheek and that room went silent and I looked up into her eyes – and this is a good Southern Mormon mom, I mean she knew. She knew.I didn’t have to say anything. But, loud and clear, what I heard in that silence was that it wasn’t OK. That she was afraid for her son. What had she done wrong to break her precious boy and how could she fix this horrible problem? That’s what that silence said.
Black went on to tell the audience of the surprising way his mother reacted when she met his college friends, many of whom were gay.
Black, who is in a relationship with British Olympic diver Tom Daley, said the upcoming vote on marriage equality in Ireland “scares” him as “this isn’t a right that should be put up for a vote”.
“This is a fundamental right that is bigger than any one belief system, bigger than any one religion. It is a fundamental right of being a human being able to marry the person that you love.”
He said Ireland is “on the cusp of change” and encouraged people to make sure they get out and vote on 22 May.
“Go out and tell your stories,” he said.
Black has been awarded honorary life membership of UCD Law Society.
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Operation we should be doing this operation every day anyway
@Eugene Walsh: it should be Operation cat out of the bag , where everyone knows where they’re going to be ..
Operation fish in a barrel.
Operation ‘top up the funds to the Temple more bank accounts.’
Operation sunshine!
Why do they warn people about it
@Ashling Visser Bishop: one more reason to love the rain down the border they follow ya if you driving slow , seemly they just wanna know what’s in your car
@Ashling Visser Bishop: operation collect cash.
The usual crap. Can’t solve real crime so pick on the motorist. Glad I ran out of that place.
@Brendan Keegan: so am I Brendan, no offence, that photo of yours bud, what was you think mate!
@Brendan Keegan:
Try reading the article of critical thinking. So you think trying to prevent motorists speeding is ‘picking on the motorist’, have you looked at the death rates on the roads and how they increase at weekends and particularly when the weather is good?
@Brendan Keegan: Do you routinely drive too fast? If not, leaving the country seems a bit drastic.
@Nick Allen: they are not in the places where people really speed they be in places where is like 30km or 50km and you get caught for doing 52
@nick Allen,you’re a great man for the critical thinking Nick
@WilhelminaMCallaghan: limit is 9km / h as per calibration.
Minimum is therefore 59 before being stopped.
Cars odometer tend to over estimate speed so to get pulled doing 59 in a 50 your speed on the dash would be showing about 65.
Any further lies you would like to state?
@Karl: no lies, I got done 55 in a 50 , didn’t pay said I’d go to court , while waiting to be called seen numerous people fined minimum €160 and four penalty points for exact same thing.
@Nick Allen: and the majority are young…with new licences.. with cars way to big and to powerful.
@Brown Boots: Sun’s out Guns out!!
@Brown Boots: So you took to trouble to see that I enjoy being out of that kip. Its called sunshine and tropical places.
@Nick Allen: Actually Nick Irish deaths are not bad. This is a total myth used by these clowns in Road Safety crap to give them something to justify their big salaries. Cyclists are provided with cycle lanes but won’t use them and nobody fines them. Road deaths in Ireland as a per cent. are .005 of the pop. They will never be zero. Call this what it is a sham to collect easy money.
@Neal Ireland Hello.: I left because of the mess its in. Combine that with the daily droning of don ‘t do this and do do this enough to get me out. There isn’t even a decent road in this wonderful republic. I need a place not run by unelected clowns in the EU and a place with growth and ambition. .Even the corruption figures in Ireland are corrupt.
@Cormac Wright: so it was 10% over that to now admit to?
Must have been many years ago cause the machines are set to those limits. The gardai can add but not subtract to that figure. Its been documented.
Dunno why you would go to court, the judge was hardly gonna let you off
@Brendan Keegan: where is this mythical land?
@Brendan Keegan: you live in Vietnam. Vietnam!!
You are criticising the Irish police and roads and you live in Vietnam?????
Probably sitting in 50km zones as usual.
@Damien Kirwan: 30 km In picnic spots going through villages etc
According to official figures they breathalysed everyone the caught speeding.
@Patrick Brennan: good effort but that’s been the obligatory joke on any story about the Garda for a while now, therefore I now charge you to go out there and come up with something original and funny.
@Brown Boots: How about “Operation Show Down” where senior Garda are questioned WWE style about the blatant false figures they have published for years.
@Brown Boots: It’s the motoring equivalent of typing “religion of peace” under every story.
@Patrick Brennan: Operation Smack Down mayhaps?
Slush fund must be getting low folks
Why do they let everyone know?
@arlene:
To reduce the amount of accidents. If people know / believe there is a clampdown this weekend then hopefully they will slow down. The objective is not to catch people, the objective is to stop people speeding.
@Nick Allen: I understand that much Nick, but what about the other 364 days of the year? Everyone knows today and slows down, then goes back to speeding tomorrow!
@arlene:
Its not practical to have a very high level of Gardai doing speed tests everyday of the year and the Gardai need to prioritise the best time to undertake such an operation to save as many lives as possible. That said I would have thought next weekend as it is a bank holiday would have been more appropriate.
@Nick Allen: but my point is would it not be better to not announce this,l? They would then actually catch the majority of people speeding, these are then less likely to speed again, leading to an overall reduction in accidents, rather than just for one weekend.
@Nick Allen: the objective is same as always RSA IS MADE FOR MAKING MONEY EASY MONEY .
I do not speed , for 3reasons :
I survived 5 car crashes as a kid with my dad who is a kamikaze driver
I can’t afford petrol so go under rather than above
And I quite like my car shape as it is and being alive and all . . You know
But I have been stopped by cops a few times for say doing the actual speed limit on a 60km road when everyone else on 80
doing 90 when the limit is 100.
I am courteous answer their questions nothing ever comes from that . I guess is cause they training them in that particular road . Some of those interviews are strange I rang other police and the RSA and they laughed and laughed and sent me the definition for cargo which I done right but in case I got stopped again
I Lost a cousin three years ago In a car accident. Stupid comments about slush funds have nothing to do with this campaign. The public need to Get behind the ordinary Gard, because I can tell you from first hand experience that they do their very best in difficult circumstances. Take your sarcasm out on the head honchos not the frontline Gard
@Liam Mclaughlin: it the head honchos who are using slush funds !
Operation Shauny Fitz
The Gardaí had a check point set up in my area yesterday…allegedly they caught 2000 speeding motorists & 1000 drunk drivers in 10 minutes…well done lads…free doughnuts for all.
@Robin Basstard: omg Jesus Dude Where do you live on a junction between a Trans American highway a super pub drive tru and are them guards high ? Lol 3000 people what is it World Cup ?
Operation Slow Down! They’ve cut back on the naming groups budget I reckon! Operation something eagle… Answers on a postcard please as it’s too late for me to think of anything witty… Although, I was gonna go with Operation Integrity, but…
People complaining this is about money haven’t had relatives killed due to speeding. What do you want, complete anarchy?
Heavy rain with thundery downpours due this evening, will we see them out then…. Not a chance. A section of our society that has lost respect from the majority, and rightly so.
@Lovely weather: I looove love love the rain . That’s more reason to love the rain
@Lovely weather: would you be the first to complain if they were out in that weather pulling cars?! It’s dangerous to do checkpoints in inclement weather. Complain when it’s dry and they are out, complain when it’s wet and they aren’t…
Operation Day Job!
Operation stuff the coffers!
So far we have 3 comments complaining it’s sitting fish in a barrel. How its that when they announce it in advance and are wearing bright yellow jackets on a straight road will remain a mystery.
2 comments complaining that it’s announced and should be secret.
5 smart arse comments about templemore. Obviously the witty don’t actually read properly considering the money in the funds was as a result of ripping off trainee gardai, not the public.
2 comments from people who believed speeding to be such an important human right that they emigrated to some fictional country that doesn’t have traffic enforcement because gardai actually work.
To counter this we then have a complaint that it should be priority every day but that is argued against by someone complaining about two crime being ignored.
Then there’s the same person who constantly claims Ireland is the most corrupt country in the world but really it’s just admitting he has never traveled to south America or Asia or Africa or even eastern Europe.
Truly this article is proof that the gardai can never win
@Karl: damn autocorrect. True crime and shooting
@Karl: ha ha……excellent comment Karl and oh so true.
Bet that there’ll be more than 927 this year…..
@PeteMcC: Pete they are not for us they are for D4 Dalkey and Castlenock and other selected areas . Ah yeah and to protect foreign dignitaries in visit in the Phoenix park . There is no place to place Gardai in the countryside the government sold all their stations . I’d be happy to keep a couple in my own house if they wanna build themselves a wee place like . Plenty room there and I appreciate the company .
I make a great tea but sorry lads is a no go internet zone so unless youse find a way to get you Pulse going , I’m afraid it will be all manual old school
Operation corruption day would be more like it when both high ranking and normal garda are held accountable for their actions, some chance of that ever happening in the most corrupt fuc*ed up country in Europe
Once again a mathematical formula (speed) is being blamed for accidents.
Keeping to the speed limit is easy if we had sensible speed limits they go up and down like a yo-yo dual carriage ways 60 small country roads 80 city center 30 where a kid on a skate board can break the speed limit if they want to reduce deaths make it flow smoother less frustration with some stupid limits would mean doing there job right for a long term reduction in deaths and bad drivers targeted.
Here I have a great idea for the new Taoiseach:
How about abolish the RSA and them household charges and them insurance levies and massive road tax nct .
Just be real we appreciate honesty ( don’t worry you will get your money and we get a life without people harassing and making our lives hell full of deadlines we can’t meet )
Is like this :
Every year in January we all give the government:3000 quid
Call it ” BECAUSE I WANT TO MONEY FOR GOVERNMENT TAX ”
the rest of the year YOU LOT JUST LEAVE US ALL THE F***k ALONE !!!
Still the same money without any hidden motives and hassle.
Then the Gardai can go do what they suppose to do the people can concentrate on keeping the bankers happy co.councils can go do what ever that is they do .
Simplify .
@WilhelminaMCallaghan:
A “great idea” he said.
(sigh)
they hope to catch 400,000 motorists in one day alone
Damned if do,damned if they dont!
Operation SFIAB
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