Friday, October 30, 2009

George W. Bush


"I'm Confident I Made The Right Decisions As President"

Call 'Em Out: Sarah Palin

Fruit Bats Found to Practice Oral Sex

"New research published in the online journal PLoS ONE demonstrates for the first time that a non-human adult animal species regularly engages in oral sex behavior. While the behavior has been seen in juvenile animals before(both heterosexual and homosexual bonobos), this is the first time it has been observed in adult animals...The field research, which was conducted in Guangzhou City, China, reveals that in the case of the greater short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx) female species-on-male species oral sex now has been documented as a regular occurrence. Scientists observed that in instances where oral sex was performed, copulation time increased."
No male-on-male behavior has been observed among the bats.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Obama Signs Hate Crimes

President Barack Obama Wednesday signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act as part of the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act.

“After more than a decade of opposition and delay, we’ve passed inclusive hate-crimes legislation that protects people based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray, or who they are,” Obama said, addressing the crowd. “I promised Judy Shepard when she saw me in the Oval Office that this day would come.”

Obama went on to thank Sen. Edward Kennedy for his dedication to seeing that the bill was passed. Before leaving, he kissed Judy Shepard on the cheek and shook hands with her husband, Dennis, and son, Logan.

Because the hate-crimes measure was attached a defense bill, the signing was an unusual mix of defense officials and advocates for the hate-crimes legislation.

Alongside Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Adm. Mike Mullen, and the chairmen of the respective Armed Services Committees, Sen. Carl Levin and Rep. Ike Skelton, stood LGBT elected officials and the family members of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. (his sisters Betty Byrd Boatner and Louvon Harris), for whom the hate-crimes measure is named.

President Obama will host a reception in the East Room of the White House beginning about 5 p.m. to commemorate the enactment of the hate-crimes law. Guests will include Atty. Gen. Eric Holder and a broad spectrum of civil rights leaders, including LGBT advocates.

The president is expected to make brief remarks about 6:05 p.m.
Obama Remarks on Passage Of Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act

Amazing DC Council Hearing on Gay Marriage Bill

"Demons!"

One of Bishop Harry Jackson's disciples apparently got the final slot in yesterday's testimony before the D.C. Council on marriage equality, and took the opportunity to sermonize the chamber on God, reproduction, Sodom and Gomorrah, the devil, same-sex unions and slavery, and morality.

According to blogger Michael Crawford, the breakdown of testimony heard yesterday was 81 for equality, 15 against, and 8 no-shows.

Hearings are scheduled to continue on November 2 for the remaining 169 people.



[Wow, all I have to say is "Wow!"]

MAINE BIGOTS CLAIM THEY 'WANT TO BE TOLERANT OF GAYS' IN NEW AD




[Really, that is so nice of them to be tolerant but still take rights away! Tolerant, but only a little, I guess.

The infant being blessed by a pastor so it won't be gay

Maine Gov. Endorses Protecting Equality

Maine governor John Baldacci announced his endorsement of marriage equality in a message to those opposing the ballot measure to repeal same-sex marriage rights this November.

"In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions," he said at a campaign event Tuesday.

"I came to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage."Baldacci, who signed legislation to establish marriage equality in the spring, reiterated that the law would not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs.

"Instead," he said, "it reaffirms the separation of church and sate."State senator Chris Rector, who couldn't attend the press conference for No on 1's get-out-the-vote effort on Tuesday, issued a statement saying he voted for the marriage equality bill because "I came to believe that it was the right thing to do for the state of Maine."

AFA: Hate-Crimes Bill Is Un-American

The American Family Association, a self-proclaimed pro-family advocacy organization, on Monday criticized the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act as “simply un-American” and encouraged its members to contact Congress members who supported the legislation.

"The law created by this bill is exceedingly dangerous and represents a huge step toward normalizing homosexual and transsexual behavior in this country,” said AFA president Tim Wildmon in a press release.

"It creates a kind of caste system in law enforcement, where the perverse thing is that people who engage in non-normative sexual behavior will have more legal protection than heterosexuals,” added Wildmon. “This kind of inequality before the law is simply un-American.”

Bryan Fischer, the AFA's director of issues analysis, also critiqued the bill, which amends the 1969 federal hate-crimes law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

"Despite the protests of homosexual activists, this is a communist-style law against politically-incorrect thoughts, since there are enhanced criminal penalties that aren't based on what somebody did but on what they were thinking at the time,” said Fisher.

The AFA sent out an action alert on Tuesday to its 2.6 million-member network. The alert informs members how their representatives voted on the bill and urges them to contact Congress members who supported the legislation.

“We must let every senator who voted for the ‘hate crimes’ bill know that his vote will not be forgotten when he stands for re-election,” reads the alert.

Britain's Gay Blood Ban Under Review


A lifetime ban on blood donations by gay and bisexual men in the United Kingdom is currently under review and could be lifted in 2010. The government's Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues, and Organs (SaBTO) is holding a public consultation meeting in London today as part of that process.
The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Don't Ask Don't Tell
http://www.colbertnation.com/
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorMichael Moore

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

N.Y. Gay Marriage Vote November 10?

New York governor David Paterson on Sunday called for state legislators to meet in a special session on November 10, during which time senators may vote on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. Sine the regular session ended amid a senate power struggle in June, the prospective extraordinary session will address budget issues and unfinished business, according to WCBS-TV.

“The special session is expected to include a possible vote by the senate to give final legislative approval to a same-sex marriage bill,” reported WCBS-TV. “Paterson has predicted the bill will be passed and signed into law in coming weeks.”

Paterson made the prediction on Thursday in a speech to the Empire State Pride Agenda, where he said he would put the marriage equality bill on the legislative calendar during the special session.

The assembly passed the marriage equality bill this spring for the second time, but the closely divided state senate has yet to take a vote on the bill.



Obama to Sign Matthew Shepard Bill

President Barack Obama is expected to sign into law the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act on Wednesday, sources from the White House have confirmed to Advocate.com.

The legislation would expand the current federal hate-crimes law to include victims who were targeted because of sexual orientation or gender identity. It is attached to the 2010 Department of Defense Authorization bill. The House approved the stand-alone hate-crimes legislation in July, and then re-approved the amended version of the bill on October 8. The Senate passed the legislation on Thursday.

Attorney General: Repeal DOMA, DADT

U.S. attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. told a University of Maine crowd on Friday that the Obama administration will work to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act.

“The president has indicated that we will take the necessary steps to repeal both DOMA and 'don’t ask, don’t tell,'” said Holder, according to the university’s paper, The Maine Campus. “He’s quite sincere in his desire to do that. It will happen with the help of Congress.”

Judge: Prop 8 Sponsors Must Hand Over Documents Immediately

Backers of California's Proposition 8 must immediately hand over documents to those pursuing them in federal court, Judge Vaughn Walker ruled on Friday:

"The sponsors had sought to keep the documents while challenging the order to turn them over in an appeals court. But in a ruling late Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker of San Francisco said backers of Proposition 8 had failed to show that disclosing internal memos and e-mails would violate their freedom of speech or subject them to harassment. He said they had refused to identify any documents that needed special protection and noted that he could order their opponents to keep any sensitive material confidential. 'It simply does not appear likely that (Prop. 8's) proponents will prevail on the merits of their appeal,' Walker said. He said he doubts that a federal appeals court even has jurisdiction to consider the dispute at this early stage of the case....The lawsuit by two same-sex couples, a gay rights organization and the city of San Francisco contends Prop. 8 violated the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equality by discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender. Walker has scheduled a trial in January. Plaintiffs in the suit said documents from the Yes on 8 campaign might help them prove that the ballot measure was motivated by anti-gay bias, which would increase their chances of overturning it."

Scientology Dropped Over Prop. 8

Academy Award–winning Crash director Paul Haggis has left the Church of Scientology after 35 years, citing the San Diego branch’s support for Proposition 8 as one of his main reasons.

Haggis explained his departure in a heated letter directed at Tommy Davis, the current national spokesman for Scientology, according to Movieline.

The letter was published on the blog of ex-Scientologist Marty Rathbun. "The church’s refusal to denounce the actions of these bigots, hypocrites and homophobes is cowardly,” writes Haggis. “I can think of no other word. Silence is consent, Tommy. I refuse to consent.”

Monday, October 26, 2009

Congress extends hate crime protections to gays

Physical attacks on people based on their sexual orientation will join the list of federal hate crimes in a major expansion of the civil rights-era law Congress approved Thursday and sent to President Barack Obama.

A priority of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., that had been on the congressional agenda for a decade, the measure expands current law to include crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. The measure is named for Matthew Shepard, the gay Wyoming college student murdered 11 years ago.

To assure its passage after years of frustrated efforts, Democratic supporters attached the measure to a must-pass $680 billion defense policy bill the Senate approved 68-29. The House passed the defense bill earlier this month.

Many Republicans, normally staunch supporters of defense bills, voted against the bill because of the hate crimes provision. All the no votes were Republicans except for Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., who supported the hate crimes provision but opposes what he says is the open-ended military commitment in Afghanistan.

Paterson says gay marriage bill will pass in NY


New York Gov. David Paterson said Thursday that he expects to sign a same-sex marriage bill into law in the coming weeks.

Paterson said he expects the state Senate to give the measure final legislative approval in weeks ahead and then he will sign it, making New York the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage. Paterson can’t force the Senate to take up the bill and admitted to reporters he can’t guarantee its approval, but he says he’s now confident it will pass, as advocates and sponsors of the bill in Albany have been quietly working to build support.

The bill was blocked by a summer coup in the Senate in the final days of the regular session in June. The Democrat-led Assembly has already passed the measure.

Paterson’s statements Thursday came at the fall dinner in Manhattan of the influential gay rights group Empire State Pride Agenda. He said New York will have marriage equality “as a result of a law we will pass in the New York Senate, already passed in the Assembly, and will be signed by the governor, just in the next few weeks.”

The 1,200 people at the dinner cheered Paterson’s remarks.

“No longer in New York” will same-sex couples have to worry about insurance coverage, being allowed to visit each other hospitals, or whether they will be guaranteed the same rights as other married couples under law, he said.

Paterson said he’s spoken to advocates lobbying senators and “they believe if I put the bill on the calendar, it will pass. … I believe it will pass.”

Friday, October 23, 2009

Anti-Gays Release Homophobic Emails and Video in R-71 Battle

Protect Marriage Washington is busy sending out homophobic emails and posting videos full of falsehoods regarding Referendum 71.

"Could this be the final battle? Are the homosexuals finally going to take control of our culture and push their depraved lifestyle on our children and families? ... Passed last spring in the legislature, SB5688 would strip away the protections of traditional marriage that were ensured with the passage of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) just a few short years ago... Do you realize what is going on here? Consider the following: In 1970, (on the heels of a 'free love' 60's radical culture) sodomy laws were repealed in Washington State, with government turning a blind eye to a behavior commonly considered perversion - and still the case with a majority of Americans..."

It then goes on about NAMBLA and the 'protected class status' of gays.

Below, Protect Marriage Washington has posted the video , full of lies, on its website.



And , the latest ad from the "Approve R-71" side.

HPV vaccine for males

Approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in boys and men ages 9 to 26 last week, yesterday the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said it would recommend the three-injection, $130 treatment for males. Note the CDC did not "urge" the medical community to do so — something it did with females.

We like the sound of this! Especially because, with an estimated 250,000 annual new cases of genital warts among men, and a prevention success rate of 89 percent, we might finally get some traction in keeping HPV from spreading .

But there are critics. Namely, from inside the vaccine community, who say that while genital warts are a pain, they aren't life threatening, and aren't worth such a costly vaccination.

Ryan White CARE Act passes House and Senate

Low-income HIV-positive Americans may soon have the continued promise of better access to health care and federal funding.

The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Treatment Extension Act of 2009, or S.1793, passed the House of Representatives on Oct. 21 with a vote of 408 to 9, and was approved by the Senate on Oct. 19.

The bill, if signed into law by President Obama, would provide federal funding to help low-income, uninsured, or under-insured Americans with AIDS gain access to healthcare.

Vatican offer may lure Church of England priests

On the surface, it looks like a polite tug of war between two of the world’s great churches, each saying nice things about the other.

But the ramifications of the conflict between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England are broad and not yet completely clear, with details of the Vatican’s offer to help Anglicans convert still unpublished.

It is not yet known what part of the Anglicans’ liturgy and rites will be incorporated into Catholic worship under the surprise offer made earlier this week in a bold bid by Pope Benedict XVI to capitalize on sharp divisions within the Anglican community over the proper role of women clergy and the acceptability of openly gay priests.

Nor is it evident how many Anglicans will seek to switch churches because of the pope’s new policy. The Right Rev. John Broadhurst, the Bishop of Fulham, believes roughly 1,000 Church of England clergy will seek to join the Roman Catholic Church. He is chairman of Forward in Faith, a group of traditionalists opposed to the ordination of women.

He said this was not a direct result of the pope’s new policy but a reflection of widespread unhappiness with liberal Church of England policies.

“There are 1,000 priests who are totally disenchanted with the position on women bishops, and if there is no provision for them, they will inevitably leave the Church of England,” he said. “The Church of England is in a crisis because of its own internal policies and has been for a long time.”

Others predict the exodus will be smaller.

Some changes are certain: it will, for example, be possible for married Anglican clergy to become Roman Catholic clergy under the new rules, a prospect that some believe may open the door, slowly, to the acceptance of married Catholic priests.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Maine Marriage Campaign

Testimony given for and against Maine's marriage equality bill on April 22, 2009. Nearly 4,000 people attended the hearing, with marriage equality supporters out-numbering the opposition 4 to 1.


Bush Takes Motivational Speaker Gig

Former president George W. Bush is scheduled to appear at a motivational speakers’ series that bills him among “America’s foremost success experts.”

Bush, who tried to motivate legislators to ban same-sex marriage in 2004, will join other speakers such as Gen. Colin Powell, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, and NFL veteran Terry Bradshaw for a Get Motivated! business seminar in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, according to Talking Points Memo.

“The all-day event next week will be held at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena,” reports TPM. “Tickets are apparently $19. That's not per person -- that's per office.”

Focus on the Family Gives $98K to Maine

Top antigay organization Focus on the Family has donated nearly $100,000 to the effort to ban marriage equality in Maine, according to recent campaign finance reports.

The Colorado Springs–based ministry's $98,500 donation was slight in comparison to its $450,000 to California's Proposition 8, but it may be a reflection on its financial problems, as it has had to lay off numerous employees over the past year.

Jenny Tyree, who works for political action committee Focus Action, says that marriage should be decided by voters and not politicians.

"Marriage is safest in the hands of the people," she told the Colorado Springs Gazette. "Politicians are swayed by a lot of things."

Legally, nonprofit organizations like Focus on the Family and religious organizations are allowed to donate as much as 15% of their annual budgets to lobbying. So far, the Roman Catholic diocese of Portland, Maine, has allotted $390,000 to Stand for Marriage Maine, the organization promoting the ballot measure to repeal the state's equal marriage law. The diocese is the largest donor to the effort.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

‘Queer the Census’ campaign launched

The U.S. Census Bureau will make an official count of same-sex couples next spring while LGBT activists will attempt to “queer the census” with a grassroots write-in campaign.

Statistics on same-sex couples have been available through analyzing Census data since 1990, but the 2010 count brings a new — out and open — approach in counting gay couples and reporting the statistics.

“This is a real change from the way we’ve been treated in the past,” said Molly McKay of Marriage Equality USA.In 1990, the Census Bureau added “unmarried partner” to its Census questionnaire, and thus independent researchers, by looking at gender, could count same-sex unmarried couples.

Couples could do the same in 2000.

And, with the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, a new opportunity opened for the head of a household, when listing others in the residence, to check “husband or wife” and be counted as same-sex married household.

But the Bush administration determined that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act prohibited federal agencies from tabulating and reporting data on same-sex marriages. Thus, the administration directed the bureau to recategorize same-sex couples who identified as “married” in the Census to “unmarried.”

For the past two years, activists, lawmakers and government employees have advocated changing that policy before Census forms go out in March 2010.

“We have followed with great concern news reports that the U.S. Census Bureau intends to continue ‘scrubbing’ data on same-sex married couples in its 2010 Census public reports,” a coalition of lawmakers wrote Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, in May 2009.

“We are very concerned with this planned data modification and request your leadership in ensuring the Census Bureau adopt acceptable methods for identifying same-sex married couples in its publicly released data.”

Additionally, activists representing about 25 organizations met with administration and Census officials.

“We drew a line in the sand,” said Jaime Grant, director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute in Washington, D.C.

And they won, securing more than a reversal of policy. The bureau committed to counting same-sex couples — married and unmarried — next year, as well as officially releasing the statistics.

“The data set is going to be rich,” said Timothy Olson, an assistant division chief with the U.S. Census Bureau. “This will be a powerful data set and it will play a significant role in all of the issues on the political side, the social side, healthcare, housing, public transportation.”

“We really see it as the door opener on changing the way the feds think about LGBT questions,” “The Census is our Trojan horse.”

Earlier this month, the bureau announced the launch of its first-ever Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Complete Count Committees in California in preparation for the 2010 Census.

The committees are locally driven efforts to educate and engage people to complete the Census, and they exist to reach into a variety of communities, especially traditionally under-counted communities.

“Our goal is to sign up and engage 120,000 [community representatives] to spread the word about the Census — that it is safe, easy and simple,” Olson said. “We are really focused on the partnership program.”

The outreach is important because the bureau’s task is to make an accurate assessment of the U.S. population. The U.S. Constitution mandates the count: “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers.… The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.”

“People don’t understand the real impact of the Census in our society,” Olson said. “Redistricting. Reapportionment. Legislation. Funding. It really has a huge impact as to how we are represented in our democracy and on the level of funding. $300 billion a year is based on Census data.”

Vatican creates new structure for Anglicans

Pope Benedict XVI has has created a new church structure for Anglicans who want to join the Roman Catholic Church.Cardinal Joseph Levada, the Vatican’s chief doctrinal official, said Tuesday the new legal entity will allow Anglicans to join the Catholic Church while maintaining their Anglican identity and many of their liturgical traditions.Levada said the new structure is a response to the many requests that have come to the Vatican over the years from Anglicans who want to join. Many Anglicans have become disillusioned by the ordination of women, the election of openly gay bishops and the blessing of same-sex unions in the 77-million strong Anglican Communion.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Gerard Butler Repeals Sparta's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy

Meeting considers future of SC Episcopal diocese

Episcopalians in the Diocese of South Carolina will consider resolutions this week to distance the diocese from the national Episcopal Church because of its positions on same-sex marriage and ordination of gays.

One of the resolutions calls for the diocese to also work with other churches opposed to the national church’s stance on those issues.

“It would be a withdrawal from some of the national councils of the church,” said Canon Kendall Harmon. “It’s about as far as you can get but still be in.”

Representatives from congregations in the diocese meet Saturday for a special convention in Mount Pleasant. The diocese is comprised of 75 parishes in the lower and eastern part of the state.

In calling the convention last summer, Bishop Mark Lawrence said false teachings are affecting the national church “like an intrusive vine.”

“I have called this the false Gospel of Indiscriminate Inclusivity because I see a common pattern in how the core doctrines of our faith are being systematically deconstructed,” Lawrence said.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Why Are Maine + Washington's Gays Playing It So Nice On TV?




Boy Scouts must comply with anti-bias policies to run LAPD program

The Los Angeles Police Department must require the Boy Scouts to adopt an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policy as a condition for the group's continued administration of the LAPD's Explorers program for at-risk youths, according to Robert M. Saltzman, a member of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners.

NY top court to consider gay marriage benefits

New York’s top court is set to hear arguments against providing government benefits to same sex couples married in Canada or other jurisdictions where such marriages are legal.

The state Department of Civil Service extended health insurance benefits to those spouses of state and local government workers in 2007. A year earlier, Westchester County agencies granted similar recognition and benefits.

The Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments Tuesday by the Alliance Defense Fund of Scottsdale, Ariz., contending those benefits are unlawful in New York, which does not permit same-sex marriages.

Lower courts upheld the benefits, saying New York generally recognizes marriages from elsewhere unless specifically prohibited or found abhorrent to public policy.

Maine Catholics Conflicted Over Marriage?

Are Maine Catholics not sure that same-sex marriage is a bad idea? After the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland set up a collection effort in September to raise money for the campaign to ban gay marriage in Maine, Catholics culled together $86,000.

Marc Mutty, chairman of Stand for Marriage Maine, the group working to overturn marriage equality, told the Portland Press Herald that the money raised was "certainly a reasonable amount."

But that amount was not impressive to Anne Underwood, a founder of Catholics for Marriage Equality. Underwood said there are about 198,000 Catholics in Maine, a state of 1.2 million people. "For the collection to only produce basically 43 cents per capita of Catholics in Maine doesn't seem to be a ringing affirmation that Catholics are supporting the bishop's position," she told the Press Herald.

Underwood's group urged Catholics to not donate money for the campaign to ban same-sex marriage, and instead leave notes voicing their opposition to the church's position. Mutty reports that "very, very few" notes were found in the collection.

$2.7 Mil Raised for Marriage in Maine

The organization spearheading the push to keep same-sex marriage legal in Maine has raised $2.7 million from 12,000 donors.

No on 1/ Protect Maine Equality announced on Tuesday that nearly half of the money has come from Maine residents. The numbers came from third-quarter filings, which covered the period between July 6 and September 30.

"What we've seen is that as more and more people have focused on Maine, more and more people have wanted to participate, whether that’s writing a check or staffing a phone bank," No on 1 campaign manager Jesse Connolly said in a statement.

According to other figures, the average online donation was $95.45. On-the-street donations averaged out to $17.25. Only three out of 29 fund-raising events in the third quarter occurred out of the state, in Miami, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.

Evangelicals step up for marriage equality

Brent Childers used to call himself a “Jesse Helms Republican” who justified his homophobic beliefs through biblical interpretation. But last weekend, as he marched in the Equality March in Washington, D.C., he stood alongside his lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender friends in support of their full human rights.

As executive director of Faith in America, Childers works full time to incorporate an inclusive message of LGBT human equality into the Christian dialogue. His organization’s mission is to educate the public about the emotional and physical harm cased by “religion-based bigotry.”

Childers’s change of heart isn’t unique, either.

It represents a growing shift in support of LGBT rights among evangelicals in the United States. The work of Faith in America also shows that progressive people of faith are developing LGBT supportive organizations to question and ultimately undermine the Religious Right’s ideological monopoly on biblical interpretation.

In the most recent national survey done by the Pew Research Center, more Americans than ever recorded (57 percent) support civil unions.

Thirty-nine percent of this support comes from white evangelicals, and even though that’s not a majority, it shows there are definite inroads being made into that community. Given increasingly divergent opinions in the white evangelical community, a “biblical” opposition to gay marriage is becoming less tenable among them and simply a matter of their interpretation and personal opinion.

There is additional hopeful news. Young evangelicals are measurably diverging from the condemning views of their church elders on LGBT rights.

In a recent survey during the 2008 presidential election cycle, 58 percent of young white evangelicals supported some form of legal recognition of gay partnerships, whether in the form of civil unions or marriage. Twenty-six percent supported full marriage rights.

The promise of this rising evangelical support of LGBT human rights cannot be overstated. If trends continue, evangelicals can no longer be counted on as a solid unwavering base of the Religious Right. And without the support of young evangelicals the Religious Right will become even more of a reservoir of aging bigots than a dynamic and growing grassroots movement.

But LGBT supporters should engage evangelicals and seek to expand their numbers instead of patiently waiting for the younger generation to outnumber the old. It is critical to work with young evangelicals, who can serve as effective messengers within their faith communities and age groups—and can broaden the language of LGBT advocacy to include faith messages that resonate with evangelical congregations.

Faith in America is one organization dedicated to working with faith communities, but there are others. For instance, Evangelicals Concerned and the Global Alliance of Affirming Apostolic Pentecostals are developing in once predominately socially conservative evangelical and charismatic denominations.

Organizations like these know the spiritual motivation and language needed to mobilize younger evangelicals who may feel unsure or even guilty about their belief that all people should have the right to marry.

“Every person coming to Washington—whether they are religious or not,” Childers wrote in a Newsweek article, “does share one faith, and that is faith in America.”

With his organization and personal leadership, Childers is helping to create a public space that more and more evangelicals can inhabit in good conscience and in good faith. And along with many others he is demonstrating to the larger LGBT movement that there is indeed a commonality among LGBT rights advocates and the large evangelical population in America—a commonality that may even form the foundation for a broad-based winning coalition.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

51% of Mainers Want Marriage Equality

A majority of likely Maine voters who responded to a poll released Thursday said they would keep marriage equality if they were to cast their ballot today.

The poll showed that 51.8% of people would vote no on Question 1, which asks whether to overturn the same-sex marriage bill passed by the Maine legislature and signed into law by Gov. John Baldacci in the spring. The law was to go into effect in September, but has been delayed pending results of the November 3 election. While 42.9% of voters said they would vote yes, another 5.2% are undecided, according to the Pan Atlantic SMS Group, which conducted the poll. The margin of error was 4.9%.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Hawaii evangelical churches plan election push

In the last 50 years, religious conservatives have scored few victories in Hawaii. They did manage to oust a half-dozen pro-gay marriage lawmakers and lead a successful drive for a constitutional amendment to reject same-sex marriages a decade ago.

Beyond that, they’ve had little influence in a state known for its moderate to liberal leanings.

Catholic and evangelical Protestant leaders hope to push Hawaii politics rightward, preparing an election-year effort in 2010 to organize their parishioners into voting blocks that can help elect like-minded candidates. And they are hoping to use the issue of civil unions to get them there.

The state Legislature next year is expected to reconsider a proposal to allow gay and lesbian couples to form civil unions. The measure, which is on hold in the state Senate, generated some of the largest rallies ever seen at the normally placid Capitol earlier this year.

“Conservatives (almost) never win here,” said Garret Hashimoto, chairman of the Hawaii Christian Coalition. But “we won big in 1998, and this issue is coming up again in 2010. So hopefully, 1998 will again surface in 2010.”

Civil union supporters say they have no qualms with evangelicals trying to improve their political influence, but contend that voter opinions on civil unions and gay marriage have turned more favorable since 1998. They cite the support of religious leaders in Hawaii, including several, mostly mainline Christian churches.

“We’re now at a point where the mainstream position that’s supported by the majority, both here in Hawaii and the whole country, is civil unions,” said Alan Spector of the Family Equality Coalition, which backs equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians.

’Pro Gay’ Bishop Barred from Diocese

A young Catholic bishop has censored an retired colleague, barring him from public speaking.

Anti-gay religious Web site LifeSiteNews.com branded 79-year-old Bishop Thomas Gumbleton a "notorious promoter of homosexuality" in an Oct. 13 article.

The site also characterized the decision by Michigan bishop Alexander K. Sample, who is 49 years old, as "an effort to defend the Church’s teachings on homosexuality and other issues."

Bishop Gumbleton, of the Archdiocese of Detroit, had been invited to speak to a citizens’ group in Marquette, Michigan, which is included in the diocese overseen by Bishop Sample.

Though the citizens’ group, Marquette Citizens for Peace and Justice, say they were not given an explanation as to why Bishop Gumble was denied permission to make his address, Bishop Sample outlined his general rationale in a statement.

The LifeSiteNews article quoted from Bishop Sample’s statement, which read in part, "As the Bishop of the Diocese of Marquette, I am the chief shepherd and teacher of the Catholic faithful of the Upper Peninsula entrusted to my pastoral care.

"As such I am charged with the grave responsibility to keep clearly before my people the teachings of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals."

Bishop Sample cited his elder colleague’s stance on gays and the role of women in the church as reasons for having denied Bishop Gumbleton his chance to speak publicly.

"Given Bishop Gumbleton’s very public position on certain important matters of Catholic teaching, specifically with regard to homosexuality and the ordination of women to the priesthood, it was my judgment that his presence in Marquette would not be helpful to me in fulfilling my responsibility."

Bishop Sample, the article reported, was not concerned about the substance of the speech that Bishop Gumbleton was to have delivered, which concerned the "Abolition of Nuclear Weapons," but rather had concerns about what the elder church official might have to say as he interacted on a personal level with local parishoners.

Admitted Bishop Sample, "I was concerned about his well-known and public stature and position on these issues and my inability to keep these matters from coming up in discussion.

"In order that no one becomes confused, everyone under my pastoral care must receive clear teaching on these important doctrines."

Bishop Gumbleton, the article noted, belongs to progressive Catholic organizations that have been denounced by the Vatican. The elder Bishop is affiliated with both New Ways Ministry and Call to Action, the article said.

The groups embrace gays and lesbians as falling within normal human sexual variation.

Gender-Neutral Student Voted Homecoming Queen

Jessee Vasold, a transgender student, has been voted homecoming queen at the College of William and Mary.

Vasold, clad in a red shirt, black pants, and a small silver lip ring, took the field October 24 at halftime of the Williamsburg, Va., school's football game against James Madison University. According to the W&M student newspaper the Flat Hat, "Vasold identifies as gender-queer and prefers to be referred to with gender-neutral pronouns."

Students at the college, the second-oldest in the United States, nominated and elected Vasold, who will represent the class of 2011. Brian Whitson, a spokesman for the school, sent an e-mail to the Associated Press, stating, “William and Mary is a diverse and inclusive community, and student selections to this year's Homecoming Court reflect that.”

Friday, October 16, 2009

WH Clarifies Obama Positions Regarding Same-Sex Ballot Measures

The White House released this statement to The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld in response to a request she made for greater clarification on Obama's positions with regard to Question 1 in Maine and Referendum 71 in Washington.

"The President has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same-sex couples, and as he said at the Human Rights Campaign dinner, he believes ‘strongly in stopping laws designed to take rights away.’ Also at the dinner, he said he supports, ‘ensuring that committed gay couples have the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple in this country.’"

Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License in Louisiana

Terence McKay and Beth Humphrey, an interracial couple from Hammond, Louisiana, were denied a marriage license by Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish. [Really, first take away same-sex marriage, then interracial... what's next?]

Said Bardwell: "I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way. I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."

Bardwell claims that Black society does not accept mixed-race offspring and his denial was for the welfare of the child: "There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage. I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it."

The couple is exploring the possibility of filing a discrimination complaint through the Justice Dept.
Interracial couple denied marriage license

La. justice of the peace cites concerns about any children couple might have

A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have.

Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long.

Neither Bardwell nor the couple immediately returned phone calls from The Associated Press. But Bardwell told the Daily Star of Hammond that he was not a racist.

"I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house," Bardwell said. "My main concern is for the children."

‘I feel the children will later suffer’Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.

"I don't do interracial marriages because I don't want to put children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves," Bardwell said. "In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer."

If he does an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said.

"I try to treat everyone equally," he said.

Thirty-year-old Beth Humphrey and 32-year-old Terence McKay, both of Hammond, say they will consult the U.S. Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint.

Humphrey told the newspaper she called Bardwell on Oct. 6 to inquire about getting a marriage license signed. She says Bardwell's wife told her that Bardwell will not sign marriage licenses for interracial couples.

"It is really astonishing and disappointing to see this come up in 2009," said American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana attorney Katie Schwartzman. "The Supreme Court ruled as far back as 1963 that the government cannot tell people who they can and cannot marry."

Solmonese Responds to Calls He Resign

Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese appeared on satellite radio host Michelangelo Signorile's show on Wednesday to address accusations that he's elitist and fails to represent all LGBT people.

Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese appeared on satellite radio host Michelangelo Signorile's show on Wednesday to address accusations that he's elitist and fails to represent all LGBT people.Signorile took Solmonese to task for his laudatory attitude toward President Barack Obama, who gave a long-awaited speech to attendees of the HRC annual fund-raiser on the eve of the National March for Equality in Washington, D.C. While Obama did repeat that he is in favor of repealing the military's ban on openly gay service members, "nothing new" was said, Signorile pointed out. "Obama reiterated that he's working with military leadership and Congress, that he's working to overturn 'don't ask, don't tell,'" Solmonese said. "No matter what bill goes we want to make law, it still has to go through the same process."

He added that he had worked alongside members of Congress like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who insisted that in order for hate-crimes legislation to pass by October, it had to be attached to the Department of Defense spending bill. Other pieces of legislation, which must be passed legislatively, would have to use the same strategy to pass, he said.

Solmonese was also asked about a letter sent to HRC members earlier this week, saying that people cannot assess Obama's track record on gay rights until his administration is over in 2012, or possibly 2017. "What I was trying to say is that 2017 is a jarring number, it's so far down the road, but in the context of our movement, its a narrow window...maybe it'll be 2012," he said. A video posted on October 10 features gay conservative columnist Andrew Sullivan calling for Solmonese to resign from HRC. "I am incensed, infuriated, and I think Solmonese should resign as soon as possible," said Sullivan. "I'm not tolerating this. None of us should tolerate this anymore." Since then Sullivan has apologize for his harsh statements.

Others have charged that HRC functions like the $250 per plate fundraising dinners isolated less financially endowed LGBT activists from becoming involved, therefore creating a rift between elite members of the organization and those in grassroots

ANTI-GAY NYC 'BEATDOWN' WASN'T A HATE CRIME, SAYS FRIEND WITH HOMOPHOBIC LEVITICUS TATTOO


A friend of suspected gay basher Daniel Rodriguez who proudly displays his Leviticus tattoo says the attack on Jack Price wasn't an anti-gay hate crime and was justified because, he claims, Price hit on his attackers before the "beatdown" that sent Price to the hospital with a fractured jaw, rib fractures and a lacerated spleen.



Jon Stewart Takes On 30 Republicans Who Voted Against Franken Rape Amendment

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Motion to Dismiss Fed. Prop. 8 Suit Denied

A federal judge in San Francisco has ruled against Proposition 8 supporters seeking to dismiss a high-profile lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of the California ballot measure that stripped gay and lesbian couples of the right to marry last year.

U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that the suit will go to trial in January as originally scheduled.

2010 California Marriage Protection Act PSA



Why GOP Leader Opposes Hate Crimes Protections for Gays

Last week, House Republican Leader John Boehner objected to House passage of a bill that would expand hate crime laws and make it a federal crime to assault people on the basis of their sexual orientation.

"All violent crimes should be prosecuted vigorously, no matter what the circumstance," he said. "The Democrats' 'thought crimes' legislation, however, places a higher value on some lives than others. Republicans believe that all lives are created equal, and should be defended with equal vigilance."

Based on that statement, CBSNews.com contacted Boehner's office to find out if the minority leader opposes all hate crimes legislation. The law as it now stands offers protections based on race, color, religion and national origin.

In an email, Boehner spokesman Kevin Smith said Boehner "supports existing federal protections (based on race, religion, gender, etc) based on immutable characteristics."

It should be noted that the current law does not include gender, though the expanded legislation would cover gender as well as sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.

"He does not support adding sexual orientation to the list of protected classes," Smith continued.
Boehner's position, then, appears to be grounded in the notion that immutable characteristics should be protected under hate crimes laws. And while religion is an immutable characteristic, his office suggests, sexual orientation is not.

Northeastern University professor Jack Levin, who co-authored the first book written about hate crimes, told Hotsheet that "to use immutability as a criterion doesn't make any sense at all." "Especially if he supports the current stand," Levin continued. "Religion is clearly not ascribed. It's not built into the organism. People can change it at any time and people do."

"It sounds to me as though the criticism is focused on the addition of gays and lesbians to the list of protected categories at the federal level," he said. "That seems to be the problem."
Rep. Tom Price, who heads the GOP conservative caucus, also complained last week that the expansion of hate crimes legislation amounted to "thought crimes," and he labeled the bill's passage – tied to a defense bill – an "absolute disgrace."

But contacted about his position on hate crimes legislation overall, Price took a different position than Boehner. According to Price communications director Brendan Buck, the congressman opposes all hate crimes protections, including existing ones. "We believe all hate crimes legislation is unconstitutional and places one class of people above others," said Buck.

California church gives up property after diocese split

A conservative Los Angeles-area church that broke away from the Episcopal Church over theological differences and the consecration of a gay bishop is giving up its property.

St. Luke’s Anglican Church in La Crescenta is being returned Monday to the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. A judge ordered the move, and the state Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal.

The congregation voted to leave the national church three years ago. The diocese sued to retain the property.

In his sermon Sunday, the Rev. Rob Holman said fighting for principles is more important than a building.

The congregation has rented a chapel in Glendale and joined the new Anglican Church in North America, which was founded last year by breakaway Episcopal parishes.

Prop. 8 Heads Back to Court

The legal battle over same-sex marriage in California is headed back to court Wednesday when a federal judge will consider a motion that would scrap plans for a January trial and put a quick end to the federal effort to overturn the ban. Prop. 8 supporters will argue that U.S. Supreme Court precedent and the historical definition of “marriage” defeats the need for a court case. Same-sex marriage advocates plan to argue that Prop. 8 denies gay couples federal equal-protection rights.Based on past comments from chief U.S. district judge Vaughn Walker, Prop. 8 backers aren’t expected to be successful at averting a trial. He has previously indicated that he believes the case warrants a trial to develop a full record for higher court review. Many predict the case will reach the Supreme Court.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Jon Stewart Takes On Fox News For Not Covering Gay Rights March

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Jon Stewart skewered Fox News last night for covering every tea party protest in America (no matter how small) but not sending a reporter, or even a camera crew, to cover Sunday's gay rights march which included more than 75,000 protesters. Stewart and his team at the "Daily Show" counted how much time Fox devoted to even speaking about the march on Washington and it totaled less than 4 minutes.

Obama's HRC Speech

HRC's President Joe Solmonese Interviewed About Obama's Gay Rights Speech

HRC Just Granted Obama an Absolutely Horrific 7-Year Pass on Gay Rights

If there was any doubt the Human Rights Campaign was colluding with Democrats and the White House to give Barack Obama a pass on your civil rights, confirmation arrived yesterday, when the organization told its "millions" of members not to judge the president today, but wait until January 19, 2017. Yes, more than seven years from now.

Solmonese is saying we will judge Obama's legacy on that date. But you know who can't wait for 2017 for Obama to come around? The same people who supposedly aren't facing "immediate threats" to their civil rights: American soldiers, parents who yearn to adopt, couples who are not attached under the law, employees who can be fired at a moment's notice because they are queer.

HRC may be comfortable "looking back" at some point in the future, but that's not good enough for millions of us who don't have seven years to putz around and, fingers crossed, expect a man to come to our aid. We certainly share Solmonese's hope: That when Obama is done as commander-in-chief, we'll wave goodbye to a man who helped enact the most progressive slate of gay rights legislation in this country's history. But we don't expect too much from a guy who doesn't (publicly) think we're entitled to the M-word.

We're not in the business of building Obama's legacy. We're in the business of making sure we're all treated like any other America. We're not quite sure where HRC's mission falls.

Maybe the protests arranged for tonight's HRC dinner shouldn't be aimed at the president, but at America's "largest" Gay Inc. organization.

UPDATE: Joe sends this update, clarifying:

I’ve seen some reactions to my weekly message, that I gave the President a free pass not to fulfill his campaign promises until 2017.

Here’s something from what I wrote that the authors didn’t include in their pieces: “I predict great things coming out of our work with this President, but that does not mean that I am satisfied today. Our community cannot be satisfied so long as DOMA is on the books and an inclusive ENDA is not. “I am not satisfied. HRC is not satisfied.”

Andrew Sullivan Blasts HRC's Joe Solmonese

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

'Daily Show' Destroys CNN For Fact-Checking 'SNL' Instead Of Their Guests

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National Equality March Rally: Julian Bond (NAACP)



Dustin Lance Black Speaks At Gay Rights Rally In Washington, DC

Gays, lesbians march on Washington, calling for full equality

Thousands of gays and lesbians claimed the streets of the nation's capital today in a demonstration demanding full equality under the law.

The National Equality March snaked past the White House and streamed down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. Demonstrators chanted "Yes we can" in English and Spanish, resurrecting President Obama's campaign slogan, and waved signs and banners.

Organizers said the LGBT community, which encompasses lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgendered people, are not satisfied with a piecemeal approach to gaining civil rights. They are seeking "full federal equality" and singling out issues pertaining to marriage, adoption, military service and the workplace.

The demonstration took place a day after Obama addressed about 3,000 gays, lesbians and their supporters, pledging sweeping reforms including undoing both the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the military and the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

The demonstration came 30 years after the first major march by gays and lesbians in the capital. Plans called for Sunday's march to conclude at the Capitol, where a rally was planned. Speakers on tap include civil-rights activist Julian Bond and Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard, the slain gay college student from Wyoming whose name is attached to just-passed House legislation to expand the definition of federal hate crimes.

The U.S. Park Police does not provide crowd counts. However, organizers had the weather on their side. The events fell on a crisp, sunny fall day with temperatures in the 60s.In front of the White House, demonstrators chanted: "Hey, Obama, can't you see? We demand equality." Los Angeles City Council member Bill Rosendahl, the only gay elected official in L.A. city government, in an interview called it "unconscionable" for Obama not to immediately lift the "don't ask, don't tell" military policy on sexual orientation and to reinstate service members who have been booted out for their sexual orientation.

A Vietnam veteran, he wore his American Legion cap from California's Post 283.

A pair of young women wore T-shirts exhorting: "Legalize gay." Another woman, Alex Miller, 23, of Ashburn, Va., held aloft a sign paying homage to her only sister, Sam Miller, 20, a lesbian."Same womb. Same rights," the sign said.

Schwarzenegger Signs Two Gay Rights Bills

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two gay-rights bills before midnight on Sunday, one recognizing Harvey Milk and another recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states.

The second bill, Schwarzenegger said, would "provide the same legal protections that would otherwise be available to couples that enter into civil unions or domestic partnerships out of state. In short, this measure honors the will of the people in enacting Proposition 8 while providing important protections to those unions legally entered into in other states."

Schwarzenegger originally vetoed the bill honoring Milk, the slain San Francisco supervisor, saying that Milk should be honored locally. Both bills were written by California state Sen. Mark Leno.

Even California's Supreme Court Chief Hates How Prop 8 Got Passed

Rest assured, you're not the only one who finds it appalling that a some well organized fundraising by the Mormon Church can strip California's gays of their marriage rights. Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald M. George — who ruled to uphold Proposition 8 — thinks so too.

By allowing voters to decide almost anything by referendum, the populous has "rendered our state government dysfunctional," George said during a speech at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Massachusetts on Saturday.

From the LA Times:

George, a moderate Republican, has been critical of the initiative process in the past, but his remarks to the national group signaled a sense of urgency and willingness to push for reforms.

George noted that in November, voters passed initiatives to regulate the confinement of fowl in coops and passed Proposition 8, which overturned part of a California Supreme Court ruling that gave gays and lesbians the right to marry.

"Chickens gained valuable rights in California on the same day that gay men and lesbians lost them," George said.

George was the swing vote in the historic May 2008 decision to end a ban on same-sex marriage. Legal scholars said the 4-3 ruling he wrote would define his legacy.

And it's not just that California's way of doing things makes being gay in the state a terrible thing. It makes his job harder, too.

"The court over which I preside frequently is called upon to resolve legal challenges to voter initiatives," George said in his speech. "Needless to say, we incur the displeasure of the voting public when, in the course of performing our constitutional duties as judges, we are compelled to invalidate such a measure."

Monday, October 12, 2009

New Maine Ad: Read the Book Yourself

Supreme Court Declines Two LGBT-related Cases

"During its official opening day orders Monday, the Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of a Michigan school district which was seeking to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the parents of a student who was being repeatedly harassed as a 'queer' and 'faggot.' The 6th Circuit federal appeals court ruled in January that the case, Hudson Area Schools v. Patterson, should proceed to trial...The Supreme Court also refused Monday to hear an appeal from an Episcopal Church in Los Angeles that sought to break away from the national denomination because the denomination allowed the consecration of a gay bishop, Gene Robinson of New Hampshire."

The former case will now be heard in a district court in Detroit, and the decision regarding the second case leaves a California Supreme Court ruling intact: "The St. James parish in the diocese of Los Angeles separated from the denomination in 2003 and tried to take church property with them. But the denomination fought the parish’s efforts to take the property, and the California Supreme Court agreed."