‘Activist’ Supreme Court’s Decision ‘Far-Reaching,’ Obamacare ‘Unconstitutional’

 In response to the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision that finds the Affordable Care Act constitutional, Tea Party and GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann spoke on CNN and insisted Obamacare is still unconstitutional, despite the high court’s ruling. Bachmann also labeled the John Roberts’ Court an “activist” court, and claimed the health care ruling is “an even more far-reaching decision that anyone had expected or imagined.”

Via The Hill:

Bachmann heatedly disagreed with the high court’s 5-4 decision on the mandate, ruling that Congress has the authority to enforce the healthcare law’s individual mandate, which will require most U.S. taxpayers to buy insurance or pay a penalty. The Tea Party leader predicted that not only will the nation be swept into an economic “black hole” because of the law, but also argued the Affordable Care Act was still unconstitutional in her eyes.

“This is clearly unconstitutional,” she said. “There is no basis in the Constitution for the government to have this level of history-making expansion of power. Because what this means, for the first time in the history of the country, Congress can force Americans to purchase any product, any service that Congress wants them to, which determines the price and we are forced to, which is a denial of liberty.

Church Of England “Scratching Its Head” About Gay Marriage

"…With same-sex marriage, where once more we’re used to being alongside people who are gay; many of our friends may be—indeed we may be—wrestling with that issue ourselves, and the Church is scratching its head and trying to work out where it is on all that, and what to think about it.

What’s frustrating is that we still have Christian people whose feelings about it are so strong, and sometimes so embarrassed and ashamed and disgusted, that that just sends out a message of unwelcome, of lack of understanding, of lack of patience. So whatever we think about it, we need, as a Church, to be tackling what we feel about it.”

—Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams, on the battle over marriage equality within the Church of England

Chris Pine Shares His Experience at Gay Pride

Chris Pine tells Conan O'Brien that he was chased down the street by a male Star Trek fan clad in only a strategically placed sock shouting "Captain Kirk!"

Maryland same-sex marriage opponents report $88,000 in debt

Opponents of Maryland’s same-sex marriage law on Monday reported that their campaign to spur a referendum on the issue is more than $88,000 in debt.

Documents that the Maryland Marriage Alliance filed with the Secretary of State on the same day it submitted 39,473 additional signatures to spur a November referendum show the group is $88,277.07 in the red.

California Lowes Employee Threatens Gay Family: 'I'll Be at Your House'

Jeremy L. Smythe and Daniel Soto, a gay Riverside, California couple, have filed restraining orders against two employees at Lowes after they said they were threatened by employees Andy Olague and Frank Villa when they came in accompanied by their teen son to complain about a product.

ABC7 reports:

Smythe said he approached the customer service counter and said he wanted to return the product, saying it wasn't working well. When he told the clerk he didn't have a receipt, but that it was likely under his Lowe's account information, for some reason the clerk became angry and annoyed.

"He says, 'Just so you know, if you'd read the [expletive] directions, you would see that you have to charge it for 12 hours to make it work correctly,'" Smythe said.

Smythe says he responded with, "Don't talk to me like that, I'm definitely not the one to talk to like that."

But the Lowe's employee only grew more hostile, allegedly making anti-gay slurs. According to Smythe, the clerk then said, "I'll beat your [expletive]. I'll say what [expletive] I want."

Smythe admitted firing back at the cashier at that point, saying, "No wonder you haven't been promoted." And that was when he says the cashier tried to attack him and had to be restrained by the assistant manager while saying, "I got your address, I got your phone number, I'll be at your house."

Teenage lesbian couple found shot in Texas park

A teen-aged lesbian couple were found shot in a public park in this small Texas resort community just northeast of Corpus Christi.

According to a Portland police spokesperson, two visitors to the Violet Andrews Park stumbled upon the two young women lying in the grass early Saturday.

Nineteen-year-old Mollie Judith Olgin was found dead on the scene and 18-year-old Mary Christine Chapa was rushed to the hospital and remains in serious but stable condition.

Investigators believe the women were shot some time around midnight on Friday.

A police spokesperson told LGBTQ Nation that detectives do not believe this was a random incident, but are not disclosing information regarding a potential motive.

Gad Beck, last known gay Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, dies at 89

Gad Beck, a pioneering gay rights activist and educator in a severely anti-homosexual, repressive post-World War II German culture, has died, just six days before his 89th birthday.

Beck (on the left in the photo, with his sister) was believed to be the last known gay Jewish survivor of the Holocaust.

Beck who was famous for his humorous style of speaking once told a German radio host, “The Americans in New York called me a great hero. I said no… I’m really a little hero.”

One Year Anniversary of New York State Marriage Equality

One year ago this weekend the New York State Senate voted to legalize marriage equality for gays and lesbians in New York State with four Republican senators joining the affirmative vote.  Across the state and from coast to coast in America, the LGBT community celebrated all night long.  Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill late in the evening before midnight.  Legal marriages began on July 24th, 2011.  New York State had already determined it recognized legal marriages from other jurisdictions.

Since then thousands have married, including New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn who married her long time girlfriend Kim Catullo on May 19th this year.

Navy Vet on Proposing to His Partner, Why Marriage Matters

Suze Orman Spells Out The Economics Of Marriage Inequality Full story here: http://www.queerty.com/watch-cnbcs-suze-orman-spells-out-the-economics-of-marriage-inequality-20120623/#ixzz1yp9WPm8F

Salvation Army official says LGBT people must die

Major Andrew Craibe, Territorial Media Relations Director for the Southern Territory in Victoria, made the incendiary comments in an interview with LGBT journalists Serena Ryan and Pete Dillon for the Australian radio show “Salt and Pepper.”

Ryan noted that the Salvation Army handbook cites Romans 1:18-32, a passage claiming that “God’s decree” is that homosexuals deserve death, and asked Craibe if the Salvation Army took that passage literally. Craibe replied in the affirmative, and continued to do so throughout the interview.

RYAN: . . . that says, according to the Salvation Army, that [they] deserve death. How do you respond to that, as part of your doctrine?

CRAIBE: Well, that’s a part of our belief system.

RYAN (cutting in): So we should die.

CRAIBE: You know, we have an alignment to the Scriptures, but that’s our belief.

RYAN: Wow. So we should die.

Illinois Attorney General Will Not Defend Marriage Ban

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and other officials are refusing to defend the Land of Lincoln's ban on gay marriage. Madigan, along with Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, says the law violates the state's constitution.

Believe in America

Boehner To Ask Supreme Court To Rule DOMA Constitutional After Losing 4 Cases

Speaker of the House John Boehner, as head of the Republican-controlled House Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG), has directed his hand-picked lawyer, Paul D. Clement, to request that the Supreme Court overturn one of four cases Clement has lost, which found a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional. Boehner has authorized up to $1.5 million to be spent to defend DOMA, yet has lost every case in federal court.

In theory, if the Supreme Court were to agree to take the case, it could decide before the November presidential election. A win for Boehner could be harmful for Democrats, as the President has declared DOMA unconstitutional, a loss for Boehner could backfire and destroy a strong pillar of GOP policy, the belief that only heterosexual marriage should be legal.

Nine U.S. senators to Harkin: Time to move on ENDA

A bipartisan group of nine senators is backing the idea of having the Senate panel with jurisdiction over the Employment Non-Discrimination Act advance the legislation to the floor by a committee vote.

The group is asking for Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, to hold a markup on ENDA in the wake of the panel’s hearing on the legislation last week and the senator’s remarks to the Washington Blade immediately afterward that he wanted “to poll the committee” about moving the bill forward.

Buck McKeon, House Armed Services Committee Chairman, Says Gays In The Military Issue Is Settled

The Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Thursday that allowing gays to serve openly in the military is a settled issue that he won't try to reverse even if Mitt Romney wins the presidency in November and the GOP captures the Senate.

Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon of California said his focus is on restoring money for the military after the latest round of defense cuts – a planned reduction of $487 billion over 10 years that could nearly double if Congress fails to avert automatic, across-the-board cuts. Pressed on the divisive issue of gay rights that roiled Congress two years ago, McKeon said he wouldn't revisit it.

"We fought that fight," McKeon told defense reporters at an hour-long breakfast interview. He said his goal is to "get the things that our warfighters need."

Democalypse 2012

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I’m On Social Security But ‘I Want Young People To Opt Out’

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Romney Tells 'Faith and Freedom Coalition' That Children are Better Off with Heterosexual Parents

Mitt Romney gave a speech by satellite to the Faith and Freedom Coalition on Saturday. Among the things he talked about was his belief that children need to have straight parents.

Said Romney:
"We need to strengthen the commitment that exists in this country to family. I hope to be able to talk to young people and tell them how important it is to get married before they have children because the opportunity for a mom and a dad to help guide the life of a child gives them such an enormous advantage in their lives going forward."

Gay Man Searched at London Airport on Suspicion of Pedophilia Because 'He Had a Camera and a Boyfriend'

The UK's Pink News uncovered a disturbing incident that happened last year at London's Gatwick Airport filed as part of a critique of security practices there in which a gay man was stopped on suspicion of pedophilia simply because he had a boyfriend and a camera. The man's HIV status was also openly discussed:

The report outlined the details: “The passenger was stopped and asked routine questions about their trip. When the officer indicated they wished to search the baggage, the passenger requested that this be done in a more private place. This request and a further request on this issue were refused. The contents of the passenger’s bag were then openly displayed including photographic equipment.

“The officer subsequently left the passenger to undertake background checks and later emerged signalling that the passenger could continue on their way.

“The officer then commented to another officer that the passenger was HIV positive; the colleague then advised that the searching officer should use stronger hand gel. These comments were made within earshot of the passenger and indeed other passengers in the channel.

“When subsequently asked why this passenger had been stopped immediately after this interaction, the officer commented that the passenger ‘looked like he might be involved in paedophilia’ and then went on to say that ‘the presence of the camera and the fact he had a boyfriend confirmed this’ (no photos were examined).

“Notebook records of this exchange were not kept although the passenger was delayed by almost 30 minutes.”

New HRC President Chad Griffin Discusses Harassment of LGBT Youth with Andrea Mitchell

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Jon Stewart Rips Michigan GOP For Vagina Controversy, Banning Woman Speakers

Last Thursday, Republicans banned two Michigan lawmakers from speaking on the State House floor because of a "temper tantrum" they'd thrown the day before. Their offense? Using the word vagina in a debate about abortion.

America Spends $71 Billion Annually Subsidizing Tax-Exempt Religion

A new report by a research team at the University of Tampa finds that tax-exempt religious organizations are subsidized by the U.S. government — meaning, you and me — to the tune of $71 billion each year. As a rule, religious organizations and many of their their employees — such as ministers, priests, rabbis, etc. — can be exempt from paying local, state, and federal taxes, income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, investment taxes, etc.

“What we found suggests that religious institutions, if they were required to pay taxes the same as for-profit corporations do, would not have nearly as much money or influence as they enjoy in America today,” the report, published at the Council for Secular Humanism

Janice Daniels Compares Homosexuality to Smoking

Troy, Michigan mayor Janice Daniels, who faced outrage late last year over a Facebook update that read "I think I am going to throw away my I Love New York carrying bag now that queers can get married there" and months later said she wanted an expert to testify that homosexuality is a mental illness at an anti-bullying forum spoke out again this week as she faces down a recall vote in November.

Daniels appeared on Charlie Langton’s morning show Wednesday on Talk Radio 1270, CBS Detroit reports:

“What I said while I was mayor … I was in a business meeting, I come from a business perspective … I said that I would bring a doctor into a meeting that would say that the homosexual lifestyle is dangerous,” Daniels said, adding,”Had I been with a group of smokers I might have said I would like to bring a doctor into this meeting to say that smoking is dangerous.”

Is it dangerous to be gay? Langton asked.

“I think that doctors can make a case for it certainly,” the mayor said, adding that she “had no opinion” on whether being gay is more dangerous than smoking.

'I Couldn't Make It. I Love You Guys'

Brandon Elizares, a 16-year-old from El Paso, Tex., took his own life early this month after being bullied and threatened at school because of his sexuality, KVIA-TV reports.

U.S. Defense Secretary releases video honoring gay and lesbian service members

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on Friday released a video recognizing June as LGBT Pride Month, and thanked the families of gay and lesbian service members and LGBT civilians.

Supreme Court Will Uphold Health Care Law?

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi predicted the Supreme Court will uphold the constitutionality of the health care law by a 6-3 vote.

Pelosi didn't say how she thought individual justices would vote in her appearance Friday on "CBS This Morning."

But the California Democrat said her party is "prepared for any eventuality," including the possibility the high court may overturn some or all of the law that critics have labeled "Obamacare."

Pelosi said "we're ironclad on the constitutionality" and the public already is taking advantage of some features, including allowing young people up to age 26 to be covered on their parents' policies and prohibiting discrimination against the young based on pre-existing conditions.
The high court is expected to rule in the case in the next two weeks.

Female Lawmaker Banned ‘Indefinitely’ From Speaking For Saying ‘Vagina’

Michigan Democratic State Representative Lisa Brown has been banned “indefinitely” from speaking on the House floor because she used the word “vagina” while registering her opposition to an anti-abortion bill her Republican colleagues were debating yesterday. Brown is a woman and Jewish, and held a press conference today wondering is she was banned from speaking because of her religious beliefs. Another female colleague, Rep. Barb Byrum, was also indefinitely banned from speaking, although she did not use the word “vagina” during her oration. The bill passed, and is now the most-restrictive anti-abortion bill in America

20,000 Pages Of Boy Scouts “Perversion” Files To Go Public

The Oregon Supreme Court ordered the release of some 20,000 pages of Boy Scouts of America records regarding suspected of confirmed sexual abuse by BSA volunteers and staffers, reports Yahoo News. The names of those involved—both victims and alleged perpetrators—will however remain confidential.

The BSA fought to keep the documents, dubbed the “perversion files,” sealed—saying they were “maintained to keep out individuals whose actions are inconsistent with the standards of Scouting, and Scouts are safer because those files exist.”

In 2010, the files were admitted as evidence in a civil trial against the Boy Scouts, which found the group was liable in pedophilia case and required to pay some $20 million in compensation.

“The released documents represent the largest and most comprehensive data collection system on child sexual abuse maintained by an organization in the nation,” said Paul Mones, a lawyer for several abuse victims. “Not even the Catholic Church has such a system.”

Last year, four Oregon men sued the Boy Scouts in separate cases for more than $5 million each over childhood sexual abuse they say they suffered at the hands of a pedophile knowingly appointed as their scoutmaster in the 1970s.
Mounting litigation against the Boy Scouts has tarnished the wholesome image of a 100-year-old largely volunteer organization that prides itself on building good character, citizenship and personal fitness among the 2.7 million youth—mostly boys aged eight to 17—who are its members.

The documents reveal that an average of about 60 molesters within the ranks of the Boy Scout were uncovered every year from 1965 to 1985.

We Were Here

A powerful new documentary chronicles the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco, which plagued the city's flourishing gay community in the early 1980s.

"We Were Here" is the first film of its kind to take a deep look at how the city's residents were affected by and responded to the catastrophic epidemic.

NYC School Bans Fifth-Grader From Giving Awesome Pro Gay Marriage Speech

Los Angeles mayor Villaraigosa joins campaign for marriage equality

Costa Rica’s Human Rights Leader Says Homosexuality Is A Curable Sin

Justo Orozco, the leader of the Committee of Human Rights at the National Assembly of Costa Rica, openly states that he believes homosexuality is a sin than can be cured.

“Unfortunately, I believe so, because it is written in The Bible,” Orozco says. Why “unfortunately”? Is it guilt that his views are insanely wrong?

National Boy Scouts Board Member Calls for End to Gay Ban

James Turley, the Global Chairman & CEO of Ernst & Young, last night called on the Boy Scouts of America to drop its discriminatory policy against gay scouts and scout leaders.

Said Turley in a statement to CNBC:

“Ernst & Young is proud to have such a strong record in LGBT inclusiveness. As CEO, I know that having an inclusive culture produces the best results, is the right thing for our people and makes us a better organization. My experience has led me to believe that an inclusive environment is important throughout our society and I am proud to be a leader on this issue. I support the meaningful work of the Boy Scouts in preparing young people for adventure, leadership, learning and service, however the membership policy is not one I would personally endorse. As I have done in leading Ernst & Young to being a most inclusive organization, I intend to continue to work from within the BSA Board to actively encourage dialogue and sustainable progress.”

International Olympic Committee Pressured to Take a Stand Against Countries Which Oppress Gays

The International Olympic Committee is responding tepidly to growing calls for action against anti-gay nations applying to compete in the Olympic Games as London 2012 approaches.

In late May British human rights lawyer Mark Stephens wrote an article in the UK Guardian calling on the IOC to penalize countries that criminalize homosexuality:

[Stephens] called on the IOC to ban the roughly 75 countries - mostly from Africa, the Caribbean and the Islamic world - that outlaw homosexual activity. That demand has been embraced by Peter Tatchell, a leading British gay-rights campaigner, and has prompted several human rights organizations to say the IOC should at least speak out, even if a ban at this stage is unrealistic.

Carrie Underwood Supports Same-Sex Marriage

Over the weekend, Carrie Underwood has become one of the highest-profile country stars to show her support for marriage equality.

Said Underwood, if you missed it: "As a married person myself, I don't know what it's like to be told I can't marry somebody I love, and want to marry. I can't imagine how that must feel. I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love."

Kyle Proposes to Tommy at the Dear Abbeys Concert

Kyle proposes to Tommy, in front of 700 people at his former college a cappella group's spring concert that marked the 20th anniversary of the group (The Boston University Dear Abbeys).

‘I Wish You A Happy Pride’

We Desperately Need ‘All Sort Of Forms’

Jeb Bush, George W’s brother, the other son of former President George H.W. Bush, the one who was “supposed to be” president, said in a recent interview that while traditional marriage should be sanctioned by the state, America desperately needs all forms of families and parenting examples as long as they can be held up as role models. Bush also made headlines this morning, slamming the Republican Party, saying today’s GOP would not welcome his father, or Ronald Reagan.

The former Florida Governor told PBS’s Charlie Rose that “traditional marriage is what should be sanctioned,” but “not at the expense of discriminating other forms of family structure.”

The Miami Herald notes that Bush added:
“I don’t think people need to be discriminated against because they don’t share my belief on this, and if people love their children with all their heart and soul and that’s what they do and that’s how they organize their life that should be held up as examples for others to follow because we need it. We desperately need it and that can take all sorts of forms, it doesn’t have to take the one that I think should be sanctioned under the law.”

Certainly not an embrace of same-sex marriage, but not as radical or as much an assault as his brother’s failed attempt to ban same-sex marriage in the Constitution.

Buzzfeed reports on Bush’s slam of the GOP this morning:

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said today that both Ronald Reagan and his father George H. W. Bush would have had a difficult time getting nominated by today’s ultra-conservative Republican Party.

“Ronald Reagan would have, based on his record of finding accommodation, finding some degree of common ground, as would my dad — they would have a hard time if you define the Republican party — and I don’t — as having an orthodoxy that doesn’t allow for disagreement, doesn’t allow for finding some common ground,” Bush said, adding that he views the hyper-partisan moment as “temporary.”

“Back to my dad’s time and Ronald Reagan’s time – they got a lot of stuff done with a lot of bipartisan suport [sic] ,” he said. Reagan “would be criticized for doing the things that he did.”

Bush cited, in particular, “the budget deal my dad did, with bipartisan support — at least for a while — that created the spending restraint of the ‘90s,” a reference to a move widely viewed now as a political disaster for Bush, breaking a pledge against tax increases and infuriating conservatives. It was, Bush said, “helpful in creating a climate of more sustainted economic growth.”

El Paso gay teen, bullied for 2 years, commits suicide

Another bullied gay youth lost to suicide.  El Paso teen Brandon Elizares, 16, took his own life on June 2, according to family and friends.

Brandon’s mother, Zachalyn Elizares, told KFOX-TV on Friday that her son was bullied at school for two years because he did not want to hide the fact that he was gay.

“He got bullied simply for being gay,” Elizares said. “He’s been threatened to be stabbed. He’s been threatened to be set on fire.”

Elizares said the El Paso Independent school district did everything it could to help solve the problem.

“They’ve reprimanded several kids and they did everything that they could,” Elizares said.
Elizares said that Brandon’s friends told her that there was an incident on Friday at school where someone insulted her son and planned to fight him the next week.

Brandon was a student at Andres High School in El Paso.

“My son had every right to live his live the way that he wanted to, without having to fear that people would call him names or threaten to beat him up,” Elizares said.

Minnesota Governor's Sons Announce Matching Donation to Fight Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment

 

The two sons of Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton want to help defeat the anti-gay amendment on the Minnesota ballot this November, and are putting up money to do so, the MinnPost reports:

The governor and his sons — Eric and Andrew, who own the Bachelor Farmer restaurant in downtown Minnesota — are working for the effort to get voters to vote no on the amendment, scheduled to be on the November ballot. The proposal, if passed, would define marriage as being between one man and one woman.

Minnesotans United for All Families, a group urging a no vote on the amendment, says that through June 12, the two Dayton brothers will match donations to the group's campaign, up to $200,000.

In an email, the brothers wrote: "It's simple: Committed, same-sex couples should have the freedom to marry. Together, we can contribute $400,000 toward Minnesotans United's efforts to protect that freedom."

Eagle Scout Zach Wahls takes on BSA

Giant Survey Finds Unhappiness Pervasive Among Gay Youth

An extensive survey of 10,000 kids finds that LGBT youth are much less happy than their straight classmates.

Some 67% of straight kids described themselves as happy, but only 37% of LGBT kids could say the same, found the report from the Human Rights Campaign. They do seem to believe that "It Gets Better," as the viral video campaign targeting them has promised. The survey found that 83% of LGBT youth believe they will one day be happy.

For many, the road to happiness leads out of town. The survey found that only 49% said they could be happy wherever they live now. And that could have a lot to do with how they describe their current circumstances.

Although 56% said they are out to their families, a third of respondents said their family is not accepting of them. More than half of LGBT youth said they'd been verbally harassed, and 47% said they don't "fit in." By comparison, just 25% of straight student said they'd been called names and 16% of straight youth said they didn't fit in.

When the HRC asked LGBT youth to name the top concerns in their lives right now, the list was vastly different from straight youth — who named things you might expect like grades and college worries. The number one concern for LGBT youth was non-accepting families. Number two was school bullying, and number three was a fear of being out.

HRC surveyed more than 10,000 LGBT-identified youth ages 13-17, and the group believes it's the largest survey of its kind. The report is incoming HRC President Chad Griffin's first move in his new job after leaving the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

“No one would say that growing up LGBT is easy, but this survey is a stark wake-up call to the daily toll that discrimination takes on vulnerable young people,” Griffin said in a statement. “We have a responsibility to change that, because we know all too well that there are real life consequences to inaction.”

Former Assistant Claims John Travolta Had Long-Term Boyfriend

For those of you following the John Travolta sex scandal — you know, how he allegedly groped male massuers — here is a bit more information on the famed actor's supposed private life, via his former assistant.

"I did everything for him, including taking care of his personal and professional schedules," Joan Edwards said. "Of course I knew he was gay. It never bothered me."
Edwards, who claims to have worked for Travolta from 1978 to 1994, says Travolta had a six-year-long relationship with a male pilot named Doug Gotterba in the 1980s…
The Enquirer could not confirm the relationship, the publication notes, but did confirm Gotterba did work for the Pulp Fiction star.
Gotterba's post-Travolta boyfriend, Robert Britz tells the Enquirer Gotterba told him in detail about the relationship, and how it began to sour as Travolta gained weight.
"After a few years Doug grew apart from John sexually, and John's advances eventually started to repulse him," Britz claims.

14-Year-Old Radio Host Condemns 'Sickening, Homosexual 'Perversion', Says Obama is Making Kids Gay

Caiden Cowger, a teen talk show host in West Virginia who has obviously paid a lot of attention to Bryan Fischer is getting attention for a new video in which he rants against the "perversion" of homosexuality and says that Obama is encouraging kids to decide to be gay.

Poll Shows Power of Coming Out

A poll released Wednesday shows that a majority of Americans say they have a close family member or friend who is gay, a shift from the 1990s that analysts say helps explain the rapidly changing attitudes toward marriage equality.

According to the CNN/ORC International survey, the number of Americans who say someone close to them is gay stands at 60% today, compared to 49% in 2010, the first time in CNN polling that a majority of Americans have expressed that. Most Americans in the 1990s said that they did not have a close relationship with a gay person.

The poll also found that 54% of Americans say that same-sex marriages should be recognized by the law, with 42% opposed. Those numbers track other recent national polls, and likewise show that support breaks down sharply by political affiliation and age.

Majorities of Democrats and independents strongly favor marriage equality, while almost three quarters of Republicans oppose it. Nearly two-thirds of those under 50 are in support, compared with 55% of those over 50 opposed.

Four years ago, the poll found that support for marriage equality stood at 44% in favor, with 53% opposed.

Top Ten Questions about God, Jesus, the Bible and Gay Pride

In preparation for our L.A. Pride Festival this weekend, the team putting together the materials for our Diocese of Los Angeles booth at the festival came up with the following ten "frequently asked questions about God, Jesus, the Bible and gay people" -- and asked me to give them my best shot. And so I did.

Have I mentioned lately that I love my job?

1. Is being gay a sin?
No. Sins are acts that separate us from God and keep us from loving our neighbors as ourselves. Being gay is not a sin. Bullying is a sin. Being hateful to other people is a sin. Putting yourself in the place of God to judge others is a sin. Being gay is not.

2. What did Jesus say about gay people?
Jesus said the same thing about gay people as he said about all people: God loves you beyond your wildest imagining and calls you to walk in love with God and with each other. He also said a whole lot about loving your neighbor, welcoming the stranger, embracing the outcast and ministering to the marginalized.

3. Does the Bible really condemn homosexuality?
The short answer is no; no it does not. The handful of passages in the Old and New Testaments that talk about God condemning specific sexual acts have nothing whatsoever to do with sexual orientation and everything to do with contexts such as cultic prostitution or gang rape. To put it another way, using the Bible as a handbook on human sexuality makes as much sense as using it as a handbook on astronomy. Just as those who wrote the Biblical texts had no concept of the science that would prove the earth actually revolves around the sun, so they had no concept of homosexuality (which wasn't defined until the 19th century.)

4. How do I respond when people say "God hates "f--s"?
First of all, God's nature is to love, not to hate. We believe that what God cares about is not our sexual orientation but our theological orientation -- and that the question that matters is not "who do you love?" but "do you love?" Recognizing that homophobia causes some folks to project onto God their own fears, prejudices and biases against LGBT people, sometimes the best response is simply no response. It can be a challenge, but getting triggered by hate-mongers prevents us from being the change we want to see.

5. I thought gay men and women weren't allowed to be priests?
The Episcopal Church has been ordaining women to the priesthood since 1974 and we have women deacons, priests and bishops throughout the church -- including two women bishops here in the Diocese of Los Angeles. When it comes to gay men in the priesthood, the issue is not homosexuality -- it is honesty. The church has ordained gay men for centuries but finally the Episcopal Church added "sexual orientation" in the non-discrimination list in 1994 -- ending our version of "don't ask/don't tell." Because the Episcopal Church allows for diversity of practice, the leadership of "out" LGBT and women clergy is more prevalent in some places than others. But the Diocese of Los Angeles is proud to have been in the forefront of inclusion.

6. Can I still receive Communion in your church if I am gay?
Of course you can. In many of our churches you will hear a variation on the invitation "whoever you are and wherever you find yourself on the journey of faith there is a place for you here." God's love is radically inclusive and so is the Episcopal Church.

7. Despite what is happening legislatively, can my partner and I be married in the Episcopal Church yet?
The only accurate answer to this question is "that depends." It depends on which diocese you're in and whether you're in a state that has civil marriage equality. For example, New York State is a marriage equality state. In four of the six dioceses clergy can both solemnize and bless a civil marriage and in one of them clergy can bless but not solemnize (a judge or justice of the peace has to do the civil marriage part). Here in Los Angeles clergy both blessed and solemnized same-sex marriages in 2008 when it was legal and our bishops have been in the forefront of working to overturn Prop 8 and get marriage equality back. As Facebook might put it: "it's complicated."

8. What do I tell people when they say being gay is a sin and a choice?
Tell them that Jesus said absolutely nothing about being gay but he said a lot of things about judging other people. Then tell them that while there is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay, or lesbian orientation there IS consensus that sexuality is a continuum. So the "choice" is not to be gay, straight or somewhere in between -- the "choice" is to build our own healthy relationships ... and give other people the grace to build theirs.

9. Should I try to "pray away the gay?"
No. If you need to pray away something, pray away homophobia. Homosexuality doesn't need healing. Homophobia does.

10. How do I respond when politicians condemn my sexuality, citing their belief in the Bible?
Remind them that the First Amendment protects them in believing whatever they want to about what God does or does not bless but it also prohibits them from using those beliefs to decide who the Constitution protects or doesn't protect. Tell them to stop confusing their theology with our democracy. And then campaign for and donate to their opponent in the next election cycle.

 Follow Rev. Susan Russell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/revsusanrussell

Christian School Hires, Then Fires Teacher Within Hours — For Being Gay

A Cincinnati Christian academy hired a music teacher, then called him back in, asked him if he is gay, then fired him, all with hours. This entire episode is truly shocking, but what’s sickening are two important points: one, that the school is tax exempt and actually receives tax dollars. The other: the reason the school, Cincinnati Hills, gave the teacher, Jonathan Zeng.

Andy Towle at Towleroad reports that Zeng “describes what happened after he accepted the job in a letter to the school board’s trustees”:

Shortly after the conclusion of this meeting, Mr. Thompson called and asked me to return to complete some necessary business they had forgotten. He explained that there was an issue weighing on his mind because of my application answers regarding my belief in Christ’s unconditional love and that we as Christ’s followers are to show that love to all without judgment. These responses prompted him to ask if I was a homosexual. I was completely taken aback by this and asked why that was important. He explained that it was school policy not to employ teachers who are homosexual. When I asked why, he said that it was because I would work with children and because of the sanctity of marriage. I can’t begin to say how offensive and painful his comments were. I had no idea the school held such a viewpoint. Mr. Thompson was kind enough to offer me a ride, which I refused.

North Carolina Sea Level Rise Findings Can Simply Be Made Illegal

North Carolina legislators' suggestion to ignore rising sea levels, "If your science gives you a result you don't like, pass a law saying the result is illegal. Problem solved."

Despite the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission's prediction of a one-meter sea level rise by 2100, the News & Observer reported last week that state lawmakers aimed to limit plans to address this (literally) rising challenge.

An Extraordinary Start to AIDS/LifeCycle 11

Court Won't Rehear Prop. 8 Case

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that it won't rehear a case in which Proposition 8 had been ruled unconstitutional, setting up a possible fight before the U.S. Supreme Court.

After a three-judge panel in February agreed with Judge Vaughn Walker's 2010 decision in Perry v. Brown that Proposition 8 violated the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause and the due process clause, proponents of the law sought an "en banc review." Such a review would have required judicial evaluation by the full Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and could have included 11 appellate judges, but a majority of justices voted to deny the rehearing.

Now Prop. 8 backers have 90 days to decide whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, setting the stage for a national case on marriage equality. If they don't decide to appeal, then same-sex couples would again begin marrying.

Prop * Case: Here’s An Easy Way To Understand What’s Going On

300+ Straight Mormons March in Gay Pride Parade in Salt Lake City

A group of LDS Church members called 'Mormons Building Bridges' marched in yesterday's Utah Gay Pride Parade in Salt Lake City as an act of reconciliation with the LGBT community, and made quite an impression, the Salt Lake Tribune reports:

Mormons Building Bridges followed right behind [Grand Marshal Dustin Lance] Black in the parade. The men in beige suits and ties and the little girls in white dresses were a sharp contrast to the pounding music and dancers behind them, but the crowd clapped and shouted their approval for the folks in their Sunday best. Erika Munson, a mom of five from Sandy, started the group a few weeks ago to show her support for the LGBT community and to encourage members of her religion to do the same in a public way.

Holly Nelson, a 38-year-old lesbian who lives in Murray, had tears in their eyes as the Mormons walked past.

"I think it’s amazing," she said. "It’s been so hard to be in Utah knowing the Mormon church is against the gay community."

Olivia Culpo's announcement receives applause.

We've come a long way from Carrie Prejean — Miss Rhode Island Olivia Culpo was crowned Miss USA on Sunday after voicing support for transgender beauty contestants.

Culpo was asked if transgender women should be allowed to enter beauty contests. Culpo responded, "I do think it would be fair ... " because "there are so many people who have a need to change for a happier life. I do accept that because I believe it's a free country." Culpo was soon named the winner of this year's pageant.

After Jenna Talackova, a transgender woman, was allowed in April to compete in Miss Canada, the Miss Universe organization changed its rules to allow transgender women to compete (with a little urging from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).

While Culpo's support of transgender contestants received applause, it was only three years ago that then-Miss California Carrie Prejean famously declared that same-sex marriage should be illegal.

‘For Going Against God’s Will’ Catholic Hospital Denies Gay Man HIV Meds

A Catholic hospital in New Jersey is accused of denying a gay and HIV-positive man his HIV medications, as one doctor on staff reportedly stated, “for going against God’s will.”

“Joao Simoes sued Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Union County Superior Court,” the Courthouse News Service reports. “He says that the hospital admitted him in August 2011, but that requests for his lifesaving medication were not honored, and his sister was denied visitation rights.”

Big Announcement Coming on Marriage Equality

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will decide on Tuesday whether to grant an en banc review to antigay groups seeking to keep Proposition 8 alive in California, the American Foundation for Equal Rights reports.

The nation's most populous state narrowly passed Prop. 8, a California constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, in 2008. A federal challenge to the ban, led by AFER, has been very successful, with wins in federal district court and in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

After a three-judge panel in February agreed with Judge Vaughn Walker's 2010 decision that ruled Prop. 8 unconstitutional because it violated the equal protection clause and the due process clause of the U.S. Constitution, the proponents of Prop. 8 sought an en banc review. Such a review would require judicial evaluation by the full Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and would likely include approximately a dozen appellate judges.

Should the Ninth Circuit deny en banc review, Prop. 8 backers could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, setting the stage for a national case on marriage equality. It's not clear if marriage would be allowed in California if an en banc review is denied — if that's the case, 23% of Americans would live in a state where marriage equality is once again guaranteed by law.

Anti-Gay Pastor Worley Won't Talk To Media, But His Supporters Will

Kansas Pastor Says Govt. Should Kill Gays - Again

California Church Buys Billboard For Amendment One Apology In NC

North Carolina voters earlier this month passed Amendment One, a piece of legislation banning civil unions and same-sex marriage. Horrified by the move and hoping to express their solidarity with equality-minded North Carolinians, an inclusive California church spent $3,000 to offer an apology for anti-gay actions taken in the name of Christianity.

"Missiongathering Christian Church is sorry for the narrow-minded, judgmental, deceptive, manipulative actions of those who DENIED rights and equality TO so many in the Name of God," says the billboard, which is placed strategically on a highway named after anti-gay crusader Billy Graham.