Rick Santorum told a gay man in Fulton, Missouri Friday afternoon that he didn’t deserve the “privilege” of marriage because his same-sex relationship does not “benefit” society in the same way that opposite-sex marriage does. Marriage, Santorum explained is an “intrinsic good” in which gay and lesbian people should not be allowed to partake in:

SANTORUM: You’re not entitled “to special treatment under the law…[Marriage is] not a right, it’s something that has existed since the beginning of human history as an institution where men and women come together for the purposes of forming a natural relationship as God made it to be. And for the purposes of having children and continuing that civilization. It is an intrinsic good…And as a result of that, we extend a privilege. We extend certain privileges to people who do that because we want to encourage that behavior. [...]

Two people who may like each other or may love each other who are same-sex, is that a special relationship? Yes it is, but it is not the same relationship that benefits society like a marriage between a man and a woman.

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Iraq War Veteran Tracey Harris discussed her fight to obtain veterans’ disability benefits for her wife Maggie on CNN this afternoon. Harris — who is on disability and receiving treatment for PTSD and multiple sclerosis — has filed suit against the Veterans Affairs administration for failing to provide spousal benefits, charging that the department is infringing on her constitutional right to equal protection under the law. Currently, the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act prevents federal agencies from recognizing same-sex relationships and Title 38 of the United States Code defines spouses as a person of the opposite sex.

“We are trying to seek the same exact benefits that other spouses of disabled veterans are receiving,” Harris told host Ashleigh Banfield. “These benefits include burial benefits in any veterans cemetery. They also include survivor’s benefits for the widowed or widower’s spouse”:

BANFIELD: So should the worst case scenario prevail and you have to prepare for the reality end of life. Your wife gets nothing?

HARRIS: That is correct.

BANFIELD: And she can’t be buried alongside of you in an official cemetery?

HARRIS: That is correct… So even though I am a veteran, I served for 12 years and I was honorably discharged and am receiving disability benefits from the Veterans Administration, they consider me a single spouse. So if something should happen to me, my wife will not be taken care of as a spouse of a similarly situated spouse of a veteran who has died.

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According to the complaint, as a single veteran rated 80 percent disabled, Tracey receives $1,488 less in disability compensation every year — almost a full month’s worth of support — because the government does not recognize her marriage. In the event of Tracey’s death, her wife Maggie will not be entitled to a minimum survivor’s benefits of $1,195.

Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced an LGBT-inclusive version of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA), which aims to protect victims and survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Before it passed along party lines, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) objected to the protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, suggesting they were simply unnecessary:

GRASSLEY: The Leahy substitute would prohibit discrimination by grantees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Of course, I agree that shelters and other grant recipients should provide services equally to everyone. But advocates of this provision haven’t produced data that shelters have refused to provide services for these reasons. This is true even after we were told they would send a report on the subject. The provision is a solution in search of a problem. Instead, it is only a political statement that shouldn’t be made on a bill that is designed to address actual needs of victims.

Grassley is wrong on two counts. First, there are plenty of troubling data to show why the protections are necessary. The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) both published studies last year that demonstrate how LGBT people have been refused protection by shelters:

• In 2010, 44.6 percent of LGBT/HIV-positive survivors of intimate partner violence were turned away from shelters (NCAVP).
• More than half of survivors (54.4 percent) were denied orders of protection (NCAVP).
• 29 percent of homeless transgender people have been turned away by shelters (NGLTF).
• 6 percent of transgender people report being denied equal access to domestic violence shelters and programs (NGLTF).

The other count on which Grassley is wrong is his basic reasoning. In this statement, he basically asserted that LGBT people have to first face discrimination before they deserve to be protected from it. One wonders how much “data” he expects the LGBT community to endure before he’ll deem it worthy of his compassion.

The Catholic Church’s “Courage” ministry — which treats homosexuality as an addiction to be cured through 12 steps — continues to expand in New England. Following the establishment of the program in Connecticut last month, the diocese of Portland, Maine, has announced it too will offer the pro-chastity service. Sue Bernard, a spokesperson for the diocese, described Courage in very positive terms:

Courage offers hope and encouragement to men and women who desire to live in accordance with the church’s teaching on homosexuality — specifically that the dignity and identity of every person is not determined by their sexual attractions, but by their relationship with the Lord and their striving to live the virtues of faith, hope and charity.

It’s fairly obvious that Bernard is implying that non-heterosexual identities are not worthy of dignity. Given one of the goals of Courage speaks to “the problems of homosexuality,” the ministry’s motives are clearly to impose guilt and shame as it discourages gay people from ever experiencing love. Combined with the large sums of money the Church commits to fighting marriage equality and defending “religious liberty,” condemning the gay community seems to have become one of its highest priorities.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) argued that he is offering activists of marriage equality “the bargain of your life” by advocating that the legislature pass a bill asking residents to vote on the right of gay and lesbian people to marry. Speaking at a town hall in Denville on Thursday morning, Christie reiterated his pledge to veto any measure expanding marriage rights, but announced that he has asked Republicans in the legislature to support a popular referendum on the issue:

CHRISTIE: If the majority of the people want [same-sex marriage] prove it. Put it on the ballot, let it be voted on….I’ve told every Republican in the state legislator to vote to put it on the ballot. They need three-fifths to put it on the ballot. The Republicans have two-fifths in the legislature. So that means the Democrats only need to come up with one-fifth of the legislature…this is the bargain of your life. I’m giving you two-fifths! And the polls they show me say that if it goes on the ballot, it will lose. How much more magnanimous can I be? What else do you want me to do? Go campaign for it too? Look, I’m doing the best I can here!

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Earlier this week, Christie apologized for comparing a referendum for same-sex marriage to the Civil Rights movement and suggesting that African Americans would have been better off if the public could have voted to end segregation and discrimination. Christie’s remarks triggered a strong backlash from African-American leaders, such as Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), who suggested Christie “has not read his recent history books” and pointed out that “most of the governors…were outright segregationists.” Newark Mayor Cory Booker responded simply: “Frankly, I wouldn’t be where I am today” if states had voted on civil rights.

Yesterday, the Judiciary Committee of the New Jersey General Assembly voted 5-2 to advance marriage equality legislation and a full Senate vote is scheduled for Tuesday, February 13. State Senate President Steve Sweeney also reiterated his opposition to extending fundamental rights through popular vote. “It’s time for everyone, from the governor to the chattering observers, to stop talking about a marriage equality referendum in terms of ‘if,’” Sweeney said “There will be no referendum on marriage equality in New Jersey, period.”