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All Living Democratic Presidential Nominees Support Marriage Equality

Conservatives Object To AARP's Support For The 'Homosexual Agenda'

Anti-Gay Legal Group Works Against Its Own Cause

NEWS FLASH

New Hampshire House Kills Marriage Equality Repeal Bill | The New Hampshire House of Representatives has defeated an attempt to roll back the state’s marriage equality bill with a vote of 133-202. At stake first was the absurd amendment proposed by Rep. David Bates (R), which would have re-implemented civil unions and given voters a chance to weigh in on that decision in a non-binding way. That amendment failed 162-188. Then, there was a fierce parliamentary debate as to whether to consider a humorous amendment proposed by Rep. Seth Cohn (R) that would have prohibited marriage between people who are left-handed, but the effort to bring it forth was defeated. During the debate on the bill as originally proposed, Bates and other opponents of equality invoked comparisons between same-sex marriage and incest while protesting when others juxtaposed the measure with the racial segregation of the past.

NEWS FLASH

Audience Applauds Starbucks’ Take-Down Of NOM Advocate | A representative from the anti-gay group National Organization for Marriage (NOM) was promptly shut down after confronting a Starbucks executive on the topic of marriage equality at the annual Starbucks Shareholders Meeting in Seattle, Washington. Jonathan Baker, director of NOM’s Corporate Fairness Project and self-identified Starbuck’s shareholder, asked whether the company’s support for marriage equality might affect the company internationally and offend supporters of so-called “traditional marriage.” The Starbucks rep responded by saying: “I think Starbucks has many constituents, and from time to time we are going to make a decision that we think is consistent with the heritage and the tradition of the company that perhaps may be inconsistent with one group’s view of the world or a decision we may make…We made that decision, in our view, through the lens of humanity and being the kind of company that embraces diversity.” Listen to it:

– Fatima Najiy

Update

NOM has posted the full video of its exchange at the shareholders’ meeting:

By Guest Blogger on Mar 21, 2012 at 5:10 pm

Climate Progress

Tennessee Passes ‘Monkey Bill’ To Teach The ‘Controversy’ On Evolution And Climate Science

By Brad Johnson posted from Climate Progress on Mar 21, 2012 at 4:24 pm

On Monday, the Tennessee state legislature passed legislation that requires public schools to teach the “controversy” over evolution, global warming, and human cloning:

The Senate voted 24-8 for HB368, which sponsor Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, says will provide guidelines for teachers answering students’ questions about evolution, global warming and other scientific subjects. Critics call it a “monkey bill” that promotes creationism in classrooms.

In 1925, Tennessee was the home of the Scopes monkey trial, where local jurors upheld the conviction of a biology teacher for teaching evolution in his classroom, tarring the reputation of the state. Climate denial legislation has become widespread across the United States, in part due to the efforts of the corporate-funded right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council.

The text of HB368 / SB893, sponsored by Rep. Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville) and Sen. Bo Watson (R-Hixson), requires all administrators and educators to work to teach “scientific subjects” such as “biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning” as “scientific controversies“:

The teaching of some scientific subjects, including, but not limited to, biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning, can cause controversy . . . The state board of education, public elementary and secondary school governing authorities, directors of schools, school system administrators, and public elementary and secondary school principals and administrators shall endeavor to assist teachers to find effective ways to present the science curriculum as it addresses scientific controversies.

The National Association of Biology Teachers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, the American Institute for Biological Sciences, the Knoxville News Sentinel, the Nashville Tennessean, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, the National Earth Science Teachers Association, the Tennessee Science Teachers Association, and all eight Tennessee members of the National Academy of Sciences oppose the legislation.

The bill now goes to Gov. Bill Haslam (R-TN) for his signature.

Also on Monday, a bill to permit the display of the Ten Commandments in public buildings (HB2658) passed the Tennessee House by a vote of 93-9.

Update

Tennessee has ushered in spring with a record-shattering heat wave, with temperatures 25 degrees above normal.

NEWS FLASH

North Carolina Catholic Bishops Criticize Obama’s Opposition To Marriage Inequality Amendment | The Catholic bishops of Charlotte and Raleigh have criticized the Obama campaign for speaking out against the Amendment One, which would ban same-sex marriages, civil unions, and domestic partnerships in North Carolina’s constitution. Calling his comments “a grave disappointment,” the bishops rejected the notion that the measure is in any way discriminatory:

While we are respectful of the Office of the President, we strongly disagree with this assessment. As Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, recently stated, “The Catholic Church recognizes the immeasurable personal dignity and equal worth of all individuals, including those with same-sex attraction, and we reject all hatred and unjust treatment against any person.”

Related Posts

NEWS FLASH

Madonna Vows to Speak Out Against Anti-Gay “Atrocity” in St. Petersburg, Russia | Global icon Madonna vows to speak out against a law banning gay “propaganda” when her tour stops in St. Petersburg, Russia — President-elect Vladimir Putin’s hometown — this August. “I will come to St. Petersburg to speak up for the gay community and to give strength and inspiration to anyone who is or feels oppressed,” she said by e-mail late yesterday. “I will speak during my show about this ridiculous atrocity.” The ban, which criminalizes the participation in or organization of gay groups, websites, books and periodicals, and LGBT Pride events, as well as the donning of gay pride pins, bumper stickers and the like, was signed into law on March 7th by St. Petersburg’s Governor Georgy Poltavchenko. — Fatima Najiy

By Guest Blogger on Mar 21, 2012 at 2:10 pm

Anti-Gay Leaders Compare Same-Sex Marriage To Polygamy And Slavery At Iowa Rally

By Zack Ford on Mar 21, 2012 at 1:04 pm

Yesterday, The FAMiLY LEADER organized a rally in the Iowa State Capitol, calling for the right to vote to ban same-sex marriage in a state where it has been legal for nearly three years. Among the speakers were The FAMiLY LEADER’s Bob Vander Plaats and the National Organization for Marriage’s Brian Brown, both of whom attacked families by comparing same-sex marriage to polygamy, incest, and slavery:

VANDER PLAATS: If we want marriage equality, let’s just stop for a second. Why stop at same-sex? Why not have polygamy? Why not have a dad marry his son or marry his daughter? If we’re going to have marriage equality, let’s open this puppy up and let’s have marriage equality. Otherwise, let’s stick to the way God designed it: one man and one woman, period.

BROWN: We are walking in the same steps of William Wilberforce, who in the late 1800s, stood up and said “No” to the slave trade. He was mocked. Powerful forces, politicians, derided him and said, “Why are you bring your faith into this? This is just the way things work. This is the economy. If we ban the slave trade, where are we going to get our dollars and cents.” William Wilberforce said “No.” When they told him, “Keep your preaching in the four square walls of your church,” he said “No.” What did he do? He stood up and spoke truth to power. We need heroes at a time like this. We need people who will not be shouted down, who will not be silenced… We will resolutely stand up for God’s truth that marriage is by definition the union of one man and one woman.

Watch their speeches:

For what it’s worth, Wilberforce’s abolition work was not in the late 1800s, nor was it even in the United States. And while he was a vocal abolitionist, he disapproved of women in the abolition movement, Catholics holding public office, and the printing of newspapers on Sunday, which suggests he’s perhaps not the best choice for guidance on social morality.

While Vander Plaats tried to claim that his position was not about “hate,” these comments represent a blatant defamation of same-sex families and an intent to legislate discrimination. Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal (D), who has ensured that no amendment to ban same-sex marriage can advance, made it clear this weekend that he’s not intimidated by the opposition’s rally. At a counterpoint press conference outside the Capitol, openly gay Iowa Sen. Matt McCoy (D) said that “Bob Vander Plaats needs to get a real job instead of working on spreading a message of hate and discrimination.”

NEWS FLASH

IRONY ALERT: Anti-Gay Group Complains About Out-Of-Staters ‘Buying’ Marriage Equality In New Hampshire | As lawmakers in New Hampshire prepare to repeal that state’s same-sex marriage law, the National Organization for Marriage’s (NOM) Brian Brown appeared on MSNBC with Thomas Roberts this morning to condemn “outside groups” for lobbying on behalf of marriage equality. Brown — who himself is the head of DC-based organization that has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into anti-marriage efforts in New York, Maryland and yes New Hampshire — complained that the 2009 same-sex marriage law was “put on New Hampshire (not coming from the people), but coming from out of state interest groups who again tried to buy and pay for same-sex-marriage in New Hampshire.” Craig Stowell — co-chair of of Stand Up For New Hampshire Families and Roberts’ other guest — quickly pointed out the irony in Brown’s complaint. “I think it’s kind of funny when somebody out-of-state sits here and tells me how I should live my life in New Hampshire. It really is an interesting thing,” he said. Watch it:

NEWS FLASH

New Hampshire Activists Rally For Traditional (Right-Handed) Marriage | As the New Hampshire House of Representatives prepares to vote on Rep. David Bates’ (R) absurd plan to role back marriage equality, one small group of activists is showing their support for Rep. Seth Cohn’s (R) proposed amendment to make it illegal for two left-handed people to marry each other. They stood outside the Statehouse this morning holding signs like “Two Lefts Don’t Make A Right” and “Protect Right-Handed Marriage,” defending Cohn’s effort to “use humor to make a point”:

European Court Of Human Rights Finds That Same-Sex Marriage Is Not A Human Right

By Igor Volsky on Mar 21, 2012 at 11:00 am

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that same-sex marriage is not a human right and concluded that “if gay couples are allowed to marry, any church that offers weddings will be guilty of discrimination if it declines to marry same-sex couples.” The decision throws a wrench into the British government’s plan to legalize marriage equality, as it has maintained that “no church would have to conduct gay weddings.”

“The European Convention on Human Rights does not require member states’ governments to grant same-sex couples access to marriage,” the court found in a case “involving a lesbian couple in a civil partnership who complained the French courts would not allow them to adopt a child as a couple.” It argued that civil unions are comparable to marriage:

‘With regard to married couples, the court considers that in view of the social, personal, and legal consequences of marriage, the applicants’ legal situation could not be said to be comparable to that of married couples.’

Opponents of extending marriage to gays and lesbians have already seized on the ruling, arguing that “The ruling from the ECHR will embolden those whose concerns about same-sex marriage and adoption are not inspired by personal hatred and animosity, but by a genuine concern for the well-being of children and the welfare of society.” Earlier this week, “Muslim and Sikh groups said legalizing gay unions was ‘unnecessary and unhelpful‘ after Christian leaders had spoken out against the plans.”

NEWS FLASH

DC LGBT Community Marches To Protest Violence | Last night, hundreds took to the streets in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC to protest a recent surge in anti-LGBT violence. Just weeks prior to these incidents, the DC Trans Coalition chastised the Metropolitan Police Department for not taking sufficient steps to keep transgender people safe. The Washington Blade has a gallery of photos from the march and Boy in Bushwick provides the following two videos, featuring DC Police Chief Cathy Lenier, DC Councilmember Muriel Bowser, and the director of GLBT Affairs for the DC Mayor’s Office, Jeffrey Richardson:

NEWS FLASH

Arlen Specter Criticizes Santorum Over ‘Man On Dog’ Comments | Former Sen. Arlen Specter took another swipe at Rick Santorum’s now infamous “man on dog” comments during an appearance on MSNBC’s Hardball yesterday afternoon, saying, “when Rick takes positions that women don’t belong in the workplace. When he takes positions that the gay issue is bestiality — a man on dog — and the contraception ought not to be followed, he is so far out of the main stream, that I think even the Republican party won’t take it.” Watch it:

Related Posts

State Department Condemns Nobel Prize Winner’s Anti-Gay Remarks

By Igor Volsky on Mar 21, 2012 at 9:00 am

The State Department is speaking out against Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s recent remarks in favor of criminalizing homosexuality. During a press conference yesterday, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland reiterated Secretary Hillary Clinton’s contention that gay rights are human rights and promised to “express some surprise and concern” with Liberian officials over the President’s sentiments:

QUESTION: Okay. And then is this something – should – since you’re in the habit now of answering hypothetical questions, should they go ahead and approve these laws? Is that something – given the Secretary’s speech in Geneva, which was quite strong, is this something that could affect U.S. assistance?… I mean, in general, if countries go ahead – if countries take measures that discriminate against homosexuals, is that something that under this Administration could lead to a review or a suspension or anything of U.S. assistance?

MS. NULAND: I think if there were major pieces of legislation that discriminated against any group, we would have to take that into account in our relationship and it would be a cause for concern.

Watch it:

During a rather awkward interview with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Sirleaf — a Noble prize winner — reiterated her support for Liberia’s restrictions against homosexual behavior, adding, “We like ourselves just the way we are…We’ve got certain traditional values in our society that we’d like to preserve.” Last year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on nations around the world to treat gay rights as human rights, while the United Nations and the UK have similarly urged African countries to repeal their antiquated anti-gay laws.

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The Morning Pride: March 21, 2012

By Zack Ford on Mar 21, 2012 at 8:35 am

Welcome to The Morning Pride, ThinkProgress LGBT’s daily round-up of the latest in LGBT policy, politics, and some culture too! Here’s what we’re reading this morning, but please let us know what stories you’re following as well. Follow us all day on Twitter at @TPEquality.

- At the White House’s conference on LGBT bullying yesterday, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett and Attorney General Eric Holder said that “no one deserves to be bullied, harassed, or victimized because of who they are, how they worship, or who they love.”

- Today New Hampshire Republicans will consider a bill to repeal marriage equality, but voters and businesses oppose the effort.

- Anti-gay activists have formed the No Special Rights PAC in Maine to oppose the November ballot initiative to legalize same-sex marriage.

- Another binational same-sex couple is fighting to stay together under the threat of the Defense of Marriage Act.

- Catholic Bishop William Lori has been appointed as head of the Baltimore Archdiocese, a move Catholics for Equality calls “predictable” because Lori heads up the Conference of Catholic Bishops’ new Committee on Religious Liberty.

- The director of New York City’s shelter for homeless LGBT youth is appealing to Cardinal Timothy Dolan to stop spreading anti-gay rhetoric that leads parents to reject their gay kids.

- The school board in Muskegon, Michigan has passed a new sex ed curriculum that includes information on topics like masturbation, behavior, and sexual orientation.

- The Catholic Church of the Netherlands apparently tried to castrate boys to cure their homosexuality in the 1950s.

- The International Olympic Committee said nothing to rebuke a Russian judge’s decision to prohibit a Pride House at the 2014 games.

- Piers Morgan tweeted yesterday that he did nothing to “stitch up” Kirk Cameron — he’s “just a bigot.”

- One same-sex family’s road trip disaster came with a surprising lesson in family values.

- Students, faculty, staff, and administrators at Columbia University say, “It Gets Better”:

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