New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) decision to place same-sex marriage on the ballot has drawn some sharp criticism from many in his state. Christie tried to defend the move by arguing that “people would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South” – a comparison Newark Mayor Cory Booker and other African American leaders condemned.
Now, New Jerseyans and the tri-state media are pushing back against the proposed referendum, claiming that an issue of equal rights should not be decided at the ballot box:
– NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL: To turn what is a matter of civil rights over to voters would be an abdication of lawmakers’ duty. It would also be a sharp break with New Jersey tradition. The last time the state held a referendum on civil rights was 1915, when a majority voted “no” on granting women the right to vote.
– STAR-LEDGER EDITORIAL: Take race relations. If Southern states could have held a referendum on free speech rights for Martin Luther King Jr., can anyone doubt how it would have turned out? How long would it have taken for voters in Mississippi to integrate its public schools? Gallup has traced attitudes toward interracial marriage for decades. Note that when the Supreme Court struck down Virginia’s ban in 1967, fewer than 1 in 5 Americans supported the court’s position. If Christie’s philosophy had carried the day, the ban would have remained in place until the late 1990s. The point is that minority rights should not be subjected to majority vote. That misses the gist of constitutional rights.
– MYCENTRALJERSEY.COM EDITORIAL: There is, however, a reason we elect representatives, to conduct the business that cannot be done by the masses at every turn. And sometimes, that means transcending public opinion to do what’s right, to overcome prejudice and ignorance that can die hard.
– BERGEN RECORD COLUMNIST ALFRED DOBLIN: Civil rights should not be determined by popular vote. Our nation has failed at that task almost every time. The public is swayed by emotion. Today it is manipulated by slick, expensive advertising campaigns. California’s Proposition 8 that banned same-sex marriage was all about politics and money. I marvel how the governor kept a straight – pun intended – face when he said putting marriage equality on the ballot in a presidential election year would make the issue non-political.
– PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER COLUMNIST KEVIN RIORDAN: In calling for an American Idol-style yea-nay about the private lives of thousands of New Jerseyans, Christie seems to have forgotten something. “We are debating about the lives of real people,” the bill cosponsor, Sen. Loretta Weinberg, told the hearing. Marriage equality, the Bergen County Democrat added, is about “people we all know, love and respect.”
Troy, Michigan Mayor Plays Victim As Recording Confirms Homophobia |
Janice Daniels, mayor of Troy, Michigan, has faced scrutiny for various anti-gay comments she has made, including her disdain for New York “now that queers can get married there.” Now, a newly obtained recording confirms that she recently told some local gay-straight alliance students that she believes homosexuality is a mental disease. Daniels had denied making such comments, but the Detroit Free Press reports via the meeting’s recording that she suggested the community “bring in psychiatrists who will tell you that the homosexual lifestyle is dangerous.” Daniels has said she has been bullied, threatened, and “unfairly vilified” for her “inconsequential” comments, but 72 percent of Troy voters have responded that they would support her recall.
The Romney campaign has released a letter from Christian conservatives touting the former Massachusetts governor’s “solid social conservative credentials,” “leadership on the marriage issue,” and opposition to abortion rights. Romney “helped prevent our nation from being plunged into even worse legal turmoil following the court decision that forced ‘gay marriage’ upon our Commonwealth,” the broad coalition of anti-abortion and anti-gay groups write, dismissing his past support for a woman’s right to choose and gay and lesbian equality:
Governor Romney immediately and strongly condemned the November 18, 2003 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) decision that legalized “same-sex marriage” in our state. More importantly, he followed up on that denunciation with action – action that saved our nation from a constitutional crisis over the definition of marriage. He and his staff identified and enforced a little-known 1913 law that allowed them to order local clerks not to issue marriage licenses to out-of-state couples. Absent this action, homosexual couples would surely have flooded into Massachusetts from other states to get “married” and then demanded that their home states recognize the “marriages,” putting the nation only one court decision away from nationalizing “same-sex marriage.”
Twenty-one religious leaders endorsed the letter, including the Massachusetts Family Institute’s Kristian Mineau, whose organization received donations from Romney’s charitable foundation and promotes discredited ex-gay therapy.
Another signatory, Dr. Roberto Miranda of the COPAHNI Fellowship of Hispanic Pastors of New England, sees marriage equality as the work of the Devil and has drawn a “direct correlation between marriage equality and the September 11th terrorist attacks.” “Is it exaggerated to see prophetic significance in the fact that on September 11, 2001 Boston served as the point of departure for the deadly forces that spread so much destruction and havoc in this nation and all over the world,” he asked. “What took place at the material level is now being carried out at the moral and spiritual level, as the virus of homosexuality and gay marriage begins to spread dramatically all over this nation and perhaps the world.”
Romney echoed a similar message ahead of the South Carolina primary, releasing a commercial in which conservative supporters described him as a candidate who believes in “the sanctity of life, the sacredness of marriage, and the importance of the family.” (HT: Jeremy Hooper)
In a speech to 30 African heads of state yesterday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the leaders to do more to support LGBT rights:
KI-MOON: Let me mention one form of discrimination that has been ignored or even sanctioned by many states for far too long, discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This has prompted some governments to treat people as second-class citizens, or even criminals. Confronting this discrimination is a challenge. But we must live up to the ideals of the Universal Declaration [of Human Rights].
Ki-Moon’s remarks reflect last month’s report from the U.N.’s Human Rights Commission about the importance of decriminalizing homosexuality and protecting LGBT people from discrimination. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also recently called on nations to treat “gay rights as human rights” and end all forms of persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Many African countries with anti-gay laws have rebuffed efforts by the U.S. and Britain to improve their policies, defending the role of religion in their societies and decrying gay rights as a “Western invention.”
As the New Hampshire legislature prepares to vote on legislation to repeal the state’s same-sex marriage law in the coming days, some Republican lawmakers are hinting that they may not have the votes to override Gov. John Lynch’s (D) expected veto of the measure. Republicans — who hold veto-proof majorities in the both the House and Senate — remain split on whether the government should limit residents’ personal freedoms, the Concord Monitor reports, and the party leadership is hoping to avoid a prolonged debate on the issue:
Rep. Seth Cohn, a Canterbury Republican who moved here as part of the Free State project, a libertarian movement to relocate to New Hampshire, is also against repeal. Cohn and others believe the bill may pass the House but does not have the two-thirds majority to override a potential veto by Democratic Gov. John Lynch, who signed the bill three years ago legalizing same-sex marriage.
“I know for a fact, based on people I’ve talked to, that if Gov. Lynch vetoes it, that veto is not override-able,” Cohn said.
Cohn said he plans to introduce an amendment on the House floor that would take government entirely out of marriage, instead giving all couples a civil union and leaving marriage up to churches and other religious institutions. That same approach is supported by the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, a libertarian-leaning group that endorsed 107 House members elected in 2010.
“[T]hey don’t want to get dragged into it,” Gene Chandler, a former Republican House speaker explained. “It’s kind of one of those issues we’re going to have to deal with but wish we didn’t have to, in my opinion,” he added. Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R) — who voted against marriage equality — has also pledged that party members can vote their consciences on marriage. “These are deeply personal issues,” Bradley said. “Leadership in the Senate is not going to push people one way or the other.”
In a brief interview, Campfield confirmed to BuzzFeed that the restaurant’s hostess called him homophobic and said that he “hates homosexuals,” refusing to serve him. He argued that it couldn’t be true because he rents to gay people through his business. (HT: Towleroad.)
Welcome to The Morning Pride, ThinkProgress LGBT’s 8:45 AM round-up of the latest in LGBT policy, politics, and some culture too! Here’s what we’re reading this morning, but let us know what you’re checking out as well. Follow us all day on Twitter at @TPEquality.
- The Washington Post reports that Ron Paul signed off on the racist and homophobic newsletters that bear his name.
- Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley spoke at Creating Change yesterday, reiterating his support for marriage equality and gender identity nondiscrimination protections. Meanwhile, Maryland First Lady Katie O’Malley has apologized for calling the legislators who turned against marriage equality last year “cowards.”
Speaking today at the National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change in Baltimore, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan introduced a broad and sweeping set of new nondiscrimination protections the department will be implementing. Under the new guidelines, any program that receives funding or insurance through HUD will be prohibited from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, including Section 8 housing, emergency shelters, and other social services, as well as lending for FHA-insured mortgage financing. In addition, all such programs will now be required to recognize same-sex and otherwise LGBT families — regardless of their marital status or the adoption status of their children — to ensure they can stay together as a family unit when accessing HUD resources.
In his remarks, Donovan explained the significance of these changes:
DONOVAN: And so, first and foremost, this rule includes a new equal access provision that prohibits owners and operators of HUD-funded housing, or housing whose financing we insure, from inquiring about an applicant’s sexual orientation or gender identity or denying housing on that basis. If you are denying HUD housing to people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity—actual or perceived—you’re discriminating, you’re breaking the law – and you will be held accountable. That’s what equal access means – and that’s what this rule is going to do.
Secondly, this rule makes clear that LGBT families, like the DeShanes, are eligible for HUD’s public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs that collectively serve 5.5 million people. Third, the rule also makes clear that sexual orientation and gender identity should not and cannot be part of any lending decision when it comes to getting a mortgage insured by the FHA – part of HUD.
I’m proud to announce that this rule will be published as final in the Federal Register next week and go into effect 30 days later.
Watch it:
In addition to HUD’s new regulations, the White House announced Friday that it will hold a series of public forums across the country designed to “ensure health, well-being, security, justice, and equality for LGBT Americans.” It is likely that these conferences will help serve as a vehicle for educating local service providers and community leaders about how to implement various new protections.
Anti-Gay Legislators Try To Prevent Same-Sex Military Marriages — Again |
Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) has introduced a new bill (HR 3828) that would prevent military chaplains from performing same-sex marriages on military bases — even in states where such marriages would be valid. The bill attempts to affirm the rights of military chaplains not to perform such marriages (even though Pentagon policy already specifies as such), but then intentionally denies them the right to perform them at all. Huelskamp and others previously tried to derail the Defense Reauthorization Act with a similar provision.
NEWS FLASH
EBay Official: Company Won’t Move Jobs To Utah If It Doesn’t Pass LGBT Employment Protections |
eBay General Counsel Brandon Pace warned Utah lawmakers on Thursday that the company may reconsider relocating 3,000 workers to the state if it does not extend employment protections the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The state is currently considering such a measure, sponsored by state Sen. Ben McAdams (D). At a discussion with business leaders about the proposed legislation, McAdams added that 70 percent of Utah residents support statewide housing and employment protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals.
The LGBT blogosphere has been wrestling with comments made by actress Cynthia Nixon (immortally Sex in the City‘s ”Miranda”) to the New York Times that she chose to be a lesbian:
I gave a speech recently, an empowerment speech to a gay audience, and it included the line ‘I’ve been straight and I’ve been gay, and gay is better.’ And they tried to get me to change it, because they said it implies that homosexuality can be a choice. And for me, it is a choice. I understand that for many people it’s not, but for me it’s a choice, and you don’t get to define my gayness for me. A certain section of our community is very concerned that it not be seen as a choice, because if it’s a choice, then we could opt out. I say it doesn’t matter if we flew here or we swam here, it matters that we are here and we are one group and let us stop trying to make a litmus test for who is considered gay and who is not.
She doubled down in an interview with the Daily Beast, but in a way that helped clarify where she’s really coming:
I don’t pull out the “bisexual” word because nobody likes the bisexuals. Everybody likes to dump on the bisexuals… but I do completely feel that when I was in relationships with men, I was in love and in lust with those men. And then I met Christine and I fell in love and lust with her. I am completely the same person and I was not walking around in some kind of fog. I just responded to the people in front of me the way I truly felt.
The negative reaction from gay blogs seems understandable, but perhaps unwarranted. Undoubtedly, as the gay community argues in courts across the country that homosexuality is immutable and ex-gay therapy is harmful and ineffective, having a prominent celebrity and activist say she “chose” to be gay is a little off-message. But I think it’s pretty clear that’s not what she meant, and so the real problem is that even within the gay community, we still have a very shallow understanding of sexual identity.
The bottom line is that there is a big difference between sexual orientation and sexual identity, even if it usually goes unnoticed. In other words, the language a person uses to describe how they identify does not have to perfectly align with what their natural attractions actually are. The Williams Institute estimates that about 3.5 percent of the population identify as LGBT, but as many as 11 percent of Americans report having same-sex attractions. I think Nixon’s comments make it pretty clear that she did not choose her attractions to women — nor her attractions to men — she merely chose to identify primarily as a lesbian.
Of course, the other factor is persistent biphobia (and inherent at its root, sexism) in both the straight and gay communities. Cathy Renna has highlighted that women’s sexuality is much more fluid than men’s, which makes E.J. Graff’s observation that most of the comments against Nixon have come from gay men fairly unsurprising. The impulse is still to fit people into neat little boxes, and some — again, often men — refuse to believe bisexuality even exists. By the way, science says it does. As Tyler Lewis has pointed out here before, this problem extends into the media, allowing for very few authentic portrayals of bi men. Nixon’s comment that “nobody likes the bisexuals” speaks for itself.
If the LGBT movement is fighting for the right of all people to own their identities free from discrimination, we should be better role models for celebrating that ethic.
Minnesotans Split On Marriage Inequality Amendment |
Voters in Minnesota are divided about a proposed constitutional amendment to outlaw same-sex marriage, a new Public Policy Opinion survey finds. Forty-eight percent of voters say they support defining marriage as between one man and one woman, while 44 percent are opposed. “It’s very much a generational issue- voters under 65 oppose the amendment but seniors support it 58/32 and that’s making the difference right now. 23% of Democrats intend to vote for it, more than the 19% of Republicans who are opposed.” Seventy-one percent of respondents say they “support either gay marriage or civil unions.”
Democratic Governors Martin O’Malley (MD) and Chris Gregoire (WA), who are both pursuing marriage equality bills in their state legislatures this session, appeared on MSNBC this morning to join the growing outcry against Gov. Chris Christie’s (R-NJ) suggestion that voters should decide if gay and people can marry:
– O’MALLEY: “I think the best resolution of these sorts of things… best that it happened legislatively. Sometimes, we have to go to court to get that done as a country. Other times, it’s a combination of several steps — courts, the people deciding, but ultimately, Americans resolve these issues by extending rights more fully and more equally to all individuals.
– GREGOIRE: : “I don’t want [lawmakers] to say instead of taking the tough vote, send it to the voters. They were elected to make these decisions, it’s time for them to do so.”
Watch it:
Opponents of marriage equality have pledged to put the issue on the ballot if it passes in the Washington legislature.
MIAMI, Florida — Two undocumented students confronted Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) during his speech here this morning at the Hispanic Leadership Network conference over his lack of support for the DREAM Act. Holding signs that read “Rubio: Latino Or Tea-Partino?” (Latin or Tea Partier?), the students were quickly escorted out of the Doral Golf Resort & Spa ballroom, where Rubio was speaking ahead of GOP presidential candidates, by security.
To his credit, Rubio said the two young men were “very brave” for raising “this legitimate issue” and urged them to stay to hear the rest of his speech. Instead, they were met by Doral City Police officers outside the ballroom, who pulled the students — one gave his name as Joe, preferring not to use a last name — away from reporters. Watch it:
NEWS FLASH
Alabama School Under Scrutiny After Official Tells A Student To Remove A Gay Rights Sweatshirt |
The Southern Poverty Law Center has warned an Alabama school district against infringing on a student’s freedom of speech. Elizabeth Garrett, an openly gay sophomore at Brookwood High School, said a school administrator told her to take off her sweatshirt that read, “Warning, This Individual Infected With ‘The Gay,’ Proceed With Caution,” because the official said it was disruptive. At a different point, the same official instructed Elizabeth that same-sex couples would not be allowed at the school’s prom. The Southern Poverty Law Center is threatening to file a federal lawsuit against the district if officials did not stop censoring speech supporting gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals and to do away with its ban on same-sex couples at prom by February 1. “No student should be singled out for unfair treatment or be denied their basic rights at school,” said Same Wolfe, an SPLC attorney.
By Amanda Peterson Beadle on Jan 27, 2012 at 12:05 pm
Tennessee state Rep. Stacey Campfield
Tennessee state Sen. Stacey Campfield (R), the man who sponsored Tennessee’s “don’t say gay” bill and once compared homosexuality to bestiality, now has a theory about the spread of HIV/AIDS. On Thursday, Campfield told the Huffington Post’s Michelangelo Signorile that it’s virtually impossible to spread HIV/AIDS through heterosexual sex and that AIDS came from the gay community:
“Most people realize that AIDS came from the homosexual community — it was one guy screwing a monkey, if I recall correctly, and then having sex with men. It was an airline pilot, if I recall.”
“My understanding is that it is virtually — not completely, but virtually — impossible to contract AIDS through heterosexual sex…very rarely [transmitted].”
But the facts don’t back up Campfield’s vicious lies. Most women who have been infected with HIV were infected through heterosexual sex, many from their husbands or boyfriends. In 2007, women made up more than 60 percent of adults living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, and the Global Council on Health reports that the male-to-female transmission of HIV is twice as likely as the female-to-male transmission. Not to mention the fact that his claim that gays and lesbians have shorter lifespans has already been thoroughly debunked.
Campfield defended his outrageous comments, saying he was simply speaking “on the fly,” and that while he’s not an AIDS historian, “I’ve read and seen what other people have read and seen and those facts are out there.”
NEWS FLASH
Federal Judge Finds Same-Sex Long-Term Care Ban Unconstitutional |
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken says she will likely overturn an aspect of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act that excludes California state employees who are in same-sex domestic partnerships from receiving federal tax benefits related to long-term health coverage as the law appears to be “motivated by antigay animus”. In a written statement, Wilken charges that Federal officials “have failed to show a plausible, legitimate rationale for excluding registered domestic partners from (the law’s) list of eligible family members (for the tax benefits), and the court can think of none.” Although Judge Wilken has indicated she is inclined to overturn the law, the ruling determined that the potential lawsuit can only proceed on behalf of spouses and registered domestic partners. President Obama has agreed the law is unconstitutional, and said he would no longer defend the law in court — a job that has now been assigned to lawyers hired by House Republican leaders. — Fatima Najiy
Maryland First Lady Katie O’Malley lashed out against opponents of same-sex marriage while speaking on Thursday at the 24th annual Conference on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality. “[T]here were some cowards that prevented it from passing,” O’Malley said, referring to last year’s unsuccessful effort to pass a bill allowing gays and lesbians to marry.
Katie’s husband Martin has taken a much more active role in pushing a marriage bill through the legislature this session, after being criticized by LGBT equality groups for not personally investing in the measure last year. O’Malley’s support for same-sex marriage was largely contained “to private conversations with lawmakers. He made no mention of the legislation in his agenda-setting State of the State speech.”
O’Malley has apologized for her remarks: “I deeply respect that there are strongly held and differing views on marriage equality in Maryland but hope that our state’s elected officials will come together to fairly address this important issue for our families and children.”
NEWS FLASH
Washington Senate Committee Advances Marriage Equality Bill |
The Washington state Senate Government Operations, Tribal Relations & Elections Committee has voted 4-3 to advance the proposed marriage equality bill. A date has not yet been scheduled for the full Senate vote, but both chambers have enough votes to pass the measure into law, and Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) is committed to signing it. Equality opponents have promised a referendum on the bill.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) decision to place same-sex marriage on the ballot has drawn some sharp criticism from many in his state. Christie tried to defend the move by arguing that “people would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South” – a comparison Newark Mayor Cory Booker and other African American leaders condemned.
In a speech to 30 African heads of state yesterday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the leaders to do more to support LGBT rights:
As the New Hampshire legislature prepares to vote on legislation to repeal the state’s same-sex marriage law in the coming days, some Republican lawmakers are hinting that they may not have the votes to override Gov. John Lynch’s (D) expected veto of the measure. Republicans — who hold veto-proof majorities in the both the House and Senate — remain split on whether the government should limit residents’ personal freedoms, the Concord Monitor 
Speaking today at the National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change in Baltimore, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan introduced a broad and sweeping set of 
The LGBT blogosphere has been wrestling with comments made by actress Cynthia Nixon (immortally Sex in the City‘s ”Miranda”) to the New York Times that she 
MIAMI, Florida — Two undocumented students confronted Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) during his speech here this morning at the Hispanic Leadership Network conference over his lack of support for the DREAM Act. Holding signs that read “Rubio: Latino Or Tea-Partino?” (Latin or Tea Partier?), the students were quickly escorted out of the Doral Golf Resort & Spa ballroom, where Rubio was speaking ahead of GOP presidential candidates, by security.
Maryland First Lady Katie O’Malley 
