From Times Online <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/> February 9, 2010
Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent
The Archbishop of Canterbury issued a "profound apology" to the lesbian and
gay Christian community today.
In a powerful address to the General Synod, Dr Rowan Williams warned that
any schism within the Church would represent a betrayal of God's mission.
But he made clear that he regretted recent rhetoric in which he has sought
to mollify the fears of the traditionalist wing of the church.
The Archbishop is from the Church's liberal wing and a man who once espoused
equal rights for gays within the Church. More recently he has adopted a
conservative line for the sake of Church unity.
Today he said: "There are ways of speaking about the question that seem to
ignore these human realities or to undervalue them.
"I have been criticised for doing just this and I am profoundly sorry for
the carelessness that could give such an impression."
Addressing the even more contentious debate over gay ordinations - something
which threatens to split the Church farther with the expected consecration
in May of Canon Mary Glasspool, a lesbian, as a bishop in Los Angeles - Dr
Williams said it had not been helped by those who ignored the fact that many
worshippers were gay, as well as many "sacrificial and exemplary priests".
Read the rest of Ruth's column here
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7020655.ece> .
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February 9, 2010 7:40AM
Church of Uganda Recommends Amending Anti-Homosexuality Bill
Sarah Pulliam Bailey
The Church of Uganda released its
<http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/special/pdf/0209couposition.pdf>
official position on the Anti-Homosexuality
<http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/decemberweb-only/151-41.0.html>
Bill that, if passed in its proposed version, would recommend the death
penalty or life in prison for various homosexual acts.
The bill
<http://wthrockmorton.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/anti-homosexuality-bill
-2009.pdf> suggests the death penalty for people have homosexual sex with
minors, the disabled, while being HIV-positive, serial offenders, or if the
person is in authority over another. In its executive summary, the Church of
Uganda addresses the proportionality in sentencing but does not offer
specific recommendations for changes to the proposed sentences. In a
statement provided to Christianity Today, the Church of Uganda expressed
concerns with the bill, recommending that the bill be amended to reflect the
following:
1. Ensure that the law protects the confidentiality of medical, pastoral and
counseling relationships, including those that disclose homosexual practice
in accordance with the relevant professional codes of ethics.
2. Language that strengthens the existing Penal Code to protect the boy
child, especially from homosexual exploitation; to prohibit lesbianism,
bestiality, and other sexual perversions; and to prohibit procurement of
material and promotion of homosexuality as normal or as an alternative
lifestyle, be adopted.
3. Ensure that homosexual practice or the promotion of homosexual relations
is not adopted as a human right.
4. Existing and future Educational materials and programmes on gender
identity and sex education are in compliance with the values and the laws of
Uganda.
5. The involvement of additional stakeholders in the evaluation of the gaps
in the existing legislation, including, but not limited to, the Ministry of
Health, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, its
Department of Immigration and other relevant departments.
6. The undertaking of a comprehensive legislative and literature review of
all the laws and literature related to the subject at hand in order to
identify the actual gaps in the existing legislations.
The Church of Uganda said it appreciates the following objectives in the
bill:
a) provide for marriage in Uganda as contracted only between a man and
woman;
b) prohibit and penalize homosexual behaviour and related practices in
Uganda as they constitute a threat to the traditional family;
c) prohibit ratification of any international treaties, conventions,
protocols, agreements and declarations which are contrary or inconsistent
with the provisions of the Act;
d) prohibit the licensing of organizations which promote homosexuality.
According to the 2002 census, about 36 percent of the country belongs to the
Church of Uganda while 42 percent of the country belongs to the Catholic
Church.
The rest of the article is here:
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2010/02/church_of_ugan
d.html
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Trial date for "Denver Five" set for Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Contact: Shari Wilkins, debshari@..., 303-399-4059
(Denver, CO) February 10, 2010, is the new trial date for the Denver Five
(Kate Burns, John Ferguson, Lewis Thompson, Laurin Foxworth and Shari
Wilkins). The trial will begin at approximately 8:30 a.m., in the Denver
City and County Building, Courtroom 117M (north end, lower level). Motions
and jury selection are expected to take place on Wednesday. Testimony is
expected to begin on Thursday (Feb 11).
The Denver Five were arrested on May 26, 2009, following an act of
nonviolent civil protest, in the Denver County Clerk and Recorder's Office.
The action, which included the request for a marriage license for a same-sex
couple, followed the California Supreme Court decision to uphold
Proposition 8, thus rescinding the right of same-sex couples to marry in the
future.
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Pakistan's 'third gender' seek greater rights
by Elena Becatoros
Associated Press
Monday Feb 8, 2010
Taunted at home, Sanhya ran away at age 12, searching for acceptance as she
sees herself - neither male nor female, but a member of a third gender.
Pakistan's transgender community has long lived on society's margins,
harassed by police, ridiculed as freaks, pitied as the outcast people of
Allah and often rejected by their own families. Now the Supreme Court is
giving them hope through a petition for their rights to be respected.
"People are recognizing that we are also human beings," said Almas Bobby,
who acts as head of the community and fights for equal rights.
A series of hearings by the court over the past 11 months could be the first
steps toward bringing them into the mainstream. The court has already
suggested authorities consider adding a third gender to state-issued
identity cards - a bold proposal in Pakistan's conservative society.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?102059
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Prop 8 Judge is Outed
by Kilian Melloy
Monday Feb 8, 2010
Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who will decide whether voter
initiatives that target the rights of same-sex families violate the
guarantees of equality laid out in the U.S. Constitution, is himself
homosexual, a Feb. 7 article in the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Walker's homosexuality is an "open secret," the article said, noting that
Walker has never tried to conceal his orientation--though he has also never
advertised it. The article added that Democratic lawmakers and gay
politicians do not think that Walker is likely to allow his own orientation
to influence his ruling unduly. Walker was appointed by George Bush, Sr., in
1989; he is seen as a conservative jurist.
"There is nothing about Walker as a judge to indicate that his sexual
orientation, other than being an interesting factor, will in any way bias
his view," Kate Kendell of the National Center for Lesbian Rights told the
Chronicle. Kendell's organization favors the case against Proposition 8, a
deeply divisive California ballot initiative that in 2008 rescinded the
then-existing right of gay and lesbian families to marry when a thin
majority voted for the proposal, which amended the state's constitution,
following months of often acrimonious debate.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?102092
Marriage Equality Low Priority for Iowans
by Kilian Melloy
Monday Feb 8, 2010
Though national anti-gay organizations such as the National Organization for
Marriage (NOM) have targeted marriage equality for repeal in Iowa, as in
other states that extend legal parity to gay and lesbian families, Iowans
themselves are largely unconcerned with the issue, rating the problem of
drivers texting while at the wheel as being of greater significance than
attempts to wrest marriage away from same-sex families, according to a Feb.
8 article at the Des Moines Register.
Indeed, the article noted, the state's residents say that far more pressing
matters should be dealt with by state lawmakers, with marriage equality and
several other "hot button" issues failing to prompt much voter concern. Out
of six topics--including marriage, gun control, gambling, and other
topics--voters in that state found only texting while driving significant
enough to take lawmakers away from crucial issues. Out of the six issues,
marriage equality--which became legal in Iowa last year after a ruling by
the state's supreme court--was ranked last by voters.
Nor are Democrats, who control Iowa's state government, likely to tackle the
issue of marriage once again. Even the state's Republican lawmakers see the
issue of family equality as non-starter with voters: "I think of that
collection of topics, they're clearly interested in government sticking to
its core business, which is public safety," said Kraig Paulsen, the House
Minority Leader.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?102089
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Op-Ed Contributor
Have Faith in Love
By ERIC LAX
Published: February 7, 2010
Beverly Hills, Calif.
THE election, two months ago, of the Rev. Mary Glasspool, a priest who has
been in a committed relationship with another woman for more than 20 years,
as a suffragan (assistant) bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles,
has brought added turmoil
<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/us/07episcopal.html> to the Episcopal
Church in the United States and to the worldwide Anglican Communion. There
has been sporadic schism since the regular ordination of women as priests in
1977 and especially since the election of the Rev. Gene Robinson as bishop
of New Hampshire in 2003. He is the first openly gay bishop in the history
of those Christian bishops - Anglicans, Roman Catholics and Greek and
Russian Orthodox among them - who trace their succession back to the
apostles.
In protest, several dozen parishes have aligned themselves with conservative
Anglican bishops in Africa, and the Roman Catholic Church has offered to
take in disaffected Episcopalians. In 2008, the leadership of the Anglican
Communion, to which the American church belongs, tried to keep things
together by urging the Americans not to elect other openly gay people as
bishops until the Communion could establish more common ground. The Los
Angeles electors' choice of a gay woman as bishop has pushed the
denominational envelope to the point of tearing.
The Glasspool election and its ensuing uproar make me realize how much has
changed since 1976, when my father, who came to the Los Angeles diocese as a
priest in 1947, died. About the biggest controversy within the church during
most of his ministry was over proposed revisions to the 1928 Book of Common
Prayer.
At that time, marriage was strictly Adam and Eve. Gays were closeted,
whether they were in the congregation or the male-only priesthood. Until
1971, when women were first ordained as deacons, the highest post a woman
could attain was member of the vestry, the elected group that manages parish
business. But even that was uncommon; usually the highest ranking woman in
the parish was the leader of the altar guild, which arranges the flowers in
the church, sets up the Eucharistic vessels and washes and irons the linens
used in the service. Women could not be priests because - according to the
reasoning that had held for two millenniums - none of the apostles was a
woman. This made as much sense as saying that, as none of the apostles was a
scholar, scholars could not be priests, or that because all the apostles
were Jews, only Jews could be ordained.
The rest of the article is here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/opinion/08lax.html
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We apologize for the large number of posts today. This seemed to be an
especially busy week for news on a variety of topics. We wanted to get
caught up.
For reasons that we haven't been able to determine, Trend Micro security
software considers most messages from Called Out to be spam. (Efforts to
train one copy in particular have been frustrating). This may be a problem
with other security software as well. You can always browse Called Out
messages by going to <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UMCalledOut/messages>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UMCalledOut/messages (no sign in required).
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
AN URGENT OPEN LETTER FROM MEL
February 5, 2010
Open Letter from Soulforce to Jan and Paul Crouch, founders of the Trinity
Broadcasting Network, and the Evangelical Christian broadcasters who are
featured on Lighthouse Television, TBN’s affiliate in Uganda, including:
Matthew Crouch, Joyce Meyer, Andrew Wommack, Benny Hinn, Kenneth
Copeland, Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, and Franklin Graham:
By now you are well aware of the anti-homosexual bill pending before the
Parliament of Uganda. We urge you to denounce this bill. Use your personal
friendships with President and Mrs. Museveni, with MP David Bahati (your
Christian colleague who proposed this bill) and with Stephen Langa, (the
Ugandan Christian organizer behind the bill) to take a public and passionate
stand against it.
The media are blaming the visit to Uganda by three of your colleagues for
this despicable and truly un-Christian law. In fact, for years you have
used your Lighthouse Television programs, your radio broadcasts and your
massive public meetings to warn Ugandans of the so called “threat
homosexuals pose to Bible-based values and the traditional African Family.”
In no small part, you are already responsible for the current call by
Ugandan leaders to enforce the old law condemning lesbian and gay Ugandans
to up to 14 years in prison. This new law increases that sentence to life
imprisonment and even death by hanging. Denounce this new bill or the blood
of lesbian and gay Ugandans will be on your hands.
It isn’t just the “liberal media” who are condemning the bill. In
mid-November, Exodus International, the ministry that promises to assist
homosexuals in overcoming homosexuality, warned, "If homosexual behavior
and knowledge of such behavior is criminalized and prosecuted, as proposed
in this bill, church and ministry leaders will be unable to assist hurting
men, women and youth who might otherwise seek help in addressing this
personal issue.” While Soulforce does not agree with Exodus that lesbian
and gay people need to be "cured," we wholeheartedly agree with their
position on this hateful bill.
Warren Throckmorton, a member of the Clinical Advisory Board of the American
Association of Christian Counselors warned that this legislation would make
their mission “to extend the love and compassion of Christ to all” a
difficult if not impossible task.
Your colleague, mega-church pastor Rick Warren, in a very public video
appeal to his fellow clergy in Uganda, gives five reasons why Ugandan
Christians should not support the bill: (1) it is “unjust, extreme and
un-Christian; (2) it would “force pastors to report their pastoral
conversations with homosexuals to authorities; (3) “…it would have a
chilling effect on your ministry to the hurting… homosexuals who are HIV
positive will be reluctant to seek or receive care, comfort and compassion
from our churches out of fear of being reported; (4) “All life, no matter
how humble or broken, whether unborn or dying, is precious to God… It would
be inconsistent to save some lives and wish death on others…” And (5) “the
freedom to make moral choices, and our right to free expression, are gifts
endowed by God.” Warren reminds the clergy that Uganda is a democratic
country “…and in a democracy everyone has a right to speak up.” Warren
concludes by urging them “to speak out against the proposed law.” *
The People of Soulforce urge you to take these warnings seriously. It is
very possible that your silence on this matter will convince the people of
Uganda that it is God’s will to condemn homosexuals to life imprisonment or
even death by hanging. Your powerful media voices have made you superstars
to Ugandans. We implore you to use your power to denounce this bill.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this time you and the Christian community
behaved in the manner of love and justice rather than fulfilling the
stereotype of the “liberal media” as ‘hate-filled bigots?
You often ask others, “What would Jesus do?” This is the perfect time to
ask yourselves that question.
The People of Soulforce
Mel White, Founder | Bill Carpenter, Interim Executive Director | Chuck
Phelan, Board Chair
* We wish to express our thanks to the Rev. Rick Warren for taking this
rather courageous step on behalf of the lesbian and gay people of Uganda.
Pastor Warren did everything in his power to avoid meeting with our gay and
lesbian parents and their families in 2009 during the Soulforce American
Family Outing. We have tried on many occasions to help him understand the
tragic consequences of his own teachings about homosexuality and
homosexuals. And though we continue hoping that he will meet with a
Soulforce delegation to hear the scientific, historic, psychological and
personal evidence that homosexuality is one of God’s gifts, we pause in our
pursuit just long enough to give him thanks for reaching out to save the
lives of our lesbian sisters and gay brothers in Uganda. Thank you, Pastor
Warren. We are grateful!
ADDENDUM 1: EXAMPLES OF OTHERS WHO CONDEMN THE BILL
This bill has been condemned by leaders of Western nations including the
Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia, and Great Britain and the President of
the United States. The European Parliament passed a resolution against the
bill and threatened to cut financial aid to Uganda if it is enacted. They
described the bill as “state-legislated genocide.”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Amnesty International
and Human Rights Watch urge Uganda to shelve the bill and decriminalize
homosexuality.
The 16,000 members of the HIV Clinicians Society of South Africa and the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS warned that excluding marginalized groups would
compromise efforts to stop the spread of AIDS in Uganda where 5.4% of the
adult population is infected with HIV.
The Sunday Times in South Africa warned Uganda that it is in danger of being
"dragged back to the dark and evil days of Idi Amin.”
The New York Times stated unequivocally “that such barbarism (in the bill)
is intolerable and will make Uganda an international pariah.”
The Washington Post labeled the bill "ugly and ignorant", "barbaric", and
"that it is even being considered puts Uganda beyond the pale of civilized
nations.”
The Los Angeles Times warned that the bill would cause gay Ugandans to face
an "impossible, insulting, historical, cruel and utterly false choice of
having to choose between being gay and being African.”
The Anglican Reverend Canon Gideon Byamugisha said that the Bill "would
become state-legislated genocide.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has said in a public
interview that he did not see how any Anglican could support it: "Overall,
the proposed legislation is of shocking severity and I can’t see how it
could be supported by any Anglican who is committed to what the Communion
has said in recent decades. Apart from invoking the death penalty, it makes
pastoral care impossible – it seeks to turn pastors into informers."
The Vatican legal attaché to the United Nations stated that "Pope Benedict
is opposed to 'unjust discrimination' against gay men and lesbians.”
ADDENDUM 2: AS IN THE U.S., PAUL CAMERON IS THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF THE
HALF-TRUTH, HYPERBOLE AND LIES ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY AND HOMOSEXUALS UPON
WHICH THE BILL IS BASED
Stephen Langa, the March 2009 workshop organizer, specifically cited an
unlicensed conversion therapist named Richard A. Cohen who states in a book
that was given to Langa and other prominent Ugandans,
“Homosexuals are at least 12 times more likely to molest children than
heterosexuals; homosexual teachers are at least 7 times more likely to
molest a pupil; homosexual teachers are estimated to have committed at least
25 percent of pupil molestation; 40 percent of molestation assaults were
made by those who engage in homosexuality.”
These statements were based on faulty studies performed by Paul Cameron who
has been expelled from the American Psychological Association, the Canadian
Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association. Cohen,
himself, confirmed the weaknesses of these studies, stating that when the
book will be reprinted, these statistics will be removed.
ADDENDUM 3: OUR SOURCES
Jeffrey Gettleman, writing for the New York Times, January 4, 2010, reported
on “Americans’ Role in Uganda Anti-Gay Push.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/world/africa/04uganda.html
Erin Roach, posted on Baptist News, November 18, 2009, the news that “Exodus
Opposes Uganda’s Proposed Anti-Gay Law.”
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=31715
Baptist Press, December 13, 2009, announced that “Mega-Church Pastor Rick
Warren Condemns Uganda Anti-Gay Bill.
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/mega-church-pastor-rick-warren-condemns-ugand
a-anti-gay-bill
The editors of Wikipedia have assembled the best history of this bill and
the world’s response:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda_Anti-Homosexuality_Bill
YouTube carries the complete video of Rick Warren’s Open Letter to the
Clergy of Uganda*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jmGu9o4fDE
The goal of Soulforce is freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
people from religious and political oppression through the practice of
relentless nonviolent resistance.
To read past Soulforce email alerts go to www.soulforce.org/email.
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The Final Push
by Chris Geidner
Metro Weekly
Friday Feb 5, 2010
The decision of whether gays and lesbians should serve openly in the
military strikes at the core of the integrity of the military itself. The
top military advisor to President Barack Obama told senators on Tuesday,
Feb. 2, that the integrity of the institution is harmed when soldiers are
forced ''to lie about who they are'' -- a dramatic change from the comments
of military leaders when the matter was last considered by Congress in 1993.
It was a striking moment as Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joints Chiefs
of Staff, evenly and forcefully explained to the Senate Armed Services
Committee what steps the Pentagon would take to bring an end to the ''Don't
Ask, Don't Tell'' policy that came from the 1993 hearings.
Still, despite the statement from Mullen -- supported by a similar statement
from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates -- many advocates pushing for repeal
of the policy left Tuesday's hearing with more questions than answers.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101966
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Gay rights bill advanced by Kansas Senate panel
The Associated Press
TOPEKA | A Senate panel has endorsed a bill that would prohibit
discrimination in Kansas based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
The bill was advanced today by the Senate Federal and State Affairs
Committee, with three voting against it.
The rest of the article is here:
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1727639.html
Gay rights: Don't ask, don't think (Courtesy of One News Now)
Frank Turek - Guest Columnist - 2/5/2010 10:15:00 AM
The central argument in favor of same-sex marriage or overturning "don't
ask, don't tell" contains a fatal flaw. In fact, this is the flaw at the
heart of the entire gay rights movement.
Joint Chief Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen dutifully proclaimed the flaw as
truth the other day when speaking in favor of ending the "don't ask, don't
tell" policy. He said, "I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we
have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who
they are in order to defend their fellow citizens."
Lie about who they are?
Sorry Admiral, but as a former ROTC instructor and legal officer in the
United States Navy, I helped deny entrance to potential recruits and
prosecuted existing service people for all sorts of behaviors that were
incompatible with unit cohesion and military readiness. As you know, the
Uniformed Code of Military Justice prohibits numerous behaviors that are not
criminal offenses in civilian life (including adultery, fraternization, and
gambling with a subordinate), yet I never once saw anyone excused for their
behavior by claiming that's who they are.
The rest of the article is here:
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=885392
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First, this item from EDGE
LGBT High School Program Begins in L.A.
by Kilian Melloy
Wednesday Feb 3, 2010
The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center in Los Angeles has added a new service: now,
in addition to housing, job placement, health, and other areas of
assistance, the center provides a safe educational environment for LGBT
students.
There's need for such a program, given the experiences of many GLBT youth,
noted a Feb. 1 article in the Los Angeles Times, which characterized the
educational program as a "harassment-free school" and reported that students
in the program meet with instructors twice weekly, doing a considerable
amount of homework in between sessions. The program is set up to accommodate
around 40 students, ranging from 7th through 12th grades, but the program
could be expanded if there's enough response. For the time being, one
instructor sees to the education of three students. But the program is not
an equivalency program: graduates receive a high school diploma, just as if
they had attended a regular school.
The program, which is co-administered by the center's Lifeworks program,
came about after Marsha Aizumi saw how her son, Aiden, suffered at school.
Aiden had to finish his education from home; Marsha reached out to educators
to see if there might not be a better way for GLBT students to have their
educational needs met in a non-hostile environment.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101895
Second, this item from AFA Blogger Jeremy Wiggins
Los Angeles Opens School for Homosexuals
Date: 2/2/2010 10:17:03 AM
Let me just clear the air a little bit. I am in no way in favor of the
harassment of any individual, for any reason. I am not for violence against
anyone, and I believe everyone should be treated the same, or receive
preferential treatment.
Having said that I can move on to the waste of money an already cash
strapped California is pouring down the sink.
According to the LA Times a school is opening up a school that is sponsored
by the LA Gay and Lesbian Center. The school currently has one teacher on
staff, with three students enrolled. It is an independent study program
where students meet with an instructor twice a week and are expected to
complete between four and six hours of work at home each weekday.
Do you know that this means? Let's use the left's own definition of
SEGREGATION against them. Didn't we go through something like this back in
the 60s, where African Americans went to different schools and it was a hard
fought victory to integrate. "Separate but equal" was found to be
unconstitutional, and the laws were changed.
The rest of the article is here:
http://action.afa.net/Blogs/BlogPost.aspx?id=2147491608
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Tax court allows deduction for woman's sex change
by Denise Lavoie
Associated Press
Wednesday Feb 3, 2010
The U.S. Tax Court ruled Tuesday that a Massachusetts woman should be
allowed to deduct the costs of her sex-change operation, a decision that
could have broad implications for transgender people.
Rhiannon O'Donnabhain (oh-DON'-oh-vin), who was born a man, sued the
Internal Revenue Service after the agency rejected a $5,000 deduction for
approximately $25,000 in medical expenses associated with the sex-change
surgery.
The IRS said the surgery was cosmetic and not medically necessary.
In its decision Tuesday, the tax court said the IRS position was "at best a
superficial characterization of the circumstances" that is "thoroughly
rebutted by the medical evidence."
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101862
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Malawi Man Arrested for Gay Rights Posters
by Kilian Melloy
Wednesday Feb 3, 2010
In the African nation Malawi, sexual contact between consenting adults of
the same gender is illegal--and even non-sexual conduct can bring charges
grounded in the country's "decency laws."
Such was the case when two men, 26-year-old Steven Monjeza and 20-year-old
Tiwonge Chimbalanga, allegedly hosted a public celebration of their union as
gay life partners: the pair were placed under arrest late last year and have
been detained, awaiting trial. They have also reportedly faced the prospect
of invasive medical examinations to determine whether they have been
engaging in gay sex. If convicted, the couple could face up to 14 years in
prison.
Their lawyer, Mauya Msuku, says that the arrest of the young men flies in
the face of constitutional protections--but police have begun arresting
individuals who may be associated with nascent Malawi human rights
organizations working to ease legal and social pressure on gays, partly to
prevent gay men from going underground. Closeted gay men and other MSMs--men
who have sex with men--avoid HIV testing, and there are concerns that gays
who are afraid to seek testing and treatment could contribute to the ongoing
AIDS epidemic.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101901
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First, an item from EDGE
Major Newspapers Agree: End DADT
by Kilian Melloy
Thursday Feb 4, 2010
A majority of Americans, prominent military officials, and now the nation's
major newspapers agree that the 16-year-old military ban on openly gay
troops has outlived its usefulness and should be set aside. The only
question seems to be when the proper time would be to end "Don't Ask, Don't
Tell."
The Miami Herald stated, " 'Don't ask, don't tell'' is not only patently
unfair, it's also self-defeating. Since the policy was put into effect in
1993, U.S. military forces have discharged some 13,500 gay men and
lesbians." The editorial went on to note, "Among those expelled because of
their sexual orientation were many much-needed Arabic translators."
The editorial summed up the stipulations of the 1993 law, which says that
gay and lesbian troops can wear the uniform as long as they keep the truth
about their sexual orientation to themselves. "However, one cruel aspect of
this policy is that it allows third parties, such as jilted lovers, to out
someone to military superiors," the editorial notes.
In a Feb. 2 appearance before Congress, Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael
Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates proposed that in addition to the
launch of a year-long review of the policy, the ban would be applied a
little differently--such third party "outings" would no longer be sufficient
grounds for discharging gay soldiers (though a self-disclosure would still
render a service member liable to separation from the service).
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101994
Second, this item from EDGE
Right Mounts Odd Arguments for Keeping Anti-Gay Military Policy
by Kilian Melloy
Wednesday Feb 3, 2010
Since President Obama's State of the union speech, in which Obama said that
he would work with military officials to end the ban on openly gay troops,
the right wing has launched an array of arguments for keeping the ban in
place. Those arguments have only increased in number and intensity in the
wake of an appearance before Congress by Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael
Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who said that a review on the
policy would be carried out. It's not a surprise that the Right has launched
into impassioned arguments against allowing openly gay troops to serve--but
what some may find a bit striking is how strange the arguments are.
Though gay troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have increasingly been
open about their true orientation--perhaps an inevitable consequence of the
numerically challenged military's need to re-deploy the same servicemembers
time and again--their straight comrades in arms have not been thrown into
moral panic or suffered crippling lapses of discipline and morale, as the
original proponents of the 1993 law that bans service by openly gay troops
had predicted. Indeed, polls indicate that fewer and fewer men and women in
uniform--especially among younger troops--are troubled in any way by the
knowledge that some other their fellow troops are gay or lesbian, bisexual,
or transgender. In the civilian world, the polls show that approval of
dispensing with the ban is even higher--a Gallup poll from a year ago showed
that three-quarters of Americans favored allowing openly gay troops to
serve.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101904
Third, this item from the AP via EDGE
Defense officials say lift military ban on gays
by Anne Flaherty
Associated Press
Wednesday Feb 3, 2010
It's time to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy and allow
gay troops to serve openly for the first time in history, the nation's top
defense officials declared Tuesday, with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff proclaiming that service members should not be forced to "lie about
who they are."
However, both Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm.
Mike Mullen asked for a year to study the impact before Congress would lift
the controversial policy.
Reversing the Pentagon's 17-year-old policy toward gays "comes down to
integrity," for the military as an institution as well as the service
members themselves, Mullen told a Senate hearing. Unpersuaded, several
Republican senators said they would oppose any congressional effort to
repeal the policy.
Ten months before voters elect a new Congress, some Democratic leaders also
were leery of trying to change the policy this year, when both sides concede
Republicans are likely to pick up seats, especially after GOP Sen.-elect
Scott Brown's surprise victory last month in Massachusetts.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101877
Fourth, this item from the AP via EDGE
Signs point to shift on gays in military
by Robert Burns
Associated Press
Wednesday Feb 3, 2010
President Barack Obama may get his wish to allow gays to serve openly in the
military - not because of his powers of persuasion but because arguments
against it have lost traction over time.
A cultural shift since Congress passed a legal ban nearly a generation ago
has changed the debate.
For many younger members of the military - those doing the bulk of the
fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq - it's hardly a debate at all. Polls show
they care little about sexual orientation in their ranks.
Views in the wider society have evolved; gay marriage is now legal in five
states and the District of Columbia. Opinion surveys say a majority of
Americans think it's OK for gays to serve in uniform.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101861
Fifth, this AFA Blog by David P. Smith
Celebrating Sin
Date: 2/2/2010 10:25:24 AM
We recently heard from President Obama in the State of the Union address
that he wants to allow homosexuals to serve openly in the military and
eliminate "don't ask, don't tell" policies put in place by President Clinton
and continued by President Bush. The Pentagon plans on making changes
<http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-45789120100128> already
in anticipation of the law being changed by Congress later this year. Just
in May of last year, it was reported that the Pentagon had no plans
<http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D989EH1G0&show_article=1> on
changing it's policies. There was either resistance to Obama's plans or just
a facade of it at that time. Obviously, there is openness to complying with
Obama's desires now.
If that's not enough to please the homosexual groups who helped Obama get
elected, now it's being reported that the Air
<http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,584500,00.html?test=latestnews> Force
Academy is officially recognizing a worship circle for Neo-Pagans which
includes adherents to the Wiccan religion, or witches. The basic moral code
for them is the "Wiccan Rede" which states, "If it harms none, do what you
will." Homosexuality is accepted and celebrated in nearly all traditions of
this religion which is polytheistic. For other comparisons between
Christianity and Wiccans, there is information
<http://www.religionfacts.com/neopaganism/charts/wicca_vs_christianity.htm>
available to help with understanding.
In these days of perilous trials for many and for our nation that is being
threatened from all sides and from all levels, one would think that there
would be a greater desire to please God, and not rebel against Him further.
People today are not much different than they have ever been. The children
of Israel had to learn many hard lessons that come from not following the
one true God. Idolatry and promoting sin are not actions that will bring
God's blessings. People need to pray that our leaders will make better
decisions and stop this free fall away from God, or we will look back with
much regret one day over what our country and our families could have been
with a continuance of God's blessings upon us.
Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (NKJV) reads, "When you come into the land which the
Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations
of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his
son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft,
or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who
conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.
For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of
these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You
shall be blameless before the Lord your God. For these nations which you
will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the
Lord your God has not appointed such for you."
The rest of the article is available here:
http://action.afa.net/Blogs/BlogPost.aspx?id=2147491610
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
First, an article from the AP via EDGE
Calif. marriage trial draws friends with briefs
Associated Press
Thursday Feb 4, 2010
The federal challenge to California's same-sex marriage ban is attracting
nationwide attention in the form of "friend of the court" briefs.
Groups and individuals supporting and opposed to gay marriage submitted a
flurry of opinions on the subject Wednesday, the deadline Chief U.S. Judge
Vaughn R. Walker had set for the filing of amicus briefs.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101924
Second, an article from EDGE on efforts in Florida
Florida activists step up efforts to pass statewide domestic partnership
bill
by Joseph Erbentraut
EDGE Contributor
Thursday Feb 4, 2010
Florida LGBT activists have not wasted any time in making their mark in the
new year. Lawmakers heard testimony during a public hearing last week on a
newly re-introduced statewide domestic partnership bill.
State Sen. Eleanor Sobel (D-Hallandale) introduced Senate Bill 1642 while
state Rep. Richard Steinberg (D-Miami Beach) brought the companion House
Bill 1067. The measure would enact a registry for domestic partners;
offering limited, marriage-like rights that would including hospital
visitation and the ability to make health care decisions.
Rand Hoch, president of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, a
leading proponent of the bill who addressed lawmakers, said the bill has a
"broad appeal" for helping Floridians take care of each other. He
acknowledged, however, activists still had plenty of work ahead of them to
educate legislators of its importance.Broward and West Palm Beach Counties
and the cities of Miami and Tallahassee are among the handful of
municipalities in the state that offer their own benefits.
"I don't think many legislators have been dealing with the issue of domestic
partners on their way up, so it's still an educational process," Hoch
admitted. "But this gets the discussion going. It's really hard to tell how
the legislature will react."
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101909
Third, this from an AFA Blog by Jeremy Wiggins
Proposed Bill is Aimed at Appeasement in California
Date: 2/2/2010 8:41:35 AM
A real hot button issue in California right now is the ongoing struggle of
traditional marriage against those that wish to tear down its walls.
Proposition 8 made same-sex marriage illegal in California, but right now
homosexual activists are fighting that decision in court. (I guess since the
rest of the state doesn't want it, and voted against it, they feel they have
to force everyone else to bow to the wishes of the few)
A bill that is being pushed through, not by the clergy themselves, but by
supporters of gay marriage would prevent clergy members and churches from
facing legal consequences for refusing to perform same-sex marriages.
This is all just an attempt by those same people to try to cloud over the
issue. The issue here isn't whether or not a church could lose their tax
exempt status. The issue here is that this is an attack on the institution
of marriage.
What I don't get is why all of this attention is given to a group of people
who only represent less than 10% of the population are given so much power
over the other 90%.
The rest of the article is here:
http://action.afa.net/Blogs/BlogPost.aspx?id=2147491598
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Transgender Houstonian's murder remains unsolved
by Chris Seabury
EDGE Contributor
Thursday Feb 4, 2010
A transgender Houstonian's murder last month is the latest in a series of
unsolved homicides against the city's gender-variant residents.
Houston police officers found Myra Chanel Ical's badly bruised body in a
vacant lot on Garrott Street near the Southwest Freeway in the Montrose
neighborhood on Jan. 18. Police indicated the bruises were an obvious sign
Ical, 51, had been beaten, but she tried to fight back against her
assailant(s.)
Police are unsure a hate crime took place, but Sgt. Bobby Roberts said he
hopes trans Houstonians will come forward.
"We're hoping that this particular community, the transgender community,
reaches out to us and provides us with more information that helps us figure
this out," he told Fox 26 upon arriving at the crime scene.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101984
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
First, this item from Religion Dispatches
Religious Leaders Urge Obama to Condemn Ugandan Anti-Gay Bill at Prayer
Breakfast
By Sarah Posner <http://www.religiondispatches.org/authors/sarahposner/>
February 3, 2010
Obama is scheduled to address the National Prayer Breakfast, organized by
'The Family,' which has ties to the 'kill-the-gays' bill in Uganda.
Religious leaders, including a member of the president's faith-based
Advisory Council, are calling on the president to condemn homophobia and
offer an alternative, inclusive prayer event.
As more activists call attention
<http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/44038> to the activities of The
Fellowship, or The Family
<http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/rdroundtable/525/> , the
secretive fundamentalist powerhouse whose National Prayer Breakfast (NPB) is
this Thursday, a group of religious leaders has launched an alternative
American Prayer Hour to condemn The Family's role in the kill-the-gays bill
pending in the Ugandan parliament.
"Prayer is a good thing, and Americans ought to gather to pray, but we
better be careful what we pray for," said the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, the
Ninth Bishop of New Hampshire and the first openly gay bishop in the
Episcopal church, speaking at the National Press Club Tuesday morning. "We
have a duty to confront those who are praying for those things that would
break God's heart."
"I call upon our president to make himself known to be in opposition not
just to the death penalty but to this violation of human rights for all of
God's children in Uganda and beyond," Robinson added.
President Obama is scheduled to speak at the NPB despite calls for him to
boycott it. The religious leaders behind the American Prayer Hour are asking
him to take the opportunity to speak out against homophobia and
heterosexism, said Harry Knox, the Director of the Religion and Faith
Program at the Human Rights Campaign, which is co-sponsoring the events.
Knox is also a member of Obama's Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood
Partnerships Advisory Council (and RD
<http://www.religiondispatches.org/about/1130/advisory_council_> 's advisory
council).
The rest of the article is here:
<http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/2250/religious_leade
rs_urge_obama_to_condemn_ugandan_anti-gay_bill_at_prayer_breakfast>
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/2250/religious_leader
s_urge_obama_to_condemn_ugandan_anti-gay_bill_at_prayer_breakfast
Second, this item from Walking with Integrity
The Ugandan Frankenstien We Helped Create
By The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle, Vice President for National and International
Affairs, Integrity USA.
Last week's meeting between the Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop,
Archbishop of Canterbury and United Nations Secretary General talked about
everything important to people of faith, except one glaring omission,
Uganda. Even though the Church of Canada's House of Bishops, faith leaders
in Europe and the international human rights community have all come out
condemning the proposed anti-homosexuality bill being discussed by the
Ugandan parliament, we have yet to have a definitive statement on this
important issue from either Archbishop Rowan Williams or the Anglican
Observer at the United Nations, Helen Grace Wangusa, (who is originally from
Uganda). Why the silence?
The first priority of the Anglican Communion's Observer's work is to ensure
the commitment of the faith community within Anglicanism for the
implementation of the Declaration of Human Rights. "A cross thematic area to
ensure all policies adhere to the Declaration of Human Rights for the
protection of the dignity of the rights of every individual in the world" as
the website reports. Yesterday was a missed opportunity!
When Archbishop Livingstone Nkoyoyo, former Anglican Archbishop of Uganda
returned home following the 1998 Lambeth Conference, he made sure to tell a
press conference at Entebbe Airport that the Anglican Communion was behind
him and President Musevene to extend hasher laws on homosexuality. In
concert with his bishops (who influence one third of the population of
Uganda and a higher proportion of government ministers and Uganda's elite)
the Archbishop began a crusade against Ugandan homosexuals blaming western
and particularly Episcopal Church influence. This was clearly unfounded a
lie. With a Bush White House and greater financial influence from American
fundamentalists, the movement to misrepresent the Anglican Church's position
on homosexuality created a Frankenstein. Nkoyoyo said nothing about either
the listening process, the need to condemn homophobia and violence against
LGBT people and extending pastoral care, all recommendations to the world
wide Anglican family contained in Resolution 1:10. He also never mentioned
Resolution I: I, committing to uphold the Declaration of Human Rights. The
Church of Uganda was never publicly reprimanded by the Anglican Communion
Office or the Archbishop of Canterbury, or indeed any significant body of
peer bishops for their misuse. Silence equals endorsement.
When the history of this sad chapter in the life of the church is written,
we may discover that Anglicans are the architects of this monster, now
manifested in Uganda and about to spread to other parts of the African
church. Later, leaders like Rick Warren and Exodus international would bring
their own distinctive body parts to this new creation.
On 17th February, Pastor Martin Ssempa is threatening to bring one million
angry Ugandans on to the streets of Kampala to show Musevene's government
that "God fearing Christians" want no leniency for their gay and lesbian
brothers and sisters. Musevene is now caught between the unanimous outcry of
the international community and even the Vatican against this further
violation of human rights, and the Frankenstein we have helped to create. We
can trace some of the growing hostility to the gay community last year when
Exodus International and other American fundamentalist leaders held
conferences and meetings to encourage Ssempa and his Christian fascism to
continue their rein of terror and threats. Musevene, as an Anglican leader,
whose government was courted and bribed by the fundamentalist Christian
lobby, also shares in creating a monster that is about to turn on him. I
once met a gay Ugandan in the middle 1990's who told me Musevene had
threatened to gun anyone down on the streets who even dared to celebrate gay
pride. Fifteen years later, there will be a different demonstration and the
threat of gunning them down will not work this time. When a young democracy
like Uganda neglects the role and place of its minorities, as Musevene has
done for 20 years with the support of the United States government, Ssempa
and Bahati, (the author of the bill) become a manifestation of a deep
illness that is within this society.
As with the Rwandan genocide, once the fear, hatred and dehumanization of
any population has taken root, there is not much rational and inclusive
citizens or the international community can do to change the course of a
potential blood bath. When we looked back on the causes of the Rwandan
genocide, one of the main forces that created the climate of destruction was
the Christian Churches. There is clear evidence that without the years of
preaching, using communications and media networks and the organization of
the churches in particular, the genocide of 600,000 people could not have
happened. The Catholic Church denied its role and the Pope commented that
because a "few bad apples" were involved in some horrific events, the
institutional church could not be blamed. Similarly the Anglican Communion
was largely silent about our participation in the genocide and a few Rwandan
bishops escaped To Uganda and Kenya who were accused of helping to
mastermind local atrocities and informing the mobs about where terrified
groups were hiding in sanctuary-often in there churches. The then Archbishop
of Canterbury did not call for an ecclesiastical inquiry or demand bishops
be tried by their peers or court. His office and the office of the Anglican
Communion largely remained silent and the focus shifted to rebuilding the
infrastructure and leadership of the Rwandan church without any significant
reflection on our corporate role in creating this former Frankenstein. I
have friends working in Rwanda and many of these issues are still to be
resolved. Every 25 years, we can anticipate the build up of animosity, fear
and intimidation that are largely religiously condoned. Rwanda is about to
introduce it's own form of the anti-gay bill and President Kagame, (a close
friend of Rick Warren) is Musevene's former Defense Minister. As the
"Purpose Driven Country", Rwanda and Uganda shares the same moral vision and
a common hatred for gays. Rick Warren's recent "Letter to the Pastor's of
Uganda" was a brave attempt to put the cork back in the bottle and to
distance himself from something that his movement has helped to create. But
the genii has escaped. Frankenstein will be marching on the streets of
Kampala on 17th February, in all its frightening monstrosity and carrying a
very large Bible.
If a million Ugandans take to the streets on February 17th, one third of
them are probably Anglicans who will be calling for death to gays and fines
and imprisonment for those who minister to them. Some of our Anglican
bishops may also support the demonstration. For the Archbishop of Canterbury
and the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church not to make a statement on
this potential crisis in the modern human rights movement, knowing we helped
to create this madness, is still a mystery to me. Maybe they are doing a
"Rick Warren" and making sure the Church truly distances itself from this
ugly situation. It won't work.
History can help us make sense of the present, if we allow it to. Rwanda is
a reminder, that leadership, and religious leadership in particular, has a
remarkable way of inciting the crowd and then when things get a little out
of hand, to be silent, or in Rick Warren's case, to make a video. Like
Pilate, the sweet smell of Orange blossom soap ensures the blood of the
innocent and the vulnerable will not soil our hands. Rwanda is also a
reminder that our religious leadership can be struck silent at any moment
when there is something important that could have said. Clinton apologized
as a secular leader, we did not. Recent Christian history from this troubled
region also teaches us that the silence is usually followed by an extended
state of amnesia. We forget what we helped to create. Every Anglican bishop
who voted on the 1998 Lambeth Resolution bears the corporate and
institutional responsibility for what is happening in Uganda right now as
human dignity and emerging democracy is diminished in the name of Christ. As
the inheritors of the institutions who helped get us into this mess, both
Primates need to break your very loud silence.
** From the Rev. Canon Albert Ogle: " Though Integrity supports and welcomes
the Presiding Bishop's comments in December, it was a missed opportunity for
her not to have publically raised the Episcopal Church's concerns at this
high level UN meeting in January. This was the perfect opportunity for her
to encourage the Archbishop of Canterbury and the UN Anglican Communion
Observer to finally address the violation of human rights in Uganda and the
misuse of Lambeth Resolutions by the Anglican Church in Uganda. Integrity
feels this remains an important and critical issue for many respected
leaders in the international and faith community that it ought to have been
addressed specifically at this meeting."
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Are Sen.-Elect Scott Brown's Views on Gay Rights Changing?
by Joe Siegel
EDGE New England Editor
Monday Feb 1, 2010
Newly elected United States Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts has been an
opponent of same-sex marriage while serving as a State Senator.
On January 19, Brown defeated Democrat Martha Coakley in the special
election to fill the remaining three years of the U.S. Senate term vacated
by the death of Ted Kennedy.
In the 1980s Brown let it all hang out in a nude pictorial for women's mag
Cosmo and earned the title of "America's Sexiest Man" from the publication.
Brown's anti-gay history is infamous in a state which was the first in the
nation to recognize unions between same-sex couples.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101672
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sorry. We're a bit behind.
First, this item from the Bay Area Reporter via EDGE
Defense witnesses agree Prop 8 discriminates against gays
by Matthew S. Bajko
Bay Area Reporter
Sunday Jan 31, 2010
Professor Kenneth Miller
Professor Kenneth Miller (Source:Bill Wilson)
Email Print Share
The only witnesses called by the backers of California's same-sex marriage
ban in the federal court case examining whether the measure is
unconstitutional both testified this week that the anti-gay law, known as
Proposition 8, discriminates against gays and lesbians.
One of the experts went so far as to say that some voters supported the
measure due to anti-gay bias, while another admitted under oath that he
wrote in a book that legalizing same-sex marriage would, in effect,
strengthen America.
The testimony from the two men could be crucial for the plaintiffs in the
case, known as Perry vs. Schwarzenegger , as they try to convince federal
judges that Prop 8 was based on animus toward gays and lesbians, and
therefore, violates the U.S. Constitution.
The trial wrapped up Wednesday afternoon (January 27) as the backers of Prop
8 presented their last witness. U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker, who
is hearing the case without a jury, has delayed closing arguments in the
trial until after both sides present their evidentiary briefs. Closing
arguments are not expected until March at the earliest. Although Walker is
not under any deadline to issue his ruling in the case, he is expected to
render his decision rather quickly as he has prioritized speeding along the
proceedings knowing the case is likely to land before the U.S. Supreme
Court.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101665
Second, this item comes from Religion Dispatches
When Mormons Mobilize: Anti-Gay Marriage Prop. 8 Effort 'Outed'?
By Joanna Brooks
January 31, 2010
New documents introduced in the challenge to Prop. 8 reveal that the LDS
Church sought to create "plausible deniability" in its role in supporting
the Yes on 8 campaign. Why would the LDS hierarchy want to deny Mormon
involvement?
Try not to look like missionaries...
On Wednesday, January 20, in a federal courthouse in San Francisco,
plaintiffs in the Perry vs. Schwarzenegger trial challenging the legality of
California's Proposition 8 introduced two documents (over strenuous
objections from the defense) indicating close but cautious coordination
between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Yes on 8
campaign.
The documents, according to plaintiffs' witness Gary Segura, a professor of
political science at Stanford University, indicated a desire on the part of
the Church to create "plausible deniability or respectable distance between
the church organization per se and the actual campaign."
Segura's words soon rippled across the gay blogosphere, as trial watchers
from The Atlantic's Andrew Sullivan to Julia Rosen of the California-based
Courage Campaign latched onto the phrase "plausible deniability" as an
"explosive" indictment of the Mormon Church's allegedly behind-the-scenes
relationship to the Proposition 8 campaign.
But to Mormons in California (both those who supported the Yes on 8 campaign
and those who opposed it), the relationship between the church and the
Proposition 8 campaign has always been undeniable.
The rest of the article is here:
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/churchstate/2236/when_mormons_mobi
lize%3A_anti-gay_marriage_prop._8_effort_%E2%80%98outed%E2%80%99
Third, this item from the AP via Washington Post
Hawaii nixes same-sex civil unions bill
By MARK NIESSE
The Associated Press
Friday, January 29, 2010; 11:27 PM
HONOLULU -- Hawaii lawmakers declined to vote Friday on a bill that would
have allowed same-sex civil unions, effectively doing away with the measure.
State House leaders said a narrow majority of representatives would have
voted for civil unions, but they decided to indefinitely postpone a decision
on whether to grant gay and lesbian couples the same rights and benefits the
state provides to married couples.
Civil union supporters in the crowded House gallery on Friday shouted,
"Shame on you!" while opponents cheered.
"It's an election year, and they're more concerned about keeping their seats
than doing what's right," said Stephen Nagle of Kaaawa, wearing a rainbow
lei in support of civil unions.
The rest of the article is here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR2010012903
706.html
Fouth, this item from EDGE
New Hampshire Towns Rejecting Reconsideration of Marriage Equality
by Kilian Melloy
Tuesday Feb 2, 2010
Though anti-gay activists have started to pursue an attempt to overturn
marriage equality in New Hampshire, towns in that state seem to be rejecting
the anti-marriage push.
Manchester, New Hampshire, news station WMUR Channel 9 reported in a Feb. 1
article that anti-gay activists around the state have brought the issue
before city governments at town meetings since marriage equality became law
on Jan. 1. However, petitions to rescind marriage rights from the state's
gay and lesbian families have so far gained little traction; the town of
Deerfield rejected a petition to the city's government to send a letter to
state lawmakers urging that a Proposition 8-style ballot initiative be
placed before voters that would write anti-gay discrimination into the New
Hampshire constitution.
On Feb. 1, the town of Londonderry also rejected such a petition through a
unanimous vote from the town council. The petition was brought to the town
council by state Rep. Al Baldasaro, who now has the option of gathering more
signatures in order to put the question to a vote by town residents.
Baldasaro was quoted in a Jan. 20 WMUR article as saying, "My main intent is
to repeal gay marriage and come up with a constitutional amendment and let
New Hampshire vote." State lawmakers in Concord heard from anti-gay
activists as well as equality advocates that day; gay state lawmaker Robert
Thompson addressed his colleagues at the hearing, introducing his spouse
with the words, "This is my husband, Michael Jacobson. We were married Jan.
2, 2010. Now, I'm here to address having rights granted a year ago taken
away."
Even if Baldasaro chooses not to gather the additional signatures, anti-gay
activist Martin Bove has already started gathering the required number of
signatures to force a town vote in March, the article said.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101838
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Legal Sanctions for Homosexual Behavior
Date: 1/29/2010 9:34:03 AM
I received a complaint from a listener to my "Focal Point" radio program,
complaining that I had suggested that it is appropriate to impose legal
sanctions on those who engage in homosexual behavior. Here is my response.
The individual's name was not attached to the email, so I wasn't able to
address him by name.
---
Hi!
Thanks for writing me about my comments on my program regarding
homosexuality.
It might be worth noting that what I actually suggested is that we impose
the same sanctions on those who engage in homosexual behavior as we do on
those who engage in intravenous drug abuse, since both pose the same kind of
risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. I'd be curious to know what you think should
be done with IV drug abusers, because whatever it is, I think the same
response should be made to those who engage in homosexual behavior.
If you believe that what drug abusers need is to go into an effective detox
program, then we should likewise put active homosexuals through an effective
reparative therapy program.
Secondly, I'm afraid you're simply wrong about the Bible's perspective on
the law and homosexuality.
The rest of the article is here:
http://action.afa.net/Blogs/BlogPost.aspx?id=2147491522
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Atlanta suburb elects gay man as mayor pro tempore
by Michael K. Lavers
National News Editor
Thursday Jan 28, 2010
Lawmakers in an Atlanta suburb have elected a gay colleague as their city's
new mayor pro tempore.
The East Point City Council elected Councilmember Lance Rhodes at their Jan.
4 meeting. He will chair the City Council in Mayor Earnestine Pittman's
absence, but a statewide advocacy group was quick to applaud Rhodes'
election.
"Georgia Equality, once again, applauds the leadership of the city of East
Point for making a stand for equality and fairness by electing an openly-gay
man to this position," Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality,
said in a statement that further pointed out the city's domestic partnership
registry and other pro-LGBT overtures in recent years. "East Point has once
again proven itself to be a city that values diversity."
First elected to the City Council in 2004, Rhodes is a Mississippi native
who currently works for the Department of Homeland Security. He is also a
former minister and a veteran. And Rhodes, who lives in Jefferson Park with
his partner of 17 years, Roger Donodeo, was quick to discuss his faith to
EDGE.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101671
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First, an item from EDGE
Illinois transgender activist goes to Washington
by Joseph Erbentraut
EDGE Contributor
Friday Jan 29, 2010
When Helena Bushong was elected chair of Illinois Gender Advocates late last
year, her reaction was one of appropriate excitement. Her election was
inevitably overshadowed, however, by what was to occur only weeks later.
Bushong became the first transgender woman of color -- and only the second trans
person -- ever invited to an official White House strategy meeting.
The invitation to participate in the Office of National AIDS Policy’s "Women
and HIV" discussion was the result of several years of tireless dedication to
advocacy in the Windy City, including work as community co-chair for the HIV
Prevention Planning Group, a position with the Chicago Area HIV Service Planning
Council and membership with both Illinois ASAP and the Chicago AIDS Foundation.
"As I left the White House, I thought with a smile, ’Tranny girl goes to the
White House," Bushong, who lives with HIV herself, wrote of the experience.
"Before that day, even I might have balked at the idea, but now, anything is
possible."
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101700
Second, an item from the Dallas Voice via EDGE
Shami comes out for gay marriage, challenges White on LGBT issues
by John Wright
The Dallas Voice
Saturday Jan 30, 2010
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Farouk Shami came out in support of same-sex
marriage this week, and he again challenged frontrunner Bill White to issue a
policy statement on LGBT issues.
Shami, the Houston hair care tycoon who’s viewed as White’s most formidable
challenger in the March 2 primary, released a comprehensive policy statement in
support of LGBT equality last week. Shami’s statement - nearly identical to
one published previously by Hank Gilbert, a Democrat who’s running for
agriculture commissioner - proposes repealing Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage
and granting civil unions to gay and lesbian couples.
But between appearances at meetings of LGBT groups in Dallas on Tuesday night,
Jan. 26, Shami went a step further.
"Gay people can suffer the same way as straight people," he joked when asked
whether he supports same-sex marriage.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101716
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Nothing to do today per se with the Prop 8 trial, but items related to
marriage.
From the AP via EDGE
Mexico Seeks to Overturn Gay Marriage in Its Capital
by Mark Stevenson
Associated Press
Thursday Jan 28, 2010
Mexican federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that they will try to
overturn Mexico City's gay marriage law, which allows same-sex couples to
adopt children, on the grounds it violates the constitution.
The Mexico City law, approved in December and due to take effect in March,
is the first of its kind in Latin America.
The federal Attorney General's Office said in a statement that it believes
the law "violates the principle of legality, because it strays from the
constitutional principle of protecting the family."
It cited an article in Mexico's constitution that suggests - but does not
state - that the framers envisioned families constituted by men, women and
children. The article states: "Men and women are equal before the law. This
protects the organization and development of the family."
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101642
From EDGE
NJ activists prepare to battle for marriage in court
by Matthew E. Pilecki
EDGE Contributor
Thursday Jan 28, 2010
In spite of their recent set-back, LGBT activists in New Jersey continue to
push forward with their efforts to extend marriage to same-sex couples
The New Jersey State Senate voted 20-14 earlier this month against a bill
that would have allowed gays and lesbians to marry in the Garden State.
While many supporters left Trenton devastated, Steven Goldstein, chair and
chief executive director of Garden State Equality, reiterated his vow to
move forward.
"In no way is this back to the drawing board," he told EDGE. "The community
has moved seamlessly and so rapidly towards the next phase, which is winning
marriage equality in court. In order to win in a court of law, we have to
win in the court of public opinion."
Goldstein's organization continues to work alongside Lambda Legal to mount a
legal challenge. The state Supreme Court ruled in 2006 it was
unconstitutional to treat same-sex couples differently than their straight
couples. Kevin Cathcart, executive director of Lambda Legal, hopes to have
similar success in light of the state Senate's vote.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101651
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In a meeting yesterday (1/27/2010) with Archbishop Rowan Williams and
Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, Presiding Bishop
Katharine Jefferts Schori reports that they discussed Haiti, Sudan, Liberia,
Rwanda and the Millennium Development Goals. Integrity USA was stunned by
the omission of any mention of the draconian anti-gay legislation pending in
Uganda.
"We view this as a huge missed opportunity to dialogue on an issue that has
galvanized international human rights leaders," said the Rev. Canon Albert
Ogle, Integrity's Vice President for National & International Affairs.
"Since the Presiding Bishop has stated in the past that the proposed Ugandan
legislation is a "potential impingement on basic human rights,' we cannot
understand her reticence to speak out for those who cannot speak for
themselves in Uganda."
The Presiding Bishop stated that the meeting was 'marked by openness to
partnership and a respect for the large role that faith communities play in
healing the world today.' Integrity regrets that neither the Presiding
Bishop nor the Archbishop of Canterbury stepped up on the role that faith
communities can play in healing homophobia - and we believe it is never too
late to do the right thing.
Integrity calls on our Presiding Bishop to utilize every opportunity to
speak out against the draconian efforts in Uganda to criminalize the LGBT
community -- especially when she has the ear of the Archbishop of
Canterbury. We remind her of her investiture challenge to the church "to
bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted; to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year
of the Lord's favor ... " And we invite her to join with us as we continue
to work with a network of national and international human rights
organizations and LGBT leaders to speak out, raise awareness and take action
on this issue.
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In Blow to Adoption Ban, Miami Judge Awards Child to Lesbian Couple
by Steve Weinstein
EDGE Editor-In-Chief
Wednesday Jan 27, 2010
Email Print Share
Vanessa Alenier and her partner, Melanie Leon, were awarded sole custody of
an infant relative of Alenier seized by child-welfare workers. The judge's
ruling is in direct defiance of a statewide ban on adoptions by gay couples.
As the (Ft. Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel reported, Judge Maria Sampedro-Iglesia
knew of Alenier's sexual orientation, because she checked "gay" when asked
on the adoption application.
The ruling is the third blow against Florida's adoption law, which the judge
pointedly condemned as "unconstitutional on its face." Alenier, who lives in
Hollywood, a city midway between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, said "We knew we
wanted to be parents." The 1-year-old is "the most amazing thing that ever
happened to us."
The Florida Department of Children & Families formally objected to the
adoption. But, the Sun-Sentinel reported, the agency has "not yet decided
whether they will appeal." A conservative group condemned the judge's ruling
as "judicial activism."
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101627
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Few Protesters Show at Sundance for Prop. 8 Movie
by Jennifer Dobner
Associated Press
Wednesday Jan 27, 2010
Despite rumored anti-gay protests, a Sundance Film Festival documentary
about the Mormon church's role in a 2008 California political battle over
gay marriage played to a friendly audience on Sunday in Park City.
Only about two dozen gay marriage activists chanted - "Separate, church from
8" - in a parking lot outside the premiere of "8: The Mormon Proposition."
The film by Reed Cowan, a former Utah Mormon, contends that the locally
based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the driving force
behind Proposition 8. The ballot initiative reversed an earlier court
decision that legalized gay marriage.
Before the screening, festival director John Cooper had said he expected a
small, but loud, group of "haters," might picket the film, but doubted that
Mormon church members would be among them.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101596by
Jennifer Dobner
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Prop 8 Trial, Week 3, Day 2: How Civil Unions Are Gay Jim Crow Laws
by Roger Brigham
EDGE San Francisco Editor
Wednesday Jan 27, 2010
Should a federal court override a popular referendum when it tramples on the
rights of a minority? That's the central question being debated in the San
Francisco courtroom of Judge Vaughn Walker.
The reason why the case against Proposition 8 has taken on such historic
proportions go beyond the contentious issue of gay marriage. Constitutional
scholars are looking at the way the dream team of David Boies and Ted Olson
is presenting evidence to strike down the referendum because they believe
the arguments will ultimately be repeated before the nine justices of the
U.S. Supreme Court.
That decision will certainly have historic dimensions, rivaling Dred Scott,
which legalized the return of captured slaves and became a cause of the
Civil War; and Brown v. Board of Ed, which overturned Jim Crow laws and
institutionalized the civil rights struggle.
On Tuesday, Jan. 27, an expert witness defending California's same-sex
marriage ban testified that federal courts should, in fact, override a
referendum that violates the rights of a minority. Proposition 8 might be an
example of the popular will that nevertheless violates "well grounded
Constitutional principles."
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101600
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This item comes from Integrity.
Multi-City Prayer Hour Offers Alternative to the National Prayer Breakfast
Whose Leaders Have Apparent Ties to Uganda's Draconian Anti-Homosexuality
Bill
What: On Tuesday, February 2, 2010, key religious leaders will hold a press
conference to announce the formation of The American Prayer Hour, a
multi-city event on February 4, 2010, with key events in Washington, DC,
Dallas, Chicago and Berkeley. The American Prayer Hour events will affirm
inclusive values and call on all nations, including Uganda, to decriminalize
homosexuality. We also want to spotlight the National Prayer Breakfast,
which is sponsored by The Family (aka The Fellowship), a group with
disturbing ties to those spearheading Uganda's oppressive Anti-Homosexuality
Bill.
When: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 10:30 a.m. (EST)
Where: The National Press Club (Washington, DC) Murrow Room
529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor - Washington, DC 20045
Who: Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal
Church
Frank Schaeffer, author, "Crazy For God: How I Grew Up As One of the Elect,
Helped Found the Religious Right and Lived to Take All Back."
Harry Knox, The Human Rights Campaign, Director of Religion and
Faith
Moses, A gay Ugandan man seeking asylum in The United States
Rev. Elder Darlene Garner, Metropolitan Community Church, Board of Elder
Bishop Carlton Pearson, Senior Interim Minister at Chicago, Illinois's
Christ Universal Temple
Background: Uganda is considering the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009, put
forth by parliamentarian David Bahati and initially backed by President
Yoweri Museveni. If passed, the new law would unleash a vicious campaign of
persecution against LGBT citizens. Bahati and President Museveni are members
of The Family and are among their "key men" in Africa. The Family hosts the
annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. The American Prayer Hour
will show that such cruelty and extremism does not represent most people of
faith.
--
Posted By Integrity USA to Walking With Integrity at 1/26/2010 09:45:00 AM
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Prop 8 Trial, Week 3, Day 1: 'Expert' on Gay Issues Shown to Be ... Not So
Much
by Roger Brigham
EDGE San Francisco Editor
Tuesday Jan 26, 2010
Monday, Jan. 25, was not a good day for Claremont McKenna College political
science professor Kenneth Miller.
Appearing as an expert witness for proponents of Proposition 8, he was the
defense lead-off in the federal bench trial challenging California's
same-sex marriage ban. He was originally called in to show the political
clout of the LGBT community that the proponents say make court intervention
unnecessary. But his testimony came off as ill informed and ill prepared
under cross-examination from plaintiffs attorney David Boies.
Boies conceded Miller's expertise in American politics but challenged his
credentials as an expert on LGBT discrimination. Defense attorney David
Thompson claimed he had focused on LGBT politics from the 1970s on.
Boies, however, sharply asked him what the Mattachine Society was. Miller
did admitted he didn't know what that seminal pre-Stonewall gay-rights
organizations was when he was deposed earlier.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101541
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Activists urge Mass. lawmakers to pass transgender non-discrimination bill
by Peter Cassels
EDGE Contributor
Tuesday Jan 26, 2010
More than 250 transgender Bay Staters and their allies were on Beacon Hill
on Jan. 21 to push for passage of a bill to ban gender-based discrimination.
The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition organized the lobbying day
to spur passage of H1728 in the House of Representatives and S1687 in the
state Senate. If passed and signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick, the
measure would make the Commonwealth the 14th state to ban discrimination
based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey,
New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and the District of
Columbia already have a trans-specific discrimination bill on the books. The
federal government also bars discrimination against its employees. And a
total of 112 cities and counties around the country have also enacted this
legislation--including Boston, Cambridge, Northampton and Amherst in
Massachusetts.
State Reps. Carl Sciortino [D-Middlesex] and Byron Rushing [D-Cambridge] and
state Sen. Ben Downing [D-Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin] introduced the
latest version of the Transgender Civil Rights Bill, which has languished on
Beacon Hill since 2007.
The rest of the article is here: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/?101531
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