The Boy Scouts of America...Teaching Homophobia To Your Children

Denise Steele and her family.
FAMILY.

I was never a Boy Scout, but I was a Cub Scout. Oh, not because I liked camping or making knots, but because i looked cute in a kerchief and cap. I mean, who doesn't, right? But I am not fond of the Boy Scouts because of their homophobia, and now I have even more reason to find them reprehensible.

Denise Steele is a mom who has been part of her son's Boy Scout troop for the past six years. She began as a den mother for her son, Jackson, because no other parent would step up and take on being a Cub Scout troop leader.

No other parent.

And she was good, too. Jackson's troop excelled at everything, including accomplishing badges and winning the Blue and Gold Award all five years, one of the highest awards for Boy Scouts. Did she do it for the Scouts? No; she did it for her son, and those other boys, to make sure they had a good time, and because no other parent wanted the job.

No other parent.

But last June other parents did step up, and now Denise Steele’s chances to further bond with her son through scouting were dashed.

See, she was removed, removed, from her position after an assistant scoutmasters discovered that Denise Steele is a lesbian, and in a nineteen year domestic partnership with Jackie Funk. The couple lives in Potomac Falls with their two children, Jackson and Jaden, and Denise Steele’s nephew Will.

Still, Denise Steele’s homosexuality was never an issue in the past, with regards to leading her son’s Boy Scout troop. In fact, according to Denise's partner, Jackie, it may have actually opened some eyes to gay parents and gay parenting: “Some of the guys would come down and ask her advice. Being a woman, forget about the gay part, it didn’t matter. They respected her for her commitment and what she offered and how much she put into it. They respected her.”

As did the boys, all of whom stayed in Steel's troop the entire five years; except for two boys, who moved away. But that doesn't matter. it doesn't matter that she was the only parent to step up. it doesn't matter that her troop excelled. it doesn't matter that the boys loved her. What matters, according to Phil Holliday, the executive pastor at Christian Fellowship Church, and Esther Schaeffer, the charter organization representative, is "the rules".

When a chartered partner, like Christian Fellowship Church, agrees to sponsor a scouting unit, an annual charter agreement is signed. In that contract, they agree to provide a place for a meeting, select volunteer leaders and follow the policies and guidelines established by the Boy Scouts of America. Which doesn't allow homosexuals to be Scouts or leaders or involved in any way, even if they are the only way to keep a troop together.

The Boy Scouts of America organization says it believes that “open homosexuality is inconsistent with the values” and recommends that scout parents and sponsors share this belief.

Parents. Like all those parents who didn't step up when Denise Steele did. She even finished the year-long training to become an assistant scout leader in just three weeks because she wanted to do this for her sons. And she even went to the scoutmaster, Mike Tucker, and told him she was gay, and in a nearly twenty years, and he said it wasn't a problem.

Until this past June when Steele took her troop on a camping trip to Assateague Island. Since the trip lasted from a Saturday to a Monday, and Steele needed to work Monday, she asked Jackie Funk, her partner, to pick her up from the campsite.

After she left one asshatted busybody, assistant scoutmasters, Skip Inabinett, began asking questions about the woman who'd come to take Denise Steele to work.And after discovering that Denise and Jackie were a couple, asshatted busybody, assistant scoutmaster Skip Inabinett decided she should be removed as an assistant scoutmaster.

Asshatted busybody, assistant scoutmaster, Skip, Skippy, Skipper, Inabinett, sent an email to a close friend of Denise Steele's, whose son was also in the troop, saying, “If what you said about Denise Steele being an active sexual is true, do you feel comfortable talking with her about stepping down/resigning as an ASM … as her friend, this may be an opportunity for you to share with her about Christ’s love and the need to believe that as sinners we cannot get to heaven on our own and that we need a savior.”

The conversations centered around how Inabinett thought Steele’s lifestyle choice was a sin. In fact, asshatted busybody, assistant scoutmaster Skip Inabinett actually began speaking to Denise Steele about her, um, lifestyle choice, in what Jackie Funk described as an episode of bullying: "[T]his guy, who’s demonstrated very much a bullying behavior, if boys bullied other boys or girls bullied other girls to get what they wanted the way this guy has bullied her in today’s school system you’d probably get kicked out of school.”

And there is a chain of command that people follow in the Boy Scouts, but asshatted busybody, assistant scoutmaster Skip Inabinett went straight to the Boy Scouts of America with his complaint to get her removed as an assistant scoutmaster.

And it worked.

Denise Steele: “He didn’t go through those steps. He skipped over the scoutmaster, he skipped over the committee, he skipped over the district. He went straight to the highest level because that’s where he would get his answer. He went to the highest point to get me removed.”

And yet, Deron Smith, the director of public relations for the Boy Scouts of America, says Steele wasn’t removed from the national council , but that it may have been a troop decision.

How so? I mean, if asshatted busybody, assistant scoutmaster Skip Inabinett went all the way to the top, utterly ignoring the troop aspect of the process, then how is that possible that the troop, who apparently adored her, wanted her gone?

And now asshatted busybody, assistant scoutmaster Skip Inabinett is not talking. I mean, his work is done. The lesbian is gone.

I wonder if another parent will step up.
I wonder if another parent will work as hard as Denise Steele.
I wounder if the boys in that troop will learn from Denise Steele how to live ones life, or if they will get their example from asshatted busybody, assistant scoutmaster Skip Inabinett.
I wonder if the Boy Scouts will ever realize that being gay isn't a bad thing, or even a good thing, it's just a thing.

source

This Might Be Surprising If Bachmann Didn't Hate The Gays So Much

Michele Bachmann, who believes gay people are "of Satan," and that we've all been abused, are sexually dysfunctional, and suffer Sexual Identity Disorder, hired Peter E. Waldron to run her campaign, when Peter E. Waldron has been tied to the key backer of the "Kill the Gays" bill in Uganda.

She thinks we are "of Satan" and she hires a man who works with people who want us dead.

It seems that Peter E. Waldron has tried to be coy about his identity when confronted; at first he refused to even offer his name, but , at first refusing to provide his name, but The Atlantic journalist Garance Franke-Ruta discovered that the evangelical pastor was once imprisoned in Uganda for a supposed terrorism plot.

And now he's trying to get Michele Bachmann elected.

A film about Waldron's experience, 'The Ultimate Price: The Peter E. Waldron Story,' is apparently in the works. It tells the story of how Peter E. Waldron was in Uganda from 2002 to 2006, and was reportedly arrested with a small weapons cache. While the details are murky, it is clear that he spent more than a month in prison.

The surfacing of his name, especially as it ties in to Bachmann, and to Uganda before that, got people wondering. Andrew Rice, a journalist with The New republic, actually saw Peter E. Waldron while Rice was visiting the church of staunchly antigay pastor Martin Ssempa; Rice was visiting the church while researching an article on evangelicals in the country. Ssempa is well known for inflaming violence against gay people in Uganda, even screening gay porn to incite backlash.

Now, to be fair, no one is saying Peter E. Waldron actively helped push for the "Kill the Gays" bill, Andrew Rice does say that Peter E. Waldron spoke to Ssempa's congregation about his time in the military--which he strongly implied was CIA related--and how cozy he is with the Ugandan president.

Bachmann has a clear history of antigay rhetoric, Her own statements--which she tries to distance herself from today--and her  husband's "Christian" counseling clinics that were found to practice so-called reparative therapy.

She doesn't like The Gays. Peter E. Waldron has ties to evangelicals and political leaders who want to pass legislation in Africa to Kill The Gays. And Bachmann and Waldron are working together on her presidential campaign.

Alice Stewart, a spokesperson for Bachmann, while not asked directly about Waldron's association with the "Kill the Gays" church, said, in a statement in response to his time in prison, that Bachmann is sticking by Waldron: "Michele's faith is an important part of her life and Peter did a tremendous job with our faith outreach in Iowa. We are fortunate to have him on our team and look forward to having him expanding his efforts in several states."

She says we are "of Satan".
He works with people who want us dead.
Just think about that.

via The Advocate

UPDATE: Mark and Todd Wathen's Discrimination Complaints Can Proceed

Way back in February, I posted a story about Mark and Todd Wathen who live in Illinois and wanted to have a Civil Union ceremony and party [The Illinois civil union law went into effect June 1] and met almost instantly with bigotry and homophobia from two venues who didn't want any gay ceremonies or parties on their property. See original post HERE.

Mark and Todd Wathen filed complaints against two Illinois inns--the Beall Mansion Bed and Breakfast, and the TimberCreek Bed and Breakfast--that refused to allow the couple to have a civil union ceremony and party on their premises. You know, cuz they're gay and all. The Wathens say that the owners of the B&Bs specifically did not want to host a same-sex union ceremony, something owners of both venues deny.

Mark and Todd ended up having their Civil Union ceremony in their backyard in June.


And this week, the Illinois Department of Human Rights announced that it found “substantial evidence” of discrimination against the couple, a finding that is not a final ruling but means the men can have their complaints heard by an arbitrator, a circuit court judge, or the Illinois Human Rights Commission.

Todd and Mark Wathen said they would discuss their next steps with their attorney. “We felt we were right in doing what we did,” Todd said, “We are pleased by the fact that someone agrees with us.”

As am I. Look, it's simple, if you operate a public business you must serve the public. Denying service to a gay person or couple is no different than denying services to a black couple, a Muslim couple, an interracial couple, or even a couple with really bad hair.

Discrimination is discrimination. And, um, yeah, it's illegal, folks.

source

Me And AC: On The Same Page

So, this morning Carlos and I were discussing Michele Bachmann and her campaign and her refusal to answer any questions she doesn't like, but instead only says, "I'm running for the presidency of the United States....." And I said, "Oh, she's running all right. But she's not running for something, but away from answering questions about things she's said in the past."

Gay people suffer from a sexual identity disorder,
gay people are sexually dysfunctional.
Gay people live a life of bondage, of despair.
Gay people are of Satan.

She's not judging, mind you, when she calls us every foul thing that pops into her anti-gay head; things no doubt fed to her by her ambiguously heterosexual husband Marcussssssssss.

Still, after Carlos and I ranted and raged about the Missuses Bachmann, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Anderson Cooper, my husband in my head, had the exact same thoughts as I did.

Me and AC. Simpatico, dontcha know!

F**k Your Petition

So, this morning I'm strolling through the Internet, you know, browsing, making a comment here and there, when I stumble upon the news that there is a petition circulating to allow Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie to get married. Cute, right?

Wrong; this incensed me. Incensed.Me. And not because I'm anti-Muppet, but because I don't want to waste one single iota of my life signing frivolous, cutesy petitions for felt characters to get married when there are real issues out there.

Like, say, Bradford Wells and Australian John Makk. They been partners for nineteen years, and were legally married in Massachusetts seven years ago. But, John Makk is Australian and his visa has expired and he's being forced to leave the country.

And someone wants my name on a Muppet petition?

Citing that old bigoted, hate-filled DOMA, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services denied John Makk's application for residency, even though he meets several of the criteria needed. he is the spouse, the legal spouse, of an American citizen, and he is the sole caregiver of said American citizen; he has no criminal history whatsoever and he has resided in this country, under various visas, for many year.

Too bad, so sad, you're gay, get out.

But, um, could you sign this petition for Bert and Ernie before you go?

Where's the petition for Bradford Wells and John Makk? And for countless other same-sex, bi-national couples facing deportation because they happen to reside in a backasswards country that doesn't recognize their marriage? We all giggle and coo over the idea of fucking Muppets getting married and just sit back and do nothing while a real-life couple is torn apart.

DANGER!! Aaron Pace Looks Gay

Aaron Pace understands that he looks and acts effeminately, and realizes that some people think this means he's gay. He says he isn't, but it was his looks, character and behavior--just his looks, character and behavior--that prompted an Indiana blood donation center to reject him when he tried to donate blood recently because they assumed he was homosexual.

And Aaron isn't happy about this. He had gone to Bio-Blood Components Inc. in Gary, which pays for blood and plasma donations, but during the interview process he was told he could not be a blood donor there because he “appears to be a homosexual.”


Donation centers like Bio-Blood Components, and even the American Red Cross, still cite a nearly 30-year-old federal policy to turn away gay men from donating. The Food and Drug Administration policy, which was implemented in 1983, states that men who have had sex--even one time--with another man since 1977, cannot donate blood.

Because we all have The AIDS, you know.

The policy was sparked by concerns that HIV would taint the blood supply, and, back in those days, screening tests to identify HIV-positive blood had not yet been developed.  But today, all donated blood is tested for HIV, as well as for hepatitis B and C, syphilis and other infectious diseases, before it can be released to hospitals. And gay activists, blood centers including the American Red Cross, and even some lawmakers are now demanding that the lifetime ban is “medically and scientifically unwarranted.”

Curt Ellis, former director of The Aliveness Project of Northwest Indiana, an agency that’s been educating the public about HIV-related issues: “It is unfair, outrageous and just plain stupid. The policy is based on the stigma associated with HIV that existed early on, [and it] seems like some stigmas will just never die.”

But, while the Indiana State Department of Health doesn’t have a policy regarding the collection of blood and its criteria, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last year voted again not to recommend a change to the FDA’s policy of a lifetime deferral for men who have sex with other men.

“I was humiliated and embarrassed,” Aaron Pace says. “It’s not right that homeless people can give blood but homosexuals can’t. And I’m not even a homosexual.”

He just looks like "one".

source

Our Lady of the Rosary Gay Bashes A Dead Man

Our Lady of the Rosary

John Sanfilippo was a devout Catholic, attending services at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Little Italy in San Diego for decades.

John Sanfilippo died last week, losing his battle with emphysema, and he'd hoped to have his funeral mass held at Our Lady of the Rosary, but her was denied.

John Sanfilippo was a gay man, and that's why, even though he attended mass regularly, and even left some money to the church in his will, that his funeral mass was canceled. Over the weekend, Sanfilippo's partner of 28 years, along with his family, were notified that the church canceled the funeral because Sanfilippo was gay.

Friends, family, and neighbors were furious with the decision by the church, and took to the streets in front of the church to protest, and, as soon as the story broke on TV and the Internet, suddenly the church had a change of heart. The church, however, has not communicated the decision change to either the family of the deceased man or the media.

In an email, Rodrigo Valdivia, the chancellor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, said: "The Diocesan office was notified about this situation earlier today... Diocesan Authorities have concluded that the funeral as scheduled at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish may take place. Plans for the ritual are yet to be made."

At the cocktail lounge that Sanfilippo owned for 28 years, Neil Thomas was not buying it: "All of a sudden, they change their mind and say, 'Well, you know, we may still allow the funeral to be here.' Why? Because they got caught in the process of denying equal rights to people?"

Yes, because they got caught being the homophobic hate-mongers that they are.

But Sanfilippo's partner and family may have the last word. They have already found another Catholic church for the funeral because they do not feel comfortable going back to Our Lady of the Rosary after being denied a funeral mass.

Even though this happened in death, this should spur Catholics on. If you are a member of a church who would allow a man to attend mass for decades, take his money into the collection plate for decades, be included monetarily in his will, and then denounce his homosexuality and deny him a  funeral, maybe you ought to rethink where you worship.


source

Apparently, It's In The Water!

Imagine, if you will, that it's a hot day, and you want to go for a swim to cool. And imagine that your town has a lovely recreational facility with pools and athletic courts and saunas and sundecks. You know, just the place to spend a hot summer afternoon.

Wouldn't that be nice?

Now, imagine you're a person with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and you are being helped by a local group with rehabilitation and therapy sessions, and they suggest you head on over top the local pool for some cool relaxation.

Again, so nice.

Now, picture yourself as the person with these disabilities, and you are also gay. And so is your friend. And you head on over to The Pavilion, a public recreational facility in the city of Hazard, Kentucky. You and your friend, along with staff members from Mending Hearts, which provides support for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and provides ongoing support for their clients regarding appropriate behavior within the community.

Sounds like a fun day, right?

Then imagine that, while swimming with your friends at The Pavilion, a maintenance technician comes over and tells you to leave, saying "[W]e own this place and can tell you to leave if we want to."

That happened. in a public pool, paid for by public tax dollars. Gay and straight public tax dollars.

Shirlyn Perkins, Executive Director of Mending Hearts: "The Pavilion staff immediately entered the pool area and asked my clients and their staff to leave the Pavilion. My staff asked The Pavilion staff why they were being asked to leave, and they were informed that 'gay people' weren't allowed to swim there. My staff told this man that what he was trying to do was discrimination. The man stated that what he was doing was in the Bible and he could do it. My staff continued to argue with this man, but was ultimately forced to leave. My clients, whom already feel ridiculed and different, left the city owned facility crying and embarrassed for trying to participate in 'normal' activities that everyday 'normal' people do."

He was doing what the Bible says. You know, in Lost Commandment Eleven. Thou Shalt Not Swim In Public Pools If You're Queer.

And now the Kentucky Equality Federation is in the fight. And before you can say lawsuit, they will tell you that they want no money, they filed no lawsuit. All they want is an apology from the Pavilion and the staff.

And to let those two gay men back in the pool.

source

Tennesotasconizonatah...or the WeHateGays States

Ten-ne-so-ta-scon-iz-o-na-tah: 
[ten-nuh-sew-tah-scon-iz-oh-nah-tah]
–noun
1. a mash-up of several state names--Tennessee, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arizona, and Utah, for starters; states that have been in the news recently for being anti-gay and anti-immigrant, or anti-anything that isn't straight and white
2. The WeHateGays states. 

Painted on the house of a gay Tennessee couple.

Today, we'll focus on the Tennessee in Tennesotasconizonatah, because they have really gone full barrel in the Anti-Gay Legislative Sweepstakes of late.

See, it seems that the Tennessee state Senate has approved, by a vote of 20-10, a law that would forbid Tennessee public school teachers and students in grades kindergarten through eight from discussing the fact that some people are gay. Now, there is good news: the bill isn't likely to be taken up by the House before lawmakers adjourn this spring, but the sponsor, Stacey 'Homophobic Asshat" Campfield, says he wants to push it forward in 2012 when the General Assembly comes back for the second year of the session.

Don't Say Gay. It's bad. Why, apparently, the Tennessee Senate thinks just saying the word 'gay' will make people gay. Or make them tolerant, which is awful, you know.

Opponents of the Don't Say Gay, Goddammit Bill believe it unfairly targets the children of gay parents, or even children who identify as gay themselves, by keeping them separate and unmentioned in class.

Supporters say it is intended to give teachers clear guidance for dealing with younger children on a potentially explosive topic. See, it Tennessee, being gay is a potentially explosive topic.

Don't Say Gay, lest you turn one of the children into a raging fag.
Don't Say Gay, lest the heads of the homophobes explode.

Oh, Tennesotasconizonatah, look what you're doing. But wait, there's more.

Tennesotasconizonatah Governor, Bill Haslam, signed a new bill yesterday that overturns the city of Nashville's nondiscrimination ordinance.

It seems that Nashville isn't like the rest of Tennesotasconizonatah. They understand blatant homophobia and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and wanted to protect their citizens from being, oh, say, fired, or evicted or even beaten simply for being themselves.

But then the lawmakers of Tennesotasconizonatah got in on the act and decided they would simply overturn the ordinance, and the governor goosestepped along. An ordinance to ban discrimination.

Apparently that's a bad things in places like Tennesotasconizonatah.

Tennessee Senate OKs bill to ban teaching of homosexuality


Governor Overturns Nondiscrimination Ordinance

Some Teachers Shouldn't

Down in Texas, where things are big, and sometimes stupid, a high school teacher has been put on administrative leave after an incident where he allegedly said, to a 9th grade Muslim girl, "I bet that you're grieving" following the death of Osama bin Laden. he also, allegedly, said, before that, "I heard about your uncle's death."

A teacher. Someone who should know better.

The girl's name is not being released--and neither is that of the teacher--but what sickens me most, other than the blatant sickness of the comments--are the fact that the teacher allegedly showed no remorse for his comments. 

After making his remarks, the girl began to cry, and when he asked why she was crying, another student said it was because of what he'd said to her. the teacher allegedly shrugged and smirked and went on with the class.

The Clear Creek Independent School District released this statement:

In the Clear Creek Independent School District, we believe diversity strengthens our community and seek opportunities to celebrate the different cultures within our schools and neighborhoods. The sentiments allegedly shared by this teacher are not reflective of the staff at Clear Brook High School or anyone within the Clear Creek Independent School District.

In accordance with CCISD policy, the teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a personnel investigation. The student did the right thing and immediately notified an adult regarding the teachers' comments. The principal at Clear Brook High School notified the child's parents and has been in communication with the family.

I think the statement could have been a bit more succinct; something along the lines of: The teacher has been fired.

via TalkingPointsMemo

Letters! We Get Letters: Stacey Campfield's "Don't Say Gay" Bill Edition

So, way back at the first of March, I wrote a post [HERE] about Tennessee asshat Stacey Campfield and his proposed "Don't Say Gay" legislation, in which elementary and middle school teachers would not be allowed to mention the word gay, er, well, Campfield uses the word 'homosexuality', focusing on the word 'sex', in any classroom, anywhere, any time, ever.

And I got a few responses, mostly from people thinking with a full deck. But, imagine my surprise when, just last night, I got a response of a different color from 'Anonymous,' who apparently gets around because I see his, or her name, on a lot of blogs.

Anyhow, 'Anonymous' took umbrage with some of the things I said, and decided to set me, er, straight, so let's listen in:

Anonymous:

"I would just like to say that you are really throwing around alot of mud with your name-calling. In addition, you are taking everything Mr. Campbell says out of context."

To be fair, Anonymous realized after posting this comment that it was Stacey Campfield, and not Stacey Campbell, because he or she came back to tell me that it was Campfield and not Campbell. But, about the name-calling. i called Campfield a wingnut, twice, and an asshat, once--to be fair, I misspelled asshat as ashat, but still.......I failed to call him a fucktard. I failed to call him a douchenozzle. I failed to call him a dumbass homophobic moronic knuckle-dragging pigfucking loser.

So, I deserve some credit for my restraint. But, 'Anonymous' goes on:

"He says that controversial issues like this should be dealt with 'in the home'--not nonexistent "until high school" as you put it."

Hey, 'Anon', homosexuality isn't a controversial issue. It's a sexual orientation just like heterosexuality, and when Campfield says it shouldn't be said, discussed, uttered at no time, in elementary and middle schools, that means it is a 'non-existent- topic until high school. You'll understand this when you get to high school, fingers crossed.
Still, it goes on:

"And as Campbell also said: the gays he has had "civil" conversations with about the bill agree with him. As he also described to them (not direct quotation): how would you feel if a teacher was allowed to say that homosexuality is evil or an abomination? This bill would prevent that as well."

Of course he calls the conversations with gays who agree with him civil, yet he doesn't seem to mention one single gay person who agrees with him. And, while it's nice to say teachers can't call being gay an abomination, the mere fact that they cannot discuss it all makes it seem shadowy and suspect to their students. And what about the gay kid? See, gay folks are born gay, and even in elementary school gay kids suspect they are gay. But then they're made to feel less than because they, and their families, aren't discussed. And what about the kid with two mommies or two daddies? They are made to feel invisible as well. Yeah, that's a nice way to educate people.
Look, the Holocaust was ugly and nasty, so, let's not discuss that either.
And it goes on:

"So, really, this bill IS neutral. It helps both sides by keeping such controversial and personal issues out of the school classroom."

First off, 'Anonymous,' neutrality is non-existent, which is another way of saying gays don't exist. We do. We have. We will. And just because some wingnut in Tennessee, and a wingnut with an 'Anonymous' fetish doesn't like it, doesn't make it so. Campfield called being gay controversial. It isn't. He also called it a personal choice. It isn't. Unless you think people like Stacey Campfield, and yourself, for that matter, choose to be straight. And, if you did choose your hetero-ness, please tell me when and where and how you came to that realization?
Then 'Anonymous' brings in God and Christianity:

"Plus, now you know how Christians feel when they try to discuss Creation or a Young Earth instead of evolution in the classroom. I don't see you standing up for that kind of equality; oh wait, that's probably because it doesn't contrast what YOU yourself believe right?"

Hey wingnut. Pay attention, You can go to a church, or a religious school and read all about Creationism, and Adam and Eve, and a boat large enough to hold two of every single animal on Earth--except for the poor unicorns--on it.
Public school is not a church-sanctioned education,. There is, still, in this country, a separation of church and state for a reason, so wingnuts like you do not impose your ideas on anyone else. But, that's what you want.
I say, you wanna learn about Creationism, go to a religious school, go to church, but public schools teach s-c-i-e-n-c-e.
And then 'Anonymous' goes off the deep end, blaming all the ills of the country on abortion and homosexuality:

"And to everyone who thinks this issue isn't somehow tied to our failing economy. . .Have you ever thought that maybe the Bible is right, and that because our nation blatantly goes against God's Word--about moral issues like abortion, homosexuality, etc.--that this is the reason our country is plummeting into massive chaos?"

Seriously? God caused the failing economy because of abortion and homosexuality?
Um, homosexuality has been around for thousands of years, so why did God wait until 2011 to get all anti-gay. And, if she was so pissed off about abortion, which has been legal in this country for decades, what took her so long to get mad?
And, if God gets all pissy about moral issues, um, yeah, what about punishing Germany after Hitler killed 6 millions Jews? Was God too busy back then? What about the genocides going on all over the world? Has God got better things to do than to punish those people responsible for killing millions more?
I guess, for you, the only immoral things God cares about are a woman's legal right to choose, and people being born gay.
Your God doesn't care about the rest.
My god, little g, is love.
So, in closing, 'Anonymous', if you and your ilk, and by ilk, I mean the Stacey Campfields of the world, don't like the idea of gay people, don't be gay. You don't like abortion, don't have one. But do not attempt to tell me that not allowing the word 'gay' to be uttered in schools isn't a form of discrimination.
It is.

Supreme Court In India Defers On 2009 Ruling Decriminalizing Homosexuality

Back in 2009, the New Delhi High Court issued a landmark ruling that decriminalized homosexuality. Now, naturally the ruling stirred up all sorts of religious and political wingnuts who have since petitioned the Indian Supreme Court to overturn the ruling.

This week the Supreme Court deferred their decision until "after summer vacations."

On a completely unrelated note, rumor has it that the entire India Supreme Court has purchased a summer time-share on Fire Island.

I kid. About that last part.

This Is How You Battle Homophobia In Sports

Here in America we have Kobe Bryant, adored by millions, calling a referee a 'fag' because he didn't like the call. And we have many basketball fans asking, 'What the big deal? The ref is a fag.'

We ought to try something new. Something like, say, they do in Brazil.

Santos and the team libero

In Brazil, volleyball player Michael Santos, a a middle blocker from Team Vôlei Futuro, was playing in s semifinal match between against Sada Cruzeiro when fans began chanting homophobic slurs towards him. They were screaming “Bicha! Bicha! Bicha!” which means “faggot” in English.

At the time, Santos called the incident very traumatic and feared the same thing might happen again. He said he tried pretending he couldn't hear the taunts, but he could.

And he could have shouted back, and called them names, but after the game, when his own teammates checked to make sure he was okay, Michael Santos decided shouting back and swearing at the fans wasn't what was needed.

Instead, he stared then straight in the face and admitted that, yes, he is a gay man. “I’m gay. Everyone knows who I am. My team fully respects my sexuality. I have been playing for 10 years and everyone has treated me well and fair. I do not feel the need to let everyone know about my sexuality.”

Fast forward to the next semi-final match, and see how quickly fans and Santos' teammates responded to the issue. His team wore pink warm-up shirts to show support, and the team’s libero--the team's defensive player--donned a rainbow jersey during the match.

Not to be outdone, the crowd unfurled a gigantic banner reading Vôlei Futuro Against Prejudice…

And then began waving pink thundersticks emblazoned with Michael’s name to turn the stadium pink.

In support of a gay player.
Not as a joke or an insult,
Kobe Bryant could learn a lesson.
Oh yeah, Michael Santos and Team Vôlei Futuro won that match.

source

In Missouri Queer Is Offensive

Out there in Missouri, Jesse Irey is a bisexual Liberty High School student who says that he was simply showing his support for equal rights for all when it was demanded of him to either change his offensive shirt or leave school.

His offensive shirt?
Fags Rule. Um, no, that wasn't it.
Straight People Suck. Not it either.

His shirt said: "Queer + Str8 Equal".
How.Offensive.

So, now Jesse and the American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU] are fighting back against what they say is illegal censorship by the school. 

Jesse Irey says students wear all kinds of shirts with all kinds of sayings on them. In fact, one such shirt says that Liberty High School is a "Hate Free Zone." So, then what's so offensive about Jesse Irey's shirt?

A Liberty High teacher and an assistant principal say the word "queer" is offensive.
Queer. But Jesse Irey says his use of the word 'queer'on the shirt was an attempt to "take the word back so it's not an offensive slur." Irey is also upset that Liberty High School, that hate free zone, allowed other students to wear anti-gay shirts after the school's Gay-Straight Alliance wore shirts that read 'Gay-Fine by Me.' Those shirts said, "Straight--the only thing fine by me."

So, anti-gay is okay.
And pro-gay is okay.
But, queer. Bad.

That's the message they're sending.

source

Kobe Bryant Is A F$&%ing Moron...Oops, Sorry You Felt Offended Kobe

This is a professional?
This is how professionals act?
Or is this how children, who don't know better, act?
Or, is this how super-spoiled, overpaid, children dressing up as adults act?
Yes.
Kobe Bryant can suck it. He didn't like a call, didn't like a getting his fourth foul, so the ref is a 'fag'.

Here's what the Human Rights Commission had to say:

"What a disgrace for Kobe Bryant to use such horribly offensive and distasteful language, especially when millions of people are watching. Hopefully Mr. Bryant will recognize that as a person with such fame and influence, the use of such language not only offends millions of LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] people around the world, but also perpetuates a culture of discrimination and hate that all of us, most notably Mr. Bryant, should be working to eradicate."

Here's what Kobe had to say, not publicly, but in a statement his 'people' probably made him release:

“What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period. The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone.”

Here's what NBA Commissioner David Stern had to say:

“Kobe Bryant’s comment during last night’s game was offensive and inexcusable. While I’m fully aware that basketball is an emotional game, such a distasteful term should never be tolerated. Accordingly, I have fined Kobe $100,000. Kobe and everyone associated with the NBA know that insensitive or derogatory comments are not acceptable and have no place in our game or society.”

Here's what Ben Cohen had to say:

“It is disappointing to see this. As a professional athlete and rugby World Cup champion, I understand the heat and passion of competition at the highest levels. But we must all remember that strong bodies must be balanced with strong characters, and work toward that end. Our positions as role models demand it.”

Here's what I have to say:

"Grow up, Kobe. Using the word 'fag' in a derogatory sense is not okay. And apologizing IF you offended someone? How about saying 'I'm sorry I offended anyone. I'm sorry I can't pick my words better. I'm sorry I acted like a petulant child and began name-calling because I was upset.'

How about being a man and acting like a man, and a human being?  How about understanding that children, and adults, look up to you, and admire you and choose, at times, to emulate you, even when you act the fool?

Failing that, how about shutting the fuck up.

Sorry if I offended you."

He Was A Great Teacher, But Was Fired Anyway

Jan Buterman is a transgendered person. And a teacher.

In 2008, he received a letter from the Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools that praised him for his teaching abilities.

Then he was fired for not being aligned with the values of the Catholic Church.

In other words, for being transgendered.

The Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools offered up a settlement of sorts: Buterman would receive a cash payout of $78,000 or or a one-year teaching job as long as he shut his transgendered yap about being fired, and dropped his human rights complaint.

Jan Buterman gave a big F-U to the Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools, because, as he says, “I don’t want to be muzzled. They don’t want me to talk about the fact that they, as an employer, claiming authority from the Catholic Church, have discriminated against me because of my medical status as a transsexual person.”

But he knows that his human rights complaint might be dismissed, as the Catholic school board is expected to ask the Alberta Human Rights Commission to drop the complaint since a “fair and reasonable settlement” was offered.

But is it fair? To pay him off with cash or a one-year job just so he won't file a complaint? Is that fair and reasonable?

Hardly. It's a payoff. They've taken his job, for which the Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools praised him, and asked him to simply keep quiet.

What's fair about that? Or even reasonable?

David Keohane, superintendent of the Catholic school district, says the board has been working with the human rights commission to try to ensure the offer is seen as fair and reasonable: “It is about how the commission is being satisfied with how we are dealing with the issue and the appearance of being reasonable. Everything is completely reasonable ... given the absolute nature of how the issue represented itself, and we believe that we have been abundantly fair.”

Buying silence is fair, I guess, to the Catholic Church. I mean, haven't they tried this with victims of pedophile priests? Offering those innocent children and their families a little cash to keep quiet.

Fair. Reasonable.

And, apparently, the Alberta Teachers’ Association also thinks the cash payoff, er, payout, is fair. The union will no longer pay for Buterman’s lawyers, calling the bribe, er, payout, “substantial”. They also advised Buterman that rejecting the settlement because of its confidentiality clause could make Buterman look bad.

I don't think he looks bad. I think he looks like a teacher, lauded for his teaching skills, who was fired without cause simply for being transgendered. I think, if anything, it makes the Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools look bad.

Buying silence. But, as I've said, this is nothing new to the Catholic Church. They've been buying silence for decades in order to save face.

source

Indiana Is For Discrimination

Oh Indiana, in a few years you'll have egg on your face--big gay egg--and be the laughingstock of the entire world.

See, the Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee voted 7-3 this week to pass a resolution amending Indiana’s Constitution to ban gay marriage. The resolution now goes to the full Senate, where it has passed five times in the past. And if the resolution passes the Senate again, no other action is necessary this session because it already passed the House. The General Assembly would need to approve the measure again in 2013 or 2014 before reaching a statewide ballot for Hoosiers to make the final decision in 2014.

Hopefully the citizens of Indiana won't be as ignorant as their legislators, and understand that discrimination, written into their state Constitution, is a huge mistake.

And, maybe they'll also realize that this resolution, voted strictly along party lines, also falls under the category of overkill since Indiana state law already limits marriage to between one man and one woman. But, you know, bigots and haters, and people who are afraid of The Gays, want definite discrimination written into the state Constitution so judges can’t overturn the law in the future. 

In the future, asshats, you'll be laughed at for being so backwards and hateful and bigoted.
And the way they are wording their hatred--“only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Indiana. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized”--also effectively bans the idea of recognizing civil unions.

Wow.
Hatred.
In the Constitution,
Welcome to Indiana, unless you're gay.

source

Just When You Thought Chick-fil-A Couldn't Get Worse......

Remember all the brouhaha when a Pennsylvania Chick-fil-A restaurant sponsored a "traditional marriage" event by providing food to attendees of "The Art of Marriage: Getting to the Heart of God's Design." 

Remember when company president, Dan dismissed the controversy as merely a local, one-time incident neither indicative of, nor condoned by, his company, saying, "In recent weeks, we have been accused of being anti-gay. We have no agenda against anyone. While my family and I believe in the Biblical definition of marriage, we love and respect anyone who disagrees."

Hmmm, not so fast Danny.  Equality Matters research proves just the opposite [see HERE]. 

In fact, Dan Cathy's company has strong ties to anti-LGBT organizations like Focus on the Family and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and has donated more than $1.1 million to organizations spouting anti-LGBT messages, and provide those reparative therapies to "free" people of being gay. Here's more:

1. The WinShape Foundation
Chick-fil-A's charitable arm, WinShape, was created by company founder and chairman S. Truett Cathy in 1984, and has received a substantial amount of funding from Chick-fil-A: in 2008 alone, WinShape received $12,595,819 from Chick-fil-A Inc.
WinShape oversees programs intended to foster the "growth and education of young people" as well as to promote "healthy marriages and strong families" and has given $1.1 million to anti-LGBT groups from 2003-2008, the last year for which public records are available.

• The National Christian Foundation [NCF], a grant-making foundation that has made "hundreds of grants" to anti-gay groups like Focus on the Family, Family Life, and the Family Research Council, has received over $631,600 from WinShape.
• The Fellowship of Christian Athletes [FCA] which holds a National College Conference that conference Director, Danny Burns, describes as where "God freed some people from homosexuality, sexual sins, addictions and even ushered newcomers into His Kingdom"has received $480,000 from WinShape.
• Serving Marriages, an organization focused on honoring God through building "Biblically accurate marriage models for society to pattern," with ministry advisers that include WinShape, The Marriage CoMission, and the Georgia Family Council, all of which are established as promoting anti-LGBT work in this document, has received $15,000 in WinShape donations.
• The Alliance Defense Fund [ADF] is aggressively anti-LGBT, labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center as one of America's most influential groups fighting against LGBT equality, has received $5,000 from WinShape.
• The Christian Camp and Conference Association [CCCA] is an organization that encourages member organizations to hold Christian camps and conferences, where camp counselors are "advised" to resist today's "media-led promotion of alternative lifestyles," and prepares them to effectively convey why homosexuality is wrong to campers, has been given $5,000 in WinShape donations.
• The anti-LGBT Family Life, which hosted the "Art of Marriage" event that ignited the controversy, is a Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, has received $2,400 in WinShape donations.
• The Georgia Family Council is a typical anti-LGBT group, whose website contains posts arguing in favor of California's Proposition 8 and criticizing Apple for removing an application that promotes the argument that marriage equality is a threat to children and traditional marriage. GFC president, Randy Hicks, has argued gay marriage would harm children and undermine traditional marriages. GFC received $2,000 from WinShape.
• The Family Research Council, labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its misleading attacks on the LGBT community, received $1,000 in WinShape donations.

2. Chick-fil-A Reportedly Favors Married Employees

Chick-fil-A actually requires potential franchise operators to disclose their marital status, number of dependents, and involvement in social, church, and other organizations. In fact, company founder Truett Cathy has said he aims to only hire workers who are married.

Nearly a third of Chick-fil-A operators have attended Christian-based relationship-building retreats through WinShape--a foundation of Chick-fil-A, at Berry College in Georgia, while family members of prospective operators--including children--are frequently interviewed so Cathy and his family can learn more about job candidates and their relationships at home.

 

3. Chick-Fil-A's Partnership With Focus On The Family

 From October to November of 2005, Chick-fil-A partnered with Focus on the Family and Digital Praise Inc. to give away free CDs of Focus on the Family's 'Adventures in Odyssey', which presents kids with "important moral and biblical principles," with every Chick-fil-A Kid's Meal. Focus on the Family is notoriously anti-LGBT, promoting the theory that gays and lesbians can change their sexual orientation and arguing that homosexuality "violates God's intentional design for gender and sexuality."

 

4. Sponsorship Of Anti-Gay Hate Group Affiliate

 Since 2008, Chick-fil-A has been a sponsor of All Pro Dad, a program created by Family First, also known as the "Florida Family Council." The Florida Family Council is an affiliate of the American Family Association, which has been designated as an anti-LGBT hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

In 1995, the Florida Family Council opposed Disney's decision to extend health benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian employees, helping draft a letter calling the decision "anti-family" and inappropriate for a company that provides "wholesome, family-oriented 
entertainment."

5. WinShape's "Traditional Marriage" Activities

Following the initial controversy over Chick-fil-A's connection to the Pennsylvania Family Institute, the Good As You website posted an email discussion between the WinShape Retreat and someone asking if the programs offered there were open to same-sex couples. WinShape made it clear that it's programs were meant to promote a biblical standard of marriage: 

The WinShape Foundation works with the Marriage CoMission, a coalition of groups formed in response to the decline of "the traditional family in America." Since its inception, the CoMission has been supported by anti-gay activists such as Exodus International's Alan Chambers and Citizens for Community Values' Barry Sheets.
Every year since 2003, WinShape has hosted the Marriage CoMission's annual Marriage CoMission Strategy Summit at its Georgia retreat. WinShape spent $18 million over the past several years renovating the retreat center in order to hold seminars and conferences relating to marriage.
The summit has served as a meeting ground for anti-LGBT activists like NOM's Maggie Gallagher, Ruth Institutes' Jennifer Morse, Institute for American Values' David Blankenhorn, and Focus on the Family president Jim Daly.

WinShape's Jeff Fray stated that at WinShape "we're not arguing about if marriage is between men and women, that's what we're about. Resting on the truth that kids do best when raised under the same roof with mom and dad in a healthy relationship." He added that this principle is the CoMission Summit's "center of gravity."

_________________________________________

 

So, there you have it.
Contrary to every word that has come out of Dan Cathy's mouth, Chick-fil-A is most decidedly anti-LGBT, ant-marriage equality. They do so through their support of anti-LGBT groups--many of which are labeled as hate groups--both financially, and through company sponsored programs.
Do they have that right?
Yes, they do. Dan Cathy, and every one at Chick-fil-A, from the top down, has the right to believe whatever they want, and fund it and speak it and promote it.
What they shouldn't do, is lie about their support.
What they shouldn't do, is be patronized by any LGBT person in this country, or any person who thinks Chick-fil-A, Dan Cathy, Truett Cathy, and the whole company, is wrong.

source