A host of performers, led by Elton John, have called for a boycott of the Italian designers for “lining up with the Pope and the far-Right in their support for legal discrimination." Elton John and David Furnish, his “husband,” have two IVF children from a surrogate mother in the United States. Unfortunately this is just the latest example of the increasingly common attacks against entrepreneurs who have dared to speak the “politically incorrect” truth that family and marriage are built upon the union of a man and a woman. Though we may not necessarily agree with everything they believe or stand for, right now Dolce and Gabbana need encouragement from those who support traditional marriage and the natural family not to cave under the intense pressure that is being put on them by intolerant gay activists. We need people from every sphere of life to speak the truth about marriage and the family, and those who do should be given the support they need to withstand the inevitable attacks that will result.
Ben Shapiro is promoting the petition at TruthRevolt.
Glenn Beck declared this week that he is officially “out of the Republican Party.” Karl Rove responded to this on The O’Reilly Factor tonight by essentially yawning. Rove said he’s not really surprised by this “old news,” pointing to a few times before when Beck made similar statements about leaving the GOP. He pointed to what Beck said about Republicans not standing on principle and trashing true conservatives like Ted Cruz, then brought up a quote by Cruz not standing on principle in fighting Obama’s immigration action in the DHS funding fight.
GEORGIA: School Superintendent Comes Out After Grindr Photos Sent To Press
The superintendent of schools in Monroe County, Georgia has come out in a public statement after an unknown person sent explicit photos from his Grindr profile to the local press. Project Q Atlanta reports:
The statement comes as the Monroe County School District and the county sheriff launched investigations to see if Monroe County School Superintendent Anthony Pack improperly used a school system-issued phone or computer equipment as he cruised the gay sex app. In a public statement issued to media outlets, Pack denied any wrongdoing and criticized the anonymous tips that led to the public revelations about using a gay sex site. "Deep personal contemplation, prayer, and a desire to see my spouse as happy as she can be in her personal life, led me to realize that I am gay," Pack said in the statement. "I have tried to privately cope with accepting my sexual orientation as not definitive of my identity, but rather a small part of who I am as a father, a person, and a public figure." The married father of two children said he has and his wife separated four months ago and are seeking an uncontested divorce.
The San Francisco metropolitan area has the highest percentage of the adult population who identify as LGBT of any of the top 50 U.S. metropolitan areas, followed by Portland, Oregon, and Austin, Texas. Variation in the percentage who identify as LGBT across the largest metro areas is relatively narrow, with San Francisco's percentage just 2.6 percentage points higher than the national average of 3.6%, and the lowest-ranked metro area -- Birmingham, Alabama -- one point below the national average. The top 10 includes metro areas from every region of the country except the Midwest. Given the long history of a visible and politically active LGBT community in San Francisco, the city's ranking at the top of this list is not surprising. Similar to San Francisco, Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) like Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles in the West, and Boston in the Northeast, are known for their progressive social and political climates and active LGBT communities. Hartford is the capital of Connecticut, which has permitted same-sex couples to legally marry longer than every state except Massachusetts. MSAs like Austin and New Orleans in the South, and Denver in the Rocky Mountain region, all have reputations as socially progressive cities within states and regions that are much more conservative, perhaps making them regional hubs for the LGBT population.
Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who was accused of sexually harassing several men in a scandal that exploded on the eve of the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis, has renounced the “rights and privileges” of his office but gets to keep his prestigious title, the Vatican announced Friday (March 20). O’Brien did not take part in the March 2013 conclave and now he will be barred from any future conclaves; at age 77, he would have lost his voting eligibility at age 80. Francis had been under pressure to take some action against O’Brien since one of his victims revealed that an internal church report on O’Brien had been sent to Rome and was “hot enough to burn the varnish” off the pope’s desk. At least five men – three priests, a former priest and a former seminarian – accused O’Brien of either sexually harassing them or pressuring them into sex, in allegations that went back to the 1980s. O’Brien was accused of being sexually active up through at least 2009.
Following the initial accusations, Bill Donohue declared that O'Brien was the target of false charges from the "lavender mafia." And then O'Brien confessed: "In recent days certain allegations which have been made against me have become public. Initially, their anonymous and non-specific nature led me to contest them. However, I wish to take this opportunity to admit that there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal. To those I have offended, I apologise and ask forgiveness."
Two weeks after that murky confession, the Scotland Herald revealed that O'Brien's chief accuser had been his long-term boyfriend.In August 2013 it was revealed that O'Brien had thwarted investigations into sexual abuses committed by priests under his command. And yet he gets to keep his red hat. Take that shocked look off your face.
Internet arsonist Matt Drudge, who owns a sprawling property on the edge of The Everglades near Miami, just plunked down $1.9 million cash for a bunker-like house in the Arizona desert near Phoenix. With the purchase the web aggregator, 48, will be living part-time in the jurisdiction of civil rights-busting Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a favorite on his Drudge Report. Drudge has been moving quite a bit of real estate as of late. Over the past two years, he bought two large adjacent properties in the Redland agricultural area on SW 157th Avenue in southwest Miami-Dade County for a total $2.1 million.
BREAKING: Puerto Rico Drops Defense Of Ban On Same-Sex Marriage
UPDATE: Lambda Legal celebrates.
"In declining to further defend the Commonwealth's discriminatory marriage ban, Puerto Rico's government finally recognizes that denying marriage to LGBT people is harmful and cannot be justified. The marriage ban's sole purpose is to perpetuate discrimination, and it is just plain wrong," said Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, Staff Attorney for Lambda Legal. "Same-sex couples, LGBT people, and their families are part of Puerto Rico's rich social and cultural fabric. Today's actions fulfill the constitutional promises of justice and fairness for LGBT people in Puerto Rico. Simply put, discrimination is never in Puerto Rico's best interests."
Third Time: Matt Barber Again Publishes Column From Gay Death Penalty Advocate
For the third time in four months, Christian leader Matt Barber has published a guest column from an advocate of the death penalty for homosexuality. Walid Shoebat claims to be a former terrorist for the Palestinian Liberation Organization, a claim which has been thoroughly debunked by the Israeli press. Shoebat also operates the Shoebat Foundation and on its website you'll find calls for the gay death penalty and celebrations of violence against LGBT people.
Many of the Shoebat Foundation posts are written by Walid Shoebat's son, Theodore Shoebat, who made the news recently when he called a dozen bakeries to ask if they would provide cakes with anti-gay messages. Below is an excerpt from a post written by the younger Shoebat for his father's site:
To many modern Christians, allowing homosexuality as a right is esteemed as being “free under Christ,” as though Christ believed that evil deserves freedom. I find no freedom for the sodomite ever specified in the Bible or in any teaching in Church tradition. When we read that sodomites must “be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense” (Lev. 20:13), or, as we read from St. Paul, that homosexuals do things that “are worthy of death” (Romans 1:32) we either ignore these words, or explain away their significance. As long as we keep tolerating the homosexual, the more they will advance. This is why we must become militant, and fight this evil to the fullest extent.
And this was posted by the Shoebat Foundation just a few weeks ago:
Both Muslims and homosexuals want to destroy Christianity. Just look at some of the news that has come in recent times. Muslim activist, Fiyaz Mughal, joined forces with major sodomite activist, Peter Tatchell, to help fight intolerance against Islam, and of course homosexuality. Why would Muslims work with homosexuals? Because both want to wipe out Christianity, plain and symbol. This is why I love to watch this same deviant sodomite getting beaten up in Russia, as you can see in this video. The sodomites are working together with the Muslims to destroy an remnant of Christian ethics. Homosexuality and Islam needs to be outlawed, and the Law of God must be imposed upon them as enemies of the Faith. Both Homosexuals and Muslims, as well as Mormons, 7th Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, are all corrupters of sound doctrine, and therefore their actions and ideology must be uprooted. If Christendom was here, the sodomites would regret ever coming out of the closet.
The above-linked post includes this gleeful Shoebat Foundation-made compilation video of gay people being brutally attacked by mobs. The clip concludes with a call for gays to be put to death.
One week ago Matt Barber published a World Net Daily column in which he proclaimed "disgust" at previous BarbWire columnists who support putting gays to death. And then he went on to blame "virulent homosexual and atheist bloggers" for pointing out the columns in the first place. Both of the earlier BarbWire columns from gay death penalty advocates were deleted within 24 hours without any comment or apology on the site. Let's see if Matt Barber even bothers with a deletion this time.
UPDATE: A reader points out that three posts by Walid Shoebat have been published by Matt Barber today. And one from Theodore Shoebat was published yesterday.
Mat Staver Calls For "Many Thousands" Of Christians To Disobey SCOTUS Ruling
"Civil disobedience has a long and noble history in Western culture, and we will need a primer on it if, as seems likely, the Supreme Court rules against natural marriage in June. Of course, civil disobedience is not justified just because we disagree with a human law, but only when that law conflicts with a higher revealed or Natural Law. When he was jailed for violating a law used to stop him from protesting injustice, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail. 'A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God,” he argued. “An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.'
"What would happen if, instead of quiet retreat, many thousands of individuals, agencies, charities, churches and schools all came together, prepared, prayed and peacefully refused to countenance a Supreme Court decision that violates not only our highest legal document, but the laws of Nature and Nature’s God? Perhaps we would see our culture step back from the brink of insanity, or perhaps we would suffer in the face of injustice. Whatever the outcome, the hour is late. It’s past time for us to get ready." - Liberty Counsel head Mat Staver, writing for Matt Barber's BarbWire.
RELATED: Yesterday World Net Dailypublished a claim that members of Congress "are lining up" to sign a pledge of civil disobedience against the coming SCOTUS ruling. It remains unclear exactly how they plan to disobey.
San Francisco's often tumultuous Pink Saturday street party, held on the day before the Pride parade, was canceled last month after the withdrawal of its longtime sponsor, the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence, who cited the event's "escalation of violence." But today the San Francisco LGBT Community Center stepped in to run this year's party with a promise of increased security. From their announcement:
We are honored and humbled to continue the legacy of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. We share their commitment to bringing together our diverse LGBT communities across age, race, culture, income and geography. As an affordable event that is well attended by young people, it is an essential component of Pride weekend. For many of us Pride weekend represents a set of magic moments where we are free to be our authentic selves in a public and supportive setting. We are committed to community safety and creating public spaces that are free from violence. As Pink Saturday has historically been the destination for many of the tens of thousands participants of Dyke March as well as the Saturday Pride festival, creating a strong infrastructure for our community to gather is critical to the success of Pride weekend. Our leadership of a celebration that is safe, fun and welcoming for everyone is part of that vision. This year’s event will feature expanded entertainment and increased security to promote a celebratory and safe environment.
(Tipped by JMG reader Steve)
RELATED: Pink Saturday haslong been criticized for its unruly crowds. Last year two Sisters were assaulted and two women were attacked by a group of six men. In 2013 a woman was brutally beaten
and robbed during the event. Her attacker was later sentenced to six years in
prison. In 2010, three people were shot and one young man was killed during a gang-related altercation on Pink Saturday.
One week after striking down a ban on gay adoption a House panel on Thursday approved a proposed committee bill that would allow private child placing agencies to refuse to perform adoptions without risking their state contracts if the placement violates their religious or moral convictions. The proposed bill, PCB HHSC 15-03, was supported by the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Florida Eagle Forum, a self-described “pro-family” group, and opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Organization for Women and organizations representing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocates, among others. Committee Chairman Jason Brodeur said the bill is necessary in light of the state’s move to eliminate the ban on gay adoption. Without the bill, he said, the private agencies “might likely have to shut down because they can’t reconcile their beliefs with the state.”
Florida's 1977 ban on gay adoption was struck down by a Miami-Dade County court in 2008. The state appealed that ruling, but it was upheld in a 2010 state district appeals court decision. Following that appeals court ruling then-Gov. Charlie Crist announced that the ban would no longer be enforced, making last week's House strike down of the 1977 statute merely symbolic. That symbolic gesture must still be approved by the Florida Senate and Gov. Rick Scott.
Enter hate group leader John Stemberger, who yesterday sent a letter to all Florida legislators, telling them that the 2010 ruling only applies to the counties under the jurisdiction of the appeals court and that the Department of Children & Families is infested with pro-gay workers anyway.
The DCA decision is merely “persuasive” authority but it is not binding authority statewide. The opinion of Adoption of XXG, is binding or controlling authority, only within Miami-Dade and Monroe counties where the jurisdiction of the Third District Court of Appeals lies. Further, the opinion was decided on highly questionable legal grounds because the court “discovered” Florida’s Constitution was somehow suddenly in conflict with Florida’s Statutes. DCF has for many years ignored the law and placed children with homosexuals for the simple reason that the agency is filled at a local level with pro-gay rights employees. DCF has ignored and side-stepped the prohibition in Florida’s law for many years and placed children with homosexual parents. DCF would place homosexuals as foster parents (which Florida law allows as a non-permanent placement) and then just arrange for adoptions for those persons and look the other way as to the gay man’s “roommate” or “friend.” Because of the false cover of Adoption of XXG opinion, the agency continues the same practice, but now openly and aggressively.
To sum up, the haters are vowing to stop the final approval of a bill striking down a moot law and they want to legalize anti-gay discrimination by adoption agencies.
RELATED: Stemberger, you may recall, has declared that the battle against same-sex marriage is "worth dying for." He's also the head of Trail Life USA, the anti-Boy Scouts group.
Today at 3:30pm I'll be on Michelangelo Signorile's SiriusXM show to
talk about some of the latest LGBT news items making
headlines here on JMG. Mike's channel is SiriusXM Progress
127 and you can listen live online if you sign up for a freebie account. What's on your mind?
The FBI and federal prosecutors in Illinois have launched an investigation into the finances of soon-to-be former Rep. Aaron Schock.
Schock in recent days announced plans to resign, citing controversy surrounding allegations that he improperly accounted for travel and other contributions from donors and reimbursements for campaign use of a personal car. But the probe managed by prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's office in Springfield, Ill., means his legal troubles are just beginning. The FBI has now begun delivering subpoenas seeking testimony before a grand jury in Springfield, Ill. A controversy that began with questions sparked by a light-hearted profile of Schock's "Downton Abbey"-themed office ballooned into a full-blown scandal over the past month that caused the rising GOP star's rapid fall from grace.
Pope Francis reportedly will have lunch Saturday with about 90 prisoners, including 10 from a prison ward for transgender and gay prisoners and those who suffer from AIDS, as part of a visit to the southern Italian city of Naples. The prisoners won their spots after a raffle among some 1,900 detainees, according to a report posted late Tuesday on the Italian news website Vatican Insider. That article refers to a separate report made on the matter by Tv2000, an Italian television network operated by the country's Catholic bishops' conference and known for broadcasting most papal events. According to the Vatican Insider report, the pontiff's lunch with the prisoners will be cooked by the prisoners themselves and will include detainees from two nearby institutions.
A sample of Madonna's 1990 hit "Vogue" inexplicably appears two-thirds of the way through the sexually charged "Holy Water," a track from the singer's new album, Rebel Heart. Previously, Madonna erupted into the song's refrain at the end of her 1992 single "Deeper and Deeper," and it's perhaps a testament to the euphoric spirit of "Vogue" that she seemed compelled to reference it at these climactic moments. Released 25 years ago tomorrow, "Vogue" wasn't just a hit single; it was a cultural phenomenon. Ironically, no other song better exemplifies both Madonna's influence on pop culture and the accusations of appropriation that have been lobbed at her over the years. The track, produced by Shep Pettibone, is at once a musical map of disco, shamelessly ripping MFSB's "Love Is the Message" and Salsoul Orchestra's "Ooh, I Love It (Love Break)," and an enduring prototype of its own, spawning countless copycats and spoofs in the early '90s and inspiring covers by more contemporary acolytes like Britney Spears, Rihanna, and Katy Perry. Like the Harlem drag balls that inspired it, "Vogue" is about presentation, and unlike, say, "Like a Virgin," the queen of reinvention has found little need to fuss with perfection.
The late Malcolm McLaren beat Madonna to the co-opting punch by a year, of course, and his remains my preferred take on the Harlem ball scene.
Grey skies blotted out today's solar eclipse for many Europeans who were in the right place to observe it, but the European Space Agency has provided a brief time-lapse from its Proba-2 satellite. Today's eclipse is especially rare as it took place on the vernal equinox during a "supermoon." And that means the end times have begun, of course.
WorldNetDaily, an American site that is roughly affiliated with the American political right, reported that biblical experts believe that the message is a sign of judgment from God to those on Earth. The co-founder of Christian website Root Source, Bob O’Dell, told WND that the message was a sign of judgment. The eclipse will be total across the North Pole, and so is not pointed at anyone in particular. “The North Pole can’t really be called the territory of any particular nation or people,” O’Dell told the site. “This is likely a message from God to the entire world.” But since the eclipse will most affect those in northern Europe, the message should be especially heeded by people there, according to a pastor interviewed by WND. “In Jewish tradition, a total solar eclipse is a warning to the Gentiles and a sign of judgment on the nations,” he told the paper. “When we look at where the darkness will be, it will be in northern European countries like England and Sweden where we see the rise of Islam and anti-Israel sentiment. Europeans especially should take heed.”
Gay and bisexual men in the United States are twice as likely as heterosexual men to get skin cancer, a new study shows. One likely reason: Gay and bisexual men are three times more likely to engage in indoor tanning, according to the study to be presented Friday in San Francisco at a meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. The study suggests that anti-tanning messages, most often aimed at young women, need to be broader, says researcher Sarah Arron, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco. "The primary reason that men and women engage in indoor tanning is because of the cultural association of tanning with a healthy look and overall attractiveness," Arron says. "We need to dispel the myth of the healthy tan." Gay and bisexual women in California were less likely than straight women to tan indoors. The researchers then looked at national health survey data for 2013 and found the same thing: A history of skin cancer was twice as common in gay and bisexual men as in straight men, 6.6% vs. 3.3%. About 5% of gay and bisexual men said they had engaged in indoor tanning in the past year vs. 1.7% of straight men. Gay and bisexual women were, again, less likely than straight women to report indoor tanning.
INDIANA: Anti-LGBT "Religious Liberty" Bill Poised For Approval On Monday
As the above HRC map shows, anti-LGBT legislation continues to sweep the nation in advance of the coming ruling by SCOTUS. It appears that Indiana's license to discriminate bill will be the next to go on the books. Dominic Holden reports at Buzzfeed:
Of the 13 religious freedom bills introduced in state legislatures around the United States this year — which critics say would legalize discrimination against LGBT people — one leads the pack in Indiana, where a measure appears on the verge of passage with backing from the general assembly and governor. “I would predict the bill passes on Monday,” Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma told BuzzFeed News in a phone interview Thursday. Described by one of his critics as “the most powerful person in Indiana when the legislature is in session,” Bosma had just wrapped up a House vote in which his Republican majority shot down six amendments to soften the bill, all from Democrats, in 60-to-30 votes. “I think the votes on the amendments were a strong sign of how the bill will fare in final passage,” said Bosma. Bosma has tentatively scheduled a final vote for Monday, March 23. Rather than solely banning government from burdening a person’s religious freedom, the Indiana bill allows a legal defense in interactions “regardless of whether the state or any other government entity is party to the proceeding.” The religious liberty defense would be available under all state laws and local ordinances, unless state law provides a specific exemption from it.
Religious freedom restoration. Prohibits a governmental entity from substantially burdening a person's exercise of religion, even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, unless the governmental entity can demonstrate that the burden: (1) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and (2) is the least restrictive means of furthering the compelling governmental interest. Provides a procedure for remedying a violation. Specifies that the religious freedom law applies to the implementation or application of a law regardless of whether the state or any other governmental entity or official is a party to a proceeding implementing or applying the law. Prohibits an applicant, employee, or former employee from pursuing certain causes of action against a private employer.
"Gay men want Schock to be gay because, well, they want him. More importantly, they also want him to be gay because it would fit into a convenient narrative about gay conservatives: that they are all morally compromised, self-hating, untrustworthy sellouts. What really angers the gay mob is that Schock is conservative. By trivializing a serious story of corruption with unfounded allegations of homosexuality, they demonstrate their inability to judge the real issues because they’re transfixed on minor ones. While Schock’s gay inquisitors have a theory that his downfall is a direct result of his being gay, the actual reason is likely much simpler: Like many politicians, Schock soon started to believe that he was above the people who elected him, and that the rules didn’t apply." - Homocon James Kirchick, writing for the Daily Beast. (Tipped by JMG reader SpiderPig)
PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Kirchick slams the SPLC for putting the Family Research Council on its hate groups list. Kirchick signs a homocon group statement denouncing Mozilla for "punishing" former CEO Brandon Eich. Kirchick gets kicked off a Russian network show after denouncing Russia's "gay propaganda" ban.
In an op-ed published yesterday by the Washington Examiner, Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) and Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) argue that since Chipotle can choose to only buy humanely-raised pork, businesses can choose to only serve heterosexuals. Seriously. An excerpt:
It is crucial that the same freedom of conscience enjoyed by the leadership of Chipotle remain equally available to business owners of faith. Indeed, much more so, as freedom of religion is explicitly protected by the First Amendment. We cannot simultaneously laud the leaders of a business motivated by a commitment to environmental sustainability and discriminate against the leaders of a business motivated by religious belief. If a decision based on moral convictions is celebrated, shouldn't a decision based on the free exercise of religion – a right guaranteed in the Constitution – be even more so? To be sure, religious freedom is not just a choice of convenience – it is a fundamental right given to all Americans by the Constitution. As we recognize Chipotle's decision, let's remember that a clear constitutionally-supported civil right of religious freedom should be cherished and respected in every corner of this nation.
(Tipped by JMG reader Jasun)
RELATED: In 2011 Forbes (photo) introduced House resolutions calling for "In God We Trust" to be inscribed on every public building in the nation and for all federal documents to use the words "mother and father" rather than "parents."
ILLINOIS: Library To Pay Settlement To Kevin DuJan And Creationist Sidekick
Homocon Kevin DuJan and creationist loon Megan Fox have won a $55K settlement from a Chicago-area library over their FOIA complaints that porn was being viewed on its computers. The Chicago Tribune reports:
Orland Park Public Library officials have approved a settlement with two patrons who sued the library over alleged transparency law violations in an ongoing dispute over the library's policy of giving adults unfiltered access to the Internet, including pornography. Last fall, Megan Fox and Kevin DuJan filed two lawsuits against the library, alleging several violations of Illinois' freedom of information law. Orland Park and its police department were also accused in one of the suits of violating the law. The settlement includes a $55,000 payment by the library's insurance company to Fox, DuJan and their attorneys, resolves current complaints over alleged violations of the FOI law and the state's open meetings law and sets up procedures for handling future public records requests from Fox and DuJan, according to a statement from Library Director Mary Weimar. Fox and DuJan have been outspoken critics of the library since October 2013, when they claimed they saw men viewing pornography on library computers, which is permitted under library policies. The pair filed dozens of FOI requests, seeking records on library policies and personnel.
Late last year I reported that the spokeswoman for the library is also suing DuJan and Fox for defamation. That case is apparently still pending. Hit the top link for more on the settlement. (Tipped by JMG reader Larry)
"Back in the day, Groucho Marx used to ask if a vaudeville act “will play in Peoria?” — the theory being that Peoria was the ultimate barometer of mass Middle American taste. Schock, as it happens, represented Peoria, a bedrock conservative district, and there is little evidence to suggest that his hijinks, transgressions, and ambiguous sexuality offended his constituents whatsoever. In other words, he played big time in Peoria. So give this guy a show on Bravo right now. He has one of the most sizzling audition tapes reality television has seen in years. As his father said of his son in an interview this week, 'Two years from now he will be successful if he’s not in jail.' But first Aaron Schock must apologize to Julian Fellowes and the production team at Downton Abbey. That notorious Capitol Hill office — created by an Illinois decorating firm appropriately named Euro Trash — didn’t remotely evoke Edwardian England. With its blood-red walls and busts of Republican presidents, it was nothing if not a Warren Harding–era bordello out of Boardwalk Empire." - Frank Rich, writing for New York Magazine.
World Net Daily: Members Of Congress Will Go To Jail To Defy Same-Sex Marriage
According to World Net Daily, members of Congress are "lining up" to sign a document declaring their willingness to go to jail in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage.
A team of prominent Christian leaders is preparing a statement that will inform the public – including justices on the U.S. Supreme Court – that they will engage in civil disobedience rather than follow a ruling that establishes homosexual “marriage” in the United States. Among those leading the charge is James Dobson of Family Talk Radio, Rick Scarborough of Vision America Action, Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel and James Robison of Life Today, whose brand new publication called The Stream reported on a recent telephone conference call discussing the issue. Stream Executive Editor Jay Richards told WND there were about 20 other Christian leaders on the call. He said members of Congress have expressed an interest in the plan, which will be disclosed in the next few days in a statement regarding marriage and the U.S. Supreme Court. However, Scarborough wasted no time in an interview with WND explaining what is, and is not, going to happen. “We’re taking a very adamant stand,” he said. “If the court declares same-sex ‘marriage’ to be on the same par as a civil right, that’s a bridge too far. We won’t obey. We’ll go to jail.” Scarborough confirmed congressmen “are lining up to sign the document.” “The undeniable case is that when same-sex “marriage’ becomes, declared by the Supreme Court, as the law of the land, they will begin to enforce it, like all civil rights laws.” That is where the civil disobedience will loom large. “We’re saying, before that, we will never obey that tyrannical law. It’s counter to natural law, and God’s higher law. “We will simply refuse to comply with recognizing same-sex ‘marriage’ as legitimate,” he said.
Since none of the members of Congress and none of these hate group leaders will have the responsibility of issuing marriage licenses, threats of civil disobedience are, of course, entirely laughable unless they plan to throw their bodies in front of county clerks' offices.
The Dred Scott decision was wrong on so many levels that it’s difficult to cover them all in this email. But the most important thing to realize about the decision is that it ignored both natural law and the principles of the American founding to impose a political ideology on the country. Does that ring a bell for you with anything in the news today? Some people think that the US Supreme Court is the final arbiter of controversial topics — whether slavery or marriage — and we must accept whatever they decide. We don’t. My friends, we have an opportunity right now to act to avoid a Dred Scott decision on marriage. In a little over five weeks, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case that could give us a legal definition of marriage that either complies with natural and moral law and the principles of the American founding, or like Dred Scott ignores those principles to impose a political ideology on the nation. What we do together between now and then is critical. Will you help us do everything we can to avoid a Dred Scott decision on marriage?
The money beg contain eighteen links to NOM's donation page. Eighteen.
"The open-minded ones in New York and Hollywood are having hissy fits over a quip made by Dolce about the kinds of kids their gay friends are raising. Elton John, who was engaged to a woman in the 1960s, married another gal in the 1980s, and then finally settled down with his boyfriend, is furious with Dolce. That’s because Sir Elton, who is no longer Questioning his sexual orientation (the 'Q' in LGBTQ stands for Questioning—if there are two 'Q’s' the other stands for 'Queer'), takes Dolce’s comments to heart: he and his buddy are raising two children who are not, obviously, the result of their homosexual relationship. He is calling for a boycott. The celebs are so angry that some are threatening to burn their Dolce & Gabbana pants. Others are literally apoplectic: they cannot speak. Still others, not knowing whose side to take - all the parties to this controversy are homosexuals - are feverishly waiting it out." - Bill Donohue, reducing David Furnish to a "buddy" in a post for the Catholic League.
TEXAS: Haters Cheer Lawsuit To Stop Gay People From Caring For Sick Spouses
"We fully support Texas Attorney General Paxton’s actions to ensure that both the U.S. Constitution and the Texas constitution are fully respected and upheld. The federal government’s effort to force state agencies to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages is just another example egregious abuse of power. We are appalled by the federal Department of Labor’s blatant disrespect for Texas voters and Texas values. This federal government overreach by an Obama agency is way out of line and must be stopped." - Texas Values head Jonathan Saenz, applauding the federal lawsuit to exclude same-sex couples from medical leave.
CALIFORNIA: Gay Death Penalty Ballot Measure Will Probably Be Advanced
Last month a Christian activist filed a 2016 California ballot measure that calls for the death penalty for homosexuality. And it appears that Attorney General Kamala Harris can do little to prevent the the proposed referendum from reaching the petition signature gathering stage. The San Francisco Chroniclereports:
The state Supreme Court has the power to keep measures off the ballot if they violate the California Constitution. It has exercised that power to disqualify measures that cover more than one subject, broadly defined, and to block last year’s attempt by legislative Democrats to seek a statewide advisory vote on a U.S. constitutional amendment that would limit corporate spending in federal elections. Presumably the justices could locate a state constitutional provision that would discourage shooting people in the head. But McLaughlin’s measure is currently before Harris, whose options appear to be limited. Once the sponsor has paid the required fee, state law directs the attorney general to prepare a title and a maximum 100-word summary of the initiative and forward it to the secretary of state for a 90-day period of public signature-gathering. The secretary of state’s website says Harris is scheduled to take those actions by about May 4. Does she have the power to refuse if the measure is patently unconstitutional? Harris isn’t saying; her office did not return repeated phone calls. But some veteran practitioners of election law said they don’t think so. “The statute is clear: that the office has to prepare a summary provided the proponents have paid $200 and followed the right procedures,” said attorney Robert Stern, author of the state’s 1974 Political Reform Act. He said he’s never heard of a case in which the attorney general refused to issue a title and summary.
The ballot measure briefly vanished from the AG's official website earlier this month, but soon reappeared. The proposed referendum includes this stipulation: "Any person who willingly touches another person of the same gender for purposes of sexual gratification shall be put to death by bullets to the head or by any other convenient method." Jesus is love.
As I've recounted here in the past, Chelsea's formerly famed gay nightlife has long been on the decline, supplanted by many newer clubs uptown in Hell's Kitchen. But Gym Bar, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this month, has just scored a lease for another ten years.
"We didn’t want to move, I didn’t want to move anywhere but where we are," Schmutzler told DNAinfo New York. GYM, which proclaims itself "NY's premier bar for balls, boys and beers," has been in its home at 167 Eighth Ave. since 2005, Schmultzer said. The bar is a regular hangout for gay sports leagues that play nearby and its basement "Locker Room" shows the NFL Sunday lineup, according to the bar's website. Rising rents along Eighth Avenue in Chelsea have been forcing out small businesses for years, and many storefronts are still empty. But Schmutzler was able to work out a deal with his landlord, he said, partly by convincing him that the store could stand vacant. "We had a diagram of all the empty storefronts," along Eighth Avenue, Schmultzer said. Schmultzer would not specify how much his new rent is, but said it was no "sweetheart deal." He was able to freeze it for a few years and get a five-year extension option on the new lease, he said.
Two years ago the Rawhide, a Chelsea landmark for 33 years, closed its doors in the face of a soaring rent increase. The space has since remained empty but a deal was signed in January to turn the storefront into a "high-end lingerie boutique," whatever that is. Interestingly, the landlord says he first turned down offers from at least five gay bars before making the deal. Is it possible that Chelsea could make a comeback? (Tipped by JMG reader Douglas)
RELATED: Gym Bar has a second outlet in West Hollywood and a third location is reportedly planned for Florida - Wilton Manors would be my guess. Another gay sports bar chain, Boxers, now has three locations in Manhattan and one in Philadelphia with more said to be on the way.
This is a fairly faithful cover of Depeche Mode's 1993 smash and will be released as a 7" single for next month's Record Store Day. The B-side of the single will be a live version of The Smiths' 1984 hit, Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want.
Legislation that would allow Michigan adoption agencies to refuse service to same-sex couples for religious reasons -- while still receiving public funds -- will head to the Michigan Senate. The Republican-backed package of three bills, which passed 65-44 in the state House Wednesday, would give organizations the right to deny services if they conflict with "sincerely held religious beliefs contained in a written policy." The legislation would protect agencies refusing service over religious beliefs from “adverse action” by the state, including limiting public funding and “discriminating against the child placing agency.” State law already restricts the adoption process for same-sex couples. Michigan has a ban on gay marriage, and unmarried couples are prohibited from jointly adopting.
"They closed one of the main arteries for at least two hours, the music was unbelievably loud, everyone was dressed in Mexican costumes, they were marching some sort of a saint, I don’t know who it was, and the streets were just filled with Mexican nationals who, maybe they’re citizens but I sort of don’t think so. We have Irish-American parades and I don’t mind people celebrating their ethnicity, what I do mind is an invasion without permission, I do not want American culture to be transformed into another culture. I do resent any kind of push to supplant that with something that has produced poverty and dependence, it is not a system of government or way of life that we want to mainstream.”
Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the U.S. Department of Labor on Wednesday over a proposal to extend family leave benefits to same-sex married couples. Under the proposed federal rule to take effect March 27, the definition of “spouse” would be revised to include gay partners who were married in a state that recognizes same-sex unions. The new rule would direct state agencies to grant family and medical leave benefits to all such couples. Paxton said the Texas constitution holds that such unions cannot be recognized and therefore he is advising state agencies to follow state law and not the federal rule. “This lawsuit is about defending the sovereignty of our state, and we will continue to protect Texas from the unlawful overreach of the federal government,” Paxton said. The issue involves the Family Medical and Leave Act, which provides employers must allow unpaid time off for workers to tend to certain qualified family emergencies. “Texans have clearly defined the institution of marriage in our state, and attempts by the Obama Administration to disregard the will of our citizens through the use of new federal rules is unconstitutional and an affront to the foundations of federalism,” Paxton said.
We're still waiting for the Fifth Circuit Court to rule on the marriage cases out of Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Oral arguments were heard back in January and most observers have predicted a 2-1 split in favor of the good guys.
Responding to pressure from NOM, the Family Research Council, and Alliance Defending Freedom, Sen. Ted Cruz is seeking to have Congress repeal a new Washington DC law that requires all city universities to abide by local LGBT anti-discrimination laws. Pending action from Congress, the law will go into effect next month. Cruz's "disapproval resolution" would require passage from both chambers of Congress and the signature of President Obama. Which isn't going to happen, but hey, it will play well back in Texas.
Barney Frank: If Aaron Schock Is Gay, He Has Forfeited His Right To The Closet
"I don't know if he's gay or not. But if he is, he's forfeited any right to privacy because he votes anti-gay. My view is that people who are gay who vote to support the right of other people to do it have a right to privacy, but the right to privacy does not include hypocrisy. The one thing that puzzled me, The New York Times had a story about how he redecorated his office to look like Downton Abbey, but all I saw were pictures of like Ulysses S. Grant. It's obviously sort of disjunctive in my mind. There were all these pictures of Republican presidents. I don't know what they were doing in Downton Abbey. I suppose you could say, from a certain angle, Herbert Hoover does look a little bit like Maggie Smith depending on the light, but nobody could have been Ulysses S. Grant. I have to say, if they're not true [the rumors], he spent entirely too much time in the gym for a straight man." - Barney Frank, speaking to Business Insider.
SAN FRANCISCO: Archdiocese Issues Apology, Will Stop Drenching Homeless
Via press release from the Archdiocese of San Francisco:
When the system was installed, after other ideas were tried and failed, the people who were regularly sleeping in those doorways were informed in advance that the sprinklers were being installed. The idea was not to remove those persons, but to encourage them to relocate to other areas of the Cathedral, which are protected and safer. The purpose was to make the Cathedral grounds as well as the homeless people who happen to be on those grounds safer. We are sorry that our intentions have been misunderstood and recognize that the method used was ill-conceived. It actually has had the opposite effect from what it was intended to do, and for this we are very sorry. We have also now learned that the system in the first place required a permit and may violate San Francisco water-use laws, and the work to remove this system has already started, and will be completed by the end of the day.
Bold & Beautiful Soap Opera Reveals That Long-Running Character Is Transgender
On yesterday's episode of The Bold & The Beautiful a long-running character was revealed to be transgender. USA Todayreports:
The news that Maya was born Myron inserts a plot twist (de rigueur on soaps), and could explain why the character has been fearful of intimacy. Non-trans actress and soap veteran Karla Mosley, 33, who's played Maya for more than two years, is thrilled with the development. When she was told after Christmas that Maya had a secret, this wasn't the first thing that popped into her head. "My first reaction was surprise, because 10 or 20 years ago, this is not a story we would be telling, and not in a way that's truthful and not sensational," Mosley says. "My second reaction was, 'Thank you.' It's a gift it's a privilege," she says. "It's a real opportunity to educate our viewers here and all over the world." Bradley Bell, executive producer and head writer, says the story the soap is telling is about love and tolerance. "It is about people respecting other people's differences and their uniqueness," he says in a statement. "In the end, we all want to be loved, and in order to love someone else you first have to love yourself. If you are transgender, gay, straight, it doesn't matter. It's about finding love in life. This is a love story."
Entertainment Tonight reported on the show last night.
Crossbench senator David Leyonhjelm will ramp up the pressure on the Government over same-sex marriage, by pushing for debate on his bill next week. The Liberal Democrat has already introduced the draft legislation to legalise gay marriage and will move to start debate in the Upper House this sitting fortnight. Labor MPs have previously been able to cast a conscience vote on the issue. But in the last parliament, the Coalition's position was to oppose changing the Marriage Act. The Prime Minister, who promised to take the question of a free vote to his party room after the 2013 election, says he remains opposed to the bill. A number of Liberal MPs including Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull have publicly backed same-sex marriage. Senator Leyonhjelm said bringing on the debate next week would push the Government to have the party room discussion about a free vote.
Leyonhjelm says that he believes the bill would pass in the Senate but would likely fail in the House.
The country’s LGBT community has long faced discrimination, and even physical violence. New to that list, though, is the threat of death sanctioned by the Indonesian Council of Ulema, or MUI, the country’s highest Islamic clerical body. On March 4, the MUI issued a fatwa, or edict, proposing punishments ranging from caning to the death penalty for individuals accused of homosexual acts. It also claims that homosexuality is a serious disease, but that like most other illnesses, it can be cured. “It doesn’t matter that they love each other,” Hasanuddin A.F., the head of the MUI’s fatwa commission, said earlier this month when announcing the anti-LGBT edict. “The law still prohibits it. In Islamic law, it’s a sexual act that must be heavily punished. It would be bad if the government allows same-sex marriage.” The Indonesian government does not recognize same-sex marriage, but at the same time it does not criminalize homosexual acts. However, two local administrations have issued their own bylaws that treat such acts as crimes.
The council's edict is not legally binding. Last year the Aceh province approved the punishment of 100 public lashings for those convicted of homosexuality. Aceh is the only region of Indonesia currently allowed to implement its own system of sharia law. (Tipped by JMG reader Dan)
"The minds behind the world-famous D&G brand have been creating more controversy than clothing lately, as the duo comes clean about their surprisingly conservative views. As expected, celebrities have turned on the pair with a ferocity that took the Italians by surprise. Singer Elton John has been the most vocal, calling Dolce and Gabbana's thinking 'archaic' and demanding a Tinsel town boycott of the popular line. The backlash (one celebrity vowed to set her Dolce on fire) threw the designers for a loop. They're learning, as we all have, that there's no room in the Left's debate for both sides. It was a powerful statement -- one that obviously hit a little too close to home. When it comes right down to it, there's nothing more threatening to the homosexual political movement than homosexual people who tell the truth." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via press release.
Probable GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum appeared this past weekend at the South Carolina National Security Action Summit, an annual event held by Frank Gaffney and the Center for Security Policy. If you know anything about Frank Gaffney, the following should not surprise you. During a Q&A session with the conference’s attendees, a woman came up to the microphone and introduced herself as a “retired schoolteacher.” Two minutes and twenty seconds later, she was dragged away while screaming about how the “communist dictator” Obama was trying to destroy the country by trying to nuke Charleston.
Enjoy the crazy. It's almost enough to make you feel sorry for the clearly very uncomfortable Santorum. Almost.
UPDATE: The previously embedded clip was made private and I've replaced it with another copy.
The House Judiciary Committee passed a bill Wednesday that would allow people to seek asylum in the USA if they are persecuted by their governments for homeschooling their children. At the same time, the bill would make it tougher for children fleeing gang and drug violence in Central America to gain refuge here. "Shouldn't children who are fleeing child abuse and violence be afforded the same protection as a child who is denied homeschooling?" said Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, D-Ill. "If we're going to have this unprecedented carve-out for homeschooling, we should put at the same level children fleeing abuse, rape, gangs and murder." The Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, would make it more difficult overall for refugees to win their asylum cases, while opening a category of relief for families who live in countries that outlaw homeschooling.
The Family Research Council, of course, is a major backer of the bill and they have long championed the cause of a German family whose asylum request was rejected by the Supreme Court last year. Homeschooling is illegal in many nations including Germany, Brazil, Cuba, Turkey, Greece, and Sweden.
IOWA: GOP Family Values Pol Enjoys Sexytime Reading During Floor Debate
GOP Iowa state Rep. Ross Paustian is against same-sex marriage but he's totally for enjoying sexytime reading while Democratic lawmakers introduce amendments to a bill that would change collective bargaining rights for teachers.
Hillary Clinton continues to be a dominant force heading into the 2016 presidential election, according to a new CNN/ORC poll. The former secretary of state maintains a broad lead over the field of potential Democratic challengers she could face in a nomination contest and sizable advantages over the leading contenders from the Republican side in general election match-ups. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush tops the possible field for the Republican Party's nomination race, followed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former neurosurgeon Ben Carson all in a tight cluster. But none of the top candidates in this field gets within 10 points of Hillary Clinton in a series of hypothetical general election matchups. Rand Paul comes closest, with 43% saying they'd be more likely to back him while 54% choose Clinton. The two candidates who currently top the GOP field, Bush and Walker, match up equally against Clinton, with each carrying 40% to her 55%. Huckabee gets 41% to Clinton's 55% and Carson has 40% to Clinton's 56%. In the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Clinton holds a nearly 50-point lead over Vice President Joe Biden, her closest competitor in the field, 62% to 15%. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren rounds out the top three on the Democratic side with 10%. No other potential candidate tops 5%.
KCBS has learned that Saint Mary’s Cathedral, the principal church of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, has installed a watering system to keep the homeless from sleeping in the cathedral’s doorways. The cathedral, at Geary and Gough, is the home church of the Archbishop. There are four tall side doors, with sheltered alcoves, that attract homeless people at night. “They actually have signs in there that say, ‘No Trespassing,’” said a homeless man named Robert. But there are no signs warning the homeless about what happens in these doorways, at various times, all through the night. Water pours from a hole in the ceiling, about 30 feet above, drenching the alcove and anyone in it.
RELATED: When he's not literally soaking the homeless at Our Lady Of Maytag, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone is either drunk driving or headlining anti-gay hate rallies, as he will do for NOM at next month's Hate March III. (Tipped by JMG reader Robert)
A probate judge is asking the Alabama Supreme Court to concede that gay couples can marry in Alabama if the U.S. Supreme Court rules same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional later this year. Montgomery County Probate Judge Steven Reed on Tuesday filed a motion for rehearing with state justices who on March 3 ordered probate judges to stop issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. Reed said he "respectfully disagrees" with the court's decision. He asked justices to amend the order to make it clear that the U.S. Supreme Court has final say. Reed said it's important the state not engage in "foot dragging" regarding constitutional rights. Reed was one of the first judges to issue marriage licenses to gay couples after a federal judge ruled Alabama's gay marriage ban was unconstitutional.
It will be interesting to see how Roy Moore responds.
