Holding Hands In Jerusalem

Via Pink News:

A social experiment where a gay couple holds hands in public has been recreated in Jerusalem, with shocking results. Similar to videos created in Ukraine and Russia, and shows the men enduring vile abuse. As they walk down the street, dozens of people look, and others make homophobic comments. This video comes just two weeks after six people were stabbed at a Pride parade in the city, which left one 16-year-old dead.

The clip auto-plays so you'll have to watch it at the link.

TEXAS: State Issues Amended Death Certificate For Husband Of Gay Man

The Houston Chronicle reports:

Facing possible contempt and a court order, Texas officials have now changed the death certificate of a gay man to add his husband as the surviving spouse. The Department of State Health Services "has issued an amendment to the death certificate for James Stone-Hoskins. It now lists John Allen Stone-Hoskins V as his spouse," a department spokeswoman said in an email Thursday night. "The amended death certificate was issued this evening as ordered by the U.S. District Court and requested by John Stone-Hoskins." The department had refused to change it after John Stone-Hoskins, 37, of Conroe tried to get the state to make the amendment following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling on June 26 that said gay marriage is legal in all 50 states. He married James Stone-Hoskins in New Mexico in 2014 after being together for 10 years. James Stone-Hoskins died in January at 32.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is due in court next week to face potential contempt charges over the state's earlier refusal to issue the correct death certificate. (Tipped by JMG reader Mike)

GOP Debate Audience Cheers When John Kasich Expresses Support For Gays

The Huffington Post recaps:

“Our court has ruled and I said we’ll accept it,” Kasich said in response to a question from moderator Megyn Kelly about what he would do if his child were homosexual. “And guess what? I just went to a wedding of a friend of mine who is gay." "Just because they don’t think the same way doesn’t mean we shouldn’t love them,” he added. “That’s what we’re taught when we have strong faith." The crowd cheered Kasich’s response. The reaction contrasted starkly with a 2011 Republican presidential debate in which audience members booed Army Capt. Stephen Hill, a gay combat veteran, for speaking favorably about the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

It really was a surprising moment.

Baume: LGBT Issues At First GOP Debate

More Corporate Support For Equality Act

From the Human Rights Campaign:

Four new major American companies have become the latest to endorse the Equality Act, federal legislation that would establish full, federal equality for all LGBT Americans. In doing so, these leading companies - IBM, Oracle, Orbitz, and Symantec - made clear that they believe all LGBT Americans should have the protections from discrimination in federal law that they deserve. They join American Airlines, Apple, The Dow Chemical Company, Facebook, General Mills, Google, Levi Strauss & Co., Microsoft, and Nike as part of a national business coalition supporting comprehensive, federal LGBT non-discrimination protections. Additionally, Hewlett-Packard in Fortune recently announced its support for the Equality Act.

STATEMENT BY IBM: “IBM’s workplace culture is built on the principles of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all. We established a corporate policy on equal opportunity more than a decade before the Civil Rights Act. We championed an industry-leading policy of non-discrimination based on sexual orientation over 30 years ago, and expanded it in 2002 to cover gender identity and expression. IBM is proud to support the Equality Act and maintains our steadfast support for all employees to experience equality in the workplace."

STATEMENT BY ORBITZ: “At Orbitz we’ve been advocates of equality and inclusion since our founding in 2001. Our support for the Equality Act is consistent with our other actions, such as signing the amicus brief calling on the Supreme Court to find gay marriage bans unconstitutional.”

STATEMENT BY SYMANTEC: “At Symantec, we are proud to support full and equal rights for the LGBT community. We believe having a diversity of perspectives ensures we make better business decisions and the products and services we offer meet the needs of the broad spectrum of people we serve worldwide, which is why we couldn’t be more proud to support the expansion of legal protections. We unequivocally support the Equality Act – for the future of our business and society.”

As I've mentioned before, the Equality Act will see little traction in the current GOP-dominated Congress, but this early groundwork is critical to what most consider to be the "heaviest lift" in our movement's history.

Ryan Anderson Backs FADA

"The First Amendment Defense Act would prevent the federal government from discriminating against any citizen or organization because they believe marriage is the union of husband and wife. It would ensure that no federal agency will ever revoke non-profit tax-exempt status or deny grants, contracts, accreditation, or licenses to individuals or institutions for following their belief that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. This bill simply continues the practice of the United States for all of our history. It takes nothing away from anyone. It changes nothing. It protects pluralism amid disagreement. America is in a time of transition. The court has redefined marriage, and beliefs about human sexuality are changing. Will the right to dissent be protected? Will our right to speak and act in accord with what Americans have always believed about marriage — that it’s a union of husband and wife — be tolerated?" - Ryan T. Anderson, writing for the National Review. Anderson's piece also denounces the Equality Act because of course.

HOUSTON: Anti-Gay Pastors Sue Mayor

Via Houston's CBS affiliate:

A group of pastors fighting Houston's equal rights ordinance has filed a lawsuit against Mayor Annise Parker, claiming she tried to deny voters' rights and intimidate clergymen opposing her. The legal action comes at the beginning of what's likely to be a passionate campaign leading up to a referendum on the ordinance in November. "She violated and trampled the voting rights of over a million people in the fourth largest city in the United States of America," said Andy Taylor, the attorney representing the clergymen, at a news conference with his clients. "Are you with me? Can you believe it? Is that what happened?" The clergymen who filed the suit have fought the ordinance from the beginning, focusing on its protections for gay and transgendered people. They're among the leaders of a petition drive that called for a referendum to repeal the ordinance.

Last month the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Houston must either repeal its LGBT rights ordinance or place it to a public vote. Parker has vowed to win at the polls.

RELATED: Next month the above-pictured pastors will take part in an anti-gay forum titled The Texas Response.

AFER Calls It Quits

Last month Freedom To Marry triumphantly declared that it was "going out of business." Today we get the same news from the American Foundation for Equal Rights. Via press release:

Together, we made history. Nearly six years ago, the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) was created with the specific mission of arguing for marriage equality before the U.S. Supreme Court and to, while doing so, dramatically advance the American conversation on equality. And we accomplished that ... and so much more.

* We returned marriage equality to California—our nation's most populous state—and, later, to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

* With David Boies and Ted Olson as lead counsel, we smashed the partisan barrier that traditionally divided supporters and opponents of marriage equality. Namely, we brought prominent conservative voices to the debate and proved that marriage is not a partisan issue, but an American issue.

* We put equality on trial. For the first time ever, a federal court heard evidence as to why denying gay and lesbian Americans the right to marry is unconstitutional. And, more importantly, for the first time, we forced our opponents to make their best cases, under oath, as to why marriage bans based on fear and hatred should stand. And we shared that story with the world.

* But, perhaps, most importantly, we drew a line in the sand. We demanded that every American--whether a regular citizen, an editorial board writer, a member of Congress, or a Supreme Court justice--not only listen to the stories of Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, and Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo--the brave plaintiffs fighting for justice--but that they also take a side.

The statement goes on to urge support for former AFER leader and current HRC head Chad Griffin as the HRC moves forward on the just-launched Equality Act campaign.

AUSTRALIA: New Anti-Gay Group Unveils Titanic-Themed Marriage Campaign

SBS reports:

Backed by wealthy businessmen, The Marriage Alliance says it hopes its media campaign will encourage Australians to feel comfortable voicing their concerns about same sex marriage. The ad was unveiled at a launch today along with the campaign slogan "there's more to it than you think". The ad starts with a simple drawing that later becomes the tip of an iceberg. “Trying to achieve something big can feel like climbing a mountain,” it states. “It's time to step back and consider all the issues around same sex marriage. Like how it will affect children or sex education in schools or what rights you could lose.” Ivan Hinton-Teoh the deputy director of Australian Marriage Equality which is in favour of same sex marriage described the ad as a last minute scare campaign. “This kind of desperate, eleventh hour scaremongering has failed to stop the momentum for marriage equality in other countries and it will fail in Australia as well," he said. “It's asking to have a conversation start where we've been going for ten years."

(Tipped by JMG reader Damian)

TEXAS: State Refuses To Issue Death Certificates Recognizing Gay Marriages

Via Houston's CBS affiliate:

More than a month after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same sex marriage, Texas is not fully recognizing the landmark ruling and refuses to issue death certificates that recognize same-sex marriages. "It looks to me like we're headed back to federal court," said widower John Stone-Hoskins, 36. He plans to file a lawsuit against the state on Monday, asking a judge to force Texas to let him change his late spouse's death certificate to reflect their marriage. "We want to make sure in his lifetime his marriage to James [Stone] is recognized. He deserves that much," said Neel Lane, attorney with Akin Gump, LLP.

Hoskins and Stone exchanged vows in New Mexico last August. But by mid-January, after a diagnosis with a genetic autoimmune disease called Sjögren's syndrome, James, 32, decided to take his own life. "As you can see here, the marriage certificate is nice and framed," said Stone-Hoskins. "The death certificate totally dismisses the fact that we were ever married." Hoskins, who lives in Conroe, said that's what hurts. James' Texas death certificate lists him as single and refers to John as "significant other," meaning he is not entitled to his spouse's estate.

A video report is at the link.

GERMANY: Far-Right Party Calls For Russian-Style Gay "Propaganda" Ban

Gay Star News reports:

A German right-wing party has demanded for LGBTI "propaganda" to be banned. The national conservative Alternative für Deutschland’s (Alternative for Germany, AfD) Baden-Wuerttemberg faction unanimously decided on a "gender motion" during their faction conference last weekend. "The Alternative for Germany strictly rejects any and all governmental propaganda – in schools, mass media or the public space – for certain sexual orientations or behaviors," the motion reads. "Exempt is the promotion of the classic family." The document is a milder-worded version of a motion proposed in April, in which party members also spoke out against abortion and birth control. "The Alternative for Germany considers the political-bureaucratic and legal promotion, or rather the active mass media advertising for birth control, abortion and homosexual behavior to be contradictory to the Germans’ vital interests," the April version read.

Alternative für Deutschland formed in 2013 and presently holds seven of Germany's 96 seats in the European Parliament. They also hold dozens of seats in Germany's state legislatures. The party operates a youth wing called Junge Alternative.

God Launches Desperate Ad Campaign: Please Help Me Stop Those Terrible Gays

Actually this campaign was launched by the martyrs promoted last week by Ted Cruz. Via Glenn Beck's site:

The Görtz Haus Gallery, a one-stop wedding venue, restaurant and flower shop that Betty and Dick Odgaard have run for the past 13 years in Grimes, Iowa, is slated for official closure on July 31, following intense controversy over the Christian owners’ refusal to host a gay wedding. The decision to close their doors follows a contentious legal battle stemming from the Odgaards’ turning away of Lee Stafford and his fiancé Jared Ellars in 2013 — a decision that resulted in a $5,000 settlement payout to the same-sex couple. The Odgaards have since launched God’s Original Design Ministry, a 501(c)(3) organization that will post billboards across the U.S. in an effort to defend traditional marriage as an institution that is comprised of only one man and one woman.

The first billboard went up this week in Oklahoma. The Odgaards say they are planning 999 more.

MEXICO: Thousands Protest Gay Marriage

Via the anti-gay LifeSiteNews:

Tens of thousands took to the streets of major Mexican cities under the slogan “Mexico is One for the Children,” to ask the government to respect state constitutions that define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, after a recent Supreme Court ruling legalized same-sex unions throughout the country. “We are not against any person, we are against this Supreme Court imposition,” said Sofia Miranda, one of the organizers, in an open letter to media who were criticizing the cause. This, she continued, “opens the door to gender ideology and will destabilize our society and damage our children. This is what we don’t want.” Marchers were also asking their parental rights be recognized, as Congress is seeking to pass a national law which will “guarantee the access to contraceptive methods” without parental consent to all girls. The law also states all children have a “right to intimacy,” they should not be discriminated against on the basis of their “sexual preference” and that the state will provide “education and services in regards to sexual and reproductive health” to all children.

Same-sex marriage is recognized nationwide but only a handful of Mexico's 31 states have so far enacted the mandated legislation.

Sweet Equality Cakes

From the fundraising page:

The anti-LGBTQ movement, led by anti-gay villain the Family Research Council, has raised over $500,000 dollars and counting for Sweet Cakes by Melissa, the anti-LGBTQ bakery that refused to bake a cake for the wedding of Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer. This incident sparked the dialogue about businesses refusing services to the LGBTQ community. We find the idea of rewarding bigotry silly and shameful, so in response Planting Peace, in partnership with Rachel and Laurel, is going to turn this negative message into something Sweet for LGBTQ homeless youth. Planting Peace invites you to buy a virtual cupcake. All funds raised will go toward creating a "Sweet Equality Cakes' bakery in the same area where Sweet Cakes by Melissa was located. Sweet Equality Cakes will use the bakery to provide job training for homeless LGBTQ youth.

Just over $4100 has been raised at this writing.

ALABAMA: Evil Mother-In-Law LOSES, Court Orders Big Payout To Gay Widower

Evil Alabama mother-in-law Pat Fancher and the Foundation For Moral Law have finally lost their attempt to deny gay widower Paul Hard the proceeds from a wrongful death suit filed on behalf of his late husband, who died in a car accident in 2011. Equality Case Files has the order:

The Clerk of the Court is DIRECTED to issue a check drawn on ServisFirst Bank where the funds are deposited in a money market account for the principal amount of $552,956.69, plus ninety percent of all interest earned to date that is due for distribution to Plaintiff Paul Hard. This check shall be made payable to Servis First Bank. ServisFirst Bank shall provide the Clerk of the Court with official checks payable to: a. The Southern Poverty Law Center Client Trust Account in the principal amount of $552,956.69, plus ninety percent interest earned to date; and b. The Clerk of the Court for ten percent of all interest earned to date to the U.S. Treasury.

Two weeks ago the Foundation For Moral Law filed an argument which claimed that the Obergefell ruling does not apply retroactively to unsettled legal claims.

"The issue is not whether someone may marry a member of the same sex today. The issue is whether a court may or should look back four years and recognize a marriage that was not legally valid. Of course, if the marriage is recognized it will only cause further economic harm to a family which has already lost one its own. And if recognized, this man will be awarded an entire spousal share of the wrongful death proceeds which would be unjust even under normal circumstances considering the two were 'married' less than 3 months."

Immediately following the above-linked ruling, the Foundation For Moral Law filed a motion to set aside the order. The same judge responded by saying, "Didn't I just say go fuck yourself?"

RELATED: The Foundation For Moral Law was headed by Roy Moore until he won reelection to the Alabama Supreme Court. The group is now headed by his wife, Kayla Moore. The Foundation For Moral Law openly advocates for replacing the government of the United States with a Christian theocracy ruled by "biblical law."

Atlanta Church: Don't Mistake Our Pastor's Viral Rant As Supportive Of LGBT Rights

Last week JMG was the first to post a fiery sermon from an evangelical pastor that has since gone wildly viral. While many sites have interpreted the pastor's message as supportive of the LGBT community, the House Of Hope Atlanta would like you to know that is definitely not the case. From their statement published by the Christian Post:

That clip was posted without our knowledge by someone who was in attendance and gives absolutely no context concerning the overall message. Since that time enumerable media outlets have posted the clip with captions best suited for their journalistic and editorial priorities. It's important to know that the descriptions of the posted sermon clip are not the opinions of E. Dewey Smith Jr. By no means is Smith now, nor has he ever been a proponent of same-sex marriage. Smith has always believed and taught that marriage is only designed for a man and a woman. This reality was clearly stated during the sermon but not included for some reason by the person who posted the clip. Smith believes that same-sex marriage isn't the Will of God. Many publications have tried to present the message as affirmation of equal rights for the LGBT community. Regardless of how the clip is 'bent' that was not the content nor intent of the message.

The clip now has 400,000 views.

Sam Smith Vents On LGBT Rights

More Corporate Support For Equality Act

Via press release from the HRC:

Today, just days after the introduction of the historic Equality Act in Congress, five new major American companies announced their support for comprehensive, federal LGBT non-discrimination protections. Each of these new leading corporations -- American Airlines, Facebook, General Mills, Google and Nike demonstrated their belief that all LGBT Americans should have the protections from discrimination in federal law that they deserve. These companies join Apple, The Dow Chemical Company, and Levi Strauss, & Co. in supporting comprehensive federal LGBT non-discrimination legislation.

STATEMENT BY AMERICAN AIRLINES -- "We at American Airlines are proud of our long history of supporting LGBT equality. Now is the time for full equality for the LGBT community in the United States. Ensuring fairness in our workplaces and communities is both the right thing to do and simply good business."

STATEMENT BY FACEBOOK -- "We are open and vocal supporters of equality. Ensuring fairness in the workplace is a fundamental principle at Facebook and we support legal protections for LGBT Americans as outlined in the Equality Act."

STATEMENT BY GENERAL MILLS -- "At General Mills we have a long history of supporting LGBT equality and the time has come in this country for full, federal equality for the LGBT community. Ensuring fairness in our workplaces and communities is both the right thing to do and simply good business."

STATEMENT BY GOOGLE -- "Diverse perspectives, ideas, and cultures lead to the creation of better products and services and ideas. And it's the right thing to do. That's why we support protections for LGBT individuals as outlined in the Equality Act."

STATEMENT BY NIKE – "At NIKE, we are committed to diversity and inclusion, and we strive to treat our employees equally. We believe that diversity drives innovation and allows us to attract and retain world class talent. We need fair and equitable laws that prevent discrimination, and NIKE supports the Equality Act introduced by Senator Merkley and his colleagues in Congress. This is another important step in the fight for equality."

While few expect the Equality Act to get much traction in the current Congress, this sort of groundwork is critical. It's going to be a very long haul.

Franklin Graham Has The Kenya Sadz

"While visiting Kenya Barack Obama publicly lectured Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta about gay rights yesterday. I didn’t know that we were sending our president halfway around the world to promote the gay & lesbian agenda! Samaritan's Purse has an office in Kenya and has worked there many years, and I can tell you that the churches in Kenya know what the Bible says about homosexuality—it is a sin. Sin should not be embraced, but recognized truthfully for what it is and for its serious consequences. God’s Word says, 'the wages of sin is death.' Thankfully though, sin does have a remedy—forgiveness is available through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. As a world leader, the United States of America is now exporting the acceptance of immorality via our president. What will the cost of that be?" - Franklin Graham, posting to Facebook. Kinda sounds like a call for the gay death penalty, doesn't it?

Boy Scouts Formally Lift Gay Leaders Ban

Reuters reports:

The Boy Scouts of America on Monday ended the group's outright ban on openly gay adult leaders and employees, rolling back a policy that has deeply divided the membership of the 105-year-old Texas-based organization. The new policy, which takes effect immediately, comes three years after the organization removed its prohibition on gay youth but will still allow local Boy Scout units chartered by religious organizations to make their own choices regarding gay adult leaders. The Boy Scouts said the latest resolution, unanimously adopted by the organization's executive committee on July 13, gained final approval by the National Executive Board, with 79 percent of board members present voting to support it.

The Human Rights Campaigns applauds, albeit weakly:

The new policy, which bars discrimination based on the sexual orientation of organization employees, still allows church-organized local units to consider an individual's sexual orientation when deciding who can volunteer and lead Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops, and Venturing crews. HRC called on the organization to adopt a policy of full LGBT inclusion for both employees and volunteers. "Today's vote by the Boy Scouts of America to allow gay, lesbian and bisexual adults to work and volunteer is a welcome step toward erasing a stain on this important organization," said HRC President Chad Griffin. "But including an exemption for troops sponsored by religious organizations undermines and diminishes the historic nature of today's decision. Discrimination should have no place in the Boy Scouts, period."

Lambda Legal reacts similarly:

Today’s vote by the National Executive Committee to end the organization’s decades-long policy of excluding openly gay and bisexual adults from membership in Scouting marks yet another milestone in the march toward LGBT equality in our nation. To be sure, the change will not free the BSA of sexual orientation discrimination altogether, however, as religious organizations that charter some 70 percent of local BSA units will still be permitted to discriminate in their selection of BSA unit leaders. Nonetheless, this is another repudiation of antigay discrimination by the Boy Scouts and another key moment for gay rights as openly gay and bisexual adults will be able to participate in Scouting, even if not in every troop or den.

VIDEO: Here's the official announcement.