| christian grantham | |||
| Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later was a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD. | |||
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latest posts
December 31, 2004
RETROSPECT:
If you're a regular reader of this blog and the daily news clips I compile, you are likely very familiar with the impact "gay marriage" had on the American conscience and political landscape. Despite the dismissals of the issue playing a prominent role in the 2004 elections, paper after paper place the issue as the top story in state and local retrospects.
The first half of 2004 on Beacon Hill was dominated by the debate over gay marriage; the second half, by the presidential election.
[Top state stories rocked the nation - Berkshire Eagle - 12-31-04]Same-sex marriage brought international attention to New Paltz in 2004, turning a small college town into a focal point in the national debate over gay rights.
[Gay weddings caused a furor - Poughkeepsie Journal - 12-31-04]From coast to coast, gay marriage was a volatile topic throughout the year. Massachusetts became the first state to have legal, same-sex weddings, and local officials in several places — including San Francisco and Portland, Ore. — also wed gay and lesbian couples before courts intervened. However, each time the issue reached the ballot — in 13 states in all — voters decisively approved constitutional amendments banning gay marriage.
[2004’s top stories - Pioneer Press - 12-26-04]The euphoric optimism gay and lesbian Americans felt entering 2004 dimmed throughout a year when gay marriage, and society’s disapproval of it, became a part of the national discussion like never before.
[Gay marriage debate defined the year 2004 - Houston Voice - 12-31-04]
This list of examples could go on and on. In fact, the only other story that shared more space with newspapers' top stories was the war in Iraq. Despite this blaring fact, we also saw denials from some gay and lesbian activists in Washington D.C. and elsewhere that other "moral issues" played a more important factor in another common top story: the 2004 elections.
GLAAD
"It would be a mistake to conclude that the 22% of voters who placed 'moral values' at the top of their list were uniformly anti-gay in their voting," Garry explained. "Moral values can encompass whole host of issues and opinions -- issues like a woman's right to choose; social, racial and economic justice; stem-cell research; gay and lesbian equality; the honesty and integrity of public officials, and much more.
[GLAAD Calls on Media to Present Complete Picture of Gay Issues and the 2004 Vote - GLAAD - 11-04-04]
Signorile
The entire "moral values" story of the 2004 election has been greatly exaggerated by the corporate media. Not so coincidentally, it fits exactly with what the Republicans would like everyone to believe.
[DON’T BLAME THE GAYS - NY Press - 11-10-04]
Bonauto and Rouse
Did the voters cite "moral values" as they left their polling places? Yes, but abortion and guns were cited more often than marriage, and it appears that those voters were equally troubled by the Viagra ads that play during "Everyone Loves Raymond." Cable television and its programming also took a big hit.
[Gay marriage is not to blame - Boston Globe - 11-09-04]
RESOLVE:
The fight for civil rights in 2004 focused on the issue of gay marriage. The issue clearly unfolded with the greatest political impact on the state and local level. Representatives in the United States Congress have not and never will bow to PAC contributions from the Human Rights Campaign or others on this or any other issue. They will represent the will of the people in their districts or face an angry electorate.
In 2005, Be It Resolved That: we will not continue underestimating the fact that the United States Congress represents the will of the people in their respective districts.
In 2005, Be It Resolved That: we will not continue to accept excuses from Washington lobbyist and others as to why this fact isn't true. We will reject the pipedream that federal PAC contributions are effective tools in obscuring the realities of the political landscape.
In 2004, HRC spent only $0.05 for every $1.00 donated to them on the front line battle over the nation's top story.
In 2005, Be It Resolved That: we will refocus our giving to state and local groups that do spend more than $0.05 for every $1.00 donated on this and other extremely important issues on which voters need education. We will demand our contributions be spent to directly educate people on the state and local level and mobilize the vote.
If you look at your financial gifts in 2004 and find you gave disproportionately to Washington based lobby groups like HRC, consider 2004's return and resolve to shift your contributions to make a difference that truly matters. Let's move civil rights from 2004 loses to 2005 wins.
This New Year's resolution doesn't mean we should stop giving to HRC. We will always need a voice in Washington reminding legislators of the will of the people. If you are a major donor or Federal Club member, consider becoming a regular $35 member and shift the bulk of your contributions to state and local efforts or national groups focusing more than $0.05 for every $1.00 donated on educating and mobilizing voters.
Let's help make federal lobbyist's job in Washington easier by giving our congressional representatives electorates that truly value protecting civil rights. Not only will your shift in giving help transform the politics of civil rights in America in 2005, you will also realize a level of personal power and respect you deserve from the community you love.
Here's to our success in 2005. Happy New Year!
filed under: Equal Marriage Rights
December 30, 2004
Leave it to Canada to seek prosecution for a Canadian website selling $20 certificates garanteeing passage to Heaven. The site sells cheaper tickets for pets, but excludes gays.
The "heaven's registry" website - its domain name registered to a "Petr Kouba" at an Edmonton address and phone number - offers buyers an "official heaven's certificate that 100% guarantees the owner a space in heaven."But no gays are allowed to purchase the certificate that costs $19.99 or $14.99 for "cherished pets," the site stipulates. "Anyone else we can guarantee."
[Just $20 opens gates to heaven - Edmunton Sun - 12-30-04]
Canada's ridiculous hate speech laws know no bounds. Peter Kouba's website is hardly as serious and embarassing as the Catholic Church's history of selling access to Heaven via "indulgences."
An indulgence sold by authority of the Pope by Johann Tetzel in 1517. The text reads: "By the authority of all the saints, and in mercy towards you, I absolve you from all sins and misdeeds and remit all punishments for ten days."
[Catholic Indulgence - Wikipedia]
filed under: Free Speech
December 30, 2004
With a quick online search, Terry Graham appears to be the fifth murder involving GAY.com chat rooms in the last two years.
Terry Graham
Graham was stabbed to death late Sunday or early Monday in his first-floor room at the Fairfield Inn, near Interstate Highway 35/80 and University Avenue.Jon Matthew McGee, 23, of Urbandale called 911 from inside the room. He is charged with first-degree murder.
Gay.com is described by users as a place for homosexual men to meet.
[Slain man's photo found on Web site - DesMoines Register - 12-30-04]
Christopher Raynsford
The badly decomposing body of 34-year old Christopher Raynsford was found in his downtown apartment in early December. An autopsy showed he had been beaten to death.Police will not say what led them to connect Roy with Raynsford. Shortly after the murder was discovered, friends of the dead man said that Raynsford often met men in internet chat rooms and was often found in the Ottawa rooms of Gay.com.
[Hunt For “Chat Room Killer” Ends - Gay City News - 01-10/16-04]
Curt Blackman
The murder was the talk of Duke, where colleagues and friends wondered who would kill the "funloving, sweet" Trinidad native who had just obtained U.S. citizenship, had a promising future, and was about to leave to work on his doctorate at Northwestern University.But within five days, news of the death spread to the gay community through chat rooms and listservs after someone anonymously posted Blackman's photo on the gay dating site, Gay.com. An ominous heading read: "GAY MURDERS IN THE TRIANGLE."
[Murders put gay community on alert - Independent Weekly - 06-09-04]
Richard Sneath
Chad Bath, 25, who is also gay, is accused of killing 19-year-old Richard Sneath last summer in a local cruising park.Police say the two met on the chat service gay.com one night last July. Soon after that conversation, about 2 a.m., people living near a park area heard what sounded like fighting.
Police arrived to find Sneath dead, beaten with a rock. Bath was found nearby by a police dog. Investigators have not made a possible motive public
[Trial Begins In Gay Teen's Murder - 365gay.com - 06-16-03]
Sean Ethan Owen
With a fourth man, 23-year-old Sean Ethan Owen of Wake County, shot, stomped and beaten in February before being tossed in the Eno River by three men who lured him there from Gay.com, were gays safe meeting dates online?
[Murders put gay community on alert - Independent Weekly - 06-09-04]
filed under:
December 30, 2004
This is one of those excuses we're seeing way too much from mainstream media. Has the New York Times ever thought about talking to Annie Leibovitz? That's just a suggestion.
The New York Times paid tribute to the late Susan Sontag yesterday with a beautifully written obituary, plus a moving tribute by Charles McGrath, totaling almost 4,000 words.But apparently that wasn't enough space to mention that she was the partner of celebrity portraitist Annie Leibovitz for 20 years.
A Times rep told me: "Our extensive reporting in recent weeks did not substantiate the widespread reports of any relationship of Miss Sontag and Miss Leibovitz beyond friendship. … We should probably have mentioned the friendship, but nothing further was warranted by the facts we could gather."
[Saphic Cop - New York Daily News - 12-30-04]
filed under: Media
December 29, 2004
According to GayPatriot, the New Year may bring a new gay Republican group to rival the Log Cabin Republicans (LCR).
Anyway, Bonamigo told me that he will be forming a new gay Republican group with the intention of reaching out to "Red State" America and bridging the gap between the gay community and the growing American conservative majority. He's looking to reach out to all types of Americans -- young, old, black, white -- to show America that gays are truly a part of our great nation and his group can be a vehicle for mending the rift.
[BREAKING NEWS: Log Cabin "Infidel" to Form New Gay Republican Organization - GayPatriot - 12-29-04]
But a closer look at the man claiming to take on such a daunting challenge suggests this might be nothing more than an ego-fueled pipedream.
The Hollywood Reporter described Maurice Bonamigo as "an incurably snobbish hairdresser in Palm Beach who revels in his wealth and his contempt for the extremes of gay life such as gay pride parades."
The non-endorsement of George Bush for President by LCR led Bonamigo to convince his local Palm Beach chapter to endorse Bush. The defiant move prompted LCR's national office to expel the chapter on October 11, 2004, National Coming Out Day.
“They’re nuts,” said Bonamigo in response to the expulsion. “Here I am a Republican being kicked out of a supposedly Republican organization because I am endorsing the Republican president for re-election.“How do they expect to have any credibility with the party?” he asked. “If the president wins, who is going to listen to the Log Cabin? And if he loses, do you seriously think anyone in the party is going to ask the Log Cabin what went wrong? They’ve marginalized themselves.”
[PBC Log Cabin Chapter Expelled - IndyNews]
The rift within the national organization was a subject of the film "Gay Republicans" by "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" producers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. LCR's non-endorsement was also a motivating factor behind the creation of the anonymous gay Republican blog, GayPatriot.
filed under:
December 29, 2004
Somewhere in this story of a high school's debate over the use of the rainbow flag as a symbol for the "diversity club" is an important lesson.
Dustin Hill, Howell HS student: "I really don't care for it too much, but lots of people don't like it and just want to get rid of it, and they think it's wrong."RJ Cutherbertson, Howell HS Diversity Club: "We're trying to set an example, and saying that not everyone here is racist, that they are not hateful."
School officials say the club can keep its flag, but suggest the club write a disclaimer, stating what the flag colors represent.
[High School Flag Sparks Controversy - WLNS-TV - 12-29-04]
Why shouldn't some students, who know rainbow flags typically mean "gay pride," not be concerned? The rainbow flag has increasingly become high-jacked by gays as a symbol of self-identification. You might notice the more conservative symbol of the equal sign (the logo of the Human Rights Campaign) on the bumpers of cars in traffic have replaced what the rainbow flag has come to mean with a symbol embracing a message of equality with others. But the rainbow has always been a symbol conveying the shared value of diversity.
Archbishop Desmond Tu Tu called humanity the "rainbow children of God." Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition is certainly not a gay civil rights organization, but uses the rainbow for its Biblical symbol of a promise of God's love for all people. Three years ago, Traverse City, MI Police caused an uproar by using a similar rainbow flag on cop cars as a symbol of the department's respect for diversity.
Perhaps gays and lesbians ought to welcome the mainstream embrace of a symbol we call the "gay pride" flag and aid that process by letting it go and calling it a "diversity flag." When people come to view the symbol as the message of respect for diversity it was intended to convey, people may also come to view civil rights for gays and lesbians as a shared value.
Symbols are very powerful, but they are more powerful when they come to stand for shared values. If gays and lesbians continue to claim ownership of the rainbow flag as a means of self-identification, the message the symbol is supposed to represent will continue to face the same rejection some students at Howell High School have expressed.
filed under:
December 29, 2004
Five years ago today, ChristianGrantham.com was born, and in a small way, so was Christian Grantham.
At the White House, it was pretty much an unavoidable consequence of my security badge and dealing with new people every day to go by my first name. People very close to me knew me by my middle name, Michael. The confusion of wearing someone named Christian's security badge at the White House wasn't exactly something I cared for, especially during major events. Besides, people remembered "Christian," and I liked my first name. Taking it at an exciting time in my life signaled change.
It was a very long road from the lowest point in my life to a place where I was determined to make a difference for other people. I had also began using my first name in published editorials appearing in community news papers across the country, and on December 29, 1999, ChristianGrantham.com was born.
Many of you who have been reading this site from the beginning know a much longer story of life changing ups and downs. Those of you who are much newer to the site know me as just another blogger. Whether new or old, I want to thank each and every one of you for your love and support. Here is to a New Year and the changes to come!
filed under:
December 28, 2004
There are two different views on what should be done about hate crimes that often fall along party lines. Democrats often believe punishment for hate crimes should carry harsher penalties and federal prosecution and Republicans believe all crimes should receive equal punishment and treatment by the federal government.
I'm pretty familiar with both arguments, but what I don't get about fellow Democratic arguments is why they don't seem to want to address the Republican concerns that federal prosecution will be used as a second attempt at justice reserved exclusively for minorities when people don't like the results of local prosecution. I believe there should be measures in place to prevent that kind of abuse of the judicial system.
What Republicans have to understand is that local justice might not have the willingness to explore motivations based on hate because of their own prejudices. Such a conspiratorial misuse of justice on a local level might be extremely rare, but should be an important factor in triggering federal involvement in hate crimes prosecution.
What Democrats should understand is that the issue of federal funding of and involvement in hate crimes prosecution ought to first be a requirement of the state. The federal government should limit funding to its own limited involvement and prosecution of state and local authorities found guilty for causes triggering federal involvement.
When people are targeted for characteristics that set the individual aside from others as a minority, there is a chilling affect on a group of people where crimes of passion often do not. If a neighbor is killed by her husband over personal matters, for instance, neighbors don't have a reason to fear they might be next. If a neighbor was targeted for minority characteristics shared by other neighbors, then neighbors do have a reason to fear they might be next. The nature of the later example is terrorism of an entire targeted minority and should receive stiffer penalties under the law. People falling in that category would include racists, rapists, child molesters, anti-semites, etc.
"Hate crimes are among the most insidious offenses and are a cancer on a civilized society," Crist said in a statement accompanying the report. "There can be no place in our state for people who target others out of prejudice and hatred."Hate crimes based on sexual orientation accounted for 20 percent of all hate crimes, the highest proportion for this category ever recorded in Florida. In the past four years, Florida law-enforcement agencies reported more hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation than the combined total for the first eight years of hate-crime reporting.
[Offenses against gays increase - Tallahassee Democrat - 12-28-04]
filed under:
December 27, 2004
This piece in the San Francisco Weekly provides a detailed look inside a typical "ex-gay" meeting. About five years ago, Wayne Besen, Donald Hitchcock and I went to a PFOX (Parents, Friends and Family of Ex-Gays) conference as "ex-gays." It was sad to hear some people's personal story's of struggling with their homosexuality.
It seemed a majority of these people were victims of their respective churches than they were of their sexual orientations. The demonization many "ex-gays" repeated over and over about the "gay lifestyle" often supplanted their own faith and became a central self-destructive force encouraged by others. The many accounts, sometimes humorously told, in Harmon Leon's story confirm this.
"My son designs Web sites. He said to me, 'Mom, look at this Web site I designed.' He brought it up on the computer, and these male figures came up. And it was a gay porn site!" the large woman says. "My mouth had dropped, and I said, 'Oh my God! What are you doing?'""You had to look at them, too," Debbie sympathizes.
"Was there any tea-bagging going on?" I ask, gravely concerned.
[Onward Christian Ex-Gays - San Francisco Weekly - 12-22-04]
filed under: Moral Majority
December 27, 2004
The L.A. Times has a decent profile on Concerned Women for America suggesting the group even goes after fellow conservatives for not being conservative enough, especially on gay rights issues.
"We're not just anti-liberal. We put principle above all," says chief counsel Jan LaRue. "We hold anyone's feet to the fire if we think that they're compromising on principle."That unflinching strategy — plus an $11-million annual budget, more than $200,000 in political action money raised last year and 500,000 members ready to flood Washington with letters, e-mails and personal visits — has begun to make the once-marginal group a player to reckon with.
[They Won't Stand on Common Ground - LA Times - 12-27-04]
You might recall Concerned Women for America accused the Vice President, his wife and lesbian daughter Mary Cheney of "pushing the envelop of homosexuality" shortly after George Bush was elected President in 2000.
Mary Cheney’s lesbianism was hardly a secret. Working for Coors Brewing Company as a liaison to homosexual groups, she funneled corporate contributions to several homosexual activist organizations, including $110,000 to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)—a strident homosexual group that later led a mean-spirited crusade against Dr. Laura Schlessinger. GLAAD celebrates positive portrayals of homosexuality in Hollywood and the media, most recently heaping praise on the TV show Dawson’s Creek for featuring a five-second kiss between two young male characters. Mary Cheney also guided Coors to give $2,500 to Equality Colorado, the lead group fighting the state’s Amendment 2 ballot initiative, which would have banned laws giving special recognition to homosexuals as a class. Colorado voters approved Amendment 2 by a 55-45 percent margin in 1992, but it was struck down four years later by the U.S. Supreme Court, with David Souter—a justice appointed by George Bush, Sr.—voting in the majority.During the 2000 presidential campaign, Mary Cheney was her father’s senior policy advisor and described by him as his "aide-de-camp." She attended the GOP convention and the presidential inauguration openly with her lesbian partner. Second Lady Lynne Cheney—after initially reacting angrily to a question posed by ABC newswoman Cokie Roberts about her daughter’s sexuality—has begun to use rhetoric favored by homosexual activists. She praised singer Elton John for supporting "equal rights" for homosexuals and defended the president’s appointment of a homosexual activist as "AIDS Czar."
[The Cheney Factor - 05-31-01]
When Concerned Women for America's Peter LaBarbera expressed support for Alan Keyes calling Mary Cheney a "sexual hedonist," the Cheney family remained silent. Their silence granted complicit support for moral supremacists consuming the Republican party. The Cheney family's choice to speak out only against those expressing love for their lesbian daughter speaks volumes about the moral values of many Republicans who are empowering divisive voices within their party.
filed under: Moral Majority
December 26, 2004
The animal kingdom continues to show its moral decline and anti-family agenda with recent reports of these lesbian birds.
Here is a recap of the gay animal stories over the past year and the introduction of the "Barnyard" category.
- Bulgarian gay pig
- English gay sheep
- Australian lesbian cows
- gay penguins
- Roy and Silo, more gay penguins in Central Park
- Johannesburg lesbian birds, Cherry and Amazona
Researchers have found a number of same-sex pairs of penguins at aquariums in Japan, with an imbalance between the numbers of male and female birds suspected to be the cause, a report said today.
[Gay penguins found in aquariums - Japan Times - 12-26-04]Staff at the zoo assumed Cherry and Amazona were lovers when they arrived earlier this year and charmed visitors with typical mating rituals - including dancing, serenading one another with song and tossing sticks into the air.
[Zoo plans to inseminate rare 'lesbian' birds - Reuters - 12-24-04]
filed under: Barnyard
December 26, 2004
A year ago, only four state constitutions explicitly barred same-sex marriage. That number now stands at 17 and could climb to more than 30 in the next two years.
[Foes of gay marriage press for more bans - Star Tribune - 12-26-04]Researchers have found a number of same-sex pairs of penguins at aquariums in Japan, with an imbalance between the numbers of male and female birds suspected to be the cause, a report said today.
[Gay penguins found in aquariums - Japan Times - 12-26-04]In fact, Schwarzenegger mentioned neither hot-button issue in the interview and offered environmental protection as his only example of how the party should shift its ideological positioning. Nor were gay marriage and abortion mentioned in the German newspaper article.
[Bad translation, sacrificed truth create Schwarzenegger snowball - Pasadena Star News - 12-26-04]"And the youth, looking upon him (Jesus), loved him and beseeched that he might remain with him. And going out of the tomb, they went into the house of the youth, for he was rich. And after six days, Jesus instructed him and, at evening, the youth came to him wearing a linen cloth over his naked body. And he remained with him that night, for Jesus taught him the mystery of the Kingdom of God".
[Was Jesus Gay? - 365gay.com - 12-25-04]
filed under: Sunday Read
December 24, 2004
Whether the threat is real or a straw man, conservatives have been aggressive this season in citing the danger to Christmas. This week, Jerry Falwell, a conservative leader, told supporters that "so-called civil libertarians attempt to purge all vestiges of faith from the American public square." Also this week, Paul M. Weyrich, another conservative leader, proclaimed that "the campaign to eliminate Christmas from our society is well underway." Several conservative commentators have echoed the charge on television and radio and in newspapers.
The Rutherford Institute, declaring "Christmas Under Siege," cites a "growing tendency among public schools and government officials to ban references to Christmas or Christianity." The Alliance Defense Fund, which has been battling gay unions, sent letters to more than 6,700 schools as part of its "Christmas Project." It has 700 "allied attorneys" looking for cases where local authorities have sought to secularize the holiday, and it has found three dozen instances of bans on candy canes, prohibitions on Christmas colors, and cancellation of holiday celebrations that had Christian components.
[Groups on Right Say Christmas Is Under Attack - Washington Post - 12-24-04]
filed under:
December 24, 2004
Following in the militant footsteps of the ego-driven New Birth Bishop Eddie Long, Freedom Hall Church of God (Brooklyn, NY) Bishop Cecil Riley urges ministers this Christmas to join the recent condemnation of homosexuality by popular reggae singers. Bishop Riley must be aware that the lyrics he's referring to from reggae singers do more than "cry out against homosexuals." They explicity call for the brutal murder of gays and lesbians.
Though preaching the message of love of all mankind this Christmas season, a Caribbean-American bishop has reiterated his strong opposition to homosexuality.Brooklyn-based, Jamaican-born bishop, Cecil Riley, yesterday told HBN, “It is a shame on us ministers that we have left it to reggae singers to cry out against homosexuals.”
[Christmas Spirit Not Softening Bishop's Stance Against Gay Lifestyle - HBN - 12-24-04]
filed under: Moral Majority
December 24, 2004
Days ago it was simply a "scheduling conflict". Today, it cost them their jobs.
Greg Weider, who had been acting director of the New City YMCA for two years, was fired Wednesday. Programming manager Michael Horton, who oversaw scheduling at the center, resigned two days earlier."We've taken very swift, decisive action, and we will do everything we can in order to restore the integrity of our organization for those that we serve," said Steven Dahlin, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.
[YMCA Chief Fired for Transgender Ball Flap - AP - 12-24-04]
filed under:
December 24, 2004
In 1845, the issue of slavery so divided American Baptists that the denomination split, with those who used the Bible to justify slavery forming the nation's largest protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
Throughout the 1950s and 60s, the SBC continued to defy desegregation and opposed granting blacks equal rights through the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The SBC didn't apologize for the racism from which they were created until 1995, well over 150 years after they rejected the tenants of their faith and divided the Baptist denomination.
Last summer, the SBC announced plans to publicly oppose equal marriage rights and played a taped message of support from President George Bush stating, "You and I share many common values. We believe in fostering a culture of life and that marriage and family are sacred institutions."
In June 2004, the SBC continued to isolate itself and embrace divisiveness by voting to leave the Baptist World Alliance, citing 50 American Baptist congregations belong to the "pro-gay" Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists.
Today, hatred continues to threaten to divide the Southern Baptists, leading some to find the denomination now fighting to "preserve unity." When will people of faith stand up and reject divisive forces of hatred and embrace unifying messages of love and fairness?
The 25 regional executives of the 1.5 million-member American Baptist Churches in the USA jointly announced that the denomination's ongoing controversy over homosexuality "threatens to break us apart."A pastoral statement to "preserve unity," released this month after a meeting of denomination leaders, said they had personally agreed to "voluntarily refrain from" naming sexually active gays and lesbians to national and regional positions." The church leaders also said they would not participate in same-sex marriage ceremonies, but pledged to shun "homophobic behavior."
"We further pledge to continue listening to those who hold differing viewpoints," they said. The executives will give a follow-up report to the Baptists' General Board in June, just before the denomination's biennial meeting.
[Baptists pledge to shun 'homophobic behavior' - AP - 12-24-04]
Corrected in comments: DCRob points out that the American Baptist Churches in the USA do not include the Southern Baptists.
filed under: Moral Majority
December 24, 2004
Last week, Alabama state Representative Gerald Allen (R-Cottondale) spoke with me about his meeting with President George Bush and assured me he had nothing more to say about burying books for a couple of months.
After meeting with the White House, it was clear Rep. Allen had been given his marching orders to talk more about the President's tax reform agenda, which left little room for for talk of purifying America from undesirable homosexual literature. As Allen told me, his proposed bill never came up.
Now, Mr. Allen wants to clarify the media's "misunderstanding" of his Christian Jihad to rid Alabama libraries and public schools of books with homosexual content. And the hole keeps getting deeper.
Today, my argument is the same -- plays glamorizing homosexuality, books advocating gay and lesbian activities, and public financial support for activities organized by homosexuals have created an undue influence on the children in our schools.My proposal is not censorship, it is a sensible extension of what liberal America has taken away from our schools.
Further, across the country, states have taken steps to define marriage between a man and a woman. Although no one is attempting to legislate a person's lifestyle, we should resist every effort to legitimize the gay and lesbian lifestyle. Accepting homosexual marriage gives legal legitimacy to a lifestyle that is unnatural. From the federal government to state legislatures, efforts are under way to stop legitimizing homosexuality.
Unfortunately, all of those efforts are in vain unless we stop supporting programs that encourage homosexuality. Although the media reports over the past weeks have painted me as an extremist, my position is not out of the mainstream. Twenty-three percent of respondents to a national survey listed morals as a top priority and more than 70 percent responded that homosexuality was immoral.
[Bill on gay material not intended as censorship - Montgomery Advertiser - 12-24-04]
Rep. Allen claims his values are in line with the moral majority that delivered President Bush a second term in office. He also represents a defiant state that last month opposed modifying the state constitution to delete laws protecting racial segregation.
The proposed amendment would delete unenforced sections of the constitution that mandate racially segregated schools and allow poll taxes, once used to discourage blacks from voting.The amendment failed by 1,850 votes out of 1.38 million cast — a margin of 0.13%. State law calls for a recount when a ballot measure fails by less than one-half of a percentage point.
[Recount set Monday on Alabama segregation amendment - USA Today - 11-29-04]
Is this the Republican Party base to whom President Bush wants to lend a voice in America?
filed under: Moral Majority
December 23, 2004
The former Executive Director of the Log Cab Republicans, Rich Tafel, has a blog and something to say about it. Listen to Tafel on NPR December 21.
I don't want to turn this blog into a critique site for HRC, but I will try to respond to some of the questions I've received. I'm not trying to be cruel when I say that if HRC closed their doors for a year, there would be no impact in the political world of Washington, DC. They have no access and have not had access to the decision makers and leaders on Capitol Hill for a decade.What they've become is a group dedicated to fundraising. Their strategy is simple: Convince their donor base that they are Jews living in Germany in 1933. Republicans are the equivalent to the Nazis. HRC is raising funds to save Jews from the Nazis. Gays who work in the Republican Party are called Jews working for the Nazis. These scare tactics are incredible fundraising strategies.
[Only Donors Can Hold Gay Organizations Accountable - Rich Tafel - 12-19-04]
more...
The only thing that will change HRC's and the gay community's future will happen if their donors simply refuse to write checks. These donors should stop falling for farce that they are supporting a group that can effect change. Donors to gay groups should ask their organizations to state three goals that the group will tackle. Donors should insist on asking the groups what tangible results they can expect at the end of 2005.
[Only Donors Can Hold Gay Organizations Accountable - Rich Tafel - 12-19-04]
filed under:
December 23, 2004
Here we have yet another example of "Safe Space" programs gone awry in our public schools. If we allow teachers to place gay symbols on classroom doors as signals of support for gay and lesbian students, what's to prevent Christian, Jewish or Muslim teachers from posting symbols publicly condoning alternative religious lifestyle choices?
I support the 30 parents who oppose the presence of "Safe Space" stickers, and I hope they'd agree that we should provide a "safe space" for all students who wish to celebrate and discuss who they are.
At the Dec. 14 School Committee meeting, 30 parents voiced their opposition to the committee about a pink triangle sticker that appears on windows of some classrooms. The upside-down pink triangle marks a "safe zone" for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth (GLBT) and their adult allies. A place where GLBT students can seek support and advice from someone willing to offer assistance.The stickers have been targeted by parents for a variety of reasons including what they say are health and moral concerns and what they claim is the age inappropriateness of the sticker for middle school students.
[Gay pink-triangle school sticker stirs debate - Bedford Minuteman - 12-23-04]
filed under:
December 23, 2004
This morning on CSPAN, Constitutional Attorney Bruce Fein argued for laws making hate speech a felony crime in the United States. The position is one recently enacted in France.
The conservative majority in the Senate upper house approved a bill previously passed in the National Assembly to establish an authority to help victims of bias.Under the new law, anyone found provoking hatred or violence of a person on the basis of sex or sexual orientation would risk one year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euro ($60,000).
[France bans sexist speech - Reuters - 12-22-04]
Canada has similar laws that assault free speech hoping to rid society North of the border of criminal expressions of hate. While I might oppose hateful messages, it is wrong to censor speech. Such laws dumb down society and presume that a majority of people in the free marketplace of ideas are incapable of placing the proper value on the message.
Nothing puts messages of hate in their proper place and context like the free marketplace of ideas. Without people choosing to exercise their right to free speech with hateful banter, how would reason find its way into the majority opinion? Such debates and discussions would simply yield recourse to the government rather than allow society to be an active player in a democracy of ideas and values.
Limiting free speech is tyranny, no matter what common good is being claimed for such limits, and amount to nothing more than thought policing. When the government presumes to care for the intellectual capacity of society by limiting speech, it’s a matter of time before those governments become the tools of political tyranny for the extreme left and right.
filed under: Free Speech
December 23, 2004
Charging Rhino digs around in HRC's 2002-2003 numbers. HRC hasn't posted the 2004 report yet.
Out of couriosity, I've been looking at last year's HRC Report, and the numbers don't add-up. They claimed 500,000 members who contributed approx. $7-million-dollars. With a minumum contribution of $35-dollars, that's less than 200,000 members assuming some gave more the $35-dollar minimum. ...Where are the other 300,000 members?The general membership contributed approx 34% of the $17.5-million-dollar income last year, and the HRC spent more on Fundraising ($4,580,243) as they did on Federal, Field and Legal Advocacy ($4,274,468). In-fact, they spent 42% of their income on management, general expenses and fundraising. They only provided $350,000 to state groups, just under 2% of their income.
[How many members does the HRC have? - Charging Rhino - 12-22-04]
Only five cents of every dollar donated to HRC was spent on the front lines in 2004. More money is spent at HRC on staff and asking for more money than it is meeting our opponents on the front lines as described by HRC's 2004 report "Equality State by State" (view the PDF). That's a lot to consider.
filed under:
December 22, 2004
Follow up to a Dec. 2 post. After standing up for himself, Jason Atwood can go to the prom with his boyfriend.
Copper Hills High is singing a new tune about gay couples attending school dances.No longer do they need written parental permission - a requirement from the principal that sparked a round of protests and a flurry of national attention.
The school's about-face delighted Jason Atwood, the 17-year-old senior who fought Principal Tom Worlton's rule.
"That is very exciting," Atwood said Tuesday. "Maybe I was wrong when I said Copper Hills wasn't tolerant. They're a lot more willing to work with students than I thought they were."
[Gays win skirmish over dates for dance - Salt Lake Tribune - 12-22-04]
Check out this cool campaign by Lambda Legal to educate youth seeking to organize themselves in high school.
"You have the right to be who you are. You have a right to be different. You have the right to be out, safe and respected at school."
filed under:
December 22, 2004
When school administrators at Trinity Christian Academy in Texas found out that one of their star pupils and varsity athletes was running a gay website, they approached the situation as any Christian would by asking what Jesus would have done. Then they dismissed more than a decade of multiple service and citizenship awards earned by the student since he was in kindergarten and kicked him out of school months before his graduation.
"I feel completely violated. The big lesson here for me is that you can't really trust anybody. That, and I should have kept my mouth shut," said the student, who asked the newspaper not publish his name.
Trinity's headmaster, David Delph, issued a statement that read in part: "We strive to handle each situation, as Jesus Christ would. Since love is at the core of Jesus' nature, we try to ensure each student is surrounded by an abundance of loving care during any disciplinary process."
[Christian school forces out gay student - Washington Times - 12-22-04]
filed under: Moral Majority
December 22, 2004
You might notice the comments have, unfortunately, disappeared, and a new comments program is being used. I had to do this because my service provider turned off the comments for this website due to abuse. The abuse was not by any of you, but by spambots using the script to flood the comments on some of the older posts. That should be resolved now.
filed under:
December 22, 2004
The Human Rights Campaign has issued their annual state legislative report (62 pages) on the challenges we faced across the country in 2004 (view the PDF).
According to the report's lead description, "state lawmakers across the country spent more time than ever before debating legislation affecting the lives of GLBT Americans," producing "nearly 300 GLBT-related bills introduced in state capitols."
HRC reports spending $1.6 million in 2004 directly on these local battles, or about five cents of every dollar given to HRC by donors. Where is 95% of contributions to HRC being spent if not on the front lines of the battle for civil rights?
TRANSLATION: The battle for equality is being proactively fought and won on the state level by opponents.
SOLUTION: In 2005, consider substantially shifting your contributions to state and local organizations with a plan to address state and local battles. Until the American electorate supports equal rights, PAC contributions on the federal level will increasingly serve no one but the personal interests of a few career lobbyists.
filed under:
December 21, 2004
I had no idea conservatives were in such a tizzy over finding themselves in a democratic sea of religious lifestyles during the holidays until I saw Pat Buchanan frothing over a "Christ-less" Christmas on MSNBC last night (watch the video - 7:41).
From my perspective, no one is stopping Christians from practicing their religious lifestyles, and it's no surprise that the mentality of some Christians leads them to feel persecuted by those who refuse to sing happy birthday to Jesus.
Ironically, Buchanan didn't do his cause any favors with his selection of guests last night. As the raging Catholic League President William Donahue and the rabid Jewish Rabbi Shmuley Boteach endlessly bickered about each other's morals and faith, the third guest, Rob Sherman, a secular atheist, was the only voice of reason. To the stonefaced silence of the religious babblebots, Sherman said it doesn't bother him at all that the President puts as Bible verse on the White House "Holiday" card as an expression of his faith. For the record, it doesn't bother me, either.
The entire episode demonstrated how secularists respect the rule of law and diversity of religious lifestyle choices while religious fanatics like Donahue and Boteach are often the very bleating radicals consumed with dogmatic intolerance of each other's faith and laws that protect a diversity of religious lifestyle choices. Their incessant clamouring over a slice of the American public square during the holidays to display their religious wares is about as annoying as Christians, Jews and Muslims scrambling over a Goddamn rock in the Middle East.
Today, FOX's Bill O'Reilly showed his consistent ignorance as he continued to fan hysteria over this non-issue. On the Radio Factor, O'Reilly called people "nuts" who are offended by Christmas, then proceeded to urge people to demand their money back from stores that don't tell you "merry Christmas" at the register. Talk about nuts! It's a wonder religious fanatics tolerate constitutional protections of each other's religious lifestyle choices.
The lengths spiritually insecure religious fanatics go to demand public validation of their faith is maddening. Take a look at our good friend from WorldNetDaily, Les Kinsolving, grill White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan for a statement of support from the President today for persecuted Christians demanding Jesus in the public square during the holidays.
QUESTION: I'm going to follow up on Connie's question with specifics. The ACLU has gone to court to prevent a 5th grade class in Oklahoma from singing Christmas carols during a holiday program. Also, this is happening in New Jersey. In Seattle, a city building, they had to take the Christmas tree down because the city was being threatened by a lawsuit from the ACLU, and Americans for the Separation of Church and State.These are very important symbols to people of faith, not only Christians, but members of other faiths. We know that the President is a man of faith, and I'm sure that the faithful who believe they're being persecuted would appreciate some strong support and encouragement from the President.
MR. McCLELLAN: I think the President has made it very clear that people ought to be able to freely worship as they choose. And in terms of schools, he's talked about those issues, as well. He has been a strong supporter of voluntary efforts like voluntary student prayer. And so I think his views are very clear on these issues.
[White House Press Briefing - 12-21-04]
There is no bigger monument to Jesus in every single American town than the many churches we all see and appreciate. There is also nothing preventing them from erecting nativity scenes for public viewing. It's not the government's fault if people aren't filling the pews of American churches to see a plastic baby Jesus in a nativity scene aglow with a lightbulb up his ass.
In the secular spirit of respect for all faiths, Happy Holidays to everyone! You too, Bill O'Reilly.
filed under: Moral Majority
December 21, 2004
Leave it to the GLBT/Pride Twin Cities to trivialize discrimination by filing a frivolous complaint with the Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights against the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
It is the media's right to deny any advertising it wants. What GLBT/Pride Twin Cities is saying is that placing an ad showing two men kissing is far more important than the support and sponsorship from the very newspaper that is denying this ad.
This is a classic example of how groups that put on these pride parades across the country have been consumed by the most radical elements of our community. Unfortunately, pride parades have come to prominently feature the gay community's worst values complete with nudity, brigades of leather clad sex-fetishes on parade, x-rated materials, and free anal lubricant all over Main Street, USA in the name of "pride." It is a shame that the one time of the year the public is invited to peek into the gay community that they are bombarded with bad examples.
GLBT/Pride Twin Cities contends that the paper improperly refused to run an advertisement for the June event that showed two men kissing.The group said in a statement that it had been unable to resolve the issue with the newspaper's management and that it had "no choice but to file a discrimination complaint ... to force the business and policymakers at the Star Tribune to account for its actions."
"We stand by our decision not to run the ad as submitted, and we disagree with GLBT on the appropriateness of the ad," Star Tribune spokesman Ben Taylor said. "We are disappointed that GLBT would take this action after we have partnered with them, sponsored their events and supported their core principles for many years."
[Gay pride group lodges complaint against newspaper - Star Tribune - 12-21-04]
filed under: Free Speech
December 21, 2004
Follow up to yesterday's post. Effective immediately, the Social Security Administration will do its damn job. Perhaps after seeing how wrong it was to deny much needed marriage rights to heterosexuals, the Social Security Administration magically fixed whatever problem was causing them not to accept valid marriage licenses and threatening so much attention on the rights denied gays and lesbians.
Effective immediately, the agency will accept legally issued marriage documents from New Paltz and Multnomah County, Oregon, as identification in applications for new Social Security cards or to prove marriage for benefits.
[Social Security now accepting heterosexual marriage documents from two communities - AP - 12-21-04]
filed under: Equal Marriage Rights
December 20, 2004
Despite the fact that there were slurs and potential violence, I couldn't help laughing when I read this. I need sensitivity training. I wonder why the tranny fashion show and ball was held from 11p.m. to 8a.m.?
The disturbance began when parents escorting their children to a youth swim meet encountered participants in a cross-dressing and transgendered fashion show that had been going on since before midnight.Authorities said a YMCA member had reserved the entire facility from 11 p.m. until 8 a.m. for the fashion show and ball, which was still going on when the early swim meet participants began arriving. Some of the parents allegedly used sexual slurs, and scuffling broke out. Police said they were called in after someone threw a chair and someone else mistook the sound for a shot being fired.
[Police Break Up Brawl At New City YMCA - AP - 12-20-04]
more:
As parents and other YMCA members began to complain about the event, New City staff reportedly closed off access to bathrooms and locker rooms, barring the "House of Escada" participants from continuing to use the facility. At that point, party guests and parents began confronting each other in the building's hallways and lobby.
[Kids at YMCA swim meet run into cross-dressing ball - Chicago Sun Times - 12-20-04]
filed under:
December 20, 2004
What a sad story. If you read the entire thing, you'll notice the Associated Press was very carefull with sharing the sex of the teen. In other versions of the story, it was reported that Merida used the "gay panic" defense. It seems like Heterosexuals who use the "gay panic" defense in murder involving gay sex "panic" only after they've had an orgasm.
According to the records, Merida and the teen w