06.15.06
Posted in Gay Rights at 11:02 am by pikapp44
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reportedly refused to back down from its decision to sponsor several Gay Pride events this month after it received more than 800,000 e-mails and thousands of phone calls denouncing its involvement in the events from supporters of a conservative political group.
Kirk Marusak, the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender coordinator at EPA for the American Federation of Government Employees, told The Washington Blade that a deluge of phone calls triggered by an “action alert” from the antigay American Family Association temporarily disabled the phone system at the agency’s Office of Civil Rights. The e-mails flooded the offices of several EPA divisions, including the civil rights unit, which issued an announcement in May recognizing June as Gay & Lesbian Pride Month at EPA.
But EPA spokesperson Bob Zachariasiewicz told the Blade, “We’re moving ahead with these events as planned. There are no plans to change anything.”
Marusak said the e-mails and phone calls appear to have been generated by a June 10 e-mail alert by Donald Wildmon, president and founder of the American Family Association, to a list of supporters that the group claims is between 2 and 3 million.
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06.14.06
Posted in Advocate Articles at 1:18 pm by pikapp44
A part-time philosophy instructor at Brigham Young University has been fired after publicly criticizing the Mormon church’s opposition to same-sex marriage. In an op-ed piece Jeffrey Nielsen published in The Salt Lake Tribune last week, he called the church’s opposition “immoral,” and the teacher has since been told by the Mormon-owned university in Provo, Utah, that he will not be rehired, the Associated Press reports.
“I believe opposing gay marriage and seeking a constitutional amendment against it is immoral,” Nielsen wrote in the op-ed, published June 4. But the Mormon church was not pleased to read that, considering it has funded a multi-million dollar campaign against same-sex marriage and in support of a federal marriage amendment that would ban it, a bill the church asked its members to support on May 28.
So he was given notice on June 8 in a letter from the chair of the philosophy department. “Since you have chosen to contradict and oppose the church in an area of great concern to church leaders, and to do so in a public forum, we will not rehire you after the current term is over,” the letter read, according to the AP. A BYU spokesperson confirmed that Nielsen will not be rehired.
Despite being let go, Nielsen told the AP that he has “no desire to be anything but a member of the church.”
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06.12.06
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 6:29 pm by pikapp44
Hoping to generate the same kind of publicity and change enjoyed by the Know Thy Neighbor campaign in Massachusetts, which published on a Web site the names of everyone who signed a petition for a proposed same-sex marriage ban, a church in Florida is launching Know Thy Neighbor Florida on Monday.
“When KnowThyNeighbor.org was launched in Massachusetts last year, it resulted in numerous reports of alleged fraud,” said John Schumpert, a founding member of Christ Church of Peace, a nondenominational congregation in Jacksonville, which is launching the Florida campaign. “While we are not saying that is the case here in Florida, we do believe the only real way to check for possible fraud is to give all Floridians easy and meaningful access to view this public information.”
By a February 1 deadline, the antigay group Florida4Marriage.org turned in only 455,363 of the required 611,009 signatures needed to put the amendment before voters in November. Now the group is vowing to get the amendment on the 2008 Florida ballot.
Organizers of Know Thy Neighbor Florida hope that those who find familiar names on the lists of petition signers on the church’s Web site will then take the opportunity to initiate an open and meaningful conversation with that person about how this discriminatory amendment would affect their life and, in many cases, the lives of their children. “I was excited from the first moment that the idea was presented to me for our church to sponsor Know Thy Neighbor Florida,” said the Reverend Gary DeBusk, pastor of Christ Church of Peace. “A portion of our church’s vision statement reads, ‘We will be…a tool for social change.’ And what better way is there to advocate for change than to support equal rights for all people.”
Unlike the Know Thy Neighbor campaign in Massachusetts, where signatures for a 2008 ballot initiative were placed on an independent Web site, the use of a church site in Florida offers an opportunity to show people that not all churches are antigay. “As the February 1 deadline for signed petitions was approaching [in Florida], Christ Church of Peace received daily e-mails, faxes, and phone calls urging us to gather signatures at worship services and church functions,” DeBusk said. “Now, of course, those who contacted us did not know that Christ Church of Peace is primarily made up of the very people that they are discriminating against. All that they knew was that we were on a list of churches.”
Unfortunately, DeBusk continued, “a large percentage of their base is from churches. I find it sad that churches, in the name of God and Jesus the Christ, will promote discrimination and marginalization of people and through peer pressure garner the signatures of their congregants. But, of course, it was also many of these same churches that opposed black civil rights.”
Names published by Know Thy Neighbor Florida can be viewed at www.christchurchofpeace.org.
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06.09.06
Posted in D's Thoughts, E's Thoughts at 5:39 am by pikapp44
The Wedding Chapels of MGM MIRAGE, including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Treasure Island, Monte Carlo, Luxor, Excalibur and Circus Circus, are ready and willing to help all couples declare “I do.”
Celebrate with your partner in Las Vegas, the city made famous by non-traditional weddings and celebrity elopements?
The wedding chapels of MGM MIRAGE offer devoted partners wonderfully romantic ways to proclaim their love. From flowers to photos to the walk down a petal-strewn aisle, commitment ceremonies provide the beauty and power of a formal ceremony without the legal formalities.
The Wedding Chapels at TI are elegantly designed in champagne tones, with stately marble altars and elaborate floral arrangements. The intimate setting provides the perfect place to bind two dreams as one and can accommodate small groups or parties of up to 65 guests to witness the couple’s pledge. Fresh flowers provide a special touch for the ceremony and couples are offered a choice of either two beautiful floral bouquets or two boutonnieres.
The Terrazza di Sogno (Terrace of Dreams) at Bellagio offers a beautiful, private outdoor setting for couples wishing to celebrate their union in an atmosphere of sheer romance. Couples overlook stunning views of a Tuscan landscape and a Mediterranean-blue lake with the Fountains of Bellagio soaring to the sky at the moment of the long-awaited “I do.”
The Luxor Wedding Chapel offers a remarkable site to begin a journey together. Whether an intimate or grand ceremony, the chapel combines an elegant interior with an uncompromising array of services to ensure a memorable wedding day.
Luxor Wedding Chapel manager Andrea Tooman said, “The goal is to provide guests with an elegant yet comfortable atmosphere. Our personalized services allow couples to create a cherished, distinctive experience on their special day.”
For couples seeking something unusual, the chapels of MGM MIRAGE provide a variety of imaginative options. Ship-deck ceremonies with pirate ring-bearers, noble knights or ladies-in-waiting kneeling before the altar, locations that lean to the famous, or private picturesque spots that call to mind distant lands - Las Vegas has a ceremony for every couple to be - no marriage license required!
Professional consultants are on hand at all the chapels to assist with any and all arrangements, from photography and formalwear rental to securing the officiant for the ceremony. The catering and banquet departments provide everything for a private party or reception from simple, elegant cake and champagne to a formal sit-down dinner.
MGM MIRAGE’s award-winning accommodations offer guests superior lodging and unparalleled customer service. Elegantly appointed rooms and suites are available, providing the perfect finishing touch for a truly romantic experience.
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06.08.06
Posted in Gay Portal at 12:54 pm by pikapp44
In honor of Gay Pride Month, Internet giant Yahoo! has compiled a comprehensive microsite highlighting global pride celebrations as well as LGBT-related services and resources available on the Yahoo! network.
The microsite, which is sponsored by online travel company Travelocity, can be found at the URL events.yahoo.com/pride or by performing a Yahoo! search for “gay pride.” It provides LGBT people with a one-stop shop for pride, including travel and destination information, community-building tools, volunteer opportunities with LGBT organizations, original user content through Yahoo! blogs and Flickr photos, and pertinent content from other Yahoo! sites.
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06.07.06
Posted in Gay Rights at 1:23 pm by pikapp44
BOSTON - Macy’s department store has removed a window display marking Boston’s gay pride week after a group that opposes gay marriage complained it was offensive.
The display at the downtown Boston store featured two male mannequins, with one wearing a gay pride rainbow flag around his waist, next to a list of several planned Boston Pride Week events.
MassResistance, formerly the Article 8 Alliance, which has campaigned against gay marriage and gay-themed textbooks in public schools, objected to the display and said the mannequin wearing the flag had a “skirt” on, the Boston Herald reported.
The group posted pictures on its Web site and scores of its supporters complained to Macy’s by phone and e-mail.
Elina Kazan, a Macy’s spokeswoman, said the store decided to remove the mannequins but leave the list of events in order to strike a balance. Displays in previous years did not use mannequins.
“We believe in diversity, and our customers are very important to us,” Kazan said. “But (the display) did offend a few of our customers, and we had to re-examine it.
ACLU of Massachusetts spokeswoman Sarah Wunsch criticized Macy’s for “succumbing to the bigotry” of what she said was a fringe anti-gay group.
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Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 11:08 am by pikapp44
The Federal Marriage Amendment was defeated this morning when the United States Senate voted not to send the measure to a final vote. The proposal to ban same-sex marriage garnered only 49 votes, well short of the 60 needed to end debate before an official vote could happen—and one fewer than the 50 votes the amendment received the last time it was voted on in 2004.
The 49 votes were even fewer than the majority its Senate supporters expected the amendment to get, since there are five new Republican senators who were voting on the measure for the first time, the Associated Press reports. All five had replaced opponents of the measure.
But two veteran Republican senators—Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Judd Gregg of New Hampshire—changed their votes from 2004, voting against the amendment this time. They were joined by five other Republican senators, including John McCain. All but three of the 44 Senate Democrats voted against the amendment.
“President Bush and the Republican leadership gambled their dwindling political capital on a discriminatory amendment and came up empty,” Joe Solmonese, president of the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement. “With the addition of senators Specter and Gregg, not only did every senator who voted against discrimination in 2004 stand with us today, but momentum is on the side of equality. This is a resounding defeat against discrimination.”
Said Log Cabin Republicans executive director Patrick Guerriero in a separate statement: “Supporters of this amendment couldn’t even get 50 senators supporting the procedural vote. It’s laughable to say this amendment is gaining support. It takes 67 votes to pass this amendment, and more than half of the Senate have said they couldn’t support this on an up or down vote.”
And Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean emphasized the legislative distraction the amendment has created, saying in a statement that “the time that Senate Republicans wasted debating a divisive federal marriage amendment is time that should have been used to find ways to reduce gas prices, help Americans find health insurance, make America energy independent, create jobs that stay in America, or come up with a plan for success in Iraq.”
The next hurdle for the weakened amendment is a House vote, which Majority Leader John Boehner, a Ohio Republican, is planning for July, the AP reports.
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06.06.06
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 1:18 pm by pikapp44
Debate continues for a second day today in the U.S. Senate over whether to write discrimination into the Constitution by banning same-sex marriage. But the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment is headed for certain defeat when it comes up for a vote Wednesday because it lacks the necessary support, the Associated Press reports.
Still, the prospect of failure hasn’t dampened the political rhetoric about the bill, which Republican senators are using to galvanize their conservative base in the run-up to what’s expected to be sharply contested midterm elections this fall. “The law is a teacher,” Republican senator Sam Brownback of Kansas said, according to the AP. “It is a moral and societal imperative that we foster and encourage the institution of marriage.”
But his GOP colleague, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, disagreed, saying—in a nod to former senator Barry Goldwater—that “government ought to be kept off our backs, out of our pocketbooks, and out of our bedrooms.” Specter added: “This is a matter which ought to be left to the states.”
Democratic senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont concurred with Specter’s remarks. “Apparently high campaign season has arrived on the Republican leader’s calendar,” Leahy said, according to the AP. “The Constitution is too important to be used for such a partisan political purpose.”
That seems to be the opinion of most Americans as well. According to an ABC News poll released yesterday, 60% do not support the Federal Marriage Amendment.
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06.05.06
Posted in Advocate Articles, Gay Rights at 1:08 pm by pikapp44
In an open letter released Monday morning, the head of the Log Cabin Republicans takes President Bush to task for supporting the proposed federal marriage amendment, which the U.S. Senate begins debating today. Patrick Guerriero, the outgoing executive director of the gay GOP group, calls the president’s support of the discriminatory amendment “an insult to millions of fair-minded Americans from all walks of life.”
The full text of the letter follows:
Mr. President,
On behalf of millions of gay and lesbian Americans, I write to denounce your decision to divide the American family by promoting an amendment that would insert discrimination into the United States Constitution. Your decision to use the grounds of the White House—America’s house—to advance discrimination is an insult to millions of fair-minded Americans from all walks of life.
Mr. President, gay and lesbian Americans pay taxes, contribute to community and family life across our great nation, and worship the same all-loving and compassionate God. Thousands of gay and lesbian Americans, under your command, serve proudly in our nation’s military, fighting to win the war on terror and promoting liberty across the globe. Your effort to codify discrimination against our families, including men and women in uniform while the nation is at war, is offensive and unworthy of the office of the presidency.
Wedge-issue politics may score short-term political points but will end up eroding your ability as president to unite the American people behind winning the war in Iraq, enhancing border security, advancing immigration reform, and controlling spending. Your call for “civility and decency” in this debate rings hollow because the effort to write discrimination into our Constitution is intolerant and uncivil.
While Americans deserve a chance to debate contentious issues, the constitutional amendment process you propose denies states the right to handle this issue as they deem appropriate. This proposal runs completely counter to our party’s conservative belief in federalism. We suggest you listen to your own vice president, who has reminded us that this is an issue that should be left to the states. And we suggest you listen to your former U.N. ambassador and former United States senator John Danforth (R-Mo.) who has called this amendment one of the silliest ever proposed in our nation’s history.
While decent Americans can respectfully disagree about how to offer fairness to our families, your White House event today further legitimizes the voices of intolerance who have made an industry out of denigrating gay and lesbian Americans. That legitimization has sadly fueled discriminatory state amendments across America that go beyond denying civil marriage equality—by denying even domestic partnerships or civil unions that allow for hospital visitation, inheritance rights, and basic dignity to life-long loving couples.
Today, you desecrate America’s house by using the White House grounds to denigrate part of the American family. History recalls those moments in America’s past when our nation’s leaders expanded liberty and fairness for American citizens. History also remembers those political leaders who have stood in the doorway of equality and tolerance.
Mr. President, may God bless our great nation—and each and every American who believes in the promise of the Declaration of Independence that all Americans are created equal. (The Advocate)
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06.04.06
Posted in Gay Rights at 3:53 pm by pikapp44
President George W. Bush will on Monday meet conservative activists at the White House to underline his support for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, re-inforcing the message of a weekend speech in which he urged Congress to pass the amendment.
His intervention comes as the Senate begins a debate on Monday on an amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
The revival of the issue marks the most visible contours of the electoral strategy being crafted by Karl Rove, the president’s chief political strategist who has been charged with focusing on the mid-term elections. In an effort to rally disaffected Republican conservatives – whose support for Mr Bush has slipped. - he is turning again to the divisive issues of gay marriage and judicial nominations.
In his radio address on Saturday, Mr Bush combined both themes. He defended marriage as “the most enduring and important human institution” that should not be “cut off from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening this good influence on society”.
The speech also included a direct assault on the courts, using the phrase “activist judges” or “activist courts” three times. Mr Bush, who is poised to nominate a new wave of conservative judges, said an amendment was needed “because activist courts have left our nation with no other choice”.
The supreme court of Washington state is expected to rule soon on whether to overturn two lower court rulings in favour of same-sex marriage, “marking the first state high court to tackle same-sex marriage since Massachusetts’ highest court issued its ruling legalising gay unions in November 2003”, says Kavan Peterson of Stateline.
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