tagged w/ Same-Sex Marriage
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Yes it’s a free country. You have the right to be a bitch, to not vote, to bask in your undeserving smug satisfaction. And the rest of us have the right to call you out.
http://veracitystew.com/?p=35183Yes it’s a free country. You have the right to be a bitch, to not vote, to bask... more
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Obama criticizes Romney as ‘backwards on equality’
Arizona school won’t play ballgame against team with girl
Pros and cons in the bee debate?Obama criticizes Romney as ‘backwards on equality’
Arizona school... more
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Dr. Woody’s Fascinating Factoids. by John Konopak. Worldwide Hippies “official” resident scholar.
Shit you should know about. But mite have forgotten. And if you didn’t know about it, you do now.
Brought to you as a Public Service by Worldwide Hippies. ‘An educated and informed Hippie is a … well… Educated and Informed Hippie!Dr. Woody’s Fascinating Factoids. by John Konopak. Worldwide Hippies... more
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The evolution is complete. President Obama disclosed in a television interview recorded Wednesday that he had changed his long-standing position, a move that should satisfy (at least for now) a Democratic base that was growing frustrated with him over the controversial social issue.
ABC News
In an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, the president described his thought process as an “evolution” that led him to this decision, based on conversations with his staff members, openly gay and lesbian service members, and his wife and daughters.
EQUALITY!!!! Well maybe... Anyone think this will go well or is he just doing it for the LGBT vote and campaign contribution.The evolution is complete. President Obama disclosed in a television interview... more
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No matter what the political fallout, this is an historic moment in our shared history as a nation in our march toward full equality for all citizens. President Obama becomes the first sitting president to fully endorse gay marriage.
http://veracitystew.com/?p=35048No matter what the political fallout, this is an historic moment in our shared history... more
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What are the Nuns guilty of? -- According to the Vatican, they failed in their duty to sufficiently attack things like gay marriage, abortion and ordination of female priests. Not only that, but they did the unthinkable – endorsed President Obama’s health care reform bill.
Methinks the Sisters have aspired to too much for ol’ Pope Benny, who seems to be a Catholic hard-liner. But many of the nuns are not backing down. Even in the face of Inquisition-like scrutiny, many of the Sisters remain defiant, but they’ll need to gird their loins for this round, because it seems the Vatican and the U.S. Bishops are determined to break them and force them into submission...
http://veracitystew.com/?p=34194What are the Nuns guilty of? -- According to the Vatican, they failed in their duty to... more
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Michele's trying to sanitize her history of intolerance and hatred, saying that she's "Hardly judgmental." Yep, Michele’s about as hardly judgmental as Rush Limbaugh is hardly hungry…or hardly a misogynistic asshole.
Or..or…Michele’s about as hardly judgmental as Kirk Cameron is hardly irrelevant.
http://veracitystew.com/?p=31824Michele's trying to sanitize her history of intolerance and hatred, saying that... more
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Weekly round-up focusing on "Say no to war with Iran ad," former GOP white supremacist running for Congress in the land of Lincoln (IL), Freedom To Marry's campaign to get the DNC to add support for same-sex marriage to its platform, and a story of nine Harvard students expelled for being gay in the 1920s. Will they get their degrees posthumously?Weekly round-up focusing on "Say no to war with Iran ad," former GOP white... more
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You have to hear the full audio, but Newt included in his tirade the following:
"Now to have got a president who is pro-infanticide wage war on every right to life organization in America...it, just tells you how sick the country’s become. I think this is the most important election of our lifetime. I think if we get four more years of Obama...we won’t be the country we were in 2008 in terms of our core values."
http://veracitystew.com/?p=31548You have to hear the full audio, but Newt included in his tirade the following:... more
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CNN...
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Maryland governor to sign same-sex marriage bill
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 2:51 AM EST, Thu March 1, 2012
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With Gov. Martin O'Malley's signature, Maryland will be the eighth state to approve same-sex marriage.
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Voters in Minnesota and North Carolina will consider proposals in November
New Jersey lawmakers approved same-sex marriage this month, but it was vetoed
Neither side in the same-sex marriage debate is declaring victory
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(CNN) -- Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will sign into law Thursday a bill legalizing same-sex marriage.
"All children deserve the opportunity to live in a loving, caring, committed and stable home, protected equally under the law," O'Malley said in a statement after last week's vote.
"Maryland will now be able to protect individual civil marriage rights and religious freedom equally."
The Maryland House of Delegates approved the measure less than two weeks after Washington legislators voted to legalize same-sex marriage. That measure will take effect in the summer if it survives a likely court challenge.
Six states and the District of Columbia already issue same-sex marriage licenses -- Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. Five states -- Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey and Rhode Island -- allow civil unions that provide rights similar to marriage.
New Jersey lawmakers approved same-sex marriage this month, but Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the legislation. He has said voters should decide the issue in a statewide referendum.
Voters in Minnesota and North Carolina, meanwhile, will consider proposals in November to ban gay marriage in those states. New Hampshire lawmakers may also consider a repeal of its same-sex marriage law, according to the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriage. Lawsuits seeking to expand civil unions or turn back laws banning same-sex marriages are working through the courts in at least 12 states, including Hawaii, Minnesota and California, the organization said.
Same-sex marriage became a national issue in 1993, after the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that a ban on such unions violated the state constitution.
Legislation was introduced recently to allow same-sex marriages in Illinois, and bills from 2011 remain technically active in Hawaii and Minnesota, said Jack Tweedie of the National Council of State Legislatures. It's unclear whether any will see significant action, he said.
An effort is also under way to put a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage on the November ballot in Maine, where voters previously overturned a 2009 state law authorizing it.
In California, meanwhile, a federal appeals court recently ruled against a voter-passed referendum that outlawed same-sex marriage. It said such a ban was unconstitutional and singled out gays and lesbians for discrimination. The case appears to be eventually headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Maryland governor to sign same-sex marriage bill
By the CNN Wire... more
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Talk About Brave: Black Lesbian Judge in Rick Perry's Texas refuses to marry straight couples because same-sex marriages aren't allowed...and she's up for re-election....You need to read her story!
http://veracitystew.com/?p=31490Talk About Brave: Black Lesbian Judge in Rick Perry's Texas refuses to marry... more
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Washington Post...
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Maryland House passes same-sex marriage bill
A bill to legalize same-sex marriage was approved Friday by the Maryland House of Delegates, all but assuring the measure will be sent to Gov. O’Malley for his promised signature.
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Same-sex marriage bill passes Maryland House of Delegates
View Photo Gallery — The Maryland House of Delegates approved a same-sex marriage bill, making an eventual signing by Gov. Martin O’Malley likely.
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Feb. 16, 2012
Dels. Ariana B. Kelly (D-Montgomery) and Bonnie L. Cullison (D-Montgomery) confer. For Cullison, the debate about the gay marriage legislation is personal: She would like to be able to marry her partner, Marcia.
Mark Gail / The Washington Post
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By John Wagner, Friday, February 17, 3:46 PM
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A bill to legalize same-sex marriage won approval in the Maryland House of Delegates on Friday night, capping a dramatic turnaround from a year ago and all but assuring the measure will be sent to Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) for his promised signature.
After a day of emotional and contentious debate, the Democrat-led House voted 71-67 in favor of the bill, sending it to the Senate, which approved a similar measure last year. No senators have announced plans to change their votes.
Maryland is poised to join seven states and the District in allowing gay nuptials, but opponents are widely expected to launch a petition drive that could give Maryland voters the final say on the November ballot.
The state’s move toward same-sex marriage comes amid a fresh wave of momentum nationally for gay-rights activists. Gay nuptials bills were signed by the governors of New York in June and Washington state this month. And just Friday, the New Jersey legislature sent Gov. Chris Christie (R) a same-sex marriage bill, which Christie promptly vetoed as he had promised to do.
In Annapolis, O’Malley and other supporters scrambled in recent days to nail down enough votes to avoid a repeat of last year when the legislation died on the House floor.
Their efforts were buoyed by the support of two Republican delegates who announced their support of the legislation just this week: Robert A. Costa of Anne Arundel County and A. Wade Kach of Baltimore County.
During Friday’s debate, supporters — including seven gay delegates in the chamber — hailed the measure as a major step forward in equal rights. Opponents decried the redefinition of “marriage” and said it was an affront to long-standing religious traditions.
“We should extend to families, same-sex loving couples, the right to marry in a civil ceremony,” Del. Maggie L. McIntosh (D-Baltimore) said in a hushed chamber after relaying her experience coming out as a lesbian. “I’m going to ask you today, my colleagues, to make history.”
Kach told the chamber that his views on the issue changed after a bill hearing last week, when he heard testimony from loving same-sex couples, including some with children. “My constituents did not send me here to judge people,” Kach said.
In the hours before the bill passed, its prospects had appeared clouded by the hospitalization Thursday of a key supporter, Del. Veronica L. Turner (D-Prince George’s).
Although both chambers of Maryland’s legislature are heavily Democratic, the bill proved a tough sell among African American lawmakers from the party, including many Prince George’s delegates, who cited opposition by churches and constituents in their districts.
“Same-sex marriage is wrong,” Del. Emmett C. Burns Jr. (D-Baltimore County) told the chamber before the vote. “I believe that people who are gay have a right to be that, but the word ‘marriage’ should not be attached.”
Burns joined several Republicans in vowing to defeat the measure on the ballot.
One of the unexpected supporters was Del. Tiffany T. Alston (D-Prince George’s), who co-sponsored last year’s bill but withdrew her support in response to what she said was strong opposition in her district.
On Friday, Alston said she was satisfied that the bill would get petitioned to the ballot, in part based on a procedural amendment of hers that the chamber adopted.
“Right now, as a state, it’s time for us to move beyond the issue,” Alston told her colleagues. “I think the community needs to vote on this.”
Friday night’s vote marks a victory for O’Malley, who previously supported civil unions as an alternative to same-sex marriage. The governor agreed to sponsor this year’s in bill in July, in the wake of its failure in the House last year.
O’Malley said his reworked legislation provided greater protections for religious organizations opposed to gay nuptials.
During debate Friday, delegates rejected a proposed amendment, 78 to 45, to legalize civil unions rather than same-sex marriage.
This month, a federal appeals court also declared California’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, saying it was a violation of the equal rights of gay and lesbian couples.
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Washington Post...
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Maryland House passes same-sex marriage bill
A bill... more
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New Jersey lawmakers recognize same-sex marriage
Los Angeles Times | Feb. 16, 2012 | 2:00 p.m.
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The New Jersey Assembly followed the lead of the state Senate and passed legislation Thursday to recognize same-sex marriage, making the state the eighth to do so and setting the stage for Gov. Chris Christie to veto the measure.
.New Jersey lawmakers recognize same-sex marriage
Los Angeles Times | Feb. 16, 2012... more
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Los Angeles Times...
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Washington state makes 7: Governor signs gay marriage law
February 13, 2012 | 2:12 pm
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"My friends, welcome to the other side of the rainbow!" state Sen. Ed Murray declared Monday as Washington became the seventh state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage.
In a boisterous ceremony at the state Capitol in Olympia, Gov. Christine Gregoire -- a Catholic who weathered strong opposition, including a last-minute "action alert" from the state's Catholic Church leadership -- signed legislation to give same-sex couples the same right to a marriage license as anyone else.
"Look into your hearts and ask yourselves: 'Isn't it time?' " said Gregoire, as cheering supporters chanted "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
"We did what was just. We did what was fair. We stood for equality, and we did it together, Republicans and Democrats, gay and straight, young and old, and a number of our faith organizations. I'm proud of who and what we are as a state," the governor said.
There was a decidedly festive mood at the statehouse, where the debate in the state Legislature -- which approved the bill on split votes in both houses -- had been measured, lacking the name-calling and fireworks that often characterizes the issue.
The legislation exempts churches, religious institutions and members of the clergy from participating in same-sex marriages if it goes against their beliefs -- a compromise aimed at hundreds of churches whose members phoned and emailed lawmakers in an attempt to defeat the bill. Several faith organizations signed on in support of the measure, however, Gregoire noted.
"Years from now, our kids will look back and wonder what all the fuss was about, but those of us who lived through the last 20 years appreciate how challenging this has been," said state Sen. Jamie Pedersen, who sponsored the bill through its contentious charge through the Legislature. On Monday, he introduced onlookers to his "future husband," a former high school administrator who stood on the sidelines cradling one of the couple's four children.
The issue is far from over, however. Conservative and religious leaders have vowed to begin collecting signatures on a referendum to overturn the new law. The statute, slated to take effect on June 7, would be held in abeyance if referendum proponents succeed in placing it on the November ballot.
"Much hangs in the balance over the next few months. This is a time for people of faith to work together," Gary Randall, president of the Faith & Freedom Network, said in an appeal to supporters. He added in another statement: "This is a dark day for people of faith and those who honor natural, traditional marriage. It is a tipping point for the state."
A separate initiative proposal to define marriage as occurring between one man and one woman is also pending before a judge in Thurston County, and could also make its way to the ballot. "Right now, the condition of marriage is an unmitigated disaster and needs a lot of reform, but we need to begin that reform with an accurate definition," the proponent of that measure, Stephen Pidgeon, said in an interview.
Opponents of the new law were scheduled to meet with presidential candidate and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), who was traveling to Washington on Monday as part of his presidential campaign. Santorum was planning a public address later in Tacoma in which same-sex marriage opponents hoped he would discuss the new Washington law.
But Gregoire and other supporters of the measure expressed confidence that Washington voters, who backed domestic partnerships on a 53%-47% vote in a 2009 referendum, will support the new law as well.
"We know that it's going to be a hard campaign, and we're going to have to fight really hard to protect this victory, but we believe we can be victorious in November," Zach Silk, spokesman for Washington United for Marriage, told the Los Angeles Times.
Washington joins six other states -- Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont -- plus the District of Columbia in legalizing marriage for gay and lesbian couples. An additional eight states, including California, provide same-sex couples with access to state benefits and responsibilities offered married couples, through either civil unions or domestic partnerships.
The New Jersey state Senate passed a same-sex marriage bill on Monday, but the ultimate outcome in that state was expected to be much different. Although the Assembly is expected to approve the measure, Gov. Chris Christie has vowed to veto the bill should it reach his desk.
.Los Angeles Times...
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Washington state makes 7: Governor signs gay marriage law... more
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Do you notice that some nights you can punch through hundreds of TV channels and not seem to find something you really want to watch? The other night the choice was between over-weight people crying about how hard it was to eat less food, or a documentary on there isn't any food in this African country. We aimed the camera at the TV and took a look at ourselves and what we saw wasn't pretty. Life is tough when the parity of the real thing is just as bad as the real thing. And we all know that other "real" thing is made up.Do you notice that some nights you can punch through hundreds of TV channels and not... more
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CNN...
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February 5th, 2012
05:33 PM ET
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Crossing the plains and kicking up dirt, a new Mormon pioneer
PART ONE…
By Jessica Ravitz, CNN
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San Diego (CNN) – At a 1950s-style house nestled in a peaceful neighborhood nicknamed “Hanukkah Hill,” a smiling Buddha on the porch greets visitors – his arms raised as if to say all are welcome.
Affixed to the doorpost is a mezuzah, a decorative case holding blessings for a Jewish home. Inside, on the family’s refrigerator, hangs a magnet from the Feminist Mormon Housewives blog that says, “Jesus loves us. Who cares what you think?”
In the kitchen stands Joanna Brooks, an accidental, unofficial and admittedly unauthorized source for all things Mormon. She’s making “funeral potatoes,” a classic Mormon casserole, and heaped on the counter are the ingredients: a not-so-healthy dose of cheese, butter, sour cream, hash browns and chicken soup. Her Jewish husband strolls by, takes a look at what’s cooking, and grimaces. Bespectacled and freckled 6-year-old Rosa, standing atop a chair, proudly announces, “I’m Jewish and Mormon!”
The home and life Brooks has created is the product of a complicated journey.
She cannot separate The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from her identity any more than she can leave cheese out of funeral potatoes. But like her persecuted ancestors who braved the unforgiving plains to reach the promised land of what is now Utah, Brooks, 40, fights for her faith.
The battle has, at times, left her feeling beaten.
As a young feminist activist, she saw her beloved church excommunicate her intellectual heroes. She’s felt outrage and soul-crushing grief while watching her church mobilize against same-sex marriages. For about 10 years, she walked away.
But today a vintage postcard of a Mormon missionary boarding a plane sits on her desk to inspire. It reads, in part, “Dare to be different.”
She believes there’s room in the LDS Church for loving criticism and candid talk, that Latter-day Saints like her can not just belong but also serve – without fear of being cast out into the wilderness.
She’s staking her claim to Mormonism, writing about it for Religion Dispatches, debunking myths in national papers, speaking up on podcasts, radio shows and from stages, and offering advice in her column and blog, Ask Mormon Girl. She recently self-published her memoir, “The Book of Mormon Girl: Stories from an American Faith” and writes regularly for Feminist Mormon Housewives. Politico has named her, or specifically her Twitter account, one of the “50 Politicos to Watch.” All this while being an award-winning scholar, a published poet and, oh yeah, a department chair and professor of English and comparative literature at San Diego State University.
[Click the audio player for a Q&A with Joanna Brooks from CNN Radio's John Lisk ]
Amid Mitt Romney’s presidential bid, the “I’m a Mormon” ad campaign and the smash-hit Broadway musical “Book of Mormon,” this Obama supporter has emerged as a refreshing voice for media, hungry for frank discussion about her faith.
Her goal? To be her authentic self and humanize a tradition and people she couldn't love more.
“I just refuse to be ashamed of being Mormon,” she says. “Don’t talk about us like we’re not in the room.”
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CONTINUED…
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February 5th, 2012
05:33 PM ET
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Crossing the plains and... more
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Los Angeles Times...
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J.C. Penney stands behind Ellen DeGeneres as spokeswoman
February 3, 2012 | 5:45 pm
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Portia and Ellen DeGeneres
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As an openly gay couple, Portia and Ellen DeGeneres have faced plenty of challenges, but one worry they can safely put to bed is Ellen getting dropped by J.C. Penney.
The company has signaled that it is standing by DeGeneres as its spokeswoman, despite the group One Million Moms -- part of the American Family Assn. -- having launched a campaign to force J.C. Penney to end its association with DeGeneres and "remain neutral in the culture war."
In a statement Friday, J.C. Penney responded with support for the comedian, saying it "stands behind its partnership with Ellen DeGeneres."
GLAAD was understandably overjoyed with the news. A site the group had launched to show support for DeGeneres changed focus to show support for J.C. Penney over its decision. As of Friday afternoon, #StandUpForEllen had received more than 26,000 signatures.
"This week Americans spoke out in overwhelming support of LGBT people and J.C. Penney’s decision not to fire Ellen simply for who she happens to love," GLAAD spokesman Herndon Graddick said in a statement. "But while Ellen has the nation on her side, in 29 states today, Americans can still be legally fired just for being gay. Our elected officials should use this incident as yet another example of the support for legal protections for all hard working employees."
.Los Angeles Times...
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J.C. Penney stands behind Ellen DeGeneres as spokeswoman... more
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