Friday, June 29, 2012

Highlights & Lowlights: June 30, 2012

I'm switching things up a bit this week and writing the best thing first.

The 5-4 closeness of the ruling on the Affordable Care Act was completely predictable. The fact that it was 5-4 UPHOLDING the Affordable Care Act was anything but predictable. I have to say that I'm genuinely surprised that the Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate of the ACA (a.k.a. "Obamacare"). I was almost sure that we were heading to the mandate being thrown down as unconstitutional. As I have mentioned, I'm particularly surprised at who the deciding vote ended up being: Chief Justice John Roberts. He is (or was) the judicial darling of the political right. He was appointed by President George W. Bush. He's a bonifide judicial conservative. Unfortunately for Roberts, a lot of conservative politicians are turning on him. One congressman said that with this ruling, he lost two friends; America, and Justice Roberts.

There are parts of the ACA that particularly affect the LGBT community. As the law requires states to create health care exchanges to simplify health care for individuals and businesses, these exchanges can NOT discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identification in any way. This is definitely a win for us, especially in areas that are particularly prone to anti-gay/trans discrimination (southern states, I'm looking at you). I think that this is one of the parts that does not kick in until 2014.

All-in-all, it was a good decision

***

While I believe that upholding the ACA is generally a good thing (not just for LGBT people, but for everyone), the way that certain media outlets handled the announcement of the ruling was...less than stellar. It's pretty depressing and a poor indictment on the media in general and I can't sugar-coat that, so I'll let the people from Sourcefed explain it in a more humourous manner:

The Religious Wrong: Liberals Are Duped By Satan

Obamacare: The Roberts Decision


The Wrap-Up: June 29, 2012

Chief Justice John Roberts
 ESPN is launching the "ESPN Ally" program aimed at creating a supportive and inclusive workplace.

Minnesota's Secretary of State has announced the title of the state's proposed anti-marriage equality bill. It's pretty accurate.

That $2,000,000,000 we thought J.P. Morgan lost turned out to be more like $9,000,000,000. And to think that Republicans were asking its C.E.O. for advice.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) has introduced a bill aimed at protecting same-sex married couples in the military.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) center
With the Affordable Care Act being upheld by the Supreme Court, conservatives are turning against the man who ended up being the deciding vote: Chief Justice John Roberts (a Bush appointee might I add).

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), who is running for governor, made the apology-inducing mistake of saying that the Supreme Court ruling was like 9/11. If there's any justice, this would cost him that election.

The anti-marriage equality organization in Maryland is a bit in the red...at least for now.

Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe is actively fighting against the state's proposed marriage equality ban.

And lastly, I give you the stupidest reactions to the Supreme Court's ruling on the Affordable Care Act, given that Canada's health care is more socialized and universal than America's. Idiots will be idiots.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

CNN & Fox Fail on SCOTUS


Getting it RIGHT should be more important than getting it FIRST.

The Conservative Agenda: Thinking & Voting = BAD


America For Sale


The Wrap-Up: June 28, 2012

Former first lady Laura Bush and former vice-president Dick Cheney are being called out, but not by the left.

Congressional Republicans are coming up with lots of "reasons" to impeach President Obama.

Bryan Fischer, leader of the conservative, Christian group American Family Association thinks that we should let poor sick people die. I think he needs to reconsider his religion, since he has zero understanding of the Bible.

The U.S. may cut aid to Uganda because of the African nation's crackdown on the gay community.

The president of Exodus International takes about a half step towards being more progressive, admitting that homosexuality can NOT be cured (although the rest of us knew this ages ago). Half a step is better than nothing.

Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) along with about 36 other representatives will today be launching a congressional Anti-Bullying Caucus. It's that this is necessary, but good that kids will (hopefully) be protected.

Selena Gomez and Justin Beiber were on the House of Representatives? Wait for the explanation...

A committee in the California state assembly has approved a bill banning "reparative therapy."

And lastly, Republicans with delusions of grandeur. It must have been hard to narrow this down to just five, but these five are pretty big ones (especially the final one on this list).

NOTE: The Supreme Court will handing down their ruling on the Affordable Care Act (I believe) at or before 2 PM Eastern.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Boycotting Gay-Friendly Companies

There has been a pattern developing over the last few years. Any time a major corporation voices their support for LGBT equality, advertises in a gay magazine, or anything of this nature, a boycott is called for by homophobic organizations including (but not limited to) The National Organization For Marriage (Discrimination) and the so-called American Family Association.  We saw this when Home Depot sponsored gay pride parades. We saw this when J.C. Penney announced that Ellen DeGeneres would be their spokesperson. We saw it when Starbucks announced their support for Washington state's marriage equality bill. Now, we are seeing it again with General Mills announcing that they are against a  proposed anti-marriage equality amendment to the state constitution of Minnesota (where the corporation is based) as well as with Nabisco/Kraft which support Pride Day.

What would happen if this mentality were taken to its logical conclusion? By this, I mean what would happen if people that are against LGBT equality boycotted EVERY corporation, business, person (doctors, lawyers, etc), and so on, that in some way supports LGBT equality? Essentially, they would have to boycott American life altogether.

...Furthermore, NOM would eventually also have to boycott all the American companies and organizations that support same-sex marriage including Apple and Microsoft (no more computers for NOM!) and the Ford Motor Company and Boeing (good luck getting a car or plane ride, haters).

Plus, they'd have to boycott the over 858,854 doctors, lawyers and mental health professionals who are a part of pro-gay associations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Bar Association, the American Medical Association and the American Psychological and Psychiatric Associations as well as the 16,070,453 auto workers, service industry people and educators unionized under the pro-marriage AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union and the National Education Organization.

In short, the National Organization of Marriage would have to ask its supporters to basically drop out of American life and go live in a cave where they can eat insects, drink rainwater, strap cornhusks to their feet and use rocks and fire to communicate to each other... 

That's just fine by me. You can read the entire article from Gay.net HERE.

The Wrap-Up: June 27, 2012

After winning his recall election, Gov Scott Walker wants to take his message across the nation. It sucks that that nation is the U.S. though.

Anti-gay "scientists" may have coordinated a pair of "studies" for the sake of election year politics. Oh, and then there's the fact that these "studies" are filled with bogus information funded by NOM. Looks like someone has been caught in a lie.

People can change their perspectives even when those perspectives are firmly ingrained. Unfortunately, sometimes, it takes a tragedy for that change to occur.

Everything is bigger in Texas. Unfortunately, that includes the crazy in the state's Republicans.

A congressional candidate from Washington state wants marriage equality enshrined in the United States Constitution, or he's just trying to get headlines. Either way, it's a great idea.

A Tennessee politician that says it IS okay to say gay? What a novel idea.

The Supreme Court is expected to announce its decision on the individual mandate section of the Affordable Care Act (aka "Obamacare") on Thursday.

Need some stripping advice? Just ask Matt Bomer and Joe Manganiello.

And lastly, you can sign a petition thanking General Mills for supporting marriage equality and denouncing Minnesota's proposed anti-marriage equality amendment.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Wrap-Up: June 26, 2012

A Pennsylvania Republican spilled the beans on the real reason behind voter ID laws, not that we hadn't already guessed anyway.

The Supreme Court, unfortunately, doubled down on corporate personhood.

Showing that they aren't completely backwards, they struck down most of Arizona's immigration law.

As we await the Supreme Court's decision on the Affordable Care Act (aka "Obamacare"), Americans seem to have a bad case of cognitive dissonance on the law and its key provisions.

I'm not sure how this (former) naval officer thought allowing an anti-gay hazing which almost resulted in rape fell under the heading "serving America," but at least he's a FORMER naval officer.

I'm pretty sure Chuck Norris has either taken one too many blows to the head, or he's just a paranoid lunatic. Either way, he's highly overrated.

A Republican Hispanic Congresswoman was none too happy about Romney's silence on immigration.

The Salvation Army is attempting something of an about-face against the recent homophobic statement of one of their Australian officials

And lastly, Jerry Sandusky got a song.


Monday, June 25, 2012

Marriage News Watch: June 25, 2012


Greedy Gay Republicans


The Wrap-Up: June 25, 2012

Incompletely unsurprising news, a recent (and highly unreliable) study on the "perils" having gays parenting is strongly linked to the National Organization For Marriage Discrimination.

As corporate profits hit all-time highs, wages hit historic lows. Coincidence? I think not.

Former Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) has no desire to be Mitt Romney's running mate.

Some rural Washington parents are very upset over the events of a sex-education class.

On of the top witnesses supporting Proposition 8 in court has changed his tune. It's amazing what can happen to someone when their prejudices are questioned.

A proposed governmental dissolution of pro-LGBT groups in Uganda has been tabled...thankfully.

Some financial executives and industry insiders are calling for a financial transactions tax (on stock trades and such) to stabilize markets.

Sam "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher says he didn't mention the Holocaust in a recent YouTube ad even though he DOES mention millions being killed (including 6 million Jews) from 1939 to 1945. What's sad is that some idiots will still vote for this truth-challenged putz.

And lastly, La Raza, America's largest Latino civil rights group, has announced their support for marriage equality.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Lowlights & Highlights: June 23, 2012

When most of us found out that Dharun Ravi would only get 30 days in jail (and 300 hours community service) for the invasion of privacy that ultimately led to the suicide of Tyler Clementi, many of us were outraged. I know I sure as Hell was. I'm not saying that the book should have been thrown at him or that he should have gotten the maximum jail sentence (which I believe was 10 years). However, what he DID get was a mere slap on the wrist. I could not have imagined him getting less than a year in jail for video taping Clementi and a male companion like that against their will and live-streaming it on the internet, especially given Ravi's lack of apparent remorse.

Well as if that had not been bad enough, it gets even worse. He was released from jail after a mere 20 days. That's right, that slap on the wrist was apparently not a soft enough "punishment" (I'm using that word extremely loosely). I have no idea what the decision-maker was thinking, or if he/she was thinking at all. Not only this, but Ravi's defense team is appealing the conviction. These people just can not seem to get enough of tap-dancing on Clementi's grave, and that is what it seems like they are doing. Saying this is sad would be the understatement of the century. I can not begin to imagine what Clementi's family is going through, but it seems like all of this just adds insult to an already tragic scenario.

***

In things that were completely predictable, Bristol Palin's "reality" show bombed. Seriously, her mother was the popular one and even SHE didn't last more than a season on her show. Nobody cared about her, and they do even less so now since she has cashed in much of her Tea Party credibility by endorsing "establishment" candidates (like Orrin Hatch) over Tea Party backed candidates. Why did Lifetime, the network that airs Bristol's show, think anyone would care about her? Not only that but were I a woman, I would have been pissed off that "Television For Women" aired a show featuring such an ignorant female. The show has not been cancelled. However, with the way networks sometimes work, a quick increase in ratings is necessary for this show to live on...which I have to hope does not happen (and I don't see it happening either).

I don't generally like to revel in someone's failure, but fame-whores leave a bad taste in my mouth. The fewer on television and elsewhere, the better. Now if I could just see the Kardashians off of the air...

Friday, June 22, 2012

The Battle of the "F" Word

Something of a firestorm erupted in the gay community this week. Just as the conservative gay group GOProud formally endorsed Mitt Romney for the presidency, gay columnist Dan Savage felt the impetus to respond in a...rather controversial manner: by calling GOProud "House faggots."

As a matter of full disclosure, I feel the need to say a few things at the top of this op/ed. First, generally speaking, I am a fan if Dan Savage. His second greatest hit of all time was initiating Rick Santorum's "Google problem" (which Santorum rightly deserved). More importantly though, he and his partner Terry are the creators of the "It Gets Better" campaign which was started to combat the wave of suicides that have resulted from anti-gay bullying in the nations schools. They deserve a lot of credit for that contribution.

GOProud co-founders Jimmy LaSalvia & Chris Barron

On the other hand, I have no particular love for GOProud. It is not that they vote Republican or that they are conservative. That is fine. My distaste for them stems from the tone of their political discourse, not just as an organization, but also in terms of their co-founders as well. If you follow them on Twitter as I do, they are not above the occasional juvenile name-calling. I also believe that they are sell-outs. The man that they have just endorsed wants a constitutional amendment saying that they are second class citizens. They are willing to throw the entire gay community under the bus to get him elected President. It is one thing to be fiscally conservative (though I don't really believe either party is truly that), but it's quite another to sacrifice equal protections under the law for a tax cut.

Having said all of that, I can not in good conscience condone what was said by Dan Savage. The context in which that word (or any word like it) can be said is extremely narrow, and Savage stepped well out of bounds.Using that word as such a pejorative puts him on par with many of the very people that the "It Gets Better" campaign seeks to fight. It lines him up with people who spray paint that that word on people's cars, homes, or the lockers of students at school. There is zero excure for this.

All things considered, NO ONE comes out of this conflict looking good, especially given a tweet from one of GOProud's co-founders that has been unearthed by some of my fellow bloggers:


I guess the real moral of this story is this: do NOT tweet angrily. What we say in the heat of a moment may (and usually will) come back to haunt us.

The Wrap-Up: June 22, 2012

House Republicans have all but gone on record as being against job creation with their rejection of a transportation bill which passed the Senate by a HUGE margin.

Anti-gay groups in Minnesota are planning a "Dump General Mills" campaign after the business voiced its opposition to the state's proposed marriage equality ban. I guess these groups are unaware of the massive failure of the "Dump Starbucks" campaign.

The Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act (aka "Obamacare") has been pushed back to next week. These justices must really like the attention they're getting.

How will Mitt Romney be spending his weekend?

A key House Republican is saying that the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell is settled law and won't be revisited even if the GOP wins big in November. You'll forgive me if I don't take a politician (regardless of party) at their word.

Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) took a DEA administrator to task over her evasiveness on marijuana related questions. His questions were extremely straightforward. Her answers were anything but.

I think most of us knew that no one really cares about Bristol Palin. Now, there are numbers to prove it.

Carrie Underwood may have recently voiced her support for the LGBT community, but she is definitely not the first country star to have done so.

And lastly, Jimmy LaSalvia, co-founder of conservative gay group GOProud, gets grilled on his organization.


Thursday, June 21, 2012

Far Right "Christians" & the Taliban


From Americans Against the Tea Party.

The Wrap-Up: June 21, 2012

Even though the state of Maine seems on track to reinstate marriage equality (this time via ballot), there may be a battle over the wording of the measure. The right just can't say no to the opportunity to obfuscate the truth.

Loving, stable same-sex couple being married is not something to be tolerated...so says Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL).

In news that isn't really news because we all this coming, the GOP plan for the Bush tax cuts (i.e. extending them) really only benefits the super-rich while costing everyone else.

Wondering which of the 32 pro-football (or American football for any foreign readers) is the best candidate to have the first openly gay team member? Let's just say that I' quite happy about this assessment.

Speaking of gays and sports, which has happened a lot lately, a punter of the Minnesota Vikings has voiced his support for marriage equality and his opposition to the state's attempt to enshrine discrimination into the state Constitution. I still hate the Vikings, just slightly less now.

While on the subject of Minnesota and the state marriage equality ban, equality supporters have an advantage over their opponents in the fundraising race.

The Catholic nuns who are on a bus tour protesting Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) budget plan hit up his district office on Monday.

Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules on the Affordable Care Act, most people want reform of the health care industry.

And lastly, some commentary on Michigan's vagina problem.


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Tweet of the Day: June 20, 2012


Why You Should Vote


From Political Loudmouth

The Wrap-Up: June 20, 2012

Pope Benedict stated that the reason for people being molested by pedophile priests is a mystery. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the Vatican sheltering said priests instead of turning them over to the police. Seriously, why do people bother listening to this Pope?

Mitt Romney thinks gay parents are inferior to straight parents. I guess that's fair since I think he is an inferior (and awkward) political candidate.

J.P. Morgan Chase, that bank that recently lost billions of dollars, gets a HUGE taxpayer funded subsidy...which it uses to screw over its clients by making unduly risky decisions. Your tax dollars at work folks.

After announcing support for marriage equality, Carrie Underwood has received some nasty backlash from fans and so-called Christians. Also it is apparently un-country to be vegan. You learn something new everyday I suppose.

Ever wonder what caused the holocaust? Apparently, according to "Joe the Plumber" (who is running for Congress), it was gun control.

After being banned from speaking in the Michigan state assembly for saying "vagina," two female legislators performed "The Vagina Monologues" on the steps of the state House to a large crowd. Now THAT is some creative retaliation right there.

Despite so many people clambering for Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) to be number two on the GOP ticket, it seriously looks like that will not happen this go-round.

A group of Catholic nuns is going on the road to fight for social justice and highlighting the church's work with the homeless and the sick instead of doing what the Vatican wants them to do...you know, like demogoging against the gays (silly nuns).

And lastly, new HRC President Chad Griffin talks about the plight of LGBT youth.


Tuesday, June 19, 2012

The Future For Homophobes


From Wipe Out Homophobia

The Wrap-Up: June 19, 2012

After winning his recall vote two weeks ago, Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) officially has someone riding his coat-tails: Mitt Romney.

For those who were angry about Dharun Ravi ONLY getting 30 days in jail for his actions against Tyler Clementi, I suggest you take a deep breath before reading this article.

Here is one way to help close the budget gap: stop subsidizing religious organizations (which is also probably unconstitutional) to the tune of $71,000,000,000 per year. That and big oil subsidies.

Mitt Romney, flexing his conservative credentials, refuses to compromise.

Not only does Romney refuse to compromise, he also refuses to detail his plans for America.

As President Obama prepares for the Autumn debates, his Romney stand-in will be Massachusetts senior Senator John Kerry.

Campaign finance is one of those rare issues on which I agree with John McCain.

I like to think that the fact that Indiana Republicans are uninterested in having "protecting traditional marriage" in their platform is indicative of how "protecting marriage" from the big bad gays is an increasingly losing electoral battle.

And lastly, LZ Granderson tells us what the gay agenda is really about.


Monday, June 18, 2012

Marriage News Watch: June 18, 2012


Reject the Propaganda

Defense of Marriage Equality: Steve & Josh

This is the danger of having a system where people's relationships are not recognized in any official way: emergency situations which are bad enough emotionally can be made even worse because of institutionalized discrimination.


The Wrap-Up: June 18, 2012

 Dear Nevada, I know your values are all kinds of screwed up, but really? You are more in favour of legalized brothels than marriage equality? FAIL!!!

The Supreme Court will soon be ruling on whether or not the individual mandate of President Obama's Affordable Care Act is constitutional.

Rick Santorum has no intention of serving in (Heaven forbid) a Romney administration.

Even if you aren't an NBA fan (I know I'm not), you should want Miami to beat Oklahoma City.

President Obama's change in immigration policy is getting support from...an Evangelical leader? They really want to voice support for him on anything? I'm genuinely surprised.

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney refuses to say whether or not he would repeal Obama's new policy on immigration.

The Michigan legislator who was banned from speaking on the floor merely for saying "vagina" (how dare she) is striking back. And yes, Michigan Republicans are legislating vaginas, but for some reason, saying the word is a parliamentary no-no...for some reason.

Did the Richmond Circuit Court merely appoint a judge, or give an intentional "screw you" to Virginia's homophobic conservative Assembly members? Either way, Bob Marshall is pissed, which means something great happened.

And lastly, a self-described homophobic Christian did what more people (especially Christians) should do: he tried to walk a mile in our shoes.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Gay Dads FTW!!!






Any excuse for a Matt Bomer picture. And there are more gay dads where that came from.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Lowlights & Highlights: June 16, 2012

All too often, stories come along that test my faith in humanity. This week brought a very big test (though the story stems from last June, there have been resent developments). A four year old boy was killed by the leader of a religious cult (who also killed a 28 year old woman) because he thought the boy was acting gay. The man behind the killings was charged and pled guilty. He will serve a life sentence without the possibility of parole (assuming the judge agrees to the plea deal, which took the death penalty off of the table).

This is one of those stories that is just sad beyond words and my condolences go out to the families and those effected by this tragedy. It's is incredibly sad to see people taken away who have so much potential. The family of the boy who was killed are not happy with the plea deal and , even though I'm on the fence where the death penalty is concerned, I can't really blame them. Were it my kid, I can't really say I wouldn't do something like Samuel L. Jackson's character in the aptly named "A Time to Kill."

Some people just do not deserve to share oxygen with the rest of us.

***

Study after study has shown us that the people who exhibit high amounts of homophobia have a tendency to be wrestling with their own sexual attractions. Many of us in the blogosphere and in social media use these findings against people who regularly rail against us, especially leaders of homophobic organizations. We look at the findings of the studies, set them up against these folks, and say that these organizations are full of self-hating closet cases. Obviously not all of these people are in the closet. However, surely some of them have more in common with Ted Haggert than they would like to admit.

Having said all of that, I don't think that Brian Brown (who regularly rails against LGBT people) of the National Organization for Marriage Discrimination was really helping himself with this graphic:


Apparently the "mo" was supposed to be for momentum. I don't think anyone will get that though. I'm really hoping this isn't a hoax. Reality can be really hilarious at times.

The Wrap-Up: June 15, 2012

Sheldon Adelson
Board member of the Boys Scouts are sounding off on the organization's ban on gay members.

A Republican strategist (who has worked with McCain and Romney) believes congressional Republicans are rooting against the economy.

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson has said he will bankroll the Romney campaign to the tune of $100,000,000. Who says we need campaign finance reform?

Some Louisiana legislators are all for allowing taxpayer dollars to go to school vouchers for religious schools...unless it's one of those dirty Islamic schools of course.

A study that was NOT bought and paid for by conservative zealots furthers the findings sexual orientation having a biological cause.

Senator Rob Portman (R-OH)
One of the names being batted around for Mitt Romney's running mate is Sen. Robert Portman (R-OH), who isn't exactly for employment discrimination, but isn't exactly against it either. He does a lot of dancing in the accompanying video.

Ignoring a call by the National Organization for Marriage (Discrimination) for corporations to stay neutral in the "culture wars," General Mills has voiced its opposition to Minnesota's proposed marriage equality ban, as well as support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

And lastly, an Evangelical mother writes about the experience of her daughter coming out as a lesbian. Her fellow Evangelicals could learn quite a bit from her.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

The Wrap-Up: June 14, 2012

There is a slow-burning revolt against homophobia from within the Mormon Church.

Another victim of voter ID laws: a 95 year old Wisconsinite.

After a noted silence, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has announced his support for his state's voter purge. Gov. Scott must be thrilled.

The International Olympic Committee is seeing increasing pressure to ban nations that outlaw homosexuality.

A humanist group has filed a complaint in North Carolina about the state violating the first amendmentin using churches as polling stations. It isn't surprising that this happens in North Carolina, but that it happens all over the nation.

Troy, Michigan's mayor has struck again. Seriously lady, we get it, you don't like gay people. Next topic please...

A co-founder (Jimmy LaSalvia) of conservative gay group GOProud was interviewed Wednesday morning by MSNBC's Thomas Roberts.

I had no idea that marijuana was as "legal" as it is (at least where states are concerned), but it may become even more so.

Members of the Ohio House of Representatives have sign on to a call for the state to protect citizens from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identification..

And lastly, President Obama is urging Maryland voters to vote against the state's proposed marriage equality ban. With Mitt Romney supporting a federal marriage ban, I wonder who I should vote for...?

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Voting Republican


From Americans Against the Tea Party

The Conservative Agenda: Tax Ignorance

It is a well known fact that the Republican Party holds President Ronald Reagan on a pedestal. If you saw any of the GOP debates from earlier this year, you probably heard his name in half of the responses. On no area do they cite him more than on taxes. You hear them say over and over again that he cut taxes. The thing is that many conservatives patently ignore the fact that this is false. Well, maybe not all conservatives. In a recent interview with CNN, Newt Gingrich made a startling admission:


It's easy to miss, but Newt Gingrich actually acknowledged the fact that President Reagan raised taxes at least once (though he actually did multiple times). These days, conservatives are being forced to see the truth of this time and again.

The Wrap-Up: June 13, 2012

Here's a shocker: Tony Perkins (president of the so-called Family Research Council) doesn't get Gay Pride Month.

As if voter purges in Texas and Florida were not enough, a Tea Party group is suing several other states in order to get them to perform even more.

The Kansas legislature had a bit of a redistricting problem over the weekend.

If you want to join the NYPD, it is probably not a good idea to put your prejudice on parade.

Another fraudulent study paid for by homophobic conservatives on same-sex parenting is, unfortunately, making the rounds.

What happens when the United States Secretary of Commerce has a seizure resulting in two car crashes? Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) takes the time and opportunity to mock him instead of being concerned for his health. What a southern gentleman. Also unsurprisingly, this he did so on a radio show run by a "Christian" organization, the so-called American Family Association.

Connor Barwin, outside linebacker for the Houston Texans talked to Outsports about the NFL's potential acceptance of an openly gay player (as well as discussing his gay brother). With all this talk about this subject lately, you would think someone was about to take that leap.

A Minnesota priest is urging people (yes, also Catholics) to vote against the state's proposed anti-marriage equality amendment. It's nice to see some of these folks defying conventional wisdom.

And lastly, in case you have not seen a photo making the rounds, here is a picture of two Israeli soldiers.


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

The Religious Wrong: Picking Winners & Losers


Marriage News Watch: June 11, 2012


The Wrap-Up: June 12, 2012

Governor Rick Scott (R-FL) is suing the federal government (the Department of Homeland Security to be specific) so he can continue his purging of the Florida voting rolls.

American Crossroads, a conservative Super PAC run by Karl Rove, showed an utter lack of class by insulting a man for having a stroke while driving.

One Millions Moms has returned to Facebook...unfortunately.

Seriously? The Romney strategy for winning this campaign is saying America needs fewer teachers? Is he trying to hand Obama the election?

Stories like this, the murder of a 4 year old for "acting gay" (as well as a 28 year old being killed) are why I have a tendency to lose faith in humanity. The perp's justification: God. This is what religion-fueled bigotry, hate, and discrimination will get you.

The Texas state Republican Party has decided to not try to criminalize homosexuality. Don't worry, they're still against marriage equality.

Showing how little they know about Christianity, a group of Catholic bishops are trying to breath new life into Uganda's "Kill the Gays" bill.

In news that doesn't surprise me even one little bit, the Koch brothers have been linked to the voter purge in Florida.

Former Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL) continues to contrast himself against much of the GOP leadership that exists today saying that good gay parents should be seen as positive examples.

Ties are strengthening between the LGBT community and racial minority communities in the fight for equal rights for all people.

And lastly, the Pennsylvania state Democratic party passed a resolution endorsing marriage equality and will support equality at the national convention, as have the Montana and Texas Democratic parties.