Check out this argument, which I agree with, and which is making the rounds in one form or another: The immediate consequence — the legalization of marriage for same-sex couples in all 50 states — is a civil rights victory and a step toward the betterment of our people. But Kennedy’s argument, which is no elegant piece of law, reinforces … Read More
Supreme Court Rules 5-4 To End The Sanctity Of Marriage
46 years ago this weekend, police in New York City raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. Obviously, this is the end (we hope) of a remarkable civil rights story (despite my snarky headline). Here’s the opinion. Reactions are about what you expect. I will update as the day goes on. But the important thing is that about 3 … Read More
Some Sarah Word Salad
Why isn’t the dialogue going right now towards hey, let’s get that law enforcement official — he or her — who released this file, this confidential. Who — who has been a victim, is a victim — would ever want to speak out and still be able to trust law enforcement that what they’re being told, with counselors and amongst … Read More
The Crazy North Carolina Legislature
(1) Jerks: Lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday that would make North Carolina one of several states with 72-hour waiting periods for abortions. Gov. Pat McCrory said he planned to sign it, despite the urging of opponents who wanted him to stand by his statement during his 2012 campaign that he would not sign any further restrictions on abortion if elected. … Read More
On Caitlyn Jenner
It’s all been said. Kudos to Caitlyn (former known as Bruce) Jenner (and congrats on the fact that she broke the record previously held by President Barack Obama by reaching 1 million followers in 4 hours and 3 minutes). Yes, she is very pretty. Yes, the Associated Press did a douche-y thing by using the male pronoun. Yes, now that Caitlyn … Read More
The Duggars Get Softball Interview
Okay, the Duggars. One word: ugh. And I could add a lot more to that — about how they’re not really “owning” that their son molested their daughters — but they demonstrated that themselves in an interview with Duggar-friendly Megyn Kelly of Fox News. Raw Story nails this: There was so much to dislike and be horrified by in Jim … Read More
Catching Up
The merry month of May is a busy one. Fortunately, not a lot is happening news-wise upon which I feel the urge to pontificate at length. However, I few tidbits are worth at least a passing mention: Yay, Ireland for the feckin’ landslide to legalize same-sex marriage. Significant, I think, in light of the strong Catholic sentiment there. Seems that Rome … Read More
Vagina Clown Car Family Has A Creepy Clown
I was writing about the Duggars (often misspelling their name) before the got their own TV show — see here, here, and here. Oh, and here. Then, with 19 kids and a TV show, they became some sort of major Christian conservative politico-cultural franchise, and I stopped caring. Now comes the sad news, as it must to many major Christian conservative politico-cultural franchises … Read More
Boy Scouts’ President Calls for End to Ban on Gay Leaders
I don’t have much to say about this, except (1) about time and (2) I’m not to crazy about Gates’ comment that “we must deal with the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be.” That’s not exactly the denouncement of two decades of bigotry that I was hoping for. Still, baby steps.
Talk About Self-Loathing
Did you hear the one about the anti-gay pastor who told a gay teen that he should kill himself? Yup. Until very recently, he was an associate pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church and School in Midland, Michigan. The church bio described him as a man “blessed” with a wife and five children. He had a gay teen parishoner. He … Read More
Woman Sues Gays
Our favorite lawsuit: An Auburn woman claiming to be an ambassador for God and his son, Jesus Christ, is suing all homosexuals. Sylvia Driskell, 66, asked an Omaha federal judge to decide whether homosexuality is a sin. Citing Bible verses, Driskell contends “that homosexuality is a sin and that they the homosexuals know it is a sin to live a … Read More
The Battle For Same Sex Marriage: A Timeline Graph
I love this graph from an article in today’s New York Times. It shows what states did for and against the idea of same-sex marriage. You can see that the anti-SSM movement got out ahead of the issue in the mid 1990s by enacting laws banning same-sex marriage. I have no way of proving this, but I think that by making … Read More
Rapists And Parental Rights
For the life of me, I can’t imagine why this is even controversial. Not only do many conservatives believe that women should be forced to bear their rapists’s children against their will…. now some conservatives apparently think women must also share parental rights with their rapist after they give birth: Iowa Republican has held up legislation that would prevent convicted rapists from … Read More
Free Range Parents: What Is Neglect And What Isn’t?
There’s a good chance you’ve heard about the Meitiv kids (especially if you have children of your own or friends with children). The kids, ages 10 and 6, were walking home from a park a mile from their house in Maryland when they were spotted by a zealous citizen-protector, reported to the police, picked up 3 blocks from home, and … Read More