1. 23 Apr


    11 countries where gay marriage is legal “Culture wars! They are not, contrary to what U.S. media coverage might suggest, a wholly American phenomena,” reports Keith Wagstaff: On Tuesday, France’s national assembly passed a bill to legalize gay marriage by a vote of 331-to-225 in the face of hundreds of thousands of protestors who overturned cars and fought off tear gas along the Champs-Elysees, according to The Associated Press. Last week, after facing stiff resistance from the conservative group Family First, the New Zealand parliament passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. Before that, on April 10, Uruguay’s parliament voted to become the second country in Latin America to recognize gay marriage despite strong Catholic opposition. (Argentina is the other Latin American country where same-sex marriage is legal.) The bills in New Zealand, France, and Uruguay are all expected to be signed into law. Yay.

    11 countries where gay marriage is legal

    “Culture wars! They are not, contrary to what U.S. media coverage might suggest, a wholly American phenomena,” reports Keith Wagstaff:

    On Tuesday, France’s national assembly passed a bill to legalize gay marriage by a vote of 331-to-225 in the face of hundreds of thousands of protestors who overturned cars and fought off tear gas along the Champs-Elysees, according to The Associated Press. Last week, after facing stiff resistance from the conservative group Family First, the New Zealand parliament passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. Before that, on April 10, Uruguay’s parliament voted to become the second country in Latin America to recognize gay marriage despite strong Catholic opposition. (Argentina is the other Latin American country where same-sex marriage is legal.) The bills in New Zealand, France, and Uruguay are all expected to be signed into law.

    Yay.

     

  2. 27 Mar


    Today, a majority of the Supreme Court justices voiced strong skepticism of the Defense of Marriage Act’s constitutionality. Indeed, DOMA may be doomed.

    Today, a majority of the Supreme Court justices voiced strong skepticism of the Defense of Marriage Act’s constitutionality. 

    Indeed, DOMA may be doomed.

     

  3. 26 Mar


    Cartoon of the day, Christopher Weyant, © 2013 Cagle Cartoons

    Cartoon of the day, Christopher Weyant, © 2013 Cagle Cartoons

     

  4. 26 Mar



    Dick Cheney publicly supported allowing gay couples to marry in 2009 — what took the rest of these folks so long?
    — Jeb Golinkin argues that we shouldn’t be applauding the ‘courage’ of politicians now backing gay marriage
     

  5. 20 Mar


    What a difference a decade makes. A Washington Post/ABC News poll released Monday shows that 58 percent of Americans support legalizing gay marriage and only 36 percent oppose it. In 2003, it was the reverse: 37 percent favored same-sex marriage and 55 percent opposed it. How did we get here? Let’s take a look back at America’s gay-marriage evolution.  Photo: Genora Dancel (left) and Ninia Baehr, plaintiffs in a Hawaiian anti-gay marriage case, in 1996. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)

    What a difference a decade makes. A Washington Post/ABC News poll released Monday shows that 58 percent of Americans support legalizing gay marriage and only 36 percent oppose it. In 2003, it was the reverse: 37 percent favored same-sex marriage and 55 percent opposed it. How did we get here? Let’s take a look back at America’s gay-marriage evolution. 

    Photo: Genora Dancel (left) and Ninia Baehr, plaintiffs in a Hawaiian anti-gay marriage case, in 1996. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)

     

  6. 24 Sep


    Cartoon of the day — So far so goodSTEVE SACK © 2012 Creators Syndicate More cartoons

    Cartoon of the day — So far so good
    STEVE SACK © 2012 Creators Syndicate

    More cartoons

    (Source: theweek.com)

     

  7. 2 Aug


    Have you heard? There’s a Chick-fil-A controversy going on. It all boiled over Wednesday in a froth of activism, commerce, and free-speech arguments. After CEO Dan Cathy told Baptist Press on July 16 that his company is “very much supportive of… the biblical definition of the family unit,” a backlash kicked in. Gay activists urged boycotts and same-sex “kiss-ins” at Chick-fil-A restaurants, and officials in several cities warned the company to keep its distance. Hitting back, conservative Mike Huckabee urged “traditional marriage” backers to swamp the chicken joints on Aug. 1 — which he dubbed national “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” — and they did. So who’s winning and losing in this grudge match over gay marriage? Here, a brief guide: WINNERS  Chick-fil-A — Wednesday appears to have been a huge financial success for the chicken purveyor. Local news stories around the nation reported long lines for chicken sandwiches, and anti-gay-marriage preacher Rick Warrentweeted midday: “@DanCathy just called me. #ChickFilA has already set a world record today, with 7 more hrs to go in the West.” We conservatives may be very bad at boycotts, says William Jacobson at Legal Insurrection, but we “are very good at buycotts.” Yes, with numbers like these, I’m sure “somewhere, a Burger King ad man’s toying with the idea of having ‘The King’ declare himself ‘100% pro-life,’” says Allahpundit at Hot Air.  Mike Huckabee — The success of “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” is a huge win for the former Arkansas governor, who dreamed up the event and used Facebookto convince 660,000 people to participate. Impressive, says Barbara Reynolds at The Washington Post. ”Huckabee has turned the table on the chain’s critics, calling them bigots” for trying to quash free speech, and convincing a huge number of Americans to join his cause.  Gay-rights advocates — Aug. 1 may have been a banner day for Chick-fil-A, but after two weeks of protests and high-profile saber rattling from pro-gay mayors and celebrities, “the damage had been done,” says Steve Cody at Inc. And, in the larger scheme of things, says Michelangelo Signorile at The Huffington Post,gay-rights activists are winning the battle over corporate support, with global giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Kraft “pushing for LGBT rights across the entire planet.” If a “pipsqueak” like Chick-fil-A, “whose outlets are predominantly centered in red state America” is “the most high profile company the anti-gays have pushing their agenda, I can see where things are headed.” LOSERS  Chick-fil-A — Despite the record sales and free publicity, “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day isn’t getting much love from Chick-fil-A” itself, says Elizabeth Flock at U.S. News. From the company’s silent Twitter feed to its public disavowal of any involvement in Huckabee’s protest, Chick-fil-A seems to understand that long after this controversy dies down, many potential customers will still have a bad taste in their mouths. There’s a lesson for every business leader in Cathy’s shoes, says Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times: “It’s best to let your products speak for themselves and keep your big mouth shut.”   Liberal mayors — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, and various other Democratic leaders suggested that they would keep Chick-fil-A from expanding in their bailiwicks, with Emanuel saying that “Chick-fil-A’s values are not Chicago’s values.” But “it seems that someone with some knowledge of the Constitution has since spoken with” them, because they’ve all scaled back their statements, says Kashmir Hill at Forbes. Mayors have no right to block businesses based on political or religious beliefs. “Eat mor Constitution, guys.”  The Berenstain Bears — The fictional bear family created by the late Stan and Jan Berenstain are perhaps the most surprising victims of the crossfire. After the Jim Henson Co. cut all ties with Chick-fil-A over the company’s gay marriage stance last week — and Chick-fil-A pulled the Muppet finger puppets from its kids’ meals, citing “potential safety concerns” — the chicken chain started giving out Berenstain Bears books instead. Although some of the books are Christian-themed, “the Berenstain family doesn’t appear thrilled to be associated with Chick-fil-A either,” says Isolde Raftery at NBC News. This promotion has been in the works for more than a year, the Berenstains said in a statement, and “the Berenstain family does not at this time have control over whether this program proceeds or not.”

    Have you heard? There’s a Chick-fil-A controversy going on. It all boiled over Wednesday in a froth of activism, commerce, and free-speech arguments. After CEO Dan Cathy told Baptist Press on July 16 that his company is “very much supportive of… the biblical definition of the family unit,” a backlash kicked in. Gay activists urged boycotts and same-sex “kiss-ins” at Chick-fil-A restaurants, and officials in several cities warned the company to keep its distance. Hitting back, conservative Mike Huckabee urged “traditional marriage” backers to swamp the chicken joints on Aug. 1 — which he dubbed national “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” — and they did.

    So who’s winning and losing in this grudge match over gay marriage? Here, a brief guide:

    WINNERS 

    • Chick-fil-A — Wednesday appears to have been a huge financial success for the chicken purveyor. Local news stories around the nation reported long lines for chicken sandwiches, and anti-gay-marriage preacher Rick Warrentweeted midday: “@DanCathy just called me. #ChickFilA has already set a world record today, with 7 more hrs to go in the West.” We conservatives may be very bad at boycotts, says William Jacobson at Legal Insurrection, but we “are very good at buycotts.” Yes, with numbers like these, I’m sure “somewhere, a Burger King ad man’s toying with the idea of having ‘The King’ declare himself ‘100% pro-life,’” says Allahpundit at Hot Air.
       
    • Mike Huckabee — The success of “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” is a huge win for the former Arkansas governor, who dreamed up the event and used Facebookto convince 660,000 people to participate. Impressive, says Barbara Reynolds at The Washington Post. ”Huckabee has turned the table on the chain’s critics, calling them bigots” for trying to quash free speech, and convincing a huge number of Americans to join his cause.
       
    • Gay-rights advocates — Aug. 1 may have been a banner day for Chick-fil-A, but after two weeks of protests and high-profile saber rattling from pro-gay mayors and celebrities, “the damage had been done,” says Steve Cody at Inc. And, in the larger scheme of things, says Michelangelo Signorile at The Huffington Post,gay-rights activists are winning the battle over corporate support, with global giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Kraft “pushing for LGBT rights across the entire planet.” If a “pipsqueak” like Chick-fil-A, “whose outlets are predominantly centered in red state America” is “the most high profile company the anti-gays have pushing their agenda, I can see where things are headed.”

    LOSERS 

    • Chick-fil-A — Despite the record sales and free publicity, “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day isn’t getting much love from Chick-fil-A” itself, says Elizabeth Flock at U.S. News. From the company’s silent Twitter feed to its public disavowal of any involvement in Huckabee’s protest, Chick-fil-A seems to understand that long after this controversy dies down, many potential customers will still have a bad taste in their mouths. There’s a lesson for every business leader in Cathy’s shoes, says Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times: “It’s best to let your products speak for themselves and keep your big mouth shut.” 
       
    • Liberal mayors — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, and various other Democratic leaders suggested that they would keep Chick-fil-A from expanding in their bailiwicks, with Emanuel saying that “Chick-fil-A’s values are not Chicago’s values.” But “it seems that someone with some knowledge of the Constitution has since spoken with” them, because they’ve all scaled back their statements, says Kashmir Hill at Forbes. Mayors have no right to block businesses based on political or religious beliefs. “Eat mor Constitution, guys.”
       
    • The Berenstain Bears — The fictional bear family created by the late Stan and Jan Berenstain are perhaps the most surprising victims of the crossfire. After the Jim Henson Co. cut all ties with Chick-fil-A over the company’s gay marriage stance last week — and Chick-fil-A pulled the Muppet finger puppets from its kids’ meals, citing “potential safety concerns” — the chicken chain started giving out Berenstain Bears books instead. Although some of the books are Christian-themed, “the Berenstain family doesn’t appear thrilled to be associated with Chick-fil-A either,” says Isolde Raftery at NBC News. This promotion has been in the works for more than a year, the Berenstains said in a statement, and “the Berenstain family does not at this time have control over whether this program proceeds or not.”

    (Source: theweek.com)

     

  8. 26 Jun


    Between the Salvation Army’s bell-ringing Santas and thrift-store empire, people often forget that the international group “is actually a Christian church organization with many conservative tenets and a military-style structure,” says Zach Ford at Think Progress. And recently, Maj. Andrew Craibe, the media relations officer for Australia’s southern territory, reminded us of that fact by agreeing on-air with two gay radio hosts that the Salvation Army believes gay people “should die.” The group quickly scrambled to clarify Craibe’s remark — after all, the Salvation Army’s mission is to “preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination” — but this is hardly the Salvation Army’s first run-in with the gay community. Here, a look at the influential charity’s challenging history with homosexuality and gay rights: 1865 — Former Methodist minister William Booth founds the Salvation Army in London, giving his religious mission a military structure and trappings, including its own flag, military-style uniforms, hymns, and ranks  1880 — The Salvation Army sets up shop in the U.S., Australia, and Ireland  1986 — The Salvation Army collects signatures for a petition to stop the New Zealand legislature from decriminalizing homosexuality. The Homosexual Law Reform Act passes anyway.  May 1, 2001 — An internal document from the Salvation Army says the charity has a “firm commitment” from the Bush administration for a national regulation shielding it and other religious charities from city and state laws barring discrimination against gays and lesbians, The Washington Post reports. The Salvation Army never discriminates in who it serves, says senior official George Hood, but being forced to hire gays “really begins to chew away at the theological fabric of who we are.”  July 11, 2001 — The Bush administration turns down the Salvation Army’s request   2004 — The Salvation Army threatens to leave New York City if Mayor Michael Bloomberg enforces a new ordinance requiring all groups with city contracts to offer benefits to the same-sex partners of employees. Bloomberg, who opposed the ordinance, doesn’t enforce it.   Feb. 14, 2006 — The New York State Court of Appeals upholds Bloomberg’s right to ignore the ordinance, leaving future enforcement decisions to the discretion of whomever is mayor   July 2006 — The New Zealand branch of the Salvation Army apologizes over any remaining “hurt” from its prominent role in trying to stymie the Homosexual Law Reform Act 20 years earlier  Nov. 21, 2011 — Bil Browning at The Bilerico Project promotes a drive encouraging gay-rights supporters to give their holiday donations to other charities that don’t “actively discriminate against the LGBT community”   June 21, 2012 —Maj. Andrew Craibe, the Australian Salvation Army spokesman, goes on the radio program Salt and Pepper, where gay hosts Serena Ryan and Pete Dillon ask him about his organization’s assertion in its officialSalvation Story: Salvationist Handbook of Doctrine that practicing homosexuals “deserve to die.” “So we should die,” Ryan tells Craibe, who replies: “You know, we have an alignment to the Scriptures, but that’s our belief.”  June 23 — In a statement, the Salvation Army “sincerely apologizes” for Craibe’s “miscommunication” and the “serious misunderstanding” of the group’s beliefs. The scripture in question “is not referring to physical death, nor is it specifically targeted at homosexual behavior,” says Maj. Bruce Harmer of Salvation Army Australia. Instead, the church believes that “no human being is without sin, all sin leads to spiritual death (separation from God),” and that “it would be inconsistent with Christian teaching to call for anyone to be put to death.” 

    Between the Salvation Army’s bell-ringing Santas and thrift-store empire, people often forget that the international group “is actually a Christian church organization with many conservative tenets and a military-style structure,” says Zach Ford at Think Progress. And recently, Maj. Andrew Craibe, the media relations officer for Australia’s southern territory, reminded us of that fact by agreeing on-air with two gay radio hosts that the Salvation Army believes gay people “should die.” The group quickly scrambled to clarify Craibe’s remark — after all, the Salvation Army’s mission is to “preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination” — but this is hardly the Salvation Army’s first run-in with the gay community.

    Here, a look at the influential charity’s challenging history with homosexuality and gay rights:

    • 1865 — Former Methodist minister William Booth founds the Salvation Army in London, giving his religious mission a military structure and trappings, including its own flag, military-style uniforms, hymns, and ranks
       
    • 1880 — The Salvation Army sets up shop in the U.S., Australia, and Ireland
       
    • 1986 — The Salvation Army collects signatures for a petition to stop the New Zealand legislature from decriminalizing homosexuality. The Homosexual Law Reform Act passes anyway.
       
    • May 1, 2001 — An internal document from the Salvation Army says the charity has a “firm commitment” from the Bush administration for a national regulation shielding it and other religious charities from city and state laws barring discrimination against gays and lesbians, The Washington Post reports. The Salvation Army never discriminates in who it serves, says senior official George Hood, but being forced to hire gays “really begins to chew away at the theological fabric of who we are.”
       
    • July 11, 2001 — The Bush administration turns down the Salvation Army’s request 
       
    • 2004 — The Salvation Army threatens to leave New York City if Mayor Michael Bloomberg enforces a new ordinance requiring all groups with city contracts to offer benefits to the same-sex partners of employees. Bloomberg, who opposed the ordinance, doesn’t enforce it. 
       
    • Feb. 14, 2006 — The New York State Court of Appeals upholds Bloomberg’s right to ignore the ordinance, leaving future enforcement decisions to the discretion of whomever is mayor 
       
    • July 2006 — The New Zealand branch of the Salvation Army apologizes over any remaining “hurt” from its prominent role in trying to stymie the Homosexual Law Reform Act 20 years earlier
       
    • Nov. 21, 2011 — Bil Browning at The Bilerico Project promotes a drive encouraging gay-rights supporters to give their holiday donations to other charities that don’t “actively discriminate against the LGBT community” 
       
    • June 21, 2012 —Maj. Andrew Craibe, the Australian Salvation Army spokesman, goes on the radio program Salt and Pepper, where gay hosts Serena Ryan and Pete Dillon ask him about his organization’s assertion in its officialSalvation Story: Salvationist Handbook of Doctrine that practicing homosexuals “deserve to die.” “So we should die,” Ryan tells Craibe, who replies: “You know, we have an alignment to the Scriptures, but that’s our belief.”
       
    • June 23 — In a statement, the Salvation Army “sincerely apologizes” for Craibe’s “miscommunication” and the “serious misunderstanding” of the group’s beliefs. The scripture in question “is not referring to physical death, nor is it specifically targeted at homosexual behavior,” says Maj. Bruce Harmer of Salvation Army Australia. Instead, the church believes that “no human being is without sin, all sin leads to spiritual death (separation from God),” and that “it would be inconsistent with Christian teaching to call for anyone to be put to death.” 
     

  9. 11 Jun


    Billionaire hedge-fund manager Paul E. Singer, a highly sought after Republican donor, is putting $1 million into starting American Unity PAC, whose only mission will be to encourage GOP congressional candidates to support same-sex marriage.  Singer, who helped bankroll the push to legalize gay marriage in New York, says many Republican candidates are “harboring or hiding” their openness to legalizing gay marriage. He wants to financially shield them from the backlash of powerful conservative groups that oppose it. Could this be the beginning of a surge in moderate Republican support for gay marriage?

    Billionaire hedge-fund manager Paul E. Singer, a highly sought after Republican donor, is putting $1 million into starting American Unity PAC, whose only mission will be to encourage GOP congressional candidates to support same-sex marriage. 

    Singer, who helped bankroll the push to legalize gay marriage in New York, says many Republican candidates are “harboring or hiding” their openness to legalizing gay marriage. He wants to financially shield them from the backlash of powerful conservative groups that oppose it.

    Could this be the beginning of a surge in moderate Republican support for gay marriage?

     

  10. 16 May



    Jay-Z’s gay marriage endorsement: More influential than Obama’s?

    Hip-hop king Jay-Z also just publicly announced his support of same-sex marriage. “I’ve always thought [of] it as something that’s still holding the country back,” the rapper told CNN. “It’s no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination, plain and simple.”

    “A prominent rap star speaking out in solidarity with global acceptance is as big a cultural step forward as the leader of the free world making the same claim,” says Clinton Yates at The Washington Post. Jay-Z is a leader in the massively influential hip-hop community, and this could “lead generations of music fans out of the fog,” changing their attitudes toward homosexuals and same-sex marriage.

    Keep reading

     

  11. 15 May


    Will Republicans ‘evolve’ on gay marriage too? A respected Republican pollster wrote in a memo leaked over the weekend that public opinion is quickly shifting in favor of same-sex marriage — by 5 percent a year since 2010 — and that the GOP needs to change with the times. Is there any chance the GOP will follow his advice?

    Will Republicans ‘evolve’ on gay marriage too? A respected Republican pollster wrote in a memo leaked over the weekend that public opinion is quickly shifting in favor of same-sex marriage — by 5 percent a year since 2010 — and that the GOP needs to change with the times. Is there any chance the GOP will follow his advice?

     

  12. 11 May



    The president’s decision to speak his belief, plainly, movingly, even if it is controversial, offers a stark contrast to Mitt’s marathon flip-flopping and glaring insincerity … That should be rewarded, not punished, in November — and I think it will be. Americans are a decent people; sometimes it just takes time.
    — Robert Shrum: Obama’s gay-marriage endorsement is a moral and political win
     

  13. 10 May


    Could Obama’s stance on gay marriage help Romney come election day?  Shortly after President Obama made history by declaring his support for gay marriage on Wednesday, Republican rival Mitt Romney reaffirmed his opposition to it. “My view is that marriage itself is between a man and a woman,” the presumptive GOP nominee said. Americans remain roughly split on the issue, although (not entirely reliable) poll data suggests that support for same-sex marriage has been rising in recent years. Will the contrast between the two candidates’ positions hurt Romney by driving away independents and young voters, or help him by rallying reluctant conservatives to his side?  Analysis and opinion

    Could Obama’s stance on gay marriage help Romney come election day? 

    Shortly after President Obama made history by declaring his support for gay marriage on Wednesday, Republican rival Mitt Romney reaffirmed his opposition to it. “My view is that marriage itself is between a man and a woman,” the presumptive GOP nominee said. Americans remain roughly split on the issue, although (not entirely reliable) poll data suggests that support for same-sex marriage has been rising in recent years.

    Will the contrast between the two candidates’ positions hurt Romney by driving away independents and young voters, or help him by rallying reluctant conservatives to his side? 

    Analysis and opinion

    (Source: theweek.com)