Obama administration defends DOMA in court, again

The administration doesn't have to defend these bigoted laws in court - we established that a few months ago, once and for all (here, here, and especially here) - but they continue to do so.

Considering President Obama was for gay marriage in 1996, this ongoing defense of bigotry and discrimination is unacceptable. It comes across as playing politics with people's civil rights. And it's wrong. Read the rest of this post...

An 'It Gets Better' musical video from Rebecca Drysdale

Definitely worth watching:
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Blue Hampshire: GOP House leader's message on marriage was 'SPIN'

I trust Blue Hampshire over a NH GOP leader any day. Yesterday, the GOP House Majority Leader appeared to indicate that repealing the state's same-sex marriage law wasn't on their agenda.

Anti-gay leaders are "undaunted" and seem pretty sure they'll be getting their vote, according to the Boston Globe.

And, elwood at Blue Hampshire dissected what was -- and wasn't -- said:

[Speaker Bill ]O'Brien and [Majority Leader D.J.]Bettancourt:

* Have NOT committed to "retaining" any social issues bills until 2012;
* Have NOT said that Committee chairs have been instructed to vote against these bills;
* Have NOT said the the leadership will provide cover to legislators against Tea Party wrath (you've noticed that tea party activists oppose gay marriage, right?) by publicly opposing these bills;
* Have NOT even said that votes on these bill will be entirely up to the conscience of the legislator, with no pressure from leadership.

There is nothing at all behind this announcement, except a desire to get the spotlights off themselves.

The homophobes want their vote. Seems like GOP leaders will eventually give it to them. In other words, the Majority Leader probably lied yesterday. Read the rest of this post...

GetEQUAL looks back at 2010

GetEQUAL formed in 2010 -- and what a year it was.

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GOPer Pawlenty engages in political gay-bashing on hate group radio show

Alvin McEwen from Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters sent this news about prospective GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty jumping on the gay bashing bandwagon while on the radio show of the designated hate group American Family Association's Bryan Fischer. Pawlenty uttered all the usual anti-gay talking points. And, he also said he'd reinstate Don't Ask, Don't Tell. You know, because only 80% of the American people support ending that policy. Right Wing Watch got it on video:



Alvin provided some context and excellent commentary:

As we all know, the AFA has been called an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and mostly because of comments made by [AFA's Bryan] Fischer.

However Pawlenty was only interested in playing nice with Fischer, even to the point of talking positively of reinstating Don't Ask, Don't Tell:

Bryan, I have been a public and repeat supporter of maintaining Don't Ask, Don't Tell. There's a lot of reasons for that, but if you look at how the combat commanders and the combat units feel about it, the results of those kinds of surveys were different than the ones that were mostly reported in the newspaper and that is something I think we need to pay attention to. But I have been a public supporter of maintaining Don't Ask, Don't Tell and I would support reinstating it as well.

Now why a prospective presidential candidate would grace a program from someone who voices such awful opinions is beyond me. Let's be clear about something - if Fischer's comments had been racist or anti-Semitic, Pawlenty wouldn't have dared to come on his program.

But since they pertaining to the lgbt community, some folks may think that these comments and Pawlenty's appearance on the program of the person making then are both okay.

And it's par for the course for Pawlenty.

And, it will be par for the course for most of the GOP presidential candidates -- except Fred Karger -- as the campaign unfolds. Read the rest of this post...

Ontario Catholic school board member compares gay-straight alliances to 'Nazi groups'

Now she's denying, a la Rick Warren and the infamous DOMA brief, that she meant to "compare" gay clubs and the Nazis. Then why invoke them at all? Read the rest of this post...

Advocate: Minneapolis is the gayest city in America

The Advocate, "Using a completely unscientific — but still strangely accurate — statistical equation," has compiled its second listing of the 15 "gayest cities in America."

Minneapolis, you win.

DC is number 8. NYC isn't even in the top 15. Read the rest of this post...

Boston Archdiocese adopts policy that may end discrimination against kids with gay parents (or not)

Seriously, the Archdiocese of Boston is the last institution that should want attention for how its treating children, given its prominent role in the child rape scandal. But, after a Hingham, Mass. Catholic school wouldn't admit an 8-year old kid with gay parents, the Catholic leaders in Boston were once again thrust into the spotlight over how they were treating children. A new policy has been announced:

The Archdiocese of Boston, under fire from all sides after a parochial school withdrew an admissions offer to the child of a lesbian couple, yesterday released a new Catholic schools admissions policy that said parochial schools will not “discriminate against or exclude any categories of students.’’

However, the policy, which was distributed to pastors, parishes, and school administrators by e-mail, said school parents “must accept and understand that the teachings of the Catholic Church are an essential and required part of the curriculum.’’

Now, it's unclear if that new policy would actually block the expulsion of kids with gay parents. And, one wonders if it means that kids would have to listen to their teachers rail against gay marriage and gay parenting.

In fact, it's possible that the Hingham school could reach the same conclusion even under the new policy:

Because the new policy said admissions decisions should be based in part on “the best interest of the child,’’ it remains uncertain whether the Hingham episode would have occurred had the new policy been in place. The specifics of that case remain unclear because the pastor involved, the Rev. James F. Rafferty, has declined interviews.

“The situation at St. Paul’s in Hingham may have taken a different route, but it might have come to the same conclusion,’’ said the Rev. Richard M. Erikson, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Boston. “Father Rafferty still today has the authority to make these decisions as the pastor. But the expectations of the diocese and the guidance the diocese gives in those judgment calls is clearer today than it was then.’’

So, there you have it. The Catholic Church claims to be fixing a problem, but not exactly. Read the rest of this post...