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MY NEWEST BILERICO PIECE: STAND FOR MARRIAGE MAIN IS FORCING CHILDREN TO LEARN ABOUT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ! There is a sinister force at work right now trying to take the innocence away from our children, undermine and tear our families apart, and corrupt and recruit a generation of Americans--the youngest generation--to buy into their terrifying agenda. Stand For Marriage Maine has forced children all across Maine to become aware of the existence of same-sex couples and the possibility of same-sex marriage. Millions of children in Maine, who would have otherwise not ever known that gay people exist, are being inundated by an avalanche of television and radio ads that force them to hear every gory detail about the existence of homosexuality and the reality of same-sex marriage... Read more at STAND FOR MARRIAGE MAIN IS FORCING CHILDREN TO LEARN ABOUT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE !

GET OUT THE VOTE, KALAMAZOOOOO! : "KALAMAZOO — Opponents of a proposed anti-discrimination ordinance in Kalamazoo say they believe the same social conservatism that led African-Americans to overwhelmingly approve a ban on same-sex marriages in California could be pivotal here in the Nov. 3 election."

N.Y. Gay Marriage Vote November 10? | News | Advocate.com : "New York governor David Paterson on Sunday called for state legislators to meet in a special session on November 10, during which time senators may vote on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage."

Well we're all Forty-Niners now! (check this post out on Lundon-Calling. net ) Lundon Calling's 49th show was spectacular! Lance was able to keep Ace at bay for about 5 minutes, but Ace made it very clear to Lance that his name is on the Marquee--he does NOT appreciate being interrupted! LISTEN HERE ! Happy Samhain, everyone! Happy Halloween everyone else! Happy BOTH Saint Patrick! We discussed a lot from religion, Jamaican and Brazilian homophobia, DADT, David Mixner's Live from Hell's Kitchen , Las Vegas, Last House on the Left , Bilerico.com , Detroit and Simone Bell , to Hate Crimes legislation, to the March (again) and what we're doing now, to Islam and sexual harassment--even straight people! What's your opinion of Fox News? Do you think Ace should switch the channel or is he right to watch? Where do you get your news? I get mine from CNN.com , LGBT blogs, Newser --am I too limited, too biased? Who's getting better news--Ace or me? Hey Lance--...

Law Dork, Chris Geidner pens this piece for The Atlantic: "The Legacy of a Legacy" - The Atlantic Politics Channel : "The work is not done, but the question with which we are left today is what will be the legacy of today's signing. Will the legacy be that with its passage, the White House and Congress passed a watershed moment in LGBT equality to be followed in short order by action on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act; the elimination of Don't Ask, Don't Tell from our Armed Forces; and significant movement toward the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act? As Elizabeth Birch, the former head of the Human Rights Campaign, said at the evening reception, 'This was the moment that was required in order to have new laws follow.' Or, will this be, like so often in legislative struggles, the single trinket doled out to a loyal constituency group until the next time the group demands action?" I have to agree with Mr. Geidner. Is this going to be th...

Visit great LGBT media sources for more news: 365gay | Advocate | Out Mag | Instinct Mag | In the Life ENDA Legislator of the day: Tell IN Senator Lugar: No Small Business Will Be Harmed In The Making of This Law CDC approves the removal of US HIV travel ban ! COUNT DOWN TO EQUALITY! On Ameriqueer : TBP--CALVIN AND HOPE? MORE LIKE CALVIN AND HOBBES!, BREAKING: Scholastic Will Not Exclude #LGBT Book from Fairs--GET A BOOK, THANK THEM! On Big Gay News : Obama Signs Bill Expanding Hate Crimes Law, Six More Arrests Over Liverpool Gay Attack, Chiefs’ Larry Johnson Apologizes for Gay Slur, Spokesman Says Scientologists Aren’t Anti-Gay On Bilerico : Blog This: The Battleground Basics (MUST READ!!!), Obama Signs Matthew Shepard/James Byrd Hate Crimes Bill into Law, Politicians fall further behind the public on LGB legislation, Atlanta Eagle owner speaks out: Pride committee makes changes, Picking an Easier Target On Pam’s House Blend : YouTube Extravaganza! LaBa...

Check out my newest piece at Bilerico.com: Calvin and Hope? More like Calvin and Hobbes--two West Michigan colleges make a mockery out of the pursuit of knowledge. Wisdom does not necessarily come with age. Two of Michigan's oldest academic institutions are showing nothing but stubbornness when it comes to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. Rather than endorse healthy academic debate, Hope College of Holland, Michigan and Calvin College of Grand Rapids, Michigan--my home state--are playing 'hear-no-evil-see-no-evil,' when it comes to exploring viewpoints that may differ from the established. Calvin College--a Christian Reformed Church institution--this week declined to review a memo barring instructors from speaking positively about LGBT issues, despite a faculty vote of 36-4 demanding the administration withdraw the memo for the sake of academic integrity and out of concern for censorship. Meanwhile down in Holland, Hope College is saying "Thanks, ...

From Bilerico On Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009- less than a week away- there will be critical votes on on LGBT equality in three states: Washington State, Maine, and Michigan. With so much attention devoted to other issues in the political realm, bloggers have banded together with the Courage Campaign to ensure we don't forget the ones with a firm deadline next week. For that reason, we've joined with these three campaigns to put together a summary of who, what, and how. If you haven't heard of these campaigns, and/or haven't done anything yet to support them, please consider helping out. If you are a blogger please feel free to grab this content whole cloth and use it for your blog posts. Head over to the Courage Campaign site and grab the formatted HTML to drop into a post . Last year, as Obama and Democrats were winning across the country, we lost marriage equality in California. It was a bittersweet victory. Pitch in to make sure 2009 isn't a bittersweet yea...

THANK SCHOLASTIC, AND BUY SOME BOOKS! : From Change.org: "During the past 48 hours more than 4,000 Change.org members joined in calling for Scholastic Books to reverse their decision to exclude a book from Scholastic's popular book fairs, simply because the book featured two moms raising a child. The book in question is Luv Ya Bunches by best-selling children’s book author Lauren Myracle. If this book isn't on your must-read list yet, it should be simply for its ability to spark conversations about the role LGBT parents play in our society. Late today we got word, after negotiating with Scholastic representatives, that the company has decided to reverse their earlier decision and include the book in their spring book fairs. That's an awesome victory from one of the biggest and most influential educational book publishers and book retailers in the world, and it sends the clear message that there's absolutely nothing wrong with two men or two women raising a child....

Check out my newest Bilerico.com Piece: The Ten Biggest Lesbian and Bisexual Pop Icons ! Joan Jett, Le Tigre, Tegan & Sara , Leisha Hailey of the Murmurs. These are just a few of the outstanding women that didn't make this list of top living lesbian and bisexual women pop-stars. That should just tell you the sheer star power on this list right there (told you the women were going to kick the mens' butts!). These women represent some of the greatest lyrics ever delivered and certified gold and platinum, and the new leading voices of country, jazz, folk, soul, gospel, punk and rock. Own just a sampling of the albums from each of the women on this list, and your music collection will not only be diverse in genre, but will be ready for any occasion and appeal to any taste. These women have it all... Continue reading The Ten Biggest Lesbian and Bisexual Pop Icons !

From the greatest minds of the Catholic Church (AKA, this is why I'm not Catholic anymore : "Having become almost as much a referendum on what it means to be Catholic as on the legal status of relationships, the controversy over Bill 185 may seem to have already been dialed right up to eleven, but last week, the local Archdiocese took it up another notch when they distributed a three-page statement titled 'On High Stakes of Bill 185' to the press. The most controversial part of the letter condemned homosexuality as part of what Pope John Paul II called 'the culture of death,' and implicitly praised the moral standards of Islamic fundamentalist suicide bombers: The culture of homosexuality is a culture of self-absorption because it does not value self-sacrifice. It is a glaring example of what John Paul II has called the culture of death. Islamic fundamentalists clearly understand the damage that homosexual behavior inflicts on a culture. That is why they rep...

The piece reads : "Lane Hudson, the activist who pulled a 'You lie!' moment with Bill Clinton and posted a public apology about it, received a personal handwritten letter from the former president. It reads in part: 'I recently said I had changed my position on gay marriage and will look for more opportunities to advance the repeal of DOMA. I will be there as you ask on these and other human rights issues.'"

This comes just days before Liverpool's gay Pride festival, Homotopia, is to open on the very same Stanley Street : "A GAY man is fighting for his life today following a vicious gang beating in Liverpool city centre. The 22-year–old, who the ECHO understands is a trainee constable with Merseyside police and has been named as James Parkes, was attacked by up to 13 people at 10pm last night when out with three friends on Stanley Street. He is currently in hospital with multiple skull fractures, a fractured eye socket and a fractured cheek bone. Three youths, two aged 15 and another aged 14, from Kirkdale have been arrested in connection with the incident." According to the article, Witnesses should call St Anne’s Street CID on 0151 777 4064 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Surely a lot of attention will be given to a homophobic hate crime against a cop in a city trying hard to shed itself of its violent, scary image, AND attract a larger gay community. I wonde...

I just received this email from Sam Sussman, the winner of the Equality Idol speaker contest for the National Equality March. Please take a minute to help New York out NOW! Dear friends, Please take one minute right now to change history. Call New York State Senate Majority Leader John Sampson's Office at (718) 649-7653 or (518) 455-2788 and tell him to add Marriage Equality to the voting agenda for the upcoming Special Session. The New York State Senate is about to head to special session, and there are enough votes to pass the marriage equality bill, S4401. This is great news! However, a vote on the marriage equality bill is not yet on the agenda because Senator Sampson has not yet included it. His decision is not final, and if we make our voices heard, he will have no choice but to do what is right -- put the bill on the agenda and allow for a vote. A day of phone blitzing is in order. Pick up your phone and call Senator Sampson’s office at (718) 649-7653 or (5...

Judge denies Prop. 8 backers delay on memos : "A federal judge said sponsors of California's ban on same-sex marriage may not delay in handing over campaign strategy documents to gay-rights groups that are looking for evidence of anti gay bias as they try to overturn the measure. The sponsors had sought to keep the documents while challenging the order to turn them over in an appeals court. But in a ruling late Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker of San Francisco said backers of Proposition 8 had failed to show that disclosing internal memos and e-mails would violate their freedom of speech or subject them to harassment. He said they had refused to identify any documents that needed special protection and noted that he could order their opponents to keep any sensitive material confidential."

Gay Marriage in DC: Ballot, Bill on Tap Today | NBC Washington : "Opponents and supporters of gay marriage are both getting a shot to voice their opinions on the issue today. Bishop Harry Jackson, a Maryland minister, is leading those for a voter initiative opposing same-sex marriage in the District. Jackson and those behind the initiative, which would say 'only marriage between a man and woman'' is valid in the city, will testify before the D.C. Board of Elections & Ethics at 10 a.m. at 441 4th Street, NW. The two-member board will not vote Monday. Jackson and his followers are pushing for a referendum on the issue in 2010 vs. a vote by the D.C. Council, which will hear testimony from more than 125 people -- opponents and supporters -- of the same-sex marriage bill today at 3:30 p.m. on the fifth floor of the John Wilson City Hall Building at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW."

Reason gay rights effort is called 'a movement' : "While I still have the right to my opinion, I would like to express it here on the issue of gay marriage. The gay rights movement wants us to believe that this is an issue of equality. Maine gave them equality in 2005 at which time many of them declared that it wasn't about marriage. Yet, on the very eve of their victory their leaders stated, 'Marriage is next.' There is a reason it is referred to as a movement. They do not plan to stop here. This is not about equality, it is about totality. When do we stop allowing the desires of the few to become the laws of the many? Yes, this is Maine where we tend to keep to ourselves and let people be. But there are people out there who want to change our state and its laws and then use us as an example to further their agenda at the federal level. Come on Maine, let's stand up collectively and say, 'You can't theyah from heah.' Vote 'Yes' on 1 to ...

Screenwriter Paul Haggis quit Scientology over donation to anti-gay Proposition 8 fund, other nefarious reasons [video] - Last Word

The internet's top lesbian website is throwing a retirement party for one of the Entertainment Industry's most powerful lesbians : "Washington native Warn began AfterEllen.com as a hobby in 2002 in response to what she saw as a complete void of content in the universe regarding queer women in entertainment — online or off. AE’s success is no surprise when you glance at Warn’s resumè and total expertise. She graduated from lesbian-hotbed Wellesley College in 1996 with a degree in Women’s Studies and then pursued higher education at Harvard University (yeah THAT HARVARD), graduating in 1998 with a master’s in Theological Studies. Warn deftly oversaw the expansion of her pioneering website over the last seven years, bringing eight years of experience in online marketing and business development, including several years managing Expedia’s search engine marketing department, to the position. Combined with Warn’s academic savvy and keen finger on the pulse of lesbian pop culture...

City unveils marker dedicated to lesbian author : "DAYTON — She may be the most famous Daytonian unknown to Daytonians, but now Natalie Barney — literary patron and lesbian author who lived most of her life in Paris — has her own Ohio Historical Marker near the downtown library. The marker was unveiled Sunday, Oct. 25, in a ceremony at Cooper Park attended by city commissioners, Ohio Historical Society officials and members of state and Dayton area gay rights organizations, which led the effort to recognize Barney for both her place in history and her pioneering openness about her sexuality. Of Ohio’s 1,250 historical markers, it’s the first to indicate a person’s sexual orientation. “Not only are we celebrating history today, but we’re making history,” Robert Berger, head of Ohio’s Gay History Initiative, told a gathering of about 50 people Sunday. The Ohio Historical Society launched the initiative in 2006 to review and approve applications for monuments to honor “the history of...

Drug and alcohol abuse are a major problem in our community and its killing us : "He explained how he didn’t have a way to socialize with other members of the LGBT community that didn’t involve alcohol and other drugs. His first experience with drugs was with crystal meth. Schneck explained how drug use in the LGBT community was an issue to address and that the only way to begin addressing it was to be aware of it. Using drugs in his early years of college was a result of issues involving his family’s shunning of his lifestyle coupled with the environment of the LGBT community. His college didn’t have an LGBT resource center, which made the LGBT community move underground to clubs and bars. These resources may be crucial to making LGBT students feel as though they fit into the college community as well." Drug and alcohol abuse are a HUGE problem in our community, and like the Dean here says, are largely a product of our community's isolation and discrimination. We need t...

Yeah... OK... he's a little biased toward everything I believe in, so maybe if he did all of this science and was looking to prove the RIGHT's POV, I'd bitch... but he doesn't. He agrees with me : "In a fundraising plea to his mailing list this past week, Marc Multy, the President of the anti-gay marriage Group Stand for Marriage Maine, described his opponents as having 'amassed a war chest from the homosexual political elite from nearly every corner of the country to impose their will on Mainers like us.' Indeed, the pro-gay marriage group No on 1 Protect Maine Equality has raised more than $2.30 million in itemized contributions from outside the state of Maine; this is more than the $1.82 million that Stand for Marriage Maine has raised from out-of-state. However, most of No on 1's advantage is based on its substantial edge in fundraising from within the state of Maine. No on 1 has raised $1.89 million from 3,766 unique contributors within the state,...

Sounds a big wonky : "My friend Bryan Wildenthal, who teaches constitutional law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, drew my attention to this startling proposal being put forth by two professors at Michigan State University. In a news release on MSU School of Law News, Adam Candeub and Mae Kuykendall 'announce the creation of the Legal E-Marriage Project, a clearinghouse for legislative proposals to institute 'e-marriage.' Their proposal has the potential to alter the landscape of the marriage culture wars, as well as solve the problems that arise when a great distance separates couples who wish to marry.'"

Unite the Fight: VIDEO: Victory in Maine Depends on Getting Supporters to Vote. HELP! : "The most recent poll on Maine's Question 1 shows that 48% are for voting Yes to overturning the marriage equality law and 48% voting NO to rejecting it. 4% are still undecided. At this point, it's about getting out supporters to the polls, especially students." STUDENT GROUPS IN MAINE--ON ELECTION DAY, NO PERSON ON YOUR CAMPUS SHOULD HAVE MISSED VOTING. PICK PEOPLE UP AND TAKE THEM TO THE POLLING PLACE. TAKE THE DAY OFF OF WORK. TAKE IT OFF OF CLASS. FILL UP YOUR TANK. MAKE SURE EVERYONE VOTES!!!

Bilerico's Amy Hunter makes a fantastic point about why the Police can't tell us about specific instances of discrimination against transgender and gay/lesbian people in Kalamazoo : "The problem is that without a law there is no recognized mechanism for reporting and documentation of discrimination. How very convenient.... It's the same 'Catch 22' that gay and transgender people have been in with respect to violent crimes committed against them for no other reason than they are gay or transgender. Fortunately, it appears this situation will be changing soon. Once President Obama signs the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law, it will become a federal hate crime to commit an act of violence against a person because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In Kalamazoo, the Kalamazoo Gay and Lesbian Resource Center (KGLRC) logs telephone calls and contacts that come to them about discrimination or violence, their logs however are not c...

I Should Be Laughing: LGBT History Month: Harry Hay : "When Dale Jennings was arrested in 1952 for allegedly soliciting a police officer, it was Harry Hay who bailed him out. The Mattachine Society established the Citizens' Committee to Outlaw Entrapment in Jennings' defense and, at trial, Jennings lawyer proved the arresting officer had lied. While eleven jurors favored acquittal, one vowed to keep voting guilty 'till hell froze over.' After forty hours of deliberations by the deadlocked panel, the judge dismissed the case and though it was less definitive than an acquittal, the decision was seen as a victory in the struggle for gay rights. As a result of the Jennings case, Mattachine membership soared from just a few hundred to several thousand which brought about notoriety, and a homophobic backlash. A newspaper columnist called the organization potentially 'dangerous,' and another identified Hay as 'a Marxist teacher.' Members were uneasy about ...

Matt Foreman, former director of The Task Force has some great insight into the NoOnOne Maine campaign : "So, what's our side supposed to do in the heat of a campaign? Put up an ad that says, 'This will never happen! The other side is a bunch of sleazy, lying, utterly hypocritical dirtbags!' Not only does this approach turn off the movables, it simply doesn't respond to or calm the fears raised by the ads from the other side. In fact, in the brief window of a campaign there's absolutely no way to educate voters about the nature of sexual orientation or put parents at ease about talking about sex with their children. The only way through these attacks is to respond with calm and to simultaneous appeal to higher, better and still visceral values. Finally, all of the focus on television ads, both in Maine and California, misses a huge point, namely, that advertising rarely moves more than a tiny fraction of people to change their minds on any candidate, subject or...

The Gay Hate Crimes Crisis Isn't Over Yet | The Bilerico Project : "Homophobic hate crimes are on the rise, and for every hate crime that makes the statistics, how many go unreported? Obviously, there are few numbers available, but one study out of Ireland this year found that sixty-four percent of homophobic hate crimes are not reported to police. A 2007 study by Human Rights First determined that '[London] police themselves estimate that some 90 percent of homophobic hate crimes go unreported.'"

Yes on 1's largest donor: An examination (Complete Set) - Good As You:: Gay and Lesbian Activism With a Sense of Humor READ IT. MEMORIZE IT. LEARN IT! Good As You shows us: This IS THE ENEMY! These folks want you back in the closets, prisons and hospitals.

Same Sex Sunday on Twitter | The Bilerico Project : "Bil and I were IMing the other day about the usual stuff (boys, politics and social media) when we hit on a great idea: Same Sex Sunday on Twitter. The concept is pretty simple. Its #followfriday gone gay, gay, gay. Each Sunday recommend LGBT people or organizations on Twitter that you think others should be following. Say a few words to describe the people/groups, link to their Twitter account and end with the hashtag #samesexsunday. Example: Mad, bad and fabulous to know: @bilerico @jerame @buffawhat @bilericodc #samesexsunday This will be a great way to connect and share info with other LGBT people. Same Sex Sunday begins this coming Sunday." Posted way back on April 2, 2009. I didn't know I was already writing for Bilerico at that time! Wow! How awesome! So Bil and Michael are the brains behind #samesexsunday? Amazing! I'm pretty sure that Michael also had a little something to do with getting folks to use...

Outstanding piece. Now THAT's good, dynamic content! : "While I have written extensively about the ineptitude of the Christie campaign, I have never wavered in my belief that Chris Christie is by far the best choice for Governor among the three leading candidates in the Tuesday, November 3, 2009 election. I make this judgment as a political conservative. There are four strong ideological reasons for conservatives to vote for Chris Christie for Governor, to wit: 1) Fiscal management; 2) Economic development; 3) Gay marriage; and 4) Judicial appointments. There is a fifth reason for conservatives to support Chris Christie for Governor which is not an ideological reason but very much a factor for voters across the political spectrum: Chris Christie is much better at governance than he is at campaigning."

The Hawk Eye--Iowa's own Faux News : "Across the country, nearly 150,000 same-sex couples claimed to be in a married relationship last year. The figures, according to the Associated Press, far outweigh the number of actual weddings and civil unions tallied by the first census data on same-sex marriages." According to this piece only 60 same-sex marriages had occurred in Iowa... yet one Pastor claims to have done about 40. If all that's true, she's got a fucking corner on the market like whoa. If they ever start to pick up, she might be a little overwhelmed. Some 66% of 1000 weddings may just be too much for her.

The Hawk Eye : "Wapello native and University of Iowa student Cody Shafer, an openly gay and politically active 22-year-old praised the hate crimes legislation as a step forward for the nation. Before tackling same-sex marriage rights on the federal level, Burlington resident Corey Cox of Burington, an openly gay student at Southeastern Community College, said Congress should work on extending other protections. 'There needs to be a lot more steps as far as the don't ask, don't tell policy, the anti-discrimination policy. I think those need to be in place before they even bring anything to floor about gay marriage or civil unions,' Cox said. Terry Callahan of Burlington also has an interest in seeing don't ask, don't tell -- the military policy that bars service members from asking about others' or telling their sexual orientation -- reversed because she once served in the military. ... The Callahans and the Harris-Johnsons, as well as the young men who...

History Is Everybody’s Story | illvox : "Plimoth Plantation, located in Plymouth Mass, held its second annual, “Out At Plimoth Plantation,” an all-day, inclusive, LGBT event on Saturday, September 26, 2009 featuring family activities, unique, historical lectures including, Native/two-spirit perspectives from Harlan Pruden of the NorthEast Two-Spirit Society; a Colonial look at what Plimoth Plantation knows about gay tolerance during the 17th century and an exploration of a woman’s same sex perspective during the 18th century, presented by Dr. Jennifer Manion, History Professor at Connecticut College. In addition, the day highlighted a “Family Resource, Wedding and Event Expo” presented by Plimoth Plantation’s exclusive caterer, Creative Gourmet and sponsored by Verona Salon of Plymouth, MA. The day finished with a taste of history at the museum with a Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet and Social Mixer, a perfect place for guests to discuss the day’s events, and where people connect with ...

This 'teacher' is EXACTLY the kind of person Yes On One Maine LOVES! He does a wonderful job of jumping DIRECTLY to the conclusions they wanted him to with their vague inferences! Outstanding! : "This recent ad from Stand for Marriage Maine makes a valid accusation against the Equality Maine organizers, namely, that Equality Maine had tried to push homosexual teaching in Maine schools back in 2005 . [note NOTHING about schools in the first part of the video, the connection is all his] In 2009, of course, they push for same sex marriage and push acceptance to neuter marriage where man and woman become meaningless attributes." Where the hell does this guy teach, Wild Unfounded JumpInLogic University? If this guy got THAT from THIS video, there's a bridge in Brooklyn AND I'll start the bidding at $500,000! What a deal! ...I never said I was selling the bridge in Brooklyn. This is called a jump in logic. I figured that this guy was pretty damn good at those,...

Everybody knows it... Everybody knows it... Everybody knows its true... : "New York Times conservative columnist, Ross Douthat, became physically uncomfortable when he was asked what his thoughts were on the issue of marriage-equality at a panel discussion about young conservatives for the N+1 magazine. On the panel Douthat had this to say, 'I am someone opposed to gay marriage who is deeply uncomfortable arguing the issue in public,' reports Matt Frassica, who wrote about the incident for The New York Observer. Douthat later said that opposition to marriage-equality is a losing argument, and told the Observer, ''If I were putting money on the future of gay marriage, I would bet on it.' and 'The secular arguments against gay marriage, when they aren't just based on bigotry or custom, tend to be abstract in ways that don't find purchase in American political discourse. I say, ‘Institutional support for reproduction,' you say, ‘I love my boyfriend...

I'm not really sure who they'd be quoting here... we held plenty of LGBT-issues Town Halls in Mt. Pleasant, MI back in the day, and I didn't think we were breaking any new ground... : " Gay-rights activists in Denver held what they called the nation's first gay town-hall meeting , led Saturday night by U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, a Democrat from Boulder. The open forum, at the Metropolitan Church of the Rockies in Denver, was to cover issues related to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals, including the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' ban on gay service members, federal hate-crime legislation and job discrimination. 'I know there are a lot of people in the LGBT community (who) have been frustrated with the pace of progress,' Polis said. 'President Obama promised a lot during the campaign. (He's) been a little bit slow to deliver.'" Either way, good for Denver and good for my main man, Rep. Polis! Did you k...

Great points here from AMERICAblog. The Far Right element in the Religious community has completely lost their way. They have no clue anymore what it means to be "Christian." They don't care about helping, just maintaining their power and status. They clearly have no intention of living like Christ : "I'm having a big problem with the focus of some churches. Has anyone told some of the religious right and Catholic Church members that times are tough, and people need help? While they continue to waste massive amounts of resources on supporting right wing politics, people are homeless and children go hungry. Fortunately, there are churches, like the two little open and affirming to the LGBT community UCC churches I attend in the Tulsa area, who focus on things like feeding the homeless, local HIV/AIDS ministries and the 'Food 4 Kids Backpack' program where we deliver backpacks of food to local elementary schools so children who are 'food insecure...

Big news out of Michigan, surely the Professors (who tend to be very progressive) can't wait to find out - MLive.com : "Calvin College professors will find out Monday whether the college’s governing board will withdraw a controversial memo ordering them to follow Christian Reformed Church teachings against homosexuality and same-sex marriage. President Gaylen Byker will update faculty on board discussions that took place over the weekend by the Board of Trustees, including a decision on the memo, spokesman Phil de Haan said Saturday."