Remember Ron Prentice? He's the chair of ProtectMarriage.com and the CEO of the California Family Council. Here is his action alert sent out Friday morning with specific talking points and - if the graphic at the top of the email is any indication - he's targeting African American families:
The group's e-blast is after the break.
Continue reading "Antigay CA Family Council Urges Gov to Veto FAIR Education Act"...
Oh Westboro Baptist... Is there no claim too ludicrous for you?
I wonder what it takes to get one of those nutjobs to stop for a second and think, "You know what? Maybe this is just silly."
The questions about Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann and the extremist anti-gay views she shares with her husband, Marcus Bachmann, continue to multiply. Marcus Bachmann markets himself as a psychologist who provides "Christian counseling" at his practice, Bachmann & Associates.
The Washington Post did a lengthy piece on July 6 on both Bachmanns' history of anti-gay extremism and their joined at the hip mentality of opposing any and all civil rights for LGBT Americans. Pam Spaulding chimed into the mix a post raising serious ethical issues that seem to surround Marcus Bachmann's "Christian Counseling" practice in Lake Elmo and Burnsville, Minnesota.
Adding even more fuel to the fire is Think Progress' story of Michelle Bachmann's 2004 endorsement of Focus on the Families utterly bogus and, in the view of the American Psychological Association's view, unethical, ex-gay ministry, Love Wins Out. While both Bachmann' are dodging questions on whether Bachmann & Associates offers ex-gay "reparative therapy" a lot of questions exist as to the nature of Marcus Bachmann's credentials and how he operates his practice without being licensed.
Continue reading "Michele & Marcus Bachmann: More & More Questions"...
I do not hide the fact 
that I have a lot of loathing for the self-enriching bigots and political whores at the National Organization for Marriage and their allies in what I call the "professional Christian" set. These parasites - Maggie Gallagher, for one - are raking in nice six figure incomes and overseeing millions of dollars of spending aimed solely at keep discrimination against other citizens writ large in the nation's civil laws even as many thousands - more likely, millions - of children are starving around the world and all kinds of humanitarian endeavors would be better recipients of all of that money being thrown around by NOM.
Continue reading "The Bizarre Moral Universe of the Haters at NOM"...
James Fritzen Taylor, the Southwest Airlines pilot who made news for the homophobic cockpit screed that was caught on tape, has issued an general mea culpa for his 'offensive' and 'derogatory' remarks. Well, to be clear, he is sorry for being 'insensitive' and wants to move past things. His blanket apology, however, didn't specifically mention the Chicago-based crew who was the focus of his rage, but is a general statement to all employees:
To All Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants and all Employees:
Because of the impact of my comments, I wanted to communicate with you directly. Please accept my most sincere apology for the inappropriate and disrespectful remarks I made in March with an open microphone. I deeply regret the derogatory remarks I made and the hurt I have caused - I take full responsibility for those comments. It was truly insensitive of me and I would like all of you to know that from now on, I will show nothing but the utmost respect during my interactions with all employees. In addition, I would like to extend a special apology to all Flight Attendants, and especially those of Houston. I hope you will allow me to maintain a working relationship with all of you that will provide me the opportunity to extend an individual, personal apology to each one of you whenever we fly together. Please know that this event has forever changed me and I hope that others can learn from my mistake. I have learned a much-needed lesson to be more sensitive of others and I hope you will see me as a more tolerant and considerate person. I am proud to be employed by Southwest Airlines and I am committed to representing our Company, and its employees in the most professional way possible."
A Southwest spokeswoman said the pilot was punished with a suspension and she wasn't aware of the airline considering any additional reprimand. In addition, the Southwest flight attendants' union dropped plans to file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after Taylor apologized.
Continue reading "Southwest Pilot Apologizes for Anti-Gay Rant... Sort of"...
In the Republican-controlled New York State Senate, marriage equality would not have passed without the votes of a few Republicans. Even with all but one Democrat voting in favor of marriage equality, the senators simply didn't have the votes.
Four Republican state senators crossed party lines on the issue last Friday, bringing the vote to 33-29. The four Republicans were James Alesi, Mark Grisanti, Roy McDonald, and Stephen Saland.
Since the vote, the Republicans have faced opposition from social conservatives, who have said they would pull campaign funding from the senators and actively seek to unseat them from their positions.
Continue reading "NY's Marriage Equality Republicans May Face Backlash"...
Since the historic vote in New York State last Friday night, the whining and ranting of opponents of same sex marriage boil down to basically two arguments: (i) only a majority of voters should be allowed to determine the rights of minorities - especially unpopular minorities in the eyes of Christianists and (ii) the Christianist reading of the Bible condemns homosexuality and, therefore, all citizens must be forced to live their lives in accordance with Christianist religious beliefs.
Maggie Gallagher and the bigots at the National Organization for Marriage have been chanting the first refrain while self-enriching religious extremists like Pat Robertson have been ranting and proffering the second. Both arguments are disingenuous and brazenly ignore the U.S. Constitution's protections afforded to minorities.
Worse yet, these arguments against same sex marriage ignore what history teaches us about the misdeeds of majorities towards minorities not to mention the horrors done over the centuries based upon supposed justifications from the Bible.
Continue reading "Christianists, the Bible and Tyranny of the Majority"...
The Family Research Council, the "family values" organization that was deemed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center last fall, is releasing a new project called The Problem with Same-Sex Marriage.
According to the organization's website, the video is a 30-minute documentary. In the preview, we see that the FRC will touch on a range of tired topics: foster parents who were told they couldn't tell their foster kids it's wrong to be gay, President Obama's refusal to defend DOMA despite his defense of healthcare reform, and the ex-gay movement. Sounds like a lot of propaganda to fit into a 30-minute video.
Check out the fear-mongering preview (the full version will cost you $14.95 - or you can buy in bulk by getting 25 for $199.95!), complete with scary music that communicates imminent doom-by-gay-people drama, after the jump.
Continue reading "New FRC 'Documentary' Continues Fear-Mongering"...
Reactions to New York's passage of marriage equality continue to pour in, and some of them are surprising. For example, Michele Bachmann, the GOP presidential nomination hopeful who is notably opposed to LGBT equality, said on Fox News Sunday this morning that she was OK with New York's decision on the grounds that she supports states' rights.
Despite her agreement that the decision is valid, the Minnesota congresswoman explained that she would have preferred a ballot initiative, as "it's best to allow the people to decide on this issue." She smugly noted that ballot initiatives on marriage equality have not experienced success (video below).
On the same program, she reportedly said that as president, she would support a constitutional amendment to define marriage between a man and a woman. Bachmann will officially announce her campaign for the presidency on Monday in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa.
Later in the day, she appeared on CBS' Face the Nation (video below), where she said, "I stand for the proposition that marriage is between a man and a woman." She spoke more about marriage equality and LGB rights:
I think that Minnesota this year, for instance, just about a month ago or so, passed at the legislative level the constitutional amendment to allow the people to decide what the definition of marriage will be, so that ballot question will be on the ballot in 2012. The people of New York came to a different conclusion. I think what we know is that, ultimately, you have all the various laws in the various states. There'll be a conflict if someone from New York, for instance, moves to a state where marriage is between a man and a woman, will these marriages be recognized. Ultimately, it'll go to the courts.
Continue reading "Bachmann Responds to NY Marriage Equality"...
