Virginia House passes pro-gender adoption bill allowing religious freedom

The Virginia House passed a bill granting permission to adoption agencies to deny placing children in situations that conflict with their religious or moral beliefs.  With a 71-28 vote, the bill allows agencies to avoid placing children in gender-segregated households.

The Washington Post reports:  

“Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock and sponsor of the House bill, says it protects religious freedom.”

 Contrast this with the state of Massachusetts, which mandated that agencies place children with gender-segregated couples.  In that state, adoption agencies were forced to close their doors rather than violate their consciences, in effect denying them freedom of religion.

Video: Marylanders defend integration of genders in marriage

From the TFP Student Action:

Thousands of traditional marriage supporters held a rally at the Maryland Statehouse in Annapolis on Monday, January 30. Watch these powerful speeches, and a lively crowd chanting, "1 man, 1 woman." The Maryland Marriage Alliance sponsored this rally which TFP Student Action was happy to join.

Many of the speakers repeated, "We are not cowards!"  This is in response to Maryland First Lady Catherine Curran O'Malley who blamed last year's defeat of a bill segregating genders in marriage on "cowards."

Speakers called the definition of true marriage "self-evident," and said playing "word games" with marriage is "reckless social experimentation" caused by "whims of political correctness."

Highlights:

For God I live and for God and marrige I’ll die

The fight is on, bring it on

What about the children?

You would not be here if it weren’t for a man and a woman

Do not ask me to vote against my heart 

Fight the good fight

I will stand with brothers and sisters regardless of color  

This is more than a faith issue, this is a natural issue

They touch directly on our religious liberties 

We don’t want their protection [religious exceptions]

They don’t know our God

Let all of Maryland know:  We are not cowards!

Maryland 14-year-old gets 'A' for testimony on gay marriage

A 14-year-old asked Maryland senators to vote against segregating genders in marriage.

"Hi, I'm Sarah.   Today is my 14th birthday.  It would be the best birthday present ever if you would vote no on gay marriage. 

I really feel bad for the kids who have two parents of the same gender.  Even though some kids feel like it's fine, they have no idea what kind of wonderful experiences they miss out on. 

I don't want any more kids to get confused about what's right and okay. 

I really don't want to grow up in a world where marriage isn't such a special thing anymore. 

 It's also scary to think when I grow up the legislature or the court can change the definition of any word they want.  If they can change the definition of marriage, then they could change the definition of any word. 

People have the choice to be gay, but I don't want to be affected by their choice.  People say they were just born that way, but I've met really nice adults who did change.  

So please vote no on gay marriage. 

Thank you."

One senator gave her an "A" for her testimony.

California: sued if you do and sued if you don’t

California’s Fair Act requiring schools to teach children in all grades about the positive aspects of LGBT’s is facing a financial dilemma.  They don’t have the funds to rewrite curricula.

The Washington Times reports: 

“Given the state’s budget crunch, the state Department of Education has released no companion curriculum or textbook revisions to comply with the FAIR Education Act, which requires schools to include the contributions of ‘lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans’ in instruction programs and curricula at all grade levels.”

So now it’s up to individual districts to wend their way through the new requirements.  With LGBT advocates watching closely to make sure they comply.

“The result: The state now has more than 1,000 discrete school districts attempting to design and implement what may be the most controversial curriculum change in state history. What’s more, they’re doing it - or not doing it - under the watchful eyes of both gay-rights advocates and conservative critics, all against the backdrop of a signature-gathering campaign to reverse the law.”

 What makes this even more challenging is that only positive things can be said.  If you teach anything “reflecting adversely” on LGBT’s you can be sued.

Meanwhile, this is the same state where you can be slapped with a lawsuit for promoting homosexuality.  A California family successfully sued several agencies after the death of their son, Larry King.  The family claims the school district and gay rights organization failed to “urge the effeminate teen to tone down flamboyant behavior” such as wearing make-up and heels to school and making “unwanted sexual advances” toward other boys.

Come to California, home of “lawsuit equality,” where you’re sued if you do and sued if you don’t.

Video: Woman plans to 'marry' building

Babylonia Aivaz says "I do" to a building in Seattle.  "Marriage equality" continues to evolve.

Hmmm...

Obama preaches gospel of PP to Catholic Church

The Obama administration stands by its decision to mandate coverage of birth control in its controversial health care act.  However, a recent CDC five-year study of contraceptive use among teens revealed that birth control is not entirely successful in preventing pregnancy.

From Town Hall:

“The CDC discovered that 45.3 percent of the teens who gave birth as a result of an unintended pregnancy had conceived while they were using either "highly effective" (birth control pill, et al.) or "moderately effective" (male condom, et al.) contraceptive methods.”

Yes, these ineffective contraceptive methods are the same ones that President Obama insists Catholic hospitals, charities, and schools offer to employees, or face fines.  Not only is the Catholic church opposed to contraception for religious reasons, the science from the government’s own agency shows these methods fail consistently.

Obamacare is anti-Catholic, anti-life, anti-science, anti-affordable, and anti-constitutional.

But there is one winner:  Obama’s buddy Planned Parenthood makes money selling birth control, and when that fails, they make money performing abortions.  And when states defund the abortion conglomerate, Obama is there to defend PP.

Yes, President Obama is preaching the gospel of PP not just to Catholics, but to every American.

If Obama can impose his religious beliefs about birth control on Catholic organizations, what will stop him from imposing his religious beliefs about abortion and marriage licenses for gender-segregated couples? If Obama gets away with the birth control mandate, it’s not just that Planned Parenthood wins, it means Americans lose their right to religious liberty.

Integrating race and segregating genders not the same 'Dream'

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced he would veto same-sex marriage legislation allowing gender-segregated couples to marry. 

"Whether or not to redefine hundreds of years of societal and religious traditions should not be decided by 121 people in the Statehouse," he said.  Instead Christie believes such a momentous decision should be put to a referendum. 

Joseph R. Fitzgerald finds fault with Christie for allowing the people of New Jersey to make this decision:

 "The political discourse that legitimized white men’s right to decide if black men and all women should ever have the right to vote died off long ago. Yet now, our political discourse legitimizes the straight majority’s use of referendums and constitutional amendments to impose its will over the gay minority."

Fitzgerald suggests a boycott of the referendum vote just as blacks did decades ago during the civil rights movement.  Here’s the problem when gay rights activists attempt to co-opt the civil rights movement to gain sympathy for their cause:  they lose credibility, especially with blacks. 


The civil rights struggle was all about integrating blacks and whites.  However, same-sex marriage is not about integration; it advocates segregating genders in marriage.  Another crucial difference is that the color of one’s skin is genetic and can’t be changed, whereas same-sex attraction is an inclination, not a body type, and is considered malleable, or “fluid.”  Also, being black or white is not a moral decision; in contrast, sexual behavior is saturated with ethical decisions.

Here’s the other problem with equating the civil rights movement with the trend to separate genders:  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King spoke about a dream for a vibrant, colorful world, not a sterile, genderless society:  "I have a dream that one day . . . little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers."  

Fortunately, King’s legacy lives on with a new generation of men and women of faith willing to stand for justice in the face of hate-filled opposition.  Listen to the new dream: