‘President's position on LGBT issues is -- or record, rather, is well known and one that he and we are very proud of’

Obama’s Press Secretay Jay Carney clarified that although the President’s position on LGBT issues might be in the closet, his record is “well known.” 

Don’t worry Mr. Carney, after the November election President Obama will have “more flexibility” to come out in favor of same-sex marriage. 

From the Press Briefing:

Q And on a separate note, Jay, a New Mexico same-sex couple brought their eight-year-old daughter to the White House today for the Easter Egg Roll, in part to send a message to the President that he should sign an executive order that would ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. Does he plan to sign this executive order? 

MR. CARNEY: I don't have any updates for you on possible or proposed executive orders. I would note that we're delighted that that couple and many others were able to attend the Easter Egg Roll and -- again, I don't have anything more on the executive orders. 

Q Does the President have a reaction to the fact that they're here and that they came with a message? 

MR. CARNEY: Well, they’re here because they were invited, and the President -- many, many people -- families of all kinds are invited to this wonderful event. And the President is delighted that they and others were able to attend. 

Q But, Jay, as you know, they've been speaking out. They've been speaking to various members of the press about this issue, and looking for a reaction -- 

MR. CARNEY: Well, again, I don't have anything for you on a specific executive order. What I can tell you is I think the President's position on LGBT issues is -- or record, rather, is well known and one that he and we are very proud of.

Study says forbidden same-sex attraction leads to more ‘pronounced’ homophobia

If authoritarian parents create more pronounced homophobia in their children, would permissive parents generate more pronounced same-sex attraction?

From Newswise:

"Homophobia is more pronounced in individuals with an unacknowledged attraction to the same sex and who grew up with authoritarian parents who forbade such desires, a series of psychology studies demonstrates. The study is the first to document the role that both parenting and sexual orientation play in the formation of intense fear of homosexuals."

The authors of the study equate opposing same-sex marriage with homophobia, a premise many would disagree with including the Catholic Church which teaches that all people are worthy of dignity and respect, however, not all sex is created equal.  

More from the study:

The research also sheds light on high profile cases in which anti-gay public figures are caught engaging in same-sex sexual acts. The authors cite such examples as Ted Haggard, the evangelical preacher who opposed gay marriage but was exposed in a gay sex scandal in 2006, and Glenn Murphy, Jr., former chairman of the Young Republican National Federation and vocal opponent of gay marriage, who was accused of sexually assaulting a 22-year-old man in 2007, as potentially reflecting this dynamic.

 

 “We laugh at or make fun of such blatant hypocrisy, but in a real way, these people may often themselves be victims of repression and experience exaggerated feelings of threat,” says Ryan. “Homophobia is not a laughing matter. It can sometimes have tragic consequences,” Ryan says, pointing to cases such as the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard or the 2011 shooting of Larry King.

Regarding the tragic shooting of Larry King, his family sued several agencies for not toning down his “flamboyant” behavior and provocative dress. And they won their case.  Does that mean the social workers who encouraged this young man to dress like a girl were homophobic? 

Pastor Rick Warren: ‘Sex is for a man and a woman in marriage only’

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church defended marriage between one man and one woman during an Easter interview with Jake Tapper.  The author of the bestseller The Purpose Driven Life, Warren also said genders have a "purpose" in marriage and that divorce is a "much bigger problem" than same-gender marriage.

From ABC News: 

"That makes me extremely unpopular. Why? Because I don’t believe in premarital sex. I believe sex is only for marriage, between a man and a woman, and it has a purpose there. 

 Actually, history shows that when the church accommodates culture, it weakens it. This is why there is a very weak church in Europe today. It’s almost non-existent in many areas."

Commenters called Warren a “hypocrite,” “closet case,” “shaman,” “charlatan” and “snake oil salesman” for defending pro-gender marriage.  Presumably this name-calling comes from the open-minded and tolerant left who love diversity except for when they disagree with it, for example gender-integrated marriage.