Woman threatens to sue Mississippi museum for discriminating against gender-segregated couple

Because discriminating against gender-integration is better?

ABC News:

 A lesbian who sued her school district in 2010 after she was left out of the high school yearbook for wearing a tuxedo is demanding the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum permit a commitment ceremony for her and her partner. 

The Southern Poverty Law Center sent a letter to the museum on Thursday on behalf of Ceara Sturgis, 20, and threatened to sue if the facility doesn't allow Sturgis and her partner, 19-year-old Emily Key, to hold the ceremony there on Aug. 11. 

The state-owned museum refused to allow a similar ceremony for two men earlier this year. 

The museum has said it interprets commitment ceremonies to represent a union and cites a 2009 opinion by Attorney General Jim Hood saying it could decline such ceremonies because same-sex marriage is banned in Mississippi.

This is one of the problems with the push for civil unions and same-sex marriage.  The movement advocates gender-segregation in marriage and encourages lawsuits against businesses and organizations that support gender-integration.  Same-sex marriage is ultimately anti-gender.


Support pro-gender marriage.

This is “anti-gay and anti-trans propaganda”?

This is “anti-gay and anti-trans propaganda”?    

Really?

In a post about the homeless rates of youth who have same-sex attraction, Think Progress asserts that the problem may be caused by anti-gay Christians.

Think Progress:

"... there is a very visible onslaught of anti-gay and anti-trans propaganda specifically targeting parents to raise their fears of the LGBT community. Rather than protecting children, the anti-gay efforts led by conservative evangelical Christians may very well be causing the exact kinds of child abuse that they blame LGBT people for."

Here’s the “anti-gay and anti-trans propaganda” they link to:

The only problem:  this isn’t anti-gay.  Does Think Progress expect us to believe that this mom is going to smack her daughter around before kicking her out of the home for wanting to marry a "princess"?   

This 2008 ad in favor of Proposition 8 does not slander people with same-sex attraction; it opposes segregating genders in marriage. 

There is a crucial difference between anti-gay and pro-gender.  Opposing anti-gender marriage is good for all Americans, not just heterosexuals.

This is why many faiths, such as Christian and Jewish, advise that we treat the people who have same-sex attraction with respect and dignity.  And at the same time, these religions support gender-integrated marriage.  This is not anti-gay, it is pro-gender.

This is the stand taken by Mitt Romney who supports people of all sexual orientation and also defends marriage between one man and one woman.

Slandering Christians will not solve the problem of homeless youth.  The importance of  preventing homelessness for all people is one issue that religious organizations and secular think tanks can agree on.

Video: NAACP audience applauds Romney for supporting 'traditional marriage'

NAACP conference attendees applauded Mitt Romney for supporting "traditional marriage" and for representing "all Americans of every race, creed, and sexual orientation."


Romney:

"Now with 90% of African Americans who typically vote for Democrats, you may wonder, or some may wonder, why a Republican would bother to campaign in the African-American community and to address the NAACP.  One reason, of course, is that I hope to represent all Americans, [applause] of every race, creed, and sexual orientation." (See minute 1:05) 

"Here at the NAACP, you understand the deep and lasting difference the family makes.  Your former executive director, Dr. Benjamin Hooks, had it exactly right.  The family he said, 'remains the bulwark and the mainstay of the black community.  That great truth must not be overlooked.'  Any policy that lifts up and honors the family is going to be good for the country, and that must be our goal.

 As President, I will promote strong families, and I will defend traditional marriage."  [Applause]  (See minute 7:48)

Although the NAACP board voted to endorse "marriage equality" also known as anti-gender marriage, it is clear from this video that they don't represent all their members.  The conference attendees spontaneously applauded Romney's vow to support traditional marriage.

How can Romney support people of every sexual orientation AND support pro-gender marriage?  Simple, both policies uphold the dignity of men and women. 

CAAP disagrees with NAACP over same sex marriage

 The Coalition of African-American Pastors (CAAP) protested the NAACP’s endorsement of anti-gender marriage at its annual conference in Houston.

Huffington Post:

An organization of black clergy members traveled to the NAACP's annual convention in Houston to protest the civil rights group’s recent decision to endorse same-sex marriage. 

The Coalition of African-American Pastors (CAAP), headed by Rev. William Owens of Memphis, Tenn., said that the NAACP had abandoned its core mission by supporting same-sex marriage. 

"This is supposed to be an organization for black people who were beaten, who were mistreated and who were enslaved," Owens told The Huffington Post. "You're advocating for something that's not normal, that's not natural. It's still out of line, it's against moral law." 

"Gay marriage is leading us down a bad path," Owens added. "Our young people are already hurt. They're already damaged." 

Owens said that the NAACP should focus on issues like unemployment and education, and added that CAAP’s online petitions support of “traditional marriage” had garnered at least 5,000 signatures since the group held an initial press conference about its effort last week. He said that he doubted the civil rights group's membership would have backed the resolution.

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney received applause for supporting marriage when he spoke at the NAACP convention.  The National Organization for Marriage   reported that Romney vowed, “'As President, I will promote strong families—and I will defend traditional marriage.' NAACP members in the audience then gave Romney sustained applause in response to his pledge."


If the same-sex marriage issue divides the black vote, will that give Romney an edge in the November election?  See "Is President Obama losing North Carolina because of same-sex marriage?"

Support marriage:  Sign CAAP’s pro-gender marriage pledge.

Actor Jon Voight defends Jane Pitt who supports pro-gender marriage

Brad Pitt’s mother Jane Pitt wrote a letter to the editor asking voters not to reject Romney simply because of his faith.  She defended Romney for supporting life and pro-gender marriage. 

Jane Pitt was promptly cyberbullied.  She was called names and received death wishes.  Sounds like a case of homoffendia.

Actor Jon Voight, the father of Angelina Jolie, came to the defense of  Jane Pitt, saying, “Good for her.”

Voight and Jane Pitt have more in common than respect for marriage; they are both grandparents to Brad and Angelina’s children.

Michelle Malkin posted some of the hate mail that Pitt received:

“BRAD PITT’S MOM WROTE AN ANTI-GAY PRO-ROMNEY EDITORIAL. KILL THE B***H.” 

“Brad Pitt’s mom, die” 

“F*** you, Brad Pitt’s mom. The gay community made your kid a star, you whacko.” 

“Brad Pitt’s mother…what a brainless old b***h…” 

“Brad Pitt’s Mom Slams Obama, Gays. That stand makes her a deluded, dumba**  Fascist Repuke” 

“I hope Brad Pitt has been supporting his mother and decides to cut her off. What a b***h.” 

Teach your children well.  Do you want your children to defend pro-gender marriage or gender-segregated marriage?  

Why did Huff Po post “Father Bernard Lynch, Gay Catholic Priest, Reveals He's Married To A Man, Non-Celibate”?

Because a story about “Straight Catholic Priest Reveals He’s Single and Celibate” is a real snoozer.

Just to clarify, most priests are not gay and married to a man.

Sorta like most people who call themselves gay are not celibate Catholic priests.

Huffington Post:

In a new book, Father Bernard Lynch, a gay Catholic priest who has incurred the wrath of the Vatican for his views supporting LGBT Catholics, not only says he is non-celibate; he reveals that he has been married to a man for the past 14 years, and has officiated over the weddings of many gay and lesbian Catholic couples. The Vatican, he says, is trying to “get rid” of him, while he has been operating a counseling program for closeted gay priests in London since 1992.

Some gay rights activists have a hard time believing in ex-gays.  Do they believe people can become  ex-Catholic?  

Is North Carolina evolving away from Obama over same-sex marriage?

Is President Obama facing voter rejection after he came out in favor of anti-gender marriage?

Examiner.com:

A current poll from Real Clear Politics has the presumed GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, consistently leading President Obama in the fall election, since May 15th, 2012. 

Prior to May 15th, polls showed President Obama continually leading his GOP opponent in North Carolina., but since that day, Mitt Romney - the former Governor of Massachusetts - has not failed to carry the support of the state. 

What caused the shift in numbers? The issue of same-sex marriage provides a reasonable explanation. 

On May 8th, North Carolina voters banned same-sex marriage by amending their state constitution to only recognize marriage as a union between one man and one woman. 

On May 9th, President Obama endorses same-sex marriage - putting himself at odds with North Carolina voters on the controversial issue. 

On May 12th, Governor Romney addressed social-conservatives at Liberty University declaring that marriage is only between one man and one woman - putting himself in agreement with North Carolina voters on the issue. 

 By May 15th, Obama's lead has shifted to Romney, and Romney has held the lead consistently ever since. 

While other factors might be responsible - the timing of the shift of support in North Carolina coincides well with the candidates expressing their beliefs about marriage, and this is why it is reasonable to suggest that this is where Romney gained the lead - and the President lost it.

Will Obama evolve on gender matters? 

Support pro-gender marriage.

Minnesota Secretary of State and Attorney General sued for unlawfully redefining amendment for pro-gender marriage

For advocates of gender-segregated marriage, redefining marriage means redefining titles.

Minnesota for Marriage:

Minnesota for Marriage announced it had petitioned the Minnesota Supreme Court to seek relief under Minnesota Statues § 204B.44 (errors and omissions) against Secretary of State (SOS) Mark Ritchie and Attorney General Lori Swanson for unlawfully changing the title of the Marriage Protection Amendment that will appear on the November ballot. 

In a release last week, SOS Ritchie announced his intent to “substitute” the original title of the amendment from “Recognition of marriage solely between one man and one woman,” to ”Limiting the status of marriage to opposite sex couples.”  Ritchie cited Gov. Dayton’s “symbolic” veto of the legislation as having “invalidated the title designated by the legislature.”  Attorney General, Lori Swanson approved the change. 

“The actions of SOS Mark Ritchie and Attorney General Lori Swanson are unlawful and exceed their constitutional authority,” said Sen. Warren Limmer, the bill’s chief author.  “The Governor’s veto was purely ceremonial and has no legal binding on the title of the amendment.  SOS Ritchie is using the veto as a trumped up excuse to thwart the will of the legislature.  It is a sad day in Minnesota when the Secretary of State and the Attorney General disregard the will of the legislature and use deceptive language.” 

“This case is about the rights of the people and the legislature to function in a representative democracy without the interference of the executive branch of government,” said Rep. Steve Gottwalt. “It is also about preserving the constitutional integrity of the amendment process. The Minnesota Constitution grants the power to amend the constitution to the Legislature and the people. Here, the Secretary of State is attempting to interfere by disregarding the given ballot title and replacing it with a misleading and incorrect proposed title.” 

Meanwhile Ritchie says naming amendments is his job.

MPR News:

But in an interview with MPR News last month, Ritchie said that the Legislature isn't supposed to name constitutional amendment questions. 

 "[Minnesota]] statute requires the secretary of state to provide titles for constitutional amendments with the approval of the attorney general," he said then. "The big things that we think about is are we being complete and accurate so that some voters will read that, and then that'll be some of the important information they'll receive and then there'll be a ballot question that will be other important information that they receive."

And Think Progess calls the lawsuit petty:  “In regards to the marriage amendment, the fact that there is now a legal battle over its title demonstrates what a petty venture it is.”

If legal battles over words is petty, does that mean the push to redefine “marriage” is petty?

Words matter.

Episcopal Church blesses gender segregation in families

The war on gender continues…

• Director of BGLTQ student life at Harvard College opposes “gendered pronouns”
• U.S. House Democrats support abortions targeting gender
• And now the Episcopal Church plans a new rite to bless gender-segregation in families

Reuters: 

The U.S. Episcopal Church is poised to become the first major religious denomination in the United States to approve a rite for blessing gay marriages after its bishops overwhelmingly approved such a liturgy on Monday. 

The proposed blessing was agreed by the church's Chamber of Bishops at a meeting in Indianapolis and is expected to receive final approval from its House of Deputies later this week, Ruth Meyers, a chair of the Episcopalians' Subcommittee on Prayer Book, Liturgy and Church Music, told Reuters. 

The decision would go into effect in December and make the Episcopal Church, an independent U.S.-based institution affiliated with global Anglicanism, the biggest U.S. church to allow a liturgy for same-sex marriages. 

The Episcopal Church is the 14th-largest denomination in the United States with nearly 2 million adherents, according to the National Council of Churches. 

The new Episcopal same-sex liturgy, called "the Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant," would be a standard rite for same-sex marriage.

In other words, the Episcopal Church voted to bless gender-segregated “marriages.”

Did they forget that gender matters?

Support pro-gender marriage.

Google's 'Legalise Love' campaign: love, civil unions, same-sex marriage?

Google claims their ‘Legalise Love’ campaign is not about same-sex marriage.

Google’s push for LGBT rights and “full equality” isn’t about same-sex marriage?  Yeah, that’s what gay rights activists said about civil unions, too.  Try telling that to Vermont.

Washington Post reports:

The Internet has been buzzing this weekend over a reported announcement by  Google that it is launching a worldwide push to legalize same-sex marriage. However, the tech giant says its new “Legalize Love” campaign isn’t about gay marriage at all, but rather supporting workers in countries that criminalize homosexuality. 

"'Legalize Love' is a campaign to promote safer conditions for gay and lesbian people inside and outside the office in countries with anti-gay laws on the books," said a Google spokesperson in a statement.

Gay rights activists consider gender-integrated marriage laws to be “anti-gay,” yet Google insists this isn't about SSM.  And on the same page explaining their "Legalise Love" campaign, Google boasts:  "In our Warsaw office, we hosted politician and LGBT activist Kystian Legierski for an office-wide talk and discussion lunch on the importance of civil partnership laws."  We all know civil partnerships and civil unions are not what gay rights activists consider full equality.  It's just a step forward in their march toward same-gender marriage.

From Google's own website:

We [Google] are proud to be recognised as a leader in LGBT inclusion efforts, but there is still a long way to go to achieve full equality.  Legalise Love is our call to decriminalise homosexuality and eliminate homophobia around the world. 

At Google, we encourage people to bring their whole selves to work. . . We also want our employees to have the same inclusive experience outside of the office, as they do at work, and for LGBT communities to be safe and to be accepted wherever they are.

Google also lists the Human Rights Campaign as one of their LGBT partners.  HRC is very forthright about their commitment to same-sex marriage.  “Love. Honor. Commitment. That’s why HRC believes that same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

  

Hey Google, we know how it goes.  First comes love, then civil unions, then comes same-sex marriage in a baby carriage.