Tag: anti-gay

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Knights of Columbus waste $15.8 million fighting equal rights

Since 2005, the Knights of Columbus has spent $15.8 million to keep gays and lesbians from having equal rights.

The excellent graphic above from Freedom to Marry gives us just a few options of how that many could have been better spent.

In related news, Speaker of the House John Boehner’s “defend DOMA” account” – originally budgeted at $1.5 million – is almost empty. Another bad use of funds that could have helped Americans.

The trend and truth of marriage equality is clear. The question remains: how much and for how long will anti-gay political forces oppose equal rights for all?

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Second Circuit Court finds DOMA unconstitutional

A seventh federal court has ruled against DOMA. From the Washington Blade:

A federal appeals court has ruled the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional in case filed by a New York widow who’s challenging the statute on the basis that it forced her to unfairly pay $363,000 in estate taxes.

The court ruled against Section 3 of DOMA on the basis that it violates equal protection under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The majority opinion came from Chief Judge Dennis Jacobs and Judge Christopher Droney.

“DOMA’s classification of same-sex spouses was not substantially related to an important government interest,” the decision states. “Accordingly, we hold that Section 3 of DOMA violates equal protection and is therefore unconstitutional.”

The plaintiff in the case, which was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, is 83-year-old lesbian Edith Windsor, who had to pay $363,000 in 2009 upon the death of her spouse, Thea Spyer, because DOMA prohibits the federal recognition of same-sex marriage.

The court also ruled that DOMA should be subject to heightened scrutiny, or a greater assumption that the law is unconstitutional, because, among other reasons, gays and lesbians have faced a history of discrimination and have a distinguishing characteristic from others.

(source)

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DOMA defense fund almost empty

Talking Points Memo makes note of the face that the House GOP authorized spending account to defend DOMA is almost drained.

As of this month, taxpayers have spent $1,447,996.73 defending a law that prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage, according to numbers released Tuesday by House Democrats. The contract that House Republicans entered into with an outside law firm to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) currently has a cap of $1.5 million.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler reacts: “Speaker Boehner has wasted more than a year, and more than $1.5 million taxpayer dollars defending DOMA. So far, he has lost five cases in a row as every court has ruled that there is no legitimate justification for this law. Every day, DOMA harms thousands of American couples and their children. Instead of wasting taxpayer money defending this unjust law in court, Speaker Boehner should join us in our effort to repeal it.”

I’m guessing Speaker Boehner plans on asking for more money to defend the discriminatory law.

Spending cuts on health care, veterans, teachers and firemen, but we need to spend more on marriage inequality?

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Blue Jays Yunel Escobar returns from 3 game ban after anti-gay slur

Toronto Blue Jay Yunel Escobar returned to the field last night after a 3 game ban due to an anti-gay slur he wrote in his eye black last week, and was greeted with an opening pitch from openly gay former MLS player David Testo.

The Washington Post has more:

Before the game, Escobar sat down with Jose Estevez, an openly gay distance runner from Boston College, and Patrick Burke, the founder of You Can Play.

Escobar’s lost salary during his three-game ban — about $82,000 — was to be directed to You Can Play and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

Burke said the 45-minute meeting was helpful for all parties.

“I think it put a face on the issue for Yunel,” Burke said. “I think it humanized the issue of gay athletes for Yunel and I think Jose did a great job today.”

Escobar was penalized after writing “You Are A Faggot” in Spanish before a recent game. He was met with boos from some in the crowd last night after his name was announced. The Blue Jays’ manager says Escobar may continue to hear some boos: “He understands whatever comes his way is part of the process. He made a terrible mistake and is going to have to be accountable.”

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Intel will no longer support Boy Scouts due to gay discrimination

Just days after a petition calling for Intel to drop it’s support garnered over 30,000 signatures in less than 24 hours, the Boy Scouts of America has lost its largest corporate donor, Intel, which announced Friday that it will no longer support the group until it vows to stop discriminating against gay people.

In a statement released to Think Progress on Friday, Intel’s Chief Diversity Officer, Rosalind Hudnell, confirmed that the company would no longer fund the Boy Scouts of America, so long as the Scouts stand by their long-held policy barring gay troops and leaders from participating in the organization.

“Due to significant growth in the number of organizations funded, earlier this year we revisited our policies associated with the program, and applied new rigor that requires any organization to confirm that it adheres to Intel’s anti-discrimination policy in order to receive funding,” said Hudnell.

Zach Wahls, who led the petition drive, said “Intel made the right decision here, in order to live up to their corporate values of diversity, equality and individual liberty.”

“Companies that support the LGBT community simply can’t be in the business of funding organizations that discriminate. Frankly, by sending this message, Intel is upholding the true spirit of Scouting better than the BSA is today,” he said.

According to Wahls, Intel gave almost $700,000 to the Boy Scout in 2010.

More at LGBTQ Nation

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Gov. Jesse Ventura and wife speak out against anti-gay Minnesota amendment

Former Governor Jesse Ventura and his wife, Terry, have been married for 37 years – and they wouldn’t want to deny the happiness they’ve had in their life to anyone. “Love is by far bigger than government can ever be.”

Help defeat this anti-LGBT amendment in Minnesota: www.mnunited.org

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Minnesota: Anti-gay marriage amendment has strong support

According to a new KSTP/SurveyUSA poll, 50 percent of Minnesotans favor an amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Meanwhile, 43 percent oppose the amendment and 8 percent are undecided.

The amendment is favored in all regions of the state, with the closest margin in the Twin Cities metro area where the “yes” vote is ahead just 46 percent to 44 percent. The amendment is also supported by voters in the 18 to 49 age group by a margin of 48 percent to 42 percent. “Likely voters” over the age of 50 support the amendment 51 percent to 44 percent.

Booo!

(source)

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Michigan: Anti-gay hate crime gets a guilty plea

For the second time since the adoption of the Matthew Shepard Act, the federal government has won a conviction for an anti-gay hate crime. Via MetroSource:

Everett Dwayne Avery of Detroit admitted to striking a fellow customer in the face in a Detroit convenience store in March 2011 because of the man’s perceived sexuality. Avery’s assault resulted in numerous facial injuries to the victim, including the fracturing of the victim’s eye socket.

In a statement released today, the Department of Justice confirmed that the 36-year-old Avery had pleaded guilty to the federal hate crimes charge.

Avery is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 28 and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

“Hate-fueled incidents have no place in a civilized society,” said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to using all the tools in our law enforcement arsenal, including the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to prosecute acts of violence motivated by hate.”

Another case being prosecuted under the federal hate crime in currently under way in Kentucky.

(source)

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Australia: No To Homophobia campaign endorsed by Australian Football League rugby code

From the YouTube page: In an Australian-first, a new public campaign will combine TV ads, social media, online support resources and moving personal stories from people who have experienced harassment to challenge every single member of the community to say no to homophobia, transphobia and biphobia.

Two television ads, to be broadcast nationally over the next year, depict the most common everyday situations where people face harassment — at school, in sports, at work and in public spaces like cafes and on the street. They show people experiencing harassment and witnesses taking action to put a stop to the offensive behaviour. TV ads focusing on homophobic harassment have never been shown in Australia.

An online resource at www.notohomophobia.com.au helps people get informed, find support and take action by hosting all the relevant information, resources and contacts in one place.

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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Famously anti-gay pastor guilty of obscenity charges

Infamous anti-gay New Orleans Pastor Grant Storms, who has held anti-gay “purity” parades through the French Quarter during Southern Decadence, was convicted yesterday of public masturbation near a children’s playground.

From NOLA.com: Judge Ross LaDart promptly found Storms guilty of the single count of obscenity. He sentenced Storms to three years of probation, citing no evidence of a criminal history.

LaDart also ordered Storms to be evaluated, apparently psychologically. The judge noted that in Storms’ confession, he admitted that Feb. 25, 2011, the day he was arrested, was the third time that week that he masturbated in Lafreniere Park.

“Lafreniere Park is a public place,” LaDart said in announcing the verdict. “Lafreniere Park is a place that was chosen by this defendant to engage in a history of masturbation.”

Storms declined to testify. His attorneys, Brett Emmanuel and Donald Cashio, did not overtly deny their client masturbated in the park but argued he never exposed his penis. The exposure was a necessary element of the obscenity charge.

In his confession, Storms told Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Kevin Balser he had taken a break from his grass cutting business to sip a beer in the park, where he said he became “horny.” He said he put his hands into his underwear, but he never exposed himself.