Tag: anti-gay

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New Kentucky Governor Issues Executive Order Removing County Clerks Names From Marriage Licenses

Newly elected Gov. Matt Bevin of Kentucky has issued an executive order removing the requirement for county clerks names on marriage licenses.

For months County clerk Kim Davis asked that the governor’s office make such a change so she would not be, at least in her eyes, a “party” to a same-sex marriage.

Outgoing Gov. Beshear insisted his office did not have the authority to change state law. It appears some legal minds still agree with Beshear.

Bevin’s order on marriage licenses directs the state Department of Libraries and Archives to change the wording on forms so that the names of county clerks are not required to appear. The issue gained national attention after Davis, Rowan County’s clerk, refused to sign off the forms, citing her Apostolic Christian beliefs and objections to same-sex marriage.

Beshear argued for months that state statute determined the wording on marriage licenses and that he could not remove clerks’ names. However, Bevin’s press release states that the change is needed to “ensure that the sincerely held religious beliefs of all Kentuckians are honored.”

William Sharp, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, released a statement saying that Bevin’s action has created a cloud of uncertainty over marriage licenses in the state.

“The requirement that the county clerk’s name appear on marriage licenses is prescribed by Kentucky law and is not subject to unilateral change by the governor – conceded by the previous administration in court filings,” he said. “Today, however, a new administration claims to have that authority.”

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Sen. Marco Rubio Doesn’t Like Being Called A “Bigot”

On CBS’ Face The Nation this past weekend, GOP White House hopeful (currently trailing fourth in most polls), cast himself as the victim saying he’s been called a “bigot” for not supporting equal rights for LGBTs.

“Increasingly, Americans feel out of place, because it seems like the people who have access to power and influence win, and everybody else is left on the outside looking in,” Rubio said. “People that hold traditional values are often described as bigots and haters.”

Arguing that President Barack Obama has said that “people that don’t support same-sex marriage are wrong,” Rubio then added, “I have been called a bigot for not supporting [same-sex marriage].”

Last week, the Florida senator suggested that if he is elected president, the justices he will nominate to the U.S. Supreme Court may roll back marriage equality.

It’s worth noting that Sen. Rubio has actively/publicly campaigned against marriage equality and other rights for LGBTs.

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines “bigot” as: “a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices.”

I think that’s a pretty fair description of Sen. Rubio’s situation. He does hold to his own opinions and does not shift from those positions.

So, maybe bigot IS exactly the right word…?

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Judge Rules Catholic School Broke Anti-Discrimination Laws By Rescinding Offer To Gay Man

The haters are so going to scream “religious liberties!”

Fontbonne Academy offered Matthew Barrett a job as a food services director. He accepted.

But when he listed his legal husband as his emergency contact on human resources forms, his offer was rescinded.

Message? We don’t hire gays. The only problem is they broke state laws discriminating against Barrett.

ABC News takes it from here:

Barrett sued, alleging that the Milton school discriminated against him based on sexual orientation and gender. Norfolk Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins agreed, rejecting Fontbonne’s claim that hiring Barrett would infringe on its constitutional rights because it views his marriage to a man as incompatible with its religious mission.

The judge said Barrett’s duties as a food services director did not include presenting the teachings of the Catholic church. The judge also found that a religious exemption to the state anti-discrimination law applies only if a religious organization limits admission to people of a certain religion. Fontbonne is open to students and employees of all faiths, with the exception of its administration and theology faculty.

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NBA-er Rajon Rondo Issues Non-Apology For Calling Referee “Mother-f**king-faggot”

In the aftermath of an ugly altercation between NBA referee Bill Kennedy and Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo, two moments emerged.

First, the backstory – the on-court altercation happened when referee Bill Kennedy called a technical foul on Rondo. Rondo began stalking the referee on the court, eventually getting in Kennedy’s face telling him “You’re a mother———- faggot. … You’re a f——— faggot, Billy.”

Since then, Bill Kennedy came out.

“I am proud to be an NBA referee and I am proud to be a gay man,” Kennedy told Yahoo Sports on Sunday night. “I am following in the footsteps of others who have self-identified in the hopes that will send a message to young men and women in sports that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of who you are.”

And yesterday, Rondo issued a non-apology via Twitter:

Because nothing says “respect” more than calling someone a “mother-f**king-faggot.”

Rondo initially denied using the slur until video taped evidence was examined by two independent experts, and the other officials were interviewed privately and all accounts confirmed the report.

Rondo will make $9.5 million this season, and his one game suspension for tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets will cost him $86,300.

You can watch the aggressive behavior that led to Rondo’s ejection below.

UPDATE: Rondo has issued a statement via the Sacramento Kings to clarify his tweets and make it clear he is, indeed, apologizing.

“Yesterday, I said that my words toward Bill Kennedy were unacceptable and did not reflect my feelings toward the LGBT community. Some have interpreted my comments as a non-apology. I want to be clear, from the bottom of my heart that I am truly sorry for what I said to Bill. There is no place on or off the court for language that disrespects anyone’s sexual orientation. That is not who I am or what I believe and I will strive every day to be a better person.”

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Rachel Maddow Asks Ted Cruz Campaign About “Kill The Gays” Rally Appearance

Rachel Maddow reports on Ted Cruz, Republican presidential candidate, avoiding directly addressing his association with religious extremists who cited the Bible as justifying executing homosexuals and abortion doctors.

According to Maddow, Cruz’s campaign asked for evidence that the anti-gay rant occurred: “Send me a video or audio where he explicitly says this and I will look at it.”

Video of the vile speech wasn’t enough for Cruz’s people, though. The campaign responded with two words: “Not explicit.”

I think the speech is clear as can be. It goes without saying that it would appear that even “implicit” calls for executing gays would be coolio with Cruz.

Watch the segment below:

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Homophobic Tweets By Kathryn Knott, Alleged Philly Gay Basher, Will Be Admissible

Kathryn Knott (R) with Philip Williams and Kevin Harrigan who pled guilty to assaulting two gay men in Center City

Bad news for Kathryn Knott, who heads to trial next month on charges of aggravated assault during events back in September 2014 when two gay men were attacked and beaten to the point of one man’s jaw was shattered and had to be wired shut for months.

Her homophobic tweets she was happy to send out into the Twitterverse will come back to haunt her as they will be introduced as evidence to show her bias against gays.

From Philly.com:

A Common Pleas jury is expected to hear that Knott, 25, of Southampton, had posted the following on her @kathryn_knott Twitter account:

* “@krisssstenxoxo the ppl we were just dancing with just turned and mafe out with eatch other #gay #ew”

* “jazz flute is for little fairy boys”

* “@g0_nads he’s gonna rip me today for my hair..just wait. #dyke”

* “this camo song is gay like all the other brad paisley songs”

Knott faces trial on a count of conspiracy, two counts of aggravated assault and related offenses in the September 2014 attack on a gay couple in Center City. Jury selection is expected to take place Dec. 9. Opening statements would likely begin the next day.
Besides Knott, two others in her group, Philip Williams, of Warminster, and Kevin Harrigan, of Warrington, were also charged with aggravated assault, conspiracy and related offenses.

Last month, Williams, 25, and Harrigan, 27, accepted commonwealth offers to plead guilty before Common Pleas Judge Frank Palumbo. Williams pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and conspiracy and was sentenced to five years’ probation.

Harrigan pleaded to simple assault and conspiracy and was sentenced to three years’ probation. Both were ordered to perform community service at a center supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, to stay away from Center City while on probation and to pay restitution.

Knott turned down a plea offer and opted to take her case to trial.

Barry, in arguing Tuesday for Knott’s tweets to be introduced at her trial, told the judge: “She does not like gay people. This is why the fight happened. . . . She’s one of the people who jumped in and joined the assault.”

The prosecutor said an independent witness saw Knott run into the fight and punch Hesse.

He said the victims also heard her call out the word “faggot.”

Read more about the case here.

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Kevin Swanson’s Epic Rant At The “Death To Gays” Conference In Iowa

Kevin Swanson

Over the weekend, Kevin Swanson hosted Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, and Bobby Jindal at the National Religious Liberties Conference in Des Moines, Iowa.

While Swanson has made some pretty insane remarks in the past, this speech verges on performance art. To call this a ‘meltdown’ would be polite.

Check this speech Swanson gave at the conference after interviewing Huckabee and Jindal.

Swanson screams:

“There are families, we’re talking Christian families, pastors’ families, elders’ families from good, godly churches, whose sons are rebelling, hanging out with homosexuals and getting married and the parents are invited. What would you do if that was the case? Here is what I would do: sackcloth and ashes at the entrance to the church and I’d sit in cow manure and I’d spread it all over my body. That is what I would do and I’m not kidding, I’m not laughing….I’m grieving, I’m mourning, I’m pointing out the problem.

“It’s not a gay time! These are the people with the sores! The gaping sores! The sores that are pussey and gross, and people are coming in and carving happy faces on the sores! That’s not a nice thing to do! Don’t you DARE carve happy faces on open pussey sores! Don’t you ever do that! Don’t you ever do that!

“I tell you don’t do it. Sack cloth and ashes. This is what America needs. America needs to hear the message. We are messed up.

Swanson has often underlined his stone-cold belief that the Old and New Testaments call for the death penalty for gays and lesbians. Not as a metaphor, but literally the execution of folks like me.

And what’s really frightening is Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal and Mike Huckabee were proud to speak at this man’s event.

Watch the wild rant below.

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Congressman Louie Gohmert: Put Gay Couples On An Island To See If They Die Out

While speaking at Liberty University last week, anti-LGBT Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert repeated his call to test his theory that same-sex relationships are “unnatural.”

“Let’s just take a totally secular approach to this. Congress is good about having studies; how about if we take four heterosexual couples and put them on an island where they have everything they need to live and exist and we take four couples of just men and put them on an island where they have all they need to survive and then let’s take four couples of just women and put them on an island and then lets come back in 100 years and see which one nature favors.”

Of course, the same could be said about infertile couples or seniors who are past the age of reproduction.

But logic never gets in the way of Mr. Gohmert.

Watch below.

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Pat Robertson: God Will Wreck U.S. Financial Markets Over Marriage Equality

I can’t believe I’m quoting former Vice President Dan Quayle, but as he once misquoted the slogan of the United Negro College Fund: “It’s a terrible thing to lose your mind.”

That would seem to be appropriate here after watching Pat Robertson blather on about God’s wrath against financial entities over same-sex marriage today.

The 700 Club’s resident bigot flipped out saying that the United States is becoming Sodom. robertson predicted God will cause financial ruin in America over marriage equality and equal rights for transgender folks.

Via Right Wing Watch:

“Now it’s a constitutional right for sodomites to marry each other,” he lamented, warning that “the wrath of God is revealed against this stuff.” He explained: “I don’t want the wrath of God to hit this country, it’s a great country, I’d like to see America continue strong, but this is one way of weakening it. First of all, we’re going to have this financial collapse. We’re setting up for a massive financial collapse and I think if God is going to hurt this country that’s probably the way he’d do it.”

Can you believe this man was once considered to be a “moral leader?”

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NY Mets Collapse In World Series After Anti-Gay Daniel Murphy Makes Error In The 12th Inning

Doug Mills/NY Times

After becoming a postseason hero with homer after homer, NY Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy made an error on a ground ball hit by Paulo Orlando in the 12th inning of Game 5.

Following that mistake, the Kansas City Royals, leading by 3-2 at the time, went on to score four more runs, ultimately winning the World Series in five games.

The final score was Royals 7, Mets 2 in 12 innings.

Murphy had become a hero of another kind during the series – his anti-gay comments from last spring came back to light and he was hailed by the haters of Teabagistan.

But today, the baseball “god” becomes the goat.