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NEWS ITEMS AFFECTING GAYS AND LESBIANS
FOR 2005 - APRIL TO JUNE
Sponsored link.
In the following, "SSM" refers to "same-sex marriage."
News of 2005-APR:
 | 2005-APR-05: NH: Bishop Robinson attacked for views on Jesus: Bishop
Gene Robinson is the first openly-gay bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA.
In a forum on FEB-13 at Christ Church in Hamilton MA, he commented that the
nuclear family is a relatively new idea and that Jesus led a nontraditional
life in Palestine. He is reported to have said: "Interestingly enough, in
this day of traditional family values and so on, this man that we follow ...
was single as far as we know; who traveled with a bunch of men, although
there were lots of women around; who had a disciple who was known as 'the
one whom Jesus loved'; who said 'my family is not my mother and father, my
family are those who do the will of God' -- none of us like those harsh
words. That's who Jesus is, that's who he was, at least in his earthly life."
He says that he has recently been "flooded with angry messages" from
people who appear to have misinterpreted his statement; they apparently
believe that Robinson was implying that Jesus was gay and/or that he was
sexually active. Robinson said: "I can assure you with absolute certainty
that was not my implication, and certainly not anything I ever said."
1 |
| 2005-APR-13: GA: Eric Rudolph, the "Olympic
Bomber" issues anti-homosexual manifesto: Rudolph pleaded
guilty to the bombing at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA, and subsequent
attacks of a gay bar and two abortion clinics. Two people were killed; 123
were wounded. He also told authorities where he had buried over 200 pounds
of explosives. In return, prosecutors agreed to not ask for the death
penalty. Rudolph was given four life sentences without parole. 2
He issued an 11 page manifesto which mainly deals with his hatred of the
government and of women's clinics. He apparently believes that an embryo is
a human person from the instant of conception, that abortion is murder, and
"...that force is justified and in an attempt to stop it."
Rudolph also had strong beliefs against same-sex behavior. He wrote in his
manifesto: "Along with abortion, another assault upon the integrity of
American society is the concerted effort to legitimize the practice of
homosexuality. Homosexuality is an aberrant sexual behavior, and as such I
have complete sympathy and understanding for those who are suffering from
this condition. Practiced by consenting adults within the confines of their
own private lives, homosexuality is not a threat to society. Those,
consenting adults practicing this behavior in privacy should not be hassled
by a society which respects the sanctity of private sexual life. But when
the attempt is made to drag this practice out of the closet and into the
public square in an 'in your face' attempt to force society to accept and
recognize this behavior as being just as legitimate and normal as the
natural man/woman relationship, every effort should be made, including force
if necessary, to halt this effort.""This effort is commonly known
as the homosexual agenda. Whether it is gay marriage, homosexual adoption,
hate crimes laws including gays, or the attempt to introduce a homosexual
normalizing curriculum into our schools, all of these efforts should be
ruthlessly opposed. The existence of our culture depends upon it. It is the
duty of the state to promote the public welfare and this includes holding up
values and model behaviors which tend to create a healthy society capable of
reproducing itself by the natural means of the family unit. This model
behavior which lies at the heart of a healthy society is the marriage
between a man and a woman. To place the homosexual relationship along side
of the model and pronounce it to be just as legitimate a lifestyle choice is
a direct assault upon the long term health and integrity of civilization and
a vital threat to the very foundation of society — and this foundation is
the family hearth."
"Any conscientious individual afflicted with homosexuality should
acknowledge that a healthy society requires a model of sexual behavior to be
held up and maintained without assault. Like other humans suffering from
various disabilities homosexuals should not attempt to infect the rest of
society with their particular illness."
3 |
| 2005-MAY-02: CO: Soulforce plans to confront
Focus on the Family: Soulforce is a non-violent, gay-positive,
religious, activist organization which promotes equal rights for persons of
all sexual orientations. They expect to join with "1000 people of faith
from Colorado and all across the country" on MAY-01 outside the
headquarters of Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, CO. On
MAY-02, they hope "...to deliver to [Focus founder James] Dobson and his
staff thousands of letters that illustrate the tragic consequences of the
anti-gay rhetoric of Dobson and other fundamentalist Christian leaders."
Rev. Dr. Mel White, Executive Director of Soulforce said: "On
Monday, May 2, James Dobson has to make a moral decision. Does he welcome
this delegation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people with
supportive clergy and other people of faith? Or does he lock us out and
force us to risk nonviolent civil disobedience and arrest? We can't just go
away and ignore the terrible consequences of Dobson's ignorance and bigotry."
Reverend Robyn Murphy, staff pastor at Pikes Peak Metropolitan Community
Church in Colorado Springs, said: "If Dr. Dobson denies the opportunity
for interaction and dialogue by locking us out, he is saying that he is not
open to the latest scientific and biblical evidence that homosexuality is
simply another example of God's glorious and diverse creation."
"Jeff Lutes, MS, LPC, a psychologist and family counselor from Austin,
TX is leading this nonviolent intervention. He said: "If we are locked
out of Focus on the Family, the nation will see clearly that the truth about
gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people is being locked out with
us....We are calling this a family intervention, as we are all really part
of the same family. As a member of the human family, James Dobson is our
brother who has become a dangerous and misleading force to millions. We are
coming to Colorado Springs to show him that his refusal to hear the truth
about God's gay children leads to wasted lives and ruined families. We pray
that this time, James Dobson will hear us."
4 |
| 2005-MAY-02: USA: Rumsfield v. Fair case
accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court: In 1994, former Representative
Gerald Solomon (R-NY) sponsored the Solomon Amendment which bars Department
of Defense funds to universities who have law schools that refuse to assist
military recruiters on campus. It became law. In 1997, an amendment was
passed that bars funds from all federal agencies including the Department of
Education. Meanwhile, some law schools have anti-discrimination policies
with prevent cooperation with sexist, racist or homophobic organization. The
military fits into the last category because of its "don't ask, don't tell"
policy which expels military personnel who are open with their
homosexuality. According to the Washington Post, no school has lost any
funding so far. However, if the law were applied, an entire university could
lose all federal funding because of the policies of its law college. The
Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, PA ruled that the
amendments are "a clear First Amendment impairment. [The law]...requires
law schools to express a message that is incompatible with their educational
objectives, and no compelling governmental interest has been shown to deny
this freedom." The U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will consider
this case during its 2005-2006 term which begins in 2005-OCT.
5 |
| 2005-MAY-03: Canada: First military wedding of a same-sex couple:
Lt.-Cmdr. David Greenwood, the head chaplain of airbase base Greenwood in
Nova Scotia, organized the first same-sex wedding of a military couple. Rev.
Greenwood, an Anglican, said: "I looked after the co-ordination in
accordance with our military policy of receiving the couple with dignity and
respect." The marriage of a gay couple was performed by a United Church
of Canada minister. 9 |
| 2005-MAY-05: MD: Anti-Christian bias cited
in homosexuality curriculum: Montgomery
County Public Schools has suspended a new sex-ed curriculum which was to be
evaluated in three high schools and three middle schools in Montgomery
County, MD starting on MAY-09. This was done in response to U.S. District
Judge Alexander Williams Jr.'s temporary restraining order. A conservative
Christian legal defense organization, Liberty Counsel, represented two
conservative groups: Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum and
Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays. Baptist
Press reported that: "The curriculum -- aimed at eighth- and 10th-graders
-- claims that Jesus 'said absolutely nothing at all about homosexuality'
and that being homosexual is similar to being left-handed. It notes that
some Baptist churches once defended racial segregation, implying that
conservative Baptists today are on the wrong side of history. It also says
that future generations likely will view today's traditional beliefs on
homosexuality with 'astonishment' and that "religion has often been misused
to justify hatred and oppression." More
details. 6 |
| 2005-MAY-08: USA: Author retracts beliefs
about homosexuality: Martha Beck is the author of a new book: "Leaving
the Saints: How I lost the Mormons and found my faith." It alleges
that she was the victim of sexual abuse. She says that the perpetrator was
her recently deceased father, Hugh Nibley, a senior official in The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dan Wotherspoon of
Sunstone Magazine has reportedly said: "Books by apostates from
the church, they come along all the time, but an attack on Hugh Nibley -- to
call Hugh Nibley a pedophile and a liar, with no evidence to back it up --
of course that is going to hit the Mormon community like an earthquake."
In 1990, she and her husband collaborated on a
book "Breaking the Cycle of Compulsive Behavior." They argued that
homosexuality is a choice; it is an addiction that can be overcome through
will power. The Washington Post reports that she now lives with a
woman in a relationship that she calls "more than platonic. She
said she no longer believes that homosexuality is a choice that can be
overcome." 7 |
| 2005-MAY-12: NB: Nebraska DOMA law was declared unconstitutional: U.S.
District Judge Joseph Bataillon declared the state DOMA law to be
unconstitutional because it denies equal protection under law to same sex
couples. Referring to Section 29 in the state Bill of Rights which prevents
gays and lesbians from trying to effect legislative change, he wrote:
"The court finds Section 29 is a denial of access to one of our most
fundamental sources of protection, the government. Such broad exclusion from
'an almost limitless number of transactions and endeavors that constitute
ordinary civil life in a free society' is 'itself a denial of equal
protections in the literal sense'."
He noted that Section 29 "imposes significant burdens on both the
expressive and intimate associational rights [of gays and lesbians] and creates
a significant barrier to the plaintiffs' right to petition or to participate in
the political process....[the ban] goes far beyond merely defining marriage as
between a man and a woman....[the] broad proscriptions could also interfere with
or prevent arrangements between potential adoptive or foster parents and
children, related persons living together, and people sharing custody of
children as well as gay individuals."
8 More information
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| 2005-JUN-14: Canada: Jimmy Swaggart
criticized for homophobic remarks: On his 2004-SEP-12 program on the
Omni 1 TV cable network, Jimmy Swaggart said that he would kill any gay who
looked at him romantically. He said: "I'm going to be blunt and plain: If
anyone ever looks at me like that, I'm going to kill him and tell God he
died." He added that politicians who are undecided about same-sex
marriage "all oughta have to marry a pig and live with him forever."
Swaggart apologized a week later. He said:
"It's a humorous statement that doesn't mean anything. You can't lie
to God - it's ridiculous. If it's an insult, I certainly didn't
think it was, but if they are offended, then I certainly offer an
apology."
Swaggart told The Associated Press. "If it's an insult, I certainly
didn't think it was, but if they are offended, then I certainly offer an
apology." The TV network issued an apology shortly
after the episode of Swaggart's program. The Canadian Association of
Broadcasters (CAB) said that Swaggart's language breached CAB's human
rights and religious programming clauses. 10 |
| 2005-JUN-17: Canada: Debate on same-sex
marriage bill: Debate on bill C-38 which would legalize same-sex
marriages across Canada has been scheduled to begin on JUN-17 in the House
of Commons. It is unlikely to pass soon. The Conservative Party has
introduced over a dozen amendments, in an apparent ploy to delay the bill's
passage so that it will not be voted upon in time for the summer recess. If
C-38 were passed, it would go to the Senate, where it is almost certain to
pass. More details. |
|
2005-JUN-28: Canada: House of Commons
passes SSM bill: The House passed the Liberal government's SSM bill by
a vote of 158 to 133. It now proceeds to the Senate. The Conservative Party
senators are expected to delay final vote on the bill until the Fall by
introducing amendments. However, most commentators expect that the Senate
will pass the bill and that the Governor General will sign it into law
during July. That would likely make Canada the fourth country in the world
to make SSM available throughout the land, after the Netherlands, Belgium
and Spain. More info |
| 2005-JUN-29: Spain: The Congress of Deputies
voted 187 to 147, with four abstentions, to legalize SSM in Spain. The key phrase in
the new law sates: "Matrimony shall have the same requirements and effects regardless of
whether the persons involved are of the same or different sex." The law
will come into effect as soon as it is published in a government registry;
this is expected sometime in the first half of July.
More info.
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| 2005-JUN-30: News item about Allstate
Insurance: J. Matt Barber wears many hats. He is a conservative
Chrisitan, was a manager in Allstate's Corporate Security Division in
Northbrook IL., is a drummer in his spare time, and is a journalist who
writes, also in his own time, columns for various Internet web sites. One of
his 2004-DEC columns attacked the concept of same-sex
marriage and was picked up by WorldNetDaily, a major conservative
Christian news source. He was allegedly terminated. The American Family
Association has became involved on his behalf. When they mentioned his
case on their web site, some 15,000 Emails were sent to Allstate. Barber
said: "All of this notwithstanding, my personal faith and optimism
remain intact. I always knew that people were persecuted in the workplace
for their religious beliefs, but I never imagined it would happen to my
family and me. We’re losing our home, and we may be forced into bankruptcy;
but I know that somehow, God will provide. I believe it’s crucial to take a
stand for truth, even if that stand results in suffering in the long term."
12 |
References:
- Michael Ireland, "Openly gay U.S. bishop denies saying Jesus was gay,"
ASSIST News Service, 2005-APR-05, at:
http://www.assistnews.net/
- Daniel Yee, "Abortion Clinics on Edge After Manifesto. Abortion Clinics
on Edge After Olympic Bomber Eric Rudolph Manifesto Justifying Use of Violence,"
ABC News, 2005-APR-14, at:
http://abcnews.go.com/
- Eric Rudolph, "Full text of Eric Rudolph's written statement,"
Associated Press, 2005--APR-15, at:
http://www.news-record.com/
- "Soulforce challenges Focus on the Family May 2," RMN Flashnet, The
Reconciling Ministries Network Digest, 2005-APR-14.
- "Supreme Court to review law on campus military recruiting," Baptist Press
News, 2005-MAY-03, at:
http://www.bpnews.net/
- Michael Foust, "Pro-homosexuality curriculum in Md. schools blocked by
fed. judge, citing anti-faith bias," Baptist Press, 2005-MAY-06, at:
http://www.bpnews.net/
- T.R. Reid, "Daughter's Denunciation of Historian Roils Mormon Church,"
The Washington Post, 2005-MAY-08. Page A03.
- Kevin O'Hanlon, "U.S. Judge Rejects Neb.
Gay-Marriage Ban," Associated Press, 2005-MAY-13, at:
http://www.newsday.com/
- "Airbase hosts 1st military gay wedding,"
CBC News, 2005-JUN-4, at:
http://www.cbc.ca/
- "Swagart's rant at gays violated broadcast
code, Canadian watchdog says," Toronto Star, 2005-JUN-15, Page F2.
- "United Church of Christ backs gay marriage," Associated Press, 2005-JUL-05, at:
http://www.usatoday.com/
- Judi McLeod, "Allstate Insurance unwittingly spawns anti-same-sex
marriage martyr," Canada Free Press, 2005-JUN-30, at:
http://www.canadafreepress.com/
Notice:
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. sec 107: The news items
contained in the above hyperlinks are provided without profit by the
Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance, PO Box 27026, Kingston ON
Canada K7M 8W5, and are intended to be available to anyone
interested in the topics included, for educational purposes only. Any
editor, author, Webmaster, writer, publisher, news service, etc. that
objects to being part of this listing may request that future works be
excluded. We will also attempt to delete previous entries from the
same source.
Copyright © 2005 by the Ontario
Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2005-APR-07
Latest update: 2005-SEP-12
Compiler: B.A. Robinson
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