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NEWS ITEMS AFFECTING GAY, LESBIANS & BISEXUALS
2006 - October, November & December
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In the following, "SSM" refers to "same-sex marriage."
News during 2006-October:
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2006-OCT-25: New Jersey: The state supreme court gave the
legislature two options: to pass legislation that allows same-sex couples to marry, or
create a system of domestic partnerships with the same state rights as marriage.
Although generally ignored by the media, the magnitude of this court decision
was immense. The seven justices voted unanimously
that equal rights must be granted to same-sex couples. By a 7 to 0 vote, the court determined that the
state could no longer grant special rights to committed opposite-sex couples
while denying those same rights to committed same-sex couples.
The 4 to 3 split widely reported among the justices was on a different
matter: whether it:
"was the Court's right or the responsibility of the legislature to define
these equal partnerships as marriages. [The majority] ... decided that the
Court had the responsibility to mandate equality, but that the legislature
had the responsibility to name it." 1
More details.
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News during 2006-November:
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2006-NOV-01: USA: Male prostitute claims
business relationship with Ted Haggard: Evangelical Right, who
bill themselves as "the Internet home for sinners destined to be left
behind" wrote:
"A gay man and admitted male escort claims
he has had an ongoing sexual relationship with a well-known Evangelical
pastor from Colorado Springs. Mike Jones told 9 Wants to Know
Investigative Reporter Paula Woodward he has had a 'sexual business'
relationship with Pastor Ted Haggard for the past three years. Haggard
is married with five children and an outspoken critic of gay marriage."
"People may look at me and think what I've
done is immoral, but I think I had to do the moral thing in my mind and
that is expose someone who is preaching one thing and doing the opposite
behind everybody's back," said Jones.
Ted Haggard is president of the National
Association of Evangelicals (NAE). He also heads the 14,000 member New
Life Church in Colorado City, CO, and was named by Time Magazine as
one of the 25 most influential Evangelicals in the U.S.
2,3
On the evening of NOV-01, Haggard denied the
claims, and said that he is prepared for his own church to undertake an
investigation. He allegedly said:
"I did not have a homosexual relationship
with a man in Denver. I am steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife.
I don't know if this is election year politics or if this has to do with
the marriage amendment or what it is, but I'm not even the guy who will
investigate it or question it. I don't know what the dynamics are, but
this independent group will come in and do that."
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2006-NOV-02: USA: Ted Haggard denies
allegations of same-sex behavior:
CNN reported this evening that Ted Haggard as stepped down as president
of the NEA and as head of the New Life Church. 3
Associated Press reported that: |
"In a written statement, Haggard
said: 'I am voluntarily stepping aside from leadership so that the
overseer process can be allowed to proceed with integrity. I hope to be
able to discuss this matter in more detail at a later date. In the
interim, I will seek both spiritual advice and guidance.' ..."
"Jones said he has voice mail messages from Haggard, as well as an
envelope he said Haggard used to mail him cash, though he declined to
make any of it available to the AP. 'There's some stuff on there (the
voice mails) that's pretty damning,' he said."
"Richard Cizik, vice president for government affairs for the
evangelicals association, expressed shock. 'Is this something I can
imagine of Ted Haggard? No,' he said."
4
Haggard went public on the evening of NOV-02
denying allegations of a same-sex affair.
5
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2006-NOV-02: USA: Ted Haggard admits
some allegations of same-sex behavior are true:
KTTV reported: |
"After Pastor Ted Haggard went public Wednesday night denying
allegations of a homosexual affair, senior church officials told
KKTV 11 News Thursday evening, Pastor Ted Haggard has admitted to
some of the claims made by a former male escort. The church's Acting
Senior Pastor, Ross Parsley, tells KKTV 11 News that Pastor Haggard has admitted
to some of the indiscretions claimed by Mike Jones, but not all of them."
Thursday morning, Jones went on a Denver radio talk show and said Pastor Haggard
paid him for sex over the past 3 years. Jones also claims Haggard used drugs
with him. Right now, the situation is under investigation by an independent
panel of leaders from four outside churches. The leaders are from Colorado
Springs, Larkspur, Westminster and Louisiana. The panel's role is to decide if
Haggard will be exonerated, released from his duties or restored to his
pastorship. 5
More information.
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2006-NOV-07: USA: Amendments to state constitutions to ban SSM:
Associated with the mid-term elections, there were constitutional amendments
and/or initiatives on the ballot affecting same-sex couples in:
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Arizona: For the first time in the U.S., a ban against SSM failed by a
vote of 51% against and 49% for. |
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Colorado: A ban against SSM passed 56 to 44%; A domestic partnership
initiative failed 53 to 47%. |
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Idaho: A ban against SSM passed 63 to 37% |
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South Carolina: A ban against SSM passed 78 to 22%. |
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South Dakota: A ban against SSM passed narrowly, 52% to 48%. |
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Tennessee: A ban against SSM passed 81 to 19%. |
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Virginia: A ban against SSM passed 57 to 43%. |
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Wisconsin: A ban against SSM passed 59 to 41%. |
Percentages are reported as of the evening of 2006-NOV-08, typically with
98% of precincts reporting.
Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force, said: "What we're seeing is that fear-mongering around same-sex
marriage is fizzling out." 6
It is worth noting that in 1958, in a most ironically named case "Loving v. Virginia," an
inter-racial married couple was convicted of a felony under Virginia's
law in 1958 for the crime of being married to each other. They were
exiled from their home state for 25 years, which was cut short when the
U.S. Supreme Court overturned the ruling and allowed all loving,
committed inter-racial couples to marry. At the time, about 70% of
American adults favored a ban on inter-racial marriages -- not unlike
today's ratio on same-sex couples. 7 |
Sponsored link
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2006-NOV-09: Gay men and gambling addiction: A small study may
indicate that gay and bisexual males may be addicted to gambling at a higher
rate than heterosexual men. Their conclusion was based on a study of 105 men
who had sought treatment for gambling addiction. Twenty-two of the men --
21% -- identified themselves as either gay or bisexual. That is a higher
rate than one would expect. Religious conservatives generally believe that
only 2% of men are homosexual; some gay groups claim 10%; various surveys by
neutral observer indicate about 5% are homosexual and perhaps 2% bisexual.
All of these figures are far removed from 21%.
There are many possible reasons for this observation:
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It might have been just a fluke; a sample size of 105 is too small
to tell much. |
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Gay and bisexual men may be more motivated to seek treatment. |
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Gay and bisexual men may be driven by various stressors -- anti-gay
bigotry, homophobia, gay bashing, self-loathing taught by homophobic
relatives, etc -- to become addicted to gambling. This conclusion would
probably be promoted by many gay-positive groups. |
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Gay and bisexual men may simply be more prone to mental disorders
including gambling addiction because of their sexual orientation. This
conclusion would probably be preferred by many religious conservatives.
13 |
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2006-NOV-10: Israel: Riots in Jerusalem in
protest against a gay pride parade: Jerusalem's first gay pride parade
was scheduled for a weekend earlier in the year. However, it was delayed
because of the warfare in Lebanon. It is scheduled for the weekend of
NOV-11. In an almost unprecedented show of unity, conservative leaders of
the three main religions in the area, Judaism, Christianity and Islam,
jointly condemned the parade. Almost two weeks of rioting have disturbed
Jerusalem's Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods. Police and motorists have been
showered with stones; trash cans have been set on fire. Dozens of police
have been injured. At least 60 Orthodox protestors have been arrested.
According to the Jewish daily Forward:
"Violent protests were also reported
in Hadera, Bet Shemesh and the Tel Aviv suburb of B’nei Brak, where
protesters burned tires and blocked a main highway. ... Israel’s
chief rabbinate issued a statement Monday calling Israel’s homosexuals
the 'lowest of people,' and urging the public to assemble for a
countrywide prayer rally as gay rights marchers gathered in Jerusalem."
" 'We were horrified to hear of the threatening plot that an
abominated minority of our brothers is planning, convening to carry out
abominations that make them the lowest of people,' the country’s two
chief rabbis wrote in a statement. 'Everyone from toddlers to the
elderly will join in the streets and bitterly protest this awful
abomination that is desecrating Israel’s name throughout the nations. Of
course they will do this in the appropriate way, without violence or
harm to property'." 8
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2006-NOV-13: USA: Federal Hate Crimes and Employment Non-discrimination Act:
The Family Research Council (FRC) reports its concern over a new bill
to come before Congress. Unfortunately, there is no information on the
Internet on this bill, according to Google. But it apparently has something
to do with prohibiting companies who serve the general public from
discriminating against persons because of their sexual orientation. It would
apparently protect everyone, whether they be heterosexual, homosexual or
bisexual and perhaps transgender. The FRC cites a family owned landscaping
firm in Texas called Guarden Guy Inc. Their motto is: "Treating you with
respect and honesty are the cornerstones of our reputation." They had
dealt with the general public, but who had announced that, because of their
religiously-based moral convictions, they would no longer enter into
contracts with known homosexuals. They experienced an increase in business
profits of $40,000 within two weeks, an outpouring of support from across
the country, and attack Emails for their decision to discriminate against a
sexual minority. The Association of Professional Landscape Designers
condemned the action of the Farbers, whose membership has lapsed, and
instituted a requirement for members to abide by an anti-discrimination
clause. 9,10 | |
2006-NOV-14: South Africa: Same-sex marriage legalized: South Africa
became the fifth country to legalize same-sex marriage. Legislators overwhelmingly passed a bill
creating marriage equality for persons of all sexual orientations by a vote of 230 to 41 with three abstentions. Home
Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said:
"When we attained our democracy, we sought to distinguish ourselves from
an unjust, painful past by declaring that never again shall it be that any
South African will be discriminated against on the basis of color, creed,
culture and sex."
More details. 11 | |
2006-NOV-21: USA: American Family
Association calls off boycott of Wal-Mart: The American Family
Association (AFA), a fundamentalist Christian group, and other religiously
conservative groups had objected to Wal-Mart's joining the National Gay
and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. They committed to contributing at least
$25,000 and to sponsoring some gay-positive events. Being unable to convince
Wal-Mart to stop the contributions, the AFA scheduled a two-day boycott of
Wal-Mart stores starting on Black Friday (2006-NOV-24), the day after
Thanksgiving. This is often the day of the greatest retail sales each year.
Wal-Mart issued a statement saying: |
"Respect for the individual is one of the
core values that have made us into the company we are today. We take
pride in the fact that we treat every customer, every supplier and every
member of our individual communities fairly and equally. Wal-Mart will
not make corporate contributions to support or oppose highly
controversial issues unless they directly relate to our ability to serve
our customers."
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2006-NOV-26: USA: Seeds of Tolerance Contest: Joe
Wilson, a former high school student from rural Pennsylvania, has produced a
video called We Belong. It is a "short documentary video about two
small town gay teens who had the courage to stand up to bigotry and
discrimination in their schools, and the determination to tell their stories
to the world." It is well worth watching. See the Seeds of Tolerance contest at:
http://www.current.tv/ Wilson won a $10,000 cash prize as one of two
finalists. The grand prize winner was Lucas Krost who produced "One Nation
Under Guard." It deals with the prison culture of the U.S. |
News during 2006-December:
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2006-DEC-01: Canada: Same-sex marriage legislation to be
reconsidered: LifeSiteNews reported that the Conservative
Government will introduce a motion to Parliament during the week of DEC-03
to prevent future same-sex couples from marrying in Canada. The wording of
the motion is:
"That this house call on the government to introduce legislation to
restore the traditional definition of marriage without affecting civil
unions, and while respecting existing same sex marriages." 12
This wording is curious for a couple of reasons:
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To our knowledge, legislation creating civil unions as a state
separate from marriage does not exist in Canada. That is, no Canadian
couples have ever been civil unionized. |
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The Federal Marriage Act defines "for civil purposes, ...
the lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all others"
as the definition of marriage. [Emphasis ours] So a civil union
is marriage for any two persons, whether of the same or opposite sex. |
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If the government wished to respect existing same-sex marriages,
then they would allow other loving, committed same-sex couples to marry
in the future. |
More info. | |
2006-DEC-06: USA: The Jewish Conservative tradition Judaism accepts
gays and lesbians: The
25-member Rabbinical Assembly Committee on Jewish Law and Standards issued
a series of advisory reports that both recommended acceptance and
discouraged acceptance of gay and lesbian candidates for ordination as
rabbis. They recommended
that "committed gay relationships" should be recognized, but not
blessed. They retain the interpretation of Leviticus 18:22 that prohibits
anal intercourse between two men. The result is a type of local option for
synagogues and rabbinical schools. Liberals and conservatives in the
movement can each adopt conflicting policies. More
details. | |
2006-DEC-07: Canada: Government motion defeated: At 3:21 PM ET, a
vote was concluded on the Conservative Party's motion to reopen same-sex
marriage for debate. The motion was rejected 175 to 123. Various
commentators had earlier predicted a spread of 30 to 40 votes. The actual
spread was 52!
The matter is now at least temporarily settled for the over 12,000 same-sex
couples who have married since same-sex marriage became available across the
country. Of course, it may be dusted off by some future government, who may
wish to force same-sex couples to go through the agony of not knowing if one
of their most fundamental rights -- the right to marry the person that one
loves and have made a commitment to -- will be again terminated by a extreme
conservative government. More details. | |
2006-DEC-14: NJ: New Jersey legislature approves bill to create civil
unions: In an unprecedented move, the seven justices of the state
supreme court had voted unanimously in 2006-OCT that equal rights must be granted to
same-sex couples. By a 7 to 0 vote, the court determined that
all citizens had the right to the protections of marriage regardless of sex,
and that their children must enjoy equal rights whether their parents are of
the same or opposite sexes. They left the decision whether to create
same-sex marriage or same-sex unions up to the legislature. 7
On 2006-DEC-14, both chambers of the New Jersey legislature passed a bill to
legalize civil unions for same-sex couples. More details.
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References used:The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- J.S. Spong, "Three cheers for the New Jersey Supreme Court," A new
Christianity for a New World newsletter, 2006-NOV-01.
- Wolf Blitzer, Situation Room program, CNN, 2006-NOV-02.
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Catherine Tsai, "Key Evangelical quits amid gay sex claim," Associated
Press, 2006-NOV-02, at:
http://news.yahoo.com/
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"Church leader says Haggard admits to some indiscretions," KKTV,
2006-NOV-03, at:
http://www.kktv.com/
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David Crary, "Rejected: Arizona gay marriage ban, South Dakota abortion
ban," Cincinnati Post, 2006-NOV-08, at:
http://www.romingerlegal.com/
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"America Votes 2006," CNN.com, 2006-NOV-08, at:
http://www.cnn.com/
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"Riots Rock Jerusalem Before Gay Pride Parade," Forward, 2006-NOV-10, at:
http://www.forward.com/
- "Preparing the political soil," Washington Update, FRC, 2006-NOV-13.
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Ralph Blumenthal, "Landscapers cause furor by shunning gay clients," New
York Times, 2006-NOV-11, at:
http://www.nytimes.com/
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Clare Nullis, "Amid criticism, South Africa passes same-sex marriage
bill," Associated Press, Posted on The Toronto Star, 2006-NOV-15, Page A4.
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John-Henry Westen, "BREAKING - Conservative Party Marriage Motion Wording
Revealed," LifeSiteNews.com, 2006-DEC-01, at:
http://www.lifesite.net/
- "Gay men likelier to gamble addictively, study suggests,"
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 128, Watertown NY, 13601, USA, 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 © 2006 by the Ontario
Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2006-OCT-27
Latest update: 2006-DEC-18
Compiler: B.A. Robinson
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