Absolutely Fabulous! We'll date your girlfriends...

Want to keep the cause for "traidtional marriage" going? Well, we'll just date your girlfriends.

Hilarious response from College Humor:

CollegeHumor's Favorite Funny Videos

Jon Stewart analyzes Mike Huckabee and gay marriage.

Always good for a laugh at the expense of the ultra conservative GOP and it's mother, The Tea Party, this video will make your day just a littel brighter...watch here:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

GOP and Their Rantings About LGBT Families

Since losing the election and several of their Senate seats, topped off with the surprising victory in the four states for same sex marriage, the Tea Party flopheads have begun to forcefully attack the gay marriage issue. Tony Perkins, well known hater and President of the Family Research Council recently went on record, and outright attack, against legalizing gay marriage.

As seen here in this video posted by the Advocate, he compares "homosexuality to abortion, saying both 'run counter to natural law,'...", followed by, "I'm telling you what, I think you will create a firestorm of opposition. I think that could be the straw that broke the camel's back.When you look at a nation that is so divided along these moral and cultural issues, that you could have — you know I hate to use the word — but, I mean, a revolt. A revolution. I mean, I think you could see Americans saying, 'You know what? Enough of this.' And I think it could explode and just break this nation apart."



So it begins anew, against the obvious wishes of the populace, and at a time when the opposition could be focusing on more pressing issues...like bipartisanship in Washington...like letting women decide for themselves when it comes to their own bodies...like a lot of issues more pressing than what's already been decided.

As reported by WPRI News of Rhode Island, only 14 same-sex couples have opted for the civil union while roughly 600 have either gone, or moved out of state to be married in other states that have legislated full marriage privileges. According to an UCLA study , it predicts Rhode Island would make $1.2 million over three years if the state legalized same-sex marriage. That's a considerable amount of revenue being lost to a state that really could use it.

Of course, opponents of such a law say that revenue generated by allowing same-sex marriage would not be a long term revenue source and would, ultimately (wait  for it...) contribute to the breakup of traditional families (wow...what a surprise response from NOM.) Ironic that the one side for, can produce statistics and numbers, while the other replies with conjecture and speculation. Hmmm...anyway, here's the video of one of the weddings performed in the competing state of Massachusetts.

Gay couples leaving RI to get married: wpri.com

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Spirit Day October 20th

October 20th - Spirit Day!

I hope that as many as possible wore Purple today to help focus attention on Spirit Day and a smattering of subjects, including bullying, teen suicide, gay marriage, and other LGBTQ issues. I wore my "It Gets Better" t-shirt so that I could talk to everyone I met about it. Guess what! It worked...and people in general, even in my red-necked, rural town of Vermont at least were willing to listen to me and wish the best for all those that struggle with any of the issues I mentioned.

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Vote on a Bill Repealing DOMA

The Senate Judiciary Committee next month will hold a mark-up and vote on a bill repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman, committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said Friday.

His announcement sets up a collision course for the Senate and House over the issue of gay marriage. House Republicans this month tripled to $1.5 million the amount they’re authorized to spend on legal fees to defend the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, a response to President Barack Obama’s decision to stop fighting lawsuits seeking to end it.

“The march for equality continues, and now is the time to ensure equality for gay and lesbian Americans who are lawfully married,” said Leahy, one of 29 co-sponsors of the Respect for Marriage Act. The bill “would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which prevents thousands of American families from being protected by laws that help secure other American families. This is part of the nation’s continuing fight for civil rights for all Americans.”

The Judiciary Committee held the first congressional hearing on efforts to repeal DOMA, shortly after Obama announced his support for the Respect for Marriage Act. The legislation, authored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), is expected to be approved by the committee given that all 10 Democratic members are backing it.

New York Town Clerks Quit - Facing Lawsuits for Refusing to Issue Same-Sex Marriage Licenses

In the wake of the recent legislation allowing same-sex marriage in New York, three New York town clerks, Ruth Sheldon, Laura Fotusky and Rose Marie Belforti  have refused to perform their town clerk duties by signing marriage applications for same-sex marriages. Today two of them, Ruth Sheldon and Laura Fotusky quit their jobs to prevent further lawsuits against their respective towns. Rose Marie Belforti is presently trying to find out a way around the law so she will not be forced to sign the applications. NOM has, as usual, twisted the story around and made this statement:

"These three public servants love their communities and the people in them, and they also happen to be women of faith," said Maggie Gallagher, board member of the National Organization for Marriage, the parent group of MADA. "It would be easy to accommodate these clerks--by letting another employee sign same-sex marriage licenses--instead gay marriage advocates are applauding the idea they should be forced to choose between their faith and their jobs. What good purpose is served by needlessly forcing Ruth, Laura and Rose Marie out of a job they love after serving their community well for years?"

The problem may be that only the officially elected or appointed town clerk can sign the certificates, not an office assistant. At least one of these will be going to court in the near future for a decision. We'll see what the outcome of that is, but int he meantime, two former town clerks are looking for new jobs. There certainly can be a case made for allowing personal convictions to come between a job description and actual performance, but this may be one of those "on the fence" decisions that's hard to make.

Equality California: No Return to Ballot Over Prop 8 | News | The Advocate

In a somewhat confusing move California state’s largest LGBT rights group, Equality California, will not lead any effort to repeal Proposition 8 on the 2012 ballot. This leaves a void in the fight to repeal Prop 8, a ballot initiative narrowly passed on November 8, 2008 (52.5 to 47.5) that states: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." 

On August 4, 2010 United States district court Judge Vaughn R. Walker overturned Proposition 8 on the basis that it violated both the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the United States Constitution.  He issued an injunction prohibiting enforcement of Prop 8 pending a review by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. However, on August 16, 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit indefinitely extended the District Court's stay, stopping new same-sex marriages in the state of California pending appeal. It also scheduled an accelerated time table for hearing an appeal of Walker's ruling. In February of 2011 the California Supreme Court was asked to review the appeal and stay, which it has started with oral reviews on September 6, 2011.

By dropping out of the effort to repeal Prop 8, Equality California has left a void in the effort to repeal the proposition, stating that, “[G]iven what we know about public opinion and the significant challenges of the current political and economic climate, Equality California will not lead an effort to return to the ballot in 2012 to overturn Proposition 8.”

Another advocacy group, Love Honor Cherish, said it would “fill the void” if Equality California “abdicates their responsibility to fight for equality for the LGBT Community in California and to honor their prior commitments,” according to Tom Watson, the organization's acting executive director. 

We hope that Prop 8 will eventually be overturned and same-sex marriage in California will become a positive part of the history of equality in hte LGBTQ community.

Antigay N.C. State Senator Walks Out on Interview

Once again the Republicans have shown their true colors and avoided issues that they supposedly stand behind or sponsor, then squirm and walk out when asked specifics about them. In this story, North Carolina state senator James Forrester, sponsor of a recent bill that approved an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment to go before voters in May, walked out on a radio interview with Sirius XM's Michelangelo Signorile Tuesday when confronted by the host about the legislation's intent, as well as the senator's history of peddling falsehoods about gay people.

No Home In North Carolina: LGBT Group Warns "We Will No Longer Accept Hate Crimes at Ballot Box" :: EDGE New England

With the upcoming DNC Convention set to be held in N. Carolina, the recent legislation by the GOP to legislate hatred and bigotry in that state has raised the ire (finally) of GetEQUAL and other LGBT groups to begin taking action.

Obama needs to get off the fence and stand behind his previous position on same-sex marriage, and the GOP needs to hear from EVERY person who supports equal rights in the this country.

Apathy is a dead issue (nor an option), just like the gay community will be if the GOP has any say in the matter. Get involved, support LGBT Equal rights groups in your state, and let your senators know that this agenda of hate and bigotry will not be tolerated any longer. The time is now to stand up and be counted. After the lines are drawn it's too late to complain.

DOMA Trumps DATA: Don't rush to sign up yet!

According to an Associated Press story, when DADT is repealed, gay servicemembers will still be treated like second-class citizens.

Somehow I think that this was known all along and is the reason that repealing DADT by the oppressive right-wing has not been as big an issue as it would have been if these opposing restrictions were known.  It's easy to tell what the agenda is here.

Thanks to 1996′s Defense of Marriage Act—which defines the institution as a legal union between a man and woman—the Pentagon claims the Defense Department is prohibited from extending partner benefits that “ease the costs of medical care, travel, housing and other living expenses” to gay couples, even if they were legally wed in a state that honors same-sex marriages.

That means housing allowances and off-base living space for gay servicemembers with partners could be decided as if they were living alone. Base transfers would not take into account their spouses. If two gay servicemembers are married to each other they may be transferred to two different states or regions of the world. For heterosexual couples, the military tries to avoid that from happening. Same-sex partners cannot receive military IDs, so they can’t shop in commissaries, receive treatment at military medical facilities or even be allowed on base unescorted. They can be listed as the person to be notified if a soldier is missing, injured or killed, but cannot be told any details about the death. And if their partner is killed, the military won’t pay for them to go collect the body.

Should DOMA be repealed, the military’s policy regarding same-sex partner benefits could change. But for now I suggest any potential recruits think twice before signing up to (not) be all they can be.

Here's a set of clips via Progressive Pulse of lawmakers speaking out yesterday against the measure that was passed without public debate putting an amendment constitutionally banning same-sex marriage before voters in May 2012.

The "real" gay agenda!

The truth shall set you free!

Anti-gay Facebook rant teacher to return to classroom - PinkPaper.com

I can understand a person's right to freedom of speech, and certainly that right must be protected in order to maintain our so-called democratic society. However, this jerk is a teacher whose hate-filled rants on his FB page, apparently a foundation of his beliefs, will certainly roll over into his classroom and have an effect on the students he comes into contact with.

While he is protected under this right, his teaching credentials should have been revoked or restricted so that he could not be in a position of authority and the school board should adopt new policies regarding what teachers and administrators can and can't say on their public web sites. There seems to be a double stand here when teachers can get away with putting this garbage in public view, yet when a student goes to apply for a job or college their web pages are considered into that process and they may be refused that job or acceptance into college based upon their comments on personal web sites. I would say that's a double standard.

Teacher Who Called Gay Marriages a Cesspool: "Do I Apologize? No"

This kind of hate should not be allowed in our schools for any reason or under any guise, especially using the "Freedom of Speech" as s shield to hide behind. What an ASSHOLE! He needs to be fired NOW and his payroll taken back while on "administrative leave." What sort of educational value does hate have in our schools?

I think this shows that the lack of support in our school system nationwide for those that are bullied and harassed by other hate-filled people (including the administration and teachers in this case) and is going to take a lot of effort and education to overcome. This particular case should be a "no-brainer" as far as the extent he has gone to, and comments this teacher has made against same-sex marriage. Enough is enough!

Wisconsin’s Governor Doesn’t Want Homos Visiting Each Other In Hospitals

Gay Agenda News Team 

In 2009, Wisconsin passed a domestic partnership registry law that provided the right to visit your partner in the hospital. In 2011 Governor Scott Walker wants to abandon that law. Why? Because he’s an asshole Walker says it violates the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

We’ve known about Walker’s plans to dismantle the 2009 law for a while now. You see, since Wisconsin has solved all of its other domestic issues, going after injured homos just makes sense. Luckily, the state’s gay rights group Fair Wisconsin will continue defending the 2009 law.

This guy is just too much!

NOM: Marriage Equality Could Lead to Acceptance of Pedophilia

Full story: EDGE

The National Organization for Marriage has smeared gay and lesbian families once more with a blog post written by the homophobic group's president, Brian Brown, who suggested that one consequence of allowing committed same-sex life partners to formalize their relationship with civil marriage might be the court-sanctioned approval of pedophilia.

So another spiteful, hate-filled person has to spread mis-information and lies trying to defend the indefensible. The are no studies, no quoted instances, nothing to support this hateful bigotry, yet people listen-WHY? 

Presidential Candidate Pawlenty and his "Marriage Metaphors"

It seems as though presidential candidate Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, the master of metaphors, has become the nationwide expert at using them to illustrate the relationship between heterosexual and homosexual marriage.

"Rick Santorum is clearly no fan of marriage equality, and he is making sure to educate others about this topic. The former Pennsylvania senator started by linking marriage equality to incest, and he's been on a roll ever since. As Santorum climbs aboard the Values Bus this week in conjunction with the National Organization for Marriage, Family Research Council Action’s Faith Family Freedom Fund, and the Susan B. Anthony List to rally conservative voters, we take a look at some of his more provocative comparisons concerning marriage equality and gay rights."

Climbing on the bandwagon of GOP hopefuls who have made an issue of gay rights the headline of many of their campaigns,  Santorum has gone to the extreme with his metaphors in an attempt to illustrate how same-sex marriage wil bring the skies down around us and end modern civilization as we know it. Among those statements, several stand out as quite absurd, such as:
 
Comparing marriage equality to statutory rape and bestiality

"Every society in the history of man has upheld the institution of marriage as a bond between a man and a woman. Why? Because society is based on one thing: that society is based on the future of the society. And that's what? Children. Monogamous relationships. In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be."

- The Associated Press, April 7, 2003

Comparing the abolition of slavery to marriage in New York
Comparing marriage equality to beer versus water
Comparing marriage equality to paper napkins versus paper towels 
Calling same-sex marriage a marriage would be like calling a cup of tea a basketball 
Comparing congressional debates on marriage equality to terrorism
Comparing marriage equality to incest

Beware of the   wolf dressed in sheep's clothing!

Wash Times’ Robert Knight: Gay Marriage, Not Budget Crisis, is America’s Biggest Problem | Gay News from Gay Agenda - GayAgenda.com

Here's another idiot that thinks gay rights and same-sex marriage are eroding the "institution of marriage." I totally believe that there always has to be an opposite of anything to make something stand out (e.g Day/night; Yin & Yang, etc.), but people like Mr. Knight of the Family Research Council (FRC) are so far out there with their extremism and media campaigns that they eventually turn everything into total darkness. An interview on the CBS Early Show with Bryant Gumbel on Monday, July 29th shows the idiocy of his extremism when it comes to just about any subject, including gay rights. During the show Gumbel fought and talked over Knight, and when the interview was over, "Gumbel subtly made a face. Then he turned the show over to weatherman Mark McEwen. When McEwen gestured back at Gumbel, the camera revealed Gumbel shaking his head, saying what clearly looks like 'What a f***ing idiot.' (The last two words are inaudible.)"

The same day Knight was also shut off ABCNews.com when producers asked for him to appear on their edition of the daily Sam Donaldson Internet program. LAMBDA refused to appear with him in a scheduled interview with James Dale [the gay man who sued the Boy Scouts with Lambda]. Seems as though Mr. Knight and the FRC may be alone at the moment when it comes to getting an interview on a few TV stations.

May he rest in peace...

Miami's Catholic Leaders Accused of Underground Gay Sex Mafia | News | The Advocate

Here we are again! I don't follow how the Bishop in NY, who was so adamant about fighting the legislation allowing gay marriage, could use the "moral compass"of the RC church while one of Florida's most powerful Catholic leaders is being accused of running the Miami Archdiocese like a gay sexual mafia boss.

Like most religious factions who are opposed to gay rights, the hypocrisy of their argument against the rights of gays to marry  never is brought up in their soap-box speeches.

Gawker reports that a group of Catholics from South Florida calling their organization Christifidelis had launched a major investigation into the activities of Archbishop Emeritus John C. Favalora. In a report from Christifidelis called "Miami Vice," the group found that Favalora was part owner of a company that manufactured an aphrodisiac drink and took trips to Key West with "gay associates."