Free Republic

DENVER — A bill that would have allowed civil unions for same-sex couples in Colorado was defeated on Monday night during a special legislative session called by Gov. John W. Hickenlooper to debate the issue. The legislation was voted down by Republican lawmakers on a 5-to-4 vote along party lines after more than two hours of emotional testimony in the State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, where it was assigned Monday by Republican leadership in the House of Representatives. “We saw this bill die even though a majority of members of the Senate and a majority of members of the...

The interpretive conflict regarding homosexuality and the Bible is a relatively recent phenomenon, between two fundamentally different positions and interpretive schools. Historical/traditional scholarship evidences that the Bible contains laws which prohibit homosexual relations (same gender sexual relations; also referred to as homoeroticism or homogenital relations, or “homosex”), and which are as universal and immutable as laws against illicit heterosexual partners are shown to be, and unlike incest, homosexual relations never were allowed. In addition, the necessary positive sanction of marriage, which is provided explicitly for opposite gender sexual unions, is nowhere established for homosexual unions. Pro-homosexual polemicists have responded to...

DENVER (AP) - A last-ditch effort by Colorado's governor to give gay couples in the state rights similar to married couples failed Monday after Republicans rejected the proposal during a special legislative session. Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper had said the special session was needed to address a "fundamental question of fairness and civil rights."

A new CBS News/New York Times Poll shows a solid majority of Americans support legal recognition for same-sex couples - though not necessarily through the official act of marriage - and the number of people who do support full marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples is significantly higher among younger generations. Overall, 38 percent of those who responded to the survey said same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, just like any other couple. Another 24 percent said civil unions should be used to grant same-sex couples legal rights similar to male-female partnerships. Combined, that means 62 percent -...

North Carolinians voted to change the state constitution Tuesday to say that the only valid "domestic legal partnership" in the state is marriage between a man and a woman, according to the AP's projection. The amendment passed 61 to 39 percent with most counties reporting, making North Carolina the 29th state with a gay marriage ban in its constitution. The state already outlawed gay marriage, but the constitutional amendment makes it more difficult for politicians to ever change the law. The amendment also means that a handful of North Carolina municipalities that extended benefits to the domestic partners of their...

On Tuesday, North Carolina will vote on a state constitutional amendment that declares, “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized,” thereby banning recognition of same-sex marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships of any kind... The most recent poll was conducted by Civitas Institute, a conservative think tank whose poll results have generally shown little partisan bias in the past. That survey polled Democratic and Republican primary voters separately, but projected that the measure would win by 16 percentage points when it combined the results. An April poll by...

European and Asian deny charge but witness said he saw them kissing on the mouthAn appeals court in Abu Dhabi upheld a previous court verdict and sentenced a European and an Asian man to six months in prison and ordered their deportation after they were convicted of kissing each other on the mouth in a public place, a newspaper reported on Wednesday. The court supported the previous sentence after a witness confirmed again that he saw them hugging and kissing each other on the mouth in a street in Abu Dhabi, the Arabic language daily Alittihad said. The two unnamed...

Police are investigating hate crimes at Western Connecticut State University. A student discovered a gay slur written on a dry erase board outside her dorm room inside Litchfield Hall Feb. 27. She did not report the incident right away. The resident director was notified of the slur and contacted police March 2, according to authorities. On March 3, the student reported another gay slur written on a paper attached to her dorm room in Litchfield Hall. "Such acts are not tolerated at Western," Paul Steinmentz, a university spokesperson, said. "Our police department is investigating, and if the perpetrator is caught,...

Newt Gingrich affirmed his support for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in a detailed response to a marriage pledge by a conservative Iowa group. In his written response to the FAMiLY LEADER Gingrich, the current leader in the national polls for the GOP presidential nomination, said he would “vigorously enforce” the Defense of Marriage Act. The DOMA bans federal recognition of same-sex marriage. The former Speaker of the House also told the FAMiLY LEADER that he would sign an executive order restating that federal funds should not be used to pay for abortions overseas and defend the First Amendment...

Bishop Thomas Tobin's Five Problems with Homosexual “Marriage” It’s a sure sign of spring, as predictable as the Red Sox at spring training, the swallows returning to Capistrano, and the flowing of green beer on St. Patrick’s Day. I’m referring of course to the public re-appearance of the determined proponents of homosexual marriage.It seems that each year at this time the left-leaning columnists, the organized advocates, and the lobbyists at the State House awaken from their hibernation to take-up their perennial campaign to redefine marriage in Rhode Island and impose their personal preferences upon the citizenry of our State.The public...

February 22, 2012 Santorum Opposes Civil Unions For Same-Sex Couples By Leigh Ann Caldwell Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, a vocal opponent of gay marriage, said today he opposes civil unions, too. In response to a question by Dean Reynolds for the "CBS Evening News," the former Pennsylvania senator said same-sex couples should work through the legal system to obtain rights similar to those enjoyed by legally married couples. (Watch a clip of the interview in the video player above.) "I believe in people's right to be able to contract for whatever benefits that they have," Santorum told Reynolds. "I...

A bill that would repeal New Hampshire’s 2009 law legalizing same-sex marriage would also allow two citizens of either sex to enter into a civil union — even siblings. New Hampshire Republican state Rep. David Bates, the sponsor of the bill, confirmed this to The Daily Caller. Asked about the logic behind allowing siblings to enter into civil unions, Bates responded, “You have that question backwards. By definition in the bill, a ‘civil union’ means a contractual agreement that provides reciprocal benefits and obligations to the parties to the agreement.”

Less than a week after New York became the nation's sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage, Rhode Island state lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favor of a bill that permits civil unions between gay and lesbian couples. The measure, which passed the state Senate by a count of 21-16, is widely seen as a compromise intended to provide same-same couples with added rights and benefits, while also preventing an expanded legal definition of marriage. The legislation, which passed overwhelmingly in the state's lower house on May 19, affords same-sex couples a host of new state tax breaks, health-care benefits and...

Cook County has issued its first civil union license, launching a historic day for same-sex couples across the state. Janean Watkins and Lakeesha Harris camped overnight outside the Daley Center to be the first in line as the state's new civil unions law kicked in. "It's historic," said Watkins, who has been with Harris for 10 years. "We wanted to be first. We wanted to make a statement. For us, for our kids. It really means something." The couple has six children who will all be in attendance at a formal civil union ceremony tomorrow.

Paul Dombrowski and Joe Serio met in a bar, each dragged there by friends on a night when neither felt like going out. The two men had begun to give up hope of ever finding a soul mate — but that night, 15 years ago, changed everything. As the years went by, the couple similarly lost hope in ever having their relationship recognized by the state of Illinois. That, too, will change June 2, the first day same-sex Illinois couples can enter into civil unions that will provide them with the same state-level rights as married couples.

Chicago Breaking News State Farm to offer same-sex benefits 6:37 AM CDT, May 14, 2011 BLOOMINGTON (AP) - State Farm Insurance Cos. said Friday it will begin offering health care and other benefits to legally recognized same-sex partners of its employees, a response to an Illinois law that will soon let gay and lesbian couples enter into civil unions. The eligibility changes for the Bloomington-based insurer's group health and welfare plans affect all employees, retirees, agents and agent staff. They would be able to enroll a "legally recognized" same-sex spouse, civil union partner, or domestic partner in benefits for the...

Delaware has joined New Jersey in granting marriage-like rights to same-sex couples joined by civil unions. The law, which will take effect next Jan. 1, stops short of conferring full marriage rights, as has been done by five states and Washington, D.C. Gov. Jack Markell signed the legislation on Wednesday at Wilmington’s Queen Theater, as hundreds of supporters toasted the occasion with champagne.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Eric Holder took the rare step Thursday of asking an immigration judicial panel to reconsider the case of a gay man they've cleared for deportation. Holder set aside the Board of Immigration Appeals ruling allowing the deportation of Paul Wilson Dorman, a gay man illegally in the U.S. Dorman wants to stay in the country with his male partner, with whom he celebrated a civil union in New Jersey.

PROVIDENCE — After playing a major role in the defeat of same-sex marriage, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence is now urging state lawmakers to reject the compromise that House Speaker Gordon D. Fox is backing: civil unions. In an unsigned editorial in this week’s Rhode Island Catholic, the Diocese says: “We hope that those members of the Rhode Island General Assembly who have consistently supported traditional marriage will stay steadfast in their opposition to the legal recognition of same-sex relationships as either marriage or civil unions. “Government sanctioned civil unions cannot be supported by those who truly understand the...

Delaware will be the eighth state to allow civil unions or comprehensive domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. The state House of Representatives voted 26 to 15 Thursday night in favor of the measure. Governor Jack Markell, who has been a gay rights advocate throughout his public service career, has said he will sign the civil union bill, which gives gay couples the same rights, benefits, and responsibilities as heterosexual married couples. The Senate passed the bill last week. "We are tremendously proud that the Delaware House has passed civil union legislation," said Equality Delaware President Lisa Goodman. "The fact that...

Dear Readers, each pro-homosexual law makes it easier for school administrators and teachers to allow the one-sided promotion of homosexuality in their school, as occurred recently at Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, Illinois (see photo). The state’s Democrat-dominated General Assembly passed a “Civil Unions” bill in a lame-duck session last year (before a new elected, more conservative legislature could take office) — and Gov. Pat Quinn (D) signed it into law January 31. (The bill, which also allows heterosexual “civil unions,” thus further undermining marriage, takes effect June 1.) America’s public schools are becoming de facto ”Homosexuality-Promotion Zones” —...

New York (CNN) -- Facebook users now have two more ways to describe their romantic arrangements.In a gesture of inclusiveness aimed at the gay community, Facebook on Thursday added "In a civil union" and "In a domestic partnership" to its official list of relationship statuses.Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a gay rights group, which announced the change, cheered it.

The Hawaii Legislature approved a bill on Wednesday allowing civil unions for same-sex couples, sending the measure to the governor, who has said he will sign it into law.

President Obama, in saying this week that his view of same-sex marriage is evolving, stirred expectations that he may announce a new position in coming months, fundamentally altering the national debate. A declaration from a sitting president that he supports of gay marriage would be "a game changer,'' one proponent said, and would provide political cover to other politicians, especially to local and state officials as they decide which way to vote on bills permitting gay couples to wed. In a news conference Wednesday and in recent interviews, Obama signaled that his position favoring civil unions is not fixed and...

IFI Update: Same-Sex "Civil Unions" May Be Called This Week 11/28/2010 12:36:00 PM By David E. Smith, IFI Executive Director -Illinois Family Institute During the first half of the Illinois Veto Session in Springfield (Nov. 16-18), IFI's two lobbyists and I spoke to dozens of lawmakers about the ramifications of passing same-sex "civil unions" legislation (SB 1716) in Illinois. Many lawmakers are unaware that section 10 of this bill states that any partner in a civil union shall be legally considered a "spouse" and "family." It isn't just conjecture to say that the proponents of this bill are trying to...

I don't know how to embed the link into the body of this message thread other than to provide the link: http://poll.starbulletin.com/index.php/_components/index/

HONOLULU, April 30, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-family advocates were taken by surprise when the Hawaii House of Representatives unexpectedly revived and passed legislation that would establish same-sex civil unions and make them equivalent to marriage, nearly three months after everyone thought the issue was a dead letter.The Senate bill taken up by the House (HB 444) "extends the same rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities of spouses in a marriage to partners in a civil union."Back in February, the House decided to take the legislation off its agenda for the rest of the legislative year in a voice vote that would...

Some Orthodox leaders and scholars have argued that same-sex civil unions, while not recognized and blessed by the Orthodox Church, should nevertheless be accepted and protected by the state in the spirit of democracy. [...] These positions seem to present a fair and reasonable perspective that maintains a balance between the Orthodox Church’s unwavering support for traditional marriage and her absolute rejection of all homosexual unions, and the secular and democratic society we live in. On closer inspection however, the reality of such moderated and accommodating views exposes a danger that may not have been considered when such support was...

A bride was arrested at her own wedding party after baring her breasts at a doorman - and then hitting him over the head with her red stiletto shoe.Sharon Hancox, 40, spent her first night of marriage in police cells after the row at the champagne reception for her lesbian wedding to her new wife. A court heard Hancox had drunk up to eight pints of lager and champagne at the party after their gay civil ceremony. ut the court heard she had a row with club doorman David Jenkins over allowing an unwelcome guest into the wedding function....

Gansler: Effective immediately Md. recognizes same-sex marriages performed elsewhere UPDATE 2:50 P.M.: Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D) says effective immediately the state recognizes same-sex marriages performed elsewhere and state agencies should begin giving gay couples the rights they were awarded elsewhere. UPDATE 10:25 a.m.: Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Montgomery), who requested the opinion from Gansler, said in a brief interview that he was unsure whether there would be any immediate ramifications. "It's reaffirmation of what we thought, that Maryland can recognize gay marriage," Madaleno said. He said that changes in state policy could result from a court...

The long-stalled civil unions bill is on the move again, but both supporters and opponents say the controversy is not over. House Bill 444 cleared the state Senate yesterday on an 18-7 vote. It now goes to the House, which supported the bill last year but is now not promising passage. If the bill clears the House or a joint House-Senate conference committee and goes to Gov. Linda Lingle, its fate is unknown because Lingle has never expressed an opinion on the bill.

On Friday, January 22, the Senate voted to pass HB444,SD1 on third reading. It will now go back to the House of Representatives for action, where it originated. Action will now be focused on the House which has to agree to the amendments made by the Senate. If they agree, then all House members will need to vote to approve. If the House disagrees to the amendment, it will then be given to a Conference Committee made up of members of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees. Immediately, we need you to: Call, e-mail or fax a message to your...

A woman at the center of a complex dispute with her former lesbian partner defied a court order to give up custody of her 7-year-old daughter, an attorney said Friday. A Vermont judge had ordered Lisa Miller to turn over daughter Isabella to Janet Jenkins at 1 p.m. Friday at the Falls Church, Va., home of Jenkins' parents. Miller did not show up with the girl, said Sarah Star, Jenkins' Vermont-based attorney. Jenkins has notified Fairfax County, Va., police that Isabella is missing, Star said. "She's very disappointed, obviously," Star said. "She's very concerned about Isabella and asks that if...

...Miller and Jenkins were joined in a Vermont civil union in 2000. Isabella was born to Miller through artificial insemination in 2002. The couple broke up in 2003, and Miller moved to Virginia, renounced homosexuality and became an evangelical Christian. Cohen awarded custody of the girl to Jenkins on Nov. 20 after finding Miller in contempt of court for denying Jenkins access to the girl. The judge said the only way to ensure equal access to the child was to switch custody. He also said the benefits to the child of having access to both parents would be worth the...

On Wednesday, Liberty Counsel lawyers appeared in court to defend Lisa Miller. Last month a Vermont court ordered the custody of Miller's biological daughter transferred to her former lesbian lover. The ACLU and Lambda Legal Defense Fund are seeking to transfer custody of 7-year-old Isabella to Janet Jenkins, a Vermont resident who lived with Miller in that state before the latter's conversion from the homosexual lifestyle. Miller met with the ire of a Vermont judge after she refused to send her daughter to scheduled visitations with Jenkins because, she says, Isabella has been traumatized by past visits. The Virginia Court...

Dublin, Ireland – As the United States engages in a heated debate over gay marriage, European Union countries are rapidly striding toward total recognition of same-sex civil unions, if not marriage. The most recent example is Ireland.Last Thursday saw Ireland become the latest country to edge toward marriage equality for homosexual couples. The Irish parliament read and debated the Civil Partnership Bill 2009, introduced by Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern.Despite Ireland’s socially conservative image, opposition to the bill is virtually non-existent and will likely pass into law this month with widespread support from opposition parties Fine Gael and Labour as...

ACLU’s Request to Jail Lisa Miller Fails in Virginia Court August 25, 2009 www.LC.org Winchester, VA – Earlier today, Liberty Counsel appeared in court to defend Lisa Miller from a complaint filed by the ACLU of Virginia on behalf of Janet Jenkins. The ACLU asked the judge to order Lisa to jail for not delivering her own daughter, Isabella, to Vermont for unsupervised visitation with Janet. The ACLU also requested Lisa to pay attorneys fees and costs. No jail time was ordered and the court rejected the ACLU’s request for money. Although the court ruled that Lisa had violated a...

Note: The following text is a quote: THE BRIEFING ROOM THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ___________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release June 1, 2009 LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2009 - - - - - - - BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America was born. During LGBT Pride...

A top constitutional law professor who served as a surrogate for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama told CNSNews.com that he would like to see “marriage” replaced in the legal sense with a neutral “civil license.” “As awkward as it may be, I think the way to untie the state from this problem is to create a new terminology that they would apply to everyone--straight or gay-call it a ‘civil license,’ said Douglas Kmiec, a law professor at Pepperdine University and author of “Can a Catholic Support Him?’ “The net effect of that, would be to turn over--quite appropriately, it seems to...

Believe it or not, often I can see the other side of an argument. I know that tough gun control laws save lives and make our communities safer, for example, but I also see clarity in the Second Amendment. I support affirmative action, but I realize that providing opportunity to some worthy individuals can mean denying opportunity to others. Thinking about some issues involves discerning among subtly graded shades of gray. On some issues, though, I really don't see anything but black and white. Among them is the "question" of granting full equal rights to gay and lesbian Americans, which...

The United Methodist Church's top court recently ruled that clergy, both active and retired, cannot perform same-sex marriages or civil unions. Performing such services is "a chargeable offense," Bishop Beverly J. Shamana ruled last Friday. UMC's Judicial Council affirmed her decision. The council further ruled that an annual conference, or regional body within the UMC, "may not negate, ignore, or violate provisions of the Discipline with which they disagree, even when the disagreements are based on conscientious objections to the provisions." The council’s ruling was on a resolution passed by the California-Nevada Annual Conference last year, months after the California...

It's secularism that has given gay people rights. And in civil partnerships, we have a secular institution fit for their celebration. The question: Is gay marriage a religious issue? Who would have guessed the dainty opinions of a Miss America candidate would have been taken so seriously by gays and liberals? Miss California, a practising Christian, was last week denounced by Miss America gay judge Perez Hilton on his blog as "a dumb bitch" and unworthy of the Miss America crown because she gave the "wrong" answer to his chippy question about gay marriage. Like most Americans – including the...

The first openly gay Episcopal bishop told a Studio City gathering today that the church should begin mending divisions over the issue of same-sex marriage by getting out of the civil marriage business altogether. During a visit to St. Michael & All Angels Church this morning, the Rev. V. Eugene Robinson said he favored the system used in France and other parts of Europe in which civil marriage – performed by government officials – is completely separate from religious vows. In the U.S., the civil and religious ceremonies are often combined with the cleric signing the government marriage license. "In...

Aloha only goes so far when it comes to same-sex couples in Hawaii, where the Democratic-controlled state Senate let a bill to recognize civil unions die in committee yesterday. But will it have an effect on rainbow travelers, who might consider an unofficial Napa-style boycott? If so, the timing couldn't be worse, since the islands' tourism industry has already been hit at near hurricane-force by the bad economy. "Hawaii ranks among the gay-friendliest destinations on the planet," according to About.com's gay and lesbian travel expert Andrew Collins, in his review of "The Out Traveler: Hawaii." That confirms the impression that...

Civil-unions bill stuck, likely dead Gambling: Akaka Bill amended (again) Hawaii DOE's Special Education Report Raises Questions Governor plans to cut state workers' pay to ease Hawaii deficit SB: Economic recovery requires affordable health care system (Hawaii HHSC & HMSA is Obama's model)

"We want to turn the focus away from civil unions and focus instead on the needs of the people of the state of Hawai'i," said former state Rep. Dennis Arakaki (D-Kalihi), interim head of the Hawai'i Family Forum. "It's more of a distraction from the real issues," Arakaki said. "Obviously the economy should be No. 1, but we're also concerned with cuts in services and programs...."

Well, on Tuesday two people filed an initiative to get the state of California out of the business altogether. The initiative, filed by Kaelan Housewright and Ali Shams, replaces the term "marriage" with "domestic partnership" throughout California statutes, while preserving the rights of marriage. Shams and Housewright are students, 22 and 21 respectively, the AP reported. The next step would be to gather roughly 700,000 valid signatures to place the measure on the ballot -- a tall task. But hey, they have a Facebook group...

Just seven weeks into office, President Obama is being forced to confront one of the most sensitive social and political issues of the day: whether the government must provide health insurance benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. In separate, strongly worded orders, two judges of the federal appeals court in California said that employees of their court were entitled to health benefits for their same-sex partners under the program that insures millions of federal workers. But the federal Office of Personnel Management has instructed insurers not to provide the benefits ordered by the judges, citing a 1996 law, the...

A pro-family activist believes there is a huge battle looming between libertarians and social conservatives in the Republican Party. He says this battle was highlighted by a survey he conducted at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, regarding the homosexual agenda. More than half of the nearly 9,000 conservative activists at CPAC last week in Washington were under the age of 22. Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, says most of the young people he surveyed at CPAC were against the legalization of same-sex "marriage," but notes there was a lot of confusion about the issue...

There was at least one 2012 presidential contender missing from the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington this weekend, traditionally a testing ground for any Republican even remotely considering a White House bid. That could be in part because Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. risked getting booed off the stage for some of his views. -SNIPAfter running for governor in 2004 as a supporter of a ballot measure that year that not only banned gay marriage but also civil unions, Huntsman made national news earlier this month by saying that he had changed his mind on civil unions. Largely under...