Free Republic

Could the American Church be about to start planting churches in England? That’s the intriguing possibility raised by one of its most influential clerics, who has indicated that this might be the only option given that Rowan Williams has sided with the conservatives. Geoffrey Hoare, the Eton-educated vicar of All Saints Atlanta, one of the largest churches in TEC, has asked colleagues to consider how they could begin “seeking partners throughout the world” if effectively evicted from the Anglican Communion. Given the Archbishop’s comments last week, which were much bolder and firmer than many expected, it looks as though the...

Liberal American bishops threw the Archbishop of Canterbury a lifeline in his efforts to avert Anglican schism by agreeing to halt appointments of gay bishops and same-sex blessings, at least temporarily. The compromise will, however, fail to appease many conservative leaders as it offers no guarantee that the American Church will maintain the moratoriums for more than a couple of years. It also falls far short of agreeing to provide an independent safe haven for American conservatives who have rejected the authority of their own liberal bishops. advertisement One conservative insider said it represented "two fingers to the Communion." Liberals,...

US comedian Jerry Lewis apologised today for his use of an anti-gay slur during the weekend broadcast of his annual Labor Day Telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The controversial remark came yesterday in the 18th hour of the live national telecast, when a visibly weary Lewis, 81, was joking on stage, pretending to introduce members of someone's family as he mugged for the camera. "Oh, your family has come to see you. You remember Bart, your oldest son, Jesse, the illiterate fag ...," Lewis said, as he apparently caught himself and ceased the gag in mid-sentence, turning on his...

Conservative author Jennifer Rubin wondered this morning whether any Republican candidates would have the decency to do a little Sistah Souljah-ing here: It is not “caving” into political correctness to distance and indeed condemn such remarks as unworthy of a political event like CPAC… Excommunication is not being suggested, just a public rebuke. By clearly stating her comments are beyond the bounds of civil discourse and her presence not a welcome addition to a mature political party, the Republicans could do themselves a world of good. How often does a party have the opportunity to display some measure of dignity,...

MILWAUKEE A federal judge threw out a civil rights lawsuit the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center filed after police shut down its production of "Naked Boys Singing." The police department's vice squad shut down the nude musical revue in August 2005 because its organizers didn't have a license. But the city later determined the center didn't need the license because it's a nonprofit group, and the show resumed performances in October 2005. The center was seeking more than 600-thousand dollars in damages, alleging violations of free speech and due process. But U-S District Judge Charles Clevert dismissed the suit this week....

Britain's Conservative Party leader David Cameron, in an effort to "modernize" his party, has embraced gay marriage as a key issue facing the next generation. Cameron hopes to "bury old taboos" of past British generations, according to a report in The Times (U.K.). Among those taboos are gay marriage, single parenting and new house building. Cameron, who is campaigning to replace outgoing Prime Minister Tony Blair in the upcoming U.K. election, has targeted "female-friendly" issues, much like Blair did a decade ago, to broaden his party's base and secure more votes, according to various news reports. In a speech to...

Sen. Hillary Clinton said the discussion of gay marriage in Congress this week is a priority of the "political machine of the White House and the Republican majority" but her constituents put other concerns first. "When I travel around and speak with people whom I'm representing, they worry about everything from terrorism to gas prices to the cost of health care to energy independence," Clinton said Monday at a fundraising luncheon. "There's a long list. What we're going to do this week is not on the list. It is unfortunately on the list of the political machine of the White...

BRUSSELS, May 2, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The European Union continues to favour the homosexual movement’s program at the expense of national sovereignty and religious rights. A new law coming into effect today effectively orders the countries of the Union to “facilitate” homosexual partners who have “married” in their home countries and want to live or travel in countries where their unions are not legally recognized. The law is intended to allow EU citizens to move around the Union as freely as they do within their own countries. The directive means that citizens within the EU will no longer be obliged...

Is This Dodge 'Fairy' Commercial Actually Hate Speech in Disguise? Bod Garfield's Ad Review: Watch the Video By Bob Garfield Published: April 17, 2006 Faggot. Queer. Fairy. These are synonyms, epithets one and all disparaging gays -- or, more often, heterosexual men deemed insufficiently masculine. Let's call that Fact No. 1. The 'Fairy' spot was created for Dodge by BBDO, Detroit. ALSO: Comment on this review in the 'Your Opinion' section below. Macho brand Fact No. 2: Dodge is marketing its new Caliber subcompact as a tough little car, as opposed to sissy little Civics, Corollas and the like. This...

BELGIUM has voted into law a controversial bill allowing homosexual couples to adopt children, Belga news agency reported. The upper house of parliament, the Senate, today approved the bill by a razor-thin 34 votes to 33, with two abstentions. The vote in the lower house of parliament in December 2005 had also been narrow, at 77 votes to 62, with seven abstentions. Homosexual couples in Belgium won the right to marry in June 2003 and more than 5000 people have taken advantage of that law since it came into force. Now that the new law has been definitively approved, they...

US President George W. Bush and his wife Laura launched the annual White House Easter egg party today while managing to avoid any awkward moments with dozens of gay couples and their children who attended the outdoor event. The Easter Egg Roll is a traditional all-American event held on the White House lawn each year since 1878, where kids push an egg with a giant wooden spoon, often with the proud president and his wife looking on. But gay groups joined the queue for tickets - which were given out to families on a first-come, first served basis at the...

Britain's Conservatives winning greater share of gay vote: poll LONDON (AFP) - The election of David Cameron as leader of Britain's main opposition Conservative Party has delivered it a significant boost among the gay community, according to a survey. The poll for website PinkNews.co.uk suggested that 29.7 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) voters in England said they would back the Tories under Cameron in the forthcoming local elections on May 4. That figure compares with just 19.2 percent who voted for the party under its previous leader, Michael Howard, at the 2005 general election. Prime Minister Tony...

Dozens of homosexual parents who spent the night outside the White House on Friday will attend this morning's Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn, and they will be joined by President Bush and first lady Laura Bush. The homosexual parents plan no overt protest at the children's event -- no chants, no signs. But they will be wearing rainbow-colored leis to push their message that homosexual parents are equally as capable as any of raising children. "I don't think this is a protest," said Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Family Pride Coalition. "Showing up, participating fully in an...

RICHMOND, Virginia, April 11, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Governor Timothy M. Kaine of Virginia refused to sign a proposed constitutional amendment yesterday that would ban same-sex marriage in the state, and said he will vote against the bill when it comes before Virginians in November. Although Gov. Kaine said he opposed same-sex marriage, he said the proposed bill could have consequences for all unmarried couples, heterosexual as well as homosexual, the Washington Post reported today. The Virginia state constitution already identifies marriage as between a man and a woman, but supporters of the amendment say the law needs to be clarified...

IRONDALE, AL, April 3, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Two days ago, LifeSiteNews was forwarded a firestorm of emails from faithful Catholics in Canada regarding the world's largest Catholic media network - Eternal Word Television Network - not airing programs on homosexuality in Canada and Europe. The emails referred to an exchange between a Canadian viewer of the network and a producer at the network. In response to questioning about a show on homosexuality not being aired in Canada, as was scheduled and aired in the United States, Amalia C. Zea, the producer of the popular program Life on the Rock responded,...

PLAYBOY, the US-based adult publisher and broadcaster, is considering using Britain as a testing ground for moving into the gay market for the first time, it was reported today. Playboy wants to launch a new gay brand to boost revenues, the Times said. Chief-executive Christine Hefner said: "We've extended the Playboy brand to women, and where there is a meaningful gay market, launching under a different brand is something we are very comfortable doing. "In the UK, our television people are very interested, and I wouldn't be surprised if we launched something this year, given the importance of the market...

Gay marriage Should same-sex marriages be recognised throughout Australia?

Catholic League president William Donohue commented today on a unanimous vote by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors condemning the Catholic Church for opposing gay adoptions: “In a non-binding resolution, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors lashed out at the Catholic Church because it disagrees with the Church’s teachings on marriage and sexuality. The board, which has long shown its affinity for the radical gay agenda, has now demonstrated that it has nothing but contempt for the First Amendment provisions on religious liberty and the establishment of religion. If they had it their way, the government would dictate the teachings...

NEW YORK -- We chatted about it, joked about it, argued about it, spoofed it. "Brokeback Mountain" was everywhere in our popular culture - yet it lost the big Oscar it was supposed to win. Was there a "Brokeback Backlash," or was "Crash" just the worthy contender that came on strong in the final Best Picture stretch? There were as many theories being offered up Monday as there are "Brokeback" parodies on the Internet. One theory was that, despite the hoopla, the endless late-night monologues and the clever imitations, people (Academy voters, that is) didn't really love the soulful saga...

AN expected crowd of 500,000 people have been gathering roadside at the route for this year's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade in Sydney. They can expect to see Kate Moss dancers snorting `cocaine', a spoof of gay-cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain and `friends' of the apparently gay-friendly Dick Cheney. And of course there will be the essential lampoon of Prime Minister John Howard. The parade is the culmination of a month of festivities celebrating gay pride and thousands are set to march – or to feature in the 120 floats – with this year's event having a fairytale theme. Captain...