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Judge Clears Way For Same-Sex Marriages BY DANIELA ALTIMARI | The Hartford Courant 9:54 AM EST, November 12, 2008 NEW HAVEN - A 4-year legal battle for same-sex marriage came to an end this morning in a New Haven courtroom when Superior Copurt Judge Jonathan E. Silbert signed an order. The state Supreme Court last month, in a 4-3 decision, ruled that preventing gay and lesbian couples from marrying violates the state constitution. Today's brief hearing was a formality that was needed before gay couples could start receiving marriage licenses. Immediately after the court proceeding, one of the plaintiff couples,...

Stand for Marriage - Open Air Rally Restore Marriage ... Protect Children Sunday October 19 , 2008 Sponsered by Chinese Church Alliance Location: Veterans Memorial Park in Cupertino (21267 Stevens Creek Blvd... across the street from De Anza College) Poster Time: 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

A Michigan man is suing Zondervan Publishing and Thomas Nelson Publishing, claiming biblical references to homosexuality as a sin violate his constitutional rights and have caused him emotional pain and mental instability. Bradley LaShawn Fowler, 39, is seeking $60 million from Zondervan and $10 million from Thomas Nelson, The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press reported. He is representing himself in both claims. Fowler claims the Bible has made him an outcast and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of "demoralization, chaos and bewilderment." "As frivolous as this case may sound, it's an indicator of where the homosexual agenda is headed," said...

It takes a lot to make San Franciscans blush, but even a city famous for sexual permissiveness apparently has limits. A studio that makes pornographic S&M-themed movies for the Internet recently took over a historic landmark that once housed the National Guard, unleashing a rare public debate about when — and where — propriety trumps tolerance. Kink.com, which distributes its videos on X-rated Web sites with names such as Hogtied and Men in Pain, bought the old State Armory in the Mission District for $14.5 million, saying the vacant building's dark Moorish architecture would make a perfect backdrop for fetish...

via emailAuthor: Manny Publius I came to the CTsix blog once upon a time believing I was an extreme of all extreme progressive. I liked the term “revisionist” cause things surely had to change. I was going to set right all the erroneous thoughts that the evangelical, conservative, homophobic Christian world held dear. I was on a mission! And so, I set off upon a journey that has taken me to places I could never, ever have dreamed. I began by reading your posts. I was looking for ammunition. I wanted to use your words against you. What I heard...

FRESNO, CA--An Episcopal diocese in California overwhelmingly passed a series of resolutions yesterday that position it to secede from the Episcopal Church and affiliate with conservatives in the global Anglican Communion. If the Diocese of San Joaquin affirms the move in a second vote next year, the small diocese, with 48 parishes and 7,000 members, would be the first to try to break from the Episcopal Church, which has been torn by conflict since the consecration of a gay bishop in 2003. Until now, only individual parishes have severed ties. The vote by the diocese is one more step in...

The first woman leader of the 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church said Monday that she believed homosexuality was no sin and homosexuals were created by God to love people of the same gender. Katharine Jefferts Schori, bishop of the Diocese of Nevada, was interviewed on CNN, one day after she was elected as leader of the U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion. When asked if it was a sin to be homosexual, she replied: "I don't believe so. I believe that God creates us with different gifts. Each one of us comes into this world with a different collection of...

Fred Phelps - Sodomy Advocate. Everyone knows the notoriously infamous Fred "God Hates Fags" Phelps. Pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. Or do they? Phelps' appalling antics serve no real purpose save one, he provides homosexual advocates/activists with an alleged "Christian" spokesman (strawman) who is used to attack and villify all Christians as hate-filled bigots. If Phelps didn't exist, the homosexual lobby would have to invent him. His efforts only aid the homosexual agenda. Janet Reno, U.S. Attorney General in the era of the Clinton Administration was notorious for: leading civil and criminal lawsuits against anti-abortion...

Looking at the wire story about the hearing on sexuality [at the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America taking place this week in Orlando] at the Boston Globe website, I took note of the revisionist script from several quoted. The key mood word to describe those that hold to 2,000 years of Christian teaching on sexuality is "fear." I have also noted the use of the family systems' buzz word "anxiety." This borders on dark humor but for the tragic seriousness with which revisionists offer their "cry of the heart." After all, it is a cry to...

(CNSNews.com) - A group of homosexual activists plan to protest Mass at Catholic churches nationwide Sunday in opposition to the church's stance on homosexuality. The group, Rainbow Sash, explained on its website that they "stand opposed to homophobia at the Eucharistic table" and "make no apologies for God's gift of our sexuality." The group encourages its members to wear the Rainbow Sash in a parish or cathedral as "an act of faith in the Lord, who works through weakness." "This year, Rainbow Sash has upped the ante," Catholic League President William Donohue said in a statement. He pointed to a...

A Methodist minister who was defrocked for declaring that she is a lesbian living with her partner is taking her case to a church appeals court.     The Rev. Irene Stroud, of Philadelphia, was ousted Dec. 2 for violating the United Methodist Church's law against "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" in the clergy.     Ms. Stroud decided last week to appeal, but delayed the announcement until after Christmas weekend. Notice of appeal must be filed this week. [snip]She said one factor in her decision was something retired Bishop Joseph Yeakel, the judge who presided at her church trial, said to her after the...

As our nation's eyes are on New York City for the Republican National Convention, Log Cabin's mission, our courageous delegates and our GOP allies are under intense attack from the radical right. The Republican Party Platform is an outrageous insult to all of us and our families. The platform not only calls for an anti-family Constitutional amendment, but it also opposes civil unions and domestic partnerships.  While thousands of courageous gay and lesbian Americans are fighting to win the war on terror, the platform also says, "Homosexuality is incompatible with military service."  Log Cabin has decided to respond immediately to...

Museum on a mission to save local gay history Collection shows long fight to gain rights in Houston By ALLAN TURNER Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle HOUSTON'S GLBT MUSEUM Long after the odor faded, the memory lingers. In a dimly lit, nighttime alley, a lone man rummaged through a giant trash bin, heaving bag after garbage bag to the pavement. He could have been a homeless man digging for a meal. But this intrepid anonymous raider of the greasy Dumpster was a guerrilla of history. His mission: to save from an ignoble burial in a city landfill the documents of a...

SUMMARY: The Democratic National Committee (DNC) claims this year's party platform is the most inclusive in American history on issues important to the GLBT community. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) claims this year's party platform is the most inclusive in American history on issues important to the GLBT community. The DNC's Platform Committee finished the platform on Saturday. Among the issues included are: Protections for GLBT families; Legislation barring workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation; Opening the armed services to all Americans; Fighting HIV/AIDS with community-based prevention programs that President Bush has cut; Protecting GLBT Americans from hate crimes; and,...

Posted on Tue, Jul. 20, 2004 Lesbians sue to have all states recognize Massachusetts marriage MITCH STACY Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. - A lesbian couple from Bradenton who were married in Massachusetts sued the federal government Tuesday to have their union legally recognized in the rest of the country. The suit was filed against U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in federal court in Tampa. The couple's attorney, Ellis Rubin, has filed five previous suits in state and federal courts challenging the ban, but Tuesday's was believed to be the first to attempt to compel the federal government and other states...

Same-Sex Marriage Positions UntenableJuly 15, 2004 by Roger F. Gay The debate over a constitutional amendment that would limit marriage to opposite-sex couples is shaping up as expected. Such an amendment is supported by Republicans and President Bush. John Kerry and John Edwards favor civil unions for same-sex couples but insist that marriage and family issues should be left to the states.The Kerry-Edwards position suffers an obvious flaw. With state courts, such as the supreme court of Massachusetts, finding prohibitions against same-sex marriage unconstitutional, state legislatures are left without the power to limit who can get married to who....

Bishop urges gay ban in clergy Presses overhaul for screening priests By Meredith Goldstein, Globe Staff | July 19, 2004 Bishop John M. D'Arcy, who in private letters to other church officials as early as 1978 questioned the reassignment of priests accused of sexual misconduct, said yesterday that the church must improve its screening process for accepting seminarians and that homosexuals should be prohibited from being ordained as priests. ''We must be very careful of who we accept in the seminary and who we ordain as priests," D'Arcy told parishioners at Our Lady of the Presentation Church, the Brighton parish...

By Malcolm Ritter AP Science Writer Wednesday, May 9, 2001; 1:39 a.m. EDT NEW ORLEANS –– An explosive new study says some gay people can turn straight if they really want to. That conclusion clashes with that of major mental health organizations, which say that sexual orientation is fixed and that so-called reparative therapy may actually be harmful.

Democrats say comment sexist and homophobic LOS ANGELES - A spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said yesterday that the governor would not apologize for calling lawmakers "girlie men," despite criticisms from Democrats that the remark was sexist and homophobic. Schwarzenegger said during a rally Saturday that Democrats were delaying the budget by catering to special interests, and that the lawmakers were "girlie men" if they refused to admit it. He also said Californians should vote out lawmakers who stand in the way of passing the budget. "If they don't have the guts to come up here in front of you...

Philly Pride seeks court order to prevent 'Outfest' evangelism

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Sunday that the governor would not apologize for calling lawmakers "girlie men," despite criticisms from Democrats that the remark was sexist and homophobic...

LOS ANGELES - Democrats aren't amused by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (news - web sites)'s use of the mocking term "girlie men" to describe some lawmakers, although a spokesman for the governor said no apology would be forthcoming. Schwarzenegger dished out the insult at a rally Saturday as he claimed Democrats were delaying the budget by catering to special interests. Democrats protested that the remark was sexist and homophobic. "If they don't have the guts to come up here in front of you and say, 'I don't want to represent you, I want to represent those special interests, the unions, the...

HELENA - A move to change the Montana Constitution to define marriage as only between one man and one woman qualified for the November ballot Thursday, just one day after the U.S. Senate declined to pursue a similar effort to change the U.S. Constitution. Constitutional Initiative 96, proposed by Rep. Jeff Laszloffy, R-Laurel, will ask Montana voters to change the state constitution to specifically ban same-sex marriage and define the union as existing only between one man and one woman. The initiative also states that only marriages between one man and one woman will be recognized in Montana, a stipulation...

RUSSELL Halley takes pride in being able to do the splits as well as any woman on the dance floor. His partner, Jorge Guzman, can spin faster than the female competition. So when the two men don their see-through chiffon shirts to dance together, they alternate the lead. "I can send Jorge into a triple spin and catch him, and vice versa - even in the course of one move," Mr Halley boasts. "We can change place instantly. From an audience point of view it can be very exciting." The duo are at the forefront of an upheaval in America's...

Elton John has said stars are scared to speak out against war in Iraq because of "bullying tactics" used by the US government to hinder free speech. "There's an atmosphere of fear in America right now that is deadly. Everyone is too career-conscious," he told New York magazine, Interview. Sir Elton said performers could be "frightened by the current administration's bullying tactics", The singer likened the current "fear factor" to McCarthyism in the 1950s. "There was a moment about a year ago when you couldn't say a word about anything in this country for fear of your career being shot...

Moms the word - Lesbian couple first on birth certificate By Casey Ross Friday, July 16, 2004 In a milestone for same-sex parents, a married lesbian couple from Jamaica Plain is believed to be the first homosexual pair recognized as parents on their child's birth certificate. Cora Roelofs and Liz Steinhauser are named as mother and ``second parent'' on a certificate issued by the town of Wellesley and approved by the state Department of Public Health. ``We hope people realize this is both justice and a joy, and we hope they support our family,'' said Roelofs, who gave birth June...

Passengers on a gay cruise were greeted by more than 100 protesters as they stepped off their chartered ship Friday in the Bahamas. The protesters, led by Christian pastors, gathered in a square in front of the cruise terminal and chanted, "Gay Ways are Not God's Ways!"

We're here to prove that when a U.S. state attacks the fundamental rights of gay and lesbian citizens, gays and lesbians know how to fight back. Our friends and families are cheering us on. Please join forward-thinking Americans across the country in boycotting Virginia companies and their products and services. And by all means, don't take your tourism dollars there until they disprove their new slogan, "Virginia is for Haters." **snip**

The procedural vote fell short, and Senate Republicans failed to end debate on the Federal Marriage Amendment. It was a replay of the cloture vote that failed to end incessant Democrat filibusters of President Bush’s pro-life and conservative judicial nominees. “The issue is not going away,” promised Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. “Will it be back? Absolutely, yes.” Yeah. That’s what he said when the judicial appointments failed. Let’s hope the issue of homosexual marriage dies while we’re ahead, or Republicans may stage another fake filibuster followed by their own embarrassing 30-hour marathon. Remember that fiasco? If President Bush loses...

Black Group To Debate 'Gay' Marriage at Town Hall July 22; Forum Will Explore Impact On Black Families7/15/2004 11:37:00 AM To: National Desk Contact: Ermias Alemayehu of the Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny, 323-782-1980, Ext. 109, 213-804-1872 (mobile) or bond@bondinfo.org LOS ANGELES, July 15 /U.S. Newswire/ -- BOND, the Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny, will host a town hall meeting on "Same-Sex Marriage and the Impact on Black Families" and the Federal Marriage Amendment on Thursday, July 22, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. PST. The event will be held at the BOND headquarters, 6146 West Pico Blvd., Los...

Bill Clinton has warned Senator John Kerry, the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee, to counter Republican efforts to turn this year's election into a debate on gay marriage and other "cultural issues" such as gun control and abortion. In an interview with the Financial Times, the former US president urged Senator Kerry to fight a values-based campaign focused on health, education and crime. If he stayed on that ground, Mr Kerry could win by "quite a nice margin". < clip >

To: National Desk and Political Reporter Contact: Allison Dobson of Kerry-Edwards, 202-464-2800, Web: http://www.johnkerry.com BOSTON, July 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Senator John Kerry released the following statement today: "The floor of the United States Senate should only be used for the common good, not issues designed to divide us for political purposes. Throughout history, amending our Constitution -- the foundation of the nation's values and ideals -- has been serious business. However, even Republicans concede that this amendment is being offered only for political gains. The unfortunate result is that the important work of the American people -- funding our...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Efforts to pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage foundered Wednesday afternoon when the proposal failed to garner enough votes in the Senate to stay alive. After final arguments by the leaders of each party, Republicans mustered 48 votes, 12 short of the 60 they needed to overcome a procedural hurdle and move the proposed amendment to the floor.

Yes: Greater good will result from preserving the sanctity of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.Two U.S. Supreme Court rulings from the 1960s concerning sex and marriage announced results almost certainly favored at the time by a majority of Americans. In 1965, Griswold v. Connecticut held that government cannot restrict a married couple's access to contraceptives; in 1967, Loving v. Virginia concluded that government cannot withhold marriage from a man and a woman of different races. Central to both decisions was the fundamental importance of the husband/ wife relationship. Almost 40 years later, the court in...

<p>WASHINGTON - The Senate dealt an election-year defeat Wednesday to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, rejecting pleas from President Bush (news - web sites) and fellow conservatives that the measure was needed to safeguard an institution that has flourished for thousands of years.</p>

Here is who voted what. Looks like my TN senators did right. I think I'll keep them. Roll Call Vote Alphabetical by Senator Name Akaka (D-HI), Nay Alexander (R-TN), Yea Allard (R-CO), Yea Allen (R-VA), Yea Baucus (D-MT), Nay Bayh (D-IN), Nay Bennett (R-UT), Yea Biden (D-DE), Nay Bingaman (D-NM), Nay Bond (R-MO), Yea Boxer (D-CA), Nay Breaux (D-LA), Nay Brownback (R-KS), Yea Bunning (R-KY), Yea Burns (R-MT), Yea Byrd (D-WV), Yea Campbell (R-CO), Nay Cantwell (D-WA), Nay Carper (D-DE), Nay Chafee (R-RI), Nay Chambliss (R-GA), Yea Clinton (D-NY), Nay Cochran (R-MS), Yea Coleman (R-MN), Yea Collins (R-ME), Nay Conrad...

Advocates of "gay marriage" or homosexual civil unions argue that promiscuity will be reduced. Such an argument overlooks two key points. First, a embracing homosexual unions is more likely to undermine the institution of marriage and produce other negative effects than it is to make fidelity and longevity the norm for homosexual unions. Second, homosexual unions are not wrong primarily because of their disproportionately high rate of promiscuity and breakups. They are wrong because "gay marriage" is a contradiction in terms. As with consensual adult incest and polyamory, considerations of commitment and fidelity factor only after certain structural prerequisites are...

Summary: An Indiana three-year-old boy who died of a heart attack last November may have died as a result of being sodomized. An Indiana coroner has determined that rectal injuries to a three-year-old boy may have contributed to his death from a heart attack in November. A report in the Northwest Indiana News(March 13, 2004) quotes coroner Jeff Wells: "His heart was unstable to begin with and yes, this could have thrown it over the edge. There is a possibility that he could have had a heart attack while being sodomized." Read and distribute TVC's report on the high rate...

Rosie Takes Shot At Bush During Gay-Friendly Cruise Cruise To Stop In Key West Later This Week POSTED: 12:13 PM EDT July 13, 2004 UPDATED: 6:00 PM EDT July 13, 2004 PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. -- On the eve of a possible U.S. Senate vote to make gay marriages unconstitutional, Rosie O'Donnell spoke out against the Bush administration's plans to ban same sex unions during a stop on a gay-friendly cruise, according to Local 6 News. Rosie Promotes Cruise, Discusses Possible Gay Marriage Ban "I think this cruise comes at the perfect time, when they're considering an amendment making it illegal...

TAMPA -- Sue Clayton and Sheila Serrao met at church nine years ago. Three years later, Serrao's dad walked her down the aisle at the couple's commitment ceremony. The day was a "dream come true," Serrao said. But as a gay couple, the state does not allow the two Sarasota women to legally marry. Florida law defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman. On Monday, the couple moved to change the law. Led by their attorney and surrounded by members of local and national gay rights groups, Clayton and Serrao filed a lawsuit in Hillsborough Circuit...

<p>Photo Essays:•Battle Over Gay MarriageSTORIES BACKGROUND •Mass. AG: Gay Marriage for Residents Only•Marriage Debate Builds Steam in Senate•Bush Wants Amendment to Ban Gay Marriage•Senate to Debate Banning Gay Marriage•Gay Activists Rally Against Virginia Law•Mayors to Vote on Gay Marriage Resolution•Romney Urges Amendment Against Gay Marriage BOSTON — A 1913 Massachusetts law that is being used to prevent out-of-state gays from getting married here is discriminatory and should be struck down, a lawyer for eight same-sex couples (search) told a judge Tuesday.</p>

Senate Democrats on Tuesday appeared headed toward a tactical victory over the hot-button issue of gay marriage. What seemed likely Monday — an up-or-down Senate vote on a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as only "the union of a man and a woman" — appeared very doubtful a day later as Republican and Democratic leaders were unable to agree on a procedure for a vote. Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has scheduled a Wednesday vote on cloture, a procedural move that would limit debate on the topic and allow the Senate to proceed to voting on the proposed...

Two recent developments have returned same-sex marriages to center stage. At one pole lies the conservative effort to steer a Family Marriage Amendment, banning same-sex marriages, through Congress; and at the other, the implementation of the Massachusetts decision in Goodridge v. Department of Health, which requires equal treatment for same-sex marriages. These two parallel episodes offer powerful evidence of an unhappy wedge between the majoritarian and libertarian wings of conservative legal thought. Generally -- and here the illiberal FMA is a jarring exception -- conservatives insist that most important structural questions in the U.S. should be decided through the democratic...

Do you ever wonder why the internet is so polluted with pornography? The Supreme Court just reminded us why: it blocks every attempt by Congress to regulate the pornographers. From its ivory tower, the Court props open the floodgates for smut and graphic sex. Over the past five years, it has repeatedly found new constitutional rights for vulgarity, most recently invalidating the Child Online Protection Act (COPA). This latest judicial outrage happened on the final day of the Supreme Court term, after which the justices headed out for a long summer break. Lacking teenaged children of their own, the justices...

Quote from web site: "Mr. Michael Eisner, CEO, The Walt Disney Company 500 South Buena Vista Street Burbank, CA It is an outrage that Walt Disney World in Orlando is allowing the open dis[play of offensive and illegal homosexuality during "Gay Days at Walt Disney World." This is shameful! And no child should ever have to witness homosexual acts while attending Disney World. The acts videotaped in your park year-after-year have become more prevalent and still you do nothing to protect children in your charge. Mr. Eisner, you have a moral and legal responsibility to the parents and children who...

An argument in favor of homosexual marriage that you are likely to hear again and again on radio talk shows, on national television, and on the Internet, reflects a line of reasoning that you must be prepared to counter. It is embodied in these kinds of questions: Why all the fuss about gay marriage anyway? And why should it matter to you if a gay couple marries and moves into your neighborhood? Why shouldn’t our definition of family be broadened and modernized? After all, what harm could possibly be done by yielding to the demands of those who say traditional...

Ahoy, mateys, Rosie O'Donnell's going full steam ahead--her cruise line for gay and lesbian families has launched on its maiden voyage. The first cruise of R Family Vacations, a new company backed by the comic and gay-rights advocate, set sail Sunday from New York for a seven-day cruise to the Bahamas. O'Donnell was on hand in Manhattan Sunday to celebrate the first of several gay family friendly vacations planned by R Family Vacations. According to the R Family Website, the cruise is a seven-day adventure that will take its 2,100 passengers from New York to Florida to the Bahamas and...

Same-Sex 'Marriage' Issue: Senators on the High Priority Contact ListAs the Senate prepares to vote on an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to protect marriage, it is vital that all pro-family Americans contact their Senators in support of this necessary amendment.Below is a list of Senators that Family Research Council has deemed to be the highest priority. If your Senator is listed, please contact him or her immediately and tell them to cast a vote in support of traditional marriage during the week of July 12th.

With 10,000 in attendance and thousands more watching and listening on TV and radio, pro-family leaders at a "Battle for Marriage" rally July 11 encouraged Christians to call their senators and urge them to vote for the Federal Marriage Amendment. "For us to turn away from this fight would be biblical dereliction," Prison Fellowship's Charles Colson said. "... We must engage this fight now." The rally was held at Bellevue Baptist Church, led by Adrian Rogers in suburban Memphis. Citizens must contact their senators, leaders said. A vote on the marriage amendment -- which would protect the traditional definition of...

The new pledges, timed to coincide with the opening in Thailand of the six-day 15th International AIDS Conference, came as a new opinion poll showed the Massachusetts senator widening his lead over President George W. Bush (news - web sites). Kerry welcomed the upcoming conference and promised to work with US international partners, faith-based and non-governmental organizations to strengthen the world's capacity for a sustained response to the AIDS epidemic. But in his statement, he also made a commitment that is likely to draw more fire from conservative groups insisting on tighter immigration requirements. "I will work with Congress to...