Free Republic

An Edmonton teacher fired after telling a Catholic school board she was changing her gender to a man says the case fuels an unfair stereotype nationwide that Albertans are rednecks. "I do believe it may feed into the myth that Albertans are redneck," said Jan Buterman who this week launched an Alberta Human Rights Commission complaint about the firing from a public Catholic school board in St. Albert that came on her birthday last October. "I really don't think it's really what Alberta is," said Buterman. She's undergoing the process of becoming a man and had been a substitute teacher...

Even though Dubai is supposed to be the crossroads of the world, things continue to change for the worse there. For the record, anyone who takes part in this behavior is sick. Muslim or non-Muslim. Kids go to serve sex in Dubai By: J Dey 2009-09-21 Hundreds of minors flown out to Gulf to dance in bars, provide sex, as Ramzan month of abstinence ends

The presiding bishop of the nation's largest Lutheran denomination warned Wednesday that withholding financial support to protest a recent gay clergy vote would be "devastating" to the church. Bishop Mark Hanson laid out his concerns in a letter to leaders of the 4.7 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which is based in Chicago. The ELCA churchwide assembly voted last month to allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy, dropping a requirement that gay clergy remain celibate. The Rev. Mark Chavez, director of Lutheran CORE, said the gay clergy vote was the devastating event — "a...

ELCA Churchwide Organization Begins Revising Its Ministry Policies 09-189-FI CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) directed that ministry policies be revised to eliminate prohibitions against partnered gay and lesbian members serving as lay and ordained leaders of the church. When the policy documents have been revised, congregations will have the option of calling a person in a publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationship, but they will not be required to do so, said the Rev. Stanley N. Olson, executive director, ELCA Vocation and Education. The assembly also directed that the policies...

Just today we get:Ex-leader of Young Democrats sentenced in Child Porn case North Carolina Dem activist sentenced in child porn case-involving kids as young as 6 Earlier this month we got:John Kerry "Band of Brothers" member convicted for child Porn- was called on stage during the DNC national convention. ANDHigh-level aide to California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer convicted for receiving and distributing child pornography. Just last month:Child molester back at work at for Democrat in Hawaii Legislature Earlier this year: Democrat Wisconsin mayor charged with child-sex crimes Last Year: Famed left-wing radio personality Bernie Ward guilty of possessing and distributing...

<p>A self-described Satan worshipper pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and weapons charges in the vicious stabbing death of a New York City radio newsman.</p>

Two California homosexuals have won a federal lawsuit, allowing both their names to be on their adopted son's Louisiana birth certificate. According to Chron.com, the state of Louisiana initially refused the request because homosexual adoption and same-sex "marriage" are illegal in that state. Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith then filed a lawsuit, which stated that leaving their names off the birth certificate "singles out unmarried same-sex couples and their adoptive children for the improper use of making them unequal to every one else." Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel and dean of Liberty University's law school, comments. "What, essentially,...

I’m not the biggest Ann Coulter fan out there. I think she says things that are way out of line just for the controversy, and attention for selling books. However, when we learned that Teddy Kennedy had brain cancer we didn’t make jokes about it. It would have been easy to do, but we asked our readers to pray for him. This is what makes conservatives different than most liberals! We don’t celebrate the tragedies of others just because we don’t like them, with perhaps the exception of Fred Phelps and his cult where we might make an exception. However,...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A writer for a libertarian group has written perhaps the most scathing attack on pro-life vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin since the Alaska governor was announced weeks ago as John McCain's running mate. Nicholas Provenzo condemns Palin for the birth of her baby Trig, who has Down syndrome.Provenzo, who writes for the Center for the Advancement of Capitalism, not only bashes her for allowing Trig to be born, but says she should have made the so-called morally justifiable decision to kill him in an abortion.The Center for the Advancement of Capitalism bills itself as a...

A quick reading of the measure that will go before San Francisco voters in November to decriminalize prostitution easily could leave you with the misimpression that the measure is an exercise in fairness that demands that prosecutors go after men who abuse prostitutes and implement policies "to reduce institutional violence and discrimination against prostitutes." A careful reading of the initiative, "Enforcement of Laws Related to Prostitution and Sex Workers," however, shows a measure that shields child prostitution and traffickers of human beings. "If I had just heard from the proponents, I would probably vote for it myself," said the Rev....

SAN ANGELO, Tex. - Adult FLDS men were having sex with underage brides inside the massive limestone temple at the polygamous sect's Texas ranch, a confidential informant told authorities. According to a request for a search warrant unsealed today by a Texas judge, Schliecher County Sheriff David Doran has been working with a confidential informant who has shared information about the ranch over several years. On Saturday, as a sweeping raid was underway at the YFZ Ranch, the informant spoke to Doran and made the allegation about the temple, the court filing said. The affidavit was from Texas Ranger Leslie...

LOS ANGELES — A man who blogs about his attraction to young girls but says he doesn't touch them was arrested Monday near a university child care facility with a camera, police said. Jack McClellan, 45, who is unemployed and lives out of his car, was arrested at 1:40 p.m. at the University of California, Los Angeles, campus police said in a statement. He was arrested near the university's Infant Development Program, which provides onsite care for children 3 months to 3 year sold and serves faculty, students and staff, according to the university's Web site.

BOSTON, Massachusetts, May 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A new clinic at Children’s Hospital Boston is offering hormone treatment to young children identified as “transgender” to facilitate eventual surgery for a gender switch, according to a report by MassResistance May 17. Led by endocrinologist Dr. Norman Spack, the Gender Management Service Clinic is the first U.S. clinic to initiate medical intervention for healthy children on the basis of a “transgender” identification. A 12-year-old German boy who began receiving puberty-blocking hormone treatments last winter in preparation for sex-change “transition” surgery was believed to be the youngest child to receive the treatment...

The silver tiara matched his silver stilettos when Johnny Vera was named prom queen Saturday night at Roosevelt High School. He's the first transgender prom queen in Fresno -- and possibly anywhere.

"A Stockholm nightclub has been asked to pay 30,000 kronor in compensation to two lesbian women who were requested by a security guard to refrain from kissing. "

Saudi Government-Appointed Executioner for Mecca, Abdallah Al-Bishi, Discusses His Calling and Demonstrates His Weapons and Methods Following are excerpts from an interview with the executioner for Mecca, Abdallah Al-Bishi, which aired on LBC TV on November 4, 2006. Reporter: This is the most renowned executioner in Saudi Arabia, Abdallah Bin Sa'id Al-Bishi, who carries out the executions. His sword delineates the border between seriousness and play. There is no negotiating with him, once the heads have ripened. When it's harvesting time, he is the most suited for the job. Abdallah Al-Bishi: I started to work in this field after the...

Two successive Baltimore County judges have delayed ruling on a child custody case involving a 7-year old girl who does not want to continue court-ordered visitations with the lesbian lover with whom her adoptive mother broke up after a live-in relationship that lasted from 1987 to 2004. In February, a court found that the mother’s former lover is also the child’s de facto parent, and required visitation with the child every Wednesday and every other weekend – a ruling that was upheld this month. Court records indicate that a court-appointed social worker reported that the forced overnight visits were causing...

WASHINGTON — Gerry Studds, the nation's first openly gay congressman, pushed the country to another landmark development when he died Saturday — the federal government, for perhaps the first time, will deny death benefits to a congressman's gay spouse. The federal government does not recognize the 2004 marriage between Studds and Dean Hara, providing a high-profile demonstration of the limitations of Massachusetts' gay marriage law — while highlighting maneuvering in Washington that has neutralized it and similar state laws. "A gay spouse will not receive any sort of pension or annuity or anything like that," said Chad Cowan, a spokesman...

POLICE revealed yesterday that a nine-year-old boy freed from his home in Florida earlier this week had spent most of the past three years locked in his bedroom, watched by his father on surveillance cameras that tracked his every move.His father, Randall Warren Piercy, 41, claimed the strict living conditions were in his son's best interest, said police, who charged the man with malicious punishment and child abuse. "[The boy] was just wide-eyed, and so excited we were there," said Jacksonville Sheriff's Lt Annie Smith. "We told him to put his shoes and socks on to go outside. He said,...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - Three missing children have been found dead, days after their mother's body was discovered with the fetus cut from her womb, authorities announced late Saturday...

LANCASTER, Wis. - A judge on Friday dismissed charges of attempted sexual assault against three men accused of trying to dig up a woman's body to have sex with the corpse, noting that Wisconsin has no law against necrophilia. The men still face lesser charges. Twins Nicholas and Alexander Grunke, 20, and Dustin Radke, 20, were arrested after an alleged attempt to dig up the body of a 20-year-old woman who was killed Aug. 27 in a motorcycle crash. Officials said a caller reported suspicious activity in the cemetery Sept. 2, and deputies found someone had dug down to her...

Seeking Felony Indictment for Puppy’s Torturous Death Target: Paul Howard, DA, Fulton County District Attorney Joshua Molder, age 17, and brother Justin have been accused of Aggravated Cruelty to an animal and two other charges, and are currently jailed without bond. This petition, however, is focused on the Aggravated Cruelty charge. ATLANTA -- Two Atlanta brothers are in custody at the Fulton County jail charged with the torture death of a five-month old puppy and trashing a local apartment complex. Seventeen-year old Joshua Molder and 18-year old Justin Molder are being held without bond. The Molder brothers stand accused of...

LAGUNA NIGUEL - Dismiss them if you like, but these people baring their behinds to passing trains are your neighbors, your children's teachers, your attorneys, your policemen, your World War II veterans and yes, even your mothers! Once they were a bunch – a small bunch – of crazies. Now they are a nation. You had ladies from the Red Hat Society standing next to members of the Hessians motorcycle gang, standing next to a group of nudists, standing next to a 70-year-old (normally sedate) mom standing next to an avowed libertarian. All laughing, chatting and waving. With their pants...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=396762&in_page_id=1773 War of the Worlds star Dakota, 12, has signed up to appear in Hounddog. The screenplay calls for Fanning's character to be raped in one explicit scene and to appear naked or clad only in "underpants" in several other horrifying moments. A source close to the film said: "The two taboos in Hollywood are child abuse and the killing of animals. "In this movie, both things happen." Fanning's mother, Joy, and her Hollywood agent, Cindy Osbrink, see the movie, written and directed by Deborah Kampmeier, as a possible Oscar vehicle for the pint-size star.

Public display of affection was inappropriate Thursday, July 13, 2006 My family enjoyed our first visit to your clean and beautiful city on June 24 and 25, as we arrived to deliver our daughter to a summer camp. After a much longer than anticipated drive, we arrived at our destination at 10:30 p.m., unloading our bags at the only possible spot at the hotel: curbside at the Courtyard Marriott on Spring Street. My three children were treated to an eyeful of amorous behavior by the lesbians seated on a public bench, not 10 feet away from us and directly in...

Today: June 28, 2006 at 3:16:29 PDT Transgender Community Finds Acceptance By LISA LEFF ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A clash between police and patrons of an all-night diner here 40 years ago was once a forgotten footnote in history. For members of the transgender community, though, it was the start of their slow march toward widespread acceptance. Sparked by the riot, San Francisco activists started their own civil rights movement - three years before the more famous clashes at New York City's Stonewall Inn. A dedication this month of a granite anniversary marker at the site of the...

The governor of Maryland fired one of his appointees to the Washington Metro transit authority board for stating a negative opinion of homosexuality on a cable TV talk show. The board member, Robert Smith, had said: "Homosexual behavior, in my view, is deviant. I'm a Roman Catholic." The governor, Robert Ehrlich, said Smith's remarks were "highly inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.""Insensitive" sounds like a fair comment. "Deviant" is a harsh word for expressing one's non-approval of homosexuality. The governor is on less firm ground with "inappropriate." Smith's comment certainly was apropos of the talk-show topic, gay marriage. He was explaining why...

Lifeguard on Tiberias beach uses loudspeaker to tell off homosexual couple making out in water ; young man to receive NIS 5,000 in compensation from municipality What is the value of a hug? Quite a lot, if you live in Tiberias. A resident of the northern city, who was making out with his male partner on the beach and was told off in public by a lifeguard with a loudspeaker, will receive a compensation of NIS 5,000 (about USD 1,117) from the municipality and its economic company. At first, the young man filed a lawsuit against the municipality, but the...

VANCOUVER, June 1, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A homosexual teacher and his same-sex partner who launched a human rights complaint with the British Columbia government have settled with the Government of British Columbia. According to the homosexual activist who launched a human rights suit, homosexual issues will soon be a mandatory part of school curricula taught in classrooms throughout the province, without the ability of students or parents to opt out. BC's Ministry of Education and Ministry of the Attorney-General agreed to review the province's curricula to ensure that the issue of homosexuality is included in all so-called 'social justice' discussions...

Durham Police are investigating a sex slavery sect operating in a north-eastern suburban town, whose members model their sado-masochistic relationships on a series of 1960s science fiction novels. The suburban home where Kaotians gather The bizarre cult came to light when police raided an address in Darlington after complaints that a woman was being held against her will. But it transpired that the Canadian concerned was a willing participant and police had no grounds to act against the so-called Kaotians sect. It is understood the 29-year-old had voluntarily attended the sect after an internet chat, but later contacted a friend...

"Several years ago Gary Glenn came to Midland as a conservative political activist... Soon thereafter he rekindled the American Family Association of Michigan, based in Midland. Since that time, the AFA has been on a non-stop campaign to deny basic freedoms, safety and dignity to (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered) people. The American Family Association claims to be a 'pro-family' organization, but a recent study by the (National Gay & Lesbian Task Force) Policy Institute showed that the AFA and similar groups do little for families, but instead spend their time trying to outlaw abortions, stop equal rights for gay...

BERKELEY, Calif. - Two gay figure skaters sued the Berkeley ice rink for discrimination after twice being told to stop holding hands while skating. Alan Lessik and John Manzon-Santosin sued in Alameda County Superior Court last month accusing the manager of Berkeley Iceland of unlawful and discriminatory business practices by denying them their right to skate as a pair. The manager, Monte Tiedemann, twice told the pair to stop holding hands during their preparations for Gay Games VII at the Berkeley arena. The pair, who met at the Sydney Gay Games in 2002, said they have not encountered similar admonitions...

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A proposed law to curb prostitution in the U.S. capital has some homosexual activists worried that the profiling would unfairly target transgendered people. A coalition of 22 homosexual rights groups has signed a letter of protest against the proposed Omnibus Public Safety Act of 2005, which would allow police to establish “Prostitution Free Zones” in public areas. The group warns it “will increase harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens.” Program coordinator Darby Hickey, from the homosexual rights group Different Avenues, complained that the program would unfairly target transgendered people. “There’s widespread profiling...

A four-year-old boy died after he was brutally assaulted when he refused to call his mother's lesbian lover "Daddy", The Star newspaper reported on Thursday. Jandre's mother, Hanelie Botha (31), and her partner Engeline de Nysschen (33) appeared in the Vereeniging Regional Court on Wednesday and were found guilty of the boy's gruesome murder. His father, Jan, sat in court holding the hands of his fiancée, Yolanda Deysel, and listened attentively to Magistrate Rita Willemse, who in her judgement, accepted evidence that among the reasons that led to Jandre's brutal ordeal was his refusal to call De Nysschen "Daddy", the...

Cardinal-designate William J. Levada said it is difficult for homosexual priests, especially those who make their disorder public, to be seen as representatives of Christ by Catholic faithful. Public declaration in particular puts priests “at odds with the spousal character of love as revealed by God and imaged in humanity,” said the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, during a sermon, as reported by the Catholic News Service.

<p>Kokomo, February 27 - For the family who lives in a modest home in Kokomo the fatal Iraq attack came last week.</p> <p>Then the attack at home followed.</p> <p>Vandals defaced the home of Sgt. Rickey Jones' family. Eggs were thrown and flags were stolen. Sgt. Jones, a Kokomo High School graduate, was one four soldier's with the 101st killed west of Baghdad last week.</p>

Considering the current hoo-hah over the movie "Brokeback Mountain" and whether it will win any Academy Awards brings into focus what the appeal of this movie might be for straights – heterosexual persons, that is. While I am aware that there is a larger context for this movie in the social arena – a serious dramatic treatment of homosexual love – and that gay advocacy groups consider this another victory in their agenda to break barriers and normalize homosexuality, my personal reaction is to question why I would want to see a movie on this theme. Because of the strength...

MARTINEZ - County clerk-recorder's officials denied a marriage license to a same-sex couple in Martinez this morning. "They came in right at the stroke of 8 and had a picket sign asking for the right," said office manager Tanya Gutierrez. "They just wanted to bring attention to that fact that it's not equal." Gutierrez said the two women "were pretty satisfied with my answer as far as it not being legal. Certainly if it were to become lawful, we'd be happy to issue a license. We are sensitive to the public in regard to this issue." She said the couple...

Back in the day, we had a name for those who defied the definition of monogamy. They were called swingers. But today, it seems the rules have changed and the prevalence of open relationships has increased significantly. Open relationships are often defined as a situation in which couples agree that it is acceptable to date and engage in sexual activity with other people while still maintaining a relationship with each other. But a better definition may be cheating without the guilt. Over the past few years, the social stigma of engaging in polyamory has greatly subsided on college campuses —...

KARBALA, Iraq - More than one million Iraqis marched and beat themselves Thursday in blood-soaked processions through this holy city and other Shiite centers around the country to mourn the seventh century death of their revered martyr, Imam Hussein. Swept by a thick yellow sandstorm, mass processions choked Karbala's wide streets as more than 8,000 security forces and additional militiamen prevented terrorist attacks that have rocked Ashoura ceremonies over the past two years, killing more than 230 people. Karbala police chief Brig. Razzaq Abid Ali al-Taei said up to 2 million people either marched in drum banging and flag waving...

Jewish lesbian moms in San Francisco Lesbian mothers not uncommon in the San Francisco-bay area, but two sets of twins in 10 days keep one area couple plenty busy Dan Pine It’s 5:30 a.m. and the dawn’s early light has not yet warmed the eastern hilltops of Marin County. For new moms Shelley Friedman and Tania Lowenthal, it’s hard to tell if a new day has begun or the old one is still going. But their newborn babies –– all four of them –– are crying, and there is nursing to be done. It’s the first feeding of the morning...

It's been a difficult week for the families of the Sago mine disaster. Now, a 15 member group is coming to Upshur County to protest the miners' funerals. They're from Topeka, Kansas. They're a radical religous group known as the "Westboro Baptist Church". This is a statement from their most recent press release: " Thank God for the lightning bolt that caused the explosion that trapped the Sago miners. God killed them and cast them into hell. " Local authorities say the group has the right to express their opinions, but are sad to see the families go through this....

NEW YORK -- It was quite a sight in front of a multimillion-dollar Manhattan townhouse: a bloody-bearded Santa, holding a knife and the severed head of a doll -- blood gushing from its eye socket. The eerie display popped up outside Joel Krupnik and Mildred Castellano's East 18th Street home. The couple and their three children said they are protesting the commercialization of Christmas. Krupnik and Castellano's 16-year-old daughter, Darla, came up with the idea for the bloody Santa. The family is Jewish and non-practicing, but they say they like putting up decorations for their kids. The girl said she...

This moving and majestic film would be a landmark if only because it is the first Hollywood movie to unmask the homoerotic strain in American culture that Leslie Fiedler discerned in his notorious 1948 Partisan Review essay, "Come Back to the Raft Ag'in, Huck Honey." Fiedler characterized the bond between Huckleberry Finn and Jim, a runaway slave, as an unconscious romantic attachment shared by two males of different races as they flee the more constraining and civilizing domain of women. He went on to identify that bond as a recurrent theme in American literature. In popular culture, Fiedler's Freudianism certainly...

Unstoppable Political Correctness Meets The Immovable Identity Group In my sophomore year at Pomona College my intramural inner tube water polo team made it to the championship game. The co-ed activity required each 7 person squad to have two women in the water at all times. Women's goals counted as two points as well - nice shooting Emily Gold, class of 2003! Some called this setup sexist, but it achieved its aim - women were included both on the squad and during the games. (The unintended consequence - a team fielded by the Women's Water Polo Team proved very difficult...

Elton John and partner David Furnish have blasted Pope Benedict XVI for his stance on homosexuality - ahead of their gay marriage next month. The pair are bracing themselves for a Catholic backlash when they exchange vows in England next month, but also criticise the pontiff for his controversial views on contraception.

SULTANWALA, Pakistan, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Five young Pakistani women, who were married in absentia when very young, now face abduction, rape or even death for refusing to honor the unions. An order issued by a village council in the Punjab province says any one of the punishments can be carried out. The women, all cousins, were married in absentia by a Mullah to illiterate sons of their family's enemies when the girls were between the ages of 6 and 13. The marriages were part of a compensation after the father of one of the girls shot and killed a...

Society Becomes Stranger and Stranger Tragically, many psychologists and sociologists have noted that even in same-sex “marriages,” both partners take on heterosexual gender roles. That is, one person will play a female role and the other will play a male role. Some members of the gay community have denounced this imitation of heterosexual marriage by inventing a new term. The new term for the phenomenon to be avoided is called “couple-ism.” Since marriage is thought to be an outmoded “patriarchal” institution, taking on gender roles within a same-sex marriage is to be avoided. In other words, same-sex marriage is good...

Lexington, Mass. — David and Tonia Parker are asking their neighbors in this liberal town for one consideration: Tolerance. The Parkers believe homosexuality is immoral. So they were appalled when their son brought a picture book home from kindergarten that showed families with same-sex parents. To ensure his "spiritual safety," they demanded the right to pull him out of class whenever homosexuality was discussed. To deny them that right, they say, would be intolerant of their faith. School administrators offer a different take on tolerance. They say it's their job to expose children to the world's diversity. Supt. Paul B....

Group Sees Hypocrisy in Schools' Embracing 'Gay Pride,' Rejecting 'In God We Trust'The same school board that ignored parents' objections and allowed what many regard as a "gay pride" flag to be placed in a Livingston County, Michigan, high school has repeatedly rejected the idea of displaying posters featuring the U.S. national motto "In God We Trust."Despite outrage from pro-family community members, Howell (Michigan) High School has refused to take down the rainbow-colored "diversity flag" that some students and parents who associate the emblem with homosexual pride find offensive. However, when the group called the Livingston Organization for Values in...