Free Republic

It was supposed to be one of the biggest political showdowns in Kentucky this fall: Kim Davis, the clerk of Rowan County, running against David Ermold, the gay man she denied a marriage license to three years ago. That moment, caught on camera, set off a red-hot culture war over the summer of 2015 in this quiet corner of Appalachia. Since Mr. Ermold announced he was running for county clerk in December, he raised more than $200,000 from around the country and drew supporters far and wide. This was a campaign, he said in an interview before the primary, for...

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The news of Ben and Rene Ruiz's deaths come as a shock for the many people who described the couple as happy, loving and groundbreaking in the gay community. Houston police say the men, who were in the midst of a divorce, died in a murder-suicide inside a million-dollar home near the Galleria. Their bodies were discovered Thursday inside a bathroom at their home on Markham Street near Weslayan. "It's not truly set in yet," said Ben's longtime friend, Edward Sanchez. "I think deep down inside I'm waiting to hear from him." Sanchez said the couple...

Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that same sex couples have a constitutional right to marry, support for same-sex marriage has increased substantially. Currently, more than six in ten (61%) Americans say gay and lesbian couples should be able to marry legally, while only about half as many (30%) are opposed. Strength of support for same-sex marriage has increased dramatically over the past decade, while strength of opposition has fallen in nearly equal measure. Today, Americans who strongly favor same-sex marriage outnumber those who strongly oppose it by more than a two-to-one margin (30% vs. 14%). In 2007,...

I really just felt the need to vent right now. The other day on twitter I noticed an ad for a drama documentary about the same sex marriage in my country Ireland showed up in my twitter feed. I looked at the description; "A drama documentary for Stage based on the true stories & struggles leading up to the Marriage Equality Referendum" which set me off so I posted this reply: '“Struggles” “equality” Yeah traditional marriage was such a plight on this country.' And so I left it at that. Then earlier on this day I received this reply from...

Full Title: EXCLUSIVE: Lesbian couple who plunged to their deaths with their six adoptive black children fled their Minnesota home after the Ku Klux Klan left a burning cross in their yard, neighbor reveals The lesbian couple who died alongside at least three of their adopted children when their truck inexplicably drove off a California cliff had fled a former home after being targeted by the Ku Klux Klan, it has been claimed. Married Jennifer and Sarah Hart, both 38, were living in Alexandria, Minnesota when they and their African American youngsters allegedly became a target of the hate group,...

FULL TITLE: EXCLUSIVE: How Lesbian mother who plunged off Pacific Highway admitted she 'let anger get out of control' after six-year-old daughter told teacher she had ‘owies’ on her tummy and her back after her mommy hit her One of the lesbian mothers who were found dead on Monday alongside three of their six adopted children after plunging off a cliff in California was previously arrested for assaulting her six-year-old daughter. Court documents exclusively obtained by the DailyMail.com show that Sarah Hart was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic assault and malicious punishment of a child December 27, 2010, when...

The sheriff said that nothing at this point indicates that the crash was intentional however investigators on the scene didn't find any skid or brake marks in the road where the car went over. Allmon pleaded for the public's help in piecing together the family's whereabouts in the days before the crash. He added that a witness called 911 about the incident but it wasn't clear when the SUV actually plunged over the ledge. Appearances at the home indicated that the Harts were on a short road trip, as they left behind several personal belongings as well as chickens and...

Conor McGinn said he was 'living the message of the gospel in this Holy Week'A Catholic Labour MP has introduced a bill that would legalise same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland, saying that he is “living the message of the gospel in this Holy Week”. Conor McGinn, who was born in Northern Ireland but currently represents St Helens North in northern England, described himself as a practicing Catholic and hinted that God would approve of the bill. “I am a practicing Catholic, now my parish priest would undoubtedly say that I probably need to practice a little bit more,” he joked....

Adam Rippon is back in the news, this time from rumors that he is producing a reality show with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. The news is likely to ruffle some feathers, as Rippon has become a polarizing figure — perhaps unfairly. Rippon, 28, is a 2018 Winter Olympics athlete and medalist. He received significant attention for being one of the first openly gay athletes to represent Team USA at a Winter Olympics and the first openly gay male athlete to win a medal in a Winter Olympics. But throughout the Olympics, it seemed as though Rippon made headlines just...

TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar has said he is concerned Irish whiskey could be targeted as part of the escalating trade war between the US and the EU. Speaking on the first day of his week-long visit to the US, Mr Varadkar said when he hears the EU threaten to put import tariffs on US bourbon, it concerns him that Irish whiskey could also be hit with tariffs. “When I hear bourbon whiskey I think the next response could be tariffs against Irish whiskey,” he said. Speaking at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, Mr Varadkar warned that a cross-Atlantic...

Gayle Myrick, a 68-year-old grandmother of three, loved her job as a magistrate in North Carolina. For almost five years, she set bonds, issued warrants, and granted protective orders to domestic violence victims, all while offering a message of hope to individuals in a tough spot.“You can start over every day,” Gayle would tell the Americans who came before her. “You don’t have to be in this situation forever. There’s plenty of people that want to help you.”She especially loved presiding over marriage ceremonies.“Presiding over two people committing their lives to each other filled me with so much joy...

Once again, the left is expressing outrage over "politically-incorrect" Catholic teaching and practice. From the Miami Herald: First-grade teacher Jocelyn Morffi lost her job at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School on Thursday, the day after she returned from her [same-sex] wedding [sic] in the Florida Keys[.] ... After judges in Florida lifted the state's ban on same-sex marriage [sic] in 2015, Archbishop Thomas Wenski sent a memo to employees reminding them of the Archdiocese of Miami's policy.  All employees, including school teachers, are considered church representatives and are expected to abide by Catholic teachings, the memo said.  Any conduct 'inconsistent' with...

Gayle Myrick, an evangelical Christian and former magistrate who was forced out after she refused to perform civil marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples due to her religious beliefs, has been awarded $300,000 by the state of North Carolina in a settlement agreement. (Photo: Reuters/Davis Turner)Jesus Hernandez (L) and Oscar Hull (C) are married outside of Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds office in Charlotte, North Carolina, October 13, 2014. Monday was the first day that Mecklenburg County issued marriage licenses to gay couples.The settlement amount includes $122,660 in back pay, according to her lawyers at Becket, a Washington-based nonprofit.The settlement comes a...

Some parents are speaking out after a popular first grade teacher was fired after she posted pictures of her same-sex wedding on social media. Jocelyn Morffi taught first grade at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School in Miami for seven years. Last weekend, she married her girlfriend and posted pictures of the ceremony to Facebook. On Thursday, Morffi was fired. In a letter to parents, Principal Carlota Morales called it a “difficult and necessary” decision. Nearly a dozen parents who had children in Morffi’s class came to the school to protest her firing. The parents called her a “great teacher”...

BAKERSFIELD, California – It would be a violation of free speech for a Christian baker to be forced to make a same-sex "wedding" cake, a California judge ruled on Monday. Cathy Miller owns Tastries Bakery, where 40 percent of her business is wedding cakes, many of which she personally designs. Last August two lesbians asked her to design a special cake to celebrate their “marriage,” and Miller politely redirected them to an accommodating competitor. Nevertheless, as is the well-established LGBT pattern, the lesbians sued Miller anyway. They filed a complaint with the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing, accusing...

On Wednesday the British overseas territory became the first country in the world to pass, and then revoke, the law, replacing gay marriage with domestic partnerships. The decision also means cruise ships registered in Bermuda are likely to be banned from hosting same-sex weddings. Theresa May said the UK's dealings with Bermuda should be based on "respect". But critics say the law reversal will make the UK an international "laughing stock". The Atlantic island, which is home to 60,000 people, legalised marriage between homosexual couples in May 2017, following a Supreme Court ruling. But the new Domestic Partnership Act, approved...

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, chairman of the German Episcopal Conference and close advisor of Pope Francis, has told the German media that “one must encourage priests” to give encouragement to homosexual unions, which could include public blessings that would take a “liturgical” form. Marx was asked in a radio interview yesterday why the Catholic Church “does not always move forward when it comes to demands from some Catholics regarding, for example, the ordination of female deacons, the blessing of homosexual couples, or the abolition of compulsory celibacy [for priests].” Marx responded that “closer pastoral care” must be given to homosexuals, adding...

A member of Germany’s far-right and anti-Muslim Alternative for Germany party (AfD) who recently converted to Islam has said he did so in protest at what he sees as the “moral decline” of the Protestant church. Arthur Wagner, 48, until recently a leading party member in the state of Brandenburg, told the Bild newspaper on Wednesday that his decision was in part sparked by the church’s acceptance of same-sex marriage and the presence of priests at gay pride marches. “One of the reasons (for the conversion) is tied to changes that have taken place in the church, which no longer...

FORMER President Mary McAleese said she was concerned the Pope’s visit would see the LGBT community marginalised after images of same-sex couples were removed from a booklet sent to parishes. The Pope is expected to visit Ireland during the World Meeting of Families (WMF) event in Dublin in August. But it has emerged that the WMF office in Dublin removed an image of a same-sex couple from a booklet on the family – the new edition of ‘Amoris: Let’s talk Family! Let’s be Family!’ Originally, the pamphlet, which was issued by Catholic publisher Veritas, contained a photo of a same-sex...

(Photo: Courtesy of PCUSA)The national office for the mainline denomination Presbyterian Church (USA), located in Louisville, Kentucky.Presbyterian Church (USA) will soon have a new Book of Common Worship, which will include a new marriage service text that will feature "inclusive language."Scheduled to be released in May, the latest edition of the BCW is the first revision of the voluntary worship resource since 1993.Among the changes made, the new edition will feature what the PCUSA publication Presbyterians Today described as "inclusive language" for its marriage rite."A revised marriage service features inclusive language and a flexible format, making the service useful...