Free Republic

Canadians can take pride in a number of national achievements, not all of which occur on ice rinks. But protecting the fundamental freedoms of expression and religion isn’t chief among them. Enter same-sex marriage. Introduced by the Canadian courts a decade ago, same-sex marriage has become, for many, a cherished symbol of tolerance, inclusion, and acceptance. So much so that many have a difficult time seeing any reason to tolerate continued dissent. According to this line of thinking, the wellbeing of gays and lesbians can only be secured in a milieu that now forbids even raising the question of whether...

July 18, 2004 LIVES When One Is Enough By AMY RICHARDS as told to AMY BARRETT I grew up in a working-class family in Pennsylvania not knowing my father. I have never missed not having him. I firmly believe that, but for much of my life I felt that what I probably would have gained was economic security and with that societal security. Growing up with a single mother, I was always buying into the myth that I was going to be seduced in the back of a pickup truck and become pregnant when I was 16. I had friends...

It's not just the high-profile cases, like the ex-model held for seducing a boy of 14. New research suggests 10 per cent of American pupils are victims of sexual abuse Research claiming that one in 10 American children has been sexually exploited at school - and that almost half the abusers are women - has shocked parents as one of the nation's most notorious pupil abusers is about to be released from prison. More than 4.5 million school-age children have been subjected to some form of sexual behaviour from teachers or other adults meant to be looking after them, said...

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...

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...

TAHLEQUAH, Okla., June 16 (UPI) -- The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council has voted in Oklahoma to ban same-sex marriages after a lesbian couple attempted to file a marriage certificate. Kathy Reynolds and partner Dawn McKinley said they would continue their fight through the courts after being rebuffed by the tribal court Tuesday, the Oklahoman reported. "I'm feeling frustrated, disappointed," said Reynolds. The tribal council voted 15-0 Monday night to enact a ban against same-sex marriages. The women were married May 18 in Tulsa and it was the second time they had been turned away when they tried to file the...

Posted on Fri, Jun. 18, 2004 Internet Ads Go After Cheney's Daughter ELIZABETH WOLFE Associated Press WASHINGTON - A campaign to compel the vice president's lesbian daughter to oppose a proposed ban on gay marriage is launching its first Internet ad on Monday. A series of simply animated cartoon panels features stick figures of Mary Cheney and Vice President Dick Cheney. One image reads, "Dick's daughter sold out to help Dick run again." The story line refers to Mary Cheney's job as director of vice presidential operations for the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign. She held a public role as her father's...

A hundred Hindu fundamentalists have attacked and vandalized cinemas in several Indian towns, tearing down posters of the recently released film Girlfriend. The film deals with lesbianism and related themes. The fundamentalists see this as an affront to Indian culture. The most censorious critics, however, have been India’s gay and lesbian activists. They say the film is a 'homophobic, hetero-patriarchal' portrayal of lesbianism in India. They charge director Karan Razdan of creating a "conscious, articulated homophobia" for mass consumption. Girlfriend is a candyfloss drama about two close women friends who sleep in the same bed and share—explicitly, on screen—a...