Oh now this is a true delight. Protect Marriage Washington is the group trying to destroy vital legal protections for loving Washington families by repealing the Domestic Partnership Expansion Law of 2009. They're attempting to do this via Referendum 71. They have a fairly moribund website, but on that website they've managed to post "R-71 Talking Points". A much better term would be "BWAKing Points". My comments are in green.
BWAKing Point Number 1
Homosexuals have a right to form meaningful relationships. They do not have a right to redefine marriage for all of us. Marriage is not a special interest!
Referendum 71 has nothing to do with marriage. It seeks to repeal a domestic partnership law. However, reserving a civil institution for one class of citizens is the very definition of special interest. Larry Stickney is in fact championing special rights for heterosexuals. He has yet to explain how permitting same-sex couples to have a domestic partnership redefines his marriage(s). Is he afraid he'll be tempted to run away and get a domestic partnership with Stephen Pidgeon?
BWAKing Point Number 2
If Senate Bill 5688 is allowed to stand, Washington will immediately become subject to litigation by same-sex partners demanding the courts overturn our state's Defense of Marriage Act and impose "same-sex marriage" (as happened recently in California prior to Proposition 8). By signing Referendum 71, we will bring this society changing measure before the people of Washington State and let them make this monumental decision in November.
The Washington State Supreme Court has already ruled that the state's discriminatory Defe nse of Marriage Act is constitutional. Larry has yet to explain why he thinks the Court would agree to re-examine their former ruling. However, if he wishes to ensure that LGBT people stop bringing lawsuits challenging state-sanctioned discrimination, he should see to the repeal of discriminatory laws rather than to their proliferation.
Since we know that Larry promotes fake statistics, he needs to provide specific citations to support his claims. "James Dobson said so" is a weak man's lazy-brained argument. Who else besides James do you let think for you, Larry? If Larry cared about the welfare of children, he would cease telling the children of gay parents that their families are inferior, and he would ensure that their families were as secure as possible under the law. BWAKing Point Number 3
Marriage is between husbands and wives so children can have fathers and mothers. James Dobson says that thousands of studies show that children raised in a family with both a mother and a father are healthier emotionally and physically than those raised in a non-traditional family.
Is Larry advocating for plural marriages, or is that just sloppy writing? Nothing in the civil marriage code mene mentions children as a reason or requirement for civil marriage. However I agree with him that it is ideal for children if their parents can marry or get a domestic partnership to form a more stable home. Why then is he putting up roadblocks to such stability for the children of gay parents? I can only conclude that Larry hates children and wishes to punish them for their parents' sexual orientation.
What part of "1st Amendment" doesn't Larry understand? The 1st Amendment guarantees that the few real Christian pastors remaining who don't like gays can still freely vilify us from the pulpit. No state or federal law can trump the U.S. Constitution. Larry knows this, but his scam uses the fear factor as a motivator, so he's got to drum up false fears whenever possible.
Vermont has had full civil unions for almost 10 years and marriage equality has been the law of Massachusetts for 5 years. Nobody has been thrown into prison for saying un-Christian things about gays in those states or in any other state with marriage equality, domestic partnerships or civil unions. &a mp;nbsp;And Larry, we live in the United States, not Canada. If you have to go to a foreign country to find scare material, you're really reaching. BWAKing Point Number 4
Criminalization of free speech and "anti-bullying" laws follow the legalization of same-sex "marriage". In a few short months after legalizing same-sex "marriage" in Canada, activists there successfully passed C-250, a bill criminalizing public statements against homosexuality, punishable by up to two years in prison! Pastors beware! The same will happen here in Washington.
Larry, you've got it ass-backwards. We had those laws long before we instituted domestic partnerships. Gays have been protected by Washington Malicious Harassment laws since 1993, by Washington Anti-Bullying laws since 2002, and by Washington Non-Discrimination laws since 2006. When, again, did you say this mass incarceration of pastors will happen?
BWAKing Point Number 5
If same-sex marriage becomes the law in Washington, public schools K-12 will be forced to teach that same-sex "marriage" and homosexuality are perfectly normal. These books are required reads in Massachusetts and California: And Tango Makes Three, Heather Has Two Mommies, King&King, and Hello Sailor!
Schools will naturally choose to let children know that it is o.k. if some of their classmates have non-traditional families like Larry's: stepmothers, stepfathers and assorted half or even unrelated siblings from past shattered marriages mixing and remixing into complex but undoubtedly very loving ving families. Children need to know that all loving families are equal, even if they're the product of serial divorce and are dominated by fear-mongering twits.
Here are some useful materials to help you spread a little truth about domestic partnerships and Referendum 71, courtesy of Washington Families Standing Together.
* FAQ: Domestic Partnership Law
* Decline to Sign Handouts
Join Washington Families Standing Together in their fight against Referendum 71 by clicking on the graphics below.
Cross-posted at Washblog.
crossposted on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters
There seems to be an attempt to create a rising storm regarding President Obama's pick o f GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) founder Kevin Jennings as Assistant Deputy Secretary in the Office of Safe Schools.
The religious right have been steadily attempting to portray Jennings as a danger to children and another cog in the so-called gay conspiracy to indoctrinate children.
The usual characters, Peter LaBarbera, Linda Harvey, and One News Now, have already cast Jennings as some sort of psychological lamia out to strip children of their innocence.
Now the Family Research Council via its blog has gotten into the act. Let's look at the group's claims:
View of Christians
Addressing a church audience on March 20, 2000 in New York City — just days before “Fistgate” — GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings offered a stinging (and quite intolerant) assessment of how to deal with religious conservatives:
Twenty percent of people are hard-core fair-minded [pro-homosexual] people. Twenty percent are hard-core [anti-homosexual] bigots. We need to ignore the hard-core bigots, get more of the hard-core fair-minded people to speak up, and we’ll pull that 60 percent [of people in the middle] … over to our side. That’s really what I think our strategy has to be. We have to quit being afraid of the religious right. We also have to quit — … I’m trying to find a way to say this. I’m trying not to say, ‘[F---] ‘em!’ which is what I want to say, because I don’t care what they think! [audience laughter] Drop dead! It should be noted that GLSEN and Jennings make heavy use of the words “respect” and “tolerance” in their public rhetoric and in descriptions of their programs.
The claim that Jennings is bigoted towards Christians is debatably inaccurate. The quote says nothing about Christians, but rather some folks who oppose lgbt equality.
And based on how these individuals and organizations have opposed lgbt equality in the past, Jennings has a point with his comments.
However that is not the point. FRC tries to imply that Jennings is bigoted towards Christians much like a racist would be bigoted towards African-Americans. And the quote the organization uses just doesn't justify that implication, despite the profanity used by Jennings.
You will notice that the example mentioned "fistgate." FRC's blog goes into detail about this alleged incident further down:
GLSEN and “Fistgate”
GLSEN, which promotes homosexual clubs and the homosexual lifestyle in high schools, middle schools and grade schools and is the driving force behind the annual “Day of Silence” celebration of homosexuality
“The most notorious education scandal involving homosexual activists is a GLSEN sponsored conference that occurred on March 25, 2000, dubbed ‘Fistgate’ by conservatives. Three homosexual activists employed by the Massachusetts Departments of Health and Education led a youth workshop titled ‘What They Didn’t Tell You about Queer Sex & Sexuality in Health Class’ — part of the annual Boston-Boston-GLSEN ‘Teach Out’ conference held at Tufts University. The ‘Queer Sex’ session, advertised to ‘youth only ages 14 to 21,’ was attended by Massachusetts family advocate Scott Whitemen, who taped it while standing in the back of the room.
In the workshop, instructor Michael Gaucher, prompted by a teen’s question, verbally guided the students on the mechanics of ‘fisting’ — a homosexual slang term for a sadistic sex act in which a man inserts his hand and arm into another person’s anal cavity.
Another instructor, Margot Abels, said fisting ‘often gets a really bad rap,’ and described it innocuously as ‘an experience of letting somebody into your body that you want to be that close and intimate with.’ Abels and Gaucher also guided the students on techniques of oral sodomy and lesbian sex.”
"Fistgate," which I have talked about repeatedly, is one of those phony moral panics created by Massachusetts religious right group Mass Resistance. The group illegally entered and taped a discussion from a Massachusetts state conference on teens and sexual behavior.
My take on the so-called controversy is here. But the most important thing about this situation regarding Jennings and GLSEN is other than helping to sponsor the conference, neither Jennings nor GLSEN had anything to do with the questions asked or the controversy that took place because of it.
One last point I want to make:
On Statutory Rape
‘In his own writings and books listed on the GLSEN [Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network] Website, I’ve reported, Kevin Jennings has given tacit nods of approval to sex between young teens and adults,’ (Linda) Harvey told WND. ‘In addition to that, the writings and books, many of which I’ve read and are incredibly graphic, seem to
normalize early teen same-sex sexual behaviors.’
As I have said so many times before, Linda Harvey is a phony expert. She is the founder of Mission America and a former ad executive who became "born again." She has no credentials or expertise. She also has a very, very negative view of anyone who is lgbt supportive. This is what she said three years ago:
When people have views supporting homosexuality, they should not be involved with youth in any way, period. Because they:
will provide inaccurate, misleading information to kids;
may limit a student's opportunity to hear warnings about the behavior;
may advocate or model inappropriate behavior;
may be directly involved in the molestation of kids themselves; or
may be in a position to allow others to do so.
I think it's safe to say that Harvey is not a credible source of information regarding lgbts.
The attacks on Jennings is important because they are taking place while the lgbt community is distracted with marriage equality, Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and our anger at President Obama for allegedly not movnot moving fast enough on our issues.
How long will it be before a letter signed by several religious right groups asking for Jennings's removal goes out to the media?
We had better get on the ball with this before we are caught with our pants down.
Past writings on the religious right attacks on Jennings and GLSEN:
'Fistgate' and President Obama - religious right pushes a pitiful attempt of guilt by association
More right wing lunacy on Kevin Jennings courtesy of Kevin McCullough
I'm here late in hotel room in NorCal's Santa Clara, so far from my SoCal's San Diego home.
I was planning this trip long before I planned to go to Sacramento -- It's a special day for the young, tran woman I've mentored for a number of years. April* offically becomes April today -- today she legally changes her name to reflect her female identity.
I've known April for three years. Frankly, I'm excited for her, and I'm glad I get to share this wonderful day with her. It truly is a very special day in her life that she'll remember forever; I'll remember it forever as her "trans=Mom." :)
So, dear blenders, think some warm thoughts for April today, and I'll let her know you're thinking of her. :)
~~~~~
* I'm not using April's real first name to protect her privacy.
On the eve of the 40th Anniversary of Stonewall, come join us in celebrating the achievements of the LGBT equality movement:
I'll Toast to That
Thursday, June 25th, 2009 6:00pm Charles Froelick Gallery 817 SW 2nd Avenue $40 beforehand, $50 at the door (tickets available here)
Attire: Pizazzulous
A special thank you to our sponsors: Organic Nation Spirits Devil's Food Catering Raptor Ridge
Music by: DJ Scotty D
Ticket price qualifies for the Oregon Political Tax Credit which means you can get every penny of your ticket price back at tax time! Click here for more information on the Oregon Political Tax Credit. Questions? Call 503/222.6151
Questions? Contact Andrew at 503/222.6151, x100 or andrew@basicrights.org.
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