Attacks on Obama Administration policy shames Christianity

 Today, the Obama Administration took a huge step against lgbt persecution worldwide:

The Obama administration is announcing a wide-ranging effort to use U.S. foreign aid to promote rights for gays and lesbians abroad, including combating attempts by foreign governments to criminalize homosexuality.

In a memorandum issued Tuesday, President Barack Obama directed U.S. agencies working abroad, including the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, to use foreign aid to assist gays and lesbians who are facing human rights violations. And he ordered U.S. agencies to protect vulnerable gay and lesbian refugees and asylum seekers.

Also, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a monumental speech  in Geneva in which she basically broke it all down to the simple fact that gays rights are human rights.

The Obama Administration was no doubt spurred by acts of lgbt persecution in such places as Nigeria, Uganda, Russia, and South Africa. In Nigeria, Uganda, and Russia, the legislature is considering laws which would imprison lgbts and those who support them. In South Africa is a practice called "corrective rape" in which a lesbian would be sexually assaulted in hopes of turning her heterosexual.

Naturally, religious right groups and some of those on the right in general aren't happy with the Obama Administration over this new policy or Clinton's speech.

Amidst the usual whinings about the so-called radical gay agenda, two statements stand out.

One is from Texas governor and presidential candidate Rick Perry:

“But there is a troubling trend here beyond the national security nonsense inherent in this silly idea. This is just the most recent example of an administration at war with people of faith in this country. Investing tax dollars promoting a lifestyle many Americas of faith find so deeply objectionable is wrong.

“President Obama has again mistaken America’s tolerance for different lifestyles with an endorsement of those lifestyles. I will not make that mistake.”

Aside from the usual offensive "real Americans should tolerate gays like one tolerates a dog which wets on the rug" semantics coming Perry is the sad fact that he totally omitted the reason why the Obama policy is necessary, i.e. the persecution of the gay community in other countries.

Bear in mind that this is the same guy who led a prayer rally earlier this year while claiming that America needs to call upon Jesus to save the country from calamities.

Apparently Perry seems to have overlooked the statement by Jesus which said:

For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

And then there is this statement by Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel:

It is "frankly offensive" . . . that President Obama feels "compelled to export American culture's decline in morality, and export that immorality to other nations that are trying to adhere to traditional principles relative to human sexuality."

So in Barber's world, is it a traditional principle to imprison a man simply because he is gay and his mother because she didn't report him as being gay? Is it a moral thing to beat a woman within an inch of her life and violently rape her because she is a lesbian?

Barber statement is a cruel irony when one takes into account that earlier this morning, the Liberty Counsel was whining about a Macy's employee who was fired for harassing a transgender customer in violation of the store's policy.

It's a strange world we live in when someone harassing a customer at a department store can be seen as a Christian martyr, but speaking out against injustice is seen as a evil plot to destroy values.

It's a sad statement on what Christianity has become in America.

And with all of the statements and vigorous adjectives thrown out, not one of these so-called upstanding morality groups  or people has said one word about the true victims - the lgbts worldwide who are being victimized, who are being chased out of their homes and beaten, who are being persecuted and raped, who are being brutally murdered and disposed of in humiliating and devaluing ways.

Oh sure, some of those folks practically break their backs in their eagerness to rise and talk about the "evils of gay marriage." They will clap their hands sore when some well-dressed charlatan gets them together in an expensive ballroom to wax about how they are being "stomped out" by the radical progressives. And they will practically raise blisters on their feet with their desires to march against their gay and lesbian neighbors being afforded the same protections under the law.

But what about true cases of persecution? True cases of people being forced out of their homes by an evil agenda of intolerance? True incidents of mothers losing their sons, fathers losing their daughters, and children losing their parents to hate wrapped up in a religious cloth?

Where are these Christians then?

The next time any of these folks get together in one of their silly rallies whining about persecution and godless homosexuals, I don't think they should expect Jesus to be there.

He will be in Nigeria. He will be in Uganda. He will be in South Africa. And He will be in Russia.

'Rick Santorum is talking about gay sex again' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Santorum Is Outraged That Gay ‘Sexual Activity’ Is ‘Being Seen As Equal’ To Heterosexual Sex - If Rick Santorum is concerned about anal sex (and of course anal sex is what he means by gay 'sex activity'), it's probably cause he is concerned that it if he were to try it, it would give him lockjaw.

President Obama directs all federal agencies to 'protect the human rights of LGBT persons' - Folks on our side will complain about this but I say good for the President. Now let's get those other things taken care of.

'We changed history,' says Gallagher; 'Change doesn't mean bettered,' says dictionary - I have to agree with Miss Mags on this one. But her comments demonstrate just how oblivious she is. Of course they changed history. They are making marriage equality a possibility with their piss poor defense of Prop 8 in the courts and obviously stupid tactics which are turning people against them.

University of Utah professor: NARTH article “unscientific and irresponsible” - Not surprising seeing that NARTH is the main organization groups like the Family Research Council and the National Organization for Marriage refer to on a regular basis.

Puerto Rico's Hate Crime Law May Soon Exclude LGBT Protections: Report - Uh excuse the hell out of me!

Macy's stands up for the lgbtq community

Recently, as far as I can tell, Macy's department store allegedly fired an employee for not allowing a transgender woman to use the changing facilities.

The reason why I say "as far as I can tell," is because all of the spin I am reading about it is coming from the right-wing Liberty Counsel:

A young woman was fired from a Macy’s department store in San Antonio, TX for refusing to violate her religious beliefs by permitting a young man dressed as a woman from entering the women’s dressing room. Natalie Johnson claims she saw the young man walk out of the women’s fitting room and politely told him that he could not go back in because it was for women only. The cross-dressing young man claimed that he is a “female.” Johnson said that he was wearing make-up and girl’s clothing, but clearly he was a male. The cross-dresser was accompanied by five other individuals. The group argued with expletives that Macy’s is LGBT-friendly, to which Johnson replied that Macy’s is also non-discriminatory toward religion, and that it would go against her religious beliefs to lie that he was a woman or compromise with homosexuality. The group then demanded to speak with a manager.

When Johnson was confronted by her employer, she explained that she could not allow a male to change in a female’s fitting room. Johnson’s boss referred her to Macy’s LGBT policy which allows “transgender” people to change in any dressing room they want. However, Johnson pointed out that the same policy also protects against religious discrimination and, in this case, it protects her right to her beliefs that were being violated. The manager demanded that she comply with the LGBT policies or lose her job. Johnson refused to go against her sincerely held religious beliefs and was terminated from her job.

Macy’s policy which allows men to use the women’s dressing room is fraught with problems. This policy will cause significant problems and will alienate the majority of Macy’s customers. Macy’s has essentially opened women’s dressing rooms to every man. The LGBT agenda has become the theater of the absurd.

The Liberty Counsel's version of this story is presently making the rounds in the right-wing publications and news sites.

Generally, I am extremely reticent when hearing a story coming solely from the Liberty Counsel (or One News Now, or any other religious right source).

However, in this case, I will make an exception and, for now, not question the version I hear.

It sounds like Macy's did right by our community and we need to support  the store for standing up for us.

A company has a right - within reason - to establish certain policies which it feels would better suit the needs of its prospective clients. If employees object to those policies, then maybe it would be better for the employee to work somewhere else.

It seems to me that the only problem in this case was the stubborness of the former employee. Macy's didn't hire Johnson for her religious beliefs. The company hired her because it felt she could do the job.

She couldn't do the job, or rather wouldn't, and therefore was terminated.

End of story.