BREAKING - Washington state House of Representatives passes marriage equality bill

Simply awesome:

The state House Senate voted 55-43 Wednesday afternoon to legalize same-sex marriage.

On Feb. 1, the state Senate voted 28-21 in favor of marriage equality.

Next up, the bill goes to Gov. Chris Gregoire, who has vowed that she will sign it into law.

During Wednesday’s session, the House swiftly voted down every single amendment offered by Republicans that would have altered the bill.

Then, the floor debate began with Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle. Pedersen shared with his fellow lawmakers about how domestic partnership is not equal to marriage equality, and how it has impacted him and his partner, Eric, and their four children. His heartfelt speech was also punctuated with humor, invoking gentle laughter.

Rep. Jay Rodne, R-North Bend, spoke out against marriage equality. Rodne argued that “marriage is about life,” as in procreation, and that gays and lesbians will not gain “validation and acceptance” via marriage. He gave the usual spiel offered by conservatives and the Religious Right, spitting out half-truths and falsehoods.

Rodne, visibly angry, said he took solace that the bill could be undone by a future legislature or at the ballot box. He then plopped down in his seat, a grimace crossing his face.

Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton, smiled at lawmakers as she spoke in favor of “traditional marriage.” She falsely claimed that religious institutions are under attack over this issue.

Rep. Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, said the bill was “about couples, about family, about kids, about love and about commitment.” She talked about her partner of 23 years and how they fit too much into the category of soccer moms.

“I’m voting for this bill because it strengthens families,” Jinkins said.

More details here. Congratulations to the folks of Washington State!

Fake black leaders always ignore gay communities of color

So CNN put Roland Martin on suspension for his homophobic Superbowl tweets.

Good, but pardon me for not dancing in the streets. I used to like Martin but gradually I began to peg him as another one of those phony leaders in the African-American community.

I'm talking about the type who are always talking about being the voice of the black community or coming out with something they call "The State of Black America."

What they actually mean is that they are the voice of the heterosexual black community and that "State of Black America" seems to always omit the lgbtq community of color.

Don't get me wrong though. They always come around to us when its National HIV Testing Day. God forbid that they would have to acknowledge that we have lives having nothing to do with catching diseases. Or that many of us are highly successful and are raising children. Or - gasp and swoon - many of us attending affirming churches.

And they definitely won't talk about issues such as the recent one involving the brutal gay bashing of that young man, 20-year-old Brandon White:



The sad thing is not Martin's tweet, it's the fact that he and lot of other black leaders will probably ignore this incident, even though it is the symptom of a degree of ugliness in the black community.

If it were a black man attacked by a group of whites, there would have been a huge ado. If it were a straight black man attacked by other black men, then we would hear about how awful it is that young black men are killing each other.

But because it was a gay black man, there seems to be a sad silence. And please don't think that it's not deliberate.

It is deliberate.

And it's something that me and my lgbtq brothers and sisters are used to. You see, if we were heterosexual, Martin and so many other black leaders in the public eye would use their platforms to lift us up. However because we are lgbtqs of color, they use their platforms to hold us down and out of sight.

'Victim of brutal gay bashing speaks out' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Beating victim to speak out - Good for him! We are on your side, my friend. Stay strong.

Myth: ‘Gays make more money than non-gays’ - If one wanted to write a piece on the myths perpetrated against the gay community, it would fill a 26 volume encyclopedia.

The making of gay marriage’s top foe - A definitive piece on NOM's Maggie Gallagher. Not necessarily salacious but it gives a bleak picture of her fight against marriage equality.

Ellen Responds To ‘One Million Moms’ Boycott Of JC Penney: ‘My Haters Are My Motivators’- Handle your business Ellen!

Religious right spokesman tells deliberate lie on Obama appointee

Robert Knight deliberately smears Chai Feldblum

Robert Knight is a longtime stalwart in the religious right, fighting against lgbtq equality in organizations such as the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, and the Coral Ridge Ministries.

He also has a reputation of either relying on junk science or making stuff up and doubling down when questioned on it. I witnessed this last year during a short brouhaha between he and I over a speech President Obama made after that awful shooting in Arizona.

Yesterday, Knight wrote a piece attacking marriage equality in Maryland. His argument was that marriage equality would lead to attacks on so-called "religious liberties."

Knight lists a few examples, but one caught my eye:

Georgetown University Law Prof. Chai Feldblum, whom President Obama appointed to serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, is one of the more honest gay activists.

Feldblum writes that when it comes to civil rights, "we are in a zero-sum game: a gain for one side necessarily entails a corresponding loss for the other side."

I once asked Ms. Feldblum at a seminar if it bothered her that a Christian club would be thrown off a college campus for not having gay leaders or others who reject basic Christian doctrine. She shrugged, smiled and said, "Gays win, Christians lose." I did admire her candor.