'Religious liberty bill pre-filed in South Carolina' & other Friday midday news briefs

Senator Files Bills on Guns, Same-Sex Marriage Refusal - South Carolina state senator Lee Bright just pre-filed a bill which would allow probate, clerk, and county employees the right to refuse to grant same-sex marriage licenses without fear of reprisal in terms of liabilities and punishments if the refusal is because of a "sincere religious belief." Bright has also pre-filed bills which would make it legal to carry guns on places like college campuses. Not that the bills have anything to do with each other but aren't they a fascinating juxtaposition. It sort of makes you feel as if it was actually Chuck Norris who delivered the Sermon on the Mount with an uzi strapped to his back
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Some Religious Leaders Denounce Pastor Who Wants To Ends AIDS By Killing Gays - As much fuss as I raise when I don't hear Christians condemning mess like what this man said, I think I should showcase it when some do. 

 Michigan Advances ‘License To Discriminate’ While LGBT Protections Stagnate - Previews of things to come, folks. Pay attention and begin planning the counter offensive now. 

 Johnny And Todd's Story From The Let Love Define Family Series - This is sooooo cute!  

Garlow: Force Gay Marriage Supporters To Live In Houses With Improper Plumbing - I think there is a sexual insult in there somewhere . . .

Transphobia FAILS in Minnesota

In spite of this ad, Minnesota schools struck a blow for fairness for our transgender children.

In spite of the efforts of  some folks to confuse the issue by appealing to fear, Minnesota schools struck an excellent blow for our transgender children yesterday.

From Buzzfeed:

Amidst a week of victories for transgender rights activists, transgender high school students in Minnesota can play on boys’ or girls’ sports teams “consistent with the student’s gender-related identification,” according to a policy passed today by the state’s High School League. The policy, which will go into effect with the 2015–2016 academic year, also applies to certain extracurricular activities. 

Overcoming fierce opposition from critics, the league voted 18-1 on the policy that “allows participation for all students regardless of their gender identity or expression in an environment free from discrimination with an equal opportunity for participation in athletics and fine arts.” The policy outlines a process for transgender students to apply to a team, including providing evidence of their gender identity and a “written statement from an appropriate health-care professional.” The greatest point of contention in a packed hearing today was male-to-female athletes playing on girls’ teams. Critics warned that transgender girls could use their XY genetics, having developed larger muscles and bones, to give them a competitive edge in strength and speed over cisgender athletes.

In that vein, the Minnesota Child Protection League took out a full-page ad in the Minneapolis Star Tribune in November. The ad questioned if the policy would cause “the end of girls’ sports?” Featuring a photo of a girl with a baseball bat, the ad included text suggesting her dreams of a sports scholarship could be dashed after being displaced by a transgender female player, which the ad calls a “male,” and then adds, “and now she may have to shower with him.”

 . . .   A 2011 National Collegiate Athletic Association report responds to beliefs that female transgender athletes pretend to be women or have a physical edge. “These assumptions are not well founded,” says the NCAA report. This is particularly true for transgender girls who start medically transitioning during adolescence. The report explains that “their participation in athletics as girls does not raise the same equity concerns that arise when transgender women transition after puberty.”
Minnesota is the 33rd state to approve a transgender-inclusive policy for high school athletes, according to MPR News.