AL Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore orders state officials to not issue same-sex couple marriage licenses

Moore

I just got this tip from Joe Jervis' site.  After clamoring for so long for someone to actively defy federal court decisions for marriage equality, the anti-gay right has found their hero. And it's an old ally of theirs:

Via Huntsville's NBC affiliate:


Late Sunday night, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore issued an order in which he instructs state probate judges to neither issue nor recognize a marriage license for same-sex couples.

The order states, "Effective immediately, no Probate Judge of the State of Alabama nor any agent or employee of any Alabama Probate Judge shall issue or recognize a marriage license that is inconsistent with Article 1, Section 36.03, of the Alabama Constitution or § 30-1-19, Ala. Code 1975."

It continues to say that if any probate judge fails to follow the state constitution, "it would be the responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer of the State of Alabama, Governor Robert Bentley... to ensure the execution of the law."

The 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta rejected the State of Alabama's request to issue a stay pending an appeal of the State's ban on gay marriage. That rejection paves the way for same-sex marriages to begin on Monday.

 WAFF has a crew working to uncover more details and is in contact with experts to determine what impact this order may have for couples preparing to wed Monday morning.

Moore's action comes a day after a small number of those opposing marriage equality gathered on the state capitol building to protest the federal court's decision.

What happens next is anyone's guess but needless to say things just got a bit hairy in Alabama. No doubt, anti-gay organizations such as the Family Research Council and the National Organization for Marriage as well as personalities such as Fox News's Todd Starnes will rally folks to Moore's side.

However, Moore cannot trump federal court decisions.  Also, what he has done just transcended marriage equality and rooted itself in stickier territory.

State judges, or anyone else for that matter, cannot just decide to defy federal court decisions simply because they disagree with them. If Moore is allowed to get away with this when it comes to marriage equality, he reduces and trivializes our very legal system.

'Anti-gay activist accuses Katy Perry of 'pushing' homosexuality, Satanism during Super Bowl halftime show' & other Friday midday news briefs

Linda Harvey: Katy Perry's 'Firework' Promotes Satanism, Super Bowl Halftime Show Pushed 'Homosexual Agenda' - Let me guess . . . it was the sharks.  

This Evangelical Radio Host Is Making The RNC's Israel Trip Pretty Awkward - The Bryan Fischer/RNC Israel trip controversy rages on. They were asked told not to do it and only Reince Preibus listened.

My Transgender Life -- Transitioning at Age 64 - A fascinating and very important story.  

'Public Discourse' helps Supreme Court see religious animus that drives anti-equality movement - Oh yeah. No animus towards lgbts here. When those who oppose you help your argument, don't interrupt.  

Duke And Steve's Story From The Let Love Define Family Series - Speaking of which, now that we have heard from the liars with regards to same-sex families, let's shed some truth on the matter with this family.

Judge knocks down anti-gay 'experts' during SPLC lawsuit

While there is so much attention focused on marriage equality and the question of 'religious liberty,' the Southern Poverty Law Center is pushing a lawsuit which could have far-reaching effects on the so-called "ex-gay" industry.

And after what happened in court yesterday, things look like they are in SPLC's favor.

According to a press release from the organization:

A New Jersey judge ruled today that several prominent proponents of gay-to-straight conversion therapy will not be allowed to testify in an SPLC consumer-fraud case against a conversion therapy organization.

Superior Court Judge Peter F. Bariso Jr. excluded Joseph Nicolosi, Christopher Doyle, Dr. James Phelan and Dr. John Diggs as witnesses for the defense, holding that their opinions are based on the false premise that homosexuality is a disorder.

Bariso wrote that “the theory that homosexuality is a disorder is not novel but – like the notion that the earth is flat and the sun revolves around it – instead is outdated and refuted.”

. . .  The 2012 SPLC lawsuit, filed on behalf of former JONAH clients and two parents of former clients, charges that JONAH, its founder Arthur Goldberg and counselor Alan Downing violated New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act. It claims JONAH used deceptive practices to lure the plaintiffs into their services, which can cost some clients more than $10,000 per year.

SPLC's press release also points out how each failed witness would have contributed to the defense's case.

'GOP leaders to appear in wacky, offensive anti-gay documentary' & other Thursday afternoon news briefs

Editor's note - Sorry about the delay on today's news briefs. Long story. Anyway . . .

Anti-gay activist Janet Porter is apparently making the anti-gay version of "Around The World in 80 Days." That is to say the documentary she is working on (in which she AGAIN claims that gays are working to criminalize Christians) will feature cameos from almost every anti-gay activist in the business and some Congressional leaders, including:

 Rep. Steve King, Rep. Trent Franks, Rep. Louie Gohmert, Rep. Tim Huelskamp, Sen. Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, David Barton, James Dobson, Mat Staver, Phyllis Schlafly, Scott Lively, Alveda King, Brian Camenker, Frank Pavone, Robert Knight, John Stemberger, and, of course, Porter herself, who can been seen walking around in the woods with a lantern, warning that gay activists are seeking to turn Christians into criminals. 

As the above video preview shows, the documentary would be hilariously bad except for the fact that these folks are serious with their false claims.  And Porter wants churches to see it. Notice the African-American man at 2:27 who claims that gay/straight alliances are clubs about sex. He is John R. Diggs, yet another phony "expert," who published a seriously flawed, vulgarly inaccurate paper on supposed gay sex habits. Apparently,  Porter seems to also attempting to cram every homophobic stereotype in this documentary.


Republican Leaders Join Anti-Gay Extremists For Insane Documentary - As mentioned above, there will be some Congressional leaders who will be joining Porter in this documentary. And possibly some prospective Republican presidential candidates. And just who is Porter you ask? Well I've featured her many times but Right Wing Watch has this excellent break down of her "exploits." You are going to have read about her "activities and claims for yourself because all of that crazy would make my blog self-destruct. Needless to say there will be some Republican presidential candidates who may have lots of explaining to do.

Mike Huckabee had no reason to link pedophilia to homosexuality in his new book—he just did. - Speaking of Republican presidential candidates, Jeremy Hooper just gave me a good idea for a question reporters need to ask Huckabee - "Mr. Huckabee, why is it that when you talk about the gay community, often times a mention about pedophilia doesn't seem to be far behind?"

Pope Francis Announces Support For Banning Same-Sex Marriage And Adoption - Why is the Pope running hotter and colder than my last boyfriend?

The Ugly, Hateful Result Of The Anti-Gay “Religious Liberty” Debate - or how one can attempt to play the 'religious liberty' card to excuse just about any negative thing said about lgbts.

Attack on same-sex families reaches new low with so-called 'poster children'

Robert Oscar Lopez

Zack Ford from Think Progress has given us a window into the very definition of  desperation and evil.

Anti-marriage equality groups know that they failed to stop marriage equality in the courts in part because of our families. Therefore as a part of a new tactic, they drudged up four individuals who claimed that they were harmed by being raised in same-sex households.

However, there is nothing new or outstanding about these four folks. In fact, they are known, particularly Robert Oscar Lopez,  for their unsubstantiated accusations and ridiculously vindictive comments about lgbts and particularly same-sex families.

I doubt the tactic will work, but it emphasizes the desperation and unbridled ugliness that some so-called moral groups and individuals will stoop to in order to keep gays from marrying and having families:

As the Supreme Court prepares to take up the issue of same-sex marriage for perhaps the last time, opponents are scrambling to make their final stand against marriage equality in the public square. This month, they are rallying behind four individuals who had a gay parent but who argue against marriage equality. Called the “quartet of truth” and heralded by anti-LGBT groups like the Family Research Council, these adults spin a tale of trauma that they claim is representative of all children of same-sex couples.

 . . .  Each of the four, however, has a reputation that belies the LGBT-friendly facade of their connection to a gay parent. Klein uses multiple pseudonyms, including B.N. Klein, B.A. Newmark, and Rivka Edelman, to publish attacks on the LGBT community, particularly viciously anti-transgender rhetoric. Katy Faust runs a blog called, “AskTheBigot,” where she openly identifies as an evangelical Christian and espouses that “True Christianity” will “oppose the narrative that homosexuality is a ‘positive and normal’ variation of human sexuality.” Dawn Stefanowicz has happily shopped her story to anti-gay hate groups leaders like Peter LaBarbera and Matt Barber. And Robert Oscar Lopez, who identifies as bi but has disowned his same-sex attractions, regularly compares same-sex adoption to slave ownership and cultural genocide. In fact, all four indicate that their negative ideas about homosexuality presuppose their experience having a gay parent, and in some cases, the very reason they felt traumatized by having a gay parent was the idea that they would have to accept it.

 . . .  All four also tell stories of parents who divorced or separated — a parent entered a different-sex relationship, had children, then later began having same-sex relationships. Though some of them were raised for some period of time by a same-sex couple, it was only after the trauma of their birth parents’ separation. This is an identical tactic as was used in the widely-debunked study conducted by Mark Regnerus, which claimed to demonstrate inferior results for same-sex parenting by using the experiences of kids from split parents to implicate committed same-sex couples raising children together. Some of their stories also prey on anti-gay stereotypes because of experiences of physical and sexual abuse from their gay parent. In reality, because same-sex families are more likely to be planned, studies suggest those couples are actually less likely to abuse their children.

For the full story, see  The Full Story Of The ‘Poster Children’ Conservatives Are Using To Oppose Gay Marriage

Todd Starnes defusing anti-gay argument of 'religious liberty' with his numerous reporting errors

Todd Starnes

To be such a proponent of religious right bastardization of the term 'religious liberty,' Fox News personality Todd Starnes is making a litany of mistakes in his pursuit to give it credibility.

According to Media Matters, in writing about the recent case of the bakery in Oregon which got into trouble for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex couple, Starnes made a huge error:

Fox News' Todd Starnes falsely reported that the Oregon bakers who refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple could face up to $200,000 in fines, badly misinterpreting local reports about the case, according to the state's Bureau of Labor and Industries.

On January 29, an administrative law judge in Oregon rejected a request from the lawyers representing Sweet Cakes by Melissa to dismiss a discrimination complaint filed against shop owners Aaron and Melissa Klein. The case has been ongoing since early 2013, when the bakers refused to provide a wedding cake for a same-sex couple in violation of the state's non-discrimination law. A March 10 hearing will determine what damages the couple is owed.

On February 3, Fox News reporter and serial misinformer Todd Starnes published his report on the Kleins' failed attempt to have the complaint dismissed, stating that the bakers could face $200,000 "in fines and damages"

Media Matters also points out that this led to a rebuke by Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) Communications Director Charlie Burr:

Todd Starnes is writing that the bakery owners face fines of up to $200,000 in damages. That's false. In fact, it's the Kleins who have asked for $200,000 in damages from our agency for our enforcement of the Equality Act. We rejected the request due to jurisdictional issues. The agency's prosecution unit is seeking up to $75,000 per person in damages, but no ruling on amounts has been made. [emphasis original]

Starnes has since corrected the error. However, in the same piece , he commits what can be debated to be a deliberate oversight.  The piece in question included is a listing of  how Christians are supposedly being persecuted for stances against marriage equality and the lgbt community. Of course Starnes includes the recent controversy involving former Atlanta fire chief Kelvin Cochran. Notice how he describes the situation:

Kelvin Cochran was fired from his job as the fire chief of Atlanta after he wrote a book that affirmed biblical morality. The book included references to homosexuality that angered the city’s LGBT community. The city’s mayor denied Cochran was let go because of his religious beliefs, but I believe the evidence seems to prove otherwise.

Starnes' description of the Cochran incident omitted a HUGE amount of information. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed was very detailed as to why Cochran was let go and this was reported in numerous places.  As a matter of fact, Mayor Reed's office released an internal report which said:

Cochran did not have permission to publish his book..

Cochran freely exploited his capacity as Atlanta's fire chief in the book, when in the past he disciplined firefighters for speaking in support of Chick-Fil-A while in their capacity as firefighters during the controversy in which its founder, Dan Cathy, made anti-gay comments.

While no witness could point to any incident in which Cochran unfairly treated his employees because of his religious beliefs, there was a sentiment of "distrust and disgust" and many felt that the booklet eroded trust and have compromised the ability of the chief to provide leadership in the future.

The point is Starnes felt the need to omit these details because they would have interfered with his anti-Christian persecution narrative.


This isn't the first time Starnes has gotten into trouble, even amongst Christian writers, for his penchant of omitting details and generally getting the story wrong in order to fit his narrative.

And I doubt that it will be the last.
 

'Anti-gay groups, supporters not totally unified on marriage equality tactics' & other Wednesday midday news briefs

Inside The Last-Ditch Conservative Campaign To Target LGBT Americans - Marriage equality isn't a reality yet, so I'm not dancing but this article is very interesting. The unity amongst the religious right is falling apart. 

Anti-gay group NOM: 'To deprive a child of [a mother and a father] is akin to orphaning them' - Meanwhile there has been a steady, underground attack on same-sex families. The good thing is that it isn't happening under our noses. Many of us lgbt bloggers know what's going on and we are merely observing for now. 

 If Brittany Newmark Klein wants to be a player, she should spine up and use her real name - For those who are curious about the last news brief, this one gives more detail.

Leading UK Evangelical Leader Comes Out As A Lesbian - Yet more evidence that there are some folks who are falsely appropriating the term "Christian." Being a Christian and an lgbt are identities which can overlap WITHOUT guilt or shame but with pride. 

 Manhattan Declaration’s Eric Teetsel: God May Let LGBT Equality Destroy Society - Somehow, I DOUBT that is going to happen.