'Sodomites,' child abuse, and sore losers in West Virginia's marriage equality fight

In terms of the marriage equality fight, one thing which helps the lgbt community are those who are fighting against us.

I've divided them into two camps. First, there are the policy wonks like those from the Heritage Foundation and the National Review. They write pieces about the sustainability of marriage and how allowing gays to marry is akin to slavery. They twist incredibly good tangents which showcases their intellectual prowess.

But nothing they say has anything to do with the real world. They offer only hypothetical tangents which loses your interest in the third paragraph unless you already agree with their opinion. In other words, their pieces would never stand up in court against examples of actual same-sex couples and families who are hurt by anti-marriage equality laws.

Then there are folks like West Virginia Family Foundation, who sent out the following message yesterday when marriage equality came to that state. I think it's self-explanatory why we are winning against THAT particular crowd:

Hat tip to Goodasyou.org

SC mayor teaches governor, attorney general how to treat same-sex couples

Mayor Steve Benjamin

While SC Governor Nikki Haley and Attorney General Alan Wilson succeeded in temporarily postponing the inevitable by getting the state Supreme Court to halt the issuing of same-sex marriage equality licences, they got upstaged by the generosity and progressive thinking of Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin.

He taught them a lesson about how to treat their lgbt constitutents:
 

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin wants to extend full family benefits to same-sex couples that work for the city who have a valid marriage license from any state in the country.

In a letter to city council, City Manager Teresa Wilson, and the city's human resources director, Benjamin said it was time to extend those benefits because of the "significant amount of recent movement regarding marriage equality" in South Carolina.

That letter was submitted hours after Charleston County probate judge Irvin Condon began accepting same-sex marriage applications.

Benjamin says he realizes new costs may come up as a result of his new benefits offer, but he expects them to be minor.

"Let me be clear," Benjamin said. "This is no longer a discussion of faith, politics, or even law. It is simply a matter of time. But we have an opportunity now to demonstrate leadership, foresight and the responsibility the of Columbia should expect from their city."

However, city officials say given Thursday's ruling by the State Supreme Court to halt all marriage licenses to same-sex couples until the matter is fully settled by a higher court, Benjamin's request has been put on hold.

'Another religious liberty case bites the dust' & other Thursday midday news briefs

Kentucky Human Rights Commission Dismantles Another Anti-Gay Religious Liberty Story - Another "religious liberty" piece of junk dismantled by that pesky thing called "basic fairness." 

Chair Eastman teases NOM's (hilarious) plan for a constitutional convention - NOM wants a federal amendment banning marriage equality. You may laugh now. 

 Kansas State Judge Orders That Same-Sex Marriage Licenses Be Issued - I simply HAVE to be corny here - Carry on my wayward son . . .  

Supreme Court Error Accidentally Halted Marriage in Nevada - Well now that this has been cleared up . . .  

Barber: SCOTUS Is 'Tempting The Wrath Of God' With Gay Marriage Decision - Oh yeah. Slavery, genocide, taking land away from Native Americans, segregation, lynching. Forget all of that. Allow gay and lesbians couples to get married. That will REALLY get God angry.

Throwback Thursday - Ex-gays launch national campaign in 1998

While the lgbt community is on the threshold of a HUGE victory regarding marriage equality, it's important that we don't forget where we came from in terms of struggles. The following commercial should remind you:



This is an actual commercial from a 1998 nationwide campaign called Truth In Love. Several anti-gay organizations united to create television ads, newspaper ads, and articles claiming that people can be "set free" from homosexuality.

It was huge, making the cover of Newsweek and featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

It was also a big flop. The commercial above carries a very nasty twinge. According to Wayne Besen, of Truth Wins Out:

In Aug. 2003, Truth Wins Out founder Wayne Besen received a call from Virginia attorney Michael Hamar. He had a client who believed he may have been infected with HIV from 'ex-gay' leader Michael Johnston.

Johnston was the founder of National Coming Out of Homosexuality Day. He was Rev. Jerry Falwell's personal ex-gay leader. Johnston also starred in a video for the American Family Association, "It's Not Gay, and an ad for Coral Ridge Ministries. Additionally, he partnered with anti-gay activist Peter LaBarbera, who paraded Johnston around and hawked his tale of change.

In Aug. 2003, Besen took the train down to Norfolk, where Hamar introduced him to two men who claimed to have had unsafe sex with Johnston. Others have since been identified.

Atlanta's GLBT newspaper Southern Voice broke the story. In the article, a spokesperson for the American Family Association admitted that Johnston had what he called, a "moral fall." Johnston was shipped off to Pure Life Ministries, a sex addiction facility in rural Kentucky. He never left the facility and works there today.

So whenever you get overwhelmed by this fight over marriage equality,  always remember the fights we had to endure and what we have overcome.

South Carolina is ready for marriage equality!

Galvanized by SCOTUS decision which will probably sooner or later pave the way for marriage equality in South Carolina, lgbts and their allies in the Palmetto State held a rally at the State House then delivered a petition to Attorney General Alan Wilson. The petition, with over 5,000 names, calls for Wilson and SC Governor Nikki Haley to stop defending the state's marriage equality law, which the two have pledged to do:

Jeff Ayers, chairman of the S.C. Equality board, said Gov. Nikki Haley and Wilson’s decision to defend the ban is being influenced by the fact they are up for re-election. He added said the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community will keep their actions in mind on Nov. 4.

 . . . S.C. Equality supporters at the rally held signs that said: “Nikki + Alan give it up and move on.” And the statue of George Washington, on the north steps of the State House, was adorned with a rainbow flag.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/10/08/3731915_richland-charleston-counties-issuing.html?sp=/99/205/&rh=1#storylink=cpy

The crowd was further galvanized by the news that Richland and Charleston counties are issuing marriage license applications to same-sex couples. Charleston Councilwoman Colleen Condon and Nichols Bleckley (who attended the rally) made history as the first gay couple to receive a marriage license application in the state. According to The State, a probate judge in Greenville rejected three marriage license application. The article also said if the SC Supreme Court does not deliver an injunction, marriage licenses would be given after 24 hours.

 

 

Mike Huckabee throws tantrum over lgbt marriage equality victories

Editor's note - Due to the marriage equality rally at the South Carolina State House at noon today, there will be no midday news briefs post

Other than Reince Preibus, Republicans have, for the most part,  been intelligently silent on the  recent marriage equality victories enjoyed by the lgbt community. My guess is that they are attempting to play it cool. Some pundits and experts are claiming that they have a good shot to win the Senate in this upcoming election so they are probably not trying to create a controversy. Unfortunately, for "evangelical Republicans," such as Mike Huckabee, that's not a course of action they agree with. Yesterday, Huckabee had a full bodied tantrum, even invoking the standard right-wing threat of leaving the Republican Party when they can't get their way:

Two more marriage equality bans (Idaho, Nevada) bites the dust

The day after a SCOTUS decision destroyed the marriage equality ban in five states, two more states follow today:

A federal appeals court has struck down gay marriage bans in Idaho and Nevada.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco made the ruling Tuesday. It did not decide on a similar case in Hawaii, which legalized gay marriage in December.

State and federal court judges have been striking down bans at a rapid rate since a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year. The 9th Circuit ruling comes a day after the Supreme Court effectively legalized gay marriage in 11 more states, for a total of 30, when it rejected a set of appeals.

The appeals court ruled that gay couples' equal protection rights were violated by the bans. Judge Stephen Reinhardt said during oral arguments in September that he expects the Supreme Court ultimately will decide whether gay marriage bans are constitutional.

If this keeps up, I'm going to get dizzy.