Judge - Kentucky clerk MUST do her job and issue marriage licenses to gay couples

Kim Davis

That gigantic boom you just heard were members of anti-gay groups running to their computers in order to fire up fundraising emails. Let them go ahead. We are ready:

From WXVU:

U. S. District Judge David Bunning has issued a preliminary injunction in the case involving a Rowan County, Kentucky Clerk who refused to grant marriage licenses to two same-sex couples and two opposite sex couples. Clerk Kim Davis must now issue marriage licenses to April Miller, Karen Roberts, Jody Fernandez, Kevin Holloway, Barry Spartman, Aaron Skaggs, Shantel Burke and Stephen Napier.

"IT IS ORDERED that Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction (Doc. # 2) against Defendant Kim Davis, in her official capacity as Rowan County Clerk, is hereby granted.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Defendant Kim Davis, in her official capacity as Rowan County Clerk, is hereby preliminarily enjoined from applying her “no marriage licenses” policy to future marriage license requests submitted by Plaintiffs."

The ACLU called it "a victory for our clients and for all of Rowan County."

At a July court hearing Davis said she is an Apostolic Christian and believes that marriage is between one man and one woman. She says she prayed and fasted before making her decision. In court, she argued that by issuing licenses she is saying she approves of same-sex marriage.
 
 . . . However, Judge Bunning writes in his decision that Davis' religious freedoms are not being infringed.

"(Davis') religious convictions cannot excuse her from performing the duties that she took an oath to perform as Rowan County Clerk. The Court therefore concludes that Davis is unlikely to suffer a violation of her free exercise rights under Kentucky Constitution."

The big question is how long before she goes on the "Christians are in danger of losing their religious freedom" tour with NOM or the Family Research Council.

'Anti-gay activists using their false story of 'persecution' to shut lgbt equality' & other Wed midday news briefs

The Kleins are causing trouble for lgbt equality in Arkansas

ARKANSAS: Activists Booted From Anti-Gay Rights Rally Led By Martyred Oregon Bakers [VIDEO]- Serious trouble for the lgbt community in Fayetteville. Melissa and Aaron Klein, the Oregon bakers who FALSELY claimed they were persecuted by the lgbt community because their "Christian faith" forbade them to make a cake for a lesbian couple, are helping in attempts to kill an anti-discrimination bill in Arkansas. And it's getting ugly with people getting kicked out of meetings. 

Out candidates win big in Utah primaries - Lgbt candidates are winning in Utah. Sorry for those who "hate the system," but I believe that changes can also be made by working in that same system.  

Mississippi Ban on Adoptions by Same-Sex Couples Is Challenged - This is gonna get gooooood!  

Illegal robocalls attack gay Mississippi candidate’s family; Pickering denies involvement - Speaking of Mississippi . . .

This Kenyan pastor and his partner have become the first to publicly marry – and now they have to flee - My prayers go out to this very brave couple.

  It's Okay to Be Gay, So Long As You're White - Posted with two snaps up!

Sen. Ted Cruz, Christian voters, & 'gay Nazis'

What's wrong with American Christianity Part 1001, courtesy of Right Wing Watch:

As we noted yesterday, Sen. Ted Cruz was scheduled to stop by the headquarters of the American Family Association, an anti-gay hate group, during a campaign swing through Tupelo, Mississippi, this morning for an interview with AFA president Tim Wildmon. Cruz indeed stopped by and told Wildmon that the key to saving America was to mobilize conservative Christians to vote.

Transcript:

"Nothing is more important in the next 18 months than that the body of Christ rise up and that Christians stand up, that pastors stand up and lead," Cruz proclaimed. "In this last election, 54 million evangelical Christians stayed home ... If we can simply bring Christians to the polls — is it any wonder we have the government we have, we have the leaders we have if believers stay home and leave electing our leaders to unbelievers. We get exactly what we deserve and nothing is more important that having people of faith stand up and just vote our values, vote biblical values and that's how we turn the country around."

As a lot of us know, the American Family Association is considered by the Southern Poverty Law Center to be a hate group because of the nasty and inaccurate things it says about the lgbt community. Most specifically because some very ugly venom coming from the mouth of AFA employee Bryan Fischer, which you can read about here or at the tweet below which I took the liberty of creating to commemorate Ted Cruz's visit:

@SenTedCruz just talked about Biblical values with a group which employs THIS GUY http://t.co/ekhANAN85Q #LGBT #gay pic.twitter.com/XAmS2LK27z

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) August 11, 2015

I think there is something seriously wrong with talking about "Biblical values" with a group known for bearing false witness and vicious lies. Of course I also think there is something wrong if Cruz gets away with it. And that is something the lgbt community should blame on ourselves.

Some of us are always talking about "taking to the streets,"  when it looks as if a situation has progressed to a "do-or-die" point. Has it ever occurred to us that if we get ahead of  said situation (like this one with Cruz waving his hypocrisy around like a white banner), we could get more progress out of it than we would if we waited until it created serious problems.

'Two anti-gay activists have ugly public feud' & other Tue. midday news briefs

Even other anti-gay activists don't like Scott Lively.

Austin Ruse To Scott Lively: You Can’t Sit With Us- What happens when two equally vile anti-gay activists begin a public feud? Unfortunately not spontaneous combustion.

 White House downplays GOP hopefuls’ power on LGBT rights - And that's being polite. If I was asked about the subject, I would have said "if any of these nuts get elected, lgbts folks can kiss their asses goodbye." 

 Fox & Friends Host Complains About Target Removing Gender Labels From Children's Toys - As usual, Fox & Friends pushes covert anti-lgbt discrimination. 
 

Watch GLAAD's CEO Explain Away Fox News' Panic Over Target Ditching Gender Labels - Thank goodness someone called out the nonsense. 

 Biphobia Is a Destructive Force in Our Community -- And It Needs to Stop - My apologies for not posting anything regarding the bisexual community, seeing that there is a lot of ignorance out there.  

Australia: Prime Minister Tony Abbott Blocks Same-Sex Marriage, Suggests Nation Votes After 2016 - Not a good idea, Mr. Abbott.

South Carolina attorney general ordered to pay $135,276 in fees for marriage equality loss

SC AG Alan Wilson

Let's see anti-gay groups attempt to make something out of this one. That is if they can get away from their futile "ban Planned Parenthood" crusade.

From The Post and Courier in Charleston:

State Attorney General Alan Wilson must pay $135,276 in legal fees and costs to lawyers whose federal lawsuit forced open the doors to same-sex marriages in South Carolina, a judge ruled Monday. 

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel cited the attorneys’ overwhelming legal victories against Wilson and “reasonable and necessary” request for payment in granting 89 percent of what they sought.

“This complete litigation victory has benefitted themselves and thousands of other same-sex couples in South Carolina,” Gergel wrote in his ruling. “Plaintiffs’ success in this litigation weighs heavily in favor of a reasonable attorney fee award.” 

The money must be paid by Wilson in his official capacity, Gergel ordered, and will come from state coffers. It will go to the gay rights advocacy groups South Carolina Equality and Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. 

Of the seven attorneys involved, four work full time for Lambda. The other three are in private practice and worked voluntarily for S.C. Equality. They will donate their fees to that nonprofit, said M. Malissa Burnette, a Columbia attorney who is among them. 

Wilson's office has yet to say whether or not it will attempt to appeal Gergel's order. If it does, one can probably guess that a certain attorney general will be running for Governor after Nikki Haley leaves office and will also be using this situation to demonstrate how he supposedly stands up for "South Carolina values."

Ohio judicial board: judges cannot refuse to marry same-sex couples on moral, religious, or personal grounds

Judge C. Allen McConnell

I  bet the anti-gay right will attempt to make this a new clarion call about gays persecuting Christians. However, I doubt they will get any new converts. In reading the comment section about cases such as these, I've noticed that the majority of those responding aren't exactly on the side of government officials who won't do their jobs:

From the Associated Press:

Judges who perform marriages in Ohio can't refuse to marry same-sex couples on personal or moral grounds or because of religious beliefs, according to a state judicial conduct board.

In addition, judges who stop performing all marriages to avoid marrying same-sex couples may be interpreted as biased and could be disqualified from any case where sexual orientation is an issue, according to an opinion by the Ohio Supreme Court's Board of Professional Conduct issued Friday and made public Monday.

The ruling followed a request for guidance from a Toledo judge who refused to perform a same-sex wedding last month.

Municipal Judge C. Allen McConnell said he didn't marry a same-sex couple because of his religious beliefs after the U.S. Supreme Court made gay marriage legal in all 50 states in June.

McConnell said Monday he would abide by the board's opinion and would marry a same-sex couple if requested.

Judges' oaths to support the state and U.S. constitutions also require them to honor court interpretations of constitutional matters, the judicial board said in its opinion.

The article goes on to say that though the board's decision is nonbinding, it can be used by the Ohio Supreme Court for guidance should the question arise again.

Read more here.

'Will Beyonce stand up for lgbt equality in Houston' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Will Beyonce stand up for lgbt equality in Houston?

Why Houston Is Asking Beyoncé to #BeyBeAHERO - WONDERFUL idea. If I am not correct, Beyonce did reference the gay black ball community in the song "Get Me Bodied. (Snap for the kids, snap for the kids.Snap in a circle three times). We will see if this reaps success. 

Pat Robertson: Gay And Gay-Accepting Christians Going To Hell - Cause apparently God has sublet the act of condemning folks to hell to THIS guy.  

For once, Larry Kramer, don't talk. LISTEN - This morning's post on Holy Bullies. I didn't get a chance to share it like I generally share a post. I have much respect for Larry Kramer and understand what he is trying to say. But the dismissive manner he talks about the controversy over the Stonewall movie bothers the hell out of me.

 Straight Lawmaker Claims He Faked Gay Sex Scandal As A Ploy To Smoke Out His 'Mafia' Blackmailers - Chyle PLEASE! You couldn't GET me high enough to believe THAT. 

 Two men walk down the streets of Jerusalem holding hands- It DID NOT go well.

 Ugandans Celebrate Gay Pride, But Stigma Tempers Joy - THIS is bravery and something we should remember whenever we get too comfortable or complacent.