The Atlantic magazine rips apart newest flawed anti-gay parenting study

At times, the cause of lgbt equality is helped by the badly planned attempts to squash it. Just like the much maligned Regnerus study a few years ago,  a recent "study," which is the newest attempt by the anti-gay right to prove that same-sex households are bad for children, is catching much criticism for its numerous flaws. Below is just a snippet of how the The Atlantic magazine totally wrecked it:

The paper has a straightforward title: "Emotional Problems Among Children With Same-Sex Parents: Difference by Definition." It's not hard to guess the conclusion of this research, released last month by Catholic University professor Paul Sullins: Kids with gay parents have more emotional problems than kids with straight parents, and it's because their parents are gay.

This is not a new argument. Especially in the past decade, as gay marriage has been legally recognized in many states, a small number of scholars have claimed that kids of same-sex parents are exposed to more potential harms than kids of straight parents. This, in turn, has been used to argue against gay adoption and marriage. But just because some studies support this finding doesn't mean it's true. In fact, many, many more studies reached opposite conclusions. "Research ... has developed a scholarly consensus that shows that children raised by same-sex couples are at no important disadvantage," wrote Stanford University sociologist Michael Rosenfeld in an email. "There is a noisy fringe of academics who claim that children raised by same-sex couples are in disastrous peril," a viewpoint which "has little or no credibility within academia."

 . . .  From an academic perspective, there are a number of flaws in the design of Sullins's research. To his credit, he used a large sample of data compiled by the CDC to test his hypothesis, looking at kids who were living with same-sex parents at the time of various surveys taken between 1997 and 2013. But "what Sullins's paper does not show is that these children were actually raised by the same-sex couple," wrote Rosenfeld in an email.

Reading the paper, it's impossible to say whether the kids in question spent most of their lives with heterosexual parents who then got divorced, for example, or a single parent who had multiple partners over time. This family history matters: "We have decades of research showing that family instability and divorce takes a toll on children," Rosenfeld wrote. Because of this constraint, he said, the paper cannot speak to the way being raised by same-sex parents affects the well-being of children. In an email, Sullins disputed this criticism, pointing to other widely accepted studies on emotional well-being and family structure that rely on the same data.

 But there are other objections.  . . . - Using 'Pseudoscience' to Undermine Same-Sex Parents

Hat tip to Jeremy Hooper for bringing it to my attention.

'Doctor refuses to treat lesbian couple's baby because of 'religious liberty'' & other Thursday midday news briefs

Judge To Anti-Gay Florist: Religion Is Not An Excuse To Defy Anti-Discrimination Laws - I am sorry for anyone who disagrees but this is so true.

Doctor refuses treatment of same-sex couple's baby - The florist in the above brief is not the victim here. This family is. What the doctor did was perfectly legal in that state, but mess like this is what these so-called "religious liberty" bills could lead to in other places. Is this sort of thing right or Christian? Some on the right whine that "you will be made to care" about marriage equality. In cases like this involving children, you had better damn well care. 

Pediatrician Refuses To Care For Baby With Lesbian Mothers In Michigan - More details about this story.

E.W. Jackson: Civil Disobedience Needed To Stop Gay Rights And Impending Doom - Naturally, Jackson won't do it. He will push OTHERS to do it, but he won't put his proverbial "money where his mouth is."  

Breaking: Federal Equality Commission Working To Protect LGBT People Under Civil Rights Act - Excellent idea!  

A Grandfather's Love: Congressman Mike Honda Opens Up About His Transgender Granddaughter - Yet more proof that in the end, it's all about love.

Do's and Don'ts of Educating the Public on Transgender Health

How the media should educate the public on transgender health issues, to me, is simply a matter of kindness and common sense. It shouldn't require a video of "do's and don'ts." However, because of Fox News, education of how transgender health issues should be handled in the media is very important.

Hat tip to Media Matters

The religious right does not own Christianity

This was heavily on my mind today. One thing I DESPISE is when anti-gay groups and spokespeople speak as if they are the only Christians in the world and their interpretation of the Bible is the only one that matters.

However, the thing I DESPISE MORE  when members of the lgbt community take the bait and begin disparaging Christianity as a whole. When some of us do that, we make a huge mistake.

We fall into the cog the anti-gay industry wants to us placed. They portray us as enemies of Christianity when such is not true. They push the idea that attaining lgbt equality is somehow detrimental to the survival of Christianity and this is an even uglier lie.

 I don't believe that God thinks that homosexuality is a sin. And I think there is more to the situation than those verses in the Bible that supposedly call out homosexuality. I think the situation is a matter of people reading verses and assuming they know what's going on WITHOUT praying to God for guidance and understanding. That's if they read the verses at all.

Instead of yielding the point to the anti-gay industry, we need to challenge them more on the idea and notion that they own Christianity and their beliefs regarding the Bible are the only ones that matter.

And we should do this also in support of our lgbt brothers and sisters who are Christian. When we take the bait and associate Christianity with people and groups like the Family Research Council, the American Family Association, Bryan Fischer, Linda Harvey, Todd Starnes, etc., we surrender our minds to ignorance and allow them to have something that does NOT belong to them, i.e the belief that they sit on the right hand of God.  I think the video below articulates the point better than I can:

'Does Alabama judge want to abolish marriage in state?' & other Wednesday midday news briefs

State Supreme Court Justice Warns He May Abolish Marriage Entirely If Same-Sex Weddings Are Allowed - I'd ask 'are you kidding me,' but nothing some folks would do to stop marriage equality surprises me anymore.

Texas Judge Rules State Ban On Same-Sex Marriage Unconstitutional - Hello, Texas!

 Duck Dynasty Dad To Receive Free Speech Award For Anti-Gay Comments - So they give out awards for that crap now? 

 Iowa Senate panel advances bill to ban conversion therapy on LGBT youth - If this is successful, Iowa would be the third state in the nation to have such a law. It's kind of a mixed bag. Only three states would outlaw this awful practice.  

Fox's Erick Erickson Rallies Supporters Behind Anti-Gay License-To-Discriminate Laws - I am so not surprised by this.  

Right-Wing Pundit: LGBT Rights The Satanic Successor To Nazi Germany - Called 'satanic' and 'nazis' in the same piece. I can't say much for girlfriend's sanity but you have admit she has one heck of an imagination.

Who is Janet Porter and why is the GOP out of its mind for teaming up with her on anti-gay issues?

Right Wing Watch has another trailer from the upcoming anti-gay documentary featuring possible GOP presidential candidates and members of Congress:

Radical Religious Right activist Janet Porter has released yet another trailer for her upcoming documentary "Light Wins: How To Overcome The Criminalization Of Christianity," which features a who's who of anti-gay activists as well as several Republican members of Congress and presidential hopefuls Rand Paul and Mike Huckabee. "Like a tank in Tiananmen Square," Porter says, as she walks down the middle of a dark street as a pair of headlights bear down upon her, "the homosexual agenda has been running over people since Anita Bryant's courageous stand in the 1970s." After that, it is nothing but 10 minutes of anti-gay activists calling upon Christians to rise up and fight back against the "homosexual agenda." Among the participants we immediately recognized in this new clip are Huckabee, David Barton, Gary Glenn, Steven Hotze, Robert Knight, Judith Reisman, Stacy Swimp, Greg Quinlan, Rep. Louie Gohmert, Brian Camenker, James Dobson, Bill Donohue, Scott Lively, Frank Pavone, Dutch Sheets, Phyllis Schlafly, Rick Scarborough, Gary Bauer, Mark Crutcher, Jerry Boykin, and Harry Jackson.

 If you don't want see the trailer, I personally understand. All of that homophobia is enough to make anyone sick.

However, the video below is a must view, particularly by those who don't know who Janet Porter is. I could say a lot of things about her, but I think this video of her praying for control of the American media does a better job than describing Porter than I ever could.

After viewing it, remember that she actually got possible GOP presidential candidates and Congressional leaders to appear in her video.



Spooky, isn't it? It makes you wonder just who is being unreasonably aggressive. The lgbt community or Porter and her supporters?

'Coming anti-marriage equality manifesto a BIG EMPTY joke that lgbts SHOULD read' & other Tuesday midday news briefs

Previewing the next anti-marriage equality manifesto - Hold on to your hats (or rather stomachs). I would advise that members of the lgbt community read this manifesto because it is important to see what those who oppose your equality is up to. 

Top Catholics and evangelicals: Gay marriage worse than divorce or cohabitation - And speaking of which, here are a few details about the above item. The "usual folks" are involved - i.e. Maggie Gallagher, Robert George, Rick Warren are amongst the 50 signers. It will be published in the conservative First Things magazine in March. Some have said it reads like a "declaration of war," but it's really a big whine about how folks who oppose marriage equality will be "persecuted" (after years of falsely defining lgbts as family destroyers, stealers of children, and attempting to destroy Christianity). It implies actions of civil disobedience kinda like an ant plays around with a drop dribbling from a very cold glass of water. We all know these folks wouldn't dare engage in civil disobedience. They'd miss out on their salaries. One interesting thing though - supposedly it is an alliance of conservative Catholics and evangelical Protestants. Catholics and Protestants together? If history is indication of what may happen next . . . . well I will be nice.

 Epidemic: Murders of transwomen of color largely ignored - We have a HUUUGE problem here.

Baptist Leader Compares Laws Allowing Gay Marriage To Laws Martin Luther King Jr. Went To Jail To Fight - Comparing pro-marriage equality rulings to laws and rulings which dehumanized African-Americans seems to be a trend all of the sudden.  

Hundreds rally at Kansas Statehouse to protest end of LGBT protections - Hundreds protest the awful "brownbacking" of the lgbt community in Kansas. 

These Are The Brave And Beautiful Faces Of At-Risk LGBT Youth - These are OUR children, folks. Keep them in mind when it comes to all you do for lgbt equality.

Arkansas passes bill which favors anti-gay discrimination

Last week, unfortunately, Arkansas became a sort of ground zero in the future of lgbt equality.

According to The Huffington Post:

On Friday, the Arkansas House of Representatives voted 57-20 in favor of a bill that would bar cities and counties from sanctioning LGBT anti-discrimination laws.

Arkansas state Sen. Bart Hester (R), who sponsored the bill, told BuzzFeed News that creating uniform policies across the state will attract businesses and that he was angered by one city’s repeated attempts to expand rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

 . . .  Hester told BuzzFeed News that it isn't just LGBT individuals who are singled out for discrimination. “I am singled out as a politician. I am singled out because I am married to one woman … I want everyone in the LGBT community to have the same rights I do. I do not want them to have special rights that I do not have.”

 The bill's stated goal is to improve intrastate commerce by making it illegal for state businesses, organizations or employers to implement or enforce policies outlawing discrimination on grounds not covered in state law. Currently, Arkansas does not have LGBT protections at the state level.

The bill, SB202, had already cleared the state senate the preceding Monday. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has told several news sources that he would not sign the bill but allow it to become law by not vetoing it.

According to Buzzfeed:

Rep. Clarke Tucker, a Democrat, blasted the bill as a “proactive act of discrimination.”
Tucker also challenged the premise that it was good for business, pointing out that the vast majority of Fortune 500 companies protect LGBT employees and may avoid moving their businesses to Arkansas. “If we pass this legislation,” Tucker warned lawmakers, “we will be sending a message that we are out of step with corporate culture today in 2015.”

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the legislation presents a huge problem in how it was written. According to the International Business Times:

Since the bill doesn’t explicitly single out LGBT people, groups like students and veterans may also be set up for discrimination in Arkansas, according to Holly Dickson, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas’ legal director. “In targeting LGBT people, they have cast a wide net and prevented protections for a wide variety of groups,” she said.

However, organizations who have made opposition to lgbt equality their goal disagree with Dickson. In an email sent on Monday, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council said:

 Under a handful of ordinances around the country, local governments have used these proposals as an excuse to trample Americans' freedom of belief -- and punish small business owners like cake makers who morally object to participating in same-sex "weddings." In other places, the measures have become a privacy and safety nightmare for parents, who shudder to think of their daughters sharing public restrooms, showers, and locker rooms with grown men who abuse the "gender identity" language to prey on the opposite sex.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) has already said that he'll let the bill become law, which gives conservatives -- not just a victory, but a roadmap for other states to do the same. Our hats go off to Arkansas leaders for paving the way in the fight to uphold the freedom of every American, regardless of their religious views.

There is a website asking that Gov. Hutchinson veto the bill.  It features a  letter from David Collins, who is the openly gay brother of Arkansas legislator Charlie Collins. Rep. Collins supports the bill.

In the letter, Collins says:

I can speak out against discrimination and ask Governor Asa Hutchinson to veto SB202 on the grounds that it only serves to discriminate and divide Arkansas. I can encourage the people of Arkansas to contact Governor Hutchinson to work toward a better solution. If the goal is, as Bart Hester suggests, “to create consistent policies across Arkansas that will attract business” then show real leadership and veto this bill and work together with my brother to create a bill that protects all workers from discrimination in the workplace which will attract new workers and new companies, instead of repel them.

I can also hope that Charlie understands that the decisions he makes and the votes he takes are not just political, they are personal and they affect people in ways he couldn’t possible imagine because he’s never had to deal with the oppression of a society that treats you differently because of who you are attracted to and who you love.

AL Chief Justice Roy Moore deliberately vague on how he would oppose a SCOTUS pro-marriage equality ruling

 After pussyfooting around the point during a disastrous interview last week with CNN's Chris Cuomo, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore today confirmed on Fox News something that we already knew he would do should SCOTUS rule in favor of marriage equality later this year.

He would attempt to stand against the ruling.But he continues to be deliberately vague on his course of action.

 According to Raw Story:

Alabama Chief Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore on Sunday insisted that he had a moral duty to defy the United States Supreme Court if they tried to change God’s “organic law” by declaring that LGBT people had an equal right to marriage.

Moore told Fox News host Chris Wallace that if the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that LGBT had equal marriage rights then he “would not be bound thereby.”

“I could recuse or dissent as a justice from Delaware did in the Dred Scott case [affirming slavery] in 1857,” the Alabama chief justice insisted. “They ruled black people were property. Should a court today obey such a ruling that is completely contradictory of the Constitution?”

 . . .  When federal courts start changing our Constitution by defining words that are not even there, like marriage, they’re going to do the same thing with family in the future,” Moore argued. “When a word is not in the Constitution, clearly, the powers of the Supreme Court do not allow them to re-define words and seize power. The power is not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited by it to the states or reserved to the states respectively or to the people.”

“This power over marriage, which came from God under our organic law, is not to be redefined by the United States Supreme Court or any federal court,” he concluded. 

Earlier this year, Moore caused chaos when he ordered that probate judges not issue same-sex marriage licenses even after  U.S. District Judge Callie V.S. Granade struck down the state law against marriage equality. Judge Granade had to clarify and demand that her ruling  be followed.

My thoughts is that Moore, even as Wallace noticed, was being deliberately obtuse as to what his actions would be should SCOTUS rule in favor of marriage equality.  The lgbt community would need to keep one eye open for him and lobby for the utmost penalties should Moore decide that his personal opinion and religious beliefs are above the law.

'Would Roy Moore attempt to defy the Supreme Court on marriage equality' & other Friday midday news briefs

Alabama Chief Justice Explains Why He May Ignore The Supreme Court On Marriage Equality - I am glad Think Progress revisited the excellent smackdown CNN's Chris Cuomo gave AL Chief Justice Roy Moore and caught this. If the Supreme Court does rule for marriage equality, will Moore attempt to ignore its decision. I think that during the interview, he hinted that he would try. 

A Transgender 9-Year-Old’s Mom Made A Touching Video To Explain His Transition - Just pure awesome. The very definition of parental love.  

Arkansas Legislature Expected To Pass Law Allowing LGBT Discrimination - It will unfortunately passed and signed by the governor . . . and then IT IS ON!!!! 

 FRC prays SCOTUS 'will rule in the fear of God' - Now isn't that some . . . seems to me if FRC itself had any fear of God, the organization wouldn't have been lying about lgbts so many times.

 Robert Knight: Stop Gay Marriage By Impeaching Judges Who Rule For Equality - Robert Knight, the anti-gay talking head who I was once able to confront about anti-gay groups using discredited research against lgbts . His unashamed admittance has served as a reason why I do what I do.  

Benham Brothers: Satan Behind Homosexuality, Gay Marriage - You all can believe what you want, but I personally think that the board of HGTV sends up silent "thank yous" to the lgbt community for warning them about these guys and thus keeping them from being offered a show on its network.

'All right Mr. DeMille. I'm ready for my close up' - NC lgbt newspaper publishes feature on me

Editor's note - I should have had a Bette Davis/Joan Crawford picture handy

As part of its look at lgbt African-Americans in the Carolinas, the North Carolina lgbt newspaper QNotes published a nice article on yours truly and my work on anti-gay lies and propaganda:

In the middle part of the last decade, Columbia’s Alvin McEwen was in the process of writing a book. He’d wanted to track the actions and movements of the anti-LGBT religious right and document them. The book publishing was slow, and a friend, he said, suggested he start a blog. And so, his blog, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, launched in 2006.

McEwen, 43, poured his heart into tracking statements and actions from well-known right-wing leaders.

“I was looking at how anti-gay groups distorted information,” McEwen explains. “Looking at their tactics and their history of cherry-picking science and relying on junk science.”

He soon attracted attention and support from gay blogosphere powerhouses Jeremy Hooper of GoodAsYou.org and Pam Spaulding of the now-retired Pam’s House Blend.

 . . . McEwen believes — and has often been able to prove or link together — deliberate attempts by rightwing groups to twist facts, mischaracterize scientific studies and malign LGBT people in the process.

“They say they are standing on God’s principles and God’s law,” he said. “Okay, if you’re doing that, why do you have to lie? Why do you have to do all these other things?”

Check out the rest here. I think the author and the publication did a wonderful job.

Federal judge orders Mobile probate judge to do his job, issue same-sex marriage licenses

First gay couple to marry in Mobile, Alabama. #ALmarriage http://t.co/zRHALOGrQT pic.twitter.com/OwYU6VUDaq
— Gabe Ortíz (@TUSK81) February 12, 2015

It's a good day to be gay, particularly in Alabama. Not only did Chief Justice Roy Moore get verbally ripped from one end to another during a CNN interview with Chris Cuomo, but less than an hour ago, a federal judge ordered the probate judge in Mobile, AL to begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses:

A federal judge on Thursday afternoon ordered Mobile County, Alabama to start issuing marriage licenses to gay couples, a ruling that could pave the way for other local officials across the state to follow suit.

In an eight-page decision, U.S. District Judge Callie V.S. Granade reiterated that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage had been struck down and clarified that Mobile County’s probate judge, Don Davis, had to adhere to that decision.

Shortly afterward, the Mobile county office that issues marriage licenses opened its windows, which had remained shuttered this week, to begin serving all couples.

Though Granade’s ruling only applies to Mobile County, gay rights groups hope it will provide clarity to probate judges in all 67 Alabama counties, more than half of whom refused to give out marriage licenses to gay couples this week even though same-sex marriage became legal in the state on Monday.

 . . .  It was Roy Moore, the state’s chief justice, who prompted the defiance of many probate judges by ordering them late Sunday not to issue licenses to same-sex couples.

'CNN's Chris Cuomo 'takes Roy Moore to church' during interview' & other Thursday midday news briefs

I heard a lot of positive buzz surrounding this interview. Apparently CNN's Chris Cuomo took Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore "to church." What do you think?

In other news:  

Coming Out At School Is Worth The Risk For LGBT Youth, Study Finds - Yes it is.  

NOM directly links its anti-gay, pro-discrimination cause to 1963 March on Washington - One wonders if NOM will complete the inaccurate analogy and find its own Bayard Rustin (i.e. the gay black man who coordinated the 1963 March on Washington). 

 Mississippi KKK Chapter Backs Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore In Anti-Gay Marriage Fight - Aw that's nice! Roy Moore has his own cheering section.

 Linda Harvey: This Valentine's Day, Fight Against LGBT Rights - Damn, Linda! Can't you do what the rest of us single people do on Valentine's Day - watch horror movies and porn.

The Erasure of 'Gay' From Black History & the Black Community Must Stop

Bayard Rustin

In celebration of Black History Month, the following piece I wrote and initially published by The Huffington Post is very appropriate. Throughout the piece are photos of famous lgbts of color:

As a gay African-American, I've heard the argument about how "you can't compare the gay civil rights movement to the African-American civil rights movement" more times than I care to count.
The constant so-called moral outrage of some African-American heterosexuals when the topic is mentioned has gotten me to the point where my mind automatically tunes out the monotonous drones of how supposed sinful homosexuals are "high jacking" the civil rights movement or how gays "can't compare their sin with black skin."

As such, I almost missed the epiphany which occurred two weeks ago.

Nell Carter

I was vaguely scanning comments on a conservative site by an anonymous African-American female as she went on and on about how gays were never subjected to slavery, segregation or declared three fifths a person. While the logical side of my mind was gathering up the customary argument of how wrong it was for disadvantaged people of any stripe to play the "Oppression Olympics," the emotional side of my mind struck immediately.

"This is the most ignorant crap I've ever heard," I thought. "Just where in the hell does she think gay black people were during slavery and segregation? On a spaceship orbiting the Earth? "

I was instantly struck by oddity of what I had thought. Not that my outrage wasn't coming from a place of truth, mind you, but how the simple fact never entered my mind that yes, gay people were subjected to slavery, segregation and racism because of our skin. Just as LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people of color exist now, we existed back then. Then it suddenly struck me again that I've never recalled any acknowledgement of this fact during the myriad of discussions, I've read, listened to or seen regarding comparisons between the gay and civil rights movements.

And why is that?

Older gays give advice, younger gays should pay attention

Part of the mission of this blog is to provide our lgbt children with encouragement and strength as they navigate through life. With that in mind, this video courtesy of Buzzfeed of older gays giving advice is pure awesome:

'New Jersey case could destroy 'ex-gay' therapy' & other Wednesday midday news briefs

New Jersey Judge Slaps Down Ex-Gay Group: Being Gay Is Not A ‘Mental Disorder’ - There are just so many sweet spots about this case, but the best is that it is happening slowly, therefore the humiliation of ex-gay therapy is happening in delicious slow motion. 

This court ruling could mean the end of gay conversion therapy - And the repercussions would be like "so much crushed velvet."

 Gov. Robert Bentley doesn't want same-sex marriage disputes to hurt Alabama's image like 1960s did - I got some bad news for you, Gov. Bentley. We are waaaaay past that territory.

 Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback Rescinds Anti-Discrimination Protections For LGBT State Workers - Gov. Brownback isn't exactly known for being the lgbt community's best friend so I'm surprised that it took him THIS LONG to show his true color.  

How Conservatives Are Pushing Liberals Out Of Christianity - This is an important piece because some conservatives are pushing the lgbt community out of Christianity. The final judge is always God, so Man's talk of who is or isn't a Christian is always immaterial.  

Bill O'Reilly Invites Hate Group Representative To Attack SPLC After Ben Carson Added To "Extremist Files" - And they all play dodge ball. Sooner or later, that ball will get them. You can only dodge the truth for so long. 

 Alabama Marriage Mess Shows Dangers Of Distorted 'Religious Liberty' Claims - A serious plus in this Alabama marriage equality mess.

Anti-gay groups attempting to push new, error-filled study on gay parenting

Having learned absolutely nothing from their attempts to push through a soon discredited study  during the DOMA trial two years ago, anti-gay groups and conservatives are at it again.

According to Zack Ford from Think Progress:

Conservatives are excitedly promoting a new study that supposedly reveals negative outcomes for the children of same-sex parents. Like the infamously flawed Mark Regnerus study rushed out two years ago, the new study seems timed to impact the Supreme Court’s upcoming consideration of marriage equality for same-sex couples. It suffers, however, from some of the same flaws and biases as Regnerus’ study, and doesn’t actually support the argument against marriage equality that it tries to make.

The new study comes from Donald Paul Sullins, a Catholic priest and sociology professor at Catholic University of America. Sullins is a fellow of the Marriage and Religion Research Institute, a project of the anti-LGBT Family Research Council, and a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, which has funneled millions of dollars into fighting marriage equality over the past decade.

Those facts should destroy the study's credibility from the beginning, but in this environment of headless monsters (i.e. inaccuracies which continue to be propped up as fact no matter how many times they have been refuted), it's best that the beast, or this new so-called study, is completely refuted. And Zack does a wonderful job at pointing out its errors, including:

There is no information whether or not the same-sex couples were married,

The study has the same flaws as the infamous Regnerus study,

and lastly:

As a vehicle for opposing same-sex marriage, the study severely lacks integrity, as its political positions don’t jibe with its data. “Biology matters,” Regnerus asserts, and Sullins emphasizes that his study identifies “the importance of common biological parentage for optimum child well-being.” Nowhere, however, does Sullins or Regnerus suggest that this has any policy implications for adoption or foster care by different-sex couples. It might be a hard case to make given Sullins has two adopted children of his own.

The attempt to push this flawed work underscores the simple fact that the lgbt community shouldn't take anything as a given. The feeling now is that the Supreme Court will legalize marriage equality nationwide. However, with opposition so willing to stop this from being a reality and determined to stoop to all sorts of levels of distortion, it would serve the lgbt community to not be so quick to set wedding dates and be more inclined with remaining on the lookout for more distortions, smears, and lies.

'Complaints filed against AL probate judge for refusing same-sex marriage licenses' & other Tuesday midday news briefs

Complaints filed against probate judge for refusing same-sex marriage licenses - Yes! If your refusal to do your job robs folks of their hard-won rights, you pay the price.  

Jeffress: Gay Marriage Is 'The Greatest Sign Of The End Times That We See In Our Country Right Now' - Whatever happened to the good old days when doom-and-gloom prophets looked the part. Somehow appearing on television shows, radio shows and in front of scores of folks while dressed like a GQ model (and I haven't even mentioned the bank account) kinda paints you as not credible.

South Dakota Lawmaker Says It Was A ‘Significant Error’ To Allow Transgender Student Athletes - For Pete's sake, stop picking on our transgender children! 

 Alabama marriage equality tantrum slap in the face to all Americans - From time to time, I will include posts I've already written in the news briefs because I feel said post makes a point which should be shared as much as possible. This is such a post. We need to emphasize the following point continuously: "Exploiting your religious faith to get your way when you lose in federal court is not American."  

How 'Respectablity Politics' Muted The Legacy Of Black LGBT Activist Pauli Murray - Another lgbt of color historical figure we don't know about yet . . .

Alabama marriage equality tantrum slap in the face to all Americans

“I will never perform a so-called same-sex marriage. A federal court can put me in jail for life, and I will still never perform a so-called same-sex marriage. As a believer in the Word of God… I cannot in good conscience participate in a purported marriage ceremony which I strongly believe would profane the sacred institution of marriage.”

 “This is not about hating people. Each of us needs to treat every other human being with dignity and respect, regardless of our diametrically opposing viewpoints on this divisive issue. But tolerance is a two-way street. Either there is tolerance for all or there is tolerance for none. I want tolerance for my personal religious viewpoint.”

Alabama Probate Judge John Enslen  thinks that not only his personal religious beliefs supersedes federal law and the rights of United States citizens who fairly win their court cases, but also mandates that he should get away with the dereliction of his sworn duty on the taxpayer's dime, even if some of those taxpayers are the people whose rights he is deliberately ignoring.

Regardless how anyone feels about marriage equality, it is an issue which is being decided fairly by the federal courts. We are not a theocracy but a secular nation of laws - - laws whose constitutionality are generally decided in the courts. Those states who oppose marriage equality have been unable to provide proof as to the constitutionality of their laws. Plain and simple. That's why they are losing. In spite of all of their rhetoric about "activist judges" and "black robed tyrants," those against marriage equality have provided no proof that any chicanery has been going on. Heck, they can't provided proof that their policies against marriage equality is sound. That's why they are throwing tantrums now. Because they don't have any other options.

But this next step Probate Justice Enslen, and a few other judges in Alabama are taking is dangerous to not only the rights of same-sex couples, but all United States citizens.

If state judges can get away with ignoring a federal ruling simply because they do not agree with said ruling on whatever grounds, they are giving themselves precedent to ignore any and all federal rulings they do not agree with.
Today it's marriage equality. Who knows what it may be tomorrow?

If this mockery of our legal system is not contained now, we are going to see lots of trouble in the future . . . and with other things besides marriage equality.

Exploiting your religious faith to get your way when you lose in federal court is not American. And it's certainly not Christian.

AL Chief Justice Roy Moore throws facebook tantrum over success of marriage equality

For the most part (we still have to work on a couple of things), marriage equality has successfully come to Alabama.

And that leaves state chief justice Roy Moore in an ugly mood. Moore has been very vocal against the federal decision and last night, tried a last ditch effort - an unsuccessful last ditch effort - to stop it.

Seeing that his plan failed, Moore posted an unbelievably vicious post on Facebook. It has since been taken down but Right Wing Watch saved a copy of it:

And apparently he wasn't done yet:

Moore also posted a statement from his wife, Kayla, who leads the Foundation for Moral Law, a legal group founded by Moore. Kayla Moore’s statement cites Leviticus to condemn homosexuality as an abomination and slam the federal court’s ruling.

 “Founded by Chief Justice Roy Moore, The Foundation for Moral Law's goal is to be the sword of the spirit for Christians all over who don't want to see Alabama or America become the next Sodom and Gomorrah,” she said. “We will continue our battle against evil, and judicial immorality.”

 She called on gay people and their allies to turn away from their “sexual lust” and turn to God:

 “Today the sacred institution of marriage is being destroyed by the LGBT community and liberal politicians who ‘want change’ as did our President; and they make their rulings based on their emotions and not law. Every human being wants to find meaning in their life, some find it in religion, some find it in material things, certain people find it in sexual lust; however, all they need is Jesus Christ. We as Christians do not condemn homosexuals; instead we point them toward eternal life through Christ Jesus.” 

I know there is an eagerness to call Moore and his wife names and laugh at their folly. However, let's be analytical about this. Moore actually did us a favor.

People on his side of the argument have been careful to shield the simple fact that their disagreement with marriage equality is one deriving from simple homophobia.

"It's about protecting marriage," they say to us. "We have no problems with homosexuals living the way they want, but they have no right to redefine marriage for the rest of us."

Moore proves that  behind the careful rhetoric and talking points, the disagreement with marriage equality has always been about animus against the lgbt community.

Animus and homophobia can't stand up in court and that's the reason why Moore's side is losing the argument in the courts.