Boy Scouts of America lift ban on gay scouts

MoonHowler

 

NBCnews.com:

GRAPEVINE, Texas — The Boy Scouts of America voted Thursday to end its controversial policy banning gay kids and teens from joining one of the nation’s most popular youth organizations, ditching membership guidelines that had roiled the group in recent years.

Over 61 percent of Scouting’s National Council of 1,232 delegates from across the country voted to lift the ban, BSA officials said. The final tally was 757 yes votes, to 475 no (another 168 delegates did not cast a ballot since they were not present at the meeting). The ban on gay leaders was not voted on and will remain in place.

“This resolution today dealt with youth. We have not changed our adult membership standards. They have served us well for the last 100 years. Those were not on the table,” said Tico Perez, BSA national commissioner.

Some parents are happy. Some are furious and have talked about pulling their kids out. Other people say the BSA has not gone far enough and that the ban against gay adult leaders should be lifted. The ban is supposed to be lifted as of January 1, 2014.

Change isn’t easy. The 100 year old organization will suffer growing pains just like anyone else. I would commend them for the efforts they have made so far. While the organization hasn’t included gays and lesbians in its adult leadership, it has opened its doors to all boys straight or gay.

That is a starting place.  After all, its about the kids.

bsa

Witch Hunt happening to Lesbian Florida High School Senior

Elena


Sometimes there is story that just catches my attention.  This is one of those times.

Here is the summary from a local newspaper.

SEBASTIAN, Fla. – Kelley Hunt Smith of Florida said it’s been a nightmare since  her daughter, 18-year-old Kaitlyn Hunt, was arrested on a charge of “lewd and  lascivious battery of a child 12 to 16 years old.”

Smith said Kaitlyn became friends with an underage female student at  Sebastian River High School at the beginning of the school year and later began  dating. Smith said she never considered the implications of the  relationship.
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Indiana high school kids petition for ‘traditional prom’

MoonHowler

Kids who attend Sullivan High School in Indiana are petitioning to have a ‘traditional prom.’   Just what do they mean by ‘traditional?’  They want gays banned from attending.

Huffingtonpost.com:

A group of Indiana-based parents, teens and even a teacher is fighting for a separate “traditional” prom that would ban gay students.

As NBC 2/My Wabash Valley is reporting, special education teacher Diana Medley is defending a group of Sullivan High School students who are arguing in favor of the alternate prom.
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Evil gay judge is now numero uno with GOP

MoonHowler

judge

Washingtonpost.com:

Eight months ago, the House rejected Thorne-Begland for a General District Court judgeship in Richmond. Conservatives contended that the city prosecutor was unfit for the bench because years earlier, as a Navy pilot, he had challenge the military’s now-defunct “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy toward gays and lesbians in the armed forces.

About a month later, Thorne-Begland won an interim appointment from Richmond Circuit Court judges, who have the authority to fill vacancies on a temporary basis. Without approval from the General Assembly, his appointment will expire next month.

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Blade reporter barred from anti-gay marriage rally with the Cooch

MoonHowler

 

Cooch Watch photo contest for the week

 

The Washington Blade:

MANASSAS, Va.—A local church on Friday denied a Washington Blade staff writer access to an anti-gay marriage gathering at which Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli spoke.

A woman who was standing near the entrance of Reconciliation Community Church in Manassas in front of two men wearing dark suits who appeared to be security personnel asked this reporter for identification and proof of media affiliation after he identified himself as a Blade staff writer. He proceeded to show her his drivers’ license and business card.

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Federal Court rules DOMA unconstitutional

MoonHowler

Richmond Times Dispatch:

NEW YORK (AP) — Saying the gay population has “suffered a history of discrimination,” a divided federal appeals court in Manhattan ruled Thursday that a federal law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman was unconstitutional, adding fuel to an issue expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court soon.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seemed interested in adding its voice to several other rulings already at the high court’s doorstep by issuing its 2-to-1 decision only three weeks after hearing arguments on a lower court judge’s findings that the 1996 law was unconstitutional.

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Something the Republicans didn’t advertise–Homocon

MoonHowler

Gay Republicans party at “Homocon,” a bash thrown by pro-gay rights conservative group GOProud at the Republican National Convention was the best kept secret in Ameria.  Its great to see that the Republicans aren’t really as homophobic as the press would have us believe.  These folks look like they are having a great time.  Former Rep. Mark Foley attended.  Grover Norquist dropped by also to give his pitch.  I think Grover is straight.

I don’t think that the Family Research Council dropped by.

As stated above, Goproud.org was the sponsor of the party. They have been a deal breaker for some of the values groups at some of the conservative conventions.   I personally don’t see why a gay person would want to be a Republican.  But many do.  The Log Cabin Republicans have been around a long time.  I have a gay friend who is about as Republican as you can get.  It just makes no sense to me at all.  I continually ask him why he contributes to his own oppression.  He just laughs and sends more offensive Obama email.

Why would anyone gay, lesbian or transgendered want to be a Republican?  So many in the GOP seem to eschew everything gay.

 

Green Lantern comes out of the closet

MoonHowler

  The wedding band 

When social change comes, it often knocks us over, especially if its arrival has been fraught with difficulty.  Now we find out that after all these years, Green Lantern is gay.  Well, good for Green Lantern.  More interesting than the comic series, watching the social conservatives take out their green lantern comic books as though they were removing chicken crap with their fingers will be the real entertainment.  Sorry guys, you know statistic tell us 10%….

Washington Post:

DC Comics announced on Friday that Green Lantern, a superhero staple for decades, is gay. (And all of this time, my money was on Wonder Woman or Aquaman.) When bigotry falls, it often falls fast — gay marriage, Barack Obama as the first gay president and now popular superheroes like Green Lantern.

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Bob Marshall Continues to Embarrass Virginia

MoonHowler
 
The interview from CNN continues to embarrass the Old Dominion and the 13th State District.  According to the Huffington Post
:
 

A Virginia Republican delegate who led the effort to defeat the nomination of a gay Richmond prosecutor to a post on the general district court defended his opposition to the nomination, questioning how he would rule in the case of a “bar room fight between a homosexual and heterosexual” and added that “sodomy is not a civil right.”

Speaking Thursday on CNN, Bob Marshall said, “You could preside as a district judge for a marriage of two guys if he wanted to, in violation of the law.” He continued, “Moreover, if you have a bar room fight between a homosexual and heterosexual, I’m concerned about possible bias.”

Marshall makes no attempt to hide his bias.  He pronounced to  CNN:  “Sodomy is not a Civil Right.”  Marshall immediately proved that he does want government in people’s bedrooms.  Does he worry that in that same fight he described,  a heterosexual judge might be biased?   I believe what we seek in a judge, regardless of level, is for that judge to be impartial. 

 

The Lady  Justice is often pictured holding the Scales of Justice while blindfolded.  Wikipedia states:

 Since the 15th century, Lady Justice has often been depicted wearing a blindfold. The blindfold represents objectivity, in that justice is or should be meted out objectively, without fear or favor, regardless of identity, money, power, or weakness; blind justice and impartiality.

Sideshow Bob Marshall’s attempt to justify his outright prejudice doesn’t fly in Virginia.  He might have sealed his own political fate this time.  I don’t believe the people of the 13th  district are all  prejudiced people who ignore a man’s job performance as a prosecutor because of their own bias against gays.  Marshall has called attention to himself nationally.  The 13th might just have its own Stonewall uprising next election and I don’t mean Stonewall Jackson, if you get my drift.  

Marshall’s minions continued to make their political calls and one poor woman was unfortunate enough to get Mr. Howler on the phone yesterday.  Mr. Howler launched into his usual diatribe against the senatorial wannabe claiming  that Marshall is a single issue voter .  The lady tried to tell him that Mr. Marshall wasn’t a single issue voter and that reproductive rights were just part of the Republican platform. Mr. Howler begged to differ.  Finally the woman hung up on him before he could even get to the fact that Marshall had embarrassed the state of Virginia by being openly prejudiced against gay citizens.    Most of us forget that he is running for Senate.  What a joke. 

What will Sideshow Bob do for his next act?  I am meanwhile thinking of all the money that is going to pour into the 13th next election to defeat Marshall.  Whoever runs against him will have money to burn.  If I were a king-maker, I  would run an Independent actually.  That person won’t need party money.  Elena, will you be busy in about a year?  Carl?  Ann? 

 Further Reading:  Michael Paul Williams: A Turning Point in the Gay Rights Movement, Richmond Times Dispatch

 

Bob Marshall targets openly gay judical nominee: Part 2

MoonHowler

From the Washington Post:

Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William), who is running for U.S. Senate, said he will seek to remove the name of “homosexual activist” Tracy Thorne-Begland from the list of 41 nominees for judgeships that the General Assembly will consider appointing Monday afternoon.

Thorne-Begland, Richmond prosecutor for the past 12 years, came out as a gay Naval officer on national TV 20 years ago to challenge the military’s now-abandoned “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. A former board member of the gay rights group Equality Virginia, he has since spoken out in favor of same-sex marriage. He and his partner, a Richmond lawyer, are raising twins.

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Openly gay judical nominee targeted

MoonHowler

Openly gay judicial nominee Tracy Thorne-Begland who currently serves as a  well-respected deputy prosecutor,   has been targeted by legislators and conservative groups simply because he is gay.  Tracy Thorne-Begland  is currently a deputy prosecutor in Richmond.

From the Washington Post:

Thorne-Begland, the deputy commonwealth attorney for Richmond, has been nominated to serve as a judge for the city’s 13th General District Court.

On Friday, the Family Foundation of Virginia issued a statement opposing his appointment, arguing that his public work on behalf of gay rights makes him unsuitable for the impartial role of judge.

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Shep welcomes President Obama to the 21st century

MoonHowler

Who would have thunk it and on Faux News, no less.  Good for Shep Smith, the outlier of Faux News.

 

 We still ask, how does same sex marriage hurt any of us straight people?  I can’t think of a single way it hurts me.  Should the issue of same sex marriage even be a campaign issue? 

One of the first issues that gay bashers resort to is to point out promiscuous behavior in the gay community.  However, if gays have no way to legalize their relationships, it seems that they are pretty much doomed to participate in what some folks deem “promiscuous behavior.”  The behavior becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy if same sex unions are verboten.  I guess that was the intent all along. 

Meanwhile, many Americans are becoming more open to the idea that gayness is out of the closet and that yes, they live among us.  Americans see that gays don’t steal their children or corrupt their dogs and cats.  They see that gays are the folks next door  or the guy in cubicle 3.  We will become fully evolved when we no longer say “those gays next door” but rather, “the couple next door.”  Rome wasn’t built in a day but we are getting there.  Join the procession.  My knuckles are up off the ground.

Ted Olson: Prop 8 overturned

MoonHowler

Ted Olson is not your average conservative, even though he was the Solicitor General under the Bush administration.  Olson is powerful speaking about the civil rights involved in this case.  He feels strongly that this was a broad ruling and will return the rights of same sex couples to marry. He compares this case to Loving vs. Virginia. 

 

Olson is a powerful, compelling speaker.

Sideshow Bob embarrasses us again

MoonHowler

The Richmond Federal Reserve is flying the rainbow flag to acknowledge gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender  pride month.  The request was made by PRISM, an advocacy group for the aforementioned groups.   The Fed is a private establishment.  Its first vice president, Sally Green acknowledged:

“We are flying the pride flag as an example of our commitment to the values of acceptance and inclusion.”

Sounds good to me.  Pretty flag, commitment to inclusion.  Gay people make and have money.  What could anyone find wrong?

Enter side-show Bob Marshall, 13th delegate district who claims  that flying the rainbow flag represents

“…a serious deficiency of judgment by your organization, one not limited to social issues.”

According to the Richmond Times Dispatch:

In a letter to Richmond Fed President Jeffrey M. Lacker, Marshall says the homosexual behavior “celebrated” by the bank “undermines the American economy” and is a class six felony in Virginia.

“The Richmond Fed’s endorsement of costly, anti-social, immoral behavior is rejected by 6,000 years of Western Religious and moral teaching,” writes Marshall, who is among the General Assembly’s most conservative members and has long been outspoken on gay-rights issues. “You want the American people to trust your [judgment] in economic matters when your spokesperson celebrates an attack on public morals?”

 

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ACLU blindsides PWC Schools

MoonHowler

School officials in Prince William County were blindsided on Monday with a letter from the ACLU threatening a lawsuit over Internet filters on gay and lesbian sites.  According to the Gainesville Times:

The letter, signed by Rebecca Glenberg and Joshua Block of the ACLU of Virginia, states that the school system is blocking gay support group sites in violation of students’ First Amendment rights.

The issue is filtering software that blocks access to, among other sites, the Gay Student Alliance Network, Day of Silence and It Gets Better.

“The Prince William County Public Schools do not have a legitimate pedagogical basis for censoring students’ access to these websites, which provide support and resources for LGBT students and gay-straight alliances,” states the letter.

PWC Spokesman Ken Blackstone had the following to say on the subject, in the same article:

“The ACLU is making some claims and we’re reviewing them to see if they’re accurate and to see how we can respond to that,” he said. “They bring up important points.”

Blackstone said the school system is required by federal law to use Internet filtering software to keep students and staffers from looking at inappropriate content at school.

The school software, Blue Coat Filtering, filters 32 different categories.  It doesn’t distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate.  Generally, if students or staff believe something is being filtered that is acceptable for use, there is a process by which the site can be reviewed and unlocked.  Mr. Blackstone said that no such request, to his knowledge, has been submitted for  review  of the sites for student appropriateness. 

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