He believes that the idea of "sexual orientation" is a fiction and traces the advances of the gay-rights agenda in science and the law to a common source: political intimidation:
That said, we should remember that homosexuality has risen to the top of the social-policy agenda because of the utter wreck we all have made of family life over the past 50 years. This horror cannot be blamed on anyone but us.Thought provoking article, read it all.
Hat tip to Jeff Blogworthy.
In the past week alone, the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay and lesbian advocacy group, has accepted the resignation of its executive director, appointed its first non-gay board co-chairman and adopted a new, more moderate strategy, with less emphasis on legalizing same-sex marriages and more on strengthening personal relationships.Social change is slow: women's sufferage, prohibition, civil rights -- all took decades of preparation. The gay leadership ensconced comfortably in the liberal bastions on the coasts made a grave miscalculation as to timing the big push for acceptance. Their time has not yet come. They must be patient.
But others involved in the drive for gay and lesbian equality say the Human Rights Campaign's approach smacks of pre-emptive surrender and wrong-headed political calculation.It is Katz who is completely wrong, but it takes a Republican to point it out:"For a certain segment of the movement, for which I would certainly elect the H.R.C. as poster child, it means that the error was that we were wanting too much too fast," said Jonathan D. Katz, executive coordinator of the Larry Kramer Initiative for Lesbian and Gay Studies at Yale. "It is entirely characteristic for them to believe that what is required is a sort of retrenchment and a return to a more moderate message. They are, of course, completely wrong."
Trevor Potter, a Republican elections lawyer and a member of the Human Rights Campaign's board of directors, said the group's new approach was not a retreat but an acknowledgement of changed circumstances.But liberals always continue to do what is not working: throw more money at education instead of looking at restructuring, make concessions to the enemy instead of confronting it, keep Social Security the way it is in the face of an aging population and certain bankruptcy, oppose Medicare reform, and on and on and on."It's a wake-up call," he said. "Just continuing to do what we were doing would not be productive."
Louisiana voters overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional amendment Saturday banning same-sex marriages and civil unions, one of up to 12 such measures on the ballot around the country this year.With 99 percent of precincts reporting, the amendment was winning approval with 78 percent of the vote, and support for it was evident statewide. Only in New Orleans, home to a politically strong gay community, was the race relatively close, and even there the amendment was winning passage. Turnout statewide appeared to be about 27 percent of Louisiana's 2.8 million voters, somewhat low for a state election.
Christian conservatives had conducted an intense grassroots lobbying campaign for the amendment, which had been expected to pass easily. The civil rights group Forum for Equality had already promised legal action against it.
The board of the Log Cabin Republicans, the largest group for gay men and women in the party, voted overwhelmingly Tuesday against endorsing President Bush for re-election because of his support for a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage....I agree. Obviously a group such as this has to be focused on a single issue and the plank laid out by my Senator, Bill Frist, made it very clear that this year's Republican Party has no room for gays on its platform."Some will accuse us of being disloyal," Guerriero said. "It was actually the White House who was disloyal" to those gay voters.
On the other hand,
Despite its action, Guerriero said the group was not endorsing Democrat John Kerry.
Come to Philadelphia. Get your history straight and your nightlife gay.Sorta gives a whole new meaning to "The City of Brotherly Love", doesn't it?
[Sorry -- I couldn't resist and as I haven't seen anyone else say it, I just had to.]
Anglican archbishops from Africa said Thursday they would reject donations from any diocese that recognizes gay clergy and recommended giving the Episcopal Church in the United States three months to repent for ordaining an openly gay bishop.The archbishops also said they will refuse cooperation with any missionary who supports ordaining gay priests. They said the Episcopalians -- the American branch of Anglicanism -- should be disciplined for the election last year of V. Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire. Robinson has lived openly with his male partner for years.
"If we suffer for a while to gain our independence and our freedom and to build ourselves up, I think it will be a good thing for the church in Africa," Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria told journalists. "And we will not, on the altar of money, mortgage our conscience, mortgage our faith, mortgage our salvation."
Viacom is in preliminary discussions to launch a gay cable network in the United States, the media giant's chairman and chief executive said Tuesday.I thought there already was a gay cable channel. It's called Sundance.
A constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman passed out of the House Children and Family Affairs Committee this week. The measure by Representative Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville) would insert current state law into the Tennessee Constitution. . . .You may want to write or call your rep if you care about this issue.In related news, the House Domestic Affairs Subcommittee voted down a bill preventing so-called ?civil unions? in Tennessee. Like many states, Tennessee is faced with recognizing the same sex civil unions being performed elsewhere in the country as a form of gay marriage. The bill's sponsor, Representative Chris Clem (R-Lookout Mountain), brought the bill because of these concerns.
Rep. Clem's bill would specify that same-sex civil unions validated in another state would have no legal standing in Tennessee. Many believe the bill has enough votes to pass on the House floor but it failed on a mostly partisan vote, with only one Democrat voting for the measure. The committee was able to defeat the measure only by using a House rule that allows non-subcommittee members to vote if they are officers of the full committee or occupy the office of Speaker and Speaker Pro-Tempore.
The parents of a first-grader are fuming over the book their daughter brought home from the school library: a children's story about a prince whose true love turns out to be another prince.The 32-page book is about a prince's search for another prince, his falling for "Prince Lee", their marrying and sharing a kiss.
This is in the first grade.
``What might be inappropriate for one family, in another family is a totally acceptable thing,'' said Elizabeth Miars, Freeman's principal.Using that logic, there is nothing wrong with stocking a book by Marcus Wesson.
As a lesbian in a long-term relationship, Margaret Leber objects to the idea of amending the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.But Ms. Leber, a software engineer and a registered Republican in Jeffersonville, Pa., is also a member of the Pink Pistols, an organization of gay and lesbian gun owners, and marriage is not the only issue on her mind.
"Right now, I am leaning toward Bush," Ms. Leber said. "All the Democrats just rolled into Congress to vote for this gun-control bill. Somebody with my values and beliefs can't be a single-issue voter."
Until now, Bush had resisted pressure to endorse a marriage amendment, even as Vermont and Massachusetts legalized same-sex unions. Only when San Francisco broke the law, and the courts let the city do it, did Bush endorse a constitutional amendment. Said Turley: "This controversy in San Francisco could not have been better planned by the opponents of gay rights."
Several weeks ago, Assembly and Senate Republican political strategists put out a call to GOP groups asking them to recruit candidates for legislative districts where the party needed to show the flag.There is also an active Log Cabin Republican chapter here in Memphis, which I am glad to see.It turns out the flag they're showing is rainbow-colored.
The group that recruited the largest number of candidates was the Log Cabin Club, the main gay GOP organization in the state.
Although I still maintain that the gay community remains the most over-represented minority anywhere, ever, I am glad to see some of them throwing off the shackles of the Democrat party and thinking for themselves. Just because a person is gay does not mean that they can't believe in smaller government and lower taxes. (And this post isn't about Bush, so don't go there.)
And just because someone is "conservative" doesn't mean that they can't be in favor of civil unions for everyone and allowing each faith to determine whether they will sanction marriages for same-sex couples.
(Psst! And that really pisses off my "liberal" friends who are against same-sex unions/marriages. What fun!)
Between the AARP's endorsement of the Republican Medicare plan and the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision paving the way for gay marriage, Karl Rove is getting everything he wants.
Governor Davis pledge that he would sign a domestic-partners bill that would give same-sex couples many of the same rights as married couples.
Before I go further I would like to say that as a conservative, middle-aged, hetero male, I am totally for this. In my opinion, two people bound together in a loving relationship should have the same legal protections as people recognized by the church. They should additionally be given the same financial protections available to married couples - insurance, benefits, etc. The fact that their union is beyond my comprehension is irrelevant.
However, I have long maintained that the homosexual community of America is the most over-represented minority anywhere. The article linked to above says that
100,000 same-sex couples -- one-sixth of the nation's total -- live in California.
One hundred thousand couples means two hundred thousand people - in a state of 35 million people.
And if the figures quoted above are correct (and according to the census, they are), then there are 600,000 same-sex households in a nation of over 105 million households.
Consider all of the articles and bandwidth and air-time and time spent around the water cooler at work that has been spent on the subject of same-sex unions, same-sex marriages, and benefits for same-sex couples, and all of the rhetoric and demagoguery of "right-wing religious fanatics" by the left. And all of that for about .5% of the households in America.
I'm not saying that that's bad or anything. It's just an observation.
Buzzmachine has a powerful and persuasive post on dealing with gays and organized religion. Well said and a must read.