Jewish Congregation Among Faith Groups in Solidarity As Sacramento LGBT Community Is Shaken by Hate Murder
Anti-gay Slavic Christian community suspected of harboring killer
by JewsOnFirst.org, July 25, 2007
Last month interfaith clergy groups marched in the lead of gay pride parades in several cities, sending a message of tolerance to haters and disparagers. Only days after their show of solidarity, the interfaith group in one of those cities, Sacramento, came together again in sadness to celebrate a life cut short by hatred of gays.
On July 1st a Russian-speaking group harassed a group of Fijians, as both groups picnicked at a local lake. The Russian speakers reportedly hurled anti-gay epithets at the Fijians and one of them punched 26-year-old Satender Singh, who fell and sustained a brain injury. His family took him off life support the following week. Continue.
Recorded Conversations with two Sacramento leaders
Rabbi Mona Alfi of Congregation B'nai Israel and Dr. Darrick Lawson, president emeritus of the Stonewall Democrats of Greater Sacramento, discuss their work for social justice
Interviews and introduction by Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak, JewsOnFirst.org, July 17, 2007
Rabbi Mona Alfi of Congregation B'nai Israel, and Dr. Derrick Lawson, president emeritus of the Stonewall Democrats of Sacramento, took a leadership role in Sacramento's Pride parade. Then both came forward to bring the community together in the wake of the murder of Satender Singh in an apparent anti-gay hate crime. They are ideally situated to help us understand the events of the last several weeks.
In the recorded conversation, Rabbi Alfi emphasizes her community's efforts to develop a social action program to bring "Torah" into the community. She speaks about her own and her congregation's long-time commitment to social justice.
Dr. Darrick Lawson is a long time leader in the Sacramento LGBT community. His own story of finding a faith that made room for his relationship to God -- and that God loves him for who he is -- is very moving. Dr. Lawson also speaks emphatically about the fundamentalist Slavic Christian community's responsibility for creating a climate in which hate speech has progressed to violence.
http://www.jewsonfirst.org/audio-video/
SECTION: The religious right is preaching hatred of homosexuals
Christian fundamentalists are actively campaigning for the "right" to make hateful statements about gays and lesbians without consequences, such as hate crimes laws. They are also disseminating egregious lies, such as homosexuality being a "lifestyle" choice, and specious research. Click here for more.
SECTION: Christian fundamentalists are getting political mileage out of marriage "defense" legislation
The religious right has been using "defense of marriage" ballot measures to get its voters to the polls (and to forget issues of more consequence to their personal lives). Similarly it has been lobbying for legislation restricting marriage. Click here for more.
SECTION: Attacking partner rights and benefits
Not content to hold back the clock on same-sex marriage, Christian fundamentalists are working to prevent civil unions and take away partner rights and benefits. Click here for more.
SECTION: Christocrats try to roll back adoption rights for LGTB parents
The religious right is working to pass legislation preventing adoptions by same-sex couples and LGBT singles. Click here for more.
SECTION: The religious right's "conversion therapy" offensive
Focus on the Family and other religious right organizations are vigorously selling the idea -- disparaged by every medical authority in the country -- that it is possible to "cure" homosexuals or "convert" them to heterosexuality. Please click here for reports and resources.
SECTION: Christian Fundamentalists Work to Replace Sex Education with Religious Dogma
The religious right is working on national, state and local levels to supplant critical sex education curricula with the teaching of "abstinence only" and characterizing homosexuality as a disease. Click to read more.
In the News
Democrats pledge to push gay bills
Hate crimes vote expected in spring, ENDA in fall: official
By Joshua Lynsen, Washington Blade, February 9, 2007
Democratic leaders are pledging to push at least two bills this year in Congress that would enact new civil rights and protections for gays.
During the Democratic National Committee’s annual winter meeting Feb. 2 in Washington, party officials said congressional leaders will act this spring to pass a federal hate crimes bill that includes crimes motivated by a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
A trans-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act is expected to follow this fall, officials said.
The projected timetable was revealed at the same gay caucus meeting where DNC Chair Howard Dean thanked the party’s gay supporters for their contributions toward the Democratic victories in November. Continue.
Democratic money went to help defeat state marriage amendments, Howard Dean says
By Michael Foust, Baptist Press, Febrary 9, 2007
WASHINGTON (BP)--The Democratic National Committee funded efforts last November to defeat proposed constitutional marriage amendments in Arizona and Wisconsin as well as a pro-amendment proposal in Illinois, DNC Chairman Howard Dean said Feb. 2 at the party's winter meeting, adding that homosexual Republicans would be "a lot more comfortable in our party."
Dean's comments were reported Feb. 9 by the Washington Blade newspaper, which also said Democratic leaders have pledged to push two bills this session backed by homosexual activists. The Blade is a newspaper geared toward homosexuals. Continue.
Old Remarks On Gay Marriage Bite Romney
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, December 8, 2006
(Boston, Massachusetts) As Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney continues to ratchet up his attacks on same-sex marriage a 1994 interview he gave to a Boston gay publication has surfaced.
"People of integrity don't force their beliefs on others, they make sure that others can live by different beliefs they may have," Romney told Bay Windows a dozen years ago when the paper interviewed him on LGBT civil rights.
Bay Windows republished the interview this week, after lawyers for Romney went to the state's highest court seeking an order to place on the 2008 ballot a proposed amendment banning same-sex marriage. Continue.
Romney is a big fat liar
Laura Kiritsy, Bay Windows (New England LGBT newspaper), December 6, 2006
The fact that there’s intense interest in a letter Mitt Romney wrote to the Massachusetts Log Cabin Club 12 years ago in which he pledged to be a more ardent advocate for gay rights than U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy isn’t a surprise. (See “Follow That Trail,” page 15.) Romney is an all-but-declared candidate for president who’s staked his candidacy on social conservatism. Any hint of hypocrisy on Romney’s part with regard to LGBT issues is of great use for political reporters, GOP primary opponents and LGBT activists alike. What is surprising, though, is the depth of Romney’s hypocrisy.
In 1994, when Romney was running for U.S. Senate against Ted Kennedy, he engaged in a lengthy interview with Bay Windows during which he discussed his views on employment nondiscrimination legislation, the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy — and civil marriage rights for same-sex couples (see “Mitt’s secret gay history II,” page 10). The interview was published Aug. 25, 1994. His views on gay issues in 1994 are largely at odds with his stated views today. Continue.
The Soulforce Equality Ride: impetus for a 21st Century civil rights movement
Support the 2007 Soulforce Equality Ride
From the website of the Soulforce Equality Ride
What is the 2007 Soulforce Equality Ride? Homophobia is globally pervasive, and no community or school escapes its reach. In 2006, during the inaugural Equality Ride, participants traveled to nineteen schools and engaged students, faculty, and administrators in conversation about the damaging effects of homophobic doctrine, the false notion that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender identities are sick and sinful. This year, the journey continues with fifty young adults going to thirty-two Christian colleges and universities. Two buses are taking the group on two distinct routes around the country in creative pursuit of social justice. In doing so, they are empowered to change countless lives. Love liberates the oppressed, redeems the lost, and resurrects the spirit.
Click here to learn how to support the Equality Riders or make a donation.
For more on the 2007 ride, please click here.
This spring, 2006, 30 young equality riders are spending two months traveling to religious and military colleges that discriminate against LGBT students for dialog and nonviolent confrontation. JewsOnFirst interviewed one of these 21st Century freedom riders. We've also assembled clippings about their campaign. Click here
First Amendment Center gets agreement on guidelines for schools
A moral battleground, a civil discourse
By Charles C. Haynes, Op-ed article, USA Today, March 19, 2006
Charles Haynes is a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center, which brought together homosexual and Christian groups to forge mutually acceptable guidelines for schools to handle issues of sexual orientation. His op-ed points out the need for such guidelines -- "public schools have become front lines in the culture war over homosexuality" -- and the wide gulf between the two sides. An accompanying box has the principles on which the guidelines are built. Click here for the editorial.
And click here for the guidelines.
Pro-Family Lawyer Criticizes Christian Educators' Collaboration With GLSEN
By Jim Brown, Agape Press, March 28, 2006
This article charts a split in the religious right, with the American Family Association Law Center denouncing the agreement between GLSEN and the Christian Educators Association. Click here for the article.
'Common Ground' Document at Center of Homosexual-'Ex-Gay' Squabble
By Jim Brown, AgapePress, March 27, 2006
An "ex-gay" group insists the First Amendment Center-sponsored guidelines gives it the right to present its pitch. Click here for the article.
Philadelphia Boy Scouts forfeit free rent for discrimination
Pennsylvania: Higher Rent for Scouts
Associated Press, The New York Times, October 19, 2007
Philadelphia has decided that the local Boy Scouts chapter must pay fair-market rent of $200,000 a year for its city-owned headquarters because it refuses to permit gay boys. The organization’s Cradle of Liberty Council, which pays $1 a year in rent, must pay the increased amount to remain in its downtown building past May 31, said Robert N. C. Nix, Fairmount Park Commission president. City officials say they cannot legally rent taxpayer-owned property for a nominal sum to a private organization that discriminates. The city owns the land and the building the Scouts built in 1928. Scouting officials will ask the city solicitor for details on the appraisals that yielded the $200,000 figure, said Jeff Jubelirer, spokesman for the Cradle of Liberty Council. Continue
Boy Scouts Lose Philadelphia Lease in Gay-Rights Fight
Ian Urbina, The New York Times, December 6, 2007
Philadelphia, Dec. 4 — For three years the Philadelphia council of the Boy Scouts of America held its ground. It resisted the city’s request to change its discriminatory policy toward gay people despite threats that if it did not do so, the city would evict the group from a municipal building where the Scouts have resided practically rent free since 1928.
Hailed as the birthplace of the Boy Scouts, the Beaux Arts building is the seat of the seventh-largest chapter of the organization and the first of the more than 300 council service centers built by the Scouts around the country over the past century.
But over the years the fight between the city and the Scouts was about more than this grandiose structure in Center City. Continue.
Boy Scout vote fired up a Kelly foe
Jeff Shields, Philadelphia Inquirer, November 20, 2007
Paul Corbett doesn't have anything personal against City Councilman Jack Kelly. He just wants Kelly out of office for trying to evict the local Boy Scouts from their city-owned headquarters because of the national organization's anti-gay policy.
In September, the 78-year-old Corbett, a Republican like Kelly, sent a warning letter: Unless Kelly reversed his position on kicking the scouts out of their city-owned building on Logan Square, he would target him with 20,000 fliers that he said highlighted Kelly's support of "the homosexual agenda which would promote sodomy to our youth."
Kelly didn't bite. Corbett did. On weekends leading up to the Nov. 6 election, Corbett and his ad-hoc committee, Citizens Opposed to Politicians Who Pander to Perverts, leafletted cars outside churches in the Northeast. Continue.
Scouts Ignore Philadelphia Gay Deadline
365Gay.com, December 4, 2007
(Philadelphia) Philadelphia's branch of the Boy Scouts of America has ignored a city deadline to disavow homophobia or face the imposition of $200,000 a year rent on a city owned facility it uses.
The Cradle of Liberty Council, the third-largest scouting group in the country has been battling with the city for more than three years over the anti-gay policy which violates Philadelphia's human rights ordinance.
City officials say it would be illegal for it to provide a taxpayer-owned property rent-free to a private organization that discriminates. Continue.
Boy Scouts in Philly fight for their liberty on public property
Ed Thomas, OneNewsNow.com, November 26, 2007
Philadelphia's Boy Scout chapter, known locally as the "Cradle of Liberty Council," has just one more week to comply with an ultimatum from the city about an existing lease that allows it to rent its meeting facility for $1 per year. City officials say after that the Scouts will likely have to pay as much as $200,000 annually to use the same building -- but at least one attorney says he's not sure they have a legally acceptable reason to change the lease terms.
The Council has until December 3 to discontinue its policy of excluding homosexuals from its leadership ranks, which city council members and other municipal leaders claim violates a local "fair practices" ordinance banning supposed "discriminatory" practices. Negotiations over the last four years have not yielded any new permanent agreements, and Philadelphia's city council voted in May to end the current lease. Continue.
POLL: Hands off the Boy Scouts!
Jody Brown, OneNewsNow.com, November 27, 2007
By an overwhelming margin (97%), those responding to Monday's poll question believe entities like the City of Philadelphia should lay off the Boy Scouts and let them freely enforce standards of moral conduct upon their members without having to worry about repercussions from local authorities.
OneNewsNow.com asked: Should the Boy Scouts be able to enforce standards of moral conduct in its members without fear of reprisal from local or state authorities? Continue.
Boy Scouts' anti-gay policy
Gays, pedophiles lumped together in Scouts' "degenerates" file
Advocate.com, August 30, 2007
The Washington State supreme court has forced the Boy Scouts of America to turn over "ineligible volunteer" files that reveal a sexual abuse problem among Scout leaders that is far greater than the organization previously admitted.
Although justices ruled that the files themselves would not be made public, attorneys said the Boy Scouts "have ejected at least 5,100 adult leaders nationwide for sexual abuse allegations since 1946," according to the Seattle Times.
In the past 15 years, the organization has kicked out leaders for abuse allegations at a rate of one every other day. Continue.
Philadelphia Moves To Evict Boy Scouts Over Anti-Gay Policy
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, June 1, 2007
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) The days of free rent on a city owned building may be coming to an end for the Philadelphia branch of the Boy Scouts of America.
City Council has voted 16 - 1 to direct the city to end the lease, or force the BSA's Cradle of Liberty Council to pay full market value for the site, unless the scouts sign a pledge not to discriminate against openly gay people.
The Cradle of Liberty Council, the third-largest scouting group in the country. It has been battling with the city for more than three years over the policy, which like the national Scouts organization forbids gays from being leaders. Continue.
Supreme Court Refuses Calif. Scout Case
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, October 16, 2006
(Washington) The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from a Berkeley, California Boy Scouts sailing group that lost free use of a public boat slip because of the Scouts' anti-gay policy.
The court decision allows a ruling by the California Supreme Court upholding Berkeley's decision to stand.
The city revoked free berthing privileges for the Berkeley Sea Scouts because the Boy Scouts bar atheist and gay members, which violates the city's 1997 policy to provide free berthing to nonprofits that don't discriminate. Continue.
Philly May Oust Scouts Over Anti-Gay Policy
365Gay.com, July 23, 2006
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) The city said it will evict a Boy Scout council from its publicly owned headquarters or make the group pay a fair rent price unless it changes its policy on gays. Continue
Pro-Family Advocate Condemns Philadelphia's Treatment of Boy Scouts
By Mary Rettig, AgapePress, July 26, 2006
The president of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania says tens of thousands of boys are being let down because of the City of Philadelphia's appeasement of homosexuals.
The Cradle of Liberty Boy Scout Council has been battling the City of Philadelphia for nearly three years over its policy of not allowing homosexual men to serve as scout leaders. The City Solicitor wrote the Scouts, telling them to comply with the City's non-discrimination policy or else they'd have to either start paying rent or be evicted from the Cradle of Liberty Council's headquarters, its "home" of nearly 80 years, located on city property. Continue
Court May Allow City to Deny Scouts a Break
Justices seem ready to uphold Berkeley's decision not to waive dock fees for group whose parent organization bars gays.
By Maura Dolan, Los Angeles Times, January 11, 2006
"SAN FRANCISCO - The California Supreme Court appeared inclined Tuesday to back the city of Berkeley's decision to deny an affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America a financial break because the group excludes gays." Click here to read the report.
Religious right tries to stop Ford ads in gay publications
Click here for reports on the religious right's bullying of Ford Motor Co.
Miscellaneous
The Christian Right and Sex
Sex Obsessed
By Michelle Cottle, The New Republic, March 3, 2006
"[F]or a wide variety of reasons, while many evangelicals may feel deeply about issues like poverty relief and "creation care" (i.e., environmentalism), most of the leaders who control the movement's political activism remain overwhelmingly obsessed with--and will fight like hell to keep the troops focused on--old fashioned red-meat issues of sex." Click here to read the report.
The Federal Employment Anti-Discrimination Act
House Committee Hears From Gay Victims Of Job Discrimination
365Gay.com, September 5, 2007
(Washington) A string of gays and lesbians told a House committee on Wednesday of being fired solely because of their sexuality and called on Congress to enact the Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
The bill was introduced in Congress in April (story). If passed and signed by the president it be illegal to fire, refuse to hire or refuse to promote an employee based on the person's sexual orientation or gender identity.
Brooke Waits, a Texas cell phone company employee, told the committee of being terminated because anti-gay job discrimination. Continue.
Speak Out Against Employment Discrimination!
National Council of Jewish Women is sending messages to Congress, September 18, 2007
The House will soon consider the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), legislation that would extend the fair employment practices under federal law to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals. The bill is based on the principle that workers should be judged exclusively on their merits as an employee when being hired or fired. ENDA includes the same procedures and remedies as other federal civil rights laws, like Title VII or the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Although some states and many businesses have passed laws to protect such workers, in 33 states, it is still legal to fire or refuse to hire someone because of their sexual orientation. And in 42 states, people can be fired or denied employment due to their gender identity. Passing ENDA would be an essential means of extending important federal civil rights protections to all Americans. Continue.
House panel hears arguments for ENDA
Advocate.com, September 06, 2007
Dramatic testimony from lawmakers, scholars, business leaders, and gay civilian employees marked Wednesday's hearings on the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007.
Also known as HR2015, ENDA, introduced in April, would make it illegal to fire, refuse to hire, or refuse to promote an employee based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Only 20 states and the District of Columbia now protect gay men and lesbians in the workplace, and only 10 states protect workers based on gender identity. Continue.
Bill Would Ban Workplace Discrimination Against Gays
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, April 24, 2007
(Washington) Legislation to bar discrimination based on sexuality the workplace was introduced in Congress Tuesday afternoon.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would make it illegal to fire, refuse to hire or refuse to promote an employee based on the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
The bill was filed in the House by Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio) Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Chris Shays (R-Conn.) Continue.
This topic continues. Please click here.
Federal civil rights legislation
U.S. Senate bill may exempt Christian colleges from antidiscrimination laws
by Sirius OutQ News, Advocate.com, April 20, 2006
A bill pending in the U.S. Senate could exempt private Christian colleges from local nondiscrimination laws, allowing them to legally reject gay students. A proposed amendment to the 1965 Higher Education Act would make it easier for faith-based schools to discriminate against gays.
The amendment to the act, which was originally created to provide schools with the resources to let low-income students in, was proposed by Utah congressman Chris Cannon. It would require accrediting boards to consider an institution's "religious and moral goals" during evaluation. Continue
Congress Moves To Except Religious Schools From Gay Rights Laws
by Paul Johnson, 365Gay.com, April 18, 2006
(Washington) Private Christian colleges would be excepted from local and state non-discrimination laws under a proposed amendment to the Higher Education Act - a move that would allow the schools to legally reject LGBT students.
The amendment, proposed by Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah), would prevent accrediting boards from making adherence to non-discrimination laws a requirement. Continue
U.S. Lawmakers Aim to Protect Christian Colleges
Private schools would be exempt from laws concerning homosexual students.
Wendy Cloyd, CitizenLink, Focus on the Family, April 19, 2006
The article on Rep. Chris Cannon's amendment to exempt private colleges from the non-discrimination regulations of accreditation agencies notes that some schools are lobbying for the legislation.Click here
Scalia: Gays Have No Constitutional Rights
by Doreen Brandt, 365Gay.com, March 29, 2006
In a tape of a speech he gave March 8th in Switzerland, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia says: "Question comes up: is there a constitutional right to homosexual conduct? Not a hard question for me. It's absolutely clear that nobody ever thought when the Bill of Rights was adopted that it gave a right to homosexual conduct. Homosexual conduct was criminal for 200 years in every state. Easy question." Click here for the report
Security Clearance Changes May Affect Gays
by Catherine Shrader, Associated Press, 365Gay.com March 14, 2006
"The Bush administration last year quietly rewrote the rules for allowing gays and lesbians to receive national-security clearances, drawing complaints from civil rights activists.
"The Bush administration said security clearances cannot be denied 'solely on the basis of the sexual orientation of the individual.' But it removed language saying sexual orientation 'may not be used as a basis for or a disqualifying factor in determining a person's eligibility for a security clearance.'" Continue..
Millions In Federal Funds Handed To Anti-Gay Groups
by Paul Johnson, 365Gay.com, February 10, 2006
"(Washington) With leaders of some of America's leading anti-gay marriage groups looking on President Bush has signed legislation giving $500 million to faith-based programs to promote and strengthen opposite-sex marriage.
"The provision is part of the deficit reduction bill passed by Congress. '[It] allows faith-based groups that provide social services to receive federal funding without changing the way they hire,' Bush noted at the White House signing ceremony.
"Under the law faith-based groups are able to circumvent local Under the law faith-based groups are able to circumvent local and human rights laws that are supposed to protect LGBT workers.
Click here for the report.
Alabama
Ga. ‘parental permission’ bill exported
Anti-gay group seeks similar legislation in five southern states
By Dyana Bagby, Southern Voice, September 01, 2006
A Washington, D.C. based organization is using Georgia’s parental permission law as a template to get similar legislation passed in five southern states in its attempts to ban gay-straight alliance clubs.
The Family Policy Network is currently seeking lawmakers to propose legislation mandating parental permission for students to join any non-academic clubs such as GSAs in North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas. Continue
California
California antidiscrimination bill would be toughest in country
Advocate.com, May 23, 2007
LThe toughest nondiscrimination protections in the country may be enforced in California after the state assembly passed the Civil Rights Act of 2007 on Monday. The bill won by a vote of 42–26 and will advance to the state senate.
The measure, AB 14, strengthens and clarifies 51 provisions in state law to prohibit bias based on race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Continue.
Bias-Free School Bill Reintroduced In Calif.
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, February 27, 2007
(Sacramento, California) Less than six months after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar bill, legislation has been introduced in the California Senate that would strengthen existing protections and specifically prohibit discrimination based on a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity in California schools.
Both pieces of legislation were put forward by Sen. Sheia Kuehl (D) (pictured). While the new bill promotes nondiscrimination in schools it does not specifically mandate the teaching of a gay-positive curriculum. Continue.
Governor vetoes gay teaching measure
He says current laws guard against discrimination
Greg Lucas, San Francisco Chronicle, September 7, 2006
Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have prohibited teaching or textbooks that negatively portray people based on sexual orientation, saying existing law already contains protections against discrimination.
The Republican governor's veto was not unexpected. He said he would reject the bill in its initial form when it required textbooks to include the political and cultural contributions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Continue.
Equality California Criticizes Governor's Veto Of Bias-Free Curriculum Act
Equality California, September 6, 2006
Sacramento, CA – Earlier today, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed Senate Bill 1437, the Bias-Free Curriculum Act, authored by Senator Shelia Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) and sponsored by Equality California (EQCA). A simple nondiscrimination measure, SB 1437 would have extended existing laws prohibiting discrimination on the bases of race, sex, disability, nationality, and religion in textbooks, instructional materials, and school sponsored activities to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Continue.
Pro-Family Groups Hail Veto of California's Sexual Indoctrination Bills
Traditional Values Crowd Applauds Gov. Schwarzenegger's Termination of 'Triple Threat' Legislation
By Fred Jackson and Chad Groening, AgapePress, September 29, 2006
Pro-family groups in California and across the United States are celebrating Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Thursday veto of two pro-homosexual bills. The bills were two of three pieces of legislation regarded by pro-family leaders as "sexual indoctrination bills," which would have, among other things, mandated pro-homosexual policy and curriculum changes in the state's schools. Continue.
Antidiscrimination bill passes California legislature
Advocate.com, August 12-14, 2006
A California bill preventing antigay discrimination in state-operated or state-funded programs has passed the legislature and now moves to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk for him to sign or veto. The bill, authored by out state senator Sheila Kuehl, would protect state residents utilizing such public services as police and fire protection, financial aid, and food stamps from being discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Continue
Christian Coalition rant
California Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Signs Radical Homosexual Rights Bill Which Will Have Long-term Negative Effects on Religious Liberty and Freedom of _Expression/Californians Urge Governor Schwarzenegger to Veto Another Abominable Bill (SB 1437), a Pro-homosexual Indoctrination Bill
Christian Coalition's Washington Watch email, September 1, 2006
On Monday, California Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill, SB 1441, after thousands of pro-family Californians urged him to veto it, which will give special rights to the homosexual lobby. SB 1441 would force all organizations including faith-based organizations and all businesses, which receive funding from California's state government to accept homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality or lose state funding. Any business owned by those holding sincerely held religious beliefs would still be forced to condone homosexuality, bisexuality and "transsexuality."
The Christian News Service reported on Tuesday that this abominable legislation "will prevent parochial schools, such as private, Christian, Catholic, Mormon, and many other religious universities, from receiving student financial assistance if they also maintain a student code of conduct preventing behavior deemed immoral by their religious beliefs. By withholding state funding from schools, students’ educational opportunities will be severely limited. And limiting educational opportunities will result in a less diverse, less educated citizenry."
Many Californians and Americans are urging Governor Schwarzenegger to veto an equally destructive bill to society, SB 1437, which will force homosexual indoctrination upon California school children. It would ban from all public schools in California any critical comments against homosexuality, bisexuality, and "transsexuality" and indeed would promote these deviant sexual practices.
Doctors Who Deny IVF Are Not Choosing Life
by Elizabeth Gettelman, MojoBlog, August 3, 2007
Doctors refusing to perform abortions. Standard. (The procedure isn't even taught in medical schools.) Doctors refusing to provide fetal tissue for stem cells, pharmacists refusing to fill prescriptions. All of these things happen based on peoples' belief that providing such services threatens unborn life. And as much as I don't agree with these decisions, I get it (sort of). If these people feel, really feel, that lives are threatened by their action, then following through is a difficult choice.
But how about when doctors refuse to perform, not abortions, not stem-cell procedures, but in vitro fertilization, which actually helps create life? The California Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case in which two doctors refused a woman IVF treatment because she's a lesbian. Which means that they felt that Guadalupe Benitez and her partner (whom Elizabeth Weil wrote about for Mother Jones last year) did not have the right to the life they hold so dear. Continue.
Breeder Reaction
News: Does everybody have the right to have a baby? And who should pay when nature alone doesn’t work?
By Elizabeth Weil , Mother Jones, July/August 2006
Guadalupe Benitez and her partner, Joanne Clark, had been buying frozen sperm at a bank in Los Angeles and trying to get pregnant at home for two years when Benitez finally sought out the services of a fertility specialist. Not at all uncommon—infertility affects more than 6 million Americans, and about 20 percent of them seek help through assisted reproductive technology, or ART. At that point, 1999, Benitez was 27 years old, Clark was 40 years old, and the couple had been together for eight years, since Benitez emigrated from Culiacán, Mexico. Benitez, a medical assistant, had some infertility benefits at a nearby OB/GYN clinic, the North Coast Women’s Care Medical Group. There, Dr. Christine Brody put Benitez on a hormonal drug called Clomid, to treat her polycystic ovarian syndrome, and also told her that she was willing to oversee her treatment but not to perform inseminations because, as a Christian, she disapproved of lesbians having children. Continue.
State Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Lesbian Insemination Case
By Kenneth Ofgang, Metropolitan News-Enterprise, Thursday, June 15, 2006
The California Supreme Court yesterday agreed to decide whether doctors had a legal right to refuse to perform artificial insemination on a lesbian.
By a vote of 5-2, the court granted Guadalupe “Lupita” Benitez’s petition for review of the Fourth District Court of Appeal’s March 14 ruling in Benitez v. Superior Court (North Coast Women’s Care Medical Group), D045438. Continue
California: Teens rally against gay harassment
An advocacy day at the state Capitol supports two bills designed to combat campus discrimination.
By Kim Minugh, The Sacramento Bee, March 7, 2006
Hundreds rallied outside California's state capitol in support of Assembly Bill 606 and Senate Bill 1437, both of which establish protections in the schools for LGBT youth. Click here to read the report.
Colorado
Gay Civil Rights, Joint Adoption Laws Go Into Effect In Colorado
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, August 3, 2007
(Denver, Colorado) Legislation allowing same-sex couples to jointly parent children and civil rights protections against discrimination went into effect Friday in Colorado.
It makes the state the 10th to allow gay couples to adopt and the 20th to provide civil rights protections to gays and lesbians.
Colorado law already barred discrimination in hiring, firing or in demotions or promotions based on race, age or disability. The new law adds sexuality to those categories. Continue.
Florida
Anti-Bully Laws Move Forward In Two States
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, January 28, 2007
(Washington) Bills that would require school boards to establish anti-bullying programs have passed key committees in Florida and Iowa.
In Florida the Senate Education Prekindergarten-12 Committee voted 6-1 to approve the bill after hearing emotional testimony from a woman whose son committed suicide after repeated taunting from other students and a father of a boy who nearly died in a beating. Continue.
Fla. Gov. Urged To Ban Anti-Gay Discrimination
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, January 20, 2007
(Tallahassee, Florida) Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) is being urged to issue an executive order prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in state employment.
In a letter to the governor, the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council says that executive orders have been used in 28 states to ensure equal employment opportunities for the LGBT community - Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Continue.
Georgia
Ga. ‘parental permission’ bill exported
Anti-gay group seeks similar legislation in five southern states
By Dyana Bagby, Southern Voice, September 01, 2006
A Washington, D.C. based organization is using Georgia’s parental permission law as a template to get similar legislation passed in five southern states in its attempts to ban gay-straight alliance clubs.
The Family Policy Network is currently seeking lawmakers to propose legislation mandating parental permission for students to join any non-academic clubs such as GSAs in North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas. Continue
Iowa
Iowa Gay Civil Rights Bill Signed Into Law
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, May 25, 2007
(Des Moines, Iowa) Iowa Gov. Chet Culver (D) Friday signed legislation adding sexuality and gender identity to the categories protected under the state's anti-discrimination law.
"[This is] a message that Iowa is a welcoming place that values each of its citizens whether it’s in the neighborhood or the workplace," Culver said as he signed the bill. Continue.
Iowa extends legal protections to LGBT residents
Advocate.com, May 26, 2007
LGBT residents of Iowa will now have the same protection from discrimination in housing and employment as other minority groups. Iowa governor Chet Culver, a Democrat, signed a bill into law Friday that expands the state Civil Rights Code to cover sexual orientation and gender identity, reported Radio Iowa. Continue.
Iowa Pastors Call For Passage Of Gay Civil Rights Law
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, April 11, 2007
(Des Moines, Iowa) Saying they want to show not all religious leaders oppose LGBT civil rights more than a dozen church leaders from throughout Iowa have told lawmakers they support a bill that would add sexuality and gender identity to the categories protected under the state's anti-discrimination law.
The law already protects people on the basis of race, religion and disability in employment, housing and public accommodations. Continue.
Meredith turns page, backs LGBT rights bill
Advocate.com, April 3, 2007
LGBT civil rights protections in Iowa cleared a house subcommittee Monday with a boost from publishing's Meredith Corp., which reversed its earlier position and supported the bill.
"All employees—regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity—deserve to work in an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment," Art Slusark, Meredith vice president of corporate communications and governmental relations, wrote to Iowa legislative leaders. Continue.
Iowa senate passes LGBT rights bill
by Barbara Wilcox, Advocate.com, March 28, 2007
Iowa's state senate passed a bill Monday to extend civil rights protections to gay, lesbian, and transgender people in the state, despite opposition from business interests.
The bill adds sexual orientation and gender identity to a list of protected characteristics under Iowa's Civil Rights Act. Democrats have long supported expanded protections, and they now control the senate, the house, and the governor's office. Continue.
Exclusion For Religious Schools Struck From Iowa Gay Bully Bill
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, February 14, 2007
(Des Moines, Iowa) The Iowa Senate has passed legislation aimed at curbing bullying of LGBT students and other minority groups in schools.
Language in the House version that passed lack week but which excluded religious schools was removed in the Senate. The bill now returns to the House. Democrats control both houses in the legislature and House leadership has agreed to pass the Senate version.
The issue of excluding religious schools prompted heated debate in the Senate with Republicans pressing to have the House version passed without amendment. Continue.
Anti-Bully Laws Move Forward In Two States
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, January 28, 2007
(Washington) Bills that would require school boards to establish anti-bullying programs have passed key committees in Florida and Iowa.
In Florida the Senate Education Prekindergarten-12 Committee voted 6-1 to approve the bill after hearing emotional testimony from a woman whose son committed suicide after repeated taunting from other students and a father of a boy who nearly died in a beating. Continue.
Kentucky
When the University of the Cumberlands, a Baptist school, expelled a student for coming out, civil rights activists and some state legislators called for the school to forfeit state aid for a pharmacy school. A rights group has gone to court to stop the governor from signing over the aid. Click here
Out in Kentucky
By Sean Kennedy, Advocate.com, May 23, 2006
Gay Democratic state legislator Ernesto Scorsone talks with The Advocate about Kentucky’s funding of an antigay private college and the governor’s abandonment of employment protections for LGBT people. Continue
Gay Group Gets Green Light At Kentucky High School
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, July 20, 2006
(Covington, Kentucky) Boone County High School has ended more than a year of stonewalling and avoided a federal lawsuit by finally approving the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance. Continue
Gays cut from anti-bias policy
Change for state workers comes on Diversity Day
By Deborah Yetter, Louisville Courier-Journal, April 12, 2006
"FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Gay state workers and job candidates have lost anti-discrimination protection as a result of an order that Gov. Ernie Fletcher issued yesterday as part of the state's 'Diversity Day.'" Continue
Anti-Gay Governor Indicted On Cronyism Charges
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, May 13, 2006
(Frankfort, Kentucky) Kentucky gays were smiling Friday after Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher was indicted by a grand jury on allegations he illegally rewarded political supporters with state jobs since taking office two years ago.
He is charged with conspiracy, official misconduct and violating a prohibition against political discrimination. A conviction on any of the counts could lead to jail time and Fletcher's removal from office. Continue
Kentucky business journal criticizes governor for stripping protections for LGBT employees
Advocate.com, April 21, 2006
"A prominent business journal in Kentucky has come out against Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher's recent elimination of antidiscrimination workplace protections for gays and lesbians. In an editorial today, Tom Martin, editor-in-chief of Business Lexington, lambasted Fletcher's action, saying that the governor has "undermined" the ability of Lexington, Louisville, and other Kentucky cities to attract new business, from industry conventions to companies thinking about relocating." Click here
Why social tolerance makes good economic sense
By Tom Martin, Editor in chief, Business Lexington, April 21, 2006
"Lexington and Louisville, the economic engines of Kentucky, are struggling mightily to send the message far and wide that these are enlightened, progressive cities - places where any cutting-edge, high-technology industry would want to hold a convention, or where its companies would locate offices, labs, manufacturing facilities and, above all, people. They are striving to be places attractive to leading researchers and academics whose presence can vastly enhance the value of our colleges and universities. That is what we want, isn’t it? After all, our governor routinely says so.
"What sort of message are we sending, then, when the governor of our state sets up the men and women of an entire segment of our population as targets of employment discrimination? On state “Diversity Day,” Gov. Ernie Fletcher committed the ultimate irony, deleting from a state policy that bans employment discrimination the protection for 'sexual orientation' that was added by then-Gov. Paul Patton in 2003." Continue
Louisiana
Louisiana Gay Rights Bill Dies
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, May 24, 2006
(Baton Rouge, Louisiana) The Louisiana Senate has killed a bill that would have made it illegal to discriminate against LGBT workers in state employment.
The legislation would have entrenched in law an Executive Order signed by Gov. Kathleen Blanco in 2004. Continue
Michigan
Prominent Lansing clergy support rights ordinance
AFA leader’s silence raises questions about petition drive
by Benjamin Ray, Lansing City Pulse, January 3, 2007
Standing before his congregation Sunday morning, the Rev. Melvin T. Jones looks out at hundreds of faces waiting to hear his closing remarks.
“We need to love people,” he says three times to the 350 worshippers gathered at Union Missionary Baptist Church on Lansing’s west side. “Just because a person is gay doesn’t mean they’re not a person, and we need to treat people like people.”
Pro-ordinance: The Rev. Melvin T. Jones of Union Missionary Baptist Church, who on Sunday spoke to his congregation in favor of the recently adopted human rights ordinance, urging parishioners not to sign a petition to overturn it.
Jones is referring to Lansing’s new human rights ordinance, which prohibits discrimination based on race, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or political affiliation, as well as a host of other classes.
The American Family Association of Michigan promised to start a petition drive to overturn the ordinance, which went into effect Dec. 18. Continue.
Creep of the Week: Gary Glenn
D'Anne Witkowski, PrideSource.com, November 23, 2006
Is your boss a jerk? Are you self-conscious in social situations? Does it burn when you urinate?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you can safely blame the Lansing Human Rights Ordinance. Or at least American Family Association of Michigan head Gary Glenn could probably find a way to.
Glenn, more or less a one-man anti-gay band, has his underwear in a bunch over a proposed ordinance in Lansing that would (gasp!) protect gays, lesbians and transgender folks from discrimination. Somebody stop them! Don't they realize what dangerous, uncharted territory this kind of ordinance is?
OK, it's true that many cities already have similar ordinances - including Detroit, Ferndale, Huntington Woods and Grand Rapids - and the ground hasn't torn open and sucked their citizens and municipal buildings into a flaming pit of hell. But still, who is to say it won't happen in Lansing? I mean, once gays are treated with dignity, all earthly bets are off, right? Continue
Montana
Gay Civil Rights Bill Dies In Montana
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, February 14, 2007
(Helena, Montana) Legislation that would have made it a crime in Montana to discriminate against gays, lesbians and the transgendered in Montana died in committee Wednesday following objections from the Catholic Church and other groups.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Christine Kaufmann, an openly gay Helena Democrat. It would have added ''sexual orientation'' and ''gender identity or expression'' to existing human rights laws in the state. The laws currently cover race, religion and gender. Continue.
Nebraska
Nebraska Defeats Gay Civil Rights Bill
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, May 23, 2007
(Lincoln, Nebraska) If nothing Nebraska lawmakers are consistent, continuing a 14 year tradition of voting down attempts to add sexuality to the categories protected under the state's anti-discrimination law.
The Senate voted 24-15 to kill the most recent bill, introduced by Sen. Ernie Chambers (D-Omaha).
Prior to the vote Chambers said the legislation would give gays and lesbians "what all of us take for granted: the right to earn an honest living. We're not talking about anything other than the right to get a job." Continue.
Neb. Lawmaker Urges Passage Of Gay Nondiscrimination Bill
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff , January 19, 2007
(Lincoln, Nebraska) Legislation has been filed in the Nebraska Senate to add sexual orientation to existing laws banning discrimination in employment and housing in the state.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Ernie Chambers (D) who attempted to get a similar bill enacted two years ago. Continue.
North Carolina
Ga. ‘parental permission’ bill exported
Anti-gay group seeks similar legislation in five southern states
By Dyana Bagby, Southern Voice, September 01, 2006
A Washington, D.C. based organization is using Georgia’s parental permission law as a template to get similar legislation passed in five southern states in its attempts to ban gay-straight alliance clubs.
The Family Policy Network is currently seeking lawmakers to propose legislation mandating parental permission for students to join any non-academic clubs such as GSAs in North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas. Continue
Ohio
Group Abandons Challenge To Rights Law
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, August 16, 2006
(Cincinnati, Ohio) A conservative group has dropped its efforts to challenge a city ordinance that bans discrimination against members of the city's LGBT community.
Equal Rights Not Special Rights had collected thousands of names on petitions to have a repeal measure put to voters in November. But Tuesday when it emerged that many of the signatures were fake the group said it was giving up. Continue
Appeals court favors homosexuality over chaplain’s rights
Baptist Press, May 3, 2006
CINCINNATI, Ohio (BP)--Homosexual rights have trumped free speech and religious exercise rights in a federal appeals court decision involving a Baptist chaplain.
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Cincinnati, ruled officials of an Ohio prison had the authority to punish chaplain William Akridge for refusing to permit an open homosexual to lead an inmates’ praise band in a Protestant worship service. The three-judge panel upheld a federal judge’s decision rejecting Akridge’s contention that his First Amendment rights were violated. Continue
Oklahoma
Bill Would Force Libraries To Restrict Books With Gay Themes
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, March 9, 2006
(Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) A state legislative committee has passed to the full Oklahoma House a bill that would withhold state money from public libraries if they don't move books with gay themes and on sexuality out of children's areas. The state library association president opposes it. Click here for the report.
Oregon
Election Law Complaint Filed Over Anti-Gay Petition Gatherers
365Gay.com, September 6, 2007
(Portland, Oregon) Oregon's Secretary of State has been asked to investigate two groups collecting signatures to overturn LGBT civil rights laws in the state.
The complaint, filed by Ellen Lowe, a longtime activist for "clean elections" in Oregon, claims that 'Concerned Oregonians' and ' Defense of Marriage and Family Again!' are misleading the public to solicit contributions for the repeal effort.
According to the complaint the two groups are claiming that contributions to their efforts are eligible for a "dollar-for-dollar" political tax credit of up to $100. Continue.
Oregon Gay Rights Repeal Bid 'Faltering'
365Gay.com, August 14, 2007
(Portland, Oregon) Conservative groups trying to repeal Oregon's domestic partnership and civil rights laws reportedly are having problems gathering enough signatures to have the issues placed on the ballot.
To have a question put to voters the signatures of 55,179 registered voters within 90 days of the adjournment of the Legislature are required.
With less than seven weeks until the deadline, the groups have collected only between ten and twenty-percent of that the Associated Press reported on Tuesday. Continue.
Oregon governor signs domestic-partner, nondiscrimination bills
Brad Cain, Associated Press, Advocate.com, May 11, 2007
Oregon on Wednesday joined a growing list of states prepared to offer gay couples at least some of the benefits of marriage.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed legislation creating domestic partnerships starting January 1 for gays and lesbians in the state. He also signed a bill that outlaws discrimination based on sexual orientation, effective the same date.
Kulongoski, a strong backer of both measures, said they would ''transform our state from one of exclusion to one of complete inclusion.'' The measures had been attempted before but were always blocked by the legislature until this year.
Opponents of the two bills said they planned to launch a signature-gathering campaign next week to try to refer both measures to the November 2008 ballot. Continue.
Oregon Gov. Signs Gay Rights Bills
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, May 9, 2007
(Salem, Oregon) Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed two major LGBT civil rights bills Wednesday at a ceremony in front of the legislature. One bill would allow same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples unable to marry to form legally recognized partnerships. The other amends the state's non-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation. Continue.
Oregon Gay Rights Bills Head To Vote In House
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, April 11, 2007
(Salem, Oregon) Two bills that would extend gay rights Oregon have been sent to the floor of the House for a vote following approval in committee.
One bill would allow same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples unable to marry to form legally recognized partnerships. The second would include gays in Oregon's nondiscrimination law. Continue.
Pennsylvania
New Bid To Pass LGBT Civil Rights Law In Pennsylvania
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, October 20, 2006
(Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) A Pennsylvania lawmaker has reintroduced legislation that would ban anti-gay discrimination in employment, housing and credit statewide. Continue.
Texas
Ga. ‘parental permission’ bill exported
Anti-gay group seeks similar legislation in five southern states
By Dyana Bagby, Southern Voice, September 01, 2006
A Washington, D.C. based organization is using Georgia’s parental permission law as a template to get similar legislation passed in five southern states in its attempts to ban gay-straight alliance clubs.
The Family Policy Network is currently seeking lawmakers to propose legislation mandating parental permission for students to join any non-academic clubs such as GSAs in North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas. Continue
Virginia
Ga. ‘parental permission’ bill exported
Anti-gay group seeks similar legislation in five southern states
By Dyana Bagby, Southern Voice, September 01, 2006
A Washington, D.C. based organization is using Georgia’s parental permission law as a template to get similar legislation passed in five southern states in its attempts to ban gay-straight alliance clubs.
The Family Policy Network is currently seeking lawmakers to propose legislation mandating parental permission for students to join any non-academic clubs such as GSAs in North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas. Continue
Virginia Gay Jobs Order 'Unconstitutional' A.G. Says
By 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff, February 24, 2006
Virginia's Republican Attorney General Bob McDonnell has issued a written opinion saying Gov. Tim Kaine's executive order barring discrimination against gays in state hiring is unconstitutional. McDonnell's opinion doesn't have the force of law, but it is likely that a religious right group preparing a challenge to Kaine's order will use it. Click here for the report.
Washington
Washington Gay Rights Law Takes Effect
by The Associated Press, 365Gay.com, June 8, 2006
(Olympia, Washington) A statewide gay civil rights law has taken effect after foes of the measure failed to submit enough voter signatures to force a public vote this fall. Continue
Eyman, churches link up
Initiative king seeks out evangelicals' help to repeal gay-rights law
By Chris McMann, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 20, 2006
OLYMPIA -- Using a page torn from the Karl Rove playbook, initiative salesman Tim Eyman has turned to a network of evangelical churches to help repeal the gay-rights law that the Legislature passed this spring.
Eyman needs to round up 112,440 valid signatures from registered voters by June 6 to get Referendum 65 on the ballot this fall.
Though early reports indicated a lackluster response to the measure, Eyman is banking on an eleventh-hour surge from as many as 5,400 churches he hopes will participate in "Referendum Sunday."
"That means that this weekend nearly 500,000 voters are going to hear about and talk about our effort to get a public vote on House Bill 2661," Eyman wrote in an e-mail sent to the media and supporters. "They'll be asked to not only sign the petition, but to take petitions home and fill them up and return them next Sunday." Continue
AP, Advocate.com, January 31, 2006
"Washington State governor Chris Gregoire signed a gay civil rights bill into law Tuesday, though the law may be held in limbo if opponents are successful in forcing a referendum. The measure adds sexual orientation to the list of characteristics covered by a state law that bans discrimination in housing, employment, insurance, and credit. The measure, passed by the legislature on Friday, makes Washington the 17th state to pass a law covering gays and lesbians, and the seventh to protect transgender people." Click here for the report.
Finkbeiner's U-turn boosts gay rights bid
GOP senator paves way for bill to be passed
By Chris McGann, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 10, 2006
"Last year, after avoiding bringing the bill to a vote for nearly 30 years, the Senate rejected the gay civil rights bill by a one-vote margin. Finkbeiner, then the Senate minority leader, voted no, as did his entire caucus and two Democrats.
"Finkbeiner said Monday, the first day of the 2006 Legislature, that several conversations in the past year have led him to more fully understand the level of discrimination against gays and lesbians." Click here to read the report.
Religious leaders rally for gay rights
Group says Antioch Bible Church wrong to oppose state billl
By John Iwasaki, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 29, 2005
"KIRKLAND -- Religious leaders who favor increased protection for gays took their cause to the Eastside Wednesday, directly challenging the Rev. Ken Hutcherson and his supporters.
"About 30 people of various faiths gathered at the entrance of Lake Washington High School to support long-stymied legislation that would outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation." Click here to read the report.
