Peruse the Post-Gazettes Letters to the Editor page this morning, particularly the online edition which features more letters. After I found the requisite gay bash amidst thousands of angry words, it dawned on me how that was a *good* thing --- deflecting attention from real issues with the homosexual threat ain't working. People have written thoughtful letters about the war, Medicare, taxes, deficits, lobbyists, Social Security, safety nets and much more. In Pittsburgh, at least this morning, it appears that what happens in my personal life is not high on the list of issues concerning my neighbors.
Now for that gay bash. Our old friend Nancy Staible of Zelienople who had written in this past April (I have the link here) to defend marriage on the state level, takes a stab at it once again. Nancy is not happy with the New Jersey Supreme Court's social experimentation. She thinks Rick Santorum is the right man on this issue.
But here's the interesting part. Nancy makes repeated references to values. As in multiple values. But this is about one issue --- gay marriage. Rick Santorum believes marriage should between a man and a woman and that's his value. There's nothing more. Nany doesn't go on to elocute on other related values that influence her vote for Rick Santorum. So you have a traditional family -- then what? What about that family's health insurance coverage and access to health care? Or what about their safety net if Dad loses his job and Mom's been home with the kids? How about ensuring the kids can afford to go to college one day? Will programs be available to help them do well in elementary and high school - tutors, books, computers? Is someone going to help them take care of Grandma as she ages so the kids can grow up knowing her? And can we keep those kids in school and out of harm's way by avoiding unecessary wars?
No, here's what Nancy thinks is important:
"I support same-sex unions that would give gay couples all the rights, privileges and protections of marriage," stated Bob Casey Jr. (October 2005, The Philadelphia Jewish Voice).
U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, who has supported a federal and state amendment to protect marriage, believes in the sanctity of marriage and the sacred vows between one man and one woman.
Which candidate's values will you vote for?
Zelienople and Nancy -- bashing homos one letter at a time.
The Inquirer published a nice piece illustrating why gay marriage is truly a civil rights issue. Its about child custody, health care decisions, financial stability and so much more. Of course, its a little middle-classy but that's probably who was available for the interview.
Same-sex couples in New Jersey say last week's state Supreme Court ruling ordering the Legislature to give them the same rights as heterosexual married couples within 180 days - though they don't necessarily have to call it "marriage" - is an opportunity to remedy many of the inequalities they say exist in their everyday lives.
"It's not the sexy stuff - it's the day-to-day issues," said Betsy Codding, who lives with her partner in Haddonfield. "This brings everything very much into the public eye."
When Heggs, 56, had a heart attack and a stroke, a hospital refused to consult Long. Heggs, who was in intensive care, on a respirator, needed a blood transfusion.
The hospital wanted proof that Heggs and Long were together, Long said.
"They wanted to see our marriage certificate," Long said. "They would never do that to a heterosexual couple."
We all worry about this stuff. Not everyone can afford to pay an attorney to do all the paperwork necessary to secure some rights, especially those in the community toiling away below median income. Without health insurance and without the extra $5,000 a year to pay for it out of pocket. I'm fortunate that Ledcat's employer offers domestic partner benefits. My employer chooses to only extend coverage to the families of heterosexual employees. They say its about the money. End of conversation.
It would be interesting to see the Inquirer or the PG take a look at the lives of working class queers and explore the double whammy of being poor and gay.
Here's a link to the PG story on the New Jersey Supreme Court decision . And here's where you can see how the Trib covered the issue .
Hmmmm. Oh that's right. No coverage by either paper. The Post-Gazette ran 17 million letters to the editor when gay marriage was the big political wedge issue here in Pennsylvania last spring, including puh-lenty of column inches for homegrown homophobe and hate-mongerer Darryl Metcalfe to spew his jaundiced views.
On the bright side, KDKA covered the story. And WTAE. And even WPXI. And our good friend John McIntire did an especially nice job on both his blog and his radio show on KDKA. With yours truly donning the Lesbian Correspondent hat to chime in here and there.
So what's the deal with our local print media? I fully anticipate the fine folks at the City Paper will give a progressive shout out about the ruling in recognition of its magnitude for us homos here in da Burgh. But our daily papers have no such excuse.
Perhaps the PG is too busy replacing its actual human staff with cylons to pay attention to little things like pro-gay marriage supreme court rulings. When you cut our weekly dose of Tony Norman in half, you lose a lot of liberal street cred. And the Trib .... well, I can imagine the staff has been practicing wailing and gnashing of teeth over the impending Santorum defeat. Perhaps they just couldn't muster up a gay affirmative article that doesn't include drag queens and cultural events.
In response to a national church decision that appears to allow local option on the ordination of sexually active gay clergy, Pittsburgh Presbytery declared yesterday that it will continue to accept only clergy who "live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness." It also reiterated a prohibition on its clergy conducting marriages for same-sex couples.
That's our options. Switch teams or remain chaste.
The Rev. Jim Glatz, pastor of Union Presbyterian Church, compared clear standards on sexual behavior to the effort to keep fire in a fireplace, instead of allowing it to burn down the house. He alluded to ministries destroyed by clergy sexual misconduct.
"Sex is a good gift of a loving God that needs to be kept within the loving union of a man and a woman," he said.
Forcing homosexuals to be chaste by denying them marriage is a nice sidestep. Don't ask, don't pray? Don't ask, don't bless? Don't ask, don't fear? Which is it ....
Perhaps Reverend Glatz should put a bit more of his energies into taming the out of control heterosexuals in his pastoral areas and less into demonizing homosexuals. Where's the fun in that?
I have been brought to my knees by a mighty round of ailment and have barely touched a computer over the past two weeks. Thanks for all the inquiring and encouraging emails. It is nice to be missed. :-)
I'm sure you've caught most of this but I'll do a quick round up of some things that may have slipped beneath your radar.
Mark Foley - Scummy pedophile hiding behind alcoholism, history of abuse and the turmoil of being gay? Boo fucking hoo. On behalf of alcoholics, victims of abuse, homosexuals and all of our families, grow a pair and take responsibility for being a fucking pedophile. As for Hastert and all the rest, are you really surprised at their desperate desire to cover this up and somehow blame the homosexuals --- the Catholics have been doing this same maneuver for years. And its pathetic to consider abolishing the page program to "protect the children." Even the Catholics didn't go that far.
The always eloquent LA Johnson wrote a two-part series for the Post-Gazette about a local woman, Dannylee Mitchell, who is suing her former employer for discrimination. Dannylee is a transgender woman and believes she was dismissed because of her gender identity rather than her work performance. This is an amazing little series, very brave and forthright. I have never met Dannylee, but I admire her courage in sharing so much of her inner life with Post-Gazette readers. Go check it out.
Reverend Janet Edwards published an Op-Ed piece on her struggle with the Presbyterian Church over performing a wedding for two women. She explains why she is pleading innocent. Here's the backstory on our coverage of Janet's situation.
The Lesbian and Gay Film Festival opens this month.
Former Whitehall native James Yearsley now of Tampa wrote in a lovely little anti-gay diatribe to the Post-Gazette that was only printed in the online edition. Don't ask, Don't tell, Mr. Yearsley opines, keeps the military blood supply HIV free. Good to know, Jim.
Contrary to reports from the PA Department of Education, incidents of bullying is significantly high for gay and lesbian students. A report from GLSEN indicates that 80% of respondents had heard homphobic language in school. Only 12% of Pennsylvania schools have Gay Straight Alliances in comparison with 22% of schools nationwide. GSA's are an important tool in addressing homophobic harassment and bullying.
I'm sure there are stories I missed, but they'll resurface soon I am sure. Enjoy this beautiful day!
Local gay organizers have spent dozens of hours organizing a planned LGBTQ presence in response to the upcoming "Stand for the Family" rally sponsored by the grand poobahs of homophobia, Focus on the Family. It includes everything from a media training to a candlelight prayer vigil.
And now from the City Paper comes word that a new group Pittsburgh Antifa is planning to ratch things up several notches.
If we are to stave off an atmosphere of bigotry that directly fuels violence and intolerance, we need to demonstrate to people at war with us that we are willing to fight back against their hatred and bigotry.
So we call on our friends, allies, and comrades to join us on September 20th in a Pink-Purple-and-Black Bloc as we noisily, angrily, and directly confront Focus on the Family Action.
They aren't satisfied with the non-confrontational approach of the Standing for All Families organizers. All the code words are there --- assimilation, trading freedom for security, no such thing as police protection --- you've heard it all before.
Several local and national groups are collaborating on a week of events to counter "Stand for the Family", culminating in a "Standing With All Families "Presence" outside the rally and a silent prayer vigil a block up the street. This is too narrow a framework for dissent, both in terms of the political issues addressed and the choice of tactics used. It also allows FOFA attendees to pretend they are just attending a conservative version of a liberal rally for same sex marriage.
Great. Fine. Believe what you choose. Practice what you preach. Do the anti-fascist thing til the sun goes down. But here's where it gets ridiculous .... Mike Avallone of Bloomfield and Antifa organizer.
?We feel this needs to be confronted for what it is,? Avallone told CP. ?Basically we just want to disrupt it as much as possible from the outside.?
What the hell does that mean? Hurling insults from behind black masks or throwing fire bombs? I'm not a 100% fan of the presence approach myself, but this is a bit too vague for my comfort. Hell, its a whole lot too vague. But this group comes out of nowhere with brimstone rhetoric that's basically a retread of what more radical LGBTQ groups have been saying in the past. Its probably the same people or their younger siblings. They have a message, but let's keep it in perspective.
And worst of all, it now has the presence organizers in a bit of a tizzy about how to handle these disruptive pseudo-allies.
So once fucking again our community is going to get so embroiled by infighting and petty disputes that we will completely miss the point. Then we can spend the next six years pointing fingers and whining about how apathetic we are. Blah, blah, blah.
You know what --- these antifa kids have been around for years and they ain't gonna set the Mellon Arena on fire. (Remember RESYST? They coexisted with us for years). The police know how to handle them so just give them wide berth and do your own lawful thing exercising your first amendment freedoms. If you think seeing a queer activist in purple and black is the worst sight your kids will endure that night, you are sadly mistaken. Its a good bet the fetus-friends will be out there with signs that are much worse. And those rally attendees probably will let loose with a few choice words when their own precious angels have to eyeball handholding homos in mass quantities.
Leave your kids at home with their homework, bedtime snacks and so forth if you must. That's fine and its probably where they belong.
But there's no excuse for you to stay home and let Rick Santorum return to office without even a whimper of protest from the LGBTQ community. Your kids deserve better than that.
Official word on plans to cancel the Standing with All Families event is still pending ...
Local Presbyterian minister Janet Edwards has been formally accused of violating Presbyterian Church law when she performed a wedding ceremony for a lesbian couple in 2005 (PG).
The Presbyterian Church (USA) permits blessing of same-sex unions as long as the service cannot be confused with a marriage ceremony. But Ms. Edwards intended this to be a marriage ceremony.
The charges, filed Tuesday by a task force that has been investigating a complaint against her for a year, accused her of "knowingly and wilfully performing a marriage ceremony for two individuals of the same sex that was contrary to the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA)."
Ledcat and I were guests at the wedding. It was a very sacred event and I feel rather sad that Janet is under fire. Sad, but not surprised.
A church court in Pittsburgh Presbytery will hear the case. Its verdict can be appealed by either side to regional and national church courts. If found guilty, Ms. Edwards faces sentences ranging from a reprimand to permanent removal from ministry.
Hurrah to Janet for not bowing to bigotry. We should all be so steadfast in our faith.
"I do not understand my action to be contrary to the constitution [of the church]. It was a fulfillment of my ordination vows. It fulfilled the instruction of the Presbyterian Church in 1978 to provide all pastoral tenderness to gays and lesbians."
KDKA's John McIntire had Janet on his radio program Wednesday night. Click here for that story.
From the Philadelphia Inquirer comes a nice essay penned by high school sophomore Jule McNamee asking why gay marriage is such a problem for some folks. She's succinct so here it is:
Same-sex marriage debate
Why are gay people treated as though they are aliens in this country? They have the same rights as we do. They are not intending to offend anyone, nor do they want to insult what this country stands for.
I was told that this is the country of the free, and everyone is created equal. But not allowing couples to marry because of their relationships with the same sex is absurd.
Many Americans believe that same-sex marriage is morally wrong, but that goes way back to the issue of church and state, stating that the opinions of religion should not affect everyday society.
The intentions of many marriages are eventually to start a family, and every child is in need of parents. I don't see the difference of having gay parents or opposite sex parents. Those children are better off than children in households where only one parent remains.
Children of gay parents have the opportunity to have two parents. So why is it so wrong if you have two fathers or two mothers?
She hits the high notes - separation of church and state; some marriages intend to raise children, others don't; gays don't hate America, etc. While I don't agree with the blanket statement that children in two parent households are better off than childre in one parent households, I think Julie's larger point is well made.
Ledcat caught the ad in the morning Post-Gazette ... nearly a quarter page image of one of the Grand-Poobahs of Christian bigotry - James Dobson. Dobson's organization, Focus on the Family, alternates between churning out right-wingnut hate-laced propaganda and browbeating people into injecting more Christian extremism into their lives (and their parenting).
But he's coming to Pittsburgh with his merry band of bigots ...are you excited?
Dobson's trail of evil slime has left its disgusting stench throughout the United States courtesy of his "Stand for the Family" tour. Along with his own personal gay bashing message, he brings along a few other stellar examples of Christian perversion ...
Tony Perkins, founder of the Family Research Council. Just this past spring, he equated Brokeback Mountain with the Matthew Shepard story because they are both "works of fiction."
Dr. Ken Hutcherson aka Dr. Blackman (I'm not making that up). He's angry that gays are claiming the civil rights mantle. He's not too fond of uppity women either.
Gary Bauer, President of American Values. They protect life. And marriage. And family. And faith. And freedom. Bauer believes that gay marriage will make us just like hedonistic Europeans who have destroyed their families.
Snarkery aside, these guys have power and a hell of a lot of money. Pam's House Blend did a great post on the vast amounts of resources these organizations command in their unrelenting war on all of us progressives. According to Pam, in 2005 these guys spent a half a billion dollars on anti-gay efforts.
So they are rolling into Pittsburgh on Wednesday, September 20, 6:30 PM at the Mellon Arena. You can get a ticket for $7.00. The first 500 people get free books so they can revisit all the hate-rhetoric later.
I'm sure Santorum is frothing at the mouth to have the Mac-Daddy of Intolerance himself come to town and preach the Gospel of Rick. Make no bones about it -- Jimmy D. and his minions want to do anything necessary to keep their boy in the Senate. They will play all the cards AND spend millions of dollars if that's what it takes.
This really sucks. Its bad enough when Tim McGraw or some other Froggy favorite takes over the stadium area with all his yinzer would be redneck manly men and the slack jawed women who love them. Now we are going to have swarms of smarmy self-righteous men and the brainwashed helmet-haired women who love them running amok in Uptown. Nothing says rush hour nightmare like yinzer suburbanites in minivans.
Is a protest worthwhile? If I have to walk past the feti images to get into the Dixie Chicks concert, why not stage our own stand for ALL families outside of Mellon Arena? Who's with me?
We are heading out the door this morning early so I only have time to post a few links.
Apparently, you have the right to get married if you can squirt out babies. So watch out non-breeding heterosexuals ... if you don't start generating some new cannon fodder for the war machine and/or the allegiance of right-wing-bigots, your marriages could be next ...
And even more from Pam including reaction from the fundie wingnuts who are frothing at the mouth and writhing in ecstasy over this slapdown of marriage equality. Here she reiterates the point the our Democratic leadership is FAILING us on these issues. Voting against a marriage amendment is not enough --- they need to actually LEAD.
When you don't take a strong position on this issue (one way or another), people in the middle who may be considering voting Dem notice and speculate anyway. It's easy to be against a federal amendment, but what is a candidate's position on all these state marriage amendments and now, the future legislative efforts to gain marriage equality as these cases in WA and NY have resulted in punts?
Excellent question. No answer forthcoming as there are probably too many 700 Club appearances to plan and fundie wingnut asses to lick ...
