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Gay Pride Flags line Parade Route....
The prominent Confederate flag on the State House grounds has some competition this week: For the first time in 20 years of gay pride parades through Columbia, the parade route along Gervais and Main Streets is lined with rainbow banners.
And that has drawn the ire of the Palmetto Family Council, a right-wing cultural organization, which criticized the city in a news release on Aug. 31. “The flag raised today is symbolic of the city’s ongoing and aggressive financial and institutional support of militant homosexual advocacy,” the group wrote. In fact, the City of Columbia did not pay for or put up the banners: The organization SC Pride paid for the banners itself, and the City Center Partnership, Main Street’s business coalition, put them up. The City of Columbia does fund SC Pride, though: Last year, the group received $7,500 in city hospitality tax funding, and this year it will receive $10,000 — the same amount as groups like Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge and Congaree Riverkeeper. The pride parade and related events are good for downtown business, according to both Deirdre Mardon, executive director of the Vista Guild, and Matt Kennell, president and CEO of City Center Partnership. Kennell says his organization approved the rainbow banners. “The city asks us to clear all banners that hang on Main Street, as a courtesy, whenever events are held,” Kennell said. After this weekend’s Pride events, Kennell says, they’ll be putting up banners for the Italian Festival. “All these events are great for downtown, whether it’s gay pride or the Greek Festival or the Latin Festival or the Italian Festival,” Kennell said. “It’s all trying to create a diverse and dynamic downtown.” Tamera Tedder, president of SC Pride, agreed. “We haven’t had any resistance,”Tedder said.“We’ve been supported by all the businesses.The city has also been very supportive.”
by EVA MOORE
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Nom picked apart...piece by piece.....
Hey, it’s Matt from my website Stop8. So, this week there was a new radio ad put out by the National Organization for Marriage, an anti-gay group with strong ties to the Mormon Church. And of course, it’s full of lies about Prop 8. Let’s break it down.“San Francisco is unique, but should their values be imposed on the rest of America?”
“A gay San Francisco federal judge”
Straight marriage? Fine. Banning gays? Discrimination. There is a difference.
“His ruling could eventually impose gay marriage on every state in America.”
“This ruling is crazy and scary.”
“He says that men and women have exactly the same roles in a marriage.”
“And he slams people of faith by saying religious beliefs harm gays and lesbians.”
“America doesn’t have to accept San Francisco’s values.”
Nope. And America shouldn’t have to submit to NOM’s values, either.
“Time is short to save traditional marriage.”
And that’s what makes that such a big lie. NOM’s time isn’t short. It’s already run out.
They want Prop 8 Defended....Oh Really?
San Francisco – The Pacific Justice Institute, a conservative legal organization, has petitioned the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento to force Governor Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown to defend Proposition 8. Both have publicly stated that they will not appeal Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling that deemed the discriminatory marriage ban unconstitutional. In response, Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors issued the following statement: “This is an outrageous attempt to try and force elected officials who have sworn to uphold the United States Constitution to defend a law that the Federal Court has found to be unconstitutional. It demonstrates their acknowledgement that the proponents of Proposition 8 lack standing to appeal, that the case should be dismissed and loving same-sex couples should be allowed to exercise their constitutional right to marry.”
Who is Really Tearing the Country Apart???
Much hoopla is being made today about Glen Becks “Restoring Honor” rally in D.C. on the steps of the Lincoln memorial. Though the rally, by all looks of it, was one of non-political machinations and seemed to be focused on bringing people together rather than dividing them, it will be hailed as a conservative rally, one where conservatives are showing just how much power they have and how they are going to take the country back from the evils of liberalism and godlessness. Though there were a lot of people at the rally, upwards of 500,000 as is being reported by Politico, the Right is not as “organized” as it appears. Yes, the Republicans will most likely capture the House this coming November and possibly even the Senate, but these temporarily gains by the GOP are no match for what the party will be experiencing in the years to come. The Republican Party of today is made up of three groups; The Religious Right, the Libertarian Economist, and the Angry WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant)…a combination of which will doom the party to failure as it alienates those in the middle.
The Religious Right, a group that came of age in the late 1900’s with the influences of Phyllis Schafley, Jerry Fallwell, Pat Robertson, and James Dobson, has exerted a large influence on the Right ever since. But with the recent ruling out of California on Gay Marriage, the movements power has shown to be steadily declining within the GOP. In the 2004 election being anti-gay was all the rage – as that was the way for the GOP to convince the “values voters” to come out to the polls. The Supreme Court decision out of Massachusetts instilled in these voters a sense of fear in “the gay”, that “the gay” would mean the end of the world as they knew it. The GOP fanned these flames, their politicians railed against the threat to the traditional family structure and how that would be the end of American Values and would start a “Christian persecution” by the Liberal elite. Fast forward to 2010, when Judge Vaughn Walker in California overturned the state’s constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, and the GOP hardly makes a sound? Yes, there are the few Republicans who decry the “activist” judge in a San Francisco courtroom, yet the majority of the party stay silent. They realize that times are changing; for as more gays and lesbians come out, people have a harder time – especially independents – voting against overt discrimination.
The Libertarian Economist (exemplified by the Tea Party) does not know what he believes. When is it right for the government to get involved in any personal affairs? Is Medicare Ok? Social Security? Education? Energy Programs? The Libertarian Economist (LE) mindset can be seen in the candidacies of Sharron Angle in Nevada and Rand Paul in Kentucky. They would much rather eliminate government, than use government to achieve parity at all. If you are rich, you should stay rich; if you are poor, it is your fault and your fault alone and no one should help you. The debate raging over healthcare reform in this country shows the true nature of the Tea Party. Most of the movement – based on demographical surveys – are those peoples who can afford such things as healthcare, and food on the table. Thus an overreaching Government is “disastrous” to their comfortable way of life, because it forces them to acknowledge that there are people that are suffering and that have less than they do. They view government as a threat instead of a helper, because to them, anyone who needs the government at all is a leech. Those who depend upon governmental assistance are the dredges of society, and there is no way that they (the LE’s) want their hard earned money to go to such scumbags. Individualism reigns supreme for the LE. They don’t care about their fellow man, for the LE thinks about themselves first and foremost.
The Angry WASP wants to sting anything that it can find. Whether it is immigrants in this country (exemplified mostly by the Latino population) or those who think differently than them religiously (the Muslims) they lash out, fearing that the days of White Protestant supremacy in American is almost over. We have heard, over the discussion of recent Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, that this is the first time in our nation’s history that there would be no Protestants on the High Bench. We have heard that Islam is not a religion and instead is a political ideology and that its practitioners are hell bent on destroying the United States. This type of discussion has lead to an outpouring of anger and hatred against Muslim Americans (not only over the Ground Zero Community Center project, but also over Mosques all across America). It has lead to anti-Muslim violence (exemplified by the recent cab driver stabbing in New York City). And it has lead to a rise in such movements as Glen Becks “Restore America”, a platform whose goal is to restore America to its spiritual foundations – to which Beck and his supporters would say, is Christianity. The Angry WASP views all who disagree with him religiously as “the other” and “the enemy”, an idea propelled by the likes of people such as Rush Limbaugh and Beck. The scary thing is, this is the same rhetoric by which Nazi Germany accustomed the German people to viewing the Jews as the others, thus leading the people of Germany to embrace their extinction.
Now how are these three groups going to lead to the GOP’s undoing? First, as the GOP moves away from its anti-gay rhetoric and necessarily embraces marriage equality, those within the Religious Right will become disenchanted. They will not vote at all, as they cannot in good conscious vote for someone who disagrees so fundamentally with their belief structure.
As the Libertarian Economists and the Tea Party gain more ground within the GOP, with their anti-government positions and me-centered attitudes, the moderates, which make up the real deciders in elections, will move away from the Right. We may not see that movement in this election cycle, and the reason is clear. The Far economic branch of the Right has not held power in the recent decades, and thus no-one knows the disastrous consequences of their ideology. But once they gain power and start to implement it, their reign will be short lived. Thus, as the Right embraces its Libertarian Bent, it will alienate those who it must desperately maintain.
And as the Angry WASP’s again dominate the scene within the GOP with their strong denunciation of amnesty or any sort of compassionate immigration reform they will alienate the Latino population, a population that is growing exponentially within the U.S. and will become a force to be reckoned with in the coming years. Similarly, as the GOP embraces the WASP mentality of “the other”, those who ascribe to religions such as Islam will start to feel persecution themselves and will vote against such persecution at the ballot box.
So how does the GOP plan on pacifying these three extremist groups within the party? How does it plan on putting a damper on the rhetoric of such leaders as Palin, Boehner, Beck, and Limbaugh? As much as people want to hope that these leaders will be silenced, they will not. And this lack of silence; this pandering (and sometimes lack thereof) to the ideologues within the fringes of the Right, will be the GOP’s undoing. Soon, if it wants to stay a viable party, it must address these extreme elements within its base. If it does not, Liberalism will once again reign supreme.
Mexico City wants Gay Honeymooners
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) — As more governments approve same-sex marriage laws, officials here are hoping to attract a growing part of the tourism market: gay honeymoons.
The first couple to wed under Argentina’s recent law allowing same-sex marriages nationwide arrives in Mexico this week on an all-expenses-paid trip — part of a new push by the government in Mexico City, Mexico to woo gay travelers.
“We hope that many same-sex couples who get married around the world spend their honeymoons here,” says Alejandro Rojas, the city’s tourism secretary.
In July, the city opened an office aimed at catering to gay tourists that officials describe as the first of its kind in Latin America.
“We are a very tolerant, liberal, avant-garde city,” Rojas says.
Officials inaugurated the new office by cutting a rainbow-colored ribbon. Rojas said the office’s goal is to make Mexico City the No. 1 gay-friendly destination in Latin America.
“Mexico has a tradition of being a rather macho culture… This is a sign of a very important social change,” says Argentinean architect Jose Luis David Navarro, who will be spending part of his honeymoon in Mexico City this week.
The city’s tourism secretary called to congratulate Navarro and his husband soon after they wed in northern Argentina in July.
For years, it was rare to see gay rights issues gaining traction in Mexico and other Latin American countries.
Not anymore, according to Javier Corrales, a professor of political science at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
“Latin America currently has some of the most gay-friendly cities in the developing world,” says Corrales, who ranks cities’ gay-friendliness in a new book he co-edited, “The Politics of Sexuality in Latin America.”
Homosexuality remains a divisive issue in much of Mexico, with conservative politicians pushing for laws banning same-sex marriage in many states after Mexico City approved a gay marriage law last year.
The country’s Roman Catholic Church leaders have been vocal opponents of the Mexico City law, which took effect in March and also allows married gay couples to adopt children.
But Mexico City officials say they hope to set a strong example that the rest of the country will follow.
Project plans for the new gay tourism office are still in the works.
In addition to training local hotels and restaurants on how to be sensitive to gay clientele, officials say they hope to create maps of the city highlighting attractions for gay tourists and possibly host an international gay tourism conference.
Hotels, restaurants and businesses in Mexico City have responded positively to the program so far, Rojas said.
So many sponsors offered to chip in for the Argentinean couple’s free honeymoon that the city government didn’t have to contribute any funds.
The annual economic impact of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travelers is about $63 billion in the U.S. alone, according to Community Marketing, Inc. of San Francisco, California. On the global scale, Rojas says, that number is even greater.
“Around the world, it is a very important market,” Rojas says.
Gay tourists represent 15 percent of the world’s tourism market, and they spend more money than heterosexual tourists when they travel, he says.
Recognizing the commercial value of gay tourism is a positive step, Navarro says, but it also shows that more social change is needed.
“I hope that there comes a day in the future when they don’t have to have an office for gay tourists, just like there isn’t an office for Asian tourists,” Navarro says.
But for now, he says, he and his husband are looking forward to the chance to visit Mexico City for the first time.
“Our suitcase is already packed,” he says. “After 27 years of happiness together, this is the icing on the cake.”
Michael Enright takes Hate to a Disturbing Level
When a Puerto Rican man happened past an anti-Muslim rally protesting the building of the Park51 Islamic community center in downtown Manhattan this weekend, he was mobbed and swarmed with hostile insults from protesters who mistakenly believed him to be Muslim. The confrontation looked like it narrowly avoided turning violent. Yesterday, in a more fatal incident, a Muslim New York City cab driver, Ahmed Sharif, was slashed with a knife across the face and neck after his passenger inquired after his religion.
Sharif, a 43-year-old father of four who has lived in America for two-and-a-half decades, commented, “I never feel this hopeless and insecure before.” He also believes that it is the anti-Muslim rhetoric surrounding the construction of the Islamic center that put his life in danger. “Right now, the public sentiment is very serious (because of the Park 51 debate). All drivers should be more careful.” Twenty-one-year-old Michael Enright, his attacker, faces serious charges, including attempted murder as a hate crime, for the attack which put his victim in the hospital. Ironically, Enright works for an interfaith group that supports the Park51 project. Guess he didn’t get the memo.
In other New York hate crime news, today over in Long Island, four teens who were a part of the hate attack that killed Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero were sentenced. The teenage boys had targeted Lucero in a “game” called beaner-hopping, or beating up anybody they happened across who looked Mexican.
Whether someone is the subject of hate for their skin color or belief system, intolerance and xenophobia can be deadly. Politicians and others who feed a climate of hate, fueling anti-Latino immigrant sentiment in Long Island or using the misnamed “Ground Zero Mosque” for anti-Muslim outrage in Manhattan, create a divided society and put lives in danger. It’s not surprising that white supremacists who attack Latino immigrants as “invaders” are drawn to the anti-Muslim attacks that started with a right-wing extremist blogger. It’s not surprising this hatred finds expression in harassment of mosques across the country, or that Latinos are the targets of hate crimes nationwide, given the xenophobic rhetoric that demonizes both groups.
On the other hand, organizations like Not in Our Town fight for tolerance and understanding, highlighting communities that have stood up against hatred in their backyards, including examples of interfaith tolerance. Former members of the Bush administration have criticized the opposition to religious freedom, and Republican politicians like Texas Rep. Ron Paul have spoken out against the “hate and Islamaphobia” in their own party. Decrying hatred, harassment, and intolerance against any individuals keeps us all safer and and upholds our values as a nation built on freedom.
Las Vegas Megachurch loses AIDS Funding
Aid for AIDS Nevada, the largest and oldest HIV/AIDS service organization in the state, has severed all ties with a Las Vegas megachurch over the church’s connections to Ugandan ministers working to pass a law in the country known as the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
In a statement released yesterday, after hundreds of emails were sent to Aid for AIDS Nevada, the group said that they could no longer in good faith work with Canyon Ridge Christian Church, a Las Vegas megachurch with over 6,000 members. Canyon Ridge has come under fire lately for its financial and institutional support of a pastor in Uganda, Martin Ssempa, who has been a leading advocate for the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, a piece of legislation that would criminalize both HIV and homosexuality with the death penalty and harsh prison sentences.
“After evaluating Canyon Ridge Christian Church’s backing of Pastor Ssempa of Uganda and his support of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, we feel that it is in the best interest of our clients, supporters and staff to dissolve our relationship with the church immediately,” Aid for AIDS Nevada wrote. “Our mission is to provide client service programs that assist in enhancing the physical health and psychosocial wellness of the individuals living with and affected by HIV/AIDS in southern Nevada, while promoting dignity and improving the quality of their lives. We will further this mission without the support of Canyon Ridge Christian Church.”
This is the second time in a month that a public health organization has severed ties with Canyon Ridge Christian Church. Several weeks ago the Southern Nevada Health District, which had previously partnered with Canyon Ridge to conduct HIV-testing at the church, cut all ties over the Church’s connection to Martin Ssempa. And now Aid for AIDS Nevada, which had previously partnered with the Church for an annual AIDS walk, has ended all ties.
Despite the controversy, Canyon Ridge Christian Church continues to stand in support of Martin Ssempa. They list him as a strategic partner on their Web site, and praise him for shepherding a new generation of African religious leaders, despite Ssempa’s long-documented calls for HIV-positive people and LGBT people to be put in jail or killed. Canyon Ridge goes so far as to call Martin Ssempa a “prophetic minister” for Uganda. And though the pastor of Canyon Ridge Christian Church, Kevin Odor, has admitted that the death penalty aspect of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill is wrong, he still feels like his Church is called to work with Martin Ssempa.
“We want to help the AIDS problem in Africa, and we found somebody who is making a difference,” Odor told NPR last month. “So we support him.” But in supporting Ssempa, the Church is alienating itself from many other religious and public health groups here in the U.S. And drawing the ire of many activists here in the U.S. and beyond.
Meanwhile, Jeff Sharlet, the author of The Family who has reported in-depth about the Anti-Homosexuality Bill and the involvement of American evangelicals in its creation, noted yesterday on Fresh Air with Terry Gross that though the Anti-Homosexuality Bill is in a holding pattern right now in Uganda’s legislature, it remains quite the dangerous piece of legislation. Sharlet has a piece in next month’s Harper’s, “Straight Man’s Burden,” that chronicles his recent trip to Uganda to meet with proponents of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, including Ugandan MP David Bahati, one of the authors of the bill.
A Civics Lesson in Gay Rights
Whenever equality prevails for LGBT people, right-wing anti-gay groups try to delegitimize whichever democratic avenue was successful for gay and transgender people.
Most recently, it was a federal court case that struck down California’s ban on gay marriage. As the New Yorker reported, Judge Vaughn Walker had made it clear that he wanted evidence in the case and “lots of it.” As he said in his 138-page opinion that gay marriage opponents "failed to build a credible factual record to support their claim that Proposition 8 served a legitimate government interest.”
Walker continued in the opinion: “the evidence does not support a finding that California has an interest in preferring opposite-sex parents over same-sex parents. Indeed, the evidence shows beyond any doubt that parents’ genders are irrelevant to children’s developmental outcomes.”
So what basis is there for a ban on gay marriage? In Perry, Walker explained that “the evidence shows conclusively that moral and religious views form the only basis for a belief that same-sex couples are different from opposite-sex couples.”
But for opponents of gay marriage it was not about a lack of credible evidence. For them, the ruling against Prop 8 was merely case of “judicial activism” of course. Citizen Link, Focus on the Family’s proxy publication, reacted predictably, “the judge’s invalidation of the votes of over seven million Californians violates binding legal precedent and short-circuits the democratic process.”
Short circuits the democratic process? You mean the Republic that our Founding Fathers designed? Unlike the direct democracy in Ancient Greece, the Founding Fathers envisioned a representative government that helped to assuage the “tyranny of the majority,” which James Madison discussed in Federalist Paper 10. He explained the danger in the first paragraph, “the public good is disregarded … not according to the rules of justice … but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority.” Today, we avoid this “overbearing majority” with an electoral college, representatives in legislatures, and a court system that stops government from infringing on the rights outlined in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.
With all this right-wing talk of repealing the 14th Amendment and the need to recognize “the will of the people,” maybe we should return to Athenian Direct Democracy. I just don’t know if Focus on the Family would be down with all that idol worship and pederasty.