More US Hate Exported To Jamaica

J. Lester Feder reports at Buzzfeed:

Brian Camenker, founder of MassResistance, was the keynote speaker at an event organized by the Jamaican Coalition for a Healthy Society in the Jamaican capital’s Emancipation Park on Dec. 10. The organization has led a campaign to preserve the sodomy provision — known locally as the “buggery law” — following Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller’s suggestion just before her 2011 election that she might allow a vote on its repeal. “I am here to warn you that [repeal of the buggery law] will have terrible consequences,” Camenker said, according to a video of the event uploaded by MassResistance on Saturday. “A law that contradicts God’s law is the beginning of a slippery slope that you cannot imagine.” Camenker described a series of events that he said flowed from the decriminalization of sodomy in Massachusetts, including the “indoctrination” of children in schools and the suppression of religious people opposed to LGBT rights.

Camenker was there just three days after Porno Pete.

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Posted in: bigotry,Brian Camenker,Christian Love,crackpots,douchebaggery,evil,hate groups,Jamaica,LGBT rights,MassResistance,religion

HomoQuotable - Robert Oscar Lopez

"Since GLAAD placed me on their blacklist, no secular media outlet has invited me on its show in the United States. In-depth interviews with me have been broadcast in Chile, Russia, France, Ireland, and a number of other nations. In the United States, Christian broadcasters like the American Family Association and Frank Sontag's 'Faith and Reason' show in Los Angeles have interviewed me. And I'd been interviewed, prior to the GLAAD blacklisting, by Minnesota affiliates of NBC, CBS, Fox, and NPR, as well as a number of newspapers. Since GLAAD's blacklisting, none. Prior to GLAAD's blacklisting, I had received calls from people at universities discussing their interest in having me come to campus and give speeches. Three were working with me to set up dates. Since GLAAD's blacklisting, none. Those who had discussed this with me said point-blank that their superiors did not want to create controversy. That is the power of GLAAD." - Anti-gay activist Robert Oscar Lopez, writing for American Thinker.

RELATED: In addition to appearing on stage at an anti-gay Manif Pour Tous rally in France, Lopez has testified against LGBT equality before several state legislatures and he co-signed an anti-gay homocon brief to the Supreme Court.  You really must read the Media Matters take on Lopez' trilogy of gay erotica.

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Posted in: crackpots,ex-gay,GLAAD,HomoQuotable,LGBT rights,Manif Pour Tous,religion,Robert Oscar Lopez,SCOTUS,still totally gay

Indian Satirist Takes On Homophobia

Via First Post Bollywood:

The controversy around Section 377 of IPC raised a lot of questions about gay people, gay sex and homophobia. What is this whole 'gay' thing, anyway, said a large swathe of Indian society. And why is everyone making such a big fuss about it? Actor Imran Khan has taken it upon himself to disabuse these people from their mistaken notions of homosexuality in a new satire video. Imran Khan poses as a sort of gay version of a sex advice columnist. In the video, Khan sits behind a laptop while viewers email in their questions.

You'll enjoy this. Not office-friendly.

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Posted in: homophobia,humor,India,LGBT rights

HOUSTON: Lambda Legal Sues City Over Same-Sex Spousal Benefits

In late November, openly gay Houston Mayor Annise Parker announced that city employees who are legally married in other states were now eligible for spousal benefits. Three weeks later a judge suspended Parker's edict pending the outcome of a lawsuit brought by local Christian leaders. Yesterday Lambda Legal sued the city in order to reinstate the benefits ordered by Parker.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas on behalf three City of Houston employees legally married to same-sex spouses and follows notification these employees received recently that the City, one month after extending the employee coverage fortheir spouses, was being forced to withdraw these benefits and cancel the coverage. “City employees who are married to same-sex spouses are doing the same work as coworkers who are married to different-sex spouses—at the end of the day this case is about equal pay for equal work.These employees, some who have worked for the City for manyyears, acted in good faith when notified the City was extending health coverage benefits to their legal spouses,” said Kenneth Upton, Senior Counsel in Lambda Legal’s South Central Regional Office in Dallas.

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Posted in: Annise Parker,Houston,Lambda Legal,lawsuits,LGBT rights,marriage equality,religion,Texas

UGANDA: Anglican Church Bishop Applauds Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Clip recap:

The Anglican Church has applauded Parliament for standing firm and passing the contentious the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. While giving a Christmas sermon at St. Paul's Cathedral Namirembe, Bishop Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira said Parliament should continue to protect the country's conservative customs. He also asked Parliament to pass a law, which outlaws abortion. As Agness Nandutu reports, other pentecostal churches also added their voice against homosexuality in Uganda.

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Posted in: Africa,Anglican Church,LGBT rights,Uganda

Utah Delays Marriage Appeal To SCOTUS

Many had expected Utah to rush their emergency stay request to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor first thing this morning. But not so.

The attorney general’s office is working to prepare the appeal to the Supreme Court on the 10th Circuit’s denial of a stay. Due to the necessity of coordination with outside counsel the filing of the appeal may be delayed for a few days,” he told FOX 13′s Ben Winslow. “It is the intent of the AG’s office to file with the Supreme Court as soon as possible.” The delay means that same-sex marriages would continue to be performed in Utah until the nation’s top court decides. Justice Sotomayor, who oversees the 10th Circuit and Utah federal courts, could either grant or deny the stay, or she could ask the entire U.S. Supreme Court to decide the issue. An appeal of U.S. District Court Judge Robert Shelby’s ruling that declared Amendment 3 unconstitutional is still pending in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. If the Supreme Court denies Utah’s request to halt same-sex marriage licenses from being issued, those marriages would continue to happen throughout the appeals process — which could be decided by 2015.

All but one of Utah's 29 counties are issuing same-sex marriage licenses today. In that one tiny county, the clerk is on vacation.

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Posted in: Gary Herbert,LGBT rights,marriage equality,SCOTUS,Sonia Sotomayor,Tenth Circuit Court,Utah

Bangalore on Homosexuality

"We walked around Bangalore and asked people what they thought about homosexuality." Bangalore is India's third largest city and has about the same population as New York City.

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Posted in: homosexuality,India,LGBT rights

State Department Laments Uganda

This came in late last night:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesperson
Statement by Jen PSAKI, SPOKESPERSON
U.S. Concern with Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Legislation

We are deeply concerned by the Ugandan Parliament’s passage of anti-homosexuality legislation. As Americans, we believe that people everywhere deserve to live in freedom and equality – and that no one should face violence or discrimination for who they are or whom they love. We join those in Uganda and around the world who appeal for respect for the human rights of LGBT persons and of all persons.

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Posted in: LGBT rights,State Department,Uganda

BREAKING: Tenth Circuit Court DENIES Marriage Stay In Xmas Eve Order

Via Chris Geidner at Buzzfeed:

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the state of Utah’s request to stop same-sex couples’ marriages during the appeal of the judge’s ruling that started those marriages on Friday.“Having considered the district court’s decision and the parties’ arguments concerning the stay factors, we conclude that a stay is not warranted,” Judges Jerome Holmes and Robert Bacharach wrote in an order signed by court clerk Elisabeth Shumaker for the court.

The denial means that a Friday decision by Judge Robert Shelby striking down the state’s ban on same-sex couples marrying will remain in place during the appeal of the case, absent a contrary ruling from the Supreme Court — to which Utah officials could appeal. Interim requests of the type that would be filed in this situation would go to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who oversees such requests from the 10th Circuit. She could either decide the matter on her own or refer the matter to the whole court for consideration.

Merry Christmas, UTAH!

UPDATE: The state is going right to Sotomayor.

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Posted in: Gary Herbert,GOP,lawsuits,LGBT rights,marriage equality,Tenth Circuit Court,Utah

BRITAIN: Activists Crash Coke Event

Anna Leach reports at Gay Star News:

Protestors gate-crashed a Coca-Cola Christmas PR stunt in London's Covent Garden today, in opposition to the global brand's sponsorship of the Sochi Olympics. The gay rights activists, including Peter Tatchell, tried to climb on the roof of the Coca-Cola truck parked in the center of London on one of the busiest Christmas shopping days. They were pulled down by security guards. 'Coke is sponsoring the Sochi Winter Olympics, without even a murmur of unease at the anti-gay and repressive policies of the Putin government. It is shameful acquiescence with oppression,' said Tatchell, coordinator of the protest.

Coke has issued a statement: "We have long been a strong supporter of the LGBT community and have advocated for inclusion and diversity through both our policies and practices. We do not condone intolerance or discrimination of any kind anywhere in the world. We believe a more positive impact can be made through continued involvement [in the Olympics], rather than by sitting on the sidelines."

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Posted in: advertising,Britain,Coca-Cola,LGBT rights,Peter Tatchell,Russia,Sochi Olympics

Richard Branson: Boycott Uganda

"I have been courted by various people and government officials to do business in Uganda. I was seriously considering it. However, the dreadful witch hunt against the gay community and lifetime sentences means it would be against my conscience to support this country. I would urge other companies worldwide to follow suit. Uganda must reconsider or find it being ostracised by companies and tourists worldwide. Governments must realise that people should be able to love whoever they want. It is not for any government (or anyone else) to ever make any judgements on people's sexuality. They should instead celebrate when people build loving relationships that strengthen society, no matter who they are." - Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, in a statement published on the front page of the Virgin companies' website.

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Posted in: LGBT rights,Richard Branson,Uganda,Virgin

OHIO: Judge Rules State Must Recognize Gay Marriages On Death Certificates

Via the Associated Press:

A federal judge has declared in a ruling that applies only to death certificates that Ohio's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. In his decision Monday, Judge Timothy Black orders state officials to recognize such unions on death certificates. Although his ruling applies narrowly, his statements about Ohio's gay-marriage ban are sweeping and expected to incite further litigation challenging the law. In his lengthy decision, the Cincinnati-based judge says that "once you get married lawfully in one state, another state cannot summarily take your marriage away." He says the U.S. Constitution recognizes the right to remain married as a fundamental liberty.

Read the full ruling.

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Posted in: LGBT rights,marriage equality,Ohio

UTAH: Judge Shelby Calls Recess To Decide Stay Request From Governor

These tweets are from a reporter for the Fox local affiliate. Stand by...

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Posted in: LGBT rights,marriage equality,Utah

Bulletin From Equality Utah

Equality Utah has posted some pointers on their Facebook page:

1. Bring cash to pay for your license to make it quicker. Price varies from county to county. It's $40 in Salt Lake County. 2. Time is of the essence, we don't know how much time we will have. County Clerks offices open at 8am Monday morning. 3. The district court will hear arguments about the State’s request for a stay on Monday at 9:00AM. The Tenth Circuit is likely to wait for the district court to rule, before considering the motion before it. 4. Worst case scenario we will only have 1 hour in which marriages can be performed by the respective county clerks. 5. We have confirmation that Salt Lake County & Weber County & Washington County Clerks will be open and ready to marry people exactly at 8am. 6. If you are denied in other counties, make sure that your form is filled out completely, date stamped, marked as denied by the county clerk.

Hit the link for much more.

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Posted in: LGBT rights,marriage equality,Utah

Where To Marry In Utah Today

As we awaiting this morning's hearing, the Salt Lake Tribune reports that gay couples camped out overnight outside the Salt Lake County clerk's office in order to get marriage licenses ahead of the ruling. Gay Salt Lake reports that several other Utah counties will be definitely be issuing licenses today: Cache County, Davis County, Grand County, Summit County, Washington County, and Weber County. It's unclear if other counties may hold off until the ruling is made.

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Posted in: LGBT rights,marriage equality,Utah

INDIA: Government Asks Supreme Court To Review Anti-Homosexuality Law

The Indian government yesterday petitioned the Supreme Court to review its decision to reinstate the criminalization of homosexuality.

The government asked the court to review its order saying it believed it "violated the principle of equality". There has been outrage over the ruling seen as a huge blow to gay rights. There have been street protests and many activists and even government ministers have criticised it. "The government has filed the review petition on Section 377 in the Supreme Court today. Let's hope the right to personal choices is preserved," Law Minister Kapil Sibal tweeted on Friday. In its petition filed in the Supreme Court, the government says "the position of the central government on this issue has been that the Delhi High Court verdict... is correct". The Supreme Court's earlier order was widely criticised in India. The president of the ruling Congress party Sonia Gandhi described it as "an archaic, unjust law" and Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the ruling had taken India "back to 1860".

Very encouraging.

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Posted in: homosexuality,India,LGBT rights

UTAH: Four Counties Refuse Gay Marriages

Four Utah counties refused to issue gay marriage licenses yesterday, including the clerk in Utah County, home to Provo. (And, NOT incidentally, Brigham Young University.)  Gay couples were also turned away in Weber, Washington, and Davis counties.

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Posted in: LGBT rights,marriage equality,Utah

NEW MEXICO: County Clerk Resigns Rather Than Issue Gay Marriage Licenses

Via the Associated Press:

Officials say a rural eastern New Mexico county clerk and her deputy have resigned rather than abide by a state Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage. Roosevelt County manager Charlene Webb says Clerk Donna Carpenter and Deputy Clerk Janet Collins announced their resignations Friday morning. Webb declined to say why they quit. But county commissioners confirmed it was in protest of Thursday's Supreme Court ruling that says it's unconstitutional to bar same-sex couples from getting marriage licenses. Commissioner Bill Cathey says the two had made it clear they would quit "rather than be associated with that."

Buh-bye.

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Posted in: LGBT rights,marriage equality,New Mexico

VIDEO: Utah's First Married Gay Couple

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Posted in: LGBT rights,marriage equality,Utah

Brian Brown Has The Utah Sadz

"This ruling is a travesty of justice. The voters of Utah made their will in this matter perfectly clear less than 10 years ago when adopting an amendment to the state constitution defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. This ruling should concern every American who cares about the rights of citizens and their involvement in determining the laws that govern us. This trend of vetoing the voters from the bench must be stopped. We appreciate Attorney General Tarbet's swift action in seeking a stay of this decision and his commitment to appeal the ruling to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. The rush to issue same-sex ‘marriage' licenses in Salt Lake County before the ink is even dry on Judge Shelby's decision is unseemly and an insult to the people. This is one of the most important issues facing the state and country. The constitution of the United States is not changed because a single judge says it should be. This critical matter needs to be considered by the higher courts immediately." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, who has the motherfucking sadz for the second time in 24 hours.

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Posted in: Brian Brown,HA HA HA,hate groups,LGBT rights,marriage equality,NOM,religion,The Sadz,Utah