Methodist Church Defrocks Unrepentant Pastor Who Officiated At Son's Wedding

Last month the United Methodist Church "convicted" a Pennsylvania minister of performing a same-sex wedding for his son. Yesterday they defrocked him for refusing to say that he'll never perform another gay wedding.

The fate of Reverend Frank Schaefer, pastor of the Zion United Methodist Church in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was decided by a United Methodist church board in a closed-door session in a church office located in a suburban Philadelphia office park. "He no longer holds the ministerial office in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference by virtue of his decision," Bishop Peggy Johnson said in a statement. Schaefer left the site without comment but scheduled a press conference for Thursday afternoon. Schaefer was defrocked less than a month after he was found guilty in a church trial of violating church law by performing the ceremony for his son, Tim, in 2007.

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Posted in: pennsylvania,religion,United Methodist Church

PENNSYLVANIA: State Demands To Know Sexual Histories Of Marriage Plaintiffs

Back in September, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett hired former state Supreme Court Justice William Lamb (left) to defend the state against a marriage equality lawsuit brought by the ACLU. This week Lamb filed a demand to know the sexual histories of the plaintiffs.

Attorneys defending Pennsylvania in a federal court challenge to the commonwealth's prohibition on same-sex marriage have asked for "irrelevant," highly private information about the plaintiffs, their lawyer said, including whether they engaged in previous heterosexual relationships and who the natural parents of their children are. Witold "Vic" Walczak, the legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, wrote in a letter to U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III Monday that the requests made as part of the ongoing federal lawsuit are beyond the scope of what is allowed in discovery and a violation of his clients' privacy rights.

Among the items requested, Mr. Walczak wrote in the letter, are documents showing "the natural parents" of both biological and adoptive children, which the lawyer noted would include any sperm donors; whether the plaintiffs were involved in any previous heterosexual relationships, and if so, the details of those; detailed information dating back 10 years for any other person with whom the plaintiffs resided; and the identification of "any and all health care providers from whom you have sought or received medical or psychological treatment or counseling for harm you have alleged to have suffered as a result of allegations" in the lawsuit.

Lamb  is earning $400/hour and members of his team will bill the state $325/hour each. The case is due to go to trial in June.

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Posted in: ACLU,lawsuits,marriage equality,pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA: Governor Tom Corbett Backs LGBT Anti-Discrimination Bill

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, who so far had been no friend to the gay community, has backed a bill that would protect LGBT residents from discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations.

Corbett, who has previously staked out conservative positions on social issues, told The Inquirer that he was "coming out in support" of the bill after learning that federal law does not cover discrimination in the state. "I've had people come and talk to me about how they were discriminated against," said Corbett, who served for eight years as the state's attorney general. "The federal government has antidiscrimination laws. I believed they covered it." Corbett's support of legislation that has languished in the General Assembly for a decade is viewed by many advocates as a major step forward on a civil rights issue. "This is remarkably big news," said Ted Martin, executive director of Equality Pennsylvania, a statewide gay rights advocacy group. "His leadership will move the issue forward in a way that is long overdue."

Corbett says he's has not changed his mind about same-sex marriage, which he infamously compared to incest during an interview earlier this year.

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Posted in: employment,GOP,housing,LGBT rights,pennsylvania,public accommodations,Tom Corbett

Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Clip recap: "As of this weekend, marriage equality has suddenly come to Australia -- but there's a catch. In fact, there are a lot of catches. Courts in Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and Utah could all be the first to rule on marriage in a post-DOMA world. And an equality lawsuit in Louisiana got knocked down, but not out."

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Posted in: AFER,marriage equality,pennsylvania,Utah

PA Catholic High School Fires Teacher After He Applies For A Marriage License

NBC Philadelphia reports:

High school teacher Michael Griffin was fired from his position at Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem on Friday after applying for a marriage license in New Jersey with his partner, a move that the school says “contradicts the terms of his teaching contract.” Griffin, an alumnus of the private all boys liberal arts Catholic high school, had taught Spanish and French at the school for the past 12 years. He first posted about his termination on Facebook Friday morning. “Today I applied for a marriage license since NJ now has marriage equality,” Griffin wrote. “After 12 years together I was excited to finally be able to marry my partner. Because of that, I was fired from Holy Ghost Preparatory School today. I am an alumnus of the school and have taught there for 12 years. I feel hurt, saddened, betrayed and except for this post, am at a loss for words.”

Griffin said that the school has long been aware of his relationship and that his partner has attended numerous school functions with him.

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Posted in: bigotry,Catholic Church,education,pennsylvania