GOPers Talk 'Persecuted' Christians, Defying Supreme Court

The debate among four low-polling Republican candidates, derisively dubbed the “kids’ table” debate, didn’t have a lot to do with LGBT issues, but they did come up — specifically, marriage equality and the “religious freedom” of those who oppose it.

During questioning about how to balance national security needs with civil rights — the conversation turned on a Muslim teenager in Texas who was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to school, as his teachers thought it might be a bomb — Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal asserted that the greatest discrimination in the U.S. today is not against Muslims but Christians.

People who have a “traditional” view of marriage, like Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, are being persecuted, Jindal asserted. Davis was famously jailed for defying a court order to issue marriage licenses to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples. He also touted his signing of an executive order in Louisiana to protect people with such views from government-imposed penalties.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki, who supports marriage equality, responded that Davis’s religious views can’t take precedence over her oath of office as a public official  “I would have fired her,” Pataki asserted. (As an elected official, she would have to be impeached rather than fired, by the way.)

Jindal later piped up, “I’d like the left to give us a list of jobs that Christians are not allowed to have.”

Rick Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, noted his support for the First Amendment Defense Act, a piece of federal legislation that would prevent the government from imposing penalties on businesses and individuals who claim faith-based objections to certain laws.

He also said the Supreme Court’s marriage equality ruling was “unconstitutional” and that the nation needs a president who will resist such rulings. Pataki responded that he wouldn’t want a president who defies the Supreme Court, and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina noted that he learned his first day in law school that the Supreme Court’s job is to interpret laws. He said he didn’t agree with the ruling, but it is the law of the land.

Graham also used the discussion to turn to something he cited several times in the debate, the need to defeat “radical Islam” in the form of ISIS and others. “Whether you’re the cake baker, the gay couple, or the Baptist preacher, radical Islam will kill you all,” he said.

The debate aired on CNN from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. It’s being followed by a debate among the 11 higher-polling candidates. Pictured, from left: Pataki, Santorum, Jindal, and Graham.

Trudy Ring

www.advocate.com/election/2015/9/16/gopers-talk-persecuted-christians-defying-supreme-court

Mike Huckabee On Kim Davis Case: Ignore Supreme Court Rulings

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said the U.S. Supreme Court crossed a line when it “decided out of thin air” to legalize same-sex marriage, and he vowed to stand by Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who went to jail this month for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Huckabee compared the treatment of Davis to the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the 2013 shooter at Fort Hood, who was allowed to grow a beard while in prison because of his Muslim faith. He said the government made accommodations for their religious faith, but not for Davis when she refused to issue marriage licenses.

“You’re telling me that we cannot make an accommodation for an elected Democrat county clerk from Rowan County, Kentucky?” Huckabee asked. “What else is it other than the criminalization of her faith and the exaltation of the faith of everyone else who might be a Fort Hood shooter or a detainee at GITMO.”

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush pointed out that Davis was sworn to uphold the law as a county clerk, so if she can’t do that, she might need to find another job.

“You can’t just say, ‘Well, the gays can’t get married now,'” Bush said. “If she, based on her conscience, can’t sign that marriage license, then there should be someone in her office to be able to do it.”

Read the latest updates on the GOP debate here.

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Mike Huckabee Defends Anti-Gay Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis at GOP Debate: WATCH

Mike Huckabee was asked if Jeb Bush was on the wrong side of the debate over the jailing of Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis and the “criminalization of Christianity.”

Huckabee, who stood by Davis at a rally when she was freed from the clink, had this to say:

“We made accommodations to the Fort Hood shooter, to let him grow a beard. We made accommodations to the detainees at Gitmo. I’ve been to Gitmo and I’ve seen the accommodations that we made to the Muslim detainees who killed Americans. You’re telling me that you cannot make an accommodation for an elected Democrat county clerk from Rowan County, Kentucky? What else is it other than the criminalization of her faith and the exaltation of everyone else who might be a Fort Hood shooter or a detainee at Gitmo?”

Watch:

The post Mike Huckabee Defends Anti-Gay Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis at GOP Debate: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Andy Towle

Mike Huckabee Defends Anti-Gay Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis at GOP Debate: WATCH

Former Josh Duggar Employer Honoring Kim Davis

Kim Davis, the antigay Rowan County, Ky. clerk who recently served jail time for repeatedly refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, will be awarded the “Cost of Discipleship” award at the Values Voter Summit later this month, Christian Post reports. 

The award is being presented by none other than the Family Research Council, which recently came under the national spotlight as the employer of Josh Duggar, who resigned in May after it was discovered he once sexually abused young girls, including some of his sisters (he was also revealed to be a client of Ashley Madison, a site for married men seeking affairs). 

FRC President Tony Perkins told the Christian Post, “We are pleased to announce that Kim Davis will be honored at this year’s Values Voter Summit. After meeting with her last week, I can tell you that Kim Davis wasn’t looking for this fight, but she is not running from it either.” 

Last year, the Values Voter Summit invited Melissa Klein, the antigay baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple in 2013, to be a guest speaker. Klein raised a record amount of money from supporters and antigay organizations last year.

“What militant secularists are almost certainly afraid of is what is coming to pass,” Perkins said. “When other people might have cowered in fear, Kim took a stand. And today, millions of Americans stand with her and for the religious freedom upon which our nation was founded.” 

Alexander Cheves

www.advocate.com/religion/2015/9/16/former-josh-duggar-employer-honoring-kim-davis

GOP Candidates Say Jailing Of Kim Davis Is Worse Than Ahmed Mohamed's Arrest

The GOP candidates sidestepped a question during Wednesday night’s undercard debate about Ahmed Mohamed, the 14-year-old Dallas boy who was arrested for building a clock that police assumed was a hoax bomb.

Instead, the candidates said it was far more concerning that Kentucky clerk Kim Davis had been briefly jailed for refusing to sign certificates for gay couples seeking to get married. 

“Right now, the biggest discrimination going on is against Christian business owners and individuals who believe in traditional forms of marriage,” said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. “They are throwing this woman in jail in Kentucky. Let’s talk about that.”

And so, they talked about it.

“Kim Davis, I’m not worried about her attacking me,” said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, “I am worried about radical Islamic terrorists who are already here planning another 9/11. We are at war, folks.”

Former New York Gov. George Pataki then jumped in to make the case that Davis did deserve to be fired for refusing to implement the law. But the broadcast soon cut to a commercial break.

Heading into the debate, there was curiosity about how the candidates would address Mohamed’s controversial arrest earlier in the week. The Dallas student appears to have been accused of making a bomb largely on the basis of his ethnicity. Sympathy poured in for Mohamed as the news of his arrest circulated, and President Barack Obama even invited him to the White House to participate in a science fair.

The initial question about Mohamed asked candidates how they would to strike a balance between vigilance and discrimination.

“Americans don’t discriminate against anyone based on the color of their skin,” Jindal said.

After moderator Jake Tapper pressed him on whether he believed there was discrimination in the U.S., the Louisiana governor backed down slightly.

“I don’t think a 14-year-old should ever get arrested for bringing a clock to school,” he conceded.

Also on HuffPost:

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HRC calls on Pope Francis to welcome LGBTI people back to Catholic Church

Pope Francis is beginning his long-awaited visit to the United States next week and the Human Rights Campaign will be trying to get his attention.

In anticipation of the Pope’s visit, HRC on Wednesday (15 September) released polling data showing that Catholic voters in the U.S. are more supportive of LGBTI equality than the nation’s voters as a whole.

HRC also wants to draw attention to the discrimination being faced by LGBTI Catholics in the US. They will hang a banner on its Washington headquarters that is within view of the Cathedral of St. Matthew where Francis will pray with Bishops next week.

The banner reads: ‘We Are Your Children, Your Teachers, Your Faithful. Welcomed by God. Dismissed By Our Bishops. Pope Francis, Will You Welcome Us Home?’

HRC President Chad Griffin points out that many in the LGBTI community are being fired from their jobs at Catholic schools and being shunned by their church communities.

‘ … While we join in welcoming the Pope to the United States, we will also be urging him to continue to move toward greater acceptance and embrace of members of our community who are longing to hear that their Church welcomes them – and their families–fully. We are all God’s children,’ Griffin states.

The post HRC calls on Pope Francis to welcome LGBTI people back to Catholic Church appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/hrc-calls-on-pope-francis-to-welcome-lgbti-people-back-to-catholic-church/

These Two Gay Men With Their Unwanted Advice Are Trying To Ruin It For Everyone

You’re just minding your own business, trying to have a private chat over lunch or maybe you’re walking your dog in the park or spotting a friend with weights at the gym or perhaps you’ve found a scenic spot to take a few selfies and there they are: the Disgustings. They’ll come along and interrupt your day to offer their unsolicited advice because they know everything. They are the smartest gay guys you’d ever want to meet and they want everyone to know their brand of happiness.

Related: Are These Two The Most Disgusting Gays Imaginable?

In this case, they’re a pair of know-it-alls played with knowing authenticity by brilliantly-gifted comic performers Drew Droege and Jordan Firstman, who have collaborated with Gawker and the Hulu show Difficult People to create the second video in what we hope becomes a long-running series.

Get disgusted by watching “Save the Date” below.

Jeremy Kinser

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George Pataki: I Would Have Fired Kim Davis If She Worked For Me – VIDEO

As expected, the Kim Davis drama was brought up at the Republican Party presidential debate tonight, with the responses differing wildly among the GOP “kids’s table” participants.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said discrimination against anti-gay Christians was the biggest form of discrimination facing America today. Sen. Lindsey Graham said, unlike radical Islamic terrorists, he’s not worried about Kim Davis attacking him.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki, who agreed that the Kentucky clerk was “different from Islamic radicals in the Middle East,” had the strongest condemnation of Davis on the panel, saying:

“An elected official can’t say ‘I’m not going to follow that law if it conflicts with my beliefs.’ I think she should have been fired and if she had worked for me I would have fired her.”

Pataki went on to make a well-reasoned point:

There is a place where the religion supersedes the rule of law. It’s called Iran. It shouldn’t be the United States.

You can watch a live stream of the debate here (no cable subscription required).

The post George Pataki: I Would Have Fired Kim Davis If She Worked For Me – VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

Kyler Geoffroy

George Pataki: I Would Have Fired Kim Davis If She Worked For Me – VIDEO

Comedians Build Gay Bar on Russian Soil (Sort Of)

Two Swedish comedians are taking a stand-up against antigay Russian legislation.

Simon Gardenfors and Frej Larsson constructed a makeshift gay bar in a Russian-owned area of Finland last weekend, reports the Associated Press.

Located near the village of Saltvik by the Baltic Sea, the building is inspired by the Blue Oyster Bar, a fictional gay bar from the 1984 film Police Academy (see below).

The goal, says the comedians, is to protest Russia’s so-called “gay propaganda” laws, which prohibit public LGBT demonstrations.

Larsson and Gardenfors are also known internationally as musicians, as they rap together in the group Far & Son.

The local Russian consul has filed a complaint with local authorities, who are investigating what they term “some kind of construction.”

Daniel Reynolds

www.advocate.com/comedy/2015/9/16/comedians-build-gay-bar-russian-soil-sort

Farrah Fawcett-Majors Made Me Realize I'm Super Gay

I was eleven years old and I was with my Aunt Marge in Billings, Montana. It was the summer of 1976.

Aunt Marge had made some amazing lemonade and she handed me a cold glass. As we drank, she ran her fingers over my brand new iron-on T-shirt.

“I like her a lot,” she said, taking a sip from her drink and flinging the condensation onto the lush grass.

I nodded to her. “So do I.”

“Where did you find it?” she asked. She was referring, of course, to the iron-on of Farrah Fawcett-Majors I was wearing.

“At the mall,” I said.

“It’s neat,” she said.

Later that day a storm arrived. In Montana, storms don’t arrive. They come pissed off. I was terrified. All I could think of was the scene in The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy keep kicking at the cellar door and couldn’t get in.

I yelped to Aunt Marge. She looked up from her knitting and said, “But it’s only a small storm, dear.” I implored her to please take me to the cellar. Please, please, please.

Hand in hand, we went to the cellar. I clutched her as the wind howled. I gritted my teeth and clenched my toes as Aunt Marge knitted by the amber light from four kerosene lamps.

Years later, I would tell this true story to my therapist in Boston. He was a slender man who smelled like he had run through the gauntlet of perfumes sprayed upon hapless shoppers who are dumb enough to pass by the perfume counter at Macy’s in Herald Square in Manhattan.

He wore silk shirts and had gold chains around his wrist and neck. When he talked, he always hit the ‘s’ in every word, sounding like an exhausted snake stretching it’s long body in the summer sun.

I told him the Montana story. He hesitated and looked out of the nearby window. On the windows ledge was a very nice bouquet of fresh lavender.

“Your issue is internal homophobia,” he said as he plucked an invisible piece of lint from his designer sleeve.

“No, it’s not,” I said, feeling itchy and annoyed.

“If you’re at a party with a bunch of people, and they’re talking about their childhoods, do you tell them that from the ages of 11 to 16 you only wore T-shirts with Barry Manilow, Olivia Newton-John, Barbara Streisand and Farrah Fawcett on them?”

“Farrah Fawcett-Majors. Why would I tell them that?”

“You know why.”

“What’s past is past.”

My very gay therapist stared at me for a while. Finally he said, “You can be super smart and insightful and gay, you know. Oh! Our time is up. Have a check for me?”

I didn’t need to run to the library to find the definition of internal homophobia: I was ashamed of being gay.

Ashamed? Me? No way. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized my uber gay shrink might have a point.

I always told people I didn’t know I was gay as a kid. But there it was, a photo of me, at 12, wearing a Farrah Fawcett-Majors T-shirt. In Montana.

No 12-year-old heterosexual boy would do that. Ever. They also wouldn’t say to people “Her proper name is Farrah Fawcett-Majors. She married the Six Million Dollar Man in 1973 and she adopted his name thereafter. So her proper name is Farrah Fawcett-Majors, not Farrah Fawcett.”

And I wondered why the only people who came to my 12th birthday party was a girl named Patty Snyder who ate her hair, and a boy named Steve Parker who was so fat that my mom was told to hide my birthday cake from him. “I don’t want to be the one blamed for Steve’s childhood diabetes, thank you very much Creepy Kid” she said to me.

Right now in my bedroom is a Farrah Fawcett-Majors poster, as well as an Olivia Newton-John poster. I’m writing this post listening to Donna Summer. If there were a fire and the firemen where to break down my door (I’d be so lucky) and empty out my closets in search of the origin of the fire, they’d find a box filled with four wigs, seven Barbie’s, a stack of old Barbara Streisand records and a few dozen, tiny disco balls. They light up.

My internal homophobia has been with me for years. I privately thought that men who sounded super gay, or women who looked super gay, were less than. Less smart or less capable or less something.

I was clearly including myself in that bunch, and now I’ve come to see that the only shame heaped upon me about being fabulously gay came from me, me and me.

I still have to bite my tongue when I see gay guys trying to act super masculine. I’m still ashamed of gay sex sometimes, which is why I obsess over diseases. I hear some gay men say, “If I wanted to have sex with a woman, I’d have sex with a woman. I want sex with a man” and I want to say something, but I don’t. Instead, I go home thinking, “They want to act like they drive a tractor, and I want to go find a new pair of bright, purple socks. Cool.”

Of course, the big take away is loving who we are and not waiting for anyone’s validation is the trick. Funny thing is when we do that, people flock to us like a fabulous moth to an amber flame.

Okay, gotta run. Logan’s Run is on TV. Farrah Fawcett-Majors hair was perfect in that movie.

Oh, is that too gay of me to say?

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