Rep. Jason Chaffetz Announces Bid for House Speaker: WATCH

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) announced he’d like to be House Speaker in a FOX News Sunday interview:

“Kevin McCarthy is a good man.  He’s a big reason why we have such a solid majority. But things have changed and there’s really a math problem.  You need 218 votes on the floor of the House.  There’s 246 Republicans that will vote, but there are nearly 50 people and a growing number that will not and cannot vote for Kevin McCarthy as the speaker on the floor.  He’s going to fall short of the 218 votes on the floor of House. “

RELATED: Rachel Maddow on Kevin McCarthy, Benghazi, and the Terrifying Thought of Him as Speaker: WATCH

Added Chaffetz:

 “I think the American public wants to see a change.  They want a fresh start. There’s a reason why we see this phenomenon across the country, and you don’t just give an automatic promotion to the existing leadership team.  That doesn’t signal change.  I think they want a fresh face and fresh new person who is actually there at the leadership table in the speaker’s role. You’ve got to speak, you’ve got to be able to articulate the Republican message to the American people and take that fight to the president, but you also have to bridge internally.”

Watch the interview:

Towleroad readers know Chaffetz for the anti-gay positions he has taken.

In 2010 he introduced an unsuccessful bill to try to overturn marriage equality  in Washington D.C.

In 2013, when asked about Senator Rob Portman’s reversal on marriage equality and his gay son, Chaffetz said that even if he had a gay son he still would not support marriage equality.

Chaffetz was in the news this week for his ugly grilling of Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards.

If you haven’t seen it yet, watch this clip of Richards shutting down Chaffetz over an abortion chart that was sourced from an anti-abortion group Americans United for Life:

The post Rep. Jason Chaffetz Announces Bid for House Speaker: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Andy Towle

Rep. Jason Chaffetz Announces Bid for House Speaker: WATCH

LGBT Supporters, Opponents Gather for Catholic Bishops' Meeting

As LGBT Catholics and their supporters wind down from Pope Francis’s visit to the United States, with questions about the nature of his meeting with Kim Davis, the news that he met with a gay couple, and the Church’s recent announcent that it fired a high-ranking priest who came out, they’re gearing up for another major event in the Roman Catholic Church.

The Synod of Bishops on the Family will convene Sunday at the Vatican, with bishops from around the world meeting to discuss a variety of issues related to the family, including divorce, remarriage, and birth control as well as LGBT issues. It will continue through October 25.

It’s the second of two such meetings the pope has called. The first one, held last fall, ended in disappointment for supporters of LGBT equality, as the document that came out of the session contained supportive language as a work in progress but not in its final form.

A working paper that is supposed to guide discussion at the meeting didn’t offer much encouragement when it was released in June, saying that LGBT Catholics deserve respect and support but going no further, certainly not challenging the church’s opposition to same-sex relationships. But LGBT activists are already on the ground in Rome and hoping to influence the synod’s outcome.

The Global Network of Rainbow Catholics, a coalition of LGBT and supportive groups that grew out of last year’s synod, is holding its first meeting, with the theme “LGBT Voices to the Synod.” It opened Thursday and continues through Sunday. At the end, it will have “a statement of pastoral concerns to be sent to the Vatican and to all the bishop participants in the synod,” according to a blog post from New Ways Ministry, one of two U.S. groups in the coalition, the other being DignityUSA.

The coalition has also organized a Saturday afternoon meeting called “Ways of Love: Snapshots of Catholic Encounter With LGBT People and Their Families,” devoted to the presentation of case histories of inclusive treatment of LGBT people by Catholic clergy and laity. The session will include an interview of former Irish President Mary McAleese, who is the mother of a gay son and an equality supporter, by journalist Robert Mickens. It will close with an address by Mexican Bishop Raùl Vera, known for his supportive approach to LGBT Catholics.

Of course, groups that endorse church doctrine on homosexuality — that celibacy is the only acceptable choice for gay people — will make their voices heard as well. A conference titled “Living the Truth in Love,” sponsored by Courage, a support group for celibate gay Catholics, and organizations with similar views, met Friday in Rome.

This all sets the stage for the bishops to engage in extensive debate on the status of LGBT Catholics, as Religion News Service observed. Andrea Rubera, president of Nuova Proposta, an Italian group that’s part of the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics, told the service he has suggestions for the bishops but is keeping his expectations realistic.

Rubera, a gay man who is the father of three, said LGBT people and their families could contribute much to the church, given the right circumstances. “If we keep having a dialogue based only on an ideological basis, we will never get anywhere,” he said. “We have to meet and create a dialogue on a human basis. … We have to meet real people, real lives, real histories.”

But he doesn’t look for the church to change right away. “If I have to be pragmatic, I think that nothing of what I mentioned will come out from this synod,” he told the news service. “I hope that the synod will be a step forward regarding what they finally produced last year, which was more or less nothing.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trudy Ring

www.advocate.com/religion/2015/10/03/lgbt-supporters-opponents-gather-catholic-bishops-meeting

Hillary Rodham Clinton Speaks to 'Human Rights Campaign': HRC to HRC
Hillary Clinton delivered a passionate speech to members of the LGBT community at a breakfast hosted by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). HRC is the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization in the forefront of every fight for the rights of the LGBT community. They have at times been attacked for their lack of diversity and sometimes seem to have had a hard time moving on from the days when they were known as HRCF, nicknamed the Human Rights Champagne Fund. But the reality is running a major organization like HRC takes a lot of money and rich people with money in our society are still too often mostly white and male.

The organization has been making needed strides to become more diverse and we as a community need HRC to be strong and successful. Marriage-equality is now a reality and HRC is leading the fight for a comprehensive civil rights bill. They have undertaken a southern strategy and a global strategy to help members of the LGBT community here and around the world.

Chad Griffin, President of HRC, introduced Hillary reminding everyone he has known her from their days in Arkansas. He shared some slides of him as a teenager with Hillary and quipped Hillary was the ‘first HRC he worked for’. Hillary began her speech saying “Hello, Human Rights Campaign! It’s great to be back with the HRC. There’s no one I’d rather share my initials with than you.”

From there the speech turned serious as she passionately described her commitment to the human rights of all people and reiterated the statement she made as Secretary of State in Geneva on Human Rights Day in 2011 declaring to the world “gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.” She spoke of where we are as a community and pledged to work with us to protect the rights the LGBT community has already won and fight with us until we secure all our rights.

As we in our own community strive to be more inclusive it was encouraging to hear Clinton speak of the need for inclusiveness in government, the military and society as a whole. Anyone who has followed her career from her days at the Children’s Defense Fund knows she has spent her life fighting for civil and human rights for people around the world including African Americans, women, and LGBT people. She received one of her loudest ovations when she said, “I’ve been fighting alongside you and others for equal rights – and I’m just getting warmed up.”

Clinton struck a chord when she said “Don’t ask, don’t tell is over – but 14,000 men and women were forced out of the military for being gay, some long before ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ even existed. Many were given less than honorable discharges. I can’t think of a better way to thank those men and women for their service than by upgrading their service records, and making sure they get the honorable discharge they deserve.” She spoke of transgender people and said banning them from serving “is an outdated rule – especially since you and I know that there are transgender people in uniform right now.” Adding ” Now we pride ourselves on having the world’s best military – but being the best doesn’t just mean having the best-trained forces or biggest arsenal. It also means being a leader on issues like this – on who we respect enough to let serve with dignity as themselves.”

Clinton spoke from the heart when she said “I’m really here to say thank you for your hard work and your courage. And for insisting that what’s right is right. You’ve helped change a lot of minds, including mine. And I am personally very grateful for that.” She went on to say “There are still public officials doing everything in their power to interfere with your rights. There are still too many places where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans are targeted for harassment and violence. There are still too many young people out there feeling hopeless and alone. Now we assure them that “it gets better” – but it can still be really hard to believe that. Especially when you turn on the TV and you see a Republican candidate for President literally standing in the courthouse door in Kentucky, calling for people to join him in resisting a Supreme Court ruling, celebrating a county clerk who’s breaking the law by denying other Americans their constitutional rights.” Clinton added “I see the injustices and the dangers that you and your families still face. And I’m running for President to end them once and for all.”

She spoke of fighting for national healthcare and ensuring affordable drugs for HIV/AIDS patients. She said “The stakes in this election are high for the country. We have got to stay focused, stay united. You deserve a President who will bring people together – who won’t leave anyone behind. I’m fighting for an America where, if you do your part, you do reap the rewards. Where we don’t leave anyone out. Where you can pursue your dreams however you define them. That’s what I’m fighting for. And I’m proud to be fighting right alongside you.”

This was the most heartfelt and passionate speech many ever heard Clinton make on LGBT rights. It was received with thunderous applause and appreciation.

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Pope Francis opens bishop synod with speech suggesting the Vatican won’t budge on LGBTI inclusiveness

Pope Francis opened the bishop’s synod today (Sunday October 4) in Vatican City to discuss the Catholic church’s approach to family issues.

It was hoped the discussion would result in the church taking a more progressive approach to LGBTI catholics.

Those who hoped this may find themselves disappointed: in his opening speech, he dedicated much time to praising the makeup of the heterosexual family.

‘This is God’s dream for his beloved creation: to see it fulfilled in the loving union between a man and a woman, rejoicing in their shared journey, fruitful in their mutual gift of self,’ he said.

He put the importance of procreation at the center of family discussion, but Dr Richard O’Leary of Faith in Marriage Equality says this is not the approach the Catholic church should take.

‘Marriage is not primarily about procreation but about love and commitment and these qualities are also evident in same sex relationships,’ he said.

The synod will continue until October 25, during which the delegates, who come from around the world, will discuss such family-oriented topics as family planning, divorce and LGBTI inclusion.

A similar report from June was not encouraging. It said the church should be understanding of LGBTI followers, but went no further.

The Vatican is currently reeling from the controversial coming out of a senior priest on Saturday.

The Polish priest Father Krysztof Olaf Charamsa told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera it’s time the church ‘opened its eyes’ to its gay followers.

The same day, Charamsa was sacked from his post at the Holy Office and as a teacher at church-affliated universities.

A case was made however he was fired for having a partner, though priests – gay or straight – vow to be single.

The post Pope Francis opens bishop synod with speech suggesting the Vatican won’t budge on LGBTI inclusiveness appeared first on Gay Star News.

Jack Flanagan

www.gaystarnews.com/article/pope-francis-opens-bishop-synod-with-speech-suggesting-the-vatican-wont-budge-on-lgbti-inclusiveness/

Pope Francis, Kim Davis Join Miley Cyrus And Other Controversial Newsmakers For SNL Opener

As pansexual pop star Miley Cyrus opened the 41st season of NBC’s Saturday Night Live with a rendition of the standard “My Way,” an array of the past summer’s most controversial — and in some cases, widely-despised — figures joined her onstage to hopefully bid adieu not only to summer but to headlining news stories. Among them are such trifles as the beef between rappers Drake and Meek Mill, Ariana Grande’s “Donutgate,” and Lenny Kravtz’ wardrobe malfunction to the more perplexing like transracial poster girl Rachel Dolezal (where’s she been, btw?) to the deadly serious such as Walter Palmer, the big game-hunting dentist, as well as Pope Francis and his antigay pal Kim Davis. As much as we wish it weren’t true, our intuition tells us we haven’t heard the end of those last two.

Watch these folks take what we hope are their final bows below.

Jeremy Kinser

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/pgWReLL6mwk/pope-francis-kim-davis-join-miley-cyrus-and-other-controversial-newsmakers-for-snl-opener-20151004

Judges in 9 of 67 Alabama Counties Won’t Issue Marriage Licenses to Anyone, Just to Avoid Gays

Judges in nine of Alabama’s 67 counties are using a forgotten segregation-era law to undermine the authority of the Supreme Court and deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples by refusing to issue any marriage licenses at all.

Judges are using the 54-year-old law, which made it optional for counties to issue marriage licenses to interracial couples during segregation, citing language that says probate courts “may” issue a marriage license instead of “shall,” the AP reports.

As many as 78,000 Alabama couples live in an area where they can’t obtain a license, forcing many to travel out of their way to a county that will issue them.

Currently no one has thrown a lawsuit at the judges denying licenses. Former Alabama Gov. Albert Brewer, who was a House member back in 1961 when the law in question was passed, reiterated that the law’s language is what allows the rebellious judges to apply it to same-sex marriage:

“Certainly they were talking about miscegenation at the time…There’s a big difference between ‘may’ and ‘shall.’”

Anti-gay Alabama officials have repeatedly attempted to undermine the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision, even pursuing a bill that would’ve prevented the entire state of Alabama from issuing marriage licenses to anyone. Fortunately, the bill failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds house vote. However, Alabama probate judges, like Washington County’s Nick Williams, are refusing to budge, stating that their religious beliefs are being violated, in the vein of Rowan, Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis.

The post Judges in 9 of 67 Alabama Counties Won’t Issue Marriage Licenses to Anyone, Just to Avoid Gays appeared first on Towleroad.

Anthony Costello

Judges in 9 of 67 Alabama Counties Won’t Issue Marriage Licenses to Anyone, Just to Avoid Gays

At Synod Opening Pope Francis Reminds Everyone That The Catholic Church Is Against Gay Marriage

Pope Francis on Sunday reaffirmed Catholic opposition to gay marriage as he opened a three-week gathering of bishops from around the world but said the Church had to show love and understanding towards all.

Francis presided at a solemn Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica to open the meeting, known as a synod, on the theme of the family in the modern world.

But the run-up to the synod, attended by some 300 bishops and other delegates, has been dominated by gay issues.

On the eve of the gathering, the Vatican dismissed a Polish priest from his Holy See job after he came out as gay and called for changes in Catholic teachings against homosexual activity.

Conservative Catholics held a conference in Rome just before the synod started on how homosexuals can live by Church’s rules that they should be chaste while Catholic gay activists held another demanding full acceptance of active gays in the Church.

Francis dedicated one third of his homily to the topic of love between man and woman and its role in procreation.

“This is God’s dream for his beloved creation: to see it fulfilled in the loving union between a man and a woman, rejoicing in their shared journey, fruitful in their mutual gift of self,” he said.

He also spoke of the “true meaning of the couple and of human sexuality in God’s plan,” a clear reference to heterosexual marriage.

But Francis also stressed that the Church must be more welcoming, charitable, compassionate and merciful to all people, particularly those whose lives have been wounded and who those find it difficult to adhere to all of the Church’s regulations.

The leader of the 1.2 billion member Church said the person “who falls or errs must be understood and loved.”

“The Church must search out these persons, welcome and accompany them, for a Church with closed doors betrays herself and her mission, and, instead of being a bridge, becomes a roadblock,” he said.

In its explanation of the firing of the Polish monsignor on Saturday, the Vatican said his very public coming out was intended to put undue media pressure on the synod on gay issues, which are expected to be only a small part of the bishops’ discussions.

The story made the front page of nearly all Italian newspapers, with one headline calling it “An Earthquake in the Vatican”.

At a preliminary synod last year, bishops watered down a initial statement that was seen as a major change of tone toward homosexuals. That statement spoke of “gifts and qualities” of homosexuals but was changed after a backlash by conservatives.

One key topic at the synod will be how to reach out to Catholics who have divorced and remarried in civil ceremonies.

They are considered by the Church to be still married to their first spouse and living in a state of sin. Some bishops want a change to the rules that bars them from receiving sacraments such as communion.

Last month, Francis made it simpler and swifter for Catholics to secure a marriage annulment, the most radical such reform for 250 years, and told bishops to be more welcoming to divorced couples.

(Reporting By Philip Pullella. Editing by Jane Merriman)

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HRC Celebrates Another Historic National Dinner

This weekend, HRC celebrated another exciting National Dinner in Washington, D.C.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/hrc-celebrates-another-historic-national-dinner?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Guys Reveal What It’s Like To Be ‘Gay For Pay’

Capitalism has some strange outcomes.

Destroying the planet and suppressing the poor aside, many guys have realized they can earn money — even build a career — by tapping into the gay market — all it takes is a little emotional detachment. Easy!

Below, guys let off a little built up tension at their gay-for-pay lifestyles on Whisper. Maybe you’ve seen some of their work:

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/xP663GleUOA/guys-reveal-what-its-like-to-be-gay-for-pay-20151004

Apple CEO Tim Cook Tells HRC That the Fight to End Discrimination is Not Over: WATCH

Apple CEO Tim Cook received the Visibility Award from the Human Rights Campaign.

“I love to see the iPhones,” Cook smiled, striding to the podium.

Cook then talked about coming out last year, in an article he wrote for Bloomberg Businessweek.

“I did not do it for attention. I’m a private person by nature. Growing up I was taught that you distinguish yourself in life by what you do, not by what you say or how loudly you say it, but sometimes you just have to be loud. Because people need to hear that being gay is not a limitation. People need to hear that being gay doesn’t restrict your options in life. People need to hear that you can be gay or transgender and be whatever else you want to in life – a CEO or a senator, an olympic athlete, an awarding actor or actress, and amazing husband, wife, father, or mother.”

RELATED: Apple CEO Tim Cook: ‘I Consider Being Gay Among The Greatest Gifts God Has Given Me’

Cook went on to blast discrimination and the homophobia that still harms gay and questioning youth:

“Thirty-one states, more than half the stars on our American flag, have no laws to protect gay and transgender people from discrimination. No state legal protection from being fired or evicted because of who you are or who you love. That day is not here yet because kids are still being told they’ll never amount to anything, or get sent to reparative therapy for a cure, or get bullied to the brink of suicide, or get pushed into believing they’re somehow defective when they’re just the way that God made them. That day is not here yet when some people claim exemption from what’s written in the constitution that no state shall deny Americans the equal protection of the laws. That day is not here.”

Watch:

The post Apple CEO Tim Cook Tells HRC That the Fight to End Discrimination is Not Over: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Andy Towle

Apple CEO Tim Cook Tells HRC That the Fight to End Discrimination is Not Over: WATCH