Via JMG: KANSAS: "Little Apple" Gets LGBT Rights

With the backing of Kansas State University, the city commission of the small town of Manhattan, Kansas, known locally as the "Little Apple," has narrowly approved a sweeping LGBT rights ordinance by a vote of 3-2. The vote was hotly followed across major anti-gay websites as a possible harbinger of the continued march for equality out of the big cities and into the heartland.

The American Family Association laments:

In Manhattan, Kansas, city commissioners have passed a controversial "anti-discrimination" ordinance creating a special protected class for the sexually confused. The move has many Christian leaders dismayed at the direction of their rural Kansas town. Kansas Family Policy Council director Donna Lippoldt attended the meeting. She shares her reaction to the vote. "I don't think that the rest of the people in the state have any idea that they're sending their children to a university that has [endorsed] the gay agenda -- and [that] they just want more and more people to come who have this lifestyle," laments the family advocate. "It was very, very disappointing."

The virulently anti-gay Canada Free Press weighs in:

If you are simply shaking your head and giving thanks this debacle is not taking place in your town, be ready for a scary surprise in your morning paper. In April of 2010 Manhattan, Kansas, deep within the Bible Belt of the heartland, had its first gay pride parade. Then, by political fiat, the month of June was name by the Manhattan mayor pro tem as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. Now in December, three out of five liberal politicians, on behalf of a minority group with a political agenda, are about to create a liberal city ordinance more extreme than anything seen in San Francisco. This new ordinance will be used as a civil hammer to beat traditional values into submission, and the shock waves will be felt around the country. Toto, we are in a big fix, because Kansas is about to be no longer in Kansas anymore.

Welcome out of the woods, Little Apple.

Labels: AFA, education, Kansas, LGBT rights

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: It Gets Better: Karl Frisch in Washington, DC

Via JMG: Not Asking

Via JMG: Tom Brokaw: Networks Should Continue Giving Airtime To Anti-Gay Hate Groups

Speaking to the Advocate's Julie Bolcer, former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw said that networks should continue to give airtime to vicious anti-gay hate groups because that may spark outrage and create a national discussion.

"I don’t think you can shut down free speech,” he said. “We’re a free speech society. They’re entitled to their positions however wrong they may be. How do you begin to censor things?” Last month, Dan Savage of the It Gets Better campaign criticized CNN on air for interviewing antigay leaders such as Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled a hate group. He said the attention legitimized the idea that there are “two sides” to gay and lesbian issues.

Brokaw argued that coverage of antigay viewpoints serves a purpose in that it can generate the kind of outrage that prompts nationwide conversations. He said the issue reminded him of his earlier years reporting on the civil rights movement, although he declined to draw a direct comparison. “I was called a Communist, but there were people who used the n word and said, ‘It’ll never happen in my lifetime,’ and in some ways, that was useful, because the rest of the country saw how outrageous it was and how intolerant it was,” he said. Asked how antigay views should be presented, he said, “You just say that they’ve got strong opinions. You treat like them like anyone else. You cross-examine and ask them the right questions.”

This Friday, Brokaw will host a documentary on the USA network titled Bridging The Divide, in which will cover various civil rights issues including LGBT rights. The Advocate notes that Brokaw does not interview anti-gay groups in the documentary.

Labels: hate groups, journalism, LGBT rights, television

reposted from Joe

Want...

Via Huffington: Louis C.K. On Leno: Black People Get To Complain More (VIDEO)

Via Courage Campaign:

The so-called National Organization for Marriage has declared war on the judicial branch of America's government, in its neverending quest to shred the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection under the law.

First, NOM attacked Judge Vaughn Walker's perceived sexual orientation. Then they organized a judicial jihad in Iowa, abusing the purpose of a retention vote to force three state Supreme Court justices off the bench for their historic unanimous decision to allow same-sex marriage.

Now, in the last 96 hours, NOM mobilized 300,000 members to attack one of the three appeals court judges who will determine the fate of Prop 8. Prior to today's hearing before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the "Yes on 8" attorneys attempted to disqualify Judge Stephen Reinhardt from the case. The reason? His wife works for an organization that opposes Prop 8.

Their weak legal motion was immediately denied, but that didn't stop NOM from mobilizing their members to crush the Ninth Circuit's phone lines in an egregious attempt to bully the court, to no apparent end. As Adam Bink wrote Friday on Courage's Prop 8 Trial Tracker web site:

"If a judge is about to do something that NOM doesn't like, NOM will viciously attack the judge on any grounds it can find -- judicial independence be damned."

With NOM declaring war on the judicial branch, it's up to you to stop them. That's why we launched the Prop 8 Trial Tracker -- to hold NOM and the Yes on 8 attorneys accountable for their outrageous attempts to undermine the case against Prop 8. But without donations from people like you, the site would not exist. To keep coverage going, we need your help urgently. Please show your support by contributing $25, $50, $100 or more right now:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/ShowYourSupport

Today, the Prop 8 Trial Tracker is the eyes and ears of marriage equality supporters, with more than 3.7 million views and 84,000 comments and counting. If you haven't been reading Prop8TrialTracker.com on a daily basis, you've missed some amazing moments.

The best part might actually be what's happening in the comment threads of each Prop 8 Trial Tracker post. The relationships that have formed in the comments -- and the discussions and debates that have developed -- are sometimes quite moving and emotional. Two people even met on the site and have been dating ever since.

Meanwhile, NOM is spending $10 million a year attacking LGBT families, while cultivating the animus and isolation that leads to tragedies like the recent spate of LGBT teen suicides. Right now, even with the Prop 8 case potentially on its way to the Supreme Court, NOM is moving to roll back marriage equality in New Hampshire and other states.

We can't continue to hold NOM accountable and bring you breaking news on the Prop 8 case if we aren't able to cover the costs of the Prop 8 Trial Tracker. To continue our relentless coverage, we urgently need your financial support. Please show your support right now by making a tax-deductible contribution of $25, $50, $100 or more today:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/ShowYourSupport

Thank you so much for supporting our work to hold NOM accountable and bring the case against Prop 8 into the lives of Americans. We can't do it without you.

Rick Jacobs
Chair, Courage Campaign Institute

 

The Courage Campaign Institute is a part of the Courage Campaign's multi-issue online organizing network that empowers more than 700,000 grassroots and netroots supporters to push for progressive change and full equality in California and across the country.

To support the Prop 8 Trial Tracker, please chip in what you can today:

Help Overturn Prop. 8 When the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issues its ruling—which can happen at any time—we can expect the proponents of discrimination to use every tool in their arsenal to try to keep Prop. 8 on the books. Make a donation to help us prepare for the fight ahead. Today, the nation saw AFER’s stellar lead attorneys, Theodore B. Olson and David Boies, face off against the proponents of Prop. 8. As America watched live, our attorneys presented the eloquent and well-reasoned case for marriage equality. Meanwhile, the supporters of Prop. 8 relied on the same assertions, junk science and rhetoric that failed in the district court. Today was a great day for civil rights, but we aren’t done yet. We need your help to prepare for the fight ahead. When the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issues its ruling—which can happen at any time—we can expect the proponents of discrimination to use every tool in their arsenal to try to keep Prop. 8 on the books. They will stop at nothing to ensure that discrimination is enshrined in our Constitution. Make a donation so we can continue to make our case. Every day that Prop. 8 remains in effect is another day that harms loving couples, their families and the nation. We will not rest until all gay and lesbian Americans are afforded the equal rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution. Sincerely, Chad GriffinBoard President American Foundation for Equal Rights

Yes We Scan!

Paul Stanley Speaks out through NOH8 Campaign