You may recall Ted Cox, the straight, formerly Mormon, reporter who went undercover at an "ex-gay" conversion therapy retreats in two states. Cox was unable to tell his story because his publisher feared legal reprisals if Cox were to break the confidentiality agreement the "ex-gays" made him sign. This week Cox has broken the agreement in an interview with Alternet.| United States (US) | 1,187 |
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Last month we learned that Uganda, where being gay can already bring a life sentence, was considering a death penalty for homosexual acts in certain situations. The proposed new law is now before Uganda's parliament. Life imprisonment is the minimum punishment for anyone convicted of having gay sex, under an anti-homosexuality bill currently before Uganda's parliament. If the accused person is HIV positive or a serial offender, or a "person of authority" over the other partner, or if the "victim" is under 18, a conviction will result in the death penalty. Members of the public are obliged to report any homosexual activity to police with 24 hours or risk up to three years in jail – a scenario that human rights campaigners say will result in a witchhunt. Ugandans breaking the new law abroad will be subject to extradition requests. "The bill is haunting us," said Mugisha, 25, chairman of Sexual Minorities Uganda, a coalition of local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex groups that will all be banned under the law. "If this passes we will have to leave the country."The bill has been denounced by the Swedish government and by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has condemned the bill as well.
Labels: Christianists, hate groups, Martin SSempa, Rick Warren, The Family, Uganda
In an editorial published yesterday, the Los Angeles Times strongly condemned the anti-gay Manhattan Declaration, calling it "irresponsible and dangerous" and warning that the document may embolden anti-abortion terrorists.
The impression left is that the legal environment in which churches must operate is reminiscent of the Roman Empire that threw Christians to the lions. Never mind that advocates of same-sex civil marriage and legal abortion have made significant concessions to believers or that religious groups have recourse to courts, which have aggressively protected the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the 1st Amendment. In 1993, Congress passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, exempting believers in some cases from having to comply with applicable laws.Meanwhile Bill O'Reilly complains on Townhall that the "secular media" has given the Manhattan Declaration little attention and wonders "are people of faith as upset as some of their leadership with the secularism of America?"
This apocalyptic argument for lawbreaking is disingenuous, but it is also dangerous. Did the Roman Catholic bishops who signed the manifesto consider how their endorsement of lawbreaking in a higher cause might embolden the antiabortion terrorists they claim to condemn? Did they stop to think that, by reserving the right to resist laws they don't like, they forfeit the authority to intervene in the enactment of those laws, as they have done in the congressional debate over healthcare reform? They need to be reminded that this is a nation of laws, not of men -- even holy men.
Labels: abortion, Bill O'Reilly, LGBT rights, Los Angeles Times, Manhattan Declaration, religion
Started on 1st December 1988, World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. The World AIDS Day theme for 2009 is 'Universal Access and Human Rights'. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.This ESPN story is breaking all over the sporting news. 
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"If they were put in front of me I’d probably watch it." - Billy Arnone, the brother of Miss Ladyfingers USA, telling Radar Online that he'd watch her sex tape. What IS it with that family? (And note Billy's "Loose Lips" t-shirt.) He goes on to slam same-sex unions, saying, "I’m all the way against gay marriage. I don’t feel that it’s right that a man and a man should raise a kid. That’s just how I was raised and how Carrie was raised. We’ll stick by that ‘til the day we die." So hate IS a family value.Labels: Billy Arnone, bimbos, breast implants, Carrie Prejean, creepiness, ladyfingers, sex tape
