This week was as strange as the last one, but not quite as long, if only because I'm trying an experiment by posting the round-up earlier on Friday in order to see if it ends up getting read by more people. For me it started off last weekend, after the last round-up, with a look at gay sex in the animal kingdom, while the conversation over what rights same-sex couples should not have (or what rights unmarried straight couple should have) raged on. Probably the strangest thing is the charges of "gay chauvinism" and comparisons of gay activists to the segregationists of old. The theory -- which sick of it all mentioned earlier -- is that the purpose of marriage is gender integration, and that homosexuality is gender-exclusive while heterosexuality is gender-inclusive. Thus, my sexual orientation, paired with my advocacy on gay issues, puts me on par with Bull Connor, among others.
I said it was strange. I didn't say it made sense. Any way, since my carpal tunnel is flaring up today, I'm gonna keep this short and get right into the week just passed.
- Let's just jump right into the strangeness, shall we? A couple of weeks ago we had a Christian Coalition leader in Oregon confessing to molesting his own children. This week via (Queerty) we've got an evangelist's son arrested for child pornography. If you ask me, there's a story there, beyond downloading kiddy porn on your dad's computer, but related to it.
- Jethro6355 notes evidence of conservatives' ongoing obsession with animal sex, particularly with canines, whenever the subject of same-sex marriage comes up.
- And as long as we're all into the strangeness, how about the Tennessee judge who blamed his corruption (to tune of tens of thousands of dollars in extortion money) on stress due to his wife's lesbian affair.
- Stranger still is the Texas minister who raped a woman in order to rid her of a "lesbian demon." I have now officially heard it all.
- Next to that, the news that Minneapolis had until recently employed a psychologist with ties to an anti-gay organization to screen prospective police officers seems almost benign.
- Speaking of demons, it appears that U.S. Marines have been forcing Saddam Hussein to watch South Park - Bigger, Longer & Uncut while in custody. My only question is why it took them so long to think of it.
- Good As You notes that WorldNetDaily has a strange take on California's law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.
- Not to be outdone, NARTH endorses letting gender non-conforming youth be taunted and harassed in school, in order to "re-establish boundaries." Why does that sound like a fancy justification for bullying? Why am I surprised when these people openly endorse bullying?
- Speaking of gender variance and the scorn heaped upon people who don't quite toe the line in that regard, Dunner has some interesting comments about gay men who are less than supportive of transgender issues and alternate forms of gender expression. He also points to this San Francisco Chronicle piece about the gender atypical youth NARTH thinks could benefit from some old-fashioned bullying and schoolyard taunts.
- NARTH may think picking on gender variant youth is a form of therapy, but the openly gay mayor of Palm Springs, CA, hopes outraged citizen's won't meet the "Love Won Out" conference with taunts and picket signs when it comes to their city. Instead he recommends presenting them with "positive role models" from the gay community.
- Speaking of positive role models, hoop icon Charles Barkley voiced support for same-sex marriage in a recent interview. I applaud him, but I have a feeling those views will pretty much kill his chances of getting elected governor in his home state of Alabama.
- While we're on the subject of marriage, spirograph brings good news from Wisconsin, where Fairness Wisconsin put together a field plan to reach 25,000 donors in one weekend.
- Jethro6355 returns with a report from an exchange between two evangelicals -- one progressive and one not -- that yielded some interesting nuances on GLBT issues.
- Gay couples in Washington have asked that state's Supreme Court to reconsider its decision on same-sex marriage, claiming the court ignored legal protections against sex discrimination.
- Over at RedBlueChristian, Mark Daniels has an interesting post on same-sex marriage, - inspired by re-reading C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity - which comes down on the side of neither support nor opposition, but settles instead on indifference.
- In other religious news, Imams in Zanzibar are moving to ban a party in honor of rock star Freddie Mercury, who was born there. Apparently, he was too much of a queen for them
- Meanwhile the Archbishop of Canterbury has done a 180 on in his stance on gays in the church, in a last ditch attempt to avoid a schism. From politics to religion, it seems the LGBT folks are the first to get thrown under the bus in order to placate more conservative folks. So, do we stay in the party and/or pews when this happens, or what?
- Keestone has some choice words for the Archbishop, and some questions about "sexual ethics."
- This has been covered before, but Catholic Charities in San Francisco has found a way around the Vatican's edict, when it comes to helping same-sex couples become foster parents and/or adoptive parents.
- Also, key rabbis are hinting that Conservative Judaism with lift its ban on sanctioning same-sex marriages.
- The National Black Gay Men's Advocacy Coalition, formed last January, has started a membership drive. I've joined. How about you?
- Since I'm about to launch into the political part of the roundup, it's appropriate to point to jedinency's question "Are you sick of HRC endorsing Republican candidates?", complete with poll.
- The California Assembly sent governor Arnold Schwarzeneggar two gay rights bills, one to allow same-sex couples to file joint tax returns and one prohibiting anti-gay discrimination in public schools.
- Holy shit, he signed the schools bill. And the wingnuts went apeshit.
- Meanwhile over at Flopping Aces, Robert Farrow flips out over the issues of gay rights vs. religious expression after Arnold signed the bill to bar discrimination against LGBT folks in the state's public schools. Why does discrimination and harassment fall under free speech?
- In other political news, the a Republican Senate Candidate in Rhode Island found it necessary to apologize for anti-gay columns he wrote for his college newspaper. It may be a small sign of progress that a Republican candidate (albeit a Rhode Island Republican as opposed to, say, a Texas Republican) has to apologize for being anti-gay, but I'll take what I can get in that regard.
- Further North, legislators in Alberta, Canada are filibustering a bill concerning civil officials who refuse to perform same-sex marriages.
- Box Turtle News reports that Arizona Republicans are lining up against the state's proposed anti-gay marriage amendment.
- And in Florida, at least one Republican gubernatorial candidate is taking heat for not being anti-gay enough, because he opposes same-sex marriage but believes same-sex couple should have rights "similar to" married couples. Is it me, or is there evidence of a slight shift on marriage among at least some Republican? Like I said, I'll take whatever progress I can get in that category.
- Maybe the news isn't all bad for Charles Barkey's aforementioned potential gubernatorial run in Alabama. Good As You brings news that Alabama Democrats restored Patricia Todd's election win for the 54th district's house seat, making her the state's first openly gay legislator.
- Finally, it looks like Maryland could have the nation's first black gay legislator if either of the candidates I mentioned last week wins. Not to mention our first transgender legislator if Dana Beyer pulls off a win.
That's all I got, folks. Like I said, an effort to get this out early might have made for a shorter round-up. But whatever I missed will probably make into next week's. And I may try posting it in the morning to see if it gets more readers. In the meantime, if there's anything I missed, or that you'd like to include, drop me an email. And if you want to get the email alert when the roundup is posed, drop me an email.