Camille is a twentysomething working in the LGBT nonprofit industry. She runs an LGBT news blog at gaywrites.org.
Jonathan Saenz, president of the conservative anti-LGBT group Texas Values, is the laughingstock of the Internet this week. And I don’t feel bad for him. He’s one of the most homophobic loudmouths of the movement, and just months before he became the head of a massive anti-gay group, his wife left him for another woman. Read more
When his husband Julion Evans died at age 42 of a disease called amyloidosis, Kendall Capers (below) did what any respectful partner would do. Honoring his husband’s family traditions, he planned for a funeral service at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Tampa, Florida, the congregation Julion’s family belongs to. But the night before the funeral, Julion’s mother received a phone call from the church. The funeral was abruptly canceled after church officials saw Julion’s obituary listing Kendall as his “surviving husband.” The church refused to hold a service for a married gay man, calling it “blasphemous.” And they told Kendall and Julion’s family the night before. Read more
Last Monday, Texas Republicans proved once again that they have little grasp of reality when it comes to the consequences of marriage equality. Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage was struck down in February, but U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia suspended the decision pending an appeal from the state. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has pledged to reinstate the ban, and 63 Republican lawmakers who are part of the Texas Conservative Coalition want to show their support. So they did — by signing an amicus brief asserting that marriage equality could lead to pedophilia, incest and polygamy. Read more
Last weekend at Vancouver Pride, guests who thought they were chatting with a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster were gravely disappointed. Vancouver resident Bill Whatcott is a conservative Christian who feels so strongly about gays in society, he makes it a point to regularly attend Pride celebrations. Not as a protester in the fenced-off “free speech” section, though; he goes undercover to interact with people one-on-one and pretends to be on their side. Read more
