Camille is a twentysomething working in the LGBT nonprofit industry. She runs an LGBT news blog at gaywrites.org.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is notorious for not-so-subtly making legal decisions based on his irrelevant personal and religious beliefs. This week, one LGBT-interest columnist says his twisted understanding of how the law works doesn’t just hurt American citizens — it also makes him look ignorant. Bridgette P. LaVictoire, of the Vermont-based LGBTQ news site Lez Get Real, says the justice applies the Constitution based on its meaning at the time it was written — a legal principle known as “originalism” — to impose his personal standards of Catholic morality on the country. She writes: [Click headline for more…] Read more
The end is near, and it’s full of rainbow-colored wedding cakes. Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, told churchgoers at Moscow’s Red Square this past weekend that marriage equality is a terrible, terrible sign of what’s to come: “This is a very dangerous sign of the apocalypse… It means people are choosing a path of self-destruction.” [Click headline for more…] Read more
The Internet is buzzing with news of another sex scandal involving Anthony Weiner (a.k.a. Carlos Danger), the former congressman who resigned in 2011 after reportedly exchanging lewd messages with women online. His web history has certainly been called into question as Weiner powers through the mayoral race in New York City, but one thing nobody’s addressing is his sexual orientation. That’s a mistake, according to Michael Brown, a columnist for the Christian site Charisma News. In a column titled “The Most Selfish Thing In The World,” Brown compares the Weiner scandal and the fate of another sex-scandalized politician, Eliot Spitzer, to stories of powerful men who abandoned their families to start gay relationships. His hypothesis? Men who run away with other men are praised for their “honesty” and “boldness,” while men who have affairs with women are shunned. Effectively, he says Weiner is only being punished because he’s straight. [Click headline for more…] Read more
Marriage equality officially became law this week in England and Wales, after the British House of Commons passed landmark legislation Tuesday and Queen Elizabeth subsequently granted her royal assent. The bill has had British Prime Minister David Cameron’s full support since 2011, when he famously called on the Conservative Party to reevaluate its priorities: Yes, it’s about equality, but it’s also about something else: commitment. Conservatives believe in the ties that bind us; that society is stronger when we make vows to each other and support each other. So I don’t support gay marriage despite being a Conservative. I support gay marriage because I’m a Conservative. [Click headline for more…] Read more
Small-town Christians across the world have found a new way to lash out against same-sex couples whose “lifestyles” they don’t agree with: banning them from their motels and Bed-and-breakfasts (B&Bs). It’s an issue that has come up several times in the U.S. and it’s also making headlines overseas. A decision has been issued in a major British case determining the legality of discriminating against same-sex couples in businesses (as if it were ever up for discussion). According to Law and Religion U.K., back in March 2010, Michael Black and John Morgan made a reservation and paid a deposit for a room at the Swiss Bed and Breakfast in Cookham. When they arrived, the owner, Suzanne Wilkinson, said she couldn’t let them stay in a room with a double bed because of her religious beliefs. [Click headline for more…] Read more
