"Taliban Bob" Wants to Strengthen Families - Straight Families Only Need Apply

Pat Robertson's minion who now occupies Virginia's governor's mansion wants to launch an initiative to help stabilize families. Unfortunately, it's more or less assured that only families headed by straight couples will need bothering to apply given Virginia's viciously anti-gay legal framework. Adding to this concern is Taliban Bob's Siamese twin like relationship with The Family Foundation - the Virginia affiliate of Focus on the Family - and it's hysterically anti-gay leader, Victoria Cobb. While the program might benefit some, anything that has Cobb's backing and which will involve faith based organizations will likely involve a great deal of proselytizing and likely find state funds flowing into sectarian organizations. And in terms of leaving LGBT headed families, DOMA and Virginia's own vile Marshall-Newman amendment are being conveniently pointed to as to why the state's hands are tried when it comes to same sex couples. As is seemingly always the case with the Christianists, the children of gays don't matter. Here are some highlights from the Virginian Pilot:

Without much fanfare, Gov. Bob McDonnell's administration is pursuing a plan to reduce out-of-wedlock births, reunite unwed fathers with their children and encourage marriage as it looks at ways to shrink dependence on social welfare programs.

What's clear so far is that officials envision a system in which government agencies refer benefit recipients to family stability services provided by community and faith-based organizations and businesses. Local governments that work toward program goals may receive additional state grant funding.

Virginia's focus on fortifying families runs parallel to federal marriage and fatherhood initiatives that began with President George W. Bush and continue under the Obama administration. Federally supported research of their effectiveness in building stronger families shows mixed results.

[R]eactions to the initiative are divided along ideological lines. Virginia Family Foundation President Victoria Cobb argues that the state has a "fundamental interest in marriage" as it develops policy addressing poverty.

"I don't question the premise," said John Morgan, executive director of Voices for Virginia's Children, but "some people are nervous about the ideology behind this."
. . . . the administration should focus on stabilizing families rather than "promoting one definition" of a traditional family as a means to achieve an agenda.

When asked how gay parents seeking public services will be treated under the initiative, Brown said officials are bound by federal and state laws defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

It will likely be business as usual in Virginia as LGBT Virginians are forced to pay taxes even as they are treated as fourth class citizens by the Commonwealth.