British House of Lords Approves Gay Marriage by 2 to 1 Vote

There had been fears by some that the British House of Lords might at least temporarily derail the marriage equality bill passed last month by the House of Commons.  Such fears turned out to be unfounded.  The often conservative peers of the realm voted two to one to approve gay marriage legislation.  Needless to say the religious extremists are blowing a gasket and spewing gallons of spittle.  One can only wonder if the U.S. Supreme Court justices are paying any attention.  Here are highlights from BBC News:

The House of Lords spent two days debating the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, with many members voicing their concerns.  But it rejected an amendment aimed at wrecking the bill by 242 votes, moving it a step closer to becoming law.

The BBC's Norman Smith said plans were on course for the first same-sex weddings to take place next summer.  The bill would allow couples, who can currently form civil partnerships, to marry.

If it passes into law, religious organisations would have to "opt in" if they wished to offer gay weddings, except the Church of England and Church in Wales, which would be banned in law from doing so.

Peers were allowed a free vote on the amendment, tabled by crossbench peer Lord Dear, which would effectively have wrecked the government's plans. It was defeated by 390 votes to 148.

The plans, which the government wants to come into force in July next year, passed through the Commons last month with a 205 majority.

But religious bodies, including the Church of England, and many Conservative activists have raised concerns. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was among those who spoke against the proposal in the Lords.

France recently held its first same-sex marriage while the Scottish government has confirmed it will introduce its own bill shortly.

UK Christofascists Play the Victim Card

British House of Commons

American Christofascists haven't just exported homophobia overseas - they've also exported the meme that Christians are being persecuted if they cannot openly discriminate and mistreat others.  It's more of the "It's all about me" mindset and demand for special rights that one sees time and time again being peddled by anti-hate groups who cry that they are being persecuted if they can't have their way and ignore the laws that are binding on the rest of us.   They have no problem with persecution as long as they are the ones persecuting and slandering others.  Selfishness clearly needs to be added to the hate and fear hallmarks of today's conservative Christians.  With the gay marriage bill likely to soon pass the British House of Commons, the UK Christofascists are in hue and cry about their alleged coming persecution.   Here's a sampling of their disingenuous whining from Christian Today:

"These young people, from teenagers to 30-year-olds, will suffer discrimination, and will face new risks to their career and future," the group writes in a letter, signed by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Southwark, the Most Rev. Peter Smith.

"If the Bill passes into law without much clearer protections for freedom of speech and freedom of belief, teachers, and public sector workers will have to choose between their conscience and their career; many will be deterred from a public service career and from charity involvement."

The unofficial group of Christian leaders that wrote to the Telegraph said the MPs should consider protecting Christians with traditional views from being punished at the workplace because of their beliefs. Otherwise, the church leaders warned, young people may be forced to "choose between their conscience and their career." 

Of course, employing this reasoning, anyone who claims that the Bible supports slavery or segregation or anti-Muslim bigotry should likewise be able to demand special rights citing religious belief and then do whatever they want.  It's a dangerous precedent and does major damage to the rule of law in secular societies.  The ultimate irony is to hear Archbishop Smith whining about the rights of youth.  Odds are that they have a higher risk of being sexually molested by Catholic clergy than they do suffering any workplace related consequence for their beliefs.

UK: MPs vote 400 to 175 to Pass Gay Marriage Bill

Following action in the French Parliament a little over a week earlier the British House of Commons has voted to pass same sex marriage by 400 to 175 with many members of the Tory Party rebelling against Prime Minister David Cameron.  Here are details from Pink News in the UK:

MPs have voted 400 to 175 in supporting the government’s Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill - a majority of 225 votes - following an afternoon of heated debate in the House of Commons.

Initial estimates suggest 132 Conservative MPs voted for the bill, 139 vote against, with the rest abstaining.

The bill would enable same-sex couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies, where a religious institution had formally consented, in England and Wales.

It would also allow couples who had previously entered into civil partnerships to convert their relationship into a marriage.

The bill will now proceed to a parliamentary committee for further scrutiny.

It goes without saying the Christofascist elements in the U.K. will be wailing and predicting that the world will now end.

Irish MP: Gays More Vile Than Child Abusers

I am beginning to think that Strangford MP, Iris Robinson (at left), is Oklahoma Representative Sally Kern's Siamese twin who was spirited away at birth. She is just as mean spirited and judgmental as Ms. Kern. Like Kern, Iris Robinson doesn't know when to keep he mouth shut and seems to revel in looking like a homophobic bigot. I truly hope she comes to find herself with numerous LGBT children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, etc. It could not happen to a better person. OK, I take that back. Daddy Dobson's son coming out of the closet would be way more fun. :) I suppose in her delusions Ms. Robinson believes that her hateful comments have no impact on encouraging homophobes to engage in violence against gays. Here are some highlights from the Belfast Telegraph that expose Iris' latest diarrhea of the mouth (note how after utterly debasing gays, Ms. Robinson disingenuously claims that she bears no hate):

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Iris Robinson has walked into her biggest controversy yet after stating in Parliament that homosexuality is “viler” than child sex abuse, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal today. The First Minister’s wife made the controversial comments in the House of Commons in front of Policing and Justice Minister Paul Goggins and a committee of UK MPs during a debate on the assessment and management of sex offenders.

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Speaking about community concerns over sex offenders Mrs Robinson then stated: “There can be no viler act, apart from homosexuality and sodomy, than sexually abusing innocent children.” Her comments have not been omitted from a written transcript of the debate which has been published on the Parliament website. When contacted by the Belfast Telegraph Mrs Robinson said she stood by her views and stated that homosexuality was “comparable” to child sex abuse.

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Mrs Robinson added: “I cannot think of anything more sickening than a child being abused. It is comparable to the act of homosexuality. I think they are all comparable. I feel totally repulsed by both.” . . . . Anything I say is out of love. I am not hate-mongering. I cannot leave my Christian values hanging at the door when I go into politics. “I am speaking out more now because we are getting it more and more rammed down our throats that the minority views are more important than the majority views.

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“She is being very irresponsible making these sort of cruel and frighteningly ignorant comments. “We [the Gay Rights Association] feel that a responsible MLA would be glad to listen to our views and she should meet with the health professionals who work in the gay and lesbian sector instead of making wild and totally unscientific statements.