Supreme Court Rejects Church's Challenge To Coronavirus Rules

I have followed extreme right wing "Christian" organizations and related "family values" groups for over a quarter of a century now and several things are a common theme with them: (i) they view themselves above the law, (ii) they want their toxic version of Christianity to be the established religion in America, (iii) their followers seemingly hate almost everyone, but especially gays, who don't embrace their ugly beliefs, and (iv) most have very strong white supremacist overtones and some groups, like The Family Foundation here in Virginia, traces their roots back to strident segregationists.  Simply put, they are NOT nice people and they hold constitutional democracy in contempt unless they are in control and can discriminate and harm those they dislike - which is most of the nation's population.  

In June, 2016, the leaders of these groups - some of which are certified hate groups - made a pact with Donald Trump where they agreed to support a man who embodies the seven deadly sins if he gave them special rights. They bear a huge responsibility for Trump being in the White House and for his part Trump has delivered in the form of reactionary ideologues being appointed to the federal courts, the undoing of Obama administration policies that protected gays and other minorities, and supporting the myth that they are being persecuted when in reality what they face is a majority of Americans saying they are tired of the hate and bigotry that these false Christians represent.  

Enter the Covid-19 pandemic and many of the right wing churches have objected to social distancing and shutdown orders implemented to control the spread of the virus.  Some filed federal lawsuits challenging such orders and claiming they "discriminated against religion (a church in Virginia among them).  Late Friday, in a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court  rejected their self-centered and selfish claims and ruled against a church in California and several others.  The ruling should be dispositive of the Virginia lawsuit as well.  NPR looks at this welcome ruling that clearly states these people are not above the law.  Here are story excerpts:

The Supreme Court has rejected a California church's attempt to overturn the state's coronavirus restrictions on in-person religious services.

In a 5-4 decision issued late Friday, Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court's liberal bloc in upholding the state's right to impose limits on congregations in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

"Although California's guidelines place restrictions on places of worship, those restrictions appear consistent with the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment," Roberts said, in an opinion that denied a request by the South Bay United Pentecostal Church for relief from the rules.

The Chula Vista-based house of worship sued Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, over an order limiting congregations to 25% capacity or 100 attendees, whichever is lower. The plaintiffs told the court its services typically attract 200 to 300 congregants.

Worship services and nonessential retail were halted for more than two months in California, which has recorded nearly 107,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 4,000 deaths.

During the lawsuit's path through the lower courts, the state issued guidelines earlier this week allowing for a limited reopening — but that did not satisfy the plaintiffs, who felt the eased restrictions remained unconstitutional.

In rejecting that challenge, Roberts wrote that the Constitution generally grants broad leeway to state leaders in circumstances of medical uncertainty. In particular, the chief justice found that Newsom's order was consistent in limiting not just religious services, but also various kinds of activities "where large groups of people gather in close proximity for extended periods of time."

"The notion that it is 'indisputably clear' that the Government's limitations are unconstitutional seems quite improbable," wrote Roberts.

The court's four reliably conservative justices — Samuel Alito Jr., Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas — dissented. Kavanaugh said the guidelines violate the First Amendment because they "discriminate against places of worship and in favor of comparable secular businesses."

In a separate case, the court also rejected a lawsuit from two churches in Illinois seeking to block Gov. J.B. Pritzker's rule limiting religious services to just 10 worshipers. Pritzker later modified the order to allow for up to 100 people at services, and the court denied the churches' request for relief without a noted dissent.

The limits on church services have been a flashpoint in the national conversation surrounding the coronavirus, with President Trump wading into the controversy earlier this month to push for churches' right to reopen. Even as many states — such as California and Illinois — have moved to loosen their restrictions in recent weeks, critics continue to argue that the rules on houses of worship are discriminatory. 

“The precise question of when restrictions on particular social activities should be lifted during the pandemic,” Roberts declared, “is a dynamic and fact-intensive matter subject to reasonable disagreement.” The Constitution leaves such decisions “to the politically accountable officials of the state,” whose decisions “should not be subject to second-guessing” by judges who lack “background, competence, and expertise to assess public health.” Multiple coronavirus outbreaks in California have been traced back to religious services. California has good reason to treat churches more like concerts—where people “congregate in large groups” and “remain in close proximity for extended periods”—than grocery stores, where they can social distance. For courts, that should be the end of the matter.

But Kavanaugh’s assertion that California treats churches and “comparable secular businesses” differently begs the question: what is a comparable secular business? When it comes to the spread of infectious disease, is a church really just like a grocery store, where people spend as little time as possible, separated by aisles and shopping carts, rarely speaking to one another? Or is it more like a concert, where people congregate for lengthy periods, shoulder to shoulder, often speaking or singing and thereby spreading droplets that may contain the coronavirus?
 What is genuinely shocking about Kavanaugh’s dissent is that he does not even address this question. The dispute lies at the heart of the case, and Kavanaugh ignores it. He simply takes it as a given that churches are “comparable” to grocery stores when it comes to risk of spreading COVID-19. By warping the facts, Kavanaugh paints California’s rules as irrationally discriminatory, when in fact they are based on medical advice Newsom has right now. If the justice wants to override public health measures during a pandemic, shouldn’t he at least admit that he’s substituting his own scientific judgment for that of a democratically elected lawmaker’s?

Roberts seems to think so. His opinion ends with a clear swipe at Kavanaugh: “The notion that it is ‘indisputably clear’ that the Government’s limitations are unconstitutional,” the chief justice wrote, “seems quite improbable.” Roberts went out of his way to telegraph his displeasure with the raft of lawsuits contesting COVID-19 restrictions as unconstitutional burdens on religious liberty. Even in borderline cases, he suggested, courts must defer to the people’s representatives if they decide the health crisis requires limitations on public assemblies.

Kudos to Roberts for putting science and medical knowledge above myths and superstition.  Let the charlatans in pulpits and scamvangelist - who put money ahead of public safety - continue to lose money as their flocks stay home.  

Catholic Church Sex Abuse Scandal Intensifies As Illinois AG Blast Church for Cover Ups

The 2018 has not been good for the Roman Catholic Church as a number of cardinals and bishops have been forced to resign over sexual abuse of children and minors or for covering up for predatory priests. This week, in the wake of the criminal conviction of the highest ranking prelate in Australia and the 3rd highest official at the Vatican and the launch of criminal investigations by federal and state prosecutors, a California bishop has been forced to resign due to credible accusations of sex abuse and the Illinois Attorney General blasted the Illinois diocese of failing to disclose close to 350 accused predator priests.  Despite voluminous quantities of crocodile tears, the Vatican has failed to take effective measures to clean house of bishops and cardinals implicated in cover-ups,  As a result, many are left with the impression that the Catholic clergy feel the equivalent of a droit du seigneur - historically, a supposed legal or customary right of a feudal lord to have sexual relations with a vassal's bride on her wedding night - when comes to sexually abusing children and youths.  A piece in the Washington Post looks at the latest developments in Illinois.  Here are excerpts:

Illinois' attorney general’s office Wednesday accused the Catholic Church of dramatically lowballing the scope of allegations of clergy sex abuse, saying her investigators found at least 500 additional accusations against priests and clergy — compared with the 185 cases the church has found credible. 

[S]he alleged in a statement that a probe her office opened into the Church in August is finding that Catholic leaders are failing to dig deep into the guilt of their clerics. The probe “has revealed that allegations frequently have not been adequately investigated by the dioceses or not investigated at all,” the statement said. Madigan’s office is one of more than a dozen to open state investigations this year into Catholic handling of abuses cases. But Wednesday, some experts said, seemed to up the ante because it pushed on a controversial topic that has angered Catholics from left to right -- whether the Church, under fire since the early 2000s, is really coming clean with its lists. The problem: There is no standard within the Catholic Church for what constitutes “credible" accusations, and many Catholics and members of the public are skeptical that church leaders are coming forward to civil authorities and the public with everything they have. Madigan, said longtime survivor advocate Terry McKiernan, is trying to force the church to produce lists that are more transparent and meaningful. Even in recent weeks, McKiernan said Wednesday, some lists around the country are being shown to not have included names that they should have.

“There’s a big debate about what ‘credible’ means, but these lists are clearly incomplete in a number of ways. Or at least there is lag before names are added,” he said. “Let’s face it, an allegation is an allegation, and very few are unsubstantiated if the diocese does the work to look into it."

Dioceses are dragging their feet on substantiating allegations "because they don’t want to acknowledge the crisis they’re in, ”McKiernan said.

Earlier Wednesday, the Vatican announced that a Los Angeles bishop was being removed after a review of a child sex abuse charge from the 1990s.

Since Madigan’s probe began in August, her spokeswoman said, the six Illinois dioceses have had to add 45 new names to their various lists of credibly accused priests. This reflects a lack of candor, said the office’s communications director, Maura Possley, and it’s why Madigan publicized the number of accusations.

Cardinals, bishops and other top clergy say they want to make amends and help victims heal, but the church’s glacial pace of revealing allegations runs counter to that stated goal, said Towey, who was a lawyer and a Bush administration official before taking the helm at Ave Maria University, one of the nation’s most prominent conservative Catholic colleges.

"It won’t start until all the names are out there. The church has to clean up its act,” Towey said. “The fact is – this is a mess of the Church’s creation and all of us, laity and ordained, have to come together and fix it.”

With Christmas but days away, what should decent, moral Catholics sickened by the sex abuse scandal do?  Perhaps attend the midnight mass service at their local Episcopal church or Evangelical Lutheran Church in America parish rather than their home parish.  The service will be remarkably the same and they will not feel dirtied by supporting a morally bankrupt institution.

Illinois Christofascists Are Challenging Ban of "Conversion Therapy"

Conservative Christianity condones a great deal of child abuse, both physical and psychological, especially in the case of LGBT youth.  While it is bad enough to be raised in "Christian" household that sends the daily message that one is no good - inherently disordered if one is unfortunate enough to be raised Catholic as I was - things get even worse when you are sent to charlatans and the equivalent of modern day witch doctors who will try to "change" you even though every legitimate, science based medical and mental health association in America says so-called conversion therapy (i) doesn't work, and (ii) is dangerous.  From personal experience, I know "praying away the gay" is bullshit, doesn't work, and leads to constant self-hatred.  But for the knuckle draggers of the Christian right, science, facts and reality simply do not matter.  Now, some of these self-enriching charlatans are challenging Illinois' ban on conversion therapy for minors.  The Washington Post looks at this travesty.  Here are highlights:

A group of Illinois pastors filed suit against the state Thursday alleging clergy — because it violates their constitutional right to free speech and exercise of religion — should be exempt from a law banning counselors from trying to change a minor’s sexual orientation.

The law, which went into effect in January, bans licensed counselors and mental health professionals from practicing “conversion therapy” — counseling designed to make gay, lesbian, bisexual or queer people become straight — on minors. While religious leaders don’t fall under this category, the suit says pastors could be held liable for consumer fraud under a section of the law that says “no person or entity” may advertise or practice conversion therapy that “represents homosexuality as a mental disease, disorder or illness.”

And that’s exactly what the five Christian pastors think, according to their lawsuit filed in federal court.

“These pastors teach that homosexual conduct is contrary to God’s purpose for humanity and a disorder of God’s creation which can be resisted or overcome by those who seek to be faithful to God and His Word. This is what they say to those who seek their counsel—including minors,” according to the lawsuit,posted online by the law firm representing the pastors.

The pastors don’t want to dismantle the entire law — they just want an exemption for religious counselors. . . . . This law undermines the dignity and integrity of those who choose a different path for their lives than politicians and activists prefer,” the pastors’ attorney, John Mauck, said in a news release. “Each person should be free to receive Biblical and spiritual counseling from the pastor of their choice to help them orient their sexuality.”

Equality Illinois, an organization that lobbies for LGBT rights, condemned the lawsuit Thursday and said it is an attempt to set back the movement for inclusion for LGBT people.  “The law protects patients from harmful, coercive, and fraudulent treatments that attempt to change the unchangeable,” the organization’s CEO, Brian Johnson, said in a news release. 

“The idea that homosexuality is a mental disorder or that the emergence of same-sex attraction and orientation among some adolescents is in any way abnormal or mentally unhealthy has no support among any mainstream health and mental health professional organizations,” according to the American Psychological Association.

The text of the Illinois law echoes that idea. It reads,”Being lesbian, gay, or bisexual is not a disease, disorder, illness, deficiency, or shortcoming.”

Pastor Steven Stultz of Nu-Church Apostolic Ministries in Chicago . . . On his church’s website, homosexuality is listed as part of Satan’s strategy to “spoil” younger generations so that “their lives are tainted and they are of no use to the Lord.”

If there is anything that undermines personal dignity and integrity, it is Christianity and it's dogma that mankind is inherently damaged and that we are all "fallen" - even though the human genome project has proven that Adam and Eve never existed and that there was no "Fall"  and hence no need for a Messiah.  LGBT lives are ruined all because of myths and fairy tales.

Illinois Seeking LGBT Couples to Adopt/Foster Homeless LGBT Youth

LGBT youth continue to make up a hugely disproportionate percentage of the homeless youth population, not because their parents cannot take care of them, but rather because these parents (who typically are the part of the "godly Christian" crowd) have discarded them as if they were trash simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In short, these parents use their religious belief to justify what amounts to nothing less than child abuse and, in my view, states ought to start prosecuting such parents and/or forcing them to contribute to the support of their children.  Meanwhile, in Illinois, state agencies are seeking to identify LGBT individuals and couples to either adopt or serve as foster parents for LGBT youths who have been thrown away by their parents.   Here are some highlights from Gay Star News:

Fostering and adoption agencies in Illinois are looking to increase the number of same-sex parents on their books, in order to help young people disowned by their families because of their sexual orientation. According to Renee Lehocky, director of strategic initiatives at social services organization Lawrence Hall, around 50% of homeless LGBTI teenagers have come into contact with the Department of Children and Family Services. In the hopes of better meeting their needs, Illinois agencies are now partnering to increase the pool of LGBTI parents who would like to foster or adopt. Susan Stoga, board member for non-profit fostering and adoption education initiative Let It Be Us, told Chicago local press: ‘Usually, when you think about a child or a teen entering foster care, there is a set of circumstances you think about, like mom and dad cannot take care of them or they were removed. ‘With a lot of teens in the LGBTQ community, it’s because their parents don’t want to support who they’ve become, and that is heart-breaking.’

An outreach event at the University of Illinois in Chicago today aims to recruit more LGBTI parents to fostering and adoption, with further outreach programs planned. As Debbie Saucedo, senior director of operations at the Illinois Center for Adoption and Permanency, told the Windy City Times, ‘[LGBTI parents] are able to expose children to a diverse world and [are] able to accept those differences. ‘Also, when they adopt the decision is extremely intentional, and they tend to have more resources and more support systems.’ Lehocky added that the LGBTI community had been a largely untapped resource and that today’s targeted outreach event represented a first for many adoption and foster agencies.

While LGBTI parents may be a largely untapped resource, Saucedo revealed her agency had seen a 22% increase in same-sex couples adopting within the last year, which she hailed as ‘a great improvement’. 

If you want to witness true "Christian" behavior, don't look for it among the "godly folk" who are today's version of the Pharisees of the New Testament.  I openly admit that I hold these people in utter contempt and view them as a toxic evil that poison the world. 

ILLINOIS: Governor Signs Bill Banning Ex-Gay Torture

The "ex-gay" myth and claims that sexual orientation are a choice have been among the weapons the Christofascists have used in their war against LGBT equality.  Never mind that every legitimate medical and mental health association - i.e., those not bankrolled as fronts for anti-gay "family values" organizations - condemn "ex-gay" therapy and bogus church affiliated "ministries."  Slowly states are belatedly beginning to recognize the evils and fraud perpetrated by these voodoo like ministries and unethical therapist.  Now Illinois has joined the list of states banning the practice.  Here are highlights from a the Human Rights Campaign press release:

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed House Bill 217 into law, making Illinois the fifth jurisdiction—behind California, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, and Oregon—to protect LGBTQ youth from the dangers of conversion therapy. House Bill 217, which protects LGBTQ youth from mental health providers attempting to change their sexual orientation or gender identity through these practices, which are linked to substance abuse, extreme depression, and suicide, was overwhelmingly approved by the Illinois House of Representatives and General Assembly.

The law will go into effect January 1, 2016. “We are thrilled that Illinois has joined the rapidly growing number of states leading the way to protect LGBTQ youth from conversion therapy,” said the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) #BornPerfect Campaign Coordinator and Staff Attorney Samantha Ames. “Illinois families can now have confidence that the mental health professional they turn to in times of uncertainty may not use their state license to profit from their children’s pain. Most importantly, Illinois kids can now rest easy in the knowledge that they cannot be forced or coerced to undergo dangerous and discredited treatments to fix who they are. Today brings us one step closer to the day when all LGBTQ youth know they were born perfect.”

No doubt the usual hate merchants will be crying as if someone had pissed in their Cheerios.  I wish legislatures would go a step further: make subjecting one's child to ex-gay therapy a felony child abuse offense.

GOP's Aaron Schock Resigns Congressional Seat

This blog has followed the misadventures of Aaron Schock, GOP Congressman from Illinois, and the stories of his lavish spending and whispers about his suspected homosexuality.  With each passing day, more questions have arisen about Schock's spending habits, questionable charges for reimbursement, and, of course, his cute, young male personal photographer.   Today, Schock announced that he is resigning his seat in Congress effective March 31, 2015.  Here are highlights from Politico:

Schock’s resignation, effective March 31, came so abruptly that the Illinois Republican didn’t even give Speaker John Boehner or his leadership team a heads up. Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) had been planning to keep Schock on the GOP’s vote-counting team. Fellow congressmen from Illinois also had no idea.

Schock’s decision to quit – on the heels of questions from POLITICO about tens of thousands of dollars seemingly phony mileage reimbursements – represents the denouement of a boom-and-bust saga starring one of the Republican Party’s most promising young figures. The 33-year-old rocketed from the Peoria school board to Congress in less than a decade, amassing power, prestige and prominence on the national political scene. By the end of last year, he was eyeing a seat at the House GOP leadership table.

He jetted around the globe, with a professional photographer in tow to document his life for Instagram. He hired the wife of a donor to redecorate his office to look like PBS’s “Downton Abbey.” He booked private planes to take him back to Illinois and a donor’s helicopter in his district.  But Schock’s accounting of those activities was sloppy at best.

Records show that Schock personally claimed reimbursement for roughly 170,000 miles driven from January 2010 to July 2014. But the only vehicle he owned during that time was sold with just 80,000 miles on the odometer.  Asked for his response to those findings, Schock announced his resignation.

“[T]he constant questions over the last six weeks have proven a great distraction that has made it too difficult for me to serve the people of the 18th District with the high standards that they deserve and which I have set for myself,” he said in a statement. “I have always sought to do what’s best for my constituents and I thank them for the opportunity to serve.”

Schock was plainly struggling to deal with the media onslaught as his attorneys simultaneously reviewed his accounting. He canceled several fundraisers, and some of his Republican colleagues questioned whether he would be able to weather the growing scandal. His office stopped responding to several inquiries, including questions about a limited liability corporation he set up using his home address and the purchase of land from a donor.

With controversy swirling around him, two Republicans announced they would challenge him in a primary. That threat would have been unthinkable months earlier, since Schock was widely known for spreading campaign largesse to local pols.

Illinois Lawsuit Against Exxon-Mobil for Anti-Gay Bias to Move Forward

Year after year the Board of Directors of Exxon-Mobil refuses to enact workplace non-discrimination policies protecting LGBT employees (ironically, Mobil had such protections until it was acquired by Exxon).  Now, because of its failure to protect LGBT employees from discriminatory workplace practices, Exxon-Moil has found itself facing a lawsuit under the State of Illinois' non-discrimination laws.  While claiming that the lawsuit is "baseless" - yeah, just like I'm Queen Victoria - has refused to admit liability.  Now, the Illinois Human Rights Commission has ruled that the lawsuit can move forward. Here are highlights from The Washington Blade:

A complaint alleging anti-gay bias in hiring practices at oil-and-gas giant ExxonMobil can move forward now that the Illinois Human Rights Commission overturned a lower body’s decision to dismiss the case.

In a decision dated July 14 and obtained Tuesday by the Washington Blade, the Illinois Human Rights Commission — a 13-member body that determines whether unlawful discrimination has occurred under Illinois state civil rights law — remanded the case back to the Illinois Department of Human Rights, which had thrown out the case in January on the basis of lack of jurisdiction.

“The Respondent’s dismissal of Freedom to Work’s charge is VACATED and Freedom to Work’s charge is REINSTATED and REMANDED to the Respondent for FURTHER INVESTIGATION and other proceedings to consistent with this Order and the Act,” states the order, which was signed by Illinois Human Rights Commission Executive Director N. Keith Chambers.

The relief sought by Freedom to Work includes a change in ExxonMobil’s equal employment opportunity policy to enumerate protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity as well as attorney’s fees.

Although the Illinois Department of Human Rights dismissed the case on the basis of no employer-employee relationship between Freedom to Work and ExxonMobil, the order indicates that both Freedom to Work and the department later petitioned the Illinois Human Rights Commission to remand the case so a thorough investigation could proceed.

Peter Romer-Friedman, counsel at Freedom to Work and attorney at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, say now that the case has been remanded, ExxonMobil will have to explain why it elected to hire the less-qualified straight candidate.

“We are relieved but not surprised by the state agency’s decision that Freedom to Work and other civil rights groups have the right to challenge unlawful discrimination, including Exxon’s sexual orientation discrimination,” Romer-Friedman said. “This decision means that Exxon will have to answer tough questions about why it treated a well-qualified LGBT applicant far worse than a straight applicant who had lesser qualifications. The decision also paves the way for other non-profit groups to enforce civil rights laws.”

Tico Almeida, president of Freedom to Work, predicted ExxonMobil will be “dragged kicking and screaming” this year into adopting workplace protections for its LGBT employees — either because of his organization’s complaint or Obama’s executive order.

“This oil giant has a lot to lose here, and it should be clear that the clock is ticking and it’s now time to update Exxon’s policies to give LGBT Americans a fair shot on the job,” Almeida said.

In the interest of full disclosure, I inherited a chunk of Exxon-Mobil stock from my late parents who had owned Mobil stock for 40 years before the Exxon takeover and reversal of Mobil's enlightened polices.  Since they had a minimal basis, they never sold the stock to avoid getting hit with a large tax bill.  With my stepped up basis, I was able to unload the stock  without tax impact rather than be involved with an anti-gay company.

Illinois House Panel Advances Ban on Gay Conversion Therapy

One of the most insidious lies perpetrated by the Christofascists (and there are many, many lies put out by these people) is the lie that sexual orientation is a "choice" and that one's sexual orientation can be "changed."   The lie is kept alive for two reasons: (i) the large amounts of money that "ministries" fleece from people for "conversion therapy" and (ii) duping politicians and claiming that since orientation is a "choice" no legal protections are needed for LGBT citizens.  California and New Jersey have outlawed gay conversion therapy for those under age 18.  Other states are considering similar bans - the Virginia bill was killed by the Virginia GOP at the directive of the Christofascists at The Family Foundation - including Illinois where the bill advanced today.  Here are highlights from Capital Fax:

From a press release…

Equality Illinois is calling on the Illinois House of Representatives to protect minors by passing the Conversion Therapy Prohibition Act this spring after the House Human Services Committee approved it today by a 9 to 6 vote.

Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois, the state’s oldest and largest advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Illinoisans, said so-called “conversion therapies” for youths pretend to supposedly “cure” people of being gay, but have actually proven to be very harmful and are actively opposed by leading mental health and medical professional groups.

“This bill would ensure that the most vulnerable individuals, those already struggling in the face of homophobia and transphobia, are not targeted and subjected to a practice that medical practitioners deem harmful and inappropriate,” Cherkasov said.

The measure would prohibit mental health providers from engaging in any effort to change the sexual orientation of anyone under the age of 18. The bill’s chief House sponsor is state Rep. Kelly Cassidy.

* An August, 2013 Sun-Times editorial also endorsed the concept…

Conversion therapy — trying to turn gay teenagers straight — is awful in three ways:
◆ It does not work.
◆ It can do considerable harm.
◆ It is unnecessary.
On Monday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill banning gay conversion therapy in the Garden State, to which we can only say “hallelujah.”
Now when will Illinois do the same?

Not surprisingly, Illinois hate merchant groups are having conniption fits.   True to form, they whine and wring their hands pretending to be worried about children "experiencing unwanted same-sex attraction" which they attribute to sexual abuse when, in fact, its the loss of money and political usefulness that is their real worry.  

Can Republicans Support Gay Marriage and Win?

Last night's HRBOR (see photo above) event was a huge success with a massive turnout.  Amazingly, HRBOR - the gay and gay friendly chamber of commerce I helped found - now counts as members the Peninsula Chamber of Commerce (which covers Hampton, Newport News and York County) and the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce (which covers the south side cities of Hampton Roads).  Also in attendance was a former GOP candidate who I invited since as a former Republican myself, he might find the experience of a HRBOR event educational.  Also in attendance were leaders of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce with which HRBOR collaberates and of which I am a member.  As noted time and time again on this blog, in my view the GOP is engaged in a slow acting form of suicide as evidenced by its continued anti-gay and anti-Hispanic and anti-minority stances.  These bigoted positions may still play well with the angry white evangelical Christian crowd, but that demographic group is literally dying off.  As the Washington Post reports, a few Republicans have learned that they can support marriage equality and still win elections.  Here are some article highlights:

Three state House Republicans voted to legalize gay marriage in Illinois last year, breaking ranks with their party and giving Democrats just enough support to pass the legislation. All three are still standing Thursday despite an intense effort from social conservatives to defeat them in GOP primary voting.

"If you wanted the takeaway to be that voting for gay marriage for an Illinois Republican is the kiss of death, you can't make that case," said Kent Redfield, a University of Illinois at Springfield​ political scientist.

The campaign served as the latest front in the Republican Party's ongoing internal fight over gay rights. Same-sex marriage advocates in the GOP see what happened in Illinois as another sign the ground is shifting in their favor, while opponents cast it as evidence that Republicans who support gay marriage won't go unchecked.

Of Tuesday's winning trio, state Rep. Ron Sandack (R) was the most significant. Challenger Keith Matune conceded to Sandack Wednesday, a day after the incumbent squeaked out a narrow victory that for a time looked like it was headed to a recount. Sandack's vote for gay marriage became a central focus in his race, which was flooded with money and resources by outside forces on both sides.

Sandack received financial support from Paul Singer, the billionaire hedge fund manager protecting Republicans who support gay marriage with his pocketbook. Singer donated to Sandack's campaign and also gave thousands more to Illinois Unity PAC, which supported Sandack.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, state Rep. Ed Sullivan easily won his primary, in which his vote for gay marriage was less of an issue than it was in Sandack's. Still, it was on the radar, as Singer also gave him money. Sullivan was targeted by an Illinois Family Action mailer featuring two men kissing. "You can kiss the GOP goodbye with officials who vote like Democrats," it said. Sandack faced the same attack.

State Rep. Tom Cross was the only other Republican to vote for the gay marriage law that will go into effect in June. He comfortably won the Republican nomination for state treasurer.

Gay marriage advocates said the three won by campaigning on multifaceted platforms and refusing to allow the opposition to use the marriage debate as a divisive issue.

"I think for anyone ​considering using marriage equality as a wedge issue in 2014 or 2016, it should give those individuals pause," said Gregory Angelo, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights group.

But gay marriage remains among the most sensitive topics in the Republican Party, even as more and more states are legalizing it, the public has shifted heavily in its favor and the GOP donor community has vouched for it.

The reality is that the Christofascists are increasingly viewed as toxic by the general public and rightfully so.  If the GOP is to survive long term, the Christofascists and their Tea Party first cousins need to be thrown permanently into the political wilderness.  One can only hope that members of the Virginia GOP will wake up and look to Illinois as a blue print of how to embrace equality and still win despite the spittle flecked attacks of the Christofascists.