Yesterday's San Diego Pride

One can only image the shrieking and flying spittle that must be enveloping Christofascist circles as a result of yesterday's San Diego Pride Parade where uniformed members of the U.S. military participated in the parade.  Elaine Donnelly must have nearly had an aneurysm.   And Bryan Fischer and Tony Perkins must be spraying spittle on all those around them.

Personally, it is wonderful to see these service members on parade.  It goes a long way toward dispelling the image of gays promoted by the "godly Christian" set: alcoholic, drug using freaks and sexual perverts.  Obviously, none of the service members pictured above fit that image and they participation in the parade underscores the truth.  Here are a few highlights from the San Diego Union-Tribune:

It’s been a momentous year for San Diego’s LGBT community.  City leaders renamed a street in honor of Harvey Milk. A large rainbow flag is now a permanent fixture flying above Hillcrest. 

This November, voters will have the opportunity to elect the city’s first openly gay mayor. And active-duty members of the military wore their uniforms for the first time in Saturday’s San Diego LGBT Pride Parade with the government’s blessing. 

The loudest cheers from the parade crowd of nearly 200,000 were reserved for them.  The U.S. military contingent included about 40 members — some active, some retired. As they assembled in the staging area, countless spectators took pictures of and with them. Most of the active-duty personnel said they were under orders not to give interviews although photos were fine.

 We are slowly and steadily winning the war for equality.  Expect the haters to become even more vile and vitriolic as they fight a rear guard action on a mindset headed for the trash heap of history.

 

California Tea Party Spokesman Arrested for Rape

The insanity and hypocrisy of the Christianists and their allies in the Tea Party (some surveys have shown that as much as 80+% of the Tea Part crowd self-identifies as conservative Christian) just seems to never cease. These Kool-Aid drinkers say one thing while doing the exact opposite all too often. Especially when it comes to issues of sexual morality. Take for example, Michael Kobulnicky Pictured at left), the public relations spokesperson for the San Diego Tea Party, was arrested Thursday afternoon on rape/sexual assault charges. In my view, it is no coincidence that a mere four days ago Kobulnicky endorsed a national boycott of Red Bull: "Don't buy Red Bull. Look at what they think about Jesus. There is such an attack against Christianity now and hopefully Christians stand up for what they believe!" Why is it that it's always the self-professed, self-congratulatory "godly Christians" who are the sex perverts? Here are some highlights from MSNBC:

Police arrested a prominent local political activist in connection to a recent Fiesta Island sex assault on Thursday. Michael Kobulnicky, the public relations spokesperson for the San Diego Tea Party, was arrested Thursday afternoon in front of his home, according to Lt. Anastasia Smith with the San Diego Police Department.

Kobulnicky is accused of a Feb. 25 abduction and sexual assault of a 56-year-old woman who was walking home near Linda Vista Road in Fiesta Island. The woman was pulled into a car and assaulted, then left on the island, police said.Surveillance footage of the area near the assault gave police evidence to pursue a suspect. They released a picture of the suspect to the public, and many identified the suspect as Kobulnicky, police said.

Kobulnicky was booked into San Diego Central Jail on numerous felony charges, including kidnapping, sexual assault and sex with a foreign object.

A statement from the San Diego Tea Party said Kabulnicky has been on hiatus since January for personal reasons and has been relieved from his Tea Party duties during legal proceedings.

Sex with a foreign object? That sounds like something Governor Bob "Governor Ultrasound" McDonnell and his Christianist compatriots in the Virginia GOP would readily support. At least so long as the victim of the rape/unlawful penetration was a woman. It's always the conservative and their Christianist allies who condemn others for sexual promiscuity, yet they themselves are the ones who are obsessed with sex and all too often engage in what can only be described as kinky or illegal sexual escapades.

San Diego Catholic Church Reconsiders Gay Man's Funeral

The Roman Catholic Church gives lip service to treating LGBT individuals with dignity and compassion. Like so much that comes out of the Church, that story line is an outright lie and Church's actions and constant denigration of LGBT individuals speak far louder than disingenuously spoken words. Once in a while, the Church's true attitude comes through in such a blatant way that the shocked public reaction causes the bitter old men in dresses to rethink their actions. A case in point comes from San Diego, California, where the family of a gay business owner (pictured at left) was refused a Catholic funeral mass in a Catholic Church. Several media outlets picked up on the story and apparently the powers that be thought some PR damage control was in order. Hence the decision to allow the funeral after all. Personally, a Catholic Church is about the last place I'd want my funeral, but grieving should not be treated in the manner the Church first acted. Note that even as the Church reverses course, it likely is lying about how the PR disaster happened. Here are highlights from the San Diego Union-Tribune:

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A San Diego man’s Catholic funeral was moved from a church in Little Italy to a cemetery across town this week after a priest objected because the man was gay. For some, the situation evoked a 2005 incident when San Diego Bishop Robert Brom denied gay nightclub owner John McCusker a Catholic funeral, leading to a protest from the gay community and a subsequent apology from Brom.
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Tuesday, the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego said in a statement that the funeral Mass for 70-year-old John Sanfilippo — who owned SRO Lounge, a gay hangout in Bankers Hill — “may take place.” The statement, from Chancellor Rodrigo Valdivia, said the person objecting to the initial funeral arrangements was “a visiting priest substituting during the pastor’s vacation” and “not familiar with local practice.”
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The funeral was scheduled at Our Lady of the Rosary in Little Italy, where Sanfilippo was raised in a family of fishermen. It will now occur Thursday morning at Holy Cross Cemetery and Mausoleum.
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The refusal to hold a Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary prompted a small group of gay Catholics to gather outside the church Monday night to say the rosary and leave a note for the diocese seeking a clear policy on funeral Masses and last rites for Catholics who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered.
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Among those six or eight people were Nicole Murray Ramirez, a member of the San Diego Human Relations Commission, and Tom Kirkman, former president of Dignity/San Diego, the local chapter of a national advocacy group for gay Catholics.
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“The church should make a statement and issue that statement to all parishes that to make a knee-jerk reaction to reject a person’s funeral just because that person is gay is not appropriate,” Kirkman said.

U. S. Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Boy Scouts' Appeal

In an action that I believe is totally correct under the U.S. Constitution, the U. S. Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of the Boy Scouts that sought to set aside lower court rulings upholding the City of San Diego's refusal to continue rent free benefits to the Boy Scouts due to their religious based discrimination against LGBT scouts and troop leaders. The lesson is pretty simple: if you want taxpayer supported benefits, you cannot discriminate against various groups of taxpayers. No doubt the professional Christian set will be wailing and gnashing their teeth, but nonetheless the decision is the correct one. Obviously, the Court's refusal to hear the appeal does not bode well for other situations where the Boy Scouts are trying to challenge the consequences of their own religious based discrimination. The irony is that some years back conservatives showed no mercy for artists seeking grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and blathered about there being no discrimination in a denial of grants since the artists' rights to free expression were not curtailed: they could do whatever they wanted, just don't seek taxpayer dollars to do it. Here are some highlights from Google News:

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WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday decided to let stand a ruling saying the Boy Scouts cannot lease city-owned parkland in San Diego because the group is a religious organization. The high court refused to hear an appeal from San Diego-area Boy Scouts who have traditionally leased Balboa Park camp space.
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U.S. District Judge Napoleon Jones Jr. ruled in 2003 that San Diego acted improperly when it leased 18 acres of camp space to the Scouts because the group is a religious organization. The judge said the lease violated federal law that prohibits the government promotion of religion. The Boy Scouts say they have no theology and only hold the position that children should "do duty to God" to become productive citizens.
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The American Civil Liberties Union had sued San Diego and the Boy Scouts in August 2000 on behalf of a lesbian couple and an agnostic couple, each with scouting-age sons. They filed the lawsuit after the City Council voted to extend the group's 50-year lease for another 25 years.
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The Boys Scouts have been the target of preferential treatment lawsuits since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2000 that the group has a constitutional right to exclude openly gay men from serving as troop leaders and because it compels members to swear an oath of duty to God.
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The case is Boy Scouts v. Barnes-Wallace, 08-1222.

Two Faces of Christians in San Diego

San Diego saw two very different faces of Christianity today. One face, represented by those assembled at Qualcomm Stadium represents an alleged version of Christianity - which is not even really Christian, in my opinion - based on intolerance, hate, mindless and hypocritical obedience to obsolete Bible passages, and ignorance. The fact that these folks routinely ignore the Bible caveats against divorce underscores their outright hypocrisy. (A photo of some of the Kool-Aid drinkers is at left) Purportedly in attendance was one of the high priests of hate, James Dobson, and also Lou Engle who organized the event.

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The other form of Christianity - the true form if you will - was represented by a service at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral near Balboa Park. This form recognizes modern medical and mental health knowledge, extends love to others and follows Christ's dictate to love your neighbor as yourself. One has to wonder what is wrong with those at the Qualcomm event that they need to destroy the CIVIL legal rights of others in order to (1) feel good about themselves and (2) in the case of the organizers, fleece money from the ignorant. As if my boyfriend and I being married would affect their self-centered, self-absorbed lives or marriages in any way. Here are some highlights from the San Diego Union-Tribune:

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Supporters and opponents of Proposition 8 were holding religious-themed events Saturday, as the Tuesday vote on same-sex marriage nears. At Qualcomm Stadium, thousands were attending TheCall, which organizers said is a prayer and fasting event in support of passage of Proposition 8, which would ban such unions.

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Meanwhile, opponents of Proposition 8 organized a day of activity called “Make the Right Call,” which included a morning interfaith service at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral near Balboa Park. A 9 p.m. candlelight vigil against Proposition 8 was planned to take place in Hillcrest, with San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and his daughter, Lisa, participating.

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More than a dozen local religious leaders took part in the event, including the Rev. Mary Sue Brookshire of the United Church of Christ in La Mesa whose homily was interrupted several times by applause. She spoke of a lesbian friend who felt her life was incomplete because of society's treatment of gays. “As long as she is not fully human, neither am I.”

Threatening Letters Spark New Prop 8 Controversy

I have maintained for a long time that the anti-gay Christianists will resort to every imaginable lie and dirty tactic in their effort to force compliance with their hate-based religious views on all citizens. Now, based on reports coming out of San Diego, blackmail can apparently be added to the list of "Christian values" utilized by these horrid people who want to amend the California to strip same sex couples of civil marriage rights. The anti-gay Christianists and Mormons increasingly are showing themselves to be nothing more than thugs and fascists. At this point I would put nothing past them in terms of underhandedness and deceit. Hopefully, proper law enforcement officials will be called in and someone will be arrested for this possibly illegal tactic. Here are some highlights from KFMB-TV 8:

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A threatening letter has sparked a new controversy here in San Diego surrounding the gay marriage debate. Donors who gave money to the No on Prop 8 campaign say they received blackmail letters demanding money, and the Yes on 8 campaign now says the letters were sent by their employees.

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The letter from Yes on 8 came by certified mail, demanding at least $10,000. Jim Abbot knows exactly why he's being targeted - his business gave $10,000 to a group called Equality California, which supports No on Prop 9. Jim says nearly 25 percent of his staff is gay."We wanted to support their freedom to marry," he said.

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Yes on 8 confirms they sent around 30 companies the letter. A spokeswoman told News 8 they are just trying to hold their ground in a passionate race. She added that No on 8 supporters picketed the Manchester Grand Hyatt after Doug Manchester donated $125,000 thousand. The publicity caused at least one very large group to cancel its event at the hotel.

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News 8 couldn't find anything from No on 8 supporters demanding money from Yes on 8 supporters.As for Jim, he stands behind his donation, and will not be making a similar one to Yes on 8."We're not caving... we'll support our employees. We're going to support the freedom to marry, a fundamental right to do what we can to make sure it's not taken away," he said.

San Diego Union-Tribune Opposes Proposition 8

In an interesting about face, the San Diego Union-Tribune has come out and urged the defeat of Proposition 8 on the California ballot on November 4, 2008. What makes the newspaper's about face all the more interesting is the fact that the San Diego area has been the source of a disproportionate amount of the funding for the anti-gay marriage fruit loops to date. One can only imagine the spittle flying as Christianist haters call the paper to say they are canceling their subscriptions. In making the case for why it has done this about face, the Tribune-Union illustrates the absurdity of the Christianist arguments. Anti-gay marriage laws have NEVER been about "protecting marriage." Rather the real agenda has always been to demean, disparage and treat gays as less than full citizens. All because they do not follow the Christianist religious belief. Here are some highlights from the editorial:

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The right of gay and lesbian couples to wed on an equal legal basis with heterosexual couples has long stirred opposition not only among social conservatives but also among a much broader swath of society. But in the four short months since a landmark California Supreme Court ruling legalized gay marriage, a significant social shift seems to have occurred.

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As gay couples have gone to the courthouse and entered into matrimony, usually surrounded by champagne, family and friends, the worst fears of gay marriage opponents suddenly seem greatly inflated. For instance, Christian conservatives have asserted for years that allowing gays to marry would undermine heterosexual unions – hence, such laws as the Defense of Marriage Act. In truth, however, there has been no discernible impact on traditional marriage between a man and a woman now that gay couples in California have the same right. With gay marriage a fait accompli, society has not crumbled. The long-standing institution of marriage is not in crisis.

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Our guess is that even voters who may have reservations about gay marriage will be reluctant to repeal a right that now exists as a matter of law. To do so would smack of singling out a particular group for discrimination, a move that offends many Californians' sense of fairness.

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Supporters of Proposition 8 make two arguments. The first is that, for thousands of years, marriage has been defined as between a man and a woman exclusively. Considering how Californians historically have been wide open to change, this appeal is not likely to carry much force.

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The second argument made by supporters is that children should be raised solely by a father and a mother, not by two fathers or two mothers. Yet the debate over child-rearing is entirely beside the point, because Proposition 8 is about marriage only. It would do nothing to prevent gay couples from adopting children or from having children through artificial means. Indeed, all Proposition 8 would do is ensure that the children of gay couples would be raised in households where the parents were unmarried. Would that be a healthier situation for children?

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In the past, this page has advocated civil unions for gay couples rather than marriage. But our thinking has changed, along with that of many other Californians. Gay and lesbian couples deserve the same dignity and respect in marriage that heterosexual couples have long enjoyed. We urge a No vote on Proposition 8.

LGBT Students Awarded $300,000 Against School District

Having enlightened laws to protect LGBT students mean little if school administrators fail to enforce them. Thus why it is sometimes necessary for lawsuits and damages awards to make those who are in charge pay attention and do what they should already be doing. A case in point is a lawsuit in California where two LGBT students received an aggregate award of $300,000 against a school division that failed to protect them from harassment which at times became downright violent. Inasmuch as most juries are no overly LBGT friendly, to support an award of $300,000 the facts must have been fairly egregious. If the award is upheld on appeal - which hopefully it will be since appellate courts are generally not disposed to overturn jury findings of fact perhaps this type of situation will become much more rare. Here are some highlights from 365gay.com:

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Joey Ramelli and Megan Donovan were students at Poway High School, a school in the Poway Unified School District in northern San Diego County. Over the course of their junior year other students relentlessly taunted them with antigay slurs and Joey was even physically assaulted and his car was vandalized. The two students found the harassment so brutal that they both had to drop out of Poway High School and completed studies toward their high school diploma at home.

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Represented by Lambda Legal they took the district to court in 2005. During the trial the court was told that both Donovan and Ramelli reported the harassment to school officials but nothing was done. The jury found that the officials took “minimal or no action at all” when they reported the incidents. Further, the jury found that the harassment was so “severe and pervasive” that they awarded a combined $300,000 to the students.

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“Joey and Megan are seeking justice so that no other gay or lesbian student will have to endure what they did,” said Lambda attorney Brian Chase. “This decision sent a clear message to schools across California that harassment of gay and lesbian students will not be tolerated,” Chase said. “Hardly a day went by that I didn’t get shoved or called a name, so there was no way that anyone could question that what was happening to me was a serious, constant problem,” Ramelli said.