Iowa Decency

With my traveling over the weekend - after the Equality Virginia event the boyfriend and I continued up to Charlottesville to visit some of my family who live there - I missed the opportunity to fully pursue some of my book marked news sights and failed to see the New York Times editorial on the Iowa gay marriage decison until this evening. The editorial notes Iowa's history of being progressive in matters concerning civil rights and also underscores the Court's finding that religion should not be allowed to exclude civil legal rights. The editorial is in sharp contrast to a reader column posted on the Des Moines Register that tries to rehash the same religious/natural law agruments the Iowa Supreme Court rejected. Here are some higlights from the NYT editorial:

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Like the state’s earlier landmark civil rights cases — striking down slavery in 1839, for example, and segregation in 1868 and 1873 — the ruling on gay marriage by Iowa’s Supreme Court is a refreshing message of fairness and common sense from the nation’s heartland. A unanimous decision by the seven-member court on Friday approved marriage for couples of the same sex and brought the nation a step closer toward realizing its promise of equality and justice.

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The new decision says marriage is a civil contract and should not be defined by religious doctrine or views. “We are firmly convinced the exclusion of gay and lesbian people from the institution of civil marriage does not substantially further an important governmental objective,” wrote Justice Mark Cady, a Republican appointee. “The legislature has excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification.”

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The immediate impact of Iowa’s ruling was to make the failure to respect gay people’s freedom to marry, by courts and legislatures in states like New York, seem all the more shameful.

In contrast, the author of the Des Moines Register piece shows a total disdain for equality under the CIVIL laws as well as a total inability to separate religious belief from the civil laws - precisely the trait that the Iowa Supreme Court rejected:

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In other words, the formation of a bodily union between two persons requires sexual complementarity between the two persons. Only a mated pair of one man and one woman can sexually complement one another; therefore, only that ordering can form a bodily union.

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As a result, an understanding of marriage in line with reason is a marriage between one man and one woman. Our state should enshrine this principle into law because, in the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, “Law is given for the purpose of directing human acts; as far as human acts conduce to virtue, so far does law make men good.”

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Many supporters of traditional marriage act out of religious conviction. This is entirely appropriate because there are reasons why many great religions, including Christianity, teach that marriage ought to be between one man and one woman.

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I would also question whether the author of the Register opinion piece has ever truly been in love. True love and "complimentarity" - in my view - are something that occurs on a soul to soul basis with the body only providing the outer shell of the soul.

The End of Christian America?

Jon Meacham has a new in Newsweek on the state of Christianity and religion in the USA will likely send the professional Christians into hyperventilation even though I believe that it is they and those like them who have helped undermine the status of Christianity both in this country and other nations. True, the influx of immigrants of other faiths has helped reduce the overall percentage of the nation's population that identifies as Christian. But the even larger impact is from the growing segment of the population that has no religion. When the picture of Christians one sees in the media is either Catholics covering up the sexual abuse of children or hate filled Christian fundamentalists who appear to hate everyone that doesn't believe and look just like them, selling the Christian message becomes an uphill endeavor. Sadly, the more accepting mainline Christian denominations which do not preach fire and brimstone and hate get little coverage in the media. Of course, neither the corrupt members of the Catholic Church hierarchy or the evangelical hate merchants like James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Don Wildmon or Richard Land can see that it is they who are destroying Christianity in the USA. Not gays, not immigrants, not Muslims, but they themselves given the horrid image they project. Here are some story highlights:

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To the surprise of liberals who fear the advent of an evangelical theocracy and to the dismay of religious conservatives who long to see their faith more fully expressed in public life, Christians are now making up a declining percentage of the American population. . . . According to the American Religious Identification Survey that got Mohler's attention, the percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 percentage points since 1990, from 86 to 76 percent. . . . the percentage of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith has doubled in recent years, to 16 percent

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I think this is a good thing—good for our political culture, which, as the American Founders saw, is complex and charged enough without attempting to compel or coerce religious belief or observance. It is good for Christianity, to in that many Christians are rediscovering the virtues of a separation of church and state

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Evangelical Christians have long believed that the United States should be a nation whose political life is based upon and governed by their interpretation of biblical and theological principles. If the church believes drinking to be a sin, for instance, then the laws of the state should ban the consumption of alcohol. If the church believes the theory of evolution conflicts with a literal reading of the Book of Genesis, then the public schools should tailor their lessons accordingly. If the church believes abortion should be outlawed, then the legislatures and courts of the land should follow suit.

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But that project has failed, at least for now. In Texas, authorities have decided to side with science, not theology, in a dispute over the teaching of evolution. The terrible economic times have not led to an increase in church attendance. In Iowa last Friday, the state Supreme Court ruled against a ban on same-sex marriage, a defeat for religious conservatives.

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Religious doubt and diversity have, however, always been quintessentially American. Alexis de Tocqueville said that "the religious atmosphere of the country was the first thing that struck me on arrival in the United States," but he also discovered a "great depth of doubt and indifference" to faith. Jefferson had earlier captured the essence of the American spirit about religion when he observed that his statute for religious freedom in Virginia was "meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the Mahometan, the Hindoo and infidel of every denomination"—and those of no faith whatever.

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"The worst fault of evangelicals in terms of politics over the last 30 years has been an incredible naiveté about politics and politicians and parties," says [Albert] Mohler. "They invested far too much hope in a political solution to what are transpolitical issues and problems.

Monday Male Beauty

The Christianist Backlash

All too predictably the Christianists who seek to destroy the U.S. Constitution and enshrine their own toxic religious belief system on all citizens are beside themselves over the ruling of the Iowa Supreme Court handed down this past Friday. In its ruling, the Court made the following statements that go to the very heart of the dispute over same sex marriage:

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"state government can have no religious views, either directly or indirectly through it's legislation," . . . . "As a result, civil marriage must be judged under our constitutional standards of equal protection and not under religious doctrines or the religious views of individuals."

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This statement is diametrically opposed to the agenda of the Christo-fascists who want all laws and all legal rights patterned on their toxic form of Christianity. They have only contempt and disdain for those with differing beliefs and - in my view - are a clear and present danger to the U.S. Constitution and freedom of religion for all. Among the blowhards of the far right condemning the Iowa decision is Tony Perkins, mouth piece of the lily white Family Research Council (pictured above). Perkins has a similar contempt for not only gays but also non-whites, immigrants, non-Christians and a host of others. He and FRC are more easily defined by who they don't hate since they hate almost everyone. Unfortunately, the media anchors and talking heads never point out this fact or challenge Perkins and those like him. Here's a sampling of Perkins' disingenuous pontificating:

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"Same-sex 'marriage' continues to be a movement driven by a liberal judicial elite determined to destroy not only the institution of marriage, but democracy as well. The casual dismissal of the facts of human biology and thousands of years of human history, simply to pander to a small band of social radicals, is bizarre and indefensible,"

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"FRC will continue to stand with those states which are seeking to pass marriage protection amendments in order to protect our most fundamental social institution from the kind of judicial activism we saw today in Iowa."

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"We urge Iowans to contact their legislators and urge them to move quickly to pass a constitutional amendment protecting marriage, joining the twenty-nine states that have already defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman in their state constitutions,"

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Another homophobic Christianist who can never keep his mouth shut is Matt Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel and dean of Liberty University's Law School (a blight on Virginia's reputation), who like Perkins couches his shrill remarks in terms of judicial tyranny but in reality seeks to have extremist Christianist beliefs imposed on all. Here are a few of Staver's untruthful remarks:

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"These activist judges are no more than proselytizing engines of social change," . . . "That's not the role of a judge. They are to be umpires merely calling the balls or strikes. They don't rewrite the definition of marriage." . . . "The judges in this case crossed the line. This is an example of the kind of judge that should never be on the bench."

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Both Perkins and Staver would prefer religious courts like something out of Iran or Saudi Arabia to impose their intolerant religious beliefs on gays and everyone else. The reality, of course, is that as soon as their religious based arguments against same sex marriage are removed, their entire screed collapses like a house of cards. But then, with the Christianists, it is ALWAYS all about them and to Hell with everyone else.

Old, Reactionary, Bigots Oppose DADT Repeal

I posted previously about Elaine Donnelly's latest effort to torpedo the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell by producing a letter signed by 1,000 relics of by gone days in the U.S. Military including retired Gen. Carl E. Mundy, Jr. (pictured at left), a former commandant of the Marine Corps, who apparently doesn't reserve his bigotry just for gays. As Victor Maldonado at Pam's House Blend reports, Mundy also seems to holds blacks in contempt. Mundy explained away the lack of African-American officers in the Marines by telling 60 Minutes:

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"in the military skills, we find that the minority officers do not shoot as well as the non-minorities. They don't swim as well. And when you give them a compass and send them across the terrain at night in a land navigation exercise, they don't do as well at that sort of thing."

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The CBS News story goes on to highlight what was apparently all too typical of the Marine Corps under Mundy who entered the Marine Corps in 1953 and retired more than a decade ago in 1995:

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(CBS) THE MARINE CORPS IN 1993 (UNDER MUNDY). When 60 Minutes first visited Marine Corps Headquarters in 1993, there seemed to be little chance for advancement up the ranks for non-whites. Today, the statistics show improvement. 60 Minutes II Correspondent Lesley Stahl reports for a "Classic" segment of 60 Minutes II.

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"If I was blond-haired and blue-eyed and 6'1' and a closet homosexual, I'd be in the air cockpit of a CH-46 aircraft right now," says Captain Marcus Hartman. He used to be a CH-46 Marine helicopter pilot. Now he's a corporate lawyer. . When I challenged that individual a few days later, he resorted to screaming at me and calling me 'boy' in front of a wardroom full of officers," says Hartman. Hartman failed two flight tests, both administered by the same white captain who called him 'boy.' Then he was told he couldn't fly again. Hartman thinks that's business as usual in the Marine Corps, where only two percent of the pilots are black. . .

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Captain Gerald Gaskins agrees with him. "In my opinion, yes, it is racism. It's institutionalized racism," says Gaskins. "There's no doubt in my mind that it's racism."Captain Gaskins said that even though one of his superior officers urged him not to talk to 60 Minutes II. He recently learned that he's being promoted to the rank of major. But he did some research and found out that most black captains don't get promoted to major while most white captains do, courtesy, he says, of an "old-boy network." "I think people want to promote their own kind, and the more you look like your leadership, the better off you do in this system," Gaskins continues.

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60 Minutes II came to Marine Corps Headquarters to find out why they consistently kick out a greater percentage of minorities than whites. At first, we were told it's because of lower scores on Scholastic Aptitude Tests. In other words, they were saying that the minority officers just aren't as smart, at least academically, as the whites.

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THE MARINE CORPS TODAY. Since 60 Minutes II left Marine Corps Headquarters, Gaskins has gone from captain, to major, to lieutenant colonel. He now says minority officers have a real chance to succeed in the Corps.As for Marcus Hartman, he graduated from Harvard Law School, and is currently practicing corporate law. But it doesn't end there. In 1994, Hartman was recruited into the Reserves, and is now Marine Reservist Major Marcus Hartman.

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I'm sorry, but it sounds like if anyone should have been forced out of the military it was Mundy. His signature on the anti-gay letter put together by Elaine Donnelly shows that in Mundy's case once a bigot, always a bigot.

Des Moines Register: Marriage Ruling May Boost Iowa Economy

As the wingnuts of the Christian Right continue to have conniption fits and vent over the unanimous ruling of the Iowa Supreme Court on Friday striking down the ban on gay marriage, some are rightly focusing on the benefits that equality under the civil laws might bring to the state's economy. Like other states that allow gay marriage, Iowa could soon find itself as a gay travel destination with increased revenues from tourism and spending on wedding related items. However, unlike Massachusetts and Connecticut which are relatively close to Canadian destinations where gay marriage is legal, Iowa will be an island in the center of the country where many who cannot afford a longer and more expensive trip out of the country or to New England can soon have marriages performed. Since it would take at least 3 years for any attempt to amend the Iowa Constitution to over rule the Supreme Court to succeed, gay marriage should have a longer life span than in California. Here are some highlights from the DesMoines Register:
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Millions of dollars in tourism and tax revenue could flow into Iowa as a result of the Iowa Supreme Court's historic decision to legalize same-sex marriage, according to a range of scholars and business people.The unanimous but controversial ruling announced Friday overturned a 10-year-old ban on same-sex marriage and made Iowa the third state where gay marriage is legal.Iowa counties will begin to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples as early as this month.

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Unlike Connecticut and Massachusetts - the other states that permit gay marriage - Iowa has no nearby competitors for same-sex couples who want to marry. Businesses could see $160 million in new wedding and tourism spending over the next three years, according to a study from researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles.
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The study predicts that 2,917 same-sex Iowa couples will wed in the three years after the marriages are allowed to proceed. In addition, nearly 55,000 out-of-state couples could come to Iowa to get married, the study found. The ruling also could attract newcomers to the state, although some cautioned that the long-term impact remains unclear.Conservative critics argued that economics should not factor into an issue they view as an attack on traditional marriage and religious liberties.

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[O]ver time, he [University of Iowa political scientist David Redlawsk] said, the ruling could create an atmosphere that attracts younger residents and the so-called "creative class." "It makes Iowa overall a more welcoming state," Redlawsk said. "That's a good thing from the standpoint of businesses who, frankly, are concerned about quality of life issues for their employees."A University of Iowa Hawkeye Poll released Friday found that 58.7 percent of Iowans under age 30 support gay marriage, and three-fourths favor some formal recognition of gay relationships.

Virginia GOP Intra-Party War Continues

It is almost humorous to watch the Republican Party of Virginia ("RVP") tear itself apart over attempting to put a fresh face on the Party in the hope of getting the anything but moderate Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell (pictured at left with George "Macaca" Allen and Fred Thompson) elected as governor in November. A huge percentage of the moderates I knew in the GOP have left Party and are now voting Democrat with no intention of returning to the GOP until the Kool-Aid drinking Christianist set is thrown from control of the Party. Despite what he may be saying currently, McDonnell is a died in the wool Christianist who thinks extreme Christianist beliefs should control the civil laws. Merely throwing nutcase Jeff Frederick out of the RVP chairman position will not turn the sow's ear GOP into a silk purse. It is also noteworthy that McDonnell has many ultra far right figures from the GOP coming into Virginia to stump for him, including exorcism believing Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee who wants the U.S. Constitution to reflect the Bible as construed by him.

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Meanwhile, Frederick is a darling of the more deranged elements within RVP and I do not see that crowd going silently into the political wilderness or learning anything from John McCain's defeat in 2008. They are utterly clueless as to just how toxic the Republican brand has become with only 9% of voters under the age of 30 having a positive view of the GOP - versus 59% of that same bracket who view the Democrats in a favorable light - and continue to live in a fantasy world where the GOP's problems arise from not being ultra-far right enough. Personally, I hope the vicious infighting continues and that the Democrat contenders will go to great lengths to maintain the Virginia Democrat Party's unity throughout the primary election effort. Here are some highlights from the Washington Post on the ouster of Jeff Frederick yesterday:

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Virginia Republicans ousted embattled party chairman Jeffrey M. Frederick on Saturday at a tense meeting that left the party bitterly divided as it heads into a crucial campaign season. . . . . But at the heart of the dispute is a struggle that is tormenting Republicans both in the state and nationally: whether to rigidly pursue an agenda dominated by conservative social issues or reach out to more moderate voters with a pledge to focus chiefly on economic concerns.

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For months, the conflict has split the party and overshadowed Republican efforts to win the governor's mansion in a campaign that is viewed by many to be a harbinger for federal midterm elections in 2010. Some of Frederick's supporters said his ouster could sap the enthusiasm of rank-and-file activists come November.

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Dozens of Frederick's supporters rallied outside a hotel west of Richmond where the committee was meeting, waving signs that said "Don't Split My Party" and "We Elected Jeff. We Want Him to Stay" and chanting "Elected, Not Selected." Frederick stood on the sidelines, watching and praying with a small group of supporters. "It's nothing but a mob lynching. That's what it is,'' said Theresa Robinson, a Republican activist from Chester.

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McDonnell and other candidates are trying to set a course for Virginia Republicans by playing down their focus on ideology and such hot-button issues as gun rights, immigration and abortion. But many of the party's rank and file agree with Frederick's contention that by abandoning conservative principles they would betray their values. "The enthusiasm of the grass roots is critical in the fall,'' said Gary C. Byler, chairman of the 2nd Congressional District Republican Committee in Hampton Roads. "We have to heal those wounds."

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Frederick said he might fight to get his job back. His opportunity will come when thousands of activists will gather next month at a state convention. The event was designed to unite the party's rank and file behind McDonnell.

Sunday Male Beauty

Gays Killed in Baghdad as Clerics Urge Clampdown

As further proof that the U.S. occupation forces in Iraq either do not have the situation under control and/or that the U.S. leadership of the occupation force cares nothing for LGBT lives, reports out of Baghdad indicate that at the urging of Islamic clerics gays are being hunted down and murdered. Meanwhile the allegedly pro-U.S. puppet government in Afghanistan is allowing sharia law to be implemented so as to strip women of legal rights and protections. Frankly, if this is how the supposedly friendly puppet regimes are operating, then it is definitely past time that the USA troops be brought home. I would argue that the ones who are "perverts" and "deviants" are the hate filled clerics and their mindless followers who apparently cannot handle the fact that like the Bible, the Koran is wrong in its alleged condemnation of gays. Here are some highlights from Reuters on the murder of gays:

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BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two gay men were killed in Baghdad's Sadr City slum, a local official said on Saturday, and police said they had found the bodies of four more after clerics urged a crackdown on a perceived spread of homosexuality. Homosexuality is prohibited almost everywhere in the Middle East, but conditions have become especially dangerous for gays and lesbians in Iraq since the rise of religious militias after U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein six years ago.

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"Two young men were killed on Thursday. They were sexual deviants. Their tribes killed them to restore their family honor," a Sadr City official who declined to be named said. The police source who declined to be named said the bodies of four gay men were unearthed in Sadr City on March 25, each bearing a sign reading "pervert" in Arabic on their chests.

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Many young men who might have cut their hair short and grown beards when religious gangs controlled much of Iraq now dress in a more Western style as government forces take back control. Some are now accused of being gay, and residents of Sadr City say at least one coffee shop has become a gay hangout.

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A member of the slum's Sadrist office said the Mehdi Army was not involved in the killings, but said homosexuality was now more widespread since the Mehdi Army lost control of the slum.
"This (homosexuality) has spread because of the absence of the Mehdi Army, the spread of sexual films and satellite television and a lack of government surveillance," said the office's Sheikh Ibrahim al-Gharawi, a Shi'ite cleric.

Equality Virginia 20th Anniversary Dinner

The boyfriend and I traveled to Richmond yesterday for the 6th Annual Commonwealth Dinner which celebrated the 20th anniversary of Equality Virginia. The event had over 1,100 attendees and was a wonderful affair with LGBT Virginians and straight allies from all over the state. Ellen Qualls, Senior Advisor for Strategic Planning for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, was the mistress of ceremonies - with whom I hope to speak further this coming week. The dinner also honored 20 outstanding LGBT Virginians - past and present and among those honored were my former law school classmate, Clarence Cain, on whom the movie Philadelphia was based, Charles Whitebread, a former law professor from my days at UVA Law, and Claus Ihelemann, a friend from Norfolk. I will admit that I got a little veklempt when photos of Clarence and Charlie were projected on large screens in the ballroom. The lighter side of the entertainment for the evening was Leslie Jordan -a/k/a "Beverly Leslie" on "Will and Grace" and "Brother Boy" in Del Shores’ adaptation of his play "Sordid Lives" - who had the crowd laughing loudly with his storytelling.

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Also attending were some of the candidates for political office in the November, 2009, elections here in Virginia. The governor's race was represented by Brian Moran who seeks to be the Democrat candidate against the GOP's Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell. The boyfriend and I had a very good conversation with Moran and may well get involved in his campaign. The boyfriend and I also had a great conversation with Michael Signer who is seeking the nomination to be the Democrat candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Also in attendance as were campaign staff personnel for Pat Edmondson who is likewise seeking the Lieutenant Governor nomination. I hope to be speaking with all three campaigns this coming week and will be posting interview results and/or thoughts on these candidates. The Democrat Primary is on June 9, 2009. All three of these candidates are publicly taking pro-gay positions and Moran actively campaigned against the Christianist hate-based Marshal-Newman Amendment to Virginia's Constitution. I was very disappointed that Jody Wagner apparently had no one from her campaign at the event at the event.

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Candidly, I was a bit surprised when the Edmondson staff sought me out after seeing us talking with Mike Signer. To my surprise they were aware of this blog and want me to discuss the pro-gay positions that Pat Edmondson is taking. At some point I will likely endorse candidates based on who I think will be the best candidate over all and in the best position to defeat the GOP rivals come November. It is absolutely essential that Bob McDonnell NOT be elected governor since it would be tantamount to having Pat Robertson and The Family Foundation setting state policy through the Governor's Office. Based on the close race in 2005 that saw Bob McDonnell win the Attorney General race by fewer than 400 votes, LGBT Virginians could well decide who wins these races in November and we all need to get informed and get to the polls come November.