Historic Gay Marriage Cases Set for Late March

U.S. Supreme Court will Hear Two Oral Arguments

On January 7, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the challenge to California’s Proposition 8 Hollingsworth v.Perry, the constitutional amendment that forbids same-sex marriage on  March 26, and on March 27, it will listen to oral arguments in U.S. v. Windsor, the ACLU’s case challenging the constitutionality of DOMA which denies federal recognition to same-sex couples’ marriages. The court has scheduled only one hour’s worth of arguments each day. However, justices can extend the time allotted to arguments in each case.

The nine Supreme Court Justices involved in these cases are:  John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Broyer, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayer, and Elena Kagan.

supreme-court

The Proposition 8 Case

The Justices will be considering if Proposition 8 violates the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  In November 2008, the ballot initiative banning gay marriage in California was passed by popular vote.

AFER,the American Foundation for Equal Rights, filed the lawsuit against Proposition 8 on behalf of two couples: Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo and Sandy Belzer Stier and Kris Perry. In February 2012, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit declared the law unconstitutional and this ruling was then appealed to the Supreme Court.

The couples will be represented ironically by” hotshot” lawyers Ted Olson and David Boies. These lawyers were adversaries in the 2000 Bush vs. Gore case, resulting in GeorgeW. Bush becoming the U.S. President. Boies and Olson have argued over 170 cases in the Supreme Court and have winnings in the Federal District Court and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Eleven California couples are hoping for the Supreme Court to overturn Proposition 8.

The Doma (Defense of Marriage Act) Challenge

Federal appeals courts in New York and Boston had ruled that the law is unconstitutional. The Republican leadership of the House of Representatives appealed to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court Justices agreed to hear the case of Edith Windsor, a Manhattan native. Windsor, legally married in Canada, is suing the federal government because they do not recognize her same-sex marriage to her late wife Thea Spyer.

Because DOMA does not allow the U.S. government from recognizing same-sex marriages (even in states where gay marriages are legal), couples cannot file joint federal tax returns or receive survivor benefits if one spouse dies.  In 1996, DOMA was passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by President William Clinton.  Windsor has sued because she was required to pay a $350,000 federal estate tax bill on Spyer’s estate.

All nine justices could participate in this case.  It only takes four votes to hear a case.

Justice Kennedy believed to be the Fulcrum

Justice Kennedy authored the Lawrence v. Texas ruling that struck down state anti-sodomy laws in 2003 so he is expected to proceed on a course that is favorable to gays and lesbians. However, as much as homosexuals may want him to bring marriage equality to the entire country either by resorting to the fundamental right to marry or deeming sexual orientation a suspect classification, the March outcomes may have more limited victories.

Life is a Journey

“Life is a journey, not a destination,” as the old adage goes. It is a series of events or mini-destinations, if you will, each with a lesson to learn.  If the lesson is learned and we use it to move forward and grow, then we reach a new plateau upon which to begin to work toward the next stopping point in our lives.

Unfortunately many people remain at a particular mini-destination, get comfortable, and stop growing.  It is at this point when life stops being a journey, and tends to be one void of learning and experiencing new things, and using the knowledge gained to become the person we were meant to be.  The focus is not on what can be but is grounded in what is.  The vision of what is important in our lives becomes obscured thus causing us to meander about indefinitely on a sterile plane of existence, and not focusing on what needs to be done to move forward with our lives.

Life can beat us down, and draw us away from what we truly desire, and many times, we begin to think we don’t deserve the things we dream of, and hope for, and settle for a lesser quality of life.  We tend to make excuses for why things are the way they are and place blame on events that we have no control over.  We resign ourselves to lives of quiet desperation.  We surrender our ability to control our destinies based on external events that, in reality, are placed before us to work through and overcome.  Life is designed to strengthen our resolve and commitment to change the circumstances to which many times we helplessly resign ourselves.

What are your challenges?  What is it that is holding you back or making you believe that you cannot reach the next plateau of your life?  Are you allowing your challenges to dictate your actions or inaction?  Are they clouding your ability to objectively analyze the situation and consider options for moving forward?  Are you listening to others and making their doubts and insecurities your reasons for not doing something you should to change a particular situation in your life?

Life is a series of choices.  Each choice we make has a consequence.  Instilled in us all is an ability to choose and decide what we will or will not do with our lives.  The simple fact of the matter is that we control our lives; no one else will make our decisions for us or tell us what is right or wrong.  We make decisions every day that will impact our lives the next day, next month or for years to come.

The good thing is that tomorrow is always a new day and with individual resolve, or a situation that forces us to change our ways, decisions can be made which will change the course of one’s destiny.

I could have decided to stay in my dank, musty closet; remaining hidden, and living a life that was not mine and thus silencing the life that I was supposed to lead.  Do not delude yourselves into thinking your life does not matter; that you do not touch other people’s lives in ways that are not visible or known to us.  If we do not grow into the people we are meant to be, there are lives that will go untouched and unaffected by the music or books we write, the words of comfort that we give based on empathy with situations we have lived through, or just maturing with the wisdom we gain by just living our lives and working toward changing them and overcoming those aspects of our lives which we are not happy with or that need improvement.

Do not arrive at the end of your life regretting not making the decisions you needed to make.  Life is a journey!  Make the best of it.  Make it as fulfilling and meaningful as you can.  Sometimes decisions need to be made that may seem irrational and crazy to some people observing from a distance.  Some decisions may seem frightening and outside of one’s comfort zone, but personal greatness is derived from stepping and thinking outside the box.  Sometimes we need to create a whole new box.  Do whatever it takes to make you turn the corner of your life and decide to move to the next plateau.  Do it with disregard of what people may think, or what they may say.  They are not in control of your destiny… YOU ARE!

Life is a journey, not a destination.

Ca. Eagle Scout and Mother Take Eagle Scout Charge to Heart

“The Third Obligation of the Eagle Scout is to be Courageous”

So sayeth The Eagle Scout Charge: “To a Scout, bravery means not only the courage to face physical danger, but the determination to stand up for the right.” After coming out last year, Ryan Andresen was denied his Eagle badge even though he had completed all the requirements for his Eagle Scout Award while still a member of the Boy Scouts of America.  Before his eighteenth birthday, Ryan had completed a capstone project where he worked with a local middle school to build a permanent “Tolerance Wall” to raise awareness about bullying.

How the Andresens Retaliated

Ryan’s Mother, Karen Andresen, launched a campaign on Change.org., with the help of Scouts for Equality founder Zach Walls after Ryan’s Scoutmaster Rainer Del Valle refused to sign Ryan’s Eagle application because of Ryan’s sexual orientation.  The BSA have an anti-gay policy against its members and leaders.

The on-line campaign petition recruited more than 460,000 signatures and endorsements from thirty-two California state legislators, California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, and U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. It also landed Ryan national attention last October: a spot on Anderson Cooper 360 and The Ellen DeGeneres Show where Ellen presented Ryan with a check toward college tuition.

Boy Scouts of America’s Highest Award is Possible for Ryan

Mount Diablo, California’s Boy Scouts ignored the BSA’s national ban on gay members and leaders, and granted Ryan an official Eagle Board of Review on December 19.  They submitted their recommendation of approval to the Mt. Diablo-Silverado Council on December 31.  Commented Ryan’s father, Eric Andresen, “from what I understand, this has never happened before.”(Eric was a Boy Scout leader until his son was ejected.)

Ryan’s parents pushed Ryan’s application until it landed on the desk of Bonnie Hazarabedian, who chaired the Boy Scout district review board that signed off on Ryan’s Eagle Scout application. Says Bonnie: “Ryan did everything right in this process, with respect and honesty, requesting an Eagle Board of Review under disputed circumstances when his Scoutmaster refused to sign the application.  … We are convinced that Ryan has demonstrated he deserves the rank of Eagle Scout.”

Not an ‘open-and-shut ‘Case, Yet

The application, approved at the local and council levels, has been forwarded for recommendation to the national headquarters for final approval. “Normally,” said Ryan’s father, “the national office rubber-stamps the district recommendation within 30 to 60 days.”  This case is not expected to be resolved so easily. Ryan’s case is one of more than fifty petitions that have been launched by Scouts and Scout leaders urging local councils to ignore the national anti-gay policy.

Rewards for Fighting

“No matter what the BSA’s National Advancement Team decides to do with his application,” claims Karen Andresen, “this victory (approval of local Scouting community), makes it all worth it, and gives me hope for the future of the organization.”

Says Ryan, “ I want other gay Scouts to know, especially those who are hiding who they really are, that this win is for you.” As his father confirms, “ it’s gotten to the point that getting the Eagle doesn’t matter so much.  It’s the message that counts.  It’s the desire that no other Scout should ever have to go through this.”

 

 

 

 

Hagel for Defense? Ay

 Gays Divided on Hagel’s Past Gay Rights Record

On January 7, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated former Nebraska Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, replaciing outgoing Leon Panetta as Secretary of Defense. Hagel would be the first enlistee and combat veteran of the Vietnam War to serve as Defense Secretary. (Like Senator John Kerry, Hagel was a decorated War veteran who later questioned the U.S. troop’s presence in Vietnam.)

According to the Wall Street Journal, January 8, 2013, “Mr. Obama tapped Mr. Hagel as someone likely to share his views on the Afghanistan troop drawdown, according to people close to the president.” With his military background, and Republican credentials, Obama believes Hagel can take on budget reductions planned at the Pentagon.

Hagel’s History with the Republican Party

However, Hagel’s dissension within the Republican party came to a head in 2008, when he endorsed Barack Obama. He angered Republicans over his 2006 proposal to wind down the Iraqi war and for opposing the troop surge in 2007. Critics say that he favors negotiations with Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, and that he has disapproved of pro-Israeli lobbying efforts.

(Is this why the Log Cabin Republicans took out two ads, one in the New York Times and Washington Post attacking his stance not only on Israel and Iran, but also on Gay Rights? At the bottom of the Washington Post ad is written “Chuck Hagel’s Apology: Too Little, Too Late.”)

Isn’t this puzzling coming from a party that supported Mitt Romney who didn’t favor gay rights? Not all Republicans agree.  Chris Barron, co-founder of the gay Republican group GoProud, tweeted “This Hagel is ‘anti-gay smear campaign.”

Still, few will quibble with Hagel’s war record.  What they do quibble about are his views on gay rights.  Why, some gays wonder, would Obama nominate someone who is thought to possibly set the clock back on gay rights after the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in 2011? A candidate who  voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004 and opposed repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 1999.

Still, OutServe-SLDN, a group that represents active duty reserve and retired LGBTQ service members, called Hagel “ an exceptionally qualified nominee for Secretary of Defense. If confirmed, he will be an effective leader for the Pentagon.  Significant challenges remain for LGBT service members and their families, however, and it’s long overdue that our Secretary address those challenges.”

The Hormel Verbal Attack : One of His Blunders

While a member of the Senate from Nebraska in 1998, Mr. Hagel opposed the Clinton  nomination of James Hormel to be ambassador to Luxembourg because he was “openly, aggressively gay.”( Can anyone ever be “openly, aggressively gay?) “A gay man could not be effective as a top diplomat.” Hagel told the Omaha World Herald that “they are representing our lifestyle, our values, our standards.  And I think it’s an inhibiting factor to be gay – openly, aggressively gay like Mr. Hormel – to do an effective job.” Hagel has since apologized for  his anti-gay remarks made years ago when the U.S. was not strongly in favor of gay marriage.  How we forget!

Skeptics think Hagel is an opportunist who might be changing his opinion so that he can easily win the coveted political position.  Hagel has issued a statement in which he apologized for comments he made in the 1990’s and says he is committed to LGBT civil rights as well as his support for open service and the families of gay and lesbian service members. Doesn’t he have the right to evolve like Obama who did not support gay marriage until May 2012?

Wait and See”

The Human Rights Campaign is giving its endorsement even after previous zero rating for Hagel’s voting on gay rights. Prominent LGBT activist Rick Jacobs, head of the Courage Campaign wrote on The Huffington Post on January 7, 2013 that he was in full support of Hagel.

Former Congressman Barney Frank told the Boston Globe that he’s withdrawing his “strongly opposed” position in favor of a more lenient better than the alternative.  With the attack coming out of the right,” he hopes Hagel gets confirmed.

One expects that if Barney Frank becomes the interim Senator from Massachusetts, he, along with openly gay Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) will grill Hagel about overseeing the DADT repeal as well as issues such as granting additional partner benefits to gay service members. “Hagel will have to explain his views during the confirmation process and what steps he intends to take as defense secretary to demonstrate his support for LGBT members of the military and their families,” according to Rea Carey, Executive Director National Gay and Lesbian Task.

 

 

 

 

Gratitude

gratitude

It is hard to believe that another year has slipped away.  2012 is now but a distant memory.  The advent of a New Year always brings a fresh beginning; an opportunity to metaphorically cast off baggage from the prior year, and to carry forward good memories.  Memories that instilled in us a sense of hope that the coming year would move us forward toward a better understanding of ourselves, and those around us.

A new year also accords us an opportunity to refocus on what is important to us and to more fully comprehend what our life’s purpose really is.  It is a clean slate upon which we can set new goals, create new opportunities, and look optimistically upon the future.

As I reflect upon the past year, and look forward to the New Year, I have to take stock of the many good things in my life, despite the adverse events, and negative news that seem to intrude and cause brief disruptions along the way.  I am grateful for the many wonderful things in my life, that sometimes seem to get lost in amongst our daily trials and tribulations.

First and foremost, I am grateful for my family.  I am still blessed with two loving parents, that have supported me and encouraged me at every step, even though they may not have agreed with decisions I made.  I am thankful every day that they are both still here.  I am also grateful that I have had the opportunity to live here in my hometown with them for the past 20+ years, being able to spend many hours of quality time with them and creating memories that I will always and forever cherish long after they are gone.

I am also blessed with two brothers, with wonderful families.  I am so very proud of my three nieces and nephew.  They are all growing up to be stable, happy young adults, who have many years ahead of them to shape their destinies and to leave their mark on the world.

I have also reconnected with cousins that had long faded into the distance, due to a variety of reasons.  I am grateful that actions taken to assist an elderly aunt provided me with a deeper understanding of family and the ties that bind family together.  I am hopeful that those ties may strengthen even further and become a solid rock in my future upon which I can rest, when those closest to me are no longer.

Second, I have been blessed with many years of meaningful employment working for the city in which I grew up.  It has been a wonderful experience to have been able to give back to my hometown community in ways that many have not been able to.  I have also met many wonderful people during the past 20 years that have enriched my life in immeasurable ways.

Third, I am grateful for a woman, who shall remained unnamed, who I met 6 years ago, that has changed my life for the better.  She has provided insight to me that has helped shape my view of the world and my purpose in it.  Without her guidance and love, and most importantly her encouragement to persevere in the face of difficult situations, I would not be the person I am today.

Fourth, I am grateful that I am not the person I was 20 years ago, or for that matter, a short 5 years ago.  I have experienced a level of personal growth and development that I would never have imagined possible in my wildest dreams, in large part due to the woman mentioned above.  I was reliving parts of my past in my head a while back and I could barely recognize the person I was envisioning in my memory.  I kept saying over and over, “who is that guy?”  I am excited for the possibilities and I can’t wait to see the person that has yet to emerge from the shadows of the future.

Fifth, I am grateful for the journey I have taken out of my dark, musty closet; a closet that was suffocating me, and making me live a life that was not mine.  It was slowly strangling out of me what life was left in me, to the point where I contemplated the ultimate self-deprecation – suicide.  Clearly, that drastic action was not meant to be, as I am still here, but I am so forever grateful for the forces unseen that took over and guided me away from that irreversible action.  I am thankful that I have been able to make a contribution toward achieving equality for this nation’s queer population in a strong, forceful and meaningful way, through Diversity Rules and my gifts of the pen.

Last, I am grateful for the spiritual guides in my life that have been with me all of my life, watching over me from a distance; waiting for me to ready myself to accept what they were waiting to teach me.  While I do not maintain the spiritual beliefs with which I was raised, I have a profound appreciation for the unseen forces in our lives and the connection to those who have gone before us.  I am grateful for the understanding that we are all spiritual beings connected to all that “is.”  This connection to universal powers and linkages to all other beings, has given me an inherent sense of purpose and commitment to helping others achieve what is inside them.

I have such a profound appreciation for and humble subservience to the power that is not mine, but yet it shapes my destiny and with the right choices, can beneficially impact me in ways that are unimaginable to me at this moment in time, and that allows me to ultimately achieve many great things that have only been fleeting dreams and unattainable aspirations.

New Years Day 2013 is the beginning of a new chapter of my life on many fronts.  With the advent of a new chapter, old ones must end.  I am sad in a way that those chapters must recede into memory, but I shall carry with me lessons learned and memories engrained into my consciousness forever forward in the subsequent chapters of my life.

Happy New Year and make it YOUR YEAR to rise above that which is holding you back.  Become the person you are meant to be and achieve the things you are meant to achieve.  Live your life and don’t look back.  Let go of the past, as it has no bearing on what is possible in this New Year.  Take charge and create the vision of yourself on your clean slate as we enter into this New Year.

Settlement for Lesbian Couple denied Mortgage Loan

Claim by HUD Against Bank of America

A Florida lesbian couple seeking to obtain a federally insured mortgage loan were turned down by Bank of America because of their sexual orientation and marital status.  Because the applicant’s partner was not employed, the applicant enlisted her partner’s mother as a co-applicant on the loan.

The couple provided all of the necessary loan application documents to Bank of America over several weeks and were assured that they would probably receive a mortgage. However, one day prior to closing, they were denied the mortgage so they were not able to close on the loan.

How the Bank Regarded Their Application

Because the bank did not view the loan applicant and the co-applicant directly related, as they were not legally married, their dreams were dashed. In Florida which bans same-sex marriage, they would not have been able to be legally related anyway.

How the Nation’s Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Viewed The Loan

On March 5, 2012, the LGBT Equal Access Rule went into effect. It prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status in public housing and HUD’s core housing programs, including eligibility, determinations for mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

This suit against Bank of America represents HUD’s first enforcement action taken under the LGBT Equal Access Rule. The Director of Policy for The National Center for Lesbian Rights, Maya Rupert, said that the announcement on January 2, 2013 is “a turning point for the LGBT community in its fight for equal access to fair and affordable housing. This settlement agreement shows how serious HUD is about working to ensure all people and their families can access public housing and crucial housing programs.”

Bank of America Settles Antigay Discrimination Claim with HUD

According to a statement from HUD, under the terms of the agreement, Bank of America  agreed to pay HUD $7,500.  BOA has to notify its residential mortgage loan originators, processors and underwriters of its settlement agreement with HUD.

It’s mandatory that BOA advise its employees that they are prohibited from discriminating against Federal Housing Authority-insured loan applicants on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status. BOA also has to update its fair lending program to include information on HUD’s rule.

 

 

Mentors

Mentors are a very important component of our lives.  During some point in our careers or other endeavors there is someone that has trod the path for us.  All we need to do is follow the path they have made in order to achieve what we need to achieve.

Additionally, mentors provide us the guidance necessary to analyze situations and pursue the right path forward that suits our needs best.  Mentors give us the encouragement we need in order to tread our own paths as well; not just follow a path that has been trodden by many others.

We all have a mission in life.  It is the pursuit of that mission that propels us forward to seek the answers we need; to find the pieces of the puzzle that are missing in our quest for personal greatness.  Mentors play an important role in that quest.  We cannot achieve personal greatness in a vacuum of self.

In relation to queer persons, mentors are all the more important, since we are inherently consumed within self until we make that choice to come out and be who we are meant to be.  Most times, queer persons come to the realization that they are who they are and then seek advice and counsel from others, from books or other publications to find out more about what it means to be queer.  Unfortunately, many of the sources to which queer persons seek, are not the best ones to base their life decisions on.

Mentors are available if you seek them out.  They are ready, willing and able to help you sift through your anxieties and fears.  However, they cannot help you if you do not want to help yourselves.

I know from personal experience that a mentor would have been an asset to me.   However, I was still fearful and not sure about the new path on which I was embarking and purposely sequestered myself and tried to figure things out on my own.  This only created more anxiety, frustration and fear.

I would encourage you to seek out the confidence of someone to mentor you.  It is so reassuring to know that there is someone else like you out there that has been where you are and has tread a path out of their closets.  They have liberated themselves from their fake selves and are living their true essence.  Find that person as soon as you can!

M-a-r-r-y Land Celebrates New Year with its First Gay Marriages

7 GL Couples Wed in Maryland

The first state south of the Mason-Dixon line married seven couples on January 2, 2013.  Maryland is one of  nine states and the District of Columbia which have approved same-sex marriage. Voters of this state narrowly passed a November referendum legalizing same-sex marriage. Maryland’s same-sex couples have been able to get marriage licenses since December 6, but they did not take effect until Tuesday, January 1, 12:01 a.m..

History of Maryland’s Fight for Equality:  Governor O’Malley vs. Catholics

In 2011, Governor O’Malley fight for same-sex marriage legislation found him pitted against Catholics opposed to gay marriage. Archbishop Edwin O’Brien of Baltimore wrote that same-sex marriage went against the Governor’s faith, to which O’Malley replied “ when shortcomings in our laws bring about a result that is unjust, there is a public obligation to try to change that injustice.”

Same-sex marriage legislation in 2011 passed in the Senate, but stalled in the House of Delegates.  That summer, O’Malley announced that he would consider backing a measure that would exempt religious institutions from marrying gay couples – similar to New York’s law. In March, the Governor signed the law that passed in the House last February.  Opponents of the bill petitioned with enough signatures to put the bill to a statewide vote, which passed narrowly, with a 52% in favor. (Maine and Washington state also approved same-sex marriage with a popular vote on Election Day.)

Baltimore’s City Hall Was Busy New Year’s Day

The first couple to take advantage of the new law was James Scales and William Tasker.  They have been together for thirty-five years.  Scales, age 68, had worked  for the Mayor’s office for twenty-five years and was married by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake who commented that “true marriage, true marriage, is the dearest of all earthly relationships. There are so many people who have a chance now to have the life they wanted.”

The mayor also married Scott Eichinger and Jason Lott who were sweethearts for thirteen years.  The Cheverly same-sex couple, who had a commitment ceremony eight years ago in D.C., also wed on January 2nd, followed by a reception in their home.  Ceremonies took place in other parts of Maryland as well.

The Wedding Crashers – Not as Much Fun as Vince Vaughn!

Not all were pleased with the legalization of same-sex marriage in Maryland.  As their wont, the extremist Westboro Church, famous for their demonstrations at military gravesides as well as churches, tried to picket Maryland courthouses on Wednesday, January 2nd, when courthouses began to perform same-sex marriages in Maryland.  Online, the church posted that it was targeting Maryland and that it “brings these words of warning, knowing they may be the last you get  Your duty is to fear and obey God, and do it like you mean it, with joy and gladness.”

Counter Insurrection

At the Baltimore County Circuit Courthouse, the church was met by dozens who said they didn’t want anybody’s wedding to be ruined.  In Annapoils, four Westboro Church travelers were greeted by 250 protestors, many of whom were Baptists,,Presbyterians, Unitarians, as well as High School students who were excused from class to protest the hatred of gays.

Will Illinois Be Next To Legalize Gay Marriage?

Illinois State’s Senate Defeated Bid For Gay Marriage

The Illinois Marriage Equality Bill was narrowly defeated, 28 to 24 votes, from getting the first legislative hearing on January 2, 2013.  The vote was on waiving a six-day waiting period set out in Senate rules to have the measure heard in committee. Senate Republicans blocked an effort to allow the measure to be considered by a committee, but some supporters were absent.

Minor Procedural Setback

The bill’s chief Senator sponsor, Democrat Heather Steans, points out that an alternative parliamentary way around the six-day waiting period is to have the legislation be heard in the Senate Executive Committee.  It is possible that the hearing could happen within the next week, during the “lame-duck” session of the state legislature, which ends on January 8. Will the gay marriage bill be pushed through the full Senate?

Supporters Not Worried, But Not “Resting on Laurels,” Either

The bill, pending in Springfield, Illinois, has prominent Democrats, including Governor Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel as well as President Obama supporting it. Last week, at least 260 Illinois Jewish and Protestant leaders published a letter supporting same-sex marriage although the bill does allow religious groups to opt out of performing gay marriages if they so wish.  Twelve African-American leaders on January 2nd, released an open letter in support of the measure.

Catholic and Muslim Opposition in Fifth’s Largest State

However, not all religious figures were supportive. Cardinal Francis George of Chicago calls same-sex marriage “ a violation of natural law” and urges the measure’s defeat.  Like other bishops, he describes gay marriage as a “legal fiction” and says that gays should remain celibate and not aim to “destroy natural law by attempting to legislate such artificial constructs.” Although the legislation would not require religious organizations to recognize or consecrate gay marriage, some 1,700 state religious leaders derided that claim in letters addressed to Illinois lawmakers.

Key Republicans Back Marriage Equality Bill

Pat Brady, chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, and Ken Mehlman, a gay former Republican National Committee Chairman from 2005 to 2007, on January 2nd, urged the Illinois General Assembly to pass the Religious Freedom and MarriageFairness Act. Says Mehlman, campaign manager for President George W. Bush’s re-election in 2004, “allowing civil marriage for same-sex couples will cultivate community stability, encourage fidelity and commitment, and foster strong family values.” See “Illinois Republican leadership backs marriage equality bill,” LGBTQ Nation, 1/2/2013.

Gay TV Star Adds Heft to Campaign

To give more weight to this gay rights bill, Emmy-winning actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson, along with his fiance Justin Mikita, and Governor Sheila Simon, announced his support on January 2.

Ferguson, who is half of the gay couple portrayed in the popular comedy Modern Family, commented “I’m looking forward to raising a family with Justin and having our kids grow up in an equal America.”

What the Marriage Equality Marriage Bill Means For Illinois

Since June 2011, Illinois has one of the most liberal civil unions law in effect.  Last year, a survey of Illinois voters by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling found that 47 % would allow gay marriage, 42% were opposed, and 11 percent not sure.

If the bill passes, Illinois, with a population of 30 million people, would become the tenth state to allow same-sex marriage.  The new legislature, sworn in, on January 9th, has a supermajority of Democratic members who would most likely favor the legislation.

With the recent passage of gay marriage in Washington, Maryland and Maine, and marriage efforts gaining ground in Rhode Island, Minnesota, Delaware and Hawaii, perhaps the Supreme Court will be apt to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act?

 

Can You ever Switch your Gay Identity To Straight?

Governor Jerry Brown’s Decision to Ban Conversion Therapy in Ca. Upsets Critics

Starting January 1, 2013, sexual conversion therapies, also called reparative therapies, will be outlawed in California for minors.  Governor Brown calls this therapy unscientific with no basis in science or medicine, and they will now be “relegated to the dustbin of quackery.”

The law states that licensed mental health providers ”shall not provide minors with therapy intended to change their sexual orientation including efforts to “change behaviors or gender expressions of to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same sex.”

Often run by religious groups with names like Journey Into Manhood or People Can Change, these pray-away camps appeal to Christian thought that homosexuality is sinful. Conservatives, opposed to gay marriage and the “gay lifestyle” defend these organizations that believe that homosexuality is a “choice” and can be overcome. Is the theory political or scientifically based?

Wayne Besen, the director of Truth Wins Out, a gay advocacy group, believes that reparative therapy is junk science being used to justify religious beliefs that homosexual urges can be banished.

Jerry Brown

Nature vs. Nurture

Although the American Psychological and Psychiatric Associations disapprove of reparative therapy, it is still practiced by a handful of therapists who believe that homosexual desires result  from early childhood wounds.

The director of the largest reparative therapy clinic in the world, Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinical in Encino, California , Joseph Nicolosi, argues that “all  people are heterosexual but some have a homosexual problem, and some of these people attempt to resolve their conflict by adopting a sociopolitical label called ‘gay.’” If you unearth family trauma such as a distant father and an overbearing mother or child abuse, you can bring change not only in sexual desire, but maybe even a permanent cure.(see http://”Ex-Gay’ Men Fight Back Against View That Homosexuality Can’t be Changed.” New York Times, 11/1/12.

Last April, conversion therapy was dealt a blow by Robert L. Spitzer, author of a study eleven years-old that purported that gays could change their sexual orientation.  He said his study was invalid.  In June 2012, the president of Exodus International, the largest Christian ministry for homosexuals, Alan Chambers, said that it was futile to try to change same-sex attraction and it seldom works.anyway: “99.9 percent of people Chambers has encountered in twenty years with Exodus were not able to completely rid themselves of same-sex attraction.

Permanent Cure or Temporary Healing?

Some men who attend these retreats, and partake of reparative therapy, claim the switch works. Says “Jeremy S., 34, a corporate contract officer in Dallas, “ that from his teens until three years ago he lived as a gay man.  It wasn’t working for me.”  After two years of therapy with Dr. Nicolosi, Jeremy claims his attraction to men was” practically diminishing.”  He has not had sex with a man for more than two years and does not think about it more than once a month, adding that his Catholic faith has also deepened.

However, gay rights groups say the therapies cause emotional harm which in some cases has led to depression, even suicide.and certainly anger, hopelessness, and guilt among its patients.

Lawsuits Already Filed: Violation of Free Choice

The lawsuits are being filed on behalf of therapists whose practices include reducing same-sex attraction and changing their sexual orientation, parents who have enrolled their children in reparative therapy as well as the teenagers who are undergoing it.

Does the law infringe on The First Amendment and equal protection rights of individuals to give and receive information that matches their personal and professional beliefs? Will it cause harm to those who claim they need and want the therapy?

What are the long-term effects of subjugating same-sex desires?