UCC files suit for marriage equality (Voices of Faith)

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Voices of Faith

From North Carolina's Charlotte Observer:

The General Synod of the United Church of Christ filed a lawsuit today in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, contending state law that defines marriage as a union between a man and woman restrict its ministers from performing their religious duties is unconstitutional.

North Carolina prohibits couples of the same gender from obtaining a marriage license and makes it a crime for ministers to officiate a marriage ceremony without determining whether a couple has a license. UCC attorneys say the law limits ministers’ choices, violates the principle of “free exercise of religion” and restricts the freedoms of religion and expressive association guaranteed in the First Amendment. The church seeks a preliminary injunction that would allow ministers the choice of performing a religious marriage.

Well done! See, the thing about religious freedom is, it's not meant to privilege one faith over the other.

Tale of Two Dads (Video Sunday)

What Amendment One was REALLY about

From Andrew Sullivan:

[Amendment One] reveals that the anti-marriage equality peeps are not simply anti-marriage. They are against any civil recognition of gay couples' commitment, responsibility and equality. The Amendment today would ban any relationship rights whatever to gay couples in the state. No domestic partnerships, no civil unions - nada. It renders spouses strangers at hospitals, it ensures no legal stability for shared homes or shared children. It is in many ways a simple declaration that gay relationships are anathema to the people of North Carolina. That's what drives the anti-marriage equality movement: the removal of gay people from full family life.

Do you believe in evolution?

PResident Obama has "evolved" to recognize that LGBT citizens should be fully equally under the law.

Letter to North Carolina

Dear North Carolina,
Back in 2009, I warned Maine what to expect if they put the rights of LGBT citizens to the popular vote.

And now you've done the same thing. The lies, the ignorance, and the divisiveness happened just as they did in California, and Maine, and 27 of my sister states. The haters told vicious lies, and they won.

I know just how your GLBT citizens, their friends, and their families feel this morning. Because we still feel that way, 4 years later.

Oh North Carolina, you have deeply injured the fabric of your entire community. People don't just "get over" being told they are second class, that their families are not worth protecting and that their love is meaningless. People don't recover when their sons and daughters are singled out like this. People don't just move on from the insults and the bile.

 Now, every interaction is tinged with doubt: did this person vote against me? Does this person hate my son?

Workplaces will be on edge. Civic interactions will suffer. Churches will be split. There will be deep, deep hurt.

North Carolina, you have torn the heart out of many people. And that damage will linger for a long, long time.

I'm so sorry you did this. But after all I've been through, and Maine, and all the others, you can't say you didn't see it coming.

Sadly,
California.

It passed--despite the BIble.

Headlines read, "North Carolina bans gay marriage". That's false. North Carolina had ALREADY banned gay marriage. This was, in Andrew Sullivan's words,

a simple declaration that gay relationships are anathema to the people of North Carolina. That's what drives the anti-marriage equality movement: the removal of gay people from full family life.

You hate us? We get it. The sad thing is that you say you hate us because you're Christian.

So perhaps it's worth pointing out how unChristian this is, from last Sunday's Bible readings for liturgical churches that follow the Common lectionary.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love* because he first loved us. Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters,* are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister* whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters* also. 1 John 4:18-21

So maybe some Christians ought to read their Bibles more, what do you think?

Today's the day: vote NO on Amendment One!

Today, North Carolina will vote on a draconian "Amendment 1" to its constitution that will not only outlaw marriage between same sex couples (which is already illegal there), but will outlaw civil unions and any sorts of rights shared by unmarried opposite couples. It is driven by vicious anti-gay rhetoric--not just the usual bleats about "saving marriage" but actual vicious lies about the lives and loves about gay people, and a desire to hurt us (see here, here, and here for examples.)  And its effect will definitely be to deny gay people protections, hurt our children, as well as children and families of unmarried straights, elderly people with domestic partnerships, and so on.  Business is against it, so is the governor.    

 From Joe.my.god, the final polls don't look good:

 I don't know if the majority is ignorant, or uninterested, but it's pretty sad that with all the effort, the majority of people don't even know what the hell they are voting for.

From the Raleigh News & Observer:

…Constitutional amendments should be about law, not about religion, and not about the social agendas of conservative or liberal politicians. They should be solidly constructed to protect rights and weather the test of time, like cornerstones. They should stand for all the people. This one, instead, is bitterly divisive. Even one of its prominent backers, the speaker of the state House, has said he doubts that, if passed, it will stand beyond another generation.Amendment One meets none of the criteria by which a constitution can properly be modified. It is motivated by politics, driven in some cases by a vindictive attitude toward groups of people not approved of by those who believe themselves to be in the “mainstream.” 

 Marriage is far too strong an institution to have phony “protections” like this one.

Sadly, that falls on deaf ears in NC. The naked animus of Amendment One has been driven almost exclusively by fundamentalist "Christians", who invoke the most disgusting lies about  gay people, may be racist, and advocate hitting gay children to "beat teh gay out of them".  The damage they have done to the Christian "brand" is immeasurable.  I can't imagine any young person in NC daring to tell his friends he's "Christian" when this is now burned on their brains as what "Christians" stand for.

As for me, if this passes, the most I'll be doing in North Carolina is changing planes.   My rainbow dollars will be spent in places that don't actively hate me.

Update:From the Huffington Post:  (because suppressing votes is one way to win)

All, we're getting reports here in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Raleigh (which are base areas for us, e.g. anti-Amendment 1) of precincts handing out INCORRECT ballots. In North Carolina, 17-year-olds can vote in the statewide primary (e.g., for governor, etc.) if they turn 18 by November 6th. However, they CANNOT vote on Amendment 1 in this primary -- they can only vote for candidates -- therefore they are being handed ballots WITHOUT Amendment 1. That is proper election procedure. 

The problem is, the reports we are getting are that people OVER 17 are also being handed these ballots WITHOUT Amendment 1 in what would normally be heavily anti-Amendment 1 precincts (Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Raleigh).... call 1-866-OUR-VOTE if you experience this in NC, or know someone who did.

Rise up against Amendent One (video)

This amendment will bar any gay couple from having any rights, any unmarried straight couple from having any protections. It's a hate amendment through and through, driven by Christianist extremists and gay-obsessed conservatives.

North carolina, you're better than this.

Amendment One hurts kids

Here's a video, showing how Amendment One actually hurts children.

Anti gay, anti child,and anti-minority: Amendment 1 supporters

Item:  A minister preaching in favor of Amendment 1 (the drastic North Carolina amendment that would outlaw not only same sex marriages but any form of domestic partnership) advocates beating Teh Gay out of your kids:

"So your little son starts to act a little girlish when he is four years old... Dads, the second you see your son dropping the limp wrist, you walk over there and crack that wrist. Man up. Give him a good punch. Ok? You are not going to act like that. You were made by God to be a male and you are going to be a male."

Because nothing says "parental love" like beating the crap out of your gay kids--and turning them into their own little self-loathing homophobes while you're at it. 

   

Susan Russell, Episcopal priest and outspoken advocate for LGBT justice, takes this guy on,

We're not going to compromise on having the Good News of God's love, justice and compassion that are the core values of our Judeo-Christian heritage hijacked by those who want to turn our religion into a weapon of mass destruction aimed at LGBT people. ... 

Finally, we are most certainly not going to stand by and let the opponents of marriage equality argue that they are "protecting children" while advocating violence against children. You cannot have it both ways.

Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come to me." He did NOT say "make the little children suffer in order to come to me." Jesus said, "Love your neighbors as yourself." He did NOT say "Love your neighbor unless he has a limp wrist - then give him a good punch."

Violent words beget violent actions and it is long past time for those misusing their bully pulpits to perpetuate bullying behavior against our LGBT youth to be called on it. 

Preach it, sister!

Item: the wife of an Amendment 1 author says its real purpose is to "support the Caucasian race"  From the HuffPo,

According to the alternative Yes! Weekly, writer and campaigner Chad Nance spoke to a pollworker who told him that Jodie Brunstetter said, "The reason my husband wrote Amendment 1 was because the Caucasian race is diminishing and we need to uh, reproduce."

Because apparently if gays marry, well, then white folks won't have babies. or something.  I tell you, the dog whistle is clear:  increasingly, I think anti-gay is code for racist.

Item: Amendment 1 supporters nakedly appeal to religion as the sole justification for denying rights to their fellow citizens. They aren't even pretending there is a rational civil reason for it.

 (One of these days, these guys will realize that putting stuff up on YouTube makes a permanent record that will follow them.  Meanwhile, it makes it easier to see what they really think.)

Voices of Faith Speak Out: Episcopal Bishops oppose Amendment One

North Carolina's Episcopal Bishops have released a statement:

Bishop Michael B. Curry, Diocese of North Carolina, Bishop Clifton Daniel, III, Diocese of East Carolina, and Bishop G. Porter Taylor, Diocese of Western North Carolina, co-authored the joint letter to provide context for their stance against the amendment and to encourage clergy to study what they see as likely impacts should the amendment pass.

“We oppose Amendment One because the love of God and the way of love that has been revealed in Jesus of Nazareth compels us to do so. We oppose Amendment One because every time we baptize someone in the Episcopal Church, the entire congregation vows to ‘strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.’ We oppose Amendment One because it is unjust and it does not respect the dignity of every human being in the state of North Carolina. If passed, it will harm not only law-abiding gay and lesbian citizens but other men, women and innocent children in our state,” reads one excerpt from the letter.

... Nationally, the Episcopal Church is on record in support of measures that extend equal benefits and protections to gay and lesbian couples and against any state or constitutional amendments that prohibit same-sex civil marriage or civil unions. The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina echoed that stance during its 196th Diocesan Convention in January.

Just remember this next time someone tries to argue that "Christians" support Amendment One.

Vote NO on May 8.

NC Amendment One sponsor admits it's "discriminatory", other news

Here's an Amendment One roundup for you.

First, a sponsor of the Amendment actually admits it is discriminatory. Ya think?

Second, polls suggest as voters learn how draconian this is, support is dropping-- but needs to fall further.

Third, Business owners and corporate interests strongly oppose it

The election is May 8.

Amendment One supporter flip flops

This is a great video. A lesbian in North Carolina challenges one of the sponsors of Amendment One and he backs down!

People of faith speak out (video Sunday)

People of faith oppose the anti-equality Amendment One in NC:



You can help. DONATE HERE!

NC Speaker thinks anti-gay amendment will only last 20 years

Okay, this is odd. This guy got the anti-marriage, anti-civil unions amendment 1 on the ballot in NC, and even HE thinks it won't last.

According to Tillis, researchers have predicted Amendment One will pass with approximately 54 percent, but Tillis, who voted to pass the amendment, believes it won’t remain long. “If it passes, I think it will be repealed within 20 years,” Tillis said.

So people are supposed to vote for a Constitutional amendment the appeal which is only ephermeral? And an amendment SUPPORTER says this?

Moreover, this amendment does more than ban same sex couples from marrying.  It prohibits civil unions, too, and bans any recognition of relationships between unmarried couples whether gay or straight.   Even people who disapprove of marriage for gay people generally support civil unions, so they don't like it either.

Polls are starting to turn in a good direction, but the battle needs to be fully waged to win this one.  More here from Prop8 Trial Tracker.

You can help. DONATE HERE!

Lots of activity in the individual states.

Here's a great summary by AP about all the activity in the states this year over marriage equality.  In brief:

MN and NC citizens will vote on amendments to ban marriage between same sex couples, while

ME will try to get the voters to support marriage in a referendum.

MD , WA and NJ have legislative efforts to legalize marriage between same sex couples, while

NH has a legislative effort to repeal marriage equality

In the judicial sphere, we're still waiting for the next chapter of the Prop8 case. At least 8 DOMA cases are winding their way through the courts.

Marriage coming to Washington State? Maryland?

The Governor of Washington has agreed to sign a marriage bill if it comes to her.  Yesterday it was announced that there are enough votes in the state Senate, along with enough votes in the House.  It is a good bet that the State of Washington will legalize same sex marriage.   Yeah, Washington!

Meanwhile, the Governor of Maryland is introducing a marriage equality measure today. 

The Baltimore Sun reports that O’Malley’s staff worked throughout the day to fine-tune the religious protections language in the bill, which the governor said in a briefing would make the bill “a little clearer” and, he hopes, ensure that it enjoys “additional support” in comparison with a similar bill that failed last year.

Let's not forget, though, that anti-equality amendments are on the ballot in MN and NC.

Marriage in New Jersey?

New Jersey has civil unions, but the courts there have determined that civil unions are not treated equally to marriage.  Remarkably, the New Jersey Democrats in the legislature have made marriage equality a top legislative priority.  The challenge will be the Republican governor, who is (of course) opposed:

The support from [Senate President] Sweeney marks a significant new advantage for the legislation, according to advocates. He declined to vote on the measure in 2010 when it failed by a 20-14, and has since called his abstention the biggest regret of his political career. Then governor Jon Corzine had promised to sign the bill if it reached his desk. 

“This is about doing what’s right and ensuring full equal and civil rights for all New Jerseyans,” said Sweeney. “Two years ago, I made a mistake in abstaining on marriage equality — a mistake that means same-sex couples continue to be denied the very basic civil right to live their lives as they wish. But today isn’t about me correcting my mistake, it’s about correcting a mistake for thousands of loving couples across the state who want nothing more than to be treated equally as their neighbors.”

So, an interesting year in equality.  Maryland and Washington are also pushing legislatively for marriage, while Minnesota and North Carolina are threatening constitutional amendments against.

The "We Do" campaign in North Carolina (video Sunday)

In North Carolina, voters are considering an amendment to outlaw marriage between same sex couples. It's already not possible for same sex couples to marry, as this video shows. Gay folks are asking for a marriage license, pastors in tow, and being refused.

Voices of Faith: Baptist Pastor says marriage equality good for ALL marriages.

From the WInston Salem Journal. Remember, North Carolina has a hate-amendment on the ballot.

How much more foundational is the year-to-year faithfulness embedded in the marriage covenant? Don't we stand amazed when couples voice their mutual promise to love and to cherish, regardless of circumstances, until parted by death? Such risk-taking astonishes. But more to the point, does not faithful promise-keeping in one relationship strengthen this capacity in us all?

Yes, some promises are broken. Our hopes can be dashed. Covenants crack and crumble. Forgiveness must come alongside promise-making in order for futures to be possible. But even when agreements are broken, no one questions the essential value of faithful promises, both large and small. Promises made and promises kept are the glue that holds life together.

Same-sex couples within their covenants share the same hope that I have with my wife. They, too, make promises to love and cherish until parted by death. In no way do they threaten the rest of us who enjoy the legal rights of marriage. Rather, they strengthen our capacity for lasting commitment. Their courage, in the face of rejection, emboldens our courage. Their persistence, in the face of opposition, fortifies our stamina. And their yearning for covenants blessed and legalized is an invitation to join them in this struggle for fairness. They are for marriage, not against it. They help us all hold high the bar of covenant love.