Marriage and other LGBTQ Rights

[kladner]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/1...t-Left-the-80s

In an apparent effort to encourage the anti-gay vote, this Fax began appearing around Kansas City and throughout the state and was posted to Reddit. I've since been able to confirm the fax was received in places like Wichita, Kansas City, Topeka.
This, however, may be in part because well, people gave up fax machines* years ago.

*The above is not entirely true. The author does acknowledge that there are still some uses, such as sending hate literature, it seems.

[Brian-E]

Originally Posted by kladner

[...]such as sending hate literature, it seems.

I can't describe the fax in any other terms than hate literature either. I find it really disturbing, but then I guess I've been pretty sheltered from hate here in The Netherlands for the last 21 years and it's easy lose sight of the sheer bigotry you can encounter elsewhere in the world.

One part of the fax which I simply cannot place is the following:

UNDERSTAND THE MOVEMENT THAT HAS BEEN LANDSCAPED UNDER FALSE PRETENSES
The Homosexual Declaration of War, read in the CA House of Representatives on July 27 1987
It reads, 'we will sodomize your children. All churches who condemn us will be closed. The family unit eliminated. Any man contaminated with heterosexual lust, will be automatically barred from any position of influence.'

What is this? Anyone?? I googled "Homosexual Declaration of War" and found nothing relevant. Are the authors of the fax ("we the children") simply telling ludicrous lies here?

[schickel]

Originally Posted by Brian-E

One part of the fax which I simply cannot place is the following:

What is this? Anyone?? I googled "Homosexual Declaration of War" and found nothing relevant. Are the authors of the fax ("we the children") simply telling ludicrous lies here?

Down in the comments there is a link that explains where the passge originated.

In 1987, Michael Swift was asked to contribute an editorial piece to GCN, an important gay community magazine, although well to the left of most American gay and lesbian opinion. A decade later this text, printed in the Congressional Record is repeatedly cited, apparently verbatim, by the religious right as evidence of the "Gay Agenda".

[Brian-E]

Originally Posted by schickel

Down in the comments there is a link that explains where the passge originated.

Ahah, that explains it. The text of the passage looks satirical to me. I suppose this shows up the dangers of writing satire, namely that your opponents can quote it forever afterwards pretending that you meant it literally. Thanks for finding this.

[Primeinator]

Originally Posted by Brian-E

Ahah, that explains it. The text of the passage looks satirical to me. I suppose this shows up the dangers of writing satire, namely that your opponents can quote it forever afterwards pretending that you meant it literally. Thanks for finding this.

It also seemed like satire to me- but satire born of frustration.

[Brian-E]

My favourite comment this week was posted by someone called "cantake8" in the comments section of this article, concerning the recent public personal revelations of the CEO of Apple:

Originally Posted by cantake8

Looks like One Million Moms and other right wing hate groups will have to throw out their Apple computers, phones, iPads and iPods.

[xilman]

Gay marriage bans upheld in four states

[kladner]

Originally Posted by xilman

Gay marriage bans upheld in four states

While this likely does mean the issue will go to the Supreme Court, there is still a chance that an en banc hearing would reverse the panel ruling.

[chappy]

Paths to same-sex marriage review

http://www.scotusblog.com/2014/11/an...rriage-review/

[Fusion_power]

Courts do predictable things. The equality issue will keep coming up at the circuit court level ad nauseum until it finally gets to the supreme court. So the circuit courts sometimes deliberately give an adverse ruling for the explicit but unstated purpose of forcing it up to the supreme court. This has the hallmarks of being such a case. A deliberate split at the circuit court level to knock it down so they don't have to keep hearing it one state at a time at the circuit level.

[Brian-E]

While there may be reasonable practical grounds for the lower courts to decline to overturn the marriage ban in some states so that the supreme court will be involved, the governor of at least one of the four states to have upheld the marriage ban is acting spitefully and outrageously in my opinion.

Rick Snyder, Republican governor of Michigan, has voided the marriages of more than 300 couples who married during the period when same sex marriage was available in their state.

That's right, 300 couples who joyfully joined in matrimony and celebrated their commitment to each other in front of their families and friends in what would normally be the happiest day of their lives have just been informed that their marriages are now void and that they are not married to each other.

If I recall correctly, the people who married in California in 2008, before Proposition 8 was passed stopping any more same sex marriages in that state, remained married. In fact I can't recall any instance before of any state actually turning back people's marriages when they had already legally married. Am I wrong? Does anyone have any good word for the recent legal actions of the governor of Michigan?