Box Turtle Bulletin

DOMA Fight The New Wedge Issue

Except this time, it’s the pro-equality side who win:

In what is perhaps a watershed moment in the long fight for gay rights, the current battle over the Defense of Marriage Act is being waged with at least tacit acknowledgment from all sides that it is a political winner for pro-gay-rights Democrats.

…On Wednesday, House and Senate Democrats held separate press conferences announcing the introduction of legislation to repeal DOMA. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), one of the sponsors of the House bill, was asked whether Democrats were politicizing gay rights as a wedge issue against the GOP, as Majority Leader Eric Cantor alleged last month.

“What do I say to the idea that this is a wedge issue? I say ‘Hallelujah,'” Frank told reporters. “The fact that we’ve now evolved to the point where the Republicans are complaining about the fact that we introduced this bill because it causes them political problems is a great sign of progress. It used to be the other way around.”

Huh!

Anti-Gay Dem Party Chair Doubles Down

Bexar County (San Antonio) Democratic Party Chair and yesterday’s LaBarbera Award winner Dan Ramos held a news conference this morning to announce that he was not resigning over comments he made last week likening gay people to “the “f*cking Nazi Party.” Not only that, but Ramos doubled down:

Bexar County Democratic Chairman Dan Ramos reiterated that he believed that gays were like “white termites who have infiltrated the party much like termites infiltrate your house,” and were co-conspirators with direct involvement in the theft of over $200,000 from party coffers.

…”I’ve always tried to be politically correct, however the gays, through the Stonewall Democrats, have taken over the party. Hell, my opponent in the election, Choco Meza, she’s a lesbian,” Ramos said. (Meza is not a lesbian.)

Ramos also referred to State Democratic Chairman Boyd Richie as a “racist bastard” and an “idiot” who’s been too busy to help the local party. “Gay people have been advising Richie,” he said, “and he slipped when he asked me to resign.”

Update: Oh, goody. We have video:

Crystal Cathedral Founder Denounces Anti-Gay “Covenant”

Rev. Robert H. Schuller, who began his ministry by preaching a positive message at a 1950s drive-in theater, and who ultimately commissioned gay architect Phillip Johnson to build his Crystal Cathedral, has issued a statement denouncing an anti-gay covenant that his daughter and current Crystal Cathedral pastor, Sheila Schuller Coleman, is requiring all choir members to sign. The elder Schuller, who retired in 2006, contacted the Orange County Register to say that he didn’t know about the covenant and would not have approved it:

“I have a reputation worldwide of being tolerant of all people and their views,” he said. “I’m too well-educated to criticize a certain religion or group of people for what they believe in. It’s called freedom.”

The covenant calls for signers to “understand that Crystal Cathedral Ministries teaches that sexual intimacy is intended by God to only be within the bonds of marriage, between one man and one woman.” Schuller says that theologically he agrees with the message of the covenant. However:

“That doesn’t mean that we are going to start a crusade against homosexuals,” he said. “But if my church members required covenants, they would no longer live up to the principles of being positive that marks the history of the ministry of Robert H. Schuller.”

…”We have never been for covenants or definitions,” Robert Schuller said. “We don’t test anyone who comes to our ministry. We don’t require them to be Christian. We would not demand that they be born-again Christians.”

Schuller’s daughter dismissed her father’s stance. Her response, I think, is telling, and goes to the root of some of the problems at Crystal Cathedral (and many of the megachurches generally):

There are going to be times when he might have done something differently,” she said. “As he is less and less involved in management, this is going to happen more. His personal views may not coincide with the management’s view.”

Management? That’s business talk, not ministry talk.

LaBarbera Award: Dan Ramos

Bexar County (San Antonio, TX) Democratic Party Chairman let loose with some seriously demented statements last week to the San Antonio Current:

While the LGBT community has long found support within the national Democratic Party in its search for equal rights for gay, lesbian, and transgendered individuals, Ramos called the gay-rights movement a “very sinister movement” that is out of touch with San Antonio’s values.

In an interview with the Current today, Ramos blamed homosexuals in the party for both undermining his authority and for the poor election results in Bexar County in 2010. “They are all connected to the gay Democratic Party, the so-called Stonewall Democrats. Just like termites they managed to get some of their people in key positions,” he said.

The party faithful has been largely divided over Ramos since he was elected to office in May, 2010, but his chief detractors are all homosexuals, Ramos said.

Ramos said he opposes homosexuality on religious grounds and doesn’t believe gay-friendly Democrats like Stonewall reflect the values of Bexar County voters. “I liken them to the Tea Party — the Tea Party and the f*cking Nazi Party — because they’re 90 percent white, blue-eyed, and Anglo, and I don’t give a f*ck who knows that. Just like the blacks … they’re American, but you can’t get your way just because you’re black.”

Dan Ramos (Photo: Antonia Padilla/QSanAntnonio.com)

On January 31, 2010, Ramos appeared before the Stonewall Democrats asking for the group’s endorsement in his quest for Party Chair. At the time, he said “I do not condone discrimination.” It is unclear whether he received Stonewall Dem’s backing.

Democrats statewide have angrily denounced Ramos and are demanding his resignation. Unfortunately, state party leaders are powerless to remove him. A bill has been introduced in the state legislature to remedy that situation. Meanwhile, Ramos has called a press conference for tomorrow morning, but he hasn’t revealed the topic. According to the Dallas Voice, a spokesman for the Bexar County Democratic Party’s steering committee speculates that Ramos has “been in the trenches for a long time and he’s not going to go without a fight.”

Not A Parody, Continued

Rush Limbaugh is not, by any means fringe. He is the highest rated radio talk show host in America. On the rare occasions when GOP politicians criticize him, they are made to heel and apologize. This is Limbaugh mocking Japan’s recycling programs and production of the Toyota Prius and Nissan Leaf (all of which makes sense in a country with ZERO oil reserves), and rejoicing over the widespread suffering there.

Will no prominent figure on the right denounce this?

Not a Parody Update

Pastor Rick Joyner:

Joyner is a featured speaker  for an upcoming conference next month put on by the Oak Initiative. Members include Louis Sheldon and Janet Porter.

Reply to George: XI. Gay Marriages Will Destroy Straight Marriages

[This post is part of a series analyzing Robert George’s widely-read article, “What is Marriage“, which appeared on pages 245-286 of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. You can view all posts in the series here.]

Pages 260-262: In which Robert George explains why legalizing same-sex marriage will lead opposite-sex parents to divorce.

At this point, Robert George has finished redefining marriage laying out his concept of marriage. He changes direction and starts to explains why marriage equality would be bad public policy.

That’s good, in a way. He walks away from the arcane, byzantine logic he’s been advancing so far and strides into the arena of recognizable public debate. These are the issues people discuss at work and with their families, rather than just in the pages of academic journals.

George has a strange view of us.

His first argument is that marriage equality will weaken the institution. As before, he starts badly:

No one deliberates or acts in a vacuum. We all take cues (including  cues as to what marriage is and what it requires of us)  from cultural norms, which are shaped in part by the law. Indeed,  revisionists themselves implicitly concede this point.  Why else would they be dissatisfied with civil unions for same-sex  couples? Like us, they understand that the state’s favored  conception of marriage matters because it affects society’s understanding  of that institution.

“Why else” indeed?  I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard this conversation:

Why can’t you be happy with civil unions?

Well, Joe, it’s because the law shapes cultural norms, which means the state’s approach to the legality of marriage shall influence society’s understanding of marriage – and by extension, your understanding and mine. Now get me another beer, would ya?

Seriously. I don’t have data, but I bet among regular people – people who don’t live in the pages of academic journals – same -sexers want to marry for the same reasons as opposite-sexers, and those reasons are mostly emotional. I’ve written of that elsewhere, but it’s not relevant here, except to point out George’s odd perspective on “revisionists.”

George offers more of the same.

However, since the whole aim of this project is to critique George’s argument, let’s see where he goes with it. Read the rest of this entry »

Which One Is The Parody?

Please select one, but don’t click on any links until after you choose:

A):

Japan had built tsunami walls along their coasts but this tsunami was bigger than that. No matter what you say, they either weren’t blessed with protection or they were cursed with an earthquake. …God did say, Christ did say that earthquakes would increase in the last days and that’s what we’re seeing.

B):

…[T]his island, Hokkaido, looks like the head of a dragon with the body being the rest of Japan. The people of Asia have worshipped the dragon for 5,000 years. If one looks at the place where the earthquake took place, it looks like the soft underbelly of most vulnerable part of the dragon. Let’s pray that the deep idolatry and the worship of hundreds of idols under the guise of Shintoism, Buddhism, and allegiances to being “sons of the dragon” will be broken and thousands will turn to the Lord. My interpretation of this is that while God did not want people to perish, He is going to use this to “pierce” the darkness surrounding the Japanese people if we will cry out to God for them in the midst of this crisis.

C):

There will be a shaking coming to Japan that will bring them to their knees. This shaking will change the industry of the nation. Japan has been built upon a fault line linked with a deep wounding from the past. This shaking will occur before the apostolic team that I am sending to Japan arrives. When they arrive, I will begin the healing of the fault line and release a new anointing for industries. I am sending you to the people group of that area and they will be humbled in the midst of their pride. Do not fear. I am causing the mountain to be brought down and the valleys to be brought up. I will create a leveling effect in Japan.

The answer is after the jump

Crystal Cathedral Choir Asked to Sign Anti-Gay Statement

There’s an old saying: If it weren’t for gays in the choir, church would get pretty quiet. Crystal Cathedral is about to put that to the test:

The “Crystal Cathedral Worship Choir and Worship Team Covenant,” recently handed out to members, states that members should commit to being Christians by following the Bible in every way.

Former and current choir members say they are particularly offended by a statement in the document that refers to homosexuality. Long-time church members say this is the first time they have seen the cathedral take a firm stand against homosexuality and are disturbed by it.

The covenant states: “I understand that in an era where images of family relationship and personal sexuality are often confused, Crystal Cathedral Ministries believes that it is important to teach and model the biblical view. I understand that Crystal Cathedral Ministries teaches that sexual intimacy is intended by God to only be within the bonds of marriage, between one man and one woman.”

Ann Moore Waltz, a long-time church member and the Cathedral’s first soloist to stand and sing on top the snack shack in Robert H. Schuller community church at the Orange drive-in said, she does not agree with the statement in the covenant. “If I were still in the choir and if that was presented to me, and if a gay person had walked out, I would have walked out with him or her,” she said. “If you are a Christian group and people come to you, you should be a good servant, love them and shine the light of Jesus on them – regardless of who they are.”

Longtime choir director Don Neuen resigned last October over earlier steps toward a purge of the choir:

But things ended on a sour note for the choir director. He said the “last straw” for him was when Gretchen Schuller Penner, who directs the “Hour of Power” programs, told him that she would be “vetting choir members” going forward and that she would make sure that they were “emotionally and spiritually fit for the Crystal Cathedral.”

“I found that to be terribly judgmental and couldn’t accept it,” Neuen said.

Crystal Cathedral founder Robert Schuller retired in 2006, placing his son, Robert A. Schuller at the helm. The younger Schuller was removed two years later due to a “lack of shared vision” — and amid controversy over salaries and housing allowances for family members. In 2009, the elder Schuller’s daughter, Sheila Schuller Coleman, was named pastor. Last year, Schuller Coleman announced that the church was going into bankruptcy after donations fell by 29% in 2009. It’s congregation has already shrunk in half over the past two years.

Ugandan TV Coverage of Buturo’s Resignation: Buturo Issues Parting Call for Passage of Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Following up on what we reported yesterday, Ethics and Integrity Minister James Nsaba Buturo’s resignation was featured on the evening news of independent broadcaster NTV yesterday. Toward the end of this report, he has a parting shot against the country’s LGBT community:

I urge Ugandans to reject roundly evils of corruption, homosexuality, pornography and witchcraft. They should remain steadfast in their rejection of these evils in the face of fierce opposition from the offers and apologists. … I urge you to put pressure on Parliament to debate, amend the Anti-Homosexuality Bill where necessary, and pass a law that will serve interests of Ugandans and not laws of our friends.

Buturo has been, from the very beginning,  a staunch defender of the 2009 Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which may be brought for a vote when Parliament returns for its lame duck session beginning March 22.

Daily Monitor’s Takedown of Ugandan Ethics Minister

We reported earlier today that Uganda’s Ethics and Integrity Minister James Nsaba Buturo, a staunch Anti-Homosexuality Bill advocate, has resigned following his electoral loss. That report was based on an announcement in the government-owned New Vision. Uganda’s largest independent newspaper, Daily Monitor, follows with an excellent takedown of Buturo’s career as Ethics minister, including his own scandal at the start of his tenure:

Catholic priest champions non-discrimination ordinance

It isn’t that often that I have anything complimentary to say about the current state of the Catholic Church and its practices, so I’m not letting this opportunity pass by. (Gay Socialites)

Rev. Joseph Breen of the St. Edward Church in Nashville, Tennessee is standing up for the LGBT community.

Breen penned a letter to the Metro Council that also ran in the Tennessean this week encouraging the elected officials to get behind a bill meant to eliminate anti-gay bias when it comes to contracts with the city.

“I ask you to approve this bill banning discrimination by city contractors against gay, lesbian and transgender people,” Breen wrote in a letter sent to each member of Nashville’s Metro Council (and also published in the Tennessean). “I fully support the spirit of inclusion rather than exclusion in our great city and ask you to do the same with your vote of approval,” he added.

Clearly Father Breen has given up on any hope of ever becoming bishop and is now just seeking to better the lives of those in his parish, his city, and his community. I wonder if the Diocese will retaliate.

What Sort of Talk Would You Give at NARTH’s Convention?

NARTH will be holding their 2011 convention the first weekend of November in sunny Phoenix, and they have just issued their call for workshop and plenary session presentations:

Some examples of past successful presentations were those that addressed current rsearch, successful clinical techniques, help for families, therapeutic assistance for women, information helpful to counseling students, issues related to helping adolescents, group therapy, addictions, medical issues related to homosexuality, current legal or policy issues that impact treament availability, programs directed toward helping men, etc.

All proposals for presentations should be received no later than June 10, 2011.

• Presenter information (professional affiliation, email, phone, fax, address):
• Presentation Title, Format, Abstract (300 words):
• Behavioral Learning Objectives for a professional audience:
• Presenter qualifications (200 word biosketch with includes degrees, license, and professional affiliations):
• Level of difficulty (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced):

The convention’s theme is — get this — “Beyond Political Correctness: Keeping Clients First.” Even though they say they really want to keep clients first, I doubt they would be interested in hearing from any of you former clients out there.

Ex-gay survivor or not, if you wanted to present a workshop or plenary session, what proposal would you submit? We are accepting your proposals in comments.

A man and a man on Mann

Congrats to the residents of the Isle of Man. (BBC)

Gay couples on the Isle of Man will get the right to a civil partnership after a new law was signed in Tynwald, the island’s parliament.

It gives them the same rights as married couples regarding inheritance, pensions and tax allowances.

Which brings the British Crown Dependency into alignment with the UK.

Christianity Today: 2009 Kampala Anti-Gay Conference Goals Were “Therapeutic”

Timothy Shah is shilling a new book this week, so maybe that’s why he’s publishing this nonsense on Christianity Today whitewashing the virulent and well-documented homophobia that runs rampant through Uganda’s society, politics and religion. Shah pooh-pooh’s the idea that American evangelicals have any responsibility. Addressing that infamous March 2009 anti-gay conference (we were the first to break that story here) that laid the groundwork for the introduction of Uganda’s infamous Anti-Homosexuality Bill into Uganda’s Parliament, Shah says this:

There are, in fact, many reasons to doubt a causal or conspiratorial relationship between Bahati and American Bible-thumpers. Perhaps most important is that the agenda of the Americans who ran the 2009 conference was therapeutic, whereas Mr. Bahati’s bill is remorselessly punitive.

Therapeutic?  Really?