Box Turtle Bulletin

We Are All Mexicans

I’ve always loved Tucson, but I have to say that Arizona is under a veritable reign of terror now that the tea party has taken over state government. Do you think I’m exaggerating? Maybe a little, but where else can you expect to hear police arbitrarily demanding to “see your papers” but in Apartheid-era South Africa, present-day Burma and the Grand Canyon state? I’m proud to be a Tucsonan — if only Pima County could be its own state! — but Arizona is a mess. A vindictive, angry, spiteful, punitive and broken mess.

This is also the same state that banned same-sex marriage and rescinded domestic partnership benefits among state government employees. First they went for the gays, then the brown-skinned…

CA Assembly Dismantles “Cure the Gays” Mandate

The California Assembly, in a rare unanimous showing, voted to eliminate a 1950 law declaring homosexuality a deviance and requiring the state to conduct research into ways to cure homosexuality. The only group that voiced opposition to the move was the increasingly radical and unbalanced ex-gay organization known as PFOX, which called California’s move to eliminate the mandate “offensive.”

The measure to repeal the mandate now goes to the state Senate.

Exodus Co-Founder: I Never Saw One Of Our Members Become Heterosexual

Today’s video is short and concise.  I asked Michael point blank if he believed anyone in his program at Exodus ever changed.

(transcript after the jump)

Read the rest of this entry »

Rumors about veto of Portugal’s marriage law

Some news sources are reporting that Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva intends to veto the same-sex marriage bill passed by the legislature. (gayopolis)

Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva will veto a gay marriage bill approved by lawmakers in February, Radio Renascenca reported. Cavaco Silva will veto the bill soon after Pope Benedict’s arrival on May 11.

However, both the President and the legislative leadership are denying that any decision has been announced. As yet, the exact method by which the bill will become law is uncertain. The legislature has adequate votes to overturn a veto and has indicated intention to do so.

The Gay Dog

Thai Spice in Adelaide, Australia has a fast and firm policy about what animals are let in the restaurant. It may be an impromptu policy, but they stand by it.

So when employees misunderstood Ian Jolly’s wish to bring in his guide dog, they were adamant: no way was he bringing in a gay dog (Herald Sun)

At an Equal Opportunity Tribunal conciliation hearing on Friday, the restaurant agreed to provide Mr Jolly with a written apology and attend an Equal Opportunity education course, in addition to paying him $1500.

“The staff genuinely believed that Nudge was an ordinary pet dog which had been desexed to become a gay dog,” a statement from the hearing said.

What relevance does this story have? None, really. But it did give me an excuse to post this movie poster from 1954.

Exodus Co-Founder: Getting Married As A Leap Of Faith

Ex-gay Mike Haley showing off pictures of his wife and family while speaking at the Love Won Out ex-gay conference. Love Won Out is primarily attended by Christians who are unable to accept a gay friend of family member and wishes they would enter an ex-gay program. The message Mike's photos send is, "there's still hope for your gay loved one to turn straight and get married."

Some people in the ex-gay movement become so deeply involved they make the drastic step of getting married.  Michael Bussee took that step and talks today about his inner conflict in doing so.  Michael recognized he wasn’t a heterosexual when he got married but chose to anyway because he believed God would reward him with heterosexuality if he truly committed himself to God and took his vows as a leap of faith.

Once married Michael found himself in an uncomfortable position as a role model at Exodus and privately tried to discourage his own clients from marrying.

Lastly Michael talks about the damage caused by using marriage as proof of change and the collateral damage that occurs when mixed orientation (ex-gay) marriages come to an end.

(transcript after the jump)

Read the rest of this entry »

SLDN Announces New Campaign To Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

The Servicemember’s Legal Defense Network (SLDN) today has announced a new a media campaign to urge the Congress and President to take immediate action to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Every weekday morning, the SLDN, in partnership with BTB and several other leading blogs, will share an open letter to the President from a person who is impacted by this discriminatory law.

While news reports indicate that the Administration would prefer to put off repeal of DADT until next year, we are actually at a critical stage in which the repeal can occur now. The House and Senate Armed Services Committee will soon begin marking up the Defense Authorization Bill. That bill represents the best opportunity to repeal DADT in the near term. It just so happens that in 1993, the Defense Authorization Bill was the same vehicle that was used to bring DADT into being. There is no reason not to use the same method to repeal it today.

According to the SLDN:

“This is a critical hour as we’re very close to reaching the 15 votes needed to include repeal to the Defense Authorization bill,” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.  “We are just two or three votes away and we urge the President to engage now and help us line up key votes still needed to get DADT repealed this year.  By people sharing their personal stories on how this terrible law has impacted them, we can send a powerful message to the President and our own community as we build momentum going into this crucial vote.”

By visiting the SLDN web site, you can take specific action such as  sending a letter to your member of Congress, posting the daily letter to your Facebook and Twitter feeds (use the hashtag #DADTstories and the campaign short link http://bit.ly/cLUsmp), and generally spreading the word. The SLDN’s facebook page can be found here.

Other blogs participating in this campaign include AmericaBlog, Pam’s House Blend, Bilerico Project, PageOneQ, OpenLeft, AKA WIlliam, Good As You, LGBT POV, and Michael in Norfolk.

Maj. Mike Almy, US Air Force

Here is today’s letter from Major Mike Almy, a thirteen-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force:

April 26, 2010

President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

If you end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), I’d re-enlist the day you sign repeal into law.

For thirteen years, I served in the United States Air Force where I attained the rank of major before I was discharged under DADT.

As the Senate Armed Services Committee considers including repeal in the Defense Authorization bill, we’re very close — just two or three votes — to passing repeal in committee. I ask for you to voice your support to put us over the top.

I come from a family with a rich legacy of military service.  My father is a West Point graduate who taught chemistry at the Air Force Academy, flew helicopters in Vietnam, and ultimately retired as a senior officer from the Air Force.  One of my uncles retired as a Master Gunnery Sergeant from the Marine Corps, with service in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.  Another uncle served in the Army in Korea.

Growing up, I didn’t really know what civilians did, I just knew I would follow in my father’s footsteps and become a military officer.

I joined Air Force ROTC in 1988 and was awarded a scholarship.  I earned my jump wings in 1991.  In 1992, I graduated from ROTC in the top 10% of all graduates nationwide.  In 1993, I went on active duty, just as DADT was becoming a law.

Stationed in Oklahoma, I was named officer of the year for my unit of nearly 1,000 people.  Later, I was one of six officers selected from the entire Air force to attend Professional Military Education at Quantico, Virginia.

During my career, I deployed to the Middle East four times.  In my last deployment, I led a team of nearly 200 men and women to operate and maintain the systems used to control the air space over Iraq.  We came under daily mortar attacks, one of which struck one of my Airmen and also caused significant damage to our equipment.  Towards the end of this deployment to Iraq, I was named one of the top officers in my career field for the entire Air Force.

In the stress of a war zone, the Air Force authorized us to use our work email accounts for “personal or morale purposes” because private email accounts were blocked for security.

Shortly after I left Iraq — during a routine search of my computer files — someone found that my “morale” was supported by the person I loved — a man.

The email — our modern day letter home — was forwarded to my commander.

I was relieved of my duties, my security clearance was suspended and part of my pay was terminated.

In my discharge proceeding, several of my former troops wrote character reference letters for me, including one of my squadron commanders. Their letters expressed their respect for me as an officer, their hope to have me back on the job and their shock at how the Air Force was treating me.

Approximately a year after I was relieved of my duties, my Wing Commander recommended I be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, even though the Air Force was actively pursuing my discharge.

But instead, after 16 months, I was given a police escort off the base as if I were a common criminal or a threat to national security.  The severance pay I received was half of what it would have been had I been separated for any other reason.

Despite this treatment, my greatest desire is still to return to active duty as an officer and leader in the United States Air Force, protecting the freedoms of a nation that I love; freedoms that I myself was not allowed to enjoy while serving in the military.

Mr. President, I want to serve.  Please fulfill your promise to repeal DADT and give me that chance.

Thank you,
Major Mike Almy
United States Air Force

Ugandan Cabinet Committee Recommends Passing Anti-Gay Bill On the Down Low

The Sunday Monitor, Uganda’s largest independent newspaper, has apparently gotten a copy of the report by the Ugandan Cabinet committee tasked with reviewing the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill. According to the Monitor, the committee recommends deflecting attention to the bill by changing its title and/or combining it with the Sexual Offences Act. According to the Monitor:

The existence of the committee’s report was first disclosed last Wednesday but details were not available at that time. That report made it appear that the bill might be headed toward a rather quiet end. The latest details appear to led support to the suspicion that Uganda’s leadership may instead try to quietly pass the bill through the kind of stealth and misdirection commonly used by circus magicians.

But it appears that there is considerable disagreement over the committee’s recommendations. The committee report appears to be the work of just three cabinet members out of seven members overall who were tasked by President Yoweri Museveni to review the bill and come up with recommendations. Among those who failed to attend the review meeting in February was Ethics and Integrity Minister James Nsaba Buturo, who has been a consistent and ardent supporter of the bill as written. The Monitor reports that Buturo vigorously opposes the committee’s recommendations and insists that the bill should be passed in its current form. He also criticizes the committee for not meeting with MP David Bahati, the bill’s sponsor. Buturo is calling for another meeting of the committee before the report is released to the full Cabinet.

The committee’s observation that the bills title is “stigmatizing and appears to be targeting a particular group of people” is perplexing. The reason the bill appears to be targeting a particular group of people is precisely because it is targeting a particular group of people — as you can see when you read the text of the bill yourself (PDF: 847KB/16 pages). Changing the title and moving its provisions into another bill without the word “homosexuality” will look for all the world like a shell game by carnival con men.

Finland likely to get marriage equality next year

Finland has had Registered Partner recognition since 2002. But that is likely to be upgraded to civil marriage in the coming year (Ice News)

Regardless of the outcome of next year’s Finnish parliamentary elections, the governing majority is expected to implement a motion in support of gender-neutral marriage and adoption.

The Peter’s wackadoodle dictionary

When dealing with wackadoodles, it helps to know that they have a whole vocabulary of their own. For example, you might think that when Susy is interviewed in the local paper about her lovely tulip garden and mentions that her wife Jane helps with the weeding, she’s being gracious. But to a wackadoodle, she’s engaging in radical militant activism to advance the homosexual agenda.

So to assist you in understanding just how a wackadoodle thinks (or rants), here’s a handy helpful example from Peter LaBarbera. The context is that LaBarbera, after demanding that Lt. Choi be dishonorably discharged, shows his “concern for his soul”:

P.S. Please pray for this young man, Dan Choi, that he will accept the Bible’s truth about homosexuality as a sin habit that can be overcome, and that he will one day join the growing ranks of former homosexuals.

Now that, my friends, is a gem. A total delight. Homosexuality is not an orientation, not a naturally experienced romantic, affectionate, sexual and spiritual attraction, not even a Levitical prohibition, but a “sin habit that can be overcome.”

And that’s the Bible truth.

Ugandan LGBT Activists Denounce The Call Uganda, Call for Protests in Kansas City

Ugandan LGBT advocates Valentine Kalende and Frank Mugisha have issued a statement asking for your help to “stop TheCall Ministries from fueling homophobia in Uganda through their May 22, 2010 Crusade.” They also call upon LGBT Americans to protest Lou Engle’s The Call Ministries in Kansas City. Anyone in Kansas and Missouri up for it?

**THECALL MINISTRIES FROM USA INTENDS TO FUEL HOMOPHOBIA IN UGANDA**

URGENT CALL TO ACTION:

STOP THECALL MINISTRIES FROM FUELING HOMOPHOBIA IN UGANDA THROUGH THEIR MAY 2, 2010, CRUSADE

22.04.2010

Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) condemns Lou Engle’s upcoming crusade scheduled for May 2, 2010. The crusade could cause incalculable damage, as it is designed to label homosexuality as a “vice” in Uganda and to incite people to “fight” against this “vice” in society. In the context of an already inflamed extremist religious movement against homosexuality in Uganda sparked off by American evangelicals, the inflammatory preaching of Lou Engle and his associates is likely to incite further violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people in Uganda.

Sexual Minorities Uganda calls on all human rights defenders, organizations, religious communities and leaders, governments, and civil society, globally to take action to ensure that Lou Engle and his associates do not set foot in Uganda and that the Call Uganda does not proceed with this inflammatory and hate-inducing plan. While Sexual Minorities Uganda supports freedom of worship, we recognize the need for restriction on any speech that incites hatred and violence against a minority group. If a prayer event is to be held in Uganda, it should be done in a manner which encourages Christ-like love and acceptance and does not incite hatred and violence toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people.

Background

Lou Engle’s extremist and violence-laden preaching is often laced with references to gay people as being possessed by demons. During a rally for Proposition 8 in California, he called for Christian martyrs. His inflammatory speech and focus on martyrdom can easily incite people in Uganda to disregard people’s human rights and go to extreme measures to eliminate whatever they characterize as “evil” or a “vice”. For example, Lou Engle preaches, “The most ‘dangerous terrorist’ is not Islam but God. One of God’s names is the avenger of blood. Have you worshiped that God yet?”

The crusade is organized by TheCall Uganda and ten Ugandan Pentecostal pastors. According to www.thecalluganda.com, the crusade is ‘intended to awaken and revive the young and the old, men and women, church and family, government and the public to fight vices eating away our society’. TheCall intends to address homosexuality in Uganda as a what they label a “vice”. The crusade is preceded by a 21 day fast.

Lou Engle is a core founder of TheCALL in the U.S. but has expanded chapters to different countries. Last year, TheCALL sent an American Evangelical, JoAnna Watson of Touching Hearts International, to be based in Uganda full-time to orchestrate this crusade to fight vices like homosexuality.

This crusade could have the same kind of impact that the March 2009 anti-gay conference had in Uganda. Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge and Don Schmierer reinforced the desire of some religious leaders to persuade the government to create laws which would eliminate homosexuality from the nation. Eventually, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill was introduced in the Parliament of Uganda by MP’s David Bahati and Benson Obua.

Lou Engle’s crusade will be the second major American evangelist event with an anti-homosexuality agenda after the trio to set foot in Uganda and will definitely incite our people into more hatred of homosexuals that may lead to further violence. This is very evident with the nature of preaching that he does in the US. He claims that homosexuals have demons and has mobilized Americans on several occasions for anti –gay rallies. Since the Bill was tabled, the rate of violence and homophobia has increased drastically in Uganda. Lou Engle’s inflammatory preaching is likely to exacerbate an already worrying situation.

Actions:

• Call and/or write Letters of Protest to TheCall Ministries and ask them stop exporting homophobia to Uganda. The event they are organizing is dangerous to LGBTI people in Uganda.
• Contact:

JoAnna Watson, Coordinator of The Call Uganda
Email: Joannawatsonthint@yahoo.com
Phone: +256 779 864 985

Lou Engle
Email: response@thecall.com
Phone: +1 816 285 9351

• Hold demonstrations and/or marches in Kansas City where Lou Engle’s church is located and protest against TheCALL Uganda

ASK LOU ENGLE AND THECALL MINISTRY TO:

1. STOP THECALL UGANDA CRUSADE IN THE FORM THAT IT IS PLANNED
2. PROMOTE RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS RATHER THAN INCITING VIOLENCE
3. STOP EXPORTING HOMOPHOBIA TO AFRICA

For further information, contact:

Valentine Kalende Email: kalendenator@gmail.com Tel: +256752324249

Frank Mugisha Email:frankmugisha@gmail.com Tel:+256772616062

443

That’s the number of service members who were discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2009 according to a press release from Servicemembers United. That’s a record low, and an indicator that commanders “continue to ignore this law that is clearly outdated and which impairs their unit readiness,” according to Servicemembers United Executive Director Alex Nicholson.

“But this new number still means that 443 lives were unnecessarily turned upside down in 2009, 443 careers were unfairly terminated, and military units unexpectedly lost a valuable asset 443 times last year as two wars raged,” Nicholson said.

What’s worse, it turns out that these figures, along with all the other figures that have been released historically, represent a significant undercount. Servicemembers United has learned that the Defense Manpower Data Center’s statistics doesn’t include discharges from the Reserves and National Guard. Said Nicholson, “It is indeed surprising to learn now that the annual discharge numbers have been underreported. Policy makers, the media, and the American public rely on these numbers to make decisions and judgments about the costs of this policy”

DADT Protesters Released, Trial Date Set

The six protesters against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” who handcuffed themselves to the White House fence yesterday were released from jail. All six were charged with the misdemeanor of refusing to obey a policy order. Army Lt. Dan Choi and veteran Capt. Jim Pietrangelo pleaded not guilty before D.C. Superior Court Judge Richard Ringell. He combined the latest cases with the earlier cases for Choi  and Pietrangelo, and set a new trial date of July 14.

The other four — Navy Petty Officers Larry Whitt and Autumn Sandeen, Air Force Cadet Mara Boyd, and Marine Corps Corporal Evelyn Thomas — accepted a post-and-forfeit offer of a $100 fine in exchange for ending the case. Choi and Pietrangelo were also offered the same deal but declined.

All six protesters are under court order to stay away from the streets surrounding the White House. For the four who accepted the post-and-forfeit offer, the order is in effect only until they pay the fine, which is due within a month. For Choi and Pietrangelo, it appears that the court order will remain in effect until their trial date. The attorney for Choi and Pietrangelo argued that the order violates their First Amendment Rights, but the court ruled against their objections.

In related news, a spokesman for the US Parks Police admitted that the service “screwed up” when they turned away reporters during the protest. The spokesman called the incident “embarrassing” and blamed it on a “rookie amateur error.” He denied that the Secret Service or the White House had anything to do with the push to move reporters out of view of the protest.

Liechtenstein introduces same-sex couple bill

From the Italian site Queerblog (Google translation):

Aurelia Frick, Minister of Justice of Liechtenstein, had promised that by summer 2010, the Principality will give itself a law that recognizes same-sex couples. Now the Government submitted the bill to Parliament which is expected to be treated de facto unions to heterosexual marriages as regards inheritance, social security, retirement pensions, immigration and naturalization, and other tax matters. Remain outside the law and adoptions that access to artificial insemination.

I am not certain whether this is a civil marriage bill, allowable on the same terms as heterosexual marriage, or if it is just the granting of limited rights to de facto couples.

LA Times’ Oliphant discusses SCOTUS and religion

A few weeks ago, I noted that with the retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens, the Supreme Court of the United States would no longer have a Protestant Christian as a member. Now James Oliphant, writing for the LA Times discusses the same.

He reports that many observers dismiss the importance of religious diversity. And he quotes one of the few Justices who discuss the matter

Scalia, one of the few justices who have spoken about the role of Catholicism in their deliberations, has done so largely as a means of reconciling his faith with his votes to uphold death sentences. He has said that any Catholic judge who believes the death penalty is immoral should resign.

But he has emphasized that his faith has had little effect on how he views his role as a judge.

“I am hard-pressed to tell you of a single opinion of mine that would have come out differently if I were not Catholic,” he said in a 2007 speech.

How very odd. I could probably identify dozens in which Scalia’s faith-system dictated his position.