Box Turtle Bulletin

Ex-Army Georgetown Student Opposes DADT

Former Army staff sergeant William Quinn expresses why anti-gay discrimination in the US Military should end:

The current policy seems designed only to appeal to those who dislike homosexuals. When a policy’s stated purpose is to maintain high morale by allowing bigots to avoid those they dislike, it is wrong and should be abolished. President Truman once said that the racial integration of the military was “the greatest thing that ever happened to America.” His was only the first step to full integration.

Bi-Partisan Support for Non-Discrimination Bill in Florida

In March of this year, Sen. Ted Deutch (D – Boca Raton) proposed a bill that would amend the the Florida Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act to include sexual orientation. Although the bill had 37 co-signers, it lacked Republican support and was not considered to be viable.

That has changed. According to Edge Magazine, the bill has passed the Senate Commerce Committee.

Republican state lawmaker Jeff Atwater, who is the President-designate of the Senate, joined the ranks of lawmakers pressing for the expanded law and has been credited with helping the measure clear a Senate committee on Apr. 8, with a vote of 7-1. Four Republicans and three Democrats gave their vote to the measure

A sister bill has been presented in the House, but according to the Orlando Sentinel, that body may be more difficult.

The group conceded, though, that the concept faced a harder sell in the House, where it hasn’t been heard, and that “in reality, we are looking toward 2009” to get it passed into law.

Our thanks go to Sen. Deutch and the 37 Democratic lawmakers that presented the bill. Our thanks go to Sen. Atwater for rallying Republican support. And our best wishes continue with this bill and its House version and hope that soon discrimination against gay Floridians will be a matter of history.

ADDENDUM: Out in Orlando also has a good article on the vote.

Anti-Gay Cops Back on Streets in Rochester, NY

When a gay v. police dispute arises it is difficult to know where the truth lies. Based on a long history of abuse, I am often tempted to doubt the claims of officers and to believe gay people, but of course that is not a fail-safe method. Nonetheless, there is a story out of Rochester, NY that disturbs me. While all facts may not be known, there are some things are are not in dispute.

In June 2007 there were five folks walking home from a bar when they were attacked by another group by fist, boot, and iron pipe. They believe that the reason of the attack was because some of the group was gay.

They did what one is supposed to do in this situation; they called the police.

When the officers arrived, they let the attackers go and became hostile to the victims. They refused to take their statements, ordered them to disperse, used homophobic slurs, and arrested some of the victims for disorderly conduct.

When the story broke, the police chief indicated that “mistakes had been made”. But the police union rep continued to defend the actions of the officers.

“This is an example of cops being persecuted for political reasons,” said Mike Mazzeo, a Rochester Police Locust Club union official.

Since that time,

Police later identified the suspects, but did not file charges.

None of the accusers testified before the grand jury, which declined to indict any of the suspects or officers.

The accusers have filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging their civil rights were violated.

From the words of the police union representative, it’s clear that officers in Rochester do not consider it a crime to beat gay people. But insisting that the officers protect them from attack, that’s an criminal offense.

A local television station, 13WHAM, engaged in a campaign to discredit the victims, culminating in an “exclusive” in which they question whether there was a hate crime. They insinuate that arresting the victims was fully justified.

13WHAM News has obtained an internal police department document into last year’s alleged anti-gay hate crime on South Goodman Street. It says there was no hate crime, and raises questions as to whether department leaders misled the public.

Four of the officers were suspended during investigation. And although no conclusions have been made, today we get a hint as to whether there will be any punishment. From the “alleged”-happy 13WHAM:

The four Rochester Police Department officers who were suspended for the way they handled an alleged gay bashing will return to work on Tuesday.

As for the victims of the gay bashing that the officers arrested instead of their attackers?

Two of the alleged victims were arrested by officers the night of the incident and charged with disorderly conduct. Alexander Terrance pleaded guilty. Josh Lieberman is awaiting trial. A third man, Peter Schmitt, received an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal.

Lieberman was supposed to go on trial last week. John DiMarco, his attorney, told the judge that the prosecution may be withholding exculpatory evidence. DiMarco said he obtained a letter from Chief Moore to one of the suspended officers. DiMarco said that letter indicates the officer did not have probable cause to arrest the alleged victims. DiMarco wants to know more about how the chief came to that conclusion. The evidence he is requesting could include portions of the PSS investigation, and grand jury testimony.

“In the context of this case, my client is adamant about his lack of criminal actions,” DiMarco said.

The motto of the Rochester Police Department is

“Serving With Pride”

I would remind the officers of the Rochester police force that pride is what one earns by doing the right thing. When it isn’t earned, it’s just arrogance.

Sally Kern’s Meeting with PFLAG on Tape

On March 27, Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern agreed to sit down and meet with members of the Oklahoma City chapter of PFLAG. According to PFLAG’s version of events, the meeting was cordial, although Rep. Kern did not apologize or back down from her earlier remarks in which she said that homosexuality was “the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam.” But Kern reportedly told the group that she “agreed with” the idea that gays and lesbians should not be fired from their jobs due to their sexual orientation. She also said that she would consider meeting with a group from PFLAG again.

Kern however was offended by being portrayed as a half-decent human being by PFLAG. Immediately following news of the meeting, she launched a vicious attack against the group, saying that they had “taken my statements and have spun them to make it appear that I am backing off my comments that homosexuality is a sin.”

She claimed that PFLAG said she had backed off of her earlier statements (they actually said the opposite), and she claimed that PFLAG said she was in favor of anti-discrimination laws (they said no such thing). And after she told those whoppers about PFLAG’s statement, Kern announced that she would not meet with them again. PFLAG was justifiably furious at Kern’s slap in the face:

PFLAG applauded Kern for agreeing to the sit-down . . . only to be on the receiving end of a mad Sally slap-down. Kern and her supporters went so far as to refer to the three members of the clergy who took part in the meeting as “false prophets,” and attacked the credibility of our Oklahoma PFLAG families. And even though we weighed in with our own fact-check of Sally’s allegations, she continued to insist that she did not say what she said.

PFLAG is now defending their version of events. It turns out that PFLAG had recorded the 40-minute meeting — with Rep. Kern’s consent, no less — and has posted the entire audio online. In it, we learn:

…Kern said not once (at about 15 minutes and 30 seconds in) that she does not believe GLBT people should be fired from their jobs . . . but she said it twice (again at about 33:15), confirming her stance when Rev. Kelly McCallie recaps the meeting near its end. And, when asked by Rev. Newton-Edwards if she would consider attending future PFLAG meetings to hear from other families in her district, Kern says – almost joyfully – “maybe.”

She even says – when asked if she and her husband will join a PFLAG supporter for dinner – “Sure!”

As PFLAG notes, the tape recorder is definitely not her friend. Here’s the audio, in five parts:

Following last week’s rally in support of Rep. Kern, The Oklahoman‘s editor Ed Kelley posted a video editorial blasting Sally Kern and her message:

What if instead of 1,000 people gathered to praise her, 1,000 people – smart, law-abiding people who really care about Oklahoma and its future – came instead to insist that our state can and must send legislators to the capitol who will focus on real issues that affect Oklahoma. In other words, 1,000 voices that said we’ve had 100 years of Sally Kern, and 100 years of that is enough…

What if indeed. Oklahomans deserve better, as do the rest of us.

See also:
Sally Kern Is a Little Confused
Sally Kern’s Economic Fallout
Sally Kern’s Meeting with PFLAG on Tape
Exodus’ Local Ministry Aligns with Sally Kern
Certified Cameronite: Sally Kern
Kern Speaks to College Republicans
Sally Kern: Out of Context? The Complete Transcript
We Be Jammin’
Muslims and Gays United
OK State Rep. Sally Kern’s Son is “Straight and Not Gay”
Sally Kern Exaggerates Death Threats
A Letter to Sally Kern
LaBarbera Award: Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern

Can Figure-Skating Make You Gay?

That question was posed by a letter writer to Canada’s National Post blog, “Full Comment.” The writer concluded that the answer was yes. My favorite response in the comments was this one:

To paraphrase, some are born gay, some achieve gayness and some have gayness thrust upon them.

I’ll have to remember that one. It’s like I’ve said before, I don’t think there will ever be a one-size-fits-all explanation.

Does Exodus Global Alliance Support Criminalization of Homosexuality?

Mike Airhart at Truth Wins Out asks a very good question. They did in 2006. That’s when Exodus Global Alliance sponsored a conference in Barbados. Here’s the banner of their promotional flyer that year:

Exodus International, the American arm of the evangelical ex-gay movement, meets anti-gay violence in the U.S. with silence and opposition to anti-bullying measures. In Jamaica, homosexuality carries a maximum penalty of ten years at hard labor and Christian pastors there consider it offensive when we suggest that Christians ought not murder people. Meanwhile, murder music — with its explicit calls for burning, stabbing, and chopping gay people to death — fill the airwaves and dance halls. Somewhere in all of this stands the Exodus Global Alliance.

MassResistance and White Supremist Find Common Cause

Paul Ash is the Superintendent of Schools in Lexington, Massachusetts. He has long been under attack from the virulently (but hypocritically) anti-gay group Mass Resistence. His crime? Including same-sex married couples in curriculum that talks about families.

Anti-gay activist David Parker has been the primary player in waging war on the school district.

Courts have concluded that the school system can talk about families, including gay families, whether or not it displeases the religious sensibilities of some specific parents. And Ash intends to do just that.

But Hal Turner, an internet radio show host, has posted Mr. Ash’s home address and encouraged his readers to attack him.

I would laugh if some concerned father(s) donned ski masks and gloves, took a ride over to this arrogant prick’s house and knocked the living shit out of him. I advocate parents using FORCE AND VIOLENCE against Superintendent Paul B. Ash as a method of defending the health and safety of school children presently being endangered through his politically-correct indoctrination into deadly, disease-ridden sodomite lifestyles.

This, naturally, has concerned the Superintendent and the local authorities. So who is not concerned about Ash’s well being. According to WBZ TV,

“He has to expect that people are going to be extremely angry over what he’s doing,” said Lexington parent David Parker, who objected to the same-sex curriculum in the past.

Parker said he’s not surprised by the threats.

“You can put it under any guise you want but little children don’t need other adults asserting sexual proclivities to them and normalizing it and parents are in an outrage,” he said.

“We can’t be deterred by individuals that are attempting to intimidate teaching children to love one another and respect one another.”

MassResistence reports about the incident (with the subtitle Threats against Parkers, as usual, are ignored).

Parker had never heard of the talk-show or the website (nor have we). However, he acknowledged on WBZ-TV that parents have no longer any legal protection for their children and many are becoming agitated.

What Parker and MassResistence (and the television station) failed to mention is the primary focus of Mr. Turner: advancement of the White Supremacist cause. Here are a few samples of Mr. Turner’s choice phrases. (Warning: Offensive language; emphases in the original.)

For all his millions, this guy is nothing more than a low-class NIGGER. He needs to have a Cross lit on his property to calm his uppity-black-ass down. If that warning doesn’t work, Lynch his black ass.

and

Blacks cannot compete and cannot get-by in schools where they share studies with Whites and Asians.

In city after city, the sad story repeats itself. When will people realize that Blacks are GENETICALLY inferior? When will we reinstate segregation that is so desperately needed?

Perhaps I’ve lived in California too long. But people like this make my stomach turn. They certainly don’t inspire me to go on a television show in their defense.

But this really shouldn’t surprise me. Haters are haters.

UPDATE:

Pam Spaulding of Pam’s House Blend reminds us that in 2005 Max Blumenthal at The Nation exposed the relationship between Hal Turner and Sean Hannity.

To area conservatives, he was best known by his moniker for call-ins to the Sean Hannity Show, “Hal from North Bergen.” For years, Hannity offered his top-rated radio show as a regular forum for Turner’s occasionally racist, always over-the-top rants. Hannity also chatted with him off-air, allegedly offering encouragement to Turner as he struggled to overcome a cocaine habit and homosexual leanings.

Again, while this saddens me, it really shouldn’t surprise me.

iTunes Canada Removes Murder Dancehall Music

iTunes.ca has pulled several Jamaican dancehall songs with anti-gay lyrics from its online store, including songs by Buju Banton, Elephant Man and TOK. This action followed a campaign led by the Canadian LGBT rights group Egale and Stop Murder Music. The songs include advocating or approval of killing gays:

“iTunes is exercising its corporate responsibility by pulling this murder music and raising the bar for other retailers and distributors to do the same,” says Akim Larcher, founder of SMM. He calls iTune’s decision a victory for the gay community in Canada and in the Caribbean.

The groups wrote to iTunes in January asking that the anti-gay tracks to be removed, citing three songs which promoted violence against gays. iTunes not only removed those tracks, but they also removed entire albums which contained the songs.

I looked around on the U.S. iTunes, and I wasn’t able to find Elephant Man’s “Log On” (Lyrics: “Dance wi a dance and a bun out a freaky man” — Join our dance and let’s burn out the gay man), or Buju Banton’s “Boom Bye Bye,” or any of Beenie Man’s three targeted songs.

Outrage! U.K. has a complete dossier (PDF: 348KB/9 pages) for the Stop Murder Music campaign. Some of the songs are still available via U.S. iTunes. Maybe some of our Canadian readers can provide us with the songs which are still available there as well. Please leave what you find either in comments or via email.

Update: The following murder music is still available via iTunes here in the U.S.:

Bounty Killer:

• Man a Badman (“You know we need no promo to rub out dem homo” — “You know we don’t need a prom to kill a homo.”)
• Look Good (“Mi ready fi go wipe out this fag wid pure laser beam” — “I’m ready to wipe out this faggot with a pure laser beam.”)

Capleton:

• Bun Out Di Chi Chi Man (“Bun out ah chi chi, blood out ah chi chi” — “Burn out a queer, stab or chop up a queer.”)
• Whoa! (“Sadomite and batty man mi shot up… Whoa!” — Sodomite and queer man, I shoot up… Whoa!”)

Vybz Kartel:

• Pussy Jaw (“From yuh faggy Waterford/A wet yuh up wid di Maggy” — “If you are from faggoty Waterford, I shoot you with a Magnum.”)

Jamaican Tourism Minister Shrugs off Violence Against Gays

Tourism is vital to Jamaica’s economy, with about one third of every employed Jamaican working in a tourism related industry. With their “Come to Jamaica and feel alright” campaign, the island nation seeks to present itself as a paradise for vacationing Americans.

But sadly, the Jamaican society does not seem to believe that reality need live up to their media image.

Recent attention has been given to the violence against gay persons in the country. And resulting from the attacks on gay men, MCC has called on the country to repudiate such violence and to take steps to ensure the safety of the gay men and women who live there.

Now Jamaicans in position of influence have given their response.

Today Radio Jamaica reports that the Tourism Minister is not concerned about the efforts of MCC or other “homosexual groups”:

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett [pictured, top] has brushed off calls by homosexual groups for a tourism boycott of Jamaica and Jamaican products.

But at least one Jamaican business recognizes that anti-gay violence does not sell well outside of a homophobic culture.

Brewing company Red Stripe says it will not sponsor several upcoming concerts in Jamaica because of increasingly violent lyrics.

The company has withdrawn thousands of dollars (euros) in sponsorship from the popular “Reggae Sumfest” and “Sting” reggae show. Musicians are glorifying violence in what has become a worrisome trend, the company said in a statement Friday.

But the actions of Red Stripe did not sit well with Jamaican media. In an article entitled Long live reggae/dancehall, the newspaper contrasted the views of gay activists and the “Jamaican position”. The article quoted the Box Turtle Bulletin as it’s source for the attitudes of such activists and Jamaican religious leaders.

Saw an interesting article on the Internet recently dated February 18, written by a Timothy Kinkaid stating that the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), a gay-welcoming denomination, has started a protest against the Jamaican government’s inability – or unwillingness – to crack down on anti-gay violence. …

The article continued, “One might suppose that a call for the cessation of violence was a campaign which all Christians could support. One would be wrong. Not only were MCC’s requests reviled in the Jamaican media, but Jamaica’s Christian community did not take well to being told that they ought not murder gays.

The Rev Dr Merrick ‘Al’ Miller [pictured], pastor of the Fellowship Tabernacle in St Andrew, said that Jamaicans generally deem homosexuality wrong. He said the demands of gay activists who are attempting to force their beliefs on society will in no way influence Jamaicans to change their views.”

Need we say more?

And the Caribbean net news ran a letter to the editor last Saturday expressing indignation that outsiders would consider making purchasing decisions based on Jamaica’s abuse of their gay citizens.

It fully angers me to hear that this group of foreigners think they can dictate the policy and laws of another sovereign nation because they trade products and services with them. It was selfish, shortsighted thinking like this that led to Haiti being in the state it currently is.

I always thought that the laws of a nation were dictated by what that society decided was right and wrong and that we were in a world where, if my countries laws and polices were not the same as yours, we could agree to disagree.

What is missing from the conversation in Jamaica is the voice of reason, the voice of non-violence, the voice of decency. When confronted with murder, the response is, “How dare you criticize me?” and no one seems to find this concerning.

There are many factors that go into the decision of whether to engage in a boycott. One has to consider whether your efforts will be effective and whether the end result will be better or worse conditions for gay Jamaicans. And I’m certain that MCC is more responsible and forward thinking than, say, the AFA.

But whether or not there is a boycott on Jamaican goods, I am certain that I would be afraid to visit there. The physical danger is not minor and I fear that should there be a threat to me, neither the government, the church, or the society would come to my rescue. Further, I would discourage anyone whom I love from vacationing on the island. Those who champion violence against some can champion violence against many.

Perhaps Minister Bartlett shares the homophobia that is rampant in Jamaican society. Or perhaps he fears the condemnation he would receive as a result of being perceived as inadequately hostile to homosexual activists such as me. But if he cares about the future of his nation’s economy and stability, he might be better concerned that his nation not come to be seen by the American public as a hostile and violent place and he might wish to consider that the tourists he seeks to draw do not often share his culture’s fear and revulsion of gay men and women.

No Homosexuals In Iran

Last September, Iranian President Maumoud Ahmadinejad told a gathering at Columbia University, “We don’t have homosexuals… I don’t know who told you we had it.” Oh, how we laughed for days.

San Francisco activist Michael Petrelis noticed last week that the Human Rights Watch appears to be saying the same thing:

If the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, became interested in what the Human Rights Watch had to say in their Iran section of their latest annual World Report about homosexuals in his country, and the abuse of human rights for gays there, shockingly, he’d find nothing in that section.

HRW, for unknown reasons, omits gays not just from their 2007 country roundup, but actually from the 2006, 2005, and 2004 versions.

Sure enough. The report, while detailing the general deterioration in Iran’s observance of human rights, there is no mention of the continuing brutal punishments and executions of gays and lesbians in that country.

It’s as if gays and lesbians don’t exist there. Except this time it’s not so funny.

Doubly Vulnerable: Homeless Gay Youth

The Columbia Spectator today has a very disturbing story about some very significant threats that some gay youth phase. This story concerns 15-year-old Drew, an “ordinary teenager” from a good neighborhood in upstate New York, a good student getting good grades. But his pretty good life took an abrupt turn when he came out to his parents:

“It all changed the night I tried to tell my parents I was gay,” he said. “My mom was pretty cool with it, but my dad just freaked out and started screaming. Then he started hitting me.”

“He’d never hit me before, never,” he sobbed, “but when I told him who I was, that I was gay, he just got so mad. He said he was going to kill me and I believed him, so I ran.”

After spending a few nights sleeping at a friend’s house, Drew returned home, hoping that things might have calmed down.

“I tried to open the door, but my key didn’t work any more. So I started knocking and eventually my dad came to the door and told me that I was no longer his son and he never wanted to see me again. He said if I ever tried to get in touch with him or my mom again he’d find me and kill me,” he explained.

He now lives on the streets of New York’s Upper West Side, where he begs strangers for food and money. He often has to exchange unsafe sexual favors for it. It’s a dangerous way to drive the live, and the dangers don’t end there:

Terrified and devastated at losing his family, Drew fled to New York City, where he hoped people might be more accepting of his sexuality. But since arriving five months ago, Drew estimates that he has been beaten up on average once a week—just for being gay.

“Mostly it’s other homeless people who do it,” he said. “They find out you’re gay, and then they wait for a chance to punish you. When I first got here I went to a shelter, but once the other kids found out I was gay they started teasing me and then one day they all ganged up on me and beat me up. We weren’t in the shelter at the time so the staff didn’t know, but now I’m too scared to go back or to try another shelter in case it happens again. I prefer to take my chances on the streets.”

The Empire State Coalition estimates that somewhere between 25% and 40% of homeless youth in New York city are LGBT youth (PDF: 378KB/100 pages). According to a 2002 report by the American Journal of Public Health (PDF: 181KB/5 pages), LGBT homeless youth are significantly more vulnerable to physical victimization, substance abuse, and psychological problems.

There are thousands of Drews all across this country. When people say that they aren’t “bashing homosexuals, but…”, it’s important to note that many parents of homeless LGBT youth will probably say the same thing. You know, they just don’t “condone” their kids “lifestyle” — a lifestyle which can often be of their own parents’ making.

If you want to know why it is so fundamentally vital to change attitudes towards acceptance in this country, just look at the face of the next homeless teen you encounter.

Video: Inside “Love Won Out”

Everyone has a personal narrative of how they would like their life to turn out. Oftentimes we have narratives for the lives of our loved-ones, including parents who have narratives for their children. When some of these children are gay and come out of the closet the narratives their parents held are oftentimes shattered. As Jim points out, Love Won Out does little to help this.

Parents’ Narratives For The Lives Of Their Children

Mormon Leaders To Meet With Gay Group

Last summer we noted that the leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) had issued a statement which appeared to represent an small, incremental improvement on the church’s stance towards homosexuality. Now we learn that Mormon church officials have agreed to meet with leaders of Affirmation, a gay Mormon support group.

Affirmation had repeatedly tried to meet with church leaders. Their last invitation to meet was turned down last August. Then in February, just three days after Thomas S. Monson was named church president following Gordon B. Hinkley’s death, Affirmation invited Monson to meet. Monson accepted the invitation for an August meeting.

Among the specifics Affirmation wants to address: the historical treatment of gays by the church, including recommendations for aversion therapies to “cure” homosexuality; recommendations for more effective counseling methods; ways to avoid family break-ups; and a change in the honor code at church-owned Brigham Young University that can result in expulsion for sexually active gay students. The same standard applies to straight students.

“None of this requires a change in doctrine,” said [Affirmation assistant executive director Dave] Melson. “They’re good for both gays and the church.”

Melson added, “We would like to start a dialogue, even if it isn’t immediately fruitful.”

The church has come under fire as gay members have come forward with allegations that they were subjected to electric shock aversion therapy at the behest of their spiritual leaders. Playwright John Cameron used his own experience with electric shock aversion therapy as the basis for his play, “14” (for the number of men in an LDS study) which debuted at the University of Iowa in February:

His harrowing, powerful play, “14,” was inspired by his experience undergoing electric shock treatment in a 1976 research study at BYU. As a college student, Cameron volunteered for the experiment, conducted by then BYU-graduate student Max Ford McBride, hoping it would alter his same-sex attraction. Instead, the psychological and emotional wounds nearly crippled him, once leading him to contemplate suicide.

Church leaders acknowledge that abusive therapies were deployed by the church in the past, but contend that they have been discontinued. Leaders also say that they will accept no responsibility for these treatments, even though gay Mormons were “prescribed” these treatments by church leaders.

Affirmation was started by Stephan Zakharias in 1977 after two friends of his committed suicide after undergoing electric shock therapy experiments administered by BYU’s Psychology Department.

T-Shirt Wars: Appeals

For some reason, some culture warriors believe it is their Christian duty to condemn gay people. One favorite method is through T-Shirts in public schools.

Heidi Zamecnik, 17, of Naperville, and Alexander Nuxoll, 14, of Bollingbrook, are students at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville.

In response to a National Day of Silence event in April 2006, Zamecnik wore a shirt to school that read “MY DAY OF SILENCE, STRAIGHT ALLIANCE” on the front and “BE HAPPY, NOT GAY” on the back

She was told that she could wear a t-shirt that supported heterosexuality, such as “Be Happy, Be Straight”, but that she could not wear one that denied the happiness of fellow gay students.

But oh no, Zamecnik and her straight alliance don’t want to promote a pro-straight message, just an anti-gay one. Zamecnik has graduated and thus lost standing, but Mr. Nuxoll has stepped in the battle on. He, too, would like to express his contempt.

And the ever eager ADF, of course, is fighting for Nuxoll’s right to be obnoxious.

“Christian students shouldn’t be discriminated against for expressing their beliefs,” attorney Nate Kellum said in a statement Friday.

I’m assuming that “their beliefs” could also include their contempt of other religions or other sects as well, but Kellum didn’t talk about that.

The anti-gays lost the first round but appealed.

A three-judge panel heard testimony Friday in a Naperville high school student’s appeal to wear a T-shirt expressing opposition to homosexuality.

Young Nuxoll is hoping a decision is made in time for him to wear his neighbor-condemning shirt on the Day of Silence, April 28.

Sometimes I wonder if the ADF isn’t secretly an anti-Christian organization dedicated to making those who practice the faith look like a bunch of hate-full buffoons. They certainly are having that effect on youth.

See also:

Arizona House Passes Bigot Protection Act
Anti-Gay T-Shirt Wars

Anti-Discrimination or Anti-Information?

Living expenses in Southern California can be very expensive. Finding a two bedroom apartment in the West Hollywood area will run you at least $2,000 per month. So often young single men and women have roommates.

One common way to find a roommate is to register with a service that allows you screen for an ideal roommate. This way those needing someone to share the rent could find someone needing a place to stay.

In the past, members could choose various attributes of the person they wanted to room with: smoker or non-smoker, male or female, gay or straight, and within age ranges as well as where they wanted to live and how much they wanted to pay.

However that may all change. One such service, Roommate.com, had been operating happily along when in 2003 they were sued by the Fair Housing Councils of the San Fernando Valley and San Diego. They claimed that allowing member to search and filter by such things as sex or orientation was facilitated them in discrimination.

Today the 9th Circuit decided 8-3 that Federal protections do not shield roommate services from being liable to anti-discrimination laws.

The judges said a site called Roommates.com may be brought to trial for possibly violating anti-discrimination laws because it requires users to provide information about gender, sexual orientation and whether they have children, and then uses the information to screen people for matches.

“A real estate broker may not inquire as to the race of a prospective buyer, and an employer may not inquire as to the religion of a prospective employee,” Chief Judge Alex Kozinski wrote for the majority. “If such questions are unlawful when posed face-to-face by telephone, they don’t magically become lawful when asked electronically online.”

Some will find this to be a fair application of law reasonably determined to shield minorities for discrimination. Others, namely gay persons looking for a roommate that isn’t going to hassle them or straight women who don’t want to live alone with a straight man, may find it to be counterproductive. And others are concerned as to how this decision might impact other online services that allow members to search by attributes.

Roommates.com may appeal to the US Supreme Court.