Protect the Children (and mean it)

This is one of the clearest expositions of the facts that undermine the false stereotyping of gay men as child molesters that i've ever seen. Bravo!

Perry v. Schwarzenegger

The US District Court case challenging the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8 is now in its third week. The plaintiffs are couples Kristin Perry/Sandra Steir and Paul Katami/Jeffrey Zarrillo who filed the suit against the two county clerks who respectively denied each couple a marriage license. Also named as defendants in the suit are Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Attorney General Jerry Brown, and two officials in the Department of Public Health.

AG Jerry Brown chose not to defend against the lawsuit stating that Prop 8 violates the 14 Amendment of the US Constitution. However, other parties who were proponents of Prop 8 and advocated prior to the election to strip legally recognized rights from gay people chose to sign on to the case as intervenors on the defense side. Judge Walker allowed the official proponents to become intervenors for the defense, but denied another anti-gay group from doing so. The judge also allowed the City of San Francisco to join the case as an intervenor for the plaintiffs, but denied other requests of potential intervenors for the plaintiffs.

In addition to the personal interest the case has for me (Wes & i would have been married in December 2008 while visiting CA if Prop 8 hadn't passed) i'm also finding it interesting legally. It looks like the plaintiffs have an EXTREMELY competent case for reinforcing the legal definition of LGBTs as a suspect class (i.e. a legally recognized minority at risk of experiencing discrimination that the majority does not face) and thus for the overturning of Prop 8. It's also striking just how truly conservative the plaintiffs' attorneys' arguments are. Also, the defendants are presenting a piss-poor case that is having the primary effect of underscoring their anti-gay bigotry and the bankruptcy of their reasoning for denying gays equal rights.

The best legal commentary i've found on Perry v. Schwarzenegger comes from Shannon Mintner, from the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Her summation of each day's events in the case can be read over at Pam's House Blend. The Blend also posts tweets from individuals who are in attendance at the trial. Another reliable source for commentary on the case is Box Turtle Bulletin.

Arcing Toward Justice

From TransEpiscopal:

About a week ago I picked up a voicemail from my mom: “Sweetheart, I was wondering if you’ve heard about Amanda Simpson, the transgender woman who was appointed by President Obama this week?” I had indeed heard about Simpson whose appointment as Senior Technical Adviser for the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security rightly has been hailed as a milestone in the push toward full equality for trans people.

Then on Tuesday, January 5th, the New York Times reported that the Obama administration had “inserted language into the federal jobs Web site explicitly banning employment discrimination based on gender identity.” This move was hailed by the ACLU as “frankly a bigger deal” than the expected insertion of trans inclusive language into the federal handbook for supervisors and managers.

As we move into the season of Epiphany, my question is: what do these developments and the debates swirling around them, reveal about the place and progress of trans folks “among us”? Because if Epiphany – from the Greek epiphaneia, meaning manifestation or revelation – is a celebration of the light of Emmanuel, God-among-us, then part of this celebration requires our search for how God is revealing Godself among us and prodding us to move forward.

Of her own appointment Simpson stated, "I'm truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me. And at the same time, as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others."

Predictably, the religious right has received these developments as portents of doom. In response to the updated federal employment protections, Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council argued that trans people should be treated with reparative therapy. Simpson’s appointment prompted the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody to warn Obama not to alienate conservative Evangelicals with "the transgender thing”, while Peter Labarbera of Americans for Truth wondered, "Is there going to be a transgender quota now in the Obama administration?"

Transgender 'thing' and transgender 'quota'? Look you peters - we're all brothers and sisters, equal in God's eyes - get over your prejudices.

Tell it to the Feds - the Prop 8 case

From Box Turtle Bulletin:

Today’s testimony started with San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. He stated his conservative credentials: Republican, previously police chief. Sanders talked about his lesbian daughter Lisa and how he came to believe that domestic partnerships were not adequate.

Sanders spoke about the city’s resolution to support marriage equality and why he unexpectedly decided to sign it rather than veto it (liveblog paraphrase):

I struggled for a long time since I took the position. But the night before that video, I invited some LGBT friends over to tell them I was going to veto. I was shocked at the hurt that they showed when I told them. One friend said that we interact with you as a family. They felt that their children deserved married parents. I could see the harm that I would do with the veto. This was a night not about politics, but about the depth of their emotions. That created part of the emotion in the video. I realized how much it hurt for them.

Sanders’ part of the testimony is interesting. It appears that he is there to show that one can be supportive of the community and acting without hatred and yet have your judgment and behavior clouded by prejudice. He sees that his previous view of domestic partnerships as being “good enough” was a prejudiced view even though he was not motivated by hatred.

Info about the case probably isn't on most people's radar given the media circus around the MA special election, but it's conservatives who are making a strong case FOR overturning Prop 8. Andrew Sullivan laid out a sensible conservative view in favor of marriage equality several years ago - wrote a book about it, if i recall. Nice to see that there are still some actual conservatives left among the radically compromised Republican Party. It's not all conturds, yay!

Perp Walk of My Dreams

i shamelessly lifted this pic from a post over at Elliptical Press. Go on over and tattle on me - and read some of their posts while you're there.

Uganda - the exportation of hate

For those who are unaware or ill-informed about the proposed Ugandan anti-gay legislation, and the support (tacit and expressed) of some Westerners, here's a good overview.

DRG announces nominees for Bishop

From the Diocesan website.

The Reverend Ellis Tucker Bowerfind, Rector
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Alexandria, Virginia

The Reverend James R. Harlan, Rector
Church of the Ascension, Denver, Colorado

The Reverend Jedediah D. Holdorph II, Rector
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Medford, Oregon

The Reverend John S. Nieman, Rector
Holy Trinity Parish, Clemson, South Carolina

The Reverend Dr. Michael Louis Vono, Rector
St. Paul’s Within the Walls, Rome, Italy

The announcement is also posted as Episcopal Life Online, with links to the nominees' parishes.

Prayers requested

Today Wes' mom's doctor will pay a house call with the results of her latest cancer tests. Prayers for her (Winnie), Wes, and our household are welcomed.

[UPDATE] - the doctor's been & gone, leaving a cautiously good report. Tests indicate that the cancer's backed off a bit rather than continuing its spread. Also, Winnie is once again impressed with her doctor, though she doesn't seem to recall him very well from one visit to the next. We're just amazed at a doctor who does house calls!