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ADF Attorney: WA Same-Sex Marriage a Threat to Churches

January 31, 2012 at 11:00 am

Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, writes about the Washington State marriage redefinition bill:

...What this bill says is that if a church rents out its facilities for non-members to use for weddings, then it will be forced to allow a same-sex couple to use its facilities for a same-sex “marriage” ceremony. Many, if not most churches, will rent their facilities to members of the public who want to use the church building to get married. Most churches will generally ensure that the people who are using the facilities are not going to use them in a way that is inconsistent with the church’s religious faith and mission. But the State of Washington is considering forcing churches to open their sanctuaries to same-sex “wedding” ceremonies.

... All of this might sound surprising and troubling – and it is. But for those who understand the inherent and unavoidable conflict between the radical homosexual agenda and religious freedom, the Washington Legislature’s bill and the New Jersey church case are simply sad reminders that we face a culture and a society increasingly willing to trample religious freedom in the name of sexual liberty.

... It’s not too late to stop this radical attack on religious freedom. As one court put it, the freedom of religion contained in the First Amendment is our “first freedom.” The Washington State Legislators in favor of SB 6239 need to be reminded of this fact by a vocal populace that is tired of having sexual liberty foisted on society at the expense of religious freedom. Speak Up now before it is too late. And stand with ADF as we fight these battles in New Jersey and elsewhere.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Same Sex Marriage, Washington | Comments (34)

Washington State Family Policy Activist: SSM Far From a Done Deal

January 31, 2012 at 10:30 am

OneNewsNow:

Proponents of legislation are claiming they have enough votes for passage in the Senate, although Joseph Backholm of the Family Policy Institute of Washington says no date has been set for consideration.

"At the same time, even if it were to pass there's a very high probability that it will ultimately go to a vote," explains Backholm. "Either the legislature will refer it to the public or we will just collect enough signatures on our side to put it on the ballot in November -- so it's far from a done deal legislatively or otherwise."

More importantly, the institute's spokesman says the strategy now is to generate a strong grassroots support to kill the bill.

"We're fond of saying around here that they really don't care what you think until they know that you can take their job away," he says. "Basically we need people who understand why this is not good for us to communicate to their legislators, to let them know that they're paying attention and this is an issue that matters to them."

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Same Sex Marriage, Washington | Comments (11)

Maryland Resident: No Shortage of Reasons to Oppose SSM

January 31, 2012 at 10:00 am

David writes to the Baltimore Sun:

... It will bog down the legislative agenda unnecessarily when we have serious issues to address in our state.

We can't afford it. Marriage "fairness" is nothing more than agitating for benefits that the institution of marriage encourages.

Same-sex marriage has been defeated by the people in every state where the issue has gone to the ballot box, and passing the bill will undoubtedly awaken a sleeping giant — the people of Maryland.

The only reason New York allowed same sex marriage is because a few elected officials were turned with money. In Iowa, where liberal judges overturned the people's will to grant same sex marriage, they were promptly voted out of office.

The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled against redefining marriage in 2004, and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller has come out opposing the issue in a year when the governor, the leader of his political party, says it is his signature issue.

Redefining marriage would create untold consequences to hundreds of other laws that depend on marriage status.

Legislators might have more success advocating benefits for civil unions instead. Societies everywhere reject same sex marriage. How are we so smart to overrule what people everywhere else know?

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, Maryland, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (11)

Mike Dennehy: New Hampshire Legislators Should Listen to GOP Base on Marriage

January 31, 2012 at 9:30 am

The Nashua Telegraph:

...Mike Dennehy, the New Hampshire lobbyist for the National Organization for Marriage, delivered an anti-same-sex-marriage treatise to Republican State Chairman Wayne MacDonald last week.

Dennehy is a senior GOP strategist who helped build John McCain’s New Hampshire presidential primary victories in 2000 and 2008.

“The 2012 elections provide plenty of opportunities but many pitfalls, as well,’’ Dennehy said in a memo obtained by The Sunday Telegraph.

“In the 20 years I’ve been running campaigns at every level, I can tell you that this year, more than any other, will hinge on the party who best motivates their base and gets them to the polls on Election Day.

“We have one issue this year that will motivate social and cultural conservatives to go to the polls for Republican candidates – traditional marriage.’’
Kellyanne Conway, of The Polling Co., did a survey late last fall that found 71 percent of Republicans oppose same-sex marriage laws.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage, New Hampshire, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (8)

Gov. Christie Promises Harris Will Recuse Himself on SSM

January 31, 2012 at 9:00 am

The Republic:

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie found himself on the defense Monday over his two Supreme Court picks just a week after announcing that he was moving to diversify the state's all-white Supreme Court by nominating two firsts: an openly gay black man and an immigrant.

Christie said Bruce Harris, who is gay, told the governor he would recuse himself from hearing any gay marriage cases because the nominee, a former Chatum Borough mayor, has advocated for the issue.

Years ago Harris, 61, wrote to several state senators asking for their support of a same-sex marriage bill being heard by the Senate in late 2009. Christie, a Republican who supports civil unions but opposes calling it marriage, said Harris volunteered the information about his writing.

"He told me he favored same-sex marriage, had advocated for it in his political capacity and as a result, if he were confirmed to the court, would recuse himself from that matter because he did not want there to be the appearance of bias," the governor recalled.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Law, Marriage, New Jersey, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (18)

Paul Mulshine: Chris Christie Judicial Nominee Wrote in Support of SSM

January 31, 2012 at 8:00 am

Paul Mulshine in the New Jersey Star-Ledger broke the story:

Christie said of Harris and his other nominee, Phillip Kwon of Bergen County, “I did not ask them about specific cases.” He pointed to two other cases of concern to conservatives, the Abbott school-funding decisions and the Mount Laurel decisions on affordable housing, and said “to the extent that they’ve taken positions on those issues, they’re going to have to let us know that.”

It turns out Harris has already done so, at least when it comes to same-sex marriage. Back in 2009, he sent an e-mail to the Republicans then representing Chatham in the Legislature urging all three to vote in favor of same-sex marriage.

“You have met me and my partner of nearly 30 years, Marc, on more than one occasion at various political gatherings” he wrote. “The New Jersey Supreme Court has already determined that our relationship is entitled to the equal protection guarantees of the State Constitution.”

The e-mail went on to urge the legislators to go to the site of Garden State Equality, a gay rights group, to view two videos “that provide sad examples of the failures of the civil union law.”

One of the recipients of the e-mail was state Sen. Joe Pennacchio. When I phoned him, he said he recalled having a brief talk with Harris after receiving the e-mail.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Law, Marriage, New Jersey, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (5)

Prof. Patrick Lee: Same-Sex Marriage "Unjust and Incoherent"

January 30, 2012 at 6:00 pm

Patrick Lee is the John N. and Jamie D. McAller Professor of Bioethics at Franciscan University of Stuebenville. He writes in Public Discourse that "the conjugal conception of marriage is just and coherent; the same-sex marriage proponents' unjust and incoherent":

The “marriage equality movement”: that’s the name chosen for themselves by same-sex “marriage” supporters. The implicit argument is that the state’s granting marriage licenses only to opposite-sex couples is undue discrimination. The claim has an initial plausibility: the state grants a marriage license to John and Mary but not to Jim and Steve. Isn’t that unequal treatment? But this charge, I will show, rests on a profound confusion about both marriage and equality. A state’s recognition that marriage is only between a man and a woman is not unjust. What’s more, a state’s endorsement of same-sex “marriage” does create an arbitrary and invidious discrimination.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (49)

Is This the Kind of Judge a President Christie Would Nominate?

January 30, 2012 at 4:00 pm

Maggie Gallagher on NRO's The Corner blog:

There’s a brouhaha brewing in New Jersey over Gov. Chris Christie’s nomination to the New Jersey Supreme Court of Bruce Harris. Turns out Harris wrote a letter in 2009 supporting gay marriage — and equating support for our marriage tradition with slavery.

Bruce Harris wrote this in a 2009 e-mail to State Senator Joe Pennacchio:

When I hear someone say that they believe marriage is only between a man and a woman because that’s the way it’s always been, I think of the many “traditions” that deprived people of their civil rights for centuries: prohibitions on interracial marriage, slavery, (which is even provided for in the Bible), segregation, the subservience of women, to name just a few of these “traditions.”

I hope that you consider my request that you re-evaluate your position and, if after viewing the videos, reading Governor Whitman’s letter and thinking again about this issue of civil rights you still oppose same-sex marriage on grounds other than religion I would appreciate it if you you’d explain your position to me. And, if the basis of your opposition is religious, then I suggest that you do what the US Constitution mandates — and that is to maintain a separation between the state and religion.

When the assemblyman charged with vetting judicial nominees was sent a copy of this intemperate email, he responded: “Yikes.”

This is a potentially huge red flag for those who see Christie as the future of the conservative movement. Can he be trusted to care enough to appoint judicial conservatives? Will Governor Christie stand by this kind of judicial appointment, or will he admit that mistakes were made in the vetting process and withdraw the nomination?

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Law, Marriage, New Jersey, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (14)

National Organization for Marriage to Starbucks: "Stay Out of Marriage Fights"

January 30, 2012 at 3:11 pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 30, 2012

Contact: Elizabeth Ray or Anath Hartmann at (703-683-5004)

"Americans should be able to drink a peaceful cup of coffee without worrying that a portion of the company's profits is going to be used to push gay marriage without a vote from the people."
—Brian Brown, NOM's President—

Olympia, WA—Today, Brian Brown, the president of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), sharply criticized Starbucks' decision to wade into the gay marriage fight in Washington State. That decision comes on top of an earlier decision by Starbucks to ask the Supreme Court to strike down the federal definition of marriage as one man and one woman as well.

"Americans should be able to drink a peaceful cup of coffee without worrying that a portion of the company's profits is going to be used to push gay marriage without a vote from the people," said Brown. "This is a gratuitous leap into a hot button culture war issue; respect for diversity touted by Starbucks ought to include respecting the diverse views of all its customers and employees."

NOM pledged an intensive public relations effort to ask Starbucks customers who favor retaining marriage as the union of husband and wife to complain to company headquarters.

Jonathan Baker, head of NOM's Corporate Fairness Project, called on Starbucks to make it clear they will not discriminate against customers, vendors or employees who oppose same-sex marriage. "Increasingly, gay marriage extremists are arguing that people known to oppose same-sex marriage should not be hired, or even, should be fired. Diversity and tolerance are a two-way street. Having waded into a social issue where Starbucks has no special competence, the company has an obligation to reassure its customers, vendors and employees that it will respect the most important diversity—diversity of opinion," noted Baker.

To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Elizabeth Ray, eray@crcpublicrelations.com, (x130) or Anath Hartmann, ahartmann@crcpublicrelations.com, (x105) at 703-683-5004.

###

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Press Releases, Washington | Comments (49)

Superbowl Legend David Tyree On Supporting Marriage and Life After the NFL

January 30, 2012 at 2:00 pm

USAToday Sports tells us where Superbowl legend David Tyree is now:

...The spectacular catch launched [Tryree] into various marketing opportunities and, more important for him, onto a pedestal to share his views. He co-wrote a book, More Than Just the Catch, in which he discussed his strong religious convictions. Tyree and his wife, Leilah, are the parents of six children they home-school in Wayne, N.J. The couple are working on another faith-based book that Tyree says "is going to challenge the core of our culture."

Last summer, he appeared in a video for the National Organization for Marriage. At the time, he said pending legislation of a gay marriage bill in New York would promote "anarchy" if passed. New York later legalized same-sex marriage.

Tyree was deluged with criticism.

"I don't value marketability — I value the honor of my God,'' he said. "When you talk about this being a (nation) where everybody is entitled to their opinion … (but) the moment you say something that goes against what is relevant to our culture, all of a sudden you are (called) a bigot. I got tons of flak, but I expected that."

You can watch Tyree's NOM interview (which has been viewed almost 70,000 times on YouTube) from last summer here:


 

 

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments (19)

Detroit FreeP: EMU Counseling Student Wins OK to Sue

January 30, 2012 at 1:00 pm

The Detroit Free Press on Julea Ward's victory at the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals:

An Eastern Michigan University student who was expelled from a counseling program because she refused to counsel gays and lesbians about their lifestyles won a key victory today in the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

A three-member panel of the court said Julea Ward can argue her religious discrimination suit against the university before a federal court jury in Detroit.

... “Although the university submits it dismissed Ward from the program because her request for a referral violated the ACA (American Counseling Association) code of ethics, a reasonable jury could find otherwise — that the code of ethics contains no such bar and that the university deployed it as a pretext for punishing Ward’s religious views and speech.”

... Although Ward refused to counsel gays and lesbians about their sexual orientation, she said she was willing to counsel them on other issues.

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Education, Free Speech, MarriageADA, Michigan, Religious Liberty | Comments (1)

Mitt Romney to Faith Leaders: Obama's Assault on Marriage and DOMA

January 30, 2012 at 12:30 pm

Mitt Romney on a call with faith leaders said about Obama's record on Marriage:

"There's been an assault on marriage. I think [the President] is very aggressively trying to pave the path to same-sex marriage. I would, unlike this President, defend the Defense of Marriage Act. And I would also propose and promote once again an amendment to the Constitution to define marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman."

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Marriage, Marriage Election Watch, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (8)

Newt to Faith Leaders: Gay Marriage a "Fundamental Violation of our Civilization"

January 30, 2012 at 12:00 pm

On a call with faith leaders, Newt Gingrich said about gay marriage:

"Marriage is between a man and a woman. This is a historic doctrine driven deeply into the bible. Both in the old testament and in the new testament. And it's a perfect example of what I mean by the rise of paganism. The effort to create alternatives to marriage between a man and a woman are perfectly natural pagan behaviors but they are a fundamental violation of our civilization."

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Marriage, Marriage Election Watch, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (26)

Gov. O'Malley's Wife Apologizes for Calling Opponents of SSM "Cowards"

January 30, 2012 at 11:00 am

Matt Palmer of the Catholic Review:

Maryland First Lady Katie O’Malley has apologized for calling members of the House of Delegates who opposed voting on changing the definition of marriage in 2011 “cowards.”

A bill that would have legalized same-sex marriage in Maryland was never voted on in the House of Delegates after passing in the Senate last year. The bill was returned to the House Judiciary Committee after a lengthy debate.

O’Malley created a firestorm Jan. 26 at the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force’s annual Creating Change conference in Baltimore when making the comments about the House of Delegates.

“We didn’t expect the things that happened to the House of Delegates to occur, but sadly they did, and there were some cowards that prevented it from passing,” Katie O’Malley said.

O’Malley also made comments about how religious organizations should not be involved in the debate.

... After word leaked out that Katie O’Malley made the comments, she was roundly criticized throughout the state. It forced her to release a statement the morning of Jan. 27.

“I regret my recent choice of words at the Creating Change Conference last night,” she said. “I let my feelings get the better of me. I deeply respect that there are strongly held and differing views on marriage equality in Maryland, but hope that our state’s elected officials will come together to fairly address this important issue for our families and children.”

... Mary Ellen Russell, executive director of the MCC, bristled at O’Malley’s comments and defended the House of Delegates.

“It’s completely ironic that anyone would call legislators who stood up for traditional marriage cowards,” Russell said. “It took extraordinary courage on their part to withstand the arm-twisting and political pressure that they were under last year, and it will take the same kind of courage and even more this year.”

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in Civility, Marriage, Maryland, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (21)

Proposed NY Redistricting Attempts to Save Flip-Flopper Grisanti

January 30, 2012 at 10:30 am

A sign that the GOP leadership is worried about Sen. Mark Grisanti's re-election effort because of his vote for gay marriage?

The long-awaited proposals to redraw state Senate and Assembly boundaries are finally out. And reviews are harsh particularly for the redrawn Senate map which would grow from 62 seats to 63.

“When you have legislators drawing their own designer districts, this is the product that you get,” said Barbara Bartoletti, league of Women Voters Legislative Director.

New boundaries for state and federal offices must be redrawn every 10 years based on the latest Census data. The process has been decried by good government groups for being stacked in favor of incumbent parties. The theory is that by carving the state into enough of a jigsaw puzzle, the reigning parties stay in power. It's created some odd looking shapes, including one known as Abe Lincoln Riding a Vacuum. That's gone under the proposal, but this new one could be called The Flying Bat.

“They're using every trick in the book. They're drawing new districts where they don't belong. They're throwing Democrats in districts together,” State Senator Michael Gianaris said.

GOP Senator Mark Grisanti district would now be entirely in Erie County, which increases his chances of keeping the Conservative Party line, even though he voted for same-sex marriage. There's also a new Senate seat proposed for the Albany region carved out with areas that contain Republican voters. When viewed as a whole, the map shows a representation shift to Republican heavy upstate, which could help the party maintain control of the chamber. - YNN

NOM
By NOM Staff | Posted in New York, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (2)
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