Gay marriage advocate (and--like Ted Olson, the lawyer opposing Prop 8--a Federalist Society member) and law professor Dale Carpenter recently said he was advising a Minnesota gay rights group on how they could lawfully exclude a street preacher from handing out literature against homosexuality at a large gay pride even in a public park that 200,000 folks will attend.
Prof. Carpenter argues that the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which had a right to exclude pro-gay rights groups from marching, is the relevant paradigm. A federal judge just said "no go guys." If the First Amendment means anything it means you can speak, preach, and hand out literature in a public park. Nobody is going to think that the gay rights groups authorized his speech. "As a festival attendee in a public forum, Johnson is entitled to speak and hand out literature, quintessential activities protected by the First Amendment, so long as he remains undisruptive," Judge Tunheim wrote in the 19 page ruling, according to the WSJ.
A win for the First Amendment. But look how many establishment and "conservative" gay rights figures now believe the First Amendment means: we get to restrict your rights to disagree?
The statement of Michael Benjamin, D-Bronx:
Assembly Member Benjamin - Statement Against No-Fault Divorce
I am opposed to no-fault divorce because it would harm most women in divorce proceedings. According to the National Marriage Project at Rutger’s University, a woman’s standard of living drops by an average of 27% and a man’s increases by 10% following a divorce.
In addition to the economic disadvantages imposed by this bill, I am also against no-fault divorce because it would define marriage as something temporary and trivial. Under the provisions of the law, marriage would essentially be defined as a contract that could be broken at any time, for any reason.
Due to the economic disadvantage that women face, combined with my unwillingness to break down the blessed institution of marriage, I can not in good conscience vote for no-fault divorce.
December 4, 2009 – 6:36 pm
Dear Friends of Marriage,
Thank you again for your part in the tremendous victory for marriage on Tuesday! I truly believe that were it not for your persistent phone calls and emails, the outcome could have been very different.
Same-sex marriage advocates now have a list of 38 state senators, including all 30 Senate Republicans and 8 of the 32 Senate Democrats, they will try to persuade or replace before another same-sex marriage bill is introduced (probably in 2011). Undoubtedly, the pressure on these 38 courageous senators -- many of whom had refused to say how they would vote in advance of the vote -- will intensify in the days ahead.
Read More »
December 2, 2009 – 5:41 pm
Dear Friends of Marriage,
The New York state senate just rejected gay marriage 38 to 24. Praise God!
And thank you. NOM spent $600,000 reaching out to voters through phone calls and television and radio ads to make sure politicians heard from ordinary voters like you.
Gay marriage inevitable? Don't believe the lie! You can make a difference and we at NOM are so proud to work with you and millions of other ordinary Americans who know in their hearts that marriage IS the union of husband and wife.
Read More »
November 17, 2009 – 9:50 am
Dear Friends of Marriage,
The New York Senate is back in special session today, with Governor Paterson calling again for a vote on the same-sex marriage bill.
November 10, 2009 – 4:52 pm
Dear Friends of Marriage,
We need you right now. The New York Senate is in special session today and could vote on same-sex marriage at any time. Please take a moment right now to call and email your state senator. Read More »
October 8, 2009 – 2:12 pm
Dear Friends of Marriage,
Let's talk Corzine for a minute.
Gov. Corzine has made it clear that gay marriage is one of his top priorities--but only to his "base." Privately, he is pushing for a vote on gay marriage in the lame duck session. The reason he's pushing for gay marriage in the lame-duck is that he wants the vote as far away from an election as possible. Read More »
September 22, 2009 – 2:10 pm
Dear Friends of Marriage,
In New York, the race for New York's 23rd continues to heat up. Dede Scozzafava was hand-picked by GOP leaders to be the Republican candidate for a special election in this district in upstate New York, which has elected Republicans since the Civil War. Read More »
September 9, 2009 – 5:49 pm
Dear Friends of Marriage,
Summer is over, and politicians are returning to Albany and Trenton to face an ongoing immense crisis: In the economic collapse, a budget hole the size of the potholes on the BQE is opening up. (Maybe even bigger!) Many in the tri-state area are going to be seriously hurting from looming service cuts and/or tax increases. Read More »
August 19, 2009 – 5:38 pm
Dear Friends of Marriage,
Today I have to say: Thank you!
Last week I asked you to take action in the debacle developing in New York's 23rd Congressional district--and you responded!
More than 11,000 emails and faxes and still counting! Protests have poured into the offices of GOP chief Michael Steele and local New York Republican officials to say: Don't make a terrible mistake: Don't sell out marriage voters! Don't reward Dede Scozzafava, one of the very few GOP politicians who have ever voted for gay marriage, with an uncontested shot at high office. Not without GOP primary voters' consent! Read More »
