Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s office has confirmed that it is taking steps to block proposed rules that would compel private agencies to place foster children with unmarried couples, including gay couples.
“This was language proposed by the Kaine administration. We are working with the agency to remove the language,” McDonnell spokeswoman Taylor Thornley said Wednesday.
... Private agencies, such as LDS Family Services, Bethany Christian Services and Catholic Charities, are also allowed to consider religion when they match parents and children.
These current regulations “seem to be working well,” Mr. McDonnell said.
Monthly Archives: April 2011
Victory in Sight! McDonnell Pledges to Block Mandatory Gay Adoption Rules, Protect Religious Agencies
April 7, 2011 – 10:31 am
Lacking support, RI Speaker Fox may vote SSM out of committee as an outside member
April 7, 2011 – 8:00 am
Gordon Fox, the openly-gay speaker of the RI House, is apparently mulling voting for SSM as an ex officio member, because they lack the votes otherwise:
As the gay marriage bill remains stalled in the House Judiciary Committee, Statehouse sources tell GoLocalProv that there is widespread talk that House Speaker Gordon Fox might intervene to get the bill out of the committee.
As the Speaker, House rules allow Fox to vote as an ex officio member of the committee. Several Statehouse sources say that could be one way to get the bill out of Judiciary. “I think he might come in and vote for it,” said Judiciary Committee member Charlene Lima.
... a GoLocalProv tally of the votes shows that the bill still faces an uphill battle. Based on interviews and public statements of the reps, GoLocalProv counts three confirmed yes votes and five no votes. That leaves six reps who did not respond to inquiries in time for publication and one who did, but said he did not yet have a public position on the bill.
FROM NOM'S NATIONAL NEWSLETTER: Virginia Governor to Block Mandate Requiring Agencies to do Gay Adoptions
April 7, 2011 – 3:00 am
Another great victory is looming in Virginia, thanks to you and your help!
The Democratic administration of Tim Kaine left a little time bomb in the making for incoming Gov. Bob McDonnell, in the form of new regulations which would require all adoption and foster care agencies to do gay adoptions. The gay blogs flipped when we dubbed this the "mandatory gay adoption" regs, but that is just what they are. Sometimes the truth hurts!
The new regs were proposed in the final weeks of the Kaine administration, hurriedly approved without publicity by the outgoing attorney general. Ostensibly designed to prevent "discrimination" against gay people in adoption, these mean-spirited regs would have actually driven religious adoption agencies out of business, by withholding licenses to agencies which refuse to do same-sex couple adoptions. (In a companion absurdity, it would also ban any kind of preference for married couples by banning "discrimination" based on "family status.")
We sent out two action alerts—with just hours to go, hundreds of you responded to our call to oppose the regulations on the public comment page. With just three or four hours to respond, before comments closed, the number of public comments opposing the regs jumped from less than 100 to close to a thousand. Way to go, and thank you!
A second action alert called on Gov. Bob McDonnell to block these regulations.
And this morning we heard from the Washington Times that McDonnell''s office has confirmed that he will block the regulations.
Thank you! You speak, and the powerful listen!
FROM NOM'S NATIONAL NEWSLETTER: Tim Gill Threatens $2M Campaign Against Colorado Lawmakers over Civil Unions Bill
April 7, 2011 – 3:00 am
NOM aims to be your voice for your values. To be your smart, lean, efficient, and strategic pathway to victory!
We cannot afford to underestimate the forces that oppose us—spiritual and otherwise.
After Colorado legislators rejected a civil unions bill, Tim Gill's lawyer, Ted Trimpa, issued a threat, according to KWGN news:
Gill, the gay millionaire whose riches are largely responsible for the Democratic takeover in Colorado over the past decade, will now be spending millions more to defeat Republicans across the state, starting with GOP members of the statehouse.
"It might be a difference of, before, spending $200,000 [on 2012 House races], and now spending $2 million," Gill's lawyer said.
Here's two interesting things to notice about this threat: It disappeared from the news website within hours. We've asked but we've had no explanation for why Gill's threat, which is surely newsworthy, would disappear from a mainstream news website without any explanation.
We do know: It is very unusual for Gill to make a threat. The gay billionaire prefers to sneak up on politicians quietly and behind the scenes. It is rare to see a news point in the mainstream media these days which advocates of gay marriage don't like. Is this a blatant case of self-censorship by the mainstream media to further a political cause? I don't know, but we'll let you know what we find out.
Here's the more important point to notice: Tim Gill and gay-marriage advocates need millions to influence politics, because they don't have actual voters.
We do not need to match them dollar for dollar to fight for God's truth about marriage—but we do need resources to get that truth out to the citizens who can make a difference.
FROM NOM'S NATIONAL NEWSLETTER: SSM Bill Blocked in Rhode Island House!
April 7, 2011 – 3:00 am
The Rhode Island newsblog GoLocalProv is reporting this morning: "GAY MARRIAGE CAN'T PASS RI HOUSE"!!!!
Even Edith Ajello, a prominent Providence progressive, admits the bill is currently at least six to eight votes short of the 38 votes needed to pass the Rhode Island House. And the RI House was supposed to be the easy part A lot of House members are scratching their heads, wondering why they should be pushed to vote on a bill causing such a public outcry—when it's clear, they say, that the bill is dead on arrival in the Senate.
"Why we're going to take on a contentious issue when we know it's dormant in the other side of the building—higher minds would have to answer that question," Democrat Jon Brien said.
"The Senate's not going to pass," said Robert Flaherty, D-Warwick. "It's just an exercise in futility."
Don't stop now, in other words—another tremendous victory is within our grasp!
Now, we take that headline and those quotes with a grain of salt, and a renewed commitment to fight for marriage—Rhode Island Marriage Equality is still promising its supporters that the bill will pass this year.
But let's pause for a moment to celebrate the extraordinary admission: The people can make a difference!
This is the Rhode Island House. With an openly gay speaker. Who said he would pass a bill through the house in early February.
NOM's own Maggie Gallagher and Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse both testified at that hearing.
Here's Dr. Morse testifying.
Maggie came back and told me, "It was very clear that there was a massive outpouring of opposition and those judiciary committee members were desperately seeking some alternative or compromise that would get them out of voting for gay marriage."
Kudos in particular to the Hispanic community of Rhode Island, which turned out in force to oppose the bill. The Hispanic Pastoral Association delivered a petition with 5,500 signatures from Hispanic Christians opposing gay marriage—and most of them live in core-Democrat inner-city districts.
Gordon Fox, who had planned to ram the bill quickly through—the big fight was supposed to be on the senate side—suddenly pulled the bill. He claimed he had the votes to pass it, but with Ajello's admission it's clear that they do not have them yet!
Now is not the time to stop! If you live in Rhode Island tell your representative—you oppose redefining marriage and you vote!
LA Times Cartoon Promotes LGBT Agenda in CA Schools
April 6, 2011 – 4:36 pm
By Ted Rall for the Los Angeles Times (we've discussed the bill this cartoon is referring to here).
Photo: Gay Marriage Activists Stop Rush Hour Traffic in NYC *again*
April 6, 2011 – 4:12 pm
The activist group "Queer Rising" has promised to disrupt life in NYC the first of every month until (they say) New York redefines marriage to include same-sex unions. Last month they blocked off 6th Avenue. This month they blocked traffic in front of Governor Cuomo's midtown Manhattan office:
Oddly enough, Governor Cuomo has been very active trying to push SSM in the state, but evidently not enough for this group.
The Advocate reports on a related public protest: "At Grand Central Station, a drag queen wedding took place, with 10 drag queens enacting a ceremony to raise awareness about the need for marriage equality laws."
Photo: www.towleroad.com
URGENT ALERT: Tell Gov. McDonnell to Oppose Same-Sex Adoption Regs
April 6, 2011 – 4:07 pm
The next 10 days will decide whether Virginia government is going to shut down adoption agencies because of their religious beliefs.
Thanks to the hundreds of you who submitted comments last Friday opposing the proposed Virginia DPS regulations that would require religious adoption agencies to place children with same-sex couples, shutting them down if they refuse.
The public comment period has closed, but on Friday alone, more than 900 comments were submitted, with the great majority opposing the new regulations.
But the work isn't finished!
This new regulations were already far along before the public comment period even began back in January. As State Delegate Bob Marshall told Virginians yesterday:
“I understand Governor McDonnell's office now realizes this change is a problem. But Governor's McDonnell's staff previously signed off on these adoption changes on 12/28/10, his Secretary of Health signed off on 7/19/10, Department of Planning and Budget signed off on 2/19/10 and former Attorney General's office signed off on 12/14/09, according to Virginia's official Regulatory Town Hall website... Governor McDonnell can still weigh in on the homosexual adoption regulations and propose an amendment, but he only has 15 days from April 1 to act.”
— Bob Marshall, Virginia State Delegate
That's right, the next 10 days will decide whether Virginia government is going to shut down adoption agencies because of their religious beliefs.
Then tell your friends and neighbors about this alert through Facebook, on Twitter, and by email.
Matthew Frank: Will Real Marriage Please Stand Up?
April 6, 2011 – 4:07 pm
Over at National Review Online, Matthew Franck comments on the debate between Sherif Gergis and Jason Steort over what marriage is:
Steorts then turns to propose that we "now write our positive marriage law on a tabula rasa [a blank slate]." These are startling words to read in the flagship magazine of American conservatism. Conservatives are generally loath to treat any vital question as open to being addressed in tabula rasa terms. The slate is not blank; nature and history have done their work from time immemorial. Tabulae rasae are what judges, unfortunately, think they see (or convince themselves they are seeing, or pretend to see) when they are intent on remaking society with the blunt tools of constitutional jurisprudence. We should instead seek an understanding of what nature and history–not abstractions about yearning for “maximal experiential unions”–have to teach us about marriage. This, I think, Sherif Girgis is attempting, and with considerable success.
Frezza's Folly in Forbes: Says Tea Party Should Endorse Gay Marriage
April 6, 2011 – 4:05 pm
Bill Frezza writes in Forbes "Why The Tea Party Should Endorse Gay Marriage":
Why gay marriage? Aside from being a live-and-let-live litmus test (what part of get the government out of our lives don't you understand?), gay marriage is the perfect pivot issue. Coming out in favor of granting same-sex couples the same legal status as heterosexual partners can shatter the negative stereotypes pinned on the Tea Party while having no impact whatsoever on anything that really matters to anyone, unless you happen to be gay.
Selling gay marriage to the tea party is going to be tough, considering that the Pew Research Center found that only 1/4th of self-identified Tea Party people support redefining marriage (other sources claim an even lower level of support).
Ideologically, it would seem that Tea Party people are more prone to see gay marriage as government intervention in people's lives (considering that every popular vote in 31 states has supported marriage, and only liberal legislatures and judges have seen fit to impose SSM).
As for supporting same-sex marriage as a way to "shatter negative stereotypes", one of the defining characteristics of the Tea Party is a distinct disregard for what liberal elites think about them.
And as for "having no impact whatsoever on anything that really matters." The family, traditional values and respect for our Constitution all really matter to Tea Party people.
Is San Fran's Castro neighborhood appropriate for young kids?
April 6, 2011 – 12:21 pm
One of the things to notice in this article in the San Fran Chronicle is how carefully all the parents are to remain anonymous - even questioning the tour location is something they fear they must do in private, rather than being "outed" as "bigots" - when actually they are simply concerned about preserving their children's innocence:
Last week, second-graders from San Francisco's private all-boys Town School strolled through the Castro, the city's world-renowned gay district...
... Last week, one of those parents contacted the CBS News desk and CBS 5 Eyewitness News featured a segment highlighting the controversy. The mother, who remained anonymous on the show, said: "Why would you talk to a young child about sex with a man and a woman let alone a man and a man or a woman and a woman? It just doesn't seem right. They are not ready for that.
...[And] what about the Castro's infamous sex shops? Those adult-oriented stores with provocative window displays featuring sex toys, nude images, pornographic movies, and a dizzying array of sexual items from phallic pasta to stripper poles to whips and chains.
These shops weren't highlighted on the tour and the guide mapped out a route that aimed to avoid them all together. Still, the Town parent who reached out to SFGate expressed concern about the children walking by these stores.
*SFGate was in touch with two Town parents for this story; both asked to remain anonymous.
Target Claims Gay Marriage Advocates Harassing Mothers of Small Children
April 6, 2011 – 12:06 pm
A movement whose followers will sometimes do this - threaten to kidnap a young child during our Summer Marriage Tour:
And will also do this - trailing mothers of small children trying to shop at Target and forcing talk about gay marriage in front of their kids - this is from Target's complaint against "Canvass For A Cause":
Target is simply seeking to protect its brand as a pleasant shopping experience. Mothers who shop at Target shouldn't have to worry about their children being asked about gay marriage.
When will responsible LGBT leaders step up to condemn and put a stop to this nonsense?
In wake of CU defeat in CO, gay activists claim lawmaker has "blood of suicidal gays ... on her hands"
April 6, 2011 – 8:00 am
The Denver Post reports on a reprehensible move some frustrated gay activists took after last week's close defeat of a civil unions bill in Colorado:
A faux Facebook page rips Rep. B.J. Nikkel over her “no” vote against civil unions, saying the blood of suicidal gays is on her hands.
...The page purports to be from “Bj Nikkel Coward,” but then goes on to attack the Loveland Republican.
“On March 31st, you committed one of the greatest acts of cowardice that I’ve witnessed. You alone killed the civil unions bill … ,” an essay on the page states.
Thankfully, some who supported the bill have criticized the decision to create this mocking Facebook page in the wake of its defeat:
Republican Alexander Hornaday, who is gay and who testified in favor of the bill, was critical of the Facebook posting.
“The kind of overwrought and hysterical rhetoric from that Facebook page not only doesn’t advance the cause of gay equality, it actually retards it by needlessly antagonizing the very people we need to persuade,” he said in e-mail.
Nikkel, for her part, is standing strong:
Nikkel said she also hasn’t seen the Facebook page, but she learned a long time not to take to heart critical things written about her. She said she’s also gotten “hateful” phone calls but that an overwhelming number of people — 50 to 1 — support her “no” vote.
The Catholic Archbishop of Denver Charles J. Chaput meanwhile is urging people to thank their lawmakers:
In the face of unfriendly media coverage and heavy political pressure, opponents of the legislation did the right thing. They challenged and tabled the bill, killing it for this session. That sounds like a small act, but it took courage, especially in an environment of bitter criticism. The committee members who opposed the bill deserve our gratitude and support.
Gov. McDonnell opposes VA adoption regulations that threaten religious liberty
April 5, 2011 – 11:34 pm
We're happy to see VA Governor Bob McDonnell's position on this controversial new policy (and thank you again to the hundreds of you who responded to our action alert on this last Friday!):
Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) told reporters at a Tuesday news conference that he opposes proposed regulations developed by his Democratic predecessor that would for the first time allow gay couples to adopt children in Virginia.
“I know I had said during the campaign that I would essentially keep our adoption laws -- which I think are good -- the way they are now,’’ McDonnell said. “I think the current regulations that are in place seem to be working well.”
The proposal, according to the governor’s office, would mandate that gay singles and unmarried couples be able to access faith-based groups, such as Catholic Charities and Jewish Family Services, to adopt children. (WaPo VA Politics blog)
The story also notes that the proposed policy change was introduced by former Governor Tim Kaine less than two months before he left office.
Here's the timeline for accepting or rejecting the proposed changes:
McDonnell has until April 16 to make a recommendation to the State Board of Social Services, a nine-member panel of which all but four members are holdovers from Kaine.
Act Now to Protect the Only Federal Law that Preserves Marriage
April 5, 2011 – 4:28 pm
Defeated in state after state, gay marriage activists have taken their radical agenda to Washington, D.C., seeking to force same-sex marriage on the entire nation in one fell swoop.
Only one federal law stands in their way. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
DOMA defines marriage as the union of a husband and wife—throughout federal statutes and regulations, forming a first line of defense against claims that our state marriage laws are unconstitutional.
Last July, a Boston federal judge ruled DOMA unconstitutional. Then, in an extra-constitutional power grab, President Obama instructed the Department of Justice to abandon its appeal, setting himself up as head of not just the Executive Branch, but the Judicial and Legislative as well, falsely claiming DOMA unconstitutional. And now some in Congress have introduced a bill to repeal DOMA outright.
The stakes couldn't be higher. If DOMA falls, every gain from the past 15 years—every state marriage statute, every constitutional amendment, and the votes of more than 30 million Americans—could be for nothing.
That's why NOM launched what may well be our most important initiative yet: Defend DOMA. Thanks to a $1 million matching grant, every dollar donated between now and midnight April 15th will be matched, doubling its impact.
Already, we've sent more than 70,000 petitions to Congress over the past 5 weeks, and raised thousands of dollars to make sure DOMA is protected in Congress and in the courts. But we need your help today. Time is short, and your support today will help protect marriage in America against its biggest threat yet.
Take the DOMA challenge today with your gift of $30, $300, or even $3000 or more if you have the means. Then help spread the word to your family, friends, and co-workers.
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