In a move that has taken some parents by surprise, the school department has announced that it is banning traditional "father-daughter" and "mother-son" activities, saying they violate state law.
Supt. Judith Lundsten said the move was triggered by a letter ifrom the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a single mom who had complained that her daughter had not been able to attend her father-daughter dance.
Lundsten said school attorneys found while federal Title IX legislation banning gender discrimination gives an exemption for "father-son" and "mother-daughter" events, Rhode Island law doesn't.
Rhode Island School District Bans Father-Daughter Dances, Mother-Son Activities
September 21, 2012 at 10:30 am
New Polls Show We're Within Striking Distance of Victory in Maine! Game On!
September 20, 2012 at 4:30 pm
Over at my personal blog I explain the excitement we pro-marriage warriors are feeling over these new polls out of Maine, and how we plan to win in November:
"...This fight is so far following the trajectory of other state marriage referendums. Prop 8, for instance, was trailing in the polls by 18 points six weeks before the vote, but won by 4 points on election day. In other words, state votes on marriage begin with gay marriage leading in the polls, losing support closer to election day, and finally losing on election day -- why? Because someone along the way helps them understand and be proud of their pro-marriage views.
YOU are called to be that someone!
If you live in Maine you need to make sure you are registered to vote, and if you have friends and family who live in Maine, you need to talk to them right now about the importance of protecting marriage." --AmericanPapist
New Liberal Polls Show Support for Gay Marriage Declining in Maine!
September 20, 2012 at 3:00 pm
The latest polls shows its close in Maine, with support for gay marriage declining! This latest Maine People's Resource Center poll oversampled Democrats by six points and still found declining support for Question 1:
The poll released today shows a decline in support for gay marriage, at least when compared to a June survey conducted for MaineToday Media.
A poll released today shows 53 percent of Mainers support a ballot question that would allow same-sex marriage, 43 percent oppose it and 4 percent are undecided.
The Maine People’s Resource Center, which is affiliated with the liberal advocacy group the Maine People’s Alliance, conducted the poll Sept. 15 through Sept. 17. The margin of error on the 856 person sample is 3.35 percent.
Those polled were asked: “If there were a referendum held today that asked “Do you want to allow the State of Maine to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples” How would you vote?”
The poll released today shows a decline in support for gay marriage, at least when compared to a June survey paid for by MaineToday Media. -- Online Sentinel
The Democrat-leaning Public Policy Poll just released today includes even more good news for supporters of marriage in Maine:
"Maine voters are leaning towards legalizing gay marriage, but it looks like it will be probably be close. 52% of voters say that they plan to vote yes on Question 1 to 44% who are opposed. When we ask simply whether or not voters think same sex marriage should be legal, 52% say it should be while 40% think it should not. Our experience in polling these kinds of issues is that undecided usually means no so this really should be seen as a toss up with gay marriage supporters barely over the 50% mark- there's not a lot of room for error in the final seven weeks."
Back in March the same PPP poll had gay marriage up in Maine 54%-41%.
And, for the sake of comparison, at roughly the same time as this in the Prop 8 campaign polls were showing gay marriage ahead 55%-38%. The final result was Prop 8 winning 52%-48%.
To learn more about how to protect marriage in Maine visit ProtectMarriageMaine.com.
White House Dodges Question About SCOTUS and Gay Marriage
September 20, 2012 at 2:30 pm
The White House administration is again trying to have it both ways on gay marriage. On the one hand, the President wants the campaign donations of wealthy pro gay marriage donors. On the other hand, his press secretary refuses to answer if his administration would welcome same-sex marriage being ruled upon by the Supreme Court and if he hopes gay marriage becomes the law of the land:
White House press secretary Jay Carney today refused to say whether President Obama would want the Supreme Court to take a case that could lead to same-sex couples across the country being able to marry.
The administration has not taken a position on whether the court should review a lower court decision striking down California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriages, and the White House was not willing to take a position on that issue today.
Asked if the administration wants the court to take the Proposition 8 case, Carney said, "I will ask you to direct it to the Justice Department. I'm not going to make policy toward Supreme Court cases from here."
... neither the president nor his administration have taken any specific actions supporting litigation aimed at court rulings declaring that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. -- BuzzFeed
Australian Senate Defeats Gay Marriage 41-26
September 20, 2012 at 2:00 pm
THE Senate has followed the lower house in rejecting same-sex marriage laws, as Opposition Leader Tony Abbott talked down the prospect of federal laws for gay civil unions.
With the House of Representatives rejecting Labor MP Stephen Jones' bill 98-42 on Wednesday, the Senate rejected a similar bill from Labor senator Trish Crossin 26-41 on Thursday afternoon.
Mr Abbott said the defeat in the Senate settles the matter at least for the life of the current federal parliament.
The next federal election will not be held until 2013.
Justice Ginsberg Says DOMA Headed to Supreme Court This Term
September 20, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Wednesday that she believes the Defense of Marriage Act will likely go to the U.S. Supreme Court within the next year.
Ginsburg spoke at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She was asked a student-submitted question about the equal-protection clause and whether the nation’s high court would consider it applying to sexual orientation.
Ginsburg said with a smile that she couldn’t answer the question. She said she could not talk about matters that would come to the court, and that the Defense of Marriage Act would probably be up soon.
“I think it’s most likely that we will have that issue before the court toward the end of the current term,” she said.
Maryland Elections Board: 37% of Question 6 Signers Are Registered Democrats
September 20, 2012 at 1:00 pm
This from the Maryland Marriage Alliance Facebook page:
Of the 109,313 marriage petition signatures certified by the Board of Elections, only a little more than 53% of the signatories were Republican.
Nearly 37% were Democrats, and the remaining 10% were unaffiliated voters and a smattering of Libertarians and Green Party members.
Yes, marriage is an issue that goes beyond political parties!
It is a human issue that recognizes the unique relationship of a husband and wife and the importance of protecting the rights of children to be raised by their mother and father.
Video: Will People Be Influenced by Obama's Flip-Flop on Marriage?
September 20, 2012 at 12:30 pm
Kalley Yanta of the Minnesota Marriage Minute explains:
"...will President Obama's flip-flop on the issue impact how the country views gay marriage and impact the Marriage Amendment campaign in Minnesota? ... the evidence says no. President Obama has opposed every marriage amendment in recent years including Prop 8 in California and most recently the marriage amendment in North Carolina yet voters have passed them all. In fact surveys right before the vote in North Carolina this past may showed that a plurality of Democrats supported the marriage amendment, including two-to-one support among African Americans and majority of Independents and an overwhelming majority of Republicans."
Ontario Government "Equity" Spokesman to Parents: You Have NO Right to Withdraw Your Children
September 20, 2012 at 12:00 pm
One of the Ontario government’s lead trainers and advisors on its controversial equity and inclusive education strategy says attempts by parents to withdraw their children from objectionable classes on sexuality is an “attack” on inclusivity in the schools.
The comment was made to the Toronto Star Monday by Chris D’Souza, the chair of the Equity Summit Group, a former teacher in the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, and an equity trainer who has led sessions in over a dozen Catholic school boards across Ontario.
This LifeSiteNews reporter questioned D’Souza about the comment Tuesday, asking also his view on policies adopted by the Toronto District School Board and the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board that forbid parents from withdrawing children from classes dealing with homosexuality.
In reply, he said simply: “Here is your quote Patrick: You are all clutching at straws and have lost the battle.”
Time to Finish the Job
September 20, 2012 at 11:45 am
Dear Marriage Supporter,
Congratulations, New Yorkers!
Last week you, along with NOM PAC NY, helped bring about historic victories for marriage in New York, with shockwaves from the primaries being felt across the nation. Together we've sent a strong message to the New York Legislature and to the entire nation!
As the Associated Press reported:
"Any Republican legislator faced with this vote is going to think twice," said Robert Bellafiore, a political commentator and former top aide to Republican Gov. George Pataki of New York. "I don't think there is any question this going to have a chilling effect across the country."
The Wall Street Journal headline announced: "Gay marriage backers in peril in New York," despite the fact that gay marriage advocates "poured more than $1 million into the races as they sought to make inroads among the GOP and provide evidence that Republicans can vote for gay rights and not be punished at the polls."
The problem is: It's simply not true.
Politicians—especially Republican politicians—vote for same-sex marriage at their own peril.
But Republicans weren't alone. NOM PAC NY helped oust Democrat Shirley Huntley, under corruption investigation and also one of the turncoat senators who voted for same-sex marriage last year, and give the nomination to staunchly pro-marriage James Sanders in the Democratic Primary.
This type of primary challenge rarely occurs in New York, where incumbents are heavily protected. But in the past year, the people of New York have now replaced four of the turncoat senators—and we haven't even reached the general election!
As the Daily Beast reported, for same-sex marriage advocates, "It wasn't supposed to be this way."
The decisive defeat of the incumbents Shirley Huntley and Roy McDonald has shown all of America that New Yorkers are finally getting their vote on the marriage issue, and that the betrayals by these senators in imposing gay marriage through backhanded dealings in Albany was the swan song of their political careers!
NOM PAC NY, with your help, has now handed four out the six senators who betrayed New Yorkers by voting for same-sex marriage their walking papers, and we want to make sure that the other two get put on notice this November.
NOM PAC NY is putting the resources in place to keep up pressure on pro-same-sex marriage politicians through the general election season, but we can't do this without your help. We need funding to get the word out through targeted mailings, emails, phone calls, and radio and TV ads so that New Yorkers can recognize the opportunity they have this November to make their voices heard on the issue of marriage.
You deserve your vote on marriage in New York, and these elections are the way we're going to ensure that your voice is heard. Let's stand together and send the message loud and clear to Albany and to Washington, DC: NEW YORK STANDS FOR MARRIAGE!
Prop 8 Judge Brags About "Moving the Strike Zone" to Get His Desired Judicial Outcome
September 20, 2012 at 11:30 am
Any surprise that this is Judge Vaughn Walker's judicial philosophy?
Judge Vaughn Walker, the now-retired federal judge in San Francisco who nullified California's Proposition 8 in 2010, said if judges really are umpires, they must sometimes "move the strike zone" in order to champion social issues like same-sex marriage.
"Case by case, what judges do and must do is take account of the pitcher and the batter in the legal arena, watch the windup, the throw, the curve, and the delivery and then, where they believe appropriate, move the strike zone," Walker wrote on Aug. 28 in the University of Illinois Law Review.
... In his article, Walker said federal judges must "reflect the common understanding of the day" and that "clear and fixed legal rules" do not exist.
"There is no fixed 'strike zone,'" Walker wrote.
The former chief federal judge for the Northern District of California, Walker has drawn criticism for not disclosing his homosexuality until after he retired from the federal bench in 2011 -- not during the 2010 trial on same-sex marriage.
In the article, Walker said judges are well-suited to "reject or correct" laws that are based on "discredited understandings" or "dogmas born of myths and unsubstantiated beliefs." -- CNSNews.com
High School Students Told to Write Gay Marriage Essays to See Prop 8 Mock Play
September 20, 2012 at 11:00 am
"The price of admission to last weekend's play at El Camino Real Charter High School was anything but typical. Then again, neither was the play.Students had to submit essays describing their views on gay marriage. The play, "8," dramatizes the 2010 trial that overturned California's ban on gay marriage. El Camino's production was probably the first time it has been performed by a high school cast, a main reason why author Dustin Lance Black attended and participated in a discussion afterward.
About 250 students turned in essays.
... The entire evening Friday was weighted strongly in favor of gay marriage. The audience cheered an actor who acknowledged during the panel that he is gay. No panelist represented a view against gay marriage.
Diverse Faith Leaders and Clergy Stand Together in Support of Marriage and the Minnesota Marriage Protection Amendment
September 19, 2012 at 4:00 pm
A press release from Minnesota for Marriage:
Today, an ecumenical fellowship gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol to demonstrate their unity in support of the institution of Marriage as God designed it to be—between one man and one woman—and in support of the Minnesota Marriage Protection Amendment.
Pastor Sergio Amezcua said, “This is not a political case for us; it is moral. We have a duty to protect the institutions that God put on the earth since the beginning of Creation.” Though these pastors and faith leaders come from diverse Christian communities, they are united in their commitment to minister to all people as children of God made in His image and in their belief that God designed marriage between one man and one woman as a gift to society to bond mothers with fathers and parents with children.
The group of diverse faith leaders and clergy from across the state who have come together to defend the truth of marriage as God created it to be includes: Rev. Jerry McAfee, President of the Minnesota Baptist Convention; Bishop Richard Howell of Shiloh Temple; Mr. Carl Nelson, President of Transform Minnesota – The Evangelical Network; the Most Rev. John C. Nienstedt, Archbishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis; Rev. Troy Dobbs of Grace Church, Eden Prairie; Rev. Sergio Amezucua of Brooklyn Park Evangelical Free Church; various statements from Church of God In Christ, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and more.
Minnesota for Marriage has more photos of the event.
Catholic Church in Maine Scaling Up Pro-Marriage Efforts
September 19, 2012 at 3:00 pm
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland is launching a series of public meetings across the state to promote its view of marriage, just as the campaign about the same-sex marriage ballot question is heating up.
Suzanne Lafreniere, associate director of public policy for the diocese, said the speakers will "promote the principles of the faith" in nine lectures that begin Saturday and are open to the public.
"The big take-away is marriage is the union of man and woman and any children born of that union," she said. "This is part of our communications effort. We'll be continuing our educational efforts after the election."
... Reaching out to people of faith will be a significant part of the voter outreach on both sides. Of those who claim a religious affiliation in Maine, 29 percent are Catholic, 26 percent are mainline Protestant, and 15 percent are evangelical Protestant, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. One-quarter of Mainers are not affiliated with any religion, according to Pew.
Bob Emrich of Protect Marriage Maine, the leading opponents to same-sex marriage, said he welcomes the educational sessions.
"There's a large Catholic population in Maine," he said. "For the most part, they tend to be very engaged in terms of voting. I wouldn't want to try to win without them."
Washington State Bishop: Marriage is "God's Plan"
September 19, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Voter approval of Referendum 74 and legalization of same-sex marriage would mark a rejection of “God’s plan” and what the creator has done since the creation, the Catholic bishop of Spokane argues in a new missive entitled “Believing in Marriage.”
The article by Bishop Blase J. Cupich comes simultaneously with a pastoral letter by Washington’s four Catholic bishops laying out a case of why the faithful should reject marriage equality on the November ballot.
It is Cupich’s second statement, and ends with the most sweeping and harsh denunciation yet heard on the issue:
“On Nov. 6, the citizens of the state of Washington will be asked to decide the fate of Referendum 74 and the law that has redefined marriage. As members of the community of Jesus’ disciples the decision before us is about much more than one’s politics, one’s partisan affiliation, the debates about rights or being sympathetic to trends in society.
“It is about what we believe God has been doing from the creation of the world and how. He invites us to be partners in continuing His work until the end of time through the decisions we make.”
As seen in Bishop Cupich’s reflections, posted on the Diocese of Spokane web site, Catholic prelates in Washington state have stepped up rhetoric over the last two weeks.
Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima told pastors that envelopes soliciting contributions to Protect Marriage Washington — the group opposing Ref. 74 — would be placed in the pews of the 41 parishes of the dioceses.
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