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Showing posts with the label United States House of Representatives

Pro-gay chaplain rescinds resignation after being booted by Paul Ryan

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Father Patrick Conroy , a pro-gay Jesuit priest serving as chaplain for the U.S. House of Representatives , has rescinded his resignation a week after outgoing Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan, R-WI , requested it. Last week, Conroy stepped down after Ryan, a Catholic, allegedly told him he would be dismissed unless he left voluntarily. However, in a letter to Ryan dated May 3, Conroy retracted that resignation “upon advice of counsel.” The letter accuses Ryan of not giving him a reason for his firing, but claims Ryan chief of staff Jonathon Burks “mentioned dismissively something like, 'maybe it's time that we had a Chaplain that wasn't a Catholic,’” as well as mentioning a House prayer and interview some criticized as overly political. Conroy has previously said Ryan told him, “you just got to stay out of politics." House Republicans say that Ryan assured them the prayer wasn’t a factor, but rather that some had approached him with concern “that their past...

Top U.S. conservative event CPAC has been hijacked by LGBT activists

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I attended my first  Conservative Political Action Conference  ( CPAC ) nearly a decade ago, while still living as a gay man.     I had recently undergone a ‘political awakening’ and, as a participant in the Tea Party movement from its inception, had recently co-founded  National Capital Tea Party Patriots  in Washington, DC.   At the time, I was dating a guy whose cousin was one of the Republican Party ’s famous three “ Young Guns ” — Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan — who were rising in leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives . I felt like that added to my conservative  bona fides .  Soon after walking through the door to CPAC at DC’s venerable Wardman Park Hotel, something unexpected happened:  My ‘gadar’ — that mysterious internal instrument that informs gay guys that they are in the presence of other gays — began buzzing off the charts.  The needle shot to the upper reaches of the red zone and re...

Democrats challenge Pence to support proposal to ban ‘ex-gay’ therapy - allowing sin to take control

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Democrats in Congress have reintroduced legislation seeking to ban “ex-gay” conversion therapy nationwide, challenging Vice President Mike Pence to support the bill. The arrogance of such a bill is now clear to see. Those who wish to leave the immoral lifestyle choice of homosexuality will now be given no counselling help, because a politician supports immoral same sex sin. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) in the U.S. House and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash) in the U.S. Senate reintroduced on Tuesday the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act , legislation that would ban “ex-gay” therapy by declaring it fraudulent practice. Patty Murray said in a statement the bill is necessary given the anti- LGBT positions of the Trump administration, which among other things includes the reversal of Obama-era guidance assuring transgender kids have access to school restrooms consistent with their gender identity. “On this and so many other issues impacting the homosexual community, the Trump Administratio...

Arizona passes bill protecting freedom of business owners who refuse services to same-sex ‘weddings’

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PHOENIX, AZ , February 25, 2014 – In a move that has sparked antagonism from both Republicans and Democrats, the  Arizona state legislature passed a bill Thursday  that would grant business owners the right to refuse service to clients on the basis of religious objections. SB 1062  would provide business owners the grounds to deny their services to same-sex “marriages.” The bill, which now awaits the signature of Gov. Jan Brewer , has been lambasted as discriminatory by its opponents, but its defenders say it’s a necessary protection for religious freedom. In the past few years, there have been  several cases of business owners facing lawsuits after  refusing to provide their services  to  gay couples at their “weddings.”  This bill would prevent such suits from being filed in Arizona and would protect objecting business owners from facing heavy fines. This bill has a lion’s share of opponents. Both of Arizona’s federal senators, e...

Pro-life Democrat supports Constitutional amendment protecting marriage

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 A constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman has attracted bipartisan support from a pro-life Democrat in the House of Representatives . Congressman Nick Rahall , D- WV , has joined as a co-sponsor of Tim Huelskamp 's motion to protect marriage. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-WV Rahall, who has a 92 percent lifetime  voting record from National Right to Life , is the only Democrat to support the legislation to date. Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage said the West Virginia Congressman is the first “hopefully of many” Democratic representatives to support traditional marriage. “Rep. Rahall's support proves once again that marriage is an issue that cuts past partisan politics and special interests, speaking universally to our shared common sense principles, such as every child's right to have both a mom and a dad,” Brown said. Approximately  one-third of Democrats  do not believe in same-sex “marriage,...

Wisconsin elects first openly homosexual U.S. Senator

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MADISON , November 8, 2012,  – On Tuesday night, Wisconsin ’s Tammy Baldwin became the first openly homosexual candidate to be elected to the U.S. Senate .  Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin. “Having a seat at the table matters and I think we will see a Senate that is more reflective of America. We’re certainly not there yet, but this will be a change that moves us forward,” Baldwin  said  after the election. Homosexual activists celebrated her victory, which coincided with successful initiatives in three states to change the definition of marriage.  “This is a big day for gay women in America, and really, for all communities who aren’t the typical straight, white, wealthy men elected to Congress ,” said homosexual political strategist  Sally Kohn . Baldwin will be replaced in the U.S. House of Representatives by another openly homosexual Democrat , Mark Pocan . “Yesterday reminds us we have much work to do in Wisconsin and in America,” Wisconsin ...

Washington state Senate passes gay ‘marriage’ bill

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Image via Wikipedia OLYMPIA, Washington , February 2, 2012 ( LifeSiteNews.com ) - A bill to legalize same-sex “ marriage ” has passed the Washington state Senate , paving the way for passage in the House of Representatives as early as next week. SB 6239 passed the upper chamber 28-21 on Wednesday night, days after gaining the approval of a Senate committee on a party-line vote . In the full vote, four Republicans crossed party lines to support the bill, while three Democrats voted against. The measure is expected to pass the House, and has already won the support of Democrat governor Christine Gregoire , making it likely that Washington will soon become the sixth state to recognize the new definition of marriage. Earlier last month, Gregoire, now in her final year in office after choosing not to run for a third term, announced that she would introduce the bill after several years of opposing the marriage redefinition. “I’m sorry that it took me as long as it did. But it’s genuine...

News Print Article | Email Friend | Reprint Permissions Obama completes turnaround on DOMA – asks court to strike down law

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Image via Wikipedia The Obama Administration has now completed a full turn on the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), arguing before the courts that the law is unconstitutional and should be voided. Obama’s Department of Justice (DoJ) filed papers last Friday in a lawsuit filed by Karen Golinski, an attorney with the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals , whose partner was denied benefits based on DOMA. The DoJ argues in their brief that the Defense of Marriage Act violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection. The DoJ’s entrance into Golinski’s case represents the first case where Obama’s administration has dropped neutrality for active opposition to DOMA. The DoJ’s 31-page brief asserts that DOMA’s “official legislative record” shows clearly that Section 3 of DOMA, which limits the federal definition of “marriage” to the union of one man and one woman, and “spouse” to indicate a member of the opposite sex, was “motivated in large part by animus toward gay and ...

A warning of Homosexual gay rights intimidations to come

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Image via Wikipedia The defense of the Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA] got a little more complicated yesterday as the law firm that the House of Representatives had hired to defend the law withdrew from the case.  As The New York Times stated bluntly, the firm dropped the case “amid pressure from gay rights groups.” The Atlanta-based firm, King & Spalding , had agreed to take the case, and one of its lawyers, Paul D. Clement , was to lead the legal effort to defend the constitutionality of DOMA, which defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman in terms of federal recognition. The law also prevents any state from being forced to grant legal recognition to a same-sex marriage performed in another state. Robert D. Hays, Jr., chairman of King & Spalding, released a statement in which he said: “In reviewing this assignment further, I determined that the process used for vetting this engagement was inadequate. … Ultimately I am responsible for any mistakes that occur...

New queer gender bill

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Image via Wikipedia A bill that would add “sexual orientation” and “ gender identity ” as prohibited grounds of discrimination in the workplace is due to be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, although its primary supporter doubts the latest attempt will succeed. Rep. Barney Frank (D- MA ) has said he will reintroduce the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) this week, a measure that has been introduced in every Congress but one since 1994, consistently failing to gather enough support for passage. Frank himself was less than optimistic regarding the bill’s chances, telling the gay news service Metro Weekly that the current Republican majority would undoubtedly kill the measure. “It’s an organizing tool. Obviously, with the Republicans in power, you’re not going to get the bill even considered,” said Frank. Frank nonetheless said he would be working to build consensus behind the measure’s protection of “transgender” individuals, a provision that...