The Catholic Church enters Maine's marriage battle

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The following has been clipped from The Bilerico Project Report published 15 September 2009.

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"It is remarkable the arrogance of this craven coven of priests and bishops who believe that they can interfere and intervene in the lives of the so-called "faithful" to suit their interests and purposes.  Where paedophilia failed to bring in recruits to their ranks, now they prey (and pray) on the inner fears of the common man with their ever so NOT subtle homophobia to control the masses. And all this under the guise of a tax-free "church" status rather than as a guide to individual spirituality.  Once again Holy Mother Roman Catholic Church steps in to where she is not wanted and in to where she does not belong."  -- TK

The Catholic Church is revving up for the ballot initiative in Maine. Does anyone think it's appropriate for the Church to be saying that a legal contract is defined by God? Notice the children being forced to participate in this ritual (after they complain about marriage being taught in schools!), as well as the, um, Church historian they interviewed who said that the Church's teachings aren't influenced by the changing times or by politics. Even for homophobes, these people have a stunning lack of self-awareness.

TK: One thing is for certain, and that is that the bully pulpiteers have a plethora of arrogance.

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Are We Ready? Arguments Against ENDA

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The following has been clipped from The Bilerico Project Report dated 14 September 2009

ENDA is coming, and we must get ready for the coming onslaught of illogical arguments. Anything involving religion in politics, even peripherally, is sure to frighten some that the government is infringing their right to practice their religion. Fortunately, ENDA does not prohibit any religious beliefs or expressions protected by the First Amendment. However, that will not stop the argument from being made. Today we will take at look at religious arguments against ENDA.

Religious opponents of ENDA are using the "reverse-discrimination" argument. The suggestion here is that ENDA will force churches and religious schools who have religious objections to hire lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders.

In addition, the argument is that by forbidding religious extremists from rousting LGBT workers from their jobs, they are being prohibited from practicing their religion. Furthermore, these opponents say that ENDA will call for the firing of any employees who disapprove of homosexuality and prohibit any religious symbols in the workplace, such as the Bible, because the religion they symbolize condemns homosexuality. These arguments are incorrect. They can be rebutted effectively. But they are tricky, because the line between religious freedom and religious intolerance has always been a slippery one.

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Anti-gay attacks on rise in Iraq

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OF INTEREST . . .

Gay Iraqi men are being murdered in what appears to be a co-ordinated campaign involving militia forces, the group Human Rights Watch says. It says hundreds of gay men have been targeted and killed in Iraq since 2004. So-called honour killings also account for deaths where families punish their own kin in order to avoid public shame.

OF NOTE . . . . . . .

The report says members of the Mehdi Army militia group are spearheading the campaign, but police are also accused - even though homosexuality is legal. Witnesses say vigilante groups break into homes and pick people up in the street, interrogating them to extract the names of other potential victims, before murdering them. "Murder and torture are no way to enforce morality," said HRW researcher Rasha Moumneh, quoted in the report. "These killings point to the continuing and lethal failure of Iraq's post-occupation authorities to establish the rule of law and protect their citizens." In some cases, Human Rights Watch says it was told, Iraqi security forces had actually "colluded and joined in the killing".

OF COURSE . . . . Witch-hunt: Recently, posters appeared in Sadr City - a conservative, Shia area of Baghdad - calling on people to watch out for gay men and listing not only their names but also their addresses. One gay man in Baghdad described the killing campaign as a witch-hunt. “ These killings will continue, because it has simply become normal in Iraq to kill gay men.” Nearly 90 gay men have been killed in Iraq since the beginning of January and many more are missing, local gay rights campaigners say. The report, called 'They want us exterminated: Murder, Torture, Sexual Orientation and Gender in Iraq', says horrifically mutilated bodies of gay men have been left on rubbish tips. Sometimes their bodies are daubed with offensive terms such as "pervert", or "puppy" which is a hate word for gay men in Iraq. The report contains detailed testimonies of a range of brutal treatment of gay Iraqi men. "We've heard stories confirmed by doctors of men having their anuses glued and then being force-fed laxatives which leads to a very painful death," says Ms Moumneh told the BBC. When questioned in the past, officials in Iraq have condemned the killings, but the BBC's Natalia Antelava in Baghdad reports that gay men there say nothing has been done to protect them. "These killings will continue, because it has simply become normal in Iraq to kill gay men," said a gay Iraqi man who did not want to be named. Mehdi army spokesmen and clerics have condemned what they call the "feminisation" of Iraqi men and have urged the military to take action against them. The report said many gay men have fled to other countries in the region, despite consensual homosexual activity being illegal there, because the risk of victimisation is reduced.

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