Tuesday 6/14/2011
GOP Debate Recap: LGBT Rights
In case there was any doubt about where the Republican field of presidential candidates stand on gay rights issues, last night’s CNN debate should have cleared things up. When it came to basic rights for the LGBT community, there was really no debate at all.
All the candidates went further than just opposing same-sex marriage personally or for “religious reasons.” Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum all said they supported a Federal Marriage Amendment to the U.S. constitution. Herman Cain (who opposes same-sex marriage), said it should be left up to the states and Ron Paul opposed it on libertarian grounds (“the government shouldn’t be in the business of marriage at all”). Of course, recent polls show that the majority of Americans support same-sex marriage and relationship recognition for LGBT couples. A federal marriage amendment is even more unpopular and has been for years. The argument for a federal amendment flies in the face of the “small government” meme that permeated the debate and at times forced candidates to argue both for and against “states rights” (another favorite talking point of the night) in the same sentence.
Gingrich went on to criticize the Obama administration’s decision not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in federal court. And since he’s on his third wife, I suppose he knows something about defending marriage... He’s just usually defending it from his ex-wife or his mistress.
The field of Republicans was just as backwards and regressive on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, the soon-to-be-gone policy of prohibiting gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. Bachmann, Romney, Pawlenty, Gingrich, Cain, and Santorum all opposed the repeal and said they would seek to reinstate it.
In short, the debate can be summed up like this: government is bad (unless controlling your womb, marriage, non-christian religion, or private life), but you should elect me to run what I hate. Makes perfect sense, right?
And so the race to the far right continues... Tripping over bigotry and hypocrisy all the way.
Thursday 6/9/2011
What the Catholic Charities Lawsuit Really Means
Catholic Charities in Illinois continues to make news in the wake of the state's passage of the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, 
which granted Illinois' same-sex couples some state-level relationship recognition. They already made good on their threat to pull out of foster and adoption services in three diocese so far over the contention they did not want to place children with "same-sex or unmarried couples." Catholic Charities has now filed a lawsuit looking to get a blanket "religious exemption" under state law in how they administer their services.
which granted Illinois' same-sex couples some state-level relationship recognition. They already made good on their threat to pull out of foster and adoption services in three diocese so far over the contention they did not want to place children with "same-sex or unmarried couples." Catholic Charities has now filed a lawsuit looking to get a blanket "religious exemption" under state law in how they administer their services. At the heart of the issue is the over $30 million dollars that Catholic Charities receives from the state of Illinois for foster care and adoption services. This effectively moves them from a private faith-based organization, which does have built-in religious exemptions as the name of the civil unions law implies, to an administrator of state-funded public services. The are essentially acting as an agent of the state.
In the suit, Catholic Charities for the dioceses of Springfield, Joliet, and Peoria claim that their state-funded adoption services are exempt from the civil unions law under existing state religious freedom protections, despite the public funding of those services.
Anthony Riordan, chief operating officer of Catholic Charities of Peoria, laid it out plainly:
"I think it's certainly a reasonable point: If you receive state funds, you have to follow the directives and the rules of the state. But our position is that faith-based charities have religious liberties and certain rights of conscience."
So although they are acting as an arm of the state and providing a state-funded service in the public sphere, they are looking to be able to pick and choose who they provide that service to based on their religious dogma, not state law. This is a radical new expansion of religious exemptions that creates many troubling issues.
The most obvious issue is the use of public funds to discriminate against a swath of people protected by civil laws. By taking more than $30 million dollars in tax money, Catholic Charities enters the realm of state-sponsored public services, not a private religious organization. By allowing the church to ignore the laws of the state in the public sector while using state funds, it in essence uses tax dollars to discriminate. This would be like being turned away from getting a drivers license because the DMV had moral issues with who you are. Catholic Charities has agreed to be a state-sponsored agency by taking huge amounts of money. If you enter the public sector, you must play by the rules and laws of the state.
A more insidious effect is the broad exemptions they are looking for. While they only claim to want the ability to discriminate against same-sex and unmarried couples, the giving of a broad, blanket, self-defined exemption based on a religious organizations "rules of conscious" opens many doors that move beyond the LGBT community. Under their reasoning, Catholic Charities would be able to turn away married couples of other faiths, like Muslim or Jewish couples, since they don't follow their rules of conscious and religious dogma. It also wouldn't be a leap to then say a person who was previously divorced (something not allowed in the Catholic faith) don't meet the religious test of Catholic Charities. The church doesn't recognize second marriages after divorce, so those couples are out as well. Anyone who uses birth control, is an atheist, believes in evolution, hasn't gone through confirmation, or who don't fall under a plethora of other "rules of conscious" and religious beliefs are now free to be cut out of a public, tax dollar funded service.
To be clear, Catholic Charities provides foster care and adoption services for roughly one out of five children in the state of Illinois. That is a huge number of children who would fall under the whims and religious convictions of a church, not state law. It is also a huge number of prospective parents who would be cut out of the system. And allowing this type of opting out of laws would most certainly cause a windfall of like-minded lawsuits and claims in other states.
Along those lines, this type of broad religious exemption installs Catholic Charities as the self-proclaimed decider of who can adopt or foster. As the initial gatekeeper of who can adopt with the ability to exclude whole classes of people, they by default get to choose the pool of potential parents. Instead of using the civil system of courts to decide "the best interest of the child", it allows the church to usurp the ability to choose who should parent. It removes the power of the government to set rules and standards and instead installs a theocracy that decides who is worthy of state services.
Groups like Catholic Charities already have religious exemptions. As a country who has a founding principal of religious freedom, we have always carved out the right of private religious institutions and organizations to think, believe, and act how they see fit. That is true in Illinois and across this nation. What we don't allow is for the religious organizations to move out of the private realm using public funds and make their own laws and rules that affect us all. If we do, what is the point of making secular laws at all?
If you want our money, you follow our laws. It's that simple.
Friday 5/27/2011
Catholic Church Chooses Discrimination Over Chari
"Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." (1 Corinthians 13:13, King James Bible)
Apparently the Catholic Diocese skipped that part of the Good Book.
Catholic Charities in Rockford, Illinois have decided that rather than abide with the new civil unions law going into effect in Illinois on June 1st, they'll end all the adoption and foster care services they provide. This move will displace around 350 children in foster care, terminate $7.5 million in state contracts with the "charity", and lead the organization to fire 58 of its employees that work with their state-funded adoption services.
Not sounding so charitable, are they?
Ellen Lynch, general counsel for the diocese, gave this "loving" excuse when they announced their decision following the failure of an amendment to the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act that would have allowed Catholic Charities use their public funds to discriminate as they see fit:
"It's the moral teaching of our faith that we believe in the natural order of marriage. In order to serve our children best, we believe that they be in that kind of a family."
This move isn't anything new from the Catholic Church. They have a history of simply shutting down services and punishing both those they serve and employees when they are forced to decide between taking millions in public dollars and continuing their faith-based discrimination against a class of people. Just last year in March 2010, the Washington, D.C. Catholic Charities announced it will no longer offer spousal benefits to any employees to avoid offering benefits to same-sex partners of employees after D.C's marriage equality law went into effect.
The church certainly has the right as a private institution to believe what they want and to act accordingly. However, they simply do not have the right to bring that discrimination into the public sphere by taking tax dollars while not serving the entire community, only those they see fit and worthy.
But beyond the actual private belief versus public funding/services issue, the choice of the church to put "faith" (or rather faith-based discrimination) over actual charity is a good insight into the priorities of the institution. And this certainly is an institutional Church issue that doesn't represent how polls show the average Catholic feels about LGBT Americans and their relationships. Recent polling from the Public Religion Research Institute shows that Catholics overwhelmingly support marriage or civil unions for same-sex couples by some 74%. Yet the church chooses to hurt the hundreds of children in its care, the employees that work for them, and the community it supposedly serves.
The Catholic Church is free to discriminate as they please. They can do things like back anti-gay marriage amendments, kick-out foster kids, and fight condom use to prevent HIV/AIDS. But all they do is further isolate themselves from not only society as a whole, but from their own shrinking membership, as well as remove themselves and their services form the public sphere. Prioritizing discrimination of LGBT people and holding charity hostage has sadly become their top goal.
As the Bible once again says:
"Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:2, King James Bible)
Faith, Hope & Charity...? Not so much from the Catholic Church.
Apparently the Catholic Diocese skipped that part of the Good Book.
Catholic Charities in Rockford, Illinois have decided that rather than abide with the new civil unions law going into effect in Illinois on June 1st, they'll end all the adoption and foster care services they provide. This move will displace around 350 children in foster care, terminate $7.5 million in state contracts with the "charity", and lead the organization to fire 58 of its employees that work with their state-funded adoption services.
Not sounding so charitable, are they?
Ellen Lynch, general counsel for the diocese, gave this "loving" excuse when they announced their decision following the failure of an amendment to the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act that would have allowed Catholic Charities use their public funds to discriminate as they see fit:
"It's the moral teaching of our faith that we believe in the natural order of marriage. In order to serve our children best, we believe that they be in that kind of a family."
This move isn't anything new from the Catholic Church. They have a history of simply shutting down services and punishing both those they serve and employees when they are forced to decide between taking millions in public dollars and continuing their faith-based discrimination against a class of people. Just last year in March 2010, the Washington, D.C. Catholic Charities announced it will no longer offer spousal benefits to any employees to avoid offering benefits to same-sex partners of employees after D.C's marriage equality law went into effect.
The church certainly has the right as a private institution to believe what they want and to act accordingly. However, they simply do not have the right to bring that discrimination into the public sphere by taking tax dollars while not serving the entire community, only those they see fit and worthy.
But beyond the actual private belief versus public funding/services issue, the choice of the church to put "faith" (or rather faith-based discrimination) over actual charity is a good insight into the priorities of the institution. And this certainly is an institutional Church issue that doesn't represent how polls show the average Catholic feels about LGBT Americans and their relationships. Recent polling from the Public Religion Research Institute shows that Catholics overwhelmingly support marriage or civil unions for same-sex couples by some 74%. Yet the church chooses to hurt the hundreds of children in its care, the employees that work for them, and the community it supposedly serves.
The Catholic Church is free to discriminate as they please. They can do things like back anti-gay marriage amendments, kick-out foster kids, and fight condom use to prevent HIV/AIDS. But all they do is further isolate themselves from not only society as a whole, but from their own shrinking membership, as well as remove themselves and their services form the public sphere. Prioritizing discrimination of LGBT people and holding charity hostage has sadly become their top goal.
As the Bible once again says:
"Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:2, King James Bible)
Faith, Hope & Charity...? Not so much from the Catholic Church.
Tuesday 2/1/2011
Civil Unions in Illinois: A Step Forward
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed civil unions into law yesterday to a packed house of over 1000 attendees at the Chicago Cultural Center. The bill, which takes effect on June 1st, grants same-sex couples some 650 state-level rights and recognitions that married opposite-sex couples take for granted, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan told the crowd. Those rights include hospital visitation, end of life care & decision making, and property inheritance rights. The signing comes after the Illinois House passed the bill by a 61-52 vote in December and the state Senate passed it at 32-24.
Many state officials were in attendance and spoke about the historic day for Illinois, including State Representative Greg Harris, openly gay sponsor of Civil Union Bill in the house and its longtime champion. State Senator Dave Koehler, who co-sponsored the bill in the Senate, spoke about how important this was for him so his daughter and her same-sex partner could have the same rights as his heterosexual daughter, saying "Justice looks a little better in Illinois today." Illinois' only openly lesbian State Representative, Rep. Deb Mell, also spoke of the importance of family, thanking her father for his support and the community for its efforts.
Yet while there was an air of celebration in the room at the step forward for equality in the state, there was also a definite feeling of healthy impatience for full equality and relationship recognition. This was perhaps best summed up by new Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon, who reminded the crowd that "it's a milestone, but not the finish line."
That kind of open recognition of the inherent inequity in civil unions is what struck me the most, as every speaker and state leader echoed the sentiments that this was just a start on the road to full marriage rights. It was something that this newcomer to Illinois, having moved from a state that is moving backwards on equality for LGBT people, found most inspiring.
I am definitely of the mind that separate is never equal when it comes to the relationships and families of LGBT people. Civil unions create a lower class of recognition that, while providing much needed rights and protections, reinforce the idea that LGBT relationships are less than their heterosexual counterparts. Having civil unions as an end goal is not acceptable.
That's why the fiery and sincere rhetoric from many of the state leaders at the civil union signing struck me as hopeful, with a balance of recognizing political reality and inspiring to fight on and not accept half measures as the end goal.
Having moved to this state from Florida, where after the last election the newly elected Governor Rick Scott is stripping LGBT protections wherever he can and sending out signals he will fight to keep the ban on gays adopting, I understand the difference that political leadership can make. While that state is moving backwards in terms of equality, Illinois is moving forward, even though those steps may not be as big or complete as we like. The recognition of that by the leaders of Illinois is what makes it clear that this bill is but a step in the right direction, not their end goal. When compared to places like Florida, that makes all the difference in the world.
So while we celebrate the move forward and the work that went into it, we recognize that we have to keep pushing to gain the full measure of equality that we deserve. We use the momentum this gives us to keep moving and never settle.
All in all, moving forward is not a bad place to be.
Many state officials were in attendance and spoke about the historic day for Illinois, including State Representative Greg Harris, openly gay sponsor of Civil Union Bill in the house and its longtime champion. State Senator Dave Koehler, who co-sponsored the bill in the Senate, spoke about how important this was for him so his daughter and her same-sex partner could have the same rights as his heterosexual daughter, saying "Justice looks a little better in Illinois today." Illinois' only openly lesbian State Representative, Rep. Deb Mell, also spoke of the importance of family, thanking her father for his support and the community for its efforts.
That's why the fiery and sincere rhetoric from many of the state leaders at the civil union signing struck me as hopeful, with a balance of recognizing political reality and inspiring to fight on and not accept half measures as the end goal.
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jackpot2107
Total blog posts: 1
MyPride friends: 1
I am thankful and happy for this state to pass this bill/law for all the LGBT groups across america THIS ONE IS FOR YOU ILLINOIS, the rest of the nation will wakeup soon I hope.
Thursday 12/23/2010
Help Save a Life This Holiday Season
While many of us feel the end of December in Chicago is one of the most exciting and spirited times of the year, for some people, especially if they are young and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ), it is not. We might not understand why, but a way we can help them through the tough holiday season is to keep the number for the Trevor Lifeline handy (1-866-488-7386).
For young people experiencing depression, the holidays can be very challenging because they lose the structure and support of school, their access to counseling is more limited, and their trusted networks of support - their friends - aren't immediately available. To them, walking down the lavishly decorated Magnificent Mile, wandering through Christkindl Market or seeing the Zoolights at Lincoln Park can be hurtful or even painful experiences because they feel alone and isolated in the midst of everyone else's warm celebrations.
You can be a lifeline to a young LGBTQ person this holiday, just by showing you care. As a parent, grandparent, family friend, or mentor, your role is even more important now that school is out because you are that young person's strongest tie and support. Connect with them and really listen to what they tell you about feeling lonely or sad and accept that for them the feelings are real and possibly intense. If they talk about wanting to die, and mention a method or seem to have a plan, respond by getting help and empower them to use it.
Not all young LGBTQ people experience depression, but for the youth who do, the holidays can reinforce the hurt and isolation they feel as being different and reinforce feelings of rejection by their families, communities or religion. It is a time when they are most likely to engage in risky and sometimes life-threatening behaviors.
The Trevor Project is an excellent resource for youth who are experiencing feelings of depression, isolation, or are facing challenges associated with coming out. Their counselors are trained to understand the issues that specifically affect LGBTQ youth and the 24-hour Trevor Lifeline is accredited by the American Association of Suicideology to follow nationally accepted standards of care.
If you or someone you care about shows warning signs for suicide, please do not hesitate to call The Trevor Lifeline at: 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386). The call is free and confidential. Keep this number in your purse, wallet or pocket. You might save a young person's life.
Waymon Hudson and Anthony Fleming are Co-Chairs of The Trevor Project's Chicago Ambassadors Council, a local group of leaders who help ensure the lifesaving suicide prevention programs of The Trevor Project are available and accessible to young LGBTQ people in Chicago and the surrounding area. The Chicago Ambassadors Council has been active here since August 2010.
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization focused on crisis intervention and suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ youth. Every day, The Trevor Project saves young lives through its free and confidential lifeline, in-school workshops, educational materials, online resources and advocacy. For more information, visit www.TheTrevorProject.org.
For young people experiencing depression, the holidays can be very challenging because they lose the structure and support of school, their access to counseling is more limited, and their trusted networks of support - their friends - aren't immediately available. To them, walking down the lavishly decorated Magnificent Mile, wandering through Christkindl Market or seeing the Zoolights at Lincoln Park can be hurtful or even painful experiences because they feel alone and isolated in the midst of everyone else's warm celebrations.###
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