New Jersey's legislature has passed legislation legalizaing civil unions which should be signed by the Governor in the near future.

Hurrah for a step forward.  But LGBTQ couples should take heed of just how complicated this little step can be  .. a few twirls, hops to the right, touch your nose and hope for the best sort of step forward.

Read here to learn how the best civil union legislation in the world cannot confer the full rights of marriage ...

A good step forward nonetheless. 

A welcoming church

Thank you for Clarke Thomas' wonderfully positive and informative column "Glory to God and All God's Children" (Dec. 6). It is long overdue.

For the record, my church, Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church on the North Side, is openly and assertively GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) friendly. Until now, though, we have not been very public with our views. This is about to change.

This year, our 100th, we are completing our denomination's official GLBT welcoming process and will soon be certified as a Unitarian Universalist Association Welcoming Congregation.

PETE McQUILLIN
Forest Hills

Demonstrating once again that hate and intolerance have no room for compromise, a Floridian Presybterian minister is trying to re-start the case against her by gathering names to join him in filing charges -- again (Post-Gazette). 

The Rev. James Yearsley, who filed the complaint against her last year, is gathering the signatures of ministers and elders in the Presbyterian Church (USA) who want to join him in pursuing the case. It would not be double jeopardy since she was never tried, he said.

"I'm still accumulating names. This means that the whole process starts over," said Mr. Yearsley, who has served churches in Pittsburgh Presbytery but now works in Florida.

Previous charges against the Reverend Janet Edwards, who conducted a marriage ceremony for a lesbian couple in June 2005, were dropped last month due to a procedural violation.

Yearsley had also considered filing charges against the Presbytery itself for "mishandling the matter."  Does he imply they intentionally sidestepped the contextual issue?  Imply perhaps while acknowledging there is no evidence.  Imagine letting a little thing like evidentiary facts stand in the way of beating down the gay community!

Edwards has walked away from the process with a more subtle appreciation for the role of conflict resolution within the faith community:

"One thing I learned from the past 14 months is that the judicial process is not the best place in our church to work out our disagreement -- but it is one place where we do that," said Ms. Edwards, who is on the staff of the Community of Reconciliation in Oakland.

Here's PghLesbian previous coverage on Janet's story. 

Mary and Heather will be two mommies.  According to the Washington Post, Mary is pregnant and expected to deliver in the spring.   They live in very homo-unfriendly Virginia to be near to the Dark Lord which does not bode well for Heather's legal status with regard to the baby.

However, while the LGBTQ bloggers speculate madly on the potential fallout from this revelation, I feel compelled to mention that this is Dick Cheney's grandchild.  If he wants Heather in the baby's life, a little thing like the law won't stop it from happening.  It hasn't stopped him from far greater abuses of power so why all the fuss now?  The man parented a lesbian, his wife wrote a lesbian novel and they still ain't flipped on the political issue. A baby won't change that. He doesn't need legal support because he has what really counts -- power and wealth.

On the bright side, the wingnuts are showing their true unChristian colors over this latest little lesbian tidbit. 

I wonder who will preside at the baby's christening -- Jimmy Dobson?  Franklin Graham? Fred Phelps?

h/t Pam's House Blend

Oh that Diane Gramley and her whacky homobaiting ideas.

Today, as you may know, is World AIDS Day a day set aside to acknowledge the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.  The key is that progress in fighting the epidemic is possible through a united effort.

Ms. Gramley and her AFA morons think that the key to fighting the epidemic in the United States is to marginalize and criminalize homosexuality as well as pretty much any sexual activity outside of the man-woman marriage they hold so dear.  So they've founded the AIDS Truth Coalition.  <stop laughing!>

"While Christians and churches mobilize to fight the HIV pandemic on far away continents, let us not neglect the major catalyst for AIDS here in the United States of America: homosexual promiscuity, tolerated and encouraged by pro-'gay,' 'safer-sex' advocates," said Peter LaBarbera, President of Americans For Truth and member of the AIDS Truth Coalition. "It's time to acknowledge the pink elephant in the room: fighting AIDS without talking against homosexuality is like fighting lung cancer without talking against smoking."

Noting that the response of "politically correct AIDS organizations" is to distribute condoms, even at homosexual bathhouses, LaBarbera said, "Passing out condoms at sex clubs designed specifically to facilitate men having reckless, anonymous sex with other men is preposterous. Wouldn't it make more sense to mobilize all government agencies--federal, state and local--to close down these disease- spreading centers to save men's lives?"

To save lives you see!  For Jesus!  They've even issued some "talking points" for Christian parents.  Because preaching about the evils of homosexuality is the best way to cure AIDS.  For Jesus!

We now have famous preachers like the sadly compromised Rick Warren, who seems to have fallen in love with non-Christian "christians." Pro-abortion, pro-homosexual politician Barack Obama is now one of his chosen companions, invited to speak at Warren's Saddleback Church.

How sad that Scripture must now be kept in the closet, while deviant sin comes out.

Ohhhhhh, nice reference to gay-lingo!  For actual facts on HIV/AIDS, click here.