But it's important to remember that this bill is still AN ANTI-GAY BILL.
No matter the severity of the suggested "punishment" for homosexuality,
the premise is uber-problematic. I also think it's important to
remember that the anti-gay sentiment that created the bill has not been
eradicated.
Good point.
Rachel Maddow urges Rick Warren to denunciate this legislation on her show. I also learned through this link that the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Anglican Church, has remained mum. Anglicans and Episcopalians might want to have a little chat with your church leadership. Murdering and/or criminalizing gay people is an issue far beyond the pale of gay marriage or gay bishops.
Tonya Payne is running for the State House seat currently occupied by Jake Wheatley. Her facebook page is here. Facebook played a part in stripping her of her committee roles so let's see how this plays out.
PA Congress Rep Joe Sestak stops by Pam's House Blend Monday evening for a live chat.
Domestic partner benefits for public employees seem possible in Charlotte, North Carolina. Meanwhile, back in good old Democratic Allegheny County -- nada. Well, it is an election year so it is possible we'll be thrown a bone to shore up that quasi-progressive image. Back in 2007, the Allegheny County Democratic Committee hosted what I deemed a "Big Gay Chat" to connect endorsed candidates with the LGBT community.
At this meeting, I asked Dan Onorato's surrogate about domestic partner benefits.
Dan Onorato: Said Dan favors extending nondiscrimination protections.
In his Steel-City questionnaire, Onorato said he's in favor of domestic
partnership benefits if the budget allows. When he was called on that,
the surrogate got a bit snotty and defensive. Did he really expect a
crowd filled with domestic partners and tax payers were going to just
let that fly? I asked a follow up question and he looked none too
pleased.
Now I am on the record as pointing out that the County's unmarried employees could be replaced at any point by married employees with children who would get benefits, so the budgetary argument was ridiculous (see follow up question). The surrogate sputtered which only confirmed the "have my communion wafer and eat it, too" mentality of these regressive Democrats.
I won't bore you with my repeated attempts to address this with the Onorato adminstration over the past several years. Suffice to say, Onorato is being spun as the best gay thing since ... Luke Ravenstahl. I guess. The benefits will be granted in the near future and Dan will get all the credit. Bah.
Do you read PageOneQ?
Public radio on marriage equality.
The plague of bars in Pittsburgh continues unchecked. Really, have you tried to visit the Southside? We visit one restaurant and one restaurant only because the food is good, but we have to mentally prep ourselves for an unpleasant environment. Hard to understand why the Cultural Trust would let a culturally interesting bar like Pegasus slip away from their part of town, even if it needed some sprucing up while the expanse of sports bars is considered a good thing.
The City Paper unveils Pittsburgh's best as voted by you! Does it mean anything that they have a category for LGBT friendly bar, but no LGBT specific anything? Well, the staff acknowledged that the Allegheny County anti-discrimination ordinance means Pittsburgh has left 1957 behind forever. Look out 1980's, here we come?
Some of favorite restaurants made the cut. Woo hoo!
