Kudos to Pennsylvania for stepping away from discrimination with today's vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee to table the proposed "Marrriage Amendment" introduced by Senator Eichelberger. I was rather excited when I got the news ... thanks to the magic of social media, it hit Twitter, Facebook, my inbox and my cell phone within 60 seconds.
Technically, the legislation still exists (just like the gays!), but it is unlikely to be brough up for another committee vote which means it is effectively dead.
Committee members who voted for the motion to table SB 707 included Republicans Pat Browne, Jane Earll, and Mary Jo White and Democrats Daylin Leach, Lisa Boscola, Wayne Fontana, Michael Stack, and Jay Costa.
Things got pretty heated yesterday when blogger John Morgan from the Pennsylvania Progressive offered to out hypocrites.
"I urge all Senators to value every person regardless of sexual orientation, to value equal justice under law, to uphold our federal constitution and the 14th Amendment which guarantees equal justice and vote against Eichelberger's notorious legislation. I spend a fair amount of time in Harrisburg. I know who is closeted. Any closeted Senator who votes for Eichelberger's bill will be outed. I also know a State Senator who is wildly homophobic and is also an alcoholic. One of her rants will also be made public depending on her vote. This is fair warning."
As one commenter put it, six legislators voted against tabling the amendment. Will John need to make good on his promise?
Hey, always nice to be promoted by other blogs. The Pennsylvania Progressive published a guest post about a Pgh queer perspective on Onorato. Check it out. You probably won't be surprised :-)
A marriage amendment has sprung up again in Pennsylvania. Its any easy way to pander to the right-wing conservatives who seem to populate this state. As has been practiced throughout history, fear is always a great way for a politician to get points with the constituents. I have been reading a great book about the rise of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, two politicians who figured out how to use fear, and it's twin sister, ignorance, to win elections.
And here we go again, because it's not like we don't have real pressing issues in Pennsylvania that affect married heterosexual couples such as health insurance, poverty, hunger, crime--the list goes on. Discrimination against lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender people is one of the last battles to be won in civil rights. It's still around because it wins elections and builds political careers -- see Metcalfe, Daryl --on the basis that if the LGBT community is permitted to marry it will destroy the fabric of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
This is repeated along with the obligatory biblical references without any evidence that any LGBT person's relationship and marriage has destroyed anyone's heterosexual marriage. In fact, every marriage that has been destroyed--particularly those of said right-wing fear mongering politicians has been done in by infidelity via a heterosexual partner such as a soulmate in Argentina or the sterotypical hooker.
Other people have blogged eloquently today about our relationships and our families and that's important. But we in the LGBT community have to take a page from other civil rights movements and become politically involved even if it's no more than taking five minutes to vote. I have heard a lot of people in our community tell me that they are not political but, unfortunatley, that's just not an option. The politicans out there don't want to focus on the real, hard issues pressing this state. They want to focus on YOU and keep us from enjoying the same rights and benefits of society that they enjoy. So take some time and tell them we are human beings as worthy of rights as they (and their mistresses are).
Very excited to see the debut of the Post-Gazette's first female opinion blog, Ms. Mon's Salon. She'll be blogging daily so pull up a seat and hold on ...
Our friend and LGBTQ ally Kevin Acklin is coming out as a Democrat and running for committee.
Acklin says his party change reflects a mix of pragamatism and political philosophy. Echoing critiques he made in 2009, he says that he's found himself increasingly at odds with the GOP -- largely because of its hardline position on social issues like equality for LGBT citizens. And he's found Democrats to be more accepting.
Well, let's hope he doesn't become too entrenched in the Democrat party handline position on issues like equality for LGBT citizens. This ain't Philly, Kevin.
Bruce Kraus is out on the street doing the dirty work. Someone has to and I sure wish we could get some of this "roll up the sleeves and get stuff done" energy going on over here in my neck of the woods. I just got off the phone with 311 yet again about the cars/drugs/etc at the house down the street.
I don't think there's much I can add on the "Marriage Protection" amendment that I haven't covered in the past 4+ years. You have the contact information. We need you to call today. Today is the day.
Sunday, I woke up at 7:30 AM, let out the dogs, put on the coffee and grabbed the newspaper. We got ready for our day in our very mundane ways ... showers, searches for matching socks, feedings of various pets, etc. We had breakfast.
We went to the grocery store. Nothing says weekend chore like Giant Eagle on a Sunday afternoon. We fuss over how to load the groceries and who gets to push the cart. We haggle over items that aren't on the list. We have a check-out routine and determine whose turn it is to get the fuelperks. We lug the groceries to the car and drive home.
Unload. I put things away while she clears space in the fridge. One of us runs the disposal while the other takes the trash outside. Someone tosses in a load of laundry. Litter boxes get scooped. Laundry is changed. The dog bedding is examined for contraband cat toys.
Dinner is started. We chat back and forth. The Siamese cat changes hands repeatedly to prevent disaster. More laundry. Final round of trash to the curb. Dinner. Dishes. More animal feedings.
Oh, we folded towels, too. And we read the newspaper and watched 60 Minutes.
Why can't we just have our domestic little life and not be demonized and dehumanized by the Pennsylvania Constitution? Is that really so much to ask?
I wonder how many fuelperks it would take to earn civil rights?
Candidates for the 2010 Primary are invited to address our membership at the following meetings:
Thursday March 18th - US Congress, State Representatives
Monday March 22nd - Governor, Lt. Governor, State Senate, US Senate
Contact Matthew Woodcock, Chair of the Endorsement Committee here regarding attendance.
Meetings will be held at the William Way Community Center, 1315 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Social Hour begins 6:00 pm, Meeting begins promptly at 6:30.
Candidate questionnaires for the statewide races will be on the Liberty City website so you'll be able to compare with the Steel-City Questionnaires prior to the local endorsement should you wish.
Reminder to log in tomorrow to see what the blogosphere has to say about the PA "Marriage Amendment." I do not know how many blogs are participating, but I hope we can count on your support. Please consider updating your Facebook status or Twitter status and it would be great if you change your Facebook and/or Twitter profile pic to use our image on Monday.
Need some motivation? Darryl Metcalfe is running for Lt. Governor.
Pittsburgh's own Reverend Janet Edwards examines the decision of former Pittsburgher, now D.C.'s Archbishop Donad Wuerl to eliminate family benefits (including health care) for Catholic Charities. This came in response to the legalization of marriage equality in D.C. As we wrote last month, Reverend Edwards is now a regular contributor to the Washington Post blog, on Faith.
Jesus' example has inspired Christians through the ages to reach out to the hungry and needy, the orphan and the widow, including the long mission of Catholic Charities in the Washington Archdiocese. This service has been life-giving and a witness to the love of Christ for all.
And so it grieves me to see Archbishop Wuerl and the Catholic Charities choose to deny help to those in need because they have judged certain parents unworthy of adoption, and certain employees' spouses unworthy of health care and other benefits.
As Christians who strive to follow Jesus' example, we are called to minister to the weak and to rejoice when the longsuffering find relief -- including the stalwart LGBT couples who have waited so long to get married. We all know Jesus loved a good wedding feast.
I hadn't really thought about the Catholic Church being called to minister to LGBTQ families and individuals as part of their long history of social service outreach. Typically, when one thinks of ministering to the LGBTQ community, one thinks of "pray away the gay" or the very dedicated LGBTQ community of faith. I have struggled to understand why otherwise sane gay people remain wedded to their Catholic culture. Perhaps Janet is right and the ministers on the front lines grasp this in a way that Archbishop Wuerl has chosen to reject?
I suggest you keep up with Reverend Edwards' column as she continues to frame LGBTQ issues within the American cultures of faith.
As you recall, Metcalfe is running for Lt. Governor. In spite of his lofty looney ideals, he's also pragmatically running for his House seat, too. Cause powerful is as powerful does. Something like that.
Metcalfe told the Post-Gazette that he isn't about to be some namby-pamby Lt. Governor. He'll govern like a man, for God's sake (literally). God help the gays, women, immigrants, veterans, environmentalists, poor people, and pretty much anyone who isn't a god-fearing, sermon-swallowing, blue eyed blond haired, baby popping patriot. Amen.
Mr. Metcalfe shrugged off the angry calls for his resignation that greeted his criticism. He has been similarly outspoken on issues such as gay marriage, charging that proponents of liberalized marriage laws were advancing "a homosexual agenda."
Mr. Metcalfe said he is optimistic that he will emerge at the front of the nine-candidate GOP field that includes Bucks County Commissioner Jim Cawley, who was endorsed last month by the Republican State Committee.
"I think that we have a very strong base of supporters across the state from our work on areas like the Second Amendment, pro-life, marriage, illegal alien issues," he said. "I think we're going to have a very good chance of upsetting the establishment and its hand-picked candidate."
You know my recent visit to the Marriage License office in Allegheny County has made me completely unsympathetic to defenders of marriage. The idea that allowing a 16 year old to marry while forbidding me at 39 to make that same decision is ... stupid. 16?
I suppose we have to give Mr. Metcalfe props for not using the terms "illegals," but otherwise it is the same shameful hate-mongering that continues to plague the Republican party.
Gotta love when the white guy with a hefty salary and a pension is critiquing "the establishment."
