LOL!

Isn't it nice to know that we have this kind of power? The hetero world best watch out, with these extraordinary powers we have, we just might bring back the plague of locusts. Or fishnet stockings. Or William Hung.

Gays 'Responsible' For New Orleans Devastation Group Claims
by Fidel Ortega 365Gay.com Miami Bureau

Posted: August 31, 2005 3:00 pm ET

(New Orleans, Louisiana) An evangelical Christian group that regularly demonstrates at LGBT events is blaming gays for hurricane Katrina.

Repent America says that God "destroyed" New Orleans because of Southern Decadence, the gay festival that was to have taken place in the city over the Labor Day weekend.

"Southern Decadence" has a history of filling the French Quarters section of the city with drunken homosexuals engaging in sex acts in the public streets and bars" Repent America director Michael Marcavage said in a statement Wednesday.

"Although the loss of lives is deeply saddening, this act of God destroyed a wicked city." Marcavage said. "From ‘Girls Gone Wild’ to ‘Southern Decadence’, New Orleans was a city that had its doors wide open to the public celebration of sin. May it never be the same."

"Let us pray for those ravaged by this disaster. However, we must not forget that the citizens of New Orleans tolerated and welcomed the wickedness in their city for so long," Marcavage said.

"May this act of God cause us all to think about what we tolerate in our city limits, and bring us trembling before the throne of Almighty God," Marcavage concluded.

As 365Gay.com reported on Tuesday, organizers for Southern Decadence have cancelled the event and are promising full ticket refunds. (story)

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said Wednesday that hundreds are known dead and the death toll will reach into the thousands. Some estimates, CNN reported, indicate the final death toll in New Orleans alone may top 100,000.

Water levels eased off slightly on Wednesday, but most of the city remains submerged and it is believed it could be months before the city is inhabitable.

Repent America most recently demonstrated at the Philadelphia Phillies tribute to gay fans earlier this month. (story)

Last year 10 members of Repent America marched to an area near the front of a stage at Philadelphia's Outfest and began to yell Biblical passages.

Police attempted to get the protestors to move to to an area on the edge of the Outfest site. Instead they went deeper into the gay crowd. Using a bullhorn they condemned homosexuality. They then got into an argument with a group of Pink Angels, who screamed back.

It was at that point police intervened.

Four members of Repent America, including Marcavage, were charged with ethnic intimidation, criminal conspiracy and inciting to riot. The charges carry sentences up to 47 years behind bars. But, in court, a judge dismissed the charges saying the protestors were in a public park and police had violated the group's First Amendment right to free speech. (story)

Marcavage has been arrested, detained or cited by police around the country since founding Repent America in 2002, including at a demonstration against same-sex marriages in San Francisco.

Update: 9/7/2005

Isn't this interesting? All of us queers brought the wrath of God down on New Orleans, causing this terrible tragedy for our sins -- at least, according to the relgigious Nazis.

However, the French Quarter is still mostly intact and dry.

I wonder what sort of spin the Nazis will put on that little factoid....

Which Western Feminist Are You?

My results:


You are Emma Goldman! You are the mama of
Anarchist/Communist feminism and you inspired
millions to embrace the labor movement. Without
ever directly saying so, you directed efforts
toward saving wymyn and children from
exploitation. Oh yeah, you were also a total
sexpot!


Which Western feminist icon are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Update

Well, we received a packet on Saturday from the Executive Board of the Union. It seems that the union has reached a tentative agreement with my employer. They have included domestic partners in any area where a spouse would receive something. At this point, the temptation to "take the money and run" is there, just so we can sink back into anonymity. However, as I expressed to the lawyer, just as quickly as domestic partner benefits can be written into our contract, they can be written back out. Best to seek recognition of the marriage, in the long run. I've forwarded information to the attorney and he's forwarded it on to the Legal Committee at the ACLU. We'll wait and see what they say.

New York's Case moves forward

(New York, August 8, 2005)— Today, Lambda Legal filed papers in the Appellate Division, First Department (the state’s middle court) to defend a lower court ruling that said same-sex couples should be allowed to marry in New York. The City filed an appeal seeking to overturn the ruling earlier this spring.

“The City argues that the government has an interest in supporting heterosexuals who have children. But the City doesn’t explain why it’s okay for the government to turn its back on thousands of New York children raised by same-sex couples, who must go without the protections that come with civil marriage,” said Susan Sommer, Senior Counsel at Lambda Legal and lead attorney on the case. According to the 2000 Census, there are 46,490 same-sex households in New York, with over 34% of the lesbian couples and 21% of the gay couples raising children in the home.

In the brief filed today, Lambda Legal argued that the trial court was right when it ruled that barring same-sex couples from marriage was unconstitutional and denies them a host of protections that couples who are married enjoy. Lambda Legal argued that the City is wrong in basing its appeal on an outdated case that relied on the Book of Genesis to deny civil marriage rights to same-sex couples.

In her February 4, 2005 trial court ruling, Justice Ling-Cohan wrote that barring “access to civil marriage denies plaintiffs something irreplaceable.” The ruling further stated that, “Similar to opposite-sex couples, same-sex couples are entitled to the same fundamental right to follow their hearts and publicly commit to a lifetime partnership with the person of their choosing.” The lower court’s decision held that gay and lesbian couples are entitled to the liberty to marry the person they love just like all other New Yorkers are free to do.

Over 100 organizations and individuals have filed papers as friends-of-the-court to support Lambda Legal’s arguments, including the New York County Lawyers’ Association, the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, Empire State Pride Agenda, National Organization for Women—New York State, the American Psychological Association and Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, among others.

Lambda Legal filed the lawsuit in March 2004 seeking marriage licenses for same-sex couples in New York, arguing that denying them marriage violates the state Constitution’s guarantees of equality, liberty and privacy for all New Yorkers. The trial court issued its ruling in Lambda Legal’s favor in February this year, which New York City decided to appeal. On March 31, New York’s highest court ruled that the case should be heard in the mid-level appeals court, where Lambda currently makes its arguments for marriage equality in the state.

Arguing the case with Susan Sommer for Lambda Legal are Jeffrey S. Trachtman and Norman Simon of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel as co-counsel.

Two excellent commentaries

Rather than waste the bandwidth on two sites, I decided I'd just post the link to my message board here, where you can read two very excellent commentaries.

They can be read here.