Posts made by leatherbear

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Same-sex couples eager to marry in New York hit a bureaucratic snag when marriage license applications made available to them for the first time on Tuesday still used the terms "bride" and "groom."

City Council spokesman Jamie McShane said forms that accommodate all marriages would be online sometime on Tuesday, less than three weeks before New York State's Marriage Equality Act takes effect.

Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the act into law on June 24, making the state the sixth and most populous in the United States to allow gay marriage.

It was not known if the online form seeking "Groom - Info" and "Bride - Info" was proving a temporary deterrent to applications for marriage licenses.

Some decided to wait, but McShane said that by the close of business, the city clerk's office reported a 20 percent increase in online applications submitted since June 27.

"I know things take time and being that there is only one option, if it was important for me to be married on July 25th, I would fill out the form as is," said Sandi Rowe, a graphic designer who wants to marry next year.

She said she encourages wedding planning sites to change their language from the "bride/groom" option.

The Marriage Bureau was due to begin performing ceremonies for same-sex couples on July 25. State law generally requires couples to wait 24 hours after receiving a license before they can be married.

New York was expecting an economic windfall from the legislation.

One estimate by the Independent Democratic Conference advocacy group of New York State Senators estimated that 21,000 gay and lesbian couples would marry in the first three years the law is in force, adding as much as $284 million to the state's economy over that time.

The window of Rothman's men's apparel store in the city's Union Square had a sign on its front window saying "We love NY equally" to celebrate and attract customers.

"It's great because we do a lot of weddings in this store and we are excited because frankly it's a whole other group of people that are now going to be getting married," owner Ken Giddon said. "All of a sudden every wedding party will have two grooms instead of one."

President Barack Obama has named Brenda S. “Sue” Fulton to the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, making her the first openly gay or lesbian person to serve there.

Fulton is an army veteran who graduated from West Point in 1980, part of the first class to include women. She is the executive director and co-founder of Knights Out, an organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered West Point graduates and their supporters, and a founding member of OutServe, which represents actively-serving LGBT military personnel who cannot reveal their sexual identity.

“I would hope it would symbolize to all people gay and straight that anti-gay bias in the military is a thing of the past,” Fulton told the Wall Street Journal about her new appointment. “I would hope it would tell them that if you’re willing to serve your country and you’re qualified, other factors don’t matter,” she said. “I see my role as in some sense helping West point send that message – that we respect all people equally. That’s part of our values, that’s part of our code.”

Fulton told the Journal that she realized she was a lesbian while serving in the Army in Germany after graduating from West Point, but she did not come out until 1993, after she had finished her military service and while campaigning to repeal the “don't ask, don't tell” policy.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California lawmakers on Tuesday sent the governor a bill that would make the state the first requiring public schools to include the contributions of gays and lesbians in social studies curriculum.

The bill, passed on a party-line vote, adds lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as well as people with disabilities to the list of groups that schools must include in the lessons. It also would prohibit material that reflects adversely on gays.

Democratic Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco says SB48 is crucial because of the bullying that happens to gay students. Republicans called it a well-intentioned but ill-conceived bill and raised concerns that it would indoctrinate children to accept homosexuality.

"This bill will require California schools to present a more accurate and nuanced view of American history in our social science curriculum by recognizing the accomplishments of groups that are not often recognized," said Assembly Speaker John Perez, the first openly gay speaker of the California Assembly.

The bill now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, who has not said whether he would sign it. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar bill in 2006.

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, a Republican from Twin Peaks, said he was offended as a Christian that the bill was being used to promote a "homosexual agenda" in public schools.

"I think it's one thing to say that we should be tolerant," Donnelly said. "It is something else altogether to say that my children are going to be taught that this lifestyle is good."

California law already requires schools to teach about women, African Americans, Mexican Americans, entrepreneurs, Asian Americans, European Americans, American Indians and labor. The Legislature over the years also has prescribed specific lessons about the Irish potato famine and the Holocaust, among other topics.

SB48 would require, as soon as the 2013-2014 school year, the California Board of Education and local school districts to adopt textbooks and other teaching materials that cover the contributions and roles of sexual minorities.

The legislation leaves it to local school boards to decide how to implement the requirement. It does not specify a grade level for the instruction to begin.

Opponents argued that such instruction would further burden an already crowded curriculum and expose students to a subject that some parents find objectionable. Assemblyman Chris Norby, R-Fullerton, said the bill micromanages the classroom.

"Our founding fathers are turning over in their graves," Donnelly said.

The bill's author, Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, said he hopes Brown will sign his bill. He dismissed arguments that the bill promotes certain sexual behaviors and said it removes censorship in textbooks.

"Bottom line, it's only beneficial to share with students the broad diversity of the human experience and that our democracy protects everyone," he said.

Before the Assembly vote, Perez pointed to a few contributions of gay people, including Friedrich von Steuben, one of George Washington's military advisers who fled Prussia after he was hounded as a homosexual.

Von Steuben is credited with being one of the fathers of the Continental Army and teaching essential military drills.

He also cited Alan Turing, a mathematician who helped crack Nazi Germany's secret codes by creating the "Turing bombe," a forerunner of modern computers.

Some churches and conservative family groups warned the bill will drive more parents to take their children out of public schools.

"This sexual brainwashing bill would mandate that children as young as 6 years old be told falsehoods – that homosexuality is biological, when it isn't, or healthy, when it's not," said Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com.

The Assembly passed the bill on a 49-25 vote.

I did not lock it but it is locked to the general membership to make replies. Global Mods do have access to locked topics.

I assume this was locked to prevent flaming posts but as I said I did not lock it and will not unlock it. I did think to remove the post completely but have left it for educational purposes. I thought it funny frankly that some one would go to this much trouble to spread his hate.

I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

With Brandon I just pick an upload and gift that upload.Usually 400 points or so at a time. I then leave a comment explaining the extra seed bonus points that have been gifted.

I prefer to proudly earn my Seed Bonus points my self and show that good ratio and gifting SBP is not incompatible

Does this mean you do not want the extra SBP's?

I will gladly contribute my points for Uwe's new "Well Prepared Torrent Program"  :cheers:

A Red Bull Racing crewman was fired for an anti-gay tweet he posted Sunday night following the Sprint Cup race at Infineon Raceway.

Prior to flying out of San Francisco on Sunday night, Jeremy Fuller, a contract employee and tire changer, posted on Twitter a photo of a gay pride banner on a car with the comment, "This is way (sic) I don't live here!"

Jeremy Fuller was a tire changer for Red Bull Racing.

One of his Twitter followers responded with a tweet that read, "if we could get rid of them, it'd be a lot better."

It appeared that Fuller later replied to that tweet, but did not retweet the original message. The response read: "lol.. Don't we all wish!"

Fuller said Tuesday night that his initial tweet was meant as a joke to another crew member. He said he never posted that response and was on a plane when that appeared on his Twitter account. He took down the posts Monday morning, and Fuller said Tuesday night that he had been fired by Red Bull Racing and by Turner Motorsports, where he also worked a few races as a tire changer in the Nationwide Series.

"It was a joke between two friends and it cost me both of my jobs," Fuller said. "I'm not racist and I do not hate gay people. It wasn't intended to be what (it appeared). … I didn't write anything about getting rid of them or 'ha ha,' or 'laughing out loud.'"

In response to questions about the tweets, Red Bull issued a statement Tuesday night stating that a member of its team had been fired.

"Red Bull Racing Team was made aware of comments posted to a contractor's Twitter account following this weekend's race," the statement said. "After investigating the matter, Red Bull Racing Team terminated the contractor's employment effective immediately.

"The race team regularly conducts diversity training and strictly enforces our team policies against any form of discrimination. We have zero tolerance for such violations and in no way support any of the comments posted by this individual."

NASCAR's rulebook includes a short Code of Conduct paragraph, with Rule 7-5 saying: "A NASCAR Member shall not make or cause to be made a public statement and/or communication that criticizes, ridicules, or otherwise disparages another person based upon that person's race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, or handicapping condition."

Fuller stressed that he did not hate gay people and did not mean for the tweet, which he said was designed to only go to one other person, to be taken that way.

"I don't have any negative thoughts about gay people," Fuller said. "I got rid of everything because I did not want it to go this far. … I've got gay friends. It was like, 'Hey, look, this (banner) is something you don't (typically) see. It's like, ‘Wow, let's post this.'"

Michael Myers, who runs the website Queers4Gears.com and has covered the sport for the last couple of years, said he got about 30 comments about Fuller's tweets.

Myers, who wrote about the issue Tuesday afternoon, said that about 10 minutes before he saw the tweet, he did an interview saying he had never experienced any anti-gay bias in the garage.

"My first unfortunate negative story went up today," Myers said. "That was kind of sad to have to post that. … I don't want his actions to reflect on NASCAR.

"I really have been blown away how easily this has gone for me and how everyone has accepted me in the sport. I've had nothing negative at all until this one time."

Myers, an accredited member of the NASCAR media and whose website has been profiled in The New York Times, does not use his website as a political platform. He mainly writes articles about NASCAR races and hopes his site helps address misconceptions in the gay community about NASCAR, and vice versa.

He said he was not advocating Fuller be fired but he had to write about it.

"I couldn't overlook this one," Myers said. "If it had just been the sign, I probably would have let that go. But it was the agreement and retweeting … of the statement that we should get rid of them all."

Fuller reiterated several times Tuesday night that he did not write that, and that the person who originally wrote to him about getting rid of gay people no longer exists on Twitter.

"The only thing I posted was the picture and this was the reason I don't live here," Fuller said. "That is the only thing I've done and I don't know how it got to be where it's at now.

Read more: hXXp://aol.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2011-06-29/red-bull-crewman-fired-for-anti-gay-tweet?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl9%7Csec3_lnk2%7C74363#ixzz1QlySVZUI

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Rudy Giuliani appears to have broken a long-held promise to marry his gay friends, the New York Post reports.

Howard Koeppel, the car dealer who provided a crash pad for Giuliani in 2001 for six months during his divorce battle, recently spoke to the Post about a promise he says the former New York City mayor made to him a decade ago.

Koeppel told the Post that he had asked Giuliani to marry him and his long-time partner, Mark Hsiao, and that Giulliani said to him, "Howard, I don't ever do anything that's not legal. If it becomes legal in New York, you'll be one of the first ones I would marry."

In a 2005 New York Magazine interview, Koeppel spoke about his relationship with Giuliani when they were roommates. According to Koeppel, he helped Giuliani pick out his ties and even convinced Giuliani to speak "doggy talk" to his dog.

When Koeppel and Hsiao first married in Connecticut in 2009, the Post reported that Guiliani was a last-minute no-show at their wedding. Now, Koeppel would like to repeat the ceremony in New York with Giuliani officiating.

While Koeppel reportedly feels "miffed" that Giuliani has been ignoring his calls, he still believes the former mayor meant what he promised, stating, "He doesn't usually say things just to make you feel good."

Although progress has been made in achieving equal rights for gay couples to marry in New York, there is work still to be done. Political consultant Scott Levenson told the Post that one possible reason Giuliani may be avoiding the New York gay wedding is because it "would be a sign he's no longer interested in running [as a Republican] for president – ever."

In the past, Giuliani supported civil unions for same-sex couples, although he backed away from this stance while running for president in 2008, going as far to say that New Hampshire's law went too far because it is "the equivalent of marriage."

When a group of former New York City mayors created videos in March voicing their support for gay marriage, Rudy Giuliani was noticeably missing.

After gay marriage was legalized in New York, NBC New York reported that Giuliani said, "I still favor marriage as being defined between a man and a woman but I completely understand what people are striving for... I was very glad to see people relieved of this burden of discrimination, which is a terrible thing to feel."

But does Giuliani's weak stance on gay marriage support that very discrimination?

Staff does monitor these issues but it usually takes a report to let us know what is happening. There is no way to monitor everything with the kinds of users you name with out a report to take action on.

Please PM me or any Mod with the details and we will handle the situation.

Some 200 United Methodist clergy of the church's Northern Illinois Conference have pledged to bless same-sex unions in violation of the church's policy on the matter, doing so despite the risk of suspension or defrocking.

The Northern Illinois clergy's declaration comes fast on the heels of a Wisconsin pastor, the Rev. Amy DeLong of Osceola, being found guilty of overseeing a 2009 lesbian union in a church trial last week. She was also found not guilty of being a "self-avowed practicing homosexual." DeLong was punished with a 20-day suspension, a sentence that she said will not dissuade her from continuing to officiate same-sex unions.

Earlier in the month, the clergy took their initial vote to end discrimination against LGBTQ individuals and announced they would send petitions to that effect to next year's global gathering, according to the Windy City Times. Methodist clergy in other states, including Minnesota, New York and the New England region, according to the Boston Globe, have also taken similar actions in recent weeks.

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, pro-LGBT United Methodist clergy in Northern Illinois were emboldened by the state's recent passage of civil union legislation, as well as DeLong's trial, the latest in a series of punishments for church clergy blessing gay and lesbian relationships.

"Unfortunately the church has lost its prophetic voice on this issue," the Rev. Gregory Gross, a deacon, told the Tribune. "Our civil society has taken the lead. Now the church is trying to catch up."

The conference's bishop, Hee-Soo Jung, earlier in the month applauded the Illinois legislature and Governor Pat Quinn for approving the civil union legislation and called for "patience, respect, grace and a willingness to struggle together as we hold one another in prayer and community" as the church goes forward in reconciling clear divisions on the matter within their ranks.

The United Methodist Church is the largest U.S. mainline denomination and the nation's second largest Protestant church, ranking behind only the Southern Baptist Convention. The last time the church took up the matter of approving same-sex unions in 2008, it was voted down 501-417. The issue is expected to be back on the table in next year's international conference, which will be held in Tampa, Fla.

NEW YORK — One of the world's oldest and largest gay pride parades was expected to become a victory celebration Sunday after New York's historic decision to legalize same-sex marriage.

Parade organizers were expecting half a million people to participate in the march, which comes two days after state lawmakers transformed the wedding dreams of gay couples into reality. Floats, music and dancing were expected to enliven the city streets with bright flourishes of carnival-like revelry.

State Sen. Tom Duane, a Manhattan Democrat who is gay, said he planned to join in the festivities.

"I always love the parade," Duane said in an interview Saturday. "It's like Christmas and New Year's all wrapped into one, but I think it'll be particularly joyous, so I'm really looking forward to that."

Duane said he and his partner had first discussed marriage when Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004, but opted not to make any decisions until it became legal in New York. They have not made any plans yet.

"That will be next week's project," Duane said.

There may even be a few surprise engagements during the parade, which begins at noon at 36th Street and Fifth Avenue before heading downtown.

It ends at Greenwich and Christopher streets, near where gays rebelled against authorities and repressive laws outside the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village on June 28, 1969 – helping to trigger the gay rights movement.

A year later, several hundred people marched through the neighborhood to commemorate the riots in what is commonly considered the world's first gay pride parade.

This year's grand marshals include author and sex columnist Dan Savage and Terry Miller, who married in Canada; the Rev. Pat Bumgardner, the senior pastor of Metroplitan Community Church of New York and a proponent of gay rights; and the Imperial Court of New York, which raises money for gay health and social services.

The law signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday doesn't take effect for 30 days. It was passed amid opposition from influential religious groups in the state.

Friday night's legalization of same-sex marriage in New York isn't just being hailed as a major victory for the Empire State, but has also emboldened lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists and their allies around the world.

As the Associated Press is reporting, many Parisian revelers demanded that France follow New York's lead as they marched under a sea of rainbow-colored flags and jigged to thumping techno beats in a gay pride parade on Saturday. Despite the festivities, the mood was bittersweet in France, where lawmakers had rejected a bill seeking to legalize same-sex marriage despite growing public support for gay rights a mere two weeks ago.

Elsewhere, in demonstrations across Germany, Israel, Mexico and even Russia – where 14 gay rights activists trying to hold an unsanctioned rally in St. Petersburg were reportedly detained -- New York's legalization wasn't too far from everyone's mind, and many hoped it would be just the start. "The state of New York isn't the United States, unfortunately," 26-year-old German marcher Frederick Hartwig is quoted as saying. "The great victory for the United States will be when the middle of America — the middle of nowhere — will allow everyone to have such rights."

Take a look at gay pride celebrations around the world below:

hXXp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/26/gay-pride-2011-marches-celebrations-around-world-n_884696.html#s298289&title=France


Gay couples and proponents of gay rights have a reason to celebrate tonight, as the New York State Senate has passed a bill that allows same sex marriage.

New York will be the sixth, and largest, state in the union to adopt gay marriage. The bill will take effect 30 days after governor Andrew Cuomo signs it into law.

The decision, which passed 33-29, was the culmination of weeks of contentious debate and negotiations between Governor Cuomo and the GOP-controlled Senate. After the bill passed in the Assembly, it was unclear if the bill had secured enough votes to pass in the Senate. When a few notable undecideds joined the cause –including Republican Roy McDonald who famously defended his decision, saying "fuck it, I don't care what you think. I'm trying to do the right thing" -- the scale in favor of gay marriage seemed to tip.

Gay rights advocates are hoping the vote will galvanize the movement around the country and help it regain momentum after an almost identical bill was defeated here in 2009 and similar measures failed in 2010 in New Jersey and this year in Maryland and Rhode Island.

Though New York is a relative latecomer in allowing gay marriage, it is considered an important prize for advocates, given the state's size and New York City's international stature and its role as the birthplace of the gay rights movement, which is considered to have started with the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village in 1969.

The New York bill cleared the Republican-controlled state Senate on a 33-29 vote. The Democrat-led Assembly, which passed a different version last week, is expected to pass the new version with stronger religious exemptions and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who campaigned on the issue last year, has promised to sign it. Same-sex couples can begin marrying begin 30 days after that. The passage of New York's legislation was made possible in two Republican senators who had been undecided.

Sen. Stephen Saland voted against a similar bill in 2009, helping kill the measure and dealing a blow to the national gay rights movement.

"While I understand that my vote will disappoint many, I also know my vote is a vote of conscience," Saland said in a statement to The Associated Press before the vote. "I am doing the right thing in voting to support marriage equality."

Gay couples in gallery wept during Saland's speech.

Sen. Mark Grisanti, a GOP freshman from Buffalo, also said he would vote for the bill. Grisanti said he could not deny anyone what he called basic rights.

The effects of the law could be felt well beyond New York: Unlike Massachusetts, which pioneered gay marriage in 2004, New York has no residency requirement for obtaining a marriage license, meaning the state could become a magnet for gay couples across the country who want to have a wedding in Central Park, the Hamptons, the romantic Hudson Valley or that honeymoon hot spot of yore, Niagara Falls.

New York, the nation's third most populous state, will join Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C., in allowing same-sex couples to wed.

For five months in 2008, gay marriage was legal in California, the biggest state in population, and 18,000 same-sex couples rushed to tie the knot there before voters overturned the state Supreme Court ruling that allowed the practice. The constitutionality of California's ban is now before a federal appeals court.

While court challenges in New York are all but certain, the state — unlike California — makes it difficult for the voters to repeal laws at the ballot box. Changing the law would require a constitutional convention, a long, drawn-out process.

The sticking point over the past few days: Republican demands for stronger legal protections for religious groups that fear they will be hit with discrimination lawsuits if they refuse to allow their facilities to be used for gay weddings.

The climactic vote came after more than a week of stop-and-start negotiations, rumors, closed-door meetings and frustration on the part of advocates. Online discussions took on a nasty turn with insults and vulgarities peppering the screens of opponents and supporters alike and security was beefed up in the capitol to give senators easier passage to and from their conference room.

The night before, President Barack Obama encouraged lawmakers to support gay rights during a fundraiser with New York City's gay community. The vote also is sure to charge up annual gay pride events this weekend, culminating with parades Sunday in New York City, San Francisco and other cities.

:lovp:

:love:

Keith Olbermann delivered a Special Comment on his Thursday show, fervently expressing his hope that gay marriage will be legalized across the country.

It's at least the second such Special Comment Olbermann has made on the subject; in 2008, he gave a highly emotional monologue in the wake of the Prop. 8 vote in California. Olbermann repeated some of his words from that segment in his Thursday comment.

Olbermann's statement came as New York is struggling to clear the last hurdle blocking passage of gay marriage in the state legislature, and as President Obama spoke to gay donors at a New York City fundraiser and punted on the issue.

Olbermann repeated his assertion that gay marriage can only be a good thing.

"It won't destroy the democracy," he said. "It doesn't destroy the family. It strengthens the institution of marriage … If you want to categorize people, you should categorize them on their honesty, their sincerity, their generosity."

He dismissed the argument that gay marriage hurts children because their parents are exposing them to homosexuality.

"The list of risks to children created by their parents is nightmarishly long, and standing there being all gay around them is probably no higher than number 206," he joked.

Finally, Olbermann repeated some of his words from 2008.

"There is an ever-growing acceptance of what I said three years ago," he said. "This is, as corny as it seems, not about power or politics or lobbying. It is about love ... and your acceptance of their love turns out to be your own expression of love to your fellow human being."

WATCH: hXXp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/24/keith-olbermanns-gay-marr_n_883796.html?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl4|sec3_lnk1|72906

DENVER (AP) - A nationwide debate about circumcisions for newborn boys, combined with cash-strapped public health budgets, has Colorado taking sides with 17 other states that no longer fund Medicaid coverage of the once widely accepted procedure.

For years, Colorado lawmakers considered doing away with funding for circumcisions under Medicaid - a move that would save the state $186,500 a year. Now facing a seismic budget shortfall estimated to be $1 billion at the beginning of this year, lawmakers finally approved the change, which takes effect July 1.

"We were just looking at virtually every option and trying to decide what was absolutely urgent now," said Republican Sen. Kent Lambert, a member of the budget-writing Joint Budget Committee. "I think 99 percent of it was completely economic."

The matter of circumcisions has gotten contentious in California, where San Francisco will be the first city to hold a public vote in November on whether to ban the practice.

Jewish and Muslim families are challenging that proposal in court, claiming it violates their right to practice their religion and decide what's best for their children. Supporters of the ballot initiative say male circumcision is a form of genital mutilation that parents should not be able to force on their children.

Matthew Hess, the president of the group behind the San Francisco proposal, called the Male Genital Mutilation Bill, applauded Colorado's move and said he hopes it will lead to a drop in the circumcision rate.

"That's a good thing, because paying someone to amputate a healthy functional body part from an unconsenting minor is not just a waste of taxpayer money - it's also a violation of human rights," he said.

South Carolina is one of the most recent states to eliminate Medicaid payments for circumcisions amid budget concerns. The change, which went into effect in February, was expected to save the state about $114,800 a year. States that also no longer fund circumcisions through Medicaid include Arizona, California, Florida, Maine and Louisiana.

Scott Levin, the regional director of the Mountain States office of the Anti-Defamation League, said Jews are unlikely to be affected by the defunding of Medicaid payments for circumcisions. For them, the procedure is not performed by a hospital physician, but a mohel - a specialist trained in Jewish ritual circumcision.

Levin said his group is more concerned about places like San Francisco that are trying to ban the procedure because Jewish people see the ritual as one of their religion's most sacred.

The World Health Organization reported that circumcisions are one of the most common procedures performed on newborn males in the United States, but the practice is not as common in the rest of the world. About 75 percent of baby boys in the U.S. are circumcised, compared to 30 percent elsewhere, the organization said. The figures refer to non-religious circumcisions.

Joanne Zahora, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, which administers health care programs for low-income families, said the research her organization has seen shows that circumcisions are not medically necessary.

But the procedure retains its supporters. Although the topic never became heated during the Colorado budgetary debate, some lawmakers spoke in favor of keeping the Medicaid funding. Among them was Democratic Sen. Irene Aguilar, a primary care doctor at Denver Health.

"It's really a pretty inexpensive procedure to perform, and so it's just a little penny-wise and dollar-poor," she said.

Aguilar argued that circumcisions reduce the rates of urinary tract infections, penile cancer, and also lower the rates of cervical cancer for men's sexual partners. She also said she worried that doing away with funding for circumcisions would be discriminatory for Jewish and Muslim people on Medicaid.

Lambert, from Colorado's JBC, said the topic is sensitive for most, but the question lawmakers faced really was whether the government has the money to pay for the procedure.

"I think the general answer was no," Lambert said.