Posts made by raphjd

hXxp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/07/27/italy-rejects-anti-homophobia-bill/

Italy rejects anti-homophobia bill

by Jessica Geen
27 July 2011, 9:49am

Italy’s parliament has rejected a bill to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people from discrimination.

The Chamber of Deputies voted yesterday 293 votes to 250 not to approve the legislation.

Gay rights campaigners have called on the European Union to step in.

Italy already bans discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, ethnicity and nationality but campaigners say rising numbers of homophobic and transphobic attacks means LGBT people need more protection.

Paolo Patane, head of gay rights association Arcigay, told AFP: “This parliament has betrayed justice and civility and has decided to support the violent.”

He added that the EU should “help us face this extremely dangerous rise in homophobia, xenophobia and racism that the Italian parliament has decided to legitimise.”

Nicola Duckworth of Amnesty International said: “In addition to passing the right laws, authorities and politicians should set the example.

“They should promote equality and non-discrimination and refrain from and condemn derogatory and discriminatory remarks that foster a climate of intolerance.”

Italy also bars gay couples from marrying or adopting children.

Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is on record for opposing gay rights, although gay campaigners claim his alleged affairs with minors make him a hypocrite.

Last year, the Italian leader brushed off criticism, saying: “It’s better to be passionate about beautiful women than to be gay.”

hXXp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/07/28/anti-gay-christian-rocker-bradlee-dean-sues-rachel-maddow-for-defamation/

Anti-gay Christian rocker Bradlee Dean sues Rachel Maddow for ‘defamation’

by Jessica Geen
28 July 2011, 2:46pm

The homophobic Christian rocker Bradlee Dean is suing lesbian MSNBC talkshow host Rachel Maddow for “defaming” him.

According to a lawsuit, Dean, who runs a ministry called ‘You Can Run But You Can’t Hide’, is accusing Maddow of making misleading statements about his views on gays and Muslims. He is seeking $50 million in damages.

The complaint stems from a show in 2010, when Maddow read out a statement Dean made on his radio show.

According to Maddow, Dean said: “Muslims are calling for the execution of homosexuals in America. They themselves are upholding the laws that are even in the Bible, the Judeo-Christian God, but they seem to be more moral than the American Christians do. Because these people are livid about enforcing their laws. They know homosexuality is an abomination. If America won’t enforce the laws, God will raise up a foreign enemy to do just that.”

Dean claims Maddow failed to read out a disclaimer he made with the original statement, that he was not advocating the killing of gay people. However, Maddow did read the disclaimer.

MSNBC is calling the suit “baseless”.

In the lawsuit, Dean claims that Maddow, MSNBC and several other defendants have set out to “wilfully and maliciously” harm the presidential campaign of Republican homophobe Michele Bachman, who has supported his ministry in the past, even announcing she was praying for it.

Dean’s ministry says it brings “hard rock gospel” into schools and has a hardhitting “message of truth”. The ministry claims to promote a Judeo-Christian lifestyle, which Dean says he discovered after a “sinful” youth.

He has also referred to gays and lesbians as “criminals”.

He's just using this lawsuit to whore his hate filled message to more people.

hXXp://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/07/29/parliament-inquiry-to-be-held-on-religious-rights/

Parliament inquiry to be held on religious rights

by Jessica Geen
29 July 2011, 11:16am

A parliamentary committee is to examine whether changes should be made to discrimination laws after a raft of legal cases over Christian rights.

Public hearings will be held in the autumn, with MPs and Lords invited to give their views on whether current laws are adequate.

The inquiry is organised by Christian MP Gary Streeter, who tabled an early day motion backing the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s push for ‘compromise’ for Christian workers who say their faith means they cannot serve gay people.

Mr Streeter, speaking to the Guardian earlier this month, said there was a “fear” among Christians about their rights to express their beliefs.

He said: “That fear is growing, that voice is growing. There is a particular problem. In the last 12 months, we have had legal cases that provoked concern. These now need to be tackled.”

The MP for South West Devon, who is the chair of Christians in Parliament, added: “The outcome of our inquiry might be that the law needs to be nudged back in certain areas and we won’t shy away from saying so.”

“The public at large don’t care what we do but, in the Christian community, there is a measure of concern about the issue. They will be pleased to see Christian parliamentarians doing something. They will be pleased to receive some reassurance that the fear whipped up is not necessary.”

He said the inquiry would welcome submissions from religious and non-religious groups.

Although some of the Christian rights cases in the law few years have concerned issues around wearing or displaying crosses, others have involved workers who said their beliefs mean they cannot serve gay people.

Islington registrar Lillian Ladele said she could not carry out civil partnerships, while Bristol sex counsellor Gary McFarlane refused to work with gay couples.

In another case, Eunice and Owen Johns were banned from fostering children by Derby city council after they admitted they would not tell a child that homosexuality is acceptable.

Speaking this week about his early day motion, which a number of MPs have withdrawn from, Mr Streeter denied that it was about discriminating against gay people, saying: “I don’t have a homophobic bone in my body. I believe in ‘live and let live’.”

The EHRC has been harshly criticised by gay rights campaigners, secular groups and trade unions for its proposals to make “reasonable accommodations” in religious rights cases.

The commission announced earlier this month it would seek to advise in four legal cases, including the cases of Ms Ladele and Mr McFarlane.

So, the believers want the laws to favor them in their hate, but they don't have a hateful bone in their bodies.

They are only asking that their rights trump gay rights, not the rights of any other group.  That's odd considering what the bible says about slavery, women and many other groups.

And you people complain that I'm too negative when it comes to gay issues.

Do you see why I'm the way I am?

I wonder if Dollywood staff would insist that a person turn their shirt inside out if it said some pro god shit, since that would offend atheists.

No need to answer that, it was a sarcastic rhetorical question.

Just the usual serve overload and reset, as far as I can tell.

Put some chili seeds in your lube, that'll spice things up.  :cheesy2:

Until Obama ran for US Senate, he supported full gay marriage, then he didn't.

If we take this concept to it's full conclusion, then no one should be allowed to give blood.

Black men are the least likely to admit they are gay, yet black males are the highest group for gonorrhea and HIV.

Black women are the highest female group with HIV and 2nd highest in total group behind black men with HIV.

Women are the highest group for several STDs and 2nd for gonorrhea (see above).

Here's a chart for HIV infection by race/gender in the US; hXXp://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/aa/

If we look at Africa, then no black person should ever give blood.

If we look at Alaska, no one should be allowed to give regardless of race or gender.

It not medical groups that are keeping this law on the books, it's politicians that are doing it, while ignoring the medical industry.

NOTE: Except where noted, I'm using US figures.

I hope you are being sarcastic.

I warned of this ages ago and everyone said I was being too negative.

Here's where I do the  "I told you so" dance.

Sadly, there are people that believe gay blood turns you gay.

YES, having a baby is a choice.

To deny the economics of the situation is to deny reality.

We don't live in a moneyless utopia.

Obama doesn't give a shit about us.

Repealing DADT helps less than 10,000 Americans, while ENDA would help millions of Americans.  Repealing DADT is little more than a token gesture.

We also have to remember that Obama supported full gay marriage until he ran for Federal office.  Now he only supports 2nd class citizenship.  Imagine that, a black Jim Crow.

As it is now, the system works the same if the mother wants to put the baby up for adoption or keep it.

Anyway, bringing a baby to full term is a lot more expensive than an abortion, so based on sheer economics, the choice is clear.  Not to mention that a child born into poverty will die in poverty. Class mobility is extremely rare.

The US and UK allow for contractual adoptions (ie surrogates, etc), which would allow for the adopting parents to pay.  However, if you go through the state's adoption process, then that's not an option.

Besides forcing a rape victim to carry the baby (extremely cruel), why should a business have to pay maternity leave so the woman can be forced to give birth to the rape baby?

Who is going to pay the medical bills and the maternity leave to bring the child to full term?

I'm surprised that no one has noticed the poetic irony that this happened in Limerick.

It's not sensationalism as you claim.  Every catholic source bangs (excuse the pun) on and on about procreation/sex and that is the link between the 4 things {gay sex, abortion, contraception and masturbation).  So there is your direct link by your church.  The official church stance is that all sex is only for procreation, thus banning gay sex, abortion, contraception and masturbation.  As a catholic, you should be able to see that link, so I'm confused why you don't get it.

Do you have any concept of how many premature babies survive if they are born before the 24 week mark in a country with good medical care?  Extremely few survive and of those that do, extremely few make it into adulthood and of those, extremely few make it into adulthood semi-functional (meaning they don't have to be fully cared for).

A study that started in 2005 and ended last year said it cost the US $50 Billion (YES, that's with a B) to raise all the 2005 premies to the age of 5, well of those that survived that long.  That's just over $142 for every man, woman and child in the US just for the 2005 premies for those 5 years.  Of course the costs keep building up because many of them have life long health issues that go along with being a premy.  That doesn't even count the cost to businesses due to lost work, etc, etc.  For some reason, I haven't found out what yet, the number of premature babies are increasing by 20% a decade since the 1950s.

In ancient times, kids weren't counted as human until they reached 1yo and not fully human until they reached 7yo.  This was due to the high death rates.  In fact, these people wrote most of your holy text.

So you (you support their stance, despite saying you don't always) and "Right to Life" want to continue to force the woman to suffer the trauma of the rape for another 9 months.  WOW, you people are truly heartless.  Ironically enough, extremely high percentages of "right to life" people also support the death penalty.

Who are the sexists in China?!  It's not the government, but the individual people that decided they didn't want girls.  Even with this personal choice of the people involved, women still make up, on average year to year, 52.8% of the world's population.  Imagine what the number would be like if the Chinese didn't want only boys.

Like MrMazda, I also took a friend to have an abortion and I would do it again for anyone that asked.  Though the circumstances were very different.  She was already disowned by her family for wanting to continue to go to school, her boyfriend dumped her when she told him she was pregnant, etc, etc, etc.  She could barely make ends meet as it was and a baby would have destroyed everything she had struggled for.