Marco Rubio now against constitutional amendment allowing states to ban gay marriage.

US Senator Marco Rubio does not want to see the constitution amended so that individual states can ban same-sex marriage.

His remarks after a speech in Iowa this week were something of a surprise coming from the Republican presidential hopeful who in the past has said it is ‘ridiculous and absurd’ to consider same-sex marriage a constitutional right.

‘I don’t support a constitutional amendment. I don’t believe the federal government should be in the marriage regulation business,’ the senator from Florida said at the Cedar Rapids Country Club.

Rubio’s remarks come less than two weeks after the US Supreme Court decided in a 5-4 ruling that same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 US states.

‘We can continue to disagree with it,’ he said. ‘Perhaps a future court will change that decision, in much the same way as it’s changed other decisions in the past. But my opinion is unchanged, that marriage should continue to be defined as one man and one woman. The decision is what it is, and that’s what we’ll live under.

‘I disagree with the decision on constitutional grounds,’ he added. ‘Irrespective of how one may feel about the definition of marriage, we’re still all Americans.’

It was just six weeks ago that Rubio warned that gay marriage poses a ‘real and present danger’ to Christianity.

‘We are at the water’s edge of the argument that mainstream Christian teaching is hate speech,’ he had said during an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network. ‘Because today we’ve reached the point in our society where if you do not support same-sex marriage you are labeled a homophobe and a hater.’

H/T: Bloomberg

The post Marco Rubio now against constitutional amendment allowing states to ban gay marriage. appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/marco-rubio-now-against-constitutional-amendment-allowing-states-to-ban-gay-marriage/

HUD Publishes Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule

Yesterday the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a new rule to aid jurisdictions in their efforts to fulfill their obligations under the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/hud-publishes-affirmatively-furthering-fair-housing-rule?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Oregon Priest Investigated For Unholy Bathroom Behavior

There’s something shady going down at St. Francis Catholic Church in Sherwood, Oregon.

Local police just announced that the church’s priest, Father Ysrael Bien (pictured), is under investigation for an incident involving a hidden camera installed in the men’s bathroom.

It all started back in April when a 15-year-old boy noticed an oddly placed electrical outlet next to the toilet in the bathroom near the church altar. Upon further investigation, he discovered the outlet was actually a hidden camera. He yanked it out of the wall then told Bien, who assured him and his parents that he would contact police about the matter.

And that’s when things turned fishy.

Related: Catholic Priest Outed For Hosting Raunchy Judas-Themed Gay Sex Orgies With Male Prostitutes

Days later, the boy’s mother contacted Bien to ask if police needed a statement from her son. The priest told her everything was under control and that no statement would be necessary. Then he assured her that “a conclusion would happen soon, and that he would be sure to tell them when someone was arrested,” police records say.

Two weeks later, the boy’s parents emailed Bien for an update on the case. He replied that police didn’t have enough evidence and the investigation was “over.”

Not satisfied with this outcome, the parents contacted the deacon, who told them he didn’t know much about the case. That’s when the parents emailed Bien again, this time asking to see the official police report.

An hour later, the priest replied: “There is no police report and it is best if I explain this to you in person.”

“Father informed me that he had lied to me, and that there was no police report or investigation because he had not reported the incident or the device,” the dad later told police.

Bien claimed that he put the camera in a drawer in the vesting room, but when he went to get it later that day, it mysteriously vanished. He never contacted police because he was afraid of “the consequences of losing the device,” police records say.

A judge authorized search warrants for the church, Bien’s home, his car, phones and computers. He has been placed on leave by the Archdiocese of Portland.

We’re waiting for his Grindr profile.

Related: Catholic Church Preys on Exhibitionist Priests Who Serve Cocktails And Post Nude Pics

h/t: Raw Story

Graham Gremore

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Trans White House Heckler Jennicet Eva Gutiérrez Explains Why ‘Unplanned’ Action Was ‘Not About Just Me’ – VIDEO

Jennicet Eva Gutiérrez, the undocumented trans woman who last month heckled President Obama during a special LGBT Pride reception at The White House, has written an op-ed for the Advocate in which she explains her unplanned action.

Gutiérrez writes that her action aimed “to demand the release of LGBTQ undocumented immigrants from detention centers and call for an end to all detentions.”

Arguing that commentary has focused on her actions to the detriment of the actual issues, she adds:

“It became a critical opportunity to interrupt the president during his speech on behalf of my undocumented trans sisters who are suffering daily in immigrant detention centers.

“Though unplanned, my action was about continuing to place trans immigrant women at the front lines of our movement. It was the result of an urgent need for my community to collectively lift our voices and bring visibility.

“[Advocate columnist Dawn Ennis’s] piece diverted attention from the real issues at hand — the dire conditions of trans women of color. And this is appalling. The writer missed a tremendous opportunity to inform her readers about the serious injustice that I was trying to bring to light: undocumented trans women facing horrific and inhumane conditions in detention centers.”

Gutiérrez is a member of Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, an activist group that recently  blocked a Los Angeles intersection to bring attention to “the murders that trans women of color are facing in this country.”

She continues in part:

“When faced with gendercide, deportation, and rape and abuse in detention centers, politeness is a luxury that trans women of color cannot afford. Authorities have reported in 2015 alone the murders of nine trans women of color.

“It is well known by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security, and President Obama that these trans women are often sexually abused while in detention.

“The interruption at the White House was not about just me. It is about the continuous state-sanctioned violence and oppression my community faces every day. It is about the silence inflicted upon us by media and many mainstream LGBTQ organizations.”

“If my organizations had been too concerned with respectability and politeness, our voices would still be silenced, the average person would still be unaware of the seriousness of trans women in detention centers, and trans women of color would still be abused and suffering in detention centers with no one to speak up for them.”

Watch footage of Gutiérrez’s action below.

(Image via Facebook)

The post Trans White House Heckler Jennicet Eva Gutiérrez Explains Why ‘Unplanned’ Action Was ‘Not About Just Me’ – VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

Michael Fitzgerald

Trans White House Heckler Jennicet Eva Gutiérrez Explains Why ‘Unplanned’ Action Was ‘Not About Just Me’ – VIDEO

Married Same-Sex Couples Can Now Access Full Federal Benefits

Attorney General Loretta Lynch confirmed: No matter where what state they call home, same-sex couples can now enjoy the full faith, protection, and benefits of the U.S. government.

read more

Sunnivie Brydum

www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2015/07/09/married-same-sex-couples-can-now-access-full-federal-benefits

Learn Some Damn Theater Etiquette Or Patti LuPone Will Steal Your Phone

What the hell kind of feral beasts are you becoming, America? Last night, Patti LuPone had to confiscate a woman’s phone when she was texting in the front row of Lincoln Center Theater, and you know what? Patti LuPone is a goddamned American hero. 

Enough is enough. It was just last week some other feral person jumped on stage at a Broadway show to charge his phone. At a Broadway goddamned show. First of all, your phone does not need to be charged, because it should be off. Second of all, IT’S A BROADWAY GODDAMNED SHOW. 

Have some self-respect. Y’all are acting like you were raised by wolves. Self-involved wolves with opposable thumbs whose highly evolved nature has led you to stare constantly at your phones. But wolves nonetheless.

The theater used to be a place of elegance and high culture. There used to be a certain dress code, an inherent level of respect required walking in the door. Now, half of the audience shows up in flip flops, looking like they are about to tailgate a Little League game. 

But fine, whatever, dress like a slob with no respect. Patti LuPone can’t make you have dignity. Patti LuPone can’t force you to refer to it as “intermission” and not “halftime.” But Patti LuPone can, 100 percent, definitely tell you to put your phone away. She can and she will, people.

Honestly, what are you even doing on your phone in the first place? Are you updating your Facebook status with “seeing patti lupone — feeling cultural”? Taking some selfies with Patti LuPone on stage in the background? Tweeting at Patti LuPone to tell her she’s doing a good job?

Next time you think the world wants to hear your every waking thought, check in with this quick, self-administered questionnaire:

— Am I Barack Obama? Y/N.

— Am I Malala Yousafzai? Y/N.

— Am I Beyoncé? Y/N.

If the answer to any of those questions is “yes,” then, fine, continuing being a thought leader during the two hours you should be relaxing and watching the show. Otherwise, do not be texting. Do not be tryna hop on stage to charge your phone. Honestly, even Beyoncé shouldn’t be allowed to get away with sh-t like that. But she never would because she is an elegant goddess and paragon of grace, so it’s a non-issue.

In conclusion: stop it. If you have any questions, please put throw them in the trash with your goddamned phones. 

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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Swimmer on how life has changed since he sent out this tweet: ‘Yes… I AM GAY… Who cares?’

On his Twitter page, Javier Ruisanchez describes himself this way: Eat – Sleep – Swim.

But he also finds time to occasionally tweet.

This week, the 18-year-old member of the Puerto Rico Junior National Swim Team shared his story of what has happened since he decided to come out in late October 2013 via Twitter.

His tweet read: ‘Yes… I AM GAY… Who cares?’

At that time, he was 16 and attending West Springfield High School in Virginia.

His phone immediately blew up with activity – so much so that it died.

‘I vividly remember the next day at school,’ he writes in a story for Outsports posted this week. ‘It was a Friday and I guess everyone in school had seen the tweet. I remember walking into my first-period class and people I wasn’t close with came up to me to congratulate me. The overwhelmingly positive support lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.’

Much to his relief, his fellow swim team members were supportive as well.

‘I got to practice and was instantly bombarded with questions. They wanted to know every single detail of all the text messages, tweets and reactions at school. They were so proud of me. My favorite reaction was: “Finally, I can say you’re my gay best friend.”‘

But the difficulty his mother and one of his two sisters had in accepting the news sent the swimmer into what he describes as ‘a major depression.’ His mother helped him find a therapist and after a few months, their closeness returned.

Ruisanchez, who will swim for Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania this fall, writes: ‘My life improved dramatically since the tweet. Not only did releasing my truth take a huge weight off my shoulders, but it also changed my life. My training in the pool changed in a positive way. I was no longer thinking about other things outside the pool so I could really focus on the workout.

‘I’m blessed with friends and family that support and love me unconditionally for who I am. I’m truly grateful for everyone who has helped me along the way.’

The post Swimmer on how life has changed since he sent out this tweet: ‘Yes… I AM GAY… Who cares?’ appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/swimmer-on-how-life-has-changed-since-he-sent-out-this-tweet-yes-i-am-gay-who-cares/

Ted Cruz Still in Denial: Polls Show Support for Marriage Equality

During a live interview last week, Republican Senator Ted Cruz sat down with Yahoo’s Katie Couric to discuss everything from his bid for the White House, to his stance on environmental issues, Obamacare — and nationwide marriage equality, of course.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/ted-cruz-still-in-denial-polls-show-support-for-marriage-equality?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Elderly Man Receives Father’s Day Card 26 Years Late From Gay Son Who Died Of AIDS

Father’s Day was nearly three weeks ago, but Dwayne Schrock only recently received a card from his son, Dwayne Jr. Oh, and it was 26 years late.

The year was 1989 when Dwayne Jr. wrote to his dad, and their relationship wasn’t exactly rock-solid.

Schrock didn’t approve of his son being gay, opting to be largely absent from his life as Dwayne Jr.’s health deteriorated due to AIDS-related illness.

The card bounced around the nooks and crannies of the U.S. Postal Service, continuing its bizarre journey well past Dwayne Jr. died in 1995.

And while it’s not exactly poetry, the message couldn’t be clearer — Dwayne Jr. wanted to bridge the gap with his father:

Dear Dad,

We haven’t been in touch for quite a while. I’m doing fine, and am very happy in Richmond. I’d like to hear from you. Have a happy Father’s Day.

Love,

Dwayne

Now 87 years old, Dwayne is appreciative of the long-lost note.

“I still kind of tear up when I think about it,” he told ABC News.

Schrock said that before his son died, he had asked him “if he made peace with God because I want to see him in heaven.”

While we can’t say much to meeting in heaven, we hope Schrock has made his own peace with the son he loved.

Watch the news clip below:

Dan Tracer

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Mike Huckabee Thinks America Is Worse than Sodom After ‘Extreme Court’ Ruling on Gay Marriage: VIDEO

Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee just can’t keep his blowhole shut about the Supreme Court’s ruling extending marriage equality to all 50 states, telling a Georgia church crowd over the weekend:

1975, the wife of evangelist Billy Graham said that ‘if God does not bring his judgment upon this land, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah,’ She said that 40 years ago. What would she say today if she was still alive? When the Supreme Court just two weeks ago, or as I call them, the Extreme Court, made the most radical decision when it comes to the definition of marriage, it truly was a remarkable day in which they did not vote for equality of something, they voted for the redefinition of something.

Huckabee went on to criticize President Obama for becoming the “chief cheerleader” for same-sex marriage.

Watch Huckabee’s remarks below:

[via Right Wing Watch]

The post Mike Huckabee Thinks America Is Worse than Sodom After ‘Extreme Court’ Ruling on Gay Marriage: VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.

Kyler Geoffroy

Mike Huckabee Thinks America Is Worse than Sodom After ‘Extreme Court’ Ruling on Gay Marriage: VIDEO