Funeral Home Sued for Refusing Body of Gay Man: We Don’t ‘Deal with Their Kind’

Lambda Legal has joined a lawsuit against a Picayune, Mississippi funeral home which refused to handle funeral arrangements for Robert (Bob) Huskey after it learned that Huskey was gay, leaving Huskey’s husband, 82-year-old Jack Zawadski (above) to have to scramble to make other arrangements shortly after Huskey’s death.

Bob and Jack were a couple of 52 years who married shortly after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015. Huskey’s health declined shortly thereafter and he died.

Writes Lambda Legal:

After Bob died on May 11, 2016, the nursing home provided Picayune Funeral Home with necessary information confirming Bob’s death and identifying Jack as his husband. Shortly thereafter, the nursing home called their nephew John and informed him that Picayune Funeral Home was now refusing to pick up the body and perform the cremation.

Since the nursing home could not keep Bob’s body on site, Jack and John had to scramble to locate another funeral home with an on-site crematorium. They located one in Hattiesburg, some 90 miles away. By that time, because Bob’s body could not be housed at the nursing home for the hours it would take for the Hattiesburg hearse to arrive, they had to find yet another funeral home in Picayune willing to transport Bob’s body to Hattiesburg.

“John made all necessary arrangements before Bob’s passing in order to shield his 82-year-old uncle from additional suffering and to allow friends to gather to support Jack in his grief,” Littrell explained. “Instead, Bob’s peaceful passing was marred by turmoil, distress and indignity, adding immeasurable anguish to Jack and John’s loss. This should not have happened to them, and should not be allowed to happen again.”

Lambda’s complaint says that Picayune Funeral Home told Zawadski they don’t “deal with their kind.”

The Clarion Ledger reports:

The suit identifies Brewer Funeral Services, the parent company of Picayune Funeral Home, and owners Ted and Henrietta Brewer.

When reached Tuesday afternoon, Henrietta Brewer vehemently and tearfully denied the allegations. Brewer said the funeral home has served numerous gay families over the years.

“It’s not true,” she said of the allegation. “We have done many gay families.”

Offering an example, Brewer said a man in Florida sends flowers every season for the funeral home to place on the grave of his late husband who is buried in Memorial Gardens, a cemetery owned and maintained by the Brewers.

She would not provide the identification of the widower.

Brewer said she doesn’t know where the allegation stems from, saying, “We did not refuse this man because he was gay. We didn’t refuse him at all.”

She said there was no contract between the funeral home and Huskey’s family.

Lambda Legal attorney Beth Littrell says the funeral services company is lying:

“I am confident that we will be able to prove through witness, phone records and other means that what we claim in the lawsuit is in fact what happened,” she said.

Watch Jack’s story:

Beautiful Irony: Noah’s Ark Theme Park Loses $18 Million in Tax Breaks Unless They Hire Atheists!

Seems Answers in Genesis hasn’t found many Answers in Kentucky…at least as far as tax credits are concerned. While religious institutions have long been taking advantage of tax exemption to make money, the $170 million Ark Encounter theme park planned for construction in Kentucky may not get the tax breaks its founders are used to. Unless they’re willing to hire non-Christians.

The $18 million in tax incentives offered to AIG (the eternal insurance company) for building the Ark Experience have been controversial from the day the Kentucky Tourism Department gave preliminary approval for them in July. These kind of tax breaks are pretty typical for those looking to build attractions, on the basis that they make for jobs and tourism dollars. Such sites are rewarded a 25 percent sales tax rebate.

However, that tax credit has since been put on hold…because of a job application.

The application for a computer design artist was found on AIG’s site and sent along to the state by Americans United for the Separation of Church and state. The application for The Ark Experience was pretty standard, except for two little requirements:

A letter of “Salvation Testimony,” and a “Creation Belief Statement.”

Tourism Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Bob Stewart said that such a job posting would violate Kentucky’s state and federal hiring laws.

“Therefore we are not prepared to move forward with consideration of the application for final approval without the assurance of Ark Encounter LLC that it will not discriminate in any way on the basis of religion in hiring for the project and will revise its postings accordingly.” 

A couple days later, Ark Encounter attorney James Parsons lied backpedaled by saying the posting was for AIG, not The Ark Encounter. Stewart called him out on it though, stating that the application was explicitly for the Ark Encounter. Ouch. Stewart gave AIG an out, though. The department will require

“…express written assurance from Ark Encounter that it will not discriminate in any way on the basis of religion in hiring for the project.”

They also required AIG revise all job postings to comply.

Answers in Genesis hasn’t responded as yet, but they’re expected to. Like most religious fundamentalists, profit for Ken Ham comes well before principle; expect Satan leading the Noah’s Ark tour soon.

Christian-based Company Chick-Fil-A Demotes Breast Cancer Survivor After Medical Leave For Double Mastectomy (VIDEO)

Recently, a Chick-fil-A employee from Colorado has come forward with allegations that the Christian-based fast food company has not only cut her insurance, but demoted her after she went on medical leave for a double mastectomy.

Daphne Richards thought she had found the perfect company when she first began working for Chick-fil-A. Having recently gone through a divorce and faced with the task of supporting her two children, the restaurant’s values and healthcare coverage were well-aligned with her family’s needs. Richards said:

“I lived in Indiana my entire life, and I relocated for this job. I could move up the ladder, and the owner told me ‘Maybe someday, you could own your own store.” [source]

Richards began working for the Larkridge Chick-fil-A in Thornton toward the end of 2013, starting as a shift manager. Things were going well, until Richards received some devastating news in May – she was diagnosed with breast cancer in both breasts. It would take a bilateral mastectomy and a recovery period of several weeks for Richards to get back to full health and be able to work again.

At first, Chick-fil-A seemed supportive and understanding of Richards’ situation. Frederick Schaefer, the attorney for Chick-fil-A at Larkridge, said:

“Even though she didn’t qualify for continuing benefits during her work hiatus under the Family Medical Leave Act, the store continued to pay for her health insurance coverage during her medical leave.” [source]

However, the store’s attitude seemed to change last week when Richards was given permission from her doctor to return to work. Richards received the unexpected news from store owner Barrie Goettsche that she was being demoted and would not receive healthcare benefits.

“She said, ‘I no longer have a full-time management position for you, and you will no longer be receiving healthcare benefits after September. She said something about reconstructing or reconfiguring the business.” [source]

Under the demotion, Richards’ workweek would go from 40+ hours to 10-15 hours and her hourly wage would now be $10 per hour instead of $14 per hour. As Richards had done nothing wrong to deserve this demotion, she believes she is being discriminated against.

“What else could it be? I’m receiving my bills now from my surgery. They’re astronomical. I’m wondering, ‘Is this raising her premiums? Is she worried about the future surgeries?’” [source]

According to Schaefer, Goettsche was originally “concerned about the effect of a full-time workload after traumatic surgery” and had offered Richards less hours so she could recover. Schaefer also says that Richards’ demotion was influenced by her performance before the surgery. He said:

An Open Letter to My Son About Closed Minds

Dear Will,

Today you came home near tears because someone told you two gay people can't get married because it's wrong and gross. Your aunts are gay and your cousins -- whom you love with a wonderful ferocity -- are a product of their very much legal marriage (Massachusetts has had gay marriage since 2004). When someone insults your family, it hurts. You hurt right now, and I'm sorry for that.

I'm also sorry that it's not the first time, nor will it be the last.

I absolutely despise having to tell you about this ugliness at such a young age. Last year, when we stopped going to a certain area business because they were casually tossing around racial epithets, you had questions. And rightly so. That's how I ended up describing the evils of racism to a 5-year-old. And now you're faced with more ignorance and ugliness. And this time it's that much harder because it's from a friend.

I want you to know right up front, I'm proud of how you reacted. You told them (I'm using the incorrect pronoun to avoid repeatedly saying he/she and to avoid singling anyone out) gay people can get married in Massachusetts. You used your aunts as a valid example. And you told them the most important thing is that two people love each other when they get married.

Saudi Arabia declares atheists terrorists under new laws targeting citizens who 'call for secular thought in any form

Saudi Arabia has officially identified atheists as terrorists in sweeping new laws that threaten up to 20 years in prison for almost any criticism of the government or Islam.

The regulations place secular citizens who commit thought crimes in the same category as violent terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch and Saudi Hezbollah.

Under the new decree by King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia will jail for up to 20 years anyone who fights in conflicts abroad - an apparent move to deter Saudis from joining rebels in Syria.

But the law also applies to any Saudi citizen or a foreigner residing in the kingdom that 'calls for atheist thought in any form or calls into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based.'

The laws have been denounced by human rights groups for making no distinction between religious expression and violent extremism.

'Saudi authorities have never tolerated criticism of their policies, but these recent laws and regulations turn almost any critical expression or independent association into crimes of terrorism,' said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

The counter-terrorism measure have also been mocked by Al Qaeda's Yemen branch which said they would not deter the Islamist group's fighters and that they proved the kingdom was in the pay of the United States.

In an online statement, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) also said Riyadh's designation of the Muslim Brotherhood - a group whose political wings have contested elections in several countries - as a terrorist organisation proved that secular authorities would never tolerate Islamist groups.

Fischer: God ‘designed’ women to be secretaries so it’s OK to discriminate on gender

Bryan Fischer, the director of Issues Analysis for the fundamentalist American Family Association (AFA), on Wednesday defended the practice of gender discrimination, saying that God “designed” women — and not men — to be secretaries.

On his Wednesday radio program, Fischer pointed out that liberals had argued that companies could use religion to discriminate on the basis of gender or to oppose the minimum wage if Hobby Lobby was allowed to use Christianity as a shield to deny birth control to its employees.

Although the radio host admitted he had religious objections to the minimum wage, he said it preposterous to think that the Hobby Lobby case would open the door to other religious exemptions.

“Nobody is suing on those grounds!” he said. “And I’m going to tell you right now, I discriminated on the basis of gender when I was a pastor. I’m going to admit to you right now that I discriminated on the basis of gender.”

“When I went to hire a receptionist, when I went to hire a secretary, when I went to hire somebody who was going to answer the phones for a church, I wanted the most welcoming, inviting hospitable voice on our end of the line I could find,” Fischer continued. “And I said, ‘Guys, don’t bother applying. I am discriminating on the basis of gender. Your males need not apply for this position.’”

The former pastor explained that “one of the things that God has built into women, I believe, is he’s designed them to be warm, to be hospitable, to be open-hearted, to be open-handed, to have their arms open, to be welcoming, to create a welcoming, nurturing, inviting environment.”

Fischer said that there were other jobs in the church that only men could do, but the secretarial job “is going to be reserved for a woman because of the unique things that God has built into woman.”

“So, I discriminated,” he bragged. “I absolutely discriminated on the basis of gender. You want to come and sue me? Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, knock yourself out. I will be happy to admit in court that I discriminated against males. I discriminated on the basis of gender.”

And there’s reason to believe that Fischer is telling the truth.

Before landing a radio gig at AFA, he spent years as a pastor at Cole Community Church in Idaho and founded Community Church of the Valley in Arizona. To this day, neither of those churches have women in leadership roles.

Can We Please Stop Allowing Southern States to Ruin This Country?

Sometimes liberals joke that we should have just let the South secede and become their own country because we would have been much better off.  And while I know that’s not literally true (though I’m sure some will argue that it is), history tells us that in this country we’re constantly held back from progress by these Southern states which thrive on ignorance.

First we had slavery.  The southern states nearly ripped this country apart just so that they could continue to own other human beings and deny African Americans their freedom.  This country literally fought a civil war because of the South.

I always found it ironic that the states fighting to keep slavery claimed to be “defending their Constitutional rights.”  Only in an ignorant, delusional mind could you want to secede from a country (of which you claim to be an avid patriot) because that very same Constitution you claim to hold so dear doesn’t support your ignorance.

But isn’t that the argument they always use?  ”I’m standing for my Constitutional rights!”  Because, well, they believe that our Tenth Amendment somehow gives their states the right to violate the Constitution.  Which it doesn’t.

But then next up was women’s suffrage.  And while it wasn’t just Southern states which opposed it, until women were finally given the right to vote, it was illegal for women to vote in every Southern state and they strongly opposed giving women voting rights.

Then, of course, segregation.  Another little “gem” from our history that we look back on today with utter disdain that Southern states overwhelmingly supported.  Once again, our nation tried to move forward – and Southern states tried to hold us back.

Same thing goes for interracial marriage when Southern states claimed “states rights” once again, with many saying that it was against their religious beliefs to “allow the mixing of the races.”

Now days it’s the fight for gay rights and same-sex marriage that has Southern states up in arms claiming the same nonsense they have for over 150 years.  Forcing them to recognize same-sex marriage, or give homosexuals equal rights, is – you guessed it – a violation of their religious freedoms and states rights.

Enough is enough.  I’m sick and tired of these backwards, knuckle-dragging Southern states constantly holding this country back.  Every time we try to make a bold move and move this country forward, we have to battle with people who long for the days of segregation, women being barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen and a gun holster on everyone’s belt.

It’s no wonder most of these people don’t believe in evolution.  It’s been over 150 years since the civil war and somehow generation after generation of people within these Southern states remain just as ignorant today as they were back then.

When ‘Religious Liberty’ Was Used To Justify Racism Instead Of Homophobia

Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.”

– Judge Leon M. Bazile, January 6, 1959

The most remarkable thing about Arizona’s “License To Discriminate” bill is how quickly it became anathema, even among Republicans. Both 2008 GOP presidential candidate John McCain and 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney called upon Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to veto this effort to protect businesses that want to discriminate against gay people. So did Arizona’s other senator, Jeff Flake. And former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Indeed, three state senators who voted for this very bill urged Brewer to veto it before she finally did so on Wednesday, confessing that they “made a mistake” when they voted for it to become law.

The premise of the bill is that discrimination becomes acceptable so long as it is packaged inside a religious wrapper. As Arizona state Rep. Eddie Farnsworth (R) explained, lawmakers introduced it in response to instances where anti-gay business owners in other states were “punished for their religious beliefs” after they denied service to gay customers in violation of a state anti-discrimination law.

Yet, while LGBT Americans are the current target of this effort to repackage prejudice as “religious liberty,” they are hardly the first. To the contrary, as Wake Forest law Professor Michael Kent Curtis explained in a 2012 law review article, many segregationists justified racial bigotry on the very same grounds that religious conservatives now hope to justify anti-gay animus. In the words of one professor at a prominent Mississippi Baptist institution, “our Southern segregation way is the Christian way . . . . [God] was the original segregationist.”

God Of The Segregationists

Theodore Bilbo was one of Mississippi’s great demagogues. After two non-consecutive terms as governor, Bilbo won a U.S. Senate seat campaigning against “farmer murderers, corrupters of Southern womanhood, [skunks] who steal Gideon Bibles from hotel rooms” and a host of other, equally colorful foes. In a year where just 47 Mississippi voters cast a ballot for a communist candidate, Bilbo railed against a looming communist takeover of the state — and offered himself up as the solution to this red onslaught.

How Is Discrimination a Religious Freedom?

It appears that Kansas House Bill 2453 is dead. This is the bill that stated, in part, that "if it would be contrary to the sincerely held religious beliefs" of a person or a business, then that person or business may refuse to "[p]rovide any services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods, or privileges; provide counseling, adoption, foster care and other social services; or provide employment or employment benefits, related to, or related to the celebration of, any marriage, domestic partnership, civil union or similar arrangement." Last week the Kansas House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of this bill, but the State Senate is not picking it up. For the time being, the legalization of discrimination in Kansas is on hold. That is good, but the alarming part of the initial success of this bill is the fact that discrimination was viewed as a religious right by a majority of state leaders. This argument for legitimate discrimination is not confined to Kansas representatives. It is used again and again in other states to allow a baker or a photographer or a court clerk to refuse to serve a couple that they perceive as homosexual.

This raises the question: How is discriminating against me your religious freedom?

If you are a baker who believes that homosexuality is an abomination, and I want to buy a cake from you for my same-sex wedding, am I stopping you from believing what you believe? Does your Bible say, "Thou shalt not serve cakes to men who lie with men"? If it did, then I could understand that your religion forbids same-sex cake selling. If your Bible stated, "Baking for gay sinners is an abomination," then I could see how your religious beliefs would bar you from baking me a cake. But your Bible does not say any of those things. You can sell me a cake, and you can continue to believe that homosexuality is a sin. That is your right. You can sell me a cake and still go to your church and pray for the elimination of homosexuality. That is your right. And that right has not been infringed upon. No one is stopping you from believing that homosexuality is wrong just because you bake a gay wedding cake.

If you are a photographer and you take pictures at my wedding, you continue to have the right to believe that my marriage is wrong. You can continue to teach your children that being gay is a sin. You are able to go to your place of worship and preach against the evils of homosexuality. Those religious freedoms are still in place.

If you are a county clerk and your state permits same-sex couples to gain a marriage license, you can still believe that homosexuality is a terrible, awful scourge against society. That is your right.

But if you refuse to give me and my husband a marriage license -- or sell us a cake or take our photos -- then you are infringing on our right to be treated equally as United States citizens. We are not infringing on your rights. Yours are still intact. Ours are being denied.

And, for a moment, let us say that your campaign of discrimination is successful. Imagine that all people in all restaurants and bed-and-breakfasts and dry-cleaners refuse to serve gays on religious grounds. What then? What are the gay people supposed to do? We can't go shopping? We can't eat food prepared by other people? We can't use the court system? Where does it stop? Must gay people band together and move to some destination far away? Must we grow our own food, make our own clothing, serve only ourselves? Must we segregate?

Our country tried segregation once before. It didn't work out so great.

Admittedly, I am no expert on the Bible. But I feel secure in saying that those Christian fanatics who believe that discrimination is part of their religion are not reading their Bibles very carefully. Jesus taught about love and acceptance. He did not discriminate. I know that these folks believe that the Bible preaches that homosexuality is an abomination. But where does it say you must refuse services, good, privileges, etc., to gay people?

A Librarian Tried To Have A Genius Little Boy Arrested. The Cops Reacted The Same Way You Would.

Ronald McNair grew up in Lake City, S.C. He grew up to become an astronaut. He was on the Challenger mission, which tragically exploded seconds after takeoff on Jan. 28, 1986. This is the actually funny story of how he started his journey in a time of great racial strife, as told by his brother to StoryCorps. And despite the tragedy, there's a little bit of a happy ending.

The "Principle 6 Movement" Looks Like It's Winning At the Olympics

While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has refused to address Russia's anti-gay legislation, it seems it is finally ready to take a stand against discrimination, at least at future Games.

On Tuesday, the committee announced that it may revise its policy so that future Olympic bid cities have to fully comply with the Olympic Charter, which considers "any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement."

The IOC has been heavily criticized by many for turning a blind eye to the wave of protests against discriminatory legislation in Sochi. After more than a dozen LGBT protesters were arrested and beaten earlier this month, the IOC's media chief said that as far as the committee was concerned, the protesters "were quickly released" — thus absolving them of any need to intercede.

"I am glad to hear that the IOC has heard the message of the Principle 6 campaign loud and clear and I look forward to working with them to turn their comments into commitments.," said Hudson Taylor, the founder of activism network Athlete Ally. "The integrity of the Olympic games is materially affected by the laws of host countries. But I am confident that by changing their policies, the IOC will be able to remain true to their principles."

Critics have pointed to Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter, which specifically points out that discrimination of any kind is contrary to the goal of the Olympics. Now, the IOC may make it a requirement for future host cities to actually abide by that principle.

"It is not something that is specifically looked at but if there is a groundswell of opinion it could be," said IOC spokesperson Mark Adams.

As of now, belonging in the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Charter, although little has been done to really enforce it. In the lead-up to Sochi, the IOC has signaled that it values national sovereignty over making a sociopolitical statement. "The games should not be an occasion and a stage to promote rights that sports support daily," said Mario Pescante, the head of the IOC's International Relations Commissions, last month. He later added, "There are always going to be issues wherever the games are held."

Instead of engaging in a dialogue about whether Sochi is a safe environment for all attendees, or whether Russia actually embodies the Olympic spirit of inclusion and tolerance, the IOC has taken President Vladimir Putin at his word — the same man who promised that while homosexuals can "feel safe and free here," they must "leave our children in peace" and respect "our traditions and our culture."

Though little can be done about Sochi — there are only four days of competition left — the IOC's announcement signifies a move in the right direction. The IOC won't commit to anything certain for now, but it's at least promising to consider the idea that maybe Olympic host cities should not openly discriminate against people. And that's better than the PR spiel we've been getting over the past few months.

Kansas House passes bill allowing refusal of service to same-sex couples

Denying services to same-sex couples may soon become legal in Kansas.

House Bill 2453 explicitly protects religious individuals, groups and businesses that refuse services to same-sex couples, particularly those looking to tie the knot.

It passed the state's Republican-dominated House on Wednesday with a vote of 72-49, and has gone to the Senate for a vote.

Such a law may seem unnecessary in a state where same-sex marriage is banned, but some Kansas lawmakers think different.

They want to prevent religious individuals and organizations from getting sued, or otherwise punished, for not providing goods or services to gay couples -- or for not recognizing their marriages or committed relationship as valid.

This includes employees of the state.

The politics

The law claims to protect the rights of religious people, but gender rights advocates such as Equality Kansas are dismayed.

St. Patrick's Day Parade Organizers Reject Application of LGBT Group (Again)

Organizers of the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston have refused to allow the LGBT group MassEquality to participate in the 2014 parade, reports Boston.com.

MassEquality was notified their application had been rejected via an after-hours voicemail left by the parade organizers who cited the 1995 US Supreme Court decision in Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston, as the reason they are legally able to legally able to exclude LGBT groups from participating. In that ruling, the Supreme Court granted John J. Hurley – the previous organizer of the parade – the right to deny any group from participating if it presented a message that was contrary to the one the private organization wished to express.

However, the parade organizers later clarified to the Boston Globe that they do not ban LGBT people from the parade, only LGBT demonstrations.

“We don’t know who’s gay in the parade, and we don’t ban gay people. We ban gay
demonstrations, people that are sending out the wrong messages, messages that we don’t agree with,” parade organizer Philip Wuschke told the Boston Globe. “It’s not that type of parade. They have their own parade. Ours is a day of celebration, not demonstration.” Full story here via the Advocate!

Police Arrest 44 LGBT Activists in Protest at Idaho Senate Chamber

Police arrested 44 LGBT activists including former state Senator Nicole LeFavour as they demanded inclusion in the state's anti-discrimination laws, the Statesman reports:

“We are here to insist the Idaho Legislature finally add four words, 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity,' to Idaho’s Human Rights Act to prevent the suicides, beatings, loss of jobs, evictions and the fear that too many gay and transgender Idahoans live with every day," the group said in a news release. "We do this for those who live in fear and those who may despair this year if no one speaks for them."

Various figures were given throughout Monday for how many protesters were involved, but Idaho State Police said they arrested 44 people and cited each for trespassing.

The last arrest came after 11 a.m., when former state Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, was taken into custody after the Senate voted to suspend its rule that allows former members to be on the Senate floor.

Protesters wore 'Add the Words IDAHO' t-shirts and covered their mouths with their hands.

Proposed Kansas Bill Would Allow Religion-Based Discrimination Against Gays

Kansas lawmakers are considering a bill from Kansas state Rep. Charles Macheers (pictured) that would protect businesses, groups, and individuals who don't want to serve gay married couples for religious reasons, the AP reports:

The legislator pushing the bill says it's designed to protect religious freedom, and Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is receptive to the idea, though he hasn't yet studied the proposal enough to offer a formal endorsement.

However, critics say the measure promotes discrimination against gays and lesbians, and is so broadly written that it could apply to any couple, gay or straight, with a less-than-traditional union.

The Kansas House's Federal and State Affairs Committee scheduled a hearing for Tuesday morning on the measure. It's not clear how quickly the committee might act on it.

Said Brownback: "I think it's something we that need to protect, our people's religious liberties and religious rights."

According to the ACLU the bill's interpretation could be broad:

Companies offering benefits to legally married gay couples or domestic partners could have their policies blocked by individual employees. She said businesses could make decisions about benefits for straight couples based on whether an owner doesn't think a marriage is traditional enough.

Another Methodist Clergyman Will Be Going To Trial For Officiating Son's Same-Sex Wedding

Following the recent defrocking of Reverend Frank Schaefer and demands for reconsideration of church doctrine by some leaders, the United Methodist Church has charged yet another member of its clergy, Reverend Thomas Ogletree, for officiating at his own son's same-sex wedding. The act violates church law, which does not approve of same-sex marriage. Ogletree, a retired member of the church's New York district and former Dean of Yale's Divinity School, was informed of the charge via mail last week. He refused, like Schaefer before him, to promise never to officiate at a same-sex wedding again, and as such his trial, which will take place on March 10th, is moving forward. 

 

The Associated Press reports:

"It is a shame that the church is choosing to prosecute me for this act of love, which is entirely in keeping with my ordination vows to 'seek peace, justice, and freedom for all people' and with Methodism's historic commitment to inclusive ministry embodied in its slogan 'open hearts, open minds, open doors,'" Ogletree said in a statement...

Bishop Martin McLee, who leads the New York Annual Conference, asked for prayers for all involved and noted church procedures allow for a negotiated settlement even after a trial starts. "It is my hope and prayer that a just resolution can be arrived at and a trial can be avoided," McLee said in a statement.

The Rev. Randall Paige of Christ Church UMC in Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., who led the clergy who filed the complaint, said, "we take no joy" in the charges against Ogletree.

Unlike other congregations, like the Evangelical Lutheran and Episcopal churches, the United Methodist Church has continually refused to alter church law regarding same-sex marriages. In the face of rapidly changing marriage laws throughout the United States, the church may need to rule on its own doctrine sooner rather than later.

Florida Supermarket Publix Fined $100K For Firing Gay Employee

The Miami New Times had been receiving multiple complaints over alleged anti-gay attitudes and unofficial policies of supermarket chain Publix, but those complaints received a boost in credibility after the Broward County Human Rights Board found one store guilty of discrimination against a gay former employee and ordered the store to pay him $98,408.

The story begins in February 2010 when a separate employee was fired for stealing gift cards and money. During an interview with a loss prevention specialist, the employee began alleging wrongdoing on the parts of other employees, one of whom was Richard Glisson who had been a cake decorator for the chain for ten years. He claimed that Glisson had given him a red velvet cake bar, which was in violation of store policy.

When asked about this, Glisson admitted to giving the employee the cake, but pointed out that it was a kind the store no longer sold and thus were unable to sell and also brought up that it was store policy for employees to sample wares to become more familiar with their products and better assist customers.

Publix fired Glisson for his transgression. However, other employees who admitted to similar violations during the investigation were merely given warnings. Glisson brought his complaint to the Broward County Human Rights Board and in 2012 they ruled in his favor, stating:

Though [District Manager David] Thoman testified that his sole reason for terminating Mr. Glisson was for his 'admissions of theft,' when compared to the discipline given to the comparators, the near verbatim wording of Mr. Glisson's Associate Statement, on which Mr. Thomas claims he based his decision to terminate, we are left with only one logical conclusion: that the real motivating factor behind Mr. Glisson's termination was impermissible discrimination based upon his sexual orientation.

Publix is appealing the decision.

Trans Woman Dares Bible-Quoting Councilman to Stone Her to Death

A City Council member in Shreveport, La., has abandoned his effort to repeal an LGBT-inclusive anti-discrimination ordinance, following outcry from the public, including a transgender woman who dared him to stone her to death.

The council passed the ordinance in December by a vote of 6-1, following a successful campaign by a pro-LGBT coaltion known as Be Fair Shreveport. The ordinance, which bans discrimination in housing and employment within city limits on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, received its lone "no" vote from Councilman Ron Webb. During the council's debate last December, Webb voiced his opposition, saying, "The Bible tells you homosexuals are an abomination," adding that he does not socialize with LGBT people, according to TV station KSLA.

Ten days after the council approved the ordinance, Webb drafted a proposal designed to repeal the nondiscrimination policy. On Tuesday, dozens of people registered to testify at the City Council meeting, ready to speak out against Webb's measure, report Lone Star Q.

FRC logic: Nondiscrimination incident in state w/out marriage equality proves marriage equality's consequences

This comes from the Family Research Council's press release on this week's historic court decision in Oklahoma, quote attributed to president Tony Perkins: 

Of course Colorado doesn't have civil marriage equality (or hasn't "redefined marriage," as Tony would put it). The cake was for the non-legally-binding party of a couple who had legally married in Massachusetts prior to entering this cake shop. The issue in that matter has nothing to do with any sort of local policy change on marriage, court-enforced or otherwise, and everything to do with local nondiscrimination law. It doesn't matter if Colorado is months, years, or centuries away from getting marriage equality, or if the cake in question is for some other tangential party (anniversary, shower, etc.) related (or not) to their love—the nondiscrimination law prevents the sort of discrimination that the cake baker showed to the same-sex couple because it was based on WHO THEY ARE as customers (i.e. gay). 

Lesbian Teacher At Catholic School That Fired Vice Principal For Gay Marriage Gets Engaged

Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish, Washington has been in the news — a lot — after firing beloved Vice Principal Mark Zmuda last month for getting married to a man. Students walked out of the school en masse and have been protesting, writing letters, organizing, and holding meetings.

It’s gotten so bad since Zmuda was dismissed that the school board chairman just resigned, claiming he needed a break. School president Sister Mary Tracy claims Gene Colin’s resignation has nothing to do with Zmuda’s firing, or the atmosphere since.

Yeah, right.

Sister Mary Tracy is about to face yet another challenge. Eastside Catholic High School’s drama coach, Stephanie Merrow, just got engaged, to a woman. Today, she will wear her engagement ring to school.

“Either I’ll be fired or the students will say, ‘right on,’” Merrow told local radio station KIRO-FM, according to KING 5 News.

“It doesn’t matter if I get fired, I want (students) to know that I think what they did was incredible and if anything changes, it’s going to be because of this next generation,” Merrow added.

She also spoke about the firing of Vice Principal Zmuda.