Is society really as accepting as it claims?

[Lyle (Mooska)]

In the Sunday Republican debate Rick Santorum was asked what he would do
if one of his sons came to him and told him he was gay. 

Previously Santorum said that he did not agree with the gay community on a number of issues, including marriage and adoption rights. He said he would not compromise his beliefs on the subject, while at the same time he insisted that he would remain respectful of people who do not share his views.

“Just because you don’t agree with someone’s desire to change the law doesn’t mean you don’t like them or you hate them or you want to discriminate against them,” he said.

Debate moderator Andy Hiller then asked Santorum what he would do if his son came to him and told him he was gay.

“I would love him as much as I did the second before he said it,” Santorum said, “and I would try to do everything I can to be as good a father to him as possible.”

As someone who is gay I marvel that people like Santorum don't think that his "gay" son would want to
marry someone or adopt a child or serve in the military (Santorum opposed DADT repeal).  I would not
feel very loved by a father who felt I was unworthy of any of those things, would you?  I guess the key
in Santorum's reply is that he would love his son "as much as he did the second before he said it."  I would
suspect by the time a son of Rick Santorum's told his father he was gay that Rick wasn't feeling the love
that much to begin with.

[gattaca]

Debate moderator Andy Hiller then asked Santorum what he would do if his son came to him and told him he was gay.

“I would love him as much as I did the second before he said it,” Santorum said, “and I would try to do everything I can to be as good a father to him as possible.”

As someone who is gay I marvel that people like Santorum don't think that his "gay" son would want to marry someone or adopt a child or serve in the military (Santorum opposed DADT repeal).  I would not feel very loved by a father who felt I was unworthy of any of those things, would you?  I guess the key  in Santorum's reply is that he would love his son "as much as he did the second before he said it."  I would suspect by the time a son of Rick Santorum's told his father he was gay that Rick wasn't feeling the love that much to begin with.

Nice.  Well Said.  Santorum supplied the standard, well-rehershed, hypocritical republican response.     

I'd respect him and I'd love him.. but not enough to ensure he is treated fairly an equally in the eyes of the law. 

What's the quote from King "the law can not change the heart but it can restrain the heartless" aptly said more than 30 years ago.

Mitt would have an even harder time straddling that one with his devout Mormonism and his financial support of the Morman Church's (they are not alone) unrelenting assault on the rights of gays, their funding of anti-gay groups and along with Utah having the highest teenage suicide rate in the US...  all well and good I suppose, then we don't have to deal with "them..."  Vincent

Vincent

[fritzkep]

A boy in a small town, forced out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR5M3VEqfP8&feature=related

Very wise. And strong. He's probably more of a man than any of his disappointed friends.

[canmark]

Similar to the It Gets Better campaign, You Can Play focuses on 'gay athletes and straight alliances.' Their debut video, featuring several NHL players, is scheduled to air today on NBC's televised Boston Bruins-New York Rangers game and features several NHL players showing their support for LGBT people in sports.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXoTRTAw6Dc

http://www.youcanplayproject.org/

NY Times: http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/taking-a-stand-to-change-locker-room-culture/

Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/post/nhl-stars-will-promote-you-can-play-movement/2012/03/04/gIQAg67VqR_blog.html

[fritzkep]

There was a great interview on The Diane Rehm Show on WAMU this morning with the author of a book on the Lawrence v Texas Supreme Court decision.

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-03-15/dale-carpenter-flagrant-conduct-story-lawrence-v-texas

[canmark]

Ottawa Citizen: A gay jock takes off the mask
 How one young Ottawa man is fighting homophobia in the locker-room

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/jock+takes+mask/6314056/story.html

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke and his son, Patrick, a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers, have just launched the You Can Play Project to tackle the “casual homophobia” of professional hockey, where there is still no openly gay athlete. The initiative is in honour of Brendan Burke, their son and brother, who came out shortly before he was killed in a car accident in 2010.

Public-service announcements, with 36 NHL players so far signing on, deliver a simple, powerful message that an athlete’s sexual orientation does not matter. “If you can play, you can play” is a seven-word mantra taken from a piece written by Brendan.

The campaign is a small sign of change in the elite level of sport. One day this attitude may trickle down to places like the locker-rooms of the Lanark-Carleton Minor Hockey League, where Scott Heggart risked ostracization and ridicule to do what few athletes before him, professional or amateur, dared to.

His truth telling didn’t play out as he’d expected.

[jack]

i heart brian and patrick burke.  they are changing the game.  brendan would be so proud.

[lislis]

http://www.queerty.com/jimmy-carter-supports-gay-marriage-jesus-never-said-gay-people-should-be-condemned-20120320/

Carter has also signed on to the inclusion of marriage-equality language in the 2012 Democratic National Platform

[janjo]

That is so nice to see. The churches, in many cases, seem to be tying themselves into knots over the issue of homosexuality and gay marriages, yet there seems to be hardly any scriptural basis for it. It is much more just a question of tradition and in some cases prejudice.
Good on Jimmy Carter.

[Marge_Innavera]

I've seen it argued, at this forum and elsewhere that civil unions are the answer because religious fanatics would 'burn down their churches' rather than recognize same-sex marriages should marriage equality ever became a reality.   This ruling suggests that civil unions can be used as a weapon against same-sex couples.  Bolding added.


Gay marriage is not a 'human right': European ruling torpedoes Coalition stance


"Same-sex marriages are not a human right, European judges have ruled.

"Their decision shreds the claim by ministers that gay marriage is a universal human right and that same-sex couples have a right to marry because their mutual commitment is just as strong as that of husbands and wives.

"The ruling was made by judges of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg following a case involving a lesbian couple in a civil partnership who complained the French courts would not allow them to adopt a child as a couple.

~     ~     ~     ~

"The ruling comes just days after the Government published a consultation paper which promised marriage to same-sex couples and made clear that Britain is only catching up with other countries.

"Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone said: ‘Put simply, it’s not right that a couple who love each other and want to formalise a commitment to each other should be denied the right to marry.’

"However, the Strasbourg judges ruled that because the French couple were civil partners, they did not have the rights of married people, who in France have the sole right to adopt a child as a couple."


rest of the story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2117920/Gay-marriage-human-right-European-ruling-torpedoes-Coalition-stance.html#ixzz1plfH7YS7

(cross posted at Hot Topics)

[donna]

Here is an interesting short film about a gay single parent.

Y'all might enjoy it 

Sunshine: Single Dads

[Lyle (Mooska)]

As some segments of society become more accepting, there is an
alternate and corresponding reaction:

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups and anti-government organizations in America, reports that anti-LGBT groups grew from 17 in 2010 to 27 in 2011.

http://www.splcenter.org/report/

[desertrat]

This is a wonderful idea I recently got aware of: http://www.outtodinner.org/

Something every body - gay or straight - could do and it could have a great impact and make a change. 

[killersmom]

What a great idea, Martina.

[fritzkep]

Really! A wonderful idea indeed!

Especially in areas such as the Midwest and South, where homophobia can be highest. At least straight people agreeing to eat together with gay people would imply at least a willingness to see the other point of view.