WA & MN Bishops: Fighting A Losing Battle?

Despite the fact that the bishops of Washington State have recently issued apastoral letter against Referendum 74 which would legalize marriage equality in that state, polls are indicating that voters are not heeding that message.

According to a Seattle Post-Intelligencer blog:

“Referendum 74, legalizing marriage equality, is leading 56-38 percent in the latest SurveyUSA poll of Washington voters for King-5 News, after being up by a narrower 50-43 percent margin six weeks ago.”

The polling is not as optimistic in Minnesota, which has a constitutional amendment to ban same-gender marriage on the ballot:

“. . .results of a new Public Policy Polling survey show a dead heat: 48 percent support, and 47 percent oppose a state constitutional amendment that would define “marriage” as exclusively between a man and a woman.”

The blog post cites Archbishop John Nienstedt of the Archdiocese of St. Paul as the strongest opponent of marriage equality in Minnesota. Catholic institutions have donated $1 million to the campaign to defeat marriage equality.

As we’ve reported before, Nienstedt has forbidden the priests of his archdiocese to publicly express any dissent on this matter. But that has not seemed to stop some priests from staging a passive protest against the archbishop’s campaign. When Nienstedt issued a letter against marriage equality this month, 17 parishes, including the Basilica of St. Mary, refused to read the letter at Mass.

Read the rest here.

Minnesota Priest Donates $1,000 to Support Marriage Equality (newwaysministryblog.wordpress.com)
Minneapolis Archbisop Urges Catholics to Ban Marriage Equality (advocate.com)
Gay marriage: Leads here, tied in Minnesota – polls (seattlepi.com)
POLL: 56 Percent Support Marriage Equality In Washington (thinkprogress.org)
Marriage Equality Polling Very Well in Washington State: VIDEO (towleroad.com)

Quote Of The Day: Stonekettle Station

Sep16 by D Gregory Smith

Part of a response to Rick Santorum’s Value Voters speech– in itself a study of mental Novocain:

…Rush is also the guy who recently said that Batman: The Dark Knight Rises was an attack on Mitt Romney.

I’ll pause for a minute so you can take that in.

Batman was an attack on Mitt Romney.

See in the movie, the bad guy is named Bane.

Get it?

No?

What, are you people idiots?

Look, it’s simple: Bane = bad guy. And Bane sounds like Bain. Bain. See? Bain Capital, Mitt Romney’s company. Ah HA! So therefore obviously Obama is a communist Kenyan who eats little aborted white babies while scheming to turn America into a Liberal socialist vegetarian gay bath-house under Sharia Law.

Also, there might be Nazis.

I’m a little hazy on the part where billionaire industrialist Bruce Wayne, head of Wayne Enterprises, is a filthy liberal socialist. It’s probably because Batman likes cats (and women) and doesn’t pack a gun. But I digress.

Meanwhile, just two days after appearing on stage with Mitt Romney, God’s favorite Christian, Pat Robertson, told a man to move to Saudi Arabia so he could beat his wife legally. …

Please, do yourself a favor read the whole thing here- it’s an amazing example of the schooling of fear-based logic gymnastics, contortionistic ridiculousness and crazy.

I love this guy.

Rehberg’s Anti-LGBT Record

Sep14 by D Gregory Smith

…is spelled out by ThinkProgress:

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT)

In June, Montana Republicans nominated Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT) to challenge incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (D). Unlike Tester, a fairly reliable supporter of LGBT equality, Rehberg has opposed the LGBT community at every opportunity.

Over his time as Lt. Governor of Montana, his unsuccessful 1996 Senate campaign, his 12 years in the House of Representatives, and this Senate campaign:

1. Rehberg proudly pranked a fellow Congressman with a gay-mocking “Idaho Travel Package.” In 2008, after Idaho’s Sen. Larry Craig (R) plead guilty to lewd conduct involving a male police officer in a Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport restroom, Rehberg decided to leave a care-package for Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID). On a congressional trip to the Middle East, Rehberg reportedlyleft “a stuffed sheep with gloves attached to it, a Village People CD, books on cross-dressing and sign language and a T-shirt that reads, ‘My senator may not be gay, but my governor is Butch.’” The governor of Idaho’s name is C.L. “Butch” Otter. A spokesman claimed “no offense was intended,” Rehberg boasted that he was proud of the travel package and “spent a bit of time putting the things together.”

2. Rehberg has consistently fought against marriage equality and even domestic partnership benefits for same-sex couples. In his Senate campaign kickoff, he told supporters: “I will never, ever, ever be ashamed to stand for the life of the unborn child and the sanctity of traditional marriage.” He has indeed shown no shame, voting twice for a federal constitutional amendment requiring “marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman.” He also voted for a 2011 amendment reaffirming the unconstitutionalDefense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 2007 amendment restricting the District of Columbia government from using any federal funding to provide domestic partnership benefits, and a 2004 bill of questionable constitutionality to strip federal courts of the right to review whether DOMA is unconstitutional. In May, he reiterated his support also for his state’s same-sex marriage ban, saying “Montana’s state constitution says ‘Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state,’ and I agree.”

3. Rehberg railed against hate crimes protections for LGBT Americans, calling them “extremist.”….

There’s much more. AND a video.

If you’ve needed some clearly spelled out reasons to deny this man the Senate seat the Tea Party is so desperately seeking to claim, click the link below.

Rehberg’s anti-LGBT Record.

Better Know An Anti-LGBT Senate Candidate: Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT) (thinkprogress.org)
Rehberg criticizes GOP leadership over farm bill (billingsgazette.com)
Rehberg vs. Tester: Montana Senate race hinges on undecided voters (missoulian.com)
About 1 in 7 Rehberg donors not disclosing occupation in fundraising reports (billingsgazette.com)

Playing “Chicken” In Billings

Sep13 by D Gregory Smith

Jessica Mayrer wrote an article in today’s Missoula Independent about last week’s chicken stand-off in Billings. Money quote:‎

“We have got to ratchet back emotion,” Laszloffy says.

Montana Human Rights Network gay rights activist Jamee Greer agrees that violence is never appropriate. However, he finds it ironic that Laszloffy, a man who has consistently branded gays as perverts, sinners and criminals, now wants to tone down the rhetoric. “He’s made his living off of demonizing, scapegoating and harassing LGBT community members,” Greer says. (emphasis mine)

Laszloffy has repeatedly ratcheted up the rhetoric at strategic points along his career- including making veiled threats to one Jamee Greer. See a few of them here.

Now he wants to ratchet back emotion? After stoking the fires of emotion against fellow citizens for years? Now he’s nervous?

Asshat.

Oh, and if anybody knows the identity of the ‘local caterer’ that provided the hate nuggets- I’d love to know, too. And probably so would a lot of people. I’m surprised it wasn’t pursued in the article.

That kind of masked stuff is so 1870’s….

Greer Among Young NW LGBTQ Leaders Invited to The White House (dgsmith.org)
Chick-fil-A Brings Hate To Montana (For A Day) (bilerico.com)
Fairness For ALL Families- Full Details! (dgsmith.org)

Newest Ad For WA Marriage Equality

Sep12 by D Gregory Smith

Judy Martz: War On Women “Made Up”

Sep12 by D Gregory Smith

Just when you thought it was safe to, well, do anything- Judy Martz starts doing what she does best: muddying the waters of Montana politics. And guess who’s helping her?

From Montana Cowgirl Blog:

The GOP’s War on Women is “something fictitious and made up,” former Governor Judy Martz told a group of Havre Republicans yesterday. The Havre Daily News has the story on the latest ludicrous statement from the former Republican governor.

Martz is infamous for diminishing the dangers of domestic violence and belittling the women who are its victims. In a January, 2001 speech to an audience of 650 people in Butte, Martz said:

“My husband has never battered me, but then again, I’ve never given him a reason to.”

Besides Martz, the dream team that Republicans assembed to convince us that there is no War on Women included: TEA Party legislators Rep. Wendy Warburton and Kris Hansen of Havre, candidate for state school superintendent Sandy Welch, and Ronalee Skees. Ronalee is the wife of TEA Party poster boy Rep. Derek Skees, who is running for state auditor.

I can’t think of a worse group of women to make the claim that women’s rights aren’t under attack. These GOPers exemplify the efforts to restrict women’s rights. Each has either introduced anti-women legislation or championed the War on Women through work with right-wing causes.

Definitely do not miss reading this entire article. The Martz quotes alone are mind-bogglingly stupid. There’s even a reference to something Martz calls “meanness ears.”

But Martz’s loony, oddly-worded statements are only the beginning. Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Sandy Welch, who is a transplant from California, told the Havre Republicans of her belief that there is no glass ceiling. Rather, says Welch, women just “weren’t going into positions that would advance them to leadership” by choice. Even Welch’s idol Sarah Palin talked about the importance of breaking the glass ceiling. Perhaps Welch doesn’t read the paper.

And let’s not forget Wendy Warburton’s explanation for the lack of GOP women candidates. Warburton said a couple of years back, “the biggest reason that more women who are Republicans don’t get into politics is because we are the pro-family party” and are home raising kids like the women of the pro-family party should be.

Read the whole article here.

Fox out-raises Bucy in latest period in AG race (billingsgazette.com)
Reality Check: RNC Pulling Out All Stops To Keep Ron Paul’s Name Out Of Nomination (dailypaul.com)
Governors groups to step up activities (billingsgazette.com)

Bozeman Gay/Bi Men’s Group Starts October 9

Sep11 by D Gregory Smith

We’re starting registration for our Fall Group! This is an amazing opportunity for personal and community growth, and we’d love to have any Gay/bi men from the Bozeman area call to talk with Laura about the particulars. Info below:

8-Week Gay/Bi Men’s Process Group

This group begins October 9, 2012
Tuesday evenings, 6:30-8 pm, in Bozeman, MT

Laura Bailey, MS LCPC, and
D Gregory Smith, MA, LMHCA, SMS
FacilitatorsThis 8-week group will explore
Dating ~ Relationships ~ Being Out ~ Mental Health
Community ~ Substance Use ~ Being Healthy
~Whatever You Need To Talk About!
~FREE, SAFE AND CONFIDENTIAL~PARTICIPATION IS LIMITED TO 8 MEMBERS.
If you would like to participate,
please contact Laura Bailey
406-539-8890

Greer Among Young NW LGBTQ Leaders Invited to The White House (dgsmith.org)
Help Inlaws & Outlaws Make It To Public TV! (dgsmith.org)

Participate! Study about LGB persons In the Workplace

Sep11 by D Gregory Smith

Received today:

My name is Paul Battle, I am a doctoral student at Oakland University working on my dissertation. I am currently compiling research on the work experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals. I hope that learning more about the work experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals will help improve work experiences and counseling education.

Participants should be over the age of 18 and currently be employed. To participate in the study please click on this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Workplaceidentity