ACLU Presents Montana Supreme Court Appeal Friday For Same-Sex Domestic Partnerships

by D Gregory Smith

The American Civil Liberties Union will appear before the Montana Supreme Court Friday for oral arguments on behalf of six committed same-sex couples seeking domestic partnership recognition.

The case, Donaldson and Guggenheim v. State of Montana, was filed in July 2010 and seeks protection for same-sex Montana couples and their families under the Montana Constitution’s rights of privacy, dignity and equal protection under the law. The goal of the lawsuit is to ensure that same-sex couples have access to the legal protections and obligations they need to take care of each other and their families.

In 2011, District Court Judge Jeffrey Sherlock dismissed the case. Friday’s oral arguments are part of the appeal of that decision.

WHAT:       Oral arguments in the appeal of Donaldson and Guggenheim v. State of Montana.

WHO:          Arguments will be heard by the Montana Supreme Court.

Plaintiffs available for comment will be Jan Donaldson and Mary Anne Guggenheim, Mike Long and Rich Parker, Rick Wagner and Gary Stallings, Denise Boettcher and Kellie Gibson, and Stacey Haugland and Mary Leslie.

Cooperating Attorney James Goetz, ACLU and ACLU of Montana attorneys will be available for comment.

WHEN:        Friday, April 13, 2012
9:30 a.m. MST

WHERE:     University Theater
University of Montana
Missoula, Montana

More information is available at www.aclumontana.org and www.fairisfairmontana.org.

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America’s Most-infested STD States

by D Gregory Smith

From Men’s health comes this story about gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis- HIV is mysteriously absent- and some cool graphics:

In celebration of STD Awareness Month, we gathered data from the 2010 Center for Disease Control’s annual report to give you the breakdown on which states have the highest STD rates, and incorporated some need-to-know info about each of the leading culprits that are spreading across the U.S.

Today’s free PDF: The Great Men’s Health Sex Survey

Gonorrhea

What to Look Out For: Gonorrhea often shows up within 10 days of infection, but typically there are no symptoms early on. Given time, though, it’ll raise it’s ugly head—discharge from the penis (and vagina for women), frequent urination, and discomfort during urination. As a bonus, it can also lead to epididymitis in men, which can cause infertility.

How it spreads: Gonorrhea is caused by bacteria and is transmitted through semen and vaginal secretions during intercourse. According to the CDC, it’s the second-most reported infectious disease with nearly 356,000 infections in 2007, but it’s estimated that about twice as many new cases actually occur but are undiagnosed and unreported.

Treatable? Yes, with antibiotics. [But something to keep in mind: Researchers recently discovered a new strain of gonorrhea, H014, that can’t be killed with current antibiotics. So playing it on the safe side makes even more sense.]

Excellent information, nonetheless. For Chlamydia and Syphilis info, Click Here.

A Catholic’s Easter Lament: Dogmatic Tone-deaf (Seattle) Bishops

by D Gregory Smith

Joel Connelly, who has written about the official church’s anti-gay craziness before, now addresses the move by Seattle’s Catholic bishops to use churches as places to gather signatures for Referendum 74, which seeks to rollback marriage equality in the state of Washington. Excerpt:

A painful truism of this Holy Week, Christianity’s most important days of the year:  Moral leadership in America’s Catholic Church is starting to flow from lay persons in pews and priests who deal with human problems, not prelates on thrones wearing white, red and purple hats.

Just look around to events from Rome to Berlin, and from Worcester, Mass., to Seattle.

In the Archdiocese of Seattle, our bishops issued a letter saying parishes will become signature-gathering centers for Referendum 74, a ballot measure designed to roll back same-sex marriage.  But the state’s marriage equality law was sponsored by a Catholic state senator and signed into law by a Catholic governor.

Archbishop Sartain and Bishop Elizondo talk about treating all persons with “respect, sensitivity and love,” but then urge support for a campaign put together by the National Organization for Marriage — an outfit that wants to “drive a wedge” between blacks and gays, “sideswipe” President Obama and make opposition to marriage equality “an identity marker” for young Latinos.

Connelly correctly identifies the root of all moral teaching: experience. The authentic experience of human beings who want nothing more than to live authentic lives is the only thing behind marriage equality and relationship recognition. The only thing. Most people care little for the dogma behind the teaching- especially, as in the case of thoughtful Christians, it doesn’t match their experience.

A key lesson:  Moral authority is earned.  It is not  simply acquired when a bishop/cardinal/Pope is installed.   The American (and Irish, and Dutch, and Belgian , etc.) hierarchy has forfeited a lot of that authority through its handling of the priest sex-abuse scandal. The despair is mitigated by the good works and wise words from  those in the pews. As Pope Benedict XVI used a Holy Thursday sermon to tell priests to obey orders, Medina, Wash., lay Catholic Melinda Gates was speaking from conscience about contraception at a conference in Berlin.

Contraceptives are not a code for abortion, she said, nor an invitation to promiscuous sex.  “We are talking about giving women the power to save their own lives and their children’s lives — and to give their families the best possible future,” said Gates, talking of the need for birth control in the developing world. Gates discussed the instruction in faith she received from sisters in a Catholic high school:  “In the tradition of great Catholic scholars, the nuns also taught us to question received teachings.  One of the teachings most of my classmates and I questioned was the one saying birth control was a sin.”

She didn’t question lessons on service, and giving back, and social justice, worthy grounding for the future co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Read it all here, and then forward it to everyone you know.

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Montana Pride 2012 Early Bird Tickets Now Available!

by D Gregory Smith

Did you have trouble getting into Montana Pride events last summer? Well, you won’t this year.

Promise.

From Montana Pride’s website:

WE HEARD YOU!
2012 Montana Pride is looking to answer and address all the feedback
—GOOD AND BAD— that we received from our 2011 Pride Questionnaires…

This year, we’ve chosen BIGGER venues to accomodate our growing community, we’ve scheduled TWO NIGHTS of fabulous drag-talent, extended our VIP options across the whole weekend, and focused our WORKSHOPS and PRESENTATIONS to be more effective. We hope you’ll plan ahead, book early, and get your seats!

There will be youth activities/events, childcare and more family-friendly events and spaces; nationally recognized speakers and performers; and a parade that finishes with a rally on the front lawn of The Bozeman Public Library!

To get your weekend passes (at a discount) GO HERE!

I’m on the planning committee and trust me, this year is going to be epic.

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Marijuana- An Infographic

by D Gregory Smith

I’m not a marijuana user- I’m allergic. But I found this interesting:

Going Green
Created by: Online Paralegal Programs

“Day of Dialogue” From Focus On The Family is Sacred Discrimination

by D Gregory Smith

By Kathy Baldock

I have a hair-trigger sensitivity for the protection of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (glbt) youth.  Even if an action is wrapped in heart-themed paper and tied with a Jesus-loves-you ribbon, when there is something rotten inside, I can smell it. There is something very rotten at the core of the Day of Dialogue event sponsored by the conservative Christian ministry Focus on the Family.

I raised my family on Biblical principles I learned from Dr. James Dobson at Focus; we rarely missed the radio-drama “Adventures in Oddessy.” I was a regular listener and donor.  And now, I do not trust Focus on the Family.  There, I said it.  I do not trust them. Their Day of Dialogue event is thinly disguised sacred discrimination of gay and transgender youth.

Day of Dialogue, scheduled for April 19, 2012, “encourage(s) student-initiated conversations about the fact that God cares about our lives, our relationships and our sexuality.”  I think it would be more honest to call it the “Seventh Annual Tell the Gay Kids They Need to Change for God to Love Them Day.”

Focus on the Family has a miserable record in successful and productive engagement with the glbt community.  They actively warn against the inclusion of protection for gender identity and sexual orientation for children.  In “Parents Beware” , published in CitizenLink (an affiliate of Focus on the Family), Day of Dialogue coordinator Candace Cushman warns of “red flags to watch for” in schools, such as;

  • School partnerships with outside advocacy groups that have names like “Safe Schools Alliance” or “Welcoming Schools.”
  • “Anti-bullying” polices that list special protections for “sexual orientation” or “gender identity.”

Currently, under federal law, religion, sex, country of origin, race and disabilities are protected classes; sexual orientation and gender identity are not.  The Safe Schools Information Act, Student Non-Discrimination Act and Elementary and Secondary Education Act renewal, which all include gender identity and sexual orientation designations, are scheduled to be voted on in the next Congress. Focus on the Family advises followers to not support their inclusion in these legislations.

In the “Guiding Principles” for Day of Dialogue, there is an anti-bullying statement, yet Focus  does not recognize the right for the 
protection of children under the classifications of gender identity and sexual orientation. (Be sure to watch “Bully” when it comes to your city and then consider “Why wouldn’t every Christian ministry actively support the federal protection of gay and transgender children?”)

If this program were really focused on the message of God’s care and love for fellow students, why does it directly precede the Day of Silence? (Historically, it has been immediately following Day of Silence.)  Day of Silence, sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN), began in 1996 to bring attention to anti-GLBT name calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Students and schools are encouraged to share the problem of anti-GLBT behaviors. Focus on the Family views the efforts of GLSEN as “promoting homosexuality to our kids.”  Day of Dialogue is unmistakably a reaction to Day of Silence; to promote it as anything less is to be quite disingenuous.

Read the rest here.

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HHS and U.S. Dept. of Education Launch New Stop Bullying Website

by D Gregory Smith

It’s here.

And it’s pretty cool- just in time for “Bully”

Enhanced site has new resources for children, parents, educators, and communities to take action to prevent and respond to bullying.

Stutz: Daines Fundraising Is Politics-As Usual

by D Gregory Smith

Rob Stutz, Democratic candidate for United States Congress, announced today that Steve Daines, whose fundraising tactics were highlighted this week on the national radio program This American Life, represents politics-as-usual, not the best interests of the people of Montana. Daines, the presumptive Republican nominee in Montana’s US House race, has held numerous fundraising events in Washington DC requesting donations of $500, $1,000, and even $2,500 from PACs (political action committees) for special interest groups. Two of these events, one of which was featured in the radio program, were held in March 2012.

“Montanans want a new approach in Congress,” Stutz said. “We are looking for a Representative who will stand up to special interest groups, not a Representative who wants $2,500 to wine, dine, and rub elbows with special interest groups on Capitol Hill.”

Stutz does not accept any campaign money from special interest PACs and does not sign any pledges for special interest groups. The Stutz for Congress campaign posted a graph on www.RobStutz.com showing that Stutz has accepted $0 of special interest money and that Daines has accepted over $100,000 of special interest money through 2011. Fundraising reports for the first quarter of 2012 must be filed by April 15.

“I put people first in my campaign.” Stutz said that “Montanans want a Representative who walks the walk when it comes to working for people rather than for special interest groups. Abraham Lincoln said it best — government should be ‘of the people, by the people, for the people.'”

“While disappointing that Mr. Daines wants DC lobbyists to support his race, it is not surprising. Since announcing, Daines’ strategy has been to try and buy the US House seat.” Montana Democrats are pushing back against special interests — Stutz does not take special interest money or sign special interest pledges, Senator Tester has proposed a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision, and Attorney General Bullock has fought in court to uphold Montana’s law limiting special interest spending.

Stutz said, “If you are tired of the influence of special interests on Congress, support my campaign and send a message that enough is enough. Working together, we the people of Montana can get Congress back on track and working for us.” Stutz emphasizes that people of any financial means can and should have a voice in politics. Stutz for Congress provides a page on www.RobStutz.com that suggests free and low-cost grassroots ideas for anyone who wants to get involved in the race.

This American Life radio program (Daines discussed at 5:00) — http://podcast.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/461.mp3

Stutz for Congress graph comparing PAC money receipts by Stutz and Daines through December 31, 2011 — http://robstutz.com/images/uploaded/PAC%20Money%20%28small%29.png

Stutz for Congress page providing free and low-cost ways to participate in the race — http://robstutz.com/pages/137/free_and_low_cost_ideas

Daines’ invitation for a March 22, 2012, fundraiser at the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America Townhouse in Washington DC requesting $2,500 PAC money from hosts — http://politicalpartytime.org/party/30175/#invite

Daines’ invitation for a March 21, 2012, fundraiser at R.B. Murphy and Associates in Washington DC requesting $2,500 PAC money from hosts — http://politicalpartytime.org/party/30188/#invite

Daines’ invitation for a December 8, 2011, fundraiser at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington DC requesting $1,000 PAC money from attendees — http://politicalpartytime.org/party/29809/#invite

Daines’ invitation for a June 21, 2011, fundraiser with Denny Rehberg at Eastgate in Washington DC requesting $1,000 per PAC — http://politicalpartytime.org/party/26972/#invite

Daines’ invitation for a March 2, 2011, fundraiser at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington DC requesting $1,000 per PAC — http://politicalpartytime.org/party/25352/#invite

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Gallatin County Democrats Fundraiser Raises Some Great Questions

by D Gregory Smith

Sunday night I attended the Gallatin County Democrats Grand Opening Fundraiser at their new headquarters on Mendenhall in Bozeman. It was a great potluck- and crowded- which bodes well for the future of Democratic candidates in Bozeman this year.

Each candidate was allowed some time to speak. Pam Bucy and Monica Lindeen– both of whom I strongly support- shared energy, enthusiasm and common sense. They both need to be elected, in my very humble opinion.

I came to hear the Congressional candidates. I needed to see them and hear them in person. Their speeches were limited to 3 minutes, but all 4  had something important to say- mostly in contraposition to the Republican policy. Kim Gillan spoke about the need to control our own destinies. Franke Wilmer showcased her brilliant career as an academic and as an effective (as a Democrat could be last term) Montana Legislator. Dave Strohmaier shared a vision of the future which relied on non-discrimination (including LGBT persons!), progressive principles and conviction. And then there was Rob Stutz.

Stutz started by talking about taking back the Constitution- both federal and state- from the “hijack tactics of the Tea Party”. Excellent. And enthusiastic applause followed. Then he said something that made me stop.

“We have to have a plan to win in November. Do Democrats have a plan? We can’t wait until after the primary- we need a plan now!”

Like I said, I stopped. All of the ideas that were shared by the candidates were excellent ideas. The rhetoric was high. The enthusiasm inspiring. But Stutz is right. Where’s the plan? Because all the good ideas in the world don’t mean anything without a plan.

And without a plan, November could be disastrous for Democrats.

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U.S. Episcopal Presiding Bishop On Gay Clergy and Contraception

by D Gregory Smith

From Queering The Church:

 

In the Catholic Church, US bishops have been in a froth over health care funding for contraception – even though the overwhelming majority of ordinary Catholics have been practising birth control for decades. In the UK and Australia as well as the US, Catholic bishops are mobilizing against marriage equality – even though most Catholics support it. Just a handful of Catholic bishops are grudgingly acknowledging that there could be value in alternative legal recognition for same –  sex partnerships, while most Catholics just do not see these relationships as even a matter of morality at all.

In the Anglican / Episcopal church, where governance is more democratic and leadership is more in touch with their members, things are different. The English church has a formal working group engaged in studying the issues around human sexuality, which has just announced the appointment of expert advisers to assist its work, and the US Episcopal Church is even further ahead. There, says the presiding bishop, “it’s a done deal”

NEW YORK — The movement toward legalizing same-sex marriage and the acceptance of gay people as clergy and lay members of religious groups is “a done deal” that represents “phenomenal” progress, the top figure in the Episcopal Church told The Huffington Post during a recent visit to its newsroom.

In an hour-long conversation with HuffPost staffers, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, touched upon subjects that ranged from her views on how to interpret scripture and challenges that face the church as its demographics change to debates over contraception and the relationship between religion and science. Read more of this post

 

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