Nondiscrimination
Two years ago, the day after our engagement, Thos and I stood at this very place in front of the Supreme Court. We took an active part in a rally on front of the steps of the United States Supreme Court on the day oral arguments were heard for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)…
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With thirty-seven states now legal proponents of marriage equality (LGBTQ Americans and allies alike) knew it would be just a matter of time before the issue would be brought to U. S. Supreme Court. But after the long awaited April 28th Supreme Court hearing of Obergefell v. Hodge I was left worried. Mary Bonauto, Civil…
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The District of Columbia’s new law barring LGBT discrimination by religiously affiliated schools went into effect this week, opening the door for Catholic University of America students to challenge that school’s decade-long denial of an LGBT student group. D.C. City Council passed the Human Rights Amendment Act last year, which, in part, repealed an existing…
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Just before Easter, I learned that some of Bob Jones University’s loyal supporters have received a letter containing a very different message from the publicly posted apology that Bob Jones University released prior to BJUnity’s book discussion with author Matthew Vines in downtown Greenville on March 23. The letter says: Dear _______, What kind and encouraging friends you are.…
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The past couple of weeks have been quite a roller coaster, especially for Disciples and especially for Indiana, the state where our church has maintained our denominational offices since long before we called ourselves a denomination. Certainly you know the basics of the story. The state legislature passed and on March 26 the governor of…
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The Florida House Passed An Adoption Discrimination Bill That Could Have Denied Me My Perfect Family
My name is Anthony. I’m 16 and I live in Clearwater, Florida, with my moms and three siblings. I was adopted by my parents when I was 13 years old after having spent four years in foster care. I heard about the bill that the Florida legislature is now considering that would allow child placing…
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When I went to work in West Hollywood in the mid-1990s, one of my new co-workers took me on a tour of the neighborhood at lunchtime. A long-time gay activist, he knew the local history well. He pointed out a building down the street and told me about the removal of a sign that read,…
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As the Faith Organizer for Equality Pennsylvania, I work with about 600 diverse clergy and over 1000 people of faith across the state of Pennsylvania who are working for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. On May 20, 2014, we celebrated a new reality in Pennsylvania—marriage equality came to our state! There…
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Martin Luther King’s actual birthday is January 15th, and I believe if MLK were alive today he would be well pleased with Ava DuVernay’s film “Selma.” Many people working for justice today stand on the shoulders of Martin Luther King Jr and what he achieved in Selma. But I believe King’s vision of justice is often gravely…
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It was a glorious day! It was the first day my marriage of 37 years to Paula was deemed legal in the state where we make our home—Florida! But in the middle of our marriage equality celebration—there was a lesson about race. More than a dozen couples stood in the early morning air on Tuesday…
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