President Obama did not mince words on Sunday, telling a LGBT Democratic fundraiser in New York that religious liberty isn’t an excuse for denying Americans their constitutional rights. He also took aim at the field of GOP candidates who are seeking his job for their views on LGBT rights.
In his remarks, Obama knocked Republicans for opposing not only equal marriage rights, but for not recognizing that the conversation has moved on, arguing that “America has left the leaders of the Republican Party behind,” according to The Huffington Post.
“We need to reject politicians who are supporting new forms of discrimination as a way to scare up votes,” the president said. “That’s not how we move America forward.”
Obama also dismissed various Republican candidates’ stances on LGBT issues as out-of-touch, attempting to paint them as extremists. In particular, he appeared to take aim at pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who made remarks suggesting that situational homosexuality in prison is proof that being gay is a choice. Other targets of his remarks appeared to be Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.).
“One of their leading candidates argued that going to prison turns you gay,” Obama said. “I’m just stating the facts. Another candidate boasts that he introduced an amendment to end nationwide marriage equality — which isn’t even an accomplishment at all. A third said Americans should just disobey the Supreme Court’s ruling entirely. I’m sure he loves the Constitution — except for Article III. And maybe the Equal Protection Amendment. And the 14th Amendment, generally.”
But even though he acknowledged that some parts of the country are still uncomfortable with same-sex marriage and that a change in attitudes may not be coming in the near future, the president outright rejected the idea that freedom of religion somehow excuses people who wish to discriminate against LGBT people.
“We affirm that we cherish our religious freedom and are profoundly respectful of religious traditions,” Obama said. “But we also have to say clearly that our religious freedom doesn’t grant us the freedom to deny our fellow Americans their constitutional rights.”
Obama then recounted the various victories achieved for the LGBT community under his administration, including hate crimes protections, the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that banned openly gay servicemembers from serving, and an executive order banning anti-LGBT discrimination in government employment and in federal contracting.
“We live in an America where a growing share of older generations recognize that love is love, and younger generations don’t even know what all the fuss was about,” the president said. “And tonight, thanks to the unbending sense of justice passed down through generations of citizens who never gave up hope that we could bring this country closer to our founding ideals — that all of us are created equal — we now live in America where our marriages are equal as well.”
Cue the wedding bells for Freddie Lutz and Johnny Cervantes!
The owner of Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington and his partner of 28 years will be getting married in view of hundreds of thousands of WorldPride revelers during the WorldPride Parade on Saturday, June 7.
“I’m literally inviting the entire world,” laughs Lutz. “I’ve thought about doing a wedding float for Freddie’s for years now, but we have never pulled it off.”
Lutz had always dreamed of a fancy, public wedding on a parade float, but he and Cervantes declined to get married immediately after same-sex marriage was legalized in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The Texas House of Representatives voted narrowly to repeal a state law criminalizing "deviate sexual intercourse with another individual of the same sex" despite the fact that it's been technically unenforceable for over two decades.
On May 16, lawmakers voted 59-56 to repeal the state's 1973 infamous anti-sodomy law, which was rendered unenforceable, along with all other state-level-sodomy bans, in a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Lawrence v. Texas.
Four members voted present, while 31 others had excused absences.
The bill passed on a preliminary vote on the day prior by a much larger 72-55 margin, reports the Texas Tribune.
New York PBS affiliate WNET has removed three educational episodes addressing transgender identity and drag expression from its archives, following threats from congressional conservatives and the Trump administration to defund public broadcasting.
One targeted program was a 2021 episode of the educational series Let’s Learn, titled “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish.” The episode featured drag queen and children’s author Lil Miss Hot Mess reading from her book of the same name—a playful take on the classic nursery rhyme “The Wheels on the Bus.”
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