Religion

This being a small town in Texas the couple has no legal recourse. From the Longview News-Journal: A same-sex couple says they were saddened last week when a Longview bakery refused to bake their wedding cake, and the business owner said it would have offended her faith for the business to be linked to the event. Ben Valencia and Luis …

Today the Human Rights Campaign, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights will file a joint federal fraud complaint against a Virgina-based ex-gay torture group. Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: The 38-page complaint, obtained in advance by the Blade, is set to be filed before the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and accuses “People …

Last night the Daily Show ran a segment in which reporter Jessica Williams interviewed Ali Forney Center founder Carl Siciliano and Harlem hate Pastor James Manning about the coming foreclosure auction of his church. Manning repeated his “Starbucks semen latte” claims to a dumbfounded Williams and also repeated his vow that gay men will “have babies out of their asshole” …

NOM’s shameless history of using fake photos continued yesterday when they posted the above image of a January 23rd gay rights rally in Milan, claiming that it’s from a recent anti-gay “Family Day” event in Rome. Hundreds of NOM’s supporters have happily shared the photo on Facebook, apparently willing to overlook the many rainbow flags clearly visible. Not to mention …

Before the Charlotte City Council even voted to approve its LGBT rights law last night, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory had vowed “immediate intervention” if it were to pass. Tonight McCrory and state GOP leaders are moving to make that promise come true and then some. Dominic Holden reports at Buzzfeed: In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Gov. McCrory said legislators …

Last month the appellate division of the New York Supreme Court told Alliance Defending Freedom to take a hike when they affirmed New York’s public accommodations laws in the case of an upstate wedding venue that had been fined for turning away a same-sex couple. Today the ADF announced that they are surrendering. The Associated Press reports: The owners of …

“Get a brain and figure it out. Don’t you want to live better? Don’t you want to be more prosperous? Don’t you want to be happier? Don’t you want to be free? Don’t you want poor people to do well? Don’t you want to love your neighbor? If you want all those things, David, you would embrace competition with both …

It could not possibly have been more heated than last night’s debate in Charlotte, which was hands down the most wacko I’ve ever seen. And that includes Hawaii. But here’s how things went last night in Tennessee’s Washington County as reported by the Johnson City Press: Washington County Commissioner Forrest Boreing attributed the early Tuesday morning failure of a resolution …

Hemant Mehta has the news at The Friendly Atheist: It was a year ago today when the American Family Association released a “Bigotry Map,” a sort-of response to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s famous list of “hate groups.” But while the SPLC’s list consisted of groups that “have beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, …

Deal is being pressured by Georgia’s business leaders but he hasn’t said what the changes might be. Via the Associated Press: Georgia’s governor indicated Monday that changes are coming to a bill allowing faith-based organizations to refuse service to gay couples without repercussion. Supporters say it’s intended to prevent religious adoption agencies, schools and other organizations from losing licenses, state …

Last week I reported that Christian activist Ted Shoebat has agreed to debate fellow anti-LGBT activist Michael Brown over whether Jesus would stone homosexuals to death. On Friday night Shoebat’s father, an allegedly fake former Palestinian terrorist, accused “sodomite blasphemer” me of tricking Brown, Peter LaBarbera, and other anti-gay nutjobs into calling me their lord and personal savior. Because of …

This morning as LGBT activists turned in petitions in support of the Charlotte City Council’s vote tonight on LGBT rights, crackpot Pastor Flip Benham crashed their photo op for the local press, waving a bible over their heads. The Twitter account for the anti-LGBT side, which calls themselves Don’t Do It Charlotte, is crowing that the group and the media …

Reuters reports: Pope Francis on Sunday called for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty, saying the commandment “You shall not kill” was absolute and equally valid for the guilty as for the innocent. Using some of his strongest words ever against capital punishment, he also called on Catholic politicians worldwide to make “a courageous and exemplary gesture” by seeking …

Yesterday Glenn Beck invited his followers to join him in not eating tomorrow so that God will see they are totally serious about wanting Ted Cruz to win Tuesday’s Nevada GOP caucus. After much mocking on his Facebook page, this morning Beck posted a response: Reading posts today proves the point that the Church is dead asleep. Since when has …

Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and the rest of the his court are being attacked from the right. From World Net Daily: Marriage activists in Alabama have filed complaints with the state Judicial Inquiry Commission against the nine members of the state Supreme Court because they have failed to rule on the application of the U.S. Supreme Court’s …

This morning members of Westboro Baptist are picketing outside the funeral of Antonin Scalia, who “well knows and understands the folly and fatality of that Catholic Monster he spent his life time nourishing and worshipping.”  Because, presumably, Scalia is now in hell with billions of other Catholics. Today’s protest is rather notable in light of the Supreme Court’s landmark 2011 …

South Carolina voters were robocalled last night with a message that plays excerpts of Donald Trump’s exchange with lesbian reporter Sue O’Connell and accuses him of “tearing down Christian values.” Listen below. Via Buzzfeed: “I’m a lesbian,” O’Connell tells Trump. “We’ve had some great progress for the gay and lesbian community through politics, through all sorts of judicial actions and …

Earlier this month a pastor was ordered to spend 27 months in prison after losing the appeal of his conviction for abetting the kidnapping of a child of a lesbian mother. Today the Family Research Council asks their followers to pray that God “strongly supports” people who commit such kidnappings. May God strongly support Pastor Miller, Lisa and young Isabella, …

Last night Harlem hate Pastor James David Manning posted a jubilant YouTube clip in which he stands outside a Manhattan courthouse with two attorneys who brandish a temporary restraining order on the foreclosure auction that was scheduled for next week. Such delays are apparently routine in cases like these and the court has scheduled an April 21st hearing on whether …

The Guardian reports: A conservative group’s attempt to sabotage a formal for young queer people has spectacularly backfired. The publicity the group drew to the event helped raise enough funds to cover its entire cost. The youth-led organisation Minus18 has held a Same Sex Gender Diverse formal for gender-diverse and same sex-attracted young people aged 21 and under in Melbourne …