Tag Archives: Missouri

UDPATE BELOW. Earlier, from the Riverfront Times: They’re still talking. The Democratic caucus of the Missouri Senate began filibustering a controversial “religious freedom” proposal on Monday at 4 p.m. And as of 6 a.m. this morning, they were still holding the floor — that’s 38 hours, and counting. That appears to be a new record for the Missouri Senate; the …

INCREDIBLE. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri is grabbing national headlines as word of Senate Democrats’ day-long filibuster spreads. A proposal by Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis, is designed to protect wedding vendors and clergy from legal liability and government penalties if they decline to participate in same-sex marriage ceremonies. Republicans are trying to put the question on the …

UNBELIEVABLE. And it’s STILL going. Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade: A Democratic-led filibuster in the Missouri Senate of a religious freedom constitutional amendment passed the 24-hour mark late Tuesday afternoon as opponents of the measure charged it would enable anti-LGBT discrimination in the state. The filibuster, which was in response to Senate Joint Resolution 39, began shortly after …

Holy cow! From the Riverfront Times: How to stop a piece of a legislation that would codify the right to discriminate against same-sex couples? For Missouri Democrats, the answer may be to just keep talking. Last night at 4 p.m., the Senate Democratic caucus began filibustering a joint resolution aimed at bringing a constitutional amendment to Missouri voters that would …

A bill introduced yesterday by Democratic Missouri state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed [photo] would have police officers record the “perceived” sexual orientation of drivers stopped for infractions. The Fair & Impartial Policing Act is endorsed by the ACLU of Missouri and is part of a broad anti-profiling campaign. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports: “This is not an attack on law enforcement,” …

In Missouri, as in many other states, it’s already completely legal to refuse to serve LGBT citizens as no such protections exist in state law. But that’s not good enough for GOP state attorney general candidate Josh Hawley. The Columbia Daily Tribune reports: Hawley wrote to legislative leaders urging them to pass exemptions for ministers, churches and businesses that do …

A Missouri state appeals court has ruled that called a gay employee “cocksucker” and asking if he has AIDS does not violate the law because Missouri has no employment protections for LGBT citizens. Courthouse News Service reports: A divided three-judge panel ruled Tuesday that James Pittman cannot hold his former employer, Cook Paper Recycling Corp., liable because state law does …

They are supposedly there to protect a representative of Info Wars. Reuters reports: Four civilians carrying automatic rifles and sidearms patrolled a riot-torn street in Ferguson, Missouri, early Tuesday, saying they were there to protect a media organization but drawing swift criticism from police and protesters alike. The appearance of the four men, all white, quickly drew stares in the …

“Through the years, I have publicly spoken about being abused as a child and the confusion this caused me as a teenager. There are literally thousands of Missourians who will understand how heartbreaking childhood abuse can be – though few might be willing to acknowledge it. I have put the childhood abuse, and the teenage confusion behind me. What others …

Missouri state Sen. Bob Dixon, who claims to be “ex-gay,” has announced his bid for governor. He didn’t elaborate at the time, but it’s been a long journey up to this point for Dixon, 46, who reportedly once lived as a gay man until a spiritual epiphany turned him straight. Dixon himself spoke about his history with homosexuality at a …

Via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: A former Lindenwood University wrestler was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison for recklessly infecting one sex partner with HIV and risking the infection of four others. Jurors in May had found Michael L. Johnson, 23, guilty of five felony charges after testimony that included experts in infectious diseases and the men who had …

Via the Salem News: The Dent County Commission voted unanimously Monday to observe one year of “mourning” over the Supreme Court’s June 26 decision that gay couples have the constitutional right to marriage. The observance will come in the form of lowering the flags at the Dent County Courthouse and Judicial Building to below half-staff on the 26th day of …

Yes, he’s a Democrat: Nixon says the order makes clear that local governments must comply with the ruling as well. One Missouri county, Schuyler, is still not issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Nixon also called again on the Missouri legislature to pass the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act, which would bar discrimination against LGBT Missourians in employment, housing, and public accommodations. …

Steven Thrasher reports at Buzzfeed: Michael Johnson, the HIV positive former college wrestler better known as “Tiger Mandingo,” faces life in prison after being found guilty today of one count of recklessly infecting a partner with HIV, one count of attempting to recklessly infect a partner with HIV, and three counts of recklessly exposing partners to HIV. “They’ve paid their …

Earlier this year the Missouri affiliate of the Family Research Council celebrated GOP House Speaker John Diehl after he filed an anti-gay marriage amicus brief with the Eighth Circuit Court. Today the FRC is very, very quiet after the opposite-married Diehl was busted for sexting with a barely legal college intern. Via the Kansas City Star: The conversations unveil a …

“On the court’s own motion, oral arguments and any further consideration of these cases will be deferred pending the Supreme Court of the Unites States’ decisions in James Obergefell v Richard Hodges.”

It seems unlikely that we’d get a decision before the Supreme Court. But we’ve been surprised many times.

It was a nail-biter in Springfield tonight but in the end the good guys lost. The vote was close but Springfield voters on Tuesday rejected an anti-discrimination ordinance meant to protect gay men, lesbian women, and transgender people. The Springfield City Council added those protections to the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance last October. The amendment aimed to provide protection from discrimination …

Colin Murphy reports at Boom LGBT: Mirroring a wave of anti-equality efforts in state legislatures and cities across the nation, opponents of a recently passed LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance in Missouri’s third largest city are asking voters to repeal the law on April 7. In a 6-3 vote on Oct. 13, The Springfield City Council passed City Ordinance 6141, a bill …