Tag Archives: pennsylvania

Facebook Meme Of The Day

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PENNSYLVANIA: Openly Gay State Rep. Brian Sims To Introduce Gay Marriage Bill

Openly gay Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims today announced his plan to introduce a same-sex marriage bill. “About two hours ago, I shopped around a co-sponsorship memo for a marriage bill, and I’m going to introduce an LGBT marriage equality bill,” he says, adding the Supreme Court cases “helped light the fire under my colleagues to do it now.” The …

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Building Collapses In Downtown Philly

A four story apartment building collapsed in downtown Philadelphia this morning near the 30th Street train station. Emergency workers are searching the rubble for survivors. Philly police are calling the collapse an “industrial accident” but what that means isn’t clear. Following the developing story on Philadelphia’s ABC affiliate.  CNN is also live on the scene.

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PENNSYLVANIA: Over 100 Lawmakers Cosponsor Broad LGBT Rights Bills

Over one hundred Pennsylvania legislators have cosponsored bills that will extend housing and workplace anti-discrimination protections to LGBT citizens. The bills have 77 sponsors in the House and 25 in the Senate. The bills will end the last vestige of legal discrimination in Pennsylvania, “discrimination based on an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression,” said Rep. Dan Frankel, …

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Ms. Magazine Cheers Brian Sims

“If you didn’t already know that Sims was the first openly gay member elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, in 2012, you might have guessed it from that remark. After all, shouldn’t it be the straight males in the Pennsylvania House, who care most about women’s reproductive health? But no: Those men helped pass House Bill 818, which would ban …

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PENNSYLVANIA: Openly Gay State Rep. Brian Sims Denounces Anti-Abortion Bill

Brian Sims: “As a reminder, Mr. Speaker, I do believe this has been forgotten entirely by many of my colleagues today: Each of us put our hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. We did not place our hands on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible.”  The bill passed: Pennsylvania’s state House of Representatives voted …

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PA Rep. Mark Smith Kicked Out Of Christian Band For Backing Gay Marriage

Democratic Pennsylvania state Rep. Mark Smith has been kicked out of his Christian rock band, where he was lead guitarist, for endorsing same-sex marriage. “It sort of blew my mind,” Smith said. “It was like a smack to the side of the head.” He said the band’s record producer and a couple of his band mates gave him the ultimatum …

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Archdiocese Of Philadelphia Fires Three Priests Named In Molestation Scandal

Yesterday the Archdiocese of Philadelphia permanently discharged three priests accused in a 2011 molestation scandal. The Revs. Joseph Gallagher and Mark Gaspar were suspended following a scathing 2011 grand jury report that ultimately led to the landmark conviction of a high-ranking archdiocese official on child endangerment charges. Two other priests and a Catholic school teacher were also convicted. The February …

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PA Bishop Slams Sen. Bob Casey

“On April 1, 2013, Pennsylvania’s senior United States Senator, Robert Casey issued a statement supporting marriage equality for same-sex couples and asserting his belief that the Defense of Marriage Act should be repealed.  In so doing, Senator Casey has unfortunately and disappointingly set aside the Catholic belief and teaching that the sacrament of marriage, rooted in the natural law, is …

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PA State Rep. Brian Sims On MSNBC

Last night openly gay Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims appeared on MSNBC’s Hardball to talk about the “rapid rise of LGBT civil rights.” He did a great job.  Chris Matthews: “Maybe you’ll be governor some day.”

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Alert: This Is A Test. Bryan Is Gay.

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HomoQuotable – Brian Sims

“The truth is I was gay my whole life. I had dated girls in high school. I think I knew I wasn’t straight long before I knew I was gay. I knew by the time I got to college that I was gay. My team actually came to me to ask me whether I was gay. They wanted to talk …

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No Shadow For Punxsutawney Phil

Staten Island Chuck made the same prediction today.

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Openly Gay PA State Rep. Brian Sims Pushes Anti-Bullying Bill “With Teeth”

Openly gay Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims was only sworn in a couple of weeks ago and he’s hit the ground running by helping to build a large bipartisan coalition behind an anti-bullying bill that he promises will be stronger than “toothless bills” in other states. There are now 67 co-sponsors of the bill, including several Republicans. Philly Now reports …

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PENNSYLVANIA: Catholic Priest Convicted Of Molesting Altar Boy

Yesterday Father Charles Englehart was found guilty of molesting an altar boy in the 1990s.  The case is tied to the same cover-up scandal for which a Catholic official was sent to prison last year. Via National Catholic Reporter: The jury of eight men and four women found Fr. Charles Engelhardt guilty of indecent assault of a minor, corruption of …

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Church Sign Of The Day

(Via JMG reader Scott)

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PA Swears In First Out Gay State Rep

Yesterday Brian Sims was sworn in as the first openly gay person elected to the Pennsylvania state legislature. Brian Sims, 34, ran unopposed in the November election after ousting longtime Rep. Babette Josephs in the Democratic primary in the Center City district.  “The tide has changed,” said Sims, a civil rights advocate who recently stepped down as board president of …

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PENNSYLVANIA: State GOP Rep Plans Constitutional Ban On Gay Marriage

Pennsylvania GOP state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe plans to introduce a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Via press release from Equality Pennsylvania, here is Melcalfe’s announcement: This constitutional amendment will eliminate confusion as to what constitutes a legal marriage, and it will also designate marriage as the only type of union that will be legally recognized in Pennsylvania. The language contained …

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Pennsylvania GOP State Rep Comes Out

Pennsylvania state Rep. Mike Fleck came out yesterday, one year after separating from his wife. Fleck now becomes the nation’s only openly gay Republican state legislator.  Via Politics PA: In a deeply personal story by the Huntingdon Daily News (subscription), Fleck, a devout Christian, explained the difficult road to his announcement. “Coming out is hard enough, but doing it in …

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PENNSYLVANIA: Restaurant Loses Battle Over Church Bulletin Discount Offer

Last July the American Family Association screeched when an atheist group complained about a Pennsylvania restaurant that offered a discount to patrons who brought in that Sunday’s church bulletin. AFA founder Don Wildmon sent out this message to his followers: After reading this story, I urge you to join with other Christian leaders in opposing efforts to take away our …

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