Senate Homosexuality: the Thread

Considering there was a case recently where a heterosexual married couple plead guilty to nearly starving their daughter to death and keeping her in a cage - like structure, I'm going to say yes.

I would advise having a completely empty stomach if you click and read up on the case. Sentencing was a month ago and they got 30 years each IIRC.

 

Hmm.... I seem to have a hazy awareness of Child Protective Services...

 

Well, you know my question was not a genuine one. We already know the answer. So someone can't judge every gay couple with children based on an incident with child abuse the same as we don't judge all hetero-couples based on the numerous examples of bad parenting.

 

yes, but that story at least put gay parents back on a par with straight parents. Before that, people were going on about how great gay parents were...

 

I figured as much, but I figured I'd answer it for those who probably are judging gay couples based on one or a few incidences of child abuse.

 

And so one example changes all of that?

 

Didn't gay parents want equality? You just said "on par". That sounds like equality to me. People were only saying "how great" gay parents were to counteract the suggestion they were much, much less than equal to a hetero couple. That's all.

 

Costa Rican lawmakers accidentally pass a measure legalizing same - sex civil unions.

I'm kind of sort of giggling. However the quote of one conservative/evangelical lawmaker about how homosexuality is "a stunted development of sexual identity," and that "it can change like alcoholism, tobacco addiction," is kind of ticking me off.

 

"But does that mean it's because they're in a same-sex relationship that this happened? Do hetero couples ever do wrong by children? And if so, do we cast aspersions on the whole group? "

If anything, this just proves that both heterosexual and homosexual couples need to be put under an equal amount of scrutiny. While that particular couple shouldn't have been given custody of a child, it doesn't prove a gay couple any more likely to harm a child than a straight couple. I'd choose Elton John & David Furnish or Neal Patrick Harris & David Kurtka over Alec Baldwin or Britney Spears any day of the week.

 

A seperate one is apparently going to be filed against Virginia's Evilmendment too.

 

Pennsylvania too.

http://news.yahoo.com/gay-marriage-lawsuit-first-since-doma-ruling-targets-225156848.html


The thing is, only one of these needs to reach the Supreme Court, because if either of them reaches it then it will probably assert a right to marriage regardless of gender/sex nationwide.

But it also seems like the Supreme Court is not ready to give that ruling. Probably 2 years away, at least.

 

It'll probably be at least that long before any of them make it to the Supreme Court appeals stage at any rate.

 

They just need to do something nationally and move on. State by state, case by case, expensive.

 

Not likely to happen with this congress considering they did spend nearly $3million in tax payer money only to see part of DOMA go down in defeat.

 

Congress can't do it anyway. Something like that needs to come from the Supreme Court.

 

Well they could repeal DOMA wholesale if they choose to.

 

There is a small chance that ENDA could pass this Congress, which would ban job discrimination based on sexual orientation.

 

Not holding my breath about it, given they had the chance to do so when the Democrats had control of both the House and Senate and didn't. Now with Bohner and the Tea Party reps that pull his strings in control of the House I don't hold out much of a chance at all for ENDA passing anytime soon.

 

A seperate one is apparently going to be filed against Virginia's Evilmendment too.

I'm surprised Virginia even wants to fight this one. Recent precedent is in favor of gay marriage, while older precedent regarding Virginia marriage laws is clearly against the state.

They just need to do something nationally and move on. State by state, case by case, expensive

You only need one state's DOMA to be declared in violation of the Constitution, especially if one uses the argument that, with many states now allowing gay marriage, not recognizing them is a violation of the Full Faith and Credit Clause.

 

Not so surprising when you consider the GOP has a stranglehold on both the legislature and the Governor's Mansion (and could get even worse if Cuccinelli wins in November).

 

3 Republican Senators voted to pass ENDA out of Senate committee today.

(Orrin Hatch, Lisa Murkowski, and Mark Kirk)

I'm sure Rob Portman will support it before the full Senate too, since he supports gay marriage.

And if Orrin Hatch is supporting this, I could definitely Susan Collins and few other Republicans supporting it. I think North Carolina's GOP Senate voted to repeal DADT, so he could support ENDA too.

So it definitely looks like momentum is on ENDA's side!

 

Still not holding my breath, if only because my pessimistic side says McConnell will just filabuster the hell out of it, just so 'Obama doesn't win anything' in his mind (and Reid won't pull the 'nuclear option for it, probably to save it for any potential Supreme Court nominee fight). Even if it makes it out of the Senate, with the House as it is, it's dead as soon as it arrives on Bohner's desk.

 

But they seem to already have enough votes to overcome a filibuster in the Senate.

Not sure about the House, but some Republicans who oppose gay marriage have said they're against gay discrimination. I wouldn't call it dead yet. And even if it only passes in the Senate, that will still show progress.

 

Same Sex Marriages have become law here in England and Wales

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23338279

I've looked out the window and there is no fire and brimstone raining destruction down upon us. Unless you count the heatwave we've been having.