Texas Rep’s Conspiracy Theory: Obama’s Job Bill Is A Gift To Gays

Texas: El Paso´s Hate Preacher Works To Oust Mayor Over Domestic Partners Bill

Joe.My.God. reports:

You may recall the huge flap in El Paso last November when it was realized that Pastor Tom Brown’s successful drive to repeal domestic partners benefits for city employees also cut out the same perks for retired firefighters and cops. That didn’t bother Pastor Brown because, hey, them queers had lost. Under the threat of a lawsuit from the local police union, in June of this year El Paso’s city council restored the benefits for everybody. Now Brown has launched a recall petition against the city council and mayor.

Mr. Brown, the charismatic leader of Word of Life Church, an independent evangelical congregation of about 1,500 members, is on a mission to ensure that the domestic partners of El Paso city workers no longer get health insurance. He is spearheading an effort to oust the mayor and two City Council members who supported an ordinance allowing the city to pay for the health benefits of unmarried employees’ domestic partners — gay and straight. “They want to reward fornicators, and they want to reward homosexuals,” Mr. Brown said in an interview, his voice booming with indignation as he pumped his fist for emphasis.

A whopping 19 city employees have enrolled domestic partners.

Dan Savage’s Plane To “Ex-Gays”: You Can’t Pray The Gay Away!

The Advocate reports:

In a provocative move from the It Gets Better Project, an airplane is scheduled to fly overhead reminding attendees that you can’t simply “pray the gay away” during one of the more popular conferences for sexual orientation therapy.

Exodus International’s Love Won Out conference is taking place this Saturday at the Sugar Creek Baptist Church, located near Houston. The plane is scheduled to fly over the church, and then around downtown Houston at 1:30 p.m. Saturday telling Exodus and other antigay groups condoning “reparative therapy” that “you can’t pray away the gay.”
The It Gets Better Project, started a year ago by Dan Savage and his partner Terry Miller, boasts more than 25,000 videos and has raised funds for several LGBT youth foundations, including the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Nework, the Ali Forney Center, the Trevor Project, and the Seth Walsh Project.

Rick Perry Signs NOM’s Hate Pledge

Joe.My.God. reports:

Rick Perry has joined Rick “Frothy Mix” Santorum, Michele “Crazy Eyes” Bachmann, and Mitt “Magic Underpants” Romney in signing NOM’s five-part vow to crush the civil rights of LGBT Americans if elected president.

• “Kudos to Gov. Rick Perry for making it clear: he’s a marriage champion!” cheered Brian Brown, president of NOM, in a statement. “The purpose of NOM’s Marriage Pledge is to move from vague values statements to concrete actions to protect marriage.” The NOM presidential to-do list includes amending the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage, nominating judges who say the Constitution doesn’t guarantee marriage equality, and putting gay marriage up to a vote in the District of Columbia, where local lawmakers made it legal. Perry and the others also promise to fight for the Defense of Marriage Act in court — something President Obama isn’t doing. By adding his name to the NOM pledge, Perry has also committed to create a “presidential commission on religious liberty” that would “investigate” Americans who oppose bans on gay marriage for supposed harassment of such measures’ supporters. 

TEXAS: More Sexual Allegations Against Rick Perry From Backer Of Anti-Perry Ad

Richard Dawkins - Attention Governor Perry: Evolution Is A Fact

Via The Washington Post:

There is nothing unusual about Governor Rick Perry. Uneducated fools can be found in every country and every period of history, and they are not unknown in high office. What is unusual about today’s Republican party (I disavow the ridiculous ‘GOP’ nickname, because the party of Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt has lately forfeited all claim to be considered ‘grand’) is this: In any other party and in any other country, an individual may occasionally rise to the top in spite of being an uneducated ignoramus. In today’s Republican Party ‘in spite of’ is not the phrase we need. Ignorance and lack of education are positive qualifications, bordering on obligatory. Intellect, knowledge and linguistic mastery are mistrusted by Republican voters, who, when choosing a president, would apparently prefer someone like themselves over someone actually qualified for the job.
Any other organization — a big corporation, say, or a university, or a learned society - -when seeking a new leader, will go to immense trouble over the choice. The CVs of candidates and their portfolios of relevant experience are meticulously scrutinized, their publications are read by a learned committee, references are taken up and scrupulously discussed, the candidates are subjected to rigorous interviews and vetting procedures. Mistakes are still made, but not through lack of serious effort.
The population of the United States is more than 300 million and it includes some of the best and brightest that the human species has to offer, probably more so than any other country in the world. There is surely something wrong with a system for choosing a leader when, given a pool of such talent and a process that occupies more than a year and consumes billions of dollars, what rises to the top of the heap is George W Bush. Or when the likes of Rick Perry or Michele Bachmann or Sarah Palin can be mentioned as even remote possibilities.

Profesor Richard Dawkins responds to Gov. Rick Perry’s comments on Evolution.

You ought to read the full article.

Sex With Rick Perry? Inquiring Minds Want to Know

The Advocate reports:

Have you — male or female — ever had sex with Rick Perry? That’s what an ad placed in a Texas newspaper wants to know.

The full-page ad, placed in the Austin Chronicle by conspiracy theorist Robert Morrow, asks, “Are you a stripper, an escort, or just a ‘young hottie’ impressed by an arrogant, entitled governor of Texas?” It promises to help respondents “publicize your direct dealings with a Christian-buzzwords-spouting, ‘family values’ hypocrite and fraud.” And at the it says, “Note to gay people: If you know the truth about Rick Perry, please QUIT covering for him.” 

Perry, who announced his run for the Republican presidential nomination last weekend, has been the subject of gay rumors in years past; in June several political websites reported on the rumors, which the staunchly antigay Perry rebutted in a 2004 interview.

The Perry campaign was quick to denounce Morrow, who has asserted, among other things, that George H.W. Bush was involved in President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and threatened to kill 1992 presidential opponent Ross Perot, reports the Houston Chronicle (not connected with the Austin Chronicle). Of the ad, Perry spokesman Mark Miner said, “It’s political garbage from an individual who is not stable.” 

The Houston paper added, “The campaign appeared to be ready for Morrow, however, as campaign-friendly sources that Miner did not want to identify produced a lengthy response developed around Morrow’s Internet blog postings.” The response asks readers, “before taking any of Robert Morrow’s rantings seriously,” to review his “many colorful theories.” 

Read more here. 

Ewww.

New Web Series: JiveTown

It seems like the future of indie films is on the Internet. 

Here’s JiveTown, which in just one week from today on Thursday, August 4th 2011, the new web series, premieres its first episode online at http://jivetownsa.blogspot.com/. Episodes 2-6 will air, in order, every subsequent Thursday on the same site.  

From the Press Release:

JiveTown, based loosely on the real life of San Antonio, Texas fashion sensation, Agosto Cuellar, his vintage store Jive Refried, and the preposterous world of Southtown, offers an authentic peek into the happenings of a vintage store in the heart of San Antonio’s arts district. Although JiveTown aims at pleasing a wide audience, it clearly targets an amalgam of the LGBT community, the Latino community and the pot culture crowd. It’s been described as, ‘San Antonio’s gay Clerks.’       With budgets getting lower and lower for Indie productions, online seems the place to be. “We have a truly unique, heartfelt and witty show that we hope attracts an online audience who falls in love with the story and the characters. I’m inspired by what Felecia Day has done with her web series, The Guild,” says Kimberly Suta, writer and director of the show. “Clearly, web series are growing in popularity and even production values. JiveTown is very different and features some amazing Texas talent. I think the challenge is getting it out there, but I have no doubt it will find an audience.”The entire series was shot in two days back in December (2010) on a zero budget. Suta explains, “We were lucky to have one of Texas’ most skilled DP’s (Sean Maxwell of Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad, Machete, Spykids) on board, as well as some of the best talent. We hope to build a grassroots audience. We think with the right support JiveTown could really take off.”Suta was inspired to write JiveTown after a decade of working next door to Agosto Cuellar and his vintage store, and now with a phenomenally creative and cohesive team, JiveTown has become a reality. 

I’m watching it!

TEXAS: Prayer Rally Suit Dismissed

Joe.My.God. reports:

The atheist group suing to stop Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s prayer rally have lost their case.

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that sought to stop Gov. Rick Perry from sponsoring a national day of Christian prayer and fasting, ruling Thursday that the group of atheists and agnostics did not have legal standing to sue. U.S. District Judge Gray Miller said the Freedom From Religion Foundation argued against Perry’s involvement based merely on feelings of exclusion but did not show sufficient harm to merit the injunction it sought. The governor has done nothing more than invite others who are willing to do so to pray,” Miller said. Rich Bolton, who argued for the group, said he is considering an appeal. “I wonder if we had a Muslim governor what would happen if the whole state was called to a Muslim prayer,” said Kay Staley, one of five Texas residents named as plaintiffs in the suit. “I think the governor needs to keep his religion out of his official duties.”

Perry says that the event’s hate group sponsor, the American Family Association, have not yet given him his “marching orders” as to his role during the rally.

Moron Of The Week: Gov. Rick Perry

Here, the Secessionist/homophobe/bigot/religious-fanatic gets his place on the list for organizing a “Prayer Rally” for all the wrong reasons (well, not having in mind the concept of the event itself).

TEXAS: Atheist Group Sues Gov. Rick Perry Over Christianist Prayer Rally

Joe.My.God. reports:

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has filed suit against Texas Gov. Rick Perry for his planned role in the upcoming prayer rally being staged by the American Family Association.

The complaint alleges Perry violated the First Amendment’s establishment clause by organizing, promoting and participating in the event. “The answers for America’s problems won’t be found on our knees or in heaven, but by using our brains, our reason and in compassionate action,” said Dan Barker, a co-director of the foundation. “Gov. Perry’s distasteful use of his civil office to plan and dictate a religious course of action to ‘all citizens’ is deeply offensive to many citizens, as well as to our secular form of government.” The group, which unsuccessfully sued to stop a national day of prayer earlier this year, filed the case on behalf of 700 members in Texas and called on the court to stop Perry from participating in the meeting or using his office to promote or recognize it.

Backers of the event are furious: “This is tantamount to a lawsuit declaring Governor Perry is unable to attend church on Sundays. It’s the most outrageous thing I’ve ever seen.” The FFRF fires back that that AFA “promotes a rabid evangelical Christian agenda that is hostile to nonbelievers, non-Christians and other protected groups, such as gays and lesbians.”

This is what happens when you put religion on the equation, shit just goes wrong, specially in science and in the government.

Rachel Maddow On Rick Perry’s Prayer Rally

TEXAS: Judge Rules No Death Benefits For Trans Widow Of Firefighter

Joe.My.God. reports:

A Texas judge has ruled that the trans widow of a firefighter killed in the line of duty is not eligible for his death benefits.

Ever since Thomas Araguz died fighting a fire at an egg farm last year, his family has been battling his widow, Nikki Araguz, over $600,000 in death benefits. The firefighter’s family argued that, since Nikki Araguz was born a man, her marriage to Thomas Araguz –under Texas law – was not valid. The family said the death benefits should go to Thomas Araguz’s two children with his first wife. But Nikki Araguz has maintained that Thomas Araguz knew about her past as a man, and that their marriage was legal. Nikki Araguz had sexual reassignment surgery after the marriage. The couple was estranged at the time of Thomas Araguz’s death. On Tuesday, Judge Randy Clapp said that because Nikki Araguz was born a man, Thomas Araguz was not married on the day he died, and any marriage – formal or informal – is void.

The decision is expected to be appealed.

ABC’s What Would You Do? Tackles Homophobia Towards Gay Families

Texas turned out to be more tolerant than New York.