Dying Man's Funeral Refused By Church Because His Son Is Gay

L-R Brandon Smitty, Jessie Goodman (image via WTVC)

For years now, the LGBTQ community has endured reports of being denied services - like trying to buy a wedding cake or wedding invitations, or enrolling children of same-sex parents at private schools - all because of 'deeply held religious beliefs.'

But a church in Tennessee is now denying a dying man’s request to host his funeral because his son is gay.

Jessie Goodman’s father is 71-years-old, very ill and dying.

His father has two requests after he is gone: that Jessie sing “The Anchor Holds” at the funeral, and that the services be held at Lee’s Chapel Baptist Church in Sweetwater, Tennessee. It’s the church the father first attende

But when Jessie, who is engaged to Brandon Smitty, approached the church about the service, Pastor Jay Scruggs and several members of the church told him neither he nor his fiancé could be involved in the funeral because they are gay.

Goodman told local ABC affiliate WTVC News 9, “As long as I was going to take part in any way, he (Goodman’s father) could not have his service there.”

Goodman was reportedly told the funeral could be held at the church if Jessie would attend alone, and not be a part of the service at all.

And if his fiancé showed up, he would be asked to leave.

News 9 reached out to Scruggs, but the pastor refused to comment saying he would speak to the press “after Jessie’s father is in the grave.”

"They're punishing my dad for a lifestyle choice I've made," said Goodman. "It's not me up there in a casket. It's him."

The father, whose name is being withheld at the family's request, has been told that his services will not be held at his own church.

"He did know that his funeral wouldn't happen there," said Goodman. "And he had a very hurt look on his face when we told him that."

The family has since found a different funeral venue in the area to host the services.

And Goodman will sing "The Anchor Holds" at his father's funeral.

News Round-Up: March 25, 2019

Gus Kenworthy

Some news items you might have missed:

• Out Olympic medalist Gus Kenworthy recently debuted his new hair style he jokingly dubs "petty in pink." #PinkIsSassy

• Only 55 percent of Americans believe that gay and lesbian people face a lot of discrimination in the U.S., down from 68 percent in 2013.

• Lawyer Michael Avenatti has been arrested on charges related to an alleged $20 million extortion of the athletic apparel company Nike. His famous client, porn star Stormy Daniels, says said Monday that she is “saddened but not shocked” at the charges.

• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has blocked a move by Senate Democrats to call on Attorney General William Barr to release special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report on the Russia investigation. It's 'too soon' says McConnell.

• Police are looking for a man who opened fire at the gay bar, Toucan's Tiki Lounge, in Palm Springs, California, this weekend. Two gun shot victims were taken to the hospital where they were reported to be in stable condition.

• Randy Report favorite Marina dropped her new music video last week, "Orange Trees."

While we've only just passed the spring solstice, clearly Marina has her head in the summertime as she takes us to the beaches of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with the upbeat electro-pop track and video.

Her upcoming album, LOVE + FEAR, is available April 26.

Dallas Wedding Venue Kicked Off Wedding Planning Website For Dissing Gay Couple

Jeffrey Cannon & Aaron Lucero (image via Facebook)

A Dallas area wedding venue has been dropped from a major wedding planning site for turning away a gay couple’s business.

Jeffrey Cannon and Aaron Lucero had been dating for three years when they became engaged last summer.

The couple decided they wouldn’t make a rush to the alter as Lucero is a teacher. “We knew we wanted to wait over a year just because of all the stresses of starting the new school year,” Lucero told OUT.

They had opened a couples profile on the popular wedding planning site, The Knot, which helps connect wedding vendors with possible clients.

So, after spending some weeks doing online research for options for their big day, the couple set out last Saturday to check out possible venues.

But at the end of a day of viewing venues, the couple received an email from The Venue at Waterstone, just outside of Dallas. The couple had visited The Venue that day and it was their leading choice for their wedding.

The owner of the wedding company, Lyle Wise, shared with the couple that the business was founded 27 years ago after he had a vision ‘from God.’

Writing that “The design for marriage that we hold to is based upon the design [God] set forth which is a representation of the bride of Christ joined to the groom,” Wise informed Lucero and Cannon that The Venue does not host same-sex weddings.

“Though we do not host LGBTQ weddings or receptions,” added Wise, “we are more than happy to converse and further explain our beliefs and the love God has shown us as well as how He is conforming our lives to himself.”

The couple posted the email to their Twitter account.

Here’s the response from The Venue at Waterstone who denied us yesterday. pic.twitter.com/ugDqTgb14Q

— Aaron Lucero (@locolucero) January 21, 2019

Note: nowhere on the website for The Venue does the company state it is a religious-based organization.

Lucero told OUT the email felt like “a punch to the gut.”

Cannon chose to respond to the email sharing with Wise that they, too, grew up with a religious background.

“Our prayer is that God will one day open your hearts as well so that you will be able to welcome all of His children into your beautiful venue,” wrote Cannon.

“Until that day comes however, we would petition you to please make your faith known to the public on your website and with Knot.com so that other same sex couples do not have to go through the same rejection that we have gone through with you,” he added.

This was the eloquent response to them from my fiancé. pic.twitter.com/9CAVd2hkHs

— Aaron Lucero (@locolucero) January 21, 2019

After the denial, the couple decided to reach out to other venues and disclose they were gay in an effort to avoid any further awkward situations.

It turns out two of their appointments set for Sunday cancelled on the couple upon receiving the news saying they were not ‘well-equipped’ to host same-sex weddings.

Now, The Knot has a strict policy about discrimination which includes LGBT people.

In a June 2018 Instagram post, The Knot’s CEO Mike Steib, wrote, “When we learn that a vendor has violated these terms of service, we will remove the vendor’s storefront and refund his or her money.”

“We love our couples, and all of our couples deserve a marketplace free of unfair prejudice,” he added.

The parent company for The Knot, XO Group, issued a statement to OUT, which read, “Our company supports everyone’s right to marry the person they love and prohibits any vendor on our site from discriminating against a couple based on their race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.”

OUT has since confirmed that The Venue at Waterstone has been banned from The Knot.

Lucero admits the action by The Knot was appreciated, but he says the website should be more transparent about vendors' positions on same-sex weddings.

“They have the power to make a difference, not just by kicking companies off their market place, but by using their influence and power to really make a difference,” he told Out.

Apparently, companies can get a badge for their profile on The Knot that shows they welcome same-sex couples, but the website doesn’t offer a way to filter or search for those LGBT-inclusive businesses.

Brittny Drye, editor-in-chief of Love Inc. Magazine, says even though the U.S. is years past the legalization of marriage equality nationwide, there are still many wedding vendors who are not open to working with same-sex couples on their big day.

“While most are, I still receive responses from many who are not, even in progressive cities like New York and San Francisco,” says Drye. “Enough for me to know that we still have a long way to go.”

(h/t OUT)

Anti-LGBT Arizona Artists "Prepared To Go To Jail" If They Lose State Supreme Court Appeal

Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski 

Having already lost twice in court, the owners of a wedding invitation design firm in Phoenix, Arizona, have appealed to the state Supreme Court to determine if a public accommodation ordinance that protects LGBTQ people from discrimination violates their First Amendment rights of free religion and free speech.

The co-owners of Brush & Nib Studio, Breanna Koski and Joanna Duka, said in an interview with conservative radio host Todd Starnes they are prepared to go to jail if the state’s high court rules against them.

“I mean that's that's a possibility that we're hoping we won't have to face,” Duka told Starnes. “We're hopeful that the Arizona Supreme Court will affirm some rights of artists that will never violate our beliefs and our conscience.”

They are being represented at the state Supreme Court by the virulently anti-LGBTQ law firm, Alliance Defending Freedom.

It's important to note that no gay couple has asked Brush & Nib Studio for wedding services, nor has anyone has filed a complaint against the artists with the city.

The duo decided to file their initial lawsuit, in May 2016, as a pre-emptive strike of sorts against Phoenix’s non-discrimination ordinance.

The Phoenix City Council added sexual orientation and gender identity to its existing ordinance in 2013.

After losing in the Maricopa County Superior Court, the artists went to the state Court of Appeals. And lost there, too.

Now, the Arizona Supreme Court has agreed to hear their appeal.

The city of Phoenix issued the following statement regarding the issue:

“Phoenix’s non-discrimination ordinance is about access to goods and services on equal terms. The ordinance does not tell businesses what to write, what to think, or what to believe. The city’s legal team made this point to the Arizona Supreme Court. Four judges have already agreed that businesses in Phoenix must be open to everyone.

"Those legal rulings protect all and confirm that everyone should be treated fairly and equally regardless of sexual orientation, race, gender, religion, or disability. The city of Phoenix will continue to observe these shared community values, allowing the non-discrimination ordinance to protect and respect the rights of all residents.”

(screen capture)

Some LGBTQ activists, like Joe Jervis of JoeMyGod, have wondered aloud if the company might have been created by Alliance Defending Freedom to surreptitiously present a challenge to the Phoenix ordinance.

When their initial lawsuit was filed in 2016, the company didn't appear to have a physical address. And the artists' social media accounts were only months old, making it credible that the company might have been created just to file the lawsuit.

The video below, titled "Getting to Know the Artists of Brush & Nib," was uploaded to YouTube just days before the lawsuit was filed, and the comments section is closed.

Additionally, the video is listed as "Unlisted."

Now, why have a "getting to know" video be "unlisted" on YouTube?

#ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmm…

In the video, the artists make a point to say their teaming up was a "God thing," "beautiful things just come from God," and how "special" they view their work on wedding invitations.

JoeMyGod also notes that the firm has an online store on Etsy despite the fact the website has a very clear anti-discrimination policy that protects LGBT people.

LGBTQs In Indonesia Face Harsh Treatment In Police Crackdown

Women hosed down in public via fire truck (image via Twitter/AndreasHarsono)

Even though it is not explicitly illegal to be homosexual in Indonesia, police and local vigilantes have recently taken severe actions against LGBTQ people.

Last Friday, police conducted a beach raid in the town of Lampung reports Gay Star News. The raid, conducted in an effort to ‘provide safety and maintain public order,’ resulted in the arrest of three women suspected of being transgender.

In a statement, Indonesian police said, “The growing issue of [LGBT] behavior has troubled the public. Almost every day we get reports from the public regarding this LGBT issue.”

Upon their arrest, the three women were humiliated by being publicly hosed down using a fire truck.

Officials called this a ‘mandatory bath’ or ghusl, which is done to cleanse the body after sex or at the end of a menstrual cycle.

Police officials took photos of the women during the public humiliation and posted them to social media.

In Lampung, Indonesia, three transwomen were arrested and hosed down with fire truck for ‘impurity cleansing’ https://t.co/vLipFi57SK

— Andreas Harsono (@andreasharsono) November 5, 2018

Local and international human rights organizations denounced the hideous treatment.

Amnesty International’s Executive Director, Usman Hamid, issued a statement which read, in part, “The humiliation of these three transgender women is appalling and constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment which is absolutely prohibited under international law.”

“Raiding people and using a fire truck to hose them down in public are totally unacceptable, as is any other act of violence and discrimination against transgender women or other LGBTI people,” he continued.

According to Gay Star News, authorities began a crackdown on LGBTQ people in 2006 as conservative Islamic groups have gained more and more influence.

In addition to the arrest of the three women, the next day police arrested 10 women suspected of being lesbian due to a photo posted on social media of two women hugging.

On October 19, a gay couple were arrested for launching a gay-themed Facebook page titled, Gay Bandung. The men were charged with “distributing electronic information which contain violation decency.”

And on October 31, two women were arrested for being in a lesbian relationship by police in West Pasaman, West Sumatra.

The same police arrested six people suspected of being transgender earlier that month.

Authorities reportedly said the police actions were, “To ensure that the city is clean from LGBT.”

(h/t Gay Star News)

India's High Court Overturns Dehumanzing Anti-LGBT Law

Awesome news from India this morning as the country's high court has overturned a colonial-era law which made same-sex relations illegal.

From The New York Times:

In a groundbreaking victory for gay rights, India’s Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously struck down one of the world’s oldest bans on consensual gay sex, putting to rest a legal battle that stretched for years and burying one of the most glaring vestiges of India’s colonial past.

After weeks of deliberation in the Supreme Court and decades of struggles by gay Indians, India’s chief justice, Dipak Misra, said that the colonial-era law known as Section 377 was “irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary.”

“We have to bid adieu to prejudices and empower all citizens,” he told a packed courtroom.

The court said that gay people were now entitled to all constitutional protections under Indian law and that any discrimination based on sexuality would be illegal.

India's LGBTQ community rejoices as the Supreme Court decriminalizes homosexuality https://t.co/3vjvfjZLbE pic.twitter.com/b4GuAGG6s2

— TIME (@TIME) September 6, 2018

“This monumental decision by India’s Supreme Court finally ends a deeply discriminatory law that violated the dignity and most fundamental human rights of LGBTQ people in India,” said HRC Global Director Ty Cobb. “We congratulate the plaintiffs in this case and the LGBTQ advocates who worked tirelessly for decades to achieve this tremendous victory."

"We hope this decision in the world’s largest democracy and second most populous country will set an example and galvanize efforts to overturn similar outdated and degrading laws that remain in 71 other countries,” Cobb added.

“The soul of this nation had been bruised and battered because of this archaic law,” said Harish Iyer, an Indian LGBTQ advocate who was involved in the legal challenge to Section 377. “Today, we have reaffirmed our right to our bodies and our right to love. The rainbow flag is proudly hoisted in our hearts and minds as we celebrate this victory.”

With a population of more than 1.3 billion, which accounts for 17% of the world's population, India is the largest democracy in the world.

Until this ruling, India was the most populous of 72 countries that criminalize same-sex relations.

In 10 countries around the world, homosexual activity may be punishable by death.

We join the people of India & the LGBTQIA+ community in their victory over prejudice. We welcome the progressive & decisive verdict from the Supreme Court & hope this is the beginning of a more equal & inclusive society. #Section377 pic.twitter.com/Fh65vOn7h9

— Congress (@INCIndia) September 6, 2018

Gay Parents Separated During 'Family Boarding' On Airline

(image via Twitter)

A same-sex couple traveling from San Francisco to Taipei via EVA Air was apparently told only one of the men could board the flight with their child during family boarding.

Attitude is reporting that Jeff Cobb and his husband made a point of getting to their gate at the San Francisco airport in order to board early and get settled with their 19-month-old child.

But upon arrival, Cobb was informed that it was airline policy to only allow ONE parent to board early with a child. But when Cobb joined his husband onboard after waiting in the normal line, it turns out straight families were allowed to board all together.

“My husband and I were told only one of us could join our 19 month old in the family boarding group of EVA Air 27 from SFO on 9/1/18,” Cobb shared via Twitter. “I explained we were both the fathers of the child, and they said it was their policy that only one parent can board...and the other has to wait in the normal line. Not having flown EVA before, I accepted it and let my husband and child go while I boarded later. When I met him on the plane, he said there were many other (straight) families all boarding together."

@EVAAirUS 1/3 My husband and I were told only one of us could join our 19 month old in the family boarding group of EVA Air 27 from SFO on 9/1/18. I explained we were both the fathers of the child, and they said it was their policy that only one parent can board...

— Jeff (@jeffcobb415) September 2, 2018

@EVAAirUS 2/3 and the other has to wait in the normal line. Not having flown EVA before, I accepted it and let my husband and child go while I boarded later. When I met him on the plane, he said there were many other (straight) families all boarding together.

— Jeff (@jeffcobb415) September 2, 2018

When the family boarded their connecting flight on the same airline in Thailand, no one at the gate raised an issue of ‘one parent per child’ boarding.

Cobb expressed his consternation with EVA Air: “I’m very disappointed that the EVA ground staff at SFO thinks it’s ok to separate same-sex families during boarding. I will definitely not be flying this airline again after this incident.”

@EVAAirUS 3/3 I’m very disappointed that the EVA ground staff at SFO thinks it’s ok to separate same-sex families during boarding. I will definitely not be flying this airline again after this incident.

— Jeff (@jeffcobb415) September 2, 2018

The airline issued a statement in response to the kerfuffle saying the incident was “due to a misunderstanding.”

“EVA Air and most especially our San Francisco International Airport team sincerely apologise to all the passengers affected by this incident.

“It is our policy that passengers traveling with infants can have priority boarding. The policy does not limit the number of accompanying adults or specify the relationship to the infant.

“This unfortunate incident was due to misunderstanding. Our San Francisco ground-handling agent understood that only one parent could board with an infant.

“We have apologised to our passengers and reminded our airport staff and agents about our priority boarding policy so that we can prevent this kind of incident from happening again.”

What do you think, readers? Was this just a ‘misunderstanding’ or was there something else in play here?

Alaska Airlines Responds To 'Seat-Gate'

Yesterday, I reported on a gay couple being asked to move to separate seats on a flight from New York City to Los Angeles on Alaska Airlines.

The partner of gay businessman Dave Cooley was asked to move from his premium seat to coach in deference to a straight couple who said they wanted to sit together.

The unfortunate incident ended up with Cooley and his partner departing the plane before it took off and Delta Airlines accommodated the men.

Alaska Airlines reached out to me this morning with the following statement:

“This unfortunate incident was caused by a seating error, compounded by a full flight and a crew seeking an on-time departure and nothing more than that. It's our policy to keep all families seated together whenever possible; that didn’t happen here and we are deeply sorry for the situation. We’ve reached out to Mr. Cooley to offer our sincere apologies for what happened and we are seeking to make it right. Alaska Airlines has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind. All of us at Alaska value inclusion for our guests and each other.”

“Diversity and inclusion are part of the fabric of Alaska Airlines. We are an airline for everyone and reflect these values through our work with dozens of nonprofit LGBTQ organizations, Pride Parades along the West Coast and a perfect score in the HRC’s Equality Index. We’ll keep building on this commitment, with our employee-led LGBTQ business resource group.”

Attorney General Announces 'Religious Liberty Task Force" to Promote & Protect Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination

Attorney General Jeff Sessions

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has announced the creation of a ‘Religious Liberty Task Force” in order to help implement a 25-page memo he issued last October regarding the protection and promotion of ‘religious liberty.’

Speaking at the Justice Department today, Sessions told reporters he will chair the new task force.

“A dangerous movement, undetected by many, but real, is now challenging and eroding a great tradition of religious freedom,” said Sessions with a dramatic sense of foreboding. “There can be no doubt it’s no little matter. It must be confronted intellectually and politically and defeated.”

1/ This morning Jeff Sessions announced a "Religious Liberty Task Force" as he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with anti-#LGBTQ activists. pic.twitter.com/9IRiGhulfD

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) July 30, 2018

In today’s political climate, it's clear the subject being discussed includes legal challenges brought by the LGBTQ community regarding discrimination in the public sector. Sessions referenced anti-LGBTQ baker Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop who refused to sell a wedding cake to a gay couple in Colorado.

More from The Hill:

“We’ve seen nuns ordered to buy contraceptives. We’ve seen U.S. senators ask judicial and executive branch nominees about dogma—even though the Constitution explicitly forbids a religious test for public office. We’ve all seen the ordeal faced so bravely by Jack Phillips,” he said, referring to the Colorado baker who took his case to the Supreme Court after he was found to have violated the state’s anti-discrimination laws for refusing to make a cake for a same-sex wedding.

Sessions said the guidance he issued in October lays out 20 fundamental principles for the executive branch to follow, including the principles that free exercise means a right to act — or to abstain from action — and that government shouldn’t impugn people’s motives or beliefs.

“In short, we have not only the freedom to worship—but the right to exercise our faith. The Constitution’s protections don’t end at the parish parking lot nor can our freedoms be confined to our basements,” he said, according to his prepared remarks.

Sessions also shared that he believes the issue of ‘religious liberty’ is one reason why Donald Trump was elected president. “In substance, he said he respected people of faith and he promised to protect them in the free exercise of their faith,” said Sessions. “He declared we would say ‘Merry Christmas’ again.”

You can watch the full speech by Sessions below, and you can read a full transcript of his speech here.

UPDATED: Alaska Air Asks Gay Couple To Separate So Straight Couple Could Sit Together

UPDATE: I personally spoke with Bobbie Egan, External Communications Director for Alaska Airlines, this morning who told me, "I think this is an incident of human error. It was a mistake, and it shouldn't have happened."

Ms. Egan also emailed a statement which read:

“We mistakenly booked two people in one seat. We are deeply sorry for the situation, and are investigating the details while communicating directly with the guests involved to try and make this right. Alaska Airlines has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind, and our employees value inclusion for our guests and each other.”

************************************

After boarding an Alaska Airline flight from New York City’s JFK airport to Los Angeles, a gay businessman and his partner were approached by a flight attendant and his companion was asked to change seats.

It appears a straight couple had been assigned the same seats and the gay couple was being asked to move in deference to the straight couple who wanted to sit together.

The man, David Cooley, is the founder and CEO of the prominent West Hollywood nightclub, The Abbey.

Dave Cooley (image via Facebook)

Dave Cooley shared on Facebook, “I have never been so discriminated against while traveling before. I was removed from an Alaska Airlines flight # 1407 from John F. Kennedy International Airport to LAX to give preferential treatment to a straight couple.”

“After my traveling companion and I had been seated in our assigned seats for a while, we were approached by the flight attendant and my companion was asked to move from his premium seat to coach, so a couple could sit together.

“I explained that we were a couple and wanted to sit together,” Cooley continued. “He was given a choice to either give up the premium seat and move to coach or get off the plane.”

“We could not bear the feeling of humiliation for an entire cross-country flight and left the plane.

“I cannot believe that an airline in this day and age would give a straight couple preferential treatment over a gay couple and go so far as to ask us to leave. We will never be flying Alaska Airlines or their recently purchased Virgin Airlines Group ever again. Thank you to Delta Air Lines for getting us home safe.

“If you are an #LGBT person, please spend your travel dollars with an LGBT friendly airline like Delta,” concluded the businessman.

According to GayStarNews, Alaska Airlines issued a statement acknowledging the incident:

When boarding flight 1407 from JFK to LAX, a couple was mistakenly assigned the same seats as another couple in Premium Class. We reseated one of the guests from Premium Class in the Main Cabin.

We are deeply sorry for the situation, and are investigating the details while communicating directly with the guests involved to try and make this right. Alaska Airlines has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind, and our employees value inclusion for our guests and each other.

Was this a case of placing a straight couple's 'couplehood' over a gay couple?

Was this discrimination?

Folks have wondered if perhaps Cooley's partner might have been given a free upgrade, and if the straight couple had paid for their seats which might give priority to the straight couple...?

I don't know the answers to those questions, but I've reached out to both Mr. Cooley and Alaska Airlines for any further details.

In the past, Alaska Air has shown support for the LGBTQ community. In 2015, the airline offered several discounts timed to coincide with Pride events. And, the airline's official website has a dedicated section for LGBTQ travelers.

(h/t GayStarNews)

Tennessee Hardware Store Puts Up Sign "No Gays Allowed"

In response to the recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the Colorado baker who refused to sell a wedding cake for a same-sex wedding in 2012, a Tennessee hardware store put up a sign which read, "No Gays Allowed."

From USA Today:

Jeff Amyx, who owns Amyx Hardware & Roofing Supplies in Grainger County, Tennessee., about an hour outside of Knoxville, added the "No Gays Allowed" sign on Monday, because gay and lesbian couples are against his religion.

Amyx, who is also a baptist minister, said he realized Monday morning that LGBT people are not afraid to stand for what they believe in. He said it showed him that Christian people should be brave enough to stand for what they believe in.

"They gladly stand for what they believe in, why can't I? They believe their way is right, I believe it's wrong. But yet I'm going to take more persecution than them because I'm standing for what I believe in," Amyx said.

On Tuesday, Amyx removed the "No Gays allowed" sign and replaced it with a sign that says: "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone who would violate our rights of freedom of speech & freedom of religion."

Republicans Hope To Legalize Anti-LGBT Discrimination

Look out for more anti-LGBT action in Congress as the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (CWPIA) has been introduced in both chambers of Congress.

Currently pending in the House as H.R. 1881, and in the Senate as S. 811, the legislation seeks to legalize LGBQ discrimination by allowing adoption providers to use "sincerely held religious beliefs" as a basis for denying gays or lesbians adoption services.

"Prohibits the federal government, and any state or local government that receives federal funding for any program that provides child welfare services under part B (Child and Family Services) or part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct), from discriminating or taking an adverse action against a child welfare service provider that declines to provide, facilitate, or refer for a child welfare service that conflicts with the provider’s sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions."

The bill would require the Health and Human Services department to withhold 15% of federal funds from state or local governments that take action against folks who would exercise their right to discriminate against LGBTs.

#BadNews

Of course, the haters love the hateful bill:

If federal lawmakers want to show they care about children and families, there's perhaps no better opportunity in the near term than by passing the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (CWPIA). #adoption https://t.co/50ga42L03D

— FRC (@FRCdc) April 20, 2018

Heritage Action supports the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act because it prioritizes children over politics: https://t.co/lCk7VzrvTD

— Heritage Action (@Heritage_Action) May 19, 2017

Oregon: Anti-LGBT Bakers Appeal To State Supreme Court

Melissa and Aaron Klein of Sweet Cakes Bakery

You may recall back in February of 2013, Melissa and Aaron Klein as owners of Sweet Cakes bakery in Oregon refused to bake a cake for a lesbian couple.

The customers who were turned away, Rachel Bowman-Cryer and her wife, Laurel, filed a complaint with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries saying they had been the victims of discrimination based on sexual orientation which is clearly against the state's public accommodation laws.

The Bureau of Labor and Industries agreed and fined the Sweet Cakes owners $135,000 for emotional damages suffered.

The Kleins took their case to the Oregon Court of Appeals and lost again as the appeals court agreed with the Bureau's determination.

Now, the Kleins have asked the Oregon State Supreme Court to to overturn the lower court rulings.

The Kleins have paid the fine of $135,000 but it's been held in a state escrow account until all appeal options have been exhausted.

While the Kleins have cried poor in the aftermath of their anti-LGBT bigotry being exposed, it's quite noteworthy that a "Christian" crowdfunding campaign by fellow haters raised over $500,000 in support of the Kleins.

You can see the stories chronicling their windfall here and here.

So the couple has actually made money in this little escapade.

It's time to leave it alone, Kleins. You broke the state's public accommodation law, you make a butt load of money through the whole debacle.

Just - full stop.

(source)

Hawaii Appeals Court Rules Against B&B For Turning Away "Detestable" Lesbian Couple

Good news from the Aloha State!

Hawaii's Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling on Friday that found the owner of Aloha Bed & Breakfast discriminated against California couple Diane Cervelli and Taeko Bufford when the owner refused to rent them a room based on their sexual orientation.

Hawaii has a very clear public accommodation law which requires equal access to facilities and services regardless of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation.

So, it probably didn't help business owner Phyllis Young when she admitted the turned the women away because, in her view, homosexual relationships were "detestable" and "defiled the land."

Way to lose a court case, Phyllis.

LGBT legal eagles Lambda Legal represented the couple in the lawsuit.

"This has never been a case about the money," said Jennifer Pizer of Lambda Legal. "It's really been about a civil rights law that needs to protect everyone, it needs to be real and it needs to be followed. When people come for a vacation or other reasons to visit in Hawaii, everyone should be treated equally."

(source)

Report: State "Religious Exemption" Laws Threaten LGBTQ+ Freedom

(image via Movement Advancement Project)

A new 41-page report released by the Human Rights Watch details how so-called “religious freedom” laws allow for a vast number of individuals and corporations to discriminate against LGBTQ+ folk.

Human Rights Watch researcher Ryan Thoreson says anti-LGBTQ+ legislators like using the term "exemptions" even though the term is misleading.

“Given the dearth of laws that protect LGBT people from discrimination in the first place, legislators are getting it exactly backwards and creating exceptions before they’ve ever established the rule,” said Thoreson.

The report lists several examples like:

• Mississippi allows for individuals and businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender identity/presentation, and persons having extramarital affairs due to religious or moral objections.

• Michigan, Alabama, and North Dakota have passed legislation that allows for adoption/foster care agencies to explicitly discriminate against queer couples or individuals.

• Tennessee law allows for mental health counselors to decline to see LGBTQ+ clients.

In the United States, only 19 states and the District of Columbia prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, public accommodations, and housing.

New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Utah offer protections based on sexual orientation (not gender identity), though Utah doesn’t prohibit such discrimination in public accommodations.

In 2018, Illinois, Georgia, Washington, Oklahoma and Florida have all seen new "religious exemption" bills filed in their state legislatures.

CA Judge: Baker May Continue To Deny Same-Sex Couples Wedding Cakes While Awaiting Trial

Basing his decision on the distinction between selling a product or creating an artistic expression, Kern County Superior Court Judge David Lampe has ruled that baker Cathy Miller of Bakersfield can continue to refuse to make wedding cakes for same-sex couples.

The case began last August when Miller, a conservative Christian, refused to make a wedding cake for Mireya and Eileen Rodriguez-Del Rio.

Miller claimed it violated her deeply held Christian beliefs.

The Rodriguez-Del Rioses filed a complaint to the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing alleging Miller had violated the Unruh Civil Rights Act, which prohibits public businesses from denying service to anyone on race, gender, religion or sexual orientation.

Note: This ruling is a motion regarding a preliminary injunction. The case has not been tried yet.

From Bakersfield.com:

“A retail tire shop may not refuse to sell a tire because the owner does not want to sell tires to same sex couples. There is nothing sacred or expressive about a tire. No artist, having placed their work for public sale, may refuse to sell for an unlawful discriminatory purpose. No baker may place their wares in a public display case, open their shop, and then refuse to sell because of race, religion, gender, or gender identification,” Lampe wrote.

His distinction, he said, is between the act of selling a product to a same-sex couple and creating a product for the same couple.

“The difference here is that the cake in question is not yet baked,” Lampe wrote. “The State is not petitioning the court to order defendants to sell a cake. The State asks this court to compel Miller to use her talents to design and create a cake she has not yet conceived with the knowledge that her work will be displayed in celebration of a marital union her religion forbids. For this court to force such compliance would do violence to the essentials of Free Speech guaranteed under the First Amendment.”

The ruling doesn't end the case. It just allows Miller to continue denying same-sex couples wedding cakes until the trial is resolved sometime this summer.

#ItsNotOver

New Ad From OpenToAll

From OpenToAll.com:

As a nation, we decided a long time ago that when a business opens its doors to the public, it should be open to everyone, on the same terms.

But a case now before the Supreme Court wants to take us back to the days when businesses could tell people, “We don’t serve your kind here.” Masterpiece Cakeshop is arguing that it should have a constitutional right to discriminate against customers simply because of who they are.

That’s why we all need to get involved. This case paves the way to eroding the federal Civil Rights Act and dismantling state and federal laws intended to protect people of color, women, religious minorities, people with disabilities, LGBT people and others from discrimination.

In their new ad, OpenToAll reminds that the Masterpiece Bakery case as SCOTUS is about much more than a bakery. Imagine a school counselor refusing to help an LGBT student...

Watch the new ad below.

New ad: Have you seen it yet? Imagine a school counselor refusing to help a child simply because they’re #LGBT. #Masterpiece is about so much more than a bakery. It would create a far-reaching #LicenseToDiscriminate #OpenToAll Pls RT! https://t.co/qYXobGGxEV pic.twitter.com/5GEy9Eo7UU

— LGBT MAP (@lgbtmap) December 1, 2017

First Impressions From #MasterpieceCakeshop Arguments At SCOTUS

Mark Stern, reporter for Slate, offers his first impressions after attending the SCOTUS arguments today regarding Colorado baker Jack Phillips who refused to sell a wedding cake to a gay couple for their wedding.

According to Stern, things may not look promising for the good guys.

Just got out of arguments in Masterpiece Cakeshop. I think the anti-gay baker wins 5-4.

Kennedy doesn’t seem to agree that refusing to serve a same-sex wedding is inherently anti-gay discrimination. And he said Colorado has been “neither tolerant nor respectful” to the baker’s “religious beliefs.”

Kennedy did suggest that a baker who put an anti-gay sign in his window would create “an affront to the gay community.” But then he implied that Colorado is discriminating against Christian bakers.

Roberts, Alito, and Gorsuch all obviously supported the anti-gay baker. Kagan, Sotomayor, Ginsburg, and Breyer were extremely skeptical of his position.

I only see one way progressives win: Kennedy says compelled cake-baking isn’t speech, but religious discrimination may have infected this case. Then remand for further findings on free exercise.

I think there is a decent chance that there are 5 votes for this resolution. But I also think it's more likely that 5 justices find a reason to rule for the baker.

Just got out of arguments in Masterpiece Cakeshop. I think the anti-gay baker wins 5-4.

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) December 5, 2017

Kennedy doesn’t seem to agree that refusing to serve a same-sex wedding is inherently anti-gay discrimination. And he said Colorado has been “neither tolerant nor respectful” to the baker’s “religious beliefs.”

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) December 5, 2017

Kennedy did suggest that a baker who put an anti-gay sign in his window would create “an affront to the gay community.” But then he implied that Colorado is discriminating against Christian bakers.

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) December 5, 2017

Roberts, Alito, and Gorsuch all obviously supported the anti-gay baker. Kagan, Sotomayor, Ginsburg, and Breyer were extremely skeptical of his position.

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) December 5, 2017

I only see one way progressives win: Kennedy says compelled cake-baking isn’t speech, but religious discrimination may have infected this case. Then remand for further findings on free exercise.

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) December 5, 2017

Like @ssamcham and @jpscasteras I think there is a decent chance that there are 5 votes for this resolution. But I also think it's more likely that 5 justices find a reason to rule for the baker.

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) December 5, 2017

David Badash, at The New Civil Rights Movement, posted this on Facebook:

It looks possible, even likely, LGBT civil rights will lose in today's SCOTUS case. The is bad, not only for the LGBT community but for all minorities, and women.

Those who voted for Trump, Stein, Johnson, or wrote in someone other than Clinton, esp. in battleground states, helped put Gorsuch on the Supreme Court. A Clinton win would have put a progressive on the Court, and we would have won this case.

If people who believe in equality lose this case, so many in America will suffer. This is what happens in a deeply divided society where every single vote is critical.
Go ahead, come at me.

Mississippi: New "Religious Freedom" Law Will Allow Broad Discrimination Against LGBTs

Beginning this Friday, a new "religious freedom" law will take effect allowing officials and service providers the legal right to deny services to LGBT folks based on religious beliefs.

From LocalMemphis.com:

House Bill 1523 will allow anyone from doctors to store owners to deny service for LGBT people based on individual religious beliefs.

Critics of the law call it the nation's most sweeping anti-LGBT law, while supporters say it protects their faith based convictions.

Those in opposition said they're contemplating their next legal step in the coming days.

The legislation passed in the Mississippi General Assembly last year, and was signed by Governor Phil Bryant, but faced legal challenges since had yet to take effect.

That's expected to change this week after a three-judge panel ruled the plaintiffs who sued in opposition to HB 1523 didn't have the standing challenge the law.

HB 1523 will protect three types of religious beliefs as justification to deny service to LGBT individuals in Mississippi including the conviction that marriage is between one man and one woman.

Justice Department: Anti-LGBT Discrimination Is Legal Under Federal Law

On the same day that Donald Trump unexpectedly announced a ban on transgender soldiers in the U.S. military, his Justice Department filed a friend-of-the-court brief declaring anti-LGBT discrimination is lawful in a current employment discrimination case

From Chris Johnson at the Washington Blade:

In a 23-page brief, the Justice Department under U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rejects the notion that sexual-orientation discrimination is a form of sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“The essential element of sex discrimination under Title VII is that employees of one sex must be treated worse than similarly situated employees of the other sex, and sexual orientation discrimination simply does not have that effect,” the brief says. “Moreover, whatever this Court would say about the question were it writing on a blank slate, Congress has made clear through its actions and inactions in this area that Title VII’s prohibition of sex discrimination does not encompass sexual orientation discrimination. Other statutes and rules may prohibit such discrimination, but Title VII does not do so as a matter of law, and whether it should do so as a matter of policy remains a question for Congress to decide.”

Although the Justice Department under the Obama administration never took an official view on whether sexual orientation discrimination is prohibited under Title VII, the brief effectively turns a Justice Department that once argued for protections for LGBT people into an institution that seeks to undermine them.

The reasoning in the brief contrasts with the determination of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the independent agency charged with enforcing federal workplace civil rights laws. In 2015, the EEOC found in the case of Baldwin v. Foxx anti-gay discrimination constitutes sex discrimination under Title VII.

Sarah Warbelow, legal director for the Human Rights Campaign, issued this statement, “In one fell swoop, Trump’s DOJ has provided a roadmap for dismantling years of federal protections and declared that lesbian, gay, and bisexual people may no longer be protected by landmark civil rights laws such as the Fair Housing Act, Title IX, or Title VII.”

Here's a recap of actions the Trump administration has taken against LGBT folks since Trump was inaugurated.

But remember, Donald Trump promised during the 2016 campaign how much "better" for the gays he would be than Hillary Clinton.