Missouri Man's 'Social Experiment' Packing Guns, Wearing Body Armor, Results In Terror At Walmart

Dmitriy Andrechenko (mug shot - Greene County Sheriff's office)

Just days after two mass shootings that left at least 31 dead and 53 more injured, Dmitriy Andreychenko decided he wanted to try a 'social experiment' at his local Walmart in Missouri.

According to the Washington Post, his wife told him it was a bad idea. His sister reminded him that the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, less than a week earlier had occured at a Walmart.

But Andreychenko, 20-years-old, decided to move forward with his plan.

So, with a military-style rifle strapped to his back, a semiautomatic handgun on his hip, and over 100 rounds of ammunition, he headed into his local Walmart clad in body armor this past Thursday.

He began walking around the store with his cell phone held in front of him recording the store's customers.

Anyone reading this think folks might panic at the sight of all this after a maniac had just killed 22 people at a Walmart?

The manager of the store told an employee to pull the fire alarm to get people out of the store. Andreychenko headed for a side exit but was apparently stopped by a former member of the military who held him at gunpoint until police arrived.

Andreychenko told police he wanted to see if his 2nd Amendment rights "would be honored" in a public place. He told investigators he didn't anticipate the customers' reactions.

“This is Missouri,” he reportedly told investigators. “I understand if we were somewhere else like New York or California, people would freak out.”

I refer you back to the top of this story where his wife and sister tried to tell him just that.

Andreychenko has been charged with making a terrorist threat, saying he "recklessly disregarded the risk of causing a building evacuation by knowingly sowing fear in the wake of the El Paso mass shooting at the same retail chain," according to the Washington Post.

Note - Missouri is an open-carry state. Not only that, but since 2017, people in the Show Me state have been allowed to carry concealed weapons without a permit in most locations.

Those laws, however, don't entitle individuals to pull the gun equivalent of raising a false fire alarm in a crowded theater.

“Missouri protects the right of people to open carry a firearm, but that does not allow an individual to act in a reckless and criminal manner endangering other citizens,” Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson said in a statement.

Andreychenko’s second-degree felony charge carries up to four years’ imprisonment and a fine of as much as $10,000. He is being held on $10,000 bond with the stipulation that he may not possess a firearm, according to the prosecutor.

The 20-year-old social experimenter didn't shoot anyone, but a police officer and another driver were seriously injured in a traffic accident as the officer was heading to the Walmart with lights and sirens on. Both the officer and driver had to be taken to the emergency room after suffering "severe injuries."

On top of possible jail time, Andreychenko is now reportedly banned from Walmart stores.

“This was a reckless act designed to scare people, disrupt our business and it put our associates and customers at risk,” the company said in a statement. “We applaud the quick actions of our associates to evacuate customers from our store, and we’re thankful no one was injured.”

Speaking to CNN, Springfield Police Lt. Mike Lucas said Andreychenko “certainly had...the potential to harm people.”

“His intent was not to cause peace or comfort to anybody that was in the business,” Lucas said. “In fact, he’s lucky to be alive still, to be honest.”

Many folks thought back to November 2014 when 12-year-old Tamir Rice, an African-American boy in Cleveland, Ohio, was shot and killed by police was he was playing in a park with a toy gun.

And then there's the shooting death of John Crawford in Ohio who was shot by police for holding a pellet/BB gun at a Walmart store.

The black folks are shot dead, the 20-year-old white guy packing all kinds of heat and in body armor is taken into custody without any harm.

America is a place where a white man can walk into a Missouri Walmart with body armor, a loaded rifle and 100 rounds of ammo to scare the shit out of people and he gets arrested without a scratch on him, but a 12-year-old black child was shot and killed for playing with a toy.

— Adam Best (@adamcbest) August 9, 2019

An armed white man with body armor walks into a Walmart in Springfield, Missouri. No shots were fired.

An unarmed black man named John Crawford walks into a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio, near Dayton, and looks at a BB gun. Police killed him on the spot.https://t.co/kDiJppFk5f pic.twitter.com/BZsfRiwDBy

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) August 9, 2019

“Aren’t you glad the firefighter had a gun?”

Yes, I am glad the FIREFIGHTER who is TRAINED to deal with situations of mass panic had a gun. #Missouri #Walmart

— Jennifer Wilczynski (@JenWilcz) August 9, 2019

Missouri Man Threatens To "Kill Every Gay Person I Can"

Edward Terry (image via Missouri Dept of Corrections)

A St. Louis man has been charged with making a terrorist threat after allegedly telling PrideFest organizers he planned to show up at this year’s Pride parade with his guns and “kill every gay person I can before I kill myself.”

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports 49-year-old Edward Terry created a fake email address using the name of a woman he used to live with in order to send his threat to a parade organizer for PrideSTL.

But, after being notified by the recipient, the FBI tracked the account to Terry’s cell phone.

Terry’s bail was set at $20,000.

St. Louis’ Pride Parade regularly attracts hundreds of thousands of participants and spectators.

Marty Zuniga, vice president of PrideFest, said in a statement to the press that the organization works "hard to produce an event that is safe for all participants."

“PrideFest takes all threats seriously and works with local law enforcement," added Zuniga.

The St. Louis Pride Parade was in the news earlier this week after organizers reversed themselves on whether to allow police officers to march in uniform in the June 30 event.

The Post-Dispatch reports that Pride St. Louis requested officers not take part in the parade “citing sensitivities surrounding the 50-year anniversary of the New York police raid on the Stonewall Inn bar that helped spur the gay-rights movement.”

But after meetings and discussions with police and LGBTQ community leaders, the decision was made to allow LGBTQ police officers to march in uniform.

Mayor Lyda Krewson told the Post-Dispatch, “Exclusion of our police or, frankly, anyone is not in the spirit of our city.”

Podcast: Tres Gay Tony Awards, Trump Says No To Pride Flags, Restaurant Cancels Lesbian Couple's Wedding Dinner, ROZES Drops New Single "Call Me"

In this week's podcast:

• The Tony Awards were a tres gay affair

• The Trump administration is rejecting requests from US embassies around the world to fly Pride flags

• A gun scare involving a straight couple was the apparent cause for a panicked stampede at DC Pride

• A Missouri restaurant cancelled a wedding rehearsal dinner reservation after finding out the couple were of the same sex

• Out artist ROZES drops her new single “Call Me” in time for Pride Month

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report podcast

Wedding Dinner Reservation Cancelled By Homophobic Restaurant

Kendall Brown (L) and Mindy Rackley (R)

A same-sex couple in Missouri were surprised when the restaurant they had booked for their wedding rehearsal dinner cancelled the reservation upon learning their sexual orientation.

Kendall Brown and Mindy Rackley are getting married on June 15, and had planned on holding their rehearsal dinner on June 13 at Madison’s Café.

Newsweek reports that the couple chose the restaurant because it had been Rackley’s father’s favorite place to dine before he passed away two-and-a-half years ago. Holding the dinner there prior to their union was meant as a way to honor his memory.

Brown’s mother made the reservation on Monday evening, but the next day Brown received a call from the cafe asking for more information.

“Her first question was, ‘what is your groom’s name?’” explained Brown. “I said, ‘I’m marrying a woman actually and her name is Mindy.’”

From the other end of the call came the question: “Your spouse is another woman?”

Brown told the woman ‘yes.’

And with that, the woman at the restaurant told Brown, “We’re gonna have to refer you to someone else for your dinner because we don’t condone that kind of relationship.”

“Out of love for you, we’re going to have to decline your business because we believe you’re in an unhealthy relationship,” added the woman.

Brown immediately called her fiancée in tears.

Rackley told Newsweek the conversation “saddened” her.

"I just can't believe that this is still happening and that we get treated differently because of who we love," she said. "Who we love doesn't change who we are and, I don't know, it just saddens me."

Note: Missouri does not prohibit discrimination in public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It's legal to discriminate against LGBTQ people in the Show Me state.

Local news station KMOV reached out to Madison’s Café for their side of the story.

According to the news station, “A woman at the restaurant acknowledged the couple’s situation but did not want to comment.”

KMOV reports in front of Madison's Cafe (screen capture)

After their story went viral on social media, several local restaurants reached out, and the couple has booked another establishment for their dinner.

Brown told Newsweek she understands that the owner’s of Madison’s Café are entitled to their beliefs, but they shared their story on social media because they want other people to be “aware so that they don’t have to feel the way we felt.”

“In this day and age, this is just not okay,” she added.

News Round-Up: May 17, 2019

Ryan Worley (photo: Vinnie Cassidy)

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk and Chippendale Ryan Worley (above) shares this with the caption, "When you didn't know someone was taking your photo..." I'm thinking Mr. Worley should get used to folks taking his pic a lot.

• In an interview with Fox News, Democratic White House hopeful (and openly gay) Mayor Pete Buttigieg references the current president saying, "I’m old enough to remember when Republicans talked a lot about character in the Oval Office."

• Nevada has become the fourth state to ban the use of so-called gay and trans panic defenses, following California, Rhode Island and Illinois.

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) grilled Daniel O’Day, the CEO of Gilead Sciences, over the high costs of the pharmaceutical company’s pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication Truvada.

As she correctly points out, Gilead is making billions a year from Truvada, but the core research for PrEP was paid for and done by the U.S. government. Watch AOC push for a decent answer:

.@AOC to Gilead CEO: The list price [for Truvada for PrEP] is almost $2,000 in the US. Why is it $8 in Australia? pic.twitter.com/kPnMQSZE0G

— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) May 16, 2019

• Following Alabama lawmakers, the Missouri House of Representatives has passed an anti-abortion bill that bans abortions after eight weeks into a pregnancy, and does not have an exception for victims of rape or incest.

• E! Online reports that Queer Eye co-stars Karamo Brown and Antoni Porowski had "an extreme amount of conflict" during the shooting of Season One of the Bravo series.

• Check out the first look trailer for the upcoming new super-hero series, Batwoman, on the CW this fall on Sundays. Australian actress Ruby Rose stars as the openly lesbian crime fighter.

Almost two millions views on YouTube in a day. But the like/dislike ratio is something to see - 87k thumbs down (homophobes) versus 36k thumbs up.

Missouri: Judge Dismisses Housing Lawsuit Filed By Married Lesbian Couple

Mary Walsh (L) & Bev Nance (R)
(image via Mary Walsh)

A Missouri lesbian couple was told they couldn’t buy a unit in a retirement community because they’re married.

The women took their case to court, filing a lawsuit alleging sex discrimination.

They lost.

Beverly Nance, 68, and Mary Walsh, 72, have been in a committed relationship for 40 years, and married for ten.

In 2016, the couple visited and applied to move into the Friendship Village Sunset Hills community - doesn’t that sound lovely? - a retirement community near St. Louis.

They were qualified tenants and they even put down a $2,000 deposit.

But a week after putting down the deposit, a representative of Friendship Village called to inquire about the nature of the women's relationship.

When Walsh informed the rep that they were married, they were told they couldn’t move into Friendship Village because it has a policy that “defined marriage as between a man and a woman” and as “marriage is understood in the Bible.”

So, the women, with the help of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, sued in federal court claiming that the Fair Housing Act (FHA) had been violated.

The FHA bans discrimination on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin.”

“Mary and Bev were denied housing for one reason and one reason only – because they were married to each other rather than to men,” said National Center for Lesbian Rights Senior Staff Attorney Julie Wilensky in a statement. “This is exactly the type of sex discrimination the Fair Housing Act prohibits.”

But U.S. District Judge Jean Hamilton didn’t see it that way and dismissed their case this week, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“The Court finds the claims boil down to those of discrimination based on sexual orientation rather than sex alone,” wrote Judge Hamilton. “The Eighth Circuit has squarely held that ‘Title VII does not prohibit discrimination against homosexuals.’”

In the state of Missouri, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is legal. There are no statewide protections for LGBTQ people in the Show Me state.

The couple's lawyers told reporters, “We disagree with the court’s decision, and our clients are considering next steps.”

Podcast: Carol Channing, Chechnya, Karen Pence & Gay Club Picture Rules

In this week's podcast:

• A lesbian couple, together for 40 years, were denied an apartment at a retirement home in Missouri because they are married

• Vice President Mike Pence is deeply offended folks are upset his wife has chosen to teach art at a school that bans LGBTQ kids and parents

• A gay Australian party got into hot water over rude instructions to photographers

• Broadway legend and LGBT ally (and my dear friend) Carol Channing passed away this week at the age of 97

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

Lesbian Couple Denied Housing at St. Louis Senior Community

Bev Nance and Mary Walsh (image via Mary Walsh)

 A senior lesbian married couple in Missouri have been turned away by a senior housing community because of the couple’s sexual orientation.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting on a new law suit filed by Bev Nance, 68, and Mary Walsh, 72, who have been denied housing by the Friendship Village senior living community because they are married to each other.

The couple, who have been together for almost four decades and legally married since 2009, had toured the Sunset Hills location several times and even put down a $2,000 deposit.

According to the lawsuit, the couple were denied housing because their same-sex relationship violated Friendship Village’s cohabitation policy that views marriage as “the union of one man and one woman, as marriage is understood in the Bible.”

The Post Dispatch received a statement from Friendship Village which read: “We have just been made aware of a lawsuit that we have not yet seen and have not had an opportunity to review. This matter will be discussed with legal counsel and (we) have no further comment at this time.”

Nance and Walsh are being represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the ACLU and Washington-based law firm of Relman, Dane & Colfax.

The couple’s legal team says the policy violates the Fair Housing Act in terms of sex discrimination. Since the women are married to females, not men, the decision to deny them occupancy is, in essence, discrimination based on their sex.

However, Missouri’s public accommodation laws don’t include sexual orientation or gender identity.

“Mary and Bev were denied housing for one reason and one reason only — because they were married to each other rather than to men. This is exactly the type of sex discrimination the Fair Housing Act prohibits,” said Julie Wilensky, an attorney for the NCLR, said in a statement to the press. “Their story demonstrates the kind of exclusion and discrimination still facing same-sex couples of all ages.”

The couple attempted to move into Friendship Village in 2016. After multiple visits and several conversations with the staff they put down a $2,000 deposit in order to get on a waiting list. It was only after that they were informed of the “longstanding” policy on cohabitation.

From The Post-Dispatch:

The Friendship Village website says it is a nonprofit that provides “a fulfilling, worry-free lifestyle” to more than 1,000 seniors in Chesterfield and Sunset Hills. Its mission statement says, “Guided by Biblical values, continually serve the senior community with quality offerings that promote lifelong well-being.”

Walsh and Nance considered other housing but said Friendship Village was the only place in the St. Louis area “that can provide increased levels of care without an increased monthly cost to residents.”

According to the lawsuit, a letter to Walsh dated July 29, 2016, from Michael Heselbarth, a top administrator with the retirement village, said: “ Your request to share a single unit does not fall within the categories permitted by the long-standing policy of Friendship Village Sunset Hills.”

Legal experts are divided on the possibility of winning the lawsuit.

Anders Walker, a constitutional law professor at St. Louis University, told the Post-Dispatch, “My gut instinct is they’re probably out of luck."

“When a private body doesn’t want to rent a room to you, for them, that’s freedom of association," he added. "They’re probably entitled to their deposit back.”

But Marcia McCormick, an employment and labor law expert, says Friendship Village’s religious freedom claim “does have to be sincere. The defense of the First Amendment does not excuse discrimination in the Fair Housing Law.”

(h/t St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Missouri: African-American Drivers Are 85% More Likely To Be Pulled Over Than Whites

(image via Depositphotos)

A new report from the Missouri Attorney General's office shows African-American drivers are 85% more likely to be pulled over than whites.

That's a ten percent jump from the previous year and the highest level in the 18 year history of the annual report.

More from the AP:

Attorney General Josh Hawley on Friday released his office’s annual Vehicle Stops Report. The “disparity index” comparing traffic stops among races showed a jump from last year, when blacks were 75 percent more likely than whites to be stopped. Until now, last year’s percentage had been the highest since the reports began in 2000.

John Gaskin, spokesman for the St. Louis County chapter of the NAACP, said the numbers are shocking.

“Quite frankly, it’s really deplorable,” Gaskin said. “It’s why we’ve ended up in a situation where people are talking about travel advisories and African-American groups are less likely to come and do business in our state.”

In light of last year's vehicle stop data and other racial concerns, the NAACP issued a travel warning to the state.

Missouri Governor Taken Into Custody On "Revenge Porn" Allegations

Campaign ad from Gov. Eric Greitens

Whoa.

Republican Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has been taken into custody after being indicted on charges of felony invasion of privacy.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner's office announced today that a grand jury found probable cause to believe Greitens violated a Missouri statute that makes it a felony if a person transmits the image contained in the photograph or film in a manner that allows access to that image via a computer.

From The St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

On Jan. 10, the Post-Dispatch and other area media reported that Greitens, a first-term Republican elected in 2016, had had an extramarital affair near the start of that campaign, in 2015.

The allegation was put forward by the husband of Greitens' lover, based on a surreptitious audio recording he made of a conversation with her.

The woman said in the recording that, during a consensual sexual encounter in Greitens' St. Louis home in which she was bound and partly undressed, Greitens took a photo of her without her consent and threatened her with it.

A former Navy Seal, Greitens won his 2016 election in part by campaigning against “corrupt career politicians.”

Some Republican lawmakers have called for Greitens resignation.

(source)

Missouri Republican: Girls Shouldn't Grow Up To Be "Career-Obsessed Banshees"

A Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Missouri has an interesting way to court the women's vote.

"Interesting" as in "step-on-your-dick" bad.

From Raw Story:

Republican U.S. Senate candidate for Missouri Courtland Sykes blasted “women’s rights” this week.

In a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday, Sykes said that he had been asked if he “supports women’s rights.”

“I want to come home to a home cooked dinner every night at six,” Sykes said, referring to demands he makes of his girlfriend. “One that she fixes and one that I expect one day to have daughters learn to fix after they become traditional homemakers and family wives.”

According to Sykes, feminists push an agenda that they “made up to suit their own nasty snake-filled heads.”

The candidate said that he hoped his daughters do not grow up to be “career obsessed banshees who forgo home life and children and the happiness of family to become nail-biting manophobic hell-bent feminist she devils who shriek from the top of a thousand tall buildings they are [SIC] think they could have leaped in a single bound — had men not been ‘suppressing them.’ It’s just nuts.”

Sykes ended his rant by insisting that he supports women’s rights “but not the kind that has suppressed natural womanhood for five long decades.”

Missouri: Four Young People Charged With Beating & Mutilation Death Of 19-Year-Old Transgender Teen

Joseph Steinfeld aka "Ally"

Four young people have been arrested in Texas County, Missouri on charges relating to the brutal mutilation and murder of transgender teenager Joseph Steinfeld.

On Monday, 19-year-olds Andrew Vrba and Isis Schauer and 24-year-old Briana Calderas were charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and abandonment of a corpse.

Additionally, James T. Grigsby was arraigned on the charges of abandonment of a corpse and tampering with evidence in a felony case.

Joseph, also known as Joey and Ally, had been reported missing by family.

Steinfeld's sister, Ashleigh Boswell, told the Springfield News-Leader that Joey had discussed being transgender with the family and contemplated undergoing gender-reassignment surgery some day.

Boswell described Joey was "a very loving, outgoing person" who "didn't like conflict whatsoever."

“We honestly don’t understand why they done it,” she added. “It just don’t make any sense.”

From the News-Leader:

When questioned Wednesday, Schauer denied any knowledge of Steinfeld's whereabouts. She said the teen was last seen leaving a Cabool home after having a physical altercation with Vrba. But after obtaining permission to look at her phone, a sheriff's deputy saw the Facebook messages.

Schauer told the deputy she couldn't remember what the conversation was about, but later admitted she was aware of the killing and helped get rid of the body, the probable cause statement said.

Vrba told investigators he had to kill Steinfeld and initially tried to poison the teen, though the probable cause statement didn't provide a possible motive for the attack. The detective wrote that Vrba then described how he stabbed Steinfeld in the living room of the home.

Vrba said the trio burned Steinfeld's body, and placed some of the bones into a garbage bag and that the bag was placed in a chicken coop near the residence. The women said Vrba told them he had gouged Steinfeld's eyes and stabbed the teen in the genitals, and bragged about the killing, the detective wrote.

The detective said Calderas admitted Steinfeld was killed at her home and that she helped burn the body, but that she didn't want Steinfeld dead. Schauer and Vrba disagreed, saying that Calderas mentioned several days earlier that she wanted Steinfeld to die. Calderas led authorities to the knife used in the killing and Steinfeld's phone, the detective wrote.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help Steinfeld’s family handle funeral expenses.

Steinfeld is reportedly the 21st transgender person killed in the U.S. this year.

Missouri State Rep. Rick Brattin: "There Is A Distinction Between Homosexuality And Just Being A Human Being"

Missouri state Rep. Rick Brattin

The editorial board of the Kansas City Star calls out state lawmaker Rick Brattin for declaring during a legislative debate that “there is a distinction between homosexuality and just being a human being.”

Look at him. Pretty tells you who he is, doesn't it?

This is where we thank Hillary Clinton for reintroducing the word "deplorable" into our vocabulary.

Rick Brattin, a Missouri state representative from Harrisonville, seems pretty certain: Homosexuality and humanity are incompatible.

“When you look at the tenets of religion, of the Bible, of the Qur’an, of other religions,” he said Monday, “there is a distinction between homosexuality and just being a human being.”

The statement, made on the Missouri House floor, was deplorable. It betrayed a stunning lack of understanding of theology and self-government: The Constitution protects all Americans from the tyranny of any single faith-based approach to secular law.

We asked Rep. Brattin to explain his statement, but he did not return a phone call to his office.

[snip]

Monday, state lawmakers tried to pass an amendment prohibiting discrimination in the state on the basis of sexual orientation or gender status. In Missouri, you can still be fired because the boss thinks you might be gay.

Brattin made his statement during the debate on that amendment. But it quickly became clear that there were not enough votes to pass the plan, leaving gays and lesbians still unprotected by Missouri’s discrimination law.

That sends exactly the wrong message about tolerance in the state.

It gets worse. After all the amendments were dropped, including the protections for gays and lesbians, the House passed Senate Bill 43, a measure that would actually make it more difficult to sue for discrimination.

The bill is another unnecessary blemish on the state. The legislation’s original sponsor owns a company facing a discrimination lawsuit, making the decision even more questionable.

The bill now sits on Gov. Eric Greitens’ desk.

The governor has made clear his desire to bring new businesses and jobs to Missouri. Supporters say SB 43 is part of an effort to make the state more business-friendly.

But what business wants to operate in a state that tolerates discrimination? Or a state where a representative thinks gays and lesbians are less than human?

The states that grow in the 21st century will be those that show tolerance, acceptance and intelligence. Missouri’s lawmakers are sending a clear signal this state is not any of those things.

The governor should veto the bill. And Brattin should apologize.

News Round-Up: April 29, 2016

Some news stories you may have missed:

• Missouri lawmakers vote down anti-LGBT "License to discriminate" bill with 6-6 vote.

• Another day, another lost convention for North Carolina due to anti-LGBT hate law as the American Institute of Architects takes their $1 million in economic impact elsewhere.

• Eighty-six percent of political reporters believe Hillary Clinton will win the presidency.

• Although a million haters have signed a petition boycotting Target over it's trans-inclusive bathroom policy, the super-store is standing strong it's position.

• Bernie Sanders' wife, Jane Sanders, wishes the FBI would speed up it's investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails.

• We all have our inspirations, and for The Randy Report that would be the fab Joe.My.God. which celebrates 12 years of blogging genius for the LGBT community. #MoreWine!

Missouri State Senate Approves "License To Discriminate" Bill

After a historic 39 hour filibuster effort by Democratic state Senators earlier this week, Missouri Republicans have advanced SJR39. The bill would legalize discrimination against LGBTs in the state.

From the Human Rights Campaign:

Similar to so-called “First Amendment Defense Act” legislation introduced in other states, this extreme resolution would lead to a ballot measure that, if approved by voters, would enshrine discrimination against LGBT people and their families into the state constitution. If the House of Representatives passes the resolution, it would go directly to the ballot and the governor would have no opportunity to veto it.

“SJR 39 is an irresponsible and shameful attempt by Missouri lawmakers to put LGBT people and their families in serious danger of even further discrimination,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow. “The freedom to practice one’s religion is one of the founding principles of our country, but to use it as a means of state-sanctioned discrimination is completely unacceptable. We call on the Missouri House of Representatives to listen to the overwhelming chorus of pro-equality voices outraged by this proposal and reject this attack on LGBT people.”

The bill now moves to the state House of Representatives where Republicans hold a 2-1 majority.

Missouri Republicans End Democrat-Led Filibuster Over "License To Discriminate" Bill

Missouri state legislature

From St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

After more than 36 hours of non-stop debate, Republicans who control the Missouri Senate shut down a Democrat-led filibuster of a controversial same-sex marriage proposal early Wednesday.

Republicans used a parliamentary maneuver, known as the previous question, to end the blockade, which had put a national focus on a GOP-sponsored measure to shield clergy, wedding vendors and religious organizations from penalties if they oppose same-sex marriage.

The Senate then voted 23-9 to give the proposal preliminary approval. A final vote is expected Thursday before the measure moves to the House for further action. If approved by the House and Senate, the measure will be sent to the ballot for voter approval.

The record-setting marathon ended with anger from Democratic lawmakers and signs of relief from Republicans with a lack of sleep the only common ground between them.

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders tweeted their support. State Sen. Wendy Davis of Texas — who gained notoriety after her own filibuster in 2013 — also praised the Democrats’ efforts.

Sen. Bob Onder, the sponsor, said the constitutional amendment is necessary so photographers, bakers and others aren’t “commandeered” into participating in same-sex marriages or receptions. The Lake Saint Louis Republican also wants to make sure churches don’t lose any tax benefits they have now if they oppose gay marriage.

If approved by voters, Democrats say it would enshrine discrimination against gays into the state constitution.

Missouri Democrats Filibuster All Night Against Anti-LGBT Legislation

Democratic state Senators in the Missouri legislature have been up all night in an effort to filibuster SJR39 - legislation that would possible legalize LGBT discrimination in the "Show Me State."

Many have pointed out the legislation is unnecessary because LGBTs are not protected in the state's human rights laws. So, it's already perfectly legal to discriminate against LGBTs in terms of housing, employment, or even wedding cakes.

From the Human Rights Campaign:

Today, HRC praised Missouri Senate Democrats for leading a historic filibuster – now in its 17th hour – to stop Republicans from moving forward with Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 39 – a measure that could enshrine discrimination against LGBT Missourians and their families into the state constitution.

Still going strong since 4:00 PM CT yesterday, these pro-equality state senators have been vigorously fighting an assault on equality that’s similar to so-called “First Amendment Defense Act” legislation introduced in other states. The extreme resolution would lead to a ballot measure that proposes to allow individuals, organizations, and businesses to use religion as a valid excuse to discriminate against LGBT people.

“These Missouri Senate Democrats working throughout the night to stop this outrageous assault on LGBT Missourians and their families are our heroes,” said JoDee Winterhof, HRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs. “This resolution has nothing to do with religious liberty and everything to do with enshrining anti-LGBT discrimination into the Missouri Constitution. We are incredibly grateful for these state senators who are standing up against overwhelming odds to proclaim that hate and discrimination are not Missouri values.”

The filibuster against the anti-LGBT resolution is being led by Democratic Senators Jamilah Nasheed, Jill Schupp, Scott Sifton, Jason Holsman, Maria Chappelle-Nadal, Joseph Keaveny and Kiki Curls.

SJR 39 goes far beyond protecting the right of free exercise of one’s religion. While shrouded in language framed as prohibiting the state government from making funding or tax status decisions based on an organization’s views on marriage that are driven by religious belief, in reality it opens the door to discrimination against same-sex couples, their families, and those who love them.

If voted into law, LGBT people and their families could suddenly find themselves at risk of being denied many basic services. Taxpayer funded foster care providers and adoption agencies could refuse to place children in need of loving homes with same-sex couples. Taxpayer funded homeless shelters could turn away LGBT couples and their families. The legislation would have reckless intended and unintended consequences.

The resolution addresses no real problem in the state as no federal or state law requires religious organizations or clergy to sanction or perform same-sex marriages.

UPDATE: As the filibuster has now passed the 24 hour mark, the Washington Blade's Chris Johnson follows up with a few more details on the bill.

The law has four parts aimed at allowing religious people and organization to deny wedding services to same-sex couples:

* It prohibits the state from imposing a penalty on a religious organization who acts in accordance with a sincere religious belief concerning same-sex marriage, which includes the refusal to perform a same-sex marriage ceremony or allowing a same sex wedding ceremony to be performed on the religious organization’s property. (A religious organization under the resolution is construed broadly to include religious societies, corporations, schools, social service providers and hospitals.)
* It bars the state from penalizing an individual who declines, due to sincere religious beliefs, to provide goods of expressional or artistic creation for a same-sex wedding ceremony.
* It explicitly doesn’t prevent the state from providing lawful marriage licenses or other marital benefits. Under the resolution, hospitals couldn’t refuse to treat a marriage as valid for the purposes of a spouse’s right to visitation or to make health care decisions.
* It allows individuals protected under this resolution to use the law as a claim or defense in a legal proceeding regardless of whether the state is a party in the dispute.

Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri has also weighed in on the issue:

Discrimination is not a #Missouri value #NotInMyState #SJR39

— Governor Jay Nixon (@GovJayNixon) March 8, 2016

Missouri County Commissioners Approve (And Now Will Rescind) Proposal Lowering Flags Over Same-Sex Marriage

In response to the historic ruling by SCOTUS in favor of same-sex marriage, the three member panel of commissioners in Dent County, Missouri, voted to lower U.S. and state flags at the county court house on the 26th of every month for the next year as a sign of "mourning."

Authored by Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles, the proposal was unanimously approved by the panel, all three Republicans.

From Buzzfeed:

“I just want anybody who sees that to be reminded we find it revolting that the Supreme Court has ruled in this manner,” Dent County Commissioner Darrell Skiles, who sponsored the proposal, told BuzzFeed News on Monday. “I had this feeling like when someone near and dear has passed away — not the same, but similar."

Under the proposal, the flags are to be lowered on the 26th of each month through June 2016 — marking the date of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling, which the bill describes as one of “the saddest days in our history.”

But by the next morning, several media outlets had reported on the commission’s order and an online petition asking officials to reverse the decision had gathered more than 1,000 signatures.

On Tuesday, Skiles told the Salem News that the commission would hold a special session this week to rescind the order “out of respect for veterans and those currently serving in the military.”

“This political showcase is hurtful personally to several residents of Dent County and the surrounding area, which seems counter-intuitive to Jesus Christ’s message of ‘love thy neighbor’ for those of the Christian faith, of which most, if not all, of the commissioners prescribe,” the petition said.

Asked if displaying such a symbol in the same place that same-sex couples must obtain their marriage licenses sent a message, Skiles told BuzzFeed News: “That’s for every couple to decide.”

Members of the military opposed the commission’s proposal because it violates flag protocol.

According to the U.S. Flag Code, American flags can only be lowered to half-staff to honor veterans or fallen soldiers, to memorialize government leaders, to observe designated holidays or when ordered by the governor or the president.

Missouri: Speaker Of The House John Diehl Resigns Due To "Sexting" Scandal With College Freshman

Former Speaker of the Missouri state House - John Diehl

Yesterday I posted about anti-gay, conservative and MARRIED Missouri Speaker of the House, John Diehl, who had been caught in a sexting scandal with a college freshman who was serving an internship at the Missouri state legislature.

Today, Diehl has announced he is resigning as Speaker and from his legislative seat as well.

"For the good of my party, the caucus, and this state, I’m not going to further jeopardize what we have accomplished this year and what can be accomplished in the future," the Republican from Town and Country said in a statement released Thursday afternoon. "Therefore, I will be resigning the position of Speaker of the House and the office of State Representative in a way that allows for an orderly transition.”

After spending eight hours in his office conferring with colleagues Wednesday, Diehl issued a statement apologizing saying he took "full responsibility" for the exchanges. He did not offer any detail. Diehl emerged from his office around 11 p.m. Wednesday but said little more to reporters.

In this statement Thursday, he still offered little detail, but again apologized and he acknowledged "making a serious error in judgment by sending the text messages.

"It was wrong and I am truly sorry," Diehl said in the statement. "Too often we hear leaders say they’re sorry but are unwilling to accept the consequences. I understand that, as a leader, I am responsible for my actions and I am willing to face the consequences."

Diehl was a vocal opponent to same-sex marriage in Missouri. So much so that he filed an amicus brief with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals opposing marriage equality there.

Diehl also co-sponsored a 2012 bill to ban Gay-Straight Alliances in public schools, which read: “Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, no instruction, material, or extracurricular activity sponsored by a public school that discusses sexual orientation other than in scientific instruction concerning human reproduction shall be provided in any public school.”

I'm sure the 49 year old, who is married with three children, bases his opposition to same-sex marriage on his "deeply held religious beliefs" that don't seem to rule out sexting with a teen aged student who's less than half his age.

Missouri: Springfield Votes To Repeal LGBT Protections

Springfield voters repeal protections for gay, transgender people: http://t.co/UulYJOrGOa
— KY3 News (@kytv) April 8, 2015

It was very close, but last night voters of Springfield, Missouri, decided to repeal an anti-discrimination law passed last October by the Springfield City Council. The vote came down to 51.43% - 48.57%.

The measure was meant to protect LGBT folks from discrimination in the areas of housing, jobs and public accommodations. The same protections are afforded women and people of color, but for LGBT folks it seems these were considered "special rights."

A petition drive called on the City Council to either repeal the ordinance immediately or take it to the polls. The City Council sent the issue to the voters. And they have spoken.

Sad to see these things happen as progress is made in so many areas.

 But Missouri is Missouri.