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Commies, Blacks, Jews, the UCC and Other Threats to America

By Daniel Schultz

…ng the organizations endorsing the march were the Communist Party USA, the United Church of Christ, Jewish Funds for Justice, the National Urban League, the National Baptist Convention, People for the American Way and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. My first reaction to this was to wonder why the Times is acting as Glenn Beck’s hatchet man. About the only thing these groups have in common is that they endorsed this rally. What, exactly, i…

Gambian Voters Reject Anti-Gay Strongman Jammeh; Activists Ponder Trump Impact on LGBT Human Rights; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…set of values that are at odds with the majority of the American people.’” United Nations: Independent Expert on SOGI Addresses ILGA World Conference Thai diplomat Vitit Muntarbhorn, who is filling the independent expert position created by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate discrimination and violence against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, gave the keynote speech to the opening session at the ILGA World Confe…

Clergy Come Out as Atheists

By Candace Chellew-Hodge

I really do sympathize with Teresa MacBain. The Tallahassee, Florida United Methodist Church pastor has just recently come out. No, she’s not a lesbian. This is how she explained it to NPR recently: “I’m currently an active pastor and I’m also an atheist,” she says. “I live a double life. I feel pretty good on Monday, but by Thursday—when Sunday’s right around the corner—I start having stomachaches, headaches, just knowing that I got to stand up…

Russian Politician Wants to Ban Apple CEO Who Says Being Gay is God’s Gift; Violence After Preachers Blame Liberian Gays for Ebola; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…in Asia: At a time when laws legalizing same-sex marriage are sweeping the United States, Latin America and Europe, gay rights advocates across Asia are still struggling to secure basic protections. Brunei has instituted strict Shariah laws that criminalize gay relationships, conservative legislators in the Indonesian province of Aceh passed an ordinance last month punishing gay sex with 100 lashes, and on Wednesday the highest court in Singapore…

What Caused the Catholic Church Child Sexual Abuse Crisis? Blame the Sixties.

By Joanna Brooks

…n the general society and also among priests of the Catholic Church in the United States. Organizational, psychological, and situational factors contributed to the vulnerability of individuals in this period of normative change.” “The rise in abuse cases in the 1960s and 1970s was influenced by social factors in American society generally,” the report continued. “This increase in abusive behavior is consistent with the rise of other types of ‘devi…

Going Negative: Traditionalist Churches Gang Up on ‘Progressive Christianity’ in Arizona

By Daniel Schultz

…, there’s a self-described “progressive Christian” congregation, Fountains United Methodist Church. Fountains’ pastor, the Rev. David Felten, is the author of a book on progressive Christianity, and the church proudly advertises its welcome of the “LGBTQ community,” support for science, and interfaith dialogue. The conservative church leaders are equally proud of their traditionalism. In a letter to the editor published in the Fountain Hills Times…

Australian Church Leaders See Marriage Vote as Battle for Soul of Australia: Global LGBT Recap 10/30

By Peter Montgomery

…In July, a video went viral showing an Egyptian lesbian (who lives in the United States) talking about her relationship with a woman and her father’s reaction to her coming out. … Morality crusades unite military regimes and religious zealots alike. Mr. Sisi, a former army general who became president after forcing out Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, understands the potency of connecting the catchall “national security” to “inciting deb…

Why Religious Exemptions Matter

By Sarah Posner

…ommodated religious interests. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, said, “birth control is a fact of modern life. This proposed rule acknowledges that reality while going out of its way to accommodate religious groups.” Michael DeDora, director of Center for Inquiry’s Office of Policy, writes the group “is concerned that this is too broad and open a definition of ‘religious employer.’” He goes…

Creationist Theme Park Gets $43 Million in Tax Rebates

By Lauri Lebo

…ntribute $250 million to the region’s economy in the first year. Americans United for Separation of Church and State blasted the decision. “The state of Kentucky should not be promoting the spread of fundamentalist Christianity or any other religious viewpoint,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “Let these folks build their fundamentalist Disneyland without government help.” Of course, building the Ark according…

Egypt Goes After Gays to Silence Islamist Critics; South Africa’s ‘Open Mosque’ is Closed; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…that his department could shoot the law down if it violated human rights. United Kingdom: South Asian Gays Wed to Avoid Violence from Families The Independent’s Pavan Amara reports this week on gay South Asian immigrants in the United Kingdom who are in heterosexual marriages of convenience in order to protect themselves from pressure and violence from relatives. Tariq lives alone, but you’d never know that if you visited his flat. All around his…