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Gambian Prez Rails Against Gay ‘Evil Empire’; Irish Priest Comes Out During Mass; Trans Talk on Tunisian TV Sparks Debate; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…, saying that it would be, “In order to cleanse society.” Mexico: Mexicali City Officials Continue to Resist Marriage Equality Last weekend officials in the city of Mexicali continued their refusal to marry Víctor Aguirre Espinoza and Fernando Urias Amparo in spite of an order by Mexico’s Supreme Court more than six months ago that the men could marry. The couple had previously been denied based on claims of incomplete paperwork. This time, the ex…

Scott Roeder’s Religion

By Sarah Posner

…er the heavy hand of the Lord.” He cites this passage to show why Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh deserved the death penalty, but he then segues to a lamentation that “there is nothing being done today to expunge the bloodguilt for the babies being murdered in abortion mills.” Elsewhere, in an appendix titled “Bible Study,” in a section claiming that the “shedding of innocent blood is murder,” Newman writes, “the death penalty for murder is n…

Gay Men Detained and Killed in Chechnya, and More in the Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…ers, was held in Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic, where a number of religious leaders had been engaged in vocal rhetorical warfare against the openly gay former US ambassador to the country. The New York Times profiled a number of everyday people, Muslims and Christians, who are taking part in legal challenges to the Trump administration overs its executive orders banning entry into the U.S. from a number of countries. Paul Harris…

Morality Police, Jihadists, Religious Competition, Grindr, & Americans Abroad: Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…Crimes reports that police in Beirut are using messaging apps on the cell phones of arrestees to try to entrap other gay men. In related news, the smartphone app Grindr, which allows gay men to find each other, announced it would permanently disable an option that allowed people to see their distance from other users. There have been reports that police in Egypt and Iran have used Grindr to hunt and arrest gay men. Jamaica: Activist Drops Challen…

LGBT Human Rights in UN Sustainable Development Negotiation; Swiss Bishop Says Speaking of ‘Family Diversity’ is ‘Attack on the Creator’; Canadian Food Bank’s Anti-Gay Dogma; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…yor joins first pride celebration Angela Brown-Burke, mayor of the capital city of Kingston and a member of the Jamaican senate, participated in opening ceremonies for city’s first-ever LGBT pride celebration last weekend, telling the Washington Blade, ““I come from the point of view that I, as mayor, have a responsibility to all the individuals of Kingston.” Homosexual conduct is still illegal in Jamaica, and, as we have reported, conservative re…

Freedom of Religion Means Freedom for All

By Lauri Lebo

…e somebody lately protests the building of a new mosque—either in New York City or in other cities across the country—they’re always careful to cloak their opposition with earnest assurances that they’re not opposed to religious freedom. But there is only one response to such an assertion: Yes…you…are. (And I’m talking to you, Anti-Defamation League). In a statement opposing New York City’s approval of the building of an Islamic center two blocks…

Fight the Tower: Protests Continue at Union Theological Seminary

By Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons

…e. And finally, Union was founded as the first seminary located in a major city. Our commitment to New York City and the needs of urban communities is central to Union’s future. During one community discussion of the project, the option of moving Union’s campus came up. President Jones said, “We’re a New York institution.” The question for Union to consider is which New York it commits itself to? The rapidly gentrifying New York that drives people…

John Lennon + New York City vs. Qur’an-Burning Pastor

By Evan Derkacz

You can sure see why a conservative Christian like Ray Comfort might (posthumously, tastelessly) seek to make John Lennon a spokesperson for conservative Christian dogma. Below, John Lennon (posthumously, slightly off-key) overpowers the silly rant of the loopy, mutton-chopped, Qur’an Burning Pastor Terry Jones. Okay, not John Lennon himself, but you get the idea. (And below that is my attempt to restore the name Terry Jones to its rightful own…

Burning Man: Fear of an Alternative Pagan Social Order

By John W. Morehead

…on city for Burning Man, for example, were met with strong opposition from city leaders out of fear that “the city’s image and business projects would be tainted,” and of course religious groups, including conservative evangelicals, have had their issues as well. Although a few evangelical critics have written positive analyses of Burning Man, including an essay in Christian Research Journal by Steve Rabey, and a recent essay in Christianity Today…

Russian Zombies Follow in Pussy Riot Footsteps

By Joseph Laycock

…ess the spreading zombie phenomenon. Yakovlev received permission from the city to organize a “Zombie Parade” earlier this summer, but his permit was revoked. It is not entirely clear why the city decided to shut down the zombie parade, but it appears to have been in response to a coalition of religious groups and moral entrepreneurs. The local Russian Orthodox diocese complained that “raising the dead” is un-Christian. (The irony of this claim wa…