Maybe We're Looking to the Wrong Barney

Who would have thought that a large purple dinosaur would be the one standing in the way of introducing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act ("ENDA")?

He says he wants to hold off until he gets more co-sponsors.  Here's a news flash that I know you already know, Barney:  IT'S NOT GOING TO PASS ANYWAYS. 

So what's the real reason for the hold up?  Justice delayed = justice denied.

Barney Frank Holds Off On ENDA Introduction

Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank has backtracked on introduction in the House of his Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill that would ban workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (transgender protections.)

At a Wednesday morning news conference where the bill's introduction was expected to be announced, Frank instead told attendees that he's not ready to introduce the measure he has carried in the House for decades.

Hit the link for more.

Thanks to Charles Butler for the tip.

Scott Walker Fires Attorneys Defending WI Domestic Partnership Law

Scott Walker just can't help himself from attacking the decent people of Wisconsin.  They need to get rid of him ASAP.  He is a danger to himself and others.

From the Cap Times:

Gov. Scott Walker has fired the lawyers defending the state in a challenge to Wisconsin's domestic partnership law. But the governor's spokesman said his office "is still working to appoint a new counsel to the case."

Madison attorney Lester Pines informed Dane County Circuit Judge Daniel Moeser in a March 22 letter that his firm, Cullen Weston Pines & Bach, had been "terminated" by Walker as counsel for the state in the lawsuit filed in 2009 by Julaine Appling, president of Wisconsin Family Action, a conservative advocacy group.

Pines was hired by former Gov. Jim Doyle in August 2009 after state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen refused to defend the state in the lawsuit.

Hit the link for more.

Thanks to Bill Dixon for the tip.

Bigotry? Tastes Like Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A is certain to leave a nasty taste in your mouth after you read what they do with the money you spend there, via this report at Equality Matters.  So stop spending money there.  Got it?

In fact, the company has strong, deep ties to anti-gay organizations like Focus on the Family and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and its charitable division has provided more than $1.1 million to organizations that deliver anti-LGBT messages and promote egregious practices like reparative therapy that seek to "free" people of being gay. 

Maybe I'll just order a pizza, instead....

Catholic Leaders vs. Catholic Laity -- A Major Disconnect

Even if the homophobic and misogynistic Catholic clergy doesn't get it, it appears that their parishioners do.  According to this recent study from the Public Religion Research Institute,

Catholics are more supportive of legal recognitions of same-sex relationships than members of any other Christian tradition and Americans overall. Nearly three-quarters of Catholics favor either allowing gay and lesbian people to marry (43%) or allowing them to form civil unions (31%). Only 22% of Catholics say there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship.

When same-sex marriage is defined explicitly as a civil marriage, support is dramatically higher among Catholics. If marriage for gay couples is defined as a civil marriage “like you get at city hall,” Catholic support for allowing gay couples to marry increases by 28 points, from 43% to 71%. A similar pattern exists in the general population, but the Catholic increase is more pronounced.

  Beyond the issue of same-sex marriage, Catholic support for rights for gays and lesbian people is strong and slightly higher than the general public. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Catholics favor laws that would protect gay and lesbian people against discrimination in the workplace; 63% of Catholics favor allowing gay and lesbian people to serve openly in the military; and 6-in-10 (60%) Catholics favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt children.

Hit the link to read more.

Thanks to LezGetReal.com for the image, and Meghan Stabler for the link.