Jeremy Hooper's Blog, page 70

Pro-discrimination activists continue to use one woman's one-sided spite against ex-husband to attack marriage equality

Last time I wrote about this situation, the ex-husband in the story, Leif Anderson, left this tactful response to the ex-wife who had just publicly maligned him:

But social conservatives who are eager to gain ground in a fight they are quickly losing don't care about painting an accurate picture. Instead, they continue to eagerly push Janna Darnelle's personal story as some sort of warning sign about what same-sex marriage will do to this nation:

[SOURCE: Breakpoint.org]

Divorce sucks. So do clo...

Audio: Tony Perkins minimizes actual religious persecution; pretends he and anti-gay pals face 'deadly consequences'

Religious persecution is very real. It involves war. And kidnapping. And hostages. And draconian prison sentences. And death—lots of death, in the name of a deity.

And anti-LGBT commentator Tony Perkins totally gets it. After all, he and his movement here and America are told that they must comply with nondiscrimination laws that protect gay consumers, must at the very least tolerate civil marriage rights for tax-paying same-sex couples, and generally find a way to live in peace with certain k...

Ryan Anderson, Mark Regnerus, Rick Warren, other inequality advocates urge Pope to 'commit to marriage'

While they do not use the words "gay" or "same-sex" or language that speaks specifically to marriage equality, it's clear by the signees (Ryan Anderson, Robert George, Mark Regnerus, Rick Warren, Jennnifer Roback Morse, more) that this new letter, written to the Pope, as well as "eminences and excellencies of the Synod of Bishops," is yet another attempt to conservative Catholics and like-minded allies to prioritize marriage discrimination at the detriment of the church and its potential grow...

GLAAD: Are some anti-LGBT activists missing a self-awareness gene?

Are some anti-LGBT activists missing a self-awareness gene? [GLAAD]

FRC faults Dems for broken, obstructionist Congress while advocating for broken, obstructionist Congress

A bipartisan majority in the US Senate passed the Employment NonDiscrimination Act. All credible polling suggests the American public wants Congress to pass this law. Sadly, the obstructionist GOP House, which has made stopping President Obama and Democrats from passing anything, has blocked ENDA and even a vote on the bill.

But now check this. In a post where the viciously anti-LGBT Family Research Council encourages John Boehner's House to keep blocking this reasonable law from moving forwar...

FRC senior staffer: 'Ex-Gays: The Best Kept Secret in Your Child’s School'

I know it's already in your calendar and you've already packed your lunch and pick your outfit. Even so, I do feel compelled to remind you that we are only days away from the second annual "Ex-gay Awareness Month" Conference. Super exciting, right?

And to get you even more fired up, sponsoring org. PFOX posted the agenda for the weekend event. The session that FRC's Peter Sprigg is leading really stands out:

The Second Annual Ex-Gay Awareness Month Lobbying Day & Conference [PFOX]

Ah yes. Those...

Video: In inclusive ad, AZ Sec. of State hopeful makes discrimination his rival

It's fascinating to witness the shift in the way Democratic candidates for both state and federal office use their LGBT rights record. In the past, even our strongest allies would maybe give a slight nod to their pro-equality stances, but rarely were they the basis of an ad. And until a few short years ago, you could count on one hand the number of prominent candidates who went after their GOP rivals specifically because of their anti-equality positions.

But times have, indeed, changed. And n...

That discriminatory OR baker is really overthinking reason why she's national news

Fresh from her appearance at the uber anti-gay Values Voter Summit, the Oregon baker who famously violated local nondiscrimination laws when she refused service to a lesbian customer writes the following:

[Sweet Cakes]

Standard pablum of the anti-gay movement. Whatever.

But what Melissa doesn't seem to understand is that none of this applies to the situation that landed her in the news and could leave her with a hefty fine. And in fact, her deep analysis of whether or not she "hates" or simply "...

Robert Oscar Lopez confirms belief that gay parents are like slave owners

Just last week, this man was on the bill at a big marriage conference and rally in Utah alongside NOM and other mainstream groups. Here is his guiding belief:

If there is one charge that GLAAD and the HRC throw at me tirelessly, again and again, it’s the charge that I compared gay parents to slave owners. Which I did. In many languages. In places where people get it. Based on landmark texts that are sitting there for anybody to reference.



So my dear friends at HRC, there is no need to put me on...

Video: Values Voter Summit marriage panel was particularly boring, bad, ineffective this year

It has taken me three days to even post the video, which should tell you something. From the clumsy moderating of a man who has openly called for gay people to be "exported" to the self-victimization of business owners who believe fair nondiscrimination laws should not apply to them, this year's big Values Voter Summit marriage panel was particularly terrible. And I don't mean "terrible" in terms of nasty rhetoric or demonizing talking points. I mean it was just a waste of everyone's time.

But...