Thursday, May 13, 2010

Governor Pawlenty continues attack on lgbt community

Arguably the one who will probably try to make a good shot at President Obama in the 2012 elections is Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.

And if this the case, lgbts better start planning what we are going to do. For good reason, we have been giving Obama hell for not moving as swiftly as he should on our issues. But if Pawlenty gets in office, we are going to be moving in the other direction big time, as evidenced by his veto threat today:

Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Wednesday that he would veto a bill aimed at giving same-sex partners the same end-of-life rights as married couples, saying the bill was unnecessary and would "stoke up a political controversy on a hot-button issue."

Supporters balked at the governor's rationale, saying his suggestion that same-sex couples could achieve the same rights through a will still leaves gays on unequal footing with their heterosexual counterparts — married couples have those rights without a will.

"He's wrong," asserted Rep. Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, a House sponsor of the bill.

The bill is the product of Project 515, an advocacy group for gays and lesbians named after the number of Minnesota laws the group says discriminate against same-sex couples. The group is not pursuing marriage rights for same-sex couples.

Project 515 got its first bill passed last year, which protected the homes of the surviving partner of a cohabitating couple should the state try to force a sale to cover the deceased's medical bills. Pawlenty signed it.

The new bill gives same-sex partners the right to make decisions about how to dispose of a deceased partner's body — something gay couples say is needed because some gays and lesbians are estranged from their immediate families. The bill passed the House and Senate this week and also gives surviving partners the right to sue those responsible should their partner be killed.

Now come on, Pawlenty. Are you saying that lgbt couples should have to jump through extra hoops for end of life dignity instead of you just signing the law that the Minnesota legislature passed?  There is nothing to be gained from such a nasty gesture.

Then again, I take that back. Pawlenty is obviously continuing his attempt to gain conservative base credibility. His veto threat is in line with his comments last year when he backtracked from pro-lgbt legislation he earlier signed. His explanation then was even more insulting than his about-face. Pawlenty claimed that the legislation could lead to cross-dressing third grade teachers:
That statute is not worded the way it should be. I said I regretted the vote later because it included things like cross-dressing, and a variety of other people involved in behaviors that weren't based on sexual orientation, just a preference for the way they dressed and behaved. So it was overly broad. So if you are a third-grade teacher and you are a man and you show up on Monday as Mr. Johnson and you show up on Tuesday as Mrs. Johnson, that is a little confusing to the kids. So I don't like that.


That ridiculous comment last year and his nasty veto this year makes it all clear. Pawlenty is trying to build a road to the White House on the backs of the lgbt community.

Governor Pawlenty, if you are going to treat the lgbt communities like whores, then shouldn't you pay us first before you screw us?




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Liberty Counsel claims George Rekers was set up and other Thursday midday news briefs

Liberty Counsel Willing To Stand With Rekers - Please, please, PLEASE let it be so! Christmas would come early for me.

Kentucky: Crosby Middle School student called a 'contradiction' for having lesbian parents - I don't care about "deeply held personal beliefs" about homosexuality being a sin because there is simply NO excuse for this.

Tallahassee: Leon County Passes Fully-Inclusive HRO - Way to go, Tallahassee!

How The Game Is Played…(continued) - This has been pointed out SO MANY times by so many folks, myself included.

Puerto Rican pleads guilty in killing of gay teen - You have fun with those 99 years in prison.


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Gay couples kissing? Why not?



In case you are not aware of it, there is an internet campaign geared to show the gay couple in the ABC hit sitcom Modern Family kissing. The campaign sprung from a recent episode of the show which showed a heterosexual couple kissing while showing the gay couple locked in an embrace.

According to Huffington Post blogger Waymon Hudson:

These are all symptoms of a larger issue. The show completely neuters and desexualizes its gay couple. Sure, they never kiss, but they also never even make innuendo or refer to any kind of sexual relationship between the two of them. The other couples do what every sitcom does, with a nod and a wink refer to their sex lives and their physical relationship as a married couple. That doesn't happen with the gay couple.

Modern Family is a great show. I'm happy to have it on the air and will continue to watch it. What I hope, however, is that the show's producers continue to make a fun, heart-warming show about the make-up of modern families in today's society and strive to make a bit more realistic and reflective of where LGBT families are today.

That would be truly modern.

And now others are starting to weigh in, including a certain homophobic individual whose ignorance I usually make fun of but will not  in this case even refer to him OR link to his SPLC designated hate site due to his nasty comments about lgbt couples in general.

But what I will do (and that is the video above) is feature a youtube take on the entire thing regarding gay couples kissing. A kiss may seem irrelevant. But you would be surprised how powerful of an image it conveys.



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