Free Republic

What would the Church of England be without gay people? Well, desperately short of vicars for starters. As many as 40 per cent of Anglican clergy are said to be gay. That percentage is probably even greater for choir members. A mischievous contemporary of mine at university set herself the challenge of seducing every adult member of the choir of King’s College, Cambridge. Let’s just say Rebecca had a mountain to climb. Without gay men, the organ lofts of our great cathedrals would grow cobwebby with disuse and the thrumming, resonant pipes fall silent. Subtract the gay organists, gay clergy,...

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on Pete Buttigieg’s claim that he has a husband: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently told Fox News host Brett Baier that his travel expenses were not inappropriate, especially given that other public officials have taken their spouses on official business trips. “Why is it any different when it’s me and my husband?” Baier had no answer. Does Buttigieg really have a husband? Of course not. He may love Chasten but he can never be his husband. Why not? Because he has been disqualified by nature. It is true that Buttigieg is legally married, but...

Just a few weeks ago, Congress passed legislation that codified same-sex marriage as the law of the land, certifying the 2015 Supreme Court ruling Obergefell v. Hodges that had already sanctioned same-sex marriages. Joining the Democrats in the Senate were 12 so-called conservative Republican senators whose votes gave the bill the 60 it needed to move it to the House, where it was easily passed by the Democratic majority. This is a watershed moment in the moral state of our rapidly depraving and godless culture. To satisfy the incessant, sinful cries of the incredibly powerful LGBTQ lobby, the halls of...

Thursday night’s Log Cabin Republicans’ “Spirit of Lincoln” gala in the main ballroom of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago beachfront club was a joyous celebration of gay rights. | Steve Helber/AP Photo PALM BEACH, Fla. — Hundreds of guests in tuxedos of all styles — sequined, quilted, velvet — and colorful gowns sipped on Trump-branded champagne and martinis. Between courses of steak and bite-sized Key lime pie, they danced to “YMCA” and “Macho Man,” the disco anthems at Trump rallies. Thursday night’s Log Cabin Republicans’ “Spirit of Lincoln” gala in the main ballroom of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago beachfront club was a joyous...

This week, the Supreme Court will hear a case that will reignite a continuing conversation about what to do when long-established religious convictions clash with gay people’s civil rights. In 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, a Colorado web designer, Lorie Smith, wants to create websites for clients’ weddings. She is a Christian, and because of her religious beliefs, she does not want to offer these services for same-sex weddings. However, she serves L.G.B.T.Q. customers for other design projects. This week’s legal arguments will most likely focus primarily on questions around free speech: Can the government compel artists or designers to...

Veggie Tales creator Phil Vischer, the man who swears he’s not progressive despite knocking creationists as a bunch of dummies, crediting his white privilege for the success of his show, claiming he didn’t know there were such things black Christians until he was an adult, thumbing his nose at “Cracker Barrel Christians,” getting upset at Christians for opposing LGBTQ, and coming out as pro-choice, has a burr in his saddle. On episode 537 of the Holy Post podcast, Vischer is set off by Al Mohler’s column critiquing David French for his endorsement of the “Respect For Marriage Act.” In particular,...

President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed legislation protecting same-sex and interracial marriage. Hundreds of people gathered on the White House South Lawn to commemorate the Respect for Marriage Act becoming law. "Today is a good day," Biden said as he took the podium after Vice President Kamala Harris. "A day America takes a vital step toward equality, for liberty and justice, not just for some, but for everyone. Toward creating a nation where decency, dignity and love are recognized, honored and protected." "We're here today to celebrate their courage and everyone who made the day possible," the president continued. "Courage...

I’m unabashedly gay, and I certainly support gay marriage. But I nonetheless side with the Christian wedding designer who’s before the Supreme Court right now because she refuses to design a same-sex wedding website. I’m going to explain why, but first, here are the facts.What’s This Case All About?On Monday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case called 303 Creative LLC v Elenis. The case centers around Lorie Smith, a Christian who owns a website design business. She wants to expand her business and start designing custom wedding websites, but due to her religious beliefs, is unwilling to...

From time to time, just one human story becomes something akin to a modern parable. David French—writer, lawyer, public intellectual—is now that person. It is no insult to say that French, in himself, contains multitudes. In two recent articles, French defends both what is wrongly called the “Respect for Marriage Act” and his own process of thinking about same-sex marriage. He says that he has written these articles as acts of personal intellectual honesty, and I have no reason to question his integrity of mind. What I mean to criticize most strenuously is the ideas he now promotes. I do...

The ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ would open the floodgates for leftists to wage an all-out legal assault against any American obeying the Word of God.Having seemingly learned nothing from their losses in the 2022 midterms, Senate Republicans are preparing to sell out their voters by working with their Democrat colleagues to alter the definition of marriage under federal law by the end of this week.On Monday, a bipartisan group of senators announced they had reached an agreement on adding an amendment to the deceptively named, “Respect for Marriage Act,” which they claim would both codify same-sex marriage into federal law...

In an unexpected move, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave its support Tuesday to a proposed federal law that would not only recognize all legal marriages but also codify ones between same-sex couples. The Utah-based faith’s doctrine “related to marriage between a man and a woman is well known and will remain unchanged,” according to a news release posted to the church’s website. “We are grateful for the continuing efforts of those who work to ensure the Respect for Marriage Act includes appropriate religious freedom protections while respecting the law and preserving the rights of our LGBTQ...

A bipartisan group of senators released the text of their amendment to a bill that codifies same-sex marriage. The bill easily passed the House in July, but GOP senators wanted further religious protections. They say they're "confident" the changes give the bill the GOP support it needs to pass the chamber. A bipartisan group of senators released the text of their amended version of a bill that codifies same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law on Monday, saying they're "confident" that new changes will give the bill the Republican support needed to surpass 60 votes and pass the chamber. Those...

In Ermold v. Davis, (6th Cir., Sept. 29, 2022), the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a Kentucky federal district court decision that Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis does not have qualified immunity in a suit against her for stopping the issuance of all marriage licenses to avoid issuing licenses to same-sex couples. The court said in part: [P]laintiffs have not only “alleged” but also now “shown” that Davis violated their constitutional right to marry.... And, as we held three years ago, that right was “clearly established in Obergefell.”The court held that insofar as Davis has raised a free...

More than 400 prominent Republicans have signed on to a letter in support of “gay marriage” and the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, which would protect such couplings in federal law and repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman. News of the letter surfaced on Monday, Sept. 12, and the list of names was released today by Centerline Action, a new organization that describes itself as being “focused on forging consensus to advance centrist policy solutions capable of defending core constitutional freedoms and liberties, preserving a...

Australia's Margaret Court believes she doesn't get as much credit from the tennis world as she deserves for her 24 Grand Slam singles titles and that Serena Williams doesn't reciprocate her admiration. Williams -- who holds 23 Slam titles, one shy of the record Court set from 1960 to 1973 -- was feted in many quarters as the greatest tennis player of all time in the wake of what is expected to be her final appearance at Flushing Meadows after recently telling the world she is ready to start "evolving'' away from her playing days. Williams, who will turn 41...

Indiana’s Supreme Court has ruled unanimously in favor of upholding the termination of a former Catholic high school teacher due to his same-sex marriage. The unanimous 4-0 decision affirmed that the school is protected by church autonomy under the First Amendment in its firing of Joshua Payne-Elliott in 2019. “Religious freedom protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution encompasses the right of religious institutions ‘to decide for themselves, free from state interference, matters of church government as well as those of faith and doctrine,’” Justice Geoffrey Slaughter wrote in the opinion. The ruling affirmed that the courts...

A high-profile Washington, D.C. conservative pundit exploded in anger during a podcast interview he was conducting when his guest suggested that the burgeoning conservative Christian nationalist movement would inevitably push for the overturning of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell decision legalizing same-sex marriage. After asserting that Dave Rubin’s gay “marriage” is something “beautiful,” Ben Domenech, a Fox News contributor and founder and former publisher of The Federalist, lashed out at his guest, National Conservatism movement leader Yoram Hazony, who had said that “gay marriage is already back on the table,” ripe for a revitalized national public debate. Domenech, showing...

When a significant number of House Republicans voted for a recent bill to recognize same-sex marriage at the federal level, those who most vocally made the case for the legislation were the younger members, especially Kat Cammack of Florida. The split in the GOP vote, with 47 voting in favor and 157 against, mirrors the divide within the wider conservative movement. At Young America’s Foundation’s National Conservative Student Conference last week, several students spoke to National Review about their receptiveness to a national gay-marriage law. But their views incorporated a respect not only for religious freedom but for the religious...

Synod on Synodality participants in Luxembourg also expressed that 'the Church must acknowledge her errors and question herself.'LUXEMBOURG (LifeSiteNews) – The Catholic Church should be open to homosexual “marriage” and female preachers according to participants in the diocesan phase of the Synod on Synodality in the Archdiocese of Luxembourg. The results of a diocese-wide survey containing suggestions on what the Church should do according to thousands of Luxembourgish Catholics was released on July 5 in a 37-page report. About 4,590 of the estimated 439,000 Catholics in Luxembourg participated in the synodal process. The report was prepared by a two-person team,...

A federal appeals court ruled Thursday the Archdiocese of Indianapolis acted within the law when it fired a long-time counselor because she is in a same-sex marriage. The Chicago-based Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the former counselor was employed as a minister at the Catholic faith-based Roncalli High School, and she was expected to support the school’s religious mission and follow church teachings in her personal life to remain employed. The Catholic Church does not support gay marriage. The court affirmed a district court’s year-old decision in a 27-page ruling and barred discrimination, retaliation and hostile work environment claims...