Free Republic

The Social Democrats (SPD) are set to push for equal marriage rights for same-sex couples at a meeting on Wednesday with their coalition partners, Merkel’s conservative Union parties (CDU/CSU) — who have long opposed such legislation — according to a report on Tuesday by Funke Mediengruppe. SPD representatives in the Bundestag (German parliament) plan to propose a reform for the Bundesrepublik, which is one of the few west European countries that does not allow same-sex marriage. “In the future, marriage should be possible as well for same-sex couples,” the SPD promised in their proposal. “I hope that the CDU and...

The YouTube video shows two women, dressed in suits and ties. They smile; they sniffle back tears; they gaze into each other’s eyes. They are reading their wedding vows to one another. The four-minute video titled “Her Vows” contains no nudity, violence or swearing. There’s no revealing clothing. No one is engaging in activities that have a “high risk of injury or death.” And yet, YouTube had deemed the video unsuitable for people under 18. YouTube acknowledged Monday that it might have made a mistake, saying in a tweet, “Some videos have been incorrectly labeled and that’s not right. We’re...

A bill introduced into the Arkansas state House of Representatives would restore the traditional definition as the law in the Natural State. State Representative Stephen Meeks is the author of House Bill 2098, which reads, “Marriage shall be only between a man and a woman. A marriage between persons of the same sex is void.“ Moreover, “It is the public policy of the State of Arkansas to recognize the marital union only of man and woman.” Meeks’s measure enjoys the support of at least 19 co-sponsors (including one state senator) and, should it be enacted, the bill would block recognition...

Social Democrats want to put marriage equality on the table, and over 80 percent of Germans support expanding the right to marry to same-sex couples. But many Christian Democrats are still pushing back. Marriage equality is legal in 22 countries, including Argentina, South Africa and the United States. Germany is not one of them. But now members of the junior governing Social Democratic Party (SPD) are pushing to change that. They are calling on their coalition partners, the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), to go along with a change of law that would grant same-sex couples...

What happened to this florist is wrong! Created On: Friday, February 17, 2017 9:23 AM You may have heard that our friend Barronelle Stutzman lost her case at the Washington state Supreme Court yesterday. Barronelle is the florist from Richland, Washington, who declined to participate in a homosexual wedding ceremony because she said her Christian faith would not allow her to do so. For this the state of Washington came down on her with a lawsuit saying she could not deny her services to LGBT members, even if it violated her religious convictions.

A Washington florist who refused to participate in a same-sex wedding lost a unanimous decision yesterday at the state Supreme Court. The 9-0 ruling rejected her claim to a First Amendment right to exercise her right to religious liberty in favor of the state’s anti-discrimination law. The next step for Barronelle Stutzman will be the US Supreme Court, as KIRO reported lat night:CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO The Associated Press has more details on the next steps. Stutzman’s legal counsel insists that the First Amendment allows for free exercise of religion, and that commerce does not limit it....

In yet another case where an LGBT “non-discrimination” order trumped First Amendment rights, the Washington Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that conscience rights don’t matter when it comes to running a business. In the case of Ingersoll v. Arlene’s Flowers – in which a gay client sued Baronelle Stutzman, a Christian floral artist who refused to participate in his same-sex wedding – the Evergreen State’s high court ruled that Stutzman’s First Amendment rights to freedom and expression should be subjugated to the LGBT agenda.

Fourteen retired Anglican bishops are criticizing the Church of England’s attitude to homosexuality, saying the church is not listening to the voices of gay Christians. They are responding to a report from the church’s House of Bishops, which calls for a “fresh tone and culture of welcome and support” for gays and lesbians, but says the church should not lift its opposition to same-sex marriage. In an open letter , the ex-bishops say that “while the pain of LGBT people is spoken about in your report, we do not hear its authentic voice.” …

In the very second that the clock struck midnight and the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church’s new liturgy allowing gay couples to marry in church weddings came into force, Kjell Frølich Benjaminsen and Erik Skjelnæs tied the knot in Eidskog Church. A church synod voted on Monday to approve the new liturgy, or service, allowing same-sex couples to get married in the church. At the stroke of midnight, Benjaminsen and Skjelnæs stood before the altar and made their vows in front of pastor Bettina Eckbo, who led the historic ceremony. “It was great fun and really cozy to be a part...

A self-proclaimed “antitheist” was sentenced to life in prison for killing his Christian flatmate over her religion. The 25-year-old Daniel E. was sentenced to life in prison by a court in Freiburg on Monday for killing his Christian student flatmate last August in a crime ruled to be motivated by hate and disdain. The 31-year-old victim from Paderborn had first met her killer when she moved into a student flatshare last summer. The young woman was an active member of her parish who wanted to later work for the church. But Daniel E. vehemently rejected any form of religion, and...

A law professor at Jesuit-run Fordham University in New York is appealing for an end to the institution of marriage in America, which he describes as “religious, gendered, and bourgeois.” Ethan J. Leib published his essay in the Fordham Law Review. The article, titled “Hail Marriage and Farewell,” says Leib was “elated” when the U.S. Supreme Court made same-sex marriage the law of the land on June 26, 2015, a ruling he described as “a victory for rights, for open-mindedness, for love, and for the future.” The decision, in fact, made him feel, at least for a moment, as if...

Catholic schools in Britain must not be allowed to be “homophobic” and oppose gay marriage, the government’s top advisor on community integration has said. Speaking to MPs on Monday, Dame Louise Casey hit out at “religious conservativism”, which she called “anti-equalities”, likening conservative Christianity to extreme Islam. In a discussion on her recent report – in which she highlighted the great social divisions between different immigrant religious groups within British society – Dame Louise said that just it was not acceptable for Muslim schools to segregate boys and girls, it was also not acceptable for Catholic schools to be “homophobic”....

North Dakota’s Republican-led Senate rejected a measure Tuesday that would have changed state law to reflect the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that same-sex couples have the right to marry. The bill failed 15-31. It would have changed dozens of references, such as “husband and wife,” to gender-neutral terms. North Dakota law lists “one man, one woman” or “husband and wife” for everything from marriages and divorces to fishing licenses. The measure got a hearing last week in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which voted 4-2 to recommend against passage. …

It was a new look for the White House, bathed in rainbow colors to celebrate the Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriage nationwide. President Barack Obama, who was inside, felt the glow on that June night in 2015. “To see people gathered in the evening outside on a beautiful summer night, and to feel whole and to feel accepted, and to feel that they had a right to love — that was pretty cool,” he said a few days later. “Pretty cool.” That might be a fair description of how Obama himself is viewed by legions of lesbian, gay, bisexual...

CONWAY, Ark. (KTHV) -- John Schenck, the co-founder of the Gay Pride Parade of Conway, has died. Schenck's husband and partner of nearly 41 years, Robert Loyd, died, from a heart attack last December. Schenck and Loyd moved to Arkansas in 1978 to care for Loyd's mother, who lived in Damascus. Loyd, who worked as a hairdresser in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Schneck eventually opened a salon on the outside of town. They named the gas station-turned-salon The Lion's Den. It proved so successful, they expanded to Greers Ferry and Heber Springs. In 1986, Schenck and Loyd moved to...

(CNSNews.com) - The White House has published a series of brief reports outlining what the administration considers President Barack Obama’s record of achievements in various areas of public policy. The report on Obama’s record on “Social Progress and Equality” begins by listing the Supreme Court’s declaration that same-sex marriage is a right and the administration’s swift enforcement of that decision as among Obama’s top achievements

Republican President-elect Donald Trump said he’s “fine” with same-sex marriage as the law of the land, calling the issue "settled" by the Supreme Court. The comments – in his first television interview since winning the presidency – sharply contrast with his party’s orthodoxy, his running mate’s longtime position and comments the New York Republican made during the primary. “It’s law,” he said in an interview with CBS’ ‘60 Minutes’ that aired Sunday. “It was settled in the Supreme Court. I mean it’s done.” “These cases have gone to the Supreme Court. They’ve been settled. And I’m – I’m fine with...

“It’s law,” he said in an interview with CBS’ ‘60 Minutes’ that aired Sunday. “It was settled in the Supreme Court. I mean it’s done.” “These cases have gone to the Supreme Court. They’ve been settled. And I’m – I’m fine with that,” he added.

Germany’s representative on the European Union’s executive is facing criticism for appearing to make a derogatory reference to Chinese people and mock gay marriage. Guenther Oettinger, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party, referred to “slanty eyes” in a speech that surfaced on YouTube over the weekend. He also said “the German agenda doesn’t in any way do justice to my expectations of German responsibility,” listing alongside actual initiatives “obligatory gay marriage.” …

A bakery in Northern Ireland owned by evangelical Christians has lost an appeal to overturn a conviction that found it guilty of discrimination for refusing to bake a pro-gay-marriage themed cake. The court of appeal in Belfast on Monday upheld a previous judgment last year that Ashers Bakery had discriminated against a customer on the grounds of sexual orientation. The family-owned firm in the original case was also ordered to pay £500 compensation to the local gay rights activist Gareth Lee, whose legal action was backed by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. Lee had tried to buy a cake...