Free Republic

A Barney Frank for Congress 2008 ad...Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF0U-si6ZSg

LOS ANGELES - Melissa Etheridge will wed girlfriend Tammy Lynn Michaels, the singer told celebrity television show “Extra” ahead of California’s vote next month on whether to strip same-sex couples of the right to marry. “Yes, we have four children and we’re trying to find the right time,” Etheridge said when asked about marriage in an interview set to air on Wednesday night. A spokeswoman for Etheridge was not immediately available. Back in May, the California Supreme Court granted same-sex couples the right to marry, but residents opposing the decision have organized a proposition calling for an amendment to the...

Michelle Obama has said an Obama Administration would "recognize" homosexual adoption rights http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2076458/posts . What does that mean? Aren't adoption laws set by the states? I don't think the Federal government should take over state perogatives and ban homosexual adoption, but what do you think of a Federal law saying that parents have the right in their wills to prohibit homosexuals from adopting their children after their death? The media won't question Obama about this. Conservative activists need to make it an issue. I am posting this now because a judge in Florida has overturned the state ban on homosexual...

A ban against unmarried couples becoming foster or adoptive parents is scheduled to appear on Arkansas ballots this fall – and some say the measure is geared at denying homosexuals the chance to raise children. The Arkansas Family Council Action Committee submitted 85,389 of the required 61,974 voter's signatures to place the proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot, according to Associated Press reports. Family Council President Jerry Cox said getting the proposed act on the ballot is a significant step for families. "Arkansas needs to affirm the importance of married mothers and fathers," he said. "We need to publicly affirm...

Openly gay political commentator Rachel Maddow, 35, is getting her own prime-time show on MSNBC, the cable news channel confirmed on Tuesday. "This just completes our prime-time lineup," MSNBC President Phil Griffin told the New York Times. Beginning Sept. 8, Maddow will replace commentator Dan Abrams in the 9 p.m. time slot. Her show will initially focus on the presidential race but will become more of a general news program after the election. "This is great," Maddow told the Times. "Getting a regular cable show is something I’ve wanted." Maddow will be the first out lesbian to host a prime-time...

PORTLAND, Ore. - Most states don't recognize gay marriage — but now Hallmark does. ADVERTISEMENT The nation's largest greeting card company is rolling out same-sex wedding cards — featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside. "Two hearts. One promise," one says. Hallmark added the cards after California joined Massachusetts as the only U.S. states with legal gay marriage.

The recent headlines about the legalization of gay marriage in California and the efforts to reverse that decision have left me dismayed. I may be in the minority among my fellow Christians, but I find myself increasingly ashamed by the words and actions of the leaders of the religious right. Why are so many squandering precious time in an attempt to outlaw gay marriage? We could be putting our efforts for God to much better use! There are far more pressing issues the world is facing today. It should not be the priority of so many to prevent two men...

A source said: “They've been keeping the relationship quiet for months and trying to pass each other off as ‘just good friends'. “But they've decided it isn't a fling, it's for life - so they want to make their romance public. Dina is still working on the date of the party but it's looking like towards the end of the year.” It is believed the nuptials could take place in November around the same time Lindsay releases her new album ‘Spirit In The Dark’. The 22-year-old star has already bought a white Chanel mini-dress for the ceremony, while Samantha –...

Last November the Norwegian Islamic Council asked the European fatwa council what attitude it should have to homosexuals. The fatwa council, which debates questions of Muslim faith and doctrine, had its annual meeting in Paris three weeks ago, but did not discuss the subject, according to daily newspaper Dagsavisen. "It's wrong of the Islamic Council to wait for the "verdict" from the fatwa council in such an important case. By not saying 'no' to death penalties for gays, it shows attitudes that conflict with both democratic and humanitarian values," says Sara Azmeh Rasmussen. She is the only openly lesbian Muslim...

Pacific Gas and Electric Co., California's largest investor-owned utility, has contributed $250,000 to defeat a ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriage in the state, it was announced Tuesday. Businesses often steer clear of ballot measures that deal with social issues for fear of alienating customers. But PG&E officials said the San Francisco-based company's effort to defeat Proposition 8 on the Nov. 4 ballot is consistent with its long-time advocacy of equality for all.

Washington, Aug 4 (ANI): Hollywood stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and their pregnant wives turned up at a Miami fundraiser for presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Barrack Obama on Saturday. Both the couples attended the orientation at club Set to pledge their support for Obama. According to reports, the actors also delivered speeches from the stage. “Jennifer Garner gave the first speech supporting Obama, and she was very witty, clever and funny,” Peoples Magazine quoted a source as saying. “She was followed by her husband Ben, then Matt Damon. The men gave serious political speeches on how the country needs...

The U.N. recently accorded two homosexual-rights groups "consultative status," raising opposition from pro-family advocates who see the move as a weakening of national sovereignty that could result in lowering the age of consent for homosexual sex.

Gay rights vs. faithful Christians' suits cite bias on job Pete Vere, THE WASHINGTON TIMES Thursday, July 31, 2008 The clash between gay rights laws and religious freedom has acquired two new fronts in recent weeks, both involving Christians who say they were punished on their jobs for actions that reflect religious disapproval of homosexuality.

When California legalized same-sex marriage a little more than a month ago, the state left things vague for one segment of the population: prison inmates. What happens when same-sex inmates want to marry each other? It's a problem California prison officials are now trying to figure out. In the past month, more than 1,500 same-sex marriages have been certified by the county of San Francisco alone. Just north of the city is San Quentin State Prison.

McDonald's, home of the Big Mac and Happy Meals, has sponsored a homosexual festival featuring public nudity for both men and women, according to the American Family Association. The AFA is ramping up the pressure on McDonald's for its decision to fully promote the homosexual lifestyle and condemn people who object on moral and religious grounds as haters. In a new alert to its millions of supporters, the AFA confirmed McDonald's was a sponsor of the 2007 San Francisco "Gay" Pride parade with a television commercial. "In the ad, a McDonald's official (Darwin Choy) brags that it is 'a...

My wife and I agree to disagree on many topics like finances, parenting, the in-laws, toothpaste tubes and even dining out. Can you imagine, “She doesn’t like Chinese food!” But do I hate her? No. Am I bothered? Yes. Kobe Bryant of the Lakers really upset me when he cheated on his wife and in the playoffs, after losing one of the games, he suggested “drinking a bunch of shots.” Sorry, Laker fans, but Kobe bugs me. Do I hate the Lakers? No, I like Phil Jackson, Derek Fisher, Luke Walton and many others. I will root for the Lakers...

The first and greatest threat from court decisions in California and Massachusetts, giving legal recognition to "gay marriage," is that it marks the end of democracy in America. These judges are making new law without any democratic process; in fact, their decisions are striking down laws enacted by majority vote. The pretext is that state constitutions require it -- but it is absurd to claim that these constitutions require marriage to be defined in ways that were unthinkable through all of human history until the past 15 years. And it is offensive to expect us to believe this obvious...

"Texas authorities on Tuesday indicted the leader of a polygamous sect ... on charges of felony sexual assault on a minor, the first criminal charges to stem from a massive raid on the group's West Texas compound," The Los Angeles Times reported last week (http://tinyurl.com/6oenlz). The Associated Press and other media used similar words: "indicted polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs ... charges of felony sexual assault of a child." Straightforward reporting? In my "20/20" special "Sex in America", polygamy activist Mark Henkel said no, it's an ignorant distortion. "The media kept saying, 'Polygamist leader, polygamist leader,'" Henkel told me. "But...

CANTERBURY, England -- Gene Robinson's bodyguard didn't have to worry this time. The 40-year-old man who rushed over to Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the worldwide Anglican church, just wanted to shake his hand. "Thank you for bringing the church into the 21st century, for moving things forward," said Martin MacCiarrain, a government employee. The bodyguard, a retired policeman who trails the American bishop because of death threats, eased back. On Sunday during a sermon Robinson delivered in London, a long-haired man had suddenly leapt up screaming at the American bishop: "Repent! Repent!" Since Robinson, 61, was consecrated...

Antiretroviral therapy has increased life expectancy by 13 years, researchers say THURSDAY, July 24 (HealthDay News) -- Since 1996, the life expectancy of HIV patients in developed countries taking antiviral therapy has increased more than 13 years, and deaths have dropped by almost 40 percent, researchers report. Despite these gains, life expectancy still falls short by some 20 years, compared with people in the general population. Life expectancy among injection drug users and those who start their treatment late is even shorter. "People on [antiretroviral therapy] can live a fairly long life," said lead researcher Robert Hogg, from the British...