Free Republic

Joy Pullman entitles her excellent column on The Federalist this way: "Discrimination Is Healthy And Normal – Sex Confusion Is Not." She begins her piece by pointing out how the left has hijacked a perfectly good word and twisted its meaning: "Discrimination sounds so terrible. Shouldn't people with power stop it in every form? That sounds plausible, but like the other arguments offered by LGBTQ activists (when they offer arguments instead of appeals to emotion), it's wrong and hurtful." She goes on to point out that "non-discrimination" ordinances, which sound so constructive at first blush, are actually "anti-science, anti-reason, and...

... The new CBA, released Tuesday, added the words “sexual orientation” to its section on discrimination. This development was first reported by the Daily News, and later confirmed by a news release, issued jointly by MLB and the Players’ Association, that read, “Non-discrimination based on sexual orientation were added to Article XV.” Article XV, Section A of MLB’s expiring Basic Agreement, in effect from 2006-2011, states: “The provisions of this Agreement shall be applied to all Players covered by this Agreement without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.” In the new agreement, the words “sexual orientation” were added...

It has been 47 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and 46 years since the passage of the Voting Rights Act. And yet the political leaders of this nation of liberty cannot seem to muster the courage and principle to sweep away one remaining example of institutionalized, government-sanctioned discrimination: The 1996 law that denies the right of marriage to same-sex couples. The law, the Defense of Marriage Act, was passed in the heat of election-year fear and bigotry against men who want to marry other men, and women who want to marry other women. It was a...

An employee with the New York Archdiocese warned of an “impending persecution” after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called same-sex “marriage” opponents discriminatory and “anti-American” last week.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Toby Keith says gay marriage doesn't bother him and trying to stop it wastes time and money. The country superstar tells "CMT Insider" airing Saturday on CMT that he doesn't see the reason behind getting into people's personal lives. He says refusing a marriage license to people because they are gay won't stop them from living together, so it accomplishes nothing. Keith also weighed in on the military's now-repealed "don't ask, don't tell" policy that banned gays serving openly in uniform. He says that anyone with the training and passion should have the right to defend...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Some Vanderbilt University religious groups will have to change their policies or risk being shut down. The university told Nashville's News 2 a number of groups are in violation of the school's nondiscrimination policy. In a statement, Vanderbilt University said, "Last academic year, an undergraduate made an allegation of discrimination against a student organization. As a result of that allegation, we sought to ensure that the more than 300 student organizations were aware of their need to comply with the university's longstanding nondiscrimination policy." Stephen Siao is the president of the college Republicans. "The policy that they've...

On Sept. 20, 2011, a date that will live in infamy, the U.S. armed forces were deliberately and successfully attacked by advocates of the scourge of homosexuality. The elimination of the last vestige of moral restraint on sexual perversion in the U.S. military, commonly known as the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, ushers in a new Orwellian era in which the military leadership of our nation will proclaim the unnatural as natural, the unhealthy as healthy and the immoral as moral. On Aug. 25, 2010, before the DADT policy was rescinded by Congress and the current president of the United...

Actress Kristin Chenoweth is a self-identifying Christian who has sparked controversy by speaking out about her support of the gay community in an interview with lesbian and gay publication The Advocate. The LBGT publication asked the TV and theater star: "What would you ask people who cite Christianity as their justification for passing laws that discriminate against people?" Chenoweth replied, "I would ask, 'What would Jesus do?' It sounds so cliché and Pollyanna-ish, but I have a feeling if he were on the earth today, he wouldn't be walking around saying, 'You’re going to hell' and 'You're wrong, you're wrong,...

The diminutive songstress who played a high school dropout on “Glee” and originated the role of Glinda in “Wicked” is just as comfortable talking about her Christian faith as she is her support for gay rights. In a recent interview with The Advocate, she explained how she can hold both dear to her heart. “I read my Bible and I pray and all of that. I really do,” she told the gay-interest publication. “But at the same time, I don’t think being gay is a sin. Period.”Chenoweth, 43, who grew up in Oklahoma’s Bible belt, cited her grandmother as inspiration.....Asked...

"Miley Cyrus has gotten a tattoo on her ring finger for marriage equality. She has also taken to twitter to tell her fans about it. We congratulate her on taking REAL action for marriage equality. Too many people 'personally support' marriage equality but are doing nothing for it. That's just a shame. If you support marriage equality and do nothing about it, nothing will happen."

Years ago, the word "discrimination" was primarily used to make intelligent distinctions. A discriminating person was one capable of perceiving the crucial difference between good taste and bad taste, between beauty and ugliness, between a cultivated person and a coarse one, between moral good and evil, between normal and perverse. To call a person discriminating was a compliment.   The Sixties brought about not only political revolutions but religious, artistic, and cultural ones as well. Today discriminating has assumed an almost exclusively negative meaning: to be prejudiced, intolerant, unfair, politically incorrect. Many are those who live in constant fear of...

Even if you only occasionally attended Sunday School growing up, at some point you were exposed to the concept of faith in Jesus as being the only way to God. John 8:12-27 where Jesus is testifying before the Pharisees is a good example. There are many others you could point, and feel free to do so in leaving a comment on the blog. The fact of the matter is that many Americans who self-identify as Christians examine biblical claims of Jesus’ singular divinity, they simply aren’t buying it. A new survey released yesterday by the Pew Forum on Religion &...

Though the United States is an overwhelmingly Christian country, significant minorities profess belief in a variety of Eastern or New Age beliefs, as revealed in a new poll by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life. According to the poll, 22 percent of Christians, for example, say they believe in reincarnation – that people will be reborn in this world again and again. Twenty-three percent, meanwhile, believe in astrology. And 15 percent have consulted a fortuneteller or a psychic. Not surprising, however, is Pew’s observation that white evangelical Protestants consistently express lower levels of acceptance of both...

There's so much confusion and emotionalism about discrimination that I thought I'd take a stab at a dispassionate analysis. Discrimination is simply the act of choice. When we choose Bordeaux wine, we discriminate against Burgundy wine. When I married Mrs. Williams, I discriminated against other women. Even though I occasionally think about equal opportunity, Mrs. Williams demands continued discrimination. You say, "Williams, such discrimination doesn't harm anyone." You're wrong. Discriminating in favor of Bordeaux wine reduces the value of resources held in Burgundy production. Discriminating in favor of Mrs. Williams harmed other women by reducing their opportunity set, assuming I'm...