Archive for the 'Sexuality' Category

New Study: Virginity Pledges Don’t Work

By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in Science, Sexuality

A new study published in Pediatrics has found that those who take virginity pledges are just as likely to have sex as their non-pledging peers and are more likely not to use birth control.
Instead of comparing pledge-takers with the general teenage population, this new study used a refined methodology that controlled for the likelihood that [...]

December 29th, 2008 | Permalink| 4 Comments »

Warren, Prayer and “Unity”

By Dennis Sanders | Related entries in Barack, General Politics, Homosexuality

I know that as a gay man I should be joining like everyone else in condemning President-elect Obama in selecting Rick Warren to give a prayer at the inaugeration since he vigorously supported Prop 8 which banned same sex marriage in California, but I’m not.
I don’t agree with Warren’s views on this of course, but [...]

December 18th, 2008 | Permalink| 7 Comments »

Why Warren Invocation Is Right Signal For Unity

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Barack, Democrats, Good Decisions, Religion, Sexuality

On its face, the Warren pick seems like a slap in the face to the progressive gay movement, and I can understand why this group would be incensed. Here you have the first African-American President inviting one of the most high profile supporters of Prop 8 to speak at the inauguration.
And it’s not like [...]

December 18th, 2008 | Permalink| 3 Comments »

Obama Selects Rick Warren for Invocation

By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in Barack, Homosexuality, Obama Appointments, Religion

This isn’t going to make gay rights activists happy.
Barack Obama has selected evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration. Once again, Obama seems more interested in reaching out rather than reaching inwards towards his base.
While Warren is not of the fire-and-brimstone mold, he did play a prominent role in the [...]

December 18th, 2008 | Permalink| 10 Comments »

Jon Stewart And Mike Huckabee Talk Gay Marriage

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Marriage, Religion, Sexuality

As I’ve stated on this blog before, I wish government would get out of the business of marriage altogether and simply grant people civil unions. That way it’s a legal contract and then anybody can get a marriage in the religious institution of their choice thus creating a very clear separation of church and state. [...]

December 11th, 2008 | Permalink| 12 Comments »

Conservative Episcopals Create New Church

By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in Homosexuality, Religion

For the last several years, the Episcopal Church in the United States has been embroiled in internal conflict. Four dioceses and a collection of parishes, upset by the social liberalism of the Episcopal Church, have broken away from the church. Today, those congregations have formerly formed a new church: the Anglican Church in North America
The [...]

December 4th, 2008 | Permalink| 10 Comments »

A Republican Compromise On Gay Marriage

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in California, Law, Marriage, Religion, Sexuality, Supreme Court

Douglas W. Kmiec, a high profile lawyer in the Reagan and Poppy Bush administrations, lays out what he thinks is the solution to this gay marriage mess.
Essentially, get the government out of the business of religious marriage, and instead create civil unions for all that are legally recognized by the government. That way you have [...]

November 20th, 2008 | Permalink| 10 Comments »

California Supreme Court To Look At Gay Marriage Ban

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in California, Law, Sexuality, Supreme Court

Well, they ruled on it once this year and looks like they’ll have to do it again thanks to the passage of Prop 8.
From AP:
The California Supreme Court on Wednesday accepted three lawsuits seeking to overturn Proposition 8. The amendment passed this month with 52 percent of the vote. The court did not elaborate on [...]

November 19th, 2008 | Permalink| 4 Comments »

On Gay Marriage

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in California, Constitution, Law, Sexuality, Video

Jon Meacham and Ashton Kutcher discuss Prop 8…

I agree with both of them, but Ashton more so. The idea that people voted on somebody else’s rights and relationships is crazy.
In the end, I wish the government would get out of the business of marriage and set up a separate civil union system so people [...]

November 16th, 2008 | Permalink| 13 Comments »

Mark Foley Is Back

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Bad Decisions, Congress, Florida, History, Sexuality, Video

He talks about the tragic fact that he was molested by a priest when he was a child, but I still don’t understand why is he’s bringing it up now. After all, he already talked about this back in 2006.
Watch it for yoursef…

Ultimately he may want to get back into politics in whatever way he [...]

November 12th, 2008 | Permalink| No Comments »

Jon Stewart On Prop 8 Passage

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, California, Marriage, Race, Sexuality, Video

As usual, he’s pitch perfect…

Yes, the idea that increased African American turnout may have helped passed this ridiculous discrimination so tragically ironic it hurts. I mean…69% supported this ban? In California?? Really???
Truly crazy stuff. And it proves, yet again, that discrimination knows no color and we have a long, long way to go before we [...]

November 8th, 2008 | Permalink| 9 Comments »

Proposition 8 Opponents Won’t Concede

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, California, Religion, Sexuality

An interesting turn of events in California…
Kate Kendall, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said 3 million to 4 million ballots remain uncounted statewide. “The fact is depending on the turnout model we are looking at millions of votes yet to be counted,” Kendall said. The race is too close to call. [...]

November 5th, 2008 | Permalink| 13 Comments »

California Bans Same Sex Marriage

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Bad Decisions, California, Law, Sexuality

A pretty shocking turn of events in California, as Proposition 8 narrowly passes.
LA Times has more…
As Proposition 8, the most divisive and emotionally fraught issue on the state ballot this year, took a lead in early returns, supporters gathered at a hotel ballroom in Sacramento and cheered.
“We caused Californians to rethink this issue,” Proposition 8 [...]

November 5th, 2008 | Permalink| 6 Comments »

Courts Legalize Same-Sex Marriage in Connecticut

By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in Connecticut, Marriage, Sexuality

Same-sex marriage is now legal in Connecticut by decree of the state’s supreme court.
Once again, a matter that should be decided through the democratic process is usurped by the courts.
What’s really unfortunate is that Connecticut was the first state to allow civil unions not because of a court order, but because of a [...]

October 10th, 2008 | Permalink| 11 Comments »

McCain’s Gross Lie About Obama’s Sex Education Bill

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, McCain, Media, Sexuality, Video

And I use the term “gross” specifically because the following ad actually suggests that Obama wants kindergartner aged children to learn comprehensive sexual education…which is a very “gross” lie.

Obama has been attacked on this before, but anybody who looks at the legislation knows that the kindergarten portion of the bill was meant only to educate [...]

September 9th, 2008 | Permalink| 31 Comments »

McCain’s “Fan Club” Ad Crosses A Dangerous Line

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, Gender, McCain, Media, Memes, Race, Sexuality, Video

Not only has McCain’s latest celebrity attack ad gotten goofier, it’s also starting to reveal the particularly distasteful “white women like the black guy” tactic that Republicans have used in the past to scare voters away from African American candidates.

First, let me once again point out that McCain is just plain lying that Obama will [...]

August 11th, 2008 | Permalink| 7 Comments »

First Gay Marriages Happening In California

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in California, Marriage, Sexuality

And fittingly, the very first one was performed for a couple how had been together 15 years and helped start this movement in California.
Here’s their story from the LA Times:
In Los Angeles County, longtime partners Diane Olson and Robin Tyler were the first and only same-sex couple to obtain a license Monday. [...] Olson and [...]

June 17th, 2008 | Permalink| 10 Comments »

New York’s Gay Marriage Provision To Set Off Firestorm?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Law, New York, Religion, Sexuality

Bravo to Governor Patterson for saying New York should recognize gay marriages from other states, but this has obviously made A LOT of social conservatives angry and they’re not going down without a fight.
First, Patterson’s reasoning…
Paterson issued a memo earlier this month saying that gay New Yorkers who marry where it is legal will have [...]

May 30th, 2008 | Permalink| 15 Comments »

Gay Marriage Ban Overturned In California

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in California, Law, Marriage, Religion, Sexuality

Well done…
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The California Supreme Court has overturned a ban on gay marriage, paving the way for California to become the second state where gay and lesbian residents can marry.
The case involved a series of lawsuits seeking to overturn a voter- approved law that defines marriage as a union between a man [...]

May 15th, 2008 | Permalink| 18 Comments »

Gay Divorce Proving Complicated

By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in Law, Massachusetts, Sexuality

Gay couples who married in Massachusetts but live in other states are having trouble getting divorced. It seems, early on, Massachusetts allowed out-of-state couples to get married there but currently does not allow gay divorces unless the couple establishes a year of residency in the state. Since other states do not permit gay marriages, they [...]

April 15th, 2008 | Permalink| 8 Comments »