Same Sex Cheeseburgers

Rabbi Brian over at Street Prophets posted this excellent analogy last year and I just wanted to share it here.

Same Sex Cheeseburgers
by Rabbi Brian

Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 11:31:15 AM PDT

Same Sex Marriage as a Bacon-Double Cheeseburger.

Many Americans will not eat pork. Many Americans site biblical injunctions as their reasoning for not eating pork. And, many Americans will not eat pork for other religious or health reasons as well.

Nonetheless, in America the sale of bacon is still legal.

Similarly, there are Americans who interpret the biblical prohibition against boiling a kid in its mother's milk as meaning that they should not consume milk and meat in the same meal. But it is still legal for Americans who enjoy milkshakes with their cheeseburgers to do so.

The Bible is not and must not be the basis upon which laws of this country are made. The basis of the laws of this country are to be found in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, as well as the hearts of our elected and appointed representatives.

Why shouldn't we use the Bible as a basis for our laws? Because our society is thousands of years more complex than that of Biblical days. Because the Bible tolerates slavery, the slaying of disobedient children, and ownership of women. Moreover, countries in which religious doctrine is used as the basis of law have been governments that the United States of America has historically opposed.

Consequently, any citation of the Bible with regard to the civil law of marriage especially with regard to same-sex marriage, is moot.

Simply put: much like those who believe that God doesn't want them to eat dairy and meat simultaneously abstain from eating bacon-double cheeseburgers, if you disapprove of homosexual unions, don't enter into one.

With love,

Rabbi Brian

Permanent link to this article is here.

Newpapers That Endorse Equality!

Following is an extensive list of newspapers that have published endorsements for its readers to vote "NO" on California's Prop. 8, Arizona's Prop. 102 and Florida's Amendment 2.

Many thanks to the fine folks over at the Box Turtle Bulletin and its readers for doing the bulk of the research on collecting most of these newpaper endorsements!



Newspapers Opposing California's Proposition 8 - I.E. Vote "NO" on Prop. 8!

1. The Los Angeles Times


2. The San Francisco Chronicle


3. The San Diego Union-Tribune


4. The San Diego Union-Tribune - 2nd Editorial!


5. The Orange County Register


6. The Sacramento Bee


7. The San Jose Mercury News


8. The New York Times


9. La Opinión - English


10. La Opinión - Español


11. La Prensa


12. The Redding Record-Searchlight


13. The Ventura County Star


14. The Vacaville Register


15. The Desert Sun


16. The Napa Valley Register


17. The Tracy Press


18. The Contra Costa Times


19. The Santa Cruz Sentinel


20. The Milpitas Post


21. The San Gabrial Valley Tribune


22. The Pasadena Star-News


23. The Press-Enterprise


24. Los Angeles Daily News


25. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat


26. The Stockton Record


27. The San Francisco Bay Guardian


28. The Bakersfield Californian


29. Eastern Group Publications - Publishers of: Bell Gardens Sun, City Terrace Comet, Commerce Comet, East Los Angeles Brooklyn-Belvedere Comet, Eastside Sun (Boyle Heights, East LA), Mexican American Sun, Montebello Comet, Monterey Park Comet, Northeast Sun (Highland Park, Cypress Park, Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, El Sereno, Lincoln Heights) and Wyvernwood Chronicle


30. The Berkeley Daily Planet


31. The Silicon Valley Metro


32. San Diego City Beat


33. Marin Independent Journal


34. Asian Weekly


35. Fresno Bee

Newspapers Opposing Arizona's Proposition 102 - I.E. Vote "NO" on Prop. 102!

1. Tucson Citizen


2. The Arizona Daily Star


3. East Valley Tribune


4. Marana Explorer


5. Sierra Vista Herald


6. Tucson Weekly


7. Yuma Sun


8. The New York Times

Newspapers Opposing Florida's Amendment 2 - I.E. Vote "NO" on Amendment 2!

1. The Miami Herald


2. Bradenton Herald


3. Florida Today


4. Ft. Myers News-Press


5. Gainesville Sun


6. Lake Wales News


7. Lakeland Ledger


8. Ocala Star-Banner


9. Panama City News Herald


10. St. Petersburg Times


11. South Florida Sun-Sentinel


12. The Tampa Tribune


13. The Daytona Beach News-Journal


14. Palm Beach Post


15. Tallahassee Democrat


16. Orlando Sentinel


17. Sarasota Herald Tribune


18. Naples Daily News


19. The Florida Times-Union


20. The Florida Times-Union - 2nd Editorial!


21. TCPalm


22. Pensacola News Journal


23. The New York Times

Asian Americans Plan to Vote No on Prop 8

The fine folks over at the Box Turtle Bulletin. Have a story about how the majority of the Asian community in California supports same-gender marriage and are going to be voting "NO" on Prop. 8 in huge numbers! Read about it here!

A school bus driver is charged in a homophobic attack on a student

From the website 365Gay.com comes this story:

10/10/2008, 10:35 am

(Bourbonnais, Illinois) An elementary school bus driver has been charged
with leading a homophobic attack on a 10-year old student passenger.

The Kankakee Sheriff’s Police Department said that the boy was taunted
by the driver who then encouraged other students to chase and beat the
child.

Chief Deputy Ken McCabe said the incident occurred on a Bourbonnais
Elementary School District bus which was returning students to their homes last
Friday.

McCabe said the driver repeatedly called the boy “gay.”

”When the boy got off the bus, the driver encouraged several other
students to go after him and tackle him. Our investigation shows that occurred,”
McCabe told The Daily Journal.

He also said the driver is under investigation for joining the students
in chasing the boy and grabbing him.

Bourbonnais School District officials would only say the driver has
been terminated.
Charged with mob action, endangering the life of a child and
battery is Russell A. Schmalz, 46.

I just cannot fathom that a 46 year old man that is responsible for the lives of dozens of children on his school bus would sink to the level of a schoolyard bully and taunt a 10 year old child by calling him "gay". Then to encourage the other children on the bus to go and tackle him after he gets off the bus and possibly (most likely he did) join the other kids in beating him up!

Don't they screen these bus drivers to see if they're mentally deranged and determine if they'll be a potential threat to the children they'll be transporting to and from school? I guess not.

The State of Illinois has a hate crime statute that includes crimes against people based on their sexual orientation, real or perceived. Hopefully this man will be charged with this obvious example of a hate crime.

The Village of Bourbonnais' motto is: "Village of Friendship", sure doesn't seem very friendly. Especially if someone is gay or perceived to be gay. It wasn't for one 10 year old boy.

When you say, "That's so gay". Do you realize what you say? Knock it off.

The AD Council in conjunction with GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network), has put out some commercials that address an issue that really bothers the heck out of me. Especially when my very own friends use the term "That's so gay" right in front of my face! Extremely upsetting and annoying, to say the least. Especially since it's grammatically incorrect!

They also launched a new website that contains more videos and tons of helpful information. http://thinkb4youspeak.com/

From their new website:

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens experience homophobic remarks and harassment throughout the school day, creating an atmosphere where they feel disrespected, unwanted and unsafe. Homophobic remarks such as “that’s so gay” are the most commonly heard; these slurs are often unintentional and a common part of teens’ vernacular. Most do not recognize the consequences, but the casual use of this language often carries over into more overt harassment.

This campaign aims to raise awareness about the prevalence and consequences of anti-LGBT bias and behavior in America’s schools. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce and prevent the use of homophobic language in an effort to create a more positive environment for LGBT teens. The campaign also aims to reach adults, including school personnel and parents; their support of this message is crucial to the success of efforts to change behavior.