There’s just so much to report today on our opponents – we’ll start with New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who says gay and lesbian couples only get to be friends, sorry. Think Progress reports:
Well, the first thing I’d say to them is, “I love you, too. And God loves you. And you are made in God’s image and likeness. And – and we – we want your happiness. But – and you’re entitled to friendship.” But we also know that God has told us that the way to happiness, that – especially when it comes to sexual love – that is intended only for a man and woman in marriage, where children can come about naturally. We gotta be – we gotta do better to see that our defense of marriage is not reduced to an attack on gay people. And I admit, we haven’t been too good at that.
Think he’s a bit bitter that he’s only “entitled to friendship”, too?
In a slightly less condescending tone, the new head of the Anglican church has called for graceful disagreement on marriage equality, Gay Star News reports:
The Archbishop of Canterbury, who wasted no time in speaking out against gay marriage equality on his first official day in office this year, today gave an interview calling for Anglicans to demonstrate to society they can agree to disagree. ‘We need to understand reconciliation within the Church as the transformation of destructive conflict, not unanimity,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t mean we all agree, it is that we find ways of disagreeing, perhaps very passionately but loving each other deeply at the same time, gracefully and deeply committed to each other.
In closely related news, 69% in the UK think the Church of England is out of touch, a new poll says. Pink News has the details:
More than two-thirds (69%) of the population believe that the Church of England is out of touch with society and half (54%) believe that it does a bad job of providing moral leadership. Almost half disagree with its stance on same-sex marriage. The Easter Sunday YouGov poll for the Sunday Times also found than four in ten respondents believe that priests and vicars cannot be trusted to tell the truth. More of the public disagree with the Church of England’s objections to same-sex marriage than agree with it. 49% said that the Church is wrong to oppose same-sex marriage, while just 37% said they agree with the Church’s stance.
Pastor Joel Osteen also softpedals his approach. From On Top Magazine:
“Where do you draw the line?” host Jake Tapper asked. “Do you think that it’s important for those individuals who are in same-sex relationships to at least have the same rights as more traditional couples?”
“It’s a fine line,” Osteen answered. “We’re for everybody, but, of course, as a Christian pastor my base is off what I believe the Scripture says. Marriage is between a male and a female. But again, we’re for everybody. But that’s where I draw the line.”
Over at Fox News, wingnut “psychiatrist” Keith Ablow repeated the tired old like about the slippery slope to polygamy. On Top Magazine reports:
“The government should never have been involved in these personal matters and that’s why it’s coming back to bite us. Because frankly Laura, it’s just completely illogical to me and I think highly prejudicial that a state or the federal government would say two men can marry but not two women and a man. Three people can be in love. If love is the arbiter, then three people can marry.”
Right-wing blowhard Charles Krauthammer (yes, the one who looks like Dracula), forsees a coming assault on religion. Newsbusters reports:
“But it gets really sticky. If the Court were to decide that to deny same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, then you’ve got Georgetown University, a Jesuit university, married housing. It’s a Catholic university. So it says that it’s only going to allow heterosexuals. It will get sued. This will become an assault on religion. And the religions, which I think are sincere in their beliefs, are going to be under assault and under attack.”
Joe.My.God reports on a white supremacist who fears gay marriage will mean fewer white babies:
Gay marriage is bad because it means fewer white babies will be born. “I will not give in to your homofascism! You’ll have to kill me first!” (This guy is probably BFFs with Tony Perkins.) The crazy really gets uncorked in the last three minutes.
In Gambia, President Yahya Jammeh spoke out against gays in particularly nasty terms. LGBTQ Nation reports:
“Homosexuality is anti-humanity. I have never seen homosexual chicken, or turkey..0 If you are convicted of homosexuality in this country, there will be no mercy for offenders. We will put you in the female wing of the prison,” Jammeh said.
Almost every one of these objections are grounded in religion, and yet, there are many people of faith who have come to embrace gay and lesbian couples.
In the end, love is love.
