Antigay Crusader Trying To Ban Gay

[Beowulf]

Antigay-rights activist seeks to destroy same-sex benefits. (http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/local/article911491.ece)
TAMPA — Seeking to capitalize on statewide passage of a gay marriage ban, a leading antigay-rights activist is setting his sights on same-sex domestic partnership benefits.

David Caton, executive director of the Florida Family Association, says he will seek a change to the Hillsborough County Charter in 2010 to pre-emptively ban same-sex benefits for county employees.

Efforts to recruit volunteers and collect signatures from voters to get the issue on the ballot will begin early next year, he said.

In interviews with the St. Petersburg Times and Miami Herald on Thursday, Caton sought to frame the issue as a fiscal, as much a moral, argument.

"We're going to use the momentum from the marriage amendment to speak to the fact that most people in this state don't want a recognition of that type of relationship," Caton said. "At this time of economic stress, our government should not be providing benefits to nonemployees on the basis on their sexual relationships."

Gay-rights activists said any such effort by Caton will only galvanize an already motivated bloc of Hillsborough County voters. Those voters have shown greater evidence of organization and hustle in rallying for candidates and causes they support.

"We've got a coalition now, and we've got people who will work very, very hard to ensure he is not successful," said Sally Phillips, president of the Hillsborough County Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Allied Democratic Caucus. "He'll have a fight on his hands."

In addition to passage of Amendment 2, Caton said he probably would not be pursuing the matter at this time if not for the election of openly gay County Commissioner Kevin Beckner, who won office Nov. 4. He cited strong turnout at Beckner's swearing-in Tuesday as evidence that his supporters will press him to pursue a gay-rights agenda.

"I think the heavy turnout for his swearing-in was more than just friendship; it was a politically motivated event," Caton said.

Beckner did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Hillsborough County does not offer domestic partnership benefits to employees, although the city of Tampa does. A change to the County Charter would not affect city employees.

The city's benefits, however, also figure in Caton's strategy.

Caton said he would seek to use the political momentum of a Hillsborough charter change to influence Tampa elections for City Council and mayor in 2011. With gay marriage bans getting passed in several states, he called same-sex domestic partner benefits the next frontier in the gay-rights battle.

"Domestic partnership will be the battlefield between the pro-family agenda and the gay-radical agenda,'' Caton said. "They're saying it,'' and he and other like-minded people are prepared to respond, he said.

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio said Caton's efforts will not pressure the city to change its policies. A majority of City Council members have said they would not seek to end same-sex benefits.

"We are going to continue our domestic partner benefits," Iorio said. "It's the right thing to do."

Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe said Caton is seeking to address a problem that doesn't exist. In the meantime, the county is facing major challenges, he said.

"My focus is going to be 100 percent on solving some weighty issues: job creation, transportation," Sharpe said. "I'm going to spend the next two years trying to figure out how to bring people together to address quality-of-life issues."
Tyranny of the majority? Separate but equal? But they're GAY!! EWWWWW!!

[h2orowe]

Not that I support it, but whenever these people complain about the no on prop 8 protesters (in California, I mean) getting rowdy because they expect them to be "peaceful and tolerant" it's like: What do you expect? I mean, if anything, being violent does nothing but hurt the no on 8 image but still. These people and their friends are getting sick of being treated differently just because they like the same sex. I know of plenty people who think that gays should just be lined up and get their heads blown off with a shotgun. It's disgusting, really, how there's still so much animosity towards this group of people.

[Beowulf]

Not that I support it, but whenever these people complain about the no on prop 8 protesters (in California, I mean) getting rowdy because they expect them to be "peaceful and tolerant" it's like: What do you expect? I mean, if anything, being violent does nothing but hurt the no on 8 image but still. These people and their friends are getting sick of being treated differently just because they like the same sex. I know of plenty people who think that gays should just be lined up and get their heads blown off with a shotgun. It's disgusting, really, how there's still so much animosity towards this group of people.
Yeah the whole "BE TOLERANT OF MY INTOLERANCE" people are pretty fucking retarded. Because, see, they can't just be tolerant of gays because they are icky.

[Fermented Yeast Paste]

Yeah the whole "BE TOLERANT OF MY INTOLERANCE" people are pretty fucking retarded. Because, see, they can't just be tolerant of gays because they are icky.
Ah, yes. Just because I think some non-whites aren't intelligent as whites generally and their right to be allowed to vote should be questioned just makes me a horrible bigot and a human being, I suppose. What ever happened to tolerance you liberals love to preach about? That's what I thought.

[stsparky]

I love telling my parents' friends that it seems that 2 out of 10 people are not straight.

[baby_pixie]

Gay-radical agenda? It's quite infuriating that Caton considers equal rights as radical.

[Roxie]

what is this "agenda"?
I mean, I really want to know what he thinks it is and what it entails

[h2orowe]

People that far on the right basically think that gays are trying to defile the traditional family by raising their adopted children to be gay who will in turn do the same until God comes down to smite us all because we're too sinful to be loved.

[Jetsetlemming]

Any and all concept that involves God smiting anyone in the modern day is lol-some. No, not like he didn't promise to NEVER DO THAT AGAIN, nooooo

[Beowulf]

what is this "agenda"?
I mean, I really want to know what he thinks it is and what it entails
Buttsex. All night long.

[h2orowe]

Any and all concept that involves God smiting anyone in the modern day is lol-some. No, not like he didn't promise to NEVER DO THAT AGAIN, nooooo
It's the rapture, bro. God's gonna kill all them hormosexuals and them dirty thieving Eastern Orthodox and Catholics and Presbyterians and anyone else not in the great Calvary chapel for speaking false words in his name.

[japanat]

I love telling my parents' friends that it seems that 2 out of 10 people are not straight.I like to tell them that chimpanzees and bonobos also show gay behavior, as do dolphins. Kinda a double whammy to fundies: homosexual evolution

But I do think the "No to Prop 8" folks are shooting themselves in the foot by being such whiney dickheads. Work against the proposition, sure. Be pissed that it passed, sure. Blame blacks for its passage, using invective that fits Humphrey-era south? Idiots.

[Beowulf]

I like to tell them that chimpanzees and bonobos also show gay behavior, as do dolphins. Kinda a double whammy to fundies: homosexual evolution

But I do think the "No to Prop 8" folks are shooting themselves in the foot by being such whiney dickheads. Work against the proposition, sure. Be pissed that it passed, sure. Blame blacks for its passage, using invective that fits Humphrey-era south? Idiots.
The funniest gay animals are penguins. They mate for life, and often end up raising orphaned chicks (who often later go on to be straight penguins).

[archdukezeb]

I still want to know scientifically what makes animals gay. How could we possibly not have discovered this already? I mean it's undeniably something biological because their are gay people everywhere regardless of their upbringing. You can tell because there's always those people no matter how much they try to be straight anybody can tell in a few minutes that they're gay. Do they even know any scientific symptoms of being gay like do gay men have a different balance of testosterone and estrogen than a straight man?

If they found out all of this already might put away all the stupid religious arguments about homosexuality.

[Karthak]

I still want to know scientifically what makes animals gay. How could we possibly not have discovered this already? I mean it's undeniably something biological because their are gay people everywhere regardless of their upbringing. You can tell because there's always those people no matter how much they try to be straight anybody can tell in a few minutes that they're gay. Do they even know any scientific symptoms of being gay like do gay men have a different balance of testosterone and estrogen than a straight man?

If they found out all of this already might put away all the stupid religious arguments about homosexuality.
All I know about scientific symptoms is that gay men tend to have more testosteron than straight men. And gay men's penises are on average bigger than those of straight men.

[mugen]

I still want to know scientifically what makes animals gay. How could we possibly not have discovered this already? I mean it's undeniably something biological because their are gay people everywhere regardless of their upbringing. You can tell because there's always those people no matter how much they try to be straight anybody can tell in a few minutes that they're gay. Do they even know any scientific symptoms of being gay like do gay men have a different balance of testosterone and estrogen than a straight man?

If they found out all of this already might put away all the stupid religious arguments about homosexuality.
http://ki.se/ki/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=130&a=58064&l=en&newsdep=130

[Swede]

I still want to know scientifically what makes animals gay. How could we possibly not have discovered this already? I mean it's undeniably something biological because their are gay people everywhere regardless of their upbringing. You can tell because there's always those people no matter how much they try to be straight anybody can tell in a few minutes that they're gay. Do they even know any scientific symptoms of being gay like do gay men have a different balance of testosterone and estrogen than a straight man?

If they found out all of this already might put away all the stupid religious arguments about homosexuality.

Not necessarily all biological, thoujgh I do think that also plays a pretty big part... I think I've heard some studies saying it could be a psychological thing, but not in the sense like gay people can turn straight through therapy or something. Just different mental responses to events in their upbringing.

But then again, that could also be bullshit and I won't pretend to know anything about this.

[Jetsetlemming]

I still want to know scientifically what makes animals gay. How could we possibly not have discovered this already? I mean it's undeniably something biological because their are gay people everywhere regardless of their upbringing. You can tell because there's always those people no matter how much they try to be straight anybody can tell in a few minutes that they're gay. Do they even know any scientific symptoms of being gay like do gay men have a different balance of testosterone and estrogen than a straight man?

If they found out all of this already might put away all the stupid religious arguments about homosexuality.
That's kinda a weird point. There are personality types everywhere too, regardless of upbringing. I've always thought of sexual preference as a similar thing to personality or taste. It's something personal and arbitrary, and as unpredictable, with ties to genetics and environment almost completely unforeseeable.

[stsparky]

Can we agree haters suck and move on?

[MNJetter]

That's kinda a weird point. There are personality types everywhere too, regardless of upbringing. I've always thought of sexual preference as a similar thing to personality or taste. It's something personal and arbitrary, and as unpredictable, with ties to genetics and environment almost completely unforeseeable.
They've actually begun doing studies into the possibility of personality being influenced by genetics too, and last I heard they were having some pretty promising (i.e., indicative of a genetic commonality between certain personality traits) results. Perhaps a good deal in society and the way we act is not as much nurture as we thought.

[SlickWilly440]

I've always thought of sexual preference as a similar thing to personality or taste. It's something personal and arbitrary, and as unpredictable, with ties to genetics and environment almost completely unforeseeable.

Yeah I used to think like this, until I took sexual education in seventh grade. Then I started thinking that there is no way to create fire by rubbing two sticks together or make clam chowder by shucking two clams together, and that both those methods are wrong and goes against humanity; except marrying first cousins. (近親相姦 anyone).

[Beowulf]

Yeah I used to think like this, until I took sexual education in seventh grade. Then I started thinking that there is no way to create fire by rubbing two sticks together or make clam chowder by shucking two clams together, and that both those methods are wrong and goes against humanity; except marrying first cousins. (近親相姦 anyone).
This troll is weak at best.

[SlickWilly440]

Why do some people think I am trolling. I'm being serious here. I guess not everyone can accept that some people's opinions when they are very different from the norm.

[h2orowe]

It's cool, Willy. Some people don't understand you and me. I try to tell them that the sun revolves around the Earth. If that wasn't true, how could you explain sunsets and sunrises?

[SlickWilly440]

Thanks for the comforting words.

[puzzo]

It's cool, Willy. Some people don't understand you and me. I try to tell them that the sun revolves around the Earth. If that wasn't true, how could you explain sunsets and sunrises?

Pshh Everyone knows that's just the power of GOD's will silly. If I didn't know any better I'd say you WANTED to get smited.

[Beowulf]

Miami Judge Strikes Down Ban On Gay Adoption (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GAY_ADOPTIONS?SITE=VTBEN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT)
MIAMI (AP) -- A judge on Tuesday ruled that a strict Florida law that blocks gay people from adopting children is unconstitutional, declaring there was no legal or scientific reason for sexual orientation alone to prohibit anyone from adopting.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman said the 31-year-old law violates equal protection rights for the children and their prospective gay parents, rejecting the state's arguments that there is "a supposed dark cloud hovering over homes of homosexuals and their children."

She noted that gay people are allowed to be foster parents in Florida. "There is no rational basis to prohibit gay parents from adopting," she wrote in a 53-page ruling.

Florida is the only state with an outright ban on gay adoption. Arkansas voters last month approved a measure similar to a law in Utah that bans any unmarried straight or gay couples from adopting or fostering children. Mississippi bans gay couples, but not single gays, from adopting.

The ruling means that Martin Gill, 47, and his male partner can adopt two brothers, ages 4 and 8, whom he has cared for as foster children since December 2004.

"I've never seen myself as less than anybody else," Gill said. "We're very grateful. Today, I've cried the first tears of joy in my life."

He said the two boys have been practicing writing their new last names, and the older one said: "That's what's going to make us a family."

Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union, who represent Gill, said the case was the first in the nation in which numerous experts in child psychology, social work and other fields testified that there is no science to justify a gay adoption ban.

The state planned a swift appeal, likely setting up a battle that could reach the Florida Supreme Court. A judge in gay-friendly Key West also found the law unconstitutional in September, but that ruling has not been appealed and has limited legal reach.

The state presented experts who claimed there was a higher incidence of drug and alcohol abuse among gay couples, that they were more unstable than heterosexual unions and that the children of gay couples suffer a societal stigma.

Organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association all support permitting same-sex couples to adopt.

Lederman rejected all the state's arguments soundly.

"It is clear that sexual orientation is not a predictor of a person's ability to parent," the judge wrote. "A child in need of love, safety and stability does not first consider the sexual orientation of his parent. The exclusion causes some children to be deprived of a permanent placement with a family that is best suited to their needs."

Florida Assistant Attorney General Valerie Martin said an appeal would be filed on behalf of the state Department of Children & Families. She declined additional comment.

Neil Skene, special counsel for DCF, said the judge did an "excellent job" on the case, but the department still must enforce state law. He noted that DCF placed the foster children with Gill.

"We think this is a wonderful foster parent," Skene said.

Reaction came quickly from advocates of gay, lesbian and transgender parents who have long considered Florida's law the most draconian in the nation. Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Boston-based Family Equality Council, said the decision is a "long-overdue recognition of the equal ability of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to raise happy, healthy families."

"The best interests of children should be decided by parents, families, professionals and judges, not opportunistic politicians and interest groups," Chrisler said.

John Stemberger, chairman of a successful drive earlier this month to pass a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in Florida, called the ruling "classic judicial activism" and predicted it would be reversed on appeal.

"Everywhere in the law where children are affected, the standard must always be what is in the best interest of the child," said Stemberger, an attorney in Orlando. "What is stunning to me is that when it comes to dealing with gays, that standard goes out the window. Children do better with a mother and a father."
Ahahahaha fuck you Stemberger.

And I love the massive amounts of cognitive dissonance it must take to say that the gay people (fighting for their basic rights under the law) are the ones getting the "activist judges" on their side. He's the one who needs activist judges to get his bigotry passed because it has no legal basis, and now it has precedent against it. I guess an activist judge is just a judge who doesn't rule the way they want?

[SlickWilly440]

The ruling means that Martin Gill, 47, and his male partner can adopt two brothers, ages 4 and 8, whom he has cared for as foster children since December 2004.

I feel sorry for those boys. They are going to be raised up to be gay like their two fathers.

[stsparky]

I feel sorry for those boys. They are going to be raised up to be gay like their two fathers.
S'funny - didn't happen to my friend and his husband who stepped to the plate when his sister couldn't cope with her son. Kid is pretty damn straight.

[Beowulf]

I feel sorry for those boys. They are going to be raised up to be gay like their two fathers.
Get out.

[h2orowe]

I feel sorry for those boys. They are going to be raised up to be gay like their two fathers.
I feel sorry for the kids you and your cousin are going to make. It seems that there's a whole lot of stupid already in your genes, don't need to increase the chance your baby will inherit that by having sex with a family member.

[SlickWilly440]

I feel sorry for the kids you and your cousin are going to make. It seems that there's a whole lot of stupid already in your genes, don't need to increase the chance your baby will inherit that by having sex with a family member.

Hey, at least if that happened, they will be raised to be straight stupid and not bent stupid.

[Urameshi YuSooKey]

Hey, at least if that happened, they will be raised to be straight stupid and not bent stupid.
Yeah, you tell 'em Slick.

[Karthak]

I feel sorry for those boys. They are going to be raised up to be gay like their two fathers.
Yeah, as opposed to heterosexual parents, whose children always grow up to be hetero, right?

[Beowulf]

Stop feeding the troll.

[SlickWilly440]

Yeah, as opposed to heterosexual parents, whose children always grow up to be hetero, right?


Well if those boys were going to be raised by two moms there wouldn't be a problem. In fact, they might grow up to be super-hetero.

[vasca]

I feel sorry for those boys. They are going to be raised up to be gay like their two fathers.

Actually there's several studies on medical journals that state that there is no mathematical correlation that has the minimim % of probability to be statistically significant in which children adopted by homosexual parents become homosexual themselves. There is interestingly enough a slightly higher prevalence that children with homosexual parents develop dislike towards homosexual that heterosexual parent raised children.

And yes, your basis that heterosexual couples can't foster homosexual children is to laugh at. :frypan:

Many homosexuals that eventually went out the closet were raised by extremely conservative families. John Curry anyone?

Well if those boys were going to be raised by two moms there wouldn't be a problem. In fact, they might grow up to be super-hetero.

You don't seem to be familiar with latin-american, latin european and Japanese societies where the solo mother raises her male children to be supreme machists or in the best of cases supreme cases of mamitis where the male child is so dependant on his mother he becomes completely uncapable of developing healthy relationships with any women. In many cases like in Mexico, he eventually marries a woman, beats her, rapes her and does what he pleases with the woman with no punishment because of the unhealthy maternal ubringing he got.

It's well-known that over 40% of married mexican women are abused by their husbands. I've met quite a handful of smart educated women that had abusive boyfriends. Luckily the smart ones dumped the guy.

---

Most overtly gay mexican men come from average hetersexual conservative families, and it's generally a rule of thumb that most gay men in this country aren't shy to show it. A lot of the men over here make John Waters seem like a minister in Utah.

And speaking about Utah, single people can't adopt kids? Sounds dumb. There's many perfectly apt single women with steady jobs in their 40's that are past baby making age that would love to adopt. The law is pointless because they'll just go to a different state to adopt a kid. If someone is serious enough to adopt a specific kid in Utah, they could always get a civil marriage with a guy, adopt and anull the marriage. Seems more messy, but it will still probably be easier to adopt that way than the insane amount of paperwork required to legally adopt a kid in Mexico. In this country you practically need to even bring you elementary school grades for crying out loud!!!

[Beowulf]

blah blah blah
Stop feeding the troll.
Are you just new to this whole internet thing?

[SlickWilly440]

You don't seem to be familiar with latin-american, latin european and Japanese societies where the solo mother raises her male children to be supreme machists or in the best of cases supreme cases of mamitis where the male child is so dependant on his mother he becomes completely uncapable of developing healthy relationships with any women. In many cases like in Mexico, he eventually marries a woman, beats her, rapes her and does what he pleases with the woman with no punishment because of the unhealthy maternal upbringing he got.

According to this a female couple shouldn't be allowed to adopt boys b/c the male child will become super dependent, super incapable of developing a healthy relationship with women. If that male does get married then he will greatly beat her, greatly rape her, and greatly do what he pleases.

So a single mother adopting a male baby is better than a female couple adopting a male baby b/c the odds of the child becoming screwed up is greatly lessened.

So 1 boy x 1 mother = messed up male adult and 1 boy x 2 mothers = really messed up male adult.

Thanks for clearing things up.

[Beowulf]

According to this a female couple shouldn't be allowed to adopt boys b/c the male child will become super dependent, super incapable of developing a healthy relationship with women. If that male does get married then he will greatly beat her, greatly rape her, and greatly do what he pleases.

So a single mother adopting a male baby is better than a female couple adopting a male baby b/c the odds of the child becoming screwed up is greatly lessened.

So 1 boy x 1 mother = messed up male adult and 1 boy x 2 mothers = really messed up male adult.

Thanks for clearing things up.
http://goofuponastar.com/s/155.jpg

[Kannon]

...gn....gnome?

No wait I know this...