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GOP Hiding Behind SCOTUS Justices’ Robes to Remove Gay Marriage as Political Liability

March 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment
300px US Supreme Court GOP Hiding Behind SCOTUS Justices Robes to Remove Gay Marriage as Political Liability

GOP Hiding Behind SCOTUS Justices’ Robes to Remove Gay Marriage as Political Liability (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Republicans are dying for the issue of gay marriage to go away and the only way they surmise that can happen is if the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. That would take it off the table and it wouldn’t be their doing. As it stands right now, it’s a political liability for the GOP. I would venture to say, even if it’s struck down, though they will get a fig leaf of sorts, they still won’t welcome the LGBT community with open arms.

The Week: “Most members of the Republican Party hope that the Supreme Court will not use the two gay-marriage cases it heard this week to issue a broad ruling affirming the constitutional right of gays and lesbians to marry.

We have seen the Republican Party proven wrong time after time for their archaic views that are anti-women’s rights, anti-gay, anti-everything. DOMA is a morally corrosive piece of legislation that runs contrary to everything this country stands for — all men are created equal. The Republicans are doing what they accuse President Obama of doing — failing to lead. Why hide behind the robes of the Supreme Court? If you privately believe gays and lesbians should be treated equally under the law, then have the guts to say so.

Politico:  ”So if there’s hope in Republican circles for a conclusive ruling — one that would put gay marriage out of bounds as an issue in the 2016 presidential election — there’s little reason to be confident of such an outcome.”

“Gay marriage has become a dividing line in recent weeks within the GOP, separating the political strategists who lead the party and who tend to have more liberal views on gay rights from the party’s heavily religious base.”

“One of the reasons some Republicans hope for a pro-gay marriage ruling from the Supreme Court is that barring a judicial resolution to the issue, there’s no obvious way for the party to liberalize on gay rights without angering its most fervent rank-and-file supporters.”

One problem with that — right wing evangelicals, like Mike Huckabee, claim they will ditch the party. That’s laughable because one has to ask where will they go? To the Democratic side?

GOP Hiding Behind SCOTUS Justices Robes to Remove Gay Marriage as Political Liability
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Prominent Republicans, Including Meg Whitman, Sign Brief In Support of Gay Marriage

February 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment
300px Same Sex Marriage 02 Prominent Republicans, Including Meg Whitman, Sign Brief In Support of Gay Marriage

Prominent Republicans, Including Meg Whitman, Sign Brief In Support of Gay Marriage (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many Republicans are coming around to accepting and supporting gay marriage. Dozens of prominent Republicans including Christine Todd Whitman and David Stockman, have signed a legal brief arguing that gays have a constitutional right to marry. That position is the opposite of what many right wing evangelicals believe. This points to a schism within the GOP that has widened since the shellacking the party took in the November election. The document will be submitted later this week to the Supreme Court in support of a suit seeking to strike down Proposition 8, a California ballot initiative barring same-sex marriage, and all similar bans, the New York Times reports.

Among them are Meg Whitman, who supported Proposition 8 when she ran for California governor; Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Richard Hanna of New York; Stephen J. Hadley, a Bush national security adviser; Carlos Gutierrez, a commerce secretary to Mr. Bush; James B. Comey, a top Bush Justice Department official; David A. Stockman, President Ronald Reagan’s first budget director; and Deborah Pryce, a former member of the House Republican leadership from Ohio who is retired from Congress.

[...]

But the presence of so many well-known former officials — including Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey, and William Weld and Jane Swift, both former governors of Massachusetts — suggests that once Republicans are out of public life they feel freer to speak out against the party’s official platform, which calls for amending the Constitution to define marriage as “the union of one man and one woman.” Source

 

Prominent Republicans, Including Meg Whitman, Sign Brief In Support of Gay Marriage
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First American Female in Space Sally Ride Comes Out in Obit, References 27-Year Relationship with Tam O’Shaugnessy

July 24, 2012 by 1 Comment
tam oshaugnessy 225x300 First American Female in Space Sally Ride Comes Out in Obit, References 27 Year Relationship with Tam OShaugnessy

First Female in Space Sally Ride Comes Out in Obit, References 27-Year Relationship with Tam O’Shaugnessy

SALLY RIDE DIES FROM PANCREATIC CANCER:  Astronaut Sally Ride comes out in her obit, that mentions her 27-year relationship with Tam O’Shaugnessy,  a professor emeritus at San Diego State University. Will that change her legacy as being the first female astronaut? Heck no. In fact, I don’t see Sally Ride’s sexual orientation. I see her for the heroine that she is and I often cite her accomplishments, as well as others, in the field of science in many conversations with my children about the career paths they should take. What Sally Ride taught us through her long-term relationship with O’Shaugnessy is that no-one should be told they can’t love someone of the same sex, if they chose to.

I wonder how the right wing evangelicals who praised Rider yesterday will feel about her coming out in her obit? Mitt Romney praised her accomplishments, but he’s part of a movement that has no problems denying same sex partners benefits comparable to heterosexual couples. In fact, Tam O’Shaughnessy won’t survivor benefits, thanks to the Defense of Marriage Act, which he also cheers on.

Sally Ride died peacefully on July 23rd, 2012 after a courageous 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Sally lived her life to the fullest, with boundless energy, curiosity, intelligence, passion, joy, and love. Her integrity was absolute; her spirit was immeasurable; her approach to life was fearless.

Sally was a physicist, the first American woman to fly in space, a science writer, and the president and CEO of Sally Ride Science. She had the rare ability to understand the essence of things and to inspire those around her to join her pursuits.

Sally’s historic flight into space captured the nation’s imagination and made her a household name. She became a symbol of the ability of women to break barriers and a hero to generations of adventurous young girls. After retiring from NASA, Sally used her high profile to champion a cause she believed in passionately—inspiring young people, especially girls, to stick with their interest in science, to become scientifically literate, and to consider pursuing careers in science and engineering.

In addition to Tam O’Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years, Sally is survived by her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear; her niece, Caitlin, and nephew, Whitney; her staff of 40 at Sally Ride Science; and many friends and colleagues around the country. Source

Tam O’Shaugnessy was the COO and executive vice president of Sally Ride Science. Ride’s sister, Bear Ride, who is also gay, said it best in an interview with Buzzfeed, “the pancreatic cancer community is going to be absolutely thrilled that there’s now this advocate that they didn’t know about. And, I hope the GLBT community feels the same. I hope it makes it easier for kids growing up gay that they know that another one of their heroes was like them.” Enough said. Rest in peace Sally Ride!

Patti LaBelle singing “Be Yourself:”

pixel First American Female in Space Sally Ride Comes Out in Obit, References 27 Year Relationship with Tam OShaugnessy
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