Catholic bishops may believe that it is possible to serve the best interests of the child by artificially restricting the pool of potential adoptive parents, but at least one Republican congressional rep has seen the flaw in that argument. The…
Monthly Archives: May 2011
Joan of Arc: Cross-dressing Martyr
Among all the multitude of queer saints, Joan of Arc is one of the most important. In her notorious martyrdom for heresy (a charge which in historical context included reference to her cross-dressing and defiance of socially approved gender roles),…
Eppur si muove! (Galileo, the Church, and Absolute Truth)
“And yet it moves!” Legend has it that Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) muttered these words to himself on his way out after having been forced to recant. At issue was his work on the theory of heliocentrism – that the Earth…
Roman Catholic Church in Malta vote in favour of legalisaing divorce – Prime Minister Gonzi | Herald Sun
In Argentina, Belgium, Portugal, Spain and other countries of Europe and North America, it is usually marriage and family equality that see political battle lines drawn between Catholic bishops and other Catholics. In Malta and the Philippines, it’s divorce (and…
Rockford Catholic Diocese Abandons “Best Interests of the Child” for Religious Ideology
Rockford Diocese is to shut down its adoption services, rather than comply with state law on equal treatment for prospective same – sex couples. The National Catholic Register has a headline suggesting that the withdrawal of public funding for these…
The Fervour of the Convert: Gay Marriage Opponent Jeff Angelo Turns Advocate, Marinelli’s New Bus Tour.
Two reports this morning demonstrate the fervour of new converts, as former opponents of marriage equality turn their energies to active support. Louis Marinelli’s conversion is not new, but his bus tour is. Jeff Angelo’s support is new. Both of these…
Civil Unions for Chile? President Pinera Sends Bill to Congress
Even in overwhelmingly Catholic Latin America, marriage equality and near equality continues to advance. Chile could be the next Catholic country to approve near-marriage, while avoiding the m-word itself. When it does so, Chile will join Argentina, which has full…
Vatican, Condoms and AIDS.
The AIDS conference being hosted by the Vatican this weekend is worth keeping an eye on. Far too much of the commentary around AIDS and condoms as a preventive strategy degenerates into a simplistic either/or: “use condoms to prevent AIDS”…
JTS Ordains Its First Openly Gay Rabbi – The Sisterhood – Forward.com
Following news of Presbyterian approval for openly gay or lesbian clergy, in the US and in the Church of Scotland, from a conservative Jewish Theological Seminary we have – JTS Ordains Its First Openly Gay Rabbi Rachel Isaacs has known,…
Transgendered Fish: He’s Not Making This Up!
When I was a young boy, my father had a habit of teasing us children mercilessly, by frequently prefacing something with the words, “When I was a little girl…..” We would try to argue with him insisting that he had…
