Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Whose Rights Are Being Taken Away?

I am very grateful to the people who spent several hours into creating this list of rights that will be (or already have been) taken away from EVERYONE if proposition 8 does not pass. Please look at this list, click on the links that serve as back up support to the claims made. This is not propaganda -- this is truth!

EDUCATION & PARENTS RIGHTS
If same-sex marriage remains legal, California schools that acceptstate money for their health curriculum and that choose to teach sexeducation (e.g. 96% of public schools) will be required by law topresent same-sex unions and traditional marriages as equal, whethertheir parents approve of this message or not. This is not a redherring as some in the “No on 8” Campaign have claimed. The erosion ofparental rights on this topic has already happened in both Californiaand Massachusetts. (Massachusetts was the first state in the union tolegalize same-sex marriage). http://tinyurl.com/NoParentalDisclosure.

Alarmingly, some first-grade students here in California are alreadybeing introduced to the concept of same-sex marriage. Just recently,first graders at a public charter school went on a field trip to asame-sex marriage performed by San Francisco’s mayor.http://tinyurl.com/SameSexFieldTrip

In Hayward, California, kindergarteners at a public school wereencouraged to become “allies” to homosexuality as part of “Gay andLesbian History Month.” On October 23rd they celebrated Coming OutDay. Parents received no advance notice of this event. http://tinyurl.com/ComingOutDay

The California Teachers Association has taken an activist standagainst traditional marriage by recently donating over $1.25 millionto the “No on Prop 8” campaign. This financial endorsement implies anagenda among educational leaders that is inconsistent with theirprimary responsibilities. You can watch a teacher’s reply to the CTAonline by going to http://tinyurl.com/TeacherRantsAgainstCTA.

RELIGIOUS RIGHTS

Catholic Charities was forced out of the adoption business for thefirst time in 100 years because it will not place children with ahomosexual couple. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/03/10/catholic_charities_to_halt_adoptions_over_issue_involving_gays/

In Ocean Grove, New Jersey, a Methodist group was stripped of part ofits state real estate tax exemption for refusing to permit a civilunion ceremony at the beachfront pavilion it owns. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyid=91554986

In Canada, A Catholic Priest is under criminal investigation under a“hate crimes” law for quoting from Bible, the Catechism of theCatholic Church of the Catholic Church, and Pope John Paul II’sencyclicals during Canada’s same-sex debate. http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=page.printable&pageld=66247

A Lutheran school in Riverside county has been sued for expelling two allegedly lesbian students. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/september/6.20.html

WORKPLACE RIGHTS

A Christian gynecologist at North Coast Women's Care Medical Group in Vista, California declined to provide in vitro fertilization treatmentto a lesbian patient on the grounds that doing so would violate thedoctor’s religious beliefs. Although the doctor referred the patientto another partner in her practice who agreed to do the procedure, thepatient still sued and won. The judge also recommended the doctor finda new line of work. http://tinyurl.com/GaySuesDR

Wedding photographers who prefer not to shoot same-sex weddings andcivil unions for religious reasons are being sued. http://tinyurl.com/gaySuesPhotographer
On May 8, 2008, an African American administrator named Crystal Dixonwas fired from the University of Toledo, Ohio, for objecting to thecomparison of racial discrimination to same-sex marriage. http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08050605.html
http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories08/may/0516082.htm
http://www.toledofreepress.com/?id=7609

5 comments:

Pomoprophet said...

Why are religious people so scared?

Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly etc. are protected in this country. So you post headlines without telling the whole story. And you do that either because you're ignorant and havent looked into them OR you dont care about the truth because you want your side to look good. Either one is unacceptable to someone who claims to follow Christ.

I could point out the "other side" of every story you linked to. But whats the point? You're so dead set on pushing your morality on others that you don't care what the truth is. Do you?

I got fired from a christian school where I was a well respected and loved teacher. And there was nothing I could do about it because they are religious.

So don't you hide behind some computer screen talking about your rights being taken away and saying you're for freedoms and somehow prop 8 is going to keep those.

Thats a lie.

And you're more concerned with winning some moral debate than you are with the souls of people who your words turn away from Christ.

Tell me how thats anything like what Jesus would want.

emi. said...

pomo. it's not a lie.

i'm sorry you got fired from your job. but just because you decide there is nothing wrong with homosexuality doesn't mean i (and your old school) don't have the right to believe it's wrong, and to try to encourage what i see as good and moral.

However, it's not just a moral argument. There are real social, legal and cultural arguments for prop 8. It's intellectually dishonest to go about saying--they are lies or hiding their "real" moral intentions.

yes there or moral arguments. most people realize these a. aren't valid with people who have a different foundational morality and b. most (christian) people have no intention or desire to offend people--so they don't bring it up. i'm not going to say anyone is immoral. that is not my job. so i focus on other arguments which can actually work with people who have different foundational morality than me.

no biggie.

peace out.

Anonymous said...

lots of people talk about the rights that will be denied homosexual couples if this doesn't pass. this is a misinformed argument.

there is a good post about it here:
(and it's short)

http://prop8discussion.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/another-myth-dispelled/

it's also "children have a right to a mom and a dad week" on my blog. i would love comments and participation.

http://prop8discussion.wordpress.com/category/children-have-a-right-to-a-mom-and-a-dad/

yes on prop 8!

Heather said...

Pomoprophet,

I would like to hear the other side of the story. I invite you to send me facts to support your allegations that I'm lying or that the stories posted on my blog are lies.

I would like to hear the other side of the story to the wedding photographer who was sued for not taking pictures at a gay wedding.

I would like to hear the other side of the story to the florist who went out of business because she declined to provide flowers for a gay wedding.

I would like to know why there is a book in the library at my local elementary school about families that has groups of pictures on the cover, one with two women and a child, one with a grandparent and a child, one with a man, a child and a dog, but no picture of a man, a woman and a child.

I am sorry you were fired from a Christian school. I don't know the circumstances surrounding that decision. My thoughts regarding what is being taught to school children is aimed at the educators in public schools. Public schools are held accountable to the tax payers in the community, just as private schools are held accountable to the parents paying the tuition.

For your information, this blog is only one of several things I have done to support prop 8. I have made phone calls, knocked on doors in my neighborhood and stood on street corners waving "yes on 8" signs.

I am not scared of what might happen. The things listed in this post have already happened.

Anonymous said...

It is true that people can not deny their services just because they don't like who someone is. It is what segregation in the 50's was all about. The doctor who denied invitro fertilization treatment to a lesbian is just one example of how this is true.

What I think is unfortunate is that doctor found someone who was willing to serve this lesbian, yet still was sued. Is seems to me there is a fine line here. A social worker lost her job because she referred a gay couple to another college (because she didn't think she could really help this couple based on her own beliefs.) If she had done the same for a client who was a pedophile, no action would have been taken. The gay couple in both situations would have been served and served well. I think the gay rights moment has taken and is taking the segregation things to far here.

The point from this post that I find most alarming for the religious foke is that catholic Priest who is under criminal investigation under a “hate crimes” law for quoting from Bible during a same-sex debate.

This seems like a real problem if we are to continue to allow freedom of religion. (granted this did happen in Canada, but is it possible in the US too?) Personally it is alarming enough to me that I will be voting yes on prop 8.