MICHIGAN: Sixth Circuit Court Asks For Appeal/Stay Response By TuesdayUPDATE: Stay Issued, Marriages Halted

Via the Associated Press:

A federal appeals court order makes it unlikely Michigan's same-sex marriages will be quickly halted. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has asked the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati to freeze Friday's decision that overturned the state's ban on gay marriage. The court responded Saturday, saying it wants to hear from the winning side by noon Tuesday. The appeals court issued the order a day after a federal judge in Detroit overturned the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriages.

Monday and Tuesday will be a merry madhouse for the offices of Michigan's county clerks.

UPDATE: The Sixth Circuit Court has ordered a stay.

Via the Detroit News:

The U.S. Appeals Court for the Sixth Circuit has issued a temporary stay on Michigan's gay marriage case until Wednesday. “To allow a more reasoned consideration of the motion to stay, it is ordered that the district court’s judgment is temporarily stayed until Wednesday,” the order read. Earlier Saturday, the appeals court issued a one-page order directing the attorneys for the same sex couple who had sought to get married to respond to Attorney General Bill Schuette's request for an emergency stay by noon Tuesday. The order was entered by the appeals court clerk, Deborah Hunt, and didn't disclose which three-judge panel has been assigned to hear the emergency appeal.

Over 300 gay couples received Michigan marriage licenses today. The stay order is here.

Harlem Hate Church Sign Vandalized

The most recent message on the sign read: "Jesus Would Stone Homos," leading a local lesbian to appear at the church to demand her stoning.  In a video posted yesterday, Pastor James Manning declared that he would never personally stone homosexuals, but that Jesus totally would.

From A Michigan County Clerk

TRAILER: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Opening April 16th.

Matt Alber Performs At Lincoln Center

Gay crooner Matt Alber performed at Lincoln Center last night and the full concert has been posted on their website.

Episcopal Church Has Michigan Gladz

From the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan:

As Christians and leaders in the Episcopal Church, we applaud Judge Friedman's decision to overturn Michigan's ban on equal marriage as a step on the right side of history. As the case of DeBoer v. Snyder continues to work its way through our judicial system, it is our hope that future judges will continue to find that the denial of marriage to same-sex couples is a denial of human dignity and a denial of rights under the law. We look forward in hopeful anticipation to the day when we can recognize all faithful and covenantal relationships between any two people regardless of sex, both within the Church and within our society.

The press release is signed by four Michigan bishops.

FRC's Prayer Of The Day

From the Family Research Council prayer team:

The Maryland Senate has already passed and it is predicted that the Maryland House will pass what has come to be called the "Maryland Bathroom Bill," HB1265. The bill, like many around the country, is supposedly intended to prevent discrimination against people who identify as transgendered and transvestite, but would extend a "right" to some biological males to appear nude before females (and vice versa) in bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers -- invading privacy rights and unnecessarily exposing businesses to lawsuits.

Intervene, Lord, for your Law is being broken! We have defied your created order replacing your laws with confusion. Cause, we pray, legislators in Maryland and other states, and the Obama administration not to add confusion to confusion as they could do. Cause your people, led by their pastors, to say, "Enough is enough!" and to exercise their voices and authority as citizens and voters to stop these and similar lawless actions (Ex 23:2; 2Ki 17:17; Ezra 9:6-7; Ps 119:126; Jer 23:4; Jas 4:7; Jude 7).

Wingnuts Turn On Rand Paul, Part Three

"As certainly Sen. Paul knows, the President is on an anti-family, anti-life, anti-marriage, anti-religious liberty crusade, using the power of the presidency, executive orders regulation, pressure from the Justice Department, to undermine basic institutions of our country and of our culture. I think he's hurting himself. And I think once this becomes more widely known, I believe it will hurt his or any other Republican presidential possibility, if they're telling millions of American voters that make up the core of the conservative coalition that he or anybody else does not intend to deal with those issues." - Former Family Research Council president and failed 2000 presidential candidate Gary Bauer, speaking to OneNewsNow.

Michigan Sees First Same-Sex Marriage

Via the Detroit Free Press:

Michigan’s first gay marriage was performed shortly after 8 a.m. today by Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum at the historic courthouse in Mason. Glenna DeJong, 53, and Marsha Caspar, 52, both of Lansing, were married in the lobby after Byrum opened the clerk’s office at 8 a.m. and issued them a license. “We’ve been waiting 27 years for this,” said DeJong. As word spread, Byrum had peformed three wedding ceremonies by 8:30 a.m. and said she didn’t know how many she might perform today. DeJong and Caspar embraced as their eyes welled with tears, first as Byrum issued them a marriage license and then again after she performed a no-frills ceremony. Two onlookers were recruited to act as official witnesses on a damp gray morning in Mason.

Several Michigan counties are reportedly conducting marriages this morning.

Freep This Michigan Poll

Right here. (Tipped by JMG reader American Putz)

Michigan County To Issue "No Waiting Period" Marriage Licenses TOMORROW

Michigan's Washtenaw County clerk's office will open tomorrow morning to issue no-waiting-period marriages licenses. And the licenses will be FREE.

The Washtenaw County Clerk's Office will issue 60 gay marriage licenses on Saturday, one day after a U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman today struck down Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage, Clerk Lawrence Kestenbaum confirmed today. "As far as we're concerned, we're abiding by the federal court appellates," Kestenbaum said. "We're not typically open, but basically the Board of Commissioners strongly urged me to be open tomorrow." "I wasn't expecting the ruling would go into effect immediately and I know there's going to be attempts to get a stay, but I'm assuming there won't be one by tomorrow," Kestenbaum said. "If there is, then I'll stop." Kestenbaum will waive the three-day waiting period and the fee. The license costs $20.

UPDATE: At least one of the license applicants must be a Washtenaw County resident.

Catholic Bishop Has The Michigan Sadz

"Today’s federal district court ruling alters the fundamental meaning and structure of marriage that has existed from the beginning. The biological realities of male and female together with the complementarity they bring to the institution of marriage allow for the natural procreation of children and the opportunity for the child to be nurtured and to learn from a mother and a father, each of whom brings unique gifts to the family, the fundamental building block of society. Persons with same-sex attractions should be respected not judged. We strongly support those who are living faithfully according to Christian teaching while finding themselves with a same-sex attraction." - Bishop David Walkowiak of the Diocese of Grand Rapids. (Tipped by JMG reader Peter)

Pastors Have The Michigan Sadz

"Judge Friedman has negated the vote of 2.7 million voters in the State of Michigan. Moreover, he has said to the almost 70 percent of Black citizens who voted in favor of marriage protection that our voting rights are no longer protected. Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and our forefathers apparently died in vain." - Rev. Roland Caldwell.

"It is a sad day for Michigan that Judge Friedman has ruled that preserving the only civil institution that unites children with their mothers and fathers is unconstitutional. Rest assured, however, that we shall continue to fight for the rights of children, and for our faith, for our families, and for our religious freedom." - Rev. Stacy Swimp.

"We call on all the sitting County Clerks across the State of Michigan to refrain from issuing redefined marriage licenses, as stated by the Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, until the matter is fully determined on appeal." - Rev. Lennell Caldwell.

(Tipped by JMG reader Alan)

VIDEO: Michigan Plaintiffs Get The News

You'll want a tissue for this. Maybe two.

MICHIGAN: Attorney General Vows To Appeal And Request Immediate Stay

MICHIGAN: Judge DESTROYS Mark Regnerus In Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

"The Court finds Regnerus’s testimony entirely unbelievable and not worthy of serious consideration. The evidence adduced at trial demonstrated that his 2012 'study' was hastily concocted at the behest of a third-party funder, which found it 'essential that the necessary data be gathered to settle the question in the forum of public debate about what kinds of family arrangement are best for society' and which 'was confident that the traditional understanding of marriage will be vindicated by this study.'  While Regnerus maintained that the funding source did not affect his impartiality as a researcher, the Court finds this testimony unbelievable. The funder clearly wanted a certain result, and Regnerus obliged. Whatever Regnerus may have found in this 'study,' he certainly cannot purport to have undertaken a scholarly research effort to compare the outcomes of children raised by same-sex couples with those of children raised by heterosexual couples. It is no wonder that the NFSS has been widely and severely criticized by other scholars, and that Regnerus’s own sociology department at the University of Texas has distanced itself from the NFSS in particular and Dr. Regnerus’s views in general." - Judge Bernard Friedman, in his ruling that Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

I want to gay-marry those scare quotes around "study"!

BREAKING: Michigan Judge Strikes Down Marriage Ban, It Is Unconstitutional

Via the Associated Press:

Michigan's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, a federal judge said Friday as he struck down a law that was widely embraced by voters a decade ago - the latest in a recent series of decisions overturning similar laws across the country. U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman announced his ruling after a rare two-week trial that mostly focused on the impact of same-sex parenting on children.

There was no indication that the judge was suspending his decision. Attorney General Bill Schuette said he was immediately filing a request with a federal appeals court to suspend Friedman's decision and prevent same-sex couples from immediately marrying. The decision was released shortly after 5 p.m., when most county clerk offices in Michigan were closed. Clerks issue marriage licenses.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia issue licenses for same-sex marriage. Since December, bans on gay marriage have been overturned in Texas, Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia, but appeals have put those cases on hold.

UPDATE: Read the ruling here.

UPDATE II: Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says he will file an immediate appeal and demand that a federal court freezes Freidman's ruling so that no gay marriages can occur in the meantime.

Bill Donohue Weasels Out Of NYC Pride: I Refuse To Take Their Forced Gay Training

Catholic League blowhard Bill Donohue has really outdone himself with today's laughable lie. As you probably know, in response to Guinness pulling its support from the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Donohue demanded permission to march in the NYC Pride parade. Much to his horror, they graciously welcomed him to participate. Take it away, Donohue:

I asked to join the parade under a banner that would read, “Straight is Great.” The purpose of my request was to see just how far they would go without forcing me to abide by their rules. It didn’t take long before they did. Today, I informed Heritage of Pride officials that I objected to their rule requiring me to attend gay training sessions, or what they call “information” sessions. “I don’t agree with your rule,” I said. They responded by saying that attendance was “mandatory.” The St. Patrick’s Day parade has mandatory rules, too. It bars groups representing their own cause from marching, which is why pro-life Catholics—not just gays—are barred from participating under their own banner. But only gays complain: they refuse to abide by the rules. Indeed, they went into federal court seeking to force a rule change. They lost. In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that private parades have a First Amendment right to determine their own rules. It is hypocritical for gay activists to complain about having to abide by the mandatory rules of the St. Patrick’s Day parade, and then inform me that I cannot march in their parade unless I respect their mandatory rules, rules that I reject. Good luck to the Heritage of Pride participants. I may be watching it from afar, but I sure won’t be downing a Guinness afterwards.

As ANYBODY who was ever participated in NYC Pride knows, ALL groups must send a representative to a training session in advance of the parade. At these meetings those representatives are given instructions about the logistics of the parade, where and when to line up, rules about sound systems, safety procedures, police instructions - all the very basic details that are given out prior to ANY major public parade. The folks that attend these training sessions are even given special "group marshal" t-shirts to wear during the parade so that parade monitors can find them should there be any problem. THAT is what Bill Donohue calls "forced gay training." We all knew he would find some way to weasel out of the parade, but this is too fucking funny for words.

RELATED: Several years ago a group of NYC-based bloggers and journalists formed a group to march in the parade. Calling ourselves the Digital Activists, we sent Father Tony and Chris, his husband of 30 years (pictured here in his parade marshal shirt), to attend the training session. Tony just related to me by phone how amusing he found it that the training session that year was held at St. Vincent's, where a baleful Jesus gazed down upon all those evil homofascists from a massive crucifix at the end of the room. I bet even Bill Donohue would have liked that.

UPDATE: Recent NYC Pride training director Maurice Owen-Michanne has graciously provided me with the PowerPoint presentation which Bill Donohue calls "forced gay training." As you'll see, the words "gay" and "LGBT" appear exactly once each in the entire document. And that's in the name of the event. Maps! Directions! Sunscreen! Comfortable shoes! All that forced gay training is OVERWHELMING.

Christian Leader: With Phelps Dead, It'll Be Easier For Us To Hate LGBT People

"Fred Phelps of the Westboro Church was a huckster who gained notoriety because his over 20 years of  'hate' vigils fulfilled a desired stereotype of conservative Evangelicals. His sordid contribution to history is that he amplified the Kulturkampf against Christian faith and ethics in public life by helping to portray them as intrinsically hateful. Christian teachings and Christian social witness must now even more deeply, thoughtfully and boldly proclaim a Christian and natural law based anthropology that explains God's gifts of marriage, family, the two genders, and each person as God's image bearer. There are many political, cultural and spiritual battles ahead. Fighting them may be a little easier in the absence of Fred Phelps." - Mark Tooley, head of the Institute on Religion & Democracy, via press release.

CORRECTION: In an earlier draft of this post, I had pulled the wrong name off the press release. I've switched the photo and corrected the quote attribution.

Homocon Matt Drudge Busted Lying

Talking Points Memo calls him out:

It seems conservative monolith Matt Drudge is taking some pride in paying the penalty for not purchasing insurance under Obamacare. He's even got a name for it. There's just one problem: Americans don't pay a penalty for not having health insurance until they file their 2014 taxes -- in 2015. So either Drudge is lying or he paid a huge penalty a year earlier than he needed to. As this helpful IRS explainer details, Americans who go without insurance in 2014 should "make an individual shared responsibility payment with your 2014 tax return filed in 2015." "You will make the payment when you file your 2014 federal income tax return in 2015," it says. That's in part because the penalty is based on one's annual income.

TPM notes that Drudge Report is estimated to make a profit of about $10M - $15M a year. That means his penalty, if he mysteriously found a way to pay it a year early, would be about $3000. (Tipped by JMG reader Paul)

Le1f - Boom

Gay rapper Le1f made his national TV debut last week on Letterman. Sample verse from today's release: "Welcome to Banjee Burger / I cannot take your order / new world order / LGBT cuties all over the world / are diamonds and pearls / black sheep, black sheep / sexy ass fur." Lyrics here.

RELATED: As for this week's other gay rap video, you tell me. The clip is a viral hit already, but that's due in no small part to the haters.

Today In GOP Crackpottery

Think Progress reports that Massachusetts GOP state Sen. Richard Ross is pushing a bill that would require the permission of a judge before somebody getting a divorce can bring a date home or have sex in their own home with someone besides their soon-to-be ex. But only if there are kids in the house! Here's the text of the bill:

In divorce, separation, or 209A proceedings involving children and a marital home, the party remaining in the home shall not conduct a dating or sexual relationship within the home until a divorce is final and all financial and custody issues are resolved, unless the express permission is granted by the courts.

In other words, if your spouse splits and leaves you with the kids, you better hire a babysitter because you'll have to take your lovin' on the road. Ross' bill was first introduced last year and yesterday it got an extension for consideration until June 30th. The bill does not stipulate what the penalty would be for permissionless at-home hook-ups. Perhaps fittingly, Ross is a mortician.

UPDATE: Think Progress has updated their post.

Ross’ staff told ThinkProgress that the senator is “not in support” of the bill. It was filed on behalf of a constituent, Robert LeClair, as a courtesy to him. Massachusetts law allows legislators to put forth a citizen’s piece of legislation, as Ross did in this case, though there is no requirement that they do so.

Is that supposed to make it OK?

Pastor John Hagee Vs Twitter

 (Tipped by JMG reader Elroy)

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: John Hagee says that all atheists should get out of America. John Hagee says atheism is stupid because atheists have never faith-healed anybody. John Hagee says that God killed all those people with Hurricane Katrina in order to send a warning about homosexuality. John Hagee says that Sodom and Gomorrah was only a test run for what God will do to America because of gay marriage. John Hagee calls for a preemptive nuclear strike on Iran because Jesus wants us to protect Israel. John Hagee says the Holocaust happened because Jews refuse to accept Jesus.

Schlafly Phones In From Outer Space: Christians Aren't Fighting Gay Marriage

Fox Anchor Shep Smith Attends LGBT Journo Gala, Does Not Come Out

Last week I reported that Fox anchor Shep Smith was the list of attendees for the annual gala held by the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, which was held last night in NYC. As you can see from Don Lemon's selfie above, Smith did attend. But he did not come out despite being confronted by a reporter from the Washington Blade.

“I’m going to walk over here,” he said as the Washington Blade asked him about his sexual orientation during NLGJA’s Headlines and Headliners fundraiser at the Prince George Ballroom in Manhattan. A Gawker reporter with whom the Blade spoke outside the venue said Smith took a picture of him with his cell phone as he walked to his car. The Fox News anchor rushed past the reporter as he tried to ask him questions. Blade Editor Kevin Naff outed Smith in 2005 after Smith hit on him in a Manhattan bar. That incident was featured in the documentary film “Outrage;” he recounted the experience earlier this month. “Our company’s the sponsor,” Smith told the Blade. “I’m really happy to be here and it’s great to see a lot of old friends.

(Via Towleroad)

TRAILER: Project: Phoenix

Titan Media director and JMG reader Jasun Mark describes the series via email:

Project: Phoenix which is a sort of zombie/military sci-fi web series that stars a bunch of pretty big names including former Catwoman Lee Meriwether, gay Australian rugby star Ian Roberts, Sherilyn Fenn from Twin Peaks and even a small role played by former gay porn star Jeremy Bilding (who later became straight porn star Ryan Driller.) It's written and directed by gay actor/writer Chad Darnell who also did Birthday Cake.

Jasun is the editor for the series and the trailer below. Project: Phoenix launches online on April 20th.

HomoQuotable - Michael Sam

"When I came out last month, I did it with the confidence that my Mizzou 'family' would always be there for me. To put it mildly, the love and acceptance I felt was amazing. The day after the announcement, my name was spelled out in the stadium; fraternities hung #StandWithSam banners; then when I went to the basketball game to honor the football team's Cotton Bowl victory, I worked hard not to cry because of the amazing reception. I have a long journey ahead of me, a lot of hard work and many dreams I want to fulfill. But I do it with the confidence that my Mizzou family will be there for me every step of the way. I will continue to work my hardest; I will strive to make you all proud. And I will be a Tiger forever." - Michael Sam, in an open letter published on the website for the student newspaper of the University Of Missouri, where he and other NFL prospects are working out today as part the school's Pro Day.

CALIFORNIA: Anti-Gay Flyer Roils Small Town City Council Campaign

James Mills reports at Frontiers:

In mid-February, some Rancho Mirage voters opened their mailboxes to find an anti-gay postcard attacking openly gay Councilmember Scott Hines with the message “Send Hines Packing Back to Palm Springs (where he belongs).” The postcards feature a shirtless picture of Hines with a caption in rainbow-colored lettering that says “No More ‘Fab’ Party Guy Scotty.” The letters of the message line up vertically to spell out “FAGS.” The mailing was sent out without a return address, so no one knows who sent it. Hines, an educational technology company CEO and former Air Force Intelligence officer, has been careful not to point any fingers, but many residents suspect the postcards came from his campaign opponents, a group Hines sometimes refers to as “The Gang of Four.”

Hines opponents, which include an openly gay man, adamantly deny having sent the flyer and suggest it may have come from a Hines supporter who wants to make them look bad. One opponent has even filed a complaint with the state Fair Political Practices Commission and demanded that all candidates take a lie detector test. During Hines' last election campaign, voters got robocalls which declared that Hines would "infect" Rancho Mirage with "Palm Springs-style" values. Hit the link for more. (Tipped by JMG reader Leif)

Maggie Gallagher: I Have More Freedom Now That We've Lost The Marriage Battle

"I went into this fight, in good conscience, because I believed it mattered and that I had something to contribute. I did not promise myself I would win. I promised myself I would do everything I could see, to do this good, to fight for marriage as a universal human institution with certain goods and goals. I feel a great deal of contentment about that. I can see some things I might have done differently, but basically I was at post. One cannot do anything better with one's life than stand up for what you deeply believe in, i.e, to speak truth, whether in power or to power. I have a lot more freedom now to figure out what I want to do with the next 20 years of my life." - Former NOM president Maggie Gallagher, in a lengthy interview with the Huffington Post.

Today's Money Beg From Tony Perkins

From KKK-affiliated hate group leader Tony Perkins:

Dear Joe, The very future of America is at stake. What kind of country will we give to your children and grandchildren? Will we adhere to what Thomas Jefferson so eloquently called "the laws of nature and of nature's God" in the Declaration of Independence? Or will we twist and distort that which is natural, ignoring the design and Word of nature's God and trampling over His laws and ours? That, my friend, is where America is headed just 238 years after Mr. Jefferson penned those words in the first sentence of his world-changing Declaration. That's why we are gathering 250,000 signatures on a simple but powerful ePetition which we will present to Senator Ted Cruz in a public display of support for natural marriage. Sign it now! The ePetition is a tangible first step in our comprehensive National Campaign in Defense of Natural Marriage. We are not giving up. FRC is taking a moral, ethical, legal, and biblical stand for natural marriage. We will make sure your voice is heard and your values understood. We need your generous gift of $15, $25 or $50 along with your signature to empower this ongoing campaign for what is right and what is good for America and your family.

It's kind of funny that Perkins cites "natural marriage" while ignoring the inconvenient Jefferson Bible.

10 Countries That Have Blocked YouTube

"Everyone loves YouTube right? Wrong. We take a look at the 10 countries who've tried their best to shut us down."

TMZ Headline Of The Day

Probably like many of you, I don't find the ugly details of celebrity relationship squabbles to be very interesting, but what is interesting is that gossip sites and tabloids are treating gay celebrity spats with the same vicious panting that they exhibit when reporting on straight feuds. And mostly they are doing so without leering speculation about bedroom habits or denouncements of sexual orientation. We wouldn't have seen that not too long ago.

Obamacare? Are You Nuts?

"All dialog lifted verbatim from the comments sections of conservative web sites." You'll see the ending coming, but stick around for it anyway.

(Tipped by JMG reader David)

MICHIGAN: Episcopal Bishop Backs Gay Marriage, Denounces "Irrational Fears"

“Picking and choosing whose rights should be protected or which civil rights the church will support is neither American ‘justice for all’ nor supported by the God of salvation history. I stand in support of marriage equality and pray that our justice system will work to break down the walls of segregation, promote the humanity of all and calm our irrational fears." - Bishop Wendell Gibbs, of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. The ruling in Michigan's marriage equality trial could come as soon as today. (Tipped by JMG reader Mark)

NASA: Look At The Milky Way

Via the Jet Propulsion Laboratory:

Touring the Milky Way now is as easy as clicking a button with NASA's new zoomable, 360-degree mosaic presented Thursday at the TEDActive 2014 Conference in Vancouver, Canada. The star-studded panorama of our galaxy is constructed from more than 2 million infrared snapshots taken over the past 10 years by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. "If we actually printed this out, we'd need a billboard as big as the Rose Bowl Stadium to display it," said Robert Hurt, an imaging specialist at NASA's Spitzer Space Science Center in Pasadena, Calif. "Instead, we've created a digital viewer that anyone, even astronomers, can use." The 20-gigapixel mosaic uses Microsoft's WorldWide Telescope visualization platform. It captures about three percent of our sky, but because it focuses on a band around Earth where the plane of the Milky Way lies, it shows more than half of all the galaxy's stars.

Watch the clip and use the viewer here.

Father Who Lost Landmark SCOTUS Case To Westboro Baptist: Let Fred Phelps Be Buried In Peace, I Don't Like Hate

Prior to yesterday's death of Fred Phelps, the Military Times spoke to the man who fought Westboro Baptist Church right up to the Supreme Court for picketing the funeral of his Marine Corps son.

Al Snyder sued Westboro Baptist after its members picketed the funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matt Snyder, who was killed in Iraq on March 3, 2006. Snyder did not see the protest during the service, but afterward he saw television coverage of church members holding signs that “God hates you,” “You’re in hell,” and “Semper Fi fags.” The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in the church’s favor in 2011, deciding the protest had been held peacefully in a public place and the issues the church raised were a matter of public concern. Even though the Westboro Baptist Church protested his son’s funeral, Snyder won’t lash out at Phelps during his last days. “I do not like Westboro Baptist Church; I don’t have anything nice to say about them, but if I had anything bad to say about them at this time — or if he dies — it would put me in the same category as him, and I don’t want to be in that category,” he said. “I don’t like hate.”

The attorney in that SCOTUS case says, "I think the best revenge for people is to show Pastor Phelps and his family the mercy and compassion that they’ve denied to everyone else and I’d encourage to pray for him. If somebody feels the need to get back at the Phelps group, support the wounded warrior groups." (Tipped by JMG reader Eric)

Wingnuts Turn On Rand Paul, Part Two

"By minimizing the massive implications of redefining marriage — this is not the kind of issue you 'agree to disagree' on — Sen. Paul indicates a fundamental lack of understanding of the inevitable results that will follow should marriage be redefined on a national level. These results include the continued erosion of our freedoms of religion, speech and conscience (churches and Christian leaders, don’t imagine for a moment that these issues will not be forced on you in the near future); more and more gay activist curricula in our children’s schools; the very real potential for the further redefining of marriage (note well that the same media that has been celebrating homosexuality for the last couple of decades is now celebrating polygamy—the newest show is My Five Wives—and polyamory); and even challenges to basic gender distinctions. The fact that he is presently at or near the top of the Republican heap is downright scary." - Anti-gay evangelist Michael Brown, writing for Charisma.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Michael Brown claims gay activists want Christians thrown into prison. Michael Brown claims that Hillary Clinton is controlled by Satanic homosexuals. Michael Brown claims that the Bible is 100% true except for the parts he doesn't like. Michael Brown leads a hate march of hundreds of Christians to disrupt Charlotte's gay pride parade. Michael Brown debuts his book with a video using small children to ridicule gay families.

RuPaul Drives John Waters

Among other topics, Waters chats with RuPaul about his coming book Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America, which comes out in early June.

Bill Donohue Launches Guinness Boycott

Catholic League blowhard Bill Donohue has launched his promised boycott petition against Guinness beer.

Gays have never been barred from marching in any St. Patrick’s Day parade—they simply cannot march under their own banner. Neither can pro-life Catholics. The message of the St. Patrick’s Day parade is simple: it is to honor St. Patrick. It is not about any other cause. That’s why we have parades that celebrate other causes: it’s called respect for diversity. In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 to sustain the right of private parade organizers to determine their own rules for participation. If this ruling were otherwise, then groups that seek to veto the message of any parade would be allowed to march, thus undercutting the purpose of the parade. This would effectively kill freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

Guinness is showing its disrespect for diversity, its support for intolerance, and its contempt for the First Amendment rights of everyone associated with the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Make no mistake about it, Guinness chose to boycott this parade because of its quintessentially Catholic nature: radicals who hate the moral teachings of the Catholic Church fingered this parade because of its religious significance. If Guinness reinstates its sponsorship of New York’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, this campaign will end. Until it does, I support the Catholic League’s boycott of Guinness.

The Catholic League website directs supporters to send complaining emails to Diageo, the company that distributes Guinness in the USA. As this writing Donohue has not posted or tweeted about NYC Pride's acceptance of his demand to be allowed to march in this year's parade. He has, however, noted the passing of Fred Phelps.

REMINDER: When Christianist groups call for nationwide boycotts of companies and their products, that is a righteous use of the free market in order to preserve morality, marriage, family, and the American way. But when LGBT groups use or threaten the use of a boycott, THAT is homofascist intimidation, intolerance, bullying, a stifling of religious liberty, and an attempt to deny the freedom of speech. Just so we're clear.

Turkey Blocks Twitter Before Elections

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has apparently ordered that Twitter be blocked in his country less than ten days before key local elections.

Opposition media outlets said the block was implemented by Erdogan's government, after the prime minister told a rally he would eradicate Twitter access in the country. The state-run Anatolia news agency said authorities "technically blocked access to Twitter" because the service had ignored various Turkish court orders to remove some links. In Thursday's rally to drum up voter support ahead of March 30 local elections, Erdogan had told supporters: "We will wipe out Twitter. I don't care what the international community says."

Twitter has announced the below work-around.

REPORT: AFER Paid $6.4 Million To Law Firms In Proposition 8 Case

Michael Lavers reports at Washington Blade:

The American Foundation for Equal Rights between 2009 and 2013 paid more than $6.4 million to two law firms that successfully argued against California’s Proposition 8. Tax filings indicate former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson’s law firm – Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP – received $1,691,714 from AFER for “legal and ancillary legal expenses” between April 23, 2009, and March 31, 2010. The organization paid the law firm $958,655 between April 1, 2010, and March 31, 2011, and another $2,758,352 between April 1, 2011, through March 31, 2012. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP received $537,939 from AFER between April 1, 2012, and March 31, 2013. The organization also paid David Boies’ law firm – Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP – $468,089 for “legal and ancillary legal expenses” between April 1, 2010, through March 31, 2011.

A spokesman for AFER says the money was well-spent.

“AFER’s case resulted in the return of marriage equality in California for a fraction of the cost of a ballot measure,” AFER Executive Director Adam Umhoefer told the Washington Blade on Tuesday. Tax filings also indicate AFER raised $14,900,467 between April 23, 2009, and March 31, 2013, that Umhoefer told the Blade includes a “large amount” of contributions from Republican donors. He added his organization estimates the Prop 8 case also generated millions of dollars in earned media coverage for which it did not have to pay.

The Blade notes that Prop 8 backers raised $40M to place the issue on the 2008 California ballot.

Folsom Street Fair: The 2014 Poster

Not nearly as racy as previous years, much to the disappointment of Porno Pete, no doubt.