National
Perry signs anti-gay marriage pledge
NOM praises Texas guv as ‘marriage champion’
Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry (Photo credit Sandy Wassenmiller)
The newest entry in the field of Republican presidential hopefuls — and current front-runner in the GOP field — has signed his name to an anti-gay pledge to oppose same-sex marriage if elected to the White House.
On Friday, the National Organization for Marriage announced Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who earlier this month officially declared his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, had penned his name to a document committing himself to various initiatives in opposition to same-sex marriage.
In a statement, Brian Brown, NOM’s president, praised Perry and called the thrice-elected Texas governor a “marriage champion” for signing the pledge.
“By doing so, Perry makes crystal clear that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, gay marriage is going to be a bigger issue in 2012 than it was in 2008, because the difference between the GOP nominee and President Obama is going to be large and clear,” Brown said. “We look forward to demonstrating that being for marriage is a winning position for a presidential candidate.”
The Perry campaign didn’t immediately respond to the Washington Blade’s request to comment on the candidate’s signing of the pledge.
Other Republican presidential candidates signed the pledge prior to Perry’s entry into the race: former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). NOM asserted that former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty had also agreed to sign his name to the pledge, but he has since exited the race.
By signing the document, Perry commits upon election as president to undertake several initiatives against same-sex marriage:
* supporting congressional passage and sending to the states a U.S. constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage throughout the country;
* defending in court the Defense of Marriage of Act, a 1996 law that prohibit federal recognition of same-sex marriage;
* appointing judges and a U.S. attorney general who “will respect the original meaning” of the U.S. Constitution;
* supporting legislation allowing D.C. residents to vote on whether or not to abrogate the district’s same-sex marriage law;
* and appointing a presidential commission to “investigate harassment of traditional marriage supporters.”
Michael Cole-Schwartz, spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, said Perry’s signature on the anti-gay pledge demonstrates his presidency would be bad news for LGBT Americans.
“Rick Perry’s alignment with NOM and their McCarthy-esque pledge is yet further evidence that a President Perry would be terrible for LGBT equality,” Cole-Schwartz said.
Perry has long been opponent of same-sex marriage. In 2005, he helped pass a state constitutional amendment in Texas banning gay nuptials and civil unions. This year, after initially saying he was “fine” with New York legalizing same-sex marriage, Perry later reiterated support for a Federal Marriage Amendment, which would rescind the Empire State’s marriage law and prohibit same-sex marriage throughout the country.
Since officially entering the race, Perry has become leader in the polls among the Republican presidential candidates. Several polls have shown him with double-digit leads.
According to a Gallup poll published on Wednesday, Perry is 11 points ahead of other prospective Republican presidential candidates. Twenty-nine percent of responders said they’re most likely to support Perry, with Romney next, at 17 percent.
Similarly, according to data published Wednesday from Public Policy Polling, Perry has a full-third of responders’ support among Republican voters. Romney trailed behind with 13 points and Bachmann had 16 percent.
Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling, said in a statement Perry’s lead could be temporary because he’s just entered the race, but added the significant lead he has over other candidates may indicate he’ll stay on top longer.
“There have been a lot of flavors of the month in the Republican Presidential race and it’s possible that Rick Perry is just another of those,” Debnam said. “But his support right now is stronger than Michele Bachmann or Herman Cain or Donald Trump or Mike Huckabee’s ever was which suggests he should have more staying power.”
Sean Theriault, who’s gay and a political scientist at University of Texas, Austin, said LGBT people should be “fearful” of Perry’s lead in the polls because the Texas governor on marriage is “at least two steps to the right on this issue than [former President] George W. Bush.”
“If LGBT folks are disappointed in [President] Obama’s lack of progress on LGBT issues, they just don’t understand how politics works,” Theriault said. “To have a friend, who isn’t willing to go all the way to marriage, yet, in the White House is much, much, much better than having an opponent. I’m not certain that Perry would prioritize our issues as much as a President Bachmann, but I think the difference between them on the issues would be marginal at best.”
LGBT people have expressed disappointment with Obama for not being in favor of same-sex marriage — although he once voiced support for gay nuptials in 1996 questionnaire response and suggested his views on marriage could “evolve.” Obama has opposed a Federal Marriage Amendment and, starting this year, has litigated with LGBT advocates against DOMA in court.
Federal Government
US Census Bureau testing survey on LGBTQ households
Agency proposing questions about sexual orientation and gender identity
The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking public comment on a proposed test of sexual orientation and gender identity questions on the American Community Survey. The test would begin this summer and continue into next year.
The Census Bureau published the request as a Federal Register notice. In its press release the agency noted that the ACS is an ongoing survey that collects detailed housing and socioeconomic data. It allows the Census Bureau to provide timely and relevant housing and socioeconomic statistics, even for low levels of geography.
As part of the process for adding new questions to the ACS, the Census Bureau tests potential questions to evaluate the quality of the data collected.
The Census Bureau proposes testing questions about sexual orientation and gender identity to meet the needs of other federal agencies that have expressed interest in or have identified legal uses for the information, such as enforcing civil rights and equal employment measures.
The test would follow the protocols of the actual ACS — with one person asked to respond to the survey on behalf of the entire household. These particular questions are asked about people 15 years of age or older. Households are invited to respond to the survey online, by paper questionnaire or by phone.
The current Federal Register notice gives the public a final opportunity to provide feedback before the Census Bureau submits its recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget for approval. The public may provide feedback through May 30 online.
The White House
Judy Shepard to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
Nancy Pelosi is also among this year’s honorees
Beloved LGBTQ advocate Judy Shepard is among the 19 honorees who will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the U.S., the White House announced on Friday.
The mother of Matthew Shepard, who was killed in 1998 in the country’s most notorious anti-gay hate crime, she co-founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation with her husband Dennis to raise awareness about anti-LGBTQ violence.
The organization runs education, outreach, and advocacy programs, many focused on schools.
In a statement shared via the Human Rights Campaign, Shepard said, “This unexpected honor has been very humbling for me, Dennis, and our family. What makes us proud is knowing our President and our nation share our lifelong commitment to making this world a safer, more loving, more respectful, and more peaceful place for everyone.
“I am grateful to everyone whose love and support for our work through the years has sustained me.
“If I had the power to change one thing, I can only dream of the example that Matt’s life and purpose would have shown, had he lived. This honor reminds the world that his life, and every life, is precious.”
Shepard was instrumental in working with then-President Barack Obama for passage of the landmark Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009, which was led in the House by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who will also be honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom during the ceremony on Friday.
Also in 2009, Shepard published a memoir, “The Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed,” and was honored with the Black Tie Dinner Elizabeth Birch Equality Award.
“Judy Shepard has been a champion for equality and President Biden’s choice to honor her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom is a testament to what she’s done to be a force of good in the world,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.
“A mother who turned unspeakable grief over the loss of her son into a decades-long fight against anti-LGBTQ+ hatred and violence, Judy continues to make a lasting impact in the lives of the LGBTQ+ community,” she said.
“It is because of her advocacy that the first federal hate crimes legislation became law and that countless life-saving trainings, resources and conversations about equality and acceptance are provided each year by the Matthew Shepard Foundation,” Robinson said. “We are honored that Judy is a member of the HRC family and know that her work to create a more inclusive and just world will only continue.”
Other awardees who will be honored by the White House this year are: Actor Michelle Yeoh, entrepreneur and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Jesuit Catholic priest Gregory Boyle, Assistant House Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), former Labor and Education Secretary and former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.), journalist and former daytime talkshow host Phil Donahue, World War II veteran and civil rights activist Medgar Evers (posthumous), former Vice President Al Gore, civil rights activist and lawyer Clarence B. Jones, former Secretary of State and U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), former U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) (posthumous), Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, educator and activist Opal Lee, astronaut and former director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center Ellen Ochoa, astronomer Jane Rigby, United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero, and Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe (posthumous).
National
United Methodist Church removes 40-year ban on gay clergy
Delegates also voted for other LGBTQ-inclusive measures
The United Methodist Church on Wednesday removed a ban on gay clergy that was in place for more than 40 years, voting to also allow LGBTQ weddings and end prohibitions on the use of United Methodist funds to “promote acceptance of homosexuality.”
Overturning the policy forbidding the church from ordaining “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” effectively formalized a practice that had caused an estimated quarter of U.S. congregations to leave the church.
The New York Times notes additional votes “affirming L.G.B.T.Q. inclusion in the church are expected before the meeting adjourns on Friday.” Wednesday’s measures were passed overwhelmingly and without debate. Delegates met in Charlotte, N.C.
According to the church’s General Council on Finance and Administration, there were 5,424,175 members in the U.S. in 2022 with an estimated global membership approaching 10 million.
The Times notes that other matters of business last week included a “regionalization” plan, which gave autonomy to different regions such that they can establish their own rules on matters including issues of sexuality — about which international factions are likelier to have more conservative views.
Rev. Kipp Nelson of St. Johns’s on the Lake Methodist Church in Miami shared a statement praising the new developments:
“It is a glorious day in the United Methodist Church. As a worldwide denomination, we have now publicly proclaimed the boundless love of God and finally slung open the doors of our church so that all people, no matter their identities or orientations, may pursue the calling of their hearts.
“Truly, all are loved and belong here among us. I am honored to serve as a pastor in the United Methodist Church for such a time as this, for our future is bright and filled with hope. Praise be, praise be.”
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