XGW Digest: January 31, 2009
January 31st, 2009
-Rev. Mel White, founder of Soulforce, and his son are one of the teams on the new season of The Amazing Race.
-California’s Fourth District Court of Appeals rules that private schools can discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.
-Dr. Mark Friedman’s latest study analyzes the link between anti-gay harassment against young gay men and health problems later in life.
-Misty Irons questions whether evangelical leaders who have softened their anti-gay rhetoric in recent years have really had a change of heart.
-Iceland is set to appoint the world’s first openly gay woman to the office of prime minister.
Categories: Uncategorized
Actually, the California court ruled that private *religious* schools can discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. I believe it didn’t say anything about private secular schools.
I believe we should support this ruling. Demonstrating to religious people that we’re not going to try to interfere with the internal operations of their religious organizations is part of winning their support for our civil rights. If they can see that letting us live our lives our way and still be legal equals doesn’t mean they can’t practice their religion their way, they will have a lot less incentive to want to try to mess with our rights.
I agree with Tom, and I whole-heartedly support the right to privacy and personal space. My freedom ends where yours begins.
The Amazing Race has always done well to feature gay contestants. Season 4′s winners were a young gay couple, Reichen Burke and Chip Arndt, who were referred to as “married” by the show even though their relationship wasn’t legal at the time. Season 12 also featured Kate Lewis and her partner, Pat Hendrickson, both Episcopalian ministers. It will be interesting to see Mel White on the next season.
And yes, I know all this because I’m a reality TV nerd.
It has been rumoured that the winners of season 2 of Amazing Race Asia are actually a gay couple. So Mel White’s involvement in this reality show is very exciting indeed.