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Today, the Senate General Laws Committee considered two bills that are high priorities of the homosexual lobby in Virginia. One, SB 747, would add sexual orientation to the state’s hiring policy of non-discrimination. In an 8-7, straight party line vote, the committee reported the bill to the full Senate. Testimony in favor of the bill varied from the usual members of Equality Virginia and homosexual state employees, to the Virginia Education Association (is this about educating “the children”?), a member of the AFL-CIO board and a Universalist Unitarian minister who stated that she represented, “I hope, all reasonable religions.”  

Please click here to contact your Senator and urge him or her to vote no on SB 747! 

According to the Washington Post on October 30, 2009:

. . . state government, in which a 110,000-strong workforce undoubtedly includes thousands of homosexuals. …

If testimony were to be taken at face value, one would believe that our state government operates under a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, where each of those thousands of employees would be fired when their orientation is discovered. However, no such policy exists and the facts confirm this. 

According to the Department of Human Resource Management, which tracks allegations of discrimination, from 1992 forward there have been 24 registered complaints based on sexual orientation. Among these 24 complaints in an 18-year period, not all complaints can be assumed to be founded. From July 1, 2009-March 9, 2010 three complaints of sexual orientation discrimination were filed, but as the March date, none were deemed “founded.” Should this bill be successful, it would be the first time in Virginia history that sexual orientation would be elevated to a protected class in the law. 
 
Thankfully, the committee did have the sense to defeat an even more comprehensive bill on sexual orientation non-discrimination. The bill, SB 797, would have added sexual orientation to Virginia’s Human Rights Act, and in doing so, would potentially force faith-based organizations, religious daycare centers and schools to hire homosexuals against their conscience. While proponents claimed this would simply be a policy statement by the Commonwealth, everyone knows policy statements turn into judicial decisions, administrative regulations, and lead to future more detailed laws. The bill failed on a 7-7 vote, with Senator Chuck Colgan (D-29, Manassas) not voting.

FRC Action President Tony Perkins just sent out an urgent appeal on legislation before Congress that is a high priority on the homosexual lobby’s agenda: Ending the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy and allowing open homosexuals into the U.S. Armed Forces. But it’s worse than that. there’s a major payback to the abortion lobby as well. In what is supposed to be a Defense Department authorization bill, the leadership of the most left wing Congress ever also have included language that would make American military medical centers, both domestic and overseas, full-service abortion centers — Planned Parenthood on steroids.

If this is what the American public so desperately desires, why won’t the leadership put these measures in stand alone legislation for an up or down vote? Why, instead, is it attempting to hijack the authorization process for our military during a time of war? As Tony requests, we hope you call our senators, Mark Warner and Jim Webb at (202) 224-3121, as soon as possible and ask them to oppose this bill. The vote is Tuesday.

Here’s Tony’s take:

With the economy still in the doldrums, and a massive job-killing tax increase scheduled for January looming over our heads, you would think that legislation to help average Americans find jobs in the private sector would be the top priority for the Democratic leadership in Congress. If you thought that, you would be wrong.

This Tuesday the Senate will vote on a bill that would overturn the 1993 law which codified the military’s longstanding prohibition of homosexual conduct in the ranks. The language that would force open homosexuality upon the military is found in the defense authorization bill — along with another anti-family provision that would turn U.S. military medical facilities here and around the globe into abortion centers.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has arranged it so that pro-family senators do not have an opportunity to offer any of their own amendments to counter his political abuse of our military. This means the only way to stop this monstrosity is to vote against proceeding to the bill.

This bill is not necessary to fund our military — an appropriations bill does that.

Senators should reject Reid’s distorted priorities by voting against advancing this bill at every step. Call your senators today at (202) 224-3121 and tell them to stop using the military to impose this administration’s radical homosexual agenda.

Thank you for taking action today and God bless you.

Wednesday, in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, federal Judge Vaughn Walker declared California’s Marriage Amendment (“Proposition 8″) unconstitutional, ruling that the state must allow same-sex marriage (see opinion, here). But, apparently, Judge Walker saw  “marriage” in the U.S Constitution, even though it is nowhere to be found there, which most people understand to mean that it is an issue for each state to decide (i.e., the 10th Amendment). However, there is a stay on the ruling through today, so that opponents of the decision can appeal it to a higher court and ask for a stay until that appeal is ruled upon. 

This deplorable decision has the potential to gut the definition of marriage as well as the integrity of the democratic process — a single, unelected federal judge, undoing the votes of more than seven million Californians who voted for this state constitutional amendment in 2008. That November, when California voters chose Barack Obama for president (who has stated he believes marriage is between one man and one woman, see interview with Jake Tapper of ABC News), they also passed Proposition 8 (52 to 48 percent) declaring marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Sadly, when special interest groups fail to win either in the legislature or on the ballot, they turn to the courts to overturn the will of the people. This is precisely what happened in California. In fact, according to Dan McLaughlin at RedState.com (please read for a detailed analysis of Judge Walker’s flawed “reasoning“), even in a bad year for conservatives: 

49 percent of white voters, 58 percent of black voters, 59 percent of Latino voters, 49 percent of women, 54 percent of men, 53 percent of independents and 67 percent of voters over age 65 voted in favor Proposition 8.

Can’t get more diverse than that. Ironic, huh?

An accurately defined democratic process should not allow for a handful of activists to overturn what a majority has conclusively and legally decided. Fortunately, yesterday’s opinion is far from final. Pro-family advocates have immediate plans to appeal the ruling to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. There is a good chance that the case eventually will reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

In his opinion, Judge Walker singularly waived off as irrelevant any “moral and religious views [that] form the only basis for a belief that same-sex couples are different from opposite-sex couples.” Some have called into question Judge Walker’s impartiality, as he is openly homosexual. Adding to the skepticism, Judge Walker will rule on today’s request to place a stay on his own ruling.

In Virginia, the homosexual lobby has lost time and time again, both on the ballot and in the General Assembly. While this activist judge is redefining the centuries-old meaning of marriage, the people of Virginia have stated very plainly that they don’t want anything like that to happen here.

Counterfeit forms of marriage cheapen and undermine real marriage. The union of a man and a woman in a committed marriage is the foundation of a stable society. Social science is clear that men, women and children benefit far more in a stable, traditional family. That makes traditional marriage and family far too important to society to experiment with to advance a political agenda. Especially when it’s done by one man against the will of seven million people.

One might say Tim Kaine wasn’t exactly original as governor. Much of his agenda was a typically liberal one — new spending programs, increased overall spending, kow-towing to the special interests (the VEA and homosexual lobby come to mind), and those annual attempts to jack up our taxes. Now, he’s proving to be just as unoriginal as chairman of the Democrat National Committee.

In an attempt to drum up support for something that supposedly doesn’t need it — it is now law and president says the people and businesses want it — Mr. Kaine and the DNC are spending millions of dollars in radio advertisements in targeted House districts around the country to prop up government-run health care against those running on its repeal. In fact, he’s trying to scare people with a slogan in the ads: “Hands off my health care.”

There’s one small problem. It’s a slogan used quite effectively by Americans For Prosperity, one of the most vocal and well organized opponents of President Obama’s tax-it-all-and-spend-even-more policies. AFP created the “Hands Off My Health Care” campaign about a year ago and has a U.S. trade mark pending. Looks like Mr. Kaine, who tried to rob from Virginia taxpayers to pay for his grandiose spending plans, can’t get out of the habit of taking from others.  

AFP, whose Virginia chapter did its fair share of bringing to the public’s attention Mr.  Kaine’s spend-and-deficit budgets as governor, sent the DNC a cease-and-desist letter on March 27 and asked for reply by April 2. According to Anita Kumar at the Washington Post Virginia Politics Blog, AFP plans a law suit if the DNC does not stop. It looks like we’re headed to court. DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse arrogantly told Kumar:

This group used this slogan to try and deny millions of people access to affordable health care. We should have sued them for false advertising a long time ago.

So, the DNC is against free speech? Love that leftist tolerance.

AFP national President Tim Phillips rightfully claims that the DNC is creating confusion on the meaning of the AFP campaign and Virginia Director Ben Marchi explained (Washington Post Politics and Policy Blog) that AFP spent millions of dollars developing the brand. More to come on this, but we won’t be surprised to find out soon that the new law also has nationalized all health care slogans as well. 

Late Wednesday afternoon, amidst growing tensions on college campuses, Governor Bob McDonnell issued a “Governor’s Directive,” ordering those in the executive branch not to discriminate in their hiring practices (see here). His directive specifically referenced “sexual orientation.”

Governor McDonnell issued his directive in an apparent effort to ease the hostile atmosphere on our campuses and in the General Assembly. Four years ago, then-Attorney General McDonnell challenged Governor Tim Kaine’s executive order that added sexual orientation to the anti-discrimination policy, saying he didn’t have the authority to do so. It is still unclear exactly what legal weight, if any, a directive has, but media reports indicate that it does not have the same force of law of an executive order.

Much of the anger among college students has been generated by those who are supposed to be in authority at those schools — college presidents and administrators — who have criticized the advisory letter Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli sent them last week. The letter stated that public colleges and universities with anti-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation are in conflict with state law. Instead of providing leadership, the college presidents and administrators have provoked anger and outrage with inflamed rhetoric.

A media backlash also was fed by heated and often mean-spirited rhetoric by a handful of General Assembly members, including Senator Donald McEachin (D-9, Henrico) who, in a floor speech earlier this week, referenced Governor McDonnell’s graduate school thesis, yelling on the Senate floor, “We are being governed by the thesis!” Joining in the daily diatribes were Delegate David Englin (D-45, Alexandria) and Delegate Joe Morrissey (D-74, Henrico). It was often insinuated that anyone who disagrees with adding sexual orientation to the non-discrimination policy is hateful and bigoted. But truth has been difficult to find in this debate.

In addition, some legislators made the outrageous claim that, without a non-discrimination policy that included sexual orientation, Virginia is not “business friendly” and would not be able to attract new jobs. But several publications and organizations currently recognize Virginia as the best state in America to do business without having this policy.

Nonetheless, yesterday morning, Senator Tommy Norment (R-3, Williamsburg), in a clear conflict of interest as an employee of the College of William and Mary, one of the colleges expressing outrage over the AG’s letter, amended an economic development bill introduced by the Governor with: “The Commonwealth of Virginia maintains an ecumenical atmosphere in its sexual orientation hiring policies in the private and public workforce.”

Besides being a bizarre statement, it is a frightening overreach into the private workplace, which would include religious-based ministries and churches. Fortunately, on the floor of the Senate — because of the Governor’s directive — Senator Norment removed his amendment from the bill.

The Family Foundation has and continues to maintain that there is no need for special protections for homosexuals. As the issue was thoroughly debated and voted on multiple times throughout this year’s General Assembly, no evidence of discrimination was presented.

We absolutely agree with one statement in Governor McDonnell’s directive — that state employment should be based on “qualifications, merit and performance,” regardless of one’s immutable or unimmutable characteristics.

Over the next several days, we will consult with experts to determine the legal ramifications of this directive, but we are concerned when the Governor’s action is being heralded as a step forward by the ACLU and the state’s largest homosexual lobby, Equality Virginia (Pilot on Politics).

In a statement, Kent Willis of the ACLU said, “We hope this is only the beginning, and that the Governor’s example will inspire legislators to finally pass a law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in both private and public sector employment.”

Any thought that the groups and organizations behind this effort will stop at public employment is naive. It is very clear that they want to force private businesses — including churches — to abide by their morality.

The sad custody battle over a seven year-old girl took another turn on New Year’s Day, when Lisa Miller, the biological mother of Isabella Miller, failed to turn the child over to Lisa’s former lesbian lover despite a court order to do so.

The details are probably familiar to you. Lisa Miller and Janet Jenkins joined in a civil union in Vermont. They moved to Virginia where Lisa was artificially inseminated and gave birth to Isabella. Shortly after that, Lisa left the homosexual lifestyle and became a Christian. She has battled Ms. Jenkins over custody ever since. Jenkins bases her right as a “parent” on Vermont’s civil union law, but Virginia law and constitution do not recognize the civil union.

Regardless, courts in Vermont and Virginia repeatedly have sided with Jenkins, recently culminating with a Vermont judge’s order for Ms. Jenkins to receive full custody of Isabella, which was scheduled to happen January 1.

The circumstances of this case are as heart wrenching as they are frustrating. It is our belief that the courts have failed to apply the law correctly, relying on Vermont’s civil union statute over Virginia’s constitution and the federal Defense of Marriage Act that is supposed to protect Virginia’s marriage laws. Instead, judges at nearly every turn have ignored our law in favor of Vermont’s.

As I was interviewed about this story by CNN on Friday, and then saw its report, it became clear that the ruse that civil unions are not considered marriage is over. Throughout the story, which you can view here, CNN refers to the union as “marriage,” at one point saying Lisa and Janet were “married in a civil union,” and continuing to refer to Janet as a “parent” despite having no biological or legal ties to the child. One thing is for certain, the homosexual lobby’s attempts to portray civil unions as something less than marriage have been destroyed by their own words.

It’s interesting to note that I was asked over and over again by CNN about Lisa’s decision to “violate the court order,” but I was never once asked about the judges in this case who over and over again violated Virginia law. Instead of asking about Lisa’s actions, we should ask how judges simply can ignore the parts of the law and constitution they don’t like in favor of other parts.

Finally, we need to continue to pray for Lisa, Janet — and perhaps most importantly Isabella — in this entire mess. It’s difficult to predict the effect this situation will have on Isabella’s future, but it’s hard to believe that it will be positive.

Annotations & Elucidations 

In Transition

Not missing a beat, Governor-elect Bob McDonnell has gone into transition mode and all seems hunky-dory — Governor Tim Kaine has pledged to cue him in on the budget and give him “some breathing room” on the needed cuts so his successor won’t have to make many crucial decisions so soon. It’s a quirk in Virginia’s budget cycle that the outgoing governor submits the new two-year budget. The new guv has to deal with it. Changing that, and perhaps moving the legislative session to start in February to give the new guy some “breathing room” might be  good places to start for the reform minded in the General Assembly and the new administration.

So, as you can guess, it’s mostly transition news today, but we also have comment from McDonnell’s campaign chairman, Ed Gillespie, in the Washington Post, wherein he relates lessons learned. Meanwhile, the AP offers analysis on who did not vote and why not. In National News, homosexual groups are steamed at . . . Barack Obama . . . for its huge setback and humbling loss in liberal Maine’s marriage amendment referendum. (What’s the record now? 0-32? The homosexual lobby was losing long before Barack Obama was an Illinois state senator.) The Post and FoxNews.com have that fun little spat.

News:

McDonnell team rose to challenge in darkest hour (Washington Post)

Va. Republicans pledge to steer toward center (Washington Post)

McDonnell announces transition committee (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Capitol Square in transition (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star)

McDonnell plans transition, says Obama called him (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

Governor-elect McDonnell: Putting his plan in motion (Roanoke Times)

New Va. governor begins transition (Washington Times)

Kaine reflects on losses, plans to stay at DNC (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

GOP gains at least five Virginia House seats (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Valentine concedes to Garrett; low turnout, LU voters helped deliver election (Lynchburg News & Advance)

Hamilton’s defeat a major blow to Peninsula’s influence (The Daily Press)

Palin bringing book tour to Roanoke (Roanoke Times)

National News:

Gay groups say loss won’t alter strategy (Washington Post)

Gay Leaders Blame TV Ads, Obama for Loss in Maine (FoxNews.com)

Analysis:

Young voters sat out contests (AP/Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Commentary:

Lessons from Virginia for the GOP (Ed Gillespie/Washington Post)

By the way, it never ceases to amaze me that the homosexual lobby thinks same-sex marriage and its other agenda items are necessary for a thriving economy. See the first bullet point in the Equality Virginia news release announcing its endorsement of Democrat Creigh Deeds for governor, where EV’s Jon Blair says:

To attract the best public and private employees, Virginia must be welcoming of diversity and avoid discriminatory practices. Anything else hurts employers and employees, stifles economic growth, and limits Virginia’s competitiveness.

Let’s see. Virginia has maintained one of the best economies in the country for decades without capitulating to the radical homosexual agenda, and somehow our economy has suffered? Well, then, take it to they guys who’ve been in charge recently, who say they are on your side — Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (not to mention Jerry Baliles), the men Deeds says he wants to tailor himself after (tax increases and all).

Not exactly a news flash, but the commonwealth’s leading homosexual lobby, Equality Virginia, yesterday announced its endorsement of Democrat gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds. Here’s the link to its Web site’s media page, where its only media is its own news release endorsing Deeds. The release also is below. We can’t say we can feel the momentum swinging to Senator Deeds over this, so don’t expect its endorsement to be a game changer. To the contrary, proudly accepting it pretty much blows off what little cover Senator Deeds of a “moderate” image.   

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OCTOBER 15, 2009

Equality Virginia PAC Endorses Deeds for Governor

RICHMOND – Equality Virginia PAC announced today its support for Creigh Deeds for Governor. “There is no question that for the GLBT community and Virginians who believe in equality for all, there is only one sensible choice for Governor, and that choice is Creigh Deeds,” stated Jon Blair, Equality Virginia PAC’s CEO. “While no candidate is perfect, including Senator Deeds, Virginians must support the one candidate who truly understands that discrimination hurts our economy and our families.”

Blair drew the following contrasts in explaining EV PAC’s decision to support Deeds:

• Deeds co-patroned legislation to ensure that all public employees will be protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and pledges that he will sign an executive order to that effect; as Attorney General, McDonnell ruled that such an executive order would be illegal, stated he would not sign one as governor, and has refused to support a change in the law to ban discrimination. To attract the best public and private employees, Virginia must be welcoming of diversity and avoid discriminatory practices. Anything else hurts employers and employees, stifles economic growth, and limits Virginia’s competitiveness.

• Deeds ultimately opposed the Marshall-Newman marriage amendment; his opponent, Bob McDonnell wholeheartedly endorsed it.

• Deeds says he will support opening up state health benefits to otherwise qualified adults living in the same household as GLBT employees; McDonnell says that’s for the legislature to decide.

“The number one job of the next governor will be to restore confidence in our economy and keep Virginia the best managed state in the country. I plan to make sure that every citizen of the commonwealth can contribute to the economy and to government to the fullest extent possible without fear of discrimination. I’ve had a lifetime of working against discrimination in the workplace and I’ll continue that work when I’m Governor,” Deeds responded in his acceptance of Equality Virginia’s endorsement.

You hear sports commentators talk about it all the time, although referees deny it: The Make Up Call. When a ref thinks he missed a foul or made a bad call, he will even it up later in the game on an unsuspecting player on the opposite team. Once, in a rare moment of candor, when I coached travel soccer, a ref told me as I complained about a bad call he made against my team: “You got a call down there, we’re making it up here!” Nevermind that he made the right call earlier.

Thus, President Barack Obama’s reaction today to the homosexual lobby’s outcry over his decision to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in federal lawsuit (see yesterday’s post): He’s going to grant the extension of employee benefits to ”partners” of homosexual federal workers. However, this is pyrrhic at best to many homosexual activists and may have steamed them off at the POTUS plenty more, as Ben Smith reports at The Politico. You see, while it at first the Mainstream Media reported it as a great win for the homosexual lobby, the fact is that DOMA prohibits the extension of health insurance and retirement benefits to same-sex partners. There’s that DOMA, again, which the president is defending. According to an update on Smith’s post at The Politico:

“Are they kidding us? Domestic Partnership benefits WITHOUT health insurance because of DOMA? What kind of reality do they live in?” gay fundraiser and activist David Mixner emailed me this morning. “It is like rubbing salt in the wound. I am glad that some barriers will be lifted for Federal Employees but what is the most important benefit needed….health insurance! Good god.”   

The anger isn’t limited to e-mails to bloggers, either. Prominent homosexual lobbyists are boycotting a big time fundraiser by Vice President Joe Biden, as Jake Tapper of ABC News reports on his Political Punch blog (here).

Also, see the Obama “Fraud” and “Fail” posters in the photo at this Politico post (here). In the end, this make up call is about as worthy as one in an athletic contest, which is to say it is not worthy at all. One doesn’t make up an alleged grievance by intentionally harming an innocent party, especially when your original stand is just. As we noted yesterday, surprising as it is, the Obama administration simply is defending the Constitutional powers of the legislative branch, as well as the several states. Whatever his reasons, cynical or otherwise, it is the correct call and requires no make up.

All this proves a point: When the most liberal, “progressive” president in history isn’t moving on the homosexual agenda at the pace its advocates want, how mainstream is their movement?