Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz told a crowd of cheering evangelicals in Greenville on Saturday that the marriage issue is not settled despite the U.S. Supreme Court ruling purporting to redefine marriage for every state. "This is not settled," the Texas senator declared during a fiery speech at Bob Jones University. “It’s not the law of the land. It’s not the Constitution. It’s not legitimate, and we will stand and fight.”
A large, private "Christian" university in Arizona has decided to extend full spousal benefits to employees who are currently involved in same-sex relationships. Grand Canyon University officials said on Friday the benefits will now be extended to same-sex cohabitants throughout the school's workforce, following a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that purported to sanctify these unions.
On Friday, a Utah judge reversed his order that a 9-month old child be removed from the custody of two lesbian foster parents and be placed with a married couple. Judge Scott Johansen made his initial ruling on Tuesday, citing research that said children do better when raised by a mother and a father. Johansen's ruling drew criticism from the Utah Division of Child and Family Services, and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert.
Utah state officials are challenging a decision made by a Utah judge to a take a baby away from two lesbian foster parents and place her with a married couple for the child's well-being. Utah Division of Child and Family Services officials said Thursday in a statement that they will fight the ruling at the appeals court if Judge Scott Johansen doesn't rescind his decision. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has also sided against Johansen.
President Obama has come out in support of “The Equality Act,” which would add gender identity and sexual orientation to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. “Upon that review it is now clear that the administration strongly supports the Equality Act,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest [pictured] announced on Tuesday. “That bill is historic legislation that would advance the cause of equality for millions of Americans."
An educator this week filed a federal discrimination complaint against a learning center in Katy, alleging that she was wrongly fired for refusing to address a 6-year-old girl as a transgender boy, the teacher's attorneys said Tuesday. Madeline Kirksey, a former employee of the Children's Lighthouse Learning Center on Clay Road in Katy, was fired Nov. 3 after she refused to treat the child as a male and call the child by a new male name.
While speaking at Liberty University on Wednesday, Dr. Ben Carson promised to protect the “religious freedom” of people who believe that marriage is “between one man and one woman." Carson promised, if elected president, to push Congress to make this a matter of national law. “We’re going to have to have a president who’s willing to work with the legislature to put things back in order,” he said, to cheers and applause.
Barack Obama has appeared on the cover of Out Magazine, becoming the first sitting president to be photographed for a homosexual publication. The photoshoot was conducted in recognition of the magazine's decision to name Obama as its "Ally of the Year" for the homosexual community, after he helped push same-sex "marriage" in the United States.
Utah state child welfare officials are reviewing a ruling by a juvenile court judge who ordered a baby to be taken from lesbian foster parents and instead placed with a husband and wife for the child's well-being. Judge Scott Johansen issued the order on Tuesday, citing research that children do better when they are raised by man/woman couples. Options to challenge the order are being discussed.
A professor at California State University-Northridge is challenging the school’s finding that he retaliated against students because they accused him of discrimination against homosexuals and women. Dr. Robert Lopez claims the investigation against him is politically-motivated. A CitizenGo petition with more than 3,000 signatures is asking for the charges to be dropped.
Nebraska officials are working to change birth certificates for children adopted by same-sex couples, so that both partners can be listed as "parents." Previously, the state saw children raised by same-sex couples as adopted by one of the partners because same-sex couples cannot create new human life. A spokesperson for the state’s health department did not reveal what the new certificates would look like.
Dallas city council members voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve an ordinance allowing transgender people to use the “facilities” of the opposite sex. The measure, which opponents describe as a “bathroom” bill, adds “gender identity” to the city’s 2002 anti-discrimination law alongside race, sex, and sexual orientation. Mayor Mike Rawlings said, “We’re a very diverse city. We want to make sure everyone is protected.”
A majority of Tennessee voters are against redefining marriage to include same-sex unions, according to findings in a new poll. 57% of voters polled said they oppose same-sex "marriage," while 29% said they favor it. 14% didn't know or declined to answer. The results were encouraging for Tennessee Rep. Mark Pody, who is attempting to oppose the Obergefell decision by promoting The Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act.
A disciplinary hearing began Monday for an Oregon judge who is accused of a variety of ethics violations that include screening marriage applicants to exclude same-sex couples. Marion County Circuit Court Judge Vance Day has denied he violated judicial ethics rules, and said even if he did, the rules are unconstitutional. The trial-like proceeding is expected to last two weeks.
In a brief filed Friday, the American College of Pediatricians urged the Alabama Supreme Court to consider the well-being of children in the case before them concerning the Obergefell v. Hodges decision. The College urged the Court to reaffirm its acknowledgement that traditional husband/wife marriage is still the law of Alabama, despite the opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court.
About four months after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling, a statewide poll shows a majority of Arkansans continue to oppose same-sex "marriage." Only 29 percent of respondents said they think same-sex "marriages" should be recognized, according to the poll. 63 percent of respondents said they did not think such "marriages" should be recognized, while 8 percent said they did not know or declined to respond.
The two male "parents" of a six-year-old little girl told employees at the Childrens’ Lighthouse Learning Center in Katy, Texas to refer to their daughter as a "boy," and to call her by a new masculine name. The little girl’s hair had also been cut like a boy’s. Upon refusing to aid in the gender distortion, Madeline Kirksey and one other worker were fired.
Just days after voters in Houston rejected an ordinance allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson suggested creating transgender bathrooms. In a live interview, the retired neurosurgeon said “it is not fair” for transgender people “to make everybody else uncomfortable." The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) labelled Carson as "transphobic" due to his comments.
Kentucky Governor-elect Matt Bevin said on Friday that when he takes office in December he will order changes to the state marriage license form to appease clerks who have objected to issuing licenses to same-sex couples. "One thing I will take care of right away is we will remove the names of the county clerks from the marriage form," Bevin told reporters in the Capitol rotunda.
California has become the first state to not only pay for prisoners’ transgender operations and treatments, but also move men and women into prisons of the opposite gender. Effective October 20, taxpayer money will be used to accommodate prisoners who claim to have gender dysphoria. The change to state law took place after a years-long lawsuit from convicted first-degree murderer Rodney James Quine.
Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) has weighed in on the case of the man in Pennsylvania who wants to "marry" his adopted son, asking the Obama administration to get involved. Sen. Casey wrote a letter asking U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and the Obama White House to “issue guidance for courts across the country” in the matter. This came after Judge Lawrence J. O’Toole told the two men involved that he couldn't annul the adoption.
The Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals dismissed Kentucky clerk Kim Davis’s request Thursday to delay issuing marriage license to same-sex couples. Davis made headlines across U.S. earlier this year for refusing to issue marriage licenses to any couples following the Supreme Court ruling, citing religious beliefs.
Vote tallies indicated Salt Lake City was poised to narrowly elect its first openly homosexual mayor. Former Utah lawmaker Jackie Biskupski was leading two-term incumbent Ralph Becker by 1,450 votes, according to election results released late Tuesday. Nearly 24,000 county-wide ballots remained to be counted, but it was not yet known how many involved the mayor's race, Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen said.
Colombia's high court ruled Wednesday that same-sex couples can adopt children in the conservative South American nation. In the 6-2 ruling, the court said adoption agencies can't discriminate against same-sex couples during an adoption process. Still pending is a proposal to redefine marriage in Colombia to include same-sex unions.
Many Christians were concerned when they found out that Chick-fil-A was listed as an official sponsor of a pro-homosexual film festival in Nashville. A petition was even created, asking Chick-fil-A Corporate to make an official statement. Chick-fil-A Corporate revealed that the festival sponsorship was done by a local Chick-fil-A franchise, and declared, "The operators make decisions on local sponsorships."