Gays

Once again the powerful homosexual lobby is roaming Annapolis for more "rights. " How come certain groups can propose the same legislation every year even though it has been rejected time and again? In addition, the state Court of Appeals has ruled against it. The ultimate goal of the homosexual lobby is not equality; it wants special protected status. Let's say you don't want schools to teach kids that having two daddies or two mommies is normal. You could be accused of discrimination for voicing that opinion.

Almost three weeks after NBA player Jason Collins became the first openly gay active male athlete in a major American sport -- and yes, all those qualifiers are necessary -- new polling data shows a majority of Americans wouldn't care if their favorite athlete was gay. In a comprehensive survey conducted by Reason-Rupe, only 12 percent of those polled said they would be less likely to support their favorite jock if he or she came out, while 77...

In a recent article ("Transgender bias ban approved," Feb. 22), Baltimore County Councilman Tom Quirk describes his sexual orientation and gender identity bill as a "human rights bill" which he sponsored because "everyone deserves to be treated fairly. " Yes, everyone but the ex-gay community. As the only sexual orientation that is consistently discriminated against in Baltimore County, ex-gays asked Mr. Quirk to include former homosexuals in his bill which protects homosexuals and bisexuals.

As part of this blog's effort to provide LGBT-related news and commentary, we'll be bringing you links to stories from around the web in a weekly feature called Looking Out . Here's a look at what's making a splash today: -- Same-sex marriage has made pretty high-profile strides in the last three weeks, but things are picking up across the Atlantic, too. France's gay marriage law has been deemed constitutional by the nation's constitutional council....

I have had more than enough of the ridiculous opinions as to why gays and lesbians should not be allowed to marry in Maryland, but Thomas M. Crawford's nonsensical letter ("Marriage requires couples to meet the requirements," Letters, Feb. 2) takes the cake. It is beyond belief How Mr. Crawford seems to think that the laws are fine since "any homosexual man can apply for a license to marry a woman, and any lesbian can apply for a license to marry a man. " Obviously no gay man would marry a woman, and no lesbian would marry a man, and the only reason gays and lesbians can't marry people of their own sex is that the law in the "Free State" won't allow it. Laws are often old, antiquated and discriminatory and need to be changed.

By now, I think we all know the repeal of don't ask, don't tell is long overdue. It is shameful that the United States ever enacted this law and that it has taken so long to repeal it will go down in history as one of our darker moments as a nation. Even without the numerous reports by experts, 25 foreign militaries, U.S. military and civilian leaders, and the American public, which all agree that open service by gays and lesbians is compatible with an effective military, the fact is that anyone brave enough to defend our nation deserves to do so openly and to have the support of our government and its citizens.

The Sun's editors are the only people I know who can speak of homosexuality and morality in the same breath ("Scout's honor," Feb. 6) when, in fact, they are totally opposite. The scriptures make it plain that homosexuality is an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. Men performing indecent acts with other men is shameful. Women performing indecent acts with women is shameful. The only sexual relationship that God ordains is the relationship between a man and a woman within the confines of marriage.

The actions of the Itawamba County School District in Jackson, Mississippi, as they pertain to Constance McMillen, the lesbian high school senior, are a disgrace to everything for which this country stands. After having been sued because it would rather cancel the prom than have a lesbian appear in a tuxedo, the school district promised the court that there would be a private prom held at which there would be school officials as chaperones. But in a despicable act, the prom that Ms. McMillen was told to attend was one that basically amounted to a "separate but equal" prom held for the undesirables, while the majority of students attended another prom.

Chicago. -- Judge Terry Hatter of the U.S. District Court in central California has ruled that discrimination against gays in the military is unconstitutional. He said the discrimination is ''based on cultural myths and false stereotypes.''What is the stereotypical gay? I suppose it is the limp-wristed interior decorator. If that myth contained the whole reality of homosexual life, the military would justifiably want to keep gays out of its service, where strength and aggressiveness are encouraged and rewarded.

The fairest thing the federal government could do would be to pass a law allowing gay and lesbian couples to form unions that give them the same rights and responsibilities as heterosexual married couples. This would give them equal rights in every state. The term "marriage" need not be used at all, so there would be a separation of church and state. What would be involved would simply be a certification that the two partners plan to live together as a couple. Some good legal minds would be necessary to ascertain the division of money, property, etc., in case of divorce.

The gay couples who've booked Rouge Fine Catering in Hunt Valley for their weddings have appreciated not only good food and stylish events, but something less tangible. "They don't want to be with a caterer that is going to be judgmental," said Jonathan Soudry, Rouge chef and owner. "There is a lot of intimacy in the relationship between the caterer and the couple. " Soudry, whose business handles about 300 weddings a year, catered more than two dozen receptions for same-sex couples last year.

A new poll released today shows the largest measured gap between Americans who believe individuals are born gay and those who believe sexual orientation is caused by external factors. According to Gallup , 47 percent of Americans chose "nature" over "nurture" when asked about same-sex orientation, while 33 percent say they believe being gay is a product of an individual's upbringing and environment. As recently as 2011, public opinion on the causes of sexual orientation were about equally split.

"The New Normal" was supposed to be the new normal. After "Modern Family" brought two gay dads into the spotlight on ABC, NBC was bringing audiences a show that put a gay family at its center. "The New Normal" executive producer Ryan Murphy had already shown two gay teens' first sexual encounter on "Glee. " There was little concern his new show's central couple (Bryan and David) would be the chaste, sexless gay men generally seen on primetime television. I tuned in eagerly when the show premiered, elated to see a romantic gay duo given the amount of screen time generally reserved for straight sitcom leads.

As the television networks announced their fall schedules during this week's upfronts, news was pretty mixed for TV's LGBT characters. The good news first: Former "Will & Grace" star Sean Hayes is returning to NBC with a new sitcom bound to touch on gay issues. In "Sean Saves the World," the openly gay Hayes stars as a divorced gay dad raising a teenage daughter (Sami Isler) with the aid of his overbearing mother (Linda Lavin). Judging by the trailer , the show will tread on conventional multi-camera sitcom ground, especially with that pushy laugh track.

Welcome to Gay Matters, a new home for gay news and commentary at The Baltimore Sun. As website real estate, this blog is something new and perhaps long overdue. But we've been doing this work -- covering news relevant to the gay community -- for a very long time. I took a look back -- all the way back to microfilm -- and found the evidence. In 1955, for example, there were 162 men and women arrested on charges of disorderly conduct at the Pepper Hill Club on North Gay Street in "the largest night-club raid ever made in Baltimore," after male patrons among the club's largely gay clientele were seen kissing each other.

Organizers of this year's Baltimore Pride celebration have chosen Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to serve as grand marshal in recognition of her support for the gay community. The GLBT Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland is hosting the annual parade and block party in Mount Vernon and the festival at Druid Hill Park - the largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender gathering in the state - on June 15 and 16. "Mayor Rawlings-Blake's commitment to the LGBT community has been undoubtedly one of the best records in Maryland and for the City of Baltimore," the center said Tuesday in a statement.

Bruce Fleming makes some fair points in raising concerns that the military must think hard about how to enforce a new policy that lets open gays serve in the military ("Military's history will repeat," April 20). But Mr. Fleming stumbles in several of his points. Mr. Fleming states that allowing openly gay service is not comparable to the integration of "soldiers of color" because "gender matters more fundamentally than skin color." Yet this is not how Americans experienced race generations ago. Indeed, while men and women have always lived together in the same household, many whites found the very idea of being in the same house with an African American totally unacceptable.

The 400-year advancement of African-Americans from chattel, to sharecroppers, to second-class citizens under Jim Crow, to our current status as emancipated citizens in today's democracy is one of the most powerful and transformative — although incomplete — stories in world history. The civil rights struggle is far from over for black people. We still have a long path forward to preserve our precious gains and narrow the stubborn educational, employment, housing and criminal justice disparities that hold us back.

What does it say about our society when the sports and national news headlines as well as social media are all saturated with reports of a professional athlete's sexual orientation ("NBA player Jason Collins coming out is a defining moment in sports," April 29)? Who really cares? What kind of people care about someone's choice of partners? I don't understand why anyone chooses to tell the world that they prefer one sex over the other. That is a personal choice and only people with too much time on their hands or an unnatural desire to know about everyone else's private business will feel the need to know this information.

BOGOTA - Colombian lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a polarizing bill to allow same-sex marriage in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation, as hundreds of people took to the streets to demonstrate for and against the measure. The bill was rejected by 51 out of 102 lawmakers in the Senate - with 17 in favor. The negative vote was widely expected, given that lawmakers from the ruling coalition had made an alliance to oppose the initiative. Several hundred people rallied in Bogota's main colonial square as lawmakers debated the proposal to allow people of the same sex to marry.