Axelrod: Obama lied about opposition to gay marriage
When Barack Obama declared his candidacy for president eight years ago, he said he stood against gay marriage. He continued to hold that position officially until he “evolved” on marriage in 2012. According to a book by his former advisor David Axelrod, however, Obama was lying the whole time. Axelrod says Obama deliberately misrepresented his position because he thought the country was not yet ready for a pro-gay president.
Alabama marriage chaos continues
Confusion over same-sex marriage continues in Alabama, as probate judges try to decide whether to follow the orders of a federal appeals court that said marriages should begin or the state Supreme Court chief justice, who stepped in to say they should not. An ordained minister in Autauga County has been arrested after trying to perform wedding ceremonies inside the office of a probate judge who was refusing to perform weddings. Despite the confusion, same-sex marriages are breaking out all over the state, as judges come around to the court decision.
Ghanaian students try to lynch gay students
Students at a high school in Ghana rioted, smashed windows and burned tires after their teachers prevented them from lynching two boys who they had caught having sex. Police were called in to calm the situation but shot one of the rioting boys in the head, killing him. The two boys accused of homosexuality were arrested.
US Supreme Court shows its hand on marriage
According to court watchers at Slate, The Huffington Post and BuzzFeed, the US Supreme Court has just tacitly admitted that it will rule in favour of same-sex marriage this summer. How do we know? Because the court decided not to put a stay on an appeals-court ruling to allow same-sex marriages in Alabama. Usually, if there were any question how the Supreme Court would rule in June, the justices would halt marriages until the issue was decided. By waving marriages ahead in Alabama, the court may have shown that same-sex marriage all across the United States is inevitable.
Washington Post: What’s next for the gay community?
Jonathan Capehart at The Washington Post has written his take on the soul-searching conversation about the future of the gay community. Capehart says there are three important questions facing the community as marriage becomes a reality in the United States: Will allies stick around? Will trans people be brought into the fold? And will LGBT people make alliances with other oppressed groups?
Malaysian opposition leader convicted of sodomy
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been convicted of sodomy by the nation’s highest court and handed a five-year prison sentence. The court decided there was no evidence of a government conspiracy to frame Ibrahim for the crime of “sodomizing” his aide. Gay sex, regardless of consent, is illegal in Malaysia.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
“Barack Obama addresses joint session of Congress 2009-02-24” by Pete Souza – whitehouse.gov
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