It's Called Bigotry!!

PANTY WAD ALERT!!!!! PANTY WAD ALERT!!!!! PANTY WAD ALERT!!!!!

Oregon has allowed gay couples to register as domestic partners. Oh the horror of it all!!

Domestic partnerships allowed in Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore. - A state law allowing gay couples to register as domestic partners belatedly took effect Friday after a federal judge ruled the state's process of disqualifying petition signatures was consistent enough to be valid.

The state quickly announced that the domestic partnership applications were available online, and jubilant gay-rights activists predicted hundreds of couples would line up on Monday morning at county offices to register.

"We're a family. We've been waiting for this for a long time," said a beaming Cathy Kravitz of Portland. She said she and her partner of 21 years will be among those registering on Monday.

The law passed by the 2007 Legislature was to take effect when the new year started, but U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman suspended it to hear testimony about a petition drive that sought to put the law before voters.

The petitions fell 96 signatures short of the 55,179 needed to refer the law to the November 2008 ballot. The petitioners claim that county clerks rejected signatures improperly.

The Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona-based group that advocates for Christian legal issues, said it would appeal Mosman's ruling.

Fund lawyer Austin Nimocks had argued that a signature on a petition should have the same weight as a signature on a ballot, and that elections officials should have made more of an effort to contact voters whose signatures were disqualified.

But Mosman said signatures on a petition amounted to, "a call for an election, not a substitution for an election."

Testimony at the hearing turned on whether Oregon counties had a "common standard" to evaluate whether a voter's signature on a petition was valid. Mosman said the state had supplied enough evidence — if just barely — that a common standard existed in all 36 counties.

Petitioners plan to start another drive to put the domestic partnership law to a referendum.

"We want to vote — we think that our signatures mean something and it was an arbitrary move by the secretary of state's office," said Carolyn Wendell, who was a chief petitioner in the lawsuit.

Gay rights groups said they were prepared to continue fighting, both in court and on the ballot.

"The (Alliance Defense Fund) is an out-of-state group that could care less about the individual rights of folks here in Oregon," said Jeana Frazzini, executive director of Basic Rights Oregon. "They have certainly demonstrated that through the harm they have caused to same sex couples across this state because of the delay they've faced for the past month."

Gay couples who register as domestic partners will be able to file joint state tax returns, inherit each other's property and make medical choices on each other's behalf, along with a host of other state benefits given to married Oregonians.

In 2004, about 3,000 same-sex couples were granted marriage licenses in Multnomah County, the largest county in Oregon. But Oregon voters later approved a constitutional ban on gay marriage, and the state Supreme Court nullified the marriage licenses.

Oregon becomes the ninth state to approve spousal rights in some form for gay couples, joining Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maine, California, Washington and Hawaii. Massachusetts is the only state that allows gay couples to marry.

Could someone please explain to me how gay rights is a "Christian legal issue"? The last time I looked, so-called Christians wanted absolutely nothing to do with gay people. Now all of a sudden domestic partnerships among gay couples has become a "Christian legal issue"? I didn't know that the right to vote on whether or not gay people had the right to enter into a domestic partnership was strictly a Christian issue.

Furthermore, how can they even argue this matter as a "Christian" legal issue? Of the 55,083 signatures on this petition, how many were from "Christians"? They can't prove that every signature belonged to a "Christian" even if they went door to door and asked each signer. They could say yes. That doesn't mean that they're telling the truth.

This is not an issue of religious beliefs being stifled. This is about some BIGOTS, yes BIGOTS, trying to prevent people from living their lives as they want to. They were thwarted in their attempt to spread their bigotry and make it law. So now they're pissing and moaning!! Too bad!!

Can't Keep The Story Straight

I love when people can't keep their story straight. Take this woman for example. She says that she wants to be able to a carry a gun to school because she's afraid her ex-husband will come and hurt her while she's working. Then she says that the reason she's suing is "PRIMARILY ABOUT HER SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS".

Ore. teacher wants to take gun to school

MEDFORD, Ore. - High school English teacher Shirley Katz insists she needs to take her pistol with her to work because she fears her ex-husband could show up and try to harm her. She's also worried about a Columbine-style attack.

But Katz's district has barred teachers from bringing guns to school, so she is challenging the ban as unlawful, since Oregon is among states that allow people with a permit to carry concealed weapons into public buildings.

"This is primarily about my Second Amendment right and Oregon law and the simple fact that I know it is my right to carry that gun," said Katz, 44, sitting at the kitchen table of her home outside this city of 74,000.

"I have that (concealed weapons) permit. I refuse to let my ex-husband bully me. And I am not going to let the school board bully me, either."

In Oregon, a sheriff can grant a concealed-weapons permit to anyone whose criminal record is clean and who completes a gun-safety course.

Thirty-eight states, along with the District of Columbia, prohibit people from taking guns to school, according to the National Council of State Legislatures. But it's unclear how many offer an exemption for people holding concealed-weapons permits, since the council does not track such exceptions.

Superintendent Phil Long insists employees and students are safer without guns on campus at South Medford High School, where Katz teaches. The district plans to make that argument when the case comes before a judge on Thursday.

Katz's request appears to be rare. School security consultant Ken Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services in Cleveland, said he has never heard of a similar case while working in 45 states.

Katz won't say whether she has ever taken her 9 mm Glock pistol to school, but she practices with it regularly and has thought about what she would do if she had to confront a gunman. She would be sure students were locked in nearby offices out of the line of fire, and she would be ready with her pistol.

"Our safety plan at our school now is that if somebody threatening comes in, you try to avoid eye contact, and do whatever they say, and that is not acceptable anymore," she said. Shootings at Virginia Tech University and the one-room Amish school in Pennsylvania, "reinforced my belief we have to take action, we can't just acquiesce as we have been taught to do."

Katz never owned a gun until she and her then-husband, commercial photographer Gerry Katz, moved to Oregon from Atlanta eight years ago and bought 20 acres on a gravel road in the foothills of the Cascade Range.

"Being out in the country, we just felt we needed to have a gun here for personal safety," she said.

In 2004, Gerry Katz, who had a concealed weapons permit, was arrested for pulling a .38-caliber revolver after a confrontation that began in a parking lot with two men whose car almost hit his.

According to the police report, he did not point the weapon at anyone. The police seized it, and the charges were later dismissed. Gerry Katz said he never went back for his gun.

Shirley Katz said she bought her own gun in 2004 after Gerry Katz grabbed her by the throat and threatened to kill her — an allegation he denies.

He argues that her desire to take her gun to school is about reopening their divorce to get exclusive custody of their 6-year-old daughter.

"She's just scamming everybody," he said. "As soon as this thing started ... I called the principal at her high school and told her ... I am not coming to your school. I am not a threat to her. I have no desire to hurt her."

Oregon had a school shooting in 1998, when student Kip Kinkel killed his parents at home, then drove to school and opened fire in the cafeteria of Thurston High School in Springfield, killing two and wounding 25 others.

Since then, the Legislature has considered barring people with concealed weapons permits from carrying guns in schools, but the bills have failed, said Dori Brattain, general counsel to the Oregon School Boards Association.

Some South Medford students say they are uncomfortable with the idea of a teacher carrying a gun, especially since they cannot bring even scissors to school.

"I totally understand she wants to protect herself," said Lauren Forderer, 16, a junior. "But I don't agree she should bring her problems around 2,000 other people."

Even if she wins, Katz said, she may not bring the gun to school.

"The whole point of carrying concealed is no one should know you're carrying," she said. "So I feel like my carrying concealed on campus now sets me up as a target."

I watched this woman being interviewed on CNN this morning. When asked what this was really about, protecting herself from her ex-husband or the Second Amendment, the first thing she said was the Second Amendment. So which is it lady? I tend to believe that this has absolutely nothing to do with her ex-husband, and everything to do with her believing that she has a right to carry her gun wherever and whenever she damn well pleases.

If I had a kid that went to that school, I would pull my kid out. There is no way in hell this woman would be allowed anywhere near my child while she was carrying a gun.

Katz won't say whether she has ever taken her 9 mm Glock pistol to school, but she practices with it regularly and has thought about what she would do if she had to confront a gunman. She would be sure students were locked in nearby offices out of the line of fire, and she would be ready with her pistol.

This is just insane to me!! She has actually THOUGHT about what she would do if a gunman came into the school. She pictures herself lying in wait for the gunman. Wow!! Talk about insane!!

Let's hope common sense prevails here, and that she is NOT allowed to bring a gun to school.

Anti-Gay Bigots About To Be Outed

It's about time we find out who the anti-gay bigots are here in this country. If they have to be outed, so be it!! We have a right to know!! It's about to happen in Oregon!!

Group To Out Signers Of Anti-Gay Oregon Petition

Portland, Oregon) People who sign petitions seeking to put measures repealing two LGBT civil rights laws on next November's ballot are about to be outed.

A newly formed group is planning to put the names and addresses on a national Web site. The names, once submitted to the state, are public property.

Conservative groups are trying to collect enough names to have the two laws put to voters. They need to collect the signatures of 55,179 registered voters within 90 days of the adjournment of the Legislature. The deadline is in about a month.

One of the laws the groups seek to overturn is a partnership law that grants rights, responsibilities and protections afforded to other Oregon couples and their families currently only available through a marriage contract in Oregon. It would be open to both same and opposite-sex couples.

The other law would amend the state's non-discrimination laws to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing, employment, public accommodation, education and public services statewide.

The two pieces of legislation were signed into law May 9 by Gov. Ted Kulongoski and are to take effect January 1. If the repeal groups should gather enough signatures to force a vote the laws would be put on hold until after next November's election.

The groups opposing the laws say that the partnership law violates a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2004 that declares marriage as legally valid only between a man and a woman.

They also say the non-discrimination law violates the rights of churches to practice their religion.

Know Thy Neighbor Web sites have previously been used in two states where conservative groups planned constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage.

The first began in 2005 in Massachusetts. As a result a number of names collected were discovered to be fraudulent. The groups calling for an amendment, however, gathered more than enough names to send the issue to the legislature where the issue died earlier this year.

The second was in Florida where conservatives continue to push for a marriage amendment.

The importance of Know Thy Neighbor is it creates a dialogue, KnowThyNeighbor.org director Tom Lang told 365Gay.com from Massachusetts.

"It shows this is us, we're here. we're your neighbors," said Lang. "it's an opportunity to discuss the issues with our neighbors.

Of the Oregon effort, Lang said final details are being worked out with Gay Rights Watch in Portland.

Oregon's largest LGBT group, Basic Rights Oregon is not involved, but spokesperson Bryan Boyd said it does not oppose the effort.

"Anything that helps defeat this odious attempt to overturn rights is fine by us," Boyd told 365Gay.com.

"Basic Rights Oregon will remain focused on preparing for the possibility the two ballot measures will go to voters in 2008."

Anyone who thinks that it's okay to discriminate against people based on sexual orientation among other things clearly needs to be outed. These sick SOB's need to have their names plastered everywhere so that people know exactly who they are!!

I especially love how these sick SOB's hide behind religion, and use it as an excuse to allow discrimination. It's always the same. Well, it would violate a church's right to practice their religion. How about the rights of gay people to live their lives? Oh, wait!! Stupid me!! I forgot that gay people aren't people, therefore they don't have a right to live their lives the way they want. They don't have a right to be treated with respect and dignity. They don't have a right to expect to be treated as equals.

NO MORE HIDING BITCHES!! YOU'RE ABOUT TO BE OUTED, AND I CAN'T WAIT!!