Just so we’re clear, the anti-marriage equality effort in Maine is not being led by a consortium of independent, like-minded citizens in a grassroots effort as they’d have you believe — but the Roman Catholic Church. And they’re using their influence, and direct dial with Jesus, to rape Americans of their rights.
Portland’s Roman Catholic Bishop Richard Malone (pictured, right), who belongs on DaddyHunt.com, is spearheading a religious affront to get a Yes vote on Question 1 to repeal the same-sex marriage law. He’s collecting donations from the pulpit to go toward fighting the holy fight, which some CPAs might advise them against.
But the supposedly secular, grassroots group Stand for Marriage Maine is directly tied to Malone’s activities. Not only are the donations Malone collects from parisohners going directly to Stand for Marriage Maine (money laundering anyone?), but sad person and S4MM’s campaign director Marc Mutty (pictured, left) is actually Malone’s public affairs director — temporarily on leave to run S4MM.
Mutty’s proclivity to traffic in fiction, then, makes sense given his roots in the ultimate of tale tale tellers: the church. Which explains why Mutty’s correspondence with supporters is saturated with lies, and his statements to the press are blinded by his faith in hatred: “Until this point, our opponents have presented a rose-colored glasses view of homosexual marriage. Starting today, Mainers across the state will hear about the real cost to society should traditional marriage be replaced by genderless contracts whose sole focus is the adults involved in the relationship.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Well it’s a good thing Malone & Mutty are master storytellers, since their television ads are fueled with nothing but misinformation.
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will clemens
I am very sure that gay marriage in Maine will be taken away. This fight for gay marriage is going to be a lot longer than any one thought I believe it will take at least 40 yrs for all 50 states to have gay marriage.
Chitown Kev
@will clemens:
I hate to say that I agree with you but I do for a variety of reasons.
Primarily, though, it would be because religion has deeply entrenched political power in American society (as it does in Italy, for example). Our political culture is saturated with it and…I don’t think that we have developed an adequate response to it.
KK Bloom
I also agree it is a doomed effort in Maine. I’d love to see New England reamin (almost) a completely equal region of the country, but the old and already prejudiced people who fill the majority of this douche’s pews will gleefully revoke any equal measure towards the very hated gays in their realm. And then we’ll have to deal with the gloating fatheads at NOM.
Gay marriage will be a reality someday, but thanks to religion interfering in matters of state it is a long, long way off.
Eugene
Where are all those “tolerant” Christian denominations? Surely they could do something to prevent it?
Yes, that’s right. Even “tolerant” Christians don’t give a damn about gays, and it’s something we all should remember. Religion must not be tolerated.
Jerry Priori
Yes, religion poisons everything. Christopher Hitchens is correct.
Jeff K.
Fuck the Church.
Zach
Should marriage rights get taken away in Maine, I propose we treat the Catholic Church the same way we treated the Mormon Church post-Prop 8 in California.
robert
Why are none of our organizations going after these religious cults’ tax-exempt status, a privilege they enjoy on condition they do not meddle in the political process, a violation of their 501c3-4 tax exempt status?. If they want to persist, lets do what they do, get a petition moving in every state, gather enough signatures and put it on the ballot, give them a dose of their own hate medicine. Nobody in the LGBT camp has the balls to go after them like that because they’re afraid to be called anti-religion. Look how long its taking the IRS to investigate the Mormon funding of Prop. H8, so far, no progress. Government is enmeshed with religion whether we like it or not. Unless religion is in the mix, nobody can become president of this country, its a rite of passage, unlike any other western society.
terrwill
QUEERTY PEOPLE: Whats the “daddyhunt.com” relation????. Your link says nothing about it…………..
ggreen
Dear Bishop Richard Malone,
Your black dress looks awful. You are a Spring and should only wear bright pink and deep blue dresses. Plunging necklines are optional.
Dick Mills
I think that we should never give the Catholics a pass on marriage equality. The Catholic Church has adopted a rabidly anti-gay stance purely a ploy to deflect attention away from their priest-on-child molesting past. The reason Catholics hid behind the Mormons in California is because they were still prominently in the news over their kid-fucking scandal. Now they are becoming more brazen. They will never get a pass from me.
Cam
Gee, so men from an all male celibate organization are going to instruct the rest of us on what a marriage is. Is this sort of like having person born with no eyes describing a painting to you?
Chance
We’ll never be equal as long as we’re wrong. And the prevailing belief among church goers, voters, and politicians with religious beliefs is, sorry to say, that we’re wrong. Go figure. Why don’t we just lobby some more, that seems to work.
Brian
These Catholics sound a lot like extreme Baptists. Somebody please remind me why there is such a thing as a Gay Catholic? I can’t do the math on that one.
All religions (even those generally quiet Catholics) still make homosexuality “wrong.” We’ll never be equal, as long as we’re wrong. Stop wasting money on HRC lobbying efforts, we need to end the religious belief that we are wrong. We can only do that by challenging those beliefs.
WE are NOT WRONG.
alan brickman
CANCEL THE TAX FREE STATUS NOW!!!
Attmay
Christianity must be destroyed.
schlukitz
It just pisses me off no end that these son-of-bitchs have their fucking hands in our pockets by getting a free-pass on paying their share of taxes (they don’t receive the benefits that other tax-paying citizens receive?) and then have the balls to tell those of who pay their share of taxes for them, what we can and cannot do and pass laws taking away our equal status and rights?
It’s a ballsy violation of their tax status that no one is willing to challenge them on and so they get away with it.
Yes, where are all these church people we keep hearing about that are not representative of the view representative of the churches they belong to? You know, the ones that believe that all people should be equal and entitled to love whomever they wish?
I don’t seem to be able to hear or see them. Where are the chorus’ of condemnations? Where are the tv ads by them? Where is the outrage?
J. Clarence
@robert: I seriously doubt any gay group, with exception maybe of HRC, has a problem being labeled “anti-religious”.
That being said I think going after their tax-exempt status is a perfectly sane thing to do, except if I am reading the code correctly funding a campaign doesn’t violate the policy: “Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes.
“Certain activities or expenditures may not be prohibited depending on the facts and circumstances. For example, certain voter education activities (including presenting public forums and publishing voter education guides) conducted in a non-partisan manner do not constitute prohibited political campaign activity. In addition, other activities intended to encourage people to participate in the electoral process, such as voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, would not be prohibited political campaign activity if conducted in a non-partisan manner.”
“On the other hand, voter education or registration activities with evidence of bias that (a) would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates, will constitute prohibited participation or intervention.”
There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong funding a campaign on a particular issue like marriage-equality, just funding a particular candidate–which Churches have broken in the past, the 2004 George Bush election comes to mind.
It would be something for the IRS to look into, as I don’t think in recent memory we have seen religion become this political involved. Which I agree is a dangerous proposition.
Denis
Hard to believe a man in a black dress and pink pill box hat can be taken seriously by the level headed people of Maine?
robert
The question is, why should any religious cult be exempt from paying taxes in the first place? Why in a so called “democracy” should anyone be above the law? In addition to enjoying tax-exempt status, many of them get special breaks on utilities, investments and real estate, religious schools, while we the taxpayers get stiffed with higher rates to offset their “special rights”. If they care about the poor so much, why aren’t they at the forefront on health care reform? Why should the roman cult in particular get tax breaks when its going around the world forbidding condom distribution, promoting the spread of HIV through lack of birth control protection and education and it wonders why there is so much poverty in the world? This cult should be brought up on charges of crimes against humanity, in addition to having its tax exempt status rescinded, immediately.
Dom
How odd is it that the Church doesn’t make any fuss about (heterosexual) atheists being married — obviously not in church — but still, AND benefitting the exact same rights as any other couple?
Denying God is a terrible sin in their book of fairy tales too, no?
Like Attmay writes, yes, the Christian cult and religions in general must be destroyed.
There are countless cults out there, all as irrational and insane as the other. The Church happens to be just one of the oldest, which over the centuries, managed to contaminate humanity so bad. Christianity is the worst pandemic ever.
The Church’s agenda on homosexuality is pretty clear:
They do not care so much about homosexuals being married. They know, in the first place, that out of all the gay and lesbian couples who would marry, not even one third (and I’m being nice) would hope for a religious ceremony.
But they know well that once we can all marry the person we love and get EQUAL SOCIAL benefits, this will be the beginning of the end of their cult.
NOT because it’s going to bring Hell on Earth (they do not even believe that, despite what they say), NOT because it is going to change anything for any other married couple, but rather, because from then on, future generations would be obviously more and more liberated from the Church’s iron grip.
Lobbying politics and pretty much everything around (media, education, etc…) would become out of the question and yes, it would lead to, maybe not the extinction, but to a fatal collapse of Christianity.
In their irrational tripping, Christians must fret that Islam might take over. In reality, ALL such belief systems would collapse just the same.
Simply because without — or at least, with less and less — oppression, discrimination, etc… people might just become happy.
And THAT is the problem.
If people would get happier, without the burden of discrimination and the cohort of daily violation of human and civil rights, WHO WOULD NEED ANY F*CKING GOD?
No matter what, whether these insane people like it or not, they are called to disappear.
It might take time, and my boyfriend and I will probably die without we had the chance to live our life as we were entitled to.
Thanks to this whole religious insanity taking it up to politics, my boyfriend and I being from different nationalities, we do not have a right to live together because we can’t marry — there are thousands and thousands like us…
But at some point, people are going to grow brains and cults will lose. It might go through a blood bath, but it will happen.
There is NO god. Faith is like schizophrenia: there might not be a cure today, but it can be controlled; and ultimately, there WILL be a cure.
robert
Don, I too am an atheist.
Actually, of all the religious cults out there, orthodox judaism is the oldest with the longest record on homophobia. Remember the verse in Leviticus in which it states “man shall not lie down with man as he does with a woman”…the worn out mantra they use to justify to deny marriage equality and which has never been proved to be uttered by a deity, and now conveniently cherry-picked and co-opted by right wing christo fascists and other psychotic sick religious nutjobs to get hate legislation passed? These same orthodox jews segregate women in temple, as bad as the roman cult that forbids women the priesthood, among other things.
Then we have that other old testament (jewish) fairy tale regarding the so called first parents of the human race, Adam and Eve who had several children. Ever asked a right wing “christian” how the earth became populated? They will tell you it was Adam and Eve of course, but what they don’t realize is, how? For that to have happened, arguably, their children must have committed incest and in turn with their parents to have populated that much, from one generation to the next. Is it no wonder we now have religious nutjobs who are carrying the incestuous DNA and other genetic components and deformities? Thank goodness people like you and I didn’t.
schlukitz
@Dom:
Dom, I really related to your post. Like you and your boyfriend, my boyfriend and I, who are also from different nationalities, do not have a right to live together either because we can’t marry.
And we are as angry as you and several other posters on these threads that it is religion that has been and continues to be the cause of our unhappiness and uncalled for suffering. Were it not for the meddling of religion into secular life, all 36,000 of us bi-national couples would be with us and enjoying our lives together.
Then again, that’s what the RC Church is all about, isn’t it, suffering. Their very holy cross is a symbol of their uncontrollable need to suffer. And, while they are doing that, they make everyone else suffer with them. As the old saying goes, misery likes company.
Sick. Sick. Sick.
schlukitz
@robert:
Don, I too am an atheist.
That makes at least three of us. ;o)
The number of us are growing, and that’s a good thing.
schlukitz
@Eugene:
Where are all those “tolerant” Christian denominations? Surely they could do something to prevent it?
Co-sign. That is exactly my response to those apologetic, Christian gays who constantly come to the side of the church, telling us “But look at all the good they do.”
And then there is the classic “But, not all Christians are like that.”
As the old expression goes, “Show me. I’m from Missouri.”
Chitown Kev
@schlukitz:
They’re there but they don’t get a lot of airtime.
The other thing is that many times with the pro-equality churches they also believe in a pretty strict seperation of church and state; in other words, they play by the rules.
That’s why I think that once one of the pro-LGBT denominations goes for it and claim that state and federal governments are practicing religious discrimination for refusing to allow their priests, pastors, and what not to perform legal same sex marriages, we may really get somewhere with the religious questions
Dom
@ Robert:
Right for orthodox Judaism — that’s why I mentioned the (Catholic) Church as “one of the oldest” cults.
My comment was just focusing on it in direct reference to the article here, and also because the US is essentially contaminated by Christians, rather than any other virus — although these are all generated by faith only.
The funny thing remaining is that it is constantly people like you and me, atheists, who happen to actually KNOW about these belief systems. The vast majority of Christians don’t even know shit about their bloody Bible.
@Schlukitz
You know, the 36’000 number you refer to was an estimate which dates back 2005. I got hit by it when Sebatian Cordoba actively released his “Through The Thick & Thin” documentary on bi-national same-sex couples — a heartbreaking major document which unfortunately did not find a proper distribution. Too controversial. Too real. Too, I dare say, dangerous, precisely for religious institutions.
I defy any Christian to watch it. They’d cry their heart out and ask for mercy.
Unfortunately, AND fortunately, since 2005, that number has grown bigger. I do not thank God for Love spreading well outside borders: I thank people, who follow their hearts.
My boyfriend and I have been living illegally for 3 years in France. Despite the information thoroughly spread, France is NOT a sweet asylum to same-sex couples. If you’re both French (or at least Europeans), things are rather easy, though they can NOT be compared AT ALL with benefits from married couples — marriage is still illegal in France.
When you happen to be with an American citizen, better forget about legal. And I’m still lucky, I guess: I don’t even want to think what it would have been, had my boyfriend been an Arab..! They would have cut his head off, for sure.
As he says, “Where there is love, there’s a way”. It’s fucking terrible on a daily basis, but we’ll find a way.
As you say, SICK. That’s why I have this tendency to lose my temper — hence another post of mine on here where I’ve gone all nazi on Christians, but I don’t apologize for it.
Thanks for striking that bi-national problem, though. It’s so rarely evoked.
Kurt
@robert:
Ummmm, mostly because our 501(c)3-4 groups do the same things they are?
robert
@Kurt:
Well, Kurt there is one big difference, our own 501c3’s don’t discriminate against people marrying, this is the point of the argument. This is about equality, having the same rights as everybody else who pays taxes. We’re supposed to have separation of church and state in this country but when religious cults deliberately intefere directly or indirectly into supporting and in some instances illegaly fund hate legislation as in the case of Prop. 8, Mormons donating $22 million and the Catholic group, the Knights of Columbus donating more than $1 million, then that’s a very different matter. There are a lot of straights out there who would love to see tax-exempt status rescinded by these cults who are now controlling state governments when marriage equality and other equality legislation is up for a vote. How would they like it if we used our own 501c3’s to ban religious marriage based on the issuance of a secular, civil marriage license that has NOTHING to do with religious marriage, just as one example?
Dom
@robert:
There! Another nail for Jesus…Voilà.
robert
@Dom:
Dom, I totally concur with you.
Aside from Holland, Belgium, Spain, Norway and Sweden, the UK allows a non-EU foreign born national living with a native Brit to reside and work there and you don’t even have to be in a civil partnership to enjoy that privilege. That’s been in effect for a number of years. The bi national person doesn’t have to be from another EU member state either. I know several American gay men who went to live with their Brit boyfriends so they could stay together.
Regarding France, you are right about that. The French parliament only recently approved recognition of the U.K.s civil partnership laws but…..the problem is, in France where PAC’s are available to gay couples, they are in no way similar to Britain’s partnerships that confer all the rights and privileges of marriage while France’s PAC’s offer only a handful of rights, so that becomes an imbalance that is more than unfair to a civil partnered couple residing there. France doesn’t allow two foreign born gay people to form a PAC, one must be a French national. The UK allows foreign born nationals to form a civil partnership provided both are legal residents and neither has to be partnered to a UK national, big difference.
robert
@Dom:
Definitely, DOM!
schlukitz
@Dom:
Thanks for you response, Dom.
Living in a foreign land, as I can also attest to, poses difficulties that most of us never have to consider, much less deal with. Language is one. Social customs is another. And if you are living in a Third World country part-time, as I am, there are also many other issues to deal with on a daily basis.
I took special note of your closing comment that the bi-national problem is so rarely evoked.
As you may or not be aware, we have another poster on these threads, who like us, is involved in a bi-national relationship and who goes by the name of InExile. Perhaps you have seen some of his recent posts and are already aware of his unique position.
His partner, who is also French, lost his work permit when the company he worked for in the US folded. As a result, InExile was obliged to give-up his job, home and car and leave the USA in order to remain with his lifemate, causing much emotional stress and financial hardship to the both of them.
My heart goes out to these two fine men who have become my dear friends and who are literally in limbo, waiting for something, anything to happen, so that they can return to the USA where they wish to spend the remainder of their lives together.
While I cannot live full-time in the Philippines where my partner was born, because of personal and business obligations, we are fortunate to be able to own a home there where I spend part of my year with him.
This still leaves large gaps in our “togetherness”, however, as we too live in a sort of limbo like EnExile and his partner, hoping for something to break.
Life is short and the truly sad part of this, is the fact that we are all obliged to sit around waiting for something to happen, while life slips by.
That’s a tragedy.
schlukitz
@Chitown Kev:
They’re there but they don’t get a lot of airtime.
So true. Just like you never hear about the boy scout who helps an old lady across the street, or a young lady who brings meals to an elderly person who can no longer cook for theirself.
All we ever hear about are the drugged-up, fucked-up kids who make the evening news. Sad, really. The bad fuckers get all the good press, and the good people never get noticed or get a POTB.
strumpetwindsock
@Chitown Kev:
True, though Catholicism didn’t stop Italians from voting 80 percent to support abortion rights in a referendum back in the early 1980s.
Then again, I realize Italy is not Maine, so I have no idea what the odds might be there.
At the very least though, they can see what has happened in the states that border them, and Canada, and realize that marriage equality has not resulted in priests forced to bless profane unions at gunpoint, or caused earthquakes, famine and pestilence.
Actually I heard an interesting interview this morning with Rick Perlstein, the author of “Nixonland” about the reactionary craziness that is endemic to American political culture (his thesis).
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/
I have seen religious political interference in Canada, and in Germany (their governing party is the Christian Democratic Union), but I think what is going on in the states is religion plus something unique to your country.
Steve
@robert:
How to File an IRS 501(c)(3) Complaint
http://lds501c3.wordpress.com/2008/10/29/how-to-file-an-irs-501c3-complaint/
Robert, NYC
@Steve:
Steve, thank you. In the case of the RC cult in NY state, they are actively encouraging the Knights of Columbus, a catholic affiliated group to donate money to defeat marriage equality in our state, and elsewhere. Although I am aware that religious cults are allowed to lobby, something I find very conflicted in terms of their tax exempt status, they do indirectly advocate for a candidate who is pro life and anti same-sex marriage by telling their congregations to support political candidates who support pro life and do not support marriage equality without mentioning candidates’ names. Its a very underhanded way to circumvent the law but they get away with it because most politicians wouldn’t dare challenge them for obvious reasons.
As an oppressed group, its up to us to get things moving and get enough straight progessive allies on board to go after them. If they want to play hard ball with us, we can play too, let them get a taste of their own hate medicine to level the field.
schlukitz
I just downloaded the IRS Form 13909, filled it in with the required information, including a copy and paste of this article and mailed it to:
IRS EQ Classification
Mail Code 4910DAL
1100 Commerce Street
Dallas, TX 75242-1198
And here is the link for Portland’s Roman Catholic Bishop Richard Malone if you’d care to express yourself to him.
http://www.portlanddiocese.net/info.php?info_id=14
Robert, NYC
@schlukitz:
Schlukitz, thanks to Steve, I already mailed mine off. Imagine the impact if we had a national movement and did this in every state.
schlukitz
@Robert, NYC:
My thanks to Steve for the motivation as well.
Imagine the impact if we had a national movement and did this in every state.
Any good reason why this could not become a movement?
Robert, NYC
@schlukitz:
Schlukitz, the only gay organization I can think of with any experience might be Lambda Legal Defense Fund, maybe get the AFLCIO involved. Lambda has a lot of experience and are confrontational. First, we need to get as many LGBT people contacting them and we should get some straight progressive allies, including some pro-gay celebrities on board with us to have any effect. The time for political correctness and civic discussion with our foes doesn’t work and they’re not interested anyway.
We need to flex our economic muscle and clout and take a stand once and for all. The problem with our movement is that we have no national spokesperson who is more than capable to take the haters on. We have several organizations with different agenda and therein lies the problem. We need to be on the same page and speak with one voice and become the force to be reckoned with. It will send a clear message to politicians that they can’t fuck around with us any more.
Disgusted American
If I can get some xtra money…some kinda of windfall $$$, Im so out of America…….I have NO problem giving up my citizenship,and moving to the Netherlands or some other OPEN & FAIR Gov’t….Id rather my tax dollars go to a gov’t that treats all its citizens equally!
Josh
@Chitown Kev: Q: Where are all those “tolerant” Christian denominations? Surely they could do something to prevent it?
Chitown Kev: “They’re there but they don’t get a lot of airtime.”
Where? Name a Christian denomination that has said in very clear terms that “homosexuality is not wrong or a sin.”
MCC hasn’t.
UCC hasn’t.
RCC hasn’t.
Episcopalians haven’t.
Lutherans haven’t.
Methodists haven’t.
Baptists haven’t.
Presbyterians haven’t.
(I could go on, there are 34,000 different “Christian” organizations)
But, not a single one has parted with the traditional Christian belief that we are wrong. Not one. Believe me, i’ve been praying. But, alas – unanswered.
Fr. Marty Kurylowicz
I wrote a comment to this news article in the Bangor Daily News about Maine’s Catholic Bishop Malone’s statement, in support of Marriage Equality and challenging the his ignorance about human sexuality and the bible.
…Same-sex marriage is a dangerous sociological experiment that many of us believe will have negative consequences for society as a whole,” said [Bishop] Malone in the message, according to the Bangor Daily News. “Children need the love of a mother and a father.”? http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/122793.html
This statement is cruel and untrue. People against Marriage Equality do not base their public statements on facts either from science or the bible. It is a repeat of the time the Vatican was condemning Galileo, because they insisted that Galileo was going against the bible that it is the sun that revolves around the earth.
Children need people who are honest and truthful, not people who do not study the facts and speak out of ignorance and fear, which indiscriminately hurts innocent human beings.
Children are not safe around people who publicly speak out against Marriage Equality, because in truth these people have had no formal study in human sexuality or the bible and yet they without any intellectual thought speak out and harm innocent people. This is irresponsible adult behavior, which is harmful for children to witness. This has been proven to have “negative consequences” for children, consult developmental psychology.
With all due respect, it is without a question that Bishop Malone would not be able to pass graduate course exams on human sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity or biblical studies. Prove me wrong!!!
And if Bishop Malone cannot pass these exams today, than before God he needs to publically retract what he said against Marriage Equality. If not, then Bishop Malone needs to study moral theology. This is what children need the truth, not people’s ignorance, fears and blind hatred.
It would be the best for well-being and safety of all children if people against Marriage Equality spent their money to academically study human sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity and the bible. People speaking out on such life and death issues should not speak out of ignorance and fear, thus spreading hatred and violence that indiscriminately is severely harmful to all children.
The truth will set you free – not ignorance and fear.
Fr. Marty Kurylowicz
http://fathermartykurylowicz.blogspot.com/2009/09/maine-bishop-fights-marriage-equality.html