Too bad it wasn't the Bates Motel. The aging anti-feminist icon is still croaking out her drivel with fervor, this time at a talk at Bates College, entitled "Conservativism vs. Feminism: The Great Debate." The 81-year-old anti-gay mother of a gay man was the guest of the Bates College Republicans and she put on a show for them with this oh-so-retro view of women:
For nearly two hours, she belittled the feminist movement as "teaching women to be victims," decried intellectual men as "liberal slobs" and argued that feminism "is incompatible with marriage and motherhood."Wow. Just wow. Statements like that are so out there that it's hard to believe she's serious, but oh, she is....Schlafly asserted women should not be permitted to do jobs traditionally held by men, such as firefighter, soldier or construction worker, because of their "inherent physical inferiority."
"Women in combat are a hazard to other people around them," she said. "They aren't tall enough to see out of the trucks, they're not strong enough to carry their buddy off the battlefield if he's wounded, and they can't bark out orders loudly enough for everyone to hear."
At one point, Schlafly also contended that married women cannot be sexually assaulted by their husbands.
"By getting married, the woman has consented to sex, and I don't think you can call it rape," she said.
Hat tip, Christin M.
Today, two bills were filed in Olympia, the Domestic Partnership Expansion Bill of 2009 (SB 5688, HB 1727) and a Marriage Equality Bill (SB 5674). According to the Seattle Times the DP bill will make DPs equal to civil marriage in all but name. Signs are positive that the bill will pass.
"I would say the most remarkable thing about this bill is that it is unremarkable," said Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle. "Instead of the cultural wars that we have seen year after year, we see a Legislature that is mostly on board in moving forward on protecting all of Washington's families."...Gov. Chris Gregoire supports the expansion bill. Incidentally, the House has 98 Reps and the Senate has 49 Senators, so we're well on our way.[Twenty] lawmakers in the Senate and nearly 60 in the House have already signed on in support of the newest expansion, and with strong Democratic majorities in both chambers, the measure is expected to fare well.
There is no plan to press the marriage bill this session.
Action items for WA residents!
1. Send a letter in support of the 2009 DP Expansion Bill to you legislators today by clicking here. Or, navigate to the Action page from the Equal Rights Washington home page.
2. Register for Equality Day in at the state capitol in Olympia on March 12th, 2009!
3. Attend the public hearings on the DP bill in both House and Senate committees. The first is scheduled for 10 a.m. next Thursday, February 5th. Schedule subject to change.
4. Keep yourself informed by signing up for Equal Rights Washington's e-mail announcements, and by keeping tabs on the bill's progress at the Washington State legislative site.
Pittsburgh resident Angelle Guyette lives out the faith she believes by laying out an impassioned argument against those within her Christian community who hide behind hate, intolerance and fear toward the gay community.
(crossposted from Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents)
Angelle Guyette lives out the faith she believes by laying out an impassioned argument against those within her Christian community who hide behind hate, intolerance and fear toward the gay community.
This lady pulls no punches. She trotted out into the cold to attend the Allegheny County Council hearing on the proposed Human Rights Commission on January 15, 2009 (adroit reference to the fact that the PG reporter didn't talk with Christians wearing the pro-ordinance stickers) and came away with utter disappointment in the hypocrisy of her Christian comrades.
This ordinance would create a county-wide commission to educate and enforce protections based on multiple protected classes, including sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
But Angelle picked up a pen and did something with those feelings. She affirmed that the Christian faith requires tolerance of all AND acknowledged the perversions that drove opponents to twist fairness issues into religious oppression.
At this County Council meeting, you could know most of them by the hatred on their faces. The leaders of the religious opponents were the worst, displaying physical revulsion at having to stand near people they figured were gay. They looked like they'd have stoned Mary Magdalene, and her friends, too.
One minister's face contorted as he spoke, "Homosexuality is offensive because it is a sin. People choose to commit this sin. My congregants should not have to hire gays and condone a sinful lifestyle they find offensive."
One of his followers spat out, "I should not have to rent to those people. I don't want them sinning in my properties."
This made me recall a minister I had dated who had cheated on me when I thought we were practicing abstinence. Nice, clean-cut looking fellow. Dirty rat.
"I don't want them sinning on my properties"? Wow. Them's some pretty high standards and one has to wonder if this good Christian has other morality clauses build into his lease (or if he takes action to prevent current tenants from homosexual sinning)?
Has anyone stopped to consider the effect that so much hatred and fear might have on their families? Seriously, do the children of these good Christians see their papas and mamas braving the cold to speak out for legislation/policy on the Top Ten list ... killing, stealing, coveting, etc. Or policy issues related to the Beatitudes? Do they turn out en masse to support legislation to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless? Maybe, but never en masse enough to draw the attention of the Post-Gazette.Some opponents of the anti-discrimination legislation wanted me to know that they're caring people, just afraid of the effect homosexuals might have on their families.
When I was in school, I saw great damage done to a young man ostracized as a "faggot" by his holier-than-thou Christian brethren, called unmanly by his own father and left unprotected by his mother against all the abuse. The gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community, on the other hand, showed him care and compassion.
Angelle has an interesting final point.
Are we not our brothers' keepers, bound to love and protect everyone?
How do others see you?
Catholic? Protestant? Jew? Muslim? Black? White? Brown? Do you look "un-American"? What about Republican? Democrat?
Let's hope they don't assume you are gay.
Our laws should protect everyone. This is the only way to protect our own freedoms against those who might one day turn on you, or me, or us.
Actually, there are a few points to tease out from this ending.
First, the assumption of gayness which is pretty ridiculous on the part of being able “to tell” and the part of gay being such a bad thing that even an assumption of association is considered tantamount to deep offense. This is something the ordinance addresses -- protecting people who don't conform to gender normative behavior. I'm talking about a woman who is perceived to be a lesbian because of her hair cut, her clothing style and her mannerisms. She can be fired even if she straight. There's many a good Christian woman who might fit right into these stereotypes and should perhaps be a little mindful that the girdle of faith doesn't make her immune to the barbs of her contemporaries.
There's also a key point about laws protecting everyone. James Madison aka Publius argued against the negative consequences of factions in the Federalist Papers. Religious leaders are trying to set up a false dichotomy of gay rights versus religious rights, counting on the sheer number of Christian identified Americans to carry the day. But that is not what the law intends. The law says that where your personal beliefs intersect the general public, you have to give a little ground to respect the rights of others. Christian wingnuts cannot refuse to rent an apartment to Orthodox Jews no matter how abhorrent they find their faith. It is the exact same thing. If you want to enter the public sphere as a business owner, you clearly leave some of your personal rights at the front door.No one is forcing Christian people to give up their faith or compromise their values.
Playing the Jesus card is misleading and unfortunate.
Thanks for writing, Angelle, and reminding Pittsburgh’s newspaper reading community that not all Christians use the Jesus card to impose intolerance on society. Thank you also for reminding us in a very powerful way the importance of the public word from our allies, particularly those from communities of faith.
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