One Town's War on Gay Teens. Every morning, Brittany Geldert stepped off the bus and bolted through the double doors of Fred Moore Middle School, her nerves already on high alert, bracing for the inevitable.
"Dyke. " Pretending not to hear, Brittany would walk briskly to her locker, past the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders who loitered in menacing packs. "Whore. " Like many 13-year-olds, Brittany knew seventh grade was a living hell. But what she didn't know was that she was caught in the crossfire of a culture war being waged by local evangelicals inspired by their high-profile congressional representative Michele Bachmann, who graduated from Anoka High School and, until recently, was a member of one of the most conservative churches in the area. Michele Bachmann's Holy War Brittany didn't look like most girls in blue-collar Anoka, Minnesota, a former logging town on the Rum River, a conventional place that takes pride in its annual Halloween parade – it bills itself the "Halloween Capital of the World.
" "OK. " Ishai_wallace: Judy Shepard does not speak for me. I had the obligation this week of attending a talk by Judy Shepard. I was, both disappointed and angry at her words and left with the obligation to write to her. It's taken me much of the week to cool down enough to write a letter that I hope might encourage her not to put other young people at risk, or in danger with her words.
Here's my letter: Dear Judy, What happened to your son was a terrible thing - and I deeply admire your ability to respond to that tragedy with a call for greater justice and understanding. I think you can do better, and I hope you read this as an encouragement to greater respect. Gay is not a choice, because who would choose to be rejected by their family, be left out of society, and be miserable – who would choose that? So first off, coming out is a personal choice. Thank you for reading and listening.
B. Marriage. Home Page. Same-sex marriage could become law: Smith. Labor frontbencher Stephen Smith says a bill on same-sex marriage could pass through parliament if all parties agree to a conscience vote on the issue.
Delegates at the ALP national conference yesterday voted in favour of changing the party's rules to allow the party's MPs a conscience vote on gay marriage. Mr Smith said a bill to amend the Marriage Act could pass through parliament if all MPs were allowed a conscience vote. "It has got a chance, I do think it has a chance," he told Sky News today. Advertisement Labor backbencher Stephen Jones said yesterday he would introduce a private member's bill next year to amend the Marriage Act.
Mr Smith said community attitudes have changed on the issue in the past few years. "The community has moved on in this respect," he said. He said the pressure has increased on Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to allow his MPs a conscience vote on gay marriage if a bill came before parliament.