It's the height of chutzpah to lecture Jewish people on the sanctity of life

Yesterday I wrote that a girl in Utah who was sued because she won a sporting event and the second and third place contestants accused her of being transgender because she wasn’t feminine enough. Marissa Higgins of Daily Kos wrote that the families of three trans students challenged the ban (separate from the incident above) and a judge paused the ban until the legal challenges are resolved. Alas, things still are not cool in Utah. The law had two parts and the judge paused the first. That brings the second part into play. Higgins wrote:

Trans girls who want to play on girls' teams will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine their eligibility. Who determines this? A commission created by Republican lawmakers and filled with political appointees.

That sounds even more humiliating and traumatizing than simply being told no. Higgins also reported that a three judge panel in the Federal Court of Appeals ruled trans folks are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Kesha Williams had filed a lawsuit because she was housed in a men’s prison. There she was harassed by inmates and guards and her medications to treat her gender dysphoria were denied. Higgins wrote that gender dysphoria can be a disability. Being transgender, in itself, is not. Joan McCarter of Kos wrote about the situation around the legality of abortion in Michigan. I’ll try to wade through the details. There is a 1931 law on the books that bans abortion in Michigan. It hasn’t been enforced since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973. Governor Gretchen Whitmer, seeing the leaked draft written by Justice Alito, asked the Michigan Supreme Court to rule that the 1931 law is incompatible with the state constitution that was approved by voters in the 1960s. The governor can bypass the lower courts and make that request because she is the governor. The Supremes have not yet responded. Whitmer and Planned Parenthood together filed suit working the normal way through the courts. A lower court blocked enforcement of the law. On August 1 the Michigan Court of Appeals reversed that ruling, leaving providers confused. Yesterday, an Oakland County judge reinstated the block and much of McCarter’s post is about all the good things in his decision. That block lasts through the November election. I’m not clear what kind of court that Oakland County judge works in, so I don’t know how it can replace what the Michigan Court of Appeals decided. A big reason for this last decision has to do with another factor in play. A citizens group turned in 750,000 signatures to put abortion protections into the state constitution. The proposal has not yet been finalized. However, if it does appear on the ballot (and 750,000 people will be mighty pissed off if it doesn’t) and voters approve it, the judges don’t have to do anything. And that’s best for democracy. Of course, Republicans are going to appeal that Oakland County judge’s decision. A few more abortion related posts that have been in my browser tabs for a couple weeks or more. In a post from two weeks ago jazzed of the Kos community reported that physician recruiters for jobs in red states are getting a lot noes. Candidates do not want to practice in states where abortion is banned. One recruiter talked to an OB/GYN resident in New Mexico who had attended medical school in New Orleans about returning to Louisiana. She wanted abortion care to be part of her practice, so returning to Louisiana is no longer an option. This post said that since Indiana passed its abortion ban big pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly announced it will expand employment growth outside Indiana. I later heard that statement by Eli Lilly isn’t as great as it sounds. It seems company leadership said *nothing* while the ban was being debated in the Indiana legislature – and this wasn’t one of those sneak legislative attacks, so they had plenty of time to make their view known. They only spoke up after the bill was signed. Also from two weeks ago Charles Jay of the Kos community wrote “A rabbi, a reverend, and a Buddhist lama ...” which sounds like it might be the start of a joke. But – no joke – seven faith leaders, who are Reformed Jewish, Buddhist, Episcopalian, Unitarian, and United Church of Christ, all from South Florida filed a lawsuit against Florida’s ban on abortion. They say it is violates their rights of free speech, religious exercise, and the separation of church and state. The ban was driven by the religious right and there are a lot of other people with deeply held religious beliefs who are burdened by the ban, whose religious teachings on abortion cannot be followed. It is “theocratic tyranny.” Rabbi Barry Silver of Palm Beach said:

It's the height of chutzpah for people to tell the Jewish people what the Bible means and lecture the Jewish people on the sanctity of life.

Michael Harriot, a black man, wrote a thread to discuss the Minneapolis Teachers Union and their plan to lay off teachers. The plan to protect teachers of color from being fired first is, of course, being decried as a racist “fire whites first” policy. Yes, it is a race-based decision. But it is still appropriate and a good thing. Harriot gave several reasons. Where was the outrage when the school system made race-based hiring decisions? The school system is not doing well – 90% of black students are failing math, 80% of students of color read below grade level. People are leaving in record numbers – and that’s with white people in control of a system white people created.

Students of color learn better with teachers of color. They behave better. They are more emotionally stable. They actually perform better on tests. ... That's not an opinion. It's backed by research. ... Black males are less likely to drop out when they have Black teachers. White teachers discipline non-white students more harshly & more often. Yet, for years MPS made black students sacrifice their education for white teachers & students' advantage. ... There are Black kids in the prison system because of MPS' race-based decisions. People are stuck in poverty because of it. People DIE bc of it.

Because of the district’s finances, they have to fire some teachers. Since white teachers earn more firing white teachers makes financial sense. Not laying off white teachers because they are white is also a race-based decision.

The Second Amendment has failed, is failing, will fail, is a failure

Mark Sumner of Daily Kos wrote:

States like Texas, Tennessee, and Iowa are using the record gun violence as an excuse to … make sure there are more guns. The Second Amendment is a failure. If it was intended to provide Americans with some level of personal protection, it has failed. If it was intended to provide a national stability, it has failed. If it was intended to prevent crime, it has absolutely failed. It has failed, is failing, will fail, is a failure. And any reasonable people would admit this and work diligently to revise the model of firearm availability in the United States, seeking a way to walk back from a system that is bringing unbelievable levels of violence and death. There is no point on which the widespread presence of firearms had made life in America in any sense better than in other democratic nations that do not allow their states to be overrun with a plague of gun violence. For those who insist that the only solution is still more weapons—I am sorry you are afraid, and sorry that we let things get to this point. But it’s time to make things better, not worse. And the only way to make things better is by having fewer guns. Guns don’t create freedom. They promote gun violence, and absolutely nothing else.

I see another aspect of the story. The primary purpose of a gun (outside of hunting) is to enforce a social hierarchy. Hierarchy enforcement is highly important for many citizens of a country created on a social hierarchy so strong those at the bottom were enslaved or displaced. Laura Clawson of Kos wrote that:

Republicans are planning to use crime—translation: racist dog whistles—as a major part of their message for the 2022 midterm elections, NBC News reports.

They’ll emphasis the cry to defund police as a public safety issue. Meaning it will be radically misrepresented. Black Lives Matter will be accused as being a source of violence, never mind the facts.

As Republicans gear up to run on a crime-crime-crime-we-are-the-party-that-can-prevent-crime (psst, crime means Black people) platform, there were more than 400 shootings in the United States over the Fourth of July weekend, with at least 150 people killed. Republicans continue to fiercely oppose even the most minor tweaks to gun laws as part of reducing the crime they claim to think is such an enormous problem. Republicans want you to be afraid of a stereotypical racist dog whistle of a criminal, but they want to keep hands in the guns of men who stalk and abuse women they’re dating. The fear they want you to feel doesn’t extend to action on school shootings. Until recently, Republicans even blocked funding for research into gun violence to promote a better understanding of, and better solutions to, the problem. The Republican plan is all about supporting the same old police tactics and blaming the groups of people Republicans blame for everything, rather than considering what would actually work. They hope to ride that to victory in 2022.

Kerry Eleveld noted a number of Republican candidates for 2022 are campaigning on the Big Lie.

The entire party is now overrun with candidates peddling the Big Lie as a path to higher office and, in some cases, more control over the elections themselves. Voting for any Republican now, regardless of what their personal beliefs may be, is tantamount to handing over control of government to an entire party living in an alternative reality.

Joan McCarter of Kos showed a map from the U.S. Drought Monitor that shows all of Utah, most of Nevada, and significant chunks of Arizona, New Mexico, and California as Exceptional Drought or Extreme Drought. McCarter and her sources say “drought” isn’t the right word. It implies the condition is temporary. A better word is “aridification,” meaning a transformation to a drier environment. Less snow and its runoff that keeps the rivers flowing, rain that is fleeting, which means not enough water for irrigation. Our produce will get more expensive. Mark Sumner listed a few civilizations that ended because of drought. The Chaco Canyon and related sites of Pueblo people learned to manage water, until there wasn’t enough water to manage. The Aztecs, the Sumerians, and the Akkadians all fell because of drought. Even much of the civil war in modern Syria was because of drought – the 11 million people who have left Syria aren’t war refugees, they’re climate refugees. And it looks like the West will be hit again. It won’t just be fountains turned off and lawns not watered. It will be the loss of irrigated agriculture and no electricity generated by Hoover Dam. Sumner wrote, “The word for this is: unsustainable.” This looks more like climate change than a weather phenomenon. And there are people, like Moscow Mitch, ready to turn the crisis into a political opportunity, no matter the increased misery. In response to Sumner’s post JekyllnHyde included a cartoon of a climate summit. The speaker has bullet points such as sustainability, green jobs, livable cities, clean water and air, and healthy children. Someone in the audience says, “What if it’s a big hoax and we create a better world for nothing?” McCarter showed the Drought Monitor map of the West. Sumner showed a map of the whole country. In spite of the thunderstorms that have been passing through here (some today) the Lower Peninsula of Michigan is colored abnormally dry and moderate drought with a couple touches of severe drought. Kos community member bluedogsd visited Lake Powell, Arizona in August 2020 and June 2021. The lake is part of the Colorado River, which is the most important water source in the West. They included photos to show the water level of the lake had gone down 30 feet in ten months. A favorite swimming area was now blocked by a 20 foot cliff. There is no more water entering the river in 2021. The snow melt for this year is done. The lake level can only go lower. Nathan Rott of NPR reported that the deadliest fire in American history was not in the West. It was the Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin. It was on the same day as the Great Chicago Fire and a few places in Michigan on October 8, 1871. Everywhere can be hit with a drought so bad it can feed a fire. In another post Joan McCarter discussed the plans in Congress to do something about climate change. We know it has to be a Democrat only bill. We also know ExxonMobil has been donating to Democrats and encouraging them to weaken or eliminate the climate action parts of the Democrat’s bill. I heard a segment on NPR about various media outlets issuing a subscription weather service. One can now get weather info for free. Would customers pay? Some said yes to be able to listen to their favorite weatherman. Leah McElrath added a bit more as she quoted and linked to an article in the New York Times:

“Murdoch is set to debut Fox Weather, a 24-hour streaming channel that promises to do for seven-day forecasts what Fox has done for American politics.” In other words: Fox Weather will create an alternate reality to obfuscate the impact of global warming.

Hunter of Kos discussed a study by the Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California at Berkeley. They looked at American cities with more than 200,000 residents and determined 80% of them are more segregated in 2019 than they were in 1990. Instead of looking at cities as a whole, the study looked at much smaller census tracts. City wide data may indicate the city is integrated, but the census tract data says there are separate white and black enclaves. Some of the findings Hunter reported: 83 percent of neighborhoods that were given poor ratings (or "redlined") in the 1930s by a

federal mortgage policy were as of 2010 highly segregated communities of color. The most segregated regions are the Midwest and mid-Atlantic, followed by the West Coast. Southern states have lower overall levels of segregation, and the Mountain West and Plains states have the least. Segregated Black neighborhoods have fully three times the poverty rate of segregated white neighborhoods.

Biden may be trying to do something about this segregation. He’s up against racists intent on sabotaging whatever programs he comes up with. Sam Deutsch tweeted two images. One is the states colored by whether they met the goal of getting at least one dose of the vaccine into 70% of adults. The other is the states colored by which presidential candidate they voted for in the 2020 election. The patterns of color are quite similar. McElrath tweeted a map of China. Inside it are outlines of various other countries sized according to their population. It shows that the 1.44 billion people of China is more than the populations of South America, USA and Canada, Europe (excluding Russia), Australia, and New Zealand combined. China is similar in size to India at 1.38 billion, and to all of Africa at 1.34 billion. Marissa Higgins of Kos told the story of Stephanie Robertson of Paris, Arkansas. She displayed a rainbow flag outside her home during Pride Month. On July 2 she found a note, written in a child’s hand. It said:

Hello this is probably kind of weird but I walk past your house everyday and I’ve noticed your flag and I’m glad to know there is at least one ally in this little town —from a young LGBTQ+ person

Robertson’s son Levi tweeted an image of the note. Several people responded, praising the child and Robertson. One of those responses was from Mafhoney:

I am often asked "Why be so vocal when you could lose friends and create enemies. This right here is why. YOU NEVER KNOW WHO NEEDS YOUR VOICE. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT COMFORT AND AID YOU CAN GIVE TO A STRANGER SO THEY FEEL LESS ALONE. HERO OF THE DAY.

Because it worked

News from last Tuesday's election

Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat, Tea Party darlings, were expelled by the Michigan House in September for bizarre scheme that included extortion to cover up adultery. Both ran for the seats they were just thrown out of. Gamrat got 9% of the vote in her district, Courser got 4% in his. Bye!



Jackie Biskupski, lesbian, beat out the incumbent the become mayor of – Salt Lake City. Derek Kitchen was a lead plaintiff in the case that challenged the same-sex marriage ban in Utah. They won in December 2013, though the ruling was stayed until the Supremes refused to hear the case 10 months later. Kitchen has now been elected to the Salk Lake City Council.




Matt Bevin, Republican, won the race for governor of Kentucky. He beat out one of our allies, AG Jack Conway who had refused to defend the state's ban on same-sex marriage. Bevin replaced another ally, Steve Beshear, who declared marriage licenses legal when Kim Davis tried to make them invalid. Bevin did it by linking the decline of coal in Kentucky to Obama and by being best buds with Davis. So, the first order of business for Bevin? Kynect was one of the more successful state exchanges created under Obama's Affordable Care Act. It brought health insurance to lots (millions?) of people in the state. Bevin says the state can't afford it. Sounds like a lot of other GOP governors. So, yeah, Bevin convinced the poor of the state (and it is poor people in coal country) to vote against their own medical and economic interests.



HERO, the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance was defeated by 61%. This was the local ordinance that would have given the nation's 4th largest city protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. It also specified how complaints were to be handled, which would be important even if there were state and national anti-discrimination laws (which there aren't).

The opposition to the bill was quite effective in rebranding the bill as allowing men to come into women's bathrooms and molest them. That is the only thing mentioned in their ads. Never mind that there is much more to the bill than transgender rights. Never mind that there are already laws to punish those who molest women. Never mind that there are no documented cases of men entering women's bathrooms to molest them. All irrelevant. The anti-gay crowd will continue to pursue the "bathroom panic" idea as more cities and states try to pass anti-discrimination laws to protect us, and they'll do it because it worked.

And until we figure out to combat that idea, it will work again and again.

On the way home from working at my Dad's house on Thursday evening I listened to On Point on Michigan Radio. The hour was a discussion of HERO's failure. I didn't listen to the whole thing because I became quite annoyed with guest Ed Whelan, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center (a name I'm sure is intentionally vague about its political goals). He kept pushing a "compromise" – make sure there are family or genderless bathrooms available for the transgender people. He refuses to see how demeaning that is. Besides, not every building has a genderless bathroom. The other two guests on the show did provide good background and insight. Part of what they (and other news sources) said is that those promoting HERO didn't address the one thing their opponents said, didn't talk about the economic benefits of the ordinance, brought in outsiders (Hillary, Sally Field) to give a limp endorsement in a city and state that doesn't like to be told what to do, and didn't put in the work of a grassroots campaign that reached into the black and Latino neighborhoods.

I mentioned a few reasons why the bathroom panic idea is not logical. Dan Savage has another. Because our opponents insist a transgender woman is a man in a dress, they're really talking about straight men. And apparently these straight men can't get enough images of women washing hands, in spite of the vast resources of the internet. "So the haters won yesterday by convincing a majority of voters in Houston that straight people suck."

I mentioned our opponents will use bathroom panic many more times. Yeah, there are lots of cities and states that want to pass LGBT protections, because Congress has no intention of doing it at the federal level any time soon. And bathroom panic will be used in each of these battles.

But, according the Jay Michaelson of The Daily Beast, the real battle will be the 227 city ordinances providing more protections for us than their state laws do. These are the blue dots in red states – Austin, Boise, Cincinnati, Key West, Laramie, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, and so on. I could mention a few in Michigan: Ann Arbor, East Lansing, and about 30 others. This is where the bathroom panic will be used. Again and again. Until we figure out how to neutralize it.

There is hope. We figured out how to neutralize the nasty arguments around same-sex marriage and started winning in places like Maine and Minnesota.

After the defeat of HERO Texas Governor Greg Abbot (R) said "Voters in Houston showed values still matter..." That sent Melissa McEwan of Shakesville into writing a stirring rebuttal. "I have values too." Everybody has values. So enough about claiming that because you have values, yours are the only ones that exist. Better to look at the quality of those values.

Here's some of McEwen's values: Safety of queer and trans people. Equality and justice for marginalized people. Separation of church and state. Science being taught in schools. Universal healthcare. A robust social safety net. And a faith in humankind, even if that faith is frequently not borne out.

As for that last one McEwen notes that many religious people have a faith in God, but not in humans. When that is the case they want to legislate morality because they don't have faith that people will make good decisions – they don't even have faith in themselves.

So enough of this talk of values – which is usually a cloak for bigotry.

I'm now getting a bit beyond the original idea of this post. But McEwen linked to one of her posts from 2011 and that has some interesting and related ideas. This was written after a GOP debate leading up to the 2012 election. In that debate Newt Gingrich (remember him?) explicitly linked moral judgment with faith in God.

McEwen soundly rejects that idea and uses her own life journey as an example. Her big complaint with her former religion is that it was very good in teaching her how to believe in God. But it told her nothing good about how to relate to other humans. And taught her lots of things she now sees as bad.

Her religion had taught her to categorize people – sinners, saints – us, them. It talked about loving one another, but didn't talk about how to recover when she had hurt someone. It said God's forgiveness was enough, but didn't teach how to be reconciled to someone else.

Things she learned after giving up religion: how to apologize, accept criticism, make amends, examine privilege, and avoid being judgmental. To have compassion and create connection. She's definitely a values voter.

Nebraska won't be soon

The Nebraska ruling to permit same-sex marriage has been stayed by the 8th Circuit. No marriages next week. That case has been combined with the ones from South Dakota, Missouri, and Arkansas. It will be heard after the Supremes hear the Michigan case and before the Supremes issue their ruling.



Th Mormon Church has backed a non-discrimination bill in Utah! Even better, this version has no religious exemptions for individuals or businesses. It is good enough that the Human Rights Campaign will support it.



The nasty anti-homosexuality law in Uganda was overturned on a technicality about a year ago. Members of Parliament are working to bring it back. But this time pro-gay groups in Uganda are rallying their opposition. They're doing it by talking about rights in general, not just gay rights.

Gay marriage makes my marriage yucky

Marriage news of the week...

The governor of Wyoming officially notified the federal district court that he will not appeal the ruling that overturns the state's same-sex marriage ban. Marriages have begun (a few photos here). Some of the first were in Laramie County. That has some significance because that was where Matthew Shepard was murdered for being gay 16 years ago.

Kansas is the only state in the 10th Circuit that doesn't have marriage equality yet. A straight couple has filed a suit at the federal district court level to make sure it stays that way. Their suit claims that allowing same-sex couples to marry somehow defiles their marriage and makes it worthless. They got a lawyer to fill out and submit the motion, but that doesn't mean there is a smidgen of logic to it. I didn't waste my time to read it.

The Utah Supremes have lifted their stay against adoption by same-sex parents. Five months ago adoptions were put on hold by the state. Officials wanted to wait until it was clear same-sex marriage would be legal.

The governor of Idaho has asked the 9th Circuit for an en banc hearing of the state's same-sex marriage ban. The Gov is fuming over the statements that marriage equality would harm nobody. But a wedding chapel in Coeur d'Alene is claiming harm. The owners say their religious freedom would be violated if they must marry same-sex couples but the city's antidiscrimination ordinance doesn't exempt them because they aren't a legitimate nonprofit religious organization.



A federal district judge in Puerto Rico has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the island's same-sex marriage ban. Some of his reasons:

Same-sex marriage isn't mentioned in the Constitution.

Back in the 1970s the Supremes refused to hear a same-sex marriage case. While circuit court judges say times have changed and that refusal no longer applies, this judge says it still does.

Circuit courts have been basing their arguments in favor of same-sex marriage on the big *Windsor* case from a year ago that struck down a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act. This judge, reading a lot from the dissents in that case, says states maintain the right to define marriage.

He bought the conservative stories that procreation and tradition apply and that there is that big slippery slope.

All those other judges are just wrong.

The case has been appealed to the 1st Circuit. That is an interesting situation because all the states in the 1st Circuit (Maine, Mass., NH, RI) have equality and none of them got it through a federal ruling. So the 1st Circuit hasn't yet taken up the issue.

Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Indiana, Wisconsin, and... !

The Supremes issued a great piece of news today. They had seven marriage equality cases before them – and denied to review all of them. No explanation was given. I took a look at the order document. It is 89 pages. A good chunk of it – pages 8 to perhaps 60 – is a long list of cases that were not accepted for review. I think I heard 2,000 cases arrive at the Supreme Court every year and they have time to hear maybe 40 of them.

That means the same-sex marriage issue goes back to the 4th, 7th, and 10th Circuit Courts and all of them had previously ruled in our favor. They are, at various speeds now removing the stays that prevented same-sex marriage in Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Quite an important non-decision by the Supremes.

The next question is how, or perhaps how soon, does marriage equality come to the other states in those circuits? The affected states are:

4th Circuit: North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia (Maryland already has equality).

5th Circuit: (Illinois already has equality)

10 Circuit: Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming (New Mexico already has equality)

According to Ari Ezra Waldman of Towleroad an additional step is needed to bring equality to these six states. The attorney general or governor of the state could say that since their Circuit Court is about to issue an order, we might as well start allowing same-sex marriages. Or they could wait for the actual order. Or they could be defiant – and as soon as a same-sex couple was denied a license the resulting lawsuit would be resolved swiftly.

Waldman also supplies some meaning to these denials:

* If a majority of the Supremes were against equality they would have taken one of the cases. So the Supremes are saying indirectly they are on our side.

* Since there is no split decisions between circuits there is no need for the Supremes to get involved, so they won't.

* C'mon, 6th Circuit, we dare you to be that dissenting voice! The 6th Circuit equality cases – including Michigan's case – were heard two months ago but no ruling given. Is the 6th Circuit waiting for the Supremes? Well...

The reaction:

Virginia: We're ready to go! The state AG was one who declined to defend the ban in court.

Wisconsin: A couple counties will issue licenses. AG: We made every effort to defend the ban, but we'll support same-sex marriage now. Gov: We'll evaluate the impact and determine next steps. He sounds mighty reluctant.

Oklahoma and Utah: The 10th Circuit has lifted the stays.

The Oklahoma governor is pouting that with this ruling human rights trump states rights.

The Mormon leaders say alright, fine, but God only accepts man-woman marriages.

Indiana: The clerk for Marion County has started issuing licenses. The urgency is over so we won't offer immediate civil ceremonies.

Colorado: We're just waiting for formalities to be resolved and then we'll start issuing licenses.

North Carolina: ACLU is getting ready to ask a federal judge to strike down the state's ban.

South Carolina: AG is defiant: We will fight on to protect marriage until there is an actual ruling against our ban!

Kansas: As in North Carolina, the ACLU will prod things along.

Marriages have indeed begun in all five states named in the lawsuits. And some clerks in Colorado aren't waiting for the formalities.

Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage has issued his screech and condemnation of the Supremes – if you really need to read it. A leader of the Southern Baptist Convention warns members that even though this doesn't have the "shock and awe" of a ruling, it is still momentous. Is this a white flag?

Texas Senator Ted Cruz is in a snit, complaining of the worst judicial activism. But, Ted, wasn't it only 3 months ago you were praising the Supremes for their Hobby Lobby decision? It seems, though, that he and Utah Senator Mike Lee are the only two GOP senators who had anything to say. The rest of the party is quite silent. Perhaps John Boehner is too busy – he's in San Diego raising money for a gay GOP congressional candidate. As for the rest, perhaps they're disappointed the issue isn't over – there's still 20 states to deal with.

A judge in Missouri ruled last Friday that the state must recognize same-sex marriages from other states. Since Missouri borders Iowa, Oklahoma, and Illinois, all now offering same-sex weddings, the AG has decided not to appeal this decision. How soon will the wedding business in Missouri be clamoring for a piece of the action?

Alas, delving into more of the analysis and reaction that's out there will have to wait for another day.

Kinder, gentler smackdown

The 9th Circuit Court heard oral arguments in the Idaho and Nevada same-sex marriage cases. Hawaii was supposedly in there somewhere too, though didn't get much of a mention in the news. The 9th Circuit was a kinder, gentler version of the 7th Circuit oral arguments and ruling that came out a week ago. But it was just as devastating to out opponents. An example of the exchanges: Allowing gays to marry violates the "bonding" right of children to be raised by biological parents. Say what! That's ridiculous.

This hearing allowed Ari Ezra Waldman of Box Turtle Bulletin to do a comparison with the hearing before the 9th Circuit of the Calif. Prop 8 case from a couple years ago. One of the judges was a part of both cases.

The last time was all about narrowing the focus of the case so the Supremes might take it and not appear to be too far ahead of the mood of the country. So the 9th Circuit said that case was all about Calif. having marriage equality and voters taking it away. The Supremes ruled on standing instead of the central issue and Calif. got marriage equality anyway. This time...

The judges' questioning was direct and they expressed a similar, though less visible, frustration with the misdirection and misleading statements from the anti-equality attorneys as Judge Posner. The tone of the hearing suggested that marriage equality supporters are finally out of the closet, following a tidal wave of an emerging consensus of the legitimacy and morality of marriage freedom for all.

Judge Posner wrote the recent ruling from the 7th Circuit.

The old argument that same-sex sex marriage deprives a child of a father and a mother came around again (maybe not before the 9th Circuit but it has appeared many other places). And a child needs both for the complementary parenting styles. This time Judge Barzon declared that old line to be sexist, based on old ideas that women nurture and men discipline, and unconstitutional as a reason to discriminate.

There's the argument that we're just not really sure that kids raised by same-sex couples do as well as kids of straight couples. Another smackdown – one reason why kids of same-sex couples might not fare as well is because you are denying their parents the benefits and protections of marriage.

This consistent rebuttal of the same, now stale, arguments prompted commenter Pete in SFO to suggest other judges start of the case by asking, Dude, do you have anything new? No? Then let's all go home.



The various state arguments, including here in Michigan, have all been about the children. But it is good to see someone spell out what is really behind it all these crazy arguments – it is all about a religious view of morality. We can thank the Foundation for Moral Law for the clarity.



The Supremes have put the various same-sex marriage cases on their agenda for their conference on Sept. 29. Cases have been filed from Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Indiana, and Wisconsin, all of which have been through the Circuit Courts. There are three possible outcomes from that meeting: they'll take one or more of the cases, they'll refuse to take the cases, or they'll put off a decision on what to do. They may put off a decision until January and still release a ruling in June. By January we should hear from Circuit Courts about the cases in Michigan and Idaho, and maybe even Arkansas and Texas.

Colorado!

The Colorado ban on same-sex marriage was declared unconstitutional by a state judge. The usual reasons for protecting man-woman marriage – marriage is for procreation, preservation of tradition, legislative history – were trotted out by the state and, for the usual reasons, swatted aside by the judge. The judge notes that the famous Loving v. Virginia case was not a “right to interracial marriage” and the case that affirmed prisoners may marry is not “deat-beat dad's” right to marry. Both were a right to marry. As is this.

There is one interesting wrinkle in this case. Colorado is in the 10th Circuit and that court has already ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in the Utah case. Could this state court do differently? This judge includes this line in the ruling, “The Court heartily endorses the recent holding by the Tenth Circuit...”

As for the Utah case, that state's Attorney General confirmed their next stop is the Supremes, which means Utah gets there first.

Indiana!

Yup, another domino tips over. Indiana's ban on same-sex marriage was ruled unconstitutional. This was a law that was overturned, not a state constitution amendment. It was just this past February when Indiana legislators took a step towards that happening, though doing so in a way that prevents it from being before voters until 2016 – and now likely won't happen at all.

In the ruling the judge noted the phenomenon of so many cases brought before courts within one year for this one issue and the judges all ruling the same way. From the ruling:

These couples, when gender and sexual orientation are taken away, are in all respects like the family down the street. The Constitution demands that we treat them as such.

And, yes, same-sex marriages have begun. State officials say an appeal will be filed.

The news of the day continues. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has confirmed that the Utah ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. This is the first case to reach the appeals level since last summer's big ruling (which was a year ago tomorrow). A stay was issued with the ruling because this court knows the next stop will be the Supremes.

The 10th Circuit ruling included a dissent. It seems the poor guy swallowed every last talking point from the National Organization for Marriage (but not yours).

That 10th Circuit ruling is creating a delightful mess. The 10th Circuit is Utah, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. A ruling applies to all of the states in the circuit. So the clerk in Boulder County, Colorado took this ruling (and the one in Indiana) as justification to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in her area. Since the ruling came with a stay she probably won't be able to do this for very long. And state officials have already declared these marriages won't be recognized by the state.

And in Louisiana a judge was expected to rule on whether the state must recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. He postponed a ruling, saying he wants to address the whole issue of same-sex marriage at one time rather than in a piecemeal fashion.

Ari Ezra Waldman of Towleroad looks at what happens next. Almost certainly Utah's governor or attorney general will appeal to the Supremes. Since the court is about to adjourn for the summer and doesn't decide to take cases until they reconvene, nothing will happen until then.

The Supremes don't have to take the 10th Circuit case. They could simply let the decision cover the 10th Circuit. Though by the time the Supremes reconvene there is likely to also be a case out of the 4th Circuit (Virginia's case) and maybe the 6th Circuit (primarily Michigan) and the 5th Circuit (Texas) as well. Again the Supremes don't have to take any of them – unless one of those rulings is different from our current string of successes. Some justices may not want to give their opinion on our right to marry. They could simply ride out the process – eventually there will be a decision by every Circuit and these decisions will eventually cover the country. Yes, that is slower than a sweeping ruling from the Supremes.

A commenter lists a few things interesting about this case. First, the 10th Circuit demanded that reasons for banning same-sex marriage must be “compelling.” Tradition isn't a compelling reason. Utah doesn't have a compelling reason. Second, the demand for compelling reasons isn't because same-sex couples are a minority receiving discrimination and without political power, the usual reason. It's because marriage is a fundamental right. Third, if you want to see how the Supremes might rule against us, just read the dissent in the 10th Circuit case. Any one of Scalia, Alito, Thomas, or Roberts could have written it.

We don't have time to wait

Lambda Legal created a list of all the marriage equality cases before the various courts. There are 65 cases in 28 states. 9 of those are in Federal Appeals Courts (Circuits 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10 -- no need for cases in Circuits 1 & 2), 35 in Federal District Courts, and 21 cases in state courts. Of the state cases 5 are at some level of appeal, including at state supremes. The cases are about one or more of freedom to marry, recognition of out-of-state marriages, freedom to divorce, and freedom to adopt. There are now only five states without marriage equality that do not have pending legislation -- Alaska, Georgia, Montana, North & South Dakota.

Each case includes the current status. For example, in the Michigan case it lists the date of the trial, ruling, and appeal. For that appeal briefs must be filed in May and June, so oral arguments won't happen until at least July.

When the list was posted it had 64 entries. That same day another case was filed, this one in North Carolina. One of the plaintiffs is age 89. Her partner says "We don't have time to wait!"

One of those 65 cases is Utah. Oral arguments were heard today at the 10th Circuit before a 3-judge panel. From what was said by the judges it seems one will likely approve marriage equality, one will deny it, and the third judge gave conflicting indications. They probably will take their time to rule because the 10th Circuit hears the Oklahoma case next week. More here.

In preparation for the Utah case the defendants filed a letter saying they decided not to use the study by Mark Regnerus after all. That's the study declared "unbelievable" by the judge in the Michigan case. But somehow the state of Utah concluded that while kids of gay parents do just fine, if marriage equality is allowed kids of straight parents will suffer. Tell it to the judge.



Back in 2012 an Italian gay couple went to New York to get married (I'm sure more cool than Amsterdam). A court has now ordered the town of Grosseto, in Tuscany, to officially list the couple as married.

Empathy gap

Stuff backed up in my browser tabs…

After the long lines for voting in 2012 Obama appointed an commission to make recommendations to fix the problem. Last week they gave their report. It has many of the usual things in it: early voting, vote by mail, online registration, etc. There were also several line management ideas: hand out numbers to allow people to sit, have workers walk the line to take care of registration issues before people get to the front of the line.

Alas, the commission doesn't have any money to give to states to fix problems such as outdated equipment (or simply having enough equipment). It didn't address such GOP hot-button items such as voter ID laws. And it can only recommend solutions and only persuade Congress and state legislatures to implement the ideas. And some states, especially battlegrounds, the GOP likes the idea that some people have a hard time voting.



A state representative in Oklahoma is proposing the state do away with all marriages -- at least not have the state recognize any marriage. That way it won't be illegal to ban gay marriages. Let's see, how many straight couples are willing to give up state marriage benefits or find they are only civil-unioned?



I didn't realize that Utah and Oklahoma are both a part of the 10th Circuit Court. In this court a random three-judge panel has been assigned to hear the Utah marriage equality case. The 10th Circuit has combined that case with the one from Oklahoma. So if these three judges rule in favor of marriage equality and the Supremes decline to hear the case then marriage equality comes to the entire 10th Circuit -- OK, KS, NM, CO, UT, WY.



Bloomberg News reports that sales of razor blades used in shaving have dropped 7.8%. The reason is the greater interest in beards. One response is some guys are shaving other parts of their bodies (definitely not for me), boosting razor sales in compensation. Another is guys are allowing beards to grow because razors have gotten so expensive.



Sean McElwee of Demos Policyshop wrote about our changing view of the poor. There has always been an aspect of cruelty in our portrayal of the poor. Treating them as morally corrupt allows us to justify our place in society. But we've gone from LBJ's "Poverty is not a trait of character," to McGovern getting tough on welfare, to Clinton promising and succeeding to "end welfare as we know it."

Why the change? With widening inequality the rich have separated from the poor and have no idea how the poor live. We have an empathy gap. Alas, a drop in empathy means a drop in trust. And that slows the economy and makes reducing inequality harder, creating a downward spiral.

Will not defend the ban

The trial of another United Methodist pastor has been set. More on my brother blog.

A group of Oklahoma United Methodist clergy have declared their support for the judge who struck down the state's gay marriage ban.



The ACLU has sued the state of Utah on behalf of the more than 1300 same-sex couples who married there in December and January. Gov. Herbert has declared the state will not recognize those marriages until the repeal process has been concluded. The ACLU says they were legal when the ceremony happened. They remain legal. The state must recognize them.



A same-sex marriage case will go before a judge (not sure at which level) in Virginia on January 30. Mark Herring, the state's Attorney General has said he will not defend the ban. He says it is unconstitutional. That leaves the defendant, a county clerk who refused to issue a license to the plaintiffs, scrambling for legal representation.



A legal battle between two drug companies gave us a bonus. As part of their wrangling over AIDS related drugs, one side dismissed a gay juror. That part of the tussle went before the 9th Circuit Court. They said that people cannot be excluded from a jury because they are gay. The 9th Circuit went on to declare that for all of its business it will require heightened scrutiny in gay discrimination cases. That means a state must have more than a rational reason for its discrimination. When denying gay people something the law must be narrowly constructed to a specific purpose of vital interest to the state that can't be achieved any other way. Which means in the 9th Circuit the standard reasons for discrimination against gays won't be able to pass constitutional muster. This is especially important when the court examines same-sex marriage bans.

I brought the first stone

Sweet! In December Shreveport, Louisiana became the second city in that state with an LGBT anti-discrimination ordinance. There was on dissenting vote -- Councilman Ron Webb. This month Webb introduced a proposal to repeal the ordinance. Then he came face-to-face with Pamela Raintree, a transgender woman, who came to a City Council meeting. She held up a stone and said (video here):

Leviticus 20:13 states, 'If a man lie also with mankind as he lieth with a woman, they shall surely put him to death.' I brought the first stone Mr. Webb, in case that your Bible talk isn't just a smoke screen for personal prejudices.

Webb withdrew his proposal.



When same-sex marriage erupted in Utah last month the state asked the 10th Circuit Court for a fast-track ruling. The Court agreed and set dates for when the opening briefs needed to be filed. Now the state is saying, um, could we have an extension? Say, ten days? We, um, just hired our legal counsel yesterday. The 10th Circuit responded that requests for extensions "are very strongly discouraged, and will be considered only under extraordinary circumstances."

Plaintiffs said these circumstances are not extraordinary. You're only slowing down the case you said needed to be sped up.

Commenters asked what should take ten days? You don't have any more lame reasons for discrimination to add to your case.



New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, embroiled in the scandal of backing up traffic to the George Washington Bridge, famously said, "I'm not a bully." That prompted lots of people in NJ to say, oh yes you are!

Terrence Heath explores the case and explains why Christie was the darling of the GOP, if not the Tea Party, at least until now. Back in 2011 at a private GOP event Christie summed up the internal GOP philosophy: "We spend too much. We borrow too much. We tax too much. It is time to turn those three things around." And … "Now, pain will be inflicted when we change that."

Heath says "Pain will be inflicted" is the creed of the bully and fits quite well with the GOP created "bully economy." And, as we see with the GOP refusal to renew jobless benefits, a great deal of pain is still being inflicted.



Ireland's economy recovered? Ireland's Celtic Tiger economy was trashed when the economic mess started back in 2008, though not as bad as the economies of Greece and Spain. Ireland was forced to endure the austerity measures to satisfy its creditors and is working its way out. So has its economy recovered? Ask the lenders and international corporations who moved there for low taxes and the answer is yes. Ask the residents and you get a different answer.

Terrence Heath explores the economies of Ireland and Europe as a whole. Growth has been quite slow. That's because the economies of Europe are under the austerity policies of the European Central Bank, the European Commission, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). A big problem is that European citizens don't have a say in what these organizations do.

Being humane is economical

The Salt Lake Tribune did a poll last week about the view Utah residents have on same-sex marriage. Overall, the state is evenly divided with 48% in favor and 48% opposed. Civil unions fared a lot better with 72% in favor and 25% opposed.

Breaking down the marriage views a bit, only 32% of Mormons are in favor while 76% of non-Mormons are in favor. Only 30% of Republicans are in favor while 81% of Democrats are in favor.



As America was dealing with the Polar Vortex and blistering cold and as American talking heads were using that as proof that climate change didn't exist, Australia was experiencing a record setting heat wave. Actually, it started at the end of December and is still going on, breaking records, and playing havoc with the Australian Open tennis tournament. How hot is it? Several places have topped 105F, a few have pushed past 110F, and a few places in the interior are getting close to 120F. That's hot.



For 40 years conservatives have been using a divide-and-conquer strategy. Label the poor as lazy, dependent on our tax dollars, and overwhelmingly black. Essentially "them." The working class was working harder to stay in one place (even sending wives to work), proudly independent, and white. The strategy capitalized on racial prejudice and economic anxiety, fueled resentment for gov't taxes and spending, and distracted everyone from the real cause of the misery -- the 1% busting unions, outsourcing jobs, and replacing workers with automation.

That strategy isn't working anymore. Too many of the white working class are in poverty or have had a brush with it. A lot more face economic insecurity. "They" are becoming "us."



Terrence Heath reviews the chemical spill that left 300,000 residents in West Virginia without water to drink, wash clothes, or bathe for a week. The culprit -- the conservative desire to deregulate. The tank that leaked was described as an antique, maybe 70 years old. So much for the idea that corporations are responsible citizens willing and able to do what it takes to keep the public safe. Thankfully, no one died. This time.



What to do with all the homeless people? They've always been around, but the ongoing economic mess has increased their numbers. But people sleeping in parks looks unsightly and makes others (read: respectable citizens) feel unsafe. Take a sledgehammer to the shopping carts that hold all they own? Threaten them with arrest? Ban panhandling? Ban religious groups from going to parks to feed them?

Utah, one of the reddest states, did a bit of calculation. Emergency room visits and jail stays came to over $16,000 for each homeless person. Providing that person with an apartment and a social worker was only $11,000. So Utah ended its homeless problem by giving them homes. Now the GOP in Washington would have probably attached strings: require a drug test, deny those with criminal records, or kick them out if not self-sufficient within five years. But Utah attached no strings. Permanent housing is cheaper than criminalization. It's humane -- and economical. Other states are considering the idea.

My family deserves protection too

Gay men are better bosses? There is a book about that: The G Quotient: Why Gay Executives Are Excelling as Leaders . . . and What Every Manager Needs to Know. We're better managers because we respect subordinates as actual people with actual lives and treat them with compassion. Our coming out taught us to adapt and be resilient and to avoid or confront discrimination. We know who we are and that security means we don't need to assert dominance over others.

A commenter says that may be true -- except for the drama queens



I mentioned the Let it Stand rally at Utah's Capitol a couple days ago. One of the speakers was 12-year-old Riley Hackford-Peer, son of a lesbian couple. His basic message:

Governor Herbert wants to treat my moms unfairly. He says he wants to protect families. But I want to tell him that my family deserves protection too! I have two moms. And I love them. And they deserve to have their marriage recognized everywhere.

He's quite poised for a 12-year-old. So if same-sex parents are supposedly so detrimental to a child how do they become so self-assured? The video is under 4 minutes.



David Mixner reports the Nigerian president has now signed a draconian anti-gay laws. A person can get sent to prison for 14 years for being gay, for owning a gay club or social organization, for taking part in a gay advocacy group, or even meeting to discuss a gay issue. And Nigerian prisons are so shockingly bad that entering one is essentially a death sentence.

Why was the bill signed, and why now? It was signed because public opinion is about 90% in favor of the bill. The why now is because it appears to be a distraction from how poorly the president is handling the Boko Haram insurgency that will probably send the country into civil war.

Yes, Sec'y of State John Kerry has expressed America's shock and concern. Will anything else happen. Probably not. Nigeria produces a lot of oil.

Let it stand

It looks like the polar vortex earlier this week froze parts of the American side of Niagara Falls. Click for pictures.



I wrote yesterday of the Texas representative who filed a bill that would prevent the federal gov't from recognizing same-sex marriages in states that ban such marriages. Timothy Kincaid of Box Turtle Bulletin doesn't think the House will take it up:

While the good ol’ boys at the local Elks Lodge may all think his proposal is a fine idea, the Republican Party leadership will bury this dog. They know that the ship has sailed and that equality is the future and they want nothing more than to have the issue behind them. Preferable before 2016 so they can blame President Obama and the Supreme Court and move on to other issues.

Thousands of same-sex marriage supporters filled the Capitol in Salt Lake City. They were there to protest the governor's appeal of the marriage equality decision and to give him 58,000 signatures asking him not to waste $2 million on the appeal. Their slogan is "Let it Stand." Many of the protesters were, of course, same-sex couples who were married in the last few weeks. Here are some pictures of the protest.

Yup, its because we don't like you

The state of Utah has declared that since the Supremes put same-sex marriages on hold all state services related to same-sex couples are also on hold. This is not a case where the state is saying if you're married, we'll treat you as married. Ari Ezra Waldman of Towleroad explains why that is unjust. Timothy Kincaid of Box Turtle Bulletin says that this demonstrates that the ban on same-sex marriages was only because of animus towards gay people. And passing laws based on only animus does not please the Supremes.

A commenter thinks part of this might be the state telling the 10th Circuit: We told you there would be harm to gay couples if you didn't issue a stay. You didn't believe us. So now there is.



Rob Tisinai of Box Turtle Bulletin went poking around in the blog The Thinking Housewife (no direct link from me!). This appears to be the articulate person's guide to ultra-conservative Catholic views (they're rather suspicious of Francis and are not sure he deserves the title of Pope). Tisinai presents the case of Charles, who is safely ensconced in a suburban, white, hetero, conservative (with one lefty exception) social circle. He is horrified that the lefties wants to invite a gay couple into their midst. Charles feels that their wish to be included is an act of aggression that would take the group into the abyss.

Tisinai confirms that Charles will feel threatened. He concludes with:

It’s time for proponents of the anti-gay agenda simply to give up, admit defeat, be honest with themselves and change their own minds. They’re already admitting that direct contact with gay people is a threat to their beliefs. They’re already admitting that openness and truth are a danger to their cause. Once you’ve come that far, folks, it’s only the tiniest and most honest of steps to admitting you’re just plain wrong.

There's a new opera to celebrate at the end of the month. It is Brokeback Mountain, the story by Annie Proulx that was made into a movie by Ang Lee that many consider was robbed of its Oscar for Best Picture. Proulx wrote the libretto for the opera and Charles Wuorinen wrote the music. I've heard of him but can't say I know his music. The opera will be premiered by Teatro Real in Madrid. It appears the opera will be played for a couple weeks in rotation with Tristan und Isolda of Wagner, another tale of forbidden love.

I hear some grumbling that one of America's many gay composers should have been given the chance to compose this opera. Alas, Aaron Copland has been dead for 23 years and stopped composing 30 years before that. As I said I don't know much about Wuorinen, so I looked him up. I'm pleased to discover he is gay and married to his longtime partner.

Utah (sigh)

Supreme Justice Sonia Sotomayor referred the request from Utah for a stay to all of the justices. Today the Supremes issued their usual terse reply. The stay is granted, pending final ruling from the 10th Circuit Court. No dissenters were listed so it appears to be a unanimous decision. No reasoning was given (this is a stay, not a ruling) so there is no telling which arguments given by the state swayed the Supremes. Marriages legalized in the last couple weeks remain valid, but no more gay couples may marry until after a favorable ruling from the 10th Circuit. Or the Supremes.

Of course, there is lots of speculation on why the justices issued the stay and what this means. Lyle Denniston of SCOTUSblog says,

The order, however, cannot be interpreted as a dependable indication of how the Court will rule on the issue when it finally decides to do so directly.
…
The ruling can be interpreted as an indication that the Court wants to have further exploration in lower courts of the basic constitutional question of state power to limit marriage to a man and a woman. Had it refused the state’s request for delay, that would have at least left the impression that the Court was comfortable allowing same-sex marriages to go forward in the 33 states where they are still banned.

So perhaps the Supremes are letting the process play out so they don't have to rule against 2/3 of the states.

Nina Totenberg of NPR says the justices couldn't let this decision stand without a stay because there are 42 same-sex marriage cases in process around the country. If the Utah case was left alone judges in the other cases would see this case as a stamp of approval without the Supremes actually ruling on the case. The issue is way too important for that. This is one of three marriage cases headed to Circuit Courts. The Supremes will not take up any of them before June this year. And the Supremes may not bother next year; they might let the Circuit Court rulings, whatever they are, stand without their review. But this issue seems to be moving faster every year.

Stupid and contradictory arguments

The stay of same-sex marriages in Utah is before Justice Sonia Sotomayor of the Supreme Court. Both sides have submitted their arguments.

Commenters make a couple interesting points:

The state says their reason that a stay is necessary because same-sex couples would suffer "dignitary and financial losses from the invalidation of their marriages" if the 10th Circuit or Supremes should rule against us. But, the commenter says, the state can't say being stripped of one's marital status causes huge harm while at the same time asking the 10th Circuit and the Supremes to do exactly that to those already married.

Another commenter says the "dignitary and financial loss" is a stupid argument for the state because it is their refusal to permit same-sex marriage that causes dignitary and financial loss.

The best and brightest talent

I leave tomorrow to travel with my parents to Dad's ancestral town. His brother still lives in the area. We'll be joined by my brother and his family, including his first grandchild, all of 4 months. All of us will be staying at a B&B and probably spending lots of time at my uncle's house. Because of the baby not much is planned. I'll be taking my netbook but I don't know if I'll want to burrow in my room to blog when there are a dozen relatives to talk to. We head home on Friday morning.



Meanwhile, in the news…

Utah is getting a new Attorney General. The previous one resigned during investigations for corruption and responding to the same-sex marriage case has fallen to the interim AG. It looks like the first act of the new AG will be to go before the state legislature to request $2 million (of taxpayer money) to pay for outside legal counsel to properly file a stay with the Supremes, then take the case to the 10th Circuit. Though the request isn't official yet, lawmakers are telling the new AG to go for it. This is an important case to defend states' rights. Find the best and brightest talent you can.



Pope Francis may be giving the Vatican a new image and a new emphasis, but the old demons are still there. The Bishop of Malta had a discussion with Francis and a part of that was to explain to the Pope that Malta is considering a new Civil Union bill that would include adoption by gay couples. Francis was "shocked" to learn that part. He urged the Bishop to speak out against it.

So, yeah, this pope is a welcome change in style. But no substantive change yet.