Quote for Day: "Whenever Established Power Brokers Have Felt Threatened in America's History, They Have Responded by Stirring Up Sexual Fears"

In a very powerful essay, William Barber and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, who have been leaders in North Carolina's "Moral Monday" movement, note how sexual baiting has long been used in the U.S. by established power brokers to deflect challenges to the powerful, when they sense that these challenges are having an effect. Barbar and Wilson-Hartgrove point out that, following the passing of the 14th amendment removing African Americans from the category of three-fifths of a person, the white power structure of the South, led by white preachers, stirred a backlash centered on the idea that black men would become unrestrained beasts raping white women if they were not put back into "their place."

Update, Further Commentary, on Recent Firing of Gay Teachers at Two Catholic High Schools in Midwest

And another brief update to a story I posted yesterday — this one about Matthew Eledge, who was recently fired by Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha after he became engaged to his partner, and Tyler McCubbin, who saw job offer made to him by Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines revoked because he's gay and engaged to a partner. My posting yesterday linked to Bob Shine's report on these two stories at New Ways Ministry's blog Bondings 2.0, which notes that more than 40 people have lost jobs in Catholic institutions in the U.S. over LGBT issues since 2008.

The Pope's (Apparent) Decision to Freeze Out the Gay French Ambassadorial Appointment: A Brief Update

For those interested in the story of the Vatican's foot-dragging re: approving a French ambassador to the Holy See, about which I wrote yesterday:

"Who Am I to Judge?" Continues to Have Little Impact as Two More Gay Employees Are Fired by Catholic Schools, and Pope Francis Refuses French Appointment of Gay Ambassador

Pope Francis's question, "Who am I to judge?," continues to appear to have no impact at all on how Catholic institutions keep treating their gay employees: as Bob Shine reports today for New Ways Ministry, news has just broken of the firing of Matthew Eledge, an English teacher at Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha, after he became engaged to his partner Elliot Doughtery, and of the revocation of a job offer made by Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines to Tyler McCubbin because he's gay and engaged to a partner.

The Anti-Gay "Religious Freedom" Debate and Continued Calls for "Respectful Dialogue": What's at Stake Here?

As I've been noting here for days now, isn't it interesting that, now that the culture appears to be making a decisive turn towards recognizing LGBT people as fully human and according LGBT people the full range of human rights, the Catholic bishops suddenly want "respectful dialogue" about these matters? And about their "religious freedom" attacks on LGBT people? (On the turn now being made by the culture at large, see the results of the Reuters/IPSOS poll released today, showing that 54% of Americans side with the LGBT community in debates about whether "religious freedom" should permit private businesses to discriminate against LGBT people.)

Anti-Gay "Religious Freedom" Arguments: A Collection of Recent Essays Deconstructing the False Memes

A collection of excerpts from recent essays engaging the arguments being pushed right now by anti-gay "religious freedom" activists like the U.S. Catholic bishops and their defenders in the Catholic media and academy: 

Dan Savage on Despising and Discriminating Against Gay People As Quick Path to Cheap Grace

Dan Savage comments on the recent vote in Springfield, Missouri, to repeal an ordinance protecting LGBT citizens from discrimination: