Appeals Court Rules Ban on ‘Conversion Therapy’ Unconstitutional

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A federal appeals court on Friday ruled that ordinances in Florida banning the licensed counseling of people with unwanted same-sex attractions are unconstitutional violations of the freedom of speech.

“We hold that the challenged ordinances violate the First Amendment because they are content-based regulations of speech that cannot survive strict scrutiny,” the ruling from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said.

The decision was the first from a federal appeals court laws against so-called “conversion therapy” – a term rejected by proponents – since a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. In NIFLA v. Becerra, the high court ruled the government cannot force an individual or organization to express a message chosen by the government.

The current case, Otto, et al v. City of Boca Raton, found that bans by Boca Raton and Palm Beach County violate the Constitution.

The case was fought by Liberty Counsel, which represents Robert Otto and Julie Hamilton and their minor clients. (Read more from “Appeals Court Rules Ban on ‘Conversion Therapy’ Unconstitutional” HERE)

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As Governors Lock Down, Millions of Americans Are Booking Thanksgiving Travel

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. . .Some of the toughest [lockdowns are] in Washington state, Oregon, New Mexico and Michigan, where businesses are mostly closed. New Mexico also has a stay-at-home order, as does Ohio.

Other states like Oregon have limited social gatherings to six people from no more than two households. Washingtonians are prohibited from meeting indoors with people from outside their home, unless they meet certain criteria. . .

A forecast from the American Automobile Association that 50 million people will travel for Thanksgiving is indicative of the choice of some. A survey by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found almost two in five Americans plan go to a gathering of more than 10 people. A third said they would not require guests to wear a mask.

Earlier this month, American Airlines added over 1,400 domestic flights to its schedule around Thanksgiving, and expects the week of November 23 to be its busiest since March. Likewise, JetBlue has added 25 flights from New York City over the Thanksgiving weekend, while Delta will boost capacity with over 3,800 peak-day flights per day during this period. (Read more from “As Governors Lock Down, Millions of Americans Are Booking Thanksgiving Travel” HERE)

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Pope Francis Appears to ‘Like’ Bikini Model’s Photo

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A bikini model has claimed that Pope Francis’ Instagram account liked a racy photo of her dressed in stockings and suspenders.

Natalia Garibotto, 27, said the pontiff’s verified Franciscus account was among the 133,000 that “liked” an image of her standing at a school locker with a white crop-top[.]

The “like” is no longer there, and it is not clear if Francis controls his own account. (Read more from “Pope Francis Appears to ‘Like’ Bikini Model’s Photo” HERE)

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Pro-Life Catholics Denounce Bishops for Congratulating Biden

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Leaders of the American Life League (ALL), the oldest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the U.S., blasted the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) after they congratulated Democratic nominee Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) for reportedly winning the election.

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement in the wake of the election, saying in part:

[W]e recognize that Joseph R. Biden, Jr., has received enough votes to be elected the 46th President of the United States. We congratulate Mr. Biden and acknowledge that he joins the late President John F. Kennedy as the second United States president to profess the Catholic faith. We also congratulate Sen. Kamala D. Harris of California, who becomes the first woman ever elected as vice president.

We ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, patroness of this great nation, to intercede for us. May she help us to work together to fulfill the beautiful vision of America’s missionaries and founders — one nation under God, where the sanctity of every human life is defended and freedom of conscience and religion are guaranteed.

Judie Brown, the cofounder and president of ALL, responded in a statement earlier last week:

The USCCB has affirmed what many of us have suspected for many years, and that is that most Catholic bishops have no problem with a Catholic politician spitting at the face of Christ by supporting the vile murder of the preborn. Joe Biden is such a man; he claims to be Catholic, yet he gives 100 percent support for abortion every day of the week and in every manner of brutality against the innocent. The Catholic bishops have erred, and as a Catholic, I am ashamed of them.

(Read more from “Pro-Life Catholics Denounce Bishops for Congratulating Biden” HERE)

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Sex Offender Caught Allegedly Taking Photo of Woman in Bathroom Stall

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A serial sex offender was arrested Saturday after he allegedly took a picture of a woman in a restroom stall at the Lloyd Center mall in Portland, Oregon.

“Portland police received a report at 12:20 p.m. of a sex offense at the mall,” KGW 8 reported. . .

“Officers learned a woman was using the bathroom when a man attempted to take a photograph. The woman confronted the man and notified security, who detained Walter,” the article read. . .

The suspect, whom the media dubbed the “TriMet Barber,” has a history of cutting, gluing, or masturbating into women’s hair while riding TriMet buses and trains.

“Walter was sentenced to one year in jail in 2019 for inappropriately touching multiple women. He pleaded guilty to sexual harassment, sex abuse and interfering with public transportation. He was released for good behavior later that year,” the KGW report said. (Read more from “Sex Offender Caught Allegedly Taking Photo of Woman in Bathroom Stall” HERE)

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California Set To Reopen Strip Clubs Before Churches

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A California judge ordered San Diego to reopen strip clubs even as local officials crack down on churches.

San Diego Superior Court judge Joel R. Wohlfeil ordered the state to end any actions that prevent the clubs from “being allowed to provide live adult entertainment,” according to the decision. The owners of two strip clubs argued that their business is legally protected speech guaranteed by the First Amendment—the same argument that churches have been making about their own services.

The judge’s decision is not final as that in a full hearing, which will occur at the end of the month, but it temporarily allows the strip clubs to reopen for indoor services, as other institutions close. In their legal complaint, strip-club owners argued they have complied with social distancing requirements. They also warned that another shutdown would mean financial ruin. The judge temporarily sided with them.

Religious-liberty advocates said that the case could pave the way for lifting coronavirus restrictions against churches. Paul Jonna, special counsel for the Thomas More Society, which is representing churches challenging the restrictions, expressed confidence that this decision bodes well for the churches. If strip clubs are entitled to constitutional protections, then churches are as well, he told the Free Beacon. (Read more from “California Set To Reopen Strip Clubs Before Churches” HERE)

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Study: It Was a Mistake To Close Schools

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. . .Finally just such a study has appeared, as released by the medical paper repository Medxriv: “Association between living with children and outcomes from COVID-19: an OpenSAFELY cohort study of 12 million adults in England.” . . .

To quote from the study directly:

This is the first population-based study to investigate whether the risk of recorded SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe outcomes from COVID-19 differ between adults living in households with and without school-aged children during the UK pandemic. Our findings show that for adults living with children there is no evidence of an increased risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes although there may be a slightly increased risk of recorded SARS-CoV-2 infection for working-age adults living with children aged 12 to 18 years. Working-age adults living with children 0 to 11 years have a lower risk of death from COVID-19 compared to adults living without children, with the effect size being comparable to their lower risk of death from any cause. We observed no consistent changes in risk of recorded SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe outcomes from COVID-19 comparing periods before and after school closure.

What does this imply?

Our results demonstrate no evidence of serious harms from COVID-19 to adults in close contact with children, compared to those living in households without children. This has implications for determining the benefit-harm balance of children attending school in the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Read more from “Study: It Was a Mistake To Close Schools” HERE)

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Families Say Relatives Are Dead to Them if They Vote Wrong

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. . .Reuters spoke with a variety of U.S. voters across the country who all admitted to being a part of the same movement: shunning — or being shunned by — family members for differing political viewpoints.

One woman the news organization spoke to is 41-year-old Milwaukee resident Mayra Gomez. She said she told her 21-year-old son that she planned on voting for President Donald Trump in the forthcoming presidential election. Her choice was apparently the wrong one — at least according to the unnamed Millennial.

“He specifically told me ‘You are no longer my mother, because you are voting for Trump,'” she recalled him telling her. “The damage is done. In people’s minds, Trump is a monster. It’s sad. There are people not talking to me anymore, and I’m not sure that will change.” . . .

Gayle McCormick, a 77-year-old Democratic voter, said that she separated from her 81-year-old husband after he voted for Trump in 2016. . .

Rosanna Guadagno, a 49-year-old Democrat, said that her brother shunned her after she reportedly refused to support the president’s 2016 presidential bid and even allegedly went so far as to intentionally exclude her from their mother’s funeral. (Read more from “Families Say Relatives Are Dead to Them if They Vote Wrong” HERE)

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Overweight Man Targets Canadian Beauty Pageant for Not Allowing Him Entry into Contest

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A man living as a woman who still has male genitalia has filled a human rights complaint against a Canadian beauty pageant for refusing to let him compete, citing in the allegation that the decision caused him “injury to dignity and feelings.” . . .

The Post Millennial reported on Jessica Yaniv’s lawsuit, calling her in its report as a “self-proclaimed lesbian warrior princess and tech blogger” who had signed up to compete in the pageant’s 28 and older division:

Yaniv, who is transgender with male genitals, was initially accepted into the contest, having not mentioned that she was transgender with male genitals on her application. This would go against the pageant’s policy, who only allow biological females, or those who had “fully transitioned” and no longer had male genitals to compete in the pageant. This policy was noted in all paperwork and on the website. . .

When Yaniv was told of the pageant’s policy, she filed a human rights complaint against Canada Galaxy Pageants, claiming that she had been discriminated against because of her gender identity, which would be in violation of the Ontario Human Rights Code.

The center reported that Yaniv is seeking $10,000 in damages and “requests that the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario rule that an organization cannot refuse a service to someone just because that person has male genitalia.”

(Read more from “Overweight Man Targets Canadian Beauty Pageant for Not Allowing Him Entry Into Contest” HERE)

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WATCH: Matthew McConaughey Opens up on Joe Rogan About Christianity, Cancel Culture, and Defund the Police

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Matthew McConaughey said his religious beliefs are not separate from his belief in science, calling science, “the practical pursuit of God.”

“The two are not exclusive. They dance together; they go together, belief and science. I never saw those as contradictions,” he said on a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience.”

McConaughey explained how his beliefs are intertwined with his acting carer, and why Christianity is often treated as taboo and sometimes plays a role in the cancel culture in Hollywood.

While McConaughey said he hasn’t necessarily encountered pushback for his religious beliefs, he said that the progressive and “illiberal” trend of “condescending and patronizing” people who believe differently must stop.

“To throw somebody, to illegitimize them because they say they are a believer, is just so arrogant and in some ways hypocritical to me,” McConaughey said.

(Read more from “WATCH: Matthew McConaughey Opens up on Joe Rogan About Christianity, Cancel Culture, and Defund the Police” HERE)

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