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University of Iowa First to Offer ‘Transgender’ Option on Admissions Application

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa has become the first public U.S. university to include optional questions about sexual orientation and gender identity on its application, a move hailed Wednesday by advocates hoping to improve the college experience for gays and lesbians.

University officials say the move sends a strong signal that they value the diversity that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students bring to campus. They say that knowing some students’ sexual orientation will allow them to track their enrollment and graduation rates and promote housing, student groups and programs that might improve their social and academic success.

“This is a question whose time had come,” university admissions director Michael Barron said.

Iowa’s decision was praised by Campus Pride, an advocacy group that has been lobbying colleges to ask the questions so schools can track the progress of LGBT students. Elmhurst College, a private liberal-arts school in suburban Chicago, became the first — and is still the only other — college to do so last year.

Iowa’s new application, which went into use Dec. 1, asks students whether they “identify with the LGBTQ Community.” The item is listed with other optional questions about topics such as their interest in military programs and fraternities and sororities. A second change added “transgender” as an option for an applicant’s gender.

Read more from this story HERE.

Obama’s Ambassador Tells LGBT in Czech Republic that US is their Ally

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The “Photo of the Week” currently featured on the State Department’s official “Dip Note” blog shows U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Norman Eisen and staff members taking part in a ‘gay pride’ parade in Prague on August 18.

Speaking at the opening of the event, Eisen told LGBT activists in the Czech Republic that the United States was their ally.

The parade was part of the second annual “Prague Pride” festival, which featured activities such as a “Rainbow Karaoke Party,” “Children’s Day with Picnic,” and “Gay Speed Dating.”

“The theme of this year festival is ‘Bringing our colours together’ with the aim to introduce the general public to the LGBT communities that are usually hidden from the public eye, such as LGBT Roma (gypsies), disabled or transgender persons,” according to the Prague Pride website.

Alongside Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda, Eisen delivered remarks at the event’s opening reception on August 13: “I am truly honored to be here today, representing the United States and President Obama in the effort to ensure the rights of the global LGBT community,” said Eisen.

Read more from this story HERE.

GOP plank hammers Obama’s ‘social experimentation’ in military

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Photo credit: basykes

Mitt Romney does not bring up President Obama’s social revolution inside the armed forces, but the Republican Party platform, by calling an end to “social experimentation” in the ranks, does.

The platform also backs the current ban on women serving in direct ground combat units, as the Obama administration is moving toward a decision to remove the prohibition before the November election.

The Republican National Committee on Resolutions, meeting last week in Tampa, Fla., approved a plank that states: “We support the advancement of women in the military, which has not only opened doors of opportunity for individuals but has made possible the devoted, and often heroic, services of additional members of every branch of the Armed Forces.”

Elaine Donnelly, who directs the Center for Military Readiness and attended the platform markup, said the language sends a strong signal to those who would sacrifice military preparedness to advance social policies.

“We reject the use of the military as a platform for social experimentation and will not accept attempts to undermine military priorities and mission readiness,” the platform states.

Read more from this story HERE.

15 Groups press Fox, Bill O’Reilly to drop “Gay” radical commentator

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Individuals representing a wide range of pro-family organizations have signed a request to Fox News talk show host Bill O’Reilly to stop using homosexual activist Wayne Besen as a commentator on his program.

“When Fox News provides a forum to a radical homosexual activist known for employing inflammatory and hateful language in the service of promoting lies, the network becomes complicit in the damage done to the victims of Wayne Besen’s and the SPLC’s smear campaigns,” said the statement signed today by Mathew D. Staver of Liberty Counsel, Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern, Diane Gramley of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania and others.

“We ask the News Corporation, Fox News, and Bill O’Reilly to find more ethical spokespersons for the liberal view of sexuality. In their infamous Washington Post ad accusing FRC of hateful values, Besen and the SPLC claim that ‘words have consequences.’ Yes, they do. And Besen’s may lead to violence,” the statement said.

Others signing included David Smith of the Illinois Family Institute, Laurie Higgins of Illinois Family Institute, Matt Barber of Liberty Counsel Action, Denise Shick of Help 4 Families, Regina Griggs of Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX), Arthur Goldberg of Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, Greg Quinlan of Pro-Family Network of Ohio, Pastor John Kirkwood of Grace Gospel Fellowship, Brian Camenker of MassResistance, Peter LaBarbera of AFTAH, Scott Lively of Defend the Family International, Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt of The Pray In Jesus Name Project and Linda Harvey of Mission America.

The group’s letter explains that Besen, who founded the pro-homosexual Truth Wins Out, has gone so far in his activities to oppose the traditional family supporters that in 2009 he used a bullhorn to harass Christians inside a Boston church.

Read more from this story HERE.

Atlantic Magazine: Boy Scouts must be taken “out behind the barn” and put down with a “shotgun”

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Photo credit: RDECOM

The website of The Atlantic magazine [last week] carries an article shocking in its use of incendiary and hateful rhetoric laden with violent imagery, all aimed at the Boys Scouts of America.

The article, by James Hamblin, a medical doctor and an editor for the magazine, attacks the BSA for its policy of not admitting gays as members or leaders. Hamblin also proposes that organizations like the Boy Scouts – a private organization – be forced to bend to the demands of the Left on gay rights based on a dangerous concept that could mean the end of First Amendment freedoms like the freedom of religion, speech and assembly.

Hamblin writes:

Boy Scouts is an organization that was and is so close to being great. Remember when they had to put Old Yeller down because he got rabies? It’s not like he was a bad dog, but he got a brain infection and he tried to eat Travis. He looked the same and wasn’t about to die, but the good dog who used to save him from bears and boars just wasn’t there anymore. The policy is embarrassing and archaic, sure. … But the real value in speaking against it is that it’s dangerous. When a group as massive (2.7 million youth members) and respected as the Boy Scouts makes a move like this, it stands to exacerbate a public health hazard in such a way that we can’t just agree to disagree.

Perpetuating a culture where gay teenagers — who are already commonly battling notions of inferiority and self-hatred — can be openly and decidedly told they aren’t welcome among a preeminent organization that purports to represent and define a standard of behavioral ideals, is dangerous. It’s a decided step back in rejecting the culture of gay bullying. We will see more depression, and more suicide. We’ll see more discrimination of every sort, and more hatred.

If the BSA won’t change, then the burden falls on a just society to take them out behind the barn with whatever sort of shotgun revokes credibility.

Imagine the outrage – justifiable – if the BSA issued a statement demanding gays be taken “behind the barn with whatever sort of shotgun” would convince them to stop being gay.

Read more from this story HERE.

 

Homosexual volunteer carrying Chick-fil-A material open fires in pro-traditional marriage FRC office in DC

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Man carrying Chick-fil-A  materials shoots guard at Family Research Council

By Pete Williams. A gunman who shot a security guard Wednesday at the Family Research Council office in Washington, D.C., was carrying a handgun and several additional rounds of ammunition, federal investigators told NBC News.

Washington, D.C., police say the man walked into the headquarters of the conservative Christian lobbying group around 10:45 a.m. When challenged by the security guard, the gunman shot the guard in the arm with a Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun he pulled from a backpack.

The wounded guard, identified as Leo Johnson, wrestled the gun away from the shooter and prevented him from hurting anyone else, police said. …

The suspect’s name has not been released, but two law enforcement officials told NBC News he is Floyd Corkins, 28, from nearby Herndon, Va.

Federal officials said the suspect the backpack also contained materials about Chick-fil-A restaurants.  Read more from this story HERE.

FRC Shooter was “volunteer at  a ‘gay’ and lesbian center, made negative comment about center before shooting

By WND. Law enforcement officials in Washington have identified the man who shot a security guard at the Family Research Council early today as 28-year-old Floyd Corkins II, a volunteer at a “gay” and lesbian center in Washington, and have hinted that the motive may be linked to the FRC’s conservative Christian viewpoint regarding marriage and homosexuality.

According to a report from the Associated Press, a law enforcement official confirmed that the suspect made a “negative reference” about the FRC’s work before shooting and injuring guard Leo Johnson, who was hospitalized and in stable condition.

While no specific connections were confirmed by law enforcement authorities with the District of Columbia police and FBI, which responded to the case, the FRC had been vocal in recent days in its support of Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy, whose company was attacked by homosexual advocacy organizations after he publicly stated his support for traditional marriage. Read more from this story HERE.

White House took Five Hours to Respond to FRC Shooting

By Steven Ertelt. The White House is coming under criticism from pro-life advocates for not issuing a condemnation of the shooting of a security guard at the offices of the Family Research Council, a pro-life group.

UPDATE: Not until after 6:30 p.m. ET did the White House respond. Obama finally commented, saying “this type of violence has no place in our society.”

While President Barack Obama has yet to comment — several hours after the incident — presidential candidate Mitt Romney was swift in his response to it.

Romney commented on the shooting, saying: “I am appalled by the shooting today at the offices of the Family Research Council in our nation’s capital. There is no place for such violence in our society. My prayers go out to the wounded security guard and his family, as well as all the people at the Family Research Council whose sense of security has been shattered by today’s horrific events.”

Meanwhile, CNN took hours to finally issue a report on the shooting and it provided no live coverage of it as other television networks did. Hours later, CNN tweeted, “Shooting wounds guard at Family Research Council. on.cnn.com/OYEXq9.” Read more from this story HERE.

Military promotes lesbian to general, boots colonel for sex assaults, tries to stop child porn

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Army General Becomes U.S. Military’s First Openly Homosexual Flag Officer

By Kristina Wong. Army reserve officer Tammy Smith calls her recent promotion to brigadier general exciting and humbling, saying it gives her a chance to be a leader in advancing Army values and excellence.

What she glosses over is that along with the promotion she is also publicly acknowledging her sexuality for the first time, making her the first general officer to come out as gay while still serving. It comes less than a year after the end of the controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” law.

“All of those facts are irrelevant,” she said. “I don’t think I need to be focused on that. What is relevant is upholding Army values and the responsibility this carries.”

But Smith’s pinning ceremony on Friday marks an important milestone for gay rights advocates, giving the movement its most senior public military figure. She has already been assigned as deputy chief at the Office of the Chief at the Army Reserve, and spent much of 2011 serving in Afghanistan.

Stars and Stripes interviewed Smith last summer before the “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal was finalized. Speaking under a pseudonym, she said she had no plans to come out to her colleagues, but was looking forward to the relief of knowing that her career wouldn’t be threatened if she was found out.  Read more from this story HERE.

Air Force Relieves Colonel for Troops’ Adultery, Sexual Assault that Occurred Under his Command

By Lolita C. Baldor and Paul J. Weber. A widening sex scandal at Lackland Air Force Base has led to the dismissal of the top commander who oversees basic training for every new American airman, officials said Friday.

Col. Glenn Palmer was commander of basic training for the 737th training group at the Texas base, where more than a dozen military instructors in the past year have been investigated or charged with sexually assaulting recruits. Officials familiar with the decision said Palmer has been relieved from those duties, speaking on condition of anonymity because the announcement was not yet public.

The officials said there was no indication Palmer was facing any criminal charges. In all, six instructors have been charged with offenses ranging from rape to adultery.

Investigators say more than three dozen female trainees have been victimized by male instructors at Lackland, where approximately 35,000 airmen graduate each year.

About one in five recruits are female, while most instructors are male. The most serious allegations involved an instructor sentenced to 20 years in prison last month after being convicted of raping one female recruit and sexually assaulting several others. Read more from this story HERE.

Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency’s Child Porn Problem

Allen W. Dulles, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) wrote in “The Craft of Intelligence,” “sex and hard-headed intelligence operations rarely mix well.” Perhaps the boys at the Pentagon need a refresher course.

This past week, the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency warned its staff not to view porn on U.S. government computers. The Pentagon also released a report on April’s Secret Service Colombian scandal. The two are connected.

In April, I said the Colombian scandal exposed a national security problem, the epidemic of U.S. government employees viewing porn — child porn — on government networks. I suggested readers type “Transportation Security Administration,” “U.S. State Department,” “Pentagon,” “Immigration and Customs Enforcement” and “child porn” into Google’s search field to understand the scope. I neglected to include “Missile Defense Agency.”

Bloomberg quotes a cybersecurity expert saying the Missile Defense Agency’s use of porn is concerning because “many pornographic websites are infected and criminals and foreign intelligence services such as Russia’s use them to gain access and harvest data.”

The only possible response is: Duh.  Read more from this story HERE.

Unlike Obama, Romney Comes Out in Support of Homosexual Boy Scout Leaders

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Photo credit: RDECOM

By Heather Clark.  A spokesperson for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has advised that the former Massachusetts governor disagrees with the Boy Scout’s current policy prohibiting open homosexuals from serving as members and leaders.

According to The Associated Press, Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul told the news outlet in an email that Romney still stands by his beliefs that homosexual men should be able to serve in the organization. She specifically noted that Romney had outlined his views in 1994 during a political debate, and that his stance has not changed.

“I support the right of the Boy Scouts of America to decide what it wants to do on that issue,” Romney stated during the debate. “I feel that all people should be able to participate in the Boy Scouts regardless of their sexual orientation.”

As previously reported, last month, the Boy Scouts of America issued a statement reaffirming its policy prohibiting open homosexuals from joining the organization.

“The committee’s work and conclusion is that this policy reflects the beliefs and perspectives of the BSA’s members, thereby allowing Scouting to remain focused on its mission and the work it is doing to serve more youth,” the statement said. “The review included forthright and candid conversation and extensive research and evaluations — both from within Scouting and from outside of the organization.”  Read more from this story HERE.

Advocates: Romney backs gay scouts, Obama is silent

By Stephen Dinan. There is one social issue on which Mitt Romney is more liberal than President Obama — that of urging the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to accept gay scouts.

Mr. Romney said in 1994 that while it was up to BSA to set its own policy, he thought the scouts should allow gay boys in, and this week his campaign reaffirmed that stance to the Associated Press. The 1994 comments came as he was running to unseat then-Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in Massachusetts.

“I support the right of the Boy Scouts of America to decide what it wants to do on that issue. I feel that all people should be able to participate in the Boy Scouts regardless of their sexual orientation,” Mr. Romney said during a debate at the time.

Now Scouts for Equality, a group pushing for the national scouting group to allow gay boys to join, said it’s time for Mr. Obama — who as president is the honorary president of the scouts — to take the same stand.

“I’m happy to hear that Mitt Romney’s campaign confirmed his support for the participation of my family, and families like mine, in the Boy Scouts of America,” said Jennifer Tyrrell, a former cub scout den leader who is lesbian, said in a statement. “I think President Obama should also let the public know what he thinks about a cultural institution like the Boy Scouts banning gay Americans.”  Read more from this story HERE.

Liberal tyranny and the cluck heard ‘round the world (+video)

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Photo credit: dbking

By Matt Barber. Writer Sinclair Lewis is credited with saying, “When fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in the flag and waving a cross.”

Close, but not quite. Truth is, fascism has come to America; but it’s wrapped in a rainbow flag and waving, well, let’s just say it sure ain’t waving a cross. With its latest wave of scorched-earth malfeasance, the radical left has awakened freedom-loving America to this reality.

Liberals learned a hard lesson on Wednesday. While the generally silent majority was showing exuberant support for free speech, the institution of true marriage and Chick-fil-A, “progressives” were gorging themselves on crow sandwiches doused in bitter hate. While Chick-fil-A was eating at liberals, millions of God-fearing Americans were eating at Chick-fil-A.

It was glorious. Those who would silence free speech were shouted down through an unprecedented – dare I say miraculous – show of unity in the body of Christ. Millions of God-fearing Americans took part in the “buy-cott” as Chick-fil-A’s cup runneth over.

It was a beautiful thing to behold. It made you proud to be an American. Most of the characteristically cocky “progressive” blogs and “news” sites observed radio silence as left-wing elitists – media, activists, politicos and pundits – sat in stunned disbelief.  Read more from this story HERE.

Of course, some of the media weren’t stunned. Rather, their failure to report arose out of overt bias, as admitted by this CBS affiliate:

Tuesday: Boycott Starbucks Day

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Photo credit: RyanWelshPhotography.com

Gay marriage activists are planning to swarm Starbucks on Tuesday in an attempt to counter the record sales from last week’s Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.

The chicken chain enjoyed a surge of support during the Wednesday event, dreamed up by former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee after Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy went on the record backing the “biblical definition of the family unit.”

A follow-up protest from Chick-fil-A critics on Friday, which was dubbed Same Sex Kiss Day, was more subdued.

Advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights are trying again Tuesday with National Marriage Equality Day, initiated by Equally Wed, a lesbian and gay wedding magazine. So far, nearly 28,000 people have signed up to attend.

The event was originally called National Starbucks Appreciation Day in honor of the coffee giant, which recently threw its support behind efforts to make gay marriage legal.

Read more from this story HERE.