NationStates Jolt Archive


The National Paste, Vol. 1

05-05-2004, 23:01
The National Paste
"News You Can Use"
Vol. 1

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UPS AND DOWNS FOR GAY AND LESBIAN EQUALITY

For anyone who thought that the fight for LGBT equality was all but
over, there were a couple of rude shocks this week.

First, the federal appeals court in Miami rejected the ACLU’s challenge
to Florida’s ban on adoption by lesbians and gay men. The Court said
that Lawrence v. Texas -- the Supreme Court’s decision last summer
striking down Texas’ same-sex only sodomy law -- gives gay people virtually
no protection except against sodomy laws.

Worse, the Court’s decision drags up some of the most appalling fake
science on gay parenting, stuff even the state of Florida was unwilling
to use. And while this case has been going on, the number of kids who
are ready to be adopted but for whom the state can’t find homes has
grown by about a third. Many of those kids will never get homes.

Second, the Kansas appeals court upheld Matt Limon’s prison sentence
for having consensual sex with another teenager when he was 18. Had the
other teenager been a girl, Matt would have been given 15 months.
Since the other teen was a boy, Matt got a 17-year sentence.

In its decision, the Court gave three absurd explanations for
sentencing gays so much more severely: that doing so will reduce the spread of
sexually transmitted diseases, encourage "traditional sexual mores," and
promote procreation and marriage.

While the ACLU is disappointed by these narrow-minded decisions, we are
still optimistic about the future of LGBT rights in America and we are
heartened by yesterday's decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial
Court reaffirming their earlier decision that same-sex couples are
entitled to equal marriage rights under the state constitution's guarantees
of due process and equal protection.

The Kansas Court of Appeals decision can be read in its entirety at:
http://www.aclu.org/L/www.kscourts.org/kscases/ctapp/2004/20040130/85898.cfm?MX=1132&H=0

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