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WA Dept of Health Celebrates Gay Lifestyle
Please see today’s Seattle Times news article on Referendum 65. Click here to view article. Also, today on Seattle’s KOMO Radio 1000 AM at 11:00 a.m., Gary will be on The Commentators program with Ken Schram and John Carlson.
An email sent on May 18, 2006 from Laurie Jinkins at the Washington Department of Health with subject, “looking for some good pictures,” announced that (quote), “June is ‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Month.’”
Ms. Jinkins continues, “We will again host displays on the subject throughout the Tumwater and Kent campus. Last year, this display created some controversy and a level of anxiety that we hope will be avoided this time around. The agency fully supports this display and celebration, as well as the legislation prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (ESHB2661) signed into law this past legislative session by Governor Gregoire.”
One has to ask, “Should the Washington Department of Health be promoting and celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning month?”
But then, if HB2661 is left to become law, I would be discriminating to ask the question. In fact, I could be, under HB2661, held to be discriminating to even “think” the question.
Please sign a Referendum 65 petition form. Click here to download your copy. We only have until June 7, 2006. Also, call the Washington Department of health in Olympia, 360-236-4600, and tell them you object to what they are doing.
__________________
Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom
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15 Comments:
One has to ask, “Should the Washington Department of Health be promoting and celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning month?”
One has to respond, "Is it better to promote and celebrate 'Humiliate and Harass LGBT/Questioning Individals' month instead? Or 'Pin a Triangle on a LGBT Person' Week?
Acknowledgement is regularly equated with 'celebrating', and this is unfortunate because it leads disapproving people to confuse 'celebrating' with approval when in fact it is more likely merely acknowledgement of the existance of.
Talking about it isn't 'celebrating' it; acknowledging that it exists isn't 'celebrating' it. Most people don't 'celebrate' National Pickle Week, but everyone can acknowledge it exists.
Laurie Jinkins is an outstanding citizen, human being and public servant.
You are completely inappropriate in criticizing her and the Dept. of Health. Their primary motives are with stemming teenage suicide and other public health threats.
"But then, if HB2661 is left to become law, I would be discriminating to ask the question. In fact, I could be, under HB2661, held to be discriminating to even “think” the question."
HB2661 is about access to housing, employment, public accommodations and financial services, period. It makes sure that ALL people have these regardless of their sexual orientation and is just one more quality that state civil rights legislation says shouldn't decide if someone should have access to the public arena.
Civil rights legislation doesn't limit speech, it doesn't limit thought - it is only about access and even then it is very limited. Washington state civil rights legislation doesn't apply to ANY non-profit organization, it doesn't apply to housing in family homes, heck it doesn't even do so for someone renting out up to 4 family homes at once! It doesn't apply to small businesses, it doesn't apply to churches.
How many times do these people need to be caught lying about the state's civil rights legislation before its realized that the people saying it are NOT Christian by any commonly held definition of the word? Any wonder I call them Christianists, i.e. people who in the name of Christ do the Devil's work. You can't achieve good ends through blatant lies.
why shouldn't they be celebrating? The department of health isn't a religious organization - they represent ALL the citizens of Washington state.
Nothing says that Gary has to celebrate it - regardless of whether 65 passes or not.
“Should the Washington Department of Health be promoting and celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning month?” --Good question. I also have a question. Should the DOH be promoting abortion, the sexualization of children and the Planned Parenthood/Alfred Kinsey "anything goes" approach to sex? Why do they insist on pushing their agenda on the rest of the state. They clearly do not represent everyone in the state when we have to fight tooth and nail against DOH to keep Planned Parenthood out of our schools and neighborhoods.
Mary, no they shouldn't be "promoting" abortion, the "sexualization" - etc. But providing corect, healthy information for those that want it is appropriate.
You have to understand that knowledge of something doesn't mean people are going to do it.
For instance, if you want to get rid of abortions, then work on removing the reasons women feel they need to have one (e.g. they can't afford to support the baby) rather than trying to hide information from them and hope they don't find out about it.
Our Health Department host Queer Bingo Nights , it really does. Winners get prizes from a local porn shop . Now there is tax dollars well spent .. Notice when someone needs the health department to provide an abortion you have to make an appointment .. Obviously Bingo and such take precedence . I guess the homosexual community considers this their pro life contribution by taking the emphasis off abortions .
"Our Health Department host [sic]..."
What a ridiculous post. No facts, just half-truths, generalizations and false statements.
Now here are some folks concerned about dignity and respect .
http://www.equalrights
washington.org/
This past weekend Tim Eyman and the radical right stooped to a new low. They tried to use churches across the state in a mean-spirited attempt to place a referendum on the November ballot that would repeal Washington’s civil rights protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Washington residents. Stand up to the radical right; sign ERW's resolution in support of the Washington Won't Discriminate campaign!
http://eqfed.org/campaign/WWD
Equal Rights Washington, the state's largest LGBT advocacy organization, calls on its advocates and all those who support Washington's anti-discrimination law to sign this powerful resolution. We’ll share the names of the signers of this petition with Washington Won’t Discriminate. The campaign will list your name on their website as an endorser and send you e-mail updates about how you can help protect Washington’s historic civil rights law. It’s time for all of us, straight and gay, to take a public stand.
http://eqfed.org/campaign/WWD
Washington Won’t Discriminate is the campaign formed by groups and individuals across Washington State to protect the state's civil rights law that prohibits discrimination in housing and employment because of sexual orientation or gender identity. ERW is proud to be a founding member of the Washington Won’t Discriminate Campaign. Today we ask our advocates, their friends, families, co-workers and neighbors to take action.
Click here to sign the resolution and be counted as a civil rights supporter.
While it was indeed disturbing to see signature collecting happening at fundamentalist churches, we should all take a moment to honor the churches and synagogues and other houses of worship that have led the movement for LGBT civil rights. Clergy, congregations and lay leaders have long been at the forefront of our human rights movement. Over 500 clergy and lay leaders have already signed a faith statement in support of Washington’s anti-discrimination law drafted by the Religious Coalition for Equality.
All of us working together will preserve Washington’s Anti-Discrimination law. After signing the resolution please forward this e-mail to all your friends and family.
Thank you for your support!
Barbara Green
Interim Executive Director
Equal Rights Washington
You should be ashamed of yourselves. Claiming to be righteous Christians when all you proliferate is fear and ignorance. In my view, THE FAITH AND FREEDOM NETWORK is the same as the Taliban. CONSERVATARDS. We will march in the streets and we will not give up in the face of stupidity.
So, I am sure in your little worlds you have people you know who are gay. Be sure to be honest and tell them how much you're taking away their rights as tax paying citizens.
Orgs like this are a pathetic example of the hypocrisy generated by self appointed saviours of the soon not to be FREE WORLD. We will crush every effort you make to snatch away our civil rights.
For instance, if you want to get rid of abortions, then work on removing the reasons women feel they need to have one (e.g. they can't afford to support the baby) rather than trying to hide information from them and hope they don't find out about it.
Well now that's an interesting thought... how about instead of saying we should remove the reason women feel they have to have an abortion, how about the premise they shouldn't be having sex if they can't support a child, which is / can be the natural result? :O Did I just say that out loud?
I guess the opinion on what is a "right" if vastly different now than it was when our Founding Fathers wrote the Declaration and the Bill of Rights. Yes, the Department of Health represents ALL citizens but represents and not favor... I'd be curious to see what happens in the future after all the bills favor homosexuals to the points where heterosexuals have to start pulling for bills so they aren't diescriminated against....
I thank God for Faith and Freedom network, and for you Gary Randall for advancing Judeo-Christian values in America. God Bless you.
"Well now that's an interesting thought... how about instead of saying we should remove the reason women feel they have to have an abortion, how about the premise they shouldn't be having sex if they can't support a child, which is / can be the natural result? :O Did I just say that out loud? "
Yes you did - how embarassing ;) Pretty silly since that is only one reason why someone might have an unwanted pregnancy and seems to allude to the preposterous contention that sex is something people can just need or not need like it was on a spigot. Jesus realized that the ability to be celibate was a gift from God that not all receive, you should you should know that too.
And you're trying to say there is any bill that favors homosexuals - which one is that? Not HB2661 - it protects the rights of all citizens regardless of their sexual orientation.
And our founding fathers were for the rights of the individual to pursuit their own happiness to the greatest amount of tolerance possible and the least amount of government interference. Our founding fathers with unitarians, deists, freemasons and out and out atheists. When it was proposed that the Continental Congress sessions be opened by a prayer it was decided it would be inappropriate to do so. The Jefferson Bible is still given out to all members of Congress, a book where Thomas Jefferson cut out all the superstitious parts of the Gospels and kept all the things he thought actually make someone a good Christian. Of course, someone can be gay and be in total compliance with everything there in.
Those trying to prevent HB2661 from going into effect today are just the replacements for the Pharisees of yesterday. They have hearts that are as dusty crypts and strive with all their might to make it as difficult as possible for their neighbors to love, to form families, and pursuit their vision of happiness and still have access to the essential civil features of our modern world. They are the proud champions of intolerance and they have nothing to do with our founding fathers or 'judeochristian values'.
As evidenced on this site, Judeo-Christian values are the enforcement of a set of "doctrine" of a minority upon the majority under the name of "Christianity".
The minority is the pope/church leader/etc. who sets their doctrine and gives it to the priests/pastors/etc who push it to the lay people of the church and from then on to everyone else.
"Doctrine" because the minority twists the text of the Bible to try and explain their position on topics to further their own agenda (i.e. money and power).
Reason, knowledge, understanding, science, etc. have no place in Judeo-Christian values. Repeating dogmatic assertions devoid of unassailable evidence is the Judeo-Christian responsibility of lay people.
Bless you Gary for promoting these values.
These values have a place in the previous person's values.
Convicted Killer Seeks Sex-Change Surgery
May 30 6:50 PM US/Eastern
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By DENISE LAVOIE
AP Legal Affairs Writer
BOSTON
A man serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife is asking a federal judge to order the state to pay for a sex-change operation for him, saying that denying him the surgery amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.
A psychiatrist testified Tuesday that he believes Robert Kosilek will kill himself if state correction officials refuse to allow the surgery and Kosilek is unable to complete his transformation into a woman.
Kosilek, 57, was convicted of strangling his wife, Cheryl, in 1990.
In 2002, U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf ruled that Kosilek _ who now goes by the name of Michelle _ was entitled to treatment for gender identity disorder, but stopped short of ordering the state to pay for the sex-change operation.
Since then, Kosilek has received psychotherapy, female hormone treatments and laser hair removal. Kosilek, who wears his hair long and tucked behind his ears, has developed larger breasts since beginning hormone treatments.
Kosilek sued the Department of Correction for the second time last year, saying that numerous psychiatrists who had examined him _ including two of the DOC's own experts _ had determined that a sex- change operation is "medically necessary."
"We ask that gender identity disorder be treated like any other medical condition," said Kosilek's attorney, Frances Cohen.
Kosilek sat quietly in court Tuesday as his attorney and an attorney for the state Department of Correction made opening statements in a trial that is expected to last up to two weeks. Kosilek opted to have the case heard by Wolf instead of a jury.
During the 2002 trial, Kosilek testified that he has suffered from gender identity disorder since the age of 3. He said he had twice tried to kill himself and also tried to castrate himself.
The DOC's attorney, Richard McFarland, said that DOC Commissioner Kathleen Dennehy made the decision to deny surgery for Kosilek based on "significant safety and security concerns."
McFarland said correction officials fear that if Kosilek has the surgery and returns _ as a woman _ to the all-male, medium-security prison in Norfolk where he is now serving his sentence, he could be a target for assault by male inmates. If he is transferred to the women's prison in Framingham, there are concerns he will pose a risk to female inmates there, McFarland said.
Two psychiatrists will testify that Kosilek functions "at a very high level" and that a sex-change operation is not medically necessary, McFarland said.
Neither side gave an estimate on the costs of the sex-change operation. Kosilek's attorney told Wolf she believes the DOC could argue that the surgery should be covered by the DOC's provider under its overall mental health contract.
Dr. George Richard Brown, a psychiatrist who said he has treated over 1,000 patients with gender identity disorder since 1979, acknowledged that Kosilek's depression and anxiety have improved since he began receiving female hormones. But he said that improvement was based on Kosilek's sense of hope that he will be allowed to become a woman.
"I believe that she would kill herself," Brown said, when asked by Kosilek's attorney what would happen if Kosilek does not have a sex- change operation.
"I don't believe she would consider life worth living without hope for completion of her treatment plan," he said.
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