Two Catholic Governors and Two Bishops Oppose LGBT Discrimination 

With North Carolina’s passage of a “license to discriminate” law that now jeopardizes LGBT communities’ civil rights in the states, new attention is being afforded to similar legislation across the U.S. This year alone, there have been at least 105 bills in statehouses across the country which seek to protect those who discriminate against LGBT people or otherwise curtail civil rights tied to sexual orientation and gender identity, often in the name of religious freedom.

How have Catholics responded to this latest struggle for full legal equality? Bondings 2.0 highlights two developments below.

Support from Catholic Governors and the Laity

Catholic governors have intervened to defend LGBT civil rights in at least two states where these “license to discriminate” movements popped up. In Louisiana, Governor John Bel Edwards announced his intention to rescind an executive order which allows discrimination against LGBT people. The order was signed by former Governor Bobby Jindal, who is also Catholic, about which The Advocate reported:

Bondings 2.0

Pope Francis is world’s most popular leader, poll finds

Pope Francis is the most popular world leader according to a new opinion poll by WIN/Gallup.The survey, taken by 1,000 people in 64 countries respectively, puts the popularity of the Pope above US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande.Francis achieved a net score of +41 – the difference between favourable and unfavourable opinions – 11 points ahead of closest rival President Obama, who achieved +30.Citizens in countries around the world were asked: “Irrespective of your own religion, do you have a very favourable, somewhat favourable, somewhat unfavourable or very unfavourable opinion of Pope Francis?”Five out of 10 respondents (54 per cent) hol

Source: Pope Francis is world’s most popular leader, poll finds

Stepchild ad una coppia gay: sentenza storica a Roma 

Il Tribunale per i minorenni di Roma ha emesso un’altra sentenza storica sull’adozione da parte di coppie omosessuali. Ha concesso l’adozione di un bambino, un maschietto, a due padri omosessuali che sono ricorsi ad una inseminazione eterologa, quindi ad una cosiddetta maternità surrogata, in Canada.

I due uomini sono una coppia stabile dai tempi dell’Università: il Tribunale ha quindi ritenuto che fosse nel superiore interesse del bambino stare con i due papà che lo hanno cresciuto ed ha di fatto legalizzato una situazione esistente da tempo. I termini sono infatti scaduti e la sentenza è inappellabile.

Source: Gay.it

Italie : deux hommes accèdent à l’adoption

C’est une « décision historique » que vient de prendre le Tribunal des mineurs de Rome, comme le rapporte Gay.it. Alors que le projet de loi sur l’union civile n’entend pas légiférer sur l’adoption par les couples de même sexe, la Cour vient de reconnaître l’adoption d’un enfant par deux hommes, désormais deux heureux papas.

Ce dernier, un petit garçon, a été conçu par insémination hétérologue (c’est-à-dire par insémination du sperme du donneur) puis par le biais d’une maternité de substitution au Canada.

Les deux hommes formant un couple stable depuis l’université, le Tribunal des mineurs a effectivement estimé qu’il était dans l’intérêt de l’enfant de vivre avec les deux papas qui l’ont élevé.

Source: Italie : deux hommes accèdent à l’adoption

Botswana’s Gay Rights Groups Celebrate A Big Court Win 

Botswana’s top court has ruled that, regardless of moral disapproval, the government cannot ban gay rights advocates from forming political action groups.This crucial affirmation of civil rights could have wider meaning for LGBT organizations in the country and beyond.

In 2014 Botswana’s High Court ruled against the government to affirm that Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana cannot be prevented from registering as a non-governmental organization. The Court also acknowledged that LGBT groups are entitled to campaign on HIV/AIDS prevention and fight anti-gay legislation.

Botswana’s government decried the outcome and appealed to the Court of Appeals. Now, the Court of Appeals has upheld the ruling, stating that forming such a group is a fundamental right.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/botswanas-gay-rights-groups-celebrate-a-big-court-win.html#ixzz43Mdn9fNa

Source:  Care2 Causes

 British Baptists urged not to host gay weddings

 

The Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) has urged its member churches to refrain from conducting same sex marriages.The Union’s Council meeting this week discussed the issue of same-sex marriage in the light of the 2013 legislation making such marriages legal.A previous response to the change in the law, in May 2014, affirmed “the traditionally accepted Biblical understanding of Christian marriage, as a union between a man and a woman”. However, it also said that “we also recognise the freedom of a minister to respond to the wishes of their church, where their conscience permits, without breach of disciplinary guidelines” – implicitly allowing ministers to conduct same-sex marriages if they wish.The statement from this week’s Council meeting “positively re-affirms and commends to our churches our Union’s historic Biblical understanding of marriage as a union between one man and one woman, and calls them to live in the light of it”. It stresses that this understanding has “shaped the rules for accredited Baptist ministers regarding sexuality and the ministry and our rules continue to remain unchanged”.However, it also references the Union’s ‘Declaration of Principle’, which says each local church can make its own decisions “under the guidance of the Holy Spirit”.

Source:  Christian Today

LGBTI Africans urge Commonwealth focus on human rights | 76 CRIMES

The  London-based African LGBTI organization Out and Proud Diamond Group has launched a campaign to put human rights of LGBTI people on the agenda for the next summit meeting of leaders of the Commonwealth.

If they succeed, that meeting in early 2018 in the United Kingdom would be the first one to address the issue.Among the 53 nations in the Commonwealth, which includes countries that formerly belonged to the British Empire, 39 still have anti-homosexuality laws, most of them originally imposed by the British.

Source: 76 CRIMES

LGBT Irish-Americans Finally Fully Welcomed to NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade

When the St. Patrick’s Day Parade kicks off in New York City tomorrow, it will finally be an inclusive celebration of Irish heritage with all LGBT marchers fully welcomed for the first time. The Lavender & Green Alliance has been invited to march by parade organizers, reported the Washington Blade. The Alliance, which since 2000 has hosted an alternative event in Queens called the St. Pat’s For All Parade, was celebrating the welcome, said founder and chair Brendan Fay. He told the Blade the parade will be

Source: LGBT Irish-Americans Finally Fully Welcomed to NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade | Bondings 2.0

When the governor called in Jesus to defend gay people from Christians 

Governor Nathan Deal, a reliably conservative Republican, cited Jesus last week to cast doubt on the wisdom of broadly worded “religious liberty” legislation that has passed Georgia’s legislature and awaits his action. His stunning words might signal that the anti-gay fever that has swept conservative Christian America, especially in the wake of the 2015 Supreme Court gay marriage decision, could be about to break.

Let that sink in for a minute while I tell you about our sad plight here in the Southland.

Source:  Christians, Conflict and Change

Catholic Church in Michigan may expand health care to gay couples

In a move praised by LGBT advocates, the Catholic Church in Michigan is making changes to its health care plan that could allow gays to get health care for their partners or spouses.

In a letter sent this week to pastors and employees of the Catholic Church in Michigan, the Michigan Catholic Conference said it is modifying its health care coverage to include legally domiciled adults (LDA), meaning those who are above 18, have lived with the employee for at least six months and are financially interdependent with the employee.

Source: Detroit Free Press