VERMONT: Sued Innkeepers Respond

The owners of Vermont's Wildflower Inn have responded to the ACLU's lawsuit filed against them for refusing to host a gay wedding reception.

"We have never refused rooms or dining or employment to gays or lesbians," they wrote. "Many of our guests have been same-sex couples. We welcome and treat all people with respect and dignity. We do not however, feel that we can offer our personal services wholeheartedly to celebrate the marriage between same-sex couples because it goes against everything that we as Catholics believe in."

You can fuck all night in our rooms as unmarried sinners!

VERMONT: Lesbian Couple Sues Hotel For Refusing Their Wedding Reception

A lesbian couple has filed a lawsuit against a Vermont inn for refusing to host their wedding reception. Their suit was filed by the ACLU.

Kate Baker and Ming Linsley filed the suit on Tuesday in Vermont Superior Court, accusing the Wildflower Inn of Lyndonville of abruptly turning them away after learning they are lesbians. They claim the inn violated Vermont’s Fair Housing and Public Accommodations Act, which prohibits inns, hotels, motels and other establishments with five or more rooms from turning away patrons based on sexual orientation. The law makes an exemption for religious organizations. Twenty-one other states and the District of Columbia have similar laws. Greg Johnson, a law professor at Vermont Law School, said the suit could set a precedent as more states legalize same-sex marriage. Currently, same-sex marriage is legal in six states and the District of Columbia, all of which protect gay men and lesbians in their public-accommodations laws.

According to the suit, the inn has turned away at least two other gay couples.

TEXAS: Atheist Group Sues Gov. Rick Perry Over Christianist Prayer Rally

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has filed suit against Texas Gov. Rick Perry for his planned role in the upcoming prayer rally being staged by the American Family Association.

The complaint alleges Perry violated the First Amendment's establishment clause by organizing, promoting and participating in the event. "The answers for America's problems won't be found on our knees or in heaven, but by using our brains, our reason and in compassionate action," said Dan Barker, a co-director of the foundation. "Gov. Perry's distasteful use of his civil office to plan and dictate a religious course of action to 'all citizens' is deeply offensive to many citizens, as well as to our secular form of government." The group, which unsuccessfully sued to stop a national day of prayer earlier this year, filed the case on behalf of 700 members in Texas and called on the court to stop Perry from participating in the meeting or using his office to promote or recognize it.

Backers of the event are furious: "This is tantamount to a lawsuit declaring Governor Perry is unable to attend church on Sundays. It's the most outrageous thing I've ever seen." The FFRF fires back that that AFA "promotes a rabid evangelical Christian agenda that is hostile to nonbelievers, non-Christians and other protected groups, such as gays and lesbians."

Tony Perkins On Polygamy Lawsuit: We Warned You This Was Coming

Last night the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins sent out a bulletin about the lawsuit filed by the cast of Sister Wives. It goes as you'd expect.

There are times when groups like FRC don't enjoy being right. And the fallout from the New York same-sex "marriage" law is one of them. Those of us who have spent years in the fight for marriage have cautioned Americans where this brave new world could lead. And it isn't to "equality." Once marriage is redefined, we warned, polygamy and open infidelity won't be far behind. People accused us of exaggerating the stakes. Yet within days of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signing his name to the New York law, a man and his four wives felt emboldened enough to launch a challenge to Utah's polygamy ban.

In the suit, they argue that the law violates the equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment. In an interview with the New York Times, Kody Brown said, "We only wish to live our private lives according to our beliefs." Sound familiar? Homosexual activists have used this same "privacy" argument for decades. And while I believe in those rights, these acts are not constrained to the bedroom. They have devastating implications for society and the culture as a whole. For homosexuals, this has never been about "benefits" or "equality." It's about a devastating strategy meant to destroy innocence, religious freedom, and ultimately, the family.

Have a great day destroying innocence, everybody!

SF City Attorney: Proposed Circumcision Ban Is Unconstitutional As Written

San Francisco's city attorney has publicly responded to a lawsuit intended to cancel a pending ballot initiative that would make it a crime to circumcise a person under 18 years old.

The city of San Francisco weighed in for the first time Thursday on a local ballot measure that would ban the circumcision of male children, arguing that the proposed law would be unconstitutional if it applies to Jewish mohels but not pediatricians and other doctors. The city attorney's office made the argument in response to a lawsuit by a coalition of Jews and Muslims that has asked a California court to remove the initiative from the Nov. 8 ballot. The lawsuit, which names the city and the anti-circumcision activist who qualified the measure, argues that state law bars local governments from restricting medical procedures. But if a judge accepts that reasoning and excludes only physicians from the ban, the measure would target only religious faiths that practice circumcision and would therefore run afoul of the First Amendment's guarantee of religious freedom, lawyers for the city wrote in court papers.

Lambda Legal To Sue NJ For Marriage

Just in via press release:

Lambda Legal to Announce Marriage Equality Lawsuit with Garden State Equality on Wednesday at 10:00 am

Save the Date: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.

(Trenton, June 28, 2011) - Tomorrow Lambda Legal and Garden State Equality will hold a press conference announcing a marriage equality lawsuit.

When: Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Where: Trenton Marriott Downtown, Salon C
1 West Lafayette Street
Trenton, New Jersey 08608

Who: Hayley Gorenberg, Lambda Legal Deputy Legal Director ; Steven Goldstein, Chair and CEO of Garden State Equality; Case plaintiffs

Interesting timing!