https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/08/wedding-rescued-stranger-baker-refuses-make-cake-lesbian-couple/

I am getting really tired of the open bigotry and the willingness of some to go along with it.    I try to be understanding so that if it is a misunderstanding or an issue of wrong education, I can correct these things.    But the times have reverted to where bigots and haters are taking open pride in their cruelty and their ability to slam doors in other people’s face in the name of their god, their bible, or their political party.   It is not only hurting the people involved but the ones causing the harm are then taking a victory lap celebrating the pissing on another person’s happiness, while in some cases celebrating doing all they can to ruin joyous occasions for LGBTQ+ people.   What kind of person does that?   I am getting angrier and more bitter about it.   It used to be a fringe thing, until our government got taken over by a fascist religious movement and now the highest court in the land is openly pushing religion and removing the rights of the LGBTQ+ people along with women.    50 years of progress wiped out by religious bigots.   This reminds me of the dark ages when Europe went from enlightenment to regressive religious control.   They call it the dark ages for a reason.   Please note this was the only baker int the area of what kind of cake they needed.    This answers the question of just go to a different company / place to get what you need.   There is often not another provider for what you need without a lot of trouble and travel.  

 Personal note.    I made a joke with my doctor today and mentioned my spouse.  He said she must be …   I replied “Yes Ron and I have been together …”   He immediately apologized for assuming it was a woman and using the pronoun her.   He clearly was not trying to be offensive, and the things he said showed me he was accepting of my relationship and gave it value.   I told him it was not a problem, and we continued to talk.   The reason I mention this is this doctor had the right now in Florida to end our medical relationship, to stop being my medical provider and all he would have to do is say his religious beliefs said so.  I like this doctor, I trust him, he has done a lot for me that other doctors missed, and I am following him to his new practice.   But by mentioning that my spouse was male he could have legally dropped me, refusing to provide me service in Florida.  He has the right now in the red bigoted kingdom of DeathSantis to leave me with no medical assistance in his field of practice.    That is the world we now live in as LGBTQ+, something that we once had secured wouldn’t be allowed.   How chilling it must be for younger or less secure people to be open about their relationships or being different when it can cost them their jobs, their housing, their medical providers, all the things in their lives that used to be secure.   This is what the republican maga cult Christian nationalist thugs want, to drive the LGBTQ+ back into the closet too scared to let it be known who they are.     That is what the republicans / maga cult have brought us. If you support the hate / bigotry, then this is the world you support for people like me.    Hugs

A New York baker stepped in when another cake-maker backed out at the last minute.

 

By Greg Owen Sunday, August 14, 2022    

 

Photo: Shutterstock

 

“We don’t know how to begin to wrap our heads around this and voice our gratitude.”

So said engaged couple Desirie White and Jess Dowd after a New York baker stepped in to save their wedding day with a free vegan cake.

In June, the pair were planning their nuptials and contracted for a cake over the phone with local vegan bakery O Taste and See Delight in Effort, PA.

After the bakery owner received the signed contract back indicating the cake would be for a same-sex couple, she denied them service.

The owner wrote: “I want to thank you again for reaching out to me and asking me to create your wedding cake. However, I will not be able to do this for you. Please accept my deepest apologies.”

“I believe that the LGBT + community has the right to live as other civilians and be protected. Yet, my refusal to make your cake is based on my fidelity to the God of Scripture, and my religious beliefs are combined with my business practices. I have refunded you the full amount of $275.00. The contract is no longer binding.”

White posted the about-face on Facebook.

“I don’t know what to make of this. I am extremely upset. I’m extremely upset that she has waited a month to the date to wait and tell us no, when I reached out to her in June.”

“Jess and I agreed we wanted to invest in her small, black owned business. I reached out to her because she specializes in cakes that I need for a medical issue. It has taken us awhile to find that type of bakery so it felt like a blessing to have found a small business that bakes vegan goodies and is about 15 minutes away from our venue.”

“I believe in God, but I know that MY GOD would not condemn or deny me because of who I am and who I love. My conscience and my decisions are made from unconditional love, respect, and understanding which I know in my heart are God’s values, too. Not fear of punishment. I’m not going to lie, this hurts really deep.”

That’s when Rebecca Riley, the owner of Peace, Love, Cupcakes in Syracuse, NY reached out online to offer the couple her own wedding day dessert, free of charge.

White told Syracuse.com of the offer: “I immediately started crying, like something hit me in the gut. Some people in my family wouldn’t go this far for us.”

Riley posted she was “furious” with the baker’s denial of service, and since she’s “only two hours and 52 minutes away,” she would provide the couple’s vegan lemon cake for free.

White added in a follow-up post: “Rebecca extended her hand without a second thought to offer her services in making us a beautiful cake at no cost with the support of her followers.”

“One person turned their back on us and a whole community stepped up to stand beside us and the feeling I get from that is just so overwhelming… from the bottom of our gay hearts, thank you.”

While Riley got pushback on Facebook for ”patting ourselves on the back” and “shoving our liberal agendas down everyone’s throats,” she wanted her followers to know:

“Our hearts are just bursting. Thank you for all of the love and beautiful words but please know, this is about so much more than us. This is about the incredible community surrounding us and how they chose to step up just as quickly as I did, no questions asked. That’s the real feel-good story here.”

One follower commented: “You just keep kicking butt and frosting cupcakes. We know where your heart is. And we appreciate it.”

The name of the bakery that denied service is likely a reference to the Bible’s Psalm 34:8: “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

 

 

 

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/08/straight-congressmans-impassioned-speech-marriage-equality-nails-stake/

Donald Norcross, a fourth-term Congressman, is a blue collar workhorse. That’s precisely why his impassioned stemwinder before a marriage equality vote in Congress stands out.

 

By Jay Lassiter Monday, August 15, 2022    

 

Rep. Donald Norcross (NJ)Photo: House of Representatives

 

There’s no shortage of media-hungry bigmouths in Congress rights now.  Sadly it’s a feature of American politics and not a bug at this point.

By contrast, Donald Norcross, a fourth-term Congressman, is a blue collar workhorse from Philly’s South Jersey ‘burbs. And that’s precisely why his impassioned stemwinder before a marriage equality vote in Congress stands out. With the Supreme Count poised to reverse their 2015 gay marriage decision, the Democratic-controlled Congress is keen to codify marriage equality into Federal law.

Congressman Norcross:

“I woke up this morning, got ready to come over to the Capitol, and as I often do, I glanced over to pictures of my family. And I glanced to a picture of my nine-month-old grandson. Couldn’t be happier about the newest addition to my family. I couldn’t be prouder of the two people who brought him into the world: my daughter Corey and her wife, Hedya. When my daughter told me she wanted to get married, I told her what every good parent should tell her: that if this is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, I couldn’t be happier for you.”

His voice filled with emotion, he explained how his daughter-in-law’s cancer diagnosis brought a life-and-death urgency to their wedding plans.

“And as I stood at their wedding… I knew it was only made possible because of a recent Supreme Court decision. And today… that same court has opened the door to dismantling families like mine. Splitting this little guy’s family apart, potentially. We can’t let that happen…. I don’t speak about the religious beliefs of my colleagues, but I have to ask: What God would fault in this baby and his two mommies? There is nothing wrong with this. This is pure love. It’s what we all should aspire to. And with that, I encourage my colleagues to vote ‘yes’ so we are equal in all states.”

The legislation passed 267-157, a tally that includes most of the Democratic caucus plus 47 republicans. The bill’s prospects are unclear in the upper house where at least 10 GOP votes are needed to break a Senate filibuster and get the legislation to President Joe Biden’s desk.

And if supporters meet the 60 vote threshold in the Senate, it’ll be thanks to anecdotes like the one Donald Norcross shared on the House floor.

“I’m a rather private person when it comes to the family,” Congressman Norcross told LGBTQ Nation. “But the idea of having some of the statements from the other side of the aisle, what they were saying was just no middle ground. I think it’s incredibly important that people can be who they are.”

Norcross beamed when he mentioned his grandson. 

“And he came into this world because of an absolutely wonderful marriage between my daughter and her wife and I spoke from a very real perspective of who they are, and how their life has just grown and blossomed,” Mr. Norcross added. 

According to Brielle Winslow-Majette, Deputy Director, Garden State Equality, support for marriage equality is at an all time high because of personal anecdotes like this one. 

“Congressman Norcross’s story about his daughter, her wife, and their 9-month-old son is a story millions of Americans across the country share,” Ms. Winslow-Majette told LGBTQ Nation. “Simply put, it is a story about a loving family. Loving someone and building a family with them is all we’re talking about here. I was touched by the Congressman’s story and I hope the commonality of a story that is shared by so many will resonate in the halls of Congress.”

It’s a high bar in the Senator where supporters must flip ten (or more) Republicans to clear the next hurdle.

Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (AK), Susan Collins (ME), Rob Portman (OH), Thom Tillis (NC), and Ron Johnson (WI) have previously expressed support for marriage equality legislation. That takes the whip count to 55 if all Democrats vote yes as expected.

The list of on-the-fence GOP Senators includes Mitt Romney (UT), Pat Toomey (PA), Tommy Tuberville (AL), Dan Sullivan (AK), Ben Sasse (NB), and Indiana’s Mike Braun and Todd Young, among others.

Congressman Norcross noted that Utah’s entire Congressional delegation, all Republicans, voted for marriage equality, perhaps portending Senator Romney as a pivotal 56th YES vote in the Senate.

For his part, Congressman Norcross is already discreetly lobbying members of the Senate to vote YES on marriage equality.

“This is one of those times that I’m going to keep that a little bit quiet,” Mr. Norcross told LGBTQ Nation when queried about who he’s lobbying. “They, depending on what Senator we’re talking about, face different pressures from outside, in addition to their own personal views. And I don’t want to give anybody a reason to go and torque him up or her up, I think we’re going to try to do this just a little bit more quietly, and see where we can go with it and I think it stands a chance.”