A Truly New Pope

Yesterday is was reported that Pope Francis said something about gay people. 

What he said was not nearly so important as the fact he said anything at all. The very fact that the pontiff, God's representative on Earth, said anything about gays other than a dismissal is truly astonishing. 

What did he say? According to today's New York Times he told reporters "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” 

I thought I would never hear this from the leader of the Catholic church. Our last pope dismissed homosexuality as "an intrinsic moral evil," carrying the banner of hatred and bigotry that has been ubiquitous in the Church for millennia. But not this pope. What a difference a papacy makes. 

I was less than thrilled when Francis' papacy was announced earlier this year. I tweeted that he seemed to be more of the same. I now officially recant that position. 

He may never say another word about gays again. But the fact that he did will stick with me for many years to come. 

My Letter from President Obama

On 28 January 2009 I wrote a letter to the then-new President Barack Obama asking him why he was a bigot. 


Today I am happy to say that I finally got an answer. I received a mass e-mail from his political campaign that said the following:


David --

Today, I was asked a direct question and gave a direct answer:

I believe that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry...

I've always believed that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally. I was reluctant to use the term marriage because of the very powerful traditions it evokes. And I thought civil union laws that conferred legal rights upon gay and lesbian couples were a solution.


But over the course of several years I've talked to friends and family about this. I've thought about members of my staff in long-term, committed, same-sex relationships who are raising kids together. Through our efforts to end the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, I've gotten to know some of the gay and lesbian troops who are serving our country with honor and distinction.

What I've come to realize is that for loving, same-sex couples, the denial of marriage equality means that, in their eyes and the eyes of their children, they are still considered less than full citizens.

Even at my own dinner table, when I look at Sasha and Malia, who have friends whose parents are same-sex couples, I know it wouldn't dawn on them that their friends' parents should be treated differently.

So I decided it was time to affirm my personal belief that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.


A little over three years later I got the answer to my letter that I frankly did not think I would ever receive. 


I have to say thank you President Obama for being courageous enough to stand up for all American citizens. Thank-you sir, thank-you. 

Reagan-Appointed Judge Defends Gay Marriage in California

A few moments ago Reagan appointee Vaughn Walker overturned California's gay marriage ban.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/ybenjamin/detail??blogid=150&entry_id=69382

You gotta love activist judges...