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| Jimmy Swaggart, who heads the Baton Rouge, La.-based Jimmy Swaggart
Ministries, told his TV and radio audience in September that if a gay man ever
looked at him romantically, he would ‘kill him and tell God he died.’
He later apologized. |
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HOME > NEWS > LOCAL
By: DYANA BAGBY
COMMENTS |
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From the brutal killing of a young gay man in Alabama, to Florida’s ban
on gay adoption being upheld in court, to state measures banning gay marriage
in four southern states, the Southeast saw many gay rights setbacks during 2004.
Appeals court upholds Fla. gay adoption ban. A three-judge panel of the Atlanta-based
federal 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Florida can legally bar “practicing
homosexuals” from adopting children. “The state of Florida has made
the determination that it is not in the best interest of its displaced children
to be adopted by individuals who engage in current, voluntary homosexual activity
and we have found nothing in the Constitution that forbids this policy judgment,”
Judge Stanley Birch wrote in the panel’s decision.
Ky. school gets gay-straight alliance. After a lengthy legal battle, officials
in Ashland, Ky., agreed to allow students in a gay-rights group to meet at Boyd
County High School. The school board voted to accept a consent decree to settle
a lawsuit by the Gay-Straight Alliance. The lawsuit accused the school district
of violating students’ constitutional rights by not allowing them to meet
at the school.
Gay dad loses, then wins in Ten-nessee. court. The Tennessee Court of Appeals
upheld a temporary restraining order that prevented divorced gay father Joe
Hogue from introducing his child to his gay partner. During his divorce, a judge
issued a temporary restraining order restricting Hogue from “taking the
child around or otherwise exposing the child to his gay lover(s) and/or his
gay lifestyle.” Hogue’s ex-wife alleged he violated the order and
Hogue was sent to jail for two days. Weeks later, on March 24, the same court
reversed its ruling, setting a precedent that heterosexual and gay parents must
be treated equally by judges in child custody or visitation disputes.
Texas governor denounces ‘smear campaign.’ Texas Gov. Rick Perry,
a Republican, denied widespread rumors he and his wife are divorcing over an
alleged gay infidelity and that he will resign from office. Perry told reporters
that political enemies are responsible for the “smear campaign.”
Episcopal church withholds money over gay bishop. An Episcopal Church in Lexington
stopped giving money to the Lexington diocese and the Episcopal Church USA as
a means to object to the consecration of openly gay bishop Gene Robinson. Robinson
became the bishop of New Hampshire this month and is the church’s first
openly gay bishop.
N.C. city backs same-sex marriage. The Chapel Hill Town Council voted to ask
state legislators to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. The council planned
to recognize same-sex marriages even though North Carolina does not do so under
the state’s DOMA. Town leaders want the option of recognizing legal gay
marriages from other states.
Tennessee county’s proposed gay ban sparks rallies. More than 400 people
turned out May 8 for a Rhea County Gay Day celebration prompted by the county
commission’s March vote to ban gay men and lesbians and have them arrested
for “crimes against nature.” The commission later rescinded the
vote. On May 7, an anti-gay rally was held at the Dayton, Tenn., courthouse
where a jury in 1925 convicted John Scopes of teaching evolution. In June, the
Rhea commissioners opted to specify support of a state ban on gay marriage.
Fla. couples sue to legally wed. Miami attorney Ellis Rubin filed a lawsuit
on behalf of three gay male couples and one lesbian couple challenging the constitutionality
of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Named as defendants are Florida Gov.
Jeb Bush, Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist and Miami-Dade County Clerk
of Courts Harvey Ruvin. Gay activists urged Rubin to postpone challenging the
law because of the current anti-gay marriage political climate.
Louisiana debates constitutional amendment defining marriage. Louisiana lawmakers
approved a ban on gay marriage and civil unions and send the measure to voters.
The ballot initiative is overwhelmingly approved on Sept. 18, but Forum for
Equality, a gay-rights group, sued because, attorneys argued, the measure addressed
two issues — marriage and civil unions — when state law requires
constitutional amendments to address only one issue. In October, a state judge
threw out the vote, declaring it violated the “single object” rule. ...
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