Gay Lovers in Exile - The Daily Beast

Recent same-sex marriage victories don’t include the right to sponsor your spouse for a green card, leaving binational gay couples wondering where exactly home is.

Gay Lovers in Exile - The Daily Beast

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Please switch over to the Equality Florida Blog.
That's where you will get Breaking New and features that matter to you.

http://eqfl.blogspot.com/

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Nadine

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Rachel Maddow & Behind the Scenes of Anti-Gay Marriage Video

Rachel Maddow & Behind the Scenes of Anti-Gay Marriage Video

Worth seeing since the anti-Marriage Equality folks are trying to get all the videos of their auditions off the internet.

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Rachel Maddow & Behind the Scenes of Anti-Gay Marriage Video

Rachel Maddow & Behind the Scenes of Anti-Gay Marriage Video

Worth seeing since the anti-Marriage Equality folks are trying to get all the videos of their auditions off the internet.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

YouTube - Response to the Lies told in "NOM - Gathering Storm" ad

The National Organization for Marriage recently released a new fear mongering (if not over-blown and dramatic) ad against same sex marriage full of lies and propaganda. Here is one clever lad's response.

YouTube - Response to the Lies told in "NOM - Gathering Storm" ad

Equality Florida: Send A "Thank You" Postcard to Vermont

Big Victory

Send A "Thank You" Postcard to Vermont

We're sending a great big "Thank You" from the Sunshine State to Vermont for becoming the first and only state to recognize full marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples through the legislative process.

Sign this ePostcard and we'll deliver your note to Vermont's Senate President Shumlin and House Speaker Smith, who stood out as real champions in this effort, along with thousands of other "Thank You" notes from Florida.

We know anti-gay groups are already targeting these leaders. Let them know we stand behind them all the way.

BREAKING NEWS: Gainesville Voters Reject Charter Amendment 1, Uphold LGBT Protections

 

Victory In Gainesville Voters Reject Fear Tactics and Discrimination March 24, 2009 (GAINESVILLE, FL) Equality Florida joins with local leaders in Gainesville and fair-minded people across the state and nation in celebrating today's decisive victory over discrimination and fear embodied in Gainesville Charter Amendment 1. Voters rejected the amendment by a vote of 58% to 42%. If passed, Charter Amendment 1 would have repealed existing civil rights protections for Gainesville's gay and transgender community. For over a year, backers of the amendment have waged a fear-based campaign filled with outright lies and media campaigns that dehumanized gay and transgender people. Specifically, these extremists drew a target on the backs of transgender people with bigoted messages intended to instill fear in the hearts of Gainesville citizens. Led by Equality Is Gainesville's Business, a coalition of local, state and national organizations worked together to stop discrimination from being legalized in Gainesville. The sweeping language of the ballot initiative, imported to Florida by a far right conservative group in Michigan, would have also prohibited the City of Gainesville from ever providing nondiscrimination protections beyond those listed in the Florida Civil Rights Act. "Supporters of Charter Amendment 1 waged a campaign that blatantly lied to voters about the protections Gainesville has provided transgender citizens." said Joe Saunders EQGB campaign manager. "By targeting transgender people, proponents of Charter Amendment 1 have proven the need for inclusive anti-discrimination laws. Voter's embraced Gainesville's anti-discrimination laws tonight when they rejected Amendment 1." Saunders is also the field director for Equality Florida. "This is a local victory but it's significance reaches across our state and our nation. Those pushing Amendment 1 are part of a national effort to repeal LGBT protection in communities across the country," said Nadine Smith, executive director for Equality Florida. "This victory sends a strong signal that we will not allow extremists to turn back the progress we have made to secure equality for everyone." The local team waged a strong grassroots campaign reaching voters and unmasking the real human impact of the proposed amendment. "Today Gainesville voters showed that they value the rights of all citizens," said EQGB Chair and Gainesville City Commissioner Craig Lowe. "They have rejected the politics of fear and instead chose to retain the values that make our city such a beautiful place. Today, our voters showed their true character by emphasizing that, in Gainesville, every person matters." A broad array of organizations came out to publicly oppose Charter Amendment 1. These organizations include: the Anti-Defamation League - Florida, the ACLU of Florida, Equality Florida, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Center for Transgender Equality, Lambda Legal, National Center for Lesbian Rights, Organizations United Together (O.U.T.), UM (University of Miami) for Equality, Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, Florida NOW, Gainesville Area NOW, Judy Levy NOW PAC, Alachua County Democratic Party, Alachua County Green Party, Alachua County/Gainesville League of Women Voters, Alachua County NAACP, Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, Gainesville Area AIDS Project (GAAP), Gainesville Commission on the Status of Women, Human Rights Council of North Central Florida, Interweave, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville, North Central Florida Central Labor Council, Pride Center of North Central Florida, Social Justice Council of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville, Trinity Metropolitan Community Church, United Church of Gainesville Social Concerns Committee, University of Florida Students for Change, Students for a Democratic Society @ UF, Wild Iris Books and Wild Words Café, University of Florida Faculty Senate, University of Florida Presidential LGBT Concerns, and University of Florida Student Senate. Equality Florida is Florida's only statewide human rights organization dedicated to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Through education and advocacy, the organization is committed to building a state of equal rights for all Floridians, inclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identities. -30-

 

Gainesville Voters Take A Stand Against Discrimination

It's still unofficial, but right now with 82% of precincts reporting about 61% has voted down City Charter Amendment 1. Here's the election returns.

For over a year, supporters of Charter Amendment 1 have waged a fear-based campaign that blatantly lied to voters about the intent and impact of Charter Amendment 1 and specifically targeted transgender people with harmful discrimination. The sweeping language of the ballot initiative, which was written by a far right conservative group in Michigan, would have prohibited the City of Gainesville from providing nondiscrimination protections beyond the minimal protections set forth in the Florida Civil Rights Act.

Again.  It's still unofficial, but I  feel confident in saying the ugly tactics to dehumanize transgender people have failed.  Today the City of Gainesville has once again proven itself as a beacon of progress.  

Breaking News: Ryan Skipper's Killer Found Guilty

Ryan Skipper's Killer Found Guilty
http://tinyurl.com/skippertrial

Today, Joseph Bearden, one of the two accused killers of Ryan Skipper, was found guilty of second-degree murder and robbery.

On March 15, 2007, Ryan Skipper was stabbed 19 times and left to die on a dirt road in Polk County, Florida. His death is a bloody reminder of the anti-gay hatred faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in our state.

Just days ago, a prosecution witness revealed that shortly after the killing, Joseph Bearden, the defendants, said, "He felt he was doing the world a favor by getting rid of one more faggot."

The 19 stab wounds that Ryan Skipper suffered are what the FBI calls 'overkill'. That's when the violence in an assault is beyond what would be necessary for a robbery and more than would even be required to take someone's life. Overkill is a key indicator of a hate crime.

During his closing statement, State Attorney Castillo said the brutality of Ryan's murder indicated, "hatred, contempt and utter disregard for another human being because he was gay."

Hate crimes are directed at groups of people. They are intended to make an entire community afraid simply because of who they are.

But hate crimes are only effective as a two-step dance: first the offender sends fear into people's hearts with a heinous act of violence. Then leaders around them act like nothing more happened than a car theft gone wrong. No action. No public acknowledgment of what has happened. No commitment to ensuring this never happens again. Their silence is as terrifying as the violence itself.

Click here to take action.
http://tinyurl.com/trialverdict

Tell Gov Crist and Attorney General McCollum that they must refuse to be the second-step in the cycle of anti-gay hate violence. Tell them to speak out, to turn the tide and declare that gay and transgender people are valued members of our society and that hate violence will not be tolerated against any group.

Orlando Sentinel coverage of the Ryan Skipper Trial

FULL STORY: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-skippertrial1709feb17,0,6216987.story

Gays are quiet allies of victim's parents

Jeff Kunerth

Sentinel Staff Writer

February 17, 2009

In the two years since their 25-year-old son was stabbed to death in what police have called a gay-hate crime, Lynn and Pat Mulder have been embraced by gay activists, and they have hugged them right back.

But the trial of Joseph Bearden -- the first of two men charged with murder in the death of Ryan Keith Skipper -- has created a quandary for both the Mulders and gay-rights activists.

The Mulders want justice for their child. Gays want to bring attention to the case as a crime against their community.

Lynn Mulder said Assistant State Attorney Cass Castillo advised him that any conspicuous presence by the gay community, inside the courtroom or demonstrating outside the courthouse, could jeopardize the trial, which began Monday in Bartow. So the Mulders are asking them to show their support, but silently, unobtrusively. Until the trial is over, they're being asked to become invisible and voiceless.

"The jury cannot be influenced in their decision by any demonstration of support," Mulder said. "My only concern is they [the gay community] ought not to be easily identified as supporting one side or the other."

This is particularly problematic for Vicki Nantz, whose documentary on Skipper's killing, Accessory to Murder, is largely responsible for publicizing his death and making him the face of hate crimes against gays in Florida. But she is among those in the local gay community who have developed a close relationship with the Mulder family.

"If I didn't love Pat and Lynn Mulder, I would be standing there with a sign," Nantz said. "But the people most inclined to demonstrate have a personal relationship with Lynn and Pat, and that comes first with all of us. We'll put our activist hats in the drawer until this gets resolved for Lynn and Pat."

Before Skipper's killing March 17, 2007, the Mulders were not involved in gay issues. Since that time, they've become gay-rights activists -- appearing at protest rallies and events, joining gay organizations and offering solace to other parents whose children have been victims of crimes against gays.

"To the Mulders' credit, they have really stepped forward at a time when they could have simply withdrawn and become embittered," said Nadine Smith, head of Equality Florida, a gay-rights organization. "Instead they have been beacons of hope and kindness. They have really spoken out against hate violence."

Just as the Mulders have been there for the gay community, gays have been inclined to be there for the Mulders.

Nantz said she intends to be in the courtroom for the trial, keeping her emotions in check. Nantz has asked other gay activists to do the same.

"Everyone feels kind of conflicted. It's a conflict because the hate-crime anger is so personal for so many people," she said.

Gay groups, such as Equality Florida, also are encouraging their members to honor the wishes of the Mulders. But the urge to be there, to be vocal and demonstrate for justice, is a natural reaction, Smith said.

"There is a lot of anxiety that justice will not prevail, because we've seen it fail before," Smith said.

FULL STORY: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-skippertrial1709feb17,0,6216987.story

Missing Link

Gay and Transgender Issues in the Workplace

 

It Takes One to Know One

                             By Brian McNaught

     In my youth, if someone called you a "homo" or a "moron," the reply was usually, "It takes one to know one," meaning "You'd have to be a homo to recognize another homo." It was an inane comment but it usually shut them up more effectively than "So is your mother."

     Today, that same phrase – "It takes one to know one" - has a completely different and much richer meaning for me.

     Alan Goldstein was the Jewish boy who lived behind me growing up in Flint, Michigan. He was my best friend for many years. It was through the time I spent with Alan and his family that I initially learned about Jewish celebrations such as Hanukkah, and also about the sting of anti-Semitism which I saw in Alan's face when another Christian eight-year-old in the neighborhood called him a "kike." …

 

(To finish reading this offering, please go to http://www.glbtatwork.blog.com.)

 

 

Nadine Smith

Executive Director

Equality Florida

PO Box 13184,

St. Petersburg FL 33733 

Ph: 813-870-3735

Fax: 727-499-6925

nadine@eqfl.org

www.eqfl.org

Visit www.eqfl.org and become a member today! 

! 

Women say mall cops arrested them for kissing

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6243685.html


Women say S.A. mall cops arrested them for kissing
Feb. 3, 2009

SAN ANTONIO - Jessica Garcia intends to prove in court that security officers at Rolling Oaks Mall unfairly targeted her and her girlfriend when they were arrested in December on trespassing and other charges.

Garcia said the officers - a Bexar County sheriff's deputy and an employee from a private security company - began harassing them Dec. 26 because her girlfriend gave her a kiss on the cheek while sitting inside the mall on a bench.

Mall officials said the women, both 22, were acting inappropriately and were told to leave because they were not complying with the shopping center's code of conduct.

Danielle Pardue, the mall's marketing director, denies the women's claims of discrimination and said security officers would evict anyone found kissing in the mall, regardless of sexual orientation.

"If our security officer feels that is disruptive to our shoppers and our business, then they have that authority to make that determination," she said. "It's their responsibility to make sure our shopping place is an enjoyable shopping place for everyone to be."

Pardue also stressed that contrary to what the women claim, they weren't arrested because they were kissing, but because they re-entered the mall after being told to leave.

But Garcia feels otherwise.

She was scheduled to appear in court today, but her lawyer had to postpone the date for later this month.

Garcia said the officers intentionally harassed the couple, accusing them of kissing and having "swapped spit."

Read more:  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6243685.html

Voting for the freedom to marry does not hurt politicians, new study confirms

A new study by Freedom to Marry released today shows that voting for the freedom to marry and against anti-gay/anti-marriage measures does not cost politicians reelection:  http://www.freedomtomarry.org/press_center/new_study_shows_pro-marriage_legislators_win.php

The Best Interests of the Child: New York Times Editorial

 January 6, 2009

 

The Best Interests of the Child

 

W.H., an infant, was reportedly removed from her parents by Arkansas's Department of Human Services after she was taken to a hospital with injuries that strongly suggested abuse. Fortunately for W.H., her grandmother, a registered nurse, was eager to take her in. But there was a hitch. Her grandmother lives with another woman, and a ballot initiative recently passed in Arkansas makes it illegal for gay and unmarried heterosexual couples to adopt or become foster parents. Arkansas courts should strike down this offensive new law.

 

Arkansas has a long tradition of allowing child welfare professionals to decide who should become a foster or adoptive parent. Anti-gay forces, however, have campaigned to disqualify gay people. In 2006, the Arkansas Supreme Court struck down a regulation barring gay people from becoming foster parents.

 

Last year anti-gay activists promoted Act 1, a ballot referendum that broadened the ban to include unmarried heterosexual couples. In November, it passed with about 57 percent of the vote. The A.C.L.U. of Arkansas is challenging the new law, on behalf of a group of would-be parents and children, contending that it discriminates against gay and unmarried straight couples and that it makes it impossible to place children in the best homes.

 

The new law is undeniably discriminatory. Under Arkansas law, people convicted of major crimes, including contributing to the delinquency of a minor, remain eligible to adopt children or become foster parents. Single people who have no partner — or who have a large number of casual sex partners — are also eligible. Anyone who is in a committed relationship, gay or straight, but is not married is automatically barred.

 

The new law also interferes with the Department of Human Services' ability to do its job of making individualized assessments of prospective parents and placing children in the homes that are best able to meet their needs. As the W.H. case suggests, an unmarried couple could be the most qualified parents. And because of the shortage of foster parents, the ban is very likely to make children wait substantially longer for a loving home.

 

Arkansas's new law was a victory for the forces of bigotry and a major setback for the guiding principle of the law in adoption and foster care: the best interests of the child.

 

 

Smith to discuss ‘What’s Next For Equal Rights After Amendment 2?’

http://www.island-reporter.com/breaking_news/articles.asp?articleID=5551

Smith to discuss 'What's Next For Equal Rights After Amendment 2?'

The Democratic Club of the Islands is featuring Nadine Smith, Executive Director of Equality America, to speak to all interested islanders on Thursday, January 15 at 7 p.m. at the Sanibel Public Library, 770 Dunlop Road.

Previously, Smith was director of The Human Rights Task Force of Florida. She joined the organization in 1993 after serving as one of four national co-chairs on the 1993 march on Washington, D.C. and taking part in the historic, first-ever meeting between LGBT leaders and a sitting U.S. President (Bill Clinton) in the White House.

Smith has led advocacy efforts in Florida at the state level at a time of unprecedented attacks on the gay and lesbian community, serving as Equality Florida's lead lobbyist, heading efforts to stop discriminatory legislation and ballot measures and to overturn Florida's ban on adoption by gay and lesbian parents.

Her experience in community organizing, social change and politics includes her service as campaign manager for Citizens for a Fair Tampa, a successful effort to prevent repeal of that city's human rights ordinance, and her own campaign in 1991 for Tampa City Council. An award-winning journalist, Smith has written syndicated columns for general audience publications.

Democratic Club of the Islands members are also urged to attend this meeting to hear exciting news about the restructuring of the club and to learn new opportunities for activism in the Obama era. Call Brian Anderson at 472-2206 for more information.

[Undo 2] Bob Barr: No Defending the Defense of Marriage Act

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-barr5-2009jan05,0,1855836.story From the Los Angeles Times Opinion No Defending the Defense of Marriage Act The author of the federal Defense of Marriage Act now thinks it's time for his law to get the boot -- but for political reasons, not in support of gays. By Bob Barr January 5, 2009 Excerpt 1

In 1996, as a freshman member of the House of Representatives, I wrote the Defense of Marriage Act, better known by its shorthand acronym, DOMA, than its legal title. The law has been a flash-point for those arguing for or against same-sex marriage ever since President Clinton signed it into law. Even President-elect Barack Obama has grappled with its language, meaning and impact. I can sympathize with the incoming commander in chief. And, after long and careful consideration, I have come to agree with him that the law should be repealed. The left now decries DOMA as the barrier to federal recognition and benefits for married gay couples. At the other end of the political spectrum, however, DOMA has been lambasted for subverting the political momentum for a U.S. constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. In truth, the language of the legislation -- like that of most federal laws -- was a compromise. DOMA was indeed designed to thwart the then-nascent move in a few state courts and legislatures to afford partial or full recognition to same-sex couples. The Hawaii court case Baehr vs. Lewin, still active while DOMA was being considered by Congress in mid-1996, provided the immediate impetus.

Excerpt 2: 

In effect, DOMA's language reflects one-way federalism: It protects only those states that don't want to accept a same-sex marriage granted by another state. Moreover, the heterosexual definition of marriage for purposes of federal laws -- including, immigration, Social Security survivor rights and veteran's benefits -- has become a de facto club used to limit, if not thwart, the ability of a state to choose to recognize same-sex unions. Even more so now than in 1996, I believe we need to reduce federal power over the lives of the citizenry and over the prerogatives of the states. It truly is time to get the federal government out of the marriage business. In law and policy, such decisions should be left to the people themselves. In 2006, when then-Sen. Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, he said, "Decisions about marriage should be left to the states." He was right then; and as I have come to realize, he is right now in concluding that DOMA has to go. If one truly believes in federalism and the primacy of state government over the federal, DOMA is simply incompatible with those notions. Bob Barr represented the 7th District of Georgia in the House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 and was the Libertarian Party's 2008 nominee for president.

--
Posted By Nadine to Undo 2 at 1/06/2009 12:52:00 PM

It is important to say these things out loud.

President-elect Barack Obama believes "marriage is between a man and a woman".

Barack Obama does not think gay couples' relationships are worthy of the same stature as his and Michelle's.

He does not believe that gay couples deserve the precise same legal recognition or status that his marriage confers to him and his wife.

He believes we should have a different, inherently lesser, legal framework to protect each other and our children.

It is important to say these things out loud.

President-elect Obama enters the White House with a record of support and  a better platform on issues of LGBT equality than any other president this country has known.

He opposed amending state constitutions to single out gay couples to ban them from marriage. He supports  federally recognized Civil Unions. He oppose federal legislation and constitutional measures that ban marriage recognition for gay couples.

He supports the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, will push the Hate Crimes bill and supports an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination law. 

By all accounts he has a laudable record of pushing for equal rights and we must work with his administration relentlessly to manifest these promises.

But he also believes there is a quality to heterosexual relationships that make them worthy of a higher status by society under the law.

Barack Obama believes "marriage is between a man and a woman".

He says gay couples can have civil unions, domestic partnership, some other, different, diminished copy of an arrangement.

It is important that we not pretend we don't already know this.

I am awed by Barack Obama. His words inspire me. His intellect comforts me. His grassroots campaign was a beautiful, diverse and powerful thing to behold.

After years of a Bush/Cheney cynicism, war, arrogance and incompetence I wept tears of joy for Barack Obama's election.  For the historic shift and transformational meaning that a Black president heralds for our country, I beamed with pride. Change is coming and I am hopeful.

But when it comes to the issue of marriage, Barack Obama is wrong. 

I have criticized  the selection of Rev. Rick Warren to give the invocation at the inauguration. 

Warren compares gay relationships with incest and pedophilia and runs a psychologically reckless, "ex-gay" ministry out of his mega-church. 

His presence on the dias should be challenged vigorously. 

But I will not lie to myself. I will not make Warren the proxy for the unspoken disappointment and anger at Barack Obama for his more nuanced insult to gay couples when he says "marriage is between a man and a woman". We must be prepared to help President Obama lead and we must be willing to tell the truth when he is wrong.

When it comes to the issue of marriage Barack Obama is wrong. 

Gay people deserve equal protection under the law. Our families deserve precisely the same benefits, protection and legal recognition as straight couples receive.

It is important to say these things out loud.

John Ridley: The U.S. Goes Global With its Anti-Gayness

John Ridley: The U.S. Goes Global With its Anti-Gayness

 

Funny thing about this great land of ours. She's got no problem fighting for what's right (Civil War), but she doesn't always make the simple stand for righteousness (Civil Rights movement).

This past Thursday the United Nations, which excels at issuing proclamations, circulated one that is as marginally effectual as it is symbolically strong. It was just a little ole declaration seeking universal decriminalization of homosexuality.

Wasn't saying Gays could get married.

Wasn't saying Gays could show up at your house and read your kids Heather Has Two Mommies.

It was just saying, you know: "Hey, Iran, when you're done with that show trial, could you possibly not hang those two guys who engaged in a love whose name you dare not speak."

And if you think I'm being hyperbolic, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay notes that ten countries still have laws making homosexual activity punishable by death.

But the U.S. did not sign the declaration. 

READ MORE: 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-ridley/the-us-goes-global-with-i_b_152489.html

Newsweek "Takes a Bullet" On Gay Marriage

By Mary E. Hunt

As a theologian, I sometimes wonder if anyone cares about what we write. But Newsweek's cover story (December 15, 2008), "Our Mutual Joy," set off a firestorm of responses so voluminous that it temporarily shut down the magazine's comments function on their Web site. Time's "Person of the Year" issue would be lucky to get as much attention as the enormous response to a religion editor's pro-gay marriage piece. Apparently, religion still matters.

What does it mean, though, that this story has generated such controversy? The most obvious point is that people still care what religions say about matters of sexuality, for reasons that sometimes remain obscure. I doubt that the same reaction, and surely not the same huge numbers and rabid intensity, would have accompanied a progressive religious treatment of the war in Iraq or the death penalty. So why same-sex marriage? Why the private sphere and not the public forum?

One reason is that as Christianity has lost its hegemony in an increasingly religiously pluralistic society, Christian conservatives have staked their shrinking claims on changing personal ethics. First abortion, now same-sex marriage, and soon, end-of-life issues, are seen as litmus tests of orthodoxy. These issues define who's in or out and, more importantly, who's making decisions for a society.

The Rev. Richard Cizik, vice president of governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, has learned this the hard way lately. He has been urging his (kicking and screaming) colleagues to acknowledge global warming and join him in "creation care." They tolerated him even as they denied the scientific consensus because they mistakenly took ecology to be a larger-than-life issue that did not touch the daily lives of people.

But when he voiced tepid support, not for marriage, but simply for civil unions for same-sex couples, he was forced out of his position. Marriage is closer to home. That straw broke the camel's back because the issue is easier for people to grasp—and is thus where religious authorities could seem to be wielding real social power. Which is an illusion, after all, since global warming touches a lot more people than same sex marriage.

Read the rest here:

http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/865/newsweek_takes_a_bullet_on_gay_marriage/

The Associated Press: Top evangelical resigns after backing gay unions

Top evangelical resigns after backing gay unions

An outspoken and polarizing voice in conservative Christian politics
resigned effective Thursday from the National Association of
Evangelicals after a radio interview in which he voiced support for
same-sex civil unions and said he is "shifting" on gay marriage.

The Rev. Richard Cizik's comments — made on a Dec. 2 "Fresh Air"
broadcast on National Public Radio — triggered an uproar that led to
his stepping down as NAE vice president of governmental affairs.

A fixture in Washington for nearly three decades, Cizik has played a
key role in bringing evangelical Christian concerns to the political
table. But in recent years, he earned enemies in the movement for
pushing to broaden the evangelical agenda. His strongest focus was on
"creation care," arguing that evangelicals have a biblical
responsibility to the environment that includes combatting global
warming.

READ MORE: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jARZSY_v6MYj98bNdK2rolNhIsSwD950RJH80