One of the greatest arguments against gay rights is “family values.” Tolerating homosexuality threatens the structure of the traditional family, so the Christianists say.
Then how do they explain Frank Gill and his two adopted sons “John” and “James”? And if the idea behind anti-gay laws is to “protect children,” why does the state of Florida want to break up Gill’s family, especially when the state begged Frank to be the children’s foster parent in the first place?
Back before Christmas in 2004, the Florida Department of Children and Families found John and James with their crack-addict parents. James was four at the time, and he was dressed only in a T-shirt and sneakers. Half his hair was missing because of ringworm. James had an ear infection. Medicine for both boys sat on the shelf unopened.
Frank did not want to take the boys at first. He and his partner were going to move from Miami to Georgia, and he did not want to uproot the boys once they got settled. But the state social worker knew Frank was qualified. He had a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in public health. He had fostered before. Here’s Frank’s take from the ACLU blog:
The social worker said they just needed a place for about a month, as a family member had agreed to take them, but first had to go through an approval process. I still said no. She said we were the only home in the agency with any space left. Then she said, “I bet you could give them a really nice Christmas.”
Frank took them in, and the boys had more than a nice Christmas. The boys bonded with Frank, his partner, and his partner’s son. Frank and his partner decided to stay in Florida, enrolliing them in school and taking them to church. Eventually, Frank decided to adopt the boys.
There was one problem: Florida has a law prohibits gays from adopting children. The law was adopted in 1977 when Anita Bryant went on her anti-gay campaign.
Gill sued the state and won. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman struck down the law in a sharply worded 53-page ruling, calling the law, “illogical to the point of irrationality.”
Florida attorney general Bill McCollum said the state will appeal the ruling. The state spent $87,000 on two questionable expert witnesses whose main contention was that gays could not be fit parents because they were mentally unstable. No state witnesses could provide any evidence that the two boys would be better off removed from Gill. On the other side, Gill’s attorneys provided plenty of experts who said that it would be “devastating to remove them from Gill’s home.”
The ACLU wanted to expedite the case to the Florida Supreme Court but were denied. While the boys are still living with Gill and his partner, there are more court battles to come. Gill’s case has garnered some media attention, particularly from the Chicago Tribune’s Steve Chapman and the Orlando Sentinel’s Mike Thomas. Neither of these columnists are known for their support for gay rights. For more media links, see this Seattle gay blog.
Gill and his family are living proof that laws prohibiting gay marriage and gays adopting children make no sense. Instead of protecting families, they hurt them.
He is Anthony Moran, a 12-year-old from Interlachen who helps take care of his twin brother Ryan, who is autistic.
In the picture, Anthony lets Ryan sit on his lap to keep him calm in church. Read to the end of this article in the St. Petersburg Times on why he puts up with his brother.
Jewelry stores have a new tactic to drum up sales in these tough times: guilt.
And the guilt is focused on us men. The ads tell us that we must buy sparkling jewels for our women or face the consequences.
The first ad from Helzberg Diamonds. In the ad, a guy gives his girlfriend’s Yorkie a bath. When the girlfriend asks why he’s not watching sports with his friends, he insists “It’s just a game.”
Because we’re not “that guy,” we need to give our women diamonds. Helzberg has other ads with men making handmade love cards, giving their women pedicures, and trying to make the rest of the male population feel inadequate.
Of course, I would like to see “that guy” give his girlfriend’s cat a bath.
That guy is tame compared to this viral video from JCPenney – “In the Doghouse.” This one comes across like a fire-and-brimstone sermon. We men are “held over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider.” We’re scum, and our only salvation is buying baubles.
I agree that a thigh master makes a lousy gift, but my wife asked for a vacuum cleaner for Christmas – seriously. I’m getting her something else. It may not be jewelry, but I won’t be folding laundry.
My sister Mo makes some great spinach balls for family parties. These little balls burst with flavor in your mouth. They freeze very well, so make some ahead of time and be ready for company.
I recently got the recipe from her and my other sister Peg:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 cups crushed crumbs made from herb seasoned stuffing mix
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
Preparation:
Drain spinach well by pressing in colander and using paper towels to remove excess moisture. Crush enough herb stuffing cubes to make 2 cups of crumbs. Mix with spinach and remaining ingredients in large bowl. Roll into 1″ balls. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place balls on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Makes about 50 appetizers.
To freeze ahead, make appetizers and freeze unbaked. Bake, frozen, in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 14-18 minutes until hot and crisp.
The great thing is you can also easily add other ingredients without changing other amounts, temp or cook time. I have made them with bacon bits and sausage before. Or you can spice them up with a little Cajun seasoning. Its good to keep your guests in mind – nix the meat if there are vegetarians and ditto for the spices if you have an older crowd.
If you don’t believe they’re good, check out these satisfied customers:
The day after the election, an African-American co-worker gave me an Obama fan, thanking me for voting for Obama. I thanked her and told her how relieved I was that he won.
While I appreciate how excited African-Americans are about Obama, his race was not really a factor in my vote. OK, it was a little factor, but not much of one. He was just the best candidate for the job.
Yes, the fact that Obama will be the first African-American President is important, but it’s more important that plenty of citizens like me did not let his race be a deciding point. It matters that race didn’t matter. I can’t speak for the rest of the voters, but I would not let a little thing like skin color determine my choice in someone I hire, let alone the President of the United States.
Some people have not moved past that point. Like Rush Limbaugh, who insisted a few years ago that Donovan McNabb was overrated because of his race, they refused to vote for Obama because of his race.
Sorry, but in sports, the “black quarterback” issue went away with Doug Williams’ second quarter in the 1988 Super Bowl. Williams’ five TD passes cam before McNabb. If Obama succeeds, the black president issue is going away too.
Yes, it’s been awhile since I posted. Call it election fatigue or election hangover, but I haven’t felt the urge to post with the fate of the free world no longer in danger. Come January 20th, Obama is going to be the President, and Bush won’t be.
Speaking of Bush….
While I can’t condone throwing items at world leaders, I can sympathize with the Iraqi journalist in the video clip. Buddy, I know your pain!
I took off of work early Monday to see Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton speak in downtown Orlando. Since I already work downtown, it was just a matter of catching the free bus to the Orena.
Of course, 50,000 people had the exact same idea. Despite arriving two and a half hours early, I had to wait in a winding line that ended blocks away. Disneyworld had nothing on this line.
The crowd was huge but polite. No one complained when people saved spots for their friends.Vendors moved up and down the line peddling T-shirts, buttons, and towels.
“Look,” one man said. “Barack’s already started getting people jobs.”
Many brought their children and grandparents. One other woman said that the crowd was like “a family reunion.”
It was if you had black, white, Asian and Hispanic cousins. Orlando is a pretty diverse city, but this was the most diverse by age and race that I have ever seen in Florida. Race did not seem to matter, but you could sense the pride in the African-Americans. After years of slavery and discrimination, one of their own was on the threshold of becoming the President of the United States.
Eventually we gathered together at the north side of the so-called “Amway Arena.” The “Amway” was covered up with an “Obama” – great move since Amway and the DeVos family are big Republican supporters.
Hillary spoke first. She was a great opening act, getting the crowd fired up. She gave the catchphrase of the night, “jobs, baby, jobs!” a takeoff on the Republicans’ “drill, baby, drill!.”
Then Obama spoke. He touched on many of the same points that he did in his debates and other speeches, highlighting the importance Florida has in the election. While he did not mention his sick grandmother, he mentioned the importance of the legacy many people leave for their children and grandchildren. His remarks are in the YouTube clip at the end.
Some people said that seeing Obama was a life-changing experience. I don’t know if I would go that far, but it was one I will remember.
Growing up in Florida, I get a chance to see rockets send men into space. I watched the Apollo 11 launch with my own eyes, even though it appeared as a small flame in the Eastern sky. History was not something I saw on TV, but something I actually witnessed.
On Monday, I saw someone on the cusp of being one of the most transformational Presidents in U.S. history. I can tell my grandchildren that I saw men go to the moon for the first time and the first black President of the United States.
