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 Scorned by the Religious Right Fundamentalists are Demanding Help for Married Couples Only Criticism of Fanatics' Bigoted Stance is Becoming Widespread |
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Compiled by GayToday
The fundamentalists admit that they have been watching domestic partnership legislation closely in recent weeks. Congress, they complain, voted overwhelmingly last week in favor of legislation that would allow the District of Columbia to spend local funds to establish domestic partner benefits, while the American Red Cross announced it would give benefits to same-sex lovers who lost partners in the September 11 attack. Disdainfully, the religious fanatics are quoting Stacey Grissom, media relations associate for the Red Cross:
Other large relief agencies such as the United Way are sending donations to victim service organizations that have also said they will offer financial assistance to same-sex domestic partners. Matt Foreman, executive director of Empire State Pride Agenda, said his group had received commitments from several relief organizations to assist gay men and lesbians who've lost their partner in the attacks. Mr. Foreman says: "We have had some success. On the positive side, everyone we have contacted has been very receptive and sympathetic and saying they really want to do the right thing for everyone," Foreman said. "On the negative side, what we're finding is most of these funds, including the Red Cross, had no written guidelines, at least that they could provide to govern the granting of benefits to gay survivors or common-law heterosexual partners or the children of people in either one of those situations," he said. Foreman notes that while the issue of domestic partnerships is not new, the size and scope of the September 11 attacks is forcing relief agencies to deal with domestic partnerships on a whole new level. "I think that one positive thing that will come out of this tragedy is that all of these relief organizations will have to grapple with this issue and come up with a policy to guide their staff," Foreman said. Domestic partners still cannot receive government-funded relief in the forms of social security or worker's compensation, according to Foreman. "No matter what kind of work we do and no matter how successful we are with the Red Cross, with United Way, with these various relief funds, gay and lesbian survivors are still going to face a huge inequity," Foreman said. "No matter what work we do, we're not going to be able to get them to tap into the key long-term government supported programs."
"This is just another example of how the gay agenda is seeking to overturn the one man-one woman relationship from center stage in America, taking advantage of this tragedy," he said. > The Reverend Sheldon fears that moneys given to domestic partners open a door to gay advocates to go to the courts and to call attention to the fact that relief organizations now put same-sex relationships and traditional marriage "on the same level." "There is no question that groups like the Empire State Pride Agenda would very much like to redefine what marriage is and how marriage functions and who enters into marriage," he said. NGLTF Replies to Sheldon's Comments:
"In today's edition of The Washington Post, Sheldon is further quoted as saying that relief organizations 'should be first giving priority to those widows who were at home with their babies and those widowers who lost their wives.' He further suggested that aid 'should be given on the basis and priority of one man and one woman in a marital relationship.' "Lou Sheldon's hateful rhetoric has again crossed the line," said Lorri L. Jean, executive director of NGLTF. "This is a time when everyone should stand united in support of the terrorism victims. September 11 proved that heroism knows no sexual orientation. It is divisive and inhumane to suggest that relief workers turn their backs on any victim of this horrible tragedy." "Once again, Sheldon is out of step with the rest of the country. He is taking the 'get back to business' mantra to the extreme by not skipping a beat in promoting the same narrow and hateful agenda that has been his trademark for years," Jean continued: "I sincerely hope that the American people will rise up in protest against Sheldon's fanaticism, just as they did against Jerry Falwell's," Jean said, referencing the controversy provoked when evangelist Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson suggested that the United States may have brought the terrorist attacks on itself because of the activities of "pagans, feminists, gays, and lesbians." The New York-based Stonewall Community Foundation has established the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Disaster Relief Fund to help those GLBT individuals directly impacted by the World Trade Center disaster. The tax-deductible donations will be allocated by a community panel to where the greatest unmet needs of the community are, either through existing relief funds that are practicing in a nondiscriminatory way or through the creation of new services to meet unmet needs. Checks should be made payable to Stonewall Community Foundation, earmarked for "Disaster Relief." Donations should be sent to: Stonewall Community Foundation, 119 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011. The Foundation's phones are out of service due to the disaster, but they can be reached by email at robinj@stonewallfoundation.org or through a temporary number 646-230-6999. |
New York, New York-According to unhappy Christian fundamentalist ideologues, gay and lesbian partners of those who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks are now eligible to receive relief funds from organizations who, they contend, "along with Congress, are beginning to redefine the definition of family in the United States."
