George W. Bush told Larry King last week that states can provide gay civil unions. Never mind that his Federal Marriage Amendment would have (depending on the wording) either banned civil unions outright or made them unenforceable in court.

Ralph Blair of Evangelicals Concerned reviews the antigay book “The Truth About Same-Sex Marriage” by Erwin W. Lutzer. Blair concludes that Lutzer abuses Bible passages, discards science, ignores the history of traditional marriage, and turns a deaf ear toward gay people while expecting them to listen in return.

Dr. Charles Wibbelsman of Kaiser Permanente credits gun control and gradual destigmatization of sexual orientation for a dramatic decline in the youth suicide rate since 1992.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for leading a nonviolent struggle against South Africa’s apartheid government — and its benefactors among the U.S. religious right. Tutu commented earlier this summer:

A student once asked me if I could have one wish granted to reverse an injustice, what would it be? I had to ask for two. One is for world leaders to forgive the debts of developing nations which hold them in such thrall. The other is for the world to end the persecution of people because of their sexual orientation, which is every bit as unjust as that crime against humanity, apartheid.

Blogger Father Jake offers more of Tutu’s thoughts — and uncovers a list of punishments meted out against same-sex-attracted people across Africa and the Middle East: 10 years’ imprisonment in most nations, death in two.

Jon Rowe notes that, occasionally, a few antigay activists recognize the serious problem of heterosexual male pedophilia and statutory rape.

Overlawyered.com reports the latest on Virginia’s ban on gay civil unions.

PFOX director Regina Griggs wrote a letter to the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, published July 22. My response was published Aug. 12.

Exodus, the ex-gay network, offers back-to-school advice for same-sex-attracted youths.

Stanley Kurtz lost his argument that gay marriage has ruined Scandinavia, when Professor M.V. Lee Badgett refuted his circumstantial charges in a May article in Slate. But the debate continues, with opposing articles in Canada’s National Post:
Equality doesn’t harm ‘family values’, by Joop Garssen and M.V. Lee Badgett
Good for gays, bad for marriage, by M. van Mourik, A. Nuytinck, R. Kuiper, J. Van Loon and H. Wels.
Subscription is required for both links. I have both articles, but if someone knows where the articles might be available online for free, please let me know.

Stephen Bennett, working with the New York Christian Coalition, is raising money among antigay churches to post an ex-gay billboard in New Paltz, N.Y. The billboard is part of a broader protest against same-sex weddings performed at a local inn. A local equality activist said he supports the right to advertise but doubts the billboard will have much impact. “All people have a right to profess their beliefs, just as we do,” James Fallarino said. “But I don’t think it’s going to change anybody’s mind. I think they’re wasting their money.”

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