In Brief

Staff Reports

Houston Newspaper Pulls Endorsement Of Candidate Over Homophobic Campaign Flyer

Manuel Rodríguez Jr.

HOUSTON, TEXAS -- The Houston Chronicle in a strongly worded editorial Sunday pulled its endorsement of a school board candidate over a flyer released by the his campaign. The Chronicle had endorsed Manuel Rodriguez Jr. for another term on the board of the Houston Independent School District but decided to reconsider its position when the candidate's campaign released a flyer urging recipients not just to vote for Rodriguez, but to vote against his opponent, Ramiro Fonseca, because he has been endorsed by the Houston GLBT Caucus. The flyer further states: "Ramiro Fonseca has spent years advocating for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender rights … not kids," and ends with a pair of bullet points noting that "Fonseca is 54 years old with no children and has a male partner."

That's obvious gay-bashing, of the kind that HISD rightly prohibits on the playground. It has no place on HISD's board.

Advocating for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights is advocating for kids. GLBT kids are among those who most need adult protection and support.

As Noel Freeman, president of the Houston GLBT Caucus notes, "GLBT youth are 12 times more likely to be bullied in schools, five times more likely to commit suicide and eight times more likely to be homeless. It is imperative that we provide a safe, welcoming environment in our schools."

With his hateful flier, Rodriguez perpetuates the kind of stereotypes that put our kids in danger. And he implies that all right-thinking people agree with him - an insult to his constituents, and precisely the kind of blithe, old-school homophobia that makes school hallways so treacherous.

Members of the school board are supposed to be role models, not bullies. They're supposed to support civil rights, not fight against them. They're supposed to fight hate speech, not commit it.

It's important to stand up to bullying, intolerant behavior, whether on the playground or at the ballot box. ~ The Houston Chronicle

The campaign for Rodriquez has not responded to e-mail inquiries by LGBTQNation for their comment on the Chronicle's editorial.

Mormon Church Official Calls treatment Of LGBTQ People By LDS Church "An Atrocity"

Bishop Kevin Kloosterman

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- Bishop Kevin Kloosterman said at an interfaith service held at the First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City Sunday, the way gays are treated and perceived by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is an “atrocity. The Illinois based Kloosterman also apologised telling the gathered crowd of around 300 attending a conference hosted by the Mormon Stories and the Open Stories Foundation,“If you leave here not remembering what I have to say, remember this: I’m sorry,” he said.

John Dehlin, a researcher and founder of Mormon Stories and the Open Stories Foundation, told the Salt Lake City Tribune, “I thought it was highly significant just to have a sitting bishop who cares so much for these issues that he’s willing to fly himself out here and speak publicly.”

Kloosterman spoke at the final event of a weekend-long seminar dedicated to exploring gay Mormon issues, titled Circling the Wagons. He said he recently became aware of LGBT issues and his views changed from that of the church — that acting on gay urges violates its moral code — and had a “mighty change of heart.”

“I began to see the emotional wounds and scars that many of you have today,” Kloosterman said, “and I began to ask, ‘Where did you get these wounds?’ And the answer, unfortunately, was in the house of my friends. 

The straight members of the church have a lot of repenting to do,” he said.

He clarified that he was speaking only on his own behalf and did not intend to represent the views of the church. ~ The Salt Lake City Tribune