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Tennessee court: no discrimination
against gay parents |
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Tennessee appeals court says
you can't treat gay people differently in deciding child custody and
visitation March 25, 2004
[posted here 3-29-04]
From Hedy Weinberg, Executive Director,
American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Court of Appeals
this evening struck down a court order that told a gay parent not to do
anything which "exposes" his son to "the gay lifestyle," according to the
American Civil Liberties Union which represented the parent. The court went
on to say that "[n]either gay parents nor heterosexual parents have special
rights," and that courts should follow the same principles in placing limits
on visitation and custody for both gay and straight parents.
The decision came in the case of Joseph
Hogue, who was sentenced to two days in jail in September 2002 for telling
his son that he is gay. The judge who imposed the sentence ruled that Hogue
had violated an earlier order the judge had made prohibiting him from
"exposing the child to...his gay lifestyle." Today, the Court of Appeals
said that the order was so unspecific that it could not be enforced.
In January, the appeals court cleared Hogue
of contempt because telling his son that he is gay was not part of the
restraining order. However, the court went on to say that the restraining
order itself was valid. Following a request by the ACLU, the court reversed
that decision today.
"One of the great things about this
decision is that it makes it clear there are no double standards," said ACLU
of Tennessee cooperating attorney Sam Felker of Bass, Berry & Sims. "Courts
will have to follow the same principles for child custody and visitation for
gay parents as they do for straight parents. The fact that a parent is gay
will no longer be an issue."
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Visit
our lively
new website! |
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GA actions
ratified (or not) by the presbyteries
A number of the most important actions of the 219th
General Assembly have now been acted upon by the presbyteries,
confirming most of them as amendments to the PC(USA) Book of Order.
We provided resources to help inform the
reflection and debate, along with updates on the voting.
Our three areas of primary interest have been:
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Amendment 10-A,
which removes the current ban on
lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender persons being considered as
possible candidates for ordination as elder or ministers.
Approved! |
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Amendment 10-2,
which would add the Belhar Confession to our Book of
Confessions. Disapproved, because as an amendment
to the Book of Confessions it needed a 2/3 vote, and did not
receive that. |
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Amendment
10-1, which adopts the new Form of Government
that was approved by the Assembly. Approved. |
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Some blogs worth visiting |
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PVJ's
Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, PVJ's
Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where
Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and
views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both
personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
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Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
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John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY. |
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John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up. |
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Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
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