Marriage Equality, LGBTQ, Politics and Media, Homophobia; Religion, Church and State, Sex Abuse Scandal; Rape, Trafficking, Revenge Porn

Marriage Equality

• Federal appeals court: Gays have right to marry—"A federal appeals court ruled for the first time Wednesday that gay couples have a constitutional right to marry, extending the movement's legal winning streak and bringing the issue a big step closer to the U.S. Supreme Court."
• Judge throws out Indiana's same-sex marriage ban—A stay has been granted.
• Reagan Appointed Judge Expands Louisiana Marriage Case To All Same-Sex Couples
• Battle over same-sex marriages in St. Louis headed to court
• 34 gay couples issued marriage licenses in Boulder Co.
• 45 Years After Stonewall, Oklahoma Still Awaiting Marriage Equality
• GOP Senator Collins says she supports gay marriage
• Republican Senator Says Republicans Must Abandon Same-Sex Marriage Issue To Win Elections
• Ben Carson's breathtaking marriage equality compromise: Don't let gay people get married—"'I don't think I can impose my will on any two consenting adults,' Carson says but clearly does not mean." Salon
• Wis. GOP Candidate: Marriage Equality Will Lead to Sibling Marriages

LGBTQ

• Biden: Gay rights take precedence over culture
• Town Votes To Give Fired Lesbian Police Chief Her Job Back, Strips Mayor Of Power
• Former defrocked United Methodist pastor Frank Schaefer will get back pay, credentials restored
• Unearthing The Surprising Religious History Of American Gay Rights Activism

Politics and Media

• Why I Outed Gay Republicans: A decade later, I'm still not sorry.—"The reaction to these early posts was mixed, with some people backing me and others yammering that I was invading politicians' right to privacy. To the latter group, I pointed out that these very politicians were making my private life—and the lives of millions of other LGBT Americans—a very public political issue." Politco
• Inside George W. Bush's Closet
• Rep. Paul "Skip" Stam Compares LGBT North Carolinians to Pedophiles on House Floor
• Susan Rice challenges LGBT community to amplify message that 'gay rights are straight up human rights
• US ambassador officially celebrates LGBT Pride Month in the Philippines
• CNBC Panel Gets Awkward When Host Refers To Apple CEO Tim Cook As Gay

Homophobia

• Uganda Lashes Out at U.S. Sanctions; Will Hurt 'Most Vulnerable'—"Admonitions from Kampala follow last week's news of fresh U.S. sanctions, including the loss of millions in funding for a new health institute and visa denials."
• Gay couple targeted in homophobic attack by teenage gang on east London street
• Yankton Teen Alleges Discrimination From Name Tag

Religion

• Berlin House of One: The first church-mosque-synagogue?
• Mormons Expel Founder of Group Seeking Priesthood for Women NYT
• Blast from the Past: 'Kumare': Fake Guru Exposes Real, Desperate Desire to Believe

Church and State

• Roy Moore's twisted history: Islam and Buddhism don't have First Amendment protection, chief justice says
• GOP House Candidate: Islam Not A Religion, Not Protected By Constitution
• Wiccan says he was barred from giving invocation—"A member of the Wiccan faith says he was set to give the opening invocation at a Huntsville City Council meeting until the plan was publicized and he was asked about his faith. He was then told he was no longer invited."
• NC religious schools in line to get voucher money
• North Carolina: Student-led prayer bill signed into law

Sex Abuse Scandal

• Vatican defrocks ex-ambassador in sex abuse case—"The Vatican has defrocked its former ambassador to the Dominican Republic for sexually abusing boys. It's the first time a top papal envoy has been convicted of the crime and signals that Pope Francis is serious about imposing "zero tolerance" for abuse, regardless of rank."
• Seattle Archdiocese to pay $12.1 million to settle sex abuse lawsuit
• St. Ignatius: Settlement talks ordered in Catholic school, parish sex-abuse case
• Betrayed by Silence—"For decades, leaders of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have been reassigning, excusing and overlooking sexually abusive priests among their ranks. Some received additional retirement benefits. In August, a top church lawyer, shocked at what she saw, brought the story to MPR News. What happened next is still unfolding."
• Church, Police give conflicting answers on child sex abuse—"The Catholic Church in Malta and the police have given conflicting details regarding priests involved in child sex abuse cases since 2010."
• Sleeping with boys was 'common practice': royal commission on sex abuse in Wollongong
• On sex abuse, pope's problems both simple and complex

Rape

• How Did the FBI Miss Over 1 Million Rapes?—"Systematic undercounting of sexual assaults in the US disguises a hidden rape crisis."
• How BBC star Jimmy Savile got away with allegedly abusing 500 children and sex with dead bodies WaPo
• 'We demand justice': Kenyans protest after men who brutally raped girl sentenced to cut grass
• Pakistani police say boyfriend admits woman was raped, murdered after refusing sex with his friends
• No quick fix for India's rape crisis

Trafficking

• FBI targets pimps, rescues 168 children in nationwide crackdown
• D.C. police officer admits prostituting girls WaPo
• Activist Resigns Amid Charges of Fabrication NYT
• Brides for sale: Vietnamese women, young girls trafficked to China
• Nepal adoptions chief raped and groomed orphans for prostitution, claims British teacher
• U.S. human trafficking report drops four nations to lowest tier
• Fighting sex trafficking with Jesus: How the religious right’s "healing" hurts—"New campaigns claim to fight sex trafficking with 'love and the power of Christ.' And their influence is growing." Salon

Revenge Porn

• Feds arrest "most hated man on the Internet" in revenge porn hacking case
• Houston woman wins $500,000 in 'revenge porn' lawsuit
• Woman Posted Explicit Material Inside Walmart—She gave away fliers of her naked husband's alleged mistress.
• 'Revenge porn' victims receive boost from German court ruling—"Koblenz court orders man to delete nude images of ex-partner, even though he had shown no intention of publishing them."
• Man faces trial over 'revenge porn' website

Marriage Equality, LGBTQ, Politics, Homophobia; Cosmos, Creationism; Church and State, Atheism, Francis Effect; Intolerance of Religion, Sex Abuse Scandals; Rape, Sexism, Culture Clash, Abortion and Birth Control

Marriage Equality

• Gay Marriages Continue in Wisconsin—But Trouble Looms
• Methodists fear split over same-sex marriage
• US: Church expels volunteer over gay commitment ceremony
• March To Nowhere: D.C. Anti-Gay Event Was Heavy On Rhetoric But Low On Facts
• Largest US Presbyterian Church Votes to Allow Gay Marriage
• Obama Administration To Extend Family Leave To Same-Sex Couples
• Hillary Jabs At NPR Host Over Gay Marriage
• Scott Walker Refuses To State A Position On Same-Sex Marriage
• Mike Huckabee: Martin Luther King Jr. would agree that gay marriage is like the Holocaust
• Mozilla under fire: Inside the 9-day reign of fallen CEO Brendan Eich
• Slovakia bans gay marriage in constitution
• Luxembourg Approves Same-Sex Marriage Bill

LGBTQ

• On Father's Day, Texas Sen. Chuy Hinojosa Says He Loves His Gay Daughter Unconditionally
• WWE Exec and Hall of Famer Pat Patterson Comes Out as Gay on 'Legends' House'
• AsapTHOUGHT: Coming out twice
• Allstate's "Safe in My Hands" gay pride ad is raw, moving
• Without fanfare, Obama advances transgender rights
• My beef with the (SJW) transgender community
• Denmark ends forced sterilisation for sex changes

Politics

• Oklahoma Candidate Says Gays Should Be Stoned
• House Committee Invites Witness To Go On Anti-Gay Rant, Because Religious Freedom
• Texas Governor Perry compares homosexuality to alcoholism
• CNBC Anchor Confronts Rick Perry About Remark Comparing Gays To Alcoholics
• More Or Less Everyone Agrees That Rick Perry Is a Moron for Comparing Homosexuality to Alcoholism
• Rick Perry Defers To Scientists On Gay Conversion Therapy, Forgets They Already Trashed It
• GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer Skeptical That LGBT Workplace Discrimination Exists
• Obama to Sign Executive Order on LGBT Discrimination
• Alabama appeals court rules state's sodomy law unconstitutional
• Gay candidate Brett Smiley has a very cute campaign ad
• First black, openly gay man confirmed as U.S. federal judge—Make that two.
• Canada: Kathleen Wynne's Liberals win majority government—"The first woman elected premier of Ontario — and Canada's only openly gay first minister ever — Wynne bested Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak, who announced his resignation, and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath."

Homophobia

• Judge: Gay Fathers' Names Cannot Appear On Their Biological Children's Birth Certificates
• UK: 30 schools using textbooks that teach homosexuality is a choice
• U.S. cuts aid to Uganda, cancels military exercise over anti-gay law
• Cop placed on leave after refusing to work at gay pride parade—"The Salt Like City police officer will be the subject of an internal investigation, the department announced." Salon
• Clubber sprayed with concentrated ammonia outside Vauxhall bar in homophobic attack

Cosmos

• "Why is God telling me to stop asking questions?"—Meet the woman behind Neil deGrasse Tyson's "Cosmos" Salon
• Neil deGrasse Tyson vs. the right: "Cosmos," Christians, and the battle for American science—"The real reason conservatives are freaking out about Neil deGrasse Tyson: He's laying bare their worst hypocrisies." Salon
• The 5 most important lessons from Neil deGrasse Tyson's "Cosmos"—"'Cosmos' may be ending on Sunday, but lessons will keep us thinking." Salon
• The Curious Passions of Mr. Cosmos: Neil deGrasse Tyson On Space, Climate, and Why Curiosity Wins Every Time
• Fox News guest says white liberal nerds love Neil deGrasse Tyson so much "he could defecate on them" Salon

Creationism

• Creationist author asks: If evolution is true, "is rape wrong?"—"Darek Isaacs appeared on 'Creation Today' with ridiculous claims about evolution." Salon
• Can This Class Be Saved? Bible Course Teaches That Adam and Eve Were Actual Historical People
• A Decade Later, This is the 500-Page Creationism Book a Public School Biology Teacher Gave His Students
• New creationism museum says Noah brought baby dinosaurs aboard the ark—More likely to believe Gilgamesh did it. Salon
• 4 in 10 Americans Believe God Created Earth 10,000 Years Ago
• UK: Government bans all existing and future Academies and Free Schools from teaching creationism as science
• Creationism Isn't Science, and Shouldn't Be Taught That Way

Church and State

• Faced with Threat of Atheists Speaking at Meetings, Troutman (NC) City Council Caps Invocations at Two Minutes
• A Church-PAC Link Raises Questions in Mississippi—"If a church's resources were used to help Senator Thad Cochran, the church could lose its tax-exempt status." NYT
• U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal over school graduation in church
• With Eric Cantor Defeat, Congressional Republicans Lose Only Non-Christian
• Dave Brat's Land of Magical Thinking—"The GOP's newest star doesn't believe that Wall Street deserves much of the blame for the financial crisis, that the U.S. should be a lot more like China, and that the fix for American banks is to 'preach the gospel and change hearts and souls.'"
• Bible-waving MN GOP Supreme Court nominee places God above U.S. law
• Kissing Congressman Reconsiders Retirement After Apologizing To God
• Sympathy for the Devils: Scenes From the Social Conservative Collapse—"There was a time when the bigoted, Bible-thumping crowd ran roughshod over D.C. Now, not so much."
• Christian-themed Park Will No Longer Be Getting a $140,000 Boost from Iowan Taxpayers
• Pagan Forbidden from Opening Temple in Beebe, Arkansas Because His God Isn't the Christian God
• UK: Taxpayers' cash should not be used to fund faith schools, say voters—"Labour wants talks on teaching of religion as poll shows 58% of the public urge abolition or axing of state funds."
• Australia: Father wins High Court challenge on federal funding of school chaplains program

Atheism

• Atheism explodes in Saudi Arabia, despite state-enforced ban Salon
• Convicted Heavy Metal 'Christian' Singer Admits Being Atheist, Duped Fans to Sell Music
• Bible Verses That Atheists Love—"We asked prominent atheists what parts of the Bible they find inspiring and beautiful."

Francis Effect

• Pope Francis Meeting With Israeli, Palestinian Leaders For Prayer
• Pope Francis Warns The Global Economy Is Near Collapse
• Pope tells super rich, bankers to find some ethics
• Pope Francis: Mafiosi are excommunicated from the church'—"Vatican spokesman Father Ciro Benedettini said the pope's stern words did not constitute a formal over-arching decree of canon (Church) law, regarding excommunication, which is a formal legal process."
• Pope doesn't see the point of having a bullet-proof car at his old age—Uhhhh... is this wise?

Intolerance of Religion

• Rape victims say Bob Jones University told them to repent—"Former students at 'the fortress of faith' who reported sexual abuse say they were told they had sinned."
• Obama Caricature Becomes Urinal Cake at Faith and Freedom Conference
• Religious right looks beyond gay marriage to next battles: 'We are in a war'
• More Mormons facing church scrutiny for online comments
• 10 most un-Christian church signs Salon

Sex Abuse Scandals

• St. Louis Archbishop Carlson claims to be uncertain if he knew sexual abuse was a crime
• Catholic church has 'sociopathic disregard for sex abuse victims'—"Victim of Marist brother speaks out at royal commission after church's counsel tries to discredit him over past drug use."
• Catholic Church: Our Priest Raped Off Duty, You Can't Sue Us
• Christian radio personality from Michigan arrested on sex assault charge involving children
• Jehovah's Witness elders were 'spiritually corrupt and morally bankrupt', court told—""Mark Sewell, 53, has denied 12 sex charges against girls and women across a 10-year period, at Merthyr Crown Court."

Rape

• 'Rape culture wins': Feminist freakout after Miss Nevada dares suggest self defense training for women—Miss Nevada is right.
• Angelina Jolie: Shame the rapist, not the victim Salon
• An OB/GYN's Open Letter To George Will About His Rape Column
• Major Newspaper Dumps George Will, Apologizes For 'Offensive' Rape Column
• George Will's Latest: College Rape Charges Fueled By 'Sea Of Hormones And Alcohol'
• Cleared Oxford Union president says rape accused should not be identified—"Oxford union president Ben Sullivan said identity of those accused should be withheld at least until police carry out a preliminary investigation."
• Long-forgotten rape evidence finally reveals its clues in Northern Virginia lab WaPo
• Congress poised to approve $41 million to help clear backlog of untested rape kits WaPo

Sexism

• Female Your Party member interrupted by sexist heckles—"A member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly said Thursday she was hurt by sexist remarks made by male politicians during a session the previous day in which she was ridiculed for being unmarried and lacking children."
• American Apparel boots CEO for being a pervert, stock surges
• Study: Judges with daughters are more likely to rule in favor of women WaPo
• Female prison inmates sterilized illegally, California audit confirms
• Facebook Lifts Ban on Exposed Nipples in Breastfeeding Pictures
• Hurricanes with Female Names Are Deadlier Than Masculine Ones

Culture Clash

• A Fight as U.S. Girls Face Genital Cutting Abroad—"Female genital cutting has been banned in the United States since 1996, and now it is also illegal to transport girls for 'vacation cutting.' But some are concerned that such cutting is on the rise." NYT
• Female genital mutilation exposed in Swedish class—"Some 60 cases of genital mutilation have been discovered in Norrköping in eastern Sweden since March with all 30 girls in one school class found to have undergone the procedure."
• Iranian child bride faces execution for killing the man she was forced to marry—"Iran's judiciary urged to halt Razieh Ebrahimi's execution as international law prohibits execution for crimes by juveniles."
• Pakistani woman: My relatives shot me, threw me in canal for marrying neighbor
• Pakistan: Man murders daughter for wearing makeup
• Pakistani woman raped, hanged
• Sexual assault on student sparks outrage in Egypt
• Tunisia: Man burns daughter to death in suspected honor killing
• YouTube refuses Egypt's request to remove footage of Tahrir Square sexual assault
• UK law banning forced marriage takes effect—"Those found guilty of the largely hidden practice face up to seven years in prison."

Abortion and Birth Control

• Republican: If a Woman Has Right to an Abortion, a Man Should Have Right to Force Himself on a Woman
• Kansas county twice rejects IUD grants, equating the devices to murder
• Louisiana governor signs into law new abortion restrictions
• Florida Gov. Scott Signs Late Term Abortion Bill
• GOP Governors Paying Big Bucks to Controversial Marriage Therapist to Defend New Abortion Laws
• Chris Christie Falsely Claims Democrats Barred Anti-Abortion Speakers From Conventions
• Michigan lawmakers push bill to repeal controversial abortion insurance law
• Utah's Catholic bishop: If you're pro-life, you're pro-Medicaid expansion
• Condom Use Drops Among US Teens—More fodder for MTV.
• Melinda Gates: 'Gates Foundation Has Decided Not to Fund Abortion'

Happy Father's Day, Homme Videos; Paternity, Parenthood, Law and Disorder, Fake Rape, Sexual Assaults, Prison; Sperm, Penis, Circumcisions; Men, Teens; Male Fashion, Facial Hair

Happy Father's Day

• The Rise of the Single Dad—"More than 2.6 million households in America are headed by a single father."
• Growing number of dads home with the kids
• Lev Grossman on his daughter, Lily: How being a father ruined my life and made me a better writer.
• Terminally ill dad can't be there for daughter so gives her life's advice in one letter
• "Modern Family's" modern fathers: The decade's best sitcom is also its most important Salon

Homme Videos

• Baby Misses Dad's Beard
• Baby meets her dad's twin brother for the first time
• 40 year old tantrum

Paternity

• Nebraska high court again rules father's consent necessary for adoption
• Mother Can Exclude Father From Delivery Room, N.J. Judge holds
• Sports radio host Mike Francesca celebrates bad fathers everywhere, calls paternity leave a "scam"—"Your wife doesn't need your help the first couple of days." Salon

Parenthood

• Look-alike College Friends Discover They Are Sisters
• Rogue sperm donor may have fathered hundreds —Vince Vaungh, is that you?
• Judge rules Kan. sperm donor owes child support—Although "he signed a contract waiving his parental rights and responsibilities... the state contended the contract was moot because the parties didn't follow a 1994 Kansas law requiring a licensed physician to perform the artificial insemination when donors were involved."

Law and Disorder

• Male sex abuse reporting soars
• I was fired for denying lusty lady bosses: suit
• Nearly Half of Young Men Say They’ve Had 'Unwanted' Sex—"New study says it's possible for women to rape men: 18% of surveyed guys say women used physical force to make them have sex against their will."
• Chouteau man accused of shooting aunt claims he was tired of having sex with her in exchange for housing
• No jail time for Wausau woman accused of holding 2 men hostage, demanding sex
• Alexandra Rose Williams on good behaviour bond after in-flight bum grope
• Florida mom who had sex with teen son's friend gets asylum in Canada
• Judge questions why 'only the boy' is charged in underage sex case
• 17-year-old boy detained for 'exploiting' woman aged 21
• Tucker Carlson: We Have To 'Pretend' Boys Are Statutory Rape Victims

Fake Rape

• Angelina Jolie lookalike stabs man who refused sex—"Perijoc, who styles herself on Jolie's character in the movie 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,' was arrested on the scene and originally tried to claim she was the victim."
• Trainee barrister cried rape 11 times to avoid taking exams, court told—"Rhiannon Brooker, trainee lawyer, is accused of falsely claiming boyfriend repeatedly raped and assaulted her in attempt to dodge Bar exams."
• UA Student Arrested In False Sex Assault Report On Campus
• Jail for woman who told husband she had been raped to hide her affair
• Law graduate found guilty of falsely accusing former boyfriend of rape—A [Women Against Rape (War)] spokesperson said the prosecution of Brooker was 'completely disproportionate,' adding: 'Time and again we see police resources diverted from rape and put into prosecuting women instead.'" Don't you mean prosecuting liars?
• Minnesota Supreme Court reinstates charges against Billings woman accused of false rape claims

Sexual Assaults

• Retired Marine Reveals Secret Suffering of Male Military Rape Victims
• The 'Boys' in the Bunkhouse—"For decades, dozens of men with intellectual disabilities lived in an old schoolhouse and worked in a turkey plant. No one knew just what they endured." NT
• Boys 'rented out' for abuse at Salvation Army boys' home at Bexley in Sydney's south—Those who ran away got beaten up by police.
• Nathaniel Morales of Covenant Life Church convicted of sexually abusing young boys
• UK launches £500,000 fund to help male victims of rape and sexual abuse—"Minister says he wants to break silence on 'taboo' subject after crime survey estimates 72,000 men a year are victims."
• Male rape in America: A new study reveals that men are sexually assaulted almost as often as women

Prison

• Sex in men's prisons: 'The US system cultivates rape. If you treat people like animals, they behave like it'
• Sentenced to Wait: Efforts to End Prison Rape Stall Again—"The Prison Rape Elimination Act was passed in Washington 2003. It still hasn't been fully implemented."
• These 7 GOP Governors Are Refusing to Crack Down on Prison Rape. Now the Obama Administration Is Calling Them Out
• Meet the Vigilante Prisoner Who Beats Up Jail Rapists

Sperm

• Testicular time bomb: Older dads' mutant sperm
• The 6 most bizarre types of sperm found in nature—"You thought that 17-million-year-old sperm was weird? Well, it's in some very strange company." Salon
• Blast from the Past: Sperm-like cells created by scientists

Penis

• Penis politics: Sex, size and stereotypes in the gay community Salon
• Novi Man Discriminated Against For Big Penis, Tiny Speedo
• Exploiting Men's Insecurity About Their Penises Is a Terrible Way to Promote Vegetarianism
• For March Madness fans, vasectomy timing is everything
• 'Accidental Tyler Durden' as Fox news station KDVR airs penis picture during helicopter crash coverage
• Me and my codpiece
• Man accidentally shoots own penis, dies

Circumcisions

• New York Baby Infected With Herpes After Metzitza B'peh Circumcision Rite
• Sexually Transmitted Disease in Infants Following Ritual Circumcisions
• South Africa's dark secret: Botched circumcisions
• Circumcision rates declining in U.S., study says
• Circumcision Rates in the United States: Rising or Falling? What Effect Might the New Affirmative Pediatric Policy Statement Have?
• Penn & Teller: Bullshit on Circumcision
• College Humor: The Real Reason You're Circumcised

Men

• The Tortured Rise of the All-American Bro—"The misogynist portrait of modern American masculinity may be a historical accident. Here's how to fix it."
• Building a Bigger Action Hero—"A mere six-pack doesn't cut it in Hollywood anymore. Today's male stars need 5 percent body fat, massive pecs, and the much-coveted inguinal crease – regardless of what it takes to get there."
• Why Are Handsome Men Such Jerks?

Teens

• War on Boys
• Why teenage boys do stupid things
• More teen boys working as babysitters
• Confirmed: Teenage Boys Use Way, Way Too Much Body Spray
• Steroid Use Much Higher Among Gay and Bi Teen Boys

Male Fashion

• The worst men's grooming trends of all time
• Project Upgrade: Kevin Love—"We noticed Minnesota Timberwolves animal of a power forward Kevin Love has been looking a little shaggy lately. This season he's been playing the best ball of his career, so we called our go-to barber to give him a cut and a shave to match."
• How Men Can Fight Sexism by Wearing Very Short Shorts
• Why Are Guys Afraid to Wear Speedos?—"American men need to get over their Freudian fear of showing off their junk."

Facial Hair

• The Racially Fraught History of the American Beard
• Beard PhD
• Hipster wannabes get facial hair transplants
• Beard envy? Surgery may be the answer
• Mike Napoli says Elvis Andrus should shave off 'embarrassing' beard
• Beards Trim P&G's Sales as 'Movember' Fuels Hairy Look
• 10 Actors Who Improved with Mustaches
• Gillette Loses Its Way in Mustache Flap
• Hot gay daddies—NSFW video by Farenheit80.

Comply! Zero Tolerance, Bullying, Racism, School Shootings, Sexual Assaults, Law and Disorder, Juvenile Deliquence; Educamation, Teachers, That's Un-Possible! Parenting

Comply!

• Parents say middle school students suspended over FB post—"A group of Spalding County middle school students is facing suspension over a Facebook post about the school dress code."
• Student's awesome non-apology for wearing leggings
• North Carolina Senior Stripped of Diploma After He Strips at Graduation
• Running Coach Fired For Running Boston Marathon—He went on his personal day, and the athletic director goes on a power trip.
• Oakland High guard charged in abuse of student in wheelchair
• Campus cop fires gun at teens he caught making out in car parked at OK school
• Georgetown officer suspended 40 days after tripping incident
• Dad Arrested For Picking Up Kids At School By Foot

Zero Tolerance

• New Report on Zero Tolerance: Stop Expelling Kids for Ridiculous Nonsense
• Dad: NJ threatens to take away son after pencil-twirling incident—"A simple pencil-twirling incident landed Ethan Chaplin in hot water with his school, which threatened to suspend him after a classmate claimed he was spinning the writing utensil like a gun."
• School mum over dad's gun—Dad flashed his gun permit to the school principal during an argument "over a picture his son drew in art class of Gru, the main character in the movie 'Despicable Me,' 'shooting ping-pong balls at his minions,' which school officials thought was sexual in nature." School administration stupidty at work again.
• Boy, 7, may be expelled after telling teacher he accidentally brought toy gun to school
• Parent wants NEISD to reconsider sunscreen policy—"Girl, 10, not allowed to bring sunscreen on field trip due to 'toxic' nature."
• When your high school gets you arrested for a science project—"Last year Kiera Wilmot was busted for simulating a volcano with toilet cleaner and foil. Her record still lists felony arrest."

Bullying

• Was Rainier HS student suspended for reporting online bullying?
• Maryland girl pleads 'responsible' for bullying boy with autism—"A 17-year-old Maryland girl accused of assaulting an autistic boy pleaded 'responsible' to two misdemeanor charges after her case was transferred from adult to juvenile court."
• Torrence Collier: Westport parents insist town is not racist—"Parents in the tiny Newfoundland community of Westport say suggestions that their community is racist are wrong, with one saying that Torrence Collier, the 11-year-old black boy whose allegations of racially motivated bullying have made national headlines, is a bully himself."
• CPS investigating allegations of anti-Semitic bullying
• It's time to outlaw bullying

Racism

• Mich. teacher suspended over blackface lesson plan—"A community is outraged after a Michigan public school teacher was removed from the classroom for showing a video of white entertainers in blackface." Updated: The teacher has been reinstated. The administrator should be kicked out.
• UCI student council penalizes frat over themed party—"Critics say Phi Gamma Delta's annual Fiji Islander event is a slap because of how the nation was treated during colonial times."
• Hylton officials file complaint about racism following soccer game

School Shootings

• Seattle student credited with stopping campus gunman has wedding registry, honeymoon paid for by strangers
• Oregon school shooting leaves student, gunman dead
• The Daily Banter's Investigation Helps Catch Sandy Hook Memorial Thief

Sexual Assaults

• Brown University Student Speaks Out on What It's Like to Be Accused of Rape—"In April, Daniel Kopin was publicly accused of sexually assaulting his classmate. For the first time, he tells his side of the story."
• Judge Blocks Expulsion of Duke Student Accused of Sexual Misconduct WSJ
• More college men are fighting back against sexual misconduct cases
• Stanford won't expel student in sexual assault case
• Stanford sexual-assault case: Did the university do enough to punish a student it found responsible for sexual misconduct?
• Teacher charged with raping student flipped out over prom date
• Dad hits teacher with baseball bat after 'inappropriate' texts surface with teen daughter

Law and Disorder

• 14 charged in Wilmington College hazing incident at the Gamma Phi Gamma house
• Woman sentenced to 2 days for truancy fines dies in jail; judge says it was his only option
• 20 students taken to hospital after first grader brings heroin to school

Juvenile Deliquence

• Girls Charged in Stabbing Allegedly Tried to Kill for 'Slender Man'
• 13-year-old Ohio girl stabs mother in 2nd 'Slenderman' attack
• Teenager calls in hoax bomb threat so brother can finish Burger King shift early
• Man jumped in Patterson Park by teenagers who were filming attack

Educamation

• Obama Plans Steps to Ease Student Debt—"Borrowers' debt load is growing and retarding the ability to buy homes, start businesses or otherwise spend to spur the economy, economists say." NYT
• Bill To Allow Refinancing Of Student Loans Dies In Senate
• Cafeteria worker tosses child's lunch when he's 26 cents short
• Public Schools Are Hurting More in the Recovery Than in the Recession
• Half of college grads still relying on parents' money
• How Medicaid lowers high school dropout rates and leads to more college grads WaPo

Teachers

• Williamsburg students stage walkout to protest mistreatment of teachers
• North Carolina: Judge rules revocation of teacher tenure, 25% contracts unconstitutional
• Judge Strikes Down California Teacher Tenure—"A judge struck down tenure and other job protections for California's public school teachers as unconstitutional Tuesday, saying such laws harm students — especially poor and minority ones — by saddling them with bad teachers who are almost impossible to fire."

That's Un-Possible!

• UNC's McCants: 'Just show up, play'—"Former North Carolina basketball star Rashad McCants told Outside the Lines that he could have been academically ineligible to play during the 2004-05 national championship season had he not been provided fraudulent academic assistance."
• School cancels reading program rather than promote "hacker culture"—"Boing Boing editor responds, offers 200 free copies to the school's students."
• This Made Us LOL—South Carolina takes a stand.

Parenting

• The day I left my son in the car—"I made a split-second decision to run into the store. I had no idea it would consume the next years of my life." Salon
• Stop helicopter-parenting other people's kids—"We've reached the point where parenting "mistakes" are being reported to the cops."
• Hawaii Man Gets Probation for Making Kid Walk Mile—He was sentenced to probation, but he shouldn't have been charged in the first place.
• Dad charged for forcing teen to carry landscape stone
• Brooklyn pub bans kids after being swamped by families—"The Hot Bird in Clinton Hill posted a sign reading 'Children are not allowed,' after hip parents kept taking their babies to the bar."

Workers and Wage Slaves, Minimum Wage; Accountability, Class Warfare, Taxing, Vote Machinations, Race and Racism; Marriage Equality, Politics, LGBT; Abortion and Birth Control, Rape and Sexual Assault, Sex Abuse Scandal; The Francis Effect, Religion

Workers and Wage Slaves

• Where Does the USA Place in the World's Worst Places to Work Rankings?—"The United States is deemed one of the worst countries to be a worker."
• Americans Are Getting Less And Less Of Their Money From Their Jobs
• Temp Nation: How Corporations Are Evading Accountability, at Workers' Expense
• Philippines: Businessman locked up 8 employees who died in Pasay warehouse fire—Murderous intent.
• Flipside: How great would Sweden's proposed six-hour workday be? This great. WaPo

Minimum Wage

• Seattle raises minimum wage to $15 an hour—What's the implication?
• Reich: Seattle is Right
• CEO: McDonald's would 'manage' minimum wage hike—"Don Thompson told local college students what the company isn't likely to publicize: It could manage a hike in the minimum wage to $10.10."

Accountability

• U.S. appeals court voids judge's rejection of SEC-Citigroup accord—"A federal appeals court on Wednesday handed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission a big victory by voiding a judge's pathbreaking decision to reject the regulator's $285 million fraud settlement with Citigroup Inc."
• US stock exchanges face lawsuit over high-frequency trading—"It is alleged HFT enables professionals to make quick profits at the expense of savers and pension fund investors."
• Judge lets U.S. pursue $5-billion fraud lawsuit against S&P
• Payday lenders sue US regulators over 'Operation Choke Point'
• Wall Street Traders Are About To Be In A World Of Pain—"A traders skills don't always translate well off Wall Street."

Class Warfare

• Savage capitalism is back – and it will not tame itself
• The Last Time Fatcats Tanked the Economy, the Backlash Was Huge. Why Didn't That Happen This Time?—"Explaining the power of 21st century plutocracy."
• One percent's twisted new heist: What's really behind privatization—"Outsourcing government not only leads to poor services -- it's killing the middle class...." Salon
• USDA To Georgia: You Can't Drug-Test Food Stamp Recipients

Taxing

• Florida Governor Rick Scott to Attend Fundraiser at the Home of a Tax Cheat
• Bundy owes the government more than all other ranchers combined
• What America Could Buy With Offshore Tax Money—"If the government closed loopholes that allow companies to stash profits in tax havens, we could collect $65 billion in taxes each year. Here's what that money could do for our country."
• 77,000 Foreign Banks to Share Tax Info With IRS
• Australia's rich come forward to declare their offshore tax structures

Vote Machinations

• Sheriff investigates McDaniel staffer—"An official investigation has been opened into three people who were found locked in the Hinds County Courthouse hours after it was closed by election officials Tuesday after returns had been counted in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate." Nothing reportedly happened.
• GOPer Bosworth Turns Herself In For Perjury Warrant—"[S]he had been charged with 'six counts of perjury and six counts of offering a false or forged instrument for filing.'"
• 'Year Of The Republican Establishment' Narrative Loses Even More Credibility
• One easy way to end gerrymandering: Stop letting politicians draw their own districts WaPo
• "Citizen Koch": The movie about our sick democracy PBS tried to kill—"Dumped by public TV, this long-brewing documentary explores the Koch brothers, Wisconsin and the death of the GOP." Salon
• Our New SuperPAC Is Going to Change American Politics for $12 Million

Race and Racism

• Owner of cotton warehouse responds to racist comments
• No charges will be filed against woman over racist rant—"Public's reactions to video prompt police to remove her children for their safety."
• Morgan Freeman, Don Lemon, and race: The actor doesn’t understand the link between inequality and race.

Marriage Equality

• Supreme Court won't put equal marriage ruling on hold in Oregon—"The high court refused to halt a federal judge's order declaring Oregon's equal marriage ban unconstitutional." Salon
• Judge strikes down Wisconsin same-sex marriage ban—And licenses are being issued.
• Texas' Gay Marriage Battle Heats Up As Attitudes Change
• How the National Organization for Marriage Doomed Itself to Collapse
• Opinion: Marriage equality is unstoppable
• For GOP Senate Candidates, Banning Same-Sex Marriage In The Constitution Has Lost Its Appeal
• Bakery Will Stop Making Wedding Cakes After Losing Discrimination Case
• Family Research Council Spokesman Links Isla Vista Shooting Spree To Gay Marriage
• Date set: same-sex couples can use British laws to marry in Australia—"Same-sex couples in which one partner has British citizenship will be able to marry from June 27 in British consulates in Sydney and Perth, with Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra to follow soon after."

Politics

• Waco, Texas extends anti-bias policy to LGBT employees
• U.S. Armed Forces color guard to march in gay pride parade in D.C.; called a first nationwide WaPo
• LGBT Republican Group GOProud Going Out of Business—"The gay conservative group officially closes up shop, though organizers say it will reemerge with a new name, format, and mission."
• Ted Cruz Addresses Rally Organized By Doctor Who Says Gays Recruit Children
• Texas GOP Platform Embraces 'Reparative Therapy' to 'Escape Homosexual Lifestyle'—They still want to criminalize homosexuality.

LGBT

• Cat On a Hot Tin Roof Production Canceled After Homophobic Fracas
• Wash. Times Editorial Spreads Slurs, Lies, on Medicare's Trans Coverage
• Louisville school OKs transgender bathroom policy
• How our genes could make us gay or straight WaPo

Abortion and Birth Control

• When Courts Consider Evidence, Abortion Supporters Win NYT
• Arizona Drug-Induced Abortion Limits Blocked by Court—"Arizona's law limiting drug-induced abortions was blocked by a federal appeals court, handing a victory to Planned Parenthood as it seeks to roll back a restriction it calls among the most stringent in the nation."
• Ohio Republicans Want to Make It Harder for Women to Get Long-Term Birth Control
• A Fantastic Quote From the Ohio Republican Who Wants to Ban Insurance Coverage of IUDs
• Alaska Senate Candidate Joe Miller Says Abortion Is Bankrupting Social Security
• Bodies of 800 babies, long-dead, found in septic tank at former Irish home for unwed mothers WaPo
• Shocking movie portrayal: Why "Obvious Child" is a revolutionary fairy tale—"In this striking new film, a woman has sex, gets pregnant and has an abortion. And she isn't punished for it!" Salon

Rape and Sexual Assault

• India state minister on rape: 'Sometimes it's right, sometimes it's wrong'—"Home minister in BJP-run Madhya Pradesh state describes rape as a 'social crime' in comments playing down rapes."
• Sexual harassment made a crime in Egypt—"Outgoing president issues decree criminalising sexual harassment, making it punishable by up to five years in jail."
• Flier arrested for alleged threat: 'I kill white people'
• The Montana Judge Who Blamed a 14-Year-Old for Her Own Rape Will be Censured

Sex Abuse Scandals

• Roman Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Scandal: 19 Accuse Mexican Priest, Activist Estimates as Many as '100 Victims'
• After US sex abuse scandals, an accused priest rises again in Paraguay
• Ex-megachurch pastor blames underage victim, wants out of prison

Francis Effect

• Pope Francis Sacks Entire Board of Vatican's Financial Watchdog—"The pontiff has replaced the all-Italian board of the Financial Information Authority with an international group of new members — including Juan C. Zarate, a Harvard professor and former Bush Administration official."
• Pope Francis Says 'Door Is Always Open' to Rethink Priestly Celibacy
• Pope Francis defends Gypsies in Vatican address—"Pontiff urges Italians to stem their suspicion and calls on authorities to help those at the margins of society."
• Pope criticises couples who choose having pets over children for an 'easy' life—"Pope Francis says couples who substitute pets for children so that they can have a "care-free life" will face a 'lonely' old age."

Religion

• Racism Lives On Under the Cover of 'Religious Freedom'—"A small portion of the population believes people should have the right not to serve black people—and even more believe the same thing about Jews, atheists, gays, and lesbians."
• Virginia atheist couple: Court-appointed officiant told us we had no right to get married
• Bill Maher Battles Ralph Reed: People Pull Faith 'Right Out of Their Ass'
• Alabama chief justice cites Pledge of Allegiance to show courts need God to function
• A litany of 'thou shalt nots': Catholic teachers challenge morality clause

Marriage Equality, Politics and Media, Homophobia, TG; Sex Abuse Scandal, Church and State, Religion; War on Women, Sexism, Abortion and Birth Control, Culture Clash, Rape

Marriage Equality

• South Dakota Couples Challenge Gay Marriage Ban
• North Dakota's same-sex marriage ban to be challenged WaPo
• GOP Congressman Comes Out In Favor Of Marriage Equality
• Gay Marriage Will Destroy the GOP—"If conservatives don't embrace the inevitable, they'll become irrelevant." Politico
• Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi: Gay Marriage Would Cause Harm
• Kan. Democrat who opposes same-sex marriage leaving party for GOP
• Mormon Family That Supported Prop 8 Discovers Their Son Is Gay

Politics and Media

• Obama Proclaims June LGBT Pride Month, Calls Out Congress For 'Injustice' Of Not Passing ENDA
• Anti-Gay Houston Official Threatens To Recall Mayor If Bill Prohibiting Discrimination Passes—Will he push through with it now that it has passed?
• Republican Gay Rights Groups Denied Booths At Texas GOP Convention
• Gay Republican congressional candidate's California office vandalized
• GOP Michigan Guv Backs LGBT Workplace Protections
• Out Gay Pennsylvania Republican Loses GOP Primary, But Will Remain On The Ballot As A Democrat
• Fighter Alex Reid: 'Sex with men doesn't make you gay or bisexual, just like a cigarette doesn't make you a smoker'
• Anderson Cooper on show host who called airing Sam kiss 'wrong'
• Robert De Niro opens up about gay father in 'Out': 'I wish we had spoken about it much more'
• Obamacare Is the Most Important Piece of Gay Rights Legislation Ever Passed

Homophobia

• Mistakenly believing one of them to be gay, two homophobes attack each other
• Couple says they were asked not to come back to East Texas restaurant because they are gay—"Here at Big Earl's we like for men to act like men and for ladies to act like ladies, so we want you to never return."
• Slovak parents fail to block adoption by gay couple
• Aiding Turkey's Gay Inmates—"Ankara's proposal to segregate gay, lesbian and transgender prisoners will do more harm than good." NYT

TG

• What Is This Child Doing in Prison?—"The transgender teenager needs treatment, not isolation." NYT
• Ban lifted on Medicare coverage for sex change surgery WaPo
• Parents make heartwarming tribute to 6-year-old transgender son
• Transgender tipping point: Laverne Cox on the cover of TIME

Sex Abuse Scandal

• Pope Francis to meet with sexual abuse victims
• UN Panel Slams Vatican on Priest Sex-Abuse Scandal
• Archbishop of Manila has been at forefront of sex-abuse scandal reforms
• Australia: Department defends claims sexual abuse commission funding redirected to insulation inquiry
• Protestant Church Faces New Sex-Abuse Scandal as Victims Defy Threats, Censorship to Speak Out

Church and State

• Virginia county board says no followers of 'pre-Christian deities' allowed to deliver prayers
• After Possible Church/State Violation, Mayor Allegedly Tells Atheist: "Take Me to Fucking Court because I Don't Care"
• Sudan to release woman facing death penalty for being Christian—"A Sudanese official says that Meriam Ibrahim will be released from prison. She was raised a Christian by her mother but a court ruled earlier this month that she is Muslim because that was her father's faith. She was sentenced to death by hanging for renouncing Islam."

Religion

• Investigators reveal alleged suicide note, suspect cites recent bible verse
• Evil cult beat woman to death at Chinese McDonalds
• Spies, Cash, and Fear: Inside Christian Money Guru Dave Ramsey's Social Media Witch Hunt—"When critics appeared online, employees say the evangelical financial whiz went ballistic, allegedly firing innocent employees and offering bounties for information."

War on Women

• Limbaugh: Hillary's 'Only And Greatest Achievement' Is 'Being Female'
• Why Jill Abramson's Firing Triggers Women's Worst Fears About Sexism
• National Review Writer: Liberals 'Brainwash' Women To Cry 'Rape'..

Sexism

• Scout Willis topless Instagram protest: Daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore rallies against female nudity policy
• Restaurant Responds to Review Requesting Servers 'Show Some Skin' In Clever Way
• Snapchat CEO 'mortified' by leaked e-mails—"In the e-mails, acquired by Gawker's Valleywag blog, Evan Spiegel encourages fellow Kappa Sigma members to get sorority women drunk enough to have sex, mocks another fraternity by suggesting its members are gay and refers to a different group of sorority members as 'sororisluts.'"

Abortion and Birth Control

• "There is so much shame": Emily Letts on why she filmed her abortion — and what happened next—"Emily Letts' abortion video became a viral sensation. Here's what she was thinking -- and the best reaction she got." Saon
• Commissioners reject KDHE grant—"Price said the long-term form of birth control, an intrauterine device, or IUD, which the grant would fund, was an abortion issue. 'I'm not very smart on this because I'm just a man. But I'm against it,' Price said. He said he was acting on the advice of two physicians." Emphasis mine.
• Things are about to go from bad to worse in Oklahoma: Governor signs off on Texas-style abortion restrictions—"An admitting privilege requirement threatens to leave one clinic to serve 3.8 million people." Salon
• Texas Ed Board Candidate Who Fathered Child at 16: Supports Ten Commandments, Opposes Sex Ed in Schools
• What If We Admitted to Children That Sex Is Primarily About Pleasure?
• Update on SC sex-ed law closer to passage
• Schools return 'suggestive' condoms
• School District To Allow Teachers To Give Condoms To Sixth-Grade Students

Culture Clash

• Pregnant Pakistani woman stoned to death by family—"I killed my daughter as she had insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no regret over it." Jeebus.\
• Egyptian doctor to stand trial for female genital mutilation in landmark case—"Raslan Fadl, a doctor in a Nile delta village, is accused of killing 13-year-old schoolgirl Sohair al-Bata'a in a botched operation."
• Man killed wife for making vegetarian dinner: prosecutors—"Defense attorney Julie Clark admitted Hussain beat his wife — but argued that he is guilty of only manslaughter because he didn't intend to kill her. In Pakistan, Clark said, beating one's wife is customary."
• Iranian actress Leila Hatami faces public flogging—"Iranian court is asked to order the public flogging of award-winning actress Leila Hatami for greeting Cannes festival president with a kiss."

Rape

• Marital rape is officially legal in India—"A judge in India has officially confirmed that rape laws do not apply to married couples — once you’re legally wed, forced sex is no longer a crime."
• Young Widow to Be Caned After Gang Rape by Sharia Vigilantes—"A 25 yr. old Indonesian widow in Aceh will be caned under sharia law for having an affair. She was gang raped by sharia vigilantes."
• 2 dalit sisters gang-raped, bodies found hanging from tree
• Malaysian teenager gang-raped by 38 men