Uber Marries 8 Couples To Celebrate Marriage Equality And San Francisco Pride: VIDEO

This past weekend popular transportation service Uber provided 8 lucky couples spontaneous weddings in San Francisco in celebration of the city's Pride event and marriage equality. The couples used the company's app to request an UberWEDDING and chose where they would like to have the ceremony with the drop of a pin. 

Watch a video of the couples as they say "I do", AFTER THE JUMP...

UberWEDDING from Uber on Vimeo.

Colorado Republican Candidate Gordon Klingenschmitt: Jesus Will Throw Gays Into Hell – VIDEO

Continuing his obsession for all things hell-bound, Colorado GOP legislature candidate Gordon Klingenschmitt took to his show "Pray In Jesus Name" to proclaim that when Jesus returns he will overrule the decisions of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, who struck down Utah's ban on gay marriage. Then, in pure fetishistic revelry he ensures that after Jesus takes over the courts he will throw gay men into Hell. It will even be printed in Heaven's newspaper. Seriously.

You can hear Klingenschmitt speak for himself, AFTER THE JUMP...

Anti-Gay Archbishop Nienstedt Under Investigation For Sexual Misconduct With Men

In news that should surprise approximately no one, a virulently anti-gay Catholic church leader is being investigated for sexual impropriety with other males. Minnesota's Archbishop John Nienstedt is presently under investigation for inappropriate sexual conduct with seminarians, priests, and other men, allegations that Nienstedt denies.

Said church whistle-blower Jennifer Haselberger to Commonweal magazine:

I believe that the investigators have received about ten sworn statements alleging sexual impropriety on the part of the archbishop dating from his time as a priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit, as Bishop of New Ulm, and while coadjutor and archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. [He] also stands accused of retaliating against those who refused his advances or otherwise questioned his conduct.

Well, at least this time his accusations are coming from adults instead of children.

Bigot Benham Twins Are Martyrs Like 'Braveheart's' William Wallace: VIDEO

David and Jason Benham were all set to start their reality TV career with a house-flipping show on HGTV until word got around that the pair were anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-muslim extremists. Sensing that perhaps the presence of the two on their station would be detrimental to their reputation, HGTV canned the project. Little did they realize that they were creating martyrs on a level no less than Braveheart's William Wallace who are engaged in their very own D-Day. At least, that's how the Benhams view it.

Said Jason Benham at the Road to Majority conference:

We know what happened at D-Day. We know what happened on Omaha and Utah beach. There’s something about those men that our dad taught us when we were kids, and he said, ‘Boys, don’t you ever run from bullets. You run toward the bullets.' There are cultural bullets flying, all over today, especially religious liberty, and what’s happening right now is many spiritual leaders, elected leaders, they are running from bullets. But there’s a remnant of people that are ready to stand and say ‘I’m not running from these bullets any more. I’m going to take this beach.’ 

Just like in the movie Braveheart, when all the Scottish Army was standing there, and they all had their gear on, and they were lined up and they were unified, and they were ready to fight but not a single one of them wanted to fight. And then as William Wallace and a few men rode in on horses with blue face paint on. They were ready to pick a fight, and what I see before me right now are a bunch of people with some blue face paint on – so let’s go get it.

Rather galling that someone who would compare gay marriage to Nazi Germany would dare to presume he has any clue whatsoever what D-Day was like. Also, contrary to Braveheart's portrayal of William Wallace as a scrappy peasant underdog fighting against an oppressive regime, he was actually a knight from nobility who fought against a king who had been invited by the Scottish nobility to help arbitrate an impending civil war amongst the Scots....so yeah, perhaps that comparison to a wealthy person screwing around in politics is somewhat accurate. 

You can watch an interview between the Benhams and The Christian Post, AFTER THE JUMP...

Faith Leaders Ask President Obama For ‘Robust Religious Exemption’ From Executive Order On Anti-LGBT Discrimination: READ

As mentioned in our coverage of the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision earlier today, religious leaders close to The White House sent a letter to President Obama on Tuesday, petitioning for a "robust religious exemption" to President Obama's earlier announced executive order that would make it illegal for all federal contractors to discriminate in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, The Washington Post reports. This letter comes on the heels of a previouis letter from 140 religious leaders asking for a similar exemption. Importantly, Tuesday's letter was sent in the immediate wake of the Hobby Lobby decision at the Supreme Court. The letter argues that religiously affiliated organizations should be able to discriminate against LGBT people:

The letter reminds Obama of his own earlier faith-based opposition to same-sex marriage, as well as the government’s massive partnerships with faith-based social service groups that work on issues including housing, disaster relief and hunger. […]

“An executive order that does not include a religious exemption will significantly and substantively hamper the work of some religious organizations that are best equipped to serve in common purpose with the federal government.,” it said. “When the capacity of religious organizations is limited, the common good suffers.” […]

“Without a robust religious exemption . . . this expansion of hiring rights will come at an unreasonable cost to the common good, national unity and religious freedom.”

None of the groups mentioned in the letter have explicitly said they would pull out of their partnerships with the White House if they do not get an exemption.

Executive Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights Kate Kendell commented on the request for a religious exemption, stating, "This would be a catastrophic erosion of non-discrimination protections. We will not stand for this.”

Meanwhile, Former Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and Towleroad guest blogger Matt Foreman, also took issue with narrower interpretations of The Hobby Lobby ruling and asserted how disastrous it would be for the LGBT community should Hobby Lobby influence a religious exemption to President Obama's executive order:

Such an exemption would have been bad enough before Hobby Lobby, but the decision makes it even more deadly. The Hobby Lobby majority said the decision shouldn't be read to undermine employment nondiscrimination laws. BUT if the EO contains the ENDA exemption, there's nothing to stop the reasoning in Hobby Lobby from having full force and effect in justifying anti-LGBT discrimination by federal contractors - pushing the door even more widely open for discrimination against our people for essentially any reason whatsoever.

The only acceptable religious exemption is the one long-contained in Title VII. Anything else can spell disaster for years to come, including profoundly weakening the impact of future federal nondiscrimination laws and our hopes to secure meaningful civil rights protections in the 29 states that still lack them.

There is no moral or political justification for President Obama to cave and endorse LGBT people having less protections from discrimination than other Americans. This issue is not a side show; it is core to our equality.

You can read the letter to the President for yourself, AFTER THE JUMP...

Religious Exemption Letter to President Obama by atlanticonline

Gay Vloggers Try To Put Their Pants On Hands Free: VIDEO

Inspired by one man's artful ability to put his pants on hands free (while dancing no less), gay vloggers Mark E. Miller and Ethan Hethcote decided to see for themselves how challenging such a feat really is. Except Ethan didn't know that Mark was going to share his video on YouTube. Oops. 

Watch the pants go on, AFTER THE JUMP...