Holiday Packages on Display in Boston's Santa Speedo Run: VIDEOS

Blogger Bos Guy turns in his annual report from Boston's Speedo Santa run.

Holiday packages on display, AFTER THE JUMP...

Gay Couple Blocked by Catholic Church in Real Estate Deal Files Suit Alleging Discrimination

Back in July Andrew posted about James Fairbanks and Alain Beret, married business partners from Sutton, Massachusetts, who were blocked by the Diocese of Worcester from buying an estate after Monsignor Thomas Sullivan found out that gay weddings might eventually be held on the property.

Fairbanks and Beret are now filing suit, the Boston Globe reports:

Beret, 59, and Fairbanks, 57, plan to file a lawsuit Monday morning in Worcester Superior Court against Sullivan, the bishop, the church’s real estate agent, and the nonprofit retreat center, the House of Affirmation, alleging they discriminated against Beret and Fairbanks on the basis of sexual orientation in the course of a real estate negotiation, violating state law.

“I have lived quietly in the mainstream for nearly 60 years, and I expected to continue that,” Beret said in an interview yesterday. “But I will not continue that at the expense of my dignity.”

Sullivan, in a phone interview yesterday, said he did not even know Fairbanks and Beret were gay, and that his e-mail was taken out of context. The talks fizzled, he said, because the men could not secure financing for their first offer, and their second offer was unacceptable to the church.

Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) Steps Carefully into Chick-fil-A Fray: 'I Disagree with What the CEO Said'

Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) was asked about Boston Mayor Thomas Menino's letter to Chick-fil-A urging them to "back out" of Boston, and his own opinion on the controversy:

“I disagree with what the CEO from Chick-fil-A said. I was glad he spoke further and said that his company does not discriminate,” Brown wrote from his South Boston campaign headquarters.

Noting that Massachusetts has strong antidiscrimination laws that could prevent problems should the company decide to set up shop in Boston, Brown added, “If they move forward with the location proposal, I trust the mayor and other officials will ensure that those laws are honored.”

In case you missed it, over the weekend NYC City Council Speaker Christine Quinn took a hard line on the issue, asking NYU President John Sexton to kick the chicken chain's restaurant off its campus.

Also, Nancy Pelosi said she prefers KFC, while Washington D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray declared Chick-fil-A "hate chicken".

Here's a Copy of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino's Letter to Chick-Fil-A Telling Them to 'Back Out' of Boston

Over the weekend Brandon posted news that Boston Mayor Thomas Menino had told Chick-Fil-A's Dan Cathy that his anti-gay chicken sandwich chain isn't welcome in the city of Boston because of its anti-gay worldview.

Here's Menino's actual letter.

(thanks itay hod)

Boston Mayor: Chick-fil-A, Move Along

This week, Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy said that the United States' gradual embrace of marriage equality is tantamount to "inviting God's judgment on our nation." In so saying, Cathy invited the judgment of Boston's Mayor Thomas M. Menino (pictured at right). From the Boston Herald:

[Mayor Menino] is vowing to block Chick-fil-A from bringing its Southern-fried fast-food empire to Boston — possibly to a popular tourist spot just steps from the Freedom Trail — after the family-owned firm’s president suggested gay marriage is “inviting God’s judgment on our nation.”

“Chick-fil-A doesn’t belong in Boston. You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population. We’re an open city, we’re a city that’s at the forefront of inclusion,” Menino told the Herald yesterday.

“That’s the Freedom Trail. That’s where it all started right here. And we’re not going to have a company, Chick-fil-A or whatever the hell the name is, on our Freedom Trail.”

Chick-fil-A has long been linked with conservative causes, though seldom so controversially. This week's remarks accomplished what the company's previous Muslim-firings and gay-bashings couldn't, sparking enough backlash to evince a promise from Chick-fil-A execs to stay out of the culture wars from now on. Distinctly odd behavior for a company whose stated purpose isn't to make a profit, but rather "to glorify God." What will God make of Chick-filA's sudden meekness? Maybe Cathy et. al. aren't so pious. Maybe they just don't like gays.   

 

Gay Youth Chase Away Anti-Gay Protesters At Boston Pride Event

A reader traveling through Boston this weekend sent in video of anti-gay haters being chased away from the city's Youth Pride festivities.

He writes, "The youth did a great job -- very careful not to get physical, but also understanding that this guy's "Repent or Perish" taunts deserved a response. Soon after I took these pics him and his buddy packed up and left, followed closely by a crowd of cheering youth."

I very much doubt I would have had the courage at their age.

Watch some video of the exchange AFTER THE JUMP… And check out some more pictures at unionstayshyn's Flickr and Union St's Twitter feed.