Catholic women's groups in Europe protest Vatican's moralist backlash against rising marriage and LGBTQ equality
BERLIN—Five Catholic women‘s organizations in German-speaking areas have released an open letter calling for the Vatican to reverse its position that priests cannot bless same-sex unions. The letter to the Vatican's orthodoxy office, was signed by the heads of two groups in Germany and one each in Austria, Switzerland and northern Italy's largely German-speaking South Tyrol region. The groups say they have about a million members in total. “The church's mission to be effective as a sign of salvation in the world means countering homophobia and standing up for gender equality, also on the basis… Read More
Backlash in Iran after academic calls for ‘removing gays' from Tehran in moralist backlash
Activists launched a petition against an Iranian academic and theatre director who was slammed for making homophobic remarks in an outrageous rant against the Iran's LGBTQ+ community. Last month, Ghotboddin Sadegh told Online Art that the neighbourhood around Tehran City Theater had become “very shameful” because “turned into a place for thugs, offenders, and homosexuals who do not observe the cultural sanctity of this place”. In his homophobic rant, he called for the area “to be cordoned off” so it is “not corrupted”, Iran Wire reported. A group of 70 activists launched a petition against Sade…Read More
Moralist Backlash Brings Backlash: North Carolina wedding venue facing strong response for refusing equal access to facilities
A gay couple in North Carolina who became engaged on Valentine's Day had their request to be married at a popular wedding venue denied and the blowback forced the facility to shut down their Facebook page. [via Raw Story]
