After the recent story about conservatives in the Oklahoma legislature debating whether the government should be allowed to intrude on traditional marriage (while having zero problem with the government intruding on same sex relationships) here comes another stunner from the state.

Now, Republican Senator Steve Russell has taken a bill aimed at looking into secondary school education and inserted language to exempt Oklahoma from complying with the recently signed federal hate crimes bill. Basically, it would allow the state to not only ignore the federal law, but to destroy records in hate crimes cases which did not end in conviction.

From Russell...

"We just don’t want the pendulum to swing too far the other way,” he said. "This protects people to do or say whatever they want, as long as it complies with local ordinances.”

The bill has already passed the Oklahoma senate by 39-6 and now heads to the House.

It's bad enough that the courts aren't stepping in when the established equality of LGBT Americans is simply voted away by the populace, as in Maine, but now are we going to see the states literally thumbing their noses at FEDERAL laws, just to protect and continue to enshrine BIGOTRY into our lives? Why does the law only apply to heterosexuals where they "feel" it should apply, while the rest of us are daily being restricted more and more.

This country is in real trouble.

While we occasionally consider political actions in regards to protesting the lack of equality for LGBT Americans that may end up with us being arrested to prove a point, those ideas can't even be entertained in many, many other countries.

A young Saudi man decided to make a brief, YouTube video with a friend of his. Sitting in a car, dressed in a police uniform and brandishing a weapon, the young man pretends to check the other's license, finds its not proper, then puts on some music and moves about seductively. There's nothing more than that, nothing obscene or close to exposure, just a couple of young men fooling around and having fun. Unfortunately, the video caught the attention of the authorities and the man has been sentenced to a year in jail as well as physical punishment for "impersonating an officer" and "homosexuality".

As far as we still need to go in America to overturn the oppressive and constitutionally illegal denial of equal rights to LGBT citizens, consider for a moment what it's like to have any variation on what other consider to be a "normal and proper gender and sexuality".

You can see the video below...

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In the first same sex ceremonies to be approved with legislative authority, Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard officiated five same sex marriages, despite continued criticism from the Catholic Church and other campaigning against the recent change in the laws. It's yet another area from around the world where acceptance of same sex marriage seems unlikely, and somehow astonishing considering how the United States seems to be moving backwards on this issue.

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force spokesman Pedro Julio Serrano cheered the milestone. "People in the United States can look up to Mexico City and see a courageous legislature taking a stand," he said. "It's a model to follow."

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Seems the courts aren't done with the Phelps gang yet. After a ruling against Phelps which was later overturned, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the fall about whether the messages on the signage used by Phelps when picketing funerals is protected by the Constitution...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court is getting involved in the legal fight over the anti-gay protesters who show up at military funerals with inflammatory messages like "Thank God for dead soldiers."

The court agreed Monday to consider whether the protesters' message, no matter how provocative and upsetting, is protected by the First Amendment. Members of a Kansas-based church have picketed military funerals to spread their belief that U.S. deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.

The justices will hear an appeal from the father of a Marine killed in Iraq to reinstate a $5 million verdict against the protesters, after they picketed outside his son's funeral in Maryland.

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Boy, you can smell the Republican hypocrisy in Oklahoma. Actually, you can smell it everywhere, but it's reaching a fever pitch there.

Republican legislators find themselves divided as measures concerning heterosexual marriage keep rearing their ugly, little heads. Oklahoma has the third highest divorce rate in the nation, behind Nevada and Arkansas. In light of the recent studies claiming that divorce and unwed childbearing weighs heavily on the financial burden of the nation, at something like $112 billion a year, the Oklahoma legislature is faced with a portion of their representatives urging some kind of intervention and another rebuking it.

Two marriage bills have already failed. One would have had couples seeking therapy before divorcing while another would have eliminated incompatibility as a reason for divorce if the couple had been married 10 or more years or had children. A third bill, requiring couples to seek counseling before marriage, is still on the table.

What's hypocritical and frankly, astonishing to see at this point, is some of the debate over the issue.

"How far do I want government to come into my home and your home about private personal matters?" asked Rep. Leslie Osborn, a Republican from Tuttle. She called state government a "huge monster."

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, has advised addressing the issue, but outside of government. He wants to "break the cycle of divorce" but not "mandate it".

So is this the wave hitting back at conservative heterosexuals? Is this, in some small way, a little bit of justice for all those conservative Americans who seem to have absolutely no problem allowing the government to control the relationships of LGBT citizens? They work tirelessly to make sure we have only the relationship status they want us to have, inflicting the government all over every aspect of our personal lives, but when it comes back to their corner, then they think government needs to back off.

Read more of this story here...

Well, contrary to how things have played out in the past with closeted gay politicians, Roy Ashburn has wasted no time in re-defining his identity.

"I am gay ... those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long," he said on a Monday morning radio talk show.

He defends his anti-gay voting record though, saying he's voted in line with his district and with how they wanted to be represented. While he may be technically right to represent his district with certain votes, what does it say about a man who's now explaining his record with the excuse of "integrity", when he's remained in the closet for so long and chosen to not only be a Republican but a Republican politician? There's no excuse for it. Add to that the standard "I'm a Christian please pray for me" BS that Ashburn is also peddling and you know exactly who this phony is.

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You can listen to the entire interview in the videos below...