Supreme Court Lets Stand Florida's Gay Adoption Ban

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Monday to hear a constitutional challenge to a 1977 Florida law that bans gays and lesbians from adopting children, the only such state law in the nation.

Without comment, the high court declined to consider whether the law, which was adopted at the height of entertainer Anita Bryant's anti-homosexual campaign, unfairly singled out gays and lesbians in violation of their constitutional rights.

The law states, "No person eligible to adopt under this statute may adopt if that person is a homosexual." No other state categorically excludes gays or lesbians from adopting.

The law's sponsor, Florida Sen. Curtis Peterson, said at the time the purpose of the legislation was to send a message to gays and lesbians that "we're really tired of you. We wish you'd go back into the closet."

The Supreme Court issued its last gay rights ruling in 2003, when it struck down a Texas sodomy law and declared that constitutional due process and privacy rights applied to gays in that case.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7281851

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sui generis]

2. I have a story about Chief Justice Rehnquist

Many many years ago (early/mid eighties) the good old boy (along with many other luminaries) used to come into the Sign of the Dove restaurant in New York City and he was a drunk and a mean skank of a drunk. I tended bar in the restaurant lounge, and after just a drink or two he would start getting sour and pissy with the wait-staff, and he did this on multiple occasions, almost inevitably not tipping on the way out.

Of course we went far out of our way to take special care of him, but to no avail. One day he got extra belligerant, stood up behind L___, the cocktail waiter, and physically shoved him out of the way, causing him to drop a tray full of drinks. He stormed his way to the bar, asked for his Platinum American Express card and was carrying on about how worthless everybody was (L____ was a good waiter, not deserved at all).

I thought about it for a second, pulled his credit card, and cut it in half with a pair of scissors and handed it to him. He went hyper-ballistic (the effect I intended) flung his drink at me, and started screaming and slamming his fist on the bar and threatening everyone, and when the owner asked me why I cut his card in half, I explained that clearly Mr. Rehnquist was quite drunk and belligerent and I had comped his tab, but he refused to leave when I offered to call him a cab.

The owner backed me up and I never saw Rehnquist in there again.

There's a saying: if you're mean to the waiter and nice to your date, your still a mean person.

Finally - this same place was frequented back then by lots of wonderful people: Susan Sarandon used to come in regularly and sit at the bar for brunch, along with Richard Chamberlain, Lee Iacocca, Malcom Forbes, and a host of others more "liberal". Guess you have to balance out the evil with the good, or at least the decent.

[VegasWolf]

3. Very interesting story! I guess he thinks he is above the law. n/t

[sui generis]

4. We're really tired of Senator Peterson

And people like him. We aren't going away, and even if baby jeebus showed up this afternoon flinging lightning bolts and walking on water and raising the daid we still wouldn't go back in the closet.

We don't exist at the sufferance of anyone, and Senator Peterson's offer to put some of us in the closet who were never there to begin with just shows his age and stupidity.