Chicago Archbishop Says Proposed Illinois Civil Unions Will Change “Nature Of Marriage” Missing The Fact Law Is Not About Marriage, Former Catholic Priest Charged With Soliciting Hit Man To Kill Young Boy Who Accused Him Of Sexual Molestation, Orange County Florida Passes Expanded Anti-Discrimination Ordinance, Orange Country Gay Advocates Now Look To Passing Domestic Partnership Benefits Bill, Rex Reed Savages Burlesque, Tim Morehouse Loves Phillip Morris, Oliver Jackson-Cohen

Cardinal Francis George, the head of Chicago’s Roman Catholic archdiocese, said Monday that proposed legislation authorising civil unions between gay and lesbian couples as a measure that would “change the nature of marriage” and he urged lawmakers to reject it, reports the Tribune. In a statement, Cardinal George said “Everyone has a right to marry, but no one has the right to change the nature of marriage. Marriage is what it is and always has been, no matter what a Legislature decides to do; however, the public understanding of marriage will be negatively affected by passage of a bill that ignores the natural fact that sexuality complementarity is at the core of marriage.” The proposal George references, sponsored by Representative Greg Harris, a Democrat from Chicago, and Representative Deb Mell, a Democrat from Chicago, would afford spousal rights to same sex partners in a civil union, granting them surrogate decision-making for medical treatment, survivorship, adoptions and accident and health insurance. Harris, however, said the legislation does nothing to amend the definition of marriage as that existing only between one man and one woman.

A former Roman Catholic priest, John Fiala, was arrested November 18th, at his suburban Dallas home, arrested on charges that he solicited a hit man to murder a teenager who accused him of sexual abuse, according to the Statesmen. In April, a lawsuit was brought against the 52 year old Fiala by the family of teenage boy, accusing him of sexual molestation, including two incidents where the boy was forced to have sex at gunpoint. The abuse allegedly occurred in 2007 and 2008 when Fiala was a priest at the Sacred Heart of Mary Parish in the West Texas community of Rocksprings. The lawsuit also names the Archdiocese of San Antonio and Archbishop Jose Gomez, and it was filed a month prior to Gomez’s introduction as the incoming head of the Los Angeles Archdiocese.

Orange County, Florida approved an expansion of anti-discrimination protections for homosexuals in the private sector, the Orlando Sentinel reporting that the measure passed, without opposition, by a 6-1 vote. According to the report, the historic decision is a part of a broader fight in the gay, lesbian, and transgender community to gain the same rights as those enjoyed by straight couples or individuals. The ordinance expands existing bias-protected classes already contained in state and federal law to include sexual orientation.

Wednesday, Orange County gay advocates said that buoyed by the passage of the expanded anti-discrimination ordinance, they would not concentrate on the passage of legislation afforded domestic partner benefits to Orange County employees, WDBO reporting that Joe Saunders, of Equality Florida, said “It’s the next step in the work that we need to do on the county level. Right now same sex couples that work for the county can’t share their benefits and that’s just wrong.” Mayor-elect Teresa Jacobs said she is willing to discuss the proposal, but is concerned about the additional cost.

What to see Burlesque? Rex Reed suggest otherwise, who, writing in a review for the New York Observer, says the “movie is so bad that it makes you realise how much you miss Showgirls,” adding that while “Cher still looks good in a thong, but (Christina) Aguilera can’t act, and her singing sounds like calling hogs.”

Tim Morehouse, Olympic silver medal-winning United States fencer seen attending the New York City premiere of I Love You Phillip Morris.



Spotted attending the premiere of Faster was one Oliver Jackson-Cohen.