Family Research Council Leads Push Back Against Southern Poverty Law Center Designation As Hate Groups, Openly Gay Alabama Representative Asks An Unanswerable Question, Canadian Authorities Determine Not Enough Evidence To Pursue Case In Justin Bieber Bullying Incident, Nutcracker Tom Hardy

In response to a designation by the Southern Poverty Law Center of 13 religious right-wing organisations as hate groups because of their anti-gay advocacy and rhetoric the Tony Perkins led Family Research Council has launched a campaign to push back, writing an open letter attacking the SPLC. The letter, a study in absurdist irony, suggests that the Southern Poverty Law Center “is attacking several groups that uphold Judeo-Christian moral view, including marriage as the union of a man and a woman” and that the “radical Left are trying to shut down informed discussion of policy issues that are being considered by Congress, legislatures and the courts,” adding that it is incumbent to “Tell the radical Left it is time to stop spreading hateful rhetoric attacking individuals and organisations merely for expressing ideas with which they disagree.”

Alabama Representative Patricia Todd (Democrat) asked a question during a debate Wednesday in the House discussing a bill that limit the gifts legislators or their spouse can receive, the openly gay Todd wondering whether the bill would apply to the woman that is her spouse since Alabama law does recognise gay marriage, reports WHNT. Todd said she and her wife were married in another state. The bill’s sponsor, Representative Jim McClendon (Republican-Springville) could not come up with an answer, but said Todd posed an “interesting dilemma.”

Canadian authorities announced that they will not be bringing charges against Justin Bieber over an alleged assault on a 12 year old boy at a laser tag arcade in Richmond, British Columbia, reports CBS News and the Associated Press, concluding that there is not enough substantive evidence. The RCMP began an investigation after accusations that the 12 year old was assaulted during a game of laser tag reportedly by Bieber. However Tuesday, they said the investigation is complete and no recommendations will be forwarded to Crown council because there is not enough evidence to continue with the case. There are conflicting reports regarding the incident, but it is thought that Bieber was acting in self-defence and that the 12 year old taunted Justin with anti-gay insults and provoked into the assault.

Tom Hardy spotted at a performance for The English National Ballet’s Nutcracker gala in London.