SAME-SEX WEDDING VENUE-LAWSUIT
Wedding venue settles bias complaint filed by gay couple
GRIMES, Iowa (AP) — The owners of a gift shop and bistro who refused to hold a same-sex wedding at their Iowa business have stopped doing weddings altogether.
Betty and Richard Odgaard (OHD’-gahrd) say they have settled a complaint filed by the two gay men who were seeking to get married at the Görtz Haus (GURTS’ hows) in Grimes for $5,000 and have dropped their civil rights lawsuit against Iowa authorities.
Lee Stafford and Jared Ellers filed their complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, saying the Görtz Haus could not discriminate based on religion since the former church is a public venue. The Odgaards said the gift shop and bistro have always served gays and lesbians, but that providing a space for the wedding would have violated their religious beliefs as Mennonites.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Iowa since April 2009.
Sound:
240-a-07-(Richard Odgaard (OHD’-gahrd), co-owner of the Gortz Haus (GURTS’ hows), in AP interview)-“had to give”-Richard Odgaard, co-owner of the Gortz Haus, says he and his wife have stopped hosting weddings altogether. (29 Jan 2015)
< 239-a-11-(Richard Odgaard (OHD’-gahrd), co-owner of the Gortz Haus (GURTS’ hows), in AP interview)-“a bit differently”-Richard Odgaard, co-owner of the Gortz Haus, says he and his wife declined to host a same-sex wedding. (29 Jan 2015) < 241-a-03-(Richard Odgaard (OHD’-gahrd), co-owner of the Gortz Haus (GURTS’ hows), in AP interview)-“the wedding industry”-Richard Odgaard, co-owner of the Gortz Haus, says he and his wife no longer provide a wedding venue, host wedding receptions or provide flowers for weddings. ((cut used in wrap)) ((note length of cut)) (29 Jan 2015) < 238-w-32-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with Richard Odgaard, co-owner of the Gortz Haus)–The Christian owners of a gift shop and bistro who refused to hold a same-sex wedding at their Iowa business have stopped doing weddings altogether. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (29 Jan 2015) < GAY RIGHTS-IDAHO Idaho legislative panel halts gay protections bill BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho lawmakers have voted to halt a bill that would create protections for gays and lesbians, siding with the concerns of religious freedom supporters. The House State Affairs Committee —made up of the Legislature’s most conservative lawmakers— voted 13-4 to hold the bill in committee and prevent it from moving onto the House floor for a vote. Only Democrats voted in favor of the bill. The proposal would have included the words “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in Idaho’s Human Rights Act. The law already bans discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion and national origin in situations like housing or employment. In the end, Republican lawmakers decided that the bill’s lack of definition of the addition of the four words was too great of a risk to the religious community. Primarily, lawmakers said that they feared the law would force a person to go against their held beliefs. STATE OF UTAH-DISCRIMINATION Governor: Any gay rights bill must include religious rights SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert says any state legislation protecting gay rights must also protect religious liberties. Herbert made the remarks in his annual State of the State address Wednesday night, a day after the Mormon church made a national appeal for a similar balance between anti-discrimination proposals and legal protections for those who object. The church’s announcement made huge waves in Utah, where the governor and most lawmakers are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Several bills addressing gay rights and religious rights are pending in the Utah Legislature this year. Legislative leaders say they may be combined. 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About 300 people attended the rally and then met with lawmakers to share their concerns. Inside the Capitol, an Israeli flag — a symbol of support for the Jewish state — greeted visitors to Rep. Molly White’s office. On Facebook, the Republican lawmaker posted that she was out of the office but gave her staff instructions to ask visiting Muslims “to renounce Islamic terrorist groups and publicly announce allegiance to America and our laws.” Sound: 268-a-04-(Ruth Nasrullah, spokeswoman for the Texas Council on American Islamic Relations, in AP interview)-“hecklers being present”-Ruth Nasrullah, spokeswoman for the Texas Council on American Islamic Relations, says she believes the Muslims’ Texas Capitol lobbying day was positive overall. (29 Jan 2015) < 269-a-09-(Ruth Nasrullah, spokeswoman for the Texas Council on American Islamic Relations, in AP interview)-“went very well”-Ruth Nasrullah, spokeswoman for the Texas Council on American Islamic Relations, says hundreds of Muslims took part in their Texas Capitol lobbying day. (29 Jan 2015) < GUANTANAMO-FEMALE GUARDS Sin vs safety: judge weighs arguments on Gitmo female guards FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — A military judge is deciding whether to continue restricting the use of female guards at Guantanamo. Navy Capt. J. Kirk Waits heard closing arguments Thursday at the base in Cuba during a pretrial hearing for Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi (AHB’-dahl HAH’-dee ah-lee-RAH’-kee). Waits didn’t say when he will rule. Hadi says his Muslim faith makes it a sin for him to touch a woman who is not his wife or close relative. Waits issued an interim order in November barring female soldiers from touching Hadi to escort him to hearings and attorney-client meetings. Prosecutors say the order has weakened the ability of prison managers to run the facility safely and in accordance with gender-neutral policies. UGANDA EXTREMISM-TRIAL Uganda: Mass trial over alleged terror ties to start KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A dozen suspects have appeared in a Ugandan court to face charges, including murder and terrorism, amid what local officials say is the budding threat of Islamic violence in the East African country. Police spokesman Fred Enanga said Thursday the suspects were “using religion to recruit people” into an armed group. At least six of the suspects are also face murder charges for their alleged roles in the violent deaths of two rival clerics late last year. At a pre-trial hearing in the capital, Kampala, suspects’ supporters raised clenched fists amid chants of “God is great.” They demanded the immediate release of the suspects. Ugandan authorities believe that two Muslim clerics killed in December were targeted by radical colleagues with alleged ties to a Congo-based Islamic extremist group. MLK CHILDREN-LEGAL BATTLE MLK children work to settle dispute over Bible, Nobel prize ATLANTA (AP) — The children of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. are trying to settle a lawsuit over their father’s traveling Bible and 1964 Nobel Peace Prize without going to trial, according to a judge’s order. King’s estate, controlled by his sons, last year asked a judge to order King’s daughter to surrender the items. In a board of directors meeting last January, Martin Luther King III and Dexter had voted 2-1 against the Rev. Bernice King to sell the artifacts. The case, considered by many to be the ugliest in a string of legal disputes that have divided the slain civil rights icon’s children in recent years, was set to go to trial next month. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney on Wednesday temporarily halted all action in the case at the parties’ request to allow them time to settle the matter. McBurney’s order says a hearing will be held March 25 if a settlement hasn’t been reached. PEOPLE-JIM PARSONS Jim Parsons to play God in Broadway’s ‘An Act of God’ NEW YORK (AP) — Jim Parsons is going from a scientific nerd in “The Big Bang Theory” to a pretty big religious role — the Almighty. Producers on Thursday said Parsons will star in a stage adaptation of the humor book “The Last Testament: A Memoir by God” on Broadway. The play, called “An Act of God,” is adapted by its author, David Javerbaum. Two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello, who also helmed “Wicked,” will direct the show, which begins performances May 5 at the Studio 54 theater. Parsons, who won four Emmys for “The Big Bang Theory,” has Broadway credits that include the comic “Harvey” and the heartbreaking “The Normal Heart.” Javerbaum is the Emmy Award-winning former head writer and executive producer of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” He also co-wrote the score to the 2008 musical “Cry-Baby” and songs for the Tony Awards hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, including the tune “Broadway Is Not Just for Gays Anymore.” PORTUGAL-SEPHARDIC JEWS Portugal approves citizenship plan for Sephardic Jews LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Five centuries after burning thousands of Jews at the stake, forcing them to convert to Christianity or expelling them, Portugal is granting citizenship rights to their descendants as part of an attempt to make amends. The Portuguese Cabinet on Thursday approved a law offering dual citizenship to the descendants of those Sephardic Jews — the term commonly used for those who once lived in the Iberian peninsula. Similar legislation in Spain is awaiting final legislative approval. After Spain drove out Jews in 1492, some 80,000 of them crossed the border into Portugal, historians estimate. Portugal’s monarch initially offered them shelter, but four years later demanded they convert or leave. When they started leaving, his successor King Manuel I prohibited their departure and forced them to convert, becoming so-called New Christians. UTAH FAMILY-SUICIDE Killer believes his religious ideas influenced family suicide SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah man serving a life in prison for a double murder he believes was directed by God says his ideas likely influenced a couple’s decision to fatally overdose along with their children. Dan Lafferty told the Associated Press on Thursday that he sees himself as the prophet Elijah and the world as hell, a philosophy that he thinks played into the September deaths of Benjamin and Kristi Strack. The 66-year-old Lafferty says he first became close to the couple about 10 years ago, after Kristi Strack had a dream about him. He says they fell in love, and he cut off his waist-length hair and beard and sent them to her. Lafferty says he hadn’t talked to them in years and didn’t know their plans or mindset.
