Conservatives Silence Gay PA Rep on Statehouse Floor: Letting a Homo Speak Would Violate "God's Law"

[DonRedwood]

(Hey there--I don't usually ask for K & Rs but I'm really trying to get the news out about this. K & R if you think gay elected public officials have a right to speak on the floor of their statehouse for the people they represent.)

Be prepared to be mad. The right wing in PA blocked their only (out) gay member from being able to speak on the floor of the house. Why? Because the rightwingers in charge pretty much said that the words a gay person spoke were violating "God's Law." Yes, the people in charge in Pennsylvania Politics have decided gays can't even speak.

Here is the Philly.com story:

"Rep. Brian Sims (D., Phila.) - the state's first openly gay elected lawmaker - rose on Wednesday to speak about the landmark decision overturning the Defense of Marriage Act, and was silenced by the objections of other unnamed lawmakers. In an interview with WHYY-FM, the legislature's most outspoken conservative lawmaker, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R., Butler), acknowledged he was among those who objected. Metcalfe said Sims' comments would be an "open rebellion against "God's law."

That prompted Sims, who took office in January, to rise again at the end of the day's session on Thursday to ask that House Speaker Sam Smith (R., Jefferson) reprimand Metcalfe for what he called his offensive comments. "A few months ago I reminded this house that we put our hands on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution not the other way around. What I did was in no way against the law of any God," said a visibly shaken Sims. "I can't call anyone a bigot, a homophobe or racist. but language used against me does not live up to the standards of this body."

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/harrisburg_politics/Supreme-Court-DOMA-ruling-sparks-dust-up-on-House-floor-.html

My suggestion? We all contact Rep Daryl Metcalfe, who blocked Sims from speaking, and educate him on the American Political System works. Here you go:

E-mail: [e-mail]

District Offices
Cranberry Township Municipal Building
2525 Rochester Road
Suite 201
Cranberry Township, PA, 16066
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Hours: Monday - Friday 9am - 4:30pm

Capitol Office
144 Main Capitol
PO Box 202012
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2012
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
TTY: [phone]

Somebody needs to explain what the Freedom of Speech and the Separation of Church and State Means. Might as well be us DUers, eh?

[hrmjustin]

1. WTF!!! Have these SOB's not heard of seperation of church and state.

God never said anything against Homosexuality!!! God made me gay in my opinion.

[DonRedwood]

3. Part of the religious right's jihad.

[DonRedwood]

2. edited to correct info

[janlyn]

4. I hope everyone hits his email so hard

that it locks it up!!!

[DonRedwood]

6. I'm doing my best to get the word out!

And welcome to DU! We appreciate having your voice here!

[Half-Century Man]

5. I just found the weirdest thing on wiki...

Below, cut and pasted straight off Wikipedia's page on Daryl Medcalfe's page in the background section was this strange entry.

Prior to his election, Metcalfe was employed with Dade Behring (formerly DuPont Diagnostics) for 13 years as a field engineer focusing on benwa ball lubrication. He was responsible for managing a biomedical service territory in western Pennsylvania.

The only thing I could find on Benwa Balls confirmed my memories. Benwa Balls are a masturbation tool for females of Chinese or northern Indian design.

[xmas74]

7. Ha!Someone trolled the page. nt

[Half-Century Man]

8. Then they did it freaken quick.

I was on the page a few minutes after the Op posted.

[DonRedwood]

12. This happened yesterday so they had overnight to do it

[DonRedwood]

13. seems the truth is actually worse than what they made up though

[DonRedwood]

9. Very funny...though, i don't condone changing pages with untruths...that's the rightwing's job

[BuddhaGirl]

10. He's catching hell on his Facebook page LOL

https://www.facebook.com/RepMetcalfe?fref=ts

[DonRedwood]

11. excellent to see :0)