PA. House Repubs shut down any recognition of gay rights decision in Capitol, to protect "God's Law"

[JPZenger]

Last edited Fri Jun 28, 2013, 10:13 AM - Edit history (3)

A message from PA. Democratic Representative Mike Schlossberg:

"One of my collegues, Brian Sims, tried to speak today on the House floor, commemorating the Supreme Court decisions in favor of LGBT rights today.

Using a procedural maneuver, Republicans objected to Brian's speech and were able to shut it down.

A second and third member of the House then tried to speak on the same subject - and were also shut down.

The Supreme Court may have moved the right way, but Pennsylvania still has a long way to go - and I'm looking forward to being part of that debate.

More to the point, I am so proud of my friend Brian, who is an absolutely incredible fighter for equality, and has more guts in his pinky than every Republican who tries to shut him up."

(By the way, Representative Sims is the first openly gay member of the PA. Legislature).

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Update from another legislator: It was during the unanimous consent portion of the session. At least one Republican legislator objected to each Democrat speaking about marriage equality, but he refused to identify himself for the record.
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Update 2 from WHYY: Republican teabagger-in-chief Daryl Metcalfe proudly announced he was one of the people who blocked the recognition. The others have remained top-secret. He said that the comments would have been "open rebellion against God's law."

Rep. Sims said many legislators afterwards apologized for the incident, and have signed on as co-sponsors for his equality bill.

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/56656-rep-sims-blocked-from-addressing-doma-ruling-in-pa-house

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Update 3: it made Rachel Maddow's Blog.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/06/28/19188843-pennsylvania-dem-silenced-by-opponent-citing-gods-law?lite

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These are the same frustrated old white men who shut off the microphones of African-American members of the House of Representatives when they were scheduled to speak to recognize Black History Month, because one of the members was dressed in African garb.

[femmocrat]

1. It is going to be a long battle in PA (as long as the repubs are in power.)

Of course, democrats could retake the legislature and toss out Corbutt in one swell foop! Hey, we can always hope!

[Half-Century Man]

2. Thats bitter..

...when you can't make a personal congratulations to someone.

[chillfactor]

3. these disgusting old white men....

live in their own bubble ... reality is never allowed to creep in....

cutting off speakers they do not agree with is below contemptable...

[tech3149]

4. I grew up in SW PA but moved away in the 70's

I moved back in 2002 and couldn't believe how right wing my home had become in the 15 or so years I had been away. My county pretty much has no Democratic party, it seems like everyone gets their information from Faux Snooze. I spend the better part of my day searching out real information about what is going on in the world but it seems like everybody I talk to get sall their information from commercial media and believes it or they have no interest in politics or world affairs.
I can understand that it's hard to deal with reality but they don't seem to understand that what you don't know can and will hurt you.

[malthaussen]

5. The courage and integrity of our Republican reps never ceases to amaze me.

"Refused to identify himself for the record," forsooth. I'm going to be extremely sexist here and say that is about the most ball-less conduct I've ever heard of.

-- Mal