Monday, January 23, 2012
Arkansas Media / Human rights The times, but not Ark. Times, are changing
Posted by Max Brantley on Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 10:17 AM
Laura Phillips, mother of the redoubtable Will Phillips of West Fork, is on a bandwagon on Facebook because of friends' inability to get local newspapers to publish news of their marriage. I should mention they are of the same sex and will marry in another state. As when we published the marriage of a Little Rock native in Argentina some months ago, the newspapers are saying, as the Democrat-Gazette did then, that they will only publish news of marriages legal in Arkansas.
Well, the numbers remain small, but they are growing. Laura's Facebook thread mentions three same-sex couples with marriage plans.
The Arkansas Times' posture is unchanged. Though we don't have a regular marriage feature, we'll happily publish news of same-sex marriages as a counterweight to discrimination the couples experience elsewhere. Laura's Facebook page includes a similar offer from the Fayetteville Flyer.
PS — The Human Rights Campaign today issued a statement calling on the Northwest Arkansas Times to drop its policy of refusing to run the engagement and wedding announcements of same-sex couples. Theoretically, I guess, it could run the notices and have them stuffed inside the regional Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the dominant player in the NW Ark. newspaper partnership. When last checked, it won't run such notices, but if the NWA Times did, it could, I guess, go bi- as far as newspaper policy was concerned.
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Comments (13)
Showing 1-13 of 13
like
dislikethank you again! please be expecting several announcements soon. love you guys!
Thank You Arkansas TImes. Knew I liked you guys for some reason. Thank you for the sincere words and for publishing news for for same sex and all weddings. It's just a nice thing to do, and I appreciate it! Have a good week!
Thank you for standing up for what is right. You are now my Arkansas paper of choice!
Hell, I’d much rather the ArkD-G devote space to the same-sex marriage of Arkies than to Aretha Franklin calling off her wedding to Willie Wilkerson. Which the paper has done. And to which I say, Who Give a Damn?
Some folks here may be interested to know that Mary Lou Walker will speak tomorrow night (7-8 p.m.) at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church about the experiences she and her husband Bob had with their lesbian daughter Anna who tragically took her own life in 1997.
The Walkers are among families featured in the highly-awarded documentary “For the Bible Tells Me So.” They have also founded T.E.A.C.H. ministries (To Educate against the Consequences of Homophobia).
All of us know people who should be at PHUMC tomorrow night; sadly, most of ‘em won’t be. Nevertheless, applause Applause APPLAUSE for Mary Lou and Bob Walker.
Laura, you are teacing us all, not just yor son, a valuable lesson!
And I still wish you would consider running against Justin Harris.
If only I could. I have a good job and I'd totally loose it if I were a state rep and not here every day. I dont own my own business to fall back on :D
Laura......and therein lies a flaw in our system.
People who are not independently wealthy or who do not have independent sources of income, but who have exceptional skills and might best represent the most people's interests, are not able to run because the position doesn't pay a living wage.
We should all be advocating for an increase in legislative pay and a revision of the amounts that can be collected for expenses that can't be verified.
Thanks Northwest Arkansas Times for still honoring marriage to one man one woman. Where are you Christians? Speak up while we can!!
Jonathan--"where are the Christians?" More than likely they wrote the first 10 comments.
John 13:34-35
New International Version (NIV)
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
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