In the arena: Gays vs. Christians

It just seems like we can't get enough of gay news recently.

And, if you listen to extreme right-wingnuts, this is like ancient Rome where Christians were fed to the lions in the Colosseum. Only this time, it's allegedly the pro-gay leftists devouring the Christians in the media.

Really?

First, we had Russia's ban on "gay propaganda," which the vast majority in that country seem to support.

If Russia has issues with gays, then its real problems run deep and wide.

Last week, the Republican-dominated legislature in Arizona passed a bill that protects "Christian" businesses from lawsuits should they discriminate against gays. (Other Republican states are considering similar legislation.) The Republican Gov. Jan Brewer wisely vetoed the bill since she was told by the NFL that Arizona would lose hosting next year's Super Bowl.

She also said, "I have not heard one example in Arizona where a business owner's religious liberty has been violated."

You would think that with a jobless rate of 7.6 percent, the Grand Canyon State would have more pressing issues to attend to.

Of course, this veto didn't sit well with extremists in our midst.

Meanwhile, in Texas, a federal judge deemed the Lone Star State's ban on gay marriage to be unconstitutional. Like similar rulings recently, the judge cited the Supreme Court's overturning the Defense of Marriage Act. Justice Antonin Scalia's dissent in that decision is often cited as reason enough to overturn anti-gay marriage laws in the states.

Of course, Texas Gov. Rick Perry won't take this lying down. Don't think the slogan "Remember, we hate the Homo," carries the same weight as "Remember The Alamo."

Last week, the Oregon attorney general, citing the Supreme Court's DOMA decision, announced should would not enforce Oregon's ban on gay marriage.

Then, Uganda passed a law that criminalizes homosexuality, which includes harsh prison sentences. Somehow, that doesn't sound like a Christian thing to do.

Coincidentally, Christian conservatives from the American Bible Belt helped fund the anti-gay crusade in Uganda. 

So, extreme Christians aren't doing that badly. They still have friends in Russia and Uganda.

Someday, God knows when, human rights will trump religious rights around the globe.