In Alaska, "Conservative evangelical leader: 'Time to soften attitude toward same-sex marriage'"

[Blue_In_AK]

http://www.adn.com/2014/05/26/3487689/conservative-evangelical-leader.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1

Facing the prospect that Alaska's same-sex marriage ban could eventually be tossed by the courts as unconstitutional, one of the state's leading advocates of "biblical marriage" says it's time for conservative evangelicals to bury their animosities toward homosexual couples.

Jim Minnery, president of Alaska Family Action, one of dozens of similar groups around the country promoting social-conservative causes, said recently that he shared blame for "marginalizing" the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. He acknowledged opening a "hornet's nest" two years ago during the run-up to the city vote on Proposition 5, which would have banned discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

The proposition lost, but not before Minnery and his side raised ire with an animated commercial playing on a stereotype: It showed a hairy man in a short pink dress, high heels and lipstick applying for a job at a daycare center, with a narrator's voice saying the owner would face jail under the proposition if she chose not to hire the man.

That assertion was false and ignored the right of the day-care center to hire the best qualified candidate and enforce a dress code whether the ordinance passed or not. At the time, Minnery defended the ad on First Amendment grounds and admitted the character was "cartoonish." Opponents said the ad was "offensive, stigmatizing and distorted."

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You can tell from the comments that people are wary of this alleged change of heart by one of Alaska's biggest anti-LGBT bigots, but it seems to be a step in the right direction.

[shenmue]

1. Wow!

A sign of hope!