Family News Round-Up

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Jun 01, 2003

A clergyman who left his wife for his male lover is set to become the first practising homosexual to be appointed to a senior post in the Anglican Communion, according to the London Telegraph.

There's a move on in Australia to lower the age-of-consent for gay couplings to 16. The current law delays the green light until 18: "a blatant piece of state-sanctioned discrimination on the grounds of sexuality," according to the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby.

Meanwhile, gays and lesbians in Massachusetts are claiming that the bishops' opposition to same-sex marriage harms families: "It is an entirely inappropriate use of church resources to be funding these attempts to institutionalize a two-class system in society, in which some families have rights that other families are not entitled to," says Dignity's Marianne Duddy. Jesuit moralist James Keenan spoke feelingly of his doubts that the bishops understood the consequences of a "sustained committed relationship between gay and lesbian persons."

The ever-popular Gerbils As a Hobby is available on Ebay.