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BYU Suspends Star Basketball Player for Sex with Girlfriend

Brigham Young University has suspended one of its star basketball players for violating the school's honor code. Six-foot-9 forward Brandon Davies' transgression: Having sex with his girlfriend.

The honor code at the Mormon-affiliated university requires students to "live a chaste and virtuous life." In addition to premarital sex, students are also required to attend church regularly and abstain from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee and substance abuse. "Davies will be suspended from the team for the rest of the season and, according to [a] spokeswoman, his future at the school has yet to be determined," reports the Washington Post.

Davies is also "one of only three Black players on the team," which ranked third nationally, reports Outsports. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints officially ended its historical exclusion and teachings against Blacks in 1978.

Davies' suspension was announced Wednesday before the team faced off against New Mexico. BYU was upset 82-64. On Saturday, the team clinched a 102-79 victory over Wyoming. Davies was "allowed to help the team cut down the net after they clinched a share of the conference regular season title," reports the New York Daily News. 

"If the school was willing to suspend its top-ranked basketball team’s leading rebounder and No. 3 scorer for having sex with his girlfriend," asks Outsports. "What would they do to a gay student? The students would be lucky if they were only kicked out."

Does Elena Kagan Believe Religious Freedom Trumps Anti-LGBT Discrimination Laws?

Gay City News' Duncan Osborne points to a 1996 memo written by then-Associate White House Counsel Elena Kagan when she worked in the Clinton Administration. The memo urged President Clinton and the Administration to intervene in a case to support religious freedom and social conservatives—and side on behalf of a  California landlord who refused to rent to an unmarried couple because it went against her religious beliefs.

The memo, in which she is clearly expressing her own views, was sent to Jack Quinn, then the White House counsel, and Kathy Wallman, Quinn’s deputy counsel. Kagan, currently the solicitor general, authored it after Steve McFarlane, then the legal director at the Christian Legal Society, called her to say that a group of religious organizations would ask the court to review and overturn the California decision. That application was denied in 1997. Joining the society were the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Southern Baptist Convention as well as a coalition of Baptist organizations, the National Council of the Churches of Christ, and the American Jewish Congress. [...]

The memo surfaced Friday in the latest batch of Kagan documents released by the William J. Clinton Library.

Osbourne notes the Supreme Court struck down the Religious Freedom Restoration Act by a vote of 6-3 in 1997 and adds: "For lesbian, transgender, bisexual and gay Americans, Kagan’s position is not academic. Religious conservatives have argued that their beliefs should allow them to ignore anti-discrimination laws protecting the queer community."

Michelangelo Signorile says the memo should be a serious concern: "It's imperative that senators ask Kagan specifically about this case and whether or not she still agrees with the sentiments of her '96 memo and what they meant for anti-discrimination laws. And LGBT advocacy groups in Washington had better push them to do so, as well as demand answers from the White House and Kagan about her views on religious freedom and laws protecting gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender Americans."

White Powder Sent to Mormon Temples in Los Angeles and Utah

More problems for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which heavily bankrolled the campaign to ban same sex marriage. Authorities are investigating "letters containing white powder sent to Mormon temples in Utah and California."

The Los Angeles temple that was the site of major protests was briefly closed. Similar action was taken in Salt Lake City aftter "powder spilled from an envelope onto a clerk's hand" and  "the room was decontaminated and the envelope taken by the FBI for testing."

Legal challenges to the LDS are mounting. The Los Angeles Times reports gay activists filed a formal complaint with the California Fair Political Practices Commission alleging "the Mormon church failed to report the value of the work, including phone banks, commercials and other services, done to support the gay marriage ban."

White Powder Sent to Mormon Temples [AP]
Mormon Temple Closed After White Substance [LAT]

California Same Sex Marriage Fight Costs $73 Million

The fight for and against same sex marriage California has become "the most expensive social issue campaign  in U.S. history." More than $73 million has been raised by both both supporters and opponents of Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that would outlaw same-sex marriage in California. The San Jose Mercury News reports the figure is more than "twice the total that was spent in the 24 states where similar measures were put to voters since 2004.

No surprise where the money is coming from.

The most most-of-state money has come from Utah, where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has encouraged faithful Mormons to support Proposition 8. Of the $3.6 million in Utah contributions, $2.6 million has gone to committees backing the measure.

If passed, the initiative would overrule the state Supreme Court decision in May that said preventing gays from marrying was unlawful discrimination. Since the ruling more than 16,000 gay couples have wed in California. Those weddings would be invalidated under the newly amended constitution. Clerks offices throughout the state "reported issuing large numbers of marriage licenses on Friday and Monday to same-sex couples who opted to tie the knot in case the initiative passes."

California Gay Marriage Ban a $73 M Race [Merc]

Did You Read ... SCLC Leader Criticizes Anti-Gay, Black Pastors [R20]
 "Noah's Arc" Actor Doug Spearman, Black Ministers Urge "NO" on Prop 8 [R20]

News: Empire State Pride Agenda, Palin, Crystal Meth, Tyson Beckford

· Good as You has a front row seat at the Empire State Pride Agenda's gala Fall Dinner. "Both ESPA's Alan Van Capelle and Gov. David Paterson brought the crowd to their feet with fiery and unapologetic calls for more and greater LGBT gains. It made the crowd feel good about being an LGBT New Yorker living in 2008, and optimistic about continuing on as an LGBT New Yorker for the years to come." The event was hosted by Whoopi Goldberg who briefly discussed the event (video) on today's episode of The View.

· Sarah Palin makes "the cover of comic classic Tales From The Crypt as they go after her on the issue of book banning."

· Waymon Hudson at Bilerico Project Florida reports a complaint has been filed with the state election commission "asking for an investigation of Florida Amendment 2 sponsor Florida4Marriage.org. They say the group has avoided disclosing donations, incorrectly informed voters of the source of advertising funding, and filed false or inaccurate campaign reports. They also say Florida4Marriage is improperly running television ads ahead of the Nov. 4 election."

· Support growing for California's Proposition 8? Marist poll finds support "widening" 52 percent to 43 percent and "leads in every region of California except the Bay Area." Donate here to fight Prop 8.

· In case you missed it. Tyson Beckford walks for British designer Ozwald Boateng.

· Merrill Lynch executive gets $10 million golden parachute as firm slashes 500 jobs.

· Report: Crystal methamphetamine use contributing to spread of HIV in Utah. "Meth users are at an increased risk of engaging in high-risk sexual practices, including having multiple partners and not using condoms." Minorities are particularly at risk.

· Homeless shelters across Chicago receive "mandatory sensitivity training" on how to "better serve" the LGBT community. This after a lawsuit was filed by a lesbian who was denied a bed at a homeless shelter.

Romney REFUSES to Blame Mormon Church for Historic Bias Against Blacks on "Meet the Press"

Republican presidential candidate and airbrushed gazillionaire Mitt Romney has only now began to answer some questions around his faith and membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints—but this is only in general terms because his recent so-called "big" speech on his faith only once mentioned the word "Mormon."

In January, you will recall Rod 2.0 asked when Romney would publicly address the historic bias against black people and exclusion of blacks in church leadership that officially ended in 1978 when Romney was 31years-old. Tim Russert—who we've previously criticized for softball questions to Republican candidates and his transparent hit job on the Democratic front runner—deserves credit for raising the question over the weekend when Romney appeared on Meet the Press. Was the church wrong to bar blacks from the priesthood and teach the theory that blacks were "cursed"? Romney refuses to say. Transcript and video.

GOV. ROMNEY: I'm very proud of my faith, and it's the faith of my fathers, and I certainly believe that it is a, a faith--well, it's true and I love my faith. And I'm not going to distance myself in any way from my faith. But you can see what I believed and what my family believed by looking at, at our lives. My dad marched with Martin Luther King. My mom was a tireless crusader for civil rights. You may recall that my dad walked out of the Republican convention in 1964 in San Francisco in part because Barry Goldwater, in his speech, gave my dad the impression that he was someone who was going to be weak on civil rights. So my dad's reputation, my mom's and my own has always been one of reaching out to people and not discriminating based upon race or anything else. And so those are my fundamental core beliefs, and I was anxious to see a change in, in my church.

I can remember when, when I heard about the change being made. I was driving home from, I think, it was law school, but I was driving home, going through the Fresh Pond rotary in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I heard it on the radio, and I pulled over and, and literally wept. Even at this day it's emotional, and so it's very deep and fundamental in my, in my life and my most core beliefs that all people are children of God. My faith has always told me that. My faith has also always told me that, in the eyes of God, every individual was, was merited the, the fullest degree of happiness in the hereafter, and I, and I had no question in my mind that African-Americans and, and blacks generally, would have every right and every benefit in the hereafter that anyone else had and that God is no respecter of persons.

The Republican candidate evaded the question on the morality of the church's historic exclusionary doctrine against blacks and instead discusses their full membership in the hypothetical "hereafter." Interesting that the governor invoked the spirit of his father, George Romney, who went out of his way to rebuke the anti-civil rights and racists of the Goldwater era. Mitt, of course, has shown no such courage in opposing the far-right, anti-gay and quasi-racist base within the Republican Party.

Mitt Romney has not answered that question with a clear and unambiguous answer—and probably never will. "He'll alienate a lot more Americans if he says that, prior to 1978, dark skinned people were cursed by God and were unfit to enter Mormon temples or to serve on the mission field," notes Frank Lockwwod at Bible Belt Blogger. "But he'll also alienate a large number of supporters if he says that his church's pre-1978 bar on blacks in the priesthood was immoral."

More MITT ROMNEY
More RACE
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More MEET THE PRESS

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Romney Quotes Scripture on Gay Marriage ... But What About Mormon Church's Racist History?

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney now defends his opposition to gay rights and same-sex marriage by citing Scriptures.

The interview will air Sunday on CBS News' 60 Minutes. According to excerpts released today, the former Massachusetts governor who once campaigned as a more gay-friendly alternative than Democrats now says he is opposed to gay relationships because they are not condoned by the Bible. The candidate tells Mike Wallace:

"This isn't just some temporary convenience here on Earth, but we're people that are designed to live together as male and female and we're gonna have families. And that, there's a great line in the Bible that children are an inheritance of the Lord and happy is he who has or hath his quiver full of them."

Romney is seeking to become the first Mormon president and is trying to allay concerns about his religion. However, it's interesting that the candidate avoids any discussion of the racist history of his church and neglects to mention, oh, what Scriptures were used to ban blacks from the priesthood until 1978. Or, which Scriptures were used by founders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to justify slavery and the separation of the races.

These are important questions. Romney's faith and values are an integral component of his campaign and his outreach to evangelicals. It's even more important because Mitt Romney was 31 years old in 1978, so, for the first 31 years of his life, he was actively involved in and became an elder of a church that believed in separating the races. Does he still believe this? Were his children taught this? Or, were these beliefs casually tossed aside like his commitment to gay rights and choice?

Haven't heard Romney explain this yet—but we'll keep asking.

More MITT ROMNEY coverage.

Romney Cites Scriptures on Gay Marriage [CBS News]
Al Sharpton vs Mitt Romney [Keith Boykin]

Some Background ...

Let the Gay Bashing Begin [R20]
For Gay Rights Before He Was Against It [R20]
McCain Flip-Flops on Gay Rights [R20]
Matthews and Newsweek: Mitt Romney is "Buff" [R20]
Romney's Latest: Gays in the Military [R20]
One Question for Mitt Romney [R20]
Will the Real Mitt Romney Please Stand Up? [R20]
Romney Defends Flip-Flopping [R20]