State Rep: Gay Families Don’t Count
“Special privileges to individuals who have in fact made a Life-Style Choice.”
Thus spake Rep. Lora Reinbold (T-Alaska), demonstrating her commitment to efficiency in government by deftly working two played out falsehoods into one sentence. What she’s objecting to, according to a report by Amanda Coyne, is a new rule granting leave to state employees with a same sex partner suffering from a serious health condition. The Eagle River legislator claims LGBT couples don’t count as “family” and have “no legal standing.”
The Alaska Supreme Court appears to view matters differently, ruling in 2005 that it is unconstitutional to deny gay couples benefits the state provides to straight ones. She appears either unaware of the Supreme Court decision or chooses to disregard it, Coyne notes.
To assist her in her mastery of legislative statecraft, you, gentle reader, are cordially invited to provide Rep. Reinbold with your feedback. So do send her an email or give her office a call at (907) 622-8950.
As an aside, we’re very disappointed that Rep. Reinbold has removed the auto-play of what could only be described as the thumping, piston-like beats of a gay porn soundtrack from her campaign website. It must have gotten back to her that we were making fun of it.
Dear Rep. Reinbold,
Can you please tell me at what age you made the difficult and deeply personal decision to live the “straight (heterosexual) lifestyle”?
Okay, next up is Democratic Party stupidity:
I live in Alaska. The post office abbreviation for Alaska is AK. Sounds a lot like Arkansas.
Today I received in the mail a nice piece of campaign mail telling me what a great job Sen. Mark Pryor is doing in protecting my Medicare. I don’t have Medicare, and Mark Pryor is not a senator from Alaska.
Mark Pryor is US Senator (D) Arkansas.
Congratulations to his campaign staff for a job well done.
Slipstream, I received similar info on this Pryor guy. I found the information a bit confusing because it seemed to be an echo of GOP lies about “Death Panel” stuff. The saturation TV ads lying about ACA, coupled with these mailers, looks to me as if Karl Rove’s money may have found some fertile ground within the Senate Democratic Majority Caucus. This is a breach in the ‘Firewall’ that is the US Senate.
Dear Representative Reinbold,
Thank you for your public service to the Eagle River Community and the State of Alaska.
As a voter I urge you to reconsider your position concerning the legitimacy of Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transexual (LGBT) rights under the State Constitution. I understand that your position is to deny family leave to same sex couples. I believe this is in direct opposition to the will of the people of the State of Alaska and the United States of America.
LGBT Americans are every bit equal as are straight Americans and it is against the law to discriminate based on race, religion and sexual preference.
Should you continue your witch hunt and discrimination against my LGBT brothers and sisters I will do everything in my legitimate power as a voter and a member of an equal society with guaranteed protection under the law to remove you from office and to guarantee you will never hold public office again.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter and have a nice day.
Sincerely,
my name
Concerned Voter and resident of Eagle River/Chugiak Alaska.
Well said..!! Thank you for standing up for your fellow human beings… You honor yourself by honoring them..!!
So much more polite about it than me. Well said.
Unfortunately, it’s not just Alaska: Colorado has the Republican Fried Chicken Caucus, led by state rep. Vicki Marble, who made offensive, ignorant remarks about Blacks and their overuse of welfare programs. This was caused in part, she said, by fattening Southern foods- although she did say she loved their fried chicken.
When the state GOP chairman chided her about the offensive statements, other Rethugs jumped in to support her and promised to bring Popeye’s fired chicken box lunches to a committee meeting.
Aargh…
Eagle River, when can you vote her OUT?
republicans say they want to preserve families and reduce taxes.
Hypocrites every one of them.
letting family members be with and care for their family members strengthens families and reduces costs.
Except when you are gay.
Good lord — when will the STUPID!!! end?
It’s way past being tiresome and it’s way past being utterly annoying. It’s even beyond being despicable and loathsome. It’s flat-out hateful and ignorant and ugly to the core. And G-d surely don’t like hateful and ignorant and ugly.
Enough already! beth.
I think that depends on what god you worship.
Seriously…if people who espouse such opinions bother you so…why pay attention to them at all? I understand the whole position of power aspect, not to mention complete ignorance of the court’s decision…but really, what does it matter? The majority of her constituents will likely forget/ignore her comments, if not praise them. Some people are just bigots. That’s the world.
Don’t try to change the world to make yourself happy and free. Instead, change yourself to make the world happy and free.
By ‘changing myself’ “to make the world happy and free” I should just let STUPID slide? I should give it a pass? Not speak up against it? Seriously? beth.
You are more than correct Beth. This person is an “Alaskan Lawmaker”. A person responsible for enacting public policy for all Alaskans to comply with. One better pay attention and speak up when concerned about such egregious statements and blatant ignorance. Forget changing yourself, that ain’t going to get a change in the makeup of the Alaska Legislature. Remember this:
First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the socialists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Pastor–Martin-Niemöller–Germany–War II
The reason we must pay attention to people like her is that she is in a position of POWER and also can affect how legislation is made and enacted here in Alaska.
And this dingbat is Vice Chair of the House Education Committee ?
Urg.
Yup.
It’s embarrassing to be republican in Alaska. Down right embarrassing.