“No practice or tradition trumps the human rights that belong to all of us.”Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on why “religious or cultural values” can’t mean “criminalizing [gay] status or behavior.” State.gov
“It was a trivial problem that … occurs every year …. No one was arrested because all those involved were men of God.”Palestinian police Lt. Col. Khaled al-Tamimi, on the December 28 Christmas fight that broke out between several dozen Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests cleaning the Church of the Nativity. Clergy fights also occasionally break out at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Reuters
“It’s not to our benefit to have loud voices overseas talking about Christians. It’s a great benefit to us to have loud voices abroad talking about a more universal bill of rights for all Egyptians.”Ramez Atallah, general secretary of the Bible Society of Egypt, on international advocacy for Copts and other Christians after the Arab Spring. Reuters
“A military chaplain who, as a matter of conscience or moral principle, does not wish to perform a marriage may not be required to do so.”2012 National Defense Authorization Act, signed by President Obama. An earlier version of the bill had banned same-sex marriages by military chaplains altogether. GPO.gov
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