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(Washington) With leaders of some of America's
leading anti-gay marriage groups looking on President Bush has signed
legislation giving $500 million to faith-based programs to
promote and strengthen opposite-sex marriage.
The provision is part of the deficit reduction bill
passed by Congress. "[It] allows faith-based groups that provide social
services to receive federal funding without changing the way they hire,"
Bush noted at the White House signing ceremony.
Under the law faith-based groups are able to
circumvent local and human rights laws that are supposed to protect LGBT
workers.
Assistant Health and Human Services Secretary Wade Horn said that the
financial windfall is not intended to specifically oppose same-sex marriage,
although the President is a major supporter of a proposed amendment to ban gay
marriage in the Constitution.
Horn said, however, that none of the money could
be used to promote or support same-sex marriage in Massachusetts where gay
marriage is legal.
The money also could not be used to support gay
families where civil unions or domestic partnerships are allowed.
Horn cited the 1996
Defense of Marriage Act defines marriage as "the union of one man and
woman" for all federal programs and services.
The White House's so-called marriage initiative
has been under fire for the past year after it was learned the administration
had secretly paid journalists to promote the plan.
Last October the US Attorney's office started an
inquiry into the use by the Bush administration of anti-gay commentator
Armstrong Williams to promote the initiative. (story)
Last year 3675Gay.com reported that Williams was
paid nearly a quarter million dollars by the White House to promote the
President's agenda in his columns and nationally syndicated talk show. (story)
Williams is a former aide to
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. In a column following the 2004
election Williams linked gay rights advocates with organized crime.
"Despite the rhetoric
that you hear from the homosexual Cosa Nostra, the lack of support for the gay
marriage amendment has nothing to do with prejudice," he wrote.
After Williams was exposed two other cases came
to light where the administration hired journalists to promote its agenda in the
guise of unbiased commentary and news.
Syndicated conservative columnists Maggie
Gallagher and Michael McManus were paid by the administration to promote the
marriage initiative.
In 2003 Gallagher testified before a Senate
subcommittee in support of a constitutional ban on gay marriage but failed to
mention she was on the White House payroll. (story)
McManus, whose syndicated column, "Ethics
& Religion," appeared in 50 newspapers, was hired as a subcontractor by
the Department of Health and Human Services.
©365Gay.com 2006
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