President George H.W. Bush served as a witness for a same-sex wedding last weekend. Bush, along with his wife, Barbara, were the official witnesses at a private ceremony for their close friends, Bonnie Clement and Helen Thorgalsen. The newlyweds posted a photo of Bush signing the witness papers on their Facebook page.
Anti-gay comments made by chairman of Italian pasta company Barilla has prompted an LGBT boycott of their products. In an interview, Guido Barilla said he would never feature a gay family in one of his commercials and emphasized traditional family roles and values.
Barilla said:
For us the concept of the sacred family remains one of the basic values of the company. I would not [feature a gay family in a commercial] but not out of a lack of respect for homosexuals who have the right to do what they want without bothering others … [but] I don't see things like they do and I think the family that we speak to is a classic family.
When asked how he thought the LGBT community might respond to his comments, he added:
If gays don’t like it, they can always eat another brand of pasta. Everyone is free to do what they want, provided it doesn’t bother anyone else.
Despite some seemingly pro-gay comments made over the past few months, Pope Francis has defrocked an Australian priest allegedly for supporting same-sex marriage and supporting the ordination of women.
This article appears in Sep 26 – Oct 2, 2013.