I’m always telling women I know that I have no clue why any person, let alone a woman who’s by herself at, say, a bar, feels the need to “check-in” with a social-media app, be it FourSquare, Facebook, or this one I’ve never heard of, Skout. Via the New York Times:

After Rapes Involving Children, Skout, a Flirting App, Bans Minors

In the latest cautionary tale of the risks of using social networks to connect with strangers, three men have been accused of raping children they met using a mobile app designed for flirting between adults.

The rape charges startled managers of Skout, the social networking app, because they thought they had adequate safeguards in place.

It took three years for the start-up to find a promising business model. After switching from a Foursquare-like location check-in service to a flirting app that connects people with strangers nearby, the company was attracting millions of new users a month. The company started a separate, more protected, service for 13- to 17-year-olds last year after noticing that minors had gained access to the app.

The company, based in San Francisco, got a vote of confidence in April when it secured $22 million in financing from Andreessen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley’s leading venture capital firms.

But in each rape case, the men are accused of posing as teenagers in a Skout forum for 13- to 17-year-olds. In one case, a 15-year-old Ohio girl said she had been raped by a 37-year-old man. In the second, a 24-year-old man has been accused of raping a 12-year-old girl in Escondido, Calif. In the third, a 21-year-old man from Waukesha, Wis., is facing charges that he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old boy.

“I’m disgusted by what’s happened here,” Christian Wiklund, Skout’s founder, said in an interview on Monday. “One case is too many. When you have three, it looks like a pattern. This is my worst fear.”

Mr. Wiklund said he had no choice but to suspend the service for minors, which he said made up a “significant” portion of its member base, while he worked with security experts to add better safeguards.

Suspending the service for minors won’t matter. Kids having access to social-media platforms through their parents is the problem. Parents need to control what their kids are doing on their phones, etc. And if you have a child that you can’t trust, then he or she shouldn’t have a phone, etc., that can connect to the Internet. It’s called parenting, and it’s not too difficult.

The rest from the Times here.

Timothy Dalrymple explains the backstory behind this billboard that was strategically placed by Billy Graham Parkway in Charlotte, North Carolina.  It reads:

“MissionGathering Christian Church IS SORRY for the narrow-minded, judgmental, deceptive, manipulative actions of THOSE WHO DENIED RIGHTS AND EQUALITY TO SO MANY IN THE NAME OF GOD.” 

Read his article here.

I’m not sure — the video of him speaking to the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Leadership Council does look like he was surprised by the audience’s reaction to his claim that “Michelle doesn’t go all the way down.”  However, isn’t the real issue that we don’t want our President to be an honored guest at the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Leadership Council?

Sometimes, when I’m away from my local congregation here in Tennessee, I listen to sermon podcasts from my former congregation, Times Square Church in New York City.

Today I found myself driving down Interstate 71 instead of sitting in the pews of my church, so I pulled up a May 27 sermon by Pastor Carter Conlon.  In his sermon, called “We Still Have Time to Make a Difference,” Pastor Conlon said the definition of family is being challenged by the “highest levels of government.”  He warned of the cultural dissolution that will invariably come with this ever-changing definition of family and told his congregants that “there’s still time to make a difference” in the culture.  He said that Christians have acted like we’re on some sort of cruise ship while others have infiltrated every segment of society trying to push evil down our throats. He encouraged his congregants to vote Biblically, to run for office, and to be involved in all areas of the community. 

Times Square Church, for those unfamiliar with the congregation, is very diverse. In other words, many of the people in the seats are not white Republicans.  However, I could hear agreement and applause coming from the church when he warned about, presumably, President Obama’s attack on traditional marriage.

Since the most reliable constituency of Democrats has been the black community, what effect, if any, will the President’s “evolution” have on religious African Americans who overwhelmingly support traditional marriage?  Here in my home state of Tennessee, Reverend Bill Owens — a vital part of the civil rights movement in Nashville in the late 50’s and early 60’s — has begun the Coalition of African American Pastors, USA.  This organization’s website describes itself as a “grass-roots movement of African-American Christians who believe in traditional family values such as supporting the role of religion in American public life, protecting the lives of the unborn, and defending the sacred institution of marriage.”

The Rev. Emmett C. Burns Jr., a politically influential black minister who preaches at Rising Sun Baptist Church in Baltimore, withdrew his support from the President over his same-sex marriage and predicted he’d lose re-election in November. Also according to the Christian Post, Dr. Ken Hutcherson, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Washington, said he won’t ever vote for a leader who believes in same-sex marriage, “regardless who it is, regardless how white they are, regardless how black they are.”

In other words, congregations of all ethnicities across America are being encouraged by their pastors to think Biblically about this issue . . . even in the heart of New York City.

Especially if you are the prime minister of England:

It’s every parent’s nightmare — get home and realize a child is missing.

British Prime Minister David Cameron’s office confirmed Monday that he accidentally left his 8-year-old daughter Nancy in a country pub after a family Sunday lunch.

Officials said the incident happened “a couple of months ago,” as the family was leaving the pub near Chequers, a country house prime ministers use while in office, west of London.

Nancy had gone to the bathroom while Cameron and the rest of the family piled into two cars to drive back to the house.

Cameron was travelling in one car with his bodyguards and assumed that she was in the other car with his wife Samantha and two other children. Samantha assumed Nancy was with her father, and they only realized she was missing when they got home.

In a statement, Cameron’s Downing Street office said “the prime minister and Samantha were distraught when they realized Nancy wasn’t with them. Thankfully when they phoned the pub she was there safe and well.”

After my family returned home from Africa with our little bundle of joy, we settled into our new routine with our child in rural Tennessee. The orphanage had shaved her head, so she was practically bald. This is what my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter looked like the first moment she was placed in my arms . . . more like a baby than a toddler.

As you can see, I didn’t have to worry much about hair care. I simply oiled her head and stuck a bow on. Everyone oohed and ahhhed over her. Thankfully, as time went on, she began getting healthier, stronger, and bigger. Plus, her hair started growing so quickly!

Within months, I started getting stares from other black women in public. If they were brave — and many were — they’d casually mention good hair stylists I could use, tell me which websites had good information, and suggest effective products I should buy. One lady at the store actually walked me to the hairstyle aisle and showed me exactly what I should do. Another very kind woman sent products to school and left them in my older kids’ locker to help me learn how to care more effectively for her hair. And these were not isolated incidents. Far from it.

A very bold black cashier at the mall asked, “Why do white people go to Africa, pick up kids, throw a headband on them, and think that’s okay?”

I took a look at my cute little baby, with her little fro and her pink bow.

“I fixed it,” I said.

“No, that’s not a style,” she said. “She’ll never know how to fix her hair if you don’t.”

Another cashier took one look at Naomi and asked, “Who’s doing her hair for you?” Her look of contempt told me that I needed to get someone to do her hair for me. I wasn’t having a good day, and I almost burst into tears. When she saw my face, she said, “I mean, you’re doing an okay job, you just might want to fix it.”

This never stopped. It got to the point that I’d try to scoot through public places in order to avoid letting other people see Naomi, for fear that I wouldn’t respond to their criticism in a Christ-like manner. (It’s not their fault. They, after all, didn’t realize they were the sixth person to come up to me at the grocery store.)

Finally, I had a heart-to-heart with a couple of black women who were honest enough to tell me the truth about the different perceptions of hair between white and black women. It was eye-opening, perplexing, and troubling. One friend told me that black women invariably make fun of white women with adopted black children because of the “hair issue.” Another told me that the afro I was letting Naomi wear was “not age appropriate.” All of these awkward social situations caused me to really start thinking about Naomi’s hair. After all, I certainly don’t want to create an “us versus them” mentality between my daughter and other people we happen to meet. A website called “Chocolate Hair, Vanilla Care” helped me realize how important it is to help develop a healthy and fun relationship between my child and her hair.

The above trailer for In Our Heads About Hair, which is directed by Hemamset Angaza, “examines with candor and humor Black women’s issues regarding hair and self-esteem, and advocates for the acceptance of all hairstyle choices.” After seeing that video, one night I realized I wanted Naomi to grow up loving her hair, and that I’d do whatever it takes to make sure that happens! I’m totally still learning and am making many mistakes. However, here are some photos of what I’ve done:

What I’ve Managed So Far

What I Did Today to Naomi’s Hair

(A version of this article appeared on Patheos.)

The structure of the U.S. educational system is not only a topic of political debate — it’s a topic of psychological debate as well. Rebecca Bigler, professor of psychology and gender studies at the University of Texas, Austin, and Lise Eliot, associate professor of neuroscience at the Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University, are coauthors of “The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling,” which heavily criticizes same-sex educational institutions:

Rigorous educational research has found that, contrary to popular belief, single-sex education does not produce better achievement outcomes compared to coeducation. Careful analysis in both the United States and from around the world demonstrates that any apparent advantage of single-sex schools disappears when you account for other characteristics, such as students’ prior ability and the length of the school day. Superior schools are successful for reasons that are unrelated to the gender of their student body.

Bigler and Eliot dismiss the idea that females and males learn differently, calling the evidence for that claim “small and statistical,” and argue that separating children based on gender only primes stereotypes about the opposite gender. According to Bigler and Eliot, the main defect in same-sex education is that it does not allow girls and boys to interact and learn from one another, which they see as a crucial element in creating “the truly egalitarian society that we hope for their future.”

Dr. Leonard Sax, executive director of the National Association of Single Sex Public Education, disagrees, arguing that males and females respond to and thrive in different learning environments: males in more energetic settings, and females in softer, calmer settings.

With ticket prices up to $10 in some places, it’s good to know what you are getting into at the movie theater. Rebecca Cusey has three good reviews to give you the bottom line on three popular movies playing at your local Cineplex.  Have fun, and – as always – let us know your own thoughts if you happen to see any of them!

Madagascar 3 is Silly, Silly, Frothy Fun

There are movies that touch your soul — that make you weep, just a little, and smile, for sweet, sad love of humanity.

Luckily, in recent years, some of these movies have been animated films. The likes of Toy Story 3, Kung Fu Panda 2, and, well, Toy Story 1 and 2 can measure up to any live acted movie out there.

And then there are movies that just want to see giraffes circling and elephants gliding intertwined in ribbons like a Cirque du Soleil act.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted is the latter. All hyperbole and visual gags, the movie is a frenetic laugh a minute with no real heart.

‘Prometheus’ a lot of Gorgeous Emptiness

There’s no denying that the long awaited  prequel to the sci-fi Alien franchise Prometheus is pretty.

Sadly, like a sorority girl just finished with her first semester of Psychology 101, it’s all lip-gloss and profound-sounding pronouncements with no real substance.

It will catch your eye and entertain for a while, but it’s nothing you want to take home to mother.

Charlize Theron elevates stunning ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’

We’re up to our necks in Snow Whites these days, what with Once Upon a Time on ABC, NBC’s Grimm returning this fall, and March’s Mirror Mirror still in some theaters.

So what does Twilight’s Kristen Stewart add to the mix?

A lot, as it turns out.

Mrs. Obama is busy campaigning for her husband’s reelection promoting her new book American Grown about the White House garden. It’s interesting to listen to the First Lady talk about her love of gardening. She doesn’t just love it; she sees gardening as a salve to cure childhood obesity. Appearing on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart this week, Stewart asked her about the challenge of convincing people to make healthy food decisions and she responded by saying:

“The garden is the way to begin the conversation. I learned in changing my kid’s habits, if they are involved in the growing process of food and they get a sense of where it comes from and they are engaged, they tend to be excited about it. The garden is a really important catalyst for that discussion.”

It is indeed great to have kids involved in seeing how food is grown and, to be fair, I think the First Lady offers some good advice about the importance of nutrition and physical activity in a person’s daily life. But let’s be honest: Childhood obesity won’t be tackled by gardening. What Mrs. Obama and her pals in the mainstream media (and the comedy circuit) can’t seem to understand is that a child’s eating habits are profoundly impacted by a parent’s involvement in their nutritional development. Certainly when you take time to plant a garden with your children, as I did this spring (our experience consisted mainly of me yelling at my young boys to stop digging up the seeds I just planted), the benefit to the child comes not from the actual digging and planting, but the time a parent spends with a child explaining the importance of healthy food.  

Mrs. Obama has some experience in this area. In 2010, when she talked publicly about her daughters’ weights ticking up, she discussed her decision to make changes to their diets and habits — more vegetables, low-fat milk, less snacks, less television, more play time outside. She has also referenced her own mother, Marian Robinson, who expected her children to eat what was put in front of them and who considered dessert was a rare treat. Mrs. Robinson had it right. She raised a healthy daughter who clearly has a good relationship with food and understands the importance of exercise. Unfortunately, the First Lady fails to see her own experience with strong parenting as the true foundation of a solution for childhood obesity.

Instead the American public is told that childhood obesity is caused by a variety of social problems and outside influences which require government intervention. It’s school lunches, it’s fast food, it’s advertisements on television, it’s violent neighborhoods, it’s toys in Happy Meals, it’s video games, it’s soda, salty snacks, sweets, candy, food deserts, and a lack of school and home gardens.

There’s a reason the First Lady supports this narrative. If lax parenting is causing childhood obesity, then the solution is more personal responsibility; if, however, obesity is caused by these outside forces, it’s easier to push the idea that government has a role in solving the problem. The First Lady advocates a range of big-government solutions to obesity: from pumping more tax dollars into the school-lunch program to expanding these feeding programs to include breakfast, dinner, after-school, and summer feeding. She has backed federal grants for school gardening programs and has endorsed efforts to regulate the food and restaurant industries. Yet, she manages to avoid discussing the uncomfortable (and politically much more knotty) reality that parents are increasingly leaving their child’s nutrition to unnamed cafeteria workers.   

The truly distressing truth is that the First Lady and members of the Obama administration don’t really want parents to have the primary responsibility for feeding their children. They think the government can do it better. In fact, if you look at the Let’s Move website, it states that mayors and local officials should:

• Encourage participation in school lunch and breakfast programs.
• Encourage all schools to provide a school breakfast program
• Support the development of a summer food service program
• Encourage participation in school lunch and breakfast programs

Which begs an interesting question: Where would all that fresh produce from the garden go? The squirrels, I guess; because no one’s going to be eating at home if they’re all enrolled in these government feeding programs. To be frank, the First Lady’s advocacy of family gardens confuses to me. At the same time Mrs. Obama talks breathlessly about the benefits of a home garden, she is also often bemoaning the conditions of the average American family — a family too busy, overworked, and too poor to cook simple meals at home. According to her confusing talking points, that same busy single mother of four children working three jobs is too busy to cook simple meals for her family but she has time to go outside to weed and water her garden?

Americans would be better served to hear some simple advice: Gardening can be fun and rewarding, but if healthy eating is your goal, you don’t have to participate in the time-consuming project of setting up a home garden. Just purchase inexpensive vegetables at the grocery store. Cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onions, bananas, canned beans, and frozen fruits and vegetables are all affordable and healthy items that are easy to prepare. Cooking shows are now ubiquitous and most serve that busy parent demographic. From Rachel Ray’s 30-minute Meals to a new show called Ten Dollar Dinners, the Food Network offers programming that provide easy to understand and healthy recipes at affordable prices.   

But instead of pointing to what the private sector has already provided (a 24-hour food network), the federal government has to recreate the wheel — providing recipes on the USDA website. And on the First Lady’s Let’s Move website, you can even get a recipe for a simple berry bread putting from fruit grown in the garden. That’s right folks; the feds are even in the business of providing recipes. Talk about government overreach.

It’s a little galling that the First Lady portrays gardening as an easy thing to do. It simply isn’t easy and it isn’t cost effective. Nor is it an option during Washington D.C.’s (and most of the northern states) cold winters. I’ve planted a garden for seven summers straight in the Virginia clay in my own backyard and now have a very clear understanding of the phrase “go west, young man.” There’s a reason eager farmers sought better soil. 

Mrs. Obama also manages to skip over the fact that her garden is maintained, not by her, but by paid staffers and a legion of local school kids who are regularly invited to plant, weed, and harvest the garden. If I had a regular supply of tiny, eager humans to weed and water my garden, I’d do it as well.  But I don’t. 

I’m a busy mom on a budget who knows it’s my job to feed my kids. It isn’t the government’s job to do it for me and it isn’t Michelle Obama’s job to encourage me to give up that responsibility to government minders who think they can do it better.

– Julie Gunlock is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum and directs their Women for Food Freedom project.

Of course adultery ruins women.  But Pinterest?  The question is silly, because it includes two totally unrelated issues.

Similarly, a popular sentiment has been circulating lately amongst certain evangelicals like Rick Warren that “porn and video gaming are ruining men.”

Is it fair to lump these two issues into one category? David French, my World of Warcraft enthusiast, takes it on here.

ABC Houston:

HOUSTON (KTRK) — An alleged drunk pregnant 20-year-old was arrested for DWI in front of her child after she tried to get a piercing in north Houston.

It happened on the North Freeway just south of Tidwell. Police say Stephanie Irene Santana, who is seven months pregnant, drove to a tattoo parlor to get a piercing and told the tattoo artist she wanted to know how long it would take, since her baby was waiting in the car.

Employees told police they could tell the woman was drunk and kicked her out of the store.

One employee followed her out and that’s when he saw the one-year-old in the passenger seat. He says the woman passed out with the front door of the car wide open.

A Home Front commenter named “BreakRight” noted on “What Should You Watch This Weekend” that he absolutely loved Battleship.  He wrote:

Major, major tip of the hat to the inclusion of the Navy veterans who were given the role of “still heroes when asked”. Special recognition to Col Gregory D Gadsen (US Army), a double-amputee who lost both legs above the knee to an IED in Baghdad, who portrays a soldier dealing with that loss.

John Hanlon has the full story here:

Rarely does a movie make you want to leap to your feet in support of our military men and women, as the new film Battleship does, at least when it unabashedly celebrates our soldiers.

But did you know one of its unlikely stars is a real-life veteran who was seriously injured in Iraq?

The poster may highlight Oscar nominee Liam Neeson, pop star Rihanna and heartthrob Taylor Kitsch. But they’re not the real stars. Greg Gadson, a true American hero who portrays a wounded veteran, deserves the title. Gadson’s career brought him from the streets of Iraq to theaters nationwide. According to a recent USA Today article, Gadson was a lieutenant colonel with the Second Battalion and 32nd Field Artillery in Iraq until a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle on the way home from a memorial service. A few days after the attack, he awoke at Walter Reed Hospital with his legs amputated above the knees.

The soldier didn’t believe that people outside of the military would be interested in him, but once his story received coverage, he got the recognition he deserved.Battleship director Peter Berg was one of the people who expressed interest in Gadson. According to the article, Berg was “overwhelmed by Gadson’s story” and “tried for three weeks to offer him a part in the movie.”

Read the rest here.

Remember those “Bible Bowls” from middle school youth group?  If you just shuddered and broke out into a sweat, then this is not for you. But if you can name all of the major and minor prophets without breaking any commandments, then you might be interested in this new game show called The Great American Bible Challenge hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. From their press release:

It’s rare these days to find a show on mainstream network or cable television suitable to share with the entire family.  In fact it’s pretty much non-existent.  For lack of a better phrase, it’s a huge leap of faith for GSN to develop and produce not only a family show, but one in which The Bible takes center stage.And right now – THE SHOW IS LOOKING FOR CONTESTANTS who have a passion for The Bible and giving back to their community!!!!“The American Bible Challenge” is criss-crossing America scouting potential players who want to win money for their favorite charity.  Individual players or teams of up to three people who have competitive spirits, great personal testimonies, and of course know their bible are encouraged to try out.  ALL ARE WELCOME TO THE CASTING CALL.

Click here for details on becoming a contestant.

This should not reflect ill on South Dakotans, but they have a woman up there who married herself. Yes.

This is not a stunt, gag, joke, or sarcastic social commentary. Nadine, our new bride, is quite serious. She had a wedding, invited her friends and family who showed up, schlepping wedding gifts under their arms. She does the intentional work that all healthy relationships require. She plans special date nights, explaining to an Anderson Cooper film crew, “It’s been a while since my wife and I have been on a date, so this is long overdue.” And out the door they go to their favorite Indian restaurant, so happy to be with each other. Apparently Nadine orders for both of them.

She doesn’t seem to have split-personality disorder. She decided — after she divorced an actual other-embodied person and her two kids deciding to live with dad — to commit herself to that one person she realizes she loves most . . . and who loves her, confidently explaining that “the love I need, it’s in here . . .” tenderly patting her heart. She tells herself regularly and assuredly that she loves her, as good marriage partners do.

What is really wrong with this when we are constantly told what we all have the right to marry the person we love? Why let it keep us down if that person is yourself?

Of course, this raises a number of curious questions, relationship-wise:

• Who proposed to whom? And was their any question she would say “yes”?
  
• Did they agree on caterers for the nuptials after-party?
• Do they split household chores equitably? Who cleans the toilets?
  
• When they have a fight, who sleeps on the couch?
• How do they get that all important “alone time”?
• If ever to divorce, who moves out, and would she need to show fault?

Perhaps this is a natural consequence of a culture that has so dramatically subjectified marriage and family; make it all about what’s best for you! If you’re happy, then those around you will be happy. And what could be happier than that? This is the present version of the I’m OK, You’re Ok nonsense of the 1970s. Been there, done that. It didn’t work. But here we are, trying it again.

Fritz Perls – the guru of 1960/70s gestalt psycho-babble – had no small number of couples marrying in those days reciting his “gestalt prayer” as their wedding vows:

I do my thing, and you do your thing.
I am not in this world to live up to your expectations
And you are not in this world to live up to mine.
You are you and I am I
And if by chance we find each other, it’s beautiful.
If not, it can’t be helped.

But it truly does cause one to feel great, genuine sympathy for Nadine, her narcissism masked as self-care and her surprise that anyone could possibly think all this is the least bit wacky.

Real life truly is stranger than . . .

— Glenn T. Stanton is the director of family formation at Focus on the Family and the author of five books on the marriage and parenting, the two most recent: Secure Daughters Confident Sons, How Parents Guide Their Children into Authentic Masculinity and Femininity (Multnomah, 2011) and The Ring Makes All the Difference: The Hidden Consequences of Cohabitation and the Strong Benefits of Marriage, (Moody, 2011).

Rebecca Cusey has the scoop on some movies that are at the theaters now:

‘Battleship’ is True-Blue at Heart

‘Men in Black III’ proves the Prince is Still Fresh

‘Dark Shadows’ Disappoints Despite Tim Burton and Johnny Depp

‘Pirates’ Swashbuckles into the Fun Zone for Parents and Kids

Have you seen any of these? Come back and let us know your opinion in the comments section below!

After meeting with outrage on various New Media outlets and Twitter, MTV has canceled its casting call for a new reality show that planned to follow young adults (18 or older) on the quest to lose their virginity. Breitbart’s John Nolte broke the story and posted excerpts from the casting call, which has since been pulled from realitywanted.com:

DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THINGS TO THE NEXT LEVEL? LIKE, ARE YOU READY TO HAND OVER YOUR V CARD? OR DO YOU HAVE A FRIEND WHO IS READY TO LOSE IT?

Young adulthood is a time for exploration. New relationships, fresh experiences and sexual firsts…

Now MTV is looking to frankly capture that journey in a new series called My First…We’re looking for adults who are ready to go all the way. Let MTV come along on your journey… as you try to lose your virginity! (Note: We will be filming whether or not you accomplish this goal… but NOT the act itself. Duh.)

If you are 18 years or older and are willing to candidly allow MTV to accompany you on the journey toward “losing it,” please send us an email.

Just when you thought MTV could not sink any lower.

A Florida couple has been arrested for leaving their child alone in their car for an hour. Bonus: they were at a strip club.

It had to take a lot of courage to speak out about this, 15 years after her first abortion:

Here is the truth I spent so many years denying and keeping from the public – I killed two of my children, robbed my parents of grand-children, and murdered my son’s siblings. These abortions directly caused a medical condition known as incompetent cervix which resulted in the premature birth of another son who died after a week long struggle in the NICU in 2001. The suffering I’ve endured and caused others is immeasurable and the guilt almost drove me suicidal. I am a coward in every way.

I was a coward in my youth, unable to take responsibility for my sexual actions and I am a coward today because I’ve failed to honestly speak out against abortion for so many years. I failed to shout from the highest building all the ugly truths for every ear to hear. I tried to help a friend once who was considering abortion but there only so much I could say without giving away my own horrible, awful secret. In the end, withholding that information was not enough to convict her otherwise and she had an abortion. I failed her with my silence.

I refuse to be a coward anymore.

Read the whole post here.

DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio confirmed at London’s Kapow Comic Convention that the company responsible for Superman, Batman, and the Justice League is planning to bring out of the closet one of its “major” characters, modifying previous reports that DC would be creating an all-new gay character. Senior vice president Bob Wayne said that the company’s policy on gay characters has “evolved.” Convenient timing.

Still awaiting word on Marvel’s inevitable one-upmanship. The Transgender Avengers, anyone?

With high school seniors putting on their caps and gowns, many parents are looking at potential colleges for the fall. However, as moms and dad consider where to send their kids, they should realize Vanderbilt University is hostile to religious freedom. Constitutional expert (and my husband) David French writes about it here, by explaining that “The non-religious private school and recipient of massive amounts of state and federal taxpayer dollars, has implemented a policy that required religious student groups to open themselves to non-religious leadership.” This means that Christian student groups must be open to leaders who oppose Christian teachings about sexuality, among other issues.

Apparently, some big athletic donors are pushing back, though the school denies it. Nashville City Paper reports:

[General Counsel and Vice Chancellor for University Affairs and Athletics David] Williams said he, personally, hasn’t witnessed any athletic fundraising blowback from the all-comers discussion.

“I’m not saying that there may not be people who are out there, but we haven’t encountered anybody who has made [all-comers] an issue at all,” Williams said.

At least one donor says that’s just not true.

The City Paper spoke with a longtime supporter, who asked to remain anonymous, who said his family was prepared to make a six-figure donation toward the new multipurpose facility — if Vanderbilt made an exception for religious groups in the nondiscrimination policy. The donor said he met with Franklin and Williams outside of Nashville.

“We expressed . . . that we would like to be able to give, we believe in what Coach Franklin’s doing, but we just can’t do that knowing what we know about what’s happening to the religious groups there,” he said.

Similarly, longtime Commodore Club member Tom Singleton has been outspoken about his disdain for the Vanderbilt policy and the school’s enforcement of it. He appears in a video, along with Brentwood’s vice mayor (and a VU alum) Rod Freeman, that denounces the policy’s nondiscrimination mandate for leadership positions.

“The reason this is so objectionable to me is that they are [opening up leadership positions in Christian groups] for non-Christians. But they are allowing fraternities and sororities to discriminate based on gender,” Singleton said. “I can’t, in good conscience, continue to be associated with them.”

Singleton said he didn’t renew his football and basketball season tickets — and that he was cutting all ties with the school.

Read the full article here.