Q Toon: Room Catch-222

Religious conservatives are defending Karen Pence's decision to return to her job teaching art at Immanuel Christian School of Springfield, Virginia, a private school that bans LGBTQ students and staff. Mrs. Pence had taught there for twelve years while her husband was a Congressman, and their daughter Charlotte matriculated there.

(The sound you hear is that of the administrators of Immanuel Christian School scurrying to check whether the Bible approves of pre-marital matriculation.)

Defenders of the school and the Pences protest that the school has nothing against LGBTQ youth, it's just adhering to biblical principles and expects its straight boys and girls to do the same, too. Of course, little Valerie is not going to get kicked out of school merely for letting it slip that she has a boyfriend, but young Bradley will.

Since the students at Immanuel are all eighth grade and younger, most people would agree that they shouldn't be having sex at that age anyway. But Immanuel's restrictive policy goes further, extending to faculty, staff and parents.

Immanuel's admission policy requires the parents of students to be "born-again, Bible-believing" exemplars of right-wing Christian orthodoxy. Its "Parent Agreement" (revised last October 29) includes a clause reading:

"I understand that the school reserves the right, within its sole discretion, to refuse admission to an applicant or to discontinue the enrollment of a student if the atmosphere or conduct within a particular home, the activities of a parent or guardian, or the activities of the student are counter to, or in opposition to, the biblical lifestyle the school teaches. This includes, but is not limited to, contumacious behavior, divisive conduct, and participating in, supporting, or condoning sexual immorality, homosexual activity or bi-sexual [sic] activity, promoting such practices, or being able to support the moral principles of the school. (Lev. 20:13 and Romans 1:27.) I acknowledge the importance of a family culture based on biblical principles and embrace biblical family values such as a healthy marriage between one man and one woman."

Huffington Post's link to the school's employment application form is broken, but it's safe to assume that Immanuel's faculty (and their different-sex spouses) are also expected also to forswear "supporting, or condoning" homosexual or bisexual activity or marriage equality in any way.

So while Immanuel is legally protected by Virginia law to be as intolerant and bigoted as they want to be and there's nothing you can do about it, it's not intolerant on the part of the rest of us to observe that LGBTQ persons are never going to get fair treatment from Mrs. Pence's husband. Not without putting her out of a job.

Q Toon: Exeunt Exodus

As much as I would have liked to have known when I drew this week's cartoon on Sunday night how yesterday's Supreme Court rulings on DOMA and Prop 8 would turn out, my crystal ball has no bars downstairs at my drawing board.

Perhaps the guys in charge of pray-away-the-gay ministry Exodus International were able to foresee the Court's ruling, however, and decided that this was as good a time as any to fold up its tent and sell off the circus animals.

"I am sorry that some of you spent years working through the shame and guilt you felt when your attractions didn't change," [Exodus President Alan] Chambers wrote in a statement on his website. "I am sorry that I ... failed to share publicly that the gay and lesbian people I know were every bit as capable of being amazing parents as the straight people that I know. I am sorry that I have communicated that you and your families are less than me and mine."

(Chambers is different-sex married, with children, although he admits still being attracted to men.)

One side story to this cartoon: I looked through a couple of my books for a picture of a hearse as a model for the one in the background above. One of those books was of Chas Addams cartoons; and while there were a couple of cartoons set in cemeteries, there were no hearses in any of them. There was, however, a cartoon featuring a Supermoon, which some of you may recall was the celestial highlight outdoors and on Facebook on Sunday night.

To share this find with my own Facebook friends, I located an eBay page where someone has been offering that very cartoon up for sale. You have to click on the image for a pop-up so you can read the caption, which is a bit more well-phrased than the title the seller has given it.

Qtoon: They Pray Away, but Are Gay to Stay

Exodus International President Alan Chambers has admitted that "reparative therapy" for gays and lesbians does not turn us into straight gentlemen and ladies. Now living in a different-sex marriage ("The best marriage I know," he says), Chambers admits that his attraction to men has never gone away; he just doesn't give in to those attractions.

"For someone to put out a shingle and say, 'I can cure homosexuality' — that to me is as bizarre as someone saying they can cure any other common temptation or struggle that anyone faces on Planet Earth."

This has led some ex-gay hucksters, such as First Stone Ministries, to break up with their erstwhile partner. But is not going to stop the folks at Exodus. Exodus will soldier on, alone and unloved. Exactly the life model Exodus recommends for the suckers who come through their doors.