“They’re not living in reality. If we do know people are gay, we want to make sure we extend to them the same freedoms and liberties we give to everyone else. We wanted to be more inclusive.”
— Superintendent Eugene White, on the opposition by fundie groups to the measure

Good news in the heartland, though as you would expect, the fundies come out of the woodwork. (Courier-Journal):

The school district circulated its proposal and is expected to vote on it in the next few months.

The district has been quietly adding sexual orientation to its nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policies for several years. “It’s the fair thing to do,” said board member Kelly Bentley. “I don’t think it’s right to discriminate against anybody.”

Micah Clark, director of the American Family Association of Indiana, said the organization supports “fair treatment of people, but I’m not sure we should codify in the law that homosexuality is the same as one’s skin color.”

Clark’s group describes homosexuality as a “destructive” sexual behavior and lobbies against laws that extend rights to gays.

***

Speaking of Indianapolis, another anti-gay outfit, the Daddy Dobson-approved Indiana Family Institute is holding its dinner in honor of the Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy next week.

Read more after the jump.

 
Note that the invitation includes this — “An opportunity to financially support the Indiana Family Institute will be presented.”

The IFI supports SJR7, the proposed constitutional amendment to ban gays and lesbians from marrying.

Earl Ofari Hutchison on Dungy:

Dungy has the right to lend his name to a cause that he obviously believes in. But he’s trying to have it both ways. He says that he has taken no position on the same sex marriage controversy.

Dungy, however, didn’t win championships and Super Bowls by ignoring fine details. He well knows that IFI is a leading attack dog against gay marriage, and indeed gay rights. It backs state measures that outlaw same sex marriage, as well as a constitutional amendment to ban it. The IFI publicly boasts that it will work with Christian groups across the country to put more measures on state ballots in 2008 that ban same sex marriage.

The hefty cash that Dungy will fill IFI’s coffers with when he speaks will help make that possible. This is raw, bigoted politics and it has little to do with Dungy’s professed goal of strengthening the family. Dungy should come clean and not mask his fervent opposition to same sex marriage behind his trademark stoic silence. Of course, if he did that he’d take even more heat for mixing faith and politics. Dungy is much too shrewd for that.