‘Preserve Marriage’ Granted Charitable Status
Yesterday [Aug 28], the Minister of Home Affairs Walton Brown advised the group ‘Preserve Marriage Bermuda ‘ that they have now been granted charitable status.
“The group was informed on May 23rd 2017 that their application for charitable status had been denied by the Charity Commissioners and subsequently submitted an appeal to the Ministry of Home Affairs on June 12th 2017,” the Ministry said.
“According to Section 24 of the Charities Act, if a charitable status is denied, the aggrieved body has within 21 days of notification to appeal the decision to the Minister.
“As is the normal process, the appeal is first reviewed by the technical officers who assess whether the appeal meets the requirements of the legislation and then makes a recommendation to the Minister. The Minister ultimately accepted the recommendation of the technical review of the appeal.”
In his letter to Preserve Marriage Bermuda, Minister Brown said, “In reviewing the initial application for registration as a charity which was successful in 2016, in comparison to your 2017 re-registration application I see no differences with regard to your charitable purposes or primary objectives.
“You have provided enough information to allay all of the concerns which the commissioners used to make the determination to deny the re-registration.
“It can be agreed that with the recent change in law, declaring same sex marriage as legal on May 5 2017, advocating for marriage to be defined as a union between a man and a woman has not been declared unlawful.
“That change in law is the only change that has occurred with respect to your initial successful application and your re-registration application. I am satisfied with your additional submissions and hereby overturn the Charity Commissioners’ decision, therefore the Organization is now granted re-registration of charitable status.”
Waltons Mountain.
You remember that don’t you?
Good night Grandpa
Good night Grandma
We will take care of the county/country.
Night all…………
JUSTIFIED
“Justified”….just like slavery was justified.
Some of you Bermudians are so incredibly bigoted, it’s sickening.
Sounds like a Trump supporter.
Great news.
I was wondering who to donate a little of what I have at the end of the month to.
Feed the hungry? Shelter for the homeless? Youth mentors? Anti-gang initiatives? No. PM are far more necessary and worthy!
“Sounds like a Trump supporter.”
He’s your hero
Yes. You do.
Justified? It fails the most basic test of a charity. Who are the less fortunate who will benefit? PLP are at it already.
this is as good as tRump pardoning his bigoted sherriff Arpaio
Ugly hate group, with no place in modern society.
Shame on you PLP.
Bermuda in the dark ages, how can this happen?
What?!? Are you serious? Bigotry is now a charitable purpose?! All hail the new socialist party…wait, what?
Socialism is a secular in nature, that isn’t what the PLP stand for
The PLP are crony capitalists, not socialists.
Does “we don’t care what you think” ring any bells?
I so look forward to their real proof that they’re actually doing what their name implies , counseling couples in the lead up to marriage on subjects like financial planning , fidelity and family planning . And also proof of the number of married couples they’ve counseled whose marriages are on the rocks that they saved from separation and divorce.
I asked this to them directly. Their response was “The church is doing many of those things already”.
‘Ummm. I asked what Yooooou are doing. Not what the church is doing’
Out of interest were the financials reported as required before the renewal?
Have you met the PLP before?
OMG you win.
Lol. Awesome.
*facepalm*
well played
the power of prayer amen
Disgusting. Bigots.
cannot stop the LGBT community getting married in numerous other countries thank goodness us Bermudians getting second best again cant do in our own country ,struggle for everything food prices ,jobs housing and marriage the no progression island , the brilliance of Burt is shining already.
Juvenile backward step.
Haven’t we seen enough hate and discrimination lately?
Sad day for Bermuda…..
Clearly not!
Has anyone heard what actual public benefit they provide?
Ya, reminding young people the moral concept that their forefathers followed.
“Ya, reminding young people the moral concept that their forefathers followed.”
You mean, fathering as many children as you can, out of wedlock…not supporting them or the mother, and then breeding some more?
This is a prime example Fu of coded racism…
Is Fu actually a former employee at Aspen who was fired over the summer? Same mentality.
Looks quite a good response to OJ to me. An accurate depiction of the moral compass many think is acceptable.
“This is a prime example Fu of coded racism…”
No, this is you actually agreeing with me…truth hurts, init?
So… none, then? Got it.
And this is what is called doing better?
And we return to the era of ministerial interference in government boards and commissions. PLP back to paying back friends and family. Government lobbying is not a charitable institution, they have yet to provide anything that proves they are actually providing a needed social service or support.
Democracy, gotta love it.
“Democracy, gotta love it.”
But you only love it when it’s in your favour…that’s one of the things that makes you a horrible human being.
Says the guy who has been fighting against the democratically elected Government for the past 5 years.
Hypocrite.
Looks like the PLP lets the churches and the Unions run the country
What’s the alternative?
People who actually know how to run a country
They didnt even know how to run public transportation.
LMAO
Who is they? OBA? They inherited the mess that the previous PLP left us. Considering we had no money, I think they did a pretty good job finding solutions that worked, like leasing ferry’s.
Now that the PLP have all the answers, and still no money – lets see how they are going to fix this without being irresponsible and doing the easy thing like spending what we don’t have!
Um. The buses all broke down about last week. A few weeks after you lot got the keys.
yup the same way OBA let expats and right wingers run BDA
“yup the same way OBA let expats and right wingers run BDA”
The PLP is a right wing organization, they are effectively republicans…effectively, Trump.
…and too stupid to realize it. lol
Right wingers tend to be anti-immigration, anti-gay, anti-secular, and just downright intolerant of anyone that differs in appearance and/or ideology.
Based on the above anyone with two brain cells can see that the PLP is our Republican, right-wing religious right Party.
Suck it up buttercup, because you lot emulate Trump and not Obama.
Ironic inna?
“Suck it up buttercup, because you lot emulate Trump and not Obama.
Ironic inna?”
It’s so very true, yet they’re too stupid to realize it
The only right wingers here are the PLP. Anti-gay, anti-foreigner, anti any other race. They want to ‘make Bermuda great again’.
Expats? Like Genevieve/Tweed?
SAME OLD PLP! DIDN’T TAKE LONG INNA?
TWO BERMUDAS IS RIGHT!
Friends n Family again…same old plp tricks.
As expected by the PLP/UBP!
Hey, can’t say they aren’t transparent.
Some lawsuits to drop next.
but….gays can still marry right? so whats the point of following through with your charity status? do you really think the appellant court, or the privy council will listen to your caveman argument much less overturn the CJ decision? Laughable
No surprise . Didn’t expect any better .
Last cruise ship turn off the North Rock Beacon in 2018.
Bream on.
well Wayne needed a pat on the back for winning his seat again ,he his on his tirade of persecution
So this and giving tweed a permit are top of the PLP list of important things on the island. What a joke, you all have been fooled.
This is political low hanging fruit to pander and thank the base–the PLP administration are without question now struggling to get a grip on the magnitude of issues confronting this country while trying to figure out a position.
These developments give the impression of something being done.
Not surprising and something Trump would do.
You get what you vote for. Make Bermuda Great Again!!!
Quo fata ferunt.
How sad, the intolerance felt by LBGT bermudians. To know that when the referendum was held two years ago, such a high percentage didn’t care enough to go out and vote, and two thirds of those that did refused you the right to marriage. Now having successfully gained that right through the courts, your government over rules the charities commission to grant charitable status to PM and an MP has made it his mission to put forward a private members bill to have marriage defined as only between a man and a woman. How many are leading double lives due to this intolerance?
PM go out into the community and offer assistance and counselling to couples in need, families in need and provide education to young girls and women who are some guy’s baby momma, then and only then will you deserve charitable status and the right to use the name “Preserve Marriage”.
More evidence the PLP is Bermuda’s right wing Trump party.
Chief Bigot – WAYNE FURBERT & PRESERVE MARRIAGE are worse than TRUMP… They are indeed evil and ungodlike.
Did someone say something about Two Bermuda’s?
Pathetic and backwards.
The REGRESSIVE LABOR PARTY
What a disaster…..
Well done Mr. Minister!!!
DE PLAAAANE…DE PLAAAANE…WELCOME TO BIGOT ISLAND!!
come ask me for some charitable contribution i’ll tell you where to stuff it
One can only imagine …
Shallow.
Religious Bigots
Preserve Marriage get charity status re-granted after Immigration Minister over rules charity commissioners ruling – WTF Bermuda?
Charity Commissioners:
The commissioners rejected the application because they viewed the group’s purposes as causing “more detriment than benefit” by appearing to “single out and victimize” people based on their sexual orientation.
“How to do everything wrong” – Walton Brown.
“Sigh. ….. when bigotry becomes institutional and is the acceptable norm”.
Makes me think of the white supremacist rally where Trump said ‘there were good people in that crowd’. Big sigh
So far behind the rest of the world. Embarrassing. Still, you get what you vote for, so there can be no complaints.
The UBP/OBA voters didn’t support their party this time around
Last time it was the PLP supporters who stayed away from the polls
I agree with you, it’s called democracy I just hope you’re happy with the outcome a few years down the line when the financial recovery is destroyed and you remember why the OBA were voted in last time.
Preserve Marriage is nothing more than a group of people determined to limit the rights of a minority because of nothing more than their own personal feelings. Anyone remember what happened with those sorts of groups in the US? What is actually happening there again now?
Are they a hate group? No, I don’t think they hate, but they are arrogant, intolerant, judgmental and narrow-minded. Not what I would consider a good premise for a charity, or for anyone who is promoting the values of marriage.
This is at least the second instance already where the PLP have shown that they have every intention of making ‘friends and family’ a standard of their governing.
Man, lots of ppl are tired of the lbgt community.
Not everyone cares about you all.
Thank god that during history all people didn’t think and speak like you or the world would be a very different place today.
Your comment is very sad as its clear there is no empathy in your thinking and by extension of your comment you taint the PLP and paint the party with the same brush–whether true or not–if true its even worse given what the founding fathers of the PLP stood for–hang your head in shame.
This comment is a prime example of Bermuda’s intolerance that has been established due to a well designed narrative that in other more open countries would be publicly denounced as offensive.
This method of thinking will continue to hold the country back–not just on this topic but others as well.
Whoever wrote this–I hope some day you will realize when you look at yourself in the mirror how your words impact people and that someone you love doesn’t face the same intolerance that you have displayed in this comment.
May god overlook your shortcomings–have a blessed day.
I bet they aren’t as tired as the LGBT community is of bigots who are trying to hurt them for absolutely no reason.
You want the LGBT community to shut up? Stop trying to mess with them!
Minister Brown is in the lead by throwing out some crumbs to appease the PLP voters before the Minister of Finance has to announce there is no money. He has after all promised to run a balanced budget by 2019, that’s in 2 years, and there is a deficit of $134m now. Forget about spending, it’s a continuation of survival mode, the same as the OBA had to do since 2012.
Can we get an update on Preserve Marriages campaign to bring back stoning and the proposal for genocide in St. Davids due to people having sex out of wedlock please.
oh also, pretty sure I over heard a guy praising Thor the other day, i believe the preserve marriage bylaws would recommend his entire family be put to death for worshipping a false god.
If you think Preserve Marriage act like a hate group, you need a bit of perception adjustment. I implore you to look around the world where we see lots of hate in a variety of forms.
There are millions of people around the world that believe marriage is a special union between one man and one woman- and defend that.
Are they all Bigots also? Even in countries that have redefined marriage, these beliefs remain. A judge (BDA) or 5 lawyers (USA) don’t change cultural beliefs.
One thing is true, this topic brings out strong (moral)arguments, regardless of which side you fall on. It’s my hope we can be respectful of the beliefs of others, because we’re not going to solve this. So we’ve got to learn to get along with and respect people that don’t think like us.
I see good people I know on both sides and I don’t love or respect them any less for it.
Cultural beliefs are one thing – equality, freedom, and justice for ALL is universal.
I know we are talking Bermuda, but in looking at the words you’ve used, principles of equality, freedom and justice are the essence of the U.S. Constitution. This has been around way before the movement for the redefinition of marriage.
You would find these dearly held principles from folks on both sides.
“I see good people on both sides” you sound like Trump Bermuda Mom and he got a telling off from the United Nations – better watch out
The issue is whether the minister should have interfered with the decision made by the Charities Commission.
This was ministerial interference.
Two months ago the PLP said they were against ministerial interference. Now they’re all for it, suddenly.
From what has been reported, this was the normal process. The group had 21 days to appeal the decision, to the Minister.
The minister reversed the decision of the Charities Commission. Ministerial interference.
“I see good people I know on both sides and I don’t love or respect them any less for it.”
Isn’t that pretty much what trump said re: the White Supremacist confrontation.
Look what you have become.
Are they bigots?
Yes! Yes, they are!
“Millions of people believe” is an ad populum logical fallacy.
As for respect?
How much respect is being shown by the folks that are trying to take away equal access to rights from Bermudian citzens?
How much respect do they deserve?
“There are millions of people around the world that believe marriage is a special union between one man and one woman- and defend that.”
There are millions of people around the world that believe black people are lesser humans, that races shouldn’t mix, and people like you, inadvertently, support that…making you nothing but a bigot.
I too need charitable status… Where can i purchase one and how much does it cost?
I think it costs $5 to join the PLP.
This is an interesting ruling by our new Minister – overturning the decision of the Charity Commission and will generate a number of strong opinions and feelings.
It raises the important question of: What is a Charity in Bermuda?
Once reviewed, sanctioned and approved, a Bermuda Registered Charity has certain powers to raise unlimited funding locally and overseas and now that the charitable status has been reinstated Preserve Marriage will again be eligible for significant US funding through the US 501(c)3 – Friends of the Bermuda Community Foundation.
A Bermuda charity founded by Atlantic Philanthropies that has invested significantly in areas of marriage equality and LGBT rights around the globe – including Bermuda
Preserve Marriage has again the opportunity to raise significant funding to pay legal fees, support changes in legislation, fund marketing and any other programmes and services.
Why is preserve marriage not preaching about infidelity, absentee fathers, irresponsible parents, and sexual abuse among families??? This is a far greater social issue for the future of Bermuda’s society. Why are all of the above not sinful? It is hypocritical to say the least. I am not saying that they don’t have the right to protest the issue but let us be real and honest with ourselves about the REAL problems in the community.
All I see is: Pick a Side?
Religion as a force for good and evil:
As we once stated on this web site’s home page:
“Religion is a unique force in society. It promotes both good and evil. Historically, it has helped to abolish slavery. It has promoted racial integration, equal rights for women, and equal rights for gays and lesbians. It has motivated individuals to create massive support services for the poor, the sick, the hurting, and the broken. Conversely, it has been used to justify human slavery; racial segregation; oppression of women; discrimination against homosexuals; other conflicts, oppression, and discrimination; and mass murder terrorism, and genocide.”
“Religion drives some to dedicate their lives to help the poor and needy. (e.g. Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, Mother Teresa) It drives others to exterminate as many “heretics” as they can….Religion has the capability to generate unselfish love in some people, and vicious, raw hatred in others.”
Unfortunately, a heresy as seen by one faith group is another denomination’s or religion’s orthodoxy. And so the hatred continues.
“Why is preserve marriage not preaching about infidelity, absentee fathers, irresponsible parents, and sexual abuse among families”
because that’s what they are! they’re bigots who get off thinking about what gay people do in private.
the only way to preserve marriage is to get married who ever you are!
Same sex marriage is not gay privilege it’s equal rights. Privilege would be like gay people not paying taxes. Just like Churches.
“Privilege would be like gay people not paying taxes. Just like Churches.”
..or MP’s being exempt from paying import duties.