Sweden - Gay Marriage Now Legal In.....

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

D.C. Council Gives Final Passage to Same-Sex Marriage Bill :woohoo:

The D.C. Council voted today 11 to 2 to give final approval to the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009. The vote recognizing same-sex marriage was the second in two weeks for the Council, which approved the bill in an initial vote on December 1, 2009 by the same margin. Since last July, D.C. law has recognized marriages by same-sex couples from other jurisdictions, including foreign countries. The new legislation would permit same-sex couples to marry in D.C. itself while ensuring that clergy and religious organizations would not be required to provide services, accommodations, facilities or goods for the solemnization of a same-sex marriage.

The legislation now goes to the desk of Mayor Fenty, who has said he will sign it. The law would take effect at the conclusion of the Congressional review period, which lasts for 30 legislative days following the Mayor’s signature.

http://www.hrc.org/13872.htm


However, the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. threatened to cut its city-supported social services, in protest, if the D.C. Council were to pass marriage equality. Those services include homeless shelters, food programs for needy families, and health services.

If you wish to send a message to them to discourage this action: https://secure3.convio.net/hrc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=637

 

[southcitymom]

Hey I4G,

I was just coming to post the happy news about the D.C. Council! I hope you are having a happy Christmas!

Much love,

South

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Not exactly the marriage issue, but another step in the right direction towards equal protection for all.

New York Governor Extends Protections to Transgender New Yorkers

Today New York Governor David A. Paterson issued an executive order extending anti-discrimination policies to gender identity for state employees.

http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2009/12...tends-protections-to-transgender-new-yorkers/

 

[Monaco]

Was it really the State of Iowa that legalized it? Or was it a miniscule minority of "men in black" judges?

The equal protection clause of the Iowa state constitution allows for gay marriage.

A panel of judges merely recognized that fact with their ruling.

If the state constitution doesn't represent the state, I don't know what does.

As you well know, clauses in constitutions have different interpretations. I'm sure you wouldn't want to interpret that clause to mean that anybody has "equal protection" to marry anybody, would you?

Regardless, if a 3-man panel or 4-man panel threw the vote of The People into the garbage, then obviously, they do not "represent" The People of Iowa.

Personally, I'm in favor of homosexuals having exactly the same obligations and responsibilities as heterosexuals when it comes to making binding life commitments.

Hopefully, this throwing of the vote of The People of Iowa into the garbage by the Elite Few will now be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court?

 

[southcitymom]

Way to go Portugal!

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ik3aX3N0ru0tZv_wqU87GX6lm4lwD9CL4Q2G3

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Yay Portugal! :woohoo: Hope that goes through quickly!

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Gay marriage in Argentina is 1st in Latin America

Two Argentine men were joined Monday in Latin America's first same-sex marriage, traveling to the southernmost tip of the Americas to find a welcoming spot to wed.

[snip]

Only seven countries in the world allow gay marriages: Canada, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. U.S. states that permit same-sex marriage are Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire.

Earlier this month, lawmakers in Mexico City made it the city the first in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage. Leftist Mayor Marcelo Ebrard was widely expected to sign the measure into law.

More: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/lt_argentina_gay_marriage

 

[southcitymom]

Gay marriage in Argentina is 1st in Latin America

Two Argentine men were joined Monday in Latin America's first same-sex marriage, traveling to the southernmost tip of the Americas to find a welcoming spot to wed.

[snip]

Only seven countries in the world allow gay marriages: Canada, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. U.S. states that permit same-sex marriage are Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire.

Earlier this month, lawmakers in Mexico City made it the city the first in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage. Leftist Mayor Marcelo Ebrard was widely expected to sign the measure into law.

More: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/lt_argentina_gay_marriage

Wonderful news!! Rightly or wrongly, I often think of Latin American countries as being particularly frightened of homosexuality, so it's wonderful for me to see a country from that region step away from my perceived stereotype.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

I agree about the stereotype, SCM, and tend to think of it that way myself. Here is another snip from the same article talking about just that.

Same link as above (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/lt_argentina_gay_marriage)

Many in Argentina and throughout Latin America remain opposed to gay marriage, particularly the Roman Catholic Church.

"The decision took me by surprise and I'm concerned," Bishop Juan Carlos, of the southern city Rio Gallegos, told the Argentine news agency DyN. He called the marriage "an attack against the survival of the human species."

But same-sex civil unions have been legalized in Uruguay, Buenos Aires, Mexico City and some states in Mexico and Brazil.

 

[lalalemon]

[my bold]

That's beyond my comprehension re firing someone because of lifestyle preference.

:thumb: to Iowa.

I know you mean well, and this is not an attack at all.... but being gay is NOT a lifestyle preference.

I am a lesbian, I was utterly born this way.... I didn't decide at any point to be a lesbian, I just discovered that I am!

I live in the UK, so I am extremely lucky that if I so choose, I can quite happily get civilly partnered. I don't really like the idea of marriage though. The only reason I shall ever get civilly partnered is so that myself and my (future!) partner were to be able to have equal rights as parents, when/if we decided to have children!

However, absolute kudos to the states of America who are now allowing gay people the rights they so deserve!

Also, from the bottom of my heart, THANKYOU to all of you on here, when I saw this thread, I thought the discussion was going to break my heart, the complete opposite however, it is so very uplifting to read so many positive and supportive comments!

 

[Monaco]

I know you mean well, and this is not an attack at all.... but being gay is NOT a lifestyle preference.

I am a lesbian, I was utterly born this way.... I didn't decide at any point to be a lesbian, I just discovered that I am!

I live in the UK, so I am extremely lucky that if I so choose, I can quite happily get civilly partnered. I don't really like the idea of marriage though. . . ."

I'm curious why you don't like the idea of marriage, lalalemon ...
'
'especially since I believe that homosexuals who wish to make life commitments should have exactly the same obligations and responsibilities that heterosexuals do.

... just curious why you don't agree!

 

[lalalemon]

I don't like idea of marriage because it is such a heterosexual thing....and also generally religious.... I'm neither.... I also don't personally feel that I need to get civilly partnered to show my love for my partner. People put WAY too much emphasis on marriage these days.

As I said... for me a CP would purely be for legal reasons. BUT I'm very very glad that marriage for gay people is now becoming legal in a lot more places..... there is absolutely no reason why gay people cannot get married if they so wish!

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Marriage Equality passed in Mexico City

Mexico City on Tuesday formally put on the books a law allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children, with Mayor Marcelo Ebrard rejecting demands he veto the controversial measure. The law was published in the official government newspaper, and will go into effect in 45 days. It was passed by a comfortable margin by this sprawling capital's legislature last week.

http://straighttalkonmarriage.blogspot.com/2009/12/marriage-equality-passed-in-mexico-city.html

 

[Nova]

I don't like idea of marriage because it is such a heterosexual thing....and also generally religious.... I'm neither.... I also don't personally feel that I need to get civilly partnered to show my love for my partner. People put WAY too much emphasis on marriage these days.

As I said... for me a CP would purely be for legal reasons. BUT I'm very very glad that marriage for gay people is now becoming legal in a lot more places..... there is absolutely no reason why gay people cannot get married if they so wish!

Welcome to WS, lala!

Yes, posters here tend to skew conservative on some issues, but I've been quite openly gay on this site for 12 years and have never been mistreated by a poster. (Of course, there may have been posts I didn't see. The owners and mods work hard to make WS a welcoming place for everyone.) When my husband and I got married in 2008, there was an entire thread devoted to good wishes--many of which came from people who oppose the concept of gay marriage but who are quite gracious to me personally.

Thanks for pointing out the problem with that word "lifestyle." Of course, capoly meant no harm, but I think it's precisely people like her who support full equality for everyone who don't realize "lifestyle" as a euphemism for sexual orientation was deliberately coined by right-wingers who want to claim we choose to be gay (and thereby somehow forfeit our civil rights).

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

District of Columbia grants first same-sex marriage licenses, will see first gay weddings Tuesday

And with that, the District of Columbia joins states Massachusetts, Iowa, Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire in allowing same-sex marriage. D.C. has a mandatory waiting period of three business days after issuing a marriage license, so watch for the first officially recognized same-sex wedding ceremonies in the nation's capital on Tuesday of next week (many of the couples in line told reporters they'd previously had informal marriage ceremonies of their own, but were eager to be recognized by the District of Columbia all the same).

http://www.examiner.com/x-1916-Sex--Relationships-Examiner~y2010m3d3-District-of-Columbia-grants-first-samesex-marriage-licenses-will-see-first-gay-weddings-Tuesday

 

[Nova]

As you well know, clauses in constitutions have different interpretations. I'm sure you wouldn't want to interpret that clause to mean that anybody has "equal protection" to marry anybody, would you?

Regardless, if a 3-man panel or 4-man panel threw the vote of The People into the garbage, then obviously, they do not "represent" The People of Iowa.

Personally, I'm in favor of homosexuals having exactly the same obligations and responsibilities as heterosexuals when it comes to making binding life commitments.

Hopefully, this throwing of the vote of The People of Iowa into the garbage by the Elite Few will now be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court?

You don't seem to understand our system. Yes, clauses must be interpreted and that is the job of our courts, as per the U.S. and most state constitutions. The authors of the constitution were actually quite fearful of "mob rule" and included several elements that protect minorities against the tyranny of the majority.

The will of the people in this republic is not just expressed by direct vote, but also by the election of representatives and by the people appointed by such representatives. Including, in many jurisdictions including federal, judges. It is very much the obligation of judges to evaluate new laws (however they arise) and reject those which violate the constitution.

Which is what happened in Iowa. Nothing was thrown and there was no garbage can. Existing law was carefully considered, found to conflict with the state constitution and therefore overturned. And that is how our system works.

ETA to answer your question: yes, I think any two consenting human adults should be allowed to marry, except probably in the case of incest. I say "probably" because I don't really spend much time thinking about incest, but I understand incest creates problems for society as a whole that may outweigh the rights of two individuals.

BTW, I love how you keep saying you think gays should have the same "obligations and responsibilities." I agree we should. But the phrase is usually "privileges and obligations" or "rights and responsibilities." Is there a reason why you omit half the equation?

 

[Nova]

Wonderful news!! Rightly or wrongly, I often think of Latin American countries as being particularly frightened of homosexuality, so it's wonderful for me to see a country from that region step away from my perceived stereotype.

Argentina has a history of both tolerance (in some areas, mostly Buenos Aires) and oppression of gay people. Spain (home of the Inquisition and its burning of homosexuals at the stake) spent half the 20th century under a Fascist dictator during which time there was terrible persecution of gay men and women.

That both are now more progressive than the United States in this area is not something I thought I'd live to see.

 

[DollyPardonMe]

Argentina has a history of both tolerance (in some areas, mostly Buenos Aires) and oppression of gay people. Spain (home of the Inquisition and its burning of homosexuals at the stake) spent half the 20th century under a Fascist dictator during which time there was terrible persecution of gay men and women.

That both are now more progressive than the United States in this area is not something I thought I'd live to see.

Hi Nova. Haven't seen your posts in a while so it's nice to see you! I know you know alot about the theater and my cousin was a silent screen star in the 20's..before your time, of course!! (Ramon Navarro) We are a Spanish family and he stood up to the exec's and family who wanted him to marry a female star so his homosexuality would not be exposed. There were many in Hollywood that gave in to the pressure but he stayed single. I wish marriage would have been an option for him back then..Maybe then he wouldnt have suffered such a brutal death at the hands of 2 hustlers who took advantage of his sensitivity and generosity.

 

[Nova]

Hi Nova. Haven't seen your posts in a while so it's nice to see you! I know you know alot about the theater and my cousin was a silent screen star in the 20's..before your time, of course!! (Ramon Navarro) We are a Spanish family and he stood up to the exec's and family who wanted him to marry a female star so his homosexuality would not be exposed. There were many in Hollywood that gave in to the pressure but he stayed single. I wish marriage would have been an option for him back then..Maybe then he wouldnt have suffered such a brutal death at the hands of 2 hustlers who took advantage of his sensitivity and generosity.

Hey, Dolly! I'm working on a project so I try not to spend too much time online these days, but I didn't mean to disappear.

But, yes, of course I am familiar with Navarro. I've never seen his movies (I'm not a big fan of silents), but I know his face from photos and I am familiar with accounts of his life.

In fact, there was a significant gay culture in the 20s and 30s, particularly in New York and Hollywood. Much of this history was lost to the general public during decades like the 1950s, when homosexuality became "unmentionable."

 

[southcitymom]

While it's not a Supreme Court decision or anything, this news made me smile:

Archie Comics has a new gay character!

http://www.accessatlanta.com/celebrities-tv/archie-comics-new-character-486770.html