Tag: marriage

1

Same-Sex Couples Celebrated A Victory Friday Night In Our Nation's Capital (video)

There was thunderous applause Friday night at All Souls Church, where Washington, D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty signed a bill legalizing same sex marriage. But no one's hearing wedding bells just yet. The measure must pass a 30-day congressional review before it can go into effect. Mayor Fenty called the bill the end to an era of struggle for residents in D.C. He says the city is taking a leap forward in ensuring freedom and equality for all.

"Marriage inequality is a civil rights, political, social, moral and religious issue in this country and in many nations. And as I sign this act into law the District of Columbia from this day forward will set the tone for other jurisdictions to follow in creating an open and inclusive city."

Supporters expect the bill to breeze thru congress. If it passes, you could see same-sex marriages in the district as early as March. Opponents hope to derail that plan.

1

2nd Kiss-In PR Video

As of last night, more than 3,000 folks have viewed the first promotional video for the Great Nationwide Kiss-In. Today, we’re happy to present to you the second promotional video, “This Kiss” – another celebration of the beautiful affection we all share with our loved ones. Since the first video was released last Monday, a lot has happened, and this has only propelled further into the projected actions for August 15. In Salt Lake City, trespassing charges were dropped against the couple who were detained on a Mormon-owned plaza after they were “caught” being affectionate; a rather damning security video was released the next day, showing excessive force on the part of the security guards.

Read full story from dym-sum.com

0

N.H. approves gay marriage!

New Hampshire became the sixth state in the nation today to approve gay marriage, after legislation was enacted by both the state House and Senate and then signed by Governor John Lynch. “Today we’re standing up for the liberties of same-sex couples by making clear they will receive the same rights, responsibilities and respect under New Hampshire law,” Lynch said this afternoon before signing the bill at about 5:20 p.m. “It is my hope and my belief that New Hampshire will once again come together to embrace tolerance and respect and to stand against discrimination.” The new law makes New Hampshire the sixth state in the nation to allow gays to marry. Pictured above: The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, the U.S. Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop, right, shakes hands with Mo Baxley in the gallery of Representatives Hall in the State house after lawmakers voted in favor of gay marriage in Concord, N.H.

1

Luke Hass on Prop-8

 

My fellow Bostonian, Tom Gerace, Founder and CEO of gather.com posted this article on his social networking site. I really enjoyed the article and thought it would be an interesting article to re-post here on Just One Hot Minute. The photo below is of Tom, isn't he a cutie?

Typically, when we talk about silver linings, we mean small, ancillary benefits that are overshadowed by the cloud itself. For example, I might write, “I got dumped this weekend, but the silver lining is I saved $751 on a plane ticket to Chile, $340 for a hotel room, $50 for roses, and my pride.” But I digress. Yesterday’s Proposition 8 ruling by the California Supreme Court is a bitter disappointment to thousands of Californians and their friends across the country. But this is the rare case where gay rights supporters may look back and discover that the silver lining meaningfully outshines the gray. Why? The fight over marriage equality is radically altering how many Americans think of gay and lesbian people. It has, in effect, rebranded what it means to be gay. Over twenty years ago, legal pioneers like Evan Wolfson began the fight for equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans in the courts. At the time, the general public defined gay and lesbian identity in terms of sex and certain, rather specific, sex acts. They had vivid images of these acts (many, at the time, illegal), and created related, profane phrases to describe and categorize gay people purely in terms of sex. When, in the mid-1990s, Wolfson pushed for equal marriage rights, many in the gay community were worried that he was overreaching. They encouraged leaders in the community to wait and focus on gains like employment and housing non-discrimination. A decade later, when the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders filed the case that established legal same sex marriage for the first time in the United States, in Massachusetts, the same fears persisted. What Wolfson and GLAD may have known, but has not been commonly understood, was that the marriage fight itself would bring great benefit to the gay community. The fight over equal marriage has redefined gay and lesbian identity in terms of love. And this redefinition has made gay and lesbian people more acceptable to the general public and equal rights easier to win and protect. During the 1996-1999 Hawaii marriage fight and the subsequent state-by-state battles that followed, images of committed gay couples and loving gay families have filled the media. Each time that the battle is joined, same-sex couples that have been together for decades are shown holding hands and asking for the right to marry. These are not the sexual deviants depicted in profane phrases twenty years ago. We see images of two forty year-old women, watching their children play with the family dog in a front yard. We see two elderly men, describing their half-century together. We witness in their stories the same joys and same challenges that any family might face. And we hear them in the context of gay and lesbian people seeking recognition of their love. Today, tens of millions of Americans will hear that the court upheld Proposition 8 and learn that it’s a setback for gay marriage in America. But this same setback may well be part of a much bigger step forward for gay rights in America. Those same tens of millions will see images of gay and lesbian people in loving relationships. They will hear their stories. They will have images of loving couples and their families imprinted in their minds, filed as the new definition of "gay." And while it may have been easy to hate someone because of how they had sex (twenty years ago), it’s a lot harder to hate them because of whom they love. Abraham Lincoln once said "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves." It doesn't matter what the generation before you told you the Bible said (even though it doesn't), and it is not true that denying rights to a group of people based on the way they were born will somehow change them. When the issue of marriage equality arises in your state, do the right thing and support love, not hate.

0

Porn Stars Protest Ruling

California's highest court upheld a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriages Tuesday but allowed about 18,000 unions performed before the ban to remain valid. Following the ruling, supporters of same-sex marriage took to the streets to protest. Across the country protests and gatherings took place. Here is our friends, MJ Taylor and Jason Pitt in downtown Atlanta earlier this evening. More on the California story click here.

3

10 Delightful Homo Facts

Ten delightful homosexuality facts is a really interesting and fun read that appeared in the Examiner today, written by the Sexual Health Examiner, Courtney Bee. Here are some fun homosexuality facts to brighten your day and melt your cold little heart:

• When reading horizontally from Shakespeare's original published copy of Hamlet, the furthest left hand side reads 'I am a homosexual' in the last 14 lines of the book. Was this coincidence, or a literary coming out?
• 3,995: Number of gay couples that were married when San Francisco legalized gay marriage (in the several months before the state intervened and voided the marriages). Demographic information showed most of the gay couples were older and better educated than average newlywed couples, with more than 74% over 35 years old and 69 % holding a college degree. I’m not sure if the crazy evangelical guy holding the “God hates queers” sign on my streetcorner holds a college degree, but judging by his misspelling of “queers,” I’m leaning toward no.
• 17 percent: Number of therapists and psychiatrists practicing in Britain that had tried to help their patients reduce "gay or lesbian feelings" through therapy (according to BMC Psychiatry).
• 1999: The year Jerry Falwell accused Teletubby Tinky Winky of being homosexual. He added that “role modelling the gay lifestyle is damaging to the moral lives of children."
• Twink: "an attractive young or young-looking gay male (usually in his late teens or early twenties) with a slender build, a slight muscular physique, and little or no body hair (Wikipedia).” Crap—I think I may have dated a twink.
• The fourth most common sexual fantasy among straight men is sex with another male, especially receiving oral sex from a guy.
• Pedophilia and homosexuality are unrelated. Pedophiles generally have no sexual attraction to other adults, and have no particular preference to boys or girls. There is an assumption in some of these studies that male-male child molestation is committed by a homosexual male, but this belief is unsupported by research. In one study, (Dr. Carole Jenny, Denver, July 1, 1991 - June 30, 1992), research found only 2 cases of 269 (less than 1%) in which the child molester was known to be homosexual. Eat it, accusatory religious pamphlets.
• 1992:  The year The World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its official list of mental illnesses.
• Roy and Silo: The homosexual penguin couple at New York City Central Park Zoo that successfully hatched an egg given by zookeepers and raised a healthy young chick, a female the keepers named Tango. Their story is the basis for the children's book And Tango Makes Three.
• Although Hitler did condemn homosexual acts, he only condemned them between men. But lesbians were rarely (if at all) sent to concentration camps, because it was not in the laws written by Hitler to denounce women loving other women. See? Even psychotic dictators love girl-on-girl action.

3

Madonna to Wed Jesus

Madonna and her 21 year old lover Jesus (check out his hot photos here) are getting married in a Kabbalah ceremony, according to the model's father. Fresh out of her eight-year marriage to British film maker Guy Ritchie, Madonna, 50, plans to wed the 22-year-old in a Kabbalah ceremony in the near future, Britain's Daily Mail reports. The revelation came in an interview Jesus Luz's father, Luiz Heitor Pinto da Luz, gave to Brazilian magazine Quem. "My understanding is that this is just a consequence of what is happening," Mr Luz told the magazine.

"He is already living with her. I don't know if there will be an actual wedding. From what I have read there could be a sort of ritual, but I don't know Kabbalah... to know if it's valid and legal."

Mr Luz defended his son's girlfriend in an interview.

 "We've already spoken on the phone, in French because I don't speak English fluently, and she seemed like a normal person," he reportedly said.  "She is calm, feminine - I didn't feel any harshness. She was very polite."

The pair met on a magazine photo shoot in a Brazilian hotel room late last year.

0

Maine May Be Next

A bill that could make Maine the fifth state to recognize same-sex marriages won a strong endorsement Tuesday from a legislative committee, setting the stage for votes by the Senate and House. Eleven of the 14 Judiciary Committee members voted to pass the bill, while two voted against it and one member proposed sending it to voters in a November referendum. Gov. John Baldacci, a former opponent, is undecided.

"For me, it came down to discrimination. It's not there" under present law, said one of the supporters, Rep. Mark Bryant, D-Windham.

While the bill's strong committee support should carry some weight in floor votes, there is support in the Senate for sending the bill out to public vote. Even gay marriage opponents acknowledge the likelihood of a House vote in favor of the bill. Unless both chambers agree on a single version of the bill, it will die. The initial test of Maine legislative sentiment came three weeks after Vermont's House overrode a gubernatorial veto and made it the fourth state to recognize gay marriages. Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa have been ordered by the courts to do so. Tuesday's vote in Maine came nearly a week after an estimated 3,500 people packed a public hearing at the Augusta Civic Center that lasted 12 hours. The public was not invited to speak Tuesday, but Judiciary deliberations were interrupted by an outburst by a protester, who shouted that the bill is morally wrong. She was escorted by police from the State House. One of the committee opponents of the gay marriage bill cited strong constituent opposition, expressed in e-mails and other correspondence, in casting her vote.

"I will vote no because that's what 90 percent of my people told me to do," said Rep. Joan Nass, R-Acton.

Rep. Charles Kruger, D-Thomaston, summarized his support in a few words: "Live and let live." The Senate chair of the committee, Lawrence Bliss, also spoke briefly for the bill.

"I want my kids to grow up in a place where everybody is treated equally, fairly and with respect," the South Portland Democrat said. "I am a gay man, this is extremely personal to me (but) I've tried to put that aside," Bliss said.

The lone referendum supporter, Sen. David Hastings, R-Fryeburg, said he prefers sending the question to voters, whose ability to judge for themselves shouldn't be underestimated.

"I don't feel I have any additional knowledge or know-how than the average person," Hastings said.

In a separate vote, the committee killed a proposal that would have broaden the rights of couples who register as domestic partners in the state.

"We don't have to have a cultural war if we don't want one," said Rep. Les Fossel, R-Alna, who saw his bill as a middle ground."

1

A First Day For Iowa

Today is the first day same-sex couples can apply for a marriage license in Iowa. California briefly allowed it last year after a state Supreme Court ruling, but in November voters changed the state constitution to limit marriage to one man and one woman. The Iowa Supreme Court decision prompted protests and calls from lawmakers and religious leaders for a similar constitutional amendment. One district magistrate, Francis Honrath of Larchwood, said he would stop performing any marriages. Iowa state Sen. Merlin Bartz, a Republican, unsuccessfully proposed a "conscience clause" that would allow county recorders to opt out of granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples if it violated their beliefs. Gay-rights groups have warned same-sex couples that their marriages are valid only in Iowa or other states that recognize gay marriage.

"It's one of the first things we told couples," says Rick Garcia, a spokesman for the Chicago gay-rights group Equality Illinois. "It's a great ruling, and we're thrilled for Iowans. You can get married in Iowa, invite 100 people, and show us your slides when you get back. But when you get back to Illinois, in the eyes of the law, you are strangers."

Still, Chicagoans Chad Gearig, 31, and Thom Howe, 41, plan to marry next month in Bettendorf. "We live on a pretty modest budget, and it's just a three-hour drive," Gearig says. "We're really just doing it for us."

A study by UCLA's Williams Institute, which researches gay issues, predicted last year that 55,000 same-sex couples would marry in Iowa in the first three years after it was legal. University of Iowa law professor Ann Estin says there are still legal issues that could reach the Supreme Court. The "full faith and credit" clause of the U.S. Constitution requires states to recognize legal marriages from other states, she says, but the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act passed by Congress allows states to ignore same-sex marriages sanctioned elsewhere and bars federal recognition of them.

25

The Gaythering Storm

The Gathering Storm ad made by the National Organization for Marriage, which preaches against same-sex unions, has spawned many parodies in its short life.

Stephen Colbert said before introducing his version of it, "It is like watching the 700 Club and the Weather Channel at the same time."

As embattled Miss California Carrie Prejean can attest, there is controversy being caused by advocates of gay marriage and it is sweeping this nation. Perhaps she's even seen the new Gathering Storm video from The National Organization for Marriage, which has been viewed 500,000+ times online.

The nonprofit organization's mission is "to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it." The video, posted April 7, warns of a rapidly developing deluge of same sex unions that real Americans must band together and withstand!

In response, One Tree Hill's Sophia Bush, Scrubs and How I Met Your Mother star Sarah Chalke, Alicia Silverstone, Lance Bass and other celebs got together to shoot The Gaythering Storm, a Funny or Die parody of the NOM video. Follow the jump for the original video and the parody - these are two eye-openers for people on either side of the gay marriage debate:

0

D.C. Votes 4 Gay Marriage!

The nation's capital would recognize gay marriages performed in other states under a bill unanimously approved Tuesday by the city council. The 12-0 vote came the same day that Vermont became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage, joining Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa. Before becoming law, the legislation requires a final vote next month by the District of Columbia Council. The bill must then be reviewed by Congress, which has final say over the city's laws. Lawmakers say Tuesday's unanimous vote brings the city a step closer to eventually allowing same-sex marriages to be performed in Washington. Gay couples married in other states are currently recognized as domestic partners when they move to the city. "This is the march toward human rights and equality," said David Catania, one of two openly gay D.C. Council members. "This is not the march toward special rights. This is the equal march and that march is coming here." Council member Jim Graham, who also is gay, said the measure was a matter of "basic fairness." The district passed a law in 1992 recognizing domestic partnerships, which extended medical decision-making powers and other benefits to same-sex couples. But Congress restricted the city from spending its own funds to implement the law until 2002. Catania has indicated he plans to bring up a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the district this year. But some activists have expressed concerns that such a move could trigger a backlash from Congress at a time when the city is trying to win a full voting rights. New York also recognizes same-sex marriages performed elsewhere but hasn't allowed them in the state. Souce: Associated Press