October, 2009

...now browsing by month

 

Saskatchewan Debating Bill to Exempt Religious Officiants from Gay Weddings

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

The Saskatchewan Court of Appeals is seeking interveners in a case that will rule on proposed legislation that would let religious marriage commissioners refuse to marry gay couples.

In June the Saskatchewan Party government asked the court to rule on the constitutionality of two proposed changes to the province’s Marriage Act. The amendments would exempt marriage commissioners from performing a same-sex marriage “if to do so would be contrary to the marriage commissioner’s religious beliefs.”

One amendment would exempt those marriage commissioners appointed before gay marriage was legalized in the province in 2004. The other would exempt any marriage commissioner, no matter when they received their appointment from the province.

Full Story from Xtra.ca: http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Saskatchewan_samesex_marriage_case_heats_up-7744.aspx

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in Canada.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in canada, Gay Marriage, marriage commissioners, religious exemption, saskatchewan, sk | No Responses »

India's Gay Prince Shines Light on Gay Rights in India

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

From the outside, Crown Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil led a privileged life. Born into the royal family of the former princely state of Rajpipla in India, he was married to a princess, Yuvrani Chandrika Kumari, and held court from a lavish palace.

But Gohil had a secret – one that only came to light after a 15 month-long sexless marriage, subsequent divorce, and nervous breakdown, for which he was hospitalised in 2002. It was then that Gohil’s doctors, with his consent, told his family that he was gay – a rather complicated development in a country where section 377 of the penal code criminalised homosexuality.

India’s homophobia seems, at the very least, hypocritical. After all, it’s the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, and many of its famed temples feature graphic murals and sculptures depicting same-sex interactions. Indian mythology also includes homosexual gods and goddesses. But religion, as always, was the watershed. With the advent of Muslim rule, and then Christianity, came an open and harsh rejection of homosexuality, a mindset that pervades the country to this day.

Full Story from SX News: http://sxnews.e-p.net.au/feature/the-rebel-prince-6350.html

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in gay prince, gay rights, india | No Responses »

Guam Catholic Bishop Says Radical Islam & Suicide Bombers Better Than Gay Marriage

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

From a 3 page statement distributed by the local Catholic Archdiocese on the island of Guam in opposition to Bill 185, which would would allow same-sex couples to enter into legal domestic partnerships:

The culture of homosexuality is a culture of self-absorption because it does not value self-sacrifice. It is a glaring example of what John Paul II has called the culture of death. Islamic fundamentalists clearly understand the damage that homosexual behavior inflicts on a culture. That is why they repress such behavior by death. Their culture is anything but one of self-absorption. It may be brutal at times, but any culture that is able to produce wave after wave of suicide bombers (women as well as men) is a culture that at least knows how to value self-sacrifice.

Terrorism as a way to oppose the degeneration of the culture is to be rejected completely since such violence is itself another form of degeneracy. One, however, does not have to agree with the gruesome ways that the fundamentalists use to curb the forces that undermine their culture to admit that the Islamic fundamentalist charge that Western Civilization in general and the U.S.A, in particular is the “Great Satan” is not without an element of truth.

Full Story from the Moderate Voice: http://themoderatevoice.com/51019/suicide-bombers-are-better-than-gay-marriage/

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in gay culture, Gay Marriage, guam, radical islam, suicide bombers | No Responses »

NOM vs. HRC Fight Plays Out in NY Race

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

By now, you probably know about the special election in New York’s 23rd congressional district. Republican John M. McHugh has held this seat since 2003. He resigned on September 21, 2009 to become United States Secretary of the Army. This seat represents about 650,000 hard working, mostly blue collar, solidly Republican folks on New York’s Canadian border. The median income is about $35,000. The local Republican Party nominated Dede Scozzafava who is a socially liberal fiscal conservative. That is a creature well known in New York politics.

Well, that didn’t sit well with the Christian Conservatives so they came up with an anti-choice, anti-gay marriage candidate, Doug Hoffman, to run as a Conservative. This has brought a wide assortment of wingnuts to this rural area. These include Sarah Palin, The Susan B. Anthony People, Catholics for America, Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum, Phyllis’ embalmer, Fred Thompson, Dick Armey, Marilyn Musgrave and the Club for Growth. Actually, the Club for Growth is among the largest donors to Hoffman’s campaign. Given that they are a group of very rich people trying to prevent very rich people from paying their fair share of taxes, they have the challenge of getting these good folk to vote against their own economic interests.

National Organization for Marriage was among the earliest detractors of Scozzafava and one of the earliest supporters of Hoffman. In an email last week they claimed to have spent $150,000 on this campaign. Either Brian Brown is lying – again – or they haven’t reported the expenditure. On the other hand, the Human Rights Campaign PAC has donated $4,000 to Scozzafava.

Full Story from Tips-Q: http://www.tips-q.com/1531178-ny-23rd-cd-saga-nom-v-hrc

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Gay Marriage, hrc, human rights campaign, national organization for marriage, new york, nom | No Responses »

John Kerry Supports New DOMA Lawsuit

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry says he supports a new lawsuit against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Tim Coco and Genesio “Junior” Oliveira, a binational gay couple, announced Monday they would challenge the 13-year-old law that bans the federal government from recognizing the marriages of gay and lesbian couples.

Oliveira, 30, returned to his native Brazil in 2007 after an immigration judged denied his request for asylum. He sought asylum in the U.S. in 2002 because he said he was raped as a teenager. In March, Senator Kerry sent a letter asking for intervention in the matter to Attorney General Eric Holder. On Friday, Coco told the AP that the deadline for Holder to act had passed without action from the administration, effectively supporting Oliveira’s denial of asylum and keeping the men apart.

Full Story from On Top Magazine: http://ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=4773&MediaType=1&Category=26

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in binational couple, defense of marriage act, doma, Gay Marriage, john kerry, supports | No Responses »

Referendum 71 Ahead 57% to 38% Among Washington's Likely Voters

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

The yearly Washington Poll shows the statewide Referendum 71 for gay couples’ rights passing one week before the Nov. 3 election, while Tim Eyman’s tax-limiting Initiative 1033 is trailing.

The poll was conducted by a social research school at the University of Washington that has a track record of correctly forecasting election results. Its poll shows:

R-71 is winning by a 56 percent to 39 percent margin among registered voters. The edge was 57-38 among likely voters; likely voters were those who have sent in ballots already or said they voted in November 2007.

Full Story from the Olympian: http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/1016921.html

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in Washington State .

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in domestic partnerships, Gay Marriage, poll, r71, referendum 71, washington state | No Responses »

Senator Arlen Spector Changes His Mind on Gay Marriage

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Arlen Specter, the Democrat senator for Pennsylvania, has changed his mind on the issue of gay marriage.

In 1996, he voted for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibits the federal government from recognising gay marriage. In 2006, he voted for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in his state.

But writing in the Huffington Post this week, Specter said it was time to repeal DOMA and allow states to decide for themselves.  He wrote: “Enacted 13 years ago when the idea of same sex marriage was struggling for acceptance, the Act is a relic of a more tradition-bound time and culture.

Full Story from : http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/28/pennsylvania-senator-changes-mind-on-gay-marriage/

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in arlen spector, defense of marriage act, doma, Gay Marriage, Senator | No Responses »

Judge Refuses to Allow Referendum 71 Foes to Ignore Contribution Caps, Flood the Race With Money Last-Minute

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

R-71 is the ballot measure that asks Washington voters to approve or reject the state’s everything but marriage law. Washington Family PAC opposes the gay rights measure and last week sued in federal court to challenge two key Washington campaign finance laws. One requires campaigns to report the names, addresses and employers of donors. The other restricts contributions to 5-thousand dollars in the 21-days preceding the election. Washington Family argues those rules discourage participation in the political process. But that ship has sailed says Nancy Krier, attorney for Washington’s Public Disclosure Commission.

Nancy Krier: “To attempt to change all the rules of the game while these campaigns are ongoing and this close to the election is inappropriate.”

The judge agreed with the PDC and refused to issue a temporary restraining order. A trial on the merits of the case could still go forward after the election.

Full Story from KPLU: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1571215/KPLU.Local.News/Federal.Judge.Keeps.WA.Contribution.Caps

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in Washington State.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Gay Marriage, r71, referendum 71, washington state | No Responses »

Michigan Law Professors Suggest Gays/Lesbians Use "Proxy Marriage"

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

A pair of law professors at Michigan State University have launched an effort to legitimize the use of long-distance “proxy marriage” as a way for same-sex couples in states which prohibit gay marriage to legally wed.

The professors, Mae Kuykendall and Adam Candeub, said in an announcement released this morning that the ceremonies, in which an official in a state which permits same-sex unions performs a ceremony for residents of another state using remote connection technology, builds on a tradition of proxy marriage long used to wed overseas service members with a homebound spouse.

Although such a marriage would not be recognized in a state like Michigan, which sanctions marriage only between one man and one woman, Kuykendall and Candeub said such ceremonies “could… help committed couples retain their spousal rights.”

Full Story from Freep.com: http://www.freep.com/article/20091028/NEWS15/91028026/1008/NEWS06/MSU-profs-offer-same-sex-marriage-solution

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in Gay Marriage, proxy marriage | No Responses »

Analysis of the Prop 8 Gay Marriage Case

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

A federal court case in San Francisco may offer a window into the arguments in favor of marriage equality that could eventually find their way before the U.S. Supreme Court.

An Oct. 26 New York Times article reported that the lawyer in the anti-marriage side of the case, which challenges Proposition 8 on the claim that the voter referendum that yanked marriage rights away from Californai’s gay and lesbian families last year violated federal Constitutional protections, was unable to articulate why gays marrying is a threat to stable unions between heterosexuals.

Attorney Charles J. Cooper made the claim that there was a state interest in denying gay and lesbian families marriage parity in order to encourage straight couples to marry and have children.

But when the judge in the case, Vaughn R. Walker, asked exactly how the domestic affairs of a gay couple could disrupt the martial course of a straight couple’s life, Cooper admitted that he was stumped.

Full Story from Edge Boston: http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=98269

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in California.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in analysis, california, federal, Gay Marriage, lawsuit, prop 8, proposition 8, supreme court | No Responses »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »