December, 2009

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GOP: It's OK to be Manhattan Declaration Anti Gay, Just Not Ugandan Death Bill Anti Gay

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

As reports emerge that Uganda’s president has promised to veto the “kill the gays” bill, five GOP Congressman have spoken out against the legistlation:

“Five Republican representatives – Chris Smith, Frank Wolf, Joe Pitts, Trent Franks and Anh ‘Joseph’ Cao – have written a letter to Ugandan President Yoweri Mouseveni pressing him to stop pending legislation that would severely criminalize homosexuality and sometimes impose the death penalty for homosexual acts. In the letter, which you can read in full here, the men say their religious faith requires them to oppose the legislation because it contradicts the ‘foundational Christian belief in the inherent dignity and worth of all men and women.’”

The letter invokes the anti-gay Manhattan Declaration: “As Members of Congress and as men of faith, we support the principles set forth in the declaration and are thankful for the principled position of these faith leaders on a host of issues, from the sanctity of life for the unborn and others, to religious freedom, to human dignity, to the belief that marriage is an institution between one man and one woman.”

Full Story from Towleroad.com: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/12/gop-reps-invoke-antigay-manhattan-declaration-in-condemnation-of-ugandan-kill-the-gays-bill.html

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.

CA: Love Honor Cherish Events Tonight in West Hollywood

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

From Love Honor Cherish:

Take a Break From Signature Gathering and Ring in the Holidays: Signature gathering has begun to repeal Prop 8. Go to SignForEquality.com, the first-ever social networking site for volunteer signature gatherers. This week, we’ll have a short meeting for new volunteers, and then we’ll head to Sheddy’s on Fairfax, near the Grove.

Tuesday, Dec 22

7:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Crescent Heights United Methodist Church
1296 N Fairfax Ave (at Fountain), West Hollywood 90046
See below for parking

8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Sheddy’s Beer & Wine Bar
361 S. Fairfax (just south of 3rd St)
Plenty of parking behind the building.
Every Tuesday, Sheddy’s donates a portion of your drink purchase to Love Honor Cherish.

On SignForEquality.com you can download a petition, print it, get signatures and then send it in. You can also:
- Get trained using online videos.
- Join or create a signature gathering team and set goals for yourself and your team.
- Share tips and learn about events where signature gathering is taking place.

Analysis: Gay Marriage and the US Constitution

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Within this decade, a major step to equality has occurred in much of the world. Same sex marriage is now allowed in Canada and most nations in Western Europe. In 2008, two state supreme courts, in California and Connecticut, held that gays and lesbians have the right to marry. They joined Massachusetts as the first states in this country to provide for marriage equality. Until California voters amended the California Constitution in November to outlaw same sex marriage, over one in eight people in the United States lived in a state where same sex marriage was allowed.

Why does this matter? Most studies estimate that about one tenth of the population is gay. Laws in every state traditionally have provided enormous benefits to married couples that were unavailable to others. These statutes concern important matters such as child custody, inheritance, insurance coverage, and tax benefits. When I got married, my wife could immediately get coverage under my insurance and could inherit from me if I died. But gays and lesbians are usually permanently denied these benefits that married couples receive automatically.

Beyond the tangible benefits, marriage is the primary way in which people express their love and desire for permanent commitment. Denying marriage equality to gays and lesbians is a powerful statement that society still believes them to be second-class (or worse) citizens.

Full Story from SN Magazine: http://www.snmag.com/MAGAZINE/Features/Gay-Marriage-and-the-Constitution.html

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.

NM: Lawmaker to File Gay Marriage Ban Bill

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

After the dramatic February defeat of a proposed domestic partnership bill, a New Mexico senator is sponsoring a bill that would ban gay marriage in the state, the New Mexico Independent reported. Senator William Sharer, a Republican from Farmington, has pre-filed legislation that would define marriage as a heterosexual union in the New Mexico Constitution.

The bill proposes adding the following text to the constitution: “Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.” Voter approval is needed to alter the state’s constitution.

Similar attempts in the last two sessions of the Legislature have died in committee.

Full Story from On Top Magazine: http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=5030&MediaType=1&Category=26

Click here for gay marriage resources in New Mexico.


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.

UT: Conservative Congressman Chaffetz Has Liberal Family Ties

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Gay rights groups are flabbergasted that Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, is leading a charge to block gay marriage in the District of Columbia, since his family has some interesting gay and liberal ties. After all, his father, John Chaffetz, wrote a complimentary book about a gay couple that competed in the “Amazing Race” reality TV show. And liberal, former Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis (whose wife, Kitty, was once married to Chaffetz’s father) has been helping the young Chaffetz to pass legislation.

So gay groups are questioning in widespread Internet posts why Chaffetz, with such ties, could do such a thing. They wish aloud that he would listen to his more liberal relations, and stop his pledges to try to overturn a D.C. ordinance signed by its mayor last week to allow gay marriage.

Chaffetz told the Deseret News on Monday that such groups should not hold their breath for that.

Full Story from Deseret News: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705353303/Chaffetz-family-differ-on-gay-marriage.html

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.

DC: District Asks for Dismissal of Gay Marriage Lawsuit

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Although gay marriage will soon be taking place in Washington DC (so long as Congress does not block it, which they are not expected to do), opponents of same-sex marriage have filed suit against the District of Columbia over the DC Board of Elections and Ethics decision to not let gay marriage become a ballot issue.

One the same day that Mayor Fenty was signing the new gay marriage law, the District filed a motion (found below) to have the lawsuit dismissed.

In the 46-page motion, lawyers for the District argue that the DC Board of Elections and Ethics was correct in rejecting the ballot measure in that it violated the DC Human Rights Act by discriminating against GLBT people. The DC Code does not permit initiatives that “authorize discrimination.”

Full Story from Gay Vantage: http://www.gayvantage.com/gay-news/dc-gay-marriage-lawsuit-2484010018/

Click here for gay marriage resources in Washington, DC.


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.

UK: Civil Partnerships, Four Years Later

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Four years ago this week, Grainne Close and Shannon Sickles became the first same-sex couple in Great Britain to form a civil partnership, on December 19th 2005. Their union was made possible by the 2004 Civil Partnership Act, implemented to give gay couples the same rights and legal recognition as their straight, married counterparts. But, says human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, “Civil partnerships are not equality.”

So, four years on, is civil partnership working out?

It was undoubtedly a step in the right direction for gay couples. Not only do civil partnerships grant homosexual couples legal rights, but, more widely, they celebrate gay relationships and validate them in the eyes of society. However, even after four years, there are still plenty of legislative inequalities to iron out.

Full Story from Se7en Magazine: http://se7enmagazine.com/the-issue/39-europe/813-can-we-make-civil-partnership-work-.html

Click here for gay marriage resources in England.


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.

Mexico: Mexico City Legalizes Gay Marriage

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Mexico City lawmakers on Monday made the city the first in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage, a change that will give homosexual couples more rights, including allowing them to adopt children. The bill passed the capital’s local assembly 39-20 to the cheers of supporters who yelled: “Yes, we could! Yes, we could!”

Leftist Mayor Marcelo Ebrard of the Democratic Revolution Party was widely expected to sign the measure into law.

Mexico City’s left-led assembly has made several decisions unpopular elsewhere in this deeply Roman Catholic country, including legalizing abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. That decision sparked a backlash, with the majority of Mexico’s other 32 states enacting legislation declaring life begins at conception.

Full Story from SFGate: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/12/21/international/i131903S07.DTL

Click here for gay marriage resources in Mexico.


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.

Overview: Gay Rights in South America

Monday, December 21st, 2009

In 2002, Argentina was at the forefront of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) rights debate when it became the first country in the region to allow same-sex civil unions. After this landmark decision, other countries such as Mexico, Ecuador, Uruguay, and even Spain followed suit. On November 13th, 2009, Judge Gabriela Seijas once again put Buenos Aires ahead of its neighbors by ruling that the Argentine government must recognize the marriage of José María Di Bello and Alex Freyre, a same-sex couple.

This decision makes Argentina the first Latin American country to attempt to institutionalize same-sex marriage. Despite the temporary block of Di Bello and Freyre’s wedding, ordered by a national judge on December 1st, Argentines will soon be engaged in a battle over the deadlocked debate when the country’s Congress and Supreme Court take up the issue in the coming months. With regard to the rest of the region, the pending question is whether or not other countries will once again follow in Argentina’s footsteps regarding the legalization of same-sex marriage.

As leftist governments continue to be elected throughout the region, the LGBT movement is approaching a crossroad: will these governments honor their stated values of equality and protect the gay community? Or, will a deeply-rooted, conservative Catholicism continue to prevent equal status for all members of society? As these progressive governments consolidate their bases on the basis of promises to the poor and disenfranchised, they must extend some of the same promises to the LGBT community. On this issue Argentina is unique in its regional context because it has now twice been the first to initiate the granting of equal status for its LGBT citizens. So far, several Latin American governments, like Argentina, are also moving to fulfill some of their promises and apposite principles by extending some rights through the institutionalization of same-sex civil unions, much to the chagrin of conservatives, religious leaders and others. In the meantime, the Argentine LGBT community will continue to commemorate the country’s willingness to be the first to tackle this contentious issue.

Full Story from Scoop.co.nz: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0912/S00539.htm

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.

ME: Gay Marriage Advocates Work to Add Friendly Legislators in 2010

Monday, December 21st, 2009

Maine gay marriage advocates have regrouped following repeal of the gay marriage law at the ballot Nov. 3, and they are working to put like-minded legislators in office in 2010. They also are planning to take a more personal approach with voters than they did in the months leading up to November — an approach that focuses less on identifying likely voters than it does on having conversations with people in the more rural, small-town pockets of Maine.

Lane Williamson of Kittery, who led the southern York County NO on 1 voting effort in November, said that was the outcome of a recent community meeting held by Equality Maine in Ogunquit — one of a number of such meetings Equality Maine held throughout the state in the past month.

Dorian Cole, communications director of Equality Maine, said no decision has been made about how the campaign will proceed with a new gay marriage initiative. Advocates could seek legislation through either a bill or a citizen’s initiative, seek redress in the courts or alternatives such as civil unions.

Full Story from Seacoast Online: http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091221/NEWS/912210329/-1/NEWSMAP

Click here for gay marriage resources in Maine.


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.