Gay Rights
stcynic | September 7, 2005California's legislature became the first in the nation yesterday to pass a bill allowing gays to get married. Not just civil unions, but actual marriage. Unfortunately, it looks like Ahnold is going to veto the bill. The only thing that could prevent that veto from lowering my opinion of him is that my opinion of him couldn't possibly be any lower. Still, I think this is a big moment for the gay marriage movement. This is the pattern that we've always seen, courts begin to cut in to discriminatory laws then legislatures slowly follow suit. We've now seen court action in Massachusetts and…
stcynic | August 22, 2005From a recent Dear Abby column that I happened to come across in a small town newspaper with, quite literally, nothing else to read:
I live in a family-oriented neighborhood. My problem is my next-door neighbor flies his gay pride flag in his front yard. Because we have a lot of families with young children who do not need to be subjected to that kind of thing, I have asked him numerous times to remove it.
His response is it's a free country and he does not subject anybody to his lifestyle.
I strongly feel that in a neighborhood devoted to children's morals and the way life should be, he…
stcynic | August 9, 2005Or so Star Parker would have us believe. In an incredibly ridiculous column at - where else? - the Worldnutdaily, Parker actually implies that stopping gay marriage is the key to the very survival of the black community in America. I assume she's not kidding and managed to type this nonsense with a straight face:
Blacks have polled consistently higher than national averages in opposition to the sanctioning of gay marriage. Why do we care so much and why do we feel an increasing sense of being abandoned?
Why, I sometimes hear, is a community with such clear and immediate problems with…
stcynic | July 21, 2005We often hear from the religious right about gays seeking "special rights", but they never define the difference between a "special right" and a plain old fashioned right. Here's a perfect example of the circular logic involved in such statements, from an email sent out by the Free Market Foundation (as a side note, I find it quite irritating when social conservative groups adopt the insignia of economic libertarianism like this. They do not really believe in the free market at all. When people operating in the free market choose to watch adult movies, they want to restrict their ability to…
stcynic | June 30, 2005Fast on the heels of Canada, Spain has given final approval to the legalization of gay marriage:
"Today, Spanish society is responding to a group of people who have been humiliated, whose rights have been ignored, their dignity offended, their identity denied and their freedom restricted," Prime Minister José Luis RodÃguez Zapatero told Parliament.
There is opposition to this idea within Spain, of course. And some of their ideas are absolutely stunning:
The mayor of Valladolid, Francisco Javier León de la Riva, has said that he will not carry out the new law, and Catholic leaders have…
stcynic | June 29, 2005One of my readers passed on this link to the speech given by Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin in support of legislation that legalizes gay marriage. It makes one almost sad that we have no such leaders in American government. Who in American government would ever dare to speak this way:
For gays and lesbians, evolving social attitudes have, over the years, prompted a number of important changes in the law. Recall that, until the late 1960s, the state believed it had the right to peek into our bedrooms. Until 1977, homosexuality was still sufficient grounds for deportation. Until 1992, gay…
stcynic | June 29, 2005
Canada's House of Commons passed landmark legislation Tuesday to legalize gay marriage, granting same-sex couples legal rights equal to those in traditional unions between a man and a woman.
The bill passed as expected, despite opposition from Conservatives and religious leaders. The legislation drafted by Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority Liberal Party government was also expected to easily pass the Senate and become federal law by the end of July.
Gay marriage has already been legal in some Canadian provinces, but this is still a significant victory. Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin…
stcynic | June 23, 2005Jon Rowe has an interesting post about the question of whether homosexuality has genetic origins, and whether it matters. I've always been of two minds on this issue. On the one hand, I think the evidence is clear that homosexuality is a genetic predisposition, like any number of other traits, most of the time. On the other hand, I don't really care. Even if it's not genetic and is entirely a matter of personal choice, it is no less deserving of equal protection under the law.
stcynic | June 7, 2005Texas Governor Rick Perry, signing two pieces of legislation on Sunday at a church:
During the 1 1/2-hour program, Perry also signed a resolution to amend the Texas Constitution by banning same-sex marriages.
"Texans have made a decision about marriage and if there is some other state that has a more lenient view than Texas then maybe that's a better place for them to live," Perry said.
Yeah, you don't want none of them uppity homos in Texas. The best part was that he was accompanied by Pastor Rod Parsley, an Ohio televangelist who is great fun to watch. About 10 years ago, I was watching…
stcynic | May 25, 2005The parents of a gay man in Massachusetts have written a wonderful op-ed piece for the Boston Globe on the one year anniversary of the legalization of gay marriage in that state. Here is how it concludes:
But how could we as parents not do all we could to embrace our child? How could we not do all we could to strengthen our family? Many object to equal marriage because it represents an attack on family. This is tragic and wrong. Family means love and support for all, not the marginalization of one member of the family.
We have now had one year of legal same-sex marriage in our state. Despite…
stcynic | May 24, 2005Here's the text of an email I received last night in response to my post about the Maryland governor from my personal pet troll, Robert O'Brien:
Thanks for the news; it brought a smile to my face, as do all victories against the institutionalization/legitimization of deviant sexuality. Your inferior morality masquerading as evolved sensibilities was also good for a laugh. As for your reference to Jesus, you need to read the New Testament again (or, more appropriately, have it read to you); homosexuality is expressly forbidden therein.
Sincerely,
Robert O'Brien
Is it any wonder why I named…
stcynic | May 23, 2005Via Jason Kuznicki, a story I missed: the governor of Maryland, Robert Ehrlich, has vetoed a bill that would have given gay couples the legal right to be treated as a relative in medical situations. As the Washington Post reports:
Modeled after laws in California, Hawaii and other states, the legislation would have granted nearly a dozen rights to unmarried partners who register with the state. Among those: the right to be treated as an immediate family member during hospital visits, to make health care decisions for incapacitated partners and to have private visits in nursing homes.
And as…
stcynic | May 18, 2005From a concurring opinion written by Roy Moore in a custody case in 2002. In this case, the father had been accused of abusing his children and the mother was petitioning the court for custody. The fact that the mother was now a lesbian was not at issue in the case, only the question of whether the father had been abusive toward the children. But Roy Moore could not help but rant on endlessly in a concurring opinion about the evils of homosexuality, writing in part:
To disfavor practicing homosexuals in custody matters is not invidious discrimination, nor is it legislating personal morality…
stcynic | May 16, 2005Deb Price has a great column about the clear trend of other nations allowing gay couples to get married, a trend that will surely put the lie once and for all to the absurd claim that banning gay marriage somehow "protects the sanctity of marriage." One can only sigh when reviewing the leadership on this issue that has been shown by the Prime Ministers of Canada and Spain, who have spoken out so boldly for the equal dignity of all people:
Here's Zapatero, as quoted this month by Reuters: "We cannot deny a right to our compatriots when the exercise of that right does not harm anyone else."…
stcynic | May 16, 2005In response to Friday's Federal district court ruling that struck down that state's anti-gay marriage amendment, Jon Rowe and Kip Esquire both have written thought provoking essays.
Update: Jason Kuznicki and Josh Claybourn also have interesting posts on this ruling.
stcynic | May 4, 2005Ace Pryhill has a great story about Joe Valentine, a young relief pitcher for the Cincinatti Reds, who was raised by two lesbian parents, his biological mother Deb and her lifelong partner Doreen. Doreen was his little league coach and she taught him how to play baseball. Go read it. It's a great story. Let's hope this young man can help change people's perceptions.
stcynic | May 3, 2005You all remember Gerald Allen, I hope. He's the sub-moronic Alabama state legislator who is advocating a bill to ban from any public library or school in Alabama any book written by a gay author or that even mentions homosexuality. He was the one that our old pal Robert O'Brien jumped in to defend, which led to renaming of the Idiot of the Month award to the Robert O'Brien Trophy. Well now Matthew Dessem has done a detailed analysis of the text of his bill and found out that it actually bans much more than even Allen himself knows:
So Mr. Allen's bill would ban any purchase or performances…
stcynic | April 21, 2005The Connecticut House of Representatives passed a bill allowing civil unions for gay couples on an 85-63 vote and Governor Rell signed the bill less than an hour after it was passed. The final version contains language that says that "marriage" is still defined as the union of a man and a woman, but the bill itself affords equal legal protections to civil unions between gay couples. It may not be a complete victory, but it's a monumental step forward as the first time an elected legislature has granted such protections without court action first. The reaction by gay rights groups hits the…
stcynic | April 10, 2005The Family Research Council is naturally quite upset by the Connecticut Senate passing a bill to allow civil unions for gay couples in that state. They're also trying very hard to pretend that the public in that state doesn't support the bill. And the Worldnutdaily, naturally, gives them the forum for doing so:
"So-called 'civil unions' are simply same-sex 'marriage' cloaked with a different name, something that a clear majority of Connecticut residents oppose," Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, said in statement. "I call on the Connecticut House to reject this bill. If the…
stcynic | April 7, 2005It appears that Connecticut is on the verge of passing a bill that allows civil unions for gay couples in that state. It would be the first state to do so without any judicial order requiring it. The AP reports that the state Senate took up the bill today and Democratic leaders say they have the votes to pass the bill. Republicans have been trying to amend the bill, but losing the votes on those amendments:
Some GOP senators attempted to amend the bill to specially define marriage in Connecticut as being between one man and one woman. The effort failed on a 23-13 vote. Gov. M. Jodi Rell, a…