Gay Rights in America

[Charlotteman]

Goodness gracious, even the Devil has come out for marriage equality! Former V.P. Dick Cheney has said that gays "should be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish".

One must wonder if the Devil's gay daughter (Mary Cheney) gave him an ultimatum to make the public statement. Or maybe Mrs. Devil (Lynn Cheney) pressured him into it.

[kayman]

Goodness gracious, even the Devil has come out for marriage equality! Former V.P. Dick Cheney has said that gays "should be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish".

One must wonder if the Devil's gay daughter (Mary Cheney) gave him an ultimatum to make the public statement. Or maybe Mrs. Devil (Lynn Cheney) pressured him into it.

Yeah, it's so convienent that the puppeteer behind the past administration now does this when he already vacanted the Office... Cheney is just trying to grasp relevancy in the headlines.

[Chtimi]

Wow! I learn that New Hampshire is the third state to legalize same-sex marriage this year. It's good for the 40th Stonewall's anniversary. Congratulations!

[Charlotteman]

Wow! I learn that New Hampshire is the third state to legalize same-sex marriage this year. It's good for the 40th Stonewall's anniversary. Congratulations!

Thanks Chtimi!

Also, New York State is trying to legalize gay marriage as well. And Maryland and Pennsylvania are looking at recognizing marriages done in other states. Rhode Island is perhaps the next battleground.

Nevada just created civil unions for it's citizens. It entails all the aspects of marriage except for the word marriage itself.

[Chtimi]

I didn't know for Nevada, matter of principle I prefer with the word marriage, but it's a good move.

[Lowerdeck]

I have not seen anything on Nevada either

[Charlotteman]

The media must not be doing such a great job reporting all the gay marriage activity nationwide. An update on recent events in Nevada:

The State of Nevada has a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. However the legislature created Domestic Partnerships, (AKA DPs) and overrode the governor's veto to enact it into law on May 31, 2009. It's basically a civil union, and affords all the responsibilities and benefits of marriage to gays, and to straight couples as well.

New Jersey's civil unions are similar.

[Charlotteman]

350 people demonstrated for gay marriage on Sunday outside Rhode Island's State House. R.I. is the only New England state that doesn't have full gay marriage.

Brown University polls showed a whopping 60% of the state's residents are in favor of same sex marriage.

[Charlotteman]

News from Australia:

Green Party Senator Sarah Hanson-Young introduced a full gay marriage bill in the upper house on June 25. She called the cliche "the community isn't ready for gay marriage" LAME. Finally, it's about time, someone calls that cliche what it is---LAME.

I used to cringe when I heard "America isn't ready for a black president."

I still cringe when reading "America isn't ready for gay marriage." Australian Senator Hanson-Young's description of that cliche is on the mark. And as usual, the US is a laggard in social progress.

[OptimistIce]

People want the gay marriage, just let them have it.

[Charlotteman]

President Obama spoke to a gay group at the White House, as an honor to GLBT Pride. We are appreciative of that.

However, I'm unhappy with the general content of his speech, and the actions he plans to take. Obama said he wants to "work with the Congress to repel Don't Ask/Don't Tell". Okay this is lame. Obama can write an executive order right now to end military expulsions. He has the power to end Don't Ask/Don't Tell right now, at least a suspension of it.

And he "wants to repeal DOMA". This sounds lame to me too. The Senate and House are both Democrat controlled, why can't the idiotic law be repealed as one of the first actions of the new Congress-----and with Obama agreeing in advance he will sign it.

Seems like a no brainer to me....aren't the polls showing a huge majority of Americans agree gays shouldn't be kicked out of the military? And with a commanding lead in the Senate, can't the party that is supposedly for gay people enact some laws to grant gays equal rights?

I'm not getting a day younger, and I cannot wait any further for my rights. I don't want my rights being deferred so Obama can still carry N.C. and Virginia the next time around. Is Obama being a political coward? If so, my support for him is treading on thin ice.

[Charlotteman]

Recent news:

Washington D.C. now recognizes gay marriages performed elsewhere. Many people believe this is a quick stepping stone for full gay marriage in the District. Opposition is primarily felt from black religious fanatics in D.C.

The Attorney General of Massachusettes, Martha Coakley, has just filed suit against the federal government re: DOMA. Will be interesting to see how that plays out.

Anti gay activists in Maine have gathered enough signatures to put gay marriage up to a public vote.

[Charlotteman]

Former President Bill Clinton has just come out for gay marriage.......oh, so that means I'm suppose to rejoice?

Bill Clinton is a skirt-chasing hypocrite that has no respect for his own marriage. He also signed DOMA into law. Why would I be concerned what he thinks of marriages? In that area he is clearly not a sage.

[Charlotteman]

Interesting news from the political front:

The gay Republican group GOProud had a booth at the recent CPAC 20 feet from the anti-gay marriage group National Organization For Marriage. The two groups interacted only on camera.

Also of note: the gay GOP Log Cabins are heavily in debt. Perhaps it's members aren't contributing as much, because they're no longer getting lavish tax cuts. (?)

These gay Republicans astonish me. No one asked me of course, but I can't help but see this as comparable to Jews belonging to the Nazi Party. I realize many people disagree with this, so I don't state my opinion as if it were factual.

[suburban george3]

These gay Republicans astonish me. No one asked me of course, but I can't help but see this as comparable to Jews belonging to the Nazi Party. I realize many people disagree with this, so I don't state my opinion as if it were factual.

I have been having a big-time political argument with an older gay gentleman who is completely happy to die without any progress on gay rights pretty much just so he can 'make more money' and thinks all the democrats and 'liberal-progressives.' Being a gay man also, this completely astonishes me, that most of the people he votes for would completely condemn him for being gay and certain 'fringe'elements would probably treat him just as badly as the Nazis did homosexuals and Jews in the WWII era.

I am not willing to wait for my rights and think we should press forward.

[Charlotteman]

Portugal has become the eighth country to legalize gay marriage. The Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates introduced the bill last year and it became encoded into Portuguese law on May 17, 2010.

[PeninsulaKiddo]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/06/hawaii.civil.unions.veto/index.html

An infuriating setback ("Hawaii governor vetoes civil unions bill"). I'm not particularly upset that she vetoed the bill (upset inasmuch as I am not surprised); I am upset because of her completely disingenuous reasoning as to why she vetoed the bill. Governor Lingle (R-HI) said, quote "I am vetoing this bill because I have become convinced that this issue is of such significant societal importance that it deserves to be decided directly by all the people of Hawaii."

I have a few issues with this argument. First, she argues that this issue is "of such significant societal importance" that it needs the machinations of direct democracy to move forward meaningfully. Civil unions. Of all things, civil unions are so significant; why not crime laws? Why not education? Why not the projected $1.2 billion budget deficit projected for Hawaii over FY 2010-2011? No, those are not "of such significant societal importance" that they deserve "to be decided directly by... the people of Hawaii," but gay marriage does. Oh wait, I got that wrong -- it's only civil unions at that.

Second, even if that were true -- even if civil unions / gay marriage were as significant and impactful as that vis-a-vis real issues ongoing (and, disregarding the smooth passage of the bill through both houses of the state's legislature) -- I still would not believe that is why Lingle vetoed this bill. I'd bet my life on the fact that Gov. Lingle is such a cynical, arrogant, intellectually-deficient and bigoted politician that the only reason she is doing this is to allow external influences (a-la Focus on the Family and its cohort of fundamentalist/reactionary organizations) to flood Hawaii with money and advertising to turn public opinion against the possibility of civil unions.

I take solace in knowing that one day, when my great grandchildren are reading books in their university libraries and I am long gone, they will see Lingle's name lost in the irrelevant footnotes of a book on the triumph of LGBT rights in the early 21st century.

[Charlotteman]

^^ In the USA, I thought civil rights are guaranteed to everyone. Apparently that doesn't apply to queers. Our rights are put up to public votes.....

Just imagine that---- a country so boastful about "liberty and justice for all" being so blatantly discriminatory. This is no free country.

So how much longer do gay people have to wait, to become full fledged, equal citizens? We pay equal taxes, but are treated as third class citizens.

[Charlotteman]

Everyone is still awaiting Judge Walker's decision of placing a stay on his ruling overturning California's Prop. 8.....

In the meantime, Argentina now has full gay marriage. Chile's legislature is discussing it too.

Also, Mexico's Supreme Court just ruled that all 31 Mexican states must honor gay marriages performed in Mexico City. Differing laws in Mexico re: gay couples are being overhauled as well.

A Supreme Court ruling in Nepal in 2008 ordered the government to protect sexual minorities. A full gay marriage law is making it's way through the Nepalese legislature. However, Nepal's tourism council is jumping the gun----gay tours to Mt. Everest and even gay marriage holidays are being prepared for international advertising.

[Charlotteman]

Judge Walker's decision in the proposition 8 trial has been put on hold for several months, until it's been reviewed by a higher court. In the meantime millions of gay Americans are still 2nd class citizens.

An interesting sidenote: George W. Bush's right wing campaign manager, Ken Mehlman, just came out of the closet (even though most people in D.C. already knew). In 2004, this man was heavily involved in creating fanatical christian activism against gay marriage.

Well since 2004, he's had a change of heart. Now he says he is going to work in favor of gay marriage. I still hold Mehlman in contempt. He personally hurt a lot of human beings with his twisted activities.

Mehlman has helped prove my long-held belief that right wing queers are highly dangerous on many levels. History has shown that when these radical gays get power, they go haywire. Look at this short list of queers who have actively worked against gay rights : J.Edgar Hoover, Clyde Tolson, Larry Craig, Pastor Ted Haggard, Roy Ashburn, Pastor Tom Brock, Florida State Rep. Bob Allen, and Republican organizer Glenn Murphy.

The bottom line is that when someone just can't seem to leave gay people alone, when they vociferously speak out against gays, when they agitate against gay marriage etc, then they are probably closeted right wing queers.

Who would be surprised if Fred Phelps was caught in a homosexual act?

[nashbill]

That is why these people need to be outed as soon as anyone knows they are gay. We can not wait for them to get caught. They do to much damage.

[Charlotteman]

Some news from California:

A judge has ruled that California Governor Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown do not have to defend Prop. 8 in higher courts. Neither plans on defending it.

Also on Sept. 1, gay marriage was brought up in the first Barbara Boxer/Carly Fiorina U.S. Senate debate. Boxer, the Democrat, is for it. Fiorina, the Republican, is against it.

President Obama hasn't changed his position against gay marriage. It's looking like the President is more on the side of the Republicans on this issue. Ummmm.....

Thank you Sen. Boxer. Thanks for nothing Mr. President.

[Charlotteman]

A daylong event was held for anti-gay and anti-abortion religious fanatics on Saturday in Sacramento.

Former Gov. Mike Hucklebury (R-Hell) was a featured speaker, along with Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council. Thousands of attendees participated in the activities which including 4 hours of Christian music, fasting, praying, and of course verbally bashing gay people and abortion.

We can't forget that these holier-than-thou "pious" fanatics frequently turn out to be closet queers~

Hucklebury is an ex Baptist preacher, and Fox News commentator. He tries to portray himself as a "cool" musician, and a regular guy that just happens to be a Christian.

It's too bad someone doesn't hire a private inverstigator to tail Hucklebury and Tony Perkins. Who knows where they might be spending their "private time."?

[Gard]

Just in...a Federal judge has just ruled in a case where a group of Republicans was suing over "don't ask, don't tell," that the policy is unconstitutional, violating gays 1st amendment rights! Given that Obama has been wanting to repeal don' task don't tell, I would be shocked if he decided to appeal the ruling. I'm actually surprised that this hasn't made bigger news than it has...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39089475/ns/us_news-life