marriage equality – Page 8 – commonplacebook.com

Bush Renews Call to Ban Gay Marriage

Post author:HFM
Post published:May 17, 2004
Post category:GLBT Issues

I want this man out of my White House. At the very least, the man needs to go back to high school and take a damned civics course, so he can remember how the government, especially the judiciary, is supposed to work.
From the Indianapolis Star:

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — President Bush on Monday renewed his call for Congress to pass a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages.

On the same day that Massachusetts began issuing licenses to gay couples, Bush said in a statement, “The sacred institution of marriage should not be redefined by a few activist judges.”

In the statement, read aboard Air Force One by White House press secretary Scott McClellan while traveling to Topeka, Kan., Bush said that “all Americans have a right to be heard in this debate.”

Noting that he had called on Congress some time ago to pass a constitutional amendment banning such marriages, Bush said “the need for that amendment is still urgent, and I renew that call today.”

Massachusetts Performs First Legal Gay Marriages

Post author:HFM
Post published:May 17, 2004
Post category:GLBT Issues

Ahhh, love. Isn’t it grand? Have I mentioned recently that I expect my whole family to vote Democrat this year??

Via Reuters:

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Reuters) – Two women were among the first gay couples to be legally married on Monday and hundreds more waited for their turn to make history as Massachusetts became the only U.S. state to allow same-sex marriage.

Marcia Kadish, 56, and Tanya McCloskey, 52, who have been partners for 18 years, were married by Cambridge City Clerk Margaret Drury shortly after 9 a.m. EDT.

“Now by the power vested in me by the state of Massachusetts as a justice of the peace, and most of all by the power of your own love, I now pronounce you married under the laws of Massachusetts,” Drury said. “You may seal this marriage with a kiss.” The couple embraced.

The election-year milestone, which is likely to fuel legal and political battles nationwide, made Kadish, a human resources employee, swoon. “I feel all tingly and wonderful. So much love, can’t you see it is just bursting out of me?”

“We” The People

Post author:HFM
Post published:February 26, 2004
Post category:GLBT Issues Politics

Bush calls for amendment to bar gay marriage
WASHINGTON – President Bush called yesterday for a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage, pushing an explosive cultural issue to the forefront of the 2004 presidential campaign.

In a brief announcement, Bush urged Congress to pass an amendment to the Constitution “defining and protecting marriage as a union of a man and a woman as husband and wife.”

The move followed actions in Massachusetts and San Francisco, where the mayor recently began issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. Massachusetts’ highest court ruled in November that same-sex couples have the same right as heterosexuals to marry and ordered the state to begin issuing marriage licenses to them in May.

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

Post author:HFM
Post published:February 13, 2004
Post category:GLBT Issues

The Associated Press — SAN FRANCISCO –

Opponents of gay marriage went to court Friday to stop an extraordinary act of ongoing civil disobedience in which San Francisco has issued nearly 100 marriage licenses to gay couples.

Weddings were continuing Friday and over the long holiday weekend, despite the effort by the Campaign for California Families to obtain a restraining order that would prevent the city from issuing more licenses or performing more ceremonies inside City Hall.”
“Phyllis Lyon, 79, and Dell Martin, 82, who have been together 51 years, leave San Francisco City Hall after they were married Thursday in a civil ceremony.”

Phyllis and Dell are really well-known in the lesbian community because they were founders of a lesbian organization in the early days of the gay civil rights movement, so lots of lesbians recognize them. They are wonderful role models, and there’s a documentary about them.

I imagine for them to be able to get married in city hall must be a dream come true.

Massachusetts Court: Gays have access to equal marriage rights

Post author:HFM
Post published:February 4, 2004
Post category:GLBT Issues

Wow, I spoke too soon; Democrats won’t be able to dodge this as a campaign issue no matter what. The Massachusetts Supreme Court just decided that civil unions were not enough and only full marriage rights for gay people would be acceptable under Massachusetts law, meaning that gay people may be able to get married there as early as May.

Which means that the religious right will begin pushing the U.S. Constitutional amendment to ban equal marriage rights for gay people into high gear starting today.

Astonishing, a well written article in the Indy Star

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 21, 2004
Post category:Politics

An intelligent, well thought out article on the Bible, and on equal marriage rights for gay people.

Note: there’s a reason why I always say “equal marriage rights for gay people” and not “gay marriage.” There’s a difference between the two, and this is it:

We already have gay marriage. Yeah, you read that right. Gay people have been getting marriage for decades. The used to do it on their own in a park or the backyard with a handful of friends, but in the last 10 years, they get married in churches, with ministers, in front of their families and congregations, and throw big receptions afterwards.

We have gay marriage, and nothing can take that away. Gay people are never going to stop having marriage ceremonies, building lives together. What we don’t have is the legal rights that heterosexual people get from that piece of paper from the government.

Britney Spears can get drunk and marry a guy in Vegas and get that legal piece of paper giving her all sorts of rights with a guy she doesn’t really much care about, but a gay couple who’ve been together 10 years, who own property and have built a life together, don’t get to protect that life with that legal piece of paper.

That seems pretty arbitrary and just downright mean, to me.

Pope speaks out against equal marriage rights for gay people

Post author:HFM
Post published:December 30, 2003
Post category:GLBT Issues Politics Religion

On Sunday, Pope John Paul spoke out against equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian people.

“In our times, a misunderstood sense of rights has sometimes disturbed the nature of the family institution and conjugal bond itself,” John Paul said.

Let me repeat: never setting foot in a Catholic church again.

In Defense Of Biblical Marriage

Post author:HFM
Post published:November 20, 2003
Post category:GLBT Issues Religion

The Presidential Prayer Team is currently urging us to: “Pray for the President as he seeks wisdom on how to legally codify the definition of marriage. Pray that it will be according to Biblical principles. With any forces insisting on variant definitions of marriage, pray that God’s Word and His standards will be honored by our government.”

Any good religious person believes prayer should be balanced by action. So here, in support of the Prayer Team’s admirable goals, is a proposed Constitutional Amendment codifying marriage entirely on biblical principles:

A. Marriage in the United States shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women. (Gen 29:17-28; II Sam 3:2-5.)

B. Marriage shall not impede a man’s right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam 5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chron 11:21)

C. A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed. (Deut 22:13-21)

D. Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden. (Gen 24:3; Num 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Neh 10:30)

E. Since marriage is for life, neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any State, nor any state or federal law, shall be construed to permit divorce. (Deut 22:19; Mark 10:9)

F. If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother’s widow or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen. 38:6-10; Deut 25:5-10) *

G. In lieu of marriage, if there are no acceptable men in your town, it is required that you get your dad drunk and have sex with him (even if he had previously offered you up as a sex toy to men young and old), tag-teaming with any sisters you may have. Of course, this rule applies only if you are female. (Gen 19:31-36)

Massachusetts strikes down ban on equal marriage rights for gay people

Post author:HFM
Post published:November 18, 2003
Post category:GLBT Issues Politics

The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that the ban on equal marriage rights for gay people was unconstituational, but didn’t go so far as to grant marriage licenses to the gay couples who filed the suit. Instead, it sent the issue back to the Massachusetts legislature, who will have 180 days to remedy the inequality of the law. What will probably happen is what happened in Vermont; a civil union law will be created that guarantees the protections of a marriage, without having the same status as marriage. So basically, we get out own water fountains and bathrooms.

Federal Marriage Discrimination Constitutional Amendment

Post author:HFM
Post published:August 4, 2003
Post category:Politics

First of all, I don’t believe such a thing will actually pass and become law in the United States. The amount of work it takes to pass an amendment is phenomenal, and I really believe the anti-gay hate-mongers like George Bush just don’t have the numbers. But if, on the off-chance it did pass, I would definitely leave the country. Not sure whether I’d go to Canada or Europe, but I wouldn’t stay here.

That being said, here’s why the Right-wing is supporting a constitutional amendment — basically because they know the the “Defense of Marriage Act” that they passed in 1996 is unconstitutional, and will be overturned as soon as a state passes a gay-marriage law and gay couples begin suing to get their marriages recognized.

The only thing that will prevent gay marriage at this point is an amendment. And if the government “codifies” anti-gay hatred into the United States Constitution, then, as much as I love that beautiful document, I won’t be able to call it mine anymore. Talking to a marriage counselor before having a marriage would be a great decision. Click here to learn more. Call Cynthia Lissau, M.S., LPC, LMFT couples counseling Roanoke. You may consider seeking the assistance of therapy mesa az if you and your partner are struggling with various relationship issues.

Those who decided to end their marriage should consider hiring Dallas divorce lawyers to be fully prepared for all the family law proceedings. A professional lawyer like this Winnetka divorce lawyer can provide expert legal assistance.

Considering the Vatican’s stance on the issue, I guess my decision to leave the Catholic Church after the priest abuse scandals was the right one.