Gay Marriages in U.K. is go !!!

[Resolute]

Gay Marriages will be taking place in the United Kingdome from next month.

Can see that happening in Australia in the not so distant future as well but can’t see it happening the conservative U.S.A.

Sure the fundamentalist right church groups would see to that.

[desslock]

Actually i think they are going on in massachusetts. That is in the USA when I last looked. Plus legal partnerships with everything except using the name is legal in Vermont and Connecticut. And actually do not forget - marriage law is handled on a state level here. So any changes in either a positive or negative way will have to happen one single state at a time.

We don't have a national parliament that will give it or take it away in one fell swoop.

Steve

[MiamiB]

The USA is a joke to the rest of the world. Sheep run by fools...and we let them fuck us over. Sad indeed but what can you expect as long as the masses can shop at Wal-mart...watch Nascar and affort to drink cheap beer every friday night and then then go to Church to hear the word of god on Sunday. :wacko:

[FisHY]

John Howard's changed his mind?? I'm in Sydney now and have aussie bf but not gonna get married

[Jasun]

The USA probably is way too big to be a country.

Too many different people... the people in the States along the coast tend to bemore liberal, and the closer you get to Texas, the stupider they are.

70% of Texans voted for the most bizarrely worded bill ever because they were told it was to stop gay marriage... but it probably will be used to stop common law marriage as well. There were even a few "Gay Republicans" who voted for it because.. um... they're not really sure either.

Sad, really. I like it here in West Hollywood. Although I'm from Canada and have been married - legally - for quite a while. We're a lot more.. well.. smart than Americans, I'm afraid. :juggle:

[basschick]

i don't think those people are literally more stupid, although they certainly act it.

[jIgG]

what do you expect from a country that's still can't get over blacks actually be human beings.

People still look down on interracial marriage, which in Alabama, or was it Misoury, was illegal untill very recently, about 4-5 years ago.

I won't forget us shopping at a Wal-Mart in Texas, and how everyone stared and made comments about a white woman her black husband and their two kids

So it will be a while before gay marriage makes it

[Jasun]

Oh, I know.. but let me act all superior for a bit, ok?

[basschick]

absolutely!

Oh, I know.. but let me act all superior for a bit, ok?

[JustJohn]

And actually do not forget - marriage law is handled on a state level here. So any changes in either a positive or negative way will have to happen one single state at a time.

That's true to some extent, but a good part of the legal benefits accruing to married couples come from federal law. One of those benefits (with which I'm particularly familiar) involves the immigration of a foreign spouse. All 50 states in the union could allow gays & lesbians to marry, but without a change to federal law, none of them could marry a foreigner and expect to live in the U.S.

I could probably deal with the discrimination in social security benefits, COBRA insurance law, and other federal financial matters, but when it comes to the pursuit of happiness for gay citizens, the Bill of Rights can ring a bit hollow.

Great news for the U.K., by the way!

[Jasun]

and something that Deslock fails to mention is that the Republicans are trying quite hard to pass a constitutional ammendment barring same sex marriages, civil unions and any legal recognition of gay and lesbians couples.

but for some reason, 20% of gays and lesbians still vote for Republicans.

I'll seldom understand how so many Americans vote so happily against their own self interest. I even know of many gay people who voted against gay marriage initiatives on their own ballots becuase "I'd never want to get married".

you just gotta wonder.

[desslock]

and something that Deslock fails to mention is that the Republicans are trying quite hard to pass a constitutional ammendment barring same sex marriages, civil unions and any legal recognition of gay and lesbians couples.

but for some reason, 20% of gays and lesbians still vote for Republicans.

So you are speaking as if Dianne Feinstein supports gay marraige now? She voted for DOMA. Did I miss something? In fact you could say the official John Kerry for President position was on the ballot and passed here in Texas. [which was support heterosexual-only marraige, supports the states to decide] I'm afraid to say - but there is not much difference between either party on the subject.... today at least. Fortunately things will change and so will old marraige customs.

Blaming all ills on religious conservatives is simply wrong, and one big reason the gay rights movement is so ineffective today. Examine election results: Jefferson County/Beaumont which is a heavily black and Democrat county passed Prop 2 by 86%. El Paso County passed it by 68%, not exactly a white Baptist enclave. The opposition to gay marriage is very very broad.

Here is my big beef: If people have a problem with something you have the right to stand up and try to change things. Too many people in the gay community do absolutely nothing about improving this situation. The campaign against the homophobic Prop 2 here last week was anemic at best. There was no tv advertising, and other then some phone bank calls and mailouts to democrat primary voters they did practically nothing to pursuade people that proposition two discriminates.

Look at it this way: How much money is being poured into media now against Judge Alito? Now why don't advocacy groups mount an aggressive discussion of the idea that same sex marraige is perfectly fine? with just a quarter of the energy done with issue advocacy programs like the Supreme Court appointees? This does not happen. What happened in Texas was the gay groups either complained about how people hate them, or they complained about the mean bible thumpers, or they complained about the mean Republicans. Apart from throwing up hands and acting like victims, there is not much actively done to change people's minds.

I did my time in gay politics during my 20s. Now other then give some money, I'm staying out. I don't understand why we didn't run very pointedly clear tv ads that drew strong lines between interracial marriage attitudes from the 1940s and gay marriage today. Just here in Texas there is plenty of money to do this --- many of you may not know but Dallas has been the largest fundraising city for the HRC Human Rights Campaign for years.

The only person who consistently advocates the ideas of gay marriage is Andrew Sullivan, and a handful of pundits, including straight Republicans like David Brooks in the New York Times. It's people like that who have made others pause and have to rethink the old stereotype that they grew up with. The gay community is great about complaining. But it is going to take some aggressive discussion, and a reaching out to people. :gossip:

Steve

PS: Applause to the Brits!

[Jasun]

Well, dude, I've only lived in this country for a few short months, but I've already gotten involved in many political actions.

Back in Canada, I volunteered for the Campaign for Equal Families, I worked with many political action groups, I not only donated time and money but I rallied other people to get involved in any way they could.

And we won, I might add.. gays and lesbians have the same rights that straight people do.

But that's not what we're talking about..

As much as gay Republicans like to say things like "Not all Democrats are this" or "John Kerry was that", the fact of the matter is that Democrats rather pathetic stand isn't anything comparred to the way that Republicans actiually tried to turn gays into the election issue that they are.

Yes, Democrats should do more.. and I'm pissed that they haven't, but none of that takes the heat off Republicans for being such.. well.. shit heads. (and Gay Republicans too, to be honest.. listening to them go on and on about how they Support Republican "principals" is like listening to a battered wife defending her husband)

It's always the conservatives who lead the attacks, the Republican party, as much as you might wanna pretend this isn't the case, are being run by Extreme Right Wing Christians..

yeah, you can go on and on about how the Republican Party stands for "Equality for all", but it's bullshit and you know it. Republicans have fight tooth and nail against everything from Civil rights in the 60s, the ERA in the 70s and 80s and gay rights in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s and probably until they die.

Yes, it will happen eventually, but as much as the Log Cabin Republicans wanna pretend they're having something to do with it, they're not.

[desslock]

Well I apologize for stating that others on here were insufficiently activist enough. I should not impugn others, because at the end of the day most people do what they can, and it would be inappropriate for me to judge others who I do not even know.

As to the gay Republican issue, you seem to have complete knowledge about that topic, so obviously there is nothing at all left to add.

Steve

[Resolute]

So you are speaking as if Dianne Feinstein supports gay marraige now? She voted for DOMA. Did I miss something? In fact you could say the official John Kerry for President position was on the ballot and passed here in Texas. [which was support heterosexual-only marraige, supports the states to decide] I'm afraid to say - but there is not much difference between either party on the subject.... today at least. Fortunately things will change and so will old marraige customs.

Blaming all ills on religious conservatives is simply wrong, and one big reason the gay rights movement is so ineffective today. Examine election results: Jefferson County/Beaumont which is a heavily black and Democrat county passed Prop 2 by 86%. El Paso County passed it by 68%, not exactly a white Baptist enclave. The opposition to gay marriage is very very broad.

Here is my big beef: If people have a problem with something you have the right to stand up and try to change things. Too many people in the gay community do absolutely nothing about improving this situation. The campaign against the homophobic Prop 2 here last week was anemic at best. There was no tv advertising, and other then some phone bank calls and mailouts to democrat primary voters they did practically nothing to pursuade people that proposition two discriminates.

Look at it this way: How much money is being poured into media now against Judge Alito? Now why don't advocacy groups mount an aggressive discussion of the idea that same sex marraige is perfectly fine? with just a quarter of the energy done with issue advocacy programs like the Supreme Court appointees? This does not happen. What happened in Texas was the gay groups either complained about how people hate them, or they complained about the mean bible thumpers, or they complained about the mean Republicans. Apart from throwing up hands and acting like victims, there is not much actively done to change people's minds.

I did my time in gay politics during my 20s. Now other then give some money, I'm staying out. I don't understand why we didn't run very pointedly clear tv ads that drew strong lines between interracial marriage attitudes from the 1940s and gay marriage today. Just here in Texas there is plenty of money to do this --- many of you may not know but Dallas has been the largest fundraising city for the HRC Human Rights Campaign for years.

The only person who consistently advocates the ideas of gay marriage is Andrew Sullivan, and a handful of pundits, including straight Republicans like David Brooks in the New York Times. It's people like that who have made others pause and have to rethink the old stereotype that they grew up with. The gay community is great about complaining. But it is going to take some aggressive discussion, and a reaching out to people. :gossip:

Steve

PS: Applause to the Brits!

W O W What a detailed piece Desslock !!