Same-Sex Marriage Update
 

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The New York State Senate is debating Same-Sex Marriage at this very moment, and Same Sex Marriage in New York State will be decided TODAY.

Here is a link to the live feed:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/1..._n_377020.html

The vote is going to be very very close.

According to the NYTimes:

"If the measure passes on Wednesday, it would probably become law quickly and would be nearly impossible to reverse. New York does not have a referendum process that allows voters to overturn an act of the Legislature.
The State Assembly has already approved the legislation, and Gov. David A. Paterson has said he will immediately sign the bill once it makes it to his desk."

New Yorkers, it's not too late to CALL (518) 455-2800 , or EMAIL http://www.nysenate.gov/senators YOUR SENATORS.

This is IT folks!

:praying::vigil::praying:

Historic Vote Today
 

Dear New Yorker,
This is it. The Marriage Equality Act is being debated on the floor of the New York State Senate today. (You can watch it live at http://www.nysenate.gov/blogs/...

We've been waiting for this day for a long time, and it's my hope that a majority of our senators in Albany will make the right decision and cast their votes for marriage equality.

Right now, I'm in Albany after having met with senators on both sides of the fence - and I can report that our leaders in the Senate are working very hard to get the votes. Governor David Paterson, Senator Tom Duane, Assemblymember Danny O'Donnell and every one of our allies in Albany deserve our appreciation for getting us this far.

We need to keep pushing, though. Please call or write your state senator now and urge them to vote for this bill. You can find contact info. for your state senator at http://www.nysenate.gov/senators.

It's my hope that marriage equality will soon be looked back upon as a great accomplishment that all New Yorkers achieved together.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Christine C. Quinn
Speaker
New York City Council

breakdown
 

Vote breakdown from NY1.com:

Here is the overall breakdown, with 32 votes needed for the bill to pass:

Would Vote "Yes" 23 (All Democrats)
Would Vote "No" 24 (5 Democrats, 19 Republicans)
Undecided / Unavailable / Won't Say 15 (4 Democrats, 11 Republicans)

Here is the breakdown by senator:

Would Vote "Yes"
Eric Adams, D-Brooklyn
Neil Breslin, D-Delmar
Martin Dilan, D-Brooklyn
Thomas Duane, D-Manhattan
Pedro Espada, D-Bronx
Ruth Hassell-Thompson, D-Bronx/Westchester [was "Undecided" in June]
Craig Johnson, D-Nassau
Jeffrey Klein, D-Bronx/Westchester
Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan
Velmanette Montgomery, D-Brooklyn
Suzi Oppenheimer, D-Westchester
Kevin Parker, D-Brookyn
Bill Perkins, D-Manhattan
John Sampson, D-Brooklyn [was "Undecided" in June]
Diane Savino, D-Staten Island/Brooklyn
Eric Schneiderman, D-Manhattan/Bronx
Jose Serrano, D-Bronx/Manhattan
Malcolm Smith, D-Queens
Daniel Squadron, D-Brooklyn/Manhattan
Toby Ann Stavisky, D-Queens
Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Westchester
Antoine Thompson, D-Buffalo
David Valesky, D-Oneida [was "Undecided" in June]

Would Vote "No"
Darrel Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent
John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse
Ruben Diaz, D-Bronx
Hugh Farley, R-Niskayuna
John Flanagan, R-Suffolk
Martin Golden, R-Brooklyn
Shirley Huntley, D-Queens
Joseph Griffo, R-Rome
Andrew Lanza, R-Staten Island
William Larkin, R-Cornwall
Kenneth LaValle, R-Suffolk
Thomas Libous, R-Binghamton
Elizabeth Little, R-Queensbury
Carl Marcellino, R-Nassau/Suffolk
George Maziarz, R-Newfane
George Onorato, D-Queens
Frank Padavan, R-Queens/Bronx/Nassau
Michael Ranzenhofer, R-Amherst
James Seward, R-Milford
Dean Skelos, R-Nassau
William Stachowski, D-Buffalo
Dale Volker, R-Depew
George Winner, R-Elmira
Catharine Young, R-Olean

Undecided / Unavailable / Won't Say
Joseph Addabbo, D-Queens
James Alesi, R-East Rochester
John Bonacic, R-Mt. Hope
Brian Foley, D-Suffolk
Charles Fuschillo, R-Nassau/Suffolk
Kemp Hannon, R-Nassau
Owen Johnson, R-Suffolk
Carl Kruger, D-Brooklyn [was "No" in June]
Vincent Leibell, R-Westchester
Roy McDonald, R-Saratoga
Hiram Monserrate, D-Queens
Thomas Morahan, R-Rockland
Michael Nozzolio, R-Seneca Falls
Joseph Robach, R-Greece
Stephen Saland, R-Poughkeepsie

It failed to pass the Senate by quite a large margin.:watereyes:

OH, thats terribly disappointing. NY, Im really sorry to hear that.

Thank you Diane Savino, D-Staten Island/Brooklyn
 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCFFxidhcy0"]YouTube- NYS Senator Diane Savino speaks on the Marriage Equality bill[/ame]

Now for washington D.C., the mayor keeps being positive about approving, supposedly....
but then new york said the same...

Some pics from last night's rally in Union Square protesting the New York Marriage Equality vote. (from towleroad.com)

http://towleroad.typepad.com/.a/6a00...70a1857970b-pi

Here's one of the completely adorable actress Heather Matarazzo (Welcome to the Dollhouse) in front of what is arguably the funniest Marriage Equality protest sign evah ("We can't ALL marry Liza Minelli") lol.

http://towleroad.typepad.com/.a/6a00...60cad31970c-pi

on to New Jersey
 

700+ Rallied for Marriage Equality in Trenton yesterday.
(photo from bluejersey.com)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluejer...87320/sizes/m/

Senator Lesniak assured the crowd that "this is not the New York legislature", and promised the Senate Judiciary Committee vote on the marriage bill on Monday, December 7.
A Senate floor debate is expected as soon as Thursday, December 10.

From Garden State Equality:

"If ever there was just one day in your life to take off from work to be part of history, this Monday, December 7th is that day.

This Monday in Trenton, the Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing and votes on the Marriage Equality Bill. Please do everything to be there. Join us Monday as 9:00 AM as the Trenton Marriott.

The hearing is at 1:00 PM this Monday, December 7th at the State House in Trenton. We all need to be there very early to get seats.

Garden State Equality asks you to meet us Monday at 9:00 AM at the Trenton Marriott, One West Lafayette Street for FREE breakfast and a key briefing, after which we will go to the hearing. Park at the Marriott Garage.

We need the most massive crowd ever. Right this moment, please forward this email to every supportive friend and colleague you have and to every blog and list serv of which you are a member. Questions? Steven Goldstein is at cell (917) 449-8918.

Thank you, the world's greatest activists, for getting us this far."

Good Luck New Jersey!
 

(12-03) 14:52 PST Trenton, N.J. (AP) --

"Gay rights activists in New Jersey pressing lawmakers to approve a same-sex marriage law while there is still a governor in office who would sign it won assurances Thursday that the legislation would be posted for a vote.

Sen. Paul Sarlo, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he would keep a promise to gay marriage proponents by posting the marriage equality act on Monday. But, he said he'd vote against the bill, underscoring the proposal's uncertain outcome.

Senate President Richard Codey said he'd bring the bill to the full Senate next Thursday — if it clears Judiciary.

A similar proposal was defeated in New York on Wednesday in an unexpectedly wide 24-38 Senate decision, eight votes shy of the 32 needed for passage. It had passed earlier in the Assembly, and Gov. David Paterson had pledged to support it.

The result in New York, where some Democrats saw the defeat as a betrayal, prompted Sen. Ray Lesniak, a Democratic co-sponsor of the New Jersey bill, to declare, "This is not the New York Legislature. The New York Legislature is dysfunctional. We're better than that."

Supporters of the New Jersey bill have ramped up pressure in recent weeks on officials who control the legislative agenda, as the term of Gov. Jon Corzine winds down. Corzine, who leaves office Jan. 19, has said he would sign a bill legalizing same-sex marriages; his successor, Gov.-elect Chris Christie, has said he would veto it.

"There are many ways to win marriage equality; certainly to win marriage equality legislatively — which is our goal and, indeed, our obsession, we have to win while Jon Corzine is governor," said Steven Goldstein, head of Garden State Equality, the state's largest and most visible gay rights group.

Legislative leaders in New Jersey have been reluctant to put the bill to a vote — thus forcing lawmakers to take a public stance on a complex moral issue — unless they are fairly certain it would pass.

The bill needs 21 votes in the Senate, and its prospects in the chamber remained uncertain Thursday.

"God be willing, we'll have 21 votes," Lesniak told scores of gay rights advocates who had assembled outside the Statehouse.

Len Deo, president of the conservative New Jersey Family Policy Council, said he'll continue to try to defeat the bill.

"Changing the definition of marriage is not like approving a budget," said Deo, who believes the issue is too weighty for lawmakers and ought to be put directly to voters.

Gay marriage opponents, including Orthodox Jews, also rallied outside the Statehouse on Thursday.

Both houses of the Legislature must pass the bill before it goes to the governor. The legislative session wraps up a week earlier.

New Jersey currently has a civil unions law, which gives gay couples the benefits of marriage but not the title. About 4,200 couples have entered into civil unions.

Gay rights advocates say the separate-but-equal status isn't enough. Opponents argue that marriage should remain between one man and one woman.

On Thursday, Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, who has been waiting for the Senate to act first, said he strongly supports the marriage equality bill, "especially considering how our civil union law isn't even living up to the most modest of hopes and encourages unequal treatment of same-sex couples and their children."

Roberts said he would continue to discuss the issue with members of the Democratic majority caucus to gauge whether there are sufficient votes for it to pass.

Recent polls show New Jerseyans divided on the issue."

:mob::mob::mob::mob::mob: :LGBTQFlag::LGBTQFlag: :mob::mob::mob:

I continue to fail to understand why we have to pursue these remedies by law and by law suit. Call me stupid, but I do not understand and do not believe that I will ever understand, why our right to associate, marry, adopt, foster and any other free act of will protected under law for any citizen are not protected under law for us.

Below is the text of the 14th amendment to the United States Constitution,
passed in 1868. That's 18 68. IT clearly states all persons. To borrow from Soujourner Truth "Ain't I a person?"

Fourteenth Amendment - Rights Guaranteed Privileges and Immunities of Citizenship, Due Process and Equal Protection


Amendment Text | Annotations
Section. 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

You're preachin' to the choir, Sistah!
:choir:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQKI6zFfqZA"]YouTube- Boston Gay Men's Chorus (BGMC): Every Sperm Is Sacred[/ame]

Since the Supreme Court has refused/avoided to rule on the subject, getting equal marriage rights (not civil unions or domestic partnerships) may be the only way we can force the Supreme Court to rule on federal discrimination and overturn DOMA.
Now that same-sex citizens of Massachusetts have marriage rights, we have strong grounds to sue the federal government and try to force the Supreme Court to rule.
--------------------------------
From: Emma Ruby-Sachs
Posted: July 9, 2009 09:32 AM (Huffpo)

New DOMA Lawsuit is the Most Exciting Yet

We've been in a kind of legal blitz on the Defense of Marriage Act recently. But, in the three lawsuits filed, yesterday's challenge might have the highest chance of success.

The first of these challenges, Gill et al. v. Office of Personnel Management et al., filed in March by the Massachusetts-based group GLAD, argues that same-sex spouses are denied specific monetary benefits from public programs like social security under DOMA.

Not long after, Smelt v. United States of America was a filed: a lawsuit that attacks DOMA on every front possible including its violation of due process and equal protection, the right to free speech, right to privacy, right to travel and its discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual orientation.

But yesterday, the Attorney General of Massachusetts filed a complaint that chiefly argues DOMA's violation of state's sovereignty over the definition and regulation of marriage.

The genius of this complaint is that it takes a conservative argument -- that liberal states should not be permitted to impose their tolerance and acceptance of homosexuality on the rest of the country -- and turns it around to benefit a state that really pioneered gay rights in the U.S.

Even a conservative justice would support the notion that federal encroachment over those few areas where states have sovereign jurisdiction is unconstitutional. In this case, that principle supports, at the very least, limiting the application of DOMA when it affects state programs with federal funding.

If a conservative justice chooses to oppose the argument put forward by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, then their logic could be used in the future to justify federal enforcement of equal rights on those states that oppose same-sex marriage. If state's no longer have absolute jurisdiction over marriage, a liberal government can interfere with a conservative state's policies.

Coakley's lawsuit will likely be joined with Gill et al. and the two will proceed as the most viable challenge to DOMA (many think that Smelt threw too many punches and doesn't have the same institutional support as the Massachusetts suits since the lawyers involved were not working closely with Lambda Legal and other LGBT litigation groups with long histories in the gay rights movement).

It also has the support of Senator John Kerry. Kerry, a lawyer by training, argued way back in 1996 in the Senate, that DOMA was unconstitutional.

His reasoning then, that the full faith and credit clause would be threatened by a law that refused to recognize marriage rights potentially given by some states and not all, has not been popular in modern law suits. Perhaps this is because the trend on hot button social issues has been towards state sovereignty and full faith and credit undermines that sovereignty.

Hence the genius of Coakley's argument.

We can all look forward to the slow, grueling process that is the march to the Supreme Court. And hopefully, by that time, a number of new states will join the same-sex marriage party.

But Coakley's suit is significant. It is a smart, novel attack on a law that is clearly unconstitutional, but also has the support of a waning, yet still significant portion of the American population."
----------------------------------------

Here's our lovely president defending gay apartheid:

"Obama rep: MA law can't force us to pay married benefits

November 01, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP)— States that allow gay marriage can't force the federal government to provide benefits to those couples, the Obama administration argued Friday in court papers in a lawsuit by Massachusetts.

The Justice Department is at odds with Massachusetts — the first state to allow gay marriage — over a 1996 federal law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Massachusetts sued in July, saying that law is discriminatory and deprives gay couples in the state of some federal spousal benefits.

The Obama administration agrees the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, is discriminatory and wants it repealed, but says it has an obligation to defend laws enacted by Congress while they are on the books and can be reasonably defended.

The law "does not prohibit gay and lesbian couples from marrying, nor does it prohibit the states from acknowledging same-sex marriages," according to the court filing by Assistant Attorney General Tony West.

Massachusetts, the filing continues, is trying to claim individuals have a right to federal benefits based on marital status.

"There is, however, no fundamental right to marriage-based federal benefits," according to the 36-page filing.

Joe Solmonese, head of the nation's largest gay rights group, Human Rights Campaign, said the law is discriminatory and the Obama administration should not defend it.

"While we hope Massachusetts prevails in this lawsuit, we are also looking to the administration to put its full weight behind efforts to repeal DOMA in Congress," Solmonese said.

The 1996 law denies federal recognition of gay marriage and gives states the right to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

Massachusetts is the first state to sue the government over the DOMA law. Some gay couples have filed their own lawsuits challenging the law, but this case is unique in pitting a state against the federal government over the issue.

Justice Dept. spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler said any state "can allow gay and lesbian citizens to marry and can make its own decisions about how to treat married couples when it comes to state benefits."

"Massachusetts is not being denied the right to provide benefits to same-sex couples and, in fact, has enacted a law to provide equal health benefits to same-sex spouses," she said.

In earlier filings, the government has sought to dismiss the DOMA lawsuits brought by individuals.

The Massachusetts case could also have implications for Democratic Party politics. The Massachusetts Attorney General, Martha Coakley, is trying to win the Senate seat of the late Edward Kennedy, at the same time her office is leading the lawsuit against the Democratic administration on the issue of gay rights.

Coakley's spokeswoman, Emily LaGrassa, said Coakley would not comment on the government's filing.

"We received it, and we will file our response in court," LaGrassa said.

The lawsuit brought by Massachusetts says the approximately 16,000 same-sex couples who have married since the state allowed it in 2004 are being unfairly denied federal benefits given to heterosexual couples.

Those benefits include federal income tax credits, employment benefits, retirement benefits, health insurance coverage and Social Security payments, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit also argues that the federal law requires the state to violate the constitutional rights of its citizens by treating married heterosexual couples and married same-sex couples differently when determining eligibility for Medicaid benefits and when determining whether the spouse of a veteran can be buried in a Massachusetts veterans' cemetery."
________________________

Here's where federal judges start telling the Obama administration to go to hell:

US Judges Rebel Over DOMA
Two California rulings reiterate support for federal employee spousal benefits
Published: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 10:52 AM CST
BY ARTHUR S. LEONARD

In two separate cases, judges of the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, on November 18 and 19, responded to the interference by the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with the relief they had ordered earlier this year on behalf of gay court employees who sought to enroll their spouses in the federal employee benefits plan program.

In both cases, the employees had married their same-sex partners in California during the “window period” prior to the passage of Proposition 8. Because of a California Supreme Court ruling after Prop 8 was enacted, those marriages remain valid in the state.

On November 18, Judge Stephen Reinhardt ordered that Brad Levenson, a deputy federal public defender for the Central District of California, be compensated for the expense of obtaining equivalent insurance for his husband, retroactively and until he is allowed to enroll him.

Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, on November 19, took things a step further and ordered that OPM drop its opposition to enrolling Karen Golinski’s wife in the program and that the insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, do so. Kozinski joined Reinhardt in ordering retroactive compensation for the cost of comparable insurance.

What was most interesting about the orders, however, was how they took on the federal Executive Branch on behalf of the circuit’s gay employees. Reinhardt not only reiterated his early argument about why the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional in blocking the extension of benefits, but also demolished the Justice Department’s argument in the pending DOMA challenge brought by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders in Boston’s US District Court.

DOJ’s strained “neutrality” defense asserts that because of the uncertainty about whether the Hawaii Supreme Court would allow same-sex marriage in 1996, Congress was justified in enacting DOMA to keep the federal government from getting embroiled in controversy over same-sex marriage by maintaining the status quo that to date had tied federal recognition of marriages to the broad national consensus among states about their parameters.

Reinhart, viewing DOMA as an instance of sex discrimination, believes the courts should hold government claims in defending the law to a high standard, and wrote that this “post hoc justification would not survive the heightened scrutiny that… likely applies to Levenson’s claim. Even under the more deferential rational basis review, however, this argument fails. DOMA did not preserve the status quo vis-a-vis the relationship between federal and state definitions of marriage; to the contrary, it disrupted the long-standing practice of the federal government deferring to each state’s decisions as to the requirements for a valid marriage.”

Congress was not preserving its neutrality, Reinhart found, it was joining in the fray.

He ordered that the costs and methods of compensating Levenson, retroactively and going forward, should be worked out.

Unlike Reinhardt, who ruled that DOMA was unconstitutional for purposes of the benefits program, Kozinski had resolved Karen Golinski’s complaint by creatively interpreting the federal employee benefits statute to give her eligibility. The only feasible solution going forward, he found, was to reissue his order that she be enrolled in the federal employee plan. He ordered OPM to stop interfering with his order, and noted, in rejecting other proposed remedies, that enrolling her wife would cost nothing, since her children were already part of a family plan she had under the program.

Kozinski found that OPM’s intervention to block his previous order implicates “the autonomy and independence of the Judiciary as a co-equal branch of government,” since the circuit has sole authority to resolve court employee grievances. “In effect,” the judge continued, “OPM has claimed that its interpretations of the rights and benefits of judicial employees are entitled to supremacy over those of the Judiciary.” He noted that nobody would seriously argue that the Treasury Department could refuse to issue paychecks because it disagreed with the pay policies established by the courts for their personnel, so why should OPM be entitled to interfere with this decision about court employees’ benefits?

So, Kozinski has thrown down the gauntlet to the Executive Branch, and Reinhardt has declared that the Justice Department’s main defense of DOMA, advanced in the pending case in Boston, is wrong. The 9th Circuit is in rebellion against the Justice Department’s continued obstinate defense of DOMA, a statute that President Barack Obama has condemned as discriminatory and whose repeal he has advocated — if only faintly so far.

It is worth noting that Kozinski was appointed to the 9th Circuit by President Ronald Reagan and is generally seen as a conservative, but on matters of fairness to the employees of his court, he insists on equality and vindication of rights.
-----------------------------------
:cheer:

just because...
 

Now let's look at hotty Heather again, here with her fiance Carolyn:

http://12.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kr...75lro1_400.jpg

:drool: (What, no "stalker" smilie?! :shocking:)

from CNN
 

D.C. mayor signs same-sex marriage bill
December 18, 2009 3:45 p.m. EST

Washington (CNN) -- "The nation's capital city took a major step Friday toward legalizing same-sex marriage.

District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty signed a measure recognizing such marriages as legal. The district council overwhelming passed the bill Tuesday, following a similar vote December 1.

Fenty signed the measure at All Souls Church, a Unitarian Universalist house of worship in the northwest part of the district that is known for its diversity and for the welcoming of same-sex couples.

The measure now goes to Congress for a 30-day review period, but it's considered unlikely that the Democratic majority on Capitol Hill would block the bill. By law, Congress has the right to review and overturn laws created by the District of Columbia's council.

If the measure becomes law, the district will join Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and Iowa in legalizing same-sex marriages. A law legalizing such marriages in New Hampshire takes effect January 1.
Earlier this year, lawmakers in Maine approved a measure legalizing same-sex marriages, but voters in the state last month passed a referendum to overturn the new law. Last week, New York's state Senate defeated a bill that would legalize such marriages. A similar bill stalled last week in New Jersey's state Senate.

Friday's signing ceremony prompted approval from gay rights groups. The Human Rights Campaign called it "an important and historic step towards equal dignity, equal respect and equal rights for same-sex couples."
The measure "reinforces the legal equality and religious freedoms to which all D.C. residents are entitled," the organization's president, Joe Solmonese, said in a written statement.

The National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriage, promised earlier in the week that "the fight is not over."

"Politicians on the city council are acting as if they have the right through legislation to deprive citizens of D.C. of their core civil right to vote, but we will not let them get away with it," said Brian Brown, the organization's executive director.

"We will go to Congress, we will go to the courts, we will fight for the people's right to vote," he said.

Opposition to the legislation also came from the Catholic Church's Archdiocese of Washington, which has said that the measure could restrict the church's ability to provide charity services, apparently because the church might cut back on services rather than comply with the measure's requirements."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...l/6781652.html
Mexico City assembly legalize same sex marriage

http://towleroad.typepad.com/.a/6a00...68a0445970c-pi

"Gay marriage in Argentina is 1st in Latin America

By ALMUDENA CALATRAVA, Associated Press Writer
59 mins ago

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Two Argentine men were joined Monday in Latin America's first same-sex marriage, traveling to the southernmost tip of the Americas to find a welcoming spot to wed.

Gay rights activists Jose Maria Di Bello and Alex Freyre were married in Ushuaia, the capital of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego state, exchanging rings at an informal ceremony witnessed by state and federal officials.

"My knees didn't stop shaking," said the 41-year-old Di Bello. "We are the first gay couple in Latin America to marry."

The slim, dark-haired couple previously tried to marry in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires but were thwarted by city officials citing conflicting judicial rulings. Argentina's Constitution is silent on whether marriage must be between a man and a woman, effectively leaving the matter to state and city officials.
This time around, they traveled to a remote seaside fishing village at the end of South America that is closer to Antarctica than Buenos Aires. The ceremony took place during the region's brief summer thaw.

Tierra del Fuego Gov. Fabiana Rios said in a statement that gay marriage "is an important advance in human rights and social inclusion and we are very happy that this has happened in our state."
An official representing the federal government's antidiscrimination agency, Claudio Morgado, attended the wedding in the city of Ushuaia and called the occasion "historic."

Many in Argentina and throughout Latin America remain opposed to gay marriage, particularly the Roman Catholic Church.
"The decision took me by surprise and I'm concerned," Bishop Juan Carlos, of the southern city Rio Gallegos, told the Argentine news agency DyN. He called the marriage "an attack against the survival of the human species."

But same-sex civil unions have been legalized in Uruguay, Buenos Aires, Mexico City and some states in Mexico and Brazil. Marriage generally carries more exclusive rights such as adopting children, inheriting wealth and enabling a partner to gain citizenship.

Di Bello, an executive at the Argentine Red Cross, met Freyre, 39, executive director of the Buenos Aires AIDS Foundation, at an HIV awareness conference. Both are HIV-positive.
At Monday's indoor civil ceremony, the grooms wore sport coats without ties, and had large red ribbons draped around their necks in solidarity with other people living with HIV.
Di Bello said the city of Ushuaia initially declined to authorize the marriage but went ahead after the couple received backing from the state of Tierra del Fuego.
"We filed an administrative appeal to the government of Tierra del Fuego, which finally authorized the wedding."

Legal analyst Andres Gil Dominguez said the Tierra del Fuego government appeared to base its authorization of a broad interpretation of the Argentine Constitution and obligations under international treaties.
Gov. Rios said the state's approval was based on a ruling by a Buenos Aires judge who declared two provisions of the constitution discriminatory and gave the go-ahead for the Dec. 1 marriage, which was then blocked by another judge's ruling based on civil law.
Individual state's may not have final say over same-sex marriages for long.
A bill that would legalize gay marriage was introduced in Argentina's Congress in October but it has stalled without a vote.

Argentina's Supreme Court currently is analyzing appeals by same-sex couples whose marriages were rejected. A Supreme Court justice said on Monday that the high court would likely rule on issues of same-sex marriage sometime in 2010, but could defer to Congress if legislation moves forward.
Only seven countries in the world allow gay marriages: Canada, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. U.S. states that permit same-sex marriage are Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire.

Earlier this month, lawmakers in Mexico City made it the city the first in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage. Leftist Mayor Marcelo Ebrard was widely expected to sign the measure into law."

Hey QoQ,

Do you know where I can get more info on this new law?
I tried to google but found nada.
I'd love to have something to refer to when dealing with the
folks who keep insisting that my marriage is no longer valid.
TIA!

Thank you for these updates. The assholes in NH circulating petitions to get an anti-marriage amendment on this year's town meeting agenda are particularly disheartening. I find it hard to believe it will pass but after Maine who the hell knows. It's so easy to mobilize the stupid. :annoyed:

In other news the NJ Senate will vote this Thursday on a same sex marriage bill that is almost certain to fail. From Pam's House Blend:

" There will be a vote on gay marriage in the lame duck session of the New Jersey state legislature, NBCNewYork.com has learned.

"We're gonna post the bill and see what happens," Senate President Dick Codey told us.

Codey, and even sponsors of same sex marriage legislation are skeptical if there are enough votes to pass in the State Senate.

For days now, Codey has been weighing whether or not to allow a vote in the waning days of this session, which ends next Monday.

"The members for the most part said go ahead and post it," Codey explained in coming to his decision, while acknowledging there was a minority of his fellow democrats who urged him not to bring it to a vote.

The rush to get a vote in is because outgoing Governor Jon Corzine, who will sign the bill if passed, will leave office on January 19. His successor, Chris Christie, has said he would veto it."

This from Garden State Equality:

"MEMBERS: BREAKING NEWS FOR YOU TO FORWARD IMMEDIATELY TO YOUR FRIENDS, RELATIVES, ORGANIZATIONAL AND CONGREGATIONAL COLLEAGUES -- AND TO YOUR LIST SERVS AND BLOGS:

The New Jersey State Senate has just announced it is voting this Thursday, January 7, 2010 on the marriage equality bill. We need each of you to join us for this most momentus day in our lives.

We ask you to meet us in front of the State House in Trenton Thursday at 10:30 am, when we will march from the State House to the State House Annex, and then talk to legislators before the vote.

You may meet us in front of the State House earlier than 10:30 am Thursday to help us organize. We will be there earlier whenever you arrive. The address of the State House, for GPS and MapQuest purposes, is 125 West State Street. Park at the Trenton Marriott garage, 1 West Lafayette Street.

Thursday afternoon, immediately after the Senate vote, Garden State Equality will hold a news conference and a free member reception at the Trenton Marriott Ballroom, 1 West Lafayette Street. We ask all of you, members and journalists, to be there.

For further information

Journalists: Contact Chair Steven Goldstein, cell (917) 449-8918.

Members: Contact Co-Field Director Dani Bernstein, cell (909) 561-3738.

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On a personal note, if I see one more big mainstream article stating that civil unions/domestic partnerships provide all the same rights of marriage I will freakin' scream. I just read that as the last line in an AP story yesterday and it is sooo misleading and makes gays and lesbians appear to be seeking some sort of social approval from the 'phobes, rather than critically important legal and financial equality.
GRRRRRRRRRRR.....
:annoyed::annoyed:
:boink:

From PinkNews.co.uk:

Malawi gay marriage trial expected next week

By Jessica Geen • January 5, 2010 - 15:28

The trial of two gay men arrested for holding a wedding party in Malawi is expected to begin on January 15th.

Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza are being held in custody in Chichiri Prison and were denied bail by a judge yesterday in the city of Blantyre.

Judge Nyakwawa Usiwa-Usiwa said the couple were at risk from mob violence if they were released, although this claim was rejected by their lawyers.

He said they would be bailed by January 10th if prosecutors had finished investigating them.

The pair had a traditional engagement ceremony in the south African country on Saturday December 26th and were arrested two days later.

Malawi punishes homosexuality with up to 14 years in prison.

According to gay rights activist Peter Tatchell, who is in contact with campaigners in the country, the men will deny the three charges of unnatural practices between males and gross indecency.

He said they would challenge the prosecution on the grounds that it is illegal under the equal rights and non-discrimination clauses of the Malawian constitution.

In a news release, Tatchell said the couple had been jeered in court and disowned by their families.

He said they were suffering "appalling" conditions in prison and are being threatened with forced physical examinations to determine whether they have had sex.

But he added that they had been given food and money by supporters and a legal term had been assembled.

Their case is being helped by the Malawian human rights group, the Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP).

The centre's executive director, Gift Trapence, told PinkNews.co.uk the men's lawyers are fighting for the trial to be held in a higher court where more judges are sitting.

He said: "Because of the penal code in Malawi, gays are seen as unnatural. They are not visible.

"This is the first case. There is a lot of attention in Malawi and lots of newspaper coverage. Gays are afraid of the law, they are not open, they are not visible.

"The problem is the violence is there but it is not reported. There are lots of blackmail issues. They think they will be prosecuted.

Trapence added that arrests such as this would hamper HIV prevention work.

An administrator for CEDEP was arrested yesterday on charges that the centre's safer sex HIV education materials are pornographic.

Tatchell described the charges as "trumped up" and said the arrest was "almost certainly in retaliation" for CEDEP's public support of Chimbalanga and Monjeza.

The group called today for a nationwide referendum on homosexuality, saying that consensus was needed.

UK-based gay rights group OutRage! is collecting donations to be sent to the couple's legal team in Malawi.

To send a donation, post a cheque payable to OutRage! to OutRage!, PO Box 17816, London SW14 8WT. Enclose a note giving your name and address and stating that your donation is for the Malawi Defence Campaign. OutRage! will pass all money donated to the couple's defence team in Malawi.

NJ Senate Defeats Gay Marriage Bill
 

The New York Times

:(

Sorry friends.

Thanks for the update Semantics! :)
Lambda Legal announced after the loss that they will be pursuing litigation on that matter.
We all kinda knew it was a long shot, but still :bigcry:.

on a more cheerful note...
 

Catholic Portugal set to legalise gay marriage

by Anne Le Coz
Wed Jan 6, 12:12 pm ET

LISBON (AFP) – Catholic Portugal, traditionally one of Europe's most socially conservative countries, is expected to approve the legalisation of gay marriage on Friday with a minimum of fuss.

With the governing Socialists and other left-wing parties enjoying a strong majority, the new law is likely to sail through the first reading debate and gain final approval before a visit by Pope Benedict XVI, due in Portugal in May.

In contrast to Spain, where the lead-up to the legalisation of gay marriage in 2005 brought hundreds of thousands of demonstrators onto the streets, the bill in Portugal has provoked only muted opposition even from the right.
While normally vocal on the role of marriage and the family in society, the Catholic Church has refused to mobilise on a subject which, according to Lisbon's Cardinal Patriarch Jose Policarpo, is "parliament's responsibility".
"I think the Portuguese people have learnt one of the fundamental tenets of democracy: respect for the rights of the individual," Miguel Vale de Almeida, Portugal's first openly-gay lawmaker who was elected in September, told AFP.

Vale de Almeida, who is the Socialists' pointman on the legislation, said there is now a political majority in favour of gay marriage and that it is "too simplistic to link Catholicism and conservatism."

According to poll conducted late last year by the Eurosondagem institute, while a strong majority (68.4 percent) of Portuguese are opposed to adoptions by same-sex couples, they are more evenly divided when it comes to gay marriage with 49.5 percent against, with 45.5 percent in favour.

On Tuesday, campaigners handed a petition with more than 90,000 signatures to demand a referendum on the subject into parliament.
But having had its fingers burnt by two referendums which preceded the legalisation of abortion in 2007, the government has ruled out consulting with the public as the measure was part of its manifesto in last year's election.

Prime Minister Jose Socrates' Socialists may have lost their majority in the September 27 election, but still command the support of other left-wing parties in parliament who should guarantee that the gay marriage bill is passed.

While opposed to the concept of same-sex "marriages", the centre-right opposition Social Democrat party says it is favour of a civil partnership that would give gays and lesbians the same rights as heterosexual couples minus adoptions.

Deputies are also expected on Friday to vote two other bills submitted by the Green party, the Left Bloc and others which would grant gay and lesbian couples the right to adopt children.

If the gay marriage proposals do pass through parliament, they will the have to go through a parliamentary commission before coming back for the final approval.

According to media reports, both the government and the Catholic Church wants the gay marriage issue to be resolved before the visit of the pope, scheduled for May 11-14.

:)
 

More good news from Pam's House Blend:

Portugal's Parliament has voted for marriage equality
by: Lurleen
Fri Jan 08, 2010 at 10:55:58 AM EST

Congratulations Portugal! As predicted, Portugal's Parliament easily passed a marriage equality law earlier today. The vote was 125 to 99.
"This law rights a wrong,'' Prime Minister Jose Socrates said in a speech to lawmakers, adding that it ''simply ends pointless suffering."

Conservative President Anibal Cavaco Silva is thought unlikely to veto the Socialist government's bill, which won the support of all left-of-center parties. His ratification would allow the first gay marriage ceremonies to take place in April -- a month before Pope Benedict XVI is due on an official visit to Portugal.

Portugal has offered civil unions to same-sex couples since 2001, but they did not provide some key benefits that come with marriage involving pensions, inheritance and the sharing of names. Married same-sex couples still will not be allowed to adopt, so the work continues.

Well it's almost here....I can barely wait until Monday!
 

High-stakes gay marriage trial to begin in Calif.

By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 7, 9:41 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – The national debate over same-sex marriage will take center stage in a California courtroom next week at a closely watched federal trial that could ultimately become the landmark case that determines whether gay Americans have a right to marry.

The case will decide a challenge to California's gay marriage ban that was approved by voters in 2008, and the ruling will likely be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. How the high court rules in the case could set the precedent for whether gay marriage becomes legal nationwide.

"This could be our Brown vs. Board of Education," said former Clinton White House adviser Richard Socarides, referring to the 1954 Supreme Court decision that outlawed racial segregation in schools and other public facilities. "Certainly the plaintiffs will tell you they are hoping for a broad ruling that says that any law that treats someone differently because of sexual orientation violates the U.S. Constitution."

The case marks the first federal trial to examine if the U.S. Constitution permits bans on gay marriages, and the challenge is being bankrolled by a group of liberal Hollywood activists led by director Rob Reiner.

They retained two of the nation's most influential lawyers to argue the case — former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson and trial lawyer David Boies. The lawyers are best known as the rivals who represented George W. Bush and Al Gore in the "hanging chad" dispute over the 2000 presidential election in Florida, and have tapped the talent of their respective law firms in preparation for the trial and plan to take turns questioning witnesses.

Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown are defendants in the lawsuit by virtue of their prominent positions in California government, but both men opposed the ban and have refused to defend the suit in court. Schwarzenegger has taken no position on the case, while Brown filed a brief saying he agreed with the Olson-Boies team that gays have the same federal constitutional right to marry as heterosexuals.

The sponsors of the gay marriage ban, a coalition of religious and conservative groups, joined the case as defendants. Their legal team is being led by Charles Cooper, a veteran trial lawyer who worked for the Reagan-era Justice Department. Cooper is being assisted by a team of lawyers from his own firm, along with a Christian legal group based in Arizona.

Presiding over the case is U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker, a Republican named to the bench in 1989 by the first President Bush. Walker, who has a reputation as an independent thinker, was randomly assigned the lawsuit, put it on a fast-track to trial and has said he thinks it raises serious civil rights claims. During a pretrial hearing in August, the judge pointedly scolded Schwarzenegger for remaining neutral "on an issue of this magnitude and importance."

Walker says the case is so important that the court has taken the rare step of allowing videotaping of the proceedings so the public can watch. The trial, scheduled to start Monday, will air on YouTube every day.

To prevail, Olson and Boies will try to prove that denying gays the right to wed serves no legitimate public purpose and that Proposition 8 was motivated by legally irrelevant religious or moral beliefs or even anti-gay bias. The ballot initiative, which passed with 52 percent of the vote, supplanted a California Supreme Court ruling that had legalized same-sex marriages.

Boies and Olson say the ban is a blatant violation of Constitutional rights to equal protection and due process.

Testimony in the trial will explore many of the most contentious political arguments surrounding the issue. Leaders of the campaign to outlaw gay marriages have been called as witnesses, along with competing academic experts who will be cross-examined on topics ranging from how having same-sex parents affects children and if gay unions undermine male-female marriages.

Cooper's team plans to argue that same-sex marriage still is a social experiment and that it is therefore prudent for states like California to take a wait-and-see approach. Their witnesses will testify that governments historically have sanctioned traditional marriage as a way to promote responsible child-rearing and that this remains a valid justification for limiting marriage to a man and a woman.

"What sets this case apart is the strategy up until now, in the last 10 or 15 years, has been by the national organizations that support same-sex marriage to attack this on a state-by-state basis," said Brian Raum, who is helping to defend Proposition 8. "The impact of those cases, obviously, was limited to their respective states. But the potential impact in this case goes beyond the state of California."

Kristin Perry, 45, is the title plaintiff in the case registered on legal dockets as Perry v. Schwarzenegger. She and her lesbian partner of 10 years, Sandra Stier, 47, got married in San Francisco in 2004 when Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered city officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Six months later, they were among the 4,000 couples who had their unions invalidated by the state Supreme Court.

Perry and Steier, who have four sons, agreed to become involved in the challenge because they believe that a judicial approach grounded in constitutional law provides the best chance of success. Still, many gay rights groups objected to the timing of the lawsuit, fearing it was too soon to mount a federal case.

"All the other experiences around this have felt so politicized and in some ways outside of my control," Perry said. "But being in a courtroom where the rules of discussion are so different from a political discussion, I am feeling like as an American I have a right to ask someone if this is fair, someone whose job it is to do this every day and can make as educated a judgment about this as maybe anyone has made."

The plaintiffs will have plenty of star power with Olson and Boies. Olson helped Bush win the presidency in 2000 after the recount battle in Florida, and later served as the president's solicitor general — the lawyer who argues the government's cases before the Supreme Court. Boies represented Gore in 2000.

"The hope of the people behind this, in recruiting Olson and Boies, was to put a bipartisan face on this issue," said Jane Schacter, a constitutional law expert at Stanford. "I do think it's striking that one of the nation's senior conservative litigators is leading the charge, and it does cause some people maybe to take a second look, to see the issue through a different prism."

TODAY!! BUMP BUMP
 

I'm not exactly sure how to catch it live on youtube, but I will certainly be trying!

http://www.kqed.org/news/specialcove...mesexmarriage/

Good luck Cali! Good luck all of us!

http://www.mercurynews.com/samesexmarriage/ci_14165406


WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is blocking a broadcast of the trial on California's same-sex marriage ban, at least for the first few days.
The federal trial is scheduled to begin this morning in San Francisco. It will consider whether the Proposition 8 gay marriage ban approved by California voters in November 2008 is legal.
The high court today said it will not allow video of the trial to be posted on YouTube.com, even with a delay, until the justices have more time to consider the issue. It said that Monday's order will be in place at least until Wednesday. Opponents of the broadcast say they fear witness testimony might be affected if cameras are present. Justice Stephen Breyer said he would have allowed cameras while the court considers the matter.

Whatacrockasheit.

Prop 8 Trial Tracker

Here's a description of this site from www.joemygod.blogspot.com:
Follow the Courage Campaign's Rick Jacobs live blogging from the Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial. He's typing as people speak and it can be a bit confusing, but Jacobs is doing a great job getting the gist of what everybody is saying. You'll need to refresh to see the updates. Bookmark the site for the remainder of the trial.

WOW that is fascinating! EXCELLENT resource since the 'phobes have insisted they can only testify against our equality in secret.
Unfuckingbelievable that we can't view the proceedings.
If anyone finds an actual complete transcript, please post it. (The link that is)
Thanks again HowSoonIsNow. :)

well that should make the Marriage Equality folks and the rest of 'our' leaders who opposed this case happy........

a whole bunch o chicken shits

here's another good "live-blog":
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/