Let California Ring: Talking About Change Makes It
It's not enough to be tolerant and caring, because the gay people we care about are being treated as second-class citizens.
It's not enough to be tolerant and caring, because the gay people we care about are being treated as second-class citizens.
Things are supposed to be legal unless someone can claim to be harmed by them. If our system were truly about what harms, we would promptly legalize currently illegal things that are harmless: gay marriage, pot, and Mexicans.
There are important personal and symbolic reasons for gays to marry in California. But it is a mistake to act without thinking carefully about the serious legal and financial implications.
Californians Against Hate will act as a truth squad during the next 3 ½ months. Our purpose is to let everyone know the major donor supporters of the California Marriage Protection Act.
Much of the anti-gay-marriage argument rests on two assumptions: Life-long exclusive mate-bonding for purpose of rearing offspring is natural, and homosexuality is not. Both have little basis in fact.
But when asked about our plans, I recoiled at the suggestion that my husband and I should come to California to get married. "We've been married for twelve years," I say.
My partner, Diane Olson, and I have been together for 15 years, so we don't need a toaster. What do we want for our wedding? For the conservative governors of other states to mind their own business.
Yesterday, Del Martin (a woman), 87, and Phyllis Lyon (a woman), 84, got married in San Francisco. They are first gay (or "queer" if you prefer) coupl...
For the most part, the media has been having a sunny, good time in California, trying to catch the June wedding spirit, while sprinkling just enough of the dark side to keep things balanced.
Same-sex marriage is not really an issue of gay rights -- it is an issue of basic justice. State-sanctioned discrimination is a threat to the liberty of all Americans.
The California Supreme Court has overturned that state's ban on gay marriage. Is marriage a legal right or a sacred rite? Should the state be involved in marriage? Should religious institutions?
On the first full day of same-sex weddings in California, what was notable about the scene at West Hollywood Park was what it wasn't.
While anti-American religious organizations are spending millions trying to deny Equal Protection to our LGBT children under their distorted view of morality, this money is prevented from going to those really in need.
On July 31, Massachusetts finally repealed a law passed in 1913 that prohibited residents from other jurisdictions from marrying in Massachusetts if they were unable to marry in their home state.
On the heels of the most significant victory for equal rights for gays and lesbians, we are invisible to the two most visible political figures today.
Despite rhetoric promising full equality for gay couples, state-based civil partnerships simply don't provide me what I need to live here happily with my British partner.
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You would think these so-called " religious Folk" would be upset about....oh, I don't know.....$3 Billion a week going to WAR to KILL people...Hunger in America and Around the world, 47+ Million Americans WITHOUT Healthcare...the economy, Gas Prices...the environment...you know, the Things that REALLY Effect society as a whole? Nahhh - they're too busy worrying about 2 consenting,committed adults loving each other....PRIORITIES?
Found this article written by a Buddhist Monk I found very good, will throw up an excerpt:
As for the more general issue involved, Buddhist ethics (at least in the Theravada or southern school in which I am ordained) does not really address homosexuality. For monks, the ethical position is clear. Any kind of sexual activity, with any sort of partner, is explicitly forbidden. For the lay Buddhist, sexual ethics is laid out in the Third Precept which calls for "abstaining from sexual misconduct."
In the only place where the Buddha defines sexual misconduct he is speaking to a (presumably heterosexual) man, so the definition is couched in terms appropriate to that perspective. The lay man is told to abstain from sex with "unsuitable partners" defined as girls under age, women betrothed or married and women who have taken vows of religious celibacy.
Another consideration is that the Buddha often spoke about the spiritual dangers of unrestrained sensuality. This would mean, for instance, that promiscuity of any type is spiritually harmful. The implication in sexual matters would be that celibacy is the highest state, with monogamy a good situation for most people. Since gay people wanting to marry would presumably be monogamous, this should be seen as a positive development.
I respect that some religions have strong prohibitions against certain practices but I can't see the sense or justice in making such prohibitions general law. It's as if the Orthodox Jews were lobbying to ban eating of bacon.
I'm an Obama supporter, but his civil union as opposed to gay marriage stance is extremely disappointing. He SAYS his religious tradition is what influences him...but when HIS parents married it was a common religious notion that blacks and whites were created differently because they weren't supposed to mix. I'm not suggesting that religious traditions are a bad thing generally speaking, but to use that as the ONLY reason not to do something just doesn't cut it.
There are issues like abortion and the death penalty which have religion as A mitigating factor but not THE ONLY factor. Arguments can be made against them which have nothing to do with religious beliefs, there are secular moral or legal positions for why abortion or the death penalty should be abolished. Therefor it makes sense for issues like these to be debated in the political sphere of America.
However, when it comes to gay marriage, the ONLY reason I have ever heard offered for why it should be banned is religious in nature. It's a SIn; GOD made a man and a woman and that's that. But we do not live in a Middle Eastern country where what some believe to be God's law is enforced. We live in a society where church and state are separated, this is one of our nation's founding principles. Therefor, a law (such as a marriage ban) which is ONLY predicated on a religious notion has no place in our society.
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It's about citizenship.
Even residency.
Even passing through, as in visiting.
EVERYBODY deserves to have the SAME RIGHTS.
It's about law, not religion.
Good for the California Supreme Court.
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Judicial activism of either the left or the right is BAD! People forget that the courts were judicial activists for most of our history, only on the conservative side. We got segregation because the Supreme Court twisted the law to suit their prejudices to circumvent the clear intent of the 14th Amendment. To overturn that distorted ruling, even though it was clear black letter law, Warren thought that to overturn the precedent he HAD to have a UNANIMOUS vote. The stupidity of the CA court is such that it not only voided past customs and law, went against the will of the people, with only a narrow split decision. THAT is incredible and without legal merit. To make up law as the court did in its own opinion is wrong. They observed that since the views have somehow been determined to have changed, that now gays are a protected class. They could not cite any law or legal precedent which is the usual method. It is only a vague assertion on their part. THAT is not doing their job. It is NOT their job to make new laws as they did in this case.
there is no legal precedent because gays, as a class, have been discriminated against throughout history. the job of the judiciary has NOTHING TO DO with the will of the people. it has to do with determining if standing laws are constitutional or not. it is not constitutional to deny rights to one group of people, but give those rights to everyone else. gay people were not recognized as a class of people until recently, and being gay was actually viewed as a mental illness, as opposed to internal hard-wiring that cannot be changed like being heterosexual. no one "turns" hetero, just as they don't "turn" gay. they are attracted to who they are attracted to. no one can control that, gay or straight. if controlling your attraction (and love) was that simple, then why don't people in abusive relationships just stop loving their abuser and leave them? why do you constantly hear abused people making excuses for their abuser (i.e. but i love them, he/she loves me, it was my fault- i deserved it, i fell down, it was an accident, etc)
Also good for the court. I believe I saw in one news article that most of the judges were appointed by repub governors. The laws against interracial marriages were supported by reference to the bible just as is the case with the rightwing refusal to accept gays. Somehow allowing same sex marriage is going to destroy marriage and will be harmful to children. If the rightwing wants to make a real effort to protect children, they could propose a constitutional amendment to ban divorce. There are some religions that are against artificial birth control and probably would like to see laws to support that position (and state laws that did exist were on the books). I would be a lot more comfortable if the state legislative systems used the constitution instead of the bible to develop laws. And last but not least it is clear that the founding fathers put into place procedures that would protect minorities from the unreasonable will of the majority - even if at times the process works slowly.
You obviously are shooting from the hip and have not READ the decision. The California Supreme Court is interpreting the California State Constitution. They cite previous cases under California law and the decision doing away with restrictions on inter-racial marrage as having established (under California Law) a fundamental right to marry. They then based on their analysis of California legislative actions and jurisprudence ruled in accordance with California law. They are not voiding past customs nor are they "making up the law as they go along" (a standard rallying cry of the mostly right wing "anti judicial activists" I note) but are interpreting existing jurisprudence.
In addition your own standards regarding your erroneous considerations of Federal law are not even internally consistent. An "activist" court which "twisted the law to suit their prejudices to circumvent the clear intent of the 14th Amendment" requires a UNANIMOUS vote to overturn? So you acknowledge it was twisted and wrong, but if only one justice thought it correct at the time it was finally reconsidered the court would be "activist" and out of bounds to right the original wrong?
I'm sensing you are starting to look and sound like that sputtering fool Kevin James who was taken to task by Chris Matthews recently. But please sputter on. It's quite amusing. Especially the canards about plural marriage. We should at least thank you for not raising the other favorite bugaboos of you Santorium-ites " which I refuse to dignify by doing so..
I see agent has to be kidding or can't read. If you look at the justification and statement given, it states quite clearly that the state now recognizes that ones sexual orientation does not preclude committed relationships. Unfortunately, they DON'T say how the state has now recognized that apart from their own ruling. It is thus a circular argument. It does NOT rely on any rational test or law. THAT is making up the law as you go. As for not violating customs and law, I did not know that gay marriage was previously recognized in CA befor