Same-Sex Marriage Update

[SuperFemme]

Originally Posted by iamkeri1

I know that this is a loss for our side, but there is a certain ironic humor to it. The ones who have put so much energy into keeping us in hiding, now want to have their privacy protected.

Doesn't this tell you that somewhere in the back of their minds or in their heart of hearts (whatever cliche you want to use), they know that what they are doing is wrong? Or maybe they are afraid? OMG we are making headway. The far right is afraid of us dykes and sissies!!! Get in the closet and hide yourselves you hate mongers! There's lots of room in there because the queers have left the building. Oh yah... we bad!
Smooches,
Keri

all it tells me is that they don't want to live a life in the day of a gay person being discriminated against. god forbid.

[Cyclopea]

Prop 8 backers have now withdrawn all but two witnesses.

Watch below excerpts from the cross testimony of two of the Prop 8 witnesses. Keep in mind these are the primary (now withdrawn) witnesses AGAINST gay marriage.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuCAuI0JGsM"]YouTube- Katherine Young Deposition[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZeCWCSP79E"]YouTube- Paul Nathanson Deposition Video[/ame]

Strangely, when I searched YouTube for "Paul Nathanson Deposition Video" nothing came up. I tried various search configurations=nothing, even though the video is TITLED "Paul Nathanson Deposition Video". I had to go back to google to get the direct link. Weird. They may be in the process of being removed? So, enjoy them while you can! They were posted by the American Foundation For Equal Rights, the group which launched and is funding the Perry vs. Schwarzenegger case.

ETA: questioning is by Boies.

[Cyclopea]

"McCain's wife, daughter back gay marriage movement

By JOAN LOWY
The Associated Press
Wednesday, January 20, 2010; 9:57 PM

WASHINGTON -- Cindy McCain, the wife of 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain, and their daughter Meghan have posed for photos endorsing pro-gay marriage forces in California.

Mrs. McCain appears with silver duct tape across her mouth and "NOH8" written on one cheek in a photo posted Wednesday to the Web site of NOH8, a gay rights group opposed to Proposition 8. The ballot measure passed by California voters in 2008 bans same-sex marriage.

The McCains' daughter Meghan, who has been outspoken in her support for gay rights, has also endorsed NOH8. She appears with silver duct tape across her mouth and "NOH8" on a cheek in a photo on her Twitter site.

Cindy McCain contacted NOH8 and offered to pose for the photo endorsement, the Web site said.

John McCain's office said in a statement that the Arizona senator respects the views of members of his family but remains opposed to gay marriage.

"Sen. McCain believes the sanctity of marriage is only defined as between one man and one woman," the statement said.

John McCain backed an Arizona ballot measure passed by voters in 2008 that defined marriage as between one man and one woman.

The NOH8 Web site praised Cindy McCain's willingness to publicly endorse a cause that is unpopular within the Republican Party.

"The McCains are one of the most well-known Republican families in recent history, and for Mrs. McCain to have reached out to us to offer her support truly means a lot," the site says.

"Although we had worked with Meghan McCain before and were aware of her own position, we'd never really thought the cause might be something her mother would get behind. We have a huge amount of respect for both of these women for being brave enough to make it known they support equal marriage rights for all Americans."

Meghan McCain said Wednesday in a Twitter message linked to her blog: "I couldn't be more proud of my mother for posing for the NOH8 campaign. I think more Republicans need to start taking a stand for equality."

Meghan McCain was asked to be the keynote speaker at next month's National Equality Week at George Washington University in Washington for her advocacy, but her appearance has drawn criticism from Republicans on campus, the NOH8 site said.

McCain's Senate re-election campaign said Wednesday that his presidential running mate, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, will come to Arizona to campaign for him in March. Palin has been a vocal opponent of gay marriage.

---

[SuperFemme]

SAN FRANCISCO — A leading proponent of Proposition 8 found himself on trial Thursday inside the boundaries of the historic federal court trial here to decide the legality of California's ban on same-sex marriage.

During an afternoon of scathing inquiry from prominent plaintiffs' attorney David Boies, William Tam, a controversial figure in the Proposition 8 movement, was confronted repeatedly on views depicted as hostile to the rights of gays and lesbians. Tam testified he likened same-sex marriage to pedophilia, polygamy and legalizing sex with children, and that California would fall into the "hands of Satan" if same-sex couples could wed.

The San Francisco-based Proposition 8 proponent, called as part of the case to overturn the state's same-sex marriage ban, said that he primarily opposed same-sex marriage because it would encourage children to "marry John or Jane" of the same-sex when they "grow up."

"I believe if the term marriage can be used beyond one man, one woman, then any two persons of any age, of any relationship, can use that same argument to ask for the term marriage," Tam testified. "That would lead to incest. That would lead to polygamy. If this is a civil right, what would prevent other groups from asking for the same right?"

With the plaintiffs nearing the end of their witnesses, Tam was called to the witness stand as part of the legal challenge to California's voter-approved 2008 ban on same-sex marriage unfolding before Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker. Plaintiffs' lawyers consider Tam's harsh outlook toward same-sex marriage important to proving that Proposition 8 was fueled by hostility and animus toward gays and lesbians, providing reason to give them greater protection under the U.S. Constitution.

Proposition 8 supporters insist they oppose same-sex marriage to preserve the traditional definition of heterosexual marriage, not to discriminate against the rights of gays and lesbians.

Proposition 8 lawyer Nicole Moss, through her questions, tried to distance the campaign from Tam's statements, depicting him as going rogue with his statements about gays and lesbians without the consent of Proposition 8 campaign officials.

"I was acting independently," Tam said of statements he made that were not approved by ProtectMarriage.com and Proposition 8's leadership.

Boies, however, portrayed Tam as inextricably linked to the campaign, showing e-mails in which he regularly communicated with ProtectMarriage.com officials and evidence Tam mobilized the Asian community and organized rallies against same-sex marriage.

The plaintiffs are expected to finish their case today with the testimony of another expert, University of California-Davis psychology professor Greg Herek, who will discuss the nature of homosexuality and its characteristics.
Earlier Thursday, Stanford University political-science professor Gary Segura finished his testimony, which amounted to the equivalent of a full day on the stand.

He was grilled by Proposition 8 lawyers on his position that gays and lesbians are "powerless" in the political arena.

[Soon]

Hawaii Senate passes civil-unions bill with veto-proof majority, 18-7

[Cyclopea]

Court rejects Russian lesbians' Canada marriage
Thu Jan 21, 2010 7:58am EST
By Amie Ferris-Rotman

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Two Russian lesbians on Thursday lost their bid to have their marriage in Canada recognized by a Moscow court, after a judge dismissed their argument that Russian law recognizes foreign marriages.

Public relations worker Irina Fyet, 30, and beauty parlor owner Irina Shepitko, 32, married in Toronto in October after an application for a marriage license in Moscow was rejected on the grounds that such a union must be between a man and a woman.

The couple are the first gay pair to attempt to get a marriage license in Russia.

"I will have to uphold the decision made by the registry office in May. Foreign marriages accepted in Russia must involve a couple of opposite sex," judge Boris Gerbekov ruled.

Fyet said the couple would take their case to the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights, though a judgment could take up to five years.

"We were born here, this is our country, we want to be married in our homeland, Russia," said Fyet.

"We are putting a lot of hope into the European Court. Russia simply has to accept their decision," she said.

Homophobia is deeply rooted in Russia, where gay pride marches are widely condemned and the homosexual scene is largely underground.

Since their Russian marriage attempt, the pair have been flooded with letters of support from the country's hidden gay community but also received hate mail.

The Soviet Union banned homosexuality and any type of nudity on television and Russia did not decriminalize gay sex until 1993, two years after the collapse of communism.

Four years ago, police, militant Orthodox Christians and neo-fascists attacked and violently broke up the first gay rights march in Moscow.

(Editing by Jon Boyle)

[Cyclopea]

Gay Couple Face 14 Years In Malawi Prison
9:55am UK, Monday January 25, 2010
Emma Hurd, Africa correspondent

A new crackdown on homosexuality in parts of Africa has forced gay communities into hiding, fearing for their lives.


Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga appear in court on charges of indecency.

In Malawi, two men who dared to go public with their relationship by holding a traditional "marriage" ceremony are on trial for indecency, and face 14 years in jail.

"It's so scary," one gay man, who didn't want to be identified, told Sky News in the city of Blantyre, where the trial is taking place.
"We are not feeling free and are worried about being arrested.
It is the first case to be brought under Malawi's longstanding legislation banning homosexuality in years.

The rise of US style evangelist preachers has contributed to a hardening of attitudes in the tiny southern African state.

"Biblically it is demonic," pastor Stanley Ndovi said, flipping through the pages of his bible to show me the passages that condemn homosexuality.
"It is wrong and these people should be counselled and helped."

Inside his church on the outskirts of Blantyre, his congregation laughed when he told them that Sky News had come to talk to him about "gay rights".
At best, homosexuality is viewed as a mental illness in Malawi, at worst a form of Satanism with the power to infect the entire population.
"In the West you have allowed homosexuality and it has spread," pastor Ndovi said.

The gay couple on trial are considered such a risk to the public that they have been denied bail and are handcuffed every time they appear in court, jeered by the crowds as they're led to the dock.
"Sometimes I think it would be better to kill myself," another gay man said. "We are not even treated as human."
Malawi is not alone in its new hardline approach to gays and lesbians. Uganda is considering introducing legislation that would result in the death penalty for some "homosexual offences".
The Ugandan government has tried to distance itself from the plan after criticism from its biggest donor, the United States.

Rwanda is also seeking to tighten the laws banning homosexuality.
The crackdown has alarmed human rights campaigners and health workers who are trying to combat the spread of HIV and Aids.
In Malawi, 10% of the general population is HIV positive, with the figure rising to 25% among homosexual men.
There are fears that the gay community will be too scared to come forward to be tested, fearing reprisals from the state.
Just one African nation, South Africa, specifically safeguards the rights of lesbians and gays.
But even there, there have been attacks on gay men, and lesbians have been subjected to so-called "corrective rape".

[Lady Pamela]

Yesterdays update on SAME SEX MEDICAL DESISIONS FOR YOUR PARTNER!

A MUST READ:

http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/obam...e-sex-partners

[Jess]

Cross posting this on same " Obama sets regs for gays to "visit" in hospitals".... I think it is very important for us to realize that until we really are treated "equally", this sort of thing can and will continue to happen.

http://www.bilerico.com/2010/04/sono...couple_and.php

[Jess]

Maybe people will eventually realize that "equal" means equal. Nothing less. Nothing more.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5255991,00.html