Green Party in Australia Introduces Gay Marriage Bill in Senate

The Greens have made good on a promise to introduce a private member’s bill to allow same-sex marriage in Australia. Senator Sarah Hanson-Young introduced the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009, which would grant Australian same-sex couples equal marriage rights and recognise unions entered into abroad, in the Senate. The bill seeks to remove all discrimination based on sexuality and gender identity from the Marriage Act 1961. In an accompanying speech, Hanson-Young said the Greens believe discrimination espoused by the current Marriage Act must be overturned to ensure freedom of sexuality and gender identity are recognised as fundamental human rights. Full Story from Sydney Star Observer

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Gay Activist in UK Says Labour's Promises to Gay Community "Hollow"

Peter Tatchell this morning hit out at Gordon Brown, saying that the Prime Minister’s claims in a message of support to the gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender community ahead of Saturday’s Pride London were ‘hollow’ The message includes the claim that: “We [the Labour government] won’t ever give up on the fight for equality – we are marching with you every step of the way.” But Mr. Tatchell disagreed. “He claims to support gay equality but his government actually endorses some aspects of homophobic discrimination. Full Story from UK Gay News

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Gay Marriage Watch: June 21st-27th

Here's our Sunday weekly recap of the latest news on gay marriage from around the world. Woody Award: Our woody award this week goes to "name and address supplied" - the only moniker we could find on this lovely letter to the Derry Journal: "Congratulations to the Derry Journal for printing the letter from Pastor Bradfeild on the issue of gays. While I may not necessarily agree with him I would defend his right to express his views in an open forum. I like to think that I am fairly liberal person but the truth is I do find the homosexual act disgusting. I'd be a hypocrite if I said that it doesn't offend me. Why can't gay people accept the fact that there are people like me with this view and be sensitive to my feelings on the issue? If they are comfortable with their sexuality then please let them not confront my sensitivities. In good conscience I cannot say that I support parity between gays and heterosexuals just because it is fashionable and trendy. Legislation on gay marriage and adoption is ridiculous and is happening because gays want to make the point that they are equal. I am bombarded with gay propaganda in the media all the time and people who disagree with the gay agenda are labelled fascist. Political correctness is the biggest danger in modern society because if you prevent free speech then people will be drawn into the arms of extremists." OK, first off, your right to free speech is a) not being violated, and b) does not come with a guarantee that your own sensibilities will never be offended. The other side has their right to free speech as well. I love this plea to preserve the freedom of speech, while simultaneously calling for the gay community to shut up. Second, the idea that we're fighting for gay mariage because it's trendy? What, we got tired of Prada one day and decided to try Matrimony instead? Um, Mister NAAS, I don't want to make the point that my partner and I are equal - we just want to be equal. And, believe it or not, that has nothing to do with what you choose to think or feel. I could care less if you respect me, or if you believe I should have equal rights - those are your opinions, and you are entitled to them. Heck, I'd even defend your right to express those views. But I do want my government, to whom I and my partner pay taxes, just like you, to respect me under the law. Finally, on the issue of sensitivity, we live in a heterosexual culture - 99% of everything on TV, in film, in the papers, and in magazines has nothing to do with being gay. Do I like the Real Housewives of Orange County? No. Do I like watching the Batchelor make a mockery of straight marriage? No. Do I enjoy the soft-core (straight) porn that passes for entertainment on a lot of shows? No. But guess what? I can change the channel. Enjou your woody, Mister NAAS. Runner-up goes to letter writer Mary Dunckel, for this statement: "All people who believe that same-sex marriage is not acceptable for the common good including Jews, evangelical Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, all people of faith must not allow the name-calling to silence us." Um, two things here, Miss Dunckel. One, on the whole silencing you thing, see the paragraphs above. We don't want to silence you - but we also don't want you to block us from our legal rights, either. You have the right to believe whatever you want, and to say whatever you feel. I'm hearing this line over and over and over again from opponents of gay marriage - that this all a massive campaign to silence the true believers. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'll say it one more time. We don't want to silence you. We don't want to force you to change your minds. We just want equal rights. But what really caught my eye here was this: "including Jews, evangelical Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, all people of faith". Guess what, Miss Dunckel? All people who believe gay marriage is a matter of equal rights include Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, all people of faith, too. In fact, a recent study found that many gay and lesbian folks are just as religious as their straight counterparts, and if you ever did go to a gay marriage rally, you'd see a coalition of faith leaders, some gay, many straight, are standing on our side of the aisle too. So enough, really, with the religion card. And I'm sorry, Miss Dunckel - no woody for you. Special Mention to David Klinghoffer, who quotes "An American Scholar" who tells us that gay marriage will lead to most men having sex with other men and neglecting their women, because "once they've experienced sex with other men, Catullus tells us, men are unsatisfied with what their new wives provide them." There are no words for this one. Gay Marriage Watch: Now on to this week's Gay Marriage Watch. The blog is now organized almost entirely by area, with news of the week, upcoming marriage equality events, and great recent articles and columns. For a longer history of past news stories, just click on one of the older Gay Marriage Watch blogs from our archives. To subscribe to this blog, or if you have any thoughts about how we can make this feature better or easier to use or any updates on the issues covered here, let me know at info@purpleunions.com. We now publish updates daily, and a weekly recap on Sundays. You can also now find us on Facebook - just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you'll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We're also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc Enjoy the rest of the Watch! --Scott ---------------------------------------------- ASIA: --news--> 6/23: Nearly a dozen gay leaders and minority rights activists will be meeting in New York Friday for the first South Asian Queer Leaders’ Summit to discuss future strategies and strengthen the trans-national network of the sexual minorities. Source ---------------------------------------------- AUSTRALIA: --news--> 6/22: --Disadvantages to government recognition of same sex couples include drops in government allowances and being ‘outed’ on Government databases. Source --A survey company dedicated to market research recently found that most teens are quite supportive of gay rights, with 75% supporting gay marriage. Source 6/23: Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young introduced her private member's Bill, proposing to grant gay couples equal marriage rights, into the Upper House on Wednesday. Source --upcoming events--> Sydney: 8/1: The organisers of a huge protest for gay marriage in New South Wales hope over 400 same-sex couples set a world record by sharing vows on Saturday 1 August, as Australia's LGBT community continues to fight for gay marriage. Source --articles--> SA Senators Say Unions Aren't Good Enough, from Same Same Source ---------------------------------------------- BULGARIA: --news--> 6/26: An open letter signed by four of the Christian communities in Bulgaria called upon Sofia mayor Boiko Borissov and Sofia city hall to not allow the Gay Pride Parade due to take place in Sofia on June 27 2009. Source ---------------------------------------------- CANADA: --news--> 6/24: Colin Farrell’s big brother Eamon is officially married – at least in Canada. Eamon and his long-term partner, Dublin artist Stephen Mannion, journeyed to Vancouver earlier this month and became Mr. and Mr., according to the Sunday World. Source --articles--> Could Proposition 8 happen in Canada? by Christina Perry Source ---------------------------------------------- GERMANY: --news--> 6/26: Forty years after the landmark "Stonewall uprising," German politicians and gay rights activists are demanding changes to the constitution to include equal rights for gay people. Source ---------------------------------------------- GUAM: --news--> 6/23: Discussions on whether same-sex civil unions should be allowed on Guam continued last night during a town hall meeting on Bill 138 at the Mangilao Community Center. Source ---------------------------------------------- ICELAND: --news--> 6/23: Gay marriage may be only months way for Iceland. Source ---------------------------------------------- IRELAND: --news--> 6/22: Irish minister for justice Dermot Ahern has said he will soon seek cabinet approval for a civil partnerships bill which could be enacted by the end of the year. Source 6/26: Ireland recognized the legal rights of same-sex couples for the first time Friday in a civil partnership bill that gave people in long-term relationships many of the statutory rights of married couples. Source 6/28: The Director of Amnesty in Ireland has said the Government's Civil Partnership Bill further enshrines discrimination against gay people into Irish law. Source --articles--> Step in the right direction, from Independent.ie More Info ---------------------------------------------- NETHERLANDS: --upcoming events--> Amsterdam: 7/31-8/2: Organizers of Amsterdam Gay Pride have announced that during the celebration in August, Mayor Marius Job Cohen will marry five same-sex couples compromised of one American and one Dutch national. The action commemorates the 400 years of links between the Dutch and the American city they called New Amsterdam, with the hope it will inspire progress toward full marriage equality in the United States. More Info ---------------------------------------------- UNITED KINGDOM: --news--> 6/22: A Christian registrar demoted to receptionist after refusing to marry gay couples in civil ceremonies was due to take her case to the House of Lords today. Source 6/27: 61% of the public want gay couples to be able to marry just like the rest of the population, not just have civil partnerships. And 51% of the public want children to be taught in school that gay relationships are of equal value to marriage. Source --upcoming events--> Cardiff: 10/4: Gay wedding show. More Info Manchester: 10/18: Gay wedding show. More Info Brighton: 11/15: Gay wedding show. More Info ---------------------------------------------- USA: --news--> 6/23: President Obama invites gay leaders to the White House for Stonewall Anniversary observation. Source 6/26: In court briefs filed Thursday night, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Center for Lesbian Rights formally endorsed the arguments of a high-powered legal team trying to block Prop 8 in federal court in San Francisco. Source --articles--> New England's Gay Marriage Compromise, by David Gauvey Herbert Source Obama's two pressing problems, by Robert M. Shrum Source US support for gay marriage falls, but not by much, by Kelvin Lynch Source ---------------------------------------------- USA, ARKANSAS: --news--> 6/28: The University of Arkansas System's three largest campuses have resurrected an effort to extend employee health insurance benefits to domestic partners and other nontraditional families. Source ---------------------------------------------- USA, CALIFORNIA: --news--> 6/22: A national organization headed by an Ossining woman that has pledged to spend more than $1 million to defeat a gay marriage bill in New York is defending itself in California against allegations that it was organized by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to defeat similar bills nationwide. Source --upcoming events--> Aliso Viejo: 7/25: Team Courage OC Canvass for Equality, 12 PM. More Info Fresno: --6/29: Phone banking For Equality, 5:30 PM. More Info Fullerton: 8/9: Canvassing for Marriage Equality with Team Courage OC- Fullerton, 12 PM. More Info Hayward: --7/18: Come Canvass in Hayward! Alameda County Equality Team, 1 PM. More Info Laguna Niguel: 7/25: canvassing for marriage equality, 12 PM. More Info Los Angeles: --7/9-7/19: Outfest is the oldest continuous film festival in Southern California. Since its founding in 1982, Outfest has presented more than 4,500 films and videos for audiences of over half a million people. More Info --8/1: Los Angeles Equality Awards. More Info --Every Monday: LA Equal Roots Meeting. More Info Mendocino: 6/30: Get engaged tour event, 7:30-9:30 PM. More Info Merced: 8/22: Merced County Equality Team introduction, 6 PM. More Info Mountain View/Sunnyvale: 8/22: Canvassing event, 11 AM. More Info Pacifica: 7/14: Get engaged tour event, 7-9 PM. More Info Palm Springs: --10/17: Palm Springs Equality Awards More Info --11/7-11/8: Palm Springs Pride More Info --7/8: Get engaged tour event, 7-9 PM. More Info Palo Alto: 6/29: Get engaged tour event, 7-9 PM. More Info San Diego: --7/18-7/19: San Diego Pride More Info --7/1: Get engaged tour event, 6-8 PM. More Info San Francisco: --7/3: Panel: Prop 8 is Going Down! Winning Gay Marriage in California, 7-9 PM at the Women's Building on 18th St. More Info --7/15: Torie Osborn: The Fierce Urgency of Now: Toward a New American Movement in the Obama Era (Special Presentation), at The Commenwealth Club, 5:30-7:30. More Info San Jose: 6/30: Get engaged tour event, 7-9 PM. More Info Santa Rosa: 7/1: Get engaged tour event, 7-9 PM. More Info Sunnyvale: 8/22: Canvassing in Mountain View/Sunnyvale with the Santa Clara Equality Team (Equality Team Event), 11 AM-4 PM. More Info Tustin: 7/12: Canvassing for Marriage Equality with Team Courage OC- Tustin, 12 PM. More Info Walnut Creek: 7/12: Get engaged tour event, 2-4 PM. More Info --articles--> California’s Next Gay Marriage Vote, by Josh Goodman Source ---------------------------------------------- USA, DELAWARE: --news--> 6/23: Senate set to vote on anti-discrimination bill. Source ---------------------------------------------- USA, CONNECTICUT: --news--> 6/22: Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, has changed his position on gay marriage, announcing over the weekend that he now supports it. Source ---------------------------------------------- USA, FLORIDA: --news--> 6/22: The Temple Sholom synagogue in Pompano Beach, Florida, has placed adverts in a local Jewish newspaper offering 'Jewish Covenant of Love” ceremonies to gay couples. Source --------------------------------------------- USA, ILLINOIS: --upcoming events--> Westmont: 6/30: Green Party Forum “Civil Unions, Equal Marriage and Straights: How marriage equality in Illinois benefits everyone.” The forum will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, at the Westmont Public Library, 428 N. Cass, Westmont, IL. More Info --------------------------------------------- USA, INDIANA: --articles--> Gays honor marriage, even if state won’t, by Emma Downs Source --------------------------------------------- USA, IOWA: --articles--> Same-sex weddings, heartland style, by Jessica Ravitz Source --------------------------------------------- USA, MASSACHUSETTS: --news--> 6/23: Vice President Joe Biden got an earful from furious protesters camped outside Fenway Park [map] yesterday who hurled insults at him over a recently filed anti-gay legal brief. Source --------------------------------------------- USA, MINNESOTA: --news--> 6/23: It may soon be possible for same sex couples to register as domestic partners in the city of Saint Paul. Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, NEW HAMPSHIRE: --news--> ----------------------------------------------- USA, NEW JERSEY: --news--> --------------------------------------------- USA, NEW YORK: --news--> 6/22: New York Gov. David Paterson pledged in an interview with The New York Times on Sunday to make sure the state senate votes on marriage equality before it breaks for the summer, after his commitment sounded tentative during an earlier news conference. Source 6/23: --Governor Paterson calls the Senate into a special session Tuesday to complete unfinished business, possibly including gay marriage bill. Source --New York State voters have shifted their support for the first time to a slim majority backing a law to allow same-sex couples to marry, Quinnipiac University said in a poll released on Tuesday. Source 6/24: After bizarre Senate day Tuesday where both parties held competing sessions at the same time in the same room, the leadership struggle continues today, with the gay marriage bill hanging in the balance. Source 6/26: As the State Senate continues the fight for power, paralyzing the chamber, the movement for same-sex marriage is getting sidelined indefinitely. Source --upcoming events--> Brooklyn: 9/9: Family Law Day, In Conjunction with Lavender Law 2009, Brooklyn, NY, Co-sponsored by the National Lesbian & Gay Law Association and the National Family Law Advisory Council of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. More Info --articles--> A closer look at the New York marriage poll numbers, by James Withers Source Nothing succeeds like secession, by Erik Engquist Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, TEXAS: --news--> 6/24: Texas Lyceum's third annual poll reveals that Texans support legalizing gay unions by a whopping 57%. But when asked specifically about gay marriage, only a quarter of respondents agreed. Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, UTAH: --news--> 6/23: Current and former Mormons opposed to the church’s stance on same-sex marriage and its efforts to ban it have launched a Web site asking the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to soften its views. Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, WASHINGTON DC: --news--> 6/26: --At LGBT fundraiser, Biden promises repeal of DADT, DOMA. Source --Despite protests over Obama's Department of Justice DOMA brief and lack of movement on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and other LGBT issues, last night's LGBT DNC Fundraiser brought in $1 milllion for the Democratic party, up from $750,000 last year, according to The Advocate. Source --articles--> When Gay Marriage Turns Black, by Ta-Nehisi Coates Source ----------------------------------------------- fini

University of Arkansas May Offer Domestic Partner Benefits

The University of Arkansas System's three largest campuses have resurrected an effort to extend employee health insurance benefits to domestic partners and other nontraditional families. At least as far back as 1999, employee advocates at the system's flagship Fayetteville campus have been trying to get a broader definition of "family" in the system's self-insured health plan, but have been unsuccessful. Advocates at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville more recently have enlisted employees from the medical school and the Little Rock campus. Full Story from NWA News

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Religious Groups in Bulgaria Want Gay pride March Banned

An open letter signed by four of the Christian communities in Bulgaria called upon Sofia mayor Boiko Borissov and Sofia city hall to not allow the Gay Pride Parade due to take place in Sofia on June 27 2009. The letter was sent to Bulgarian media on June 26 2009 and was signed by leaders of the United Evangelical Churches, the United Church of God, National Alliance, the Reformed Apostolic Church and the Roman Catholic Church in Bulgaria. "As representatives of Christian religion in Bulgaria we want to express our deepest concern about the organising of gay parade in Sofia for a second year in a row" the letter said. Full Story from the Sofia Echo

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UK Poll: 61% Support Gay Marriage

A revolution in attitudes towards gay men and lesbians is indicated in a poll which shows that a majority of the public want homosexuals to share identical rights to everyone else. Just 40 years after homosexual acts were legalised, and only nine years since the age of consent was equalised, 61 per cent of the public want gay couples to be able to marry just like the rest of the population, not just have civil partnerships. Half (49 per cent) believe that gay couples should have equal adoption rights, eight years after it became legal for them to adopt in a highly controversial move by Tony Blair. But perhaps the most surprising discovery is that 51 per cent of the public want children to be taught in school that gay relationships are of equal value to marriage. Full Story from the Times Online

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At Fundraiser, Biden Promses Repeal of Defense of Marriage Act, Don't Ask Don't Tell

Vice President Joe Biden told gay and lesbian Democrats that he doesn't blame them for their impatience and promised that the Obama administration will begin to push more strongly on the issues they care about, including the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Speaking at a LGBT fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, Biden acknowledged the anger many gays and lesbians have toward the White House, and he pledged to "put some pace on the ball." "I don't blame you for your impatience," Biden said. "I hope you don't doubt the president's commitment." Full Story from Politico.com

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DNC LGBT Fundraiser Draws More Donations Than Last Year, In Spite of Protests

Despite protests over Obama's Department of Justice DOMA brief and lack of movement on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and other LGBT issues, last night's LGBT DNC Fundraiser brought in $1 milllion for the Democratic party, up from $750,000 last year, according to The Advocate. Politico reports: "The vice president spent 20 minutes trying to convince the donors inside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel that President Obama is dedicated to following through on his campaign promises. He said he had asked to give the speech at the annual leadership dinner Thursday night, and he read from a TelePrompter. 'I am not unaware of the controversy swirling around this dinner and swirling around the speed or lack thereof that we are moving on issues that are of great importance to you,' Biden said." Also: "Biden drew repeated standing ovations, according to a pool report, as he pledged the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and Don't Ask Don't Tell, the passage of the Lieberman-Baldwin bill on health benefits, a ban on workplace discrimination, adoption rights for all and an end to the HIV travel ban." Full Story from Towleroad

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German Gay Activists Demand Equal Rights in the Constitution

Forty years after the landmark "Stonewall uprising," German politicians and gay rights activists are demanding changes to the constitution to include equal rights for gay people. This weekend, gay and lesbian rights' activists will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the "Stonewall" uprising -- named after a gay bar on Christopher Street in New York, where homosexuals fought back against police brutality in 1969. Public gay pride demonstrations, known as Christopher Street Day, are held every summer in cities around the world to commemorate the event. Full Story from DW-World

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Ireland to Allow Civil Partnerships But Not Gay Marriage

Ireland recognized the legal rights of same-sex couples for the first time Friday in a civil partnership bill that gave people in long-term relationships many of the statutory rights of married couples. But it stopped short of recognizing civil marriage. There are strong rights conferred to marriage under the constitution of the traditionally Catholic country, which was amended to lift a ban on divorce in 1995. "This bill provides legal protection for cohabiting couples and is an important step, particularly for same-sex couples, whose relationships have not previously been given legal recognition by the state," Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said in a statement. Full Story from Reuters

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Gay Marriage On Hold Indefinitely in New York While Senate Bickers

As the State Senate continues the fight for power, paralyzing the chamber, the movement for same-sex marriage is getting sidelined indefinitely. New York’s warring Senate factions took a few minutes to gavel in and out of the extraordinary session Thursday ordered by Gov. David Paterson. Paterson has called them back for session Friday. Manhattan Democrats Sen. Thomas Duane and Assemblyman Daniel O’donnell sponsored legislation to legalize gay marriage, but both say the issue is too important to push right now. Full Story from Long Island Business News

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ACLU, NCLR File Briefs in Support of Federal Prop 8 Lawsuit

Gay rights organizations have thrown their support behind the latest legal challenge to Proposition 8, intervening in a federal court case arguing that California's voter-approved gay marriage ban is unconstitutional. In court briefs filed Thursday night, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Center for Lesbian Rights formally endorsed the arguments of a high-powered legal team trying to block Prop 8 in federal court in San Francisco. Gay rights groups have been reluctant to take the legal fight over gay marriage to the federal courts, worried that the U.S. Supreme Court may be too conservative to back the legal right of same-sex couples to wed if the case ever reaches the justices. But a lawsuit filed in May has forced the hand of gay rights lawyers, who until now pressed the case for gay marriage in state courts and legislatures around the country. A new legal group, representing two California gay couples seeking the right to marry, sued to invalidate Prop 8 under the federal constitution, backed by former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson and prominent attorney David Boies. Full Story from Mercury News

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New Poll: Texans Support Gay Unions, But Not Gay Marriage

Texas voters are not ready to say “I do” but they are warming up to recognizing gay and lesbian relationships. Texas Lyceum's third annual poll reveals that Texans support legalizing gay unions by a whopping 57%. But when asked specifically about gay marriage, only a quarter of respondents agreed. Pollsters asked respondents their opinion on granting civil unions for gay couples and gay marriage. They did not include a domestic partnership, a vague term that in Cleveland grants zero guaranteed benefits but nearly equates with marriage in Washington State. Full Story from On Top Magazine

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Australia's Northern Territory Senators: No to Gay Marriage

The Northern Territory's two senators say they would not vote for the legalisation on same sex marriage. A Greens Senator introduced a private members bill into Parliament yesterday that would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. Labor Senator Trish Crossin says that while she personally believes same sex couples should marry, it is not party policy. Country Liberals Senator Nigel Scullion says as long as same sex couples are treated equally, there is no need for them to marry. Full Story from ABC News Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

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British Singer Patrick Wolf Blasts California on Passage of Prop 8

British singer PATRICK WOLF used a performance on his current U.S. tour to slam California lawmakers over their decision to impose a ban on same-sex marriage. [Ed. note: CA voters, not the legislature, passed Prop 8] The star took to the stage at New York's Highline Ballroom on Tuesday (23Jun09) and took his chance to slam the American state's Proposition 8 legislation - which saw homosexual unions made illegal just six months after they were declared valid. And he asked gay and straight revellers alike to ponder how they'd feel if they weren't allowed to marry their partners. Full Story from Contact Music

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Delaware Assembly Votes for Gay Anti-Discrimination Bill

Gays and lesbians in Delaware will have legal protection from discrimination under a bill that passed the General Assembly late Wednesday night, more than a decade after supporters started fighting for it. The House chamber erupted in applause, cheers and hugs when representatives passed the measure shortly after 8:30 p.m. An hour earlier, the Senate -- where previous versions of the legislation always were killed -- passed the same bill after a three-hour debate. The bill now goes to Gov. Jack Markell for his signature. Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, who helped push the bill through the House, said Markell has expressed support for it. Full Story from Delaware Online

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Isaiah Washington Films PSA in Support of Gay Marriage

ET’s Kevin Frazier was with Isaiah Washington as the former "Grey's Anatomy" star showed his support for marriage equality by participating in a striking photo-shoot for the NO H8 campaign on Wednesday in L.A. Click the video to watch! Washington was released from his "Grey's" contract two years ago after making anti-gay slurs at the Golden Globe awards and reportedly on the "Grey's" set regarding a cast mate. He tells ET he doesn't think about the judgments that some people might make about him, because "what has been purported about me has nothing to do with who I am." The NO H8 campaign was launched by photographer Adam Bouska and partner Jeff Parshley in opposition to the passage of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California. Full Story from 13Wham.com

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LGBT Leadership Council Fundraiser for DNC Tonight

The efforts of gay bloggers and activists to derail a gay DNC fundraiser in protest of Obama's hesitation to take on gay rights has racked up impressive defections but the event's gay co-chairs say they'll still attend. Tonight's LGBT Leadership Council Dinner is a $1,000-a-plate minimum fundraiser featuring Vice President Joseph R. Biden. The fundraiser has become the target of gay activists who are pressuring gay donors to stop giving to the Democratic Party. The gay activists argue that so long as the “gay ATM” is filling Democratic Party coffers, the party is likely to continue offering lip service over action on gay rights. Full Story from On Top Magazine

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Colin Farrell's Brother Marries Partner in Canada

Colin Farrell’s big brother Eamon is officially married – at least in Canada. Eamon and his long-term partner, Dublin artist Stephen Mannion, journeyed to Vancouver earlier this month and became Mr. and Mr., according to the Sunday World. “We told our immediate families, including Col, a week ago and they thought it was a great, romantic idea," Eamon told the World. "The vows were the exact same as wedding vows taken in a ceremony in Dublin, except you change a few hers and shes for hims and his!" The couple made it legal without any fanfare, or any family members on hand. It’s likely Colin would have had a hard time leaving London, as he’s currently on location there shooting London Boulevard with Keira Knightley. Full Story from Irish Central

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Gay Marriage Protest Outside DNC Fundraiser

Vice President Joe Biden got an earful from furious protesters camped outside Fenway Park [map] yesterday who hurled insults at him over a recently filed anti-gay legal brief. Biden didn’t show his face outside the ballpark Democratic fund-raiser, but that didn’t stop the angry crowd from taking aim at the administration’s stance on the Defense of Marriage Act. Gay rights protesters chanted, “We’ll remember in November, end DOMA now.” Many gays who were staunch supporters of President Obama during his presidential bid are now on the fence after the Justice Department filed a legal brief earlier this month over DOMA that included an argument equating same-sex marriages with underage unions or incest. Full Story from The Boston Herald

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Majority of New Yorkers Now Support Gay Marriage

New York State voters have shifted their support for the first time to a slim majority backing a law to allow same-sex couples to marry, Quinnipiac University said in a poll released on Tuesday. The poll found 51 percent of voters supported gay marriage versus 41 percent who opposed it, with 8 percent undecided. The poll was released as a bill seeking to legalize gay marriage languishes in the State Senate due to a leadership battle between Democrats and Republicans. Full Story from Reuters

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Australian Greens Senator Introduces Gay Marriage Bill

SAME-SEX couples will be allowed to marry if a Bill introduced in the Federal Parliament is passed. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young introduced her private member's Bill, proposing to grant gay couples equal marriage rights, into the Upper House on Wednesday. The Bill seeks to remove all discrimination based on sexuality and gender from the Marriage Act. Full Story from the Herald Sun

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Struggle for Leadership of NY Senate Continues - Gay Marriage in the Balance

The weird maneuverings by Senate Democrats and Republicans that appear, for now, to have morphed the Legislature into a tri-cameral body continued this morning with Democrats locking themselves into the chamber to declare ownership of the leadership chairs. In two-hour shifts of two senators that began at 6 a.m., Democrats seized the chair of the presiding officer and majority leader in anticipation of another zoo-like session that occurred when the two side held dueling legislative sessions at the same time in the same chamber. "It's our understanding that, if you have the president pro temp's chair and the majority leader's chair, then that is establishing our continuing position that we control the majority of the house," Sen. Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat, said in an interview from the podium with a Buffalo News reporter overhead in the balcony. Full Story from The Buffalo News

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Obama Invites gay Leaders to White House

As advocates for gays and lesbians intensify their criticism of the White House, President Obama has invited some of their leaders to an East Room reception next Monday to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, the 1969 Greenwich Village demonstrations that gave birth to the modern gay rights movement. The White House has not publicized the reception, and officials did not respond to e-mail requests for comment. But gay leaders from here and around the country said they had received either telephone calls from the White House or written invitations to the event, and were told Mr. Obama is expected to speak. Some said it would take more than a reception to change their view that Mr. Obama has not been aggressive enough in pursuing gay rights. As a candidate, Mr. Obama campaigned to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, the federal law barring gay marriage, and ‘’don’t ask don’t tell,’’ the military policy that bars gays and lesbians from serving openly. But advocates have accused him of dragging his feet. Full Story from the New York Times

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St. Paul, Minnesota Considering Domestic Partner Registry

It may soon be possible for same sex couples to register as domestic partners in the city of Saint Paul. City council members Lee Helgen and Dave Thune will introduce an ordinance at Wednesday's weekly meeting setting up a domestic partners registry, similar to the one in place in Minneapolis since 1991. "They'll come into the city hall, pay a $20 dollar fee, and they'll be able to fill out a log book and get a certificate that will show that the city recognizes their partnership," Helgen told KARE Monday. He said it won't carry the legal weight of a marriage certificate, but will be useful for some couples seeking health care benefits and visitor's rights at hospitals. Full Story from KARE 11

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Governor Paterson Calls NY Senate Into Special Session

On the final day of the scheduled legislative session, only 31 members of the senate show up in the chamber. It is a familiar scene as the Republicans and rogue Democrat Pedro Espada continue to blast the Democrats for holding up the people's business. But the Democrats say the Republicans are playing a power-grabbing game. ... Gov. Paterson said, "They spoke to me about talks that have now resumed and requested a delay in the special session scheduled for tomorrow. I told them no; the people's business has been delayed long enough." So the governor issued a proclimation that will force all 62 senators to convene an extraordinary session Tuesday at 3 pm. 55 non-controversial bills need to be addressed. But the governor didn't rule out some controversial bills could voted on, including gay marriage. Chief Judge Jonathan Lippmann will preside over that session, an idea still not welcomed by the Republicans. Full Story from Fox 23 News

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Civil Unions Debate Continues on Guam

Discussions on whether same-sex civil unions should be allowed on Guam continued last night during a town hall meeting on Bill 138 at the Mangilao Community Center. Last night's forum on Bill 138 was different than the previous ones held in Yigo and Agat. Instead of attendees standing up and asking questions to a panel familiar with the legislation that would allow same sex civil unions on Guam, those who attended where asked to write their questions on a piece of paper. One woman asked, "Do you believe that gays have no control over their sexual preferences equal to blacks having no control over being black and whites having no control over being white so why would god say that homosexuality is a sin but then turn around and make people homosexual." Vice-Speaker BJ Cruz was the only one on the panel to respond to that particular question, saying he wasn't sure whether people have control over their preferences, adding he hasn't done studies on it, but there have been studies that been conducted. He added that in spite of how much they call this "the gay life it is not the happiest situation in the world". Full Story from KUAM.com

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Iceland May Be Close to Legalizing Gay Marriage

In January this year the president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, asked the Social Democrat Alliance to form Government with the Left-Green Movement, thereby ending 18 years of dominance by the right-leaning, Independent party. Social Democrat Johanna Sigurdardottir was named the new prime minister. At the subsequent national election in April, Sigurdardottir became the modern world’s first elected openly gay leader. Reykjavík-born Lárus, 33, is the executive director of the country’s lobby group, Sömtokin ’78. Full Story from The Sydney Star Observer

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South Asian Gay Leaders meeting in NYC

Nearly a dozen gay leaders and minority rights activists will be meeting in New York Friday for the first South Asian Queer Leaders’ Summit to discuss future strategies and strengthen the trans-national network of the sexual minorities. To be followed by a Lesbian film show and a pride party, the summit, to be hosted by Asia Society and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center, will also assess the state of the community in South Asia, especially after the strides taken by the gay rights movement in India and its northern neighbour Nepal. Once a conservative country where sons were preferred to daughters, Nepal saw a sea change in the nation’s attitude towards the sexual minorities after its Supreme Court passed a landmark judgment, recognising gays as ‘natural’ people and ordering the government to make laws to uphold their rights, including the right to same-sex marriage. Full Story from Thaindian News

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