Gay Marriage Watch: July 12th-18th

Here's our Sunday weekly recap of the latest news on gay marriage from around the world. Our favorite thing of the week? Noel Ambery II's call for a "gay tax revolt" - why pay taxes when we don't have equal representation? It's an interesting idea.. Hero of the Week: To blogger deaniac83 at the Daily Kos. for his diary of canvassing to talk to voters about gay marriage in California: "You can understand how jittery I was. Even as someone who has done this door knocking thing quite a bit, this was different. This wasn't about some candidate. This was about my life, my dignity, my family, my love. This wasn't about doing voter identification and then moving on to the next door. This was about talking to strangers about me. But the jitters and the doubts couldn't keep me from doing what I knew needed to be done. We paired up and hit the road. Then I started knocking on doors. And having conversations. The jitters vanished. That butterfly in my stomach settled down. I spoke to people who were for equal marriage whose faces lit up to see a friendly face (as did mine to see them), people who were unsure, and people who were against it. Even those who were against us wanted to have a conversation. Even the ones who would not budge had to look a gay person straight in the eye and think about what their decisions meant for the families of countless people." Go, deaniac, go! Woody Award: Our woody award this week goes to the "Wednesday's Speakout" section pf the Press-Telegram from Long beach, CA, for this little tidbit: "Coercion? People who complain about religion being shoved down their throats don't think twice about having gay marriage shoved down my throat." But guess what? We don't try to force our beliefs on you. If we could get married again in California, you'd still be free to speak your mind about family, religion, and your beliefs about marriage. But the religious right isn't satisfied to live and let live - they are actively campaigning against us in court, in the legislature, in the media, and at the ballot box. So which, would you say, more accurately describes something being shoved down someone's throat? The insistence of gay and lesbian folks to be afforded the same rights as everyone else, or the insitence of the religious right to strip away existing rights from the gay and lesbian community? It ain't all that difficult. Enjoy your collective woody! 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 gay marriage 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 ---------------------------------------------- AUSTRALIA: --news--> 7/7: The Rudd Government has announced a Senate Inquiry into same-sex marriage. Source --upcoming gay marriage 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--> Same-sex couples demand right to marry, by Greg Roberts Source ---------------------------------------------- INDIA: --news--> 7/13: All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) have decided to approach the Supreme Court to demand the withdrawal of the Delhi High Court regarding Homosexuality. Source 7/14: The Indian Supreme Court has agreed to consider a petition against a lower court's ruling that homosexuality should be decriminalised. Source --articles--> Queer Politics, by Ajoy Ashirwad Mahaprashasta Source ---------------------------------------------- NETHERLANDS: --upcoming gay marriage 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 ---------------------------------------------- POLAND: --articles--> Polish Law and Justice Party confirms it's still homophobic despite joining forces with the Tories in Europe, by Jessica Geen Source ---------------------------------------------- UNITED KINGDOM: --upcoming gay marriage 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 ---------------------------------------------- VENEZUELA: 7/19: The public debate over a law proposal in the Venezuelan National Assembly (AN) that would legalize same-sex civil unions intensified this week, as Venezuela's Episcopal Church publicly condemned the proposal, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) activists responded. Source ---------------------------------------------- USA: --news--> 7/14: --Bishops at the Episcopal General Convention in Anaheim, Calif., voted 99-45 with two abstentions for a statement declaring “God has called and may call” to ministry gays in committed lifelong relationships. Source --The Defense of Marriage Act needs to go, or so says Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy. Source 7/15: Bill Clinton now favors gay marriage. Source 7/16: President Obama Mentions "Our Gay Brothers and Sisters" during speech to NAACP. Source --articles--> Doma: Death by a Thousand Cuts? by Carlos A. Ball Source Gay is not the new black, by LZ Granderson Source Homophobia is caused by homophobes not homosexuals, by James Withers Source Civil rights are a common cause for people of color and GLBTs, by Karol Collymore Source ---------------------------------------------- USA, CALIFORNIA: --news--> 7/14: Coalition of gay rights groups favors 2012 for Prop 8 repeal. Source 7/17: Judge removes California as defendant in Federal Prop 8 Case. Source --upcoming gay marriage events--> Aliso Viejo: 7/25: Team Courage OC Canvass for Equality, 12 PM. More Info Bakersfield: 7/23: Get engaged tour. 7-9 PM. More Info Claremont: 7/21: Get engaged tour event. 7-9 PM. More Info Fullerton: 8/9: Canvassing for Marriage Equality with Team Courage OC- Fullerton, 12 PM. More Info Hayward: --7/20: Get engaged tour event. 7-9 PM. More Info --8/20: Tabling in Hayward for Marriage Equality! Alameda County. 5:30-8:30 PM. More Info --9/17: Tabling in Hayward for Marriage Equality! Alameda County. :530-8:30 PM. More Info Kensington: 7/16: Get engaged tour event. 7-9 PM. More Info Laguna Niguel: 7/25: canvassing for marriage equality, 12 PM. More Info Livermore: 7/21: Get engaged tour event. 7-9 PM. More Info Los Angeles: --7/21: Queer People of Color Town Hall, 6:30-9 PM. More Info --8/1: Los Angeles Equality Awards. More Info --Every Monday: LA Equal Roots Meeting. More Info Merced: --7/30: Merced Equality Team get acquainted (Social). 6-7 PM. More Info --8/22: Merced County Equality Team introduction, 6 PM. More Info Mountain View/Sunnyvale: 8/22: Canvassing event, 11 AM. More Info Oakland: 7/22: Get rngaged 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 Riverside: 7/22: Get engaged tour event. 7-9 PM. More Info Sacramento: --7/19: Get engaged tour event. 3-5 PM. More Info --7/26: Neighborhood Walk/Canvass in the Pocket Area with the Sacramento Equality Team. 5-8 PM. More Info --7/31: Volunteer Potluck For the Sacramento Equality Team! (Houseparty). 7-9 PM. More Info San Bernardino: 7/23: Get engaged tour event. 7-9 PM San Bernardino: 7/25: Inland Empire Statewide Leadership Summit: This coalition-hosted event is a follow-up to the Fresno Summit. Together we will consider possible campaign dates, view results of the Get Engaged Tour, and discuss strategy for moving forward. 10 AM-4 PM. More Info San Francisco: --7/21: An Evening with Irish Senator David Norris. 6-8 PM. More Info Santa Barbara: 7/20: 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 Vallejo: 7/23: Vallejo will host its second organizing meeting in the campaign to overturn Prop 8. 7-8 PM. More Info Victorville: 8/8: High Desert Courage Team Mixer (Houseparty). 6 PM-2 AM. More Info --articles--> Knocking on doors for equality in California, by deaniac83 Source Argument Over Prop. 8 Reveals Rift in Marriage Movement, by Seth Hemmelgarn Source Gay Marriage Battle, from ABC30 Source ---------------------------------------------- USA, INDIANA: --news--> 7/18: Indiana newspaper chastised for running gay wedding announcement. Source ---------------------------------------------- USA, IOWA: --news--> 7/15: In the first statewide survey since the Iowa Supreme Court's landmark "gay marriage" ruling, a new poll shows that just over two-thirds of the state's voters support placing a constitutional marriage amendment on the ballot. Source 7/18: On same-sex marriage, the leading republican candidate for Governor said he would issue an executive order that halts gay marriages until the lawmakers take action by amending the definition of marriage or putting it to a vote of the people. Source --articles--> Three Days in Iowa, by Josh Noel Source --------------------------------------------- USA, MASSACHUSETTS: --news--> 7/14: The transgender community and its allies will return to Beacon Hill today for a hearing before the Judiciary Committee on a bill to add trans-inclusive language to the state’s non-discrimination and hate crimes laws. Source --------------------------------------------- USA, NEW JERSEY: --news--> 7/17: A federal appeals court has ruled that a lower court should address whether a New Jersey religious organization can bar gay couples from civil-union ceremonies on its properties except for a popular pavilion. Source --upcoming gay marriage events--> Maple Shade: 8/4: Fight for rights (Social), a time for all gays/bisexuals to express their problems and differances without judgement. 4-6 PM. More Info ----------------------------------------------- USA, NEW YORK: --news--> 7/14: The cast of hair is cancelling their October 11th show to attend the March on Washington, DC. Source 7/17: NY Senate adjourns for summer without voting on gay marriage bill. Source --upcoming gay marriage 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 ----------------------------------------------- USA, NORTH CAROLINA: --news--> 7/13: A resolution against same-sex marriage appears dead in Pitt County. Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, WEST VIRGINIA: --articles--> Little middle ground in W.Va. gay marriage debate, by Lawrence Messina Source ----------------------------------------------- fini