Gay Marriage Watch Blog Moving Today

Hi all,

Because Google has decided to stop supporting bloggers who publish their blogs to their own websites using Blogger.com as of 5/1, we're moving the blog to a new blog program, Wordpress, most likely this afternoon.

We are taking steps to make sure all of our archival content is maintained in the new program, and that our RSS feed forwards, so if everything works out the way it's supposed to, RSS subscribers should still receive our new posts after the transition without having to change anything on your end.

But if you do not receive any new posts from us tomorrow morning, you can go to the new blog and sign up again - the address will be the same as the old blog:

http://www.purpleunions.com/blog

We thank everyone for their ongoing support of Gay Marriage Watch, and hope Wordpress will allow us to make some great improvements going forward.

If you have any questions, you can email me at info@purpleunions.com.

:)

--Scott, Gay Marriage Watch

UK: Vicars on Gay Weddings: "Put Them to Death. And Then Perhaps a Lovely Hymn." (Satire)

CHURCH of England vicars will bless gay couples as long as they are allowed to quote Bible passages about them being abominations who must be put to death. As the House of Lords voted to allow same-sex church ceremonies, vicars said they would extend a 'warm Christian welcome to the evil doers and their perverted bedtime acrobatics'.

Rev Denys Hatton, vicar of St Gary's in Folkham, said: "I am more than happy to perform a gay blessing as long as I am allowed to pick the reading. And since you ask, I would kick things off with a spot of Corinthians, where St Paul makes it abundantly clear that homosexuals are 'unrighteous'.

"Then I'd crank it up with a quote from Romans where St Paul describes them as 'degrading', 'depraved' and 'indecent'."

Full Story from The Daily Mash
Click here for gay marriage resources in England.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

Mexico: Gay Marriage Legal Today in Mexico City

A law allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry comes into effect on Thursday in Mexico City. The law, which was passed by the city's local assembly in December, gives gay people full marital rights, including the right to adopt.

Several gay couples are now expected to register to get married as early as next week. Mexico City is one of the first capitals in Latin America to fully recognise gay marriages.

Judith Vazquez and partner Lol-kin Castaneda hope to become one of the first couples to marry under the new law. "It's the end of our fight and the beginning of life in freedom in Mexico City," Ms Vazquez told the BBC. "This is a great, historic moment for the whole of society in Mexico City," added Ms Castaneda.

Full Story from BBC News
Click here for gay marriage resources.
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RI: Three Candidates for Governor Publicly Support Gay Marriage

Three major candidates running for governor of Rhode Island have promised to support and sign a bill allowing gay marriage if elected. General Treasurer Frank Caprio and Attorney General Patrick Lynch, both Democrats, and former Sen. Lincoln Chafee, who is running in November as an independent, made the pledge at a Statehouse rally on Wednesday before more than 200 people.

Moderate Party candicate Ken Block said through a spokeswoman that he also supports gay marriage.

Proponents of gay marriage believe the state is closer to approving the measure since Republican Gov. Don Carcieri (kuh-CHEHR'-ee), a social conservative and gay marriage opponent, can't run again because of term limits.

Full Story from CT Now
Click here for gay marriage resources in Rhode Island.
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Mexico: Mexico City Gay Marriages Begin Tomorrow

The same-sex Mexican wedding will be born tomorrow as a new law puts Mexico City on the front lines of the gay marriage battle raging across Latin America.

But even as gay couples line up to tie the knot, the Catholic Church and President Felipe Calderon's conservative party are gearing up to fight the law, the Washington Post reports.

Same-sex unions are legal in Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil, and Ecuador, as well as Argentina, where two gay men wed in December, but Mexico City is the first place south of the border to formally allow gay marriage. A local cardinal blasted the law as "perverse" and Calderon said it violates the Mexican constitution, which "speaks explicitly of marriage between a man and a woman," but advocates note there has been no popular backlash against gay marriage in the city.

Full Story from Newser
Click here for gay marriage resources.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

UK: House of Lords Votes 95-21 to Allow Gay Weddings in Welcoming Churches

When the Church of England's bishops defeated a clarification of the Equality Bill's clause on religious exemption last month it was possible to construct a principled defence of their position. But the campaign to block the celebration of civil partnerships from other denominations' buildings was wholly indefensible. Last night it failed by a spectacular margin in the House of Lords - 95 to 21; although the bishops' votes were evenly split: of the serving ones, Bradford voted to block, and Newcastle to permit; of the retired bishops, Lord Harries voted for permission, and Lord Eames, the former Archbishop of Armagh, voted against.

The case in favour as put by Lady Butler-Sloss, who had earlier that evening been accused of putting down homophobic amendments that would have protected Catholic adoption agencies against the law, an accusation she angrily disputed. In this context, she said:

"Same-sex couples can have strong and devoted relationships equal to, but different from, marriage and they may wish to have those relationships sanctified by a religious ceremony. If there are churches and synagogues prepared to do that, why should we stand in their way? They have rights to be loved and rights to have their ceremonies recognised."

Full Story from The Guardian
Click here for gay marriage resources.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

Canada: Conservative Edits Gay References Out of New Immigration Manual

Tory Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney should be ashamed of himself for editing out references to gay and lesbian rights in a government manual, critics say. Kenney, who represents a riding in Calgary, last June ordered references to historical achievements in gay rights edited from a manual for immigrants applying for citizenship, according to news reports from Ottawa.

A senior bureaucrat made a last-ditch effort to have the references reinserted into the new manual before it went to press in November, but Kenney refused to budge. The news report said Kenney ensured that two paragraphs from an earlier draft were not included in the new 63-page manual, which replaces a 1995 edition of the manual.

According to the Canadian Press, the draft included this paragraph under a section titled Towards a Modern Canada: "Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969 and more recently, civil marriage rights to same-sex couples was legalized nationwide in 2005." Under the section on citizenship rights, the earlier draft said: "Equality Rights -- Canadians are protected against discrimination based on race, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or age."

Full Story from The Province
Click here for gay marriage resources.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

Argentina: Gay Couple Celebrates First Gay Wedding in Buenos Aires

After a series of bumps in the road, Damian Ariel Bernath and Jorge Esteban Salazar, a gay couple who had been authorized last week by Judge Elena Liberatori to get married, they finally made history today by celebrating the first gay marriage in the city of Buenos Aires.

Last Friday Judge Maria del Carmen Gioco had appealed Liberatori's ruling by stating that her decision had to be revoked by the Contentious Administrative Court after she considered it had not made part of the process.

"Attorneys are obligated to follow due process in every case, and to make everyone comply with the law. In this case, the judge denied our unconstitutionality request, and for that reason, the attorney's capability is limited. Hence, the judge understood it was not necessary to communicate her decision to Court," said Florencia Kravetz, the couple's lawyer.

Full Story from the Buenos Aires Herald
Click here for gay marriage resources.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

DC: Local Methodist Church Defies Church Leaders, Will Perform Gay/Lesbian Weddings

A United Methodist congregation in Washington, D.C. has vowed to celebrate same-sex weddings, putting itself at odds with other Christian churches protesting the District of Columbia's new marriage equality law. The pastor and 12 other ordained clergy who attend Dumbarton United Methodist Church in Georgetown said they would conduct such ceremonies after Congress failed to override D.C.'s new law on March 3. The larger United Methodist Church does not permit same-sex weddings, and no other Methodist congregation in Washington has taken the same step.

"As a pastor, I am called to extend care and grace to all people even as Jesus did," said Rev. Mary Kay Totty, pastor at the 238-year-old church. "We celebrate love and loyalty wherever it is found."

Dumbarton church's stand is poles apart from the protests by other Christian churches that same-sex marriages are against biblical teachings. Catholic Charities has announced that it will close its adoption and foster care programs in the District, rather than provide services to gay and lesbian couples. Some Christian ministers have rallied against the marriage equality law.

Full Story from PR Newswire
Click here for gay marriage resources.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

Poland: European Court of Human Rights Rules in Favor of Gay Widower

Poland may not discriminate against gay couples, in spite of a clause in the its constitution stating that marriage is "a union of a man and a woman", the European Court of Human Rights ruled in Strasbourg.

The court found, in a unanimous ruling released on Monday, in favour of Piotr Kozak, whose partner died in 1998, and who had his request to continue living in their municipal flat in the western city of Szczecin turned down, in spite of a provision in Polish law allowing a "person who has lived in de facto cohabitation with the tenant" to succeed to the tenancy.

The Strasbourg tribunal recognised the difficulty in maintaining a balance between traditional marriage and the rights of sexual minorities but found that the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights is "a living instrument" and has to be interpreted in the light of present-day conditions. It also found that, in this case, Poland did not have a clear interest in discriminating between heterosexual and homosexual couples.

The case was greeted with joy by gay and lesbian groups in Poland.

Full Story from FT.com
Click here for gay marriage resources.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

DC: Supreme Court Refuses to Block Gay Marriage Law: Licenses Start Today

In an order issued late Tuesday evening by Chief Justice John Roberts, the US Supreme Court refused to block a gay marriage ordinance passed by the District of Columbia's City Council. In a short opinion, Roberts wrote "Without addressing the merits of petitioners' underlying claim, however, I conclude that a stay is not warranted. First, as "a matter of judicial policy" - if not "judicial power" - "it has been the practice of the Court to defer to the decisions of the courts of the District of Columbia on matters of exclusively local concern."

"Second, the Act at issue was adopted by the Council and placed before Congress for the 30-day period of review required by the D. C. Charter," Roberts continued. "A joint resolution of disapproval by Congress would prevent the Act from going into effect, but Congress has chosen not to act."

A Congressional veto could have overruled the Council, but attempts by conservatives were blocked in the House. Conservative groups then went to the Courts, but failed.

Full Story from Chicago Pride
Click here for gay marriage resources in Washington, DC.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

Costa Rica: Update on Proposed Gay Unions Bill

In Costa Rica, the issue of same-sex relationships has been an active topic for the past several years, but little progress has been made in terms of establishing an official policy. In a country with Roman Catholicism as the official Constitutional religion and with a large majority conservative population, it has been a controversial topic with supporters and opponents on both sides of the issue.

After several attempts to bring the issue to the legislative level, the most recent proposal called Coexistence Societies, which can be read here in Spanish, does not seek to legalize same-sex marriage, but seeks to offer alternatives for these couples. The text is based on four basic points [es], which include hospital visitation rights, dividing of earned wealth, inheritance rights, and insurance options.

During the presidential campaign, Laura Chinchilla of the National Liberation Party (PLN), who was elected on February 7, 2010 promised to support same-sex unions as an alternative to marriage, as she expressed in this video [es]. However, shortly after she was elected and after meetings with Assembly deputies from the Christian-aligned parties and with Evangelical Christian leaders, she hardened her position towards the proposal of same-sex unions [es].

Full Story from Global Voices
Click here for gay marriage resources.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

DC: Gay Marriage Foes Ask Supreme Court for Emergency Injunction

The Associated Press is reporting that foes of a DC gay marriage law set to take effect Wednesday are asking the Supreme Court to halt its start. The challenge was filed with Chief Justice John Roberts on Monday. Opponents say the law should be put up for a vote.

The government of DC approved the law in December, but has been defending gay marriage since it approved a law last spring that recognizes the marriages of gay and lesbian couples from other states.

A last-minute appeal to the District of Columbia Appeals Court, which was rejected Friday, left opponents with few legal options to head off the law from going into effect.

Full Story from On Top Magazine
Click here for gay marriage resources.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

Isle of Man: Civil Partnership Bill Get Second Reading 3/23 in the House of Keys

THE Civil Partnership Bill has been held over until March 23, the House of Keys was told. The bill would enable same-sex couples to obtain legal recognition of their relationship through a civil partnership, and remove restrictions so they could adopt. The bill passed its first reading - where it can not be debated - in the court last week and was listed for its second reading in the Keys today (Tuesaday).

But Speaker Steve Rodan told MHKs that the Bill would not be moved until a presentation has been made to Tynwald members. It is understood that the second reading will now be debated on March 23.

Peter Murcott, a former Isle of Man law lecturer and Methodist preacher, has written to MHKs warning them that the bill's proposals were at odds with the values of a 'Christian island'.

Full Story from IOM Today
Click here for gay marriage resources.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

CA: APA Shuns Manchester's Hotel in Support of Prop 8 Boycott

The American Psychological Association, which will hold its annual convention in San Diego in August, is the latest group to officially protest San Diego hotelier Doug Manchester's financial support two years ago of California’s gay marriage ban.

While the association is not formally calling for its members to boycott the Manchester Grand Hyatt, its governing body and many of those planning to attend the conference have opted to cancel meetings scheduled at the hotel as a way of expressing their displeasure over Manchester's financial contribution to the successful Proposition 8 campaign to outlaw gay marriage.

The group, which expects to draw 14,000 attendees to its first San Diego convention, acknowledges that it may take a financial hit for its cancellation of some meeting-room bookings, spokeswoman Rhea Farberman said.

Full Story from Sign On San Diego
Click here for gay marriage resources in California.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

France: Country Removes Transexuals from List of Mental Disorders

Several decades have passed since the West stopped considering homosexuality a mental illness. But for transsexuals, that kind of milestone has been elusive - until now. Last month, France became the first country in the world to remove transsexualism from its official list of mental disorders - a major victory when it comes to acceptance of this oft misunderstood condition.

"I'm relieved. People might begin to look at us differently," says transsexual blogger Caphi (a blended name she's chosen to represent Philippe, the man she was born as, and Caroline, the woman she's transforming into). "It's a start."

But only a start, many transsexuals in France say. In practice, the declaration will do little to improve their legal or medical rights in the country. For example, transsexuals are still required to have a sex-change operation before they can change their gender in the eyes of the law. And to get the green light for surgery, they must still undergo extensive medical and psychiatric evaluations.

Full Story from Time Magazine
Click here for gay marriage resources in France.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

Washington DC Expecting Long Lines, Protesters When Gay Marriage Licenses Released Tomorrow

D.C. Superior Court, where couples go to get marriage licenses, is preparing for big crowds as soon as same-sex marriage becomes legal Wednesday. "The one thing that we want people to keep in mind because they want to be part of the initial rush to get a license is that you bring with you your ability to be patient," says D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Lee F. Satterfield.

Expect long lines and lots of protesters.

On a typical day, the court gets about a dozen applications for marriage licenses. In addition to your patience, Satterfield asks that if you are coming down to be one of the first to apply for a license that you bring your identification and cash or a money order.

Full Story from WTOP.com
Click here for gay marriage resources in Washington, DC.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

RI: Anti Gay Conference Held in Smithfield

Representatives from several anti-LGBT organizations gathered in Rhode Island on Saturday, Feb. 27, for a conference billed as the New England Family, Life and Marriage Summit. The event, organized by the Family Research Council, was held at Ocean State Baptist Church in Smithfield.

Rhode Island remains the only New England state not to have recognized nuptials for same-sex couples, and is therefore, a battleground for activists on both sides of the issue. Governor Don Carcieri has supported the efforts of the National Organization for Marriage to stop marriage and appeared at a fundraiser last October for the Massachusetts Family Institute.

The 60 people in attendance were matched by an equal number of protesters from LGBT organizations. Members of the Providence Equality Action Committee and Queer Action of RI held signs and condemned the homophobic sentiments being expressed inside the church.

Full Story from Edge Boston
Click here for gay marriage resources in Rhode Island.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

Australia: 5,000 Gather in Sydney for Naked Photo Shoot in Equality Protest

More than 5000 people have gathered in front of the Sydney Opera House to be photographed nude in the name of art and diversity today. A pregnant woman was among the first group of Australians to take their place on the steps of the Opera House just after dawn in photographer Spencer Tunick's latest installation, Mardi Gras: The Base.

Mardi Gras festival executive producer Danielle Harvey said 5200 people, including sportspeople, doctors, teachers and retirees, had lined up to take part. "We were expecting 2000 or so ... we're absolutely thrilled," Ms Harvey said.

Tan lines were the most prominent feature of the Australian line up, which whooped and cheered its way onto the Opera House forecourt in lines in cool, cloudy conditions.

Full Story from the Sydney Morning Herald
Click here for gay marriage resources.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

Portugal: Gay Marriage Bill Gets Final Approval

The final wording of a gay marriage bill approved by Portugal's Parliament received approval on Wednesday, Portugal's IOL Diario reported. The government's Committee for Constitutional Affairs unanimously agreed on the bill's final language.

The measure now heads to the desk of President Anibal Cavaco Silva. Cavaco Silva is a Roman Catholic and a member of the PSD party, groups which oppose the legalization of gay marriage, and he has publicly stated his opposition to gay marriage.

Opposition to gay marriage in the mostly Roman Catholic country has been nominal, but last Sunday opponents staged a huge rally attended by thousands. A crowd estimated at 5,000 marched down Lisbon's main downtown artery Av. da Liberdade (Liberty Avenue) calling on the president to reject the gay marriage bill and demanding a referendum on gay marriage, although Parliamentarians have already rejected such a measure.

Full Story from On Top Magazine
Click here for gay marriage resources.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.