Politicians Can’t Make Up Their Minds

Posted on September 7, 2005 by Linda

For much of the last year or so, ever since the Massachusetts courts ruled that banning same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, politicians have been saying that these matters should not be decided by the court. Now, the Governator, after the California legislature has become the first in the nation to pass a same-sex marriage law, has said that the issue should be decided by the courts.

Huh?

You politicians really need to get your story straight. You can’t rail against the courts and then hide behind them. Not on the same issue. If you do, it smacks of cowardice and homophobia.

The same goes for New York’s Mayor Bloomberg. He says he supports same-sex marriage on one day and then appeals a court decision that would allow it in New York City.Seems that if he really supported the decision, there wouldn’t be a need to appeal it.

But, for now, it’s California in the same-sex spotlight and it’s anybody’s guess what will happen. That it got this far is a major victory and even if it is vetoed now, it will be back and eventually it will become accepted both in California and the nation. It’s just a question of when. Now is a good time to start.

Arnie, stop waffling and sign it!

Spain is Third

Posted on July 5, 2005 by Linda

Spain’s recently passed law to allow same-sex marriage went into effect over the weekend. While America debates banning flag burning and making discrimination against lesbian and gay Ameicans part of our constitution, Spain has stepped up and said that marriage is a civil right and ensured that it is extended to all of its citizens. The law makes Spain the third nation to pass a law allowing gay and lesbians to marry. It joins the Netherlands and Belgium. Canada is poised to become the fourth later this year.

The Catholic Church is apalled that Spain would do such a thing. Pope Benedict XVI even called on Spanish government officials to defy the law and refuse to carry out the ban. The level of hypocrisy in the leadership of the Catholic Church is amazing to behold. They spend years covering up the actions of their own pedophile priests, even to the point of allowing them to continue their practices in differenc dioces yet to allow two human beings to formally join their lives together in a loving, committed relationship is something they find immoral. To quote Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride, “They keep using that word. I do not think it means what they think it means.”

Fortunately, not all Christians are so rigidly closed-minded. The United Church of Christ has endorsed the concept of marriage equality. It is claimed that they are the largest Church in the US to support marriage equality. I congratulate them on their action and hope that Bush and his corps of advisors that uses religion as a weapon will take note that not all Americans will tolerate that behavior.

Congratulations to Spain!

Love Inaction

Posted on June 16, 2005 by Linda

The 1999 film, But I’m a Cheerleader takes a tongue in cheek look at so-called “Rehabilitation Camps”. Unfortunately, such camps do exist in the real world and I can’t help how much damage they are doing to teenagers whose misguided parents send them there to be “cured”.

Yesterday I heard about a 16 year old boy that came out to his parents. The parents, being conservative Christians, freaked out. Apparently they waited the couple of weeks until the school year ended and then informed him that they were sending him to this rehabilitation camp where he could learn not to be gay. He was told that he was sick and that they had raised him wrong and that God didn’t want him to be this way.

Before he was sent off, he managed to learn a bit about the camp where he was being sent. He posted the rules where the children are euphemistically referred to as “clients” and to my, admittedly biased, eye they arguably could be interpreted as child abuse. They are required to follow a strict dress code, are unable to see secular media, have strict controls on who they may talk with and in general are treated like prisoners.

Perhaps it’s possible that these are justified when someone is genuinely sick and needs help. But, this boy isn’t sick. He’s gay. His
parents may be correct about raising him wrong though if this is any indication of their methods.

If your church supports the efforts of Love in Action or programs like them that try to brainwash children into repressing their true selves, I strongly urge you to ask them to reconsider. Organizations like this are likely to do damage that may take years to repair if it can be repaired at all.

It’s sadly ironic that many of the most conservative members of our society accuse the gay community of “recruiting” and of trying to convert people to a “gay lifestyle”. In reality, it’s these very same people that are doing the recruiting. Few gay people would try to force someone into a same-sex relationship yet these people think it is right and proper to try to force their child to be heterosexual.

Romney Wants to Turn Back the Clock in Massachusetts

Posted on June 16, 2005 by Linda

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is supporting a new initiative to ban both same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state constitution. In a stunning display of homophobia in action, Romney is quoted in the Washington Post (link now stale) as saying, “If they said you have to have one or the other, that Massachusetts is going to have one or the other, then I’d rather have civil unions than gay marriage. But I’d rather have neither.”

The article doesn’t say why he has such a strong anti-equality position, but I think it demonstrates how far some people are willing to go to ensure that lesbian and gay citizens remain second class citizens. In the little over a year since same-sex marriages have been legal in Massachusetts there doesn’t seem to be any sign of the fall of civilization. No heterosexual union has been hurt. If there is any such evidence, bring it to me.

In broader terms, Romney’s actions illustrate how much hatred is alive in our society. When people say that discrimination is proper and diversity is not to be tolerated, our society falls well short of the ideals upon which it was founded.

Capital Pride Festival 2005

Posted on June 13, 2005 by Linda

I was unable to attend the parade on Saturday but I did get to the festival on Sunday. I spent a couple of hours helping out Equality Virginia and then wandered around taking photos.

I was amazed at the number of people that said they no longer lived in Virginia. I’m not shocked. Some members of the Virginia legislature seem intent on making Virginia an unwelcome place. I can’t really fault anyone who decides to leave but I’m not ready to walk away from the place that I’ve lived the last thirteen years. Not everyone in Virginia is a hate-monger and I stil hold out hope that decency will win the day.

Click an image below to enlarge it or view the set on flickr.