The Gay Fray

[chimpkin]

Because if I get sick, as it currently stands the following could happen:

My wife could march down to the hospital with our marriage license in hand, and over both my protestations and hers, still be arrested for trespassing (because she would not leave) making threats (likely), assault and battery on multiple police officers ('Cos my sweetie 'ain't going without a fight when she's that mad)...throwing of security officers and/or furniture and general property destruction...

Gosh I love her.

But yeah, Civil unions are not half of what a marriage is under the law, nor can signed powers of attorney and whatnot serve as a good replacement.
So long as the heteros get it and we don't...hey, we're second-class citizens. We don't like it. We don't get a queer tax write-off, so we want the same rights as other people.

Now if y'all heteros wanna give up some of the privileges you get?

 

[Tiassa]

Spock Comes Out

Logical Authenticity: "Spock" Comes Out

One wonders what Sarek would say.

Zachary Quinto — the actor best known for playing Sylar on NBC's "Heroes" and Spock in the J.J. Abrams reboot of "Star Trek" — has publicly acknowledged that he is gay for the first time.

Quinto, 34, mentioned his sexual orientation in a New York Magazine article that did not make a major fuss out of the reveal. During a conversation about his latest film, "Margin Call," and his recent role in a New York production of "Angels in America," he told the magazine, "Doing that play made me realize how fortunate I am to have been born when I was born. And to not have to witness the decimation of an entire generation of amazingly talented and otherwise vital men. And at the same time, as a gay man, it made me feel like I — there's still so much work to be done."

His comments were picked up by other media outlets, catapaulting Quinto's name into Google's trending topics on Sunday. Quinto followed up on the coverage by tweeting his own statement on the subject, which was posted to his blog. In it, he noted that he was motivated to come out by the death of Jamey Rodemeyer, the 14-year-old Buffalo teen who took his own life last month after being bullied because of his sexual orientation.

(Chaney)​

In truth, Quinto's role on Heroes will probably have more impact. His performance as Spock probably hasn't earned the kind of weight that, say, Leonard Nimoy would be able to throw around by coming out as a gay man. And, of course, there is also the "Duh" factor. That is, a famous actor coming out of the closet? Like that's a surprise. If there is one thing "gay" does not lack, it's star power.

And besides—

Surprise? That hair, that jacket, and is he really wearing that shirt?​

—nothing about him really screams with heterosexual virility. That haircut? And what's with those loopy things on the shoulders of his jacket? I thought those went out of style in the eighties. I would guess him a top, though, because I can't imagine who, aside from a kinky lark, would look forward to the rugburn in their ... er ... you know, I'll just skip that.

To the other, just following a suspicion, I searched quinto shirtless. I'll spare us all the result, except to say I couldn't help but laugh.

Still, I have a certain appreciation for his role as Spock. The ST sequel has apparently been pushed back from its anticipated June, 2012 release. The latest news seems to be that the script is pretty much finished and shooting should begin before the year is out. Quinto's scuttlebutt says he is on board, but as of last week, he had not seen the script.
____________________

Notes:

Chaney, Jen. "Zachary Quinto comes out: 'It is my intention to live an authentic life'". Celebritology. October 16, 2011. WashingtonPost.com. October 17, 2011. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...uthentic-life/2011/10/16/gIQADN8ZpL_blog.html

 

[kx000]

Its all in the eyes

 

[Tiassa]

(Something, something, Burt Ward)

Its all in the eyes

It's a video game joke, sure, but I keep hearing this line inside my head: "Ahoy, sailor! Cute guys off the starport brow!"

Unfortunately, it would take too long to explain why that's funny, so if you haven't played GTA 4, just trust me, please, that it's worth a chuckle.

 

[kx000]

I find the caption of that picture highly offensive, all I see is a homosexual MAN. How does that shirt, or jacket depict homosexuality at all? Message for homosexuals, take this to heart, people will judge you because you judge them as a possible partner, this does not mean you do not fit in, just be a MAN, that is all you are.

 

[Tiassa]

Girl Scouts!

Girl Scouts!
Colorado chapter specifically says yes to transgendered youth

Bobby Montoya, all of seven years old, wanted to join Scouts. The Girl Scouts, that is. Initially, a local troop leader said no, because Bobby Montoya is a boy. According to his mother, Felisha Archuela, explained that the troop leader said, "It doesn't matter how he looks; he has boy parts, he can't be in Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts don't allow that, I don't want to be in trouble by parents or my supervisor."

Girl Scouts of Colorado responded to news inquiries by explaining that Bobby Montoya will, in fact, be accepted into their program:

Girl Scouts is an inclusive organization and we accept all girls in Kindergarten through 12th grade as members. If a child identifies as a girl and the child's family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout. Our requests for support of transgender kids have grown, and Girl Scouts of Colorado is working to best support these children, their families and the volunteers who serve them. In this case, an associate delivering our program was not aware of our approach. She contacted her supervisor, who immediately began working with the family to get the child involved and supported in Girl Scouts. We are accelerating our support systems and training so that we're better able to serve all girls, families and volunteers.

(Bolton)​

And Colorado, no less! I would imagine all the "family values" organizations around Colorado Springs are going to have something to say. Give 'em 'til Monday, though, to stop choking on their own apoplectic hatred.
____________________

Notes:

Bolton, Anastasiya. "Boy wanting to join Girl Scouts told 'no'". 9 News. October 25, 2011. 9News.com. October 27, 2011. http://www.9news.com/news/article/226301/188/Boy-wanting-to-join-Girl-Scouts-told-no

 

[Tiassa]

Memories From the Battle Front

I'm watching an episode of Bill Maher from 2003, posted this week in honor of Christopher Hitchens. The remote interview guests are Ray Flynn, of some Catholic organization, and Rep. Barney Frank, on gay marriage. I note this because the heterosupremacist rhetoric hasn't changed at all over the last eight years. Not a whit. It's insane, like a bad script. And Tara Setmayer, a Republican strategist, after bombing an abortion joke, is reading from the same script.

 

[Tiassa]

Washington ...!(?)

Washington ...! (?)
Legislators say they have the votes to pass marriage equality

This week, Washington state Senator Mary M. Haugen announced amid legislative hearings on the subject that she would back a marriage equality bill, thus allegedly securing the twenty-fifth necessary vote to pass the measure requested by Governor Chris Gregoire.

Don't break out the champagne, yet. The state senate vote has yet to be scheduled, and the right wing has responded with outrage. Dominic Holden brings the update:

Thank Haugen for supporting marriage equality. Why her? It's not that Haugen is a big supporter; in fact, she essentially said she'd vote against enacting gay marriage a couple of weeks ago when several angry constituents confronted her at a community meeting on Whidbey Island. But after getting scores of loving e-mails and phone calls, she changed her mind. On January 23, Haugen announced that she would cast the decisive 25th vote in the senate for a marriage bill. (The house already had the votes.) According to insiders, there was no horse trading or strong-arming to get Haugen's vote—just sincere appeals. So, with her decision, Olympia is going to enshrine the ultimate gay-rights legislation into law.

But Haugen's vote isn't the vote that will ultimately pass marriage equality. At a senate hearing one hour before Haugen made her announcement, piles of angry right-wing Christians told senators that, if they pass this law, there will be hell to pay. Pastor Ken Hutcherson said allowing marriage equality was "bigoted." Gay relationships cause AIDS, one man explained. Another man contended that gay marriage played into the hands of NAMBLA's agenda to legalize pedophilia. Seattle archbishop J. Peter Sartain, who is forcing Catholic churches to advocate against marriage equality, said that gay marriage would deteriorate humanity's ability to procreate.

First off, their angry threats didn't work. (Look at Haugen.) Second, the real vote on this issue isn't the one taken in the next couple of months by lawmakers in Olympia. Joseph Backholm, director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington, promised senators that if they approve the bill, Christians will run a referendum and "place it on the ballot."

The real vote on gay marriage will come this November.

No state has ever legalized marriage equality by popular vote. Washington would be the first, and it will require ordinary people convincing hundreds of thousands of Mary Margaret Haugens.​

Pastor Hutcherson is a dedicated homophobe; the former NFL linebacker successfully intimidated local businesses and legislators alike in 2005, killing an anti-discrimination bill that would have protected homosexuals against job discrimination. Indeed, Prophet Ken declared in 2008 that "God hates effeminate men", further explaining, "If I was in a drug store and some guy opened the door for me, I'd rip his arm off and beat him with the wet end" (qtd. in Conklin). And in that Christian spirit, he has suggested that Gov. Gregoire, "might as well change her name to John Wilkes Booth because what she's doing now is trying to put a bullet in the head of one of the greatest traditions that has ever existed".

Yeah, really. This is the sort of thing that plays well among insecure heterosexuals in Washington state.

Strangely, a gay marriage town hall meeting scheduled by The Stranger, a local newspaper, was canceled after a number of gay marriage opponents either backed out or refused to participate from the outset.

• Ken Hutcherson backed out after the newspaper was unable to relocate the event on nine days' notice; Seattle's Town Hall only seats 850, an unsatisfactory number.

• Stephen Pidgeon, the other slated heterosupremacist, also backed out at the same time, citing concerns that the audience was too small.

• Pastor Joe Fuiten, another local pastor, and Joseph Backholm of the Family Policy Institute, both agreed to participate, but backed out after agreeing to particpipate, apparently for "cold feet".

• Pastor Tim Gaydos (yes, that's his real name) of the locally controversial Mars Hill Church also agreed, but backed out two days later for personal reasons.

• The roster of heterosupremacists who refused: Pastor Mark Driscoll of the aforementioned Mars Hill Church; state Senator Val Stevens; state Senator Dan Swecker; every member of the state's GOP legislative delegation; radio host Michael Medved; political science professor Reed Davis; and Pastor Judah Smith of City Church. State Attorney General Rob McKenna's office never responded to the invitation.​

As Holden wrote for The Stranger's blog:

These are the same people who evangelize against gay marriage in front of their congregations, espouse anti-gay positions in editorial board meetings, record anti-gay videos, take votes against gay rights in the legislature, go on their radio shows to denounce marriage equality, and help run anti-gay campaigns.

Tickets to the event were promoted [through] action alerts sent out by Hutcherson's Antioch Bible Church, so the audience wasn't going to be hostile or unfairly stacked against the anti-marriage-equality side. The debate was to be moderated by fairsy-squaresy Dave Ross. It was going to be recorded and replayed on the Seattle Channel and live-streamed so it could reach the largest possible audience. Sure, you could claim that The Stranger is biased—we are—but we worked closely with Ken Hutcherson to make sure it was a fair debate. But they don't seem interested in fairness. They prefer to churn out lies in venues where they can't be challenged on their facts or their logic.

In the end, they refused to come to the table. And if you're going to fight to deny equal rights, the least you can do it stand up in a room of mixed company and explain yourself. But they won't do it.​

Given a chance to stand up and make their point, the conservative voices refused.

And now, of course, as the legislature prepares to move forward, they complain of bigotry and, in Hutcherson's case, fall back on the usual incendiary rhetoric. We should not be surprised. But neither should anyone accept the expected forthcoming rhetoric suggesting that conservatives were excluded from the process.

We in Washington state wait with bated breath, expecting a legislative vote before March 8, when the regular session ends. And then, with a bill passed by both houses of the legislature signed into law by the governor, the law would a challenge in November. If marriage equality opponents gather just under 120,600 signatures—which should be an easy number to attain—the law would head to referendum in November. If it survives that vote—local polls suggest 55% of voters would uphold marriage equality—Washington state would begin conducting same-sex marriages in the first week of December.
____________________

Notes:

Holden, Dominic. "Love Affair". The Stranger. January 24, 2012. TheStranger.com. January 25, 2012. http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/love-affair/Content?oid=11986865

—————. "Hutcherson Cancels on Gay Marriage Debate". Slog. January 9, 2012. Slog.TheStranger.com. January 25, 2012. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/01/09/hutcherson-cancels-on-gay-marriage-debate

—————. "Gay Marriage Debate Officially Canceled After Five Anti-Gay Leaders (Including Three Pastors) Confirm and Then Back Out". Slog. January 12, 2012. Slog.TheStranger.com. January 25, 2012. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/ar...uding-three-pastors-confirm-and-then-back-out

Conklin, Ellis E. "Anti-Gay Pastor's Latest Rant: Gov. Chris Gregoire 'Might As Well Change Her Name to John Wilkes Booth'". The Daily Weekly. January 24, 2012. Blogs.SeattleWeekly.com. January 25, 2012. http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2012/01/anti-gay_redmond_pastors_lates.php

See Also:

Garber, Andrew and Lornet Turnbull. "Gay marriage in Washington: Legislature has the votes". The Seattle Times. January 23, 2012. SeattleTimes.NWSource.com. January 25, 2012. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017313695_gaymarriage24m.html

 

[Tiassa]

Washington ... an update

Washington ...
... an update

It should be noted that, at 19:58 PST, Wednesday, February 1, 2012—

"Mr. President, 28 yeas, 21 nays."

(qtd. in Sanders, "Liveblogging")​

—the Washington state Senate passed a marriage-equality bill.

According to The Stranger's Eli Sanders:

According to Zach Silk, spokesman for Washington United for Marriage, the Washington State House will be taking its turn to vote on the gay marriage bill sometime next week.

No one expects anything other than easy passage in the house, where plenty of yea votes were secured long ago. The only question is procedural: Will the house consider the somewhat friendly-amended bill the senate passed last night, or will it keep working on the version of the bill it already has? Depending on what's decided, a vote could take place either Wednesday (if the house sticks with its current version of the bill) or Friday (if it goes with the senate's version, which would require another public hearing along the way to a vote). Either way, Silk says, "That puts it on the governor's desk the following week."

Once the governor receives the bill—not once the house passes it, but once the governor receives it, a small but meaningful distinction that can add a couple of days to this process—the governor then has five days to sign it into law.

"And then," Silk says, "as soon as this bill is signed, the opponents can file a referendum, which we expect they will do because they'll want as long as possible to gather signatures."

The rule is that referendum-filers get 90 days from the end of a legislative session to gather 120,000 valid signatures. If they can file their referendum and get its language approved before the scheduled March 8 end of the current session—well, if they can do that, then they end up with a bit more than 90 days to find signers.​

It should be noted that Attorney General Rob McKenna, the expected Republican gubernatorial nominee and opponent of marriage equality, is the person who gets to approve the referendum language.

Meanwhile, Dominic Holden notes that the national special interests are on their way, hoping to pour money and publicity into the effort to repeal marriage equality through the referendum process.

The funny thing is that the only prediction I can make about this is that Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA4) will likely be the next governor. The referendum, if it makes the ballot—and it will, since finding 120,000 homophobes in rural Washington shouldn't be difficult—will likely boost voter turnout in general, pointing toward a Democratic successor to Democrat Christine Gregoire (who, of course, succeeded the previous Democratic governor also known as His Excellency Gary Locke; our last Republican governor was John Spellman, 1981-85).

Bottom line, we're looking at two weeks, maximum, until the governor signs marriage equality into law.
____________________

Notes:

Sanders, Eli. "Liveblogging the Washington State Senate's Debate and Vote on IN FAVOR OF GAY MARRIAGE". Slog. February 1, 2012. Slog.TheStranger.com. February 3, 2012. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/ar...state-senates-debate-and-vote-on-gay-marriage

—————. "Gay Marriage: What Next?" Slog. February 2, 2012. Slog.TheStranger.com. February 3, 2012. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/02/02/gay-marriage-what-happens-next

Holden, Dominic. "NOM Will Fund Gay-Marriage Repeal Campaign". Slog. February 2, 2012. Slog.TheStranger.com. February 3, 2012. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/02/02/nom-will-fund-gay-marriage-repeal-campaign

 

[Grumpy]

Kudos to the State of Washington's legislators and Governor. A bane on all those who think a civil right should be put to a popular vote(imagine that in 1960s Mississippi), are you listening Gov. Christy?

 

[adoucette]

I'm curious, does anyone know if the IRS accepts a joint return based on same sex filers?

In any state?
Only from states where same sex marriage is legal?
Only if marriage was performed in a state where same sex marriage is legal?
From no state?

 

[Thoreau]

Good for Washington! Glad to hear it.

 

[Tiassa]

It's a bit of a mess right now

I'm curious, does anyone know if the IRS accepts a joint return based on same sex filers?

As of last year, the IRS recognized, in theory, legal unions of gay couples. However, the situation still proved complicated:

Married heterosexual couples in those states have long had the option of filing their federal taxes separately and splitting their earned incomes (community property) on their tax returns. If one person makes more than the other, splitting can result in paying lower taxes by taking the higher earnings down a tax bracket or more.

After gay rights advocates fought for five years, the I.R.S. decision let the same rules apply to legally partnered same-sex couples — an estimated 60,000 in California.

Pan Haskins, an Oakland tax consultant and proponent of the change, called the decision “a big step forward in recognition of same-sex couples and our property rights under state law.”

But carrying out the change has proved challenging.

“There’s no box to check” on tax forms to indicate the relationship, Ms. Haskins said.

The omission is problematic. Employers send W-2 income reports directly to the I.R.S., so it could appear that some filers are cheating on their taxes or underreporting income and could face penalties.

It has already happened — to the man who prompted the I.R.S. change in the first place.

Eric Rey, the chief executive of an agricultural biotech firm, earned more than his partner of 27 years and thought it was unfair that heterosexual couples with comparable earnings paid lower taxes. So with his friend and neighbor, Donald H. Read, a tax lawyer, he challenged the I.R.S. in 2005.

“I’m not a rabble-rouser,” said Mr. Rey, 54, sipping coffee at the French Hotel cafe in Berkeley, his gray knit shirt buttoned to the top, “but I don’t shy away from a fight if I believe in the principle of something.”

Mr. Read, who is straight, agreed it was a matter of fairness.

Since their victory, however, it has been an ordeal. Mr. Rey filed amended tax returns, as the decision allows, to have about $11,000 a year refunded from when he was overtaxed. But many I.R.S. agents were unaware of the change.

As a result, Mr. Rey said he had faced a barrage of bureaucracy, with I.R.S. letters arriving every two weeks (usually by registered mail, requiring a trip to the post office). He has not received his entire refund, and his partner — accused of under-reporting income — was billed $20,000 for compounded interest and penalties.

(James)​

A 2010 Massachusetts decision regarding spousal benefits might well be clarified or reinforced by an upcoming suit about how the U.S. Army treats benefits, but the big problem with tax filing seems to be policy dissemination within the IRS itself.
____________________

Notes:

James, Scott. "For Same-Sex Couples, a Tax Victory That Doesn't Feel Like One". The New York Times. January 14, 2011. NYTimes.com. February 3, 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/us/14bcjames.html

Egelko, Bob. "Same-sex couple sues military over benefits". San Francisco Chronicle. February 2, 2012. SFGate.com. February 3, 2012. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/02/BAPV1N1OU5.DTL

 

[Tiassa]

Washington ... and the face of bigotry

Washington ...
... and the face of bigotry

Yesterday the Washington state House of Representatives heard testimony regarding the marriage equality bill currently moving through the legislature. Pastor Ken Hutcherson, a former professional football player and leader of the Antioch Bible Church, a self-professed "prayer warrior", offered his thoughts in a prepared (?!) statement:

I am Pastor Ken Hutcherson of Antioch Bible Church; I've been a pastor for quite some time—been black for a lot longer than that. I was born and raised in Alabama, where blacks and whites didn't get along very well, and I tried to be one of the main reasons they didn't. I was extremely discriminatory toward whites. The only reason I played football, so I could hurt white people legally.

The problem is that you guys keep throwing up to us that this is a civil rights issue. There's nothing civil rights about this. Nothing. It is not protected by the Constitution. And you're throwing up in front of us over and over again that you should not allow the people to vote for this because it's just not right for a civil rights issue. Well, you're trying to make it a civil rights issue, but it isn't. It's not protected by the Constitution. The reason why the civil rights for me was taken to the Congress and not the people was because it was protected by the Constitution. So the people did not have a right to go against the Constitution unless the people voted to change the Constitution.

And it hasn't been changed yet.

It is so important for you to understand that what you are asking me to do as an African-American, is accept what you're going through because you're uncomfortable. Not because you're persecuted. Not because you're hung in great numbers simply because of your color. I was born black. I am black. Gonna die black. And even Michael Jackson couldn't get out of being black. So you gotta understand when you try to throw those things at me it does not hit. Does not hit at all. As a matter of fact, it's kind of disturbing and very upsetting.

Upsetting because, you know, you talk about love, you talk about wanting that family and everything else, and you talk about the children. You know what? I got half-black kids. They're worse than all-black kids, 'cause they're discriminated against just as much. And you have passed laws that make sure if there's any black in any kid, they're considered African American even though I got married to the whitest white woman in the world.

So let's do what's right for kids. I would never bring my kids into a situation—if I love my kids—how you have berated your kids in front for emotional response—and Representative Pedersen, you are the worst. You brought four kids in here, and they was devastated. Hopefully they was devastated because they was in here, and not because they act that way all the time. But yet still it isn't about the children. It isn't about marriage. It is about you. And it is about you wanting your way, and you'll use whatever and whoever you can to get it.

So I think this board should be absolutely ashamed of how you're allowing kids to be used for an adult reason.

Thank you very much.​

Pastor Hutcherson is the leading voice of the heterosupremacist movement in Washington state. It should also be noted that this is my own transcription; I've tried to represent it properly, though some might be able to nitpick a detail here and there, as some of it is nearly incomprehensible.
____________________

Notes:

Hutcherson, Ken. "Public Hearing — ESSB 6239, Marriage and Domestic Partnership". House Judiciary Committee. February 6, 2012. Slog.TheStranger.com. February 7, 2012. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/ar...on-told-rep-jamie-pedersen-that-hes-the-worst

See Also:

Sanders, Eli. "Notes from the Prayer Warrior". Slog. February 3, 2012. Slog.TheStranger.com. February 7, 2012. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/02/03/notes-from-the-prayer-warrior

 

[Tiassa]

Washington State House of Representatives Says Yes to Marriage Equality

Washington ...
... state House of Representatives says yes to marriage equality

On Wednesday, February 8, 2012, at approximately 15:25 PST, the Washington state House of Representatives passed ESSB 6239 on Marriage and Domestic Partnerships, by a vote of 55-43. Eli Sanders live-blogged the vote for The Stranger:

1:39 p.m. Rep. Jay Rodne (R-5) says "this is not a civil rights issue." He also quotes the Washington State Supreme Court as saying there is no right to a same-sex marriage to be found in our state's constitution. (Of course, the court also said in its gay marriage ruling that nothing prohibited the state legislature from creating gay marriage rights via statute—which is what's about to happen today.) "Marriage is about life," Rodne continues. "It's not about self-validation or self-actualization." And: "This bill, Mr. Speaker, severs the unique and historical underpinnings of marriage, and it harms children." And! If this kind of bill can pass, Rodne says, "I don't know if I want to be here."​

One wonders if Rep. Rodne will run for re-election.

But that, of course, is not the vital issue.

Governor Christine Gregoire is expected to sign the bill on Monday; the law will take effect ninety days after the legislative session ends early next month, unless opponents take successfully place a repeal measure on the ballot. According to SeattlePI.com:

If opponents gather enough signatures to take their fight to the ballot, the law is put on hold pending the outcome of a November election. They must turn in more than 120,000 signatures by June 6 to challenge the proposed law. An anti-gay marriage initiative has also been filed. To qualify, 241,153 signatures must be submitted by July 6.​

My sincere thanks to the Washington state legislature; and also to Governor Gregoire, who pushed the issue onto the legislative agenda. Congratulations to my gay neighbors in the Evergreen State.

And I'm quite certain we'll be seeing our heterosupremacist neighbors on the ballot in November. They're going to lose.
_____________________

Notes:

Sanders, Eli. "Liveblogging the Washington State House Debate and Vote on IN FAVOR OF GAY MARRIAGE". Slog. February 8, 2012. Slog.TheStranger.com. February 9, 2012. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/ar...n-state-house-debate-and-vote-on-gay-marriage

"Gov. Gregoire to sign gay marriage bill on Monday". February 9, 2012. SeattlePI.com. February 9, 2012. http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Gov-Gregoire-to-sign-gay-marriage-bill-on-Monday-3216032.php

 

[Balerion]

I can't believe this kind of discrimination is actually still on the books in some places.

Happily, however, it appears it won't be this way for long.

 

[Bowser]

I've had some strong opinions regarding this issue, mostly because it gives me the willies. But it seems that even my own family are of opposing opinion in regard to this matter. My kids don't have any problem with gay marriage, and when they ask me about it, I simply say that it doesn't agree with my personal views. Consequently, they then want to argue, but I don't have the energy for that anymore. I think that gay marriage will be a non-issue within their time. It's just a matter of the kids coming into their own and expressing their values.

 

[Tiassa]

Washington!

Washington!
Gregoire signs marriage bill; now the real contest begins

Shortly after noon on Monday, February 13, 2012, Washington state Governor Christine Gregoire signed the marriage equality bill sent to her by the legislature. Eli Sanders transcribed the governor's remarks:

As governor for more than seven years, this is one of my proudest moments. And most surely today is a proud day in the history of the Legislature and the state of Washington. It is a day historians will mark as a milestone for equal rights. A day when we did what was right, we did what was just, and we did what was fair. We stood up for equality and we did it together – Republicans and Democrats, gay and straight, young and old, and a variety of religious faiths. I’m proud of who and what we are in this state.

I’m proud that our same-sex couples will no longer be treated as separate but equal. They will be equal. I’m proud that children in our schools and neighborhoods will not have to wonder why their loving parents are considered different than other loving parents. I’m proud of parents who have fought so fiercely for the rights of their much-loved gay and lesbian children. And I’m proud that children who discover they are gay and lesbian can feel good about themselves.​

And now, all eyes turn to the future. June 6 is the deadline for opponents of marriage equality to gather enough signatures to put a referendum on the ballot. Generally speaking, the conventional wisdom is that this is not hard to do. So eyes then turn toward Novmeber; Governor Gregoire yesterday acknowledged the likely vote: "Washington will say yes because a family is a family," she explained. "It is time to give our loving gay and lesbian couples a chance to have a married life in the state of Washington."

In 2009, heterosupremacists lost their effort to overturn civil union legislation commonly known as "everything but marriage". That effort also reveals some fault lines within the heterosupremacist camps. Dominic Holden explains:

Pastor Joe Fuiten walked into the Washington Secretary of State's office this morning to file a referendum attempting to overturn the same sex-marriage law that lawmakers passed last week. One problem: Governor Chris Gregoire hadn't signed the bill yet. So election workers turned him away with a 3:30 p.m. appointment to return (after the bill was signed), says Secretary of State's office spokesman David Ammons. Also this morning: Family Policy Institute of Washington director Joseph Backholm waltzed in with his own, separate plans to file a marriage referendum. Same problem, of course.

"I'd heard for a few days that they are not in sync on this," Ammons says.

"It will be interesting to see if they can come to an agreement on running the referendum, otherwise they are dividing their energy and resources," Ammons continues. He points out that, while advocates can file multiple challenges to the same bill, "You cannot combine the signatures form 1, 2, 3, 4 petitions" to qualify for the ballot.

The divisions between anti-gay activists run deep. The somewhat more measured Fuiten, for example, has long feuded with incendiary Pastor Ken Hutcherson. Whereas both men run hardline mega churches on the Eastside, Fuiten spurned the 2009 campaign to overturn a domestic partnership law that Hutcherson and Backholm supported. Fuiten may have ties to the money, though. He announced earlier this month that he'd secured $1 million from an out-of-state donor, who, by all likely calculations, is the Catholic-church-linked National Organization for Marriage.​

To the other, it might be easy to overstate the disagreement. The underlying theories at the time were whether to secure heterosexual marriage by accepting civil unions, or secure heterosexual marriage by rejecting homosexuality entirely. In either case, the goal these two campaigns worked to prevent—marriage equality—is now a statutory reality in Washington state unless they can win at the ballot box in November. One would be well-advised, I think, to look past the 2009 differences of opinion, as the factions now have a unifying goal.

For now, however, on this trumped-up holiday of romantic idolatry, Washington state celebrates marriage equality.

This is the Evergreen State.
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Notes:

Sanders, Eli. "Gregoire: 'This is signed!'" Slog. February 13, 2012. Slog.TheStranger.com. February 14, 2012. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/02/13/gregoire-this-is-signed

Connelly, Joel. "Gregoire signs same-sex marriage bill". February 13, 2012. SeattlePI.com. February 14, 2012. http://www.seattlepi.com/local/conn...-Gregoire-signs-same-sex-marriage-3312315.php

Holden, Dominic. "Marriage Opponents Already Divided on Referendum". Slog. February 13, 2012. Slog.TheStranger.com. February 14, 2012. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/ar...riage-opponents-already-divided-on-referendum

 

[Tiassa]

Do Fearmongers Have a Point?

Do Fearmongers Have a Point?
The early scorecard

Heterosupremacist doomsayers might well have a point about the harm of marital politics.

In 2009, supporters of the heterosupremacist Referendum 71 went all the way to the Supreme Court in order to keep their names secret. It's an evil world out there, full of evil gays and evil people who support gays in politics, so those steadfast defenders of the Christian sanctity of marriage were afraid that all the homosexuals would come and rape or kill them in the night, or something like that.

Meanwhile, as the heterosupremacist fearmongers have often stated, it's not fair for parents to be gay, since that will somehow hurt the children.

Believe it or not, this week provided an opportunity to juxtapose those heterosupremacist arguments.

Gay marriage was signed into law a week ago. Local lesbians Teri Bednarski and Saracristina Garcia turned up in a local newspaper after the couple went to Olympia to watch the state senate vote. They talked about how anxious they were to get married, and so on.

Today reports emerged that Bednarski and Sacrastina's home was vandalized.

Chalk it up as coincidence, if you need.

At the same time, though, the Referendum 71 names have been public for several days, and no heterosexual supporters of the "everything but marriage" ballot measure have been attacked, vandalized, or otherwise harassed.

Perhaps, then, the best thing the heterosupremacists can say is that the scorecard shows one completely random coincidence versus nothing at all. Which, of course, makes their point that gay marriage will hurt people because bigots will be mean to gays.

You know, because that never happened before.

Right?
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Notes:

Madrid, Cienna. "So Far, the Only Victims of Gay Marriage Are Lesbians". Slog. February 20, 2012. Slog.TheStranger.com. February 20, 2012. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/ar...the-only-victims-of-gay-marriage-are-lesbians

 

[Tiassa]

Maryland!

Maryland!
O'Malley will sign marriage equality bill on Thursday

Via Associated Press:

Gov. Martin O'Malley will make Maryland the eighth state to legalize gay marriage when he signs a bill passed by the General Assembly.

O'Malley is expected to sign the legislation, which he sponsored, Thursday, though same-sex ceremonies cannot be performed until January 2013.

Gay marriage supporters assume they'll have another hurdle to jump as the law is expected to be petitioned to referendum in November ....​

Many Americans, both gay and straight, wait to raise a glass to the Old Line State on Thursday. And at least as many more are sharpening their tongues and civic knives in an effort to quash the legislation at the ballot box.
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Notes:

Breitenbach, Sarah. "Md. Gov. to sign gay marriage legislation Thursday". Associated Press. March 1, 2012. Boston.com. March 1, 2012. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/a...ov_to_sign_gay_marriage_legislation_thursday/