Edinburgh to become "gay wedding capital"
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK


Edinburgh could become the next hot spot for lesbian and gay couples looking to formalise their relationship, a new company is claiming.

By Any Other Name Ltd has formed to help create a haven for same sex couples looking to tie the knot north of the border, whether through commitment ceremonies or more legally binding celebrations when the country's parliament adopts the Civil Partnership bill.

The company also says it is looking to make the city a "gay Gretna Green", a reference to the area in Scotland where straight couples flock to get married.

The company told The Scotsman newspaper that it hopes to form a wide reaching base for couples looking not only to have a formal celebration of their relationship, but also to include non-gender exclusive details, such as wedding invitations and gifts.


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Same-sex marriage lawsuit long shot, legal experts say
Two women are relying on a clause in the Constitution that may prove a stretch.
By GRAHAM BRINK, Times Staff Writer


Paula Schoenwether and Nancy Wilson have been together for 27 years, through job changes and parents dying.

On July 2, they married in Massachusetts. Last week, the two Bradenton women filed a federal lawsuit in Tampa asking a judge to force the state of Florida and the federal government to legally recognize their marriage.

The lawsuit, the first of its kind in the nation, hurls Schoenwether and Wilson into an impassioned and polarized debate. President Bush, most members of Congress and state legislatures, and most Americans oppose same-sex marriages.

And the law, at least in this case, does not appear to be on the women's side.


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Most Oregon delegates back gay marriage
Some say the issue’s high profile here shapes their views
ANDREW KRAMER
The Associated Press


BOSTON — Oregon Democratic Party Chairman Jim Edmunson lives next door to a lesbian couple who wed in the spring, when same-sex nuptials were legal in Portland and Oregon was abuzz with debate about same-sex marriages.

The firsthand experience, he said, has helped to shape his perception of gay matrimony.
“I see them out mowing their lawn. They plant the same type of flowers as I do,” Edmunson said. “It’s great to see them so happy.”

Edmunson is not alone in his views. The Oregon delegation to the Democratic National Convention has one of the highest levels of support for gay marriage among people attending this year’s gathering.

An Associated Press survey of 53 of Oregon’s 58 delegates found that 81 percent of those asked supported gay marriage, and the remainder supported some form of civil union for gay couples.