Student power shines at Pink FilmFest 2004

ASPIRING filmmaking students from the University of the Philippines are pushing the envelope on discrimination and anti-gay violence with their strong human rights statements during the Pink Film Festival 2004.

The festival is the second international gay and lesbian film and video festival in the Philippines.

Mowelfund Film Institute and ProGay Philippines presented the Pink Film Festival as a salute to 10 years of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride in the country.

The Pink Film Festival also pays tribute to the earlier generation of queer film pioneers from the Mowelfund Film Institute's alumni.

~

Politicking on gay marriage


It is heartening to see that the Republicans who had hoped to score political points on Wednesday by holding a Senate vote on adding a ban on same-sex marriage to the U.S. Constitution have run into unexpectedly broad resistance across the ideological spectrum.

.Liberals and moderates opposed to writing bigotry into the Constitution are being joined by a growing number of conservatives who see nothing conservative about federalizing marriage law or turning America's most essential legal document into an election-year football.

.With support for the amendment well below the necessary 67 senators, the calls to put it to a vote just before the Democratic National Convention are nothing more than divisive politics. The Senate should let the Federal Marriage Amendment die a quiet death.

Early in the election season, Republicans seized on gay marriage as a promising cultural issue to use against Democrats. Republicans have been working hard to put anti-gay-marriage referendums on individual state ballots, to draw religious conservatives to the polls in November. In Washington, congressional Republicans have been eager to schedule a vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment to force Democrats - particularly Senators John Kerry and John Edwards, who oppose both gay marriage and the amendment - to take a public stand.




~

Gay couples can get hitched in Yukon
By ALLISON DUNFIELD
Globe and Mail Update with Canadian Press


A gay Yukon couple are legally entitled to marry, the territory's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
Stephen Dunbar and Rob Edge plan to do so on Saturday.

Yukon Supreme Court Judge Peter MacIntyre ruled that the old definition of marriage which limited it to a man and a woman is “wrong and discriminatory.”

The 40-minute decision was delivered orally, with a written decision expected Thursday.

Mr. Dunbar and Mr. Edge were originally denied a marriage licence, and have spent the last few months fighting for it.

“Stephen and I are very happy,” said Mr. Edge in a statement. ”Our wedding this Saturday will be one of the most important days of our lives, symbolic of the commitment we feel for each other and wish to demonstrate to our friends, our family, and our community. It's an odd feeling to be explaining that to others. Hopefully some day nobody will question why same-sex couples want to marry – they'll know it's for the same reasons as everyone else.”

This makes The Yukon the fourth province to allow gay marriage. The others are British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

~

Gay marriage amendment roll call
By Associated Press | July 14, 2004

The 50-48 roll call by which the Senate blocked a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Supporters of the amendment fell 12 votes short of the 60 they needed to advance the bill.

On this vote, a "yes" vote was a vote to advance the measure and a "no" vote was a vote to stop it.

Voting "yes" were 3 Democrats and 45 Republicans.

Voting "no" were 43 Democrats, 6 Republicans and 1 Independent.


~

West Hollywood Mayor John J. Duran and Leaders from the Gay and Lesbian Community Will Discuss the Senate Defeat of Proposed Constitutional Amendment Banning Same-Sex Marriages at News Conference, TODAY at 3 p.m.


West Hollywood Mayor John J. Duran, members of the West Hollywood City Council nd leaders of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community will discuss today's U.S. Senate defeat of the proposed constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage at a news conference today, July 14, 2004 at 3 p.m. at West Hollywood City Hall lobby, 8300 Santa Monica Boulevard.

Republican efforts to pass a constitutional amendment baning same-sex marriage failed when Republicans ran 12
Senate votes short of the 60 needed to move the proposed amendment to the floor.

"I am heartened by today's defeat of the proposed Constitutional Amendment against Gay Marriages. The attempt to divide this country has failed miserably," said West Hollywood Mayor John J. Duran. "Our Constitution is a document to eliminate discrimination, not encourage it. It is a great day for democracy and we will continue our battle to protect the rights of LGBT Americans and their families," he continued.