LESBIANS HOLD FIRST HIGHLAND 'WEDDING'


TWO women have 'married' in what is believed to be the first lesbian wedding ceremony in the Highlands.

A Church of Scotland minister blessed the happy couple at the open-air service, which was held at the Ness Islands beauty spot in Inverness.

The two 32-year-olds, who were best friends when they attended Inverness High School, agreed to go public yesterday on their love for each other.

Bank of Scotland manager Karen Sloan and community carer Jacqui Clark, tied the knot in the presence of bridesmaids - including Karen's two daughters from a previous marriage.



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Website Mobilizes College Students in Support of Gay Marriage
Two Stanford University students have launched http://www.forgaymarriage.org, a website aimed at getting college students educated and involved in the battle for same-sex marriage.


STANFORD, CA (PRWEB) August 5, 2004 -- In response to the recent flurry of activity surrounding same-sex marriage, two Stanford University students launched ForGayMarriage.org (http://www.forgaymarriage.org) last week, a website aimed at mobilizing college students to fight for gay marriage by giving students simple ways to become politically involved in equal rights.

“Thousands of college students across America have not found a way to rally together in support of same-sex marriage,” co-founder Sam Altman said. “Our site endeavors to mobilize this untapped resource by educating visitors and giving them simple but effective methods for taking action.”

The site allows anyone to educate themselves, their political leaders, and those around them about the issue. Visitors are informed by “Talking Points,” arguments crafted to convince people of different political persuasions that gay marriage should be allowed. Visitors can then spread this information by sending a pre-written letter to their government representatives. The most innovative feature of the site, however, is that visitors can connect with other members in their area to work on several projects that get their communities involved.

“It’s this last step that sets ForGayMarriage.org apart from other gay marriage sites,” co-founder Vincent Intersimone said. “You can create a group in your local area, which then allows you to create an easy-to-set-up web page and an email list you can use to inform your group about action campaigns. These campaigns have straightforward instructions and take only a few hours to complete, but they get college students throughout the country to set up gay marriage debates, information stations, and letter writing campaigns … mobilizing their communities through grass-roots efforts.”


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NYC activists call for a day of civil disobedience
'The Streets Belong to Us'
by Sarah Ferguson


group of about 20 New York City activists today announced their plans for roiling the Republican convention this month.

Standing in the vestibule of St. Marks Church on the Bowery—a landmark parish that has long been a haven for political dissent—they called for a day of coordinated, nonviolent civil disobedience and direct action on August 31, or A31 in activist parlance.

"Two days before the Republicans renominate George Bush, we will turn the streets of New York City into stages of resistance and forums of debate," Tim Doody, a 30-year-old English tutor at Long Island University, told a bevy of news cameras, adding, "We will not be asking for permits to create these free-speech zones."

Starting early in the morning, Doody said, autonomous groups will target GOP events such as Bank of America's 9:30 a.m. finance roundtable at Tavern on the Green in Central Park. At 4 p.m., a wave of actions will swarm the midtown offices of multinational "war profiteers" such as the Carlyle Group, Chevron, the Rand Corporation, and Hummer of Manhattan.


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Judge says plaintiffs know what making commitment means
By Seattle Times staff
KEN LAMBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES


In a ruling that gay couples can marry under Washington state law, King County Superior Court Judge William Downing described the 16 plaintiffs as the kind of people "any of us should be proud to call a friend or neighbor or to sit with at small desks on back-to-school night."

Downing wrote: "(Their) lives reflect hard work, professional achievement, religious faith and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs. They are law-abiding, taxpaying model citizens. They include exemplary parents, adoptive parents, foster parents and grandparents.

"They know what it means to make a commitment and to honor it."

Here's a look at the eight couples who filed suit against King County. They want either to be married or to have their marriages recognized by Washington state: