Our Common Cause: Equal rights for same-sex couples


Outgoing President George W. Bush is hoping to use the rights of same-sex couples as a battering ram in this year’s US presidential election campaign. It’s an old tactic of ruling elites to exploit religious bigotry.

But the Republicans and the religious right failed in their attempt to amend the US constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage. This is significant in a country where 40% of the population are regular churchgoers, and there is a large coalition of ultra-conservative religious groups.

Public opinion swung against Bush’s wedge politics. People said ``we don’t want you to spend days in the White House debating the outlawing of same-sex marriage when you should be talking about the health crisis, jobs, education, and the large numbers of our young people coming home from Iraq in body bags’‘.


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Homophobic Attack In Bournemouth
A group of gay men had bottles and rocks thrown at them as they left a Bournemouth gay club in the early hours of Monday morning.


The attack by 15 youths took place outside McDonalds in Christchurch Road, Boscombe, as they left the Opera House from a gay club night at Bolt.

"Everyone knows Boscombe is a rough area but it is still a shame this incident happened. They are part of a growing homophobic group,” one of the victims told This Is Bournemouth.

"Dorset Police support the gay community and they are made aware of the event. But they didn't even have a presence outside the Opera House,” he added.

"We thought the police would be there. We don't want armed guards and escorts but Boscombe isn't that nice an area so we expected some form of protection for us.


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New project focuses on media homophobia
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK


A new project organised by Stonewall Cymru will focus on the levels of homophobia in the media, as well as increase awareness of LGB people in Wales.

Funded by Comic Relief, the Look Out project was launched earlier this week, and will also respond to homophobic and negative portrayals of LGB people in the media.

"The Look Out project is about working with the media in Wales to tackle homophobia and to improve the portrayal of lesbian, gay and bisexual people," Stonewall Cymru's Derek Walker said in a prepared statement yesterday.

"It's about changing the way gay issues are reported and the way LGB people are represented," he added.


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Pastor: Anti-gay marriage referendum's success not certain


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- At least one poll shows solid support among Michigan residents for a constitutional ban on gay marriage, but a clergyman says that doesn’t guarantee voters will endorse the idea.

The state Court of Appeals ruled Friday that a proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage in Michigan as a union between one man and one woman should appear on the Nov. 2 ballot.