Onward, Christian soldiers
The real agenda of the same-sex marriage opponents, in their own words.
By A.C. Thompson
IF YOU'RE LOOKING for a creepy read, pick up a copy of The Homosexual Agenda: Exposing the Principal Threat to Religious Freedom Today. –Written by Alan Sears and Craig Osten, two of the main movers behind the efforts to stop same-sex marriage, the 229-page tome is a blueprint for stomping on the rights of gays and lesbians. Students of the Reagan-era culture wars may be familiar with Sears's name: he was a federal prosecutor on several high-profile obscenity cases and the head of then-attorney general Ed Meese's controversial Commission on Pornography.


~

Law of desire
The U.S. Supreme Court's precedents suggest that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.
By Paul Reidinger
THE LAW, like the Matterhorn, is avalanche country, a place where long periods of motionless accumulation are punctuated by bursts of spectacular release. For the better part of a generation, the social and political controversies of same-sex marriage have been gathering on high peaks, vivid and visible but somehow not quite real: the Defense of Marriage Act, signed in 1996 by President Bill Clinton, the Vermont civil unions act of 2000, litigations in Hawaii and Massachusetts, a pair of small states at the edges of things


~

Civic disobedience
Newsom, gay marriage, and the politics of the revolutionary gesture.
By Tim Redmond
EARLY IN THE movie Star Trek VI, Captain Kirk, whose son was killed by the Klingons, is arguing against a Federation directive that he go on a peace mission to the Klingon Empire. In one of the great moments in Trekkie history, Mr. Spock looks at him calmly and notes, "There is an old Vulcan proverb: Only Nixon could go to China."

In (somewhat) the same vein, it's oddly appropriate that a straight, married, Roman Catholic mayor would be the one to make history by legalizing gay marriage in San Francisco. But Newsom has done more than that: a mayor who got elected by raising big money from powerful downtown businesses, who ran on a law-and-order platform, and who couldn't have taken office without the overwhelming support of Republican voters has vaulted himself into national prominence by committing an act of civil disobedience.


~

Same-sex and the city
San Francisco's gay marriages have quickened the pace of political and social change throughout the country.
By Tali Woodward
ON THE EVENING of March 11, Ben Hipp was sitting in a Mission District bar playing liar's dice with one of his oldest buddies, another gay man who's lived in the city since the 1950s. They had already heard about the California Supreme Court decision that four hours earlier put an end to San Francisco's same sex-wedding march. The two men agreed the decision was "crap," but they didn't seem a bit discouraged.

National gay advocacy group celebrates a year of equal rights victories
By JEREMY HAINSWORTH
VANCOUVER (CP) - Three-quarters of Canadians now have the right to choose whether or not they wish to marry, says the executive director of Canada's national gay rights group.


~

Two Westport Clergy Involved in New Paltz Same-Sex Marriage Ceremony Today


~

Vatican joins Muslims to fight homosexual partnerships
 
A proposal by the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, to extend spousal benefits to the partners of gay UN officials has outraged representatives of the organisation's 51 Islamic nations, some of which outlaw homosexuality altogether. The Vatican's envoy to the UN has also expressed dismay, prompting fears among Mr Annan's aides of a joint Roman Catholic-Muslim crusade


~

Reluctant symbol
Gay legislator fights same-sex marriage ban
By SONJI JACOBS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
She's the Georgia General Assembly's only openly gay member. And as such, Drenner has come to personify this year's divisive battle over a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.


~

At a Gay Synagogue, a Rabbi Isn't Fazed by Legalities
By THOMAS CRAMPTON
Published: March 21, 2004
abbi Ayelet S. Cohen awoke one morning to find she had turned into a criminal - at least in the eyes of some. With charges brought against two members of the clergy last Monday in relation to same-sex marriage ceremonies conducted in New Paltz, N.Y., Rabbi Cohen realized that she had broken the law by conducting a similar wedding herself


~

Same-sex marriage decisions since 1971
A look at the key court and legislative actions that brought the same-sex marriage issue to the forefront.


~

Gay marriage debate in Legislature likely to be revived
By MARK SCOLFORO
The Associated Press
3/20/2004, 3:36 p.m. ET
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The decision last Monday by House Republican lawmakers to drop plans to attach a set of anti-gay measures to a popular adoption bill may have been a retreat in the state's political culture wars, but it hardly was a surrender.


~

County's decision brings gay marriage to a timber town
03/20/2004
By ANDREW KRAMER  / Associated Press
Life moves slowly in Monroe. It is the last community in the nation with a steam-powered sawmill. The sidewalks are gravel. For news, townsfolk go to the Chat-n-Chew diner. Nonetheless, San Francisco and New York are lagging behind this backwater town in a hugely significant way: it is in a county that has decided to start granting marriage licenses to gay couples who want them.


~

it was great day to stop this fascism

Protesters jam S.F. streets
Day of marches staged on first anniversary of U.S.-led Iraq war

Gay weddings on increase as 1,000 couples 'tie the knot'
By Steve Bloomfield
21 March 2004
Gay weddings are on the increase with greater numbers of same-sex couples saying "I do" - in settings ranging from National Trust houses to football stadiums. While marriage has been in decline for the past three decades, an Independent on Sunday survey has found that nearly 1,000 gay and lesbian couples have now "tied the knot" since partnership ceremonies were introduced two and a half years ago.


~

Church jury acquits Methodist gay pastor
By ELIZABETH M. GILLESPIE
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
BOTHELL, Wash. -- A lesbian Methodist pastor will be allowed to continue her ministry after she was acquitted Saturday in a church trial over her sexual orientation. A jury of 13 pastors ruled in favor of the Rev. Karen Dammann, 47, who disclosed three years ago that she was in a homosexual relationship. Church law prohibits the ordination of self-avowed, practicing homosexuals and the church's Book of Discipline declares homosexuality to be "incompatible to Christian teachings." But the church's social principles support gay rights and liberties.


~

Same-sex wedding ceremonies continue in New Paltz with 25 new unions
Saturday, March 20, 2004
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. (AP) -- Six ministers of the Unitarian Universalist Church performed marriage ceremonies for 25 same-sex couples Saturday, defying prosecutors who view the practice as illegal.

President of Southwest Missouri State U. Defends '95 Comments on Homosexuality as Opinion
The president of Southwest Missouri State University, in a 1995 letter to a donor, called homosexuality a "biological perversion" and reaffirmed his resistance to including sexual orientation in the university's nondiscrimination policy.


`

Proposal states civil union limits
Federal benefits aren't included
By Yvonne Abraham, Globe Staff, 3/19/2004
A proposed constitutional amendment backed by the Senate's top Democrat and top Republican would explicitly acknowledge the limits on benefits available to gay couples under civil unions.


~

Making a difference
‘Unlikely activists’ join the fight against proposed marriage legislation
By Stephen Singerman
Friday, March 19, 2004

When Lisa Flick attended a Senate Rules Committee meeting March 1, she had no idea her experiences later that day would become a rallying call for gay rights activism.


~

Student Sues School, City & Cops Over Bullying
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: March 20, 2004 4:36 p.m. ET
(Perry, Iowa) - The small bedroom community of Perry, not far from Des Moines, prides itself for its small town values and inclusiveness but that doesn't extend to gays according to a high school student who is suing for years of harassment and abuse.

Mind Your Images
What about the kissing photo?
By Kelly McBride
As editors and photographers sorted through the hundreds of images of that day (more than 400 couples were married), Randy Cox, the paper's senior editor for visuals, said there were three main concerns — balance, proportion, and kissing photos.


~

Searching for the Threshold
What disqualifies a journalist from covering a story?
By Kelly McBride
Can gay and lesbian journalists cover same-sex marriages? Can they get a marriage license? The offices of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association have been swamped with requests for clarity to these questions and others.

Spreading Like Wildfire
By Cam Lindquist
Well, we need to give Jerry Falwell and his band of ultra-conservative, right-wing extremists their due credit. Now that gay marriage has been let out of the bag (pun intended), it is spreading like wildfire. Everybody seems to want a same-sex union of his or her very own. Even straight couples are flocking to California, Oregon, and New York to see if they can renew their vows as gay couples. Why, it is down right amazing! Even with the opening of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, attendance in conservative bible-believing congregations are not up by one lousy visitor. Those faithful sheep are leaving theaters and driving to the nearest hot spot to obtain their very own, possibly legal, document of marital bliss. Sweet Lord Almighty, this gay marriage thing turned out to be a real threat to the traditional family, and it is rocking the very foundation of our country. Thank goodness old President G.W. is all over that amendment thing-a-ma-jiggy. Even this openly queer columnist is truly worried about the state of our great Union.


~

London cabs drop Sandals adverts
Ben Townley, Gay.com UK
Black cabs across London will no longer display adverts for Sandals holidays, after successful lobbying from lesbian and gay rights group Stonewall. The travel firm, which openly organises holidays for heterosexual couples only in exotic locations, has previously seen its adverts dropped from London Underground and the city's bus networks because of its homophobic stance.


~

Gay marriage and religion
BRUCE W. WESTFALL
There's two things wrong with amending the U.S. Constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman. One: This concept is from the Bible and that makes it religious. The Constitution was written to keep a separation between church and state. This would open up for more religious amendments to the Constitution. If you think about this and how bad it is in other countries, why would anyone even think about doing something like this? Two: God gave every one of us free will. God doesn't force us to believe in him; he left that up to us. Only people force religion onto other people. By making a religious amendment to the Constitution we are forcing religion onto everyone that lives here.

Don't Go Back To The Nazi State
In the past fews days I have been keeping my eyes on the media more than ever - the gay marriage debate has sparked one town/county in Tennessee to TRY TO BAN gay people from living in their county. While I can understand their apprehension to have a Starbucks, upscale clothing, good music, and nicely decorated homes, what I cannot abide is the total arrogance and ignorance with which these people PUBLICALY display their own ignorance of gay men and women.
Like it's some kind of trophy to be that stupid and intolerant in this day and age.


~

Business Group Opposes Part Of Same-Sex Marriage Ban
Atlanta -- The Atlanta Chamber of Commerce is taking a stance on the state's push for a constitutional amendment on same-sex marriage. The Chamber sent an e-mail to the State Capitol. Mmbers aren't commenting on the first part of the bill, which defines marriage as a union between a man and woman... But they do have issues with the second part of the bill, which would make it unconstitutional for local governments and businesses to award domestic benefits to gay couples.


~

Partner registry suit may be costly
Michael O'Malley
Cleveland Heights
A taxpayers' lawsuit filed by Councilman Jimmie Hicks Jr. to stop the city's new domestic partner registry could end up costing taxpayers $100,000 or more.


~

Local legislators weigh in on marriage vs. civil unions
By Suzanne Colonna
MPG Newspapers
PLYMOUTH - With the debate continuing to heat up, constituents may keep a close eye on how local legislators voted last week on a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage and establish civil unions.


~

Couples' rights bill advances in House
By PAUL CARRIER, Portland Press Herald Writer
Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.  
AUGUSTA — The House of Representatives gave preliminary approval Friday to a bill that would give unmarried couples, including same-sex couples, the inheritance rights that married couples have when a partner dies without leaving a will. The bill faces another vote in the House next week before it goes to the Senate, but lobbyists on both sides of the issue say it is likely to be enacted by the full Legislature. Gov. John Baldacci has said he will sign the bill into law if the Legislature sends it to him.


~

Marriage test case selected
PETER WONG
Statesman Journal
March 20, 2004
A new lawsuit next week is expected to help untangle Oregon’s growing legal thicket about same-sex marriage. Gov. Ted Kulongoski announced Friday an agreement about the lawsuit, which will specify the issues eventually considered by the Oregon Supreme Court. The agreement was brokered by Attorney General Hardy Myers.


~

Rabbinical group backs gay marriage
Resolution calls for equality in civil benefits
Don Lattin, Chronicle Religion Writer
An association of more than 200 rabbis has unanimously endorsed the right of same-sex couples to obtain civil marriage licenses


~

Gay marriage debate delayed by legislator
Senate committee postpones vote on ban until Monday
By Scott Rothschild, Journal-World
Topeka —
Former Lawrence legislator Forrest Swall said Friday that if state senators who opposed a ban on gay marriage voted their conscience the measure would die.



~

Mass rape atrocity in west Sudan
More than 100 women have been raped in a single attack carried out by Arab militias in Darfur in western Sudan.


~

Iraq War Protesters Arrested in San Francisco


~

Gay-marriage foes aim for double ban on '08 ballot
The Boston Globe
By Yvonne Abraham, Globe Staff, 3/20/2004
Gay-marriage opponents have filed a petition to put on the 2008 ballot a ban on both same-sex marriage and civil unions, opening a new front in the debate over the divisive issue with which lawmakers will continue to grapple later this month.
The petition was filed by a Wakefield minister who is concerned that lawmakers will send voters a proposed constitutional amendment for a 2006 ballot that would ban gay marriage but allow civil unions. The minister opposes civil unions as well as gay marriage.


~

THE BATTLE OVER SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Straights working to win legal rights for gay couples


~

Lawyer: Gay Minister Broke Church Rules
Saturday March 20, 2004 10:01 AM
By GENE JOHNSON
Associated Press Writer
BOTHELL, Wash. (AP) - Telling a jury of 13 pastors that the ``law of the church is not on trial,'' a lawyer for the United Methodist Church argued that a minister ran afoul of its rules when she declared herself a practicing lesbian - and that's all they need to know to find her guilty. Nine votes are needed for conviction, which could mean the Rev. Karen Dammann would lose her ministry. Jurors began deliberating Friday after closing arguments but did not render a verdict; they were to resume Saturday morning.

Discrimination can kill
3/20/2004
I AM THE MOTHER of three and grandmother of four. I believe that discrimination kills. It kills the spirit, soul, and sometimes the body. My son Mark is dead. He grew up in a caring, conservative, Christian home. He attended parochial high school. When he was 19 I learned that he "hated" himself. He lived in fear of people discovering that he was gay. Obviously, he did not love himself and believed that his parents could not love a gay son. We eventually did find out his secret and told him we loved him and believed that God loved him just the way he was. His first letter to us after our discovery demonstrated his disbelief. He thought we might not want to continue to pay his college tuition. Apparently, he felt undeserving.


~

8 Gay Couples Denied Wedding Licenses
By MIKE SCHNEIDER The Associated Press
Published: Mar 20, 2004
ORLANDO - Mike Palmateer and Clinton McCracken approached the deputy clerk's window Friday and submitted a marriage application. Michelle Gervy, a deputy clerk at the Orange County Courthouse, handed them a copy of a Florida statute and gently told them, ``Unfortunately, we're unable to process or accept the application because of Florida statute.''


~

Club owner backs away from same-sex marriages after visit from liquor authorities
The Associated Press
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. -- Organizers who planned a fourth round of same-sex marriages here Saturday switched locations after the owner of the club where the ceremonies were to take place got a warning from state liquor authorities, the club owner said Friday. Steve Scheno, 24, owner of The Wave, had given approval for the ceremonies at his club. But Scheno backed out after he was told by an agent from the New York State Liquor Authority that if illegal activity were conducted at the club it would "reflect on" the club's liquor license, he said.



~

Hiding Behind the Constitution
By WILLIAM B. RUBENSTEIN
LOS ANGELES
Neither Democrats nor Republicans have distinguished themselves in the debate over gay marriage. Politicians of both parties — led by President Bush, with his proposed amendment banning gay marriage — have avoided the main issue and sought refuge in the abstractions of the Constitution.
Instead of asking what kind of society we want, they argue about what our structure of government can permit.


~

and if you do not thing the government has its hands you your pocket.. it enforces strict gender codes, by force...

Transsexual Arrested For Trying To Marry
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: March 20 2004 12:02 a.m. ET
(Leavenworth County, Kansas) -  A transsexual woman has been arrested for applying for a marriage license.  48 year old Sandy Clarissa Gast (pictured) is charged with providing false information on an official document. Gast has legally changed her name and obtained a driver's license that declares her to be a female, but under Kansas law she is still a male.


~

Gay minister's lawyer urges inclusiveness
By GENE JOHNSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
BOTHELL, Wash. -- A lawyer for a Methodist minister being tried by her church for being a lesbian urged jurors Friday to be faithful to church teachings on inclusiveness rather than to rules that say open homosexuals can't be ordained.



~

Bush administration involvement in Scouts case disallowed
A federal judge has denied the Bush administration's request to get involved in a case about whether the Boy Scouts of America should lose its lease of a public park in San Diego because of the organization's policy of barring gay men from membership and leadership positions. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division submitted a brief supporting the Scouts in a four-year-long court fight over a lease on Fiesta Island, a public park where the BSA runs a youth aquatic center. The American Civil Liberties Union contends the Scouts should be evicted. "The government should be fighting discrimination and not aiding it," ACLU attorney M. Andrew Woodmansee said.


~

Missouri university rejects nondiscrimination policy
Gays and lesbians at Southwest Missouri State were blocked again on Friday in their fight to get protection for sexual orientation added to the school's nondiscrimination policy. The university's board of governors refused to vote on a motion that would have ended a 12-year fight to protect gays and lesbians. The board's decision came a day after the university's president called homosexuality "a biological perversion" and said that adding sexual orientation to the university's nondiscrimination policy would wrongly protect a specific group of people. President John Keiser's position on homosexuality and stand against revising the nondiscrimination policy at Missouri's second-largest public university was delivered during a debate with two leaders of Lambda Alliance, which represents gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered faculty and staff on the Springfield campus.


~

A new perspective on marriage
By Lisa Eisenbud

The battle for equal marriage rights for gay families can be an emotional roller coaster, but this lesbian mom has found that there are grueling challenges in day-to-day life that help keep her anchored.


~

Talking points on marriage, part 1
By Ryan James Kim
In the first of Advocate.com’s series of “talking points” to counter arguments against same-sex marriage, we take on “civil unions are just as good” and “are you saying that mothers are irrelevant?” 


~

Passing fancy
How important is it to "pass"?

Michael Huntington joins Log Cabin campaign, March 22
The Log Cabin Republicans, the nation's largest organization of gay Republicans, will hold a news conference Monday, March 22, announcing a new California advertising campaign designed to counter the Bush-backed Federal Marriage Amendment, which, if passed, would ban same-sex marriage as well as prohibit recognition of same-sex unions. Former Republican congressman Michael Huffington will attend the event and announce his participation in the campaign. The conference will take place at the south side of the capitol on N Street in Sacramento. Contact Christopher Barron at (202) 347-5306 or 297-9807


~

Oklahoma: Gay unions not valid
08:30 PM CST on Friday, March 19, 2004
Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY –
Oklahoma's attorney general said Friday that same-sex marriages are banned by state laws that also prohibit the state from recognizing a gay marriage performed in another state.

SECOND SOLDIER DIES FROM INJURIES SUSTAINED IN BRADLEY ACCIDENT 3/19/2004
TWO SOLDIERS KILLED, TWO SOLDIERS WOUNDED IN AFGHANISTAN 3/18/2004

10.000 Civilians Killed in Iraq in a Year

Gay marriage ban still not up for vote
By CARLOS CAMPOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/19/04
Republicans made an unsuccessful attempt Friday to schedule a second House vote on a proposed gay marriage ban in Georgia.


~

Durham, N.C., Official Wants YMCA to Give Discount to Same-Sex Couples
By Ben Evans, The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Mar. 19 -
Durham City Councilwoman Diane Catotti asked her colleagues Thursday to use the city's annual funding for the local YMCA as leverage to get the organization to offer a family discount to same-sex couples just as it does for married couples.


~

Governor says gay marriage case schedule to be expedited
03/20/2004
By WILLIAM McCALL  / Associated Press
Gov. Ted Kulongoski said Friday that both sides in the dispute over gay marriage have reached agreement to speed the case to the Oregon Supreme Court, with a lower court ruling possibly expected before the end of April


~

Oregon Refuses To Certify Gay Marriages
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: March 19, 2004 8:02 p.m. ET
(Portland, Oregon)  Marriage certificates of same-sex couples are being put in a drawer by Oregon officials until a court decision is made on their validity. The state is accepting the certificates but will not certify them, leaving 2,000 gay and lesbian couples in legal limbo.

Transgender Veterans Plan March to 'Establish Their Presence'
By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Morning Editor
March 19, 2004
(CNSNews.com) -Claiming "minority" status, the Transgender American Veterans Association said its members will march to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., this spring, to "establish the presence of transgender veterans" and to give the group "a face and voice."


via

Transgender Library 1.0
where you can find updates on the
Gwen Araujo trial

T-shirts support Notre Dame gay group
Associated Press
March 19, 2004
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- More than 1,600 students and staff at the University of Notre Dame and neighboring Saint Mary's College wore T-shirts to show support for gays and lesbians after the school declined to recognize a gay student group. The bright orange T-shirts bore the slogan, "Gay? Fine by me."


~

Denver Protects Trans Students
Denver – The Denver public school system recently amended their policy, stating that transgender and gender non-conforming students will be protected under policies unanimously adopted by the school board at its January meeting. As announced by the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition, the school board voted to add the term "gender identity" to other categories protected under the policy that declares "Equal Educational Opportunities" for students.


~

NY Clergy Who Wed Gay Couples To Face No Charges
NEW YORK -- Manhattan's district attorney said he won't sanction clergy members who married three same-sex couples on the steps of City Hall Thursday.

Legislation Blocking Gay Marriage Struck Down in Maryland House
Major Victory for Gay Rights Advocates
Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage Still Viewed as Uphill Battle
By Nia Davis
The Maryland House Judiciary Committee recently voted down two anti-gay legislative provisions that would have criminalized gay marriages throughout the state of Maryland, but gay rights advocates still predict the legalization of same-sex marriage will be an uphill battle.


~

Gay couples come from across the country for marriage licenses


~

SAN FRANCISCO
Supervisors urge The Chronicle to keep gay journalists on story
Suzanne Herel, Chronicle Staff Writer Friday, March 19, 2004
Two San Francisco supervisors, joined by other gay leaders, on Thursday called on The Chronicle to reverse a decision to pull two lesbian journalists off coverage of the same-sex marriage issue after the newspaper's editor concluded their recent marriage to each other created the appearance of a conflict of interest.


~

Saudis Block Gay Sites
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: March 19, 2004 5:01 p.m. ET
(London)-  The Saudi government for the second time in less than a year is blocking LGBT news and information internet sites.  Among those sites which gay Saudis are not allowed to see are 365Gay.com and GayMiddleEast.com.

so what is going on here with this gay marriage? is this really about being able to get married? how does queerness relate to the commodification factor, hetronormative hegemony?

this is not about the weddings . . . . I repeat, this is not about being able to get married!!! and it is!!!!

the weddings have become the spark of major flash points world wide, and are symtomatic of a variety of problems.

first the wedding . . . if you want to get married and buy into the hegemony, fine . . . if one of the motivating factors for getting married is to get all the benefits of the power structure, fine . . . . but what if you do not want to buy into that system? why should only those that get married have a 1000 privileges . . . . so, then the problem is one of hoarding power by patriarchal privilege as an act of ownership . . . . then the broader question is one of social critique . . . . why do only those who get married have those privileges? I think the answer is fairly obvious, in a hetro-hierarchy of power, and any act wanting to share heterosexual privilege over another type of relationship is seen as a threat to to power structure.

the problem is, queers are being limited and not denied the opportunity to buy into that system , not matter what one thinks of it. if one wants to go to disneyland, fine . . . everyone should be able to enter the land of oz, who wants to.

unequal rights is unequal rights... separate but equal is separate but unequal...

what has happened is the power elite, the hetronormative command and control are feeling threaten and in turn are thrusting their ideal of a perfect identity forward, as a legal and moral right; . . . this in turn casts those not that into the *other space.* one that does not deserve rights, one that is looked upon as morally wrong, and one that is a bad influence to the majority, a super situated identity forced to come forth as that, no longer able to hide in the closet

this has caused identity politics to raise its head the *us* is right and you are you and you are wrong, because you are not us. maybe it is time to stop living as second class citizen world wide... to stand up and fight...


this is where the flash points come in .. the assertion of one identity over other, or one identity demanding the privileges of another...

here are some areas of concern beyond just the fact that marriage is being held as a privileged site for heterosexuals.

1. state after state passing or attempting to pass amendments to ban gay marriages. the fact that there are laws written to limit social movement is a red flag. now there is a push an amendment to the constitution to be added on a national level... if the meer fact that lawmakers are proposing to change the constitution does not worry you . . . . think again!! . . . it is a major problem . . . . this will institute second class citizenry. where now, for the most part, it is just group think, with some laws to protect the minority from the majority group think..

2. states, and counties are cutting backs rights, privileges and protections of queer adults and children. (orange country, CA, does not want to offer equal rights protection to trans youth)

3. hate crimes have risen 24% in the last 3 months . . . . what will it be like as laws are passed, creating an institutional second class group? what will happen as more and more moralizing religious bigots spill their hate speech on to the world trying to create a solid ground . . . . more license to act out their rage to subdue those that threaten an already mythological power.

4. queer folkz are losing their jobs simply because they are queer, as the queer priest did /is. a queer reporter and a photographer, recently married, were taken off an assignment to cover the *GAY WEDDINGs* simply because the paper thought there was a conflict of interest . . . which would not happen to a straight person . . . . add to that a queer couple did not qualify for a home loan because they where not considered a couple...


5. it has been ruled federal employes can lose their job simply for being gay.

6. folks have been arrested for marrying queer folks.

7. there is a blindness to HIV because it is connected to queers even though world wide, more heterosexuals have HIV then queers

8. increased censorship of queer media....

9. cutting back on gay adoptions.


this is just some of the problems that are happening world wide . . ..
now is the time to stand up and take the next step in queer civil rights!
now is the time to take a stance for human civil rights - includeing everyone...!!!

Watertown (MA) pols vote against gay marriage ban
By Brian Johnson / Correspondent
Friday, March 19, 2004
During last week's constitutional convention, Watertown's three state legislators voted against a compromise amendment that would ban same-sex marriages, but create civil unions for gay couples.


~

Bid to hold 2nd vote on gay marriage ban fails
By ERNIE SUGGS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/19/04
House Republicans failed in an attempt Friday to bring up a second vote on a Senate-approved gay marriage ban in Georgia.


~

The Body Politic
All's debatable
RECENT STORIES
BY THIS AUTHOR
By Adriel Hampton
Staff Writer
ahampton@examiner.com
Published on Friday, March 19, 2004
INTERESTING DEBATE in journalism circles over the Chronicle's decision to pull a City Hall reporter and photographer from covering the gay marriage story. At The Poynter Institute, much discussion centers on the political nature of two journalists taking part in the gay marriages here. On Stanford's Grade the News, however, is an interesting series of questions on how journalists fit into coverage of civil rights issues: "Are whites more objective reporters of stories about affirmative action than blacks? Are straight people more objective reporters of queer issues than gays? Are single people more objective reporters of marriage than married people? The answer to all of these questions should be 'no.' The Chronicle's claim that the answer to the third question is 'yes' makes no sense." Or how about this one: "Is a person who wishes to marry but is denied the opportunity, or is weighing a potentially fleeting opportunity to marry, more objective than a person who actually marries?" ...


~

Savannah Says No To Gay Marriage Amendment
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: March 19, 2004 11:11 a.m. ET
(Savannah, Georgia)
  Savannah City Council voted Thursday night to oppose amending the Georgia constitution to ban same-sex marriage. The unanimous vote makes Savannah the second city in the state, after Atlanta, to urge state lawmakers to reject legislation to change the state constitution.

Eight gay couples refused marriage licenses in Orlando
By MIKE SCHNEIDER
Associated Press Writer
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dressed in matching black blazers, baby-blue ties and peach-colored boutonnieres, Mike Palmateer and Clinton McCracken approached the deputy clerk's window Friday and submitted a marriage application. Michelle Gervy, a deputy clerk at the Orange County Courthouse, handed them a copy of a Florida statute and gently told them, "Unfortunately, we're unable to process or accept the application because of Florida statute."


~

Legal rift between Ore., counties leaves same-sex couples in limbo
09:11 AM PST on Friday, March 19, 2004
Associated Press

The state of Oregon is storing the marriage certificates of gay and lesbian couples separately, until a decision is reached in the same-sex marriage issue.



~

Gay activists rally for lesbian journalists
By Alison Soltau
Gay and lesbian community leaders on Thursday opposed the San Francisco Chronicle's decision to pull journalist Rachel Gordon and photographer Liz Mangelsdorf off the same-sex marriage story after the couple married at City Hall.y


~

S.F. City Attorney to Calif. Supreme Court: Mayor had Authority to Marry Gays
March 19, 2004

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed briefs in two cases before the California Supreme Court on Thursday, arguing that the city's officials were within their rights and duties to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples based on the City's determination that existing statutes banning such unions were unconstitutional.


~

Gay marriage ban vote delayed
By Scott Rothschild, Journal-World
Friday, March 19, 2004
TOPEKA — A Senate committee today postponed voting on a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would prohibit gay marriages.

Lawsuit filed over gay marriage issue
Portland, Oregon-AP -- A businessman in Portland, Oregon is suing to stop gay marriages in the city


~

Newsom defends gay marriages
By Bee Metro Staff
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom told the state Supreme Court on Thursday that he did not exceed his authority in granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples.


~

30 more gay weddings planned in New Paltz
03/19/2004
NEW PALTZ - The group New Paltz Equality Initiative plans to hold 30 more same-sex weddings Saturday at Wave, a nightclub on state Route 299 in the village. A spokesman for the group said six Unitarian Universalist ministers would conduct the ceremony, but he would not identify them.

Quebec Court Rules Gays Can Marry
by Jean-Pierre O'Brien
365Gay.com Newscenter
Montreal Bureau
(Montreal, Quebec) Quebec's highest court Thursday joined Ontario and British Columbia in ruling that the federal government's definition of marriage is unconstitutional and that same-sex couples were entitled to marry.

The Court of Appeal upheld a lower-court ruling that the traditional definition of marriage is discriminatory and unjustified.  That ruling had been challenged by both the Federal government and an umbrella group of conservative churches.


~

Methodist officials testify church law on homosexuality is vague


~

Tenn. county reverses call to ban homosexuals

Site of '25 'Monkey Trial' won't seek state authority to charge gays with crime

Quebec court decision released tomorrow
A victory expected for Canada's final marriage case
A long-awaited decision in the Quebec same-sex marriage case will be released tomorrow by the province's highest court: the Court of Appeal. Montreal couple Michael Hendricks and René Leboeuf won their case in Quebec's lower court in 2002, however, the court delayed the legalization of gay marriage for two years, in order to give the federal and provincial governments time to adjust to the new reality.


~

Tough questions such as:

• Can one person make a difference?
• Where do I go to get involved?
• How do I respond to those who still hold onto the “gay is a mental illness” stance?
• Can we really end discrimination in the workplace?
• What about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”?
• How do I correctly answer those hard questions about being gay, lesbian, or bisexual?
• Where do I start when promoting equality?
• Can we ever shake the stigma that all gay people are child molesters?
• How do make a difference in my area to combat hate crimes?
• Is it really possible my family will soon be recognized as a real family under the law?
• Can I help make schools safe for gay teens?


(this is from a book, and I am not promoting this book, just thought the questions where good)

~

Arkansas group begins petition drive to amend state constitution


~

Lesbian pastor says trial could be turning point
The Reverend Karen Dammann, being tried by her church for being a lesbian, said Thursday that her case could be a turning point for the United Methodist Church. As she entered Bothell United Methodist Church in Bothell, Wash., for the start of the second day of her trial, Dammann said she felt no animosity toward her church or her jury of fellow pastors. "I don't take it personally. It's the process winding its way to a conclusion," she said. Although that process has been exhausting, she said, she's glad the trial is finally under way. "I feel hopeful," Dammann said. "It's possible that this will be a prophetic moment for the church."

San Francisco asked justices to resume gay marriages
SAN FRANCISCO – City officials here asked the California Supreme Court on Thursday to allow the resumption of gay marriages. The request by City Attorney Dennis Herrera came a week after the seven high court justices stopped the marriages until the court decides whether Mayor Gavin Newsom and his administration had the power to defy state law and issue same-sex marriage licenses to more than 4,000 gay couples since Feb. 12.


~

Reports of anti-gay violence increasePatrick Letellier, Gay.com / PlanetOut.com Network
Thursday, March 18, 2004 / 04:56 PM
Incidents of anti-gay hate violence rose 24 percent in the last six months of 2003, following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down sodomy laws, according to data released this week by a national anti-violence project.

The data is "clear evidence of the backlash" against GLBT people as a result of heightened media attention following the Supreme Court decision and the controversy over same-sex marriage, according to a press release by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Projects (NCAVP), which tracks anti-gay hate violence.

In some areas, the number of attacks rose even more dramatically, when compared with data from a year earlier. Incidents increased by 133 percent in Colorado, 120 percent in Chicago and 43 percent in New York. In San Francisco, which became ground zero in the struggle over same-sex marriage rights in February, incidents in the last half of 2003 rose 14 percent.

Gay Activists Protest Journalists' Reassignment
The PIXPage Staff
Some gay rights groups are protesting the reassignment of two lesbian journalists who were moved off the gay marriage beat.
The San Francisco Chronicle said reporter Rachel Gordon and photographer Liz Mangelsdorf would no longer cover the story after the couple got married at San Francisco City Hall. Executive editor Phil Bronstein said he wanted to avoid the possible appearance of a conflict of interest.
~

Scalia refuses to recuse himself from case involving Cheney

David Hadbawnik at habenicht press seems to be missing the point when referring to a statement I made about taking it to the street and taking back this country.. this has nothing to do with Newson's gay marriages or any political motive behind it, or any thing to do with Kerry, who I find to a poor excuse for a candidate… but hear this now!! queer folks are loosing there rights, one can get fired just being gay as a federal employees, there is overt hate speech coming from government officials, hate crimes on are the rise… there are state constitutional amendments limiting queers right to get married if they want… now, hear this….. I do not care about marriage, I think it is burying into the hegemony, but I will not stand by and have someone’s rights taken away….. I will not stand by as a president lies and in the process, thousands are murdered….. I will not stand by for one more act of aggression……if its not time to take to the street when? when all the states have passed constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage or when all the queers rights are taken away.. or maybe we should just wait until hate crimes are two fold… or three fold… how long does one stand by and watch hate and do nothing.. how long to we stand by and not take to the street…? This is about a president who is promoting hate at the cost of a group of people…. How long are you going to stand by…

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) -- The City Council entered the gay marriage debate by unanimously approving a motion condemning a proposed federal amendment declaring marriage is between a man and a woman.
"This is a message to George W. Bush," Councilman Steve Pougnet said. Last month, Bush proposed amending the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriages. The council voted 4-0 in favor of a resolution condemning the amendment because "many members of our community are in a committed gay or lesbian relationship and would benefit from a same-sex marriage legal framework." The vote followed two hours of emotional testimony.
"This is a very important thing for us. Everybody in the world can get married except gays. We're second-class citizens," said Frank Weston, who was with his partner of 33 years, Stan Pearce. Councilwoman Ginny Foat proposed the resolution. "Our Constitution should never be used to discriminate against a segment of our population," Foat said.

Lawmaker seeks to impeach judge on homophobia ruling
By Colleen Slevin
The Associated Press


A state lawmaker wants to impeach a Denver judge who ordered a former lesbian not to teach her child anything homophobic, a decision that critics of judicial activism say is more troubling than recent court rulings supporting gay marriage. Rep. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, introduced a resolution today that starts the impeachment process against Denver District Judge John Coughlin.

~

Poland was 'taken for a ride' about Iraq's WMD: President
WARSAW (AFP) - Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said that his country had been "taken for a ride" about the alleged existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Gay 'weddings' held without a hitch

New York City joined the growing list of locales for same-sex marriages Thursday when two couples exhanged vows in a City Hall ceremony that blended ancient traditions and hot-button politics.,Although it is illegal in the state to perform a marriage without a license -- and each couple were rebuffed in getting one -- Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said Thursday that he would not take action against the two clergy members who performed the ceremonies. "The criminal courts are not the appropriate forum for the resolution of these issues," Morgenthau said in a statement. "Ultimately they will be resolved in civil lawsuits, at least two of which are now pending." The stance differs from two upstate DA's, who are pressing charges against mayor performing same-sex marriages.

Spain Will Legalise Gay 'Marriages' - Zapatero
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain will legalize gay unions, although it may not call them marriages, incoming prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on Thursday, but he did not set a time-frame for the move.
"We are going to present a bill to set gay unions on the same footing as marriage," he said in an interview on Spain's Telecinco television channel.

Lane County, Ore., Holds Back on Issuing Gay Marriage Licenses

By Randi Bjornstad, The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Mar. 18 - If Lane County commissioners follow an opinion issued Wednesday by their chief attorney, the county will not follow the lead of Multnomah and Benton counties and begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
County Counsel Teresa Wilson concluded that until a "clear judicial ruling" has been made on the issue -- presumably by the state Supreme Court -- Lane County should not defy state law that appears to restrict marriage to heterosexual couples.

House Panel Puts Off Vote On Gay Marriage, Civil Unions
by Lance Frizzell, House Republican Press Secretary
posted March 18, 2004
NASHVILLE - A bill to prevent Tennessee from legally recognizing same-sex civil unions was deferred one week after a House subcommittee refused to take a vote during a hearing on Wednesday. The Democrat-controlled House Domestic Relations subcommittee did not employ parliamentary procedure or normal House rules by ignoring a Republican motion to take a roll call vote, but instead rolled the bill to next week.
~

UD students demonstrate for gay marriage
3:19 p.m., March 18, 2004--Gay and straight couples demonstrating in support of gay marriage were symbolically joined in matrimony on the patio of the University of Delaware’s Trabant University Center on Monday, attracting approximately 500 people.

Most Arizonans oppose both gay marriage and constitutional ban on it

HUTCHINSON: Rapper 50 Cent's Gay Problem
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, AlterNet
March 18, 2004
The temptation is to chalk the "I ain't into faggots" silly, inane slur that former street thug and hip hop artist 50 Cent made in an interview in April's Playboy Magazine as yet another case of a show boating rapper playing to the street crowd. But 50 Cent's comment and slur is what many black men say publicly about gays and many more say privately, and that includes the slurs. Their contempt for gays is hardly new.

Ore. gay marriage opponents try to stop same-sex weddings in Benton County
11:16 AM PST on Thursday, March 18, 2004
By ABE ESTIMADA, kgw.com Staff
Opponents of gay marriages in Oregon are attempting to stop Benton County from issuing licenses to same-sex couples wanting to be wedded.

~

House chairman sacked in rare leadership shuffle
ATLANTA - A powerful Savannah Democrat blamed for holding up bills on tort reform and abortion lost his chairmanship Thursday a rare show of upheaval in the Democrat-controlled House.

Local rally planned in support of gay rights

Local supporters of gay rights to rally for recognition of marriage.
By Brian Baer
fredericksburg.com
Date published: 3/18/2004
The national spotlight on gay marriage may shine on Fredericksburg next week. Dozens of supporters of gay rights—including at least some gay couples who will apply for marriage licenses—are expected for what's being described as a "peaceful civil action."
~

The five 13th District congressional candidates have come out against a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. They don't exactly support gay marriage, but fell (like the public) somewhere in the compromising middle.

~

Gay couples to seek marriage here in protest against state law

Nine gay couples will apply for marriage licenses Friday at the Orange County Courthouse, according to the Rev. Marni Harmony, of the First Unitarian Church of Orlando. "This is our faith-based initiative," said Harmony.All of the couples expect to be turned down, Harmony said, consistent with Florida state law, which bans state-sanctioned gay marriage and domestic partnerships.

~

Gay couples to seek marriage here in protest against state law

Officials to clarify motion on banning gays from living in Rhea Co


~


33 arrests as church trial opens - Protests peaceful as gay minister's proceeding begins in Bothell

I just received this today from Julie Dill:

kari,

I went to your reading in Saint Louis a few months ago. My best friend read with you, Jarek (Jay) Steele. As you probably know, Lynne Cheney (Dick Cheney's wife) wrote a paperback bodice-ripper novel with lots of lesbian love scenes in it, but it's out of print and mysteriously all the copies are bought up. Jay just sent me this e-mail and he thought you'd love to hear about it. Jay's partner, Kris, has word that Penguin is re-releasing the book.

Jay says:

"We just had an impromptu meeting here at ye olde bookstore. I am now making a 'special' offer on our website. We are going to sell the book on our website (Left-Bank Books in Saint Louis) and donate all profits to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Creating Change conference, which is coming here in November. Kris is emailing Sue Hyde right now to get them to affiliate with us and sell it on their website too."

He doesn't have the link up just yet, but he's going to have it up by the end of the day.

Sorry for bugging you without an invitation, but I read your blog every day and I thought you might not mind. You reach so many people with your news everyday. Now, if I can just get word out to Margaret Cho...

respect,

~Julie Dill

A Village Transformed
Lesbian couples in New Paltz, N.Y., discuss their shared commitment, their community pride--and their desire to be left alone, now that the revolution they brought East is spreading up and down the coast.


~

UPDATE: RHEA COMMISSIONERS RECONSIDERING ANTI-GAY PROPOSAL
A group of East Tennessee lawmakers are reconsidering a proposal to criminalize homosexuality after some legislators said they hadn't understood the intent of the proposal.


~

it really does come down to the dollar... vote with you dollars.. move out of hate states... ask, if places and pro-gay.... do not shop at store they do not protect queers...


Critics say marriage amendment could be bad for businesses
By John Hanna
Associated Press Writer
TOPEKA-- Amending the Kansas Constitution to ban gay marriage could be bad for business, opponents of the proposal told a Senate panel Wednesday

amerika...the land that once was, never.



today someone can get fired for being gay as a federal employe and it is legal . . . and yet there is no up roar . . . today civic leaders, local and state governments can pass antigay laws, and use hate speech for getting votes; others simply pass ordinances kicking out gays from there community . . . and we all get bored with the whole thing and turn the station . . . today hate crimes are on the rise against gays, from 2002 - 2003 up 12% (today even higher) . . . and it is already way to boring, who cares about numbers . . . as the censor edits the news of anything too gay or those who disagrees with the father land from the newspapers and television . . . its in the courts, right, who cares? nothing flashy going on . . . today we have a president speaking of passing an amendment to bar equal rights . . . and we get distracted by the vast amount of violence and lies on the other screen, perpetrated by the same individual . . . today there is a homosexual agenda, but not a christian agenda . . . today there is a gay agenda, but not a heterosexual agenda . . . today in some neighborhood, some child, is going be beat-up because they are seen as gay . . . today, someone will not get a job because they are seen as different . . . today is just another day in amerika where someone's deeply hidden homophobia goes either unchecked as they stand there and watch as someone gets beat up for being gay or, does nothing as laws are passed left and right . . . or they let it all out, be an individual as we are are all taught to be, and will spew out their violence and hate speech on anther someone who may or many not be like them.

its time amerika.. either to take a stand today and do something, take some action, or be destine to repeat the past...

Critics step up gay marriage initiative drive
Opponents start registering voters in a push for a constitutional amendment
03/18/04
DAVE HOGAN

A statewide initiative campaign to block same-sex marriages will focus on amending the Oregon Constitution because of recent legal opinions from Attorney General Hardy Myers and others, organizers said Wednesday.


~
Companies offer more benefits to same-sex couples
By SUE SHELLENBARGER
The Associated Press
3/18/04 8:38 AM
The Wall Street Journal - While President Bush pushes a constitutional ban on gay marriage, change in the workplace is going full speed toward allowing same-sex couples the same work-family benefits and supports as heterosexuals


~

Ad hoc censor rips paper
Vandal takes scissors to cartoon in student newspaper at COS
By Shannon Darling
Staff writer
Nearly 400 issues in all were discovered. All had the editorial cartoon, which ap-peared on the back of the front page, removed. .....

But the target was the editorial cartoon, drawn by COS student Jose R. Rodriguez. It showed the governor talking about gay marriages and saying, "Marriage should be between a man, his woman and whoever he happens to grope."


~

Maneuver may aid marriage measure
By Rick Klein and Scott S. Greenberger, Globe Staff, 3/18/2004
A little-noticed maneuver in the closing minutes of the Constitutional Convention may help legislative leaders push their compromise on gay marriage and fend off alternative proposals when lawmakers return to the debate later this month. As the convention wound down last Thursday, Senate President Robert E. Travaglini accepted an amendment by state Senator Brian P. Lees, the Senate's Republican leader, that would make only minor changes to the compromise amendment to ban gay marriage and enact civil unions. The compromise was approved in preliminary votes by the Legislature last week.

OSC to study whether bias law covers gays
By TIM KAUFFMAN
A gay employee who is fired or demoted for attending a gay pride rally would receive protection from the Office of Special Counsel. But the same employee would have no recourse at OSC if he was fired or demoted simply for being gay. “People confuse conduct and sexual orientation as the same thing, and I don’t think they are,” Bloch said


~

Gays to wed on
City Hall steps


~

Board bars blood drives until gay men can donate


~

Bush's Bid to Ban Gay Marriage Not Important to Many Voters


~

Anti-gay sentiments hurt council hopeful
03/17/04
V. David Sartin
Plain Dealer Reporter
Lakewood- A lawyer's anti-gay sentiments might derail his appointment to City Council. Patrick Corrigan has the support of a majority of council, but a plan to immediately appoint him unraveled Monday when Councilman Denis Dunn complained that Corrigan is insensi tive to gay rights. "I believe the best public servants are those that reach out to the community, know their community and ideally have a progressive agenda," Dunn said later in an interview.


~

Gay marriages may get equal footing
The Socialist Left (SV) Party's suggestion to drop partnership law and simply let marriage law apply to both hetero- and homosexual unions may be passed by Norway's parliament, the Storting. The Labor Party will likely decide the proposal's fate, newspaper Dagsavisen reports.


~

Activists blast same-sex marriage resolution
By MIKE CUMMINGS
GULFPORT - A statewide gay and lesbian civil rights group Wednesday condemned a resolution by the Gulfport City Council supporting President Bush's proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Equality Mississippi called the resolution, which was approved Tuesday, "anti-family" and "anti-gay." Councilman Billy Hewes introduced the resolution, saying it was a testimony "to the character and moral values of the people of this city..


~

Is opposing same-sex marriage 'hate speech'?
Suit claims 'family values' not 'homophobic'
Posted: March 18, 2004
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
A U.S. district court ruled two employees of Oakland can go forward in their case against city supervisors after they were barred from advertising an informal group that respects "the natural family, marriage and family values.


~

Wilmington parents angered by children's book about gay princes
Thursday, March 18, 2004
(03-18) 00:00 PST WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) --
The parents of an elementary school pupil are fuming over the book their daughter brought home from the school library: a children's story about a prince whose true love turns out to be another prince.

Tenn. County Wants to Charge Homosexuals

*Commissioner J.C. Fugate, who introduced the measure, also asked the county attorney to find a way to enact an ordinance banning homosexuals from living in the county.
*We need to keep them out of here,* Fugate said. The vote was denounced by Matt Nevels, president of the Chattanooga chapter of Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. *That is the most farfetched idea put forth by any kind of public official,* Nevels said. *I'm outraged.* Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Texas sodomy laws as a violation of adults' privacy. Rhea County is one of the most conservative counties in Tennessee. It holds an annual festival commemorating the 1925 trial at which John T. Scopes was convicted of teaching evolution. The verdict was thrown out on a technicality. The trial became the subject of the play and movie *Inherit the Wind.* In 2002, a federal judge ruled unconstitutional the teaching of a Bible class in the public schools.

1ST ID SOLDIER KILLED, TWO INJURED IN BRADLEY ACCIDENT 3/17/2004
3RD ACR SOLDIER KILLED IN COVOY EN ROUTE TO KUWAIT 3/17/2004

Gay Marriage Issue Stands Between Racine Couple And Loan
Racine - The issue of gay rights and marriage hit home for a Racine couple. Connie Guardian and Marilyn Riedel are partners. They've been together for more than eight years. They live in separate apartments but Marilyn has Parkinson's Disease. So she and Connie decided to buy a house together. They found a house and applied for a home loan from the Wisconsin Department of Veteran Affairs

Tying the Knots
Six Ways to Make Your Gay Relationship Financially Sound
by Mark Helm
Published on 03/18/2004
As newspapers and televisions continue to show images of same-sex couples tying the knot, it's well worth remembering some important facts about gay and lesbian marriage -- more than 1,000 facts, actually.

Gays and lesbians won’t settle for the back of the bus
Who’s standing the way of gay marriage?
March 19, 2004
ALAN MAASS looks at the background to the birth of a new civil rights struggle.
THE STRUGGLE over the rights of gays and lesbians to marry has emerged with incredible speed. Even last year, the two decisions of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court overturning a state ban on gay marriage were seen as out of step with U.S. politics.

~

No compromise on gay rights
Separate is never equal
March 19, 2004
Danielle Leone, Jessica Rothenberg and Elizabeth Schulte report on the latest developments in the fight for gay marriage. WE CAN’T wait. That’s the feeling among supporters of gay marriage. And nowhere was the sentiment felt more strongly than in Massachusetts, where the state legislature voted March 11 in favor of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

~

High court makes move in gay marriage lawsuit
03/18/2004
By CHARLES E. BEGGS / Associated Press
The Oregon Supreme Court took a step toward wading into the state's gay marriage legal thicket.
The court asked lawyers Wednesday to submit written arguments by noon Monday on whether a Portland citizen had adequate grounds to bring a lawsuit asking the state's top court to order Multnomah County to stop issuing same-sex marriage licenses.
~

Marriage-amendment bill advances in House
March 18, 2004
A proposal that ultimately would ban gay marriage or its legal equivalent in Minnesota is on its way to the House floor after passing the House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee Wednesday.

~

Highlights from the Kansas Legislature
Associated Press
Highlights of Wednesday's activities at the Kansas Legislature:
_ Amending the Kansas Constitution to ban gay marriage could be bad for business, opponents of the proposal told a Senate committee.

~

Two New York Unitarian Universalist ministers, who were marrying gays since before the big debate, have been charged with criminal offenses for marrying gay people.

Gay Marriage Debate
By Shelley Kurtz

Eugene -
Lane County is weighing the matter of gay marriage, and today issued a legal opinion.
James Beltran and Maryn Setros are planning to be married, this week. For the heterosexual couple, the process is relatively easy, filling out the paperwork, getting a license issued.
It's not a process same sex couples will see in Lane County soon. "So, the decision has been to just go ahead continue to issue the licenses to a man and a woman and waiting for a higher court decision," said county clerk Annette Newingham.

City Scorns Efforts to Ban Gay Marriage in Constitution
By ADEEL IQBAL
Contributing Writer
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
With the question of whether same-sex couples should be granted marriage licenses in the hands of state governments and judges, the Berkeley City Council passed a resolution last night condemning a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution ban gay marriage.

Cities across the country support same-sex marriage
In a mostly symbolic vote, the Sebastopol, Calif., city council on Tuesday night unanimously adopted a nonbinding resolution endorsing same-sex marriages. The council urged the Sonoma County clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and asked the board of supervisors to support civil marriage for gay and lesbian couples. The resolution also called a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning same-sex marriage "discriminatory against gay and lesbian families." The vast majority of the more than 150 people in attendance supported the council's decision, with only a handful of people speaking out against same-sex marriages. Sebastopol, located about 60 miles north of San Francisco, offers domestic-partner health benefits to same-sex couples over age 18 and opposite-sex couples over age 62.
~

Lesbian Army veteran rejected for VA home loan
She can serve her country, but she can't get a loan with her lesbian partner.

~

Iowa county adopts nondiscrimination policy
The Woodbury County, Iowa, board of supervisors has adopted a policy declaring that the county will not discriminate against gay men and lesbians who apply for county jobs or who already work for the county

~

National Black Justice Coalition holds marriage rally in L.A., March 18
African-American leaders in Los Angeles will step onto the battleground over same-sex marriage Thursday, March 18, at 11 a.m. in historic Leimert Park, located at the intersections of Crenshaw Boulevard and Vernon Avenue.

China recognizes second transsexual marriage
A transgendered woman is the second transsexual to be allowed to legally marry by the Chinese government in recent months, according to Agence France-Presse. The wedding marks a growing trend of marriages by people who have undergone sex-change operations, state media reported Wednesday. Zhang Lin, 37, received not only a new ID card but also a marriage certificate on Monday in Peng township in southwest Sichuan province, the Yangcheng Evening News said. It is the second transsexual marriage reported by Chinese media in recent months. In December a 29-year-old transgendered man tied the knot. Zhang and her husband, Yang Qicheng, plan to hold a big marriage celebration on May 1 for 500 guests, the report said.

SF's gay newlyweds came from 46 states, included 57 percent women

~

Clergy say they'll perform gay weddings outside NY's City Hall
By VERENA DOBNIK
Associated Press Writer
March 17, 2004, 6:42 PM EST
NEW YORK -- A minister and a rabbi plan to officiate same-sex marriages in front of City Hall on Thursday, while dozens of other clergy members attend to show their support.

~

No intolerance on gay marriage: PM
March 18, 2004
PRIME Minister John Howard today denied his opposition to gay marriages was a sign that he was intolerant.

Arrest warrants issued in West Virginia gay bashing

Three people have been charged with beating three gay men as they were leaving a bar in Morgantown, W.Va. Two of the alleged victims said the incident was a hate crime, but West Virginia's hate-crimes law does not cover crimes committed because of a person's sexual orientation. Arrest warrants were issued Tuesday for Norman Patrick Barb III of Maidsville and James A. Demidovich and John Leslie Erjavek, both of Morgantown, said police chief Robert Lucci. The men were charged with misdemeanor battery, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $500 fine. "I told one of the officers that it was a hate crime," said John Matthew Aravanis of Princess Anne, Md., one of the alleged victims. "They said it wasn't and that they were just drunk."
~

this is huge… next thing you know, we will not be aloud to walk in the side walks….!!


LGBT Federal Workers Lose Job Protections
by Paul Johnson
365Gay.com Newscenter
Washington Bureau Chief
Posted: March 17, 2004 2:01 p.m. ET
(Washington, D.C.) Gay and lesbians in the entire federal workforce have had their job protections officially removed by the office of Special Counsel. The new Special Counsel, Scott Bloch, says his interpretation of a 1978 law intended to protect employees and job applicants from adverse personnel actions is that gay and lesbian workers are not covered. Bloch said that the while a gay employee would have no recourse for being fired or demoted for being gay, that same worker could not be fired for attending a gay Pride event.

~

B'KLYN GAY-NUP STORM

March 17, 2004 -- The gay marriage controversy is coming to Bay Ridge.
Thumbing his nose at the charges against two New Paltz clergymen announced Monday, a Brooklyn minister is vowing to marry same-sex couples in his church.
The Rev. John Farrell says he will sanctify gay unions at Christ Episcopalian Church of Bay Ridge, as soon as his 12-member vestry approves performing gay unions within the 150-year-old house of worship. And that approval is expected tomorrow.

~

Views: Meghan Streit
Marriage: No Middle Ground


~

EAST TN COUNTY COMMISSION VOTES TO TARGET GAYS Rhea County commissioners unanimously passed a motion on Tuesday asking its state representatives to introduce legislation that would allow the county to charge homosexuals with crimes against nature.

~

Gay-rights supporters singing "Chapel of Love" rallied at the state Capitol against legislation to prevent gay couples from being married.
They also protested legislation to prohibit gays and lesbians from becoming adoptive or foster parents.
The Kentucky Senate has passed a proposed constitutional amendment that, if ratified by voters, would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.


~


Lawmakers to consider amendments that would weaken, strengthen marriage ban
By JENNIFER PETER
Associated Press Writer
or foster parents.
The Legislature took several major steps toward passing a constitutional ban on gay marriage last week, but still faces at least three days' worth of debate on as many as two dozen proposed changes before final action is taken for the year.


~

Gay marriage ban still bandied about
By Jeanne M.
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
State House debate resumes March 29
Phone calls, letters, and e-mails are pouring into Beacon Hill by the thousands.
State Sen. Robert Hedlund, R-Weymouth, has received about 6,000 constituent opinions, the vast majority of them opposed to gay marriage
~

Bill to ban civil unions delayed 1week in state House
Bonna de la Cruz
A proposal to ban same-sex civil unions stalled today — maybe only briefly — as interested citizens for and against the legislation packed a Legislative Plaza hearing room. The legislation had been recommended by a Senate committee on Tuesday.
The bill will be heard again next week when the committee is scheduled to hear a proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and woman. It is sponsored by state Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville.

~

Machination ruled gay marriage debate

By Michael C. Levenson / michael.levenson@statehousenews.com / State House News Service / Robert Aicardi
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Never mind morality. Machination ruled the gay marriage debate last week.
Arguments over same-sex marriage swept back into the State House on March 11 with all the force of a full-fledged culture war. There were protesters waving rainbow flags, singing "God Bless America," kneeling in prayer, condemning deviance, and hoisting placards with messages both polite and spiteful.

~

Providence mayor lobbies for gay marriage rights in Legislature
By Brooke Donald, Associated Press, 3/17/2004 12:53
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) As one of the few openly gay mayors of a major American city, David Cicilline is a powerful lobbyist for same-sex marriages. But he's not planning to open his City Hall office anytime soon to gay and lesbian couples hoping to be married, as a few of his sympathetic counterparts across the country have done in recent weeks.
~

Wash. trial starting for lesbian minister
By MELANTHIA MITCHELL
The Associated Press
3/17/2004, 1:52 p.m. ET
BOTHELL, Wash. (AP) — Dozens of demonstrators were arrested Wednesday as they tried to stop a church trial that could remove a lesbian from the Methodist ministry for living openly in a lesbian relationship.

~

Gay Marriage Compromise Reached: Lesbians Yes, Gay Men No


~

Irish Gays Protest St Pats Parade

Lane County lawyer advises against marriage licenses for same-sex couples
12:40 PM PST on Wednesday, March 17, 2004
By ABE ESTIMADA, kgw.com Staff
EUGENE – A lawyer for the Lane County commissioners is advising the county clerk there to not issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples until the Oregon Supreme Court has ruled on the matter. The opinion, issued by assistant county counsel Teresa J. Wilson on Wednesday, contends no case law exists in Oregon on the issuance or denial of marriage certificates to gay and lesbian couples.

what can you say.. but who is next in line for discrimination?... but we should not be surprised, this is the state where they had the scopes monkey trials.... so, do I need to say more..

truth is I pass on most the hate speech and do not put it on the blog, but this seemed so overly repugnant, and so 18th century, I keep thing of the trials of Oscar Wilde...


Rhea County officials seek change in law to ban gays
DAYTON, Tenn. (AP) - Rhea County commissioners unanimously voted to ask state lawmakers to introduce legislation amending Tennessee's criminal code so the county can charge homosexuals with crimes against nature. "We need to keep them out of here," said Commissioner J.C. Fugate, who introduced the motion.

Evolution Not Revolution  
Mabel Teng is assessor-recorder for the city and county of San Francisco.
Although the California Supreme Court's ruling has put a temporary stop to San Francisco's efforts to issue same-sex marriage licenses, we should not be deterred from our efforts to end discrimination against gay and lesbian families. Marriage has long been a flashpoint for the expansion of liberties in the United States. In 1948, in Perez vs. Sharp, the California Supreme Court ruled that a white woman and an African-American man had the right to marry. Almost 20 years later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Loving vs. Virginia that laws prohibiting intermarriage were unconstitutional. It has been a month since I had the honor of officiating at the first same-sex civil marriage ceremony of Phyllis Lyon, 79, and Del Martin, 83. Phyllis and Del are celebrating their 51st anniversary this year.

Gay marriage battle throws issue into ‘state of flux’
RACHEL BEEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
By Colleen Honigsberg
DAILY BRUIN REPORTER
chonigsberg@media.ucla.edu

As the legal, religious and political battles rage over gay marriage, the issues become more prevalent, the people more passionate and the future more ambiguous.


~

Margaret Cho
by Bill Abdul
365Gay.com Entertainment
Searingly funny, and deeply introspective, Margaret Cho skewers herself as she tours North America. The recipient of GLAAD's first-ever Golden Gate Award. Cho was honored as "an entertainment pioneer who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity." This month she launched her own website
to battle for gay marriage. It's filled with resources, action plans, and news. Not bad for a straight girl. In fact it's one of the most complete sites on the subject anywhere. Love Is Love Is Love is as sheer joy to see. 



~

Students Protest Blood Drive Screening
Associated Press
MONMOUTH, Ore. - Two student legislators at Western Oregon University have launched a drive to ban Red Cross blood drives on campus, claiming the donor screening process discriminates against gays.

Family-values group mired in a divorce
By Sam Dealey
The Christian Coalition of America (CCA), once a formidable political voice whose advocacy for traditional family values helped propel the Republican Party to power, finds itself at the center of a nasty divorce between top employees.

Court's gay marriage decision affects local students


~

Same-sex marriage ban 'divisive,' say gay rights activists
By Scott Rothschild, Journal-World
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
TOPEKA — Gay rights supporters today said a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage is discriminatory and divisive. "It would only serve to divide Kansans, and heap more discrimination upon our gay and lesbian children," said Bonnie Cuevas, president of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

New York Courts Dealing With New Gay Marriage Cases
(Albany, NY) AP 03/17/04 -- The tangle of legal cases involving gay marriage in New York is growing thicker. In the past month, at least five criminal or civil proceedings related to gay marriages have been filed in New York courts.


~

South Sound
City hears public over opposing ban on gay marriages
KATHERINE TAM THE OLYMPIAN
OLYMPIA -- Those who support gay marriages said Tuesday it is a matter of equality. Those who oppose them said it will hurt the institution of marriage and the fabric of families. A public hearing before the City Council on a proposed resolution opposing a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage drew speakers from both sides of the issue. The council will consider the resolution at its next meeting.
There were 29 speakers Tuesday, with 20 supporting the resolution and nine opposing. For an hour and a half, residents took turns making their arguments.


~

Lawmakers expect to change votes
By JACK COLEMAN
STAFF WRITER
The compromise amendment that would ban same-sex marriage but establish civil unions for gays and lesbians was approved by a solid 127-77 legislative majority last week. But few lawmakers are enamored of the proposal pushed by House Speaker Thomas Finneran and Senate President Robert Travaglini and some plan to change their votes when the constitutional convention is reconvened March 29.
"I'm not going to vote for it in the end," said state Sen. Robert O'Leary, D-Barnstable. "I will support it until the final vote. I think it is a reasonable middle ground given the circumstances, but I believe the unfortunate part of all this is that we are amending the state constitution."


~

Local measure opposes gay marriage amendment
By Brian Joseph
The Desert Sun
March 17th, 2004
PALM SPRINGS -- At least 30 same-sex couples are expected to attend tonight’s City Council meeting to support a resolution against a federal marriage amendment. The resolution, brought forward by Councilwoman Ginny Foat, condemns a proposal by President Bush to amend the U.S. Constitution to prohibit gay couples from marrying.


~

Sebastopol supports gay marriage

Resolution urging recognition of same-sex unions first in Sonoma County


~

Key West endorses gay marriage


~

Nashville
By BONNA de la CRUZ
Staff Writer
Senate committee OKs bill despite legal concerns
A ban on civil unions raced out of a Senate committee yesterday despite protests of one senator that the legislation plows new legal ground and should be reviewed by the state attorney general.


~

Lawyer: West has no right to appeal gay wedding ban
New Paltz Mayor Jason West has no legal right to ask an appellate court to lift a judge's order barring him from performing same-sex marriages.

Transsexual's case against warden can move forward
By Dan Horn
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A transsexual who was severely beaten by another inmate at the Warren Correctional Institution will get a chance to prove in court that prison officials put her life at risk.


~

Reconstructionist rabbis at Deerfield meeting back gay marriage
By James D. Davis
Same-sex marriage got the endorsement of the nation's Reconstructionist rabbis at their annual convention in Deerfield Beach on Tuesday. In a unanimous vote, the 85 rabbis called for an end to laws that prevent gays from marrying. They also condemned as discriminatory all efforts to bar gays from benefits given other couples, such as health care coverage.


~

City police investigate vandalism at gay bar
Daily News staff
NEWPORT - Police are investigating whether a weekend window smashing at Castaways, the newly opened gay bar on Prospect Hill Street, was a random act of vandalism or an attack against homosexuals. "We are conducting an investigation to determine if there are any elements that would invoke the hate crime sentencing act," Lt. Norman Bestoso said this morning.


~

Wed 17 Mar 2004
Unions Oppose 'Anti-Gay' Employment Laws
By John Aston, PA News
Trade unions were today challenging new equality regulations which exempt faith-based employers from anti-discrimination laws.


~

Gay Episcopal Bishop Says 5 in Violation
RICHARD N. OSTLING
Associated Press
NEW YORK - The Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson, said Monday it is "pretty clear" that five bishops opposed to his election who led an Ohio confirmation service Sunday violated their vows taken as members of the hierarchy.


~

There is a poll at this site on gay marriage being legal.. take it now!

Delaware gay rights bill stalled in Senate
In wake of recent events, a vote seems unlikely
By PATRICK JACKSON
Dover Bureau reporter
03/16/2004- The Delaware Senate is less likely to consider a bill this year that would extend the state's anti-discrimination protections to gay people because of the national furor over same-sex marriage, legislators and bill supporters said


~

Gay Churches Call For Civil Disobedience 


~

"Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945" at Phoenix library until April 9