Gay Wedding Bill: embarassing defeat to President Bush

The ammendment failed thus delivering an embarassing defeat to President Bush and Republicans who hoped to use the measure as a way to energize conservative voters on Election Day.

Supporters of the ammendment knew they wouldn't achieve the two-thirds vote needed to approve a constitutional amendment, but they had predicted a gain in votes over the last time the issues was proposed just before the 2004 elections. Instead, they lost one vote for the amendment in a procedural test tally that ended up 49-48.

Supporters lost two key voters this time from Sen. Judd Gregg, R-New Hampshire., who has changed his mind since 2004, and another from Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, who did not vote this time because he was traveling with Bush.

According to an ABC News, the majority of Americans define marriage as a union of a man and a woman, as the proposed amendment does; however an equal majority opposes amending the Constitution on this issue, the poll found.

ACT Gay unions could be fortnight away

GAY couples will be able to say "I do" in Canberra within two weeks, after the ACT yesterday fast-tracked its civil union laws in defiance of the Commonwealth's decision to scuttle them. [That is unless Ruddock and Howard try to intervene] ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell said the Government would reduce the notification period for people wishing to enter into civil unions, to enable ceremonies to begin within a fortnight.

The new laws — which would entitle same-sex couples to the same rights as married couples under ACT law, such as rights to property in the event of a relationship break-up and power of attorney — were intended to come into effect on August 1. However Mr Corbell last night said the commencement date would be brought forward after Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said he would ask the Governor-General to disallow the laws on August 1, to "defend the fundamental institution of marriage".

"This may be in defiance of the Federal Government's announcement but we believe our law is valid and that it does not impinge on any Commonwealth legislation," Mr Corbell said. He said the Federal Government's decision was "unacceptable and undemocratic" and it was important ordinary Canberrans be given the opportunity as soon as possible to be part of a civil union.

"This step will allow Canberrans in same-sex relationships to enter into a civil union and to show the Howard Government their support for the legislation," Mr Corbell said.

Tags: Gay_Marriage Gay_Union Simon_Corbell John_Howard

Bracks rejects gay marriage push

June 08, 2006 VICTORIAN Premier Steve Bracks has rejected a push to allow gay civil unions in the state. Independent MP Andrew Olexander is drafting a private member's Bill on gay unions and hopes to table it in Parliament before the November state election. The Bill would need support from Labor – which controls both Houses – to be debated in Parliament.

Mr Bracks said his Government had already done much to remove discrimination against gays in state laws.

But he said he was not interested in supporting the gay union move, at least in the lead-up to this year's state poll. "That is not a matter on our agenda," he said. Instead his Government was "concentrating on the things which we believe are important" including improved services, the economy and quality of life, he said.

Mr Olexander, an Upper House MP and former Liberal, said it was up to Labor whether his Bill would even be debated. "That's the subject of a petition which is being circulating widely by myself and others right around Victoria," he told ABC Radio today.

Tags: Gay_Marriage Gay_Union Simon_Corbell John_Howard

The return of Batwoman - as a lesbian socialite

By Maxine Frith, Social Affairs Correspondent Published: 30 May 2006

Fifty years after she first graced the pages of a comic book, Batwoman is to return to the world of superheroes - as a lesbian socialite. After an absence of almost 30 years and following months of feverish speculation among fans of the genre, Batwoman will make an appearance in the July issue of a comic called 52, produced by the legendary publishers DC Comics.

Her real identity is Kathy Kane, described as a "lesbian socialite by night and a crime fighter by later in the night." Kathy Kane was also the name of the original Batwoman's alter ego, created in 1956. She became Batman's ally in his fight against evil but was always in his shadow, merely making occasional appearances in the comic named after him.

In her initial incarnation, she was hardly a feminist icon - she was never given her own comic, carried a handbag, and spent time with her niece Batgirl swooning over Batman and his sidekick Robin. The first Kathy was killed off in 1979 -murdered by an assassin. But in a world where parallel universes exist and people have X-ray eyes, anything is possible - including Batwoman's reincarnation.

The New York Times reported at the weekend that Batwoman would return to52, a comic launched this month that features a number of superheroes, including Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. No one has seen the new Batwoman, although it is known that her past includes a romantic liaison with Renee Montoya, a lesbian former police detective who has also starred in the 52 comic.

A spokesman for the lesbian and gay pressure group Stonewall said: "I think anything that promotes diversity is a very good thing and we welcome the introduction of characters like this. "A lot of lesbians and gay men are fans of these comics and it is good that the publishers are beginning to recognise that, and feature people who reflect the society we live in. "Lesbians and gay men may also identify with the genre because comic book characters are often misfits who are left on the margins of society and have to fight to be accepted."

According to The New York Times, the re-invention of Batwoman is part of a wider attempt by the comic book industry to feature more people from different minority groups in tales of derring-do by much-loved superheroes. DC Comics is re-launching Blue Beetle, formerly a white hero, as a Mexican teenager with mystical powers. And Marvel Comics, DC's great rivals, have introduced the character Luke Cage to its best-selling New Avengers; he is a black street-fighter who last month married his white girlfriend.

But while DC may be embracing diversity when it comes to its heroines, it appears it is rather more protective of its male characters' sexuality. Last year the company took legal action against a New York art gallery that housed an exhibition of watercolours featuring Batman and Robin in "intimate" positions. The popularity of adaptation films featuring comic book heroes, such as X-Men, Batman Begins and The Fantastic Four, has revived an industry that was previously in decline, and provided new material. Sales are now increasing by 25 per cent annually, and the adult comic sector is worth £5.5m a year.

With This Ring Magazine

As Australian government becomes MORE HOMOPHOBIC, over the puddle in the US the Worlds first Gay Wedding Magazine is launched.

"With This Ring magazine (www.withthisring-magazine.com) is a first-of-its-kind effort to produce a magazine that puts all weddings -- and their communities -- on an equal footing. 'For Every Kind of Wedding,' this new magazine caters to wide audience, from gay and lesbian weddings, to interfaith and interracial weddings, to destination weddings, with the ultimate goal of moving all these various "categories" of weddings into the mainstream, and making them part of a common discussion.

The goal of With This Ring is to be a magazine for every kind of wedding -- straight, gay, black, white, in a church, or on a beach. All weddings are romantic at their core, and this magazine celebrates that common romantic essence.

Beyond a simple magazine, it will become the flagship for a movement -- a rallying point for a vocal community of forward-thinking, modern people who believe that weddings deserve to be celebrated, in all their variety."

Gay Days event was big success, organizer says

My friends Graeme and Klime are over in Florida, whooping it up at Gay Days Disneyland Gay extravaganza. If my memory serves me correctly Disneyland was pretty gay on a "regular" week of the year. When I went with my boyfriend in 1987, a cute guy jumped into our (2 seater) car just before we entered "The Undersea World" ride and fondled us for the next four and a half minutes.

It turned out that he was staff (Treasure Island) and invited us down for free coktails to his bar. Friendly lot the (gay) Americans. Orange Blossom Trail was pretty good fun on Halloween and the party at the Mansion (or Whitehouse or something) was pretty awsome. Anyway, lets wait and see what happend to Graeme and Klime.

Gay Days

Attractions and hotels are expecting a boost in crowds this week after Tuesday night's kickoff of Gay Days in Orlando. Organizers estimate a record 140,000 gays and lesbians will be in town for the 16th annual gathering, which has grown a worldwide reputation with six days of events that largely center on Walt Disney World.

While Disney, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando don't officially sponsor the events, they welcome the crowds.

"We've always seen more people in the parks during Gay Days, and we expect the same this year," Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said. "It's a great weekend for the city of Orlando and the community, in national attention and bringing business. There's no question we'll see more people in our theme parks and see more people staying in our hotels." The gay and lesbian travel market is valued at about $50 billion nationwide, according to David Paisley, project manager at Community Marketing Inc., which publishes Gay Travel News.

"The Orlando event has become a huge event over the past decade, one of the most popular gay and lesbian festivals in the country," Paisley said.

To show their social and economic clout, participants traditionally wear red shirts at the events, which are expected to pump $100 million into the local economy.

Chris Alexander-Manley, vice president of sales and marketing for Gay Days Inc., said exhibitor space at the event's expo at the Royal Plaza Hotel near Disney sold out faster than ever before.

The main event takes place Saturday at Disney's Magic Kingdom when more than 60,000 red-shirt-wearing Gay Days participants are expected at the park. There are several events planned throughout the day such as the 1 p.m. Lesbian Express ride around the park on the Walt Disney World Railroad.

The gathering also features Johnny Chisholm's One Mighty Weekend, a series of nighttime parties at the theme parks.

Disney tends to downplay Gay Days as just another large group of people who choose to come to the theme parks, and pay to hold a few private parties while they're there. Disney offers no official sponsorship and does not have any specific ticket packages for the event, though it becomes the unofficial host. "While we're not a sponsor of the event, we're certainly open to it every day," Walt Disney World spokeswoman Kim Prunty said. "It's just like with any private promoter, a private group, who would like to use our facilities."

While Gay Days organizers are steering attendees to Disney parks most days of the event, they have designated Friday for SeaWorld as well as Disney-MGM Studios. Universal has been excluded from the official lineup this year because the company didn't approach the group, Alexander-Manley said. Last year Universal was an official sponsor, and Schroder said it went well.

"We thought things went fine last year, and we're always happy to talk to people about new business," he said. SeaWorld spokeswoman Becca Bides said the marine park also expects a jump in attendance as a result of the event.

"Obviously, you have a very large group, enjoying all the major attractions in the city," she said. "SeaWorld, as one of the theme parks, we do receive attendance."

Pissed Off at Aunty Beeb

Chris Moyles on BBC Radion One recently called a ringtone "GAY" as a derogatory remark. Well we proudly have many ringtones which are GAY at MenOnMobile, the site I built for the company I work for, MobileActive, including Little Britain, Boyfriend alert.....

However, when a 5-year-old calls another boy on the monkey bars a "fag," it might still be offensive. But calling him "gay?" Not as bad, according to the BBC Board of Governors, which has taken the surprising step in associating the slang usage of "gay" as to mean "rubbish."

A listener complained after Chris Moyles dismissed a ringtone by saying on his Radio 1 breakfast show: “I don’t want that one, it’s gay.”

The complainant argued that the use of the word gay in this context was homophobic. The governors said, however, that Moyles was simply keeping up with developments in English usage.

The programme complaints committee noted: “The word ‘gay’, in addition to being used to mean ‘homosexual’ or ‘carefree’, was often now used to mean ‘lame’ or ‘rubbish’. This is a widespread current usage of the word amongst young people.”

The committee, which consists of five BBC governors, including the former Royal Ballet dancer Deborah Bull, was “familiar with hearing this word in this context”.

Troubling? Absolutely. Whenever someone outside a cultural group adopts such a charged term to apply a derogatory meaning, it's a step backward. There's plenty of debate within minority communities – whether gay, black, or physically disabled – on whether offensive words should even be used within their community, let alone by anyone else. But an outsider throwing around "gay" to mean something patently unsavory — because "young people" deem it okay? We shouldn't even have to raise the argument about anyone but people of color using the word "nigger."

Tags: bbc homophobia

Gay marriage to be outlawed in Australia

Australia's conservative government will overrule same sex marriage laws in the nation's capital, Prime Minister John Howard said on Tuesday (6 June 2006), saying marriage should only be between men and women.

Howard's move, which mirrors the push by U.S. President George W. Bush to outlaw gay marriage across the United Sates, follows new laws by the self-governing Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to allow same-sex unions.

National laws in Australia say a marriage must be between a man and woman at the exclusion of all others, but the ACT laws would have given gay couples the same legal rights as married couples by describing the marriages as "civil unions". "Our view is very simple. We are not prepared to accept something which is a plain attempt to equate civil unions with marriage," Howard told reporters.

Mr Ruddock said, even with amendments to the civil union laws designed to address the federal government's concerns, the ACT was being deliberately confrontational.

"This issue could have been dealt with in a way that was not deliberately as confrontational as it was," he said.

His ACT counterpart, Simon Corbell, said the federal government was "homophobic". Bush wants the U.S. Senate to pass a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage after several state courts since 2003 ruled that state legislatures did not have the right to ban it.

Canada became the fourth country to legalise same-sex marriage in mid-2005 but the new conservative government will allow a free vote in parliament to decide whether the laws should be overturned.

Australia's centre-left Labour opposition said Howard was wrong to intervene over laws passed by the democratically elected ACT government, which administers the nation's capital Canberra.

"The law should recognise caring and loving relationships," Labour spokeswoman Nicola Roxon said, adding that gay couples continued to be discriminated against in areas such as pensions, tax and health and welfare benefits.

Guide to Same Sex Marriage in Australia - Wikipedia

Tags: homophobia john_howard gay_marriage little_dwarf

Lesbians sue British Government over Canadian Wedding

(London) Celia Katzinger and Sue Wilkinson are taking the British government to court to have their Canadian marriage recognized in the UK. Both women are university professors and were living in British Columbia when they married in 2003, shortly after same-sex marriage became legal in the Canadian province.

When they returned to Britain they applied to have their marriage registered but were refused. British heterosexual couples who marry abroad are automatically considered to be married in the UK. Their attorney will argue in the High Court next week that by not recognizing the couple's marriage the government is discriminating against the women and violating their human rights.

Katzinger and Wilkinson were told they could have their relationship registered under Britain's civil partnership law. Although it offers the same rights and responsibilities as marriage "it is not marriage," Katzinger says. "There is no difference in formal, legal or financial terms between marriage and a civil partnership so we are not disadvantaged in that sense," said Wilkinson. "It is the principle that matters."

The case will center on whether British law breaches the European law by treating gay couples different to heterosexuals. If they win it would not open same-sex marriage for gay and lesbian couples in the UK. The case is strictly limited to British same-sex couples who live abroad, marry, and then return to Britain.

Bush To Promote Gay Marriage Ban

President Will Push For Amendment Banning Same Sex Marriage
Quote: "The president firmly believes that marriage is an enduring and sacred institution between men and women and has supported measures to protect the sanctity of marriage." White House spokesman Ken Lisaius

(AP) President Bush will promote a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage on Monday, the eve of a scheduled Senate vote on the cause that is dear to his conservative backers. The amendment would prohibit states from recognizing same-sex marriages. To become law, the proposal would need two-thirds support in the Senate and House, and then be ratified by at least 38 state legislatures.

It stands little chance of passing the 100-member Senate, where proponents are struggling to get even 50 votes. Several Republicans oppose the measure, and so far only one Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, says he will vote for it.

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the amendment on May 18 along party lines after a shouting match between a Democrat and the chairman, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. He bid Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., "good riddance" after Feingold declared his opposition to the amendment and his intention to leave the meeting.

Bush aides said he would be making his remarks on the subject Monday. A slim majority of Americans oppose gay marriage, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press from March. But the poll also showed attitudes are changing: 63 percent opposed gay marriage in February 2004.

Tags: homophobe george_w_bush gay_marriage gay_wedding flatulent_pusbag_lying_sack_of_shit_assfaced_fuckhead