I completely agree with you, Stephen, that Roe v. Wade was a huge mistake, taking an important political question out of the democratic arena on the basis of some very shaky legal logic. We'd be better off if it had never happened. The trouble is that at this point I'm not all that sure we'd be better off with the alternative, overturning it, which could itself cause a whole lot of social and political upheaval. And then there's the huge risk that a right-wing court might swing the pendulum the other way, declaring a constitutional right to life for an ...

It's always been my observation that the key reason why this is an issue at all is because it involves the word "marriage." In my opinion, the state's only interest in this matter involves its general interest in the law of partnerships, which is a subset of the law of contract. In principle, there is no difference between a man and woman getting married and choosing to share their economic resources and any two people starting a business and doing the same. Of course, in this instance I am referring to childless couples.  The presence of children obviously changes the equation. ...

Last week I actually met a gay person for the first time who was against gay marriage. I knew they existed, I knew they were out there, I just had never sat down and actually talked with one. His belief is that marriage is a religious ceremony, specifically designed for a man and a woman. Because it was designed that way, he doesn’t think it should be changed. Instead, he thinks we should just have civil unions. Well, I certainly see where he’s coming from. I can understand the logic, and I didn’t argue with him. There’s no point. He’s a grown man ...

Custody case stirs gay-marriage debate Indianapolis Star, United States -   Gay-rights advocates say the following documents are the bare-minimum protection couples should have to protect their property, health, assets and relationship ...

Very early this morning, indeed, Stephen posted on gay marriage.  Generally, I agree with the points that he's made (that the judiciary deciding and attempting to settle contentious cultural issues is not ideal, that issues such as gay marriage would be much better handled by legislatures). However, I did want to make a point on this subject, which ties into the usual "judicial activism" claims made by conservatives, many of whom object to the manner in which a variety of decisions have been reached (i.e., by very loose readings of the constitution or law in question), but some of whom also ...

Hillary Clinton may be leading the gay dollar pack, but some voters think she’s walking the thin pink line. Appearing at YearlyKos, a conference for liberal bloggers, Senator Clinton apparently had to do some political juggling when asked about her former president husband Bill’s Defense of Marriage Act: [Clinton] hedged and dodged in a complicated set of answers to explain herself. The Defense of Marriage Act, which denied federal recognition of same-sex marriages and gave states the right to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages, “served a very important purpose,” she told the blogger. The law staved off Republican efforts to amend ...

Sometimes it’s easier to get a point across after a situation occurs rather than before … it’s as if people need to “see” it before they “believe” it. The GLBT population has been campaigning for the past few years on behalf of gay marriage and why we not only deserve, but need the same benefits and legal rights just as much as any other heterosexual couple because without them our hands are tied. We aren’t making waves and speaking out because we want to “lessen the sanctity of marriage” or “make a mockery of such a union.” We are standing up ...

Our host, of course, is a leading champion of gay marriage. Indeed, reading his work on the subject, has persuaded me the law ought to recognize some form of committed partnerships between same-sex couples. Whether you call it a civil union or marriage is a matter of indifference to me, although it seems obvious that a decent respect for the opinions of others and the freedom of religion mandates that the union have solely civil implications. One would hope that as gay marriage comes to be accepted, for example, that civil rights and anti-discrimination laws could not be used to ...

"Show 'Em Whatcha Got" (Newsweek p. 36). Senior Writer Jonathan Darman reports on the gay and lesbian community's desire to see presidential hopefuls such as Hillary Clinton to not just talk about the issues concerning them, but to take action. For all Clinton's gay support, some activists say she hasn't done much for gay rights, but neither have Barack Obama or John Edwards. Democratic front runners' positions on major gay issues-for repealing "Don't ask, don't tell," for a federal ban on employment discrimination, for domestic partnerships but against gay marriage-are identical to those taken by Al Gore and Bill Bradley ...

Coming Soon in gay-themed films:- Jane Lynch and Bruce Vilanch have joined the cast of Tru Loved, a coming of age dramady with a queer twist. Also starring are such faves as Jasmine Guy, Nichelle Nichols and Marcia Wallace.- Will Michael Moore's next hot topic doc focus on gay rights, gay marriage, homophobia or all three?- Meet the stars of OutFest favorite Kiss the Bride: James O'Shea and Phillipp Karner at Out in Hollywood and Amber Benson at Advocate Insider.- Coming soon to a TV near you: Sordid Lives, the play and movie ...

Gay Marriage: what's the big screaming deal?My faith in human beings just went up a bit. Here is a video from a very smart kid who goes by the name of machelli giving his opinion on gay marriage. He describes himself as a vop-ed (noun): a video op-ed; a vop-ed often exclusively covers those topics relevant to society - religion, politics, etc.. Whatever he describes himself as he's a very talented film maker, check out his other videos here: Machelli on YouTube ...

Citing scheduling conflicts, Sen. Chris Dodd has pulled out of next Thursday's Logo/HRC presidential event: Chris Dodd Out of Logo's Presidential Forum [Visible Vote 08] News to which Clinton, Obama, and Edwards were heard to respond: "Ooh, I call dibs on his time-wasting ways to make the gay marriage issue far more complicated than it need be! My own talking points were getting a little too stale and predictable anyway!" Technorati Tags: Chris Dodd, Logo ...

In response to the lesbian couple who was married and Massachuseet but who are now seeking to divorce in Rhode Island (a case which could set a precedent), Austin Nimocks of the extremely anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund tells WorldNetDaily: So really, there are two ways we can respond to this. We could write a well thought out, reasoned analysis of the ins and outs of Massachusetts gay marriage, the Rhode Island court system, and why this case is so important to social conservatives like Mr. Nimocks. Or we could just say this: "Back-door entrance? ::chuckle, chuckle:: Well that doesn't sound so ...

Rhode Island's Governor and Attorney General have told the state Supreme Court it has the power to have a case involving a same-sex couple seeking a divorce without considering the issue of gay marriage. The case involves Margaret R. Chambers and Cassandra B. Ormiston who were married in Massachusetts in 2004. The marriage was never recognized in their home state of Rhode Island and last year the women filed for divorce in Providence, citing "irreconcilable differences".    RI Court Told To Consider Gay Divorce Case Without Looking At ...365Gay.com ...

Massachusetts officials say gay couples from states that do not have legal protections for the institution of marriage may come to their state to marry. The state's highest court ordered same-sex marriages into law in 2004. Connecticut, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wyoming don't have Marriage Protection Amendments or Defense of Marriage Acts. Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, said that means gay couples from those states can get married in his state and go home and file a lawsuit over the status of the union. "Our court just assumed for those states that ...

PUBLIC DEFENDER FOUND GUILTY IN GAY MARRIAGE FRAUD

SCHOOL CANCELS PLAY ABOUT MATTHEW SHEPARD

ROME'S TEMPORARY GAY STREET OPENS

ELTON JOHN: SAVE MUSIC - CLOSE THE INTERNET

PORTLAND JEWISH CONGREGATION TO BLESS SAME-SEX UNIONS

"VILLAGE PEOPLE" SINGER SAYS BAND WAS TOO GAY

LUTHERANS SPLIT OVER GAY CLERGY

SINGAPORE GAY RIGHTS FORUM BANNED

RHODE ISLAND CAN GRANT GAY DIVORCES

LOOKING AT THE BUSINESS OF GAY CELEBRITY BOOKS

EPISCOPAL CHURCH OPEN GAY PRIEST ENDORSES OBAMA

GAY TELEVISION GUIDE FOR THE WEEKEND OF AUGUST 3RD 

GAY NEWS HEADLINES - AUGUST 3, 2007 [ PUBLIC DEFENDER FOUND GUILTY IN GAY MARRIAGE FRAUD ] -The former head of the St. Louis office of the Missouri ...

Gay Episocopal Bishop Gene Robinson, a New Hampshire resident, came out in support of Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama today, endorsing the candidate in a conference call with reporters. Said Robinson: "As my work shows me every day, leadership means bringing people together and inspiring them to live out their values. Barack Obama sees beyond the partisanship and hopelessness that have dominated in recent years, and the movement he’s building is bringing vital new energy and optimism into our democratic process. I’m excited to work with Barack to bridge the old divides and make this country one again." Foster's ...

Elisabeth Hasselbeck had some surprisingly logical things to say regarding gay marriage on this morning’s The View. A conservative through-and-through, the perky chatter-box may have made a few enemies among her Republican comrades - especially the married folk. (Thanks for the link, Good As You. Our first born is totally has your name on it.) ...

We don't dislike Hasselbeck by any means. However, we agree with her about 0.01% of the time, and never expect her conservative self to risk her credentials by taking our pro-gay marriage side. Thus the reason why this is so refreshingly shocking: Rosie might actually be proud. The Devil, on the other hand, is pissed that he has to go buy ice skates. Hasselbeck on who's really destroying marriage [YouTube] Technorati Tags: puppy, The View ...

Speaking about a possible gay marriage-banning amendment that could be put before Florida voters in 2008, the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins (or his ghostwriter) todays says this: As marriage opponents have falsely claimed in other states, the Florida coalition is attempting to scare voters by saying the marriage initiative would have negative consequences on the state's private domestic partner benefits, particularly those for elderly, heterosexual couples--a false allegation that has been made in other states in an effort to defeat marriage amendments. And you know, this is really an example of how skewed these kids' world views are in regards ...