Friday, May 31, 2013
Today In Gay History
May 31, 1819 - American writer Walt Whitman is born in West Hills, Long Island. In the 1950s, when Philadelphia wanted to name a bridge after him, there were protests in front of city hall because of his homosexuality.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
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Tales Of Hypocrisy: Oregon Bakers Who Refused To Make Gay Wedding Cake OK With Divorce Cake
Two Oregon bakers who refused service
to gay couples citing their religious beliefs are not bothered by
other occasions frowned upon by some Christians.
In separate incidents separated by
three months, the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa in Gresham and
Fleur Cakes in Hood River received national media attention after
each refused a request for a wedding cake from a lesbian couple.
(Gay and lesbian couples can enter a domestic partnership in Oregon.)
“We don't do same-sex weddings,”
Aaron Kelin, the owner of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, reportedly told the
couple.
“I believe I have the liberty to live
by my principles,” Pam Regentin, owner of Fleur Cakes, told KATU.
Alternative weekly Willamette Week
contacted each bakery to order cakes for other occasions disapproved
of by some Christians, including divorce and a baby being born out of
wedlock.
When Willamette
Week anonymously inquired about such celebrations, neither
bakery refused service.
“My friend is getting divorced and
we'd like to throw her a little party to mark the start of her life,”
the paper said in contacting the bakeries. “Do you ever write
messages on those – we'd want it to say 'congratulations'! – and
how much would it be for a cake that could serve about eight people?”
“We can definitely do something like
that,” a Sweet Cakes by Melissa representative said.
Fleur Cakes quoted prices then added
that advanced noticed was necessary because “June and July is very
busy.”
Other inquiries included providing
baked goods for celebrations surrounding stem-cell research, a
non-kosher barbecue and a pagan solstice party.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Louisiana bill would block gay couples from surrogate parenting
Supporters of the bill have argued that the state lacks laws giving clear guidelines on the governing of such births, and have asserted that current gaps in guidelines could lead to legal problems for surrogate mothers, their spouses, and the intended parents of a child.
The bill includes a clause, which specifies that the “intended parents” of a child must be married, under laws recognised by the state. The Louisiana Constitution specifies that marriage “shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.”
Smith said on Monday that he is against the amendment added in the House by Republican Representative Frank Hoffman, which would cause the bill to become void in the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), is overturned by the Supreme Court in a decision expected by the end of June.
He went on to say that even after the conference committee “rewords”, the bill, that he intended it to ”still keep [marriage] defined as what Louisiana believes,” he said, referring to the state Constitution which specifies marriage as between “one man and one woman”.
The bill has already proven to be divisive, and is opposed by both conservative religious, and more left-leaning groups, meaning it is backed by a mix of proponents, however it has been widely supported so far.
The National Organisation for Women has said the bill discriminates against same-sex and unmarried couples, however on the other end of the spectrum, the conservative Louisiana Family Forum, is against surrogacy full stop.
The bill was passed in the House last week with overwhelming support, however it will be reworded by the committee, before returning to both chambers for final debate.
Not content with denying equality in marriage to gays, the religious homophobes in Louisiana are now attempting to dictate our right to propagate...would love to see how they will attempt to enforce this one!
Historic First Gay Wedding Broadcast Live In France
The wedding of the first gay couple to
marry in France was broadcast live throughout the nation on
Wednesday.
Vincent Autin and Bruno Boileau were
married in the southern gay-friend town of Montpellier by Mayor
Helene Mandroux.
The men said “oui” and then shared
several public kisses.
A small group of protesters who had
gathered behind city hall were scared away by police, the AP
reported.
On the eve of the law's start, tens of
thousands of protesters gathered in Paris to demand its repeal. In
incidents on Saturday and again on Sunday, police detained several
hundred activists who refused to disperse.
Speaking to CNN before the ceremony,
the men discussed what the law means to them.
“When French children are born into
this world, they are born with the same rights as everyone else,”
Vincent Autin said. “But from the moment you said you were a
homosexual, society deprived you of some of those rights just because
you were a homosexual. Today, the French republic has given these
rights back to us. Ones they had taken away. And they have put an
end to an institutional discrimination.”
The couple added that they plan to
start a family.
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