A Brazilian state (in Sao Paulo) Monday approved what the court said is the nation’s first gay marriage.
THIS IS HUGE … If it stands the global population of people with access to equality will nearly double overnight. Brazil’s 200m people make it a world power that is going from strength to strength. What an example to set!
This comes out of nowhere as far as I can tell … Will be interesting to see if the Brazilia Government is grateful to have the issue “off their hands” or whether we will now see Prop 8 style court appeals for the next decade over whether this stands as a national precedent.
While fully agreeing with this article from the New York Times, I have to say that Jaye Cee Whitehead leaves out the best examples of her own argument and analysis.
Basically, she says it is dehumanising to argue for equality on the basis of economic competitiveness or the revenue a booming wedding industry brings in. True.
But the biggest economic gains are not from weddings, they are actually from the better health that people have throughout their life when someone is there to care for them – they live longer, healthier etc and are therefore also not a big fat burden on the state.
And secondly the best reason for equality isn’t because we are citizens, even if that sounds the most idealistic reason (children are citizens too; fathers and daughters are citizens but not good marriage partners); it’s because we are as capable of fulfilling the obligations of marriage as any other adult.
Finally, after what the banks and their leaders just did to our economies, supporting marriage equality is the least they can do.
Sean Avery, an ice hockey star, is not a person I knew about until this spot for New Yorkers for Marriage Equality. But his common sense and possibly brave decision to speak about the equality he expects for himself, and supports for others, makes me wonder where the other sports stars are in this debate. Cristiano Ronaldo is a notable other example.
I don’t think sports stars are special people – but they do have large followings and a way of connecting with more macho and less political crowds that we needs as supporters of equality.
How about Ian Thorpe doing an ad for Australian Marriage Equality? Just saying …
It’s always nice to check out the competition and the allies – and Terry Denson has done that nicely for us with this article: “For Better or For Worse: Top 10 Gay Marriage Blogs.” He rates us number 5, not bad for a little blog run in between my jobs
Clever American campaigns make me so jealous sometimes! Not that I want all of us to face the sort of discrimination same sex couples face in America, of course, but I would be great if all equality campaigns were this cool: see the No Gay Tax website from Freedom to Marry.
Research shows that compared to heterosexual couples, same-sex partners pay up to $211,993 more for health coverage, $88,511 in additional Social Security costs, and $40,000 extra in child-care costs over the course of their adult lives. That’s about $350,000 in pointless unfair costs. And guess what: all those extra costs would disappear if the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) were repealed and marriage equality introduced.
Elizabeth Taylor (apparently she hated Liz), was a woman of depth on-screen and off. Here is her early and brilliant speech in favour of gay marriage at the 2000 GLAAD awards in California, with thanks to Rex Wockner for reminding us of this vision. Taylor fought for equality long before it was sexy, and we’ll remember her long after we finally achieve it.
“All of my life I’ve spent a lot of time with gay men — Montgomery Clift, Jimmy Dean, Rock Hudson — who are my colleagues, coworkers, confidantes, my closest friends, but I never thought of who they slept with! They were just the people I loved. I could never understand why they couldn’t be afforded the same rights and protections as all of the rest of us. There is no gay agenda, it’s a human agenda.
“All of us should be treated the same, and GLAAD knows that. Why shouldn’t gay people be allowed to marry? Those against gay marriages say marriage should only be between a man and a woman. God, I, of all people know that [the remainder of the sentence was inaudible due to an audience outburst]. I feel that any home where there is love constitutes a family and all families should have the same legal rights, including the right to marry and have or adopt children!
“Why shouldn’t gay people be able to live as open and freely as everybody else? What it comes down to, ultimately, is love. How can anything bad come out of love? The bad stuff comes out of mistrust, misunderstanding and, God knows, from hate and from ignorance … the bad things never came out of loving acts, loving gestures or loving relationships. That’s why I’m here tonight — to celebrate you and your families. And to tell you to hang in there and to say, once and for all of us, long live love.” Continue reading →
OK, so I was asleep when Pat Robertson, the American evangelist and Bill O’Reilly the FOX TV guy came out with their views that legalising gay marriage and prosecuting hate crime is the step before encouraging sex with ducks. But I am glad that these comediennes (Garfunkel and Oates) have brought me up to speed. Enjoy.
