GAY PRIDE 2013 – MORE REASONS TO CELEBRATE

Same-sex marriage has been legal, nationally in  Canada for over 7 years now (excluding the province of British Columbia and Ontario, which allowed same-sex marriage in 2003).  In the United States of America – In a 5 to 4 vote, The Supreme Court of The United States (SCOTUS), has deemed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional:  “DOMA is unconstitutional as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment”.  There is definitely more work to be done in the United States regarding basic human rights for the LGBT community but today, let’s celebrate this victory with images and moments of The Supreme Court’s ruling.

President Barack Obama

Made 2 phone calls from Air Force One.  The first was to Edie Windsor (plaintiff in USA v Windsor in DOMA) to congratulate her on her victory.  The second phone call was to Chad Griffin (President of Human Rights Campaign) and his plaintiffs and legal team involved with the Proposition 8 case.  Here is his statement after the SCOTUS ruling:

I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act. This was discrimination enshrined in law. It treated loving, committed gay and lesbian couples as a separate and lesser class of people. The Supreme Court has righted that wrong, and our country is better off for it. We are a people who declared that we are all created equal – and the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.This ruling is a victory for couples who have long fought for equal treatment under the law; for children whose parents’ marriages will now be recognized, rightly, as legitimate; for families that, at long last, will get the respect and protection they deserve; and for friends and supporters who have wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones treated fairly and have worked hard to persuade their nation to change for the better.

So we welcome today’s decision, and I’ve directed the Attorney General to work with other members of my Cabinet to review all relevant federal statutes to ensure this decision, including its implications for Federal benefits and obligations, is implemented swiftly and smoothly.

On an issue as sensitive as this, knowing that Americans hold a wide range of views based on deeply held beliefs, maintaining our nation’s commitment to religious freedom is also vital. How religious institutions define and consecrate marriage has always been up to those institutions. Nothing about this decision – which applies only to civil marriages – changes that.

The laws of our land are catching up to the fundamental truth that millions of Americans hold in our hearts: when all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.

Here is a picture of Edie Windsor (pictured on left) shortly after the Supreme Court’s ruling:

Proposition 8 plaintiff, Paul Katami, proposes to Jeff Zarillo on live television after SCOTUS ruling – such JOY!:

Kris Perry (prop 8 plaintiff) statement after SCOTUS ruling:

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

GAY MARRIAGE – IS IT THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT?

I have been legally married to my partner of almost 20 years now for just over 6 years.  Our marriage has not brought down the ‘wrath of God’, it has not disrupted any of the lives of our friends or family and it certainly hasn’t inconvenienced any of those who adamantly opposed it for years.   In the eyes of Canadian law – my partnership/marriage is treated as equal as that of my sister and her husband’s partnership or the partnership of my mother and father.  As it should be.

The Supreme Court of The United States (SCOTUS) is preparing to hear arguments in the Prop 8 (Proposition 8 was a California ballot proposition and a state constitutional amendment passed in November 2008 state elections.  The measure added a new provision, Section 7.5 of the Declaration of Rights, to the California Constitution, which provides that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California DOMA) and DOMA (Defence of Marriage Act).

It is my belief that if religious institutions don’t believe in gay marriage – they shouldn’t have to perform them and should not be forced to do so.  What I don’t agree with is when businesses deny their services or products to individuals because of their sexual orientation and religious beliefs.  I don’t understand why homosexuals would even support these religious institutions or businesses that blatantly discriminate against them because of who they love. 

Psychology Today listed Top 10 Reasons to Support Gay Marriage back in May 2012 – here is the Top 10:

1. Discrimination frays the human spirit.
2. Making committed human connections is good for physical and mental health.
3. Forming families, traditional or not, is good for the soul.
4. Marriage is a basic human right and an individual personal choice and the State should not interfere with same-gender couples who choose to marry.
5. Homosexuality is a normal variant of adult sexuality; gay men and lesbians possess the same potential and desire for sustained loving and lasting relationships as heterosexuals including loving and parenting children.  This is supported by hard data, not just opinion.
6. Discriminatory marriage laws deprive gay and lesbian couples of over 1000 federal rights and benefits.
7. Deprivation of these benefits has demonstrable negative psychological and social impact on same-sex couples, their children and families.
8. Change and adaptation make for a stronger and psychological richer society.
9. Same-sex couples can teach heterosexual couples how couples in relationships lacking gender-based power dynamics often solve problems and make decisions with more respect and mutuality.
10. Ending discrimination enhances the human spirit and makes all of our lives better.

(Some of these reasons are taken from the position statement of the American Psychoanalytic Association on gay marriage approved in 1997 and revised in 2008. To read the entire statement and other American psychoanalytic Association position statements on gay rights and other social issues, go to http://apsa.org/About_APsaA/Position_Statements.aspx)

Gay marriage or homosexuality – will not be the end of civilization.  Homosexuality has been around since the beginning of time and the world has been no different.  People tend to fear what they don’t know or understand.  If people don’t let go of their fears and come to understand that we are all the same – then they will never be able to let go of their ignorance and intolerance. 

Together, we can make the world a more positive one.

 

LOVE IS LOVE – A LETTER FROM A SON WITH TWO DADS…….

There is so much to be said about this video……Two dads or two mothers can provide a loving and nurturing home to their children – just as many straight couples do.  Enjoy this letter written by 12-year old  Daniel:

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!