The Constitutional Court of Colombia has ruled that the country must give same-sex couples the right to marry within 2 years.
According to the court’s ruling, if the Colombian Congress does not create marriage equality by June 20, 2013, same-sex couples will be permitted to ask any judge or notary public to validate their marriage.
The ruling came after Colombia Diversa, a Colombian gay rights group, and DeJusticia amongst others asked the court to eliminate Article 42 of the Colombian Constitution defining marriage as between a man and a woman in order to procreate.
Rachel Maddow is facing a lawsuit after informing her viewers of christian-rocker Bradlee Dean’s support for Muslim homophobia and the punishment of gays according to the bible.
Dean seeks $50 million in damages, and says that Maddow should have read a disclaimer prior to presenting Dean’s statements letting viewers know that Dean was not advocating the killing of homosexuals. MSNBC and Maddow maintain that the disclaimer was read and that Dean’s claim is frivolous and should face dismissal.
Dean’s statement read by Maddow:
“Muslims are calling for the execution of homosexuals in America. They themselves are upholding the laws that are even in the Bible, the Judeo-Christian God, but they seem to be more moral than the American Christians do. Because these people are livid about enforcing their laws. They know homosexuality is an abomination. If America won’t enforce the laws, God will raise up a foreign enemy to do just that.”
Dean’s legal team asserts that Maddow and others have “wilfully and maliciously” attempted to mar the campaign of Michele Bachman, a strong supporter of Dean’s ministry. Yet another reason I would never vote for Bachmann.
The Italian Parliament has abnegated an anti-discrimination bill aimed at protecting LGBT citizens in a vote of 293 to 250 among the country’s Chamber of Deputies.
Discrimination is already banned based on race, religion, ethnicity, and nationality under the country’s 1948 constitution and was later updated and elaborated upon with the Immigration Act of 1998, which provides remedies against discriminatory acts. Concerns have arisen, however, as anti-gay and trans attacks have occurred amidst a lack of specific legal protections for homosexuals against discrimination. Italy also denies rights to same-sex marriages and same-sex couples adopting children.
This isn’t too surprising as Italy’s prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has openly opposed LGBT rights and that Italy is home to the Vatican, a kingdom of denial.
Taiwan has indirectly expressed its displeasure with the rise of same-sex marriages in the United States and around the world, declaring that the same-sex spouses of foreign diplomats assigned to Taiwan will not receive the same immunity and privileges provided to heterosexually couples spouses of diplomats.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed the media that this decision is “in accordance with the existing law, but the ministry will examine how other countries handle such situations” despite homosexuality being legal in the country and same-sex marriage having been proposed for legal recognition in 2003.
This decision won’t affect many diplomats considering that many countries have little diplomatic interaction with Taiwan due to China’s refusals to maintain relations with nations that recognize Taiwan.
The Attorney General of New York, Eric Schneiderman, submitted “a friend of the court brief” today challenging the Defense of Marriage Act’s(Hereafter, “DOMA”) constitutionality in Windsor v. U.S.. Schneiderman claims that same-sex couples are being denied their constitutional right to equal protection under the law as long as DOMA is being enforced.
Section 3 of DOMA restrains the federal government from recognizing same-sex unions performed by individual states. The attorney general argues that this violates the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause which has been interpreted by the Supreme Court previously to include the right to equal protection. The brief also argues that DOMA interferes with the states’ traditional right to define marriage for their citizens, and does not serve a legitimate federal interest and would fail to pass heightened scrutiny(A scrutiny level that has been proposed for use in cases involving discrimination against sexual minorities, but has typically been used for cases involving race.)
The Western Region Minister of Ghana has ordered the arrest of all homosexuals in the country’s west.
Paul Evans Aidoo, Ghana’s Western Region Minister, has instructed Ghana’s Bureau of National Investigations and security forces to begin arresting gay and lesbians in the county, and has also requested that any one with knowledge of a person’s homosexuality turn the offenders into police forces. The orders came after a local news report informed the public that approximately 8,000 homosexuals living in the western region, an estimate that upset many local Muslim and Christian residents.
Gay Ghanians are being arrested under the vague parameters of the Ghanian Criminal Code under Chapter 6 Article 105. According to the code it is a misdemeanor for any person to have “unnatural carnal knowledge”(whatever that means) of another with the other individual’s consent. If the “unnatural carnal” contact is not consensual, the initiator is subject to 1st degree felony charges. There are currently no laws protecting homosexuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Abotsie said laws outlawing “unnatural canal knowledge” in the Ghanaian criminal code were ambiguous and had not been defined to mean homosexuality, and it was wrong for politicians to be telling police how to carry out their duties.
A man was refused when trying to give blood because he appeared “homosexual” at an Indiana blood donation center.
The man, Aaron Pace, claims he is not homosexual and that blood donation organizations with policies banning homosexual blood donations are wrong. Pace went to the Bio-Blood Components, Inc. center looking to give blood and receive $40 for his donation as any ‘heterosexual’ off the street could have.
I don’t know how the technician taking the blood could stand by his or her assessment of ‘gayness’, you may see people that seem ‘gay’ but could you actually argue with someone that told you otherwise? I doubt it. The policy of banning homosexual blood from being donated is ignorant and the FDA needs to change it, especially whenconsidering that all vials of donated blood are tested for HIV and other diseases before being given to recipients.
The Ninth U.S. Circuit of Appeals has ordered that that the military should maintain its original “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”(hereafter, “DADT”) repeal plan as opposed to a proposal to end DADT instantaneously.
The repeal of DADT is to occur some time this year, and the Obama administration has urged that this should be a gradual process. Under the court’s order, although current military service men and women can no longer be discharged under DADT, military recruiters may still refuse to recruit and admit openly gay civilians for service.
Although I do believe that a more gradual process will make for a more smooth adjustment, I have to wonder whether President Obama’s urging has to do with elections coming up in November. Who knows how bad President Obama could look to the public if the repeal took place and there were violence or hate crimes associated with the transition.
A town clerk in Broome County has resigned from her position citing her religious beliefs as running contrary to the state’s newly legalized same-sex marriage.
Laura Fotusky, the former Broome County clerk in Barker, could not stomach putting her name on a same-sex marriage license. Here is her letter of resignation.
“To the Town of Barker Board, Supervisor Dilworth, Attorney Lewis and the Town Residents,”
“I have been in contact with Jason McGuire from New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, our Town Attorney, Richard Lewis, and a Constitutional Lawyer regarding the Marriage Equality Act that was passed June 24, 2011. There was no protection provided in the legislation for Town Clerks who are unable to sign these marriage licenses due to personal religious convictions, even though our US Constitution supports freedom of religion.”
“I believe that there is a higher law than the law of the land. It is the law of God in the Bible. In Acts 5:29, it states, ‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’”
“The Bible clearly teaches that God created marriage between male and female as a divine gift that preserves families and cultures. Since I love and follow Him, I cannot put my signature on something that is against God. Deuteronomy 10:12 says, ‘…What does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.’”
“I would be compromising my moral conscience if I participated in the licensing procedure. Therefore, I will be resigning as of July 21. I wanted you to know my position as I understand the marriage law goes into effect on July 24.”
“It has been a pleasure and privilege to serve the Town as Barker Town Clerk.”
“P.S. I am a drama queen and not only have I made you read this sappy letter, but right now I am pretending to cry in front of a baby jesus statue.” Okay, okay…I actually wrote that part, but really who cares? There are plenty of people who aren’t so biased and need a job. So step down and go work at a church or take a shower “Crying Game” style and scrub the gay off you, just stop writing letters. Amen.
Here is Laura returning home after leaving her resignation at the office:
Chileans are anticipating a bill from their president, Sebastian Pinera, that will legalize same-sex civil unions in the weeks to come.
The new bill will make Non-Cohabitation Agreements open for use by same-sex and heterosexual couples who have cohabitated for a year or longer. The bill comes in response to MOVILH, a large gay rights activism group in Chile, rallied in disapproval of Pinera’s failure to turn a civil union bill into law this year.
This sounds like a step in the right direction, but this is no where near what it could and should be: marriage equality. If nothing else, Pinera should recognize that in unsure economic times you need all the help you can get. So generate some revenue from “non- cohabitation agreements”, you know you want to.
The Constitutional Court of Colombia has ruled that the country must give same-sex couples the right to marry within 2 years.
ScRiMac
AMI Reports 