Same-sex marriage supporters to petition Scottish Parliament
A group of gay rights advocates has launched a petition to the Scottish Parliament calling for a change in the law to allow two people of the same sex to get married.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Network says there is a “ban” on same-sex marriage and that the High Court and the UK Government “have both denied gay couples full equality.”
LGBT Network director Nick Henderson said:
“Equality means all citizens should be treated the same, and that everyone must have the same rights under law.
“Yet the status quo ensures a system of one law for straight couples and another for gay couples.
“Whatever the similarities between civil partnerships and marriage, separate but equal is inherently unequal.
“Marriage is the strongest word we have for a declaration of total love and commitment to one another; and to deny any person that opportunity is to deny the full measure of dignity and humanity that we are all endowed with?”
See Same-sex marriage supporters to petition Scottish Parliament
PinkNews.co.uk – UK
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/01/same-sex-marr…
Ministers Oppose Cleveland’s Gay Partner Registry
A group of ministers is leading an effort to repeal Cleveland’s recently passed gay domestic partner registry, reports Cleveland daily The Plain Dealer.
United Pastors in Mission, a group of mostly black ministers led by president Rev. C. Jay Matthews of the Mount Sinai Baptist Church and director Rev. Marvin McMickle of Antioch Baptist Church, made the announcement at a Tuesday press conference at Matthews’ church. Cleveland city leaders approved the registry at a Monday December 8 session by a 13-7 vote. All of the seven lawmakers who voted against the measure were black. Ward 1 councilman Terrell Pruitt admitted he was pressured to vote against the registry: “I couldn’t risk having the ministers, who don’t have all the facts, on the pulpits preaching against me on Sunday.” Cleveland’s domestic partner registry allows gay and straight couples to seek recognition of their union from the city. Ohio passed one of the toughest gay marriage bans in the country four years ago. To ensure that the registry does not run afoul of the state’s prohibition it lacks any force of law and guarantees no protections whatsoever. Any benefits given to couples would be strictly voluntary. Over 70 cities and counties nationwide offer gay domestic partner registries. Lawmakers in the Mormon stronghold of Utah will take up the question next month.
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Tennessee Court order Bars divorced mom’s Partner of 9 years from Staying Overnight When mom Has Custody And Visitation of children
ACLU Urges Tennessee Appeals Court To protect rights of lesbian mom
NASHVILLE – In a brief filed today, the American Civil Liberties Union is urging a Tennessee appeals court to remove a ban preventing a divorced mom from having her partner of nine years and her own children stay at her home at the same time. The trial court unconstitutionally imposed the so-called “paramour restriction” on the lesbian couple even though the psychologist who performed the custodial evaluation in the case found the partner to be a positive influence in the children’s lives.
“Of course I’m willing to do anything to be able to be with my children, but this is really tearing us apart,” said Angel Chandler. “It’s been a huge emotional and financial drain on our family. It forces us to live apart almost every night, and it is denying my children quality time with a positive role model and person they love.”
Chandler and her former spouse, Joseph Barker, have two children, a daughter, 13, and a son, 15. Since they divorced more than 10 years ago, they have shared custody of the two children over the years. They have both entered into new relationships. Chandler has been with her partner since 1999. Barker remarried approximately 5 years ago.
It was not until May 15, 2008, that the court issued the restriction barring Chandler’s partner from her home any nights her children are with her. It was imposed after Chandler and Barker appeared before the Gibson County Chancery Court to modify their parenting plan. Even though a court-ordered psychological evaluation of all the parties noted that Chandler’s partner was a positive influence on the children, the trial judge imposed the restriction under the erroneous belief that he was required to do so under state law.
The restriction has caused a huge strain on Chandler’s relationship. Right after the order was issued, Chandler’s partner was forced to move back to North Carolina, making it virtually impossible for the couple to spend time together. Eventually they both relocated to North Carolina where they now live in a duplex that allows them to abide by the order. But Chandler had to leave her job and has just recently found suitable employment. The restriction has also been harmful to Chandler’s children, especially her daughter, who enjoyed spending time with her mother’s partner and who looked to her for advice and guidance. Living in the duplex, the couple is also losing rental income they relied on before the court imposed the ban.
“By all accounts, this family was succeeding, having gotten through a divorce and introduced a new parent into the home. But nine years on, a Judge has done his best to destroy all that by imposing this impossible restriction,” said Christine Sun, the Southeast regional senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project. “We are hopeful that the appeals court will recognize that it is unfair to tear this family apart.”
The brief filed by the ACLU charges that the court was wrong to interpret state law as requiring it to impose the partner ban. The brief points out that while there is no evidence in the record to support the imposition of the restriction, there is ample evidence showing that the children were doing fine the first nine years when there were no restrictions on the children’s contact with the partner. The psychological report concluded that the children had a positive parent-like relationship with the partner and that children who grow up in homes headed by same-sex couples tend to develop normal social relationships. The brief also charges that the restriction is unconstitutional. It unconstitutionally interferes with Chandler’s ability to raise her children as she sees fit, and it places an impossible burden on gay and lesbian parents. The brief notes that unlike straight couples, who have the option of marrying, lesbians and gay men are barred from marrying in the state and would never be able to live with their partners under these restrictions.
“Unfortunately, this case is an all too familiar example of how unfairly lesbian and gay parents are treated in custody and visitation proceedings,” said Hedy Weinberg, Executive Director of the ACLU of Tennessee. “All the children’s health and welfare organization have long recognized that lesbian and gay parents are just as capable of being good parents as straight couples and their children are just as well adjusted. We’re hopeful the Tennessee courts will come to that realization too.”
In addition to Sun, Chandler is being represented by Lucian Pera and Brian Faughnan of Adams and Reese, LLP, Tricia Herzfeld of the ACLU of Tennessee, and Gregory Minton. A copy of the brief filed today in the Court of Appeals of Tennessee, Western Division is available at http://www.aclu.org/lgbt/parenting/38168res20081223.html.
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/tennessee-cou…
Phoenix domestic-partner registry in the works
Just a month after Arizona voters passed a constitutional ban on gay marriage, the state’s largest city is poised to create a program that would grant hospital-visitation rights to unmarried gay or straight couples who live together.
The Phoenix City Council on Wednesday will consider making the city just the second in Arizona to offer its residents a domestic-partner registry.
Tucson launched a similar program in 2003.
See Phoenix domestic-partner registry in the works
Arizona Republic, AZ
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/phoenix-domes…
GLBT Historical Society Celebrates Castro Exhibit Opening
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — On December 18th, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Historical Society will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally open its newest exhibit Passionate Struggle: Dynamics of San Francisco’s GLBT History.
The exhibit, located at the corner of 18th and Castro streets in the heart of the City’s main GLBT district, has been open in preview since the release of the MILK film on November 26th, but will formally open on the 18th. “During our previews, thousands of people have come through,” said the exhibit’s Co-Curator Don Romesburg. “My favorite, though, was when Harvey Milk’s gay nephew, Stuart Milk, thanked us for so respectfully and powerfully displaying elements of his uncle’s life and death. Straight couples, families, long-time Castro residents, queer youth groups, tourists, and politicians have all told me how moving the show has been for them. Passionate Struggle speaks volumes to the importance of the GLBT Historical Society and how relatable our community’s history can be to so many people.”
The opening ceremony will feature private tours of the items on display by the exhibit’s curatorial team, speeches by GLBT Historical Society Staff and a ribbon-cutting by San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who helped the Historical Society secure Washington Mutual’s donation of the space and a major grant from Levi Strauss & Co.
The exhibit features artifacts, documents, images, video and audio that illustrate four key themes in GLBT history — People, Places, Politics and Pleasure. Several artifacts from Harvey Milk, the subject of the film MILK, are also on display.
“We’ve wanted to bring some of the key items from our archives to the Castro for so long,” said Paul Boneberg, Executive Director of the GLBT Historical Society. “We’re showcasing our community’s treasures and celebrating the GLBT Historical Society’s vital role at the home for our history.”
About the GLBT Historical Society — The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Transgender Historical Society (GLBTHS) collects, preserves, and interprets the history of GLBT people and the communities that support them. For more information, visit http://www.glbthistory.org/.
(El Cajon, CA: Publishers Export Company, 1965)
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/glbt-historic…
Cleveland Approves Gay Domestic Partner Registry
Cleveland City Council approved a domestic partner registry for gay and straight couples at its Monday session.
Passage of the registry was difficult in a state where voters passed one of the toughest gay marriage bans in the country four years ago.
The non-binding registry lacks the serious muscle of marriage or even civil unions; any benefits extended to couples would be strictly voluntary. But gay rights groups contend that in a state like Ohio, where city leaders have been hobbled by a broad constitutional amendment that forbids extending any marriage-like benefits to gay couples, it is a good compromise.
See Cleveland Approves Gay Domestic Partner Registry
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/cleveland-app…
