Wash. governor signs gay marriage {Vide On NJ Gov Christie}

 It’s The: Law                             

From MSNBC

Elaine Thompson / AP

Wash. Gov. Christine Gregoire, seated, raises her arms as legislators and supporters cheer behind her after she signed into law a measure that legalizes same-sex marriage Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, in Olympia, Wash.

By The Associated Press and msnbc.com staff

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Gov. Chris Gregoire has signed into law a bill that legalizes gay marriage in Washington state, making it the nation's seventh to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed.

It's a historic moment, but same-sex couples can't walk down the aisle just yet.

The law takes effect June 7, but opponents are already mounting challenges on multiple fronts.

Opponents planned to file a challenge Monday that could put the law on hold pending the outcome of a November vote.

  Gregoire signed the bill Monday morning. It passed the House on Wednesday, a week after Senate approval.

"We are thrilled," said Lisa M. Stone, executive director of Legal Voice, a nonprofit that advocates for gay and lesbian rights. "After amazing support from both the Senate and the House earlier this month, signing the marriage equality bill late this morning was the next step toward providing equal treatment for all loving and committed families."

The group is girding for further battle, however, anticipating that opponents to same sex marriage will launch a petition to get the issue on the November ballot.

In fact, opponents had that effort under way in anticipation of Gregoire's signing Monday.

"We ARE going to exercise our right to referendum and reject this law!" said the Family Policy Institute of Washington on its Web site, in an urgent appeal launched Sunday.

"Don’t forget to continue to pray that the citizens of Washington State will be fearless in their support and defense of traditional marriage between one man and one woman. Send out requests across the state, nation and world for other faithful to join us in prayer to move hearts here in Washington to unify, organize a successful referendum campaign and to vote for traditional marriage."

The Seattle Times article on the bill being signed into law elicited mostly positive reaction in its comments section.

"Hooray!" wrote Sounder_Beav. "This has no business going to a state-wide referendum. However, if it does, I'm confident a strong majority of WA voters will uphold and confirm equal rights for same sex marriage."

"Glad this is finally over and we’ve joined the 21st Century at last," wrote Alphonso Arrivaderci.

But there were exceptions.

"So sad," wrote idcoug from Boise, without elaborating.

And then there was a contingent impatient with the issue.

"Good. Can we move on now?" commented 2times.

"Let’s focus 100 percent on balancing and passing the state budget now," urged Taxmaad.

In New Jersey on Monday, the state Senate passed a bill that would allow nuptials for same-sex couples. Gov. Chris Christie has said he will veto such legislation.

The Senate's vote sends the bill to the Assembly, which is expected to pass it Thursday.

"It means the world isn't changing, it means the world has already changed," said Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality, the state's largest gay rights organization. "So wake up and smell the equality."

Len Deo, president of New Jersey Family Policy Council, which opposes gay marriage, called the vote "an exercise in futility."

The governor has said he does not believe marriage laws should be changed, but he does support New Jersey's civil union law, which grants gay couples the legal protections of marriage.

Christie said he wants to put a change in the definition of marriage to a public vote.

But gay rights groups oppose a referendum. They see gay marriage as a civil rights matter and argue that it should not be up to the masses to protect the rights of a minority group.

Five years ago, New Jersey's state Supreme Court ruled that gay couples should have the same rights as married heterosexual couples. In response, the Legislature created civil unions.

Gay rights advocates say that because the civil union designation is hard to understand and still treats committed gays differently from married couples, the courts should eliminate civil unions and recognize gay marriage. A lawsuit seeking to do that is in the state court system.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com

{ABC What Would You Do } Almost Got Actor Playing Anti Gay “Killed”(see video)

BC's prank undercover news show What Would You Do on Friday again attempted to find secret, anti-gay bias, this time featuring a counselor telling a sobbing teen that he needs to "pray away the gay." Host John Quinones managed to drag Michelle Bachmann into the topic and seemed to have no problem when a patron asserted he was going to "kill" the actor playing the counselor.

The program set up a hidden camera in a New Jersey pancake house. Narrator/host Quinones introduced the counselor as someone "who believes the power of prayer can change anything." A bizarre close-up of his mouth appeared onscreen and echoing sound effects are used as he proclaimed, "Together, we can pray the gay away. [Echoes] Away." [MP3 audio here.]

Dragging the former presidential candidate into ABC's version of Candid Camera, Quinones derided, "The controversy has even made its way into presidential politics. Marcus Bachmann."

He added, "A clinic owned by Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and her husband was accused of practicing something called reparative therapy."

At the diner, an eavesdropping woman attacked the counselor, "You've got that amazingly calm demeanor that says serial killer to me."

Quinones cheered the woman's husband, "Their pancakes may be cold, but the man is on fire."

After being informed the falsity of the situation, the angry man told the faux counselor, "You are absolutely fantastic. And you almost died!"

This is the exact same thing that happened when ABC trolled for anti-gay marriage bias in New York. For more on that, go here.

On the What Would You Do website, viewers can submit their own undercover scenarios. How about one featuring a fake reporter making liberal, sneering comments to real journalists?

mrc.org
byBy Scott Whitlock

Whitney was in Such Pain She Just Wanted IT to Stop

The first time I heard about Zanax it was from Bill. He loved Zanax and alcohol. He had stop drinking because he was very sick. But he still had a young body. He could fight.  No, He did not want to wait for the cure.H has had enough!  Zanax and alcohol took him to the same road as Whitney. Whitney Had enough!

The first time I heard about Zanax it was from Bill. He loved Zanax and alcohol. He had stop drinking because he was very sick. He still had a young body. He could fight.  But the disease was ravishing his brain and his legs and he was always in pain. He did not want to wait for the ‘cure'.

Zanax and alcohol took Bill to the same road as Whitney. One night he took enough Zanax and Morphine and he went. Bill my best friend, was in his 30’s.
Whitney Had enough! Actually she was very lucky. To have an angelic voice and become world known for her talent. She had a family that adored her. She had a daughter that needed her.

But the drugs had created havoc in her brain. Is not what we can do but what we believe we can do. I call it the "Flea Rule”.  You take a bunch of fleas and put them in a jar with a close lid. The fleas will start jumping up to get out,  consequently hitting their heads against the lid. After a while they don’t stop jumping but now they don’t jump as high as they lid. They most say if they could speak, FThis.

But something amazing then happens.  You take the lid off the glass jar and the fleas will jump, but never as high as where the lid was. They think the lid is still there because of their bad experience before and now they had enough. They will jump, because they need to try to get out, but they don’t get out because they no longer try as hard as they did before, thus they will die in the glass jar.

Am amazing lesson to be learned from  such small pesky pest. In the mist of imagined or true failure if we would just try as hard as we did before!….and again the condition on the fleas was imagined. They were going with old information of how their head got hurt trying to jump up to the jar. New information is now in but they are no longer able to process it. No body knows why.

If we could learn from the ones that go before us!
Whitney was so damaged in her insides that she just wanted the pain to stop.

adam@adamfoxie*

{Our Girl Whitney Houston} TMZ: Zanax and Alcohol Was The Cause of Death

By tmz.com

Whitney Houston's family was told by L.A. County Coroner officials ... the singer did not die from drowning, but rather from what appears to be a combination of Xanax and other prescription drugs mixed with alcohol ... this according to family sources.

We're told Coroner's officials informed the family there was not enough water in Whitney's lungs to lead to the conclusion that she drowned.

Our sources say the family was told Whitney may well have died before her head became submerged.

And family sources tell us ... it was actually Whitney's aunt, Mary Jones, whodiscovered Whitney's body in the bathtub. Mary had laid out Whitney's dress for the evening on the bed and then left for about a half hour. When Whitney didn't come out of the bathroom, Mary entered, pulled Whitney out of the tub and began administering CPR.

And we're told ... Whitney's mom has arranged to have the singer's body flown back to Atlanta, as early as tomorrow. The family was told the Coroner has no problem releasing the body because there is no evidence of foul play --  and unless cops put a hold on the body, it can be flown back East.

tmz.com

HRC: Governor About to Sign Gay Marriage in WASHINGTON State

Dear Adam, Within a matter of hours, Washington state Governor Chris Gregoire will sign the state's marriage equality bill, and Washington will become the seventh state to enact marriage equality. These are the moments I live for. But a new fight is taking shape right now. Anti-equality groups will push this landmark measure to a public referendum. Losing would mean a reversal of this victory and guarantee that no same-sex marriages ever actually happen in Washington. We can't let them win – and Governor Gregoire needs to know that millions of Americans, gay and straight, are counting on her to keep up her incredible fight.  We simply couldn't have gotten this far without Governor Gregoire's leadership. But we also couldn't have done it without you, Adam. Here's how you had a hand in this victory: First, your support enabled us to place a field director and seven organizers at critical points across the state – resulting in nearly 30,000 postcards, 2,500 phone calls, and 30,000 emails to legislators. Then, our voices united, we played an integral role in getting over 100 major businesses – including Nike, Amazon, and Google – to boldly support this marriage equality bill. And the commitment of more than a million members and supporters like you enabled us to lay important groundwork with the talented team at the Washington United for Marriage coalition. This has been a critical step forward in our coordinated, nationwide equality campaign, and we're not about to back down. We still face months of work before same-sex couples can marry in Washington. And if the right gets its way – if we lose this ballot measure – we could be back to square one. To win once and for all, we'll need to again rely on Governor Gregoire's courage and motivation to do what's right. We have our work cut out for us around the country. We'll be calling on you in the weeks ahead to bolster this victory and to push for marriage equality in other states. But with much hard work, we make great progress, and today is a true testament to that. Thank you for being a part of this remarkable movement. With determination and thanks, Joe Solmonese President

{Australia} Bills Being Introduced for Same Sex Marriage

 TWO separate private member's bills to legalise same-sex marriage will be introduced today in a historic move for the gay rights movement.

Labor backbencher Stephen Jones will present his bill to legalise gay marriage while Greens MP Adam Bandt and Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie will sponsor a second bill.

Mr Wilkie's bill, however, carries a caveat that religious ministers will not be obliged to perform same-sex ceremonies.

   

But with Labor MPs allowed a conscience vote on the issue, the twin bills appear doomed to be voted down by the combined forces of its Labor opponents - including Prime Minister Julia Gillard - and the Coalition.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has refused to allow a conscience vote and warned Liberal MPs last year against crossing the floor in contravention of party policy, which opposes same-sex marriage.

Yet another bill seeking to legalise same-sex marriage will be introduced later this year with the Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young announcing her intentions to seek to present a bill in the upper house.

Mr Bandt has aired fears Labor and the opposition have colluded to water down Mr Jones' bill to civil unions, which is not expected to go to a vote for several months.

But Mr Jones told ABC radio today that assertion ''was putting the cart before the horse''.

The expected introduction of the backbencher's bill comes after December's national conference voted to reverse the party's long-standing opposition to same-sex marriage.

While Mr Jones will make history as the first ALP member to attempt to legalise same-sex marriage; he will also be the first government MP to introduce a bill that is voted down by his own party.

The member for the blue-collar seat of Throsby in the Illawarra region in NSW, says he has the support of ministers and of the Left but admits he does not expect the bill - which will propose to amend the Marriage Act to include gay and lesbian couples - to pass the House of Representatives.

But he said the prospect of defeat was not a deterrent as the legislation was "a reflection of the basic Labor Party values of equity and fairness''. ''I have not been a crusader on this issue,'' Mr Jones said. ''I came late but it is about how we treat people and the respect we afford their choices.''

Nationals senator Ron Boswell said today he was ‘‘absolutely’’ opposed to the same-sex marriage bills.

‘‘If you are going to have a society, a society must be based on the family and marriage underpins the family,’’ he told reporters in Canberra.

He said moving towards a society that openly embraced same-sex marriage was a ‘‘very dangerous course’’.

‘‘Thank goodness, I think the numbers are not there for it to get through,’’ he said.

Labor backbencher Andrew Leigh said this morning he intended to support the Jones bill, while his Western Sydney MP colleague David Bradbury confirmed he would not vote to legalise gay marriage. 

Jessica Wright

smh.com.au

Peru’s Gay Activist Olivera Fights For Human Rights

Crissthian Olivera sued a supermarket for discrimination

On 12 February 2011, the Peruvian police beat a group of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people who were kissing in the capital's main square to protest against discrimination.

A year later, Lima's gay movement is renaming the anniversary as Peru's Stonewall, in reference to the riots in New York in 1969 which gave rise to the global gay rights movement.

But much remains to be done for LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual] people in Peru.

For more than seven years, Crissthian Olivera has been trying to get justice for what he says was discrimination because of his sexual orientation.

It was August 2004, and he and his then partner were sitting at a cafe inside a supermarket in the Peruvian capital.

"We were looking at each other in a romantic way," he recalls.

"We weren't kissing or hugging.

"But a member of staff came over and told us that we had to change our behaviour."

The staff told them they had to sit facing each other, and refrain from showing affection there because there were children and families around.

"From being customers at the establishment," he says, "we were suddenly treated almost like criminals, basically because of our sexual orientation.

"They don't speak like this to heterosexual couples."

Mr Olivera sued the supermarket for discrimination. But his case was dismissed by the courts.

The campaign group MHOL plans a protest: Kisses against homophobia

"His case is common," says Giovanny Romero, the president of MHOL, the Homosexual Movement of Lima.

"In Peru, democracy is neither democratic nor inclusive. There are people like us who live in the margins of the margins of society.

"We are liberal only in economic terms. But as far as human rights, we still live in the Middle Ages."

'No complaints'

Carlos Chipoco, a lawyer at the Commission for Justice and Human Rights in the Peruvian Congress, says gay people need to speak up more to protect their rights.

"Every day, we receive complaints about violations of human rights," he says, "but nothing from the gay community.

"They should try to push for constitutional actions that protect their rights.

"But it's not just about having laws. Many of our laws are not respected.

"What we need are movements that demand that judges apply sanctions to those who don't respect our laws."

Human rights lawyer Carlos Chipoco says the gay community should push for constitutional actions to protect their rights

Giovanny Romero rejects such criticism. MHOL, he says, has brought a legal action against a clinic that forbade one of its members from donating blood.

He adds that the movement, as well as other organisations, has long pushed for recognition of LGBT rights in the courts and through better legislation.

The need for more protection of this minority group is hard to ignore.

According to an investigation by MHOL, one person is killed each week in Peru because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity.

Yet, confronted with such homophobia - which Carlos Chipoco himself recognises is widespread - the Peruvian Congress has yet to debate proposed legislation that would severely sanction all hate crimes.

"It would be the first step of a country that begins to value our lives," says Mr Romero.

Continue reading the main story

“

Start Quote

We need to change our society and culture - and to erase all those prejudices about homosexuality”

Crissthian Olivera

Gay man

"It's about protecting the right of people to live, and sanction in an exemplary way all hate crimes."

Mr Chipoco agrees that the law is needed, but he says that consensus is hard to reach among politicians.

"There are many who are very conservative and have a religious belief that homosexuality is a sin," he says.

"But we will probably present the draft legislation again, and let's hope it can advance."

'Keep fighting'

Mr Olivera believes achieving better rights in Peru will be difficult. 

Human rights lawyer Carlos Chipoco says the gay community should push for constitutional actions to protect their rights

He recounts the story of Jefry Pena, a transsexual woman who in 2007 was brutally beaten by a group of men, after the police refused to help her when she was being chased by her attackers.

Such hate crimes are not particular to Peru, but the country lags behind some others in the region on LGBT rights.

Argentina recognises gay marriage and adoptions; Colombia has progressive public awareness campaigns; and "Brazil Without Homophobia" has been a government initiative there for years.

Nevertheless, Mr Olivera remains optimistic, and wants his case to be heard at the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights.

"We need to change our society and culture," he says, "and to erase all those prejudices about homosexuality.

"Our rights will not magically fall from the sky. That's why we need to keep on fighting."

http://www.bbc.co.uk

{ESPN Analysts} I got a problem when any guy has his shirt off and chest bumps another man.”

Jalen Rose has a problem with shirtless men chest-bumping one another

   

by Cyd Zeigler jr..

Jalen Rose is in hot water over calling Patriots tight end “white boy wasted” on the Mike & Mike Show, but it’s his homophobic comment that has out wrestler Akil Patterson hot under the collar. According to Patterson, Rose (who is an expert on losing championships) said in his tirade against Gronkowski’s post-Super Bowl dancing: “I got a problem when any guy has his shirt off and chest bumps another man.”

Rose quickly took to Twitter to give the middle finger to everyone who might have not liked his racial and homophobic comments:

Notice the all-caps YOU – making it crystal clear he’s not apologizing to anyone else. He gave a half-hearted “apology” on air after he got caught in a whirlwind of reaction, but he laughed it off.

Of course, ESPN has deleted that portion of the interview so we cannot hear it (listen for the edit three seconds in).

While the comment may seem innocuous, Rose made it clear he doesn’t want two men touching one another with their bodies. Where do you think that comes from? He’s perfectly fine with men being naked, showering together. But once they touch? All bets are off. As we saw with ESPN’s Rob Parker earlier this week, his comments reflect the root of homophobia.

Rose knows a thing or two about losing championship games. He lost in the NCAA championship game two years in a row with Michigan; And he lost in the NBA Finals with the Indiana Pacers in 2000. He was also suspended by ESPN last year for a DUI arrest.

outsports.com

editing and Tittle:AF*

Daniel Radcliffe Wont Remain{Mum} Quiet About Gay Human Rights

 
Daniel Radcliffe is known for speaking his mind and hasn’t held back when it comes to standing up for equal rights and same-sex marriage.

In a recent interview with Attitude UK magazine’s March 2012 issue, “The Woman in Black” actor didn’t remain mum on the controversial topic of gay rights.

“The ultimate reason gay marriage should be legalized everywhere is because, as a kid, you look to your mum and dad and they’re married; then you look at the gay couple who’ve been together for the same amount of time, but because they can’t get married their relationship doesn’t seem the same.

“Yes, gay marriage is about symbolically blessing a relationship, but the larger issue is about transmitting a fundamental message about equality. Gay people should have equality in law everywhere,” the actor said.

Many celebrities have opened up this week on where they stand with same-sex marriage, due to the fact that Prop 8 was ruled unconstitutional in California this week, so it’s really no surprise to hear Radcliffe’s point of view.

He is also an avid supporter for The Trevor Project and made a bet with Ellen DeGeneresover the Super Bowl where either one would have to donate $5,000 to the organization.

The 22-year-old actor even revealed what type of man he would go for if he were gay. “This year I have a talent crush on Ryan Gosling. I think he’s fantastic and . . . (ahem) you know he’d be nice afterwards. He seems smart. If I was gay, I would go for a smart man.”

Continuing with his interview, Radcliffe also discussed teen suicide. “It’s not surprising when you consider how accessible a bullying victim is now. You used to be able to escape at the end of a day: now you can be hunted by mobile phone, Facebook, Twitter. It’s terrifying.”

Besides being looked up to as “Harry Potter,” Radcliffe is a great role model and inspiration for youth and as he said so eloquently about sexuality, “Don’t define as straight or gay, define yourself as people and help another person if they’re in trouble.”

BY ALLYSON KOERNER 

.ecorazzi.com