Congrats to the happy couple! And way to f—k the system.

Q.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

JMG reader Birdie sends us the above photo and an explanation:

“John (right) is acknowledged by his birth state of Illinois to be male and has changed his Illinois state ID and Social Security card to match. James’ California driver’s license has ‘female’ as his legal sex. (He does not want to change his legal sex unless they offer T for transgender.) By marrying in Illinois, the marriage is registered as between bride and groom, thereby being recognized in all 50 states and by the federal government.”

Congrats to the happy grooms!

I still have qualms about corporations cashing in on pink $$s but at least Target is trying to soak everyone evenly.

Q.

Target recently unveiled a new ad for their wedding registry service featuring a gay male couple holding hands and dressed to the nines. The ad proclaims “Be Yourself, Together.”

Though the company came under fire for campaign donations to anti-gay marriage political groups and campaigns, Target has been a major sponsor for the Pride festivities in its hometown of Minneapolis, sold pride T-shirts benefiting the Family Equality Council, and ranks high on the Human Rights Campaign’s corporate equality index ranking businesses on LGBT-friendly workplace policies.

So someone thought it would be funny to run a fake engagment annoucement for two straight guys in a Halifax paper. It wasn’t funny and the response from one of the guys who was pranked is quite remarkable:

“I am a strong proponent of equal marriage rights for the LGBT community, and hate having my name involved in a prank that could possibly be perceived as making a mockery of something that the community had to fight towards for so long in Canada.”

Jul 17th 2012, 6:43 by The Economist | SHANGHAI

ZHEN AI used a conventional method to uncover the truth about her husband’s “business trips”. She logged on to his computer. But what Ms Zhen, who was three months pregnant at the time, found was beyond her imaginings. She saw photos of her husband in some of China’s most exotic settings—Tibet, Hangzhou and Yunnan province—with another man. The pictures of them together in bed were particularly devastating.

Ms Zhen, who is now 30 years old and prefers to use a pseudonym, is one of an estimated 16m straight women who are married to gay men in China. Zhang Beichuan, a scholar, estimates that more than 70% of gay men marry straight women. Using census data from 2011, Mr Zhang estimates that somewhere between 2-5% of Chinese men over the age of 15 are gay, or between 11m and 29m. The women who marry them are known as tongqi, which might be translated as “homo-wife”, using “homo-” for same.

Tolerance is on the rise in major cities. Shanghai had its fourth Pride festival in June. Earlier this month the national ministry of health announced that lesbians will be permitted to donate blood.

Yet intolerance still prevails. Homosexuality was only removed from the health ministry’s list of mental illnesses in 2001. In rural regions, the belief that homosexuality is a treatable disease is still widespread.

It did not occur to Ms Zhen that her husband could be gay, though there were signs. She recalls inadvertently resting her hand on his arm during a movie date. “I felt him flinch, but he endured it”, she says. Though confused by his lack of intimacy, she found his considerate nature to be endearing. She hoped the passion would grow after he proposed. What followed instead was an icy marriage, frequent business trips and a perfunctory sex life.

After finding the photos, Ms Zhen found temporary solace in an online tongqi support group. Luck again abandoned her. This month, her signature joins 50 others on an open letter accusing the website tongqijiayuan.com of scamming its members out of 90,000 yuan ($14,000) in total. Ms Zhen lost 2,000 yuan. “We’ve realised [the site’s] owners were taking advantage of our fragile emotions and low social status,” the joint letter reads.

It is especially difficult for Chinese men to come out to their families. Traditional beliefs about the importance of maintaining bloodlines permeate society, which regards homosexuality as unfilial. Yang Shaogang, a Shanghai-based lawyer who specialises in tongqi cases, counselled five women last year after they contracted HIV from their husbands. The only way to prevent this sort of tragedy from befalling such women, he says, is calling for more tolerance so gay men won’t feel forced to enter marriage in the first place.

In recent years some have found a solution, of sorts. Chinagayles.com, a website with some 153,000 members, helps gay men meet lesbian women for matrimonial purposes. Individuals upload personal details, such as monthly income, hobbies and Zodiac signs. Some seek cohabitation without sexual contact. Others want children.

Zhuang Xiang, a 30-year-old accountant from Shanghai, came to understand why he was drawn to boys when he was 17. On flicking through a gay comic book in a shop, he had his great “a-ha!” moment. He met his boyfriend in 2004. And then he married his lesbian wife in 2009. He and his wife don’t live together, but they visit each other’s parents once a week. Mr Zhuang even keeps some of her clothes on display at home, in case of unannounced visitors.

Mr Zhuang says he is lucky to live in a big city like Shanghai, where such a solution is possible. But he wants to live in a country where gay men are accepted. His parents have started to talk about a grandchild. Mr Zhuang and his lesbian wife will likely get a forged certificate of infertility. Keeping up the appearance of their marriage feels like a never-ending battle, he says. But sometimes lies are more sensible than the truth.

(Picture credit: ChinaGayLes.com)

lila@huffingtonpost.com

 

On Monday, lawyers filed a petition on behalf of Edith “Edie” Windsor, an 83-year-old lesbian from New York, asking the Supreme Court to review her case, thus bypassing a second round in the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, where the case is scheduled to appear next. Earlier this month, the Obama administration asked the high court to review two other cases challenging DOMA’s constitutionality. With Windsor’s petition, there are now three cases, from three of the most significant gay marriage states, that could challenge DOMA at the Supreme Court as early as next spring, if the court consents to hear them.

Windsor sued the government in 2010, after the death of her partner of more than 40 years forced Windsor to pay more than $363,000 in federal estate tax on her partner’s estate.

Windsor and Thea Spyer were married in 2007, in Canada, and while New York recognized the marriage, the federal government did not. When Spyer got sick, she chose to leave her entire estate to Windsor. Had Windsor been married to a man, she would not have had to pay any estate tax, according to court documents; therefore, her suit argues, DOMA violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.

On June 6, the New York District Court sided with Windsor. Last month, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn filed a joint amicus brief in support of Windsor.

Read More

While it is nice to see inclusive merchandise available I can’t help but think ‘pink bucks’ and profits are the real motivators. Call me cynical.

Q.

MINNEAPOLIS — Placed on greeting card racks under the headings of “For two special men” and “For two special women,” Minneapolis-based Target Corp. is now stocking greeting cards to celebrate same-sex unions.

The gay-themed greeting cards hit Target stores nationwide last month, just weeks after the retailer began selling gay pride-themed t-shirts online, reported the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

The cards are addressed to: “Two very special women, one very special love” and “Mr. & Mr.” and included greetings which include “…a love story whose time has come! Congratulations.”

Company spokeswoman Molly Snyder said that “Target is focused on diversity and inclusivity,” and now offers a range of greeting cards that appeal to a variety of audiences, including the LGBT community.

The cards are made by Carlton Cards, a unit of American Greetings, whose spokeswoman Patrice Sadd said the company and Target jointly decided to offer “wedding cards relevant for everyone.”

The move is the latest step by Target to appeal to gay and lesbian consumers — in 2010, Target drew backlash for a $150,000 donation it made to a political action group backing Tom Emmer, the failed Republican gubernatorial candidate who opposed gay marriage.

Target’s donation led to nationwide boycotts of the retailer among LGBT consumers and allies, while the retailer continued to fund anti-gay politicians even after its CEO issued a public apology.

And last year, an exclusive deal between Target and Lady Gaga over the sales of her album, “Born this Way,” broke down over the company’s perceived anti-gay sentiments.

In November, Minnesotans will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Target has not yet taken a position on the amendment, and said it’s going to remain neutral, having been burned by its political involvement in the past.

07/11/2012

Facebook recently updated its timeline icons to include two grooms and two brides

Religious activists in Russia are calling for a nationwide ban on Facebook now the social network allows gay couples to use an icon to represent their marriage.

According to the government-funded RT.com news network, a group of Russian Orthodox activists in the southern city of Saratov say Facebook is involved in “gay propaganda”.

The social network recently updated the icons users can put on their profile timelines to indicate key personal events.

Gay married users had previously had to use an icon of a bride and groom to mark the date of their wedding.

Now, the head of an Orthodox group says his campaign amassed 34,000 signatures in three days on a petition demanding Facebook stop what he termed “flirting with sodomites”, believing the network is breaking regional laws on ‘gay propaganda’.

Vladimir Roslyakovsky said today: “We demand only one thing: Facebook should be blocked in the entire country because it openly popularizes homosexuality among minors.”

Ryazan, Arkhangelsk, Kostroma, Novosibirsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara and St Petersburg now have laws forbidding the promotion of homosexuality and a national law has been mooted. Russia’s Public Chamber is reportedly examining arguments that the laws are unconstitutional.

Roslyakovsky said he aims to get 1,000,000 citizens of Orthodox and other faiths to sign the petition.

He said: “The US goal is that Russians stop having children. [They want] the great nation to turn into likeness of Sodom and Gomorrah.”

The activists are reportedly prepared to appeal to the Duma to have Facebook banned.

He added that he was “confident that Russian laws and reasonable citizens will be able to protect their children from a fierce attack of sodomites.”

Facebook declined to comment this afternoon.

Congrats to the happy couple!

Q.

Gretchen Ertl for The New York Times

NEWTON, MASS., JULY 7 Representative Barney Frank, right, with Jim Ready after their wedding ceremony.

By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM

Published: July 7, 2012

IT was perhaps fitting that Representative Barney Frank met his future husband, Jim Ready, at a political fund-raiser in 2005.

“I told him I had a crush on him for 20 years,” said Mr. Ready, recalling that as a teenager he was inspired by Mr. Frank’s public declaration that he was gay.

And what did Mr. Frank make of that? “That I’m being rewarded for coming to this fund-raiser,” he said with a laugh.

Mr. Frank, 72, and Mr. Ready, 42, were married in Newton, Mass., part of Mr. Frank’s district, on Saturday in a low-key ceremony on the banks of the Charles River. Gov. Deval L. Patrick of Massachusetts officiated. The guests included Representative Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, as well as Senator John Kerry and Representatives Dennis J. Kucinich and Steny H. Hoyer.

Mr. Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, became, in 1987, the first sitting member of Congress to volunteer that he was gay. He is now the first to be married to a partner of the same sex. Both bridegrooms said they recognized the historical significance of the ceremony, which lasted less than five minutes. Gov. Patrick told the guests that Mr. Frank had requested that the service “be short and to the point.”

And in vows written by the couple, Mr. Frank and Mr. Ready pledged to love each other “on MSNBC or on Fox” and “in Congress or in retirement,” a reference to Mr. Frank’s decision not to seek another term.

Read More

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A New York state appeals court on Friday ruled against a challenge to the state’s marriage equality law, and ruled that the statute was legally enacted.

The New York state Senate “did not violate the Open Meetings Law” and “marriages performed thereunder are not invalid,” the court ruled, reported the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms had sued New York state last year, alleging that the Senate had violated the Open Meetings Law when it held marathon, closed-door conferences discussing the bill in the days leading up to its passage in June 2011.

The state Appellate Court in Rochester sided against a lower court in Livingston County, declaring that the conferences were held in accordance with the law and deciding in favor of the state’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

“The court’s decision affirms that in our state, there is marriage equality for all, and with this decision New York continues to stand as a progressive leader for the nation,” say Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in a statement following the ruling.

New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms is a lobbying group founded in 1982 to promote religious liberties and moral values, according to its website.

It sued the state Senate the month after the bill was signed into law.

Eamon Gilmore is the Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland

The Deputy Prime Minister (Tanaiste) of Ireland, Eamon Gilmore, has told Dublin Pride that the law should be changed to allow same-sex couples the same rights to marry as opposite sex couples.

Mr Gilmore, who is the leader of the Irish Labour Party and serves as Deputy Prime Minister in a Coalition Government said that politicans should no longer dictate who people fall in love with or who they decide to spend their lives with.

“I believe in gay marriage,” he said. “The right of gay couples to marry is, quite simply, the civil rights issue of this generation, and, in my opinion, it’s time has come.”

“As leader of Labour, a party for whom the politics of personal freedom is so central, I acknowledge that when it comes to promoting understanding and respect, progress has been made in recent years. However, there are some outstanding matters, and if we as a party are serious about building a new progressive society, these are matters that we will have to resolve.

“I believe that in certain key areas, our laws are out of step with public opinion. I don’t believe for example, that it should ever be the role of the State to pass judgment on whom a person falls in love with, or whom they want to spend their life with.”

Read More

Read More

Sad.

Q.

Queensland’s parliament approved the amendments to the Civil Partnerships Act last night (Photo: Sardaka)

The Australian state of Queensland will remove gay couples’ ability to have children through surrogacy and downgrade civil partnerships to the class of ‘registered relationships’, after a debate in Parliament last night.

The Legislative Assembly in Brisbane agreed to extensively alter the provisions of the Civil Partnerships Act 2011, which came into force in February this year after control of the house swung to the right.

The system, introduced in the final months of the last state government, will be renamed and the option of an official ceremony revoked so it bears less resemblance to marriage.

The conservative Liberal National Party took control of the Parliament from the Labor Party in March in the worst election result for a sitting government in Queensland history.

Leader Campbell Newman had said shortly before the March election his party would “not be making any changes” to the surrogacy law. The Surrogacy Act 2010 allows gay couples, single people and new de-facto couples to have children, so long as a surrogate is not paid.

But Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie announced last night that single people and gay couples will no longer be able to have children through a surrogate when the LNP repeals those sections of the Act.

When asked why people were not told about this move before the election, Mr Newman told the Brisbane Times despite his statement to the contrary, it had always been a party policy commitment and added: “No one asked.”

Mr Newman said the move by the party, which now controls 78 of the 89 seats in Parliament, to heavily amend the civil partnerships system actually showed it was “prepared to reach a sensible compromise that retains rights”.

The Act delivered many of the same rights and obligations as marriage to gay couples, except adoption rights, and was unanimously opposed by the now-ruling Liberal National Party.

Katter’s Australian Party held its two seats in the March election, which it had gained by defections from the LNP.

The smaller party had wanted to ban gay couples from any form of registered relationship last night, a move Mr Newman said “would cause pain and suffering” and “a lot of trauma to many innocent people” who had entered into civil partnerships.

Australian Marriage Equality Convener Alex Greenwich said: “Same-sex couples throughout Queensland will be deeply insulted by the fact that yet again their relationships have been downgraded and demeaned by their own government.”

Australia does not recognise overseas marriages but acknowledges ‘de facto’ couples

Data from Australia’s 2011 census have been released today and show 33,714 gay couples, 1,338 of whom are married.

The number of same-sex relationships is equivalent to 0.48 per cent of the total number of couples recorded in the survey and has risen from 25,600 in 2006.

For the first time, gay couples had the option of recording themselves as married in the census, though Australia does not legally recognise them as such at the federal level.

1,338 couples said they had married, after the country permitted citizens the necessary certificates to marry abroad in countries which do permit gay couples to wed.

The five-yearly census found male couples slightly outnumbered female couples, by 17,583 to 16,131.

New South Wales had the most same-sex couples in terms of population, with 0.85 percent of couples being gay. 0.75 percent were gay in Victoria, 0.63 percent in Queensland and 0.53 percent in Western Australia.

Australian Marriage Equality national convener, Alex Greenwich, said: “The fact that at least 1338 same-sex couples have gone to the great lengths to marry overseas shows how deeply they value marriage.

“As someone who recently married overseas I understand how painful it is that my solemn vow of lifelong commitment counts for more in a foreign country than it does in the country of which I am a citizen.

“It’s important the Census counts people like me because it shows other Australians that this is not an abstract issue – married same-sex partners are here already and actively being denied rights and recognition every day of our lives.”

He added: “Many married same-sex couples would not be aware they are able to indicate if they are married on the Census, given their marriage is not legally recognised in Australia, so I expect the actual number is much greater.”