Congrats to all the newlyweds and happy new year!

Q.

On November 6, voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington approved marriage equality initiatives. Voters also rejected a ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples in Minnesota, but a state statute is still in effect.

Here’s when gay and lesbian couples in each state can get married:

Maine

December 6 at the earliest. This date may change. The initiative goes into effect 30 days after the governor makes a “public proclamation of the result of the vote,” within 10 days after the result has been determined.

Maryland

January 1, 2013. This date was included in the original legislation passed by the state’s General Assembly, which was approved by voters. If anti-marriage forces bring a legal challenge, however, this date may be pushed back.

Washington

December 6. All referendums that are approved by voters in the Evergreen State go into effect 30 days after the election.

And What about California?

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide the fate of AFER’s challenge to Prop. 8 on Tuesday, November 20. An announcement is expected by Monday, November 26.

If the Supreme Court hears AFER’s challenge, AFER attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies will make the case for marriage equality to the nation’s highest court. A final decision is expected by June 2013.

Or, if the Justices decide not to hear the case, the Ninth Circuit decision that ruled Prop. 8 unconstitutional will be made permanent, with marriages starting as soon as the Ninth Circuit issues its mandate, likely within several days after the Supreme Court denies review.

“I am not asking for therapy, but help in gaining momentum. Since the beginning of the school year, I have been harassed both in person and online by the school’s ‘bully.’ It is hard to use the word because almost everyone knows and loves him,” she wrote.

After the harassment escalated with threats of death, she got scared and went to administrators at the school for help. Nothing happened.

“It has been months. Multiple people have gone to the office with complaints about his bullying, and absolutely nothing has been done. Not so much as a detention,” Sarah wrote.

With nowhere to turn, she decided to put her story online. Less than 12 hours after her essay went viral, Principal Sharon Stratton said she was flooded with emails and had addressed the issue.

“I received responses from all over the country. It was quite surprising,” Stratton said.

In addition to emails, the online post garnered more than 4,000 comments, encouraging Sarah to get help.

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Do not kill yourself. The world needs more of you. Not more of him,” one person wrote.

Sarah declined requests for an interview.

Stratton would not give details about the incident, but confirmed that the online posting was genuine.

She said the issue was resolved in accordance with county school guidelines. Sarah wrote in an update that she provided documented proof of the harassment to school officials.

Some of the messages she forwarded were, “Go kill yourself,” “No one would care if you died,” “Why aren’t you dead yet?” and “Life has its ups and downs and you have the downs. Please do us a favor and … drown — A poem dedicated to Sarah.”

The student later wrote that the bully was suspended, but school officials would not confirm it, citing privacy laws.

School officials said administrators are sometimes unaware of bullying. In this particular situation, neither Stratton nor officials at school system headquarters would talk much about why the school waited to take action until the social media storm.

County schools spokesman Bob Mosier said school officials acted on the information they had.

“The school acted appropriately with the information it received at the time,” he said.

He said social media is a new reality for students, and it’s something the school system is working to address.

“It’s an aspect of school that has become important in recent years. There’s no question it poses different challenges to the school system,” he said.

Read More

Today, the Maryland Senate passed marriage equality legislation with a vote of 25-22. Opponents proposed numerous amendments in an attempt to derail the bill, including several that failed in the House last week. Sen. Bryan Simonaire (R) even read the full text of the children’s book King & King on the floor, expressing concern that schools will teach that same-sex couples exist — one of many “filibusters” that delayed the vote. All the proposed amendments failed, which means the passed bill now proceeds to Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), who has promised to sign it. The law is set to take effect January 1, 2013, but will likely be challenged in a referendum before then.

After two days of contentious debate and the consideration of several amendments, the Maryland House of Delegates has passed marriage equality legislation with a vote of 71-67. One of the amendments passed delayed the date of enactment from October to January. Another created a non-severability clause, such that if the religious protections are overturned by the courts, the entire law would have to be deemed invalid. The measure still has to advance through the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee and full Senate, and even then, it is likely to be challenged by a referendum.

Meanwhile, in the US… (compare to previous post)

Q.

 

The group is legally entitled to distribute the flyers

A national ‘ex-gay’ support organisation which distributes flyers to students in Maryland has called today for an official to be disciplined after he described the publications as “reprehensible”.

Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) says it aims to “eliminate negative perceptions and discrimination against former homosexuals”.

A PFOX spokesperson said the official’s comments amounted to illegal discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.

Montgomery School Superintendent Joshua Starr had been urged to stop the group from distributing the ‘ex-gay’ flyers which said such people “demonstrate that those with unwanted same-sex attractions can seek help and information on overcoming their feelings.”

Superintendent Starr said the school was legally bound to allow the group to spread their message, as it is with all non-profit organisations, even though the group’s message that sexuality can be changed is rejected by medical professional bodies.

He reportedly told students: “This group has figured out how to use that law to spread what I find to be a really, really disgusting message, frankly.”

The group distributed 8,000 flyers at five Montgomery County schools this week.

Regina Griggs, executive director of PFOX said: “We call on the Montgomery County Board of Education to enforce its Nondiscrimination Policy and censure Starr immediately.

“The Policy mandates that schools provide ‘an atmosphere where differences are understood and appreciated, and where all persons are treated fairly and with respect in an environment free of discrimination and … abuse.’ Clearly Superintendent Starr has violated the Board’s Policy.

“Starr’s verbal abuse, disrespectful behavior, and slurs against the ex-gay community amount to hate and illegal sexual orientation discrimination, which are all forbidden by the Policy.”

The group Truth Wins Out wrote an open letter to Starr saying: “While non-profit literature must not be blocked based on viewpoint, it can and should be prohibited if it contains blatant misinformation that jeopardizes the health and well being of students.

“The PFOX flier easily fits this description and the group has a dubious history that includes bizarre and bigoted practices that have no place in your public school system.”

Truth Wins Out is the group which infiltrated the clinic of former presidential candidacy hopeful Michele Bachmann’s husband, Marcus Bachmann.

The school board wrote back: “Although we cannot stop the distribution of such fliers, we in [Montgomery County Public Schools] are committed to promoting values of diversity and acceptance in our school system by teaching students how to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate information.

“Please rest assured that we in Montgomery County Public Schools are always extremely receptive to the community and towards promoting a culture of the twenty-first century.”

PFOX’s website says the “demonisation” of ex-gays “is a sad end to the long struggle for tolerance by the gay community. That ex-gays and their supporters are now oppressed by the same people who until recently were victimized themselves, demonstrates how far the gay rights movement has come.”

So-called gay cure treatments have been making headlines on both sides of the Atlantic.

In her column in the Daily Express last week, Ann Widdecombe questioned the lack of availability of therapy for “gays who do not want to be gay”.

She argued that if a gay person wants to change their sexuality, professional help should be available to them, despite there being no scientific evidence for it and numerous medical bodies’ warnings against it.

Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, backed the appeal by Lesley Pilkington, who was found guilty of malpractice by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy last year.

He wrote to the BACP, which is hearing the appeal, with other bishops to say that ‘gay cure’ attempts do not “produce harm despite the Royal College of Psychiatrists and others maintaining the contrary”.

A regional Jewish paper prompted outrage after publishing an opinion piece on the issue which said while ‘gay cures’ may not always work, medical procedures fail and “patients are still encouraged to try them”.