eclecticism

02/20/2004 |

I am loving, loving, loving one aspect of my newsreading these days.

New Mexico is going to start.

Chicago, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City (!!!) and Plattsburgh, NY are also expressing support and talking about joining in.

Judges keep refusing to grant injunctions stopping the process — in one beautiful instance, the request was refused on the basis of a misused semicolon.

There are two things that really stand out to me about how wonderful this is. The first is that it’s suddenly happening so fast, and gaining so much support across the country. The second is how it all began…

It was only his 12th day as mayor of San Francisco, but Gavin Newsom decided that night — the very night he attended President Bush’s State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. — that he was going to defy California law.
And turn the nation on its ear. Attending the president’s Jan. 20 speech as a guest of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Newsom listened closely as Bush voiced his strong support for outlawing same-sex marriage — with a constitutional amendment, if necessary. Not long after the speech, Newsom called his chief of staff, Steve Kawa, a gay man who was at home with his partner and their two children. ”He told me that he wanted to do something,” Kawa said. Two weeks later, during a staff meeting, Newsom dropped the bombshell on his top aides: He wanted them to explore how the city could start issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. Kawa said the mayor asked staff to gather legal briefs, news articles and other background information. Added his communications chief, Peter Ragone, “He also wanted it done quietly.” Within 24 hours, Kawa was on the phone with Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, a San Francisco-based public interest organization. Her reaction: ”Oh, my God, you’re kidding me,” Kendell said in an interview. It was the first time, Kendell said, that a mayor of an American city wanted to take such an initiative. And Newsom, a straight Irish Catholic man married for two years, was the perfect politician to take on the fight, she said.

p>Thank God for people like Gavin Newsom — people who decide that it’s time to do the right thing, and do it.

And congratulations to every single one of the more than 3,000 brand-new married, loving couples.

It’s been a long time coming.

iTunes: “Bacchanalian Feast” by Original Love Tribe, The from the album Twisted Secrets Vol. 2 (1993, 5:46).

« Smoke and mirrors | Help send flowers to the newlyweds »

5 Responses to “This bandwagon just keeps rollin’ on…”

Tim Who? Says:
February 21st, 2004 at 9:50 am

Made My day…Thanks

Adam Quinn Says:
February 21st, 2004 at 2:42 pm

I strongly oppose same-sex marriages. What’s next, human-pet marriages? This is disgusting.

[Edited by Michael to remove Viagra spam link…come on, Adam…say what you want, but you put spam links on my weblog, and I will ban you.]

Robert Says:
February 21st, 2004 at 4:59 pm

I am all for it. Just because two gay people are married doesn’t make anyone else that is married in a straight relationship any less married. It doesn’t take away any of their rights. However, not allowing gay marriage is exactly what the religious nuts want. They don’t want gay people to be accepted as normal, which they damn well are.

It’s the Republicans making a huge issue of it. And if the American Public remembers history, they will remember that Women’s Rights, Minorities’ Rights, the rights of minors, none of those have been protected by Republicans. And don’t even give me that, “While, it was the Democrats who were for slavery!” Those were Jeffersonian Democrats, which were equivalent to modern day Republicans. It’s just another issue the Republicans have to lose. I’m all for making it an issue because of that; I mean, if they want to put themselves on a lower playing ground than Democrats, go them!

Firas Says:
February 21st, 2004 at 5:46 pm

The “it will ruin marriage” was illogical propaganda that didn’t work. So we finally see that the opposition to gay marriage is rooted in homophobia. Remember, besides the rights movements Robert lists above, there was also a vicious argument when the US was formed about the separation of church and state. The winning argument was basically, “how does what my neighbour chooses to follow spiritually hurt me personally?” Stopping gay marriage is just going against trend.

(PS. I don’t understand how uber-right wingers can say that they’re for American values when they actually want to draw America, kicking and screaming, back hundreds of years)

[iP]Seraph Says:
March 2nd, 2004 at 11:38 am

I am outraged, apalled and feel a personal “bitch slap” from those that are opposed to a very basic american idea; that of freedom. Freedom, as we have seen in the past, is not something that is to be given to selected groups of individuals. Women have made their stand for freedom, minorities have made their stand and now it is our turn as homosexuals to make our stand for freedom.

To even make mention of freedom, “America home of the free” or any other statement advocating freedom, then in ones next breath speak of promoting homophobia, mis-information and hatred is utter non-sense. If one is opposed to equal rights (As we have found in the past separate but equal is crap) the argument can be made towards that person as being Un-American and activley spreading hate. As a gay man it troubles me that so many in this country are still holding hatred and ignorance so close to their hearts and homes.

Is it me or has anyone noticed that any amendment to any constitution against the equal rights of another person would mean the creation of a second class citizen status along the lines of Jim Crow infamy?

As a gay man I am opposed to such legislation and as an African American man I am not only opposed to it, but I CANNOT accept it. Should such legislation and a constitutional ammendment against gay marriage find itself materialized, I fear the worst in terms of protests, and govermental clashes with American civilians.

It would behove oneself, regardless of which side of the fence you are on, to pick up some documentaries on the Womens Movements and the Civil Rights Movements of our past. Take a good, long look at them and honestly ask yourself if this is what any American should have to go through to achieve the most basic of American and Human Rights… life, liberty and the persuit of happiness. Oh wait…don’t tell me… that doesn’t count for all Americans… just the straight ones.

Learn from the past and our mistakes to prevent the re-inactment of our biggest follies.