Gay marriage foes to fight expected Washington state law.

 

As gay couples and their supporters cheered the Washington state Senate‘s unexpectedly swift and decisive passage of a same-sex marriage bill, opponents were already considering how to take down the anticipated law.By a 28-21 vote on Wednesday night, the state Senate passed legislation to legalize gay marriage with exemptions for religious organizations opposed to conducting same-sex weddings or renting their facilities for gay nuptials.

Four Republicans joined 24 Democrats in supporting the bill, which would make Washington the seventh state to recognize same-sex matrimony. Three Democrats sided with 18 Republicans in opposing it.
The measure now heads to the state House of Representatives, where Democrats hold an even wider majority and the bill’s passage by a comfortable margin is expected as early as next week.
Governor Chris Gregoire, a Democrat, has said she would sign a gay marriage bill into law.
With the bill seemingly headed for swift enactment, several parallel efforts by opponents are shaping up to rally Washington voters against the prospective law. Their options included two possible ballot measures in November — a referendum to repeal the gay marriage statute outright and an initiative defining marriage as being exclusively between one man and one woman.
The National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same sex marriage, also has pledged to provide financial backing for conservative challengers to the four Republican senators who supported the bill when they run for reelection.
DUELING BALLOT QUESTIONS
The proposed initiative to define marriage as between heterosexual couples, led by Everett, Washington attorney Stephen Pidgeon, needs to gather 241,153 signatures of registered voters by July 6 to secure a spot on the ballot.
A referendum to repeal gay marriage would only need 120,577 signatures by June 6, but supporters of that measure must wait until after Gregoire signs the bill before starting to collect them.
“My guess is that foes of gay marriage will be going with the referendum challenge, since it takes fewer signatures and it gives a direct vote up or down on gay marriage,” said Dave Ammons, spokesman for the Washington secretary of state’s office. “The initiative seems to be a backup plan.”
Pidgeon, 57, said he will support the repeal referendum, too, but noted that his initiative can get started sooner and is not based on what lawmakers decide to do.
“We have a tremendous amount of enthusiasm about the initiative. People are gearing up, and we’re going to move ahead strongly, and I believe quickly,” he said. “We already have hundreds of churches that have already pledged thousands of signatures.”
Without the referendum challenge, a gay marriage law would take effect June 7, 90 days after the March 8 conclusion of the legislative session. If the referendum qualifies for the ballot, the law would be suspended until the November election and certification of the returns, meaning December 6, before it is either repealed or goes into effect.
Under the initiative process by contrast, gay marriages could proceed June 7, regardless of the ballot-qualification process. It is unclear whether any unions officiated in the meantime would be nullified if Pidgeon’s measure were to pass in November.
There is precedent in California for handling such a situation. California‘s Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in 2008, only for voters to approve a constitutional amendment six months later defining marriage as between a man and a woman. The state’s high court ruled that the 18,000 same-sex couples who tied the knot between May and November, 2008, were still legal.
Chris Plante, regional coordinator for the New Jersey-based National Organization for Marriage (NOM), said that his group plans to back the referendum effort, but will “keep the initiative in our back pocket.”
“We’re going to go forward as a united group because what’s more important than the process is the end game of overturning this law and restoring marriage to its rightful definition,” he said.
His group has not decided how much money it could provide for a ballot campaign to ban same-sex marriage, Plante said, but he estimated that such an effort would cost over $2 million.
The group said it will also follow through on its pledge to spend $250,000 to defeat the Republican senators who voted for the bill, should they seek office again.
“Politicians have to understand that there’s a price to pay for voting to redefine marriage — it is not what the people of Washington want,” Plante said.
Evidence of how Washington voters feel about same-sex marriage is mixed.
According to a University of Washington poll of state voters last October, 44 percent said they support the right to marry for gay men and lesbians, but 55 percent said that if such a law was already on the books they would not vote to overturn it.
According to Plante, voters in 31 states have approved ballot measures to restrict marriage to heterosexual couples, and voters have never approved same-sex marriage in any state referendum. All six states to have legalized gay marriage have done so either through the courts or state legislatures.
In 2009, voters approved Washington state’s expanded domestic partnership benefits by a vote of 53 to 47 percent, despite a campaign against that ballot measure.
Pidgeon, who worked on that campaign, said he believes a ballot question against gay marriage would be more successful, because people who may be otherwise supportive or undecided about same-sex partnerships “draw the line” at marriage. Such voters, he said, are now more convinced that state lawmakers are leading them down a slippery slope.
Pidgeon filed his initiative with the Secretary of State’s Office on January 9. It ranks among more than a dozen initiatives proposed so far, their subjects ranging from marijuana to plastic bag use.
Evangelical Pastor Steven Andrew, president of the USA Christian Ministries in California, has called for a national boycott of Starbucks in response to the Seattle-based company’s endorsement of the gay marriage bill, and for Christians to stop serving the coffee brand at their facilities and events.
“Starbucks can follow Satan if they want to. However, pastors are to help Christians. Are you on the Lord’s side? Will you help the USA be blessed by God?” he said in a written statement.
Asked about the call for a boycott, Starbucks repeated its longstanding support for equality of gays and lesbians.
“Starbucks is proud to join other leading Northwest employers in support of Washington state legislation recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples,” the company said in an email to Reuters.

By Nicole Neroulias

 

Πηγή:Gay Today

Washington state Senate poised to OK gay marriage.

The Washington state Senate was expected to vote endorse legalization of gay marriage Wednesday night, which would move the state a step closer to becoming the nation’s seventh to recognize same-sex unions.The vote, scheduled to start following a floor debate, is considered pivotal given that gay rights advocates have previously failed to muster sufficient support in the state Senate to ensure passage.
The political dynamic shifted after Governor Christine Gregoire, a Democrat in her final year in office, announced last month she was backing the gay marriage bill.
Democratic Senator Ed Murray, its chief sponsor, said last week proponents had secured the 25 votes needed for a simple majority in the 49-seat chamber. Murray has said he hoped to end up with 27 or more votes, though the controversial issue was likely to result in a lengthy floor debate that could last well into the night.
With passage in the state House of Representatives already seen as virtually assured, opponents of same-sex matrimony say they will seek the measure’s repeal with a referendum asking voters to reaffirm marriage as being exclusively between one man and one woman.
To qualify for the November ballot, they would need to collect at least 120,577 signatures of registered voters by July 6.
Six other states recognize same-sex marriage — New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Iowa — as does the District of Columbia. Supporters are moving to pass similar statutes in Maryland and New Jersey.
A referendum to legalize gay marriage in Maine has qualified for the November ballot there.
FASTER THAN EXPECTED
Washington state’s lower House could vote on gay marriage as early as February 8. Should it reach the governor’s desk, Gregoire plans to sign the measure, barring any drastic changes made during the rest of the legislative session, which ends March 8, a representative of the governor said.
Both House and Senate versions of the bill include language to allow gay couples from out of state to get married in Washington. They both include an amendment allowing religious organizations to refuse to rent out their chapels or other facilities as venues for same-sex weddings.
The legislation was moving faster than originally anticipated, said Representative Jamie Pedersen, the bill’s prime sponsor in the House.
“The groundswell of support … was much better than what we could have hoped for,” Pedersen said. “Big controversial things usually get resolved in the last days of session, so this is somewhat unusual.”
Opponents point out that voters have yet to approve gay marriage in any state referendum and have in some instances overturned same-sex marriage laws enacted by legislators or the courts. Gay marriage remains outlawed in more than 40 states.
Oregon voters passed a law upholding traditional marriage in 2004, voiding same-sex weddings that some counties had performed earlier that year. California voters in 2008 approved a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. That measure is under challenge in federal court.
Six prominent Pacific Northwest companies, including Microsoft and Nike, have endorsed Washington‘s legislation.
On the other side, the state’s Catholic bishops and other religious conservatives are amassing thousands of Washingtonians against the legislation, including voters who supported the state’s expansion of domestic-partnership benefits in recent years but draw the line at marriage.
By Nicole Neroulias
OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) – (Editing by Steve Gorman and Daniel Trotta)

Πηγή:www.gaytoday.com

MEN HAVING BABIES

The Network of European LGBT Family Associations (NELFA) will host the first “Men Having Babies – Europe” Surrogacy Seminar and Gay Parenting Expo on April 29, 2012. It will take place in Lloret de Mar, near Barcelona, Spain, as part of a 4-day conference and family gathering expected to attract hundreds of LGBT parents and parents-to-be. More than a dozen leading USA and European clinics and surrogacy agencies already signed up as sponsors and exhibitors, recognizing the growing interest in surrogacy in Europe.

The full day elaborate seminar and exhibit will offer a comprehensive “how-to” program for gay men who want to become parents. Among the speakers will be experts in the medical, psychological, legal and practical aspects of the surrogacy process, along with a surrogate mother and gay surrogacy parents. Prospective parents and LGBT family activists will also have opportunities to learn about service providers at the Gay Parenting Services Exhibit before and after the seminar. In addition, eight leading agencies and clinics from the United States and Europe will offer hour-long presentations on Sunday and Monday afternoon. Among the topics are ethical surrogacy practices, international surrogacy laws, know vs. anonymous egg donations, and speaking to surrogacy kids about their origin. While prospective parents are encouraged to join the hundreds of families attending the gathering for its full length, a one-day attendance including meals is offered for a small fee (€25).
“We highly recommend that prospective parents join us for the full four day gathering,” said Elisabeth Vendrell, president of FLG, the hosting LGBT Families organization in Catalonia. “If you are either prospective parents or already have children, the LGBT Families gathering can be a terrific opportunity to meet hundreds of parents and parents-to-be from more than a dozen countries.” The organizers expect about 800 participants (having already received more than 400 bookings), and the group will take over a hotel in the resort town of Lloret de Mar, to enjoy a combination of social, educational and fun activities, including sightseeing excursions in Barcelona and elsewhere. “Thanks to the generous support of government and private sponsors this all-inclusive program is also very affordable,” said Ms. Vendrell, “a typical family of four will only spend about €300 including all meals and excursions.”
The parenting seminar and expo is offered based on a similar program that has been running in NY for the last seven years. “In recent years we have witnessed a growing interest in surrogacy among European gay men,” said Ron Poole-Dayan, the coordinator of the Men Having Babies network that organizes the NY program. “We were happy to assist our European friends to assemble a program that is in fact more comprehensive than the one we have been offering in NY,” he said.
Around the continent there are dramatic social changes with advances in LGBT rights, visibility and social acceptance, and a growing desire to become parents. Leading and benefiting from these trends are the LGBT family associations around the continent, many of whom established in the last few years. The umbrella organization, NELFA, grew from 7 members in 2009 to 20 today. In the first European wide conference in Paris over 500 people participated, and the event enjoyed unprecedented attention from public figures and the media.
> For more information and to register to the Men Having Babies seminar go to: http://www.MenHavingBabies.org/europe
> For more information and registration for the Second European LGBT Families Gathering in Catalonia go to: http://www.MenHavingBabies.org/catalonia2012
About the Network of European LGBT Families Organizations (NELFA)
The Network of European LGBT Families Associations (NELFA) was created in 2009 to bring together the associations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents and their children from European nations under one organization. While strong organizations in places like the Netherlands, Germany, France and Spain have been around for a decade or more, and already represent tens of thousands families, many new “Rainbow Families” organizations have been created in recent years in countries such as the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal and Hungary. Since its formation NELFA grew from 7 members to 20 associations from 17 different countries.
More information: http://www.NELFA.org
The objective of the Second European LGBT Families Conference
The Second European Conference on LGBT Families will combine presentations, workshops, shared life experiences and leisure time. We are expecting between 700 and 800 people from different European countries and beyond. Our main objective is to empower social change, make our families visible, and have an impact on the media in our respective countries. We work together with other organizations and governments to address inequality suffered by LGBT families and their children and spread the achievements of LGBT rights across the continent.
More information: http://www.familieslgtb2012.org

Πηγή:www.gaytoday.com

ΕΥΡΩΚΟΙΝΟΒΟΥΛΙΟ. ΟΙ ΔΙΩΞΕΙΣ ΛΟΓΩ ΤΑΥΤΟΤΗΤΑΣ ΦΥΛΟΥ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΑΣΥΛΟΥ

 

Historic vote extends EU asylum standards to transgender people

lgbt-ep.eu, 27/10/2011

Today the European Parliament formally adopted a new set of asylum rules for the European Union. The binding rules now include gender identity as a ground of persecution, which EU Member States must take into account. Governments have already agreed to the changes, which are final.
Until now, EU asylum law foresaw that “gender related aspects might be considered” by national asylum authorities when examining the potential persecution of specific social groups in their country of origin.
The resolution adopted today has replaced this text, and now specifies that “gender related aspects, including gender identity, shall be given due consideration”. The text now refers to gender identity specifically, and obliges Member States to consider gender-related aspects. Before, EU countries could still choose not to consider aspects linked to the applicant’s gender in asylum claims.
The text applies to all EU Member States except the United Kingdom, which opted out of EU asylum policies. The resolution was successfully drafted and negotiated by Jean Lambert (pictured), a British Member of the European Parliament in the Greens/EFA group.
This is the first time a binding EU Directive includes gender identity.
Dennis de Jong MEP, Vice-president of the LGBT Intergroup and responsible for asylum policies in the GUE/NGL group, commented: “Around the world, transgender people can be persecuted for who they are. This reviewed Directive will recognise the danger they face, and it will commit EU Member States to taking gender identity into account in asylum claims. I hope in a future revision it will also become mandatory to consider the sexual orientation of applicants.”
Sirpa Pietikäinen MEP, Vice-president of the LGBT Intergroup, added: “I am very proud that my colleagues from the centre-right EPP group supported this change, regardless of the views they hold on asylum in general. The European Union is only starting to recognise gender identity as a ground of persecution, but I hope today’s vote will help protect more lives.”
The binding rules will apply after they are transposed into EU Member States’ national law, except for the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark which opted out of the process. Due to access the EU in July 2013, Croatia is also expected to adapt its asylum laws.

 

Πηγή:Το απέναντι πεζοδρόμιο http://gaynewsingreek.blogspot.com

Πάπας Βενέδικτος: «Οι γκέι γάμοι είναι απειλή κατά της ανθρωπότητας».

Ως «απειλή για το μέλλον της ανθρωπότητας» αντιμετωπίζει ο Πάπας Βενέδικτος 16ος τον γάμο μεταξύ ομοφυλοφύλων καθώς υπονομεύει την παραδοσιακή οικογένεια.
Σε δηλώσεις που έκανε τη Δευτέρα, ο προκαθήμενος της Ρωμαιοκαθολικής Εκκλησίας επεσήμανε πως η παραδοσιακή οικογένεια «δεν αποτελεί μια απλή κοινωνική σύμβαση αλλά το θεμελιώδες κύτταρο κάθε κοινωνίας. Ως εκ τούτου, οι πολιτικές οι οποίες υπονομεύουν την οικογένεια απειλούν την ανθρώπινη αξιοπρέπεια και το μέλλον της ίδιας της ανθρωπότητας».
Οι αξιωματούχοι του Βατικανού σε όλο τον κόσμο έχουν διαμαρτυρηθεί στις κινήσεις νομιμοποίησης των γάμων ομοφυλοφίλων στην Ευρώπη και σε άλλες ανεπτυγμένες περιοχές του κόσμου.
Η Ρωμαιοκαθολική Εκκλησία, η οποία έχει περίπου 1,3 δισεκατομμύριο μέλη σε όλο τον κόσμο, διδάσκει ότι ενώ η ομοφυλοφιλική τάση δεν είναι αμαρτωλή, οι ομοφυλοφιλικές πράξεις όμως είναι, και ότι τα παιδιά πρέπει να μεγαλώνουν σε παραδοσιακές οικογένειες με ένα πατέρα και μια μητέρα.

Πηγή:www.iefimerida.gr

Γκέι ακτιβιστές στο Παρίσι της συντήρησης...

Γκέι ακτιβιστές στο Παρίσι της συντήρησης.

Η αριστερή ομοφυλοφιλική κοινότητα του Παρισιού της δεκαετίας του ’80, εποχή μεταβατική και πολιτικά ταραγμένη, σε ένα βιβλίο που προκάλεσε αίσθηση το 2008.

 

Βρισκόμαστε στο Παρίσι της δεκαετίας του 1980, σε μια εποχή μεταβατική και ρευστότατη. Οι ιδεολογίες έχουν εκπέσει από τα βάθρα της αλήθειας, η πολιτική σύγκρουση αμβλύνεται με τη συναίνεση στο κέντρο, η μαζική κουλτούρα επικρατεί πλήρως με την υπερδιόγκωση των μίντια. Μεταξύ πολλών άλλων, η συζήτηση για τις ταυτότητες και τον πολιτισμικό προσδιορισμό τους οξύνεται ενώ οι μειονότητες αντεπιτίθενται και επεμβαίνουν σε μια δημόσια σφαίρα που τη χαρακτηρίζουν οι επιφυλάξεις και οι προκαταλήψεις.
Τότε αρχίζει η μακρά στροφή της γαλλικής κοινωνίας προς τη συντήρηση και τη Δεξιά αλλά και η εκτεταμένη εκμετάλλευση της σεξουαλικότητας από την οικονομία της αγοράς που έκτοτε άρχισε να κυριαρχεί παντού. Η δεκαετία του 1980, επιπλέον, ήταν «η Μεγάλη Χαρά» αλλά δυστυχώς «ύστερα ήρθε το AIDS». Για την ομοφυλοφιλική κοινότητα της Γαλλίας συγκεκριμένα «ήταν μια περίοδος εκρηκτικής εκδήλωσης και συγχρόνως μια περίοδος αναδίπλωσης» όπως επισημαίνει στο πρώτο του roman à clé (μυθιστόρημα ιδεών) ο 31χρονος γάλλος συγγραφέας Τριστάν Γκαρσιά, ο οποίος επέλεξε να διερευνήσει και να αποτυπώσει μια εποχή από την οποία δεν πρόλαβε να ζήσει επί της ουσίας παρά μόνο τις αντιφατικές συνέπειές της.
Η καλύτερη πλευρά των ανθρώπων (μεταφρασμένη εξαιρετικά από τη Μαρία Γαβαλά) προκάλεσε αίσθηση στη Γαλλία όταν κυκλοφόρησε το 2008 και τιμήθηκε με το βραβείο Prix de Flore. Ο συγγραφέας, απόφοιτος της περίφημης École Normale Supérieure και σήμερα διδάκτωρ Φιλοσοφίας στο Πανεπιστήμιο της Πικαρδίας, μας αποκαλύπτει σχετικά νωρίς τη θέση από την οποία σκέφτεται και γράφει.

Οταν η σεξουαλικότητα γίνεται πολιτική

«Το πρόβλημα με το πνεύμα της εποχής, αυτό που μυρίζεσαι, είναι ότι δεν μπορείς ακριβώς πάντα να σκέφτεσαι ότι έχεις δίκιο, επειδή έχεις πεισθεί ότι σκέφτεσαι ενάντια στην εποχή σου, ενάντια στην πλειοψηφία - γιατί δεν είσαι ποτέ, μα ποτέ σίγουρος, πράγματι, ότι αναγνωρίζεις τι είναι, πού βρίσκεται η εποχή σου» αναφέρει.

Υπήρξε όμως μια εποχή που τα πράγματα ήταν πιο απλά όπως εξομολογείται ένας από τους τέσσερις βασικούς ήρωες του βιβλίου, ο Ντομινίκ Ροσί, δημοσιογράφος της εφημερίδας «Libération», αριστεριστής ακτιβιστής για τα δικαιώματα των γκέι και πνευματικός πατέρας του Μετώπου Απελευθέρωσης Ομοφυλοφίλων, μιας μαχητικής ένωσης για την προστασία και την πρόληψη κατά του AIDS. Τότε «γαμούσαμε, κι αυτό ήταν πολιτική». Αυτή ακριβώς η ιστορική στιγμή ενδιαφέρει τον Γκαρσιά και αυτή επιχειρεί να διογκώσει με το συγγραφικό μικροσκόπιο για να βγάλει τα συμπεράσματά του για την εποχή μας. Είναι η στιγμή της αλληλεπίδρασης και της διείσδυσης του ιδιωτικού στο δημόσιο (και αντιστρόφως), η στιγμή που η σεξουαλικότητα γίνεται πολιτική και η πολιτική δύναται να καταστεί (ίσως εξεζητημένα) μια αυστηρά προσωπική υπόθεση.
Μέσα από τη χαλαρή αφήγηση του Γκαρσιά, που εκτείνεται ως και την πρώτη περίοδο της διακυβέρνησης του Νικολά Σαρκοζί, παρακολουθούμε δυο ζευγάρια των οποίων οι ζωές διασταυρώνονται, δυο ζευγάρια που τα ενώνουν επιπλέον οι εμπειρίες δυο αποσπασματικών, προβληματικών σχέσεων οι οποίες έχουν ένα άσχημο, άδοξο τέλος.

Ο Ζαν-Μισέλ Λεμποβίτς είναι ένας διανοούμενος εβραϊκής καταγωγής, μια προσωπικότητα που πέρασε σταδιακά από τον χώρο της Αριστεράς στο νεοσυντηρητικό κατεστημένο προκαλώντας κάμποσες διαφωνίες με τις αντιφατικές δημόσιες παρεμβάσεις του. Εφθασε μάλιστα να γίνει υπουργός της Δεξιάς στην προσπάθειά του να πείσει ότι στις ημέρες μας προοδευτικό μυαλό και αυθεντικός αριστερός είναι μόνον εκείνος που αντιστρατεύεται την καθεστηκυία αριστερή λογική.

Ο Λεμπό - στο πρόσωπο του οποίου πολλοί αναγνώρισαν τον τηλεφιλόσοφο Αλέν Φινκελκρό - έχει συνάψει εξωσυζυγική σχέση με τη νεαρή δημοσιογράφο Ελιζαμπέτ Λεβαλουά, τη χλωμή αφηγήτρια του μυθιστορήματος, η οποία πρώτη γνώρισε στον Ντομινίκ τον Γουίλιαμ Μιλέρ (ή Γουίλι). Η ίδια ισχυρίζεται ότι παίζει τον ρόλο ενός «ιμάντα μεταβίβασης» συναισθημάτων και διαθέσεων που τους συντονίζει, είναι άλλωστε η φίλη του Γουίλι, η συνάδελφος του Ντομινίκ και η ερωμένη του Λεμπό.

Το μίσος ισοδύναμο της πίστης

Αυτό που στοιχειώνει τις σελίδες του Γκαρσιά είναι το μίσος. Αλλοτε απροκάλυπτο και άλλοτε λανθάνον, προβάλλεται ως ένα ισχυρό ισοδύναμο της πίστης, της δύναμης που μας κάνει ικανούς για το χειρότερο αλλά και για το καλύτερο. «Το μίσος σού δίνει λόγο ύπαρξης, είναι σούπερ σημαντικό. Το αληθινό μίσος, εγώ υπάρχω μόνο γι' αυτό, όπως λέει ο Σπινόζα» αποφαίνεται ο Γουίλι, ο οποίος, παρ' ότι είναι μια επίπεδη καρικατούρα, περιέργως είναι και ο πιο ενδιαφέρων χαρακτήρας στην ιστορία μας.

Πρόκειται για ένα παράξενο, ακατανόητο πλάσμα από την επαρχιακή πόλη Αμιέν που έφθασε στο Παρίσι άνεργος και βρισκόταν στη γύρα ώσπου να τον μαζέψει και να τον κάνει σύντροφό του στη ζωή και στους αγώνες, για περίπου πέντε χρόνια, ο Ντομινίκ. Είναι και οι δυο φορείς του AIDS.

Από ένα σημείο και έπειτα ο αυτοκαταστροφικός Γουίλι στρέφεται κατά του μέντορα και συντρόφου του προπαγανδίζοντας ότι όσοι υπερασπίζονται το σεξ με προφυλάξεις «θέλουν να απαγορεύσουν την ηδονή, είναι καθαρά πολιτικό το θέμα». Ο Ντομινίκ από αγαπημένος εραστής μετατρέπεται, μέσα από κάποιες αφόρητα εγκεφαλικές σελίδες, σε «ευνουχίστρια γιαγιά των πούστηδων, υπερασπιστή της καπότας, ένεκα που δεν του σηκώνεται πολύ, και δολοφόνο».
Γενικότερα, οι ήρωες του Γκαρσιά δεν είναι αυτόνομοι μυθοπλαστικοί παίκτες. Μοιάζουν περισσότερο με αχθοφόρους των (κατά τ' άλλα κρυστάλλινων) ιδεών του δημιουργού τους. Σε κάθε περίπτωση, πάντως, πρόκειται για ένα μυθιστόρημα που θα σας κερδίσει στο τέλος με τη μεγαλύτερη αρετή του: τον εξοβελισμό της πολιτικής ορθότητας από όπου και αν προέρχεται.

Πηγή:www.tovima.gr

First same-sex weddings take place across New York City!(με μια τεράστια καθυστέρηση)

The Big Apple said "I do" to a new era of gay rights this morning and celebrated New York City's first same-sex weddings.
Chelsea residents Phyllis Siegel, 77, and Connie Kopelov, 85, got hitched at the marriage bureau on Worth Street in Lower Manhattan at 9:02 a.m., setting off wedding bells across Gotham.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who is openly gay, witnessed the ceremony that was officiated by City Clerk Michael McSweeney.
‘‘It was just so amazing,’’ said Siegel, who has been with her love for 23 years. ‘‘It’s the only way I can describe it. I lost my breath and a few tears.’’

AFP/Getty Images

Phyllis Siegel (rear) and Connie Kopelov (front) celebrate after becoming the first same-sex couple to get married in New York City the day the state's gay marriage law went into effect.

She added: ‘‘This is the first day of the rest of our lives.’’
* In Brooklyn, retired nurse Michael Faurey, 63, and Bobby Amagna, 65, celebrated their nearly two-decade-old relationship in matrimony.
‘‘It’s [been] an 18- year struggle,’’ said Faurey. While the two grooms nonchalantly exchanged vows, judge Ellen Spodek, who officiated their ceremony, broke down in tears.
* Meanwhile at Queens Borough Hall, Greg Levine, 32, and Shane Serkiz, 33, were the first ones to show up to tie the knot, and they celebrated their 11-year relationship.
Serkiz said he hopes today’s weddings bring hope to future generations of gay Americans: "I hope this makes it a lot easier for gay and lesbian youth to understand that who they are is OK . And it definitely gets better."
* Up in The Bronx, youth pastor Carmen Hernandez, 48, and dental assistant Doris DeArmas, 50, tied the knot. When they sealed the borough’s first same-sex marriage, DeArmas told her love: ‘‘I’ve got you.’’
* Then down in Staten Island, a pair of Long Branch, NJ, lovebirds — Bedelia Sanchez, 47, and Lavern Rivera, 50 — got hitched even though their state won’t recognize the nuptials.
‘‘We have six grandchildren together,’’ Sanchez said. ‘‘We want them to understand that even though we’re homosexuals, we love each other and are very serious about our family.’’
The Big Apple weddings followed dozens of other same-sex ceremonies, conducted in the wee-early morning hours when the state’s historic Marriage Equality Act officially took effect.
Under a steamy half-moon at the stroke of midnight, Dee Smith, 25, and Kate Wrede, 21, signed their license at the North Hempstead Town Hall in Manhasset.
Kate -- in a traditional white wedding gown -- and Dee, who donned a tux, then walked across the street to a romantic park gazebo to tie the knot.
The Patchogue duo were exchanging vows by the stroke of twelve -- and then rode off for their honeymoon night in a white Rolls Royce.
Smith said she and her bride were overwhelmed by all the attention leading up to the happy event.
"We're humble people," she laughed.
They got engaged in May and thought they'd get hitched out of state next year. But when New York legalized gay marriage a month ago, Smith and Wrede set out to make history with their "I do's."
They rushed their way through selecting a gown, a tuxedo, and a limo, planned an elaborate Jewish ceremony at the Viana Hotel, and even got a cake from TLC's "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro. But up until late Friday afternoon, Smith and Wrede didn't know if they would have the necessary paperwork in place to officially wed.
At the last minute, they learned that North Hempstead town clerk Leslie Gross was going to open Town Hall at midnight to issue a marriage license to two dear friends.
Smith and Wrede contacted Gross to ask for help, and she agreed to give them a midnight marriage license as well.
But the couple had to produce their own Supreme Court Justice to be present to waive a state law that mandates a 24-hour waiting period after a license is issued.
"They found a Queens justice willing to come out here at midnight. I don't know how they did it, but they did," said Gross.
Other couples around the state were also eager to claim first-married status.
In Albany, 10 couples exchanged vows at City Hall at 12 a.m.
In Niagara Falls, longtime partners Kitty Lambert, 54, and Cheryle Rudd, 53, made a splash with a midnight wedding on Luna Island, at the feet of the gushing Horseshoe Waterfalls.
"We're so proud of everybody who crawled up this hill with us," Lambert, her eyes filled with tears, told the Buffalo News.
"This wasn't done with just the two of us. Every single person here played a part in getting this law passed."
Earlier, Lambert noted "Our wedding invitations said, 'It was well worth the fight.' "
She wore a sparkly azure dress she made herself. Rudd was decked out in a white, tailed tuxedo, and their grandkids carried the flowers and rings for them.
"When I was a little girl I dreamed one day of being married at Niagara Falls," said Lambert. "The feelings you get while you stand there, it's just instantly romantic."

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