Yes, the Oregon Supreme Court decided today to invalidate over 3,000 marriages in Multinomah County. The bigots who were behind the Oregon constitutional amendment against same sex marriage won yet another battle in their war against gay men and women.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a0KzCAcBzsmo&refer=us
What absolute bullshit.
I agree with the decision since the state of Oregon did pass their bigoted little amendment. Doesn’t stop from making the situation altogether shitty.
This particular battle was lost back in November, I’m afraid. But there’s a tiny upside:
“Legislators had been waiting for the court’s ruling for guidance. On Wednesday, Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski said he will push for a law allowing gay couples to form civil unions that would give them many of the rights and privileges of marriage.”
Here’s hoping.
In other words, if the gays in Oregon are very lucky, the benevolent electorate just might allow them to sit in the back of the bus.
Yay.
Like I said, a small upside. Personally, given a choice between
(a) An electorate that recognizes that no one has the moral authority to point at a gay couple and tell them that their love is somehow inherently inferior to a straight couple’s love,
(b) An electorate that feels hunky-dory about enshrining this exclusionary crap into their state constitution, but with a governor who’s willing to do what he can to try and give gay couples as much of the rights they deserve as possible, or
(c) The same electorate as in (b), and a governor who thinks gays should shut up and go back to their closets,
I’d choose (a) in a heartbeat, but the tragedy is that (a) has already been taken off the table. I fervently hope that someday the amendments enacted last November get repealed. But in the meantime, I’ll take (b) over (c) any day.
Yeah, I got what you were saying, Orbifold. I’m not much in a “look on the bright side” mood about this right now, though. Civil unions are an excuse for people to keep gays as second class citizens while fooling themselves into thinking they aren’t bigots. Fuck that. I’m not settling for table scraps. I want a seat at the table, like every other citizen of this country.
I’m sure the heterosexual married couples in Oregon are breathing a sigh of relief, now that roving gangs of married homosexuals won’t break into their houses and force them to get divorces or something.
While I can empathize with the OP’s pain I can hardly say I am surprised about any setbacks to the gay community. Not sure how, but many of you are simply going to have to get used to the idea that the US of A has become a theocratic, militaristic society.
Not like those in power made any particular efforts to hide said agenda – yet they were apparently elected for the first time by a majority of your electorate.
Good luck.
It’s Oregon after all. The land of lumberjacks (and they’re O K). They were actually progressive on environmental reforms, downright liberal in passing a euthanasia law, but how far do you want the poor sawdust brains to bend? :rolleyes:
Okay…
I’ve gotta chime in on this one. I’m a married liberal oregonian who voted “no on 36” and have lesbian friends who have gotten married under previous mentioned agreement.
My brother was gay and he died in 1995 from aids after a long struggle. I’ve also seen my best friend die from AIDS in 1997. My wife and I have many friends who are gay, lesbian, and straight. I support anything they wish to do and I think that they should have complete equality with every other person on this planet, including who they can screw, love, and marry. (not necessarily in that order). I hope that shows that I’m about as anti-homophobic as they come. Me and the wife love the gays. (10 points for the reference)
I do have to say after all of the anti-gay marriage amendments have been passing (including my state, and I’m so sorry for that) that the gay and lesbian community really need to figure out that they need to back off on the marriage thing. It was good idea to bring it up and cause such a stir, but with the current political demographic we have, there really is no way to get this passed in the near future.
Since we have all of the righties pissed off about gay marriage though, this is the perfect time to ask for civil unions nationwide. We’ll have to settle for this for a few years, but they will probably vote for it since it makes them look more “moderate”. After a few years, you can then push for a full marriage amendment/proclimation.
I know this isn’t the perfect solution, and if may make many feel like they are selling out, but there needs to be some realization about this idea. The majority of the people in this country will simply not accept gay marriage, but they don’t so much mind the idea about civil unions.
Aside from the idealism and passion involved with the gay community about why they should have the same rights as everyone else (which I wholeheartedly agree with) what is the argument against civil unions for now and gay marraige in a few years?
Wally
I’m not saying that I’d vote against civil unions now if it showed up on the ballot (which is unlikely, since we’ve already got 'em in California, anyway) but I’m not going to waste my time agitating for civil unions when success just means starting all over again for marriage rights. Besides, if civil unions are the compromise for demanding marriage, what compromise would we be forced to settle for if we demanded civil unions? I also think that, once we get civil unions, it will be that much harder to get marriage, as a lot of people will think that giving us civil unions are enough. Don’t really see any way to avoid that, though, as short of a SCotUS ruling giving us marriage rights through the 14th ammendment, there’s no way we’re going to get marriage without having to settle for civil unions, first. Doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.
Anyway, pushing for gay marriage isn’t making anyone hate gays more than they already did. It’s just forcing the cockroaches out in the open. At least now, we know who’s on our side and who isn’t.
Um. What? We’re pretty darn progressive up here, which is why it’s such a shock (to me, at least) to have these ridiculously backward measures being passed. I have no idea where the sawdust-brains stuff is coming from. Except for this one Twilight Zone area of social consciouness, Oregon’s got a pretty kick-ass track record.
I agree, which is why I moved here nine years ago.
Yeah, not fair singling out Oregon. Even fag-happy California has its own bullshit DOMA law.
I’m willing to stop fighting for marriage when the state considers me next of kin, lets me draw on my partner’s social security, doesn’t require me to testify against her, allows me to file joint taxes, and affords me the other securities of legal partnership.
I grew up in a community where the KKK was active. It’s not gay marriage that pisses off the right, it’s gay people. I’m not willing to take responsibility for stirring up the right any more than the people who sat at the white lunch counters did.
Civil unions for gay rights are a lot like decriminalization for NORML & Co.: not close to the end goal, but the only step some states are wiling to take right now. In both cases, the small step will just have to be taken for those who wish to get to the big step. In the meantime, stand up and say that putting people in the back of the bus is a crime, and take those small steps.
Oregon is still far more liberal than most of the rest of the country, but since it is easy to get initiatives on the ballot we get these brain dead things happening from time to time. Sometimes democracy just sucks.
Do not let your hearts be troubled: this, too, shall pass.
This is just a pothole in the road. I know it’s cold comfort for those who want to marry the partners they love now, but gay marriage will come. I cannot say it will be soon-- I’m not even sure if I’ll see it in my lifetime, but eventually, the courts must rule in favor of it.
Do not fear a Constitutional amendment. There isn’t enough support for it-- most people hesitate to tamper with the Constitution.
Patience, my friends, and justice will come.
This rightie hopes that common sense will overcome all of the shite that GLBT folk have had to deal with. The sooner, the better.
As a Catholic who believes that homosexuality is a sin, albeit one no worse than many others the decision makes me want to chant…DOMA, DOMA, DOMA…