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Politics

Gay Marriage bill in Vermont

Nine years after becoming the first state to permit civil unions, Vermont moved a step toward legalizing gay marriage Friday. A bill that would allow same-sex unions was introduced in the Legislature, causing a crowd of about several hundred supporters to gather at the Statehouse in celebration. "This really is a great day and a part of moving forward to a time when all Vermont couples will be treated equally under our laws," said a sponsor, Rep. Mark Larson (picture). A similar bill is expected to be introduced later in the state Senate. The House legislation has 59 sponsors, none of them Republican, though some GOP lawmakers have said they'll vote for the bill, Larson said. Despite the enthusiasm, it's unclear if the measure will see any action this session, with lawmakers preoccupied with the state's fiscal crisis that has led to voluntary pay cuts, court closings and Gov. Jim Douglas's proposal to lay off more than 600 state workers, the AP reports.

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Politics | Gay Marriage

Society

Gay Penguins tie the knot

The gay penguins of the Polar Land zoo in China (see previous post) have been given a wedding service, reports The Sun. The male birds turned out to be such a great parenting pair their keepers thought they deserved a reward and let them marry. They were once given the cold shoulder at the wildlife park in China for stealing heterosexual couples' eggs to nest as their own. But after being allowed to try out with eggs rejected by their mothers the couple have become the zoo's best penguin parents. Now keepers at Polarland Zoo in Harbin, north east China, have rewarded their devotion with a wedding day. One wore a tie and the other was dressed in a red blouse – a traditional Chinese bridal colour – as they stepped into their icy wedding room to the music of the Wedding March.

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Gay Marriage | Society

Politics

NY Senator Gillibrand backs Gay Marriage

On January 23, 2009, Kirsten Gillibrand was appointed by Governor David Paterson to fill the seat in the U.S. Senate vacated by Hillary Clinton now Secretary of State in the Obama administration. At 42, Gillibrand will be the youngest member of the U.S. Senate. After a phone call from Senator Gillibrand, The Empire State Pride Agenda, the state's LGBT rights organization, said on its website: "Finally, the great state of New York has a U.S. Senator who supports marriage equality for same-sex couples." ESPA Executive Director Alan Van Capelle added that the new senator also supports the full repeal of the federal DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) law, repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and passage of legislation outlawing discrimination against transgender people.

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Hillary Clinton | Gay Marriage | Politics

TV | Religion | Politics

Jon Stewart & Bishop Gene Robinson

The Reverend Gene Robinson was Jon Stewart's guest on The Daily Show Tuesday night. The openly gay Bishop talked about his Washington experience during the Inaugural Ceremonies and also about Rick Warren. Watch a video...

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Jon Stewart | Gay Marriage | TV | Religion | Politics

TV | Religion | Politics

A Los Angeles TV Refuses Gay Family Ad

Los Angeles KABC-TV has refused to air an ad promoting gay family, during Obamas's inauguration, reports GetToKnowUsFirst.org.

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Gay Marriage | TV | Religion | Politics

Politics | Events

Change has come to America

Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. His Administration has already posted the President's agenda on the White House new website. As his President-elect office's website stated, Barack Obama's plan includes to strenghten civil rights for gays :
- Expand Hate Crimes Statutes by passing the Matthew Shepard Act.
- Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage.
- Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: Ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions.
- Expand Adoption Rights : For all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. Obama thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.
- Fight Workplace Discrimination: Obama believes that anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell in the army.

Read the full Agenda here.

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Gay Marriage | Barack Obama | Politics | Events

Politics | Religion | Web

Google takes a stand on gay marriage

Google has filed an amicus brief in several legal challenges to Proposition 8, which make gay marriage illegal in California, reports Vnunet.

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Politics | Religion | Web | Gay Marriage

Movies

Patrik, Age 1.5 by Ella Lemhagen

Patrik, Age 1.5 tells the story of Goran and Sven, the perfect married gay couple with a beautiful house in Stockholm's suburbs in Sweden. Newly approved for adoption, they expect baby Patrik, age 1.5. One little mistake made at the adoption agency turns their world upside down. A decimal point had been misplaced in the agency's records and a 15-year-old homophobe with a criminal past shows up at their front door... Watch a trailer...

Patrik, Age 1.5, starring Gustaf Skarsgard (pictures), Torkel Petersson (pictures), Thomas Ljungman (pictures), Annika Hallin, Amanda Davin, Jacob Ericksson, Anette Sevreus and directed by Ella Lemhagen premiered at Toronto International Film Fest 2008 and is to be released in the U.S. next Summer.

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Gay Marriage | Movies

Photography | Movies

Brad Pitt on W Magazine

In February's issue of W magazine, Brad Pitt, who has contributed $100,000 last year to California’s No On Prop 8 campaign and who has said that he and Jolie will not wed until marriage rights are available to all, comes back on the subject : "People who are against gay marriage do not understand the very freedoms that they themselves are enjoying. What if someone said, ‘Sorry, no Christianity here? No Judaism. Certainly no Mormons.’ No one would stand for that, and I wouldn’t allow anyone to say that either. I’d fight them in the same way." Chuck Close, known for his superdetailed portraits that reveal every skin flaw, shot the pictures accompanying W's article (pictures above & below). Read Kevin West W's article here.

Brad Pitt stars in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. The film is directed by David Fincher and also stars Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas and Julia Ormond. Watch a trailer...

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Gay Marriage | Brad Pitt | Photography | Movies

Religion

Castro Church vandalized

Vandals may have marked up the wrong church Saturday night in an apparent revolt against Proposition 8 supporters, reports KCBS. Black spray-painted swastikas marred the front of Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in San Francisco's Castro district (pictures). Though the church itself is gay friendly, the proposed ban on gay marriage had support from prominent Catholics up to and including Pope Benedict. Pastor Steve Meriweather told KCBS his parishioners actually share the vandals' sentiment against Prop 8. "I think it's unfortunate that they selected our community to attack," said Meriweather, "because it's the wrong one." Some attending mass at Holy Redeemer in the heart of the Castro are calling it a hate crime. San Francisco Police have been called in to investigate.

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Gay Marriage | Religion