SEARCH

NOTE

iChatGay.com claims no credit for any images featured on this site unless otherwise noted. All visual content is copyright to it's respectful owners. iChatGay.com is in no way responsible for or has control of the content of any external web site links. Information on this site may contain errors or inaccuracies; the site's proprietors do not make warranty as to the correctness or reliability of the site's content. If you own rights to any of the contents, and do not wish them to appear on this site, please contact us via e-mail and they will be promptly removed.

Religion | Politics

Obama, McCain and Gay Marriage

Presidential contenders Barack Obama and John McCain appeared Saturday on the same stage for the first time in months, although they overlapped only briefly. In a forum moderated by Pastor Rick Warren in Lake Forest, Calif, the two men shared their views on a range of moral, foreign and domestic issues as they near their respective nominating conventions. Both men said marriage is a union between a man and a woman. Obama added that he supports civil unions for gay partners, which would give them rights such as hospital visits with one another. He said he opposed a constitutional ban on gay marriage, calling the matter a state issue. McCain's answer was less clear. If a federal court ordered his state, Arizona, to honor gay marriages allowed in Massachusetts, he said, "then I would favor a constitutional amendment. Until then, I believe the states should make the decisions within their own states." Read the full Associated Press report.

See all posts about :
Gay Marriage | Religion | Politics

Society | Politics

Massachusetts & out-of-state gay weddings

Massachusetts on Thursday opened the door for gay couples from across the country to marry in the northeastern state, reports AFP. Governor Deval Patrick (picture) signed a bill with immediate effect allowing homosexual non-residents to tie the knot there, circumventing bans in their own states. "Today, by repealing a nearly century old law, we affirm the right of same-sex couples from out-of-state to marry in Massachusetts, to enjoy all the protections of our good laws," Patrick said in comments provided by his press office. Massachusetts in 2004 became the first US state to allow gay marriage, followed by California this year. Non-residents can also marry in California. A spokeswoman for Patrick, the state's first black governor, said the now-repealed law against gays coming to marry in Massachusetts had originally been passed in 1913 to prevent inter-racial marriages. Thousands of same-sex marriages have taken place since the ban within the state was lifted.

See all posts about :
Gay Marriage | Society | Politics

TV | Politics | Fun

Jon Stewart on Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Jon Stewart comments the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Hearing on Comedy Central's The Daily Show. "Currently the military operates under Bill Clinton's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy because oddly enough, they can't handle the truth." Watch a video...

See all posts about :
Jon Stewart | TV | Politics | Fun

Politics | Society

Don't Ask, Don't Tell hearing

U.S. Congress is holding its first hearing in 15 years on the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy barring bisexuals, gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, Times reports. The hearings, called by a House Armed Services subcommittee, are likely to be more notable for the fact that they are being held at all rather than anything of substance they may produce. The simple fact that the hearings are taking place offers the most significant indication yet that the U.S. is finally reconsidering its strange policy of enforced hypocrisy that came to be called "Don't ask, don't tell." The hearings should also provide a delicate moment for Senator Barack Obama, who has said he opposes "Don't ask, don't tell" but is also reportedly considering one of its major architects, former Senator Sam Nunn, to be his running mate. Watch a video...

See all posts about :
Politics | Society

Sports | Politics

Matthew Mitcham, the SX interview

In August, diver Matthew Mitcham will become the first openly-gay Australian to compete in an Olympic Games. A casual remark to a journalist during an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald led to a flurry of international publicity (see previous post). Speaking to Australian gay magazine SX during a break from training at the Sydney Aquatic Centre in Homebush, Matthew Mitcham is nonplussed by all the fuss. "It’s not really a big deal," he says. "It’s not like I’m a different person. It’s not like I was straight before. So nothing really has changed." In fact, Mitcham doesn’t even agree that he "came out" last month. "I came out years ago. All that happened recently was that I was doing an interview with the Herald and there was a pretty innocuous question, 'Who do I live with?' and I just said 'my partner Lachlan'. Mitcham is aware that other people do see it as "a big deal" and he’s happy to wear the mantle of "role model" for young gay guys.

When asked for his view on same-sex marriage, he has no compunction slamming Prime Minister Kevin Rudd: "I’m not happy with Kevin Rudd," he says, bluntly. "Kevin Rudd’s opinion of marriage as something that’s only between a man and a woman is quite narrow-minded. During the election campaign he was all about appearing young and cool, but his views on gay marriage make him look quite old-fashioned." But of course, gay politics is not Mitcham’s primary focus right now. "All my energy is focused on Beijing right now," says a tenacious Mitcham. "I’ve been diving since I was eleven, so it’s been nine years of work leading up to this." Read the full interview here.

See all posts about :
Gay Marriage | Sports | Politics

Politics | Events

Gay Pride March attacked in Budapest

Forty-five people were taken into custody and 10 others were injured in clashes between police and homophobes during a gay rights march in the Hungarian capital Saturday, AFP reports. About 450 people took part in the march in central Budapest when extremists began throwing explosive devices, eggs, cobblestones and bottles at police and the marchers. Police seized chemicals and Molotov cocktails from a six-member group waiting for the demonstrators in an uninhabited flat along the route of the march. Liberal member of Parliament Gabor Horn was hit and a police car carrying former undersecretary Gabor Szetey, the first openly gay Hungarian politician, and member of the European Parliament Katalin Levai was also attacked, Hungarian news agency MTI reported. Last weekend, gay pride marches in Eastern Europe (Czech Republic and Bulgaria) were also disrupted. A report by the European Union's rights watchdog found Tuesday that a third of EU states are still failing to ensure equal rights for gays and lesbians (see previous post).

See all posts about :
Politics | Events

Politics

Obama supports Gay Marriage in California

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is opposing a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in California, taking a liberal stand on an issue in the midst of a move to the center on others in recent weeks, reports the Washington Post. In a letter sent to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club of San Francisco this week, the Illinois senator said "I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution or those of other states." Conservatives in the state are pushing a constitutional amendment following a California Supreme Court decision that overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage. Presumptive GOP nominee John McCain backs the proposed amendment. Obama aides emphasized he has opposed similar state bans in the past. They said the Illinois senator does not support gay marriage, but believes that federal and state constitutional amendments banning gay marriage can also threaten rights that couples have under civil unions and domestic partnerships, which Obama supports. His position comes as a shift for Democrats, as 2004 presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry backed amendments to ban gay marriage in some of the states in which he campaigned.

See all posts about :
Gay Marriage | Politics

Politics

Europe still needs to fight homophobia

Equal protection by EU anti-discrimination law remains an ideal not a fact for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals living in many parts of the European Union . Greater legislative protection and wider support within the EU is required, reports the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA). The Agency identifies differences in treatment and protection by the law and a lack of full and equal enjoyment of rights in areas of EU competence, particularly with regard to same sex partnerships. As the European Union begins its debate on non-discrimination with the publication of a new Communication by the European Commission on 2 July, the FRA believes that the equal right to equal treatment should underpin the legislative direction. FRA’s legal analysis is the first of two reports related to homophobia and discrimination experienced by members of the LGBT community. The second report detailing the social aspects will be released later in the autumn. Read the report here.

See all posts about :
Gay Marriage | Politics

Society | Politics | Events

Gay Pride Weekend

Around half a million people marched in the streets of Paris, one of the most crowded Gay Pride in the world. A new poll published on Sunday in the JDD shows that a large majority of French people (62%) think that same-sex marriage should be allowed and for the first time a majority (51%) thinks they should be allowed to adopt children, despite the opposition of French President. Eastern Europe Gay Pride marches have been disrupted by right wing extremists in Czech republic and in Bulgaria where the police arrested nationalist opponents trying to attack participants reports AFP. In the U.S., Hundreds of thousands marched from Fifth Avenue to Greenwich village in New York for the 39th annual Gay Pride in Manhattan. Starting off the parade were Governor David Paterson, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (picture below). San Francisco Pride march was also crowded with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (picture above) receiving ovations along the parade for his role in Gay Marriage victory in California. San Francisco Pride Message was this year: "Inclusion Not Tolerance."

See all posts about :
Society | Politics | Events

Politics

Obama's wife speaks to Gays

On Thursday evening, potential first lady Michelle Obama (picture) appeared in New York City to facilitate post-primary healing among members of the LGBT community and to appeal for their financial support. On the verge of the weekend’s massive Gay Pride celebrations, she was the keynote speaker at the annual gala for the Democratic National Committee’s Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council, the group that aims to advance LGBT priorities within the party. “Barack is not new to the cause of the LGBT community,” Obama said. “It has been a conviction of his career since he was first elected to public office.” “Barack has made crystal clear his commitment to ensuring full equality for LGBT couples,” she said. “That’s why he supports robust civil unions. That is why he has said that the federal government should not stand in the way of the states that want to decide for themselves how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples, whether that means domestic partnerships, civil unions or civil marriage.” She noted his opposition to the November ballot initiative in California that would overturn the recent court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in the state, reports the Village Voice.

See all posts about :
Gay Marriage | Politics