Pennsylvania State Representative Dan Frankel writes a passionate op/ed in today's Post-Gazette. Frankel, a Democrat and long time progressive ally of the LGBT community, examines the potential damage the marriage protection amendment will do to the gay AND unmarried straight communities. Including senior citizens.
The impact could be far reaching - health insurance coverage, foster care and adoption, hospital visitation, domestic violence protection, pension security --- for unmarried HETEROSEXUAL families.
The right wing is trying to whip Pennsylvania residents into a frenzy just before the spring primaries. This is not about a threat to marriage, it is a about a threat to incumbent Republicans. If it was not acceptable for the state legislature to secretly vote themselves a pay raise, is it any more acceptable for them to hurry up to amend the constitution?
The wingnuts deny the plausibility of these drastic outcomes. But they cannot guarantee anything. One need only look around at other states to determine where this path may lead us -- it ain't pretty. Frankel lays it out nicely.
Read his piece. Then make a note to yourself to pick up your phone on Monday and call your legislators. Tell them that the amendment is unnecessary and that you don't want to write discrimination into our constitution. This ball is fueled by politics. Once it rolls, it will only gain momentum. Now it the time to take action.
I am not willing to gamble with people's lives and health. I agree with Sen. Joe Conti, a Bucks County Republican, that this amendment is "unnecessary, mean-spirited and timed for political gain before the upcoming primary election."
From 365gay.com comes word that the State Supreme Court will let a 1913 law stand that prohibits clerks from issuing marriage licenses to people from states where their marriage would be illegal. Originally passed to prohibit interracial marriage, the law has been used to prevent non-Mass. same-sex couples from marrying.
According to Pam's House Blend ...The next step, the court indicated, is to sent the case back to the MA Superior Court to review whether gay civil marriage is legal in Rhode Island and NY, where the matter is winding its way through the courts in those states.
David Schelbe, co-chair of PFLAG Pittsburgh, asks the crucial question -- how will amending the Pennsylvani constitution protect marriage?
Amy Beisel of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference opines that a one man/one woman marriage is unique and special, as well as fundamental to the well-being of children. Same old drivel dressed up pretty to defend marriage from a nameless threat. And I'm sure the hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania families that don't meet the one man/one woman threshold love being shoved into second class citizenship along with us homos. Very Christian of you Ms. Beisel ... good to know you are working hard so your future husband can make decisions in your best interest. :-)
Ms Beisel -- can you please spell out how ... HOW ... gay marriage will impact your marriage (or future marriage)?
The Tribune-Review's Mike Seate enjoys going to True (he doesn't name it, but we all know that's the place he's describing). He also enjoys the reactions of his straight friends to being in a gay oriented bar.
Seate does a nice job tweaking the social homophobia of men who delusionally believe they are the sexual target of any gay man in their vicinity.
My straight friends need to realize that, despite overestimating our own allure, most often, nobody in any bar -- gay or straight -- is checking us out. With our beer bellies, beard stubble and constant banter about motor sports and marriage, we're so obviously straight it would take The World's Most Clueless -- or desperate -- Gay Man to send a free drink sliding down the bar in our direction.
Actually, he does describe a few gay men that I know. However, his point is well made. Perhaps he should take the Trib editorial board out for a round?
Some random notes...Rep. Randy Cunningham's loot came on the auction block last week. You remember Randy? The gentleman who ranted about the evils of gay people but then accepted bribes. The last time I checked, stealing was a big one in the ten commandments, but, uh...being gay ...WAS NOT.
Also, some observations about who might vote to take away gay folks right to marry. The pigeon sniper. The man who was seen walking on the roofs with an air rifle that looked like an assault rifle? Shooting piegeons. The person who locked down Pittsburgh for several hours and then, incredibly, tottered back to Fayette County. He can marry. He can breed. And they say gay people are a threat to society?
Finally, I attended the ACLU's annual meeting on Sunday and heard Randy Forrester speak. Seems among urban gays there's still a complacency about gay rights. A belief that being gay is becoming routine. Accepted. Let me say this, and not as eloquently as Mr. Forrester. The religious right, the self-righteous hypocrites that they may be, are coming after you. They don't like you. They want to establish a theocracy and, guess what? It won't include you. So wise up and get your head out of the sand.
Finally, I am also amused about the religious right's collective panties in a knot about the Afghanistan Christian that the Afghanistan government wants to execute. Bush came into that country and a "democratically" elected government was established. And this same government wants to execute this man. Not that I agree, but what did they expect? There also going after women and...gay people but you don't hear the focus on the family squawking about that, do you?
"He feels that we can still win this battle, BUT THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO PUT A HUMAN FACE ON THIS AMENDMENT! State legislators and state senators need to meet people, both GLBT and straight, who oppose this amendment. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT to set up district office visits to speak with them about how this amendment impacts you, your family, your friends. The ACLU Community Organizers, working with the Women's Law Project, will be helping people set up these meetings and working with them on how to speak to elected officials."
We are trying to up an appointment with our state representative, Mike Diven. You need to do the same thing. You being gay and straight people. Married, unmarried and in between. Here's the links for the ACLU and for the Women's Law Project.
Here's the latest from our friend Dan Frankel .........
"This amendment would put at risk vital legal protections for thousands of unmarried same-sex and opposite-sex couples in Pennsylvania, including many senior citizens. Rushing this amendment through would jeopardize their inheritance rights and their rights to make medical decisions for each other."
And our homohating foe Darryl Metcalfe (shown with his traditional family)
?The definition of marriage as ?the union of one man and one woman? that we offer in this legislation is the traditional definition of marriage that has been recognized and accepted throughout history and throughout the world,? Metcalfe said. ?I encourage all Pennsylvanians who value traditional marriage, and who want to see it protected to sign the petition and contact their state legislators to urge them to support House Bill 2381.?
Excuse me while I go vomit. I'd blame the Chinese food I ate, but I'm sure I'm choking on hypocrisy. If you visit Metcalfe's site, you'll feel the same. What a pretentious oaf.
Listen up, Butler County residents! This idiot has swindled you into believing that gay marriage is such a threat to your family that it demands his immediate attention even though, EVEN THOUGH, it is currently illegal in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. You are PAYING this guy to amend your constitution instead of attracting jobs to Butler County, keeping your health insurance functioning and making sure your property taxes don't overwhelm your family. Those are FAMILY issues.
Stay tuned for the Value All Families Coalition press release ...
The amendment is still active. So far, there has been a motion to table the amendment for two weeks so there could be a public hearing on the amendment. We LOST this motion on a tie vote, 14-14. The committee has now recessed so that the legislators can go into session. The committee will resume its discussions on the amendment later today.
The Value All Families Coalition will be issuing a press release later today.
For today, while the committee is dealing with the amendment, it is not necessary to call your representatives. The Value All Families Coalition will update everyone within the next day on next steps.
State Senator Jane Orie is putting her time and energy behind persecuting homosexuals (and the 250,000 unmarried heterosexual couples in Pennsylvania). (412) 630-9466
Western PA Senate sponsors of Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of theCommonwealth of Pennsylvania, providing for marriage.
Yes, Pennsylvania. These are the folks spending YOUR tax dollars to tackle critical issues threating the welfare of your family. You'll be extra safe from us queers while you lose your jobs, lose your healthcare, lose your home to property taxes and lose any chance your children have for a healthy future.
On March 15th, the Pennsylvania House of Representative's State Government Committee will be voting on HB 2381, the anti-LGBT, anti-family constitutional amendment that would prohibit recognition of same-sex marriage and all unmarried relationships in the Commonwealth.
We need your help to stop anti-LGBT activists from writing discrimination into the Pennsylvania Constitution. Pennsylvania state legislators are attempting to amend the Pennsylvania state constitution to deny gay, lesbian and unmarried families legal recognition.
We need you to call your state Representative immediately and ask them to oppose HB 2381, known as the "Pennsylvania Marriage Protection Amendment."
The amendment's text states, "Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this Commonwealth, and neither the Commonwealth nor any of its political subdivisions shall create or recognize a legal status identical or substantially equivalent to that of marriage for unmarried individuals."
Ask your legislators to protect all of Pennsylvania's families and not harm some by writing discrimination into Pennsylvania's constitution. Pennsylvania law already stops gay and lesbian couples from marrying, and this amendment is not necessary.
So-called marriage protection amendments affect all families in our state, not just same-sex families. While supporters in other states have said these amendments are only about gay marriage, this is not true. In Ohio, courts have ruled that unmarried people, including unmarried heterosexual couples, may not seek protection from abuse orders. In Michigan, groups are challenging domestic partner benefits for employees. Virginia's recently enhanced amendment is so broad that it may interfere with the rights of all Virginians to create wills, medical directives, powers of attorney, child custody and property arrangements, and even joint bank accounts!
Thank you for your support. Please forward this information to friends, family, and other people in Pennsylvania who believe in civil rights and equality for all Pennsylvanians.
