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The move allows same-sex partners to apply for health benefits, but the newly elected Governor Luis Fortuño has promised to overturn the move when he takes office in January, claiming that protecting same-sex partners would cost the health care industry too much.
Acevedo responded ""What I have done is simply broaden these definitions so more people are covered, and it doesn't cost the government of Puerto Rico anything because if the person wants to include somebody they have to pay more." The order also prevents government agencies from discriminating on the basis of gender identity or sexuality. |
» Fantastico!
"Puerto Rico's house of representatives has denied a measure to toughen a ban on same-sex marriage. Rep. Victor García San Inocencio says Resolution 99 failed on Thursday to make it to the house floor for voting, effectively killing the proposal for this legislative term." [The Advocate] |
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The rollercoaster started on Saturday, when DNC leaders and lawyers converged in Florida, where they hashed out a deal on whether to seat that state and Michigan's delegates. Both states held their primaries early, thus breaking Democratic party rules. The Democratic National Committee, of course, was not pleased and threatened not to seat any delegates from those states. But, as could be predicted, they didn't want two irate states on the loose and agreed to seat delegates, but with some penalties:
Despite the compromise and satisfaction on Florida, Clinton's campaign remains defiant on Michigan. |
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» Backing…
Puerto Rican singer and rumored homosexual Ricky Martin came out for Hillary Clinton today. "Senator Clinton has always been consistent in her commitment with the needs of the Latino community. Whether fighting for better education, universal health care and social well-being, as First Lady and Senator from New York — representing millions of Latinos –she has always fought for what is most important for our families." [Observer] |
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» Bienvenido!
Our friend Jono went to Puerto Rico and all we got was this stinking blog post! [GPS] |
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The House of Representatives are set to vote today on whether to pass a ban on gay marriage and other forms of civil unions. If the Representatives decide to remove the civil union language - ""No other union, independently of its name, denomination, place of origin, jurisdiction or similarity with marriage, will be recognized, or validated as marriage." - then the bill goes back to the Senate. If they decide to keep the ban - well, then it goes forward. American politician Jose Serrano of New York, however, hopes that the Puerto Ricans can contain themselves - or risk pissing off Congress: …Serrano says that passage of such an amendment would put Puerto Rico among those groups that promote hateful and discriminatory measures which might not be seen in a good light by the United States congress. Money - the international language of democracy. God bless it! |
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Holy Ricky Martin! HIV infection is on the rise in Puerto Rico – and get your mind out of the gay-hating gutter – the virus isn’t spreading among the usual suspects. |
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Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila said he will authorize a May referendum on the legality of gay marriage. If two-thirds of politicos vote to ban same-sex nuptials, says the skeptical Vila, he will have no choice but to enact an exclusionary law: Acevedo was asked about his support after the leaders of an association of 2,300 churches, the Pentecostal Brotherhood, said the governor told them in private that he would sign the bill. We're always intrigued by politicians who feel it necessary to pile homophobic laws on top of one another. You would almost think they're trying to compensate for something. What they could be - well, your collective guess is as good as ours: their tiny dicks! |
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Senate Votes Against Gay Rights, House Holding Off
Jose Aponte, President of the House of Representatives, put the breaks on a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages in the island as well as civil unions even for straight couples but said that the House would take up the issue in the next legislative session which begins on January 5th of 2008. At least one approving senator admitted to voting yay in exchange for other legislative passage. Gay activist Pedro Julio Serrano call the Senate's decision "a disgrace for our history". |
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Vote Could Come Today
Blabbeando reports that Senator Jorge de Castro Font told newspapers that he'll put the bill before the Senate today. What's more, he's allegedly been drumming up support from anti-gay religious leaders: Senator Jorge de Castro Font, who authored the measure and controls which bills are brought to the Senate floor, said just as much to El Nuevo Dia reporter Israel Rodríguez Sánchez yesterday, and said that he also believed there were enough votes to pass it. Why deal with socio-economic crisis when you can distract voters with some good old fashioned gay panic? |