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» Gay Lawyers Group Targets Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island for Gay Marriage
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders announced a campaign today to bring full marriage equality to the rest of New England by 2012. Executive Director Lee Swislow plans to use the knowledge gained from Massachusetts and Connecticut decisions as well as working with courts and marriage equality advocates. [AP] |
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Activists and politicians have long decried the "separate, but equal" institution, but the Connecticut decision put unions' deficiency in stark relief, concluding, "…Because the institution of marriage carries it it a status and significance that the newly crated classification of civil unions does not embody, the segregation of heterosexual and homosexual couples into separate institutions constitutes a cognizable harm." With that ruling, Vermont's progressive leaders are looking to break their own "civil" bonds. That state passed civil unions eight years ago, when the political climate was far more foreboding, but are feeling rejuvenated and ready to roar into the future to institute gay marriage there:
The big difference between Vermont and Connecticut - and, in fact, California and Massachusetts - could be that lawmakers take the reins on this one, rather than leaving it to the court. If that happens, the state would be the first to legislatively pass gay marriage, thus poking holes in that tired, old "activist judges" argument the right likes so much. |
» Woodsman!
Designer and poster child for embalming Karl Lagerfeld bought a house in Vermont and plans to use it to shoot ad campaigns for Chanel. No word on whether Lagerfeld plans on taking the house in a lumberjack or lesbianic direction. [!! omg !!] |
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» Longevity…
"Five years after Vermont approved gay civil unions, a study indicates legalized same-sex couples may be longer-lasting than those without legal status." [UPI] |
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If it becomes legal I think we would… It's something my girlfriend is interested in and it was not something my boyfriend ever was. Rumors have been swirling that the gals already have plans to tie the knot in Vermont, land of the lesbian. |
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Well, the journalist got flack for only profiling white, middle-class, educated men, which led some to wonder whether he simply chose to ignore people of color. Tired of whispers and murmurs, Denizet-Lewis sent out an email earlier this afternoon and tried to clear things up. He's not a racist, you see, but simply couldn't find any black people! In fact, there aren't many black marrieds to be found, he says - after the jump, of course. |
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…The experience has prompted lesbian Nixon's desire to cement her union to [Chris] Marinoni with an official declaration of the couple's commitment to one another. One can never be quite sure what to make of Enquirer based stories, but we're hoping this one's true. We love a wedding, especially when it's of the homo variety. |
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The report, released yesterday, makes it pretty clear that Vermont needs some matrimonial reforms: "It is the role of Vermont's policy-makers and elected officials to read and reflect on this report and in their best judgment determine what steps to take in their role as public servants of the people of Vermont," it said. The commission drew its conclusions after holding eight public hearings across the state. Despite this study, a number of social conservatives are gearing up to launch a state referendum on the matter. Because redundancy is God's work, right? |
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UVM Reluctantly Hosts Homophobic Activists
"It's nonsensical that marriage can't have multiple meanings," Paul Deslandes of Burlington told Stewart and Fagan. "That's simply scare tactics." Those points of view included Monte Stewart's short-sighted assertion: "Marriage is a vital social institution. There's a reason that marriage as an institution is virtually universal around the world." |
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Who's Who In The DNC's Gay Discrimination Drama
It's a big day for Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee! Chief of Staff Leah Daughtry takes the stand today in the ongoing discrimination discovery hearings. Daughtry allegedly asked former staffer Donald Hitchcock to resign after Hitchcock's boyfriend, Paul Yandura wrote an open letter criticizing the DNC. Confused? Yeah, we are, too. That's why we've compiled a list of all the witnesses testifying during the case's discovery period. Get to know the DNC players, because you may be hearing a whole lot more from them. |
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• Alright, we're willing to forgive The View's Sherri Shepard for not knowing whether the world's flat, but we're absolutely astonished that Shepard forgot that Patti LaBelle's black. • Out's Shana Krochmal talks to Panic At The Disco. Note the lack of exclamation! • Writer's strike be damned! AfterElton launches Gay People's Choice Awards: We're asking you to vote on your favorites in the traditional movie, television, music, and internet categories, but at the end we've included several gay-specific categories that you won't find covered anywhere else this awards season! Vote like your life depends on it! • Gay panic strikes Kentucky after b-ballers partake in celebratory kiss. |
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Organize Separate Hearings On "Traditional" Wonders
"Stephen Cable of Rutland, the founder of the conservative group Vermont Renewal, said the formation of this traditional marriage council is in response to what he says is the pro-gay marriage leanings of the Vermont Commission on Family Recognition and Protection. Tom Little of the original Commission says that he and his peers will "be focused on completing the public hearings we have scheduled." He also said they they always encourage "one and all" to come to their hearings. |
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Sisters Get Hate Crime Charge
Two sisters are being charged with a hate crime for spray painting anti-gay slogans and slashing the tires of the vehicles belonging to two men joined in a civil union. In addition to scrawling "faggot" on one of the cars, the girls also employed anti-gay epithets in their police interviews. Charming. |
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"Victim" Catches Activism Bug
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And We Were Asked To Boycott Barneys
Some people with HIV/Aids in Papua New Guinea are being buried alive by their relatives, a health worker says. We know it can be hard getting out to the rural areas, but the government may want to invest in a helicopter or something. Or, rather, they should have already done that. They known about the worrisome HIV rate for quite a while. |