Gay marriage in Canada

I don't know about "better" but on this issue Canada is making strides. This is great news even though same sex marriage is already the law in 9 provinces. I'm really happy that they are finally getting it done on a federal level.

 

*sigh* A kid in my polisci class is from Canada and he and his boyfriend (now fiance??? :eusa_danc ) are going back up to get married... and really, it's not just Canada... Check out the map: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/Gaymap.PNG

The map needs to be corrected a little tho: gay marriage is now (hopefully) going to be legal in all of Canada (federal level). Spain recently passed a bill granted same-sex marriage and the Scandanavian countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland) all have what I consider to be same-sex marriage with those countries granting same-sex couples all the same rights as married couples, bar easier child adoption... the map also has a very wide interpretation of a "same-sex union" b/c it has Maryland as having same-sex unions... which we do but they're only used for medical decisions and some state tax purposes... not much else... I guess I don't really call that a "union"... but I guess in comparison to other places, it is.

 

Update! It's done! Canada's House of Commons has approved the gay marriage bill which is now widely expected to pass through the Senate and become law this July!

Congratulations Canada!
Félicitations Canada!

 

Yet more evidence you secretly yearn to be one with your Canadian brothers of the North. (!)

 

There is no "seems..." we just are. Better than the US, that is. Well, unless you're a rich white male who heads a corporation, in which case I'm sure the US is better. *grin*

 

Actually, it was 8 provinces and 1 territory (the Yukon), and Prince Edward Island just yesterday announced they would comply with the federal legislation, making the only provincial holdout Alberta (which I called months ago) and the two remaining territories: Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

 

An update, the bill has passed the senate. *does a jig*

 

Uhm... the only info I can find from yesterday said it had passed second reading (it needs three) and that final passage would happen next week.

 

Well i'm a big fan of re-igniting old threads so here consider the flame re-lit.

So it's been a year now and Canada's gay marriage issue is pretty much the same, the bill's passed, and Nova Scotia is getting Gay Americans coming in like crazy to get married...or so i've heard on the news.

I was just wondering how America's bill was doing.

 

There is no bill for marriage equality in America. Well, no single federal bill. There is the amendment against it, which was voted down in the Senate, so is pretty much dead unless Americans continue to go along with their brainwashing and switch the Senate even more neo-conservative than it already is in the midterm elections this November.

Sadly many, many states have passed constitutional amendments banning marriage equality or have at least had neo-con organisations gather enough frothing-at-the-mouth hivemind signatures to put such amendment on the ballot to be voted on this November. Some of them are so vaguely worded that they have been known to take away rights from different-gender couples who are common-law.

In Washington state, their high court just voted 5-4 against marriage equality. I guess that's a defeat although frankly I thought it was pretty amazing given that only one other state's judiciary has allowed marriage equality (Massachusetts). I think Maryland might be about to, though, if I remember correctly.

I think the same happened in New York recently too, that there was a high court decision against marriage equality.

Yeah, so basically in the States, not going so well. Don't really know if it's the best battle to be fighting there when they are so far behind Canada in other protections for people of sexual minorities.

 

Wow, that bad huh. Well im happy i was born in this country, and even in the atlantic portion of it. Gemma Hickey is the activist that brought same-sex marriage to Newfoundland long before the bill was even pondered federally. I got the forture of meeting her just two years ago, i wasn't out yet so i didn't like freak out and ask for an autograph or w/e but now that i think back at it, i wish i had.

 

Yeah, you are really lucky that you were born in Canada. Every day my sister and I petition my mom "can we move to vancouver? can we move to vancouver" and so pretty much she said that if we invade Iran or there is a draft then yes, we can move to vancouver.

As for a federal same-sex marriage legalization bill, that's not going to happen any time soon. Even if the democrats (the "liberal" party) do gain the majority in the midterms, they still won't do anything to try and legalize same-sex marriages, instead trying to make it a "states' rights" issue instead an equality issue. And seeing as how the mentality of American liberals is that "You can either vote for the conservative republicans or the moderate democrats, and if you try to vote for a third party, you are throwing your vote away."

And so, when I graduate from college (America still does have good colleges/universities despite the fact that Bush has destroyed the public school system by diverting all its funds to the war) I plan on either moving to massachusettes and praying that a conservative government doesnt come to power and ban gay marriage, or moving to canada and applying for citizenship there.

 

I married my partner in June of this year and it was a wonderful feeling to be able to exchange rings and make our vows publicly in the company of our friends and family. Life has changed so much for the better since I moved to Canada 38 years ago. This is a wonderful country and I am grateful for all she has given me over the years, including the man I love and will spend the rest of my life with.

 

Well i dono why im even bothering to post this but my uncle's brother recently (like last week or something) went up to Prince Edward Island (PEI) to get hitched (married) to his long time partner....so yeah....whoo!