Marriage Equality

Not just another bullet point.

Brianne Bilyeu, , , , 582 Comments

Meet Rebecca Hostetler and Julie Redpath. They live in Chisago City, Minnesota; that’s about 45 miles north of me here in Minneapolis. Rebecca and Julie love each other very much and have been together for over 18 years. They can’t get married today, but perhaps someday soon that option will become available.

During this time in our country we are progressing toward marriage and legal equality for gay and lesbian people. So doesn’t it seem preposterous that we have to go to the polls in November and vote on whether to define marriage as between one man and one woman? Isn’t that a step in the opposite direction of where we are assuredly headed? It just. don’t. make. no. sense. The Minnesota Marriage Amendment was brought to ballot by a few vocal hold-outs who think it’s okay that Rebecca couldn’t visit Julie when Julie was hospitalized, who think that these two women’s relationship is imbued with some sort of magical property that somehow makes straight marriage less special.

The MN Marriage Amendment is a road block to progress, so in November let’s go knock it down and get on with our lives. And keep the door open for Rebecca and Julie to be getting on with theirs.

Not just another bullet point.
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Minnesota: This is who we’re voting against in November.

Brianne Bilyeu, , , 405 Comments

Image is from MPR News Minnesota in Photos and was taken by Alex Kolyer Follow the link to see more of his photos from the march.

MPR has a series of photos from Sunday’s Rosary Walk in St. Paul to support the “marriage amendment” – the constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between one man and one woman, and which would prohibit same-sex couples from getting married. Thousands of Catholics showed up to march. These are religious people who believe that the government should make a decision that violates church-state separation, who believe that our gay family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers shouldn’t be allowed to enter a civil contract because they think their god and their little book says it’s wrong. I cried when I saw this photo. All of these people are marching for inequality, bigotry and are willing to place a vote in November that would deny basic rights that they (likely) all enjoy and take for granted.

We must go to the polls in November and vote against this hateful would-be amendment. We need to bury it.

Minnesota: This is who we’re voting against in November.

Minnesota: This is who we're voting against in November.

Brianne Bilyeu, , , 294 Comments

Image is from MPR News Minnesota in Photos and was taken by Alex Kolyer Follow the link to see more of his photos from the march.

MPR has a series of photos from Sunday’s Rosary Walk in St. Paul to support the “marriage amendment” – the constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between one man and one woman, and which would prohibit same-sex couples from getting married. Thousands of Catholics showed up to march. These are religious people who believe that the government should make a decision that violates church-state separation, who believe that our gay family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers shouldn’t be allowed to enter a civil contract because they think their god and their little book says it’s wrong. I cried when I saw this photo. All of these people are marching for inequality, bigotry and are willing to place a vote in November that would deny basic rights that they (likely) all enjoy and take for granted.

We must go to the polls in November and vote against this hateful would-be amendment. We need to bury it.

Minnesota: This is who we're voting against in November.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Brianne Bilyeu, , 534 Comments

The Hubby and I aren’t doing anything Valentine-sy today. Some years we do, some years we don’t. There are a lot of birthdays (including the Hubby’s) in January and February for us and Christmas has just ended. We’re usually pretty tired of celebrations by the time this fake holiday rolls around. About a week ago it went like this:

Me: Hey, you want to just pass on Valentine’s this year?

The Hubby: Yeah. I love you. You love me?

Me: Roger that.

The Hubby: Cool.

Follow that with a perfunctory married people smooch, and everyone can move on with their lives.

However, we are making a contribution to love and relationships today: We took a photo for an organization that’s doing a marriage equality campaign, which I learned about from my blogger buddy George W. who writes at Misplaced Grace. We thought Valentine’s would be a nice day to post it.

Some people think that marriage should only be between a man and a woman because, you know, God and stuff. And because they think that what’s right for them should apply to everyone everywhere. They think that when two men or two women have a marriage contract that allows them to enjoy the same civil rights and freedoms as their own, that straight marriage is somehow under attack.

The HSSE, Heterosexuals for Same Sex Equality, thinks knows that idea is bullshit. This is their photo campaign. I don’t think you have to be heterosexual to participate (there are a lot of bisexual people in heterosexual marriages) but being married is key, so in a lot of cases that’s going to be opposite-sex partners. Personally, I think it would be AWESOME and ironical-like if some married same-sex couples from Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Washington D.C. and Iowa submitted photos, maybe with a little tag line about the state you were married in? Submit your photos to the HSSE Facebook page.

As long as marriage is recognized by government and offers certain privileges and rights under the law, those privileges and rights should be accessible to ANYONE who wants to make that legal commitment to each other. Marriage – in the eyes of the law – is a civil contract. How in great flaming hell does any other civil contract threaten or make a mockery of yours? That’s right, it doesn’t. Oh, and “civil unions”? “Domestic partnerships”? Gay people shouldn’t have to change the word that they use to describe their civil contract, i.e. MARRIAGE, to accommodate your religious beliefs. If you feel that your relationship’s connection to God is so special or so fragile that you can’t use the same word that teh gays use, maybe y’all should rename that.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine's Day

Brianne Bilyeu, , 1,316 Comments

The Hubby and I aren’t doing anything Valentine-sy today. Some years we do, some years we don’t. There are a lot of birthdays (including the Hubby’s) in January and February for us and Christmas has just ended. We’re usually pretty tired of celebrations by the time this fake holiday rolls around. About a week ago it went like this:

Me: Hey, you want to just pass on Valentine’s this year?

The Hubby: Yeah. I love you. You love me?

Me: Roger that.

The Hubby: Cool.

Follow that with a perfunctory married people smooch, and everyone can move on with their lives.

However, we are making a contribution to love and relationships today: We took a photo for an organization that’s doing a marriage equality campaign, which I learned about from my blogger buddy George W. who writes at Misplaced Grace. We thought Valentine’s would be a nice day to post it.

Some people think that marriage should only be between a man and a woman because, you know, God and stuff. And because they think that what’s right for them should apply to everyone everywhere. They think that when two men or two women have a marriage contract that allows them to enjoy the same civil rights and freedoms as their own, that straight marriage is somehow under attack.

The HSSE, Heterosexuals for Same Sex Equality, thinks knows that idea is bullshit. This is their photo campaign. I don’t think you have to be heterosexual to participate (there are a lot of bisexual people in heterosexual marriages) but being married is key, so in a lot of cases that’s going to be opposite-sex partners. Personally, I think it would be AWESOME and ironical-like if some married same-sex couples from Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Washington D.C. and Iowa submitted photos, maybe with a little tag line about the state you were married in? Submit your photos to the HSSE Facebook page.

As long as marriage is recognized by government and offers certain privileges and rights under the law, those privileges and rights should be accessible to ANYONE who wants to make that legal commitment to each other. Marriage – in the eyes of the law – is a civil contract. How in great flaming hell does any other civil contract threaten or make a mockery of yours? That’s right, it doesn’t. Oh, and “civil unions”? “Domestic partnerships”? Gay people shouldn’t have to change the word that they use to describe their civil contract, i.e. MARRIAGE, to accommodate your religious beliefs. If you feel that your relationship’s connection to God is so special or so fragile that you can’t use the same word that teh gays use, maybe y’all should rename that.

Happy Valentine's Day

Prop 8 Ruled Unconstitutional!

Brianne Bilyeu, , 707 Comments

From Reuters:

The U.S. 9th Circuit of Appeals in San Francisco Tuesday upheld a lower court decision, which had declared unconstitutional California’s controversial Proposition 8 banning same sex marriage.

The matter is now expected to travel to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The ruling, made by judges Stephen Reinhardt, Michael Daly Hawkins and Randy Smith — appointed by Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush respectively — ruled on both the constitutionality of Prop 8 and whether the judge who struck down Prop 8 should have recused because he is gay.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

They heard oral arguments on the constitutionality question more than a year ago, and the recusal matter in December.

California voters agreed to Prop 8 — also known as the California Marriage Protection Act — in November 2008 by a 52 to 47 percent margin (approximately 13 million voters took part). That vote inserted language in the state constitution expressly allowing marriage only between a man and a woman.

Two same-sex couples challenged the vote, and in 2010 retired U.S. Federal Court Judge Vaughn Walker declared the proposition unconstitutional because it denied equal protection under the law. However, Prop 8 supporters argue that because Walker later acknowledged that he is gay, it was improper for him to rule on the matter.

The California Supreme Court upheld the validity of the voter initiative, and a stay has been in place on Prop 8 pending appeals.

On to the US Supreme Court! This could have huge implications for other discriminatory state constitutional amendements that would define marriage as one man to one woman. I’m looking at you, my Minnesota.

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Prop 8 Ruled Unconstitutional!

Why Homosexuality Should Be Banned

Brianne Bilyeu, , , 439 Comments

This is going around teh Facebooks today. Here are seven ridiculous arguments for banning homosexuality (as if that were possible!) and seven snarky tongue-in-cheek responses.

I think this is a good follow-up to the American Family Association’s Buster Wilson explaining to us why people like him are fighting for traditional marriage (hint: it’s not because they’re homophobic or that they just hates homosexuals.)

This is the best response I could find for Buster:

Mr. Wilson, this bull thinks you’re full of bull.

Why Homosexuality Should Be Banned