A Great Pro-Marriage Ad From Britain

Here is an absolutely wonderful marriage commercial from our friends in the UK.  A lovely, powerful, and important message in promotion of the civil rights issue of our generation.

Times They Are a'Changing!

Equality is moving quickly in many parts of the world, and the last couple months of 2012 have been no exception.  My liberal progressive heart is loving every minute of it!

Here's a quick, simplified round-up:

THE PHILIPPINES:  Naturally, since the Philippines is dear to my heart, I have to give BIG kudos to the Filipino people for the recent passage of the Reproductive Health Bill in both the House and the Senate.  Even though it doesn't have anything to do with gay rights, it's still a wonderful step forward!  As soon as President Aquino signs the bill, we can finally start referring to it as the Reproductive Health Law.  It's been a long time coming, so congrats, Philippines!

URUGUAY:  On December 12th the House of Representatives of the South American nation of Uruguay passed a Marriage Equality Bill, 87 votes to 81.  The bill will next go to the Senate for approval, where it is expected to pass.  The president, Jose Mujica, has said that he will gladly sign the bill into law as soon as the Senate approves it.  Looks like another majority-Catholic country will soon be joining the ranks of countries with marriage equality.  Go Uruguay!

The Pope's Having a Really Bad Day

Can't win 'em all, buddy.

When the pope woke up in the Vatican this morning, he was greeted with some very bad news.  His morning report undoubtedly led with the front line: RH Bill passes Philippine House and Senate.

While liberal progressives like me cheered for the Philippines, I can imagine that the halls of the Vatican most likely fell silent.  You could probably hear a pin drop as the news came in.

Retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz, a life-long stalwart opponent of women's rights, gay rights, and common sense in general, conceded defeat on the matter.  The pope too must swallow this bitter pill and accept reality.

Really, AXN?

Holy shit, they do look dangerous!

It seems the sight of two men in a long-term relationship holding hands is simply too much for Asian cable network AXN to handle.

On Monday, October 1st, episode 1 of season 21 of The Amazing Race was aired across Asia on AXN.  One of the team of racers was Josh and Brent, a couple who own and operate a goat farm in upstate New York.  Josh and Brent have been in a monogamous relationship for 14 years, and are currently engaged to be married.

But of course, AXN didn't want anyone to know or see that.

When I watched the episode, I was a little curious why Josh and Brent's intro segment was so short.  The other teams (consisting of sibling pairs, best friends, (hetero) dating couples, and (hetero) married couples), all had longer intros, showing their backgrounds, their lives, and, if they're a couple, their love for each other.

The Abortion Tragedy in the Philippines

I'm so tired of the gaggle of "Pro-Life" politicians in the Philippines.  You've seen them and unfortunately heard them:  Golez, Pacquiao, Enrile, and our favorite dork of the month, Sotto, harping on about the grave dangers of condoms, pills, and IUDs.  All, of course, propped up by the Philippine Mini-Popes, i.e. the CBCP.

Look, I'm a progressive liberal.  I'm about as liberal as a person can get.  When I say liberal I mean liberal in every way:  an economic liberal, a military liberal ("a dove"), and a social liberal.  I grew up in a liberal family, in a liberal culture, in a liberal country called Norway.

In my country, RH isn't an issue.  It hasn't been an issue since...well...it's never really been an issue.  This is because the Catholic Church holds absolutely no sway in Norway.  None.  The pope never visits us because we honestly don't want him to.  (We think he's a bigot, to be quite honest with you.)  In my country the government's been giving out free condoms and birth control pills since the 1960s,  and the state doesn't interfere in a woman's right to choose what to do with her own body.

I love me some Wanda Sykes!

Well-known American comedienne and actress Wanda Sykes is absolutely awesome.  Anytime I watch any of her stand-up comedy shows or acting spots on TV and in movies, I just can't stop laughing.  She's comedy gold if you ask me.  Her most recent film work was as the voice of Sid's Granny in Ice Age: Continental Drift.

Wanda is happily married to her wife, Alex, who hails from France.

In response to the recently released 2012 Republican Party Platform, which includes an idiotic proposal to write an amendment to the US constitution to ban same-sex marriage, Wanda's sense of humor shined through on television interviews.

According to Wanda (and common sense in general), the hard right shouldn't be threatened by marriage equality:

Democratic Party Platform Endorses Marriage Equality

In a series of speeches peppered repeatedly with references of the right of same-sex couples to marry, including from First Lady Michelle Obama and high profile Latino Catholic politicians, the first night of the Democratic National Convention in the U.S. was very memorable.

A huge congratulations to my American Democrat friends, whose party has, as of today, officially adopted a platform that solidly supports marriage equality for all.  This is the first time a major U.S. political party has officially endorsed same-sex marriage, and it's a very, very big moment for equality in America.

Under the heading "Freedom to Marry," the 2012 Democratic National Platform states:

Leaders Who Listen to Reason Rather than Bishops

"I believe it would be a terrible distortion of democracy if the majorities – the actions of those majorities – denied rights to the minorities."
- Cristina Kirchner, President of Argentina
(A Catholic president in a majority-Catholic country, by the way, which today has marriage equality.)



  

"Mentalities have changed. There is no longer any reason not to open marriage to people of the same sex." 

- Marc Verwilghen, Fmr. JM of Belgium
(Said in 2003, just prior to marriage equality passage.)