Jerry's email update on the fight for Equal Rights (November 26, 2004)
  

ACLU Drops Gay Marriage Case in Oregon

Also...

Oregon Republican to Push for Law Allowing Civil Unions.
 
 Friends,

I remain thankful to all the open-minded Americans that are fighting for our legal rights.  The Thanksgiving Holiday has reminded me that although, every step forward appears to have backlash from our hardcore-conservative opposition, we are in fact making those strides forward towards equality.  I am thankful to the State of Massachusetts for all that it has done for me and to my place of work (IBM) that has already been supporting the GLBT community for years.

Someday the rest of the country will finally wise up.                                            

Notable items this week:
 

Ma Priest asks lawmaker to quit choir post
Views on abortion, gay marriage cited
 
A Catholic priest at St. Augustine Parish in Andover has asked state Representative Barbara A. L'Italien to step down as cantor and leader of the children's choir because of the legislator's support for abortion rights and gay marriage.

''He said because of my views, he did not want to have me on the altar at church anymore," L'Italien said yesterday, adding that she had refused the request from the Rev. William M. Cleary nearly two weeks ago.

''I'm trying to be a good Catholic," L'Italien said. ''But this should be a separate issue. Church should be a sanctuary for me and my faith and not have anything to do with my work.".

FULL STORY

  
 

ACLU Drops Gay Marriage Case in Oregon
 
PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) - After Oregonians voted to ban same-sex marriages earlier this month, a gay rights advocate has given up its fight to take its case to the state's supreme court, activists said on Friday.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) will instead argue for a legal civil unions between same-sex couples giving them the same rights and benefits as married couples.

This changes our case in only one way. We are no longer seeking marriage," said Ken Choe, a New York attorney with the ACLU who will argue the Oregon case. "But we do believe that the Oregon Constitution requires equality with respect to the protections that come with marriage."

FULL STORY

 


Oregon Republican to Push for Law Allowing Civil Unions
 
SALEM, Ore. - Just a few weeks ago, state Sen. Ben Westlund voted "yes" on Measure 36 to ban gay marriages in Oregon.

Now, the Central Oregon lawmaker is hard at work drafting a civil-unions bill for the 2005 Legislature to give gay and lesbian couples some of the rights bestowed on married couples.

"It's just the right thing to do," the Tumalo Republican says. "Nothing in Measure 36 prevents the Legislature from affording equal rights and privileges to same-sex couples."

Not everyone in the Oregon Legislature agrees, though, and Westlund's sponsorship of a civil-unions law will thrust him into the middle of what likely will be one of the thorniest debates of the 2005 session.

FULL STORY

  

TAKE ACTION HERE

 
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I have met my goal for 100 actions, but strive for continued support.
Submit an editorial to your local paper every 35 days.  It is important to publicly show support for gay marriage! 
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Previous updates:

11/18/2004: SS Marriage Ruling 1yr Later

11/11/2004: No marriage Backlash in Ma

11/4/2004: Dealing with the bad news.!

10/28/2004: Last chance to spread the word...VOTE!

10/21/2004: Ohio's anti-gay "Issue 1" campaign gets ugly.

10//142004: La. marriage ban goes to state high court.

10//72004: LA Amendment is THROWN OUT.

9/30/2004: BUB-BYE Bigoted MA House Speaker.

9/23/2004: L.A. VOTES TOTAL DISCRIMINATION

9/16/2004: Primary elections victories for pro- equality candidates, but not for Jerry's.

9/9/2004: House is back in session, to debate marriage again!

9/2/2004: Tell Bush "YOU'RE FIRED"

8/26/2004: JERRY IS MARRIED!!!

8/19/2004: MA Supreme Court Judge rules in favor of discriminatory law!

8/12/2004: California High Court Voids Same-Sex Marriages!

8/05/2004: ANOTHER MAJOR SETBACK & ANOTHER SMALL WIN.

7/29/2004: MAJOR SETBACK!
Discriminatory Marriage Protection Act Passed by a Vote of 233 to 194 

7/21/2004: GOP HAS MOVED THE MARRIAGE DEBATE TO THE HOUSE AND EXPECTS TO WIN

7/15/2004: The US SENATE SHOOTS DOWN THE FEDERAL MARRIAGE AMENDMENT!    But,..

7/08/2004: Court Date Set In Mass. Out-Of-State Weddings Case

6/30/2004: Federal appeals court denies attempt to block same-sex weddings 

6/24/2004: Romney urges federal ban on gay-marriage 'experiment'

6/17/2004: Gay marriage opponents gear up for fall. .

6/9/2004: Tell Mitt Romney To Stop His Anti-Gay Crusade.

5/27/2004: Governor Romney is BOOed at Suffolk Commencement Ceremony!

5/20/2004: WE CAN MARRY!!! 

5/13/2004: Judge refuses to stop gay marriages!!!

5/7/2004: Boston may ignore governor's directive on gay marriage

4/30/2004: Governor Aims to Limit Marriage to Mass. Residents, GLAD Offers Perspective

4/22/2004: I'm featured in today's paper  :-) HORRIBLE PICTURE!

4/13/2004: LETTER FROM QUINCY'S HERO: REP RONALD MARIANO

4/8/2004: Quincy's Rep Mariano Changes Vote to Support Civil Rights!

4/1/2004: CIVIL RIGHTS SETBACK IN MA
  

News Articles of Interest

Upcoming Events 

 

The Religious Left: Churches and Politics
Well, it does exist—but not in an organized way
The next time you are in Minneapolis, you may like to visit St Joan of Arc church. Its weekend masses are packed; the congregation has doubled to 4,000 households in the past 12 years; the median age of its members is much lower than that of most other churches. It sends do-gooders to a sister parish in Guatemala, and professional musicians often stop by to jam at mass. This liberal Roman Catholic church hit a bump recently when conservative critics complained to Rome about some of its practices, including an open door for homosexuals. The bishop tried to intervene, but met a wall of protest from parishioners. St Joan's pastor, Father George Wertin, says that he is mindful of the church's teaching, but remains committed to inclusiveness and social justice.
 Full Story 
   

Kansas capital bans anti-gay hiring bias
LGBT activists are celebrating an unusual win: Topeka, the capital of the conservative state of Kansas, now has an ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in city hiring.
Full Story 

ACLU sues school for censoring gay teen
The American Civil Liberties Union has sued Missouri's Webb City High School after school administrators refused to allow junior Brad Mathewson to wear T-shirts that promote gay rights.
Full Story 
  

Judge affirms co-parent in Vt. -Va. fight
A state-to-state showdown over same-sex family rights came closer to a head last week when Rutland, Vt., Family Court Judge William Cohen ruled that Janet Miller-Jenkins is the legal co-parent of her 2-year-old daughter, Isabella. 
Full Story 

Study: Teens adjust well with gay parents
Teenagers raised by two moms develop as well as teens raised by opposite-sex parents, according to a groundbreaking new study published in the journal Child Development.
 Full Story 


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