Global Gay Rights?

I wish I could say that government flip-flops are all bad, but after the US signed the UN gay rights document asking for the decriminalization of homosexuality around the world, how can I still entertain that idea anymore?! Unlike the Bush administration, Obama decided to support this act not only for homosexuals, but for humanity as a whole. The US, along with the 66 other U.N. member states, now support a U.N. statement in December that condemned human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

As of right now, 77 countries have homosexuality as illegal, and 7 of those have the punishment for homosexuality as death. While many people, including the Catholic Church (who would have thought?) believe that signing a document that demands the decriminalization of homosexuality is just a ploy to get the world to accept and legalize same-sex marriages.

Bush feared that if a document like that were signed, it will attempt to override individual states' rights on issues like gay marriage. Sadly, the Obama administration said that signing the document "commits us to no legal obligations." But still, I believe this global effort to grant every homosexual the right to live their life free from persecution is a sign of hope nonetheless.

Supreme Justice Has Supreme Bias

I'm sure many of us know that some of the government officials out there with the power to vote on gay rights bills are more than likely not in love with the idea of man on man, or woman on woman relationships. In fact, you might even go as far as to call them homophobic. Well, at least that's what Masscahusetts Rep. Barney Frank called Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in an interview on Monday.

Frank said that eventually the decision to overrule The Defense of Marriage Act and allow same sex marriages will reach the Supreme Court and it will be up to the judges to decide on the constitutionality of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act). This gay representative says he hopes the decision is not left to the current court justices, especially Scalia, because of the amount of influence he holds, as well as his homophobic nature. Like I said, the interview with Frank was put on an online gay news website (365gay.com) and is conveniently embedded below for your viewing pleasure. Or, if you want to view it directly from the site, click here.

Frank's Discussion on the New Gay Agenda in Washington

Marriage Redefined

Good news! Although gay marriage is not recognized (or accepted) in most of the known world, at least Merriam-Webster recognized it in it's dictionary. Actually, it's been that way since 2003, but nobody has noticed Merriam-Webster's inclusion of same-sex marriage in the dictionary until recently. Ha! Take that Conservatives! Little by little same-sex marriage is being recognized under your noses.

Homosexuality Not A Game

First off, I'll begin by apologizing for my recent absence in post, but I firmly believe that is was a lapse in judgment on my university's part for having midterms and St. Patrick's Day a week from each other. I mean, come one, we're in college. Logically, after finishing the ever-stressful midterms, one will turn to drinking, and what better time than St. Pattie's Day, where everyone is Irish (because apparently all you need to do to be Irish is wear green). So now that my typing fingers have grown cobwebs, it's time to crank out the news. And boy is there news to be told!



We'll start off with a personal experience of mine. I'm a moderate video gamer. I like to go online and play with other, random people. Yes, I am in fact a nerd. Yes, the sunlight does in fact burn me. But all of that is beside the point. I've noticed a recurring trend every time i defeat another player online. Aside from the profanity (which there is always a lot of), I also get called "gay", "fag", "homo", and variations thereof. I mean, I don't really mind because it's pretty true, but the fact that they say that because they don't know me, and that they use it in an insulting manner is a bit annoying.

So when I heard Microsoft (which is the company that runs XBOX Live) was discriminating against homosexuals, it didn't come as too much of a shock. Apparently, XBOX Live Banned a lesbian because she put on her gamer profile that she was a lesbian. GASP! People being themselves! Anyway, Microsoft apparently received complaints from many parents of XBOX Live users saying they didn't want their children to be exposed to "that crap." Microsoft says that it automatically bans terms such as gay, lesbians, etc. I don't know if any of you have ever played online with some of these people. Reading the words lesbian or gay isn't their problem. Getting them to shut up about it is. As well as all the misogynistic and racist language that goes on. I wonder what Microsoft is doing about this? Absolutely, nothing so far.

Can We Fix It? Yes, We Can!

The gay community has, and continues to, face overwhelming injustices. Some stem from denying the right to marriage to same sex couple, and others are laws made with the pure intention of completely discriminating against couples of the same sex. One in particular is the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) of 1996. You can thank ole Bill Clinton for that. That's right Bill, be sad. This is only one of the many other mistakes Bill Clinton made during his 2 terms as president.

A brief overview of the Defense of Marriage Act:

• No state (or other political subdivision within the United States) need treat a relationship between persons of the same sex as a marriage, even if the relationship is considered a marriage in another state.

• The Federal Government may not treat same-sex relationships as marriages for any purpose, even if concluded or recognized by one of the states.

Yeah, that is the gist of it. But since then, a couple states have declared same sex marriage legal, but the discrimination from DOMA still lingers, and these couples that have been married feel it harder than anyone. This is why these same sex couples are suing the US government because the law denies gay couples access to more than 1,000 federal programs and legal protections in which marriage is a factor. Yeah, this is obviously not fair, especially when every citizen should be given the same rights.

Legal analysts think it'll be years before the suit even makes its way through the federal court system, but said they believed it had a good chance of eventually leading to the invalidation of the act's power to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. This would be a huge milestone if and when it does happen. Also, following behind the couples example, about 18,000 other couples who were married in California are expected to do the same. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for this to finally reach the courts and take effect. Too bad I might be in my 30's by then. I'm 21 right now by the way.....

But yeah, Bill screwed us gay people pretty royally (no pun intended), but Obama proves to be a more hopeful choice. Barack Obama's stance on GLBT rights are as follow:

• Expand hate crimes statuses
  
• Fight workplace discrimination and Promote rights
• Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for GLBT Couples
• Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage
• Repeal Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell
• Fight AIDS Worldwide

This laundry list of things he has vowed to do during his term has yet to be completely started yet, which is understandable in a way. One crisis at a time, really. Then again, I hope (notice how I used the word 'hope', which is one of Obama's many one word catchphrases] this all wasn't a bunch of talk so that he could get elected. I will borrow a line from Bob The Builder and go on record saying, "Can we fix it ('it' being this ass-backwards government policy that doesn't grant every citizen the same rights as other citizens)? Yes, we can!"

More On Moore, But Less Of Silverman?

With the impending release of the film Watchmen, I thought it only fair to mention the man behind film, the actual creator of the Watchmen comics, Mister Alan Moore himself.

*applause*

*applause*

Yes, yes. But wait, what does he have to do with gay rights or even homosexuals you may be wondering? Well, his comics, including (but not limited to) The Watchmen, Hellblazer, and The League of Extraordinary Gentleman each depict many different facets of the gay community and lifestyles. Alan Moore was actually one of the first people to introduce homosexuals (and not in a negative way mind you) in comic books. I think that is a rather big accomplishment and he should be mentioned for it.

But while on the topic of entertainment/film/television, Sarah Silverman's GLBT friendly (kinda) show has been one of the cuts from the Comedy Central line up. Due to the economic hardships Viacom (Comedy Central's parent company) is facing, it has told all of its subsidiaries to cut costs anywhere they could.

Is this the end of The Sarah Silverman Program? Nope. Somehow (and for whatever reason) it has been spared the grave for now. The show will now be co-financed with gay-oriented sister cable network Logo. Apparently this is not the first instance where Logo and Comedy Central both finance a show to keep it on the air. Another example would be the show Drawn Together, which has a gay character in it. It's refreshing to see that there is at least someone looking out for the few gay oriented tv shows out there. Viva La Rainbow Revolucion!

Trouble in the South

South America that is. Let's visit Brazil first on our brief journey south. The Roman Catholic church (in their infinite understanding and flexibility with the changing times) have decided to suspend Father Luiz Couto unless he renounces his views. What do his views include? Well, he defends the use of contraception, equal rights for homosexuals, as well as his opposition to celibacy for priests. Scandalous, right? A left-wing priest who keeps an open-mind is a thing the Catholic church refuses to endorse or even allow. As the times have changed, so should the Church evolve with them. The Roman Catholic church has refused to update many of its doctrines and scriptures, but who am I to judge?

The next and final stop is Argentina (short trip, I know). Argentina has put an end to the persecution of homosexuals (and homosexual acts) in the military. You may take this lightly, but the penalty for being convicted of committing a homosexual act in the military was death. Yeah, it was that serious. Now, the government (and by extension, the people) are trying harder to take control of their military, which, as of late, has become more powerful. Instead of appearing in front of a military tribunal when being charged with a crime, the Argentinian government feels that its citizens (including those in the military) have a right to be tried in a civilian court. This, to me, sounds like a better option than appearing in front of any military tribunal. Just the word 'tribunal' sounds deadly.