Opinionated Lesbian : On Marriage

June 24, 2006 5:45 PM

Giving Margaret Somerville the last word

The good doc (both earned and hon.) has received her award. She favours queer civil unions, but not marriage, where the rights of children and of adults clash. "I'm pro gay rights and I'm anti discrimination against gays…. But I think same-sex marriage

June 8, 2006 12:05 PM

The wrong reason

Unaccountably famed ethicist Margaret Somerville has always argued that marriage is hetero because heteros say it is. Her argument's a squirming stain to those who believe in, well, the clean lines of logic. So opposition to Ryerson University's offer

June 2, 2006 1:20 PM

Any excuse to freak

As usual, much screeching and squealing amongst the religious right and the homo middle today as the Stephen Harper minority guv'mint announces that yes, an election promise will be fulfilled: there'll be a free vote on gay marriage in the House of Commons

May 26, 2006 11:31 AM

Mmmmmurf bluuuumph urggggggmble -- ha! I'm free! I phreeeeeeghm maaaaarfle mmmmmmmmmmmm

"The Prime Minister's Office has warned Conservative MPs not to comment on the marriage next month of two gay RCMP constables. "The gag order went to all MPs, but was aimed at 'the small minority who might say something stupid,' one caucus member said."

May 17, 2006 11:45 AM

Who'll blink?

Whither legal gay nuptials? Canadians for Equal Marriage "research indicates that 158 MPs would vote against re-opening, 137 would vote for it, and 12 are undecided or will abstain." The complete text of the press release is in the comments section

May 4, 2006 4:07 PM

Segregate properly

The queer lobby group Egale Canada has put out a press release complaining about the Census Canada questionnaires, which ask same-sex married folk to tick on the "other" option, instead of on the "husband or wife" option. Of course, common-law spouses

April 5, 2006 3:06 PM

Did we forget gay marriage? Er, no.

Homo marriage was noticeably absent from yesterday's Throne Speech, but it's still on the block. "The federal Conservatives say they will follow through on a campaign promise to hold a free vote in the House of Commons on same-sex marriage," it sez here.

March 24, 2006 12:46 PM

More peace, order, and good government

Additional heterosexual Canadian history, again taken from the February 2001 Beaver. This'un aboot charivari. An old codger who marries a sweet young thing, a widow who hitches up a little too soon after, an overly keen cad who weds a rich and on-her-last-legs

February 21, 2006 10:34 AM

So yesterday, dahlink

Gay marriage is legal in, what, four countries or something? And it's already a pop-culture cliché. On Friday, a Canadian athlete proposed to a teammate by placard. "Montrealer Dominique Maltais celebrated her Olympic bronze medal in the women's snowboard

January 27, 2006 10:30 AM

Two solitudes

Two completely different news stories on same-sex marriage in my French- and English-language dailies this morning. In the Montreal Gazette (and also here): "Stephen Harper says he wants to move quickly as leader of a fractious new Parliament to reopen

January 24, 2006 9:10 AM

The sun'll come up, tomorrow

Yep, there it is. So, a minority Conservative government in leftie Canukistan. You'll recall that all the suspected homos, both out and closeted, fled the federal Tories a while back. And straight supporter Belinda Stronach followed a bit later by

January 20, 2006 2:28 PM

I'll huff and I'll puff...

... and I'll invoke notwithstanding. Here's a quick rundown of how the Constitution's opt-out right (ha ha, there's that word again) has been used in the past, as noted a recent piece by La Presse's Yves Boisvert: The federal government has never had

January 20, 2006 1:52 PM

Some rights are better than others

Rights do not mystically exist in the ether of the universe. They are not inherent, but rather the creation of human beings. We discuss, debate, and bestow rights upon each other. Some believe in certain rights that others do not believe in. Like gay

January 20, 2006 1:17 PM

Ne pressez pas le bouton de panic

Those of you giving yourselves heart palpitations over the Canuckistan election should just take a valium (tm). Yes, prime-minister-in-waiting Stephen Harper is a social conservative and there will be problems if he's elected. But. Memo to right-wing

January 19, 2006 1:05 PM

She likes us, she really likes us!

My stars and garters, professional right-winger and queer hate-monger Babs Amiel has come out in favour of gay marriage. The world is just topsy-turvy. "Sir Elton John married his Canadian sweetheart David Furnish just before Christmas and yes, I wish

January 9, 2006 2:44 PM

Flavah of the week

More obligatory election. The Liberals have a new televison ad which features lesbians, while the Conservatives continue to shoot themselves in the foot over gay marriage. And the Grits are digging up more homo marriage dirt on the Tories. Meanwhile,

December 1, 2005 9:39 AM

The only time I will bring this up

It's been two days, and I'm still puzzling out why Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper brought up gay marriage of his own accord during this already tedious election race. He'll allow a free vote, meaning he'll dump it. Harper -- and his pollsters

November 1, 2005 6:52 PM

Modern family ties

My sweetie and I are not married; we're common-law. So this, Isˇ

August 10, 2005 9:57 AM

Take my wife -- please

People of good will express visceral hatred for stereotypes. Lazy blacks, Italian mafiosos, drunk Irish. Which brings me to same-sex marriage. A bigot would say that guys aren't gonna get hitched, because they're too promiscuous to settle down. And many

August 2, 2005 12:42 PM

The fear of children

In its July 21 editorial applauding same-sex marriage, the Globe and Mail noted: "To deny homosexuals the blessing of marriage was not only cruel but stupid. Cruel, because it marked them as lesser beings, unlikely to form lasting bonds of affection and

July 15, 2005 11:30 AM

Harry Pootter

Wheeee! Everyone needs a hit of Petter, Pitter, er, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Collected dish: Pope thinks Harry's Evil; the scoop on burning Harry; the ban on reading or talking about Harry (and not a peep of protest from the losers at

July 12, 2005 4:48 PM

Booing Svend Robinson

Despite his resignation from the House of Commons, Svend Robinson's unfortunately still influential opinions are seriously screwing over the gay and lesbian rights movement. "When I graduated from Burnaby North Secondary School in 1969, homosexuality

July 10, 2005 8:11 PM

Oh, if only queer wedding announcements read like this one

"South Bend, Indiana, October 26 -- Grace Gilbert -- who has been the 'bearded lady' attraction of several road shows, was married here today to Giles E. Calvin, a farmer, of Kalkaska, Mich. The bride has a beard 18 inches long, while the groom boast

June 30, 2005 10:02 AM

Cue the violin

Today's papers report that the Senate will sit through July to pass same-sex marriage and budget numbers. The House of Commons reconvenes at the end of September, but His Nibs Paul Martin has promised an election once the Gomery Inquiry into the corruption

June 28, 2005 5:09 PM

How strong and proud is our community: Please oh please, can we be a part of your club? Hunh? Pretty please?

Bill C-38, the same-sex marriage legislation, is through the House of Commons (158 votes to 133), and now it's off to the Senate, where poobahs have promised speedy passage. Bla bla here. A politician's self-congratulatory giddiness here. Meanwhile,

June 28, 2005 8:24 AM

Drat, do I have to?

On the plus side, your cantankerous Canadian scribe, without an electronic tablet upon which to engrave her scribbles, has been freed from the hourly agony of posting updates on the ludicrous same-sex wedding shenanigans in the House of Commons. I'd

June 21, 2005 10:11 AM

Draw a stick figure, arms flailing; now add flames burning up his little round head. SATAN! SATAN!

"A parish priest in Paul Martin's riding says he's praying the prime minister will lose his seat in the next federal election because he's doing the devil's bidding on same-sex marriage," it sez here. "Father Francis Geremia delivered his message in

June 16, 2005 9:23 AM

Happy Pride Day to all

Item: "For the first time in the two years since gay marriage was declared legal in British Columbia a same-sex couple has divorced." The two women were married in 2003, when the province's top court struck down het-only weddings. But of course, divorce

June 14, 2005 7:49 PM

He hates gay marriage soooooo much

Ontario politico Pat O'Brien, who jumped from the ruling Grits to sit as an independent, might -- just might -- bring down the Canadian government tonight. A series of financial (and therefore confidence) votes are scheduled for 10 pm Ottawa time, and

June 6, 2005 6:16 PM

Out into the backyard to pick worms

It's obligatory, I suppose, to mention that federal Liberal Pat O'Brien (an Ontario member of Parliament) quit the ruling party today to sit as an independent. O'Brien can't stand the thought of gay marriage (or the thought of something gay, anyway).

June 1, 2005 11:36 AM

Refuseniks

The June issue of Toronto Life features six portraits of local lesbian and gay couples (not available online). Included are twosomes who are or want to get hitched, and -- yay -- those who don't. In the don'ts: "radicals" Frank Chester and Joel Rotstein.

June 1, 2005 9:33 AM

Too much of one reality

You thought the televised and painfully straight Rob and Amber wedding was silly? Hey, at least it was paid for by uber producer Mark Burnett. The gay couple on the latest "The Amazing Race," the Lynn Warren and Alex Ali team, didn't get the same magnanimous

May 15, 2005 8:00 PM

Toned down, earnest Canadian gossip

I believe in the positive power of gossip. Especially in the need for home grown gossip! So just a quick tidbit: Gilles Marchildon, executive director of the queer lobby group Egale, recently celebrated his 40th birthday, and will marry Gord Klassen this

May 6, 2005 1:30 PM

Going through the motions

"The Little [Canadian] Marriage Bill That Could continued its journey through Parliament Thursday. Members of three parties sitting on the special parliamentary committee reviewing the legislation hinted yesterday that it may work long hours and limit

May 4, 2005 10:00 AM

Aye or nay

More gay wedding drama today in Canuckistan. The speechifying has ended, and it's expected there'll be a "second reading" in the House of (non)Commonality, around 5:30 pm (local Ottawa time).The last vote was actually on an amendment introduced by the

April 14, 2005 10:21 AM

Catsup

Er, catch-up: Further proving that many lucky leprechauns believe in same-sex marriage, a Conservative Party amendment defining marriage exclusively as a union between and a man a woman was defeated in Canada's House of Commons on Tuesday. The vote

April 12, 2005 11:24 AM

I don't

There might be a vote on same-sex marriage today in the House of Commons. There might not. The opposition Conservatives are threatening a filibuster. The opposition Bloc Quebecois just wants to force an election call. All together now: Marriage,

March 26, 2005 2:56 PM

"Voters don't decide issues, they decide who will decide issues"*

An activist who takes the time to read Hansard, bless his soul, has sent out a note about the upcoming vote on the same-sex marriage legislation, Bill C-38. It appears the House of Commons will vote on April 12. (It's the second reading only, all bills

March 19, 2005 9:55 AM

Harper on abortion and marriage

When he becomes Canada's prime minister, Conservative leader Stephen Harper will ban same-sex marriage (but allow for equal treatment under the law, implying some sort of queer couple's registry). He also told delegeates at this weekend's policy convention

March 10, 2005 9:36 AM

The race card

Canuckistan's Stephen Harper, the leader of the official opposition in Parliament, is hoping to set homos against ethnics in the same-sex marriage mess. Details here. Those looking for an update on how Canadian queer marriage is goin' down should also

March 8, 2005 7:16 AM

God hates you, okay?

Canadian politician Charlie Angus's priest has told him there'll be no more holy communion if Angus votes in favour of same-sex marriage. "Mr. Angus (Timmins-James Bay, Ontario), a devout practising Catholic who has an active church life, hasn't been

March 3, 2005 10:29 AM

The polygamy panic, part 114

Tom Wappel is a lawyer, Canadian politician, and long-standing opponent of gay rights. He once said that sexual orientation shouldn't be a prohibited ground of discrimination because it would be the first step on a slippery slope: first gays, then paedophiles,

February 28, 2005 7:08 PM

Stephen Harper's a silly goof

No, it's not me saying this. It's Toronto Star columnist Chantal Hebert, writing about the Conservative Party leader. "The post of Leader of the Official Opposition has long been known as the worst political job in Canada," she writes. And Harper's screwed

February 28, 2005 10:59 AM

The marriage hustle

The Hill Times (a tabloid written for political mainliners, civil servants and other Parliamentary denizens) reports that Canada's ruling Liberals have appointed the members of the special committee that will study Bill C-38, the same-sex marriage legislation.

February 25, 2005 5:27 PM

And we mean now, dammit

Well, knock me over with a feather. I just mentioned the Ontario provincial government's bill changing the definition of spouse to include homos two days ago, and it's already passed. Thankfully, there's dirt! There'd been an agreement among all parties

February 23, 2005 2:07 PM

Ontar-i-ari-o

A quick Canuck news note: "Dozens of Ontario laws are being amended to change the definition of spouse to include homosexual couples, Attorney General Michael Bryant announced." Details here. Ontario provincial courts okayed same-sex marriage in 2003,

February 22, 2005 1:39 PM

Buildings will crumble, newborns will die in their mothers' arms

"A Canadian pro-family activist says if the homosexual movement succeeds in redefining marriage in his country, the destruction to society there will be unimaginable to most people." The horrible truth continues here.

February 22, 2005 1:31 PM

Could you respond to these 400 e-mails on your break?

More on this idea of how people can be overwhelmed by the response to same-sex marriage: The Feb. 21 newsletter of Canadians for Equal Marriage states: "Over 1.5 million e-mails in support of equal marriage have been sent to Members of Parliament within

February 21, 2005 7:09 AM

You go, fat head

The latest in the queer wedding bla bla: "The federal Liberal Party's youth wing is mounting a massive campaign in support of same-sex marriage for fear the legislation will be defeated in the Commons.... They're also launching a button campaign bearing

February 20, 2005 10:06 AM

The perils of promotion

The weekend paper reports that Famous Players won't renew the deal signed with one of its own executives for the pro same-sex marriage ads that ran in theatres. (The background's here.) Why? The company is gay-positive in terms of leadership, of that

February 18, 2005 7:03 PM

We made the bed...

Now that the community has made same-sex marriage the most important issue for the entire friggin' movement, every moment from here on in will bring more and more exhausting news. "Legislation to extend same-sex marriage across Canada could be doomed

February 17, 2005 9:41 AM

Small mercies

Am gobsmacked. Some of the media coverage of same-sex marriage is more mature than Big Gay Issues have received in the past -- more subdued. 'Twould seem some reporters and editors have realized that hysterical presentation encourages some people to spew

February 16, 2005 4:34 PM

Blah bla blah -- but vital blah

The prime minster's gay marriage speech is here. He mentioned the Charter of Rights and Freedoms 23 times in the first half or so (when I stopped counting). Hansard will have the complete debate posted soon. ADDENDUM: Opposition leader Stephen Harper

February 16, 2005 2:23 PM

Meow, hiss, scratch

A Conservative MP has been accused of getting personal over the same-sex marriage debate after referring to a gay NDP MP's personal life. More here.

February 16, 2005 9:42 AM

Today's same-sex marriage debate

"In the absence of any mass popular movement committed to radical transformation of sexual values, the reforming efforts of the more advanced feminists and socialists were concentrated in the single issue campaigns that emerged at the turn of the century

February 15, 2005 5:32 PM

Begin yelling at the sound of the bell

Posted just a bit earlier today: Notice Prime Minister Paul Martin will lead debate during second reading debate on Bill C-38 (The Civil Marriage Act). Date: Wednesday, February 16, 2005 Time: Approximately 3:15 pm Place: House of Commons

February 8, 2005 10:33 AM

Free speech for everyone but you

Those on both sides of the gay marriage dispute are trying to smother the other. * The religious fundies at Canada Family Action Coalition have called for a boycott of Famous Players because the movie houses are running pro gay marriage ads (as trailers).

February 7, 2005 11:18 AM

Being of sound mind

As much as I consider same-sex marriage to be tiresome, the unrelenting bigotry portrayed in Jim De Seve's 2005 homo wedding documentary "Tying The Knot" is a reminder that we need to stick it to the mouth-breathers. (The flick was televised last night

February 5, 2005 11:03 AM

No, that's all right. Really.

At least some of the bloggies out there are balancing commerce and community. I think.Was invited to check out a same-sex marriage discussion area on BlogsCanada (a site which does appear to be a good deed). This same-sex marriage thread includes, "sadly,

February 4, 2005 10:11 AM

Ha!

There is a vicious joy in watching double-talking pols forced to take a position that'll prove unpopular. The legacy of same-sex marriage is a look of goggle-eyed panic. Even more entertaining: party leaders are discovering that conscience still means

February 4, 2005 10:03 AM

Today's finger-wagging

The issue of same-sex marriage allows its supporters to feel virtuous and activist -- and I mean both homo- and heterosexuals. The truth is there are other battles that are frankly more important -- like the fact that gay sex is still considered illegal

February 2, 2005 10:46 AM

A funny thing happened on the way to the altar...

An excerpt from gay activist Ted Mouradian's letter to the Ontario daily, the St. Catharines Standard: "I was appalled to see that the Standard used the term 'marriage' in a headline... to indicate the new relationship between Molson and Coors. The lead

February 1, 2005 10:26 AM

All marriage, all the time

Bill C-38's been introduced, "An Act respecting certain aspects of legal capacity for marriage for civil purposes." The justice ministry's marriage page gives the background. Pundits are counting the votes, and the numbers are iffy, with the "undecided"

February 1, 2005 9:50 AM

It begins

A roar of rumours that a bill allowing same-sex marriage will be introduced today in Canada's House of Commons. Brace yourselves: it's gonna get even nastier from here on in. There are the spittle-spewing bigots who want them homos shot, and we'll be

January 27, 2005 10:07 AM

Fear of polygamy

Conservative politicians and religious groups are using fear to sow panic over how same-sex marriage will lead to the legalization of polygamy. We must make fun of the logic here, because there is none. But lesbians and gay men must also beware: let's

January 26, 2005 12:13 PM

134 Susans agree

The continuing hysteria whipped up over same-sex marriage by Canada's opposition Conservative Party is going to turn us into a carbon copy of the United States. We will lose our healthy multiple party system -- one that provides real representation for

January 24, 2005 10:01 AM

Polygamy

As the Supreme Court of Canada pondered the constitutionality of same-sex marriage, religious folk demanded their right to deny the church's wedding sacrament to gay men and lesbians if they so desired. The judges duly agreed, reinforcing the concept

January 18, 2005 4:15 PM

Death on TV

A tragic story on the TV talk show Oprah yesterday: vacationing American Nate Berkus lost his partner, Fernando Bengoechea, during the tsunami. Berkus felt his lover's hand losing its grip on the back of his shirt, and Bengoechea was gone. Truly horrible,

January 18, 2005 4:14 PM

The other side of the coin dep't

Big shot Saudi cleric Sheik Fawzan Al-Fawzan blamed us last week for the grisly tsunami that killed more than 100,000 people in Asia in December. "These great tragedies and collective punishments that are wiping out villages, towns, cities and even entire

January 12, 2005 5:17 PM

Cherry Ames, nurse

There are so many evils related to hospitals and medicine. Remember the horrible tales of longtime lovers banned from the bedsides of their mates, who then died alone of AIDS? Only 20 years ago, this. Sadly, these days our interest in health care pales

January 11, 2005 10:01 AM

Marriage-a-go-go

The Groucho Marx-like Canadian federal government response to same-sex marriage continues apace. Justice Minister Irwin Cotler is in charge, a lawyer and academic who obsessed with the Charter and Rights and Freedoms yet who spouted off before his election

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