The Marriage Debate

[OscarGuy]

Is this like an Avalanche? The entire American Northeast is about to be gay-marriage friendly...

Maine lawmakers approve same-sex marriage
Posted: 01:57 PM ET

From CNN's Lauren Kornreich

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Maine House of Representatives voted to pass a bill legalizing same-sex marriage on Tuesday afternoon.

After a nearly three-hour debate, the House voted in favor of the bill by a vote of 89-57. The measure, which was passed by the state Senate last week, now heads to the governor's desk for a final decision.

Democratic Gov. John Baldacci "has not yet made a decision" on whether or not he will sign the bill, Deputy Director of Communications Joy Leach said.

If the governor signs the bill, Maine will be the fourth state to recognize same-sex marriage, joining Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Iowa. A law passed by Vermont lawmakers to legalize gay and lesbian marriages takes effect later this year and New Hampshire is close to passing similar legislation.

Also on Tuesday, the Washington D.C. City Council voted to recognize same-sex marriages from states that allow those unions.

[OscarGuy]

Karma is truly an amazing thing:


From WENN:
Miss California In Topless Photo Scandal

5 May 2009 6:35 PM, PDT

The Miss USA contestant at the centre of a gay marriage controversy could be stripped of her Miss California crown over a topless photo.

Carrie Prejean hit the headlines last month when she spoke out against same sex marriage onstage at the Miss USA pageant, but now there's another fuss brewing over a photo leaked online.

The picture, which shows a topless Carrie Prejean posing provocatively, appeared on website TheDirty.com at the beginning of the week.

Prejean has since claimed she was a minor when the shot was taken - therefore preventing legitimate news sites from publishing the candid picture. But U.S. news show Access Hollywood has since suggested the beauty queen may have been 18 when she posed.

And shocked officials at the Miss California USA organisation have suggested the candid snap was taken after Prejean underwent a breast augmentation procedure, which they paid for.

Prejean’s spokesperson has revealed the photo was shot by a friend or family member to be used in a portfolio.

The beauty queen adds, "I am a Christian, and I am a model. Models pose for pictures including lingerie and swimwear photos."

But, according to a clause in her Miss California USA contract - obtained by the news show - Prejean is barred from being "photographed in a state of partial or total nudity".

The contract, which Prejean signed, also states, "Appearing in public or permitting myself to be photographed in a state of partial or total nudity or in a lewd, compromising or sexually suggestive manner constitutes a violation of this provision (this includes photographs of images that may appear on any website...)."

A decision about her future as Miss California is expected to be announced within the next few days.

[Big Magilla]

Let the backlash begin.

From E!

Former Miss USA Shanna Moakler has been pretty vocal about what she thinks of Miss California Carrie Prejean's views on gay marriage.

But now, Moakler, who is executive director of the Miss California USA pageant, is showing how she feels by keeping her mouth shut.

Moakler, along with Miss USA 2006 first runner-up Tamiko Nash and last year's titleholder Raquel Beezley were in a photo studio last night being shot by Adam Bouska for NOH8, a campaign to support efforts to overturn Proposition 8...

The three women were shot together with duct tape over their mouths, a symbol of their voices not being heard, and "NOH8" painted on their cheeks.

The project was started by Bouska, 25, and his partner, Jeff Parshley, 28, in November after the passage of Prop 8 outlawed same-sex unions in the state.

"We never expected to have so many beauty queens participate. The whole campaign, obviously, is not a direct message to Miss California, but now she happened to have put herself in the line of fire," Bouska says about his newest pic of the Moakler et al.

"If Carrie is going to go out there with her message, then we have to go out there and make sure the voices of these girls are heard," he adds. "And that they are what Miss USA should stand for, too."

Another portrait shows 1997's Miss Universe Brook Lee, originally from Hawaii, wearing a white wedding dress and a sash that reads "Miss Equality." With or without duct tape, these beauties are sending the message.



Edited By Big Magilla on 1241049126

[Greg]

Miss California to star in TV ad from conservative group

From CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby

The group's last ad, 'A Gathering Storm,' came out earlier this month.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Carrie Prejean, the Miss USA contestant from California who famously declared her opposition to same sex marriage on the pageant stage, will star in a new $1.5 million ad campaign funded by the National Organization for Marriage.

Prejean was roasted by same-sex marriage advocates after she stood up for what she called "opposite marriage" (marriage between a man and a woman) when responding to a question from celebrity blogger Perez Hilton during the pageant. But she's also become a fresh-faced standard-bearer for the same-sex marriage opponents, who have rallied to her defense.

The National Organziation for Marriage has scheduled a press conference with Prejean in Washington on Thursday to unveil the new ad, called "No Offense."

"She is attacked viciously for having the courage to speak up for her truth and her values," the group said in a press release. "But Carrie's courage inspired a whole nation and a whole generation of young people because she chose to risk the Miss USA crown rather than be silent about her deepest moral values."

According to the group, the ad will call "gay marriage advocates to account for their unwillingness to debate the real issue: gay marriage has consequences."

The Miss California TV ad is the group's second. Their first, called "A Gathering Storm," ran in several states earlier and featured actors issuing ominous warnings about the threats posed by same-sex marriage.


http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

[OscarGuy]

This one probably won't go well, but at least it's progressing:

New Hampshire Senate approves same-sex marriage
Posted: 03:28 PM ET

From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

(CNN) – The New Hampshire State Senate narrowly voted Wednesday to allow the state to become the fifth in the country to legalize same-sex marriage.

The measure, passing on a 13-11 vote, now heads to the New Hampshire House of Representatives, which vetoed a similar bill earlier this year.

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, has not indicated whether he would sign the bill should it reach his desk.

[Eric]

Oh wau. This is pretty hysterical.

http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2009/04/21/10865

The more this goes on, the more the anti-gay-marriage demographic will come to be represented by legitimate lunatics. It's a win-win situation.

[OscarGuy]

Well, after going through the bull shit Bush years, can you blame me for being less than optimistic about the prospects?

[Eric]

Sadly nothing, stop being a Debbie Downer. No, I'm not saying the opposition isn't going to just lay down and die ... well actually yes, that's exactly what the opposition is going to do and the numbers are starting to bear this out.

[OscarGuy]

Sadly, it's probably going to run against him in the election and we may lose Iowa's governorship because of it, but damn if he hasn't said what we have been saying for years regarding religious vs. civil marriage.

[Eric]

Iowa's capacity for rational political thought is downright radical: http://www.towleroad.com/2009....ge.html

[Eric]

Yeah, obviously this vote was as close as close can be, but I'm looking at it from a macro level, as part of a broad trajectory toward allowing gay marriage.

[OscarGuy]

Yeah. The measure picked up 5 additional votes AFTER passage to overcome a veto, so obviously it wasn't as close as he seems to believe it was...most often, a vote that is short 5 votes won't ever pick those up to override a veto, yet this initiative did.

[Eric]

"The other side had a highly funded, extremely well-oiled machine with all the political leadership except the governor pushing to make this happen," he [Craig Bensen, a gay marriage opponent who had lobbied unsuccessfully for a nonbinding referendum on the question] said. "The fact that it came down to this tight a vote is really astounding."

Yep, go ahead and tell yourself that.

[Eric]

Tee: The stupid ones will (not an insignificant populace there, no doubt) ... but I think they know the clock is ticking and their dwindling hopes to outlaw gay marriage rest with risking the words of the constitution on a ballot put forth to the general population, which polling suggests will only work for, what, the next 5 to 10 years? (And, on that note, I think even gay marriage opponents know they're only winning battles from here on out and not the war.)

OG: What can I say? I don't see it that way any longer. The issue is probably still not quite ready for prime time in, say, Utah ... but I think all but a handful of states will probably be worth pursuing even before another generation has passed. This issue will not be mired in a stalemate a la abortion.



Edited By Eric on 1239132476

[OscarGuy]

Eric, I'm actually afraid what this WILL do. It will likely galvanize the Religious wRong and could force out many moderate democrats and republicans and start pushing for a more significant movement against "immoral" activity of all kinds. What I'm actually hoping is that people will go "meh" and the vast majority of people will just let the inevitable come and that the Religious Right will be marginalized even more so and we can finally move into a golden age of moral sequestration.