Homosexuality and bisexuality

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Same-sex marriages (SSM), civil
unions & domestic partnerships

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Quotations:

"This is to let you know that SSM is an abomination in the sight of God and his word says that to agree with sinful evil people is being a partaker of other men's sins therefore the same punishment will be applied. The nation or people that commit abominations will be sent a curse that consists of God sending your enemies upon you and they will kill your sons and daughters, your enemies will eat up all your profits and get rich because of your sinfulness, God will send hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, Fire, Famine, and disease. If this will not turn your heart he will then sent a curse seven times worse until you are utterly destroyed. This is to let you know  because many are being destroyed even now this curse has been in effect for a while and God wants sinners to to know why these things are coming upon them. He wants to give all men the opportunity to repent and be saved. These things will increase on the nations and people that war with him and they will know the wrath of the Lamb, for he will break them to pieces like a piece of pottery cast upon a rock, his fire will purge and clean every evil from the face of the earth and many shall flee to caves and hide from his presence crying out for the rocks to fall on them."

Overview:

The institution of marriage has been in a state of flux for centuries. In the U.S., it has continually been redefined:

This final restriction was lifted during 2001-APR, when The Netherlands expanded its definition of marriage to include both opposite-sex and same sex couples. Belgium followed suit during 2003-JAN. Next came Ontario, a province in Canada in 2003-JUN. By 2004-NOV, same-sex marriage had become available in most Canadian provinces. When federal law C-38 was signed into law on 2005-JUL-20, SSM theoretically became available across all of Canada. However Prince Edward Island ignored the civil rights of same-sex couples, and refused to issue marriage licenses to them for almost a month. The capitulated when threatened by a lawsuit. Spain passed a law allowing same-sex couples to marry on 2005-JUN-29. South Africa's law came into effect on 2006-NOV-30.

Many political jurisdictions have special legislation that allows gay and lesbian couples to register their committed relationship as a civil union or domestic partnership and gain some benefits. These areas include most of the Scandinavian nations, the UK, Switzerland, and a number of states in the U.S.: The enabling legislation varies greatly among the jurisdictions. Many couples receive only some of the advantages that opposite-gender couples automatically acquire when they marry. In the case of the U.S., couples typically receive a few hundred state benefits but not the over one thousand federal benefits.

This web site uses the term "same-sex marriage" (abbreviation: SSM) in place of the more commonly used "homosexual marriage" because it is more precise and inclusive. Some individuals with a bisexual orientation form loving committed same-sex relationships and want to marry. The term "SSM" covers them as well as homosexuals.

Many people believe that same-sex marriage -- or its equivalent under another name -- will become available to all loving, committed adult couples throughout North America and western Europe sometime in the next few decades -- whether they be same-sex or opposite-sex spouses.

Others -- typically religious and social conservatives -- feel that same-sex marriage is a major threat to the institution of marriage itself. They often describe themselves as "supporters of traditional marriage" which actually means that they want to prevent same-sex couples and their children to be forever denied the approximately 1,400 benefits and rights of marriage.

The status of same-sex marriage in the U.S.:

Same-sex couples were able to obtain marriage licenses in  San Francisco, CA, and in various towns in New Mexico and New York for short intervals of time during 2004. However, none were able to register their marriages at the time.

Currently, only one man and one woman can be joined in matrimony and have their marriages recognized by state governments, except for:

Massachusetts has an ancient miscegenation law on the books that was originally passed to prevent out of state inter-racial couples from coming to Massachusetts and marrying. This law is being used to prevent out of state same-sex couples from marrying in the state.

As of 2007-MAR, almost all states have "Defense of Marriage Acts" or constitutional amendments prohibiting same-sex marriage, Exceptions are:. New Mexico and Wyoming in the West, and Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont in the Northeast.

The Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative Christian legal activist group, maintains "DOMAwatch" that describes the current status of same-sex marriage, court cases, etc. in each state. See: http://www.domawatch.org/

Maps showing current state laws affecting gays, lesbians, & bisexuals:

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a gay-positive civil-rights agency working for equal treatment for persons of all sexual orientations, has created a series of maps showing the current  status of state laws in the U.S. These are PDF files for which you may need software. It can be obtained free from:

HRC has a links to detailed description of the status of laws in each state at: http://www.hrc.org/

About civil unions and domestic partnerships:

During 2000-MAR, 61% of California voters supported Proposition 22, which defined marriage as being restricted to between one man and one woman. But Proposition 22 and many of the DOMA laws only control the institution of marriage. They do not prevent a legislature from creating a new set of laws which cover a different type of relationship -- typically called civil unions or domestic partnerships -- for same-sex couples. A state could then recognize committed relationships among its citizens in two ways:

Some DOMA laws are actually stealth legislation. They are promoted as forbidding the recognition of same-sex marriage. But in fact, they prevent any granting of rights or obligations given to married couples to unmarried couples. These laws strip away benefits enjoyed by common-law as well as same-sex couples.

The legislators of the state of Vermont set up the first civil union system which went into effect in mid-2000. On 2003-SEP-19, bill AB 205 was signed into law in State of California to set up a system of domestic partnership which was very similar to the civil unions in Vermont. It came into effect at the beginning of 2005, but has been superceded by a court decision that legalized same-sex marriage in the state during 2008-JUN. As noted above, a number of other states have similar arrangements.

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References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. National Freedom to Marry Day logos are available at: http://www.lambdalegal.org/
2. From the Family Research Council's Washington Update mailing list of 2003-OCT-8.
3. The Marriage Project, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. See: http://www.lambdalegal.org/ You need software to read these files. It can be obtained free from:
4. Raymond Miller, "United Church welcomes 'sinners'," The Toronto Star, letters to the editor, 2005-OCT-04.
5. "Marriage Protection Amendment," Episode 940, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, 2006-JUN-02, at: http://www.pbs.org/
6. Stanley M. Elkins, "Slavery: A Problem in American Institutional and Intellectual Life," University of Chicago Press, (1976). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store

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