Congratulations

[tvordlj]

Canadian Federal Conservative MP Scott Brison is getting married this weekend. I don't know him or his intended. He's not even the MP for my riding. So why does his upcoming wedding make the news? Because he's gay and it's a same sex marriage, the first one for a Federal politician. The Federal government squeezed through the legislation a couple of years ago to allow same sex marriages... oh sorry, we're supposed to call it "unions" (though i can't see the difference, myself. two people, legally bound together hopefully till death do they part. Civil union, wedding, marriage... it's all the same really and it's just semantics over a traditional definition. Even the media calls it 'marriage' But i digress...) Anyway, the letters to the editor have already started. Slagging off the newspaper for making it front page news. Last New Year's, a prominent musician, Ashley McIsaac, was shown giving his new same sex spouse a little peck on the lips. They got married New Year's Eve. The newspaper got quite a lot of extremely negative reaction for that one too. Surprisingly, really. You really don't hear too much about homophobia as a rule. I guess people really do keep that to themselves until something like this. That really brings them out from under though. Sad. All people really want to do is be able to love each other and not have to hide it away. Homosexuality has been around as long as people have. Much longer than the Christian Bible. Brison isn't the first Federal politician to come out, Sven Robinson was, I think, but Brison was the first Cabinet minister. Other politicians at the provincial and local levels across Canada have very likely got married already but Scott is a high profile Canadian and more power to him!

So anyway, Congratulations Scott and Maxime!

Comments

[solocat.livejournal.com]

Hooray for your politicians for being true to their beliefs and love! I know over here homophobia is very prominant.

Awhile back Multnomah county commissioners decided to allow same-sex marriages. Well of course people came from quite some distance to formalize their relationships, in fact over 2000 licenses were taken out in a matter of days. Then the proverbial shit hit the fan and the voters of Multnomah county had a cow! They were outraged to think the commissioners would make a decision such as that without checking with their constituents...arghhhh! Long story short - it went up the court chain and was found unconstitutional in the manner it was enacted - so there went the 2000 licenses.

THEN there was actually a measure proposed for a state election to BAN same-sex marriages! Thank heavens that was shot out of the water by a landslide!

I myself don't get it. If two people are so committed to each other they want to love and protect each other - then more power to them! I know a part of the desire to formalize unions here is that it would then allow partners to have work benefits such as insurance, etc.

Phew...okay...I'll put my soap box away. :)

[tvor.livejournal.com]

Was that the San Francisco thing? I remember that. There's one state i think that allows it, Massachusetts, just in the last year or so. It'll happen but a heck of a lot more slowly. Canada was something like the third country in the world to pass the bill. It started off that one of the provincial supreme courts struck it down, followed by two other provinces, mine being one of them. It then had to go to parliament to be ratified in a free vote. There was a lot of wheeling and dealing and the LIberal Prime Minister at the time actually lured one or two from the opposing parties to the Liberal Party to accomplish the winning vote. It was a squeaker and one MP even left his sick bed to make sure he voted for the bill. He died about 6 months later. Then the new Prime Minister of the Conservative party said he'd revisit the bill, to see if it should be struck down and the vote was overwhelming to leave it as is. Seemed pretty pointless since the supreme court of canada said it was anti-constitutional but i think he was just doing it lip service as a campaign promise fulfilled.

*shall i join you on that soap box*

[solocat.livejournal.com]

No...it was in Oregon. But I am from SF...hence the more liberal views - although this is a "blue" state supposedly (thank heavens for Portland and Eugene).

And I shall gladly share my soap box anytime with you! :)

[tvor.livejournal.com]

I think they had a similar thing happen in SF, where the city said ok and the state turned around and put the kibosh on it.