Today finally the United States Supreme Court bowed to what was unavoidable, to what civilized countries in the world had been granting one by one over the last two decades. Any two not directly related adults in a stable union should all have the same rights.PERIOD.
It is THAT simple.
I suppose that since I lived many years in the US and since I did participated into many of the gay rights fights when I was over there I am particularly sensitive to that moment today, even more to the one when France granted marriage two years ago. But this blog has never been about my personal life and this one has only surfaced on occasion, when appropriate or relevant to the moment. Today it is such a moment.
In Venezuela, the Bolivarian revolution which was supposed to be a liberating one has turned out to be a repressive system. And gay rights have not escaped. The more so that the uncouth military nature of the regime has exacerbated that posture. Homophobic comments have come from Chavez already though he refrained from the worse letting his underlings who had no qualms for that. Maduro/Cabello have been the worse.
Not only gay rights are not recognized but unions even less. To the point that the regime has asked embassies from countries that do recognize such unions to refrain from holding such unions inside Venezuela. Thus the French embassy could not marry me even though my S.O, and I have been together for now 16 years. They could only give us a PACS, a civil union in French law. Which is, by the way, causing me grief as I do not have some of the benefits that I could expect if married now that we have to deal with the painful disease of my life partner.
In Venezuela this has dire consequences for us as I am legally NOTHING for him and I only rely on the good will of people we deal with. His doctors are fortunately educated in the ways of the world but if we were to have a sudden emergency with new personnel, well, I might be barred from participating and his relatives would have to step up to let me in. As for legal procedures, of course I am a nobody. Fortunately I have a good relationship with his family but I fear for those in my case who do not have the luck to be in speaking terms with the other's family.
So, if you ever cross path with the dwindling crowd of assholes that still defend the regime and the Bolivarian farce I suggest you forward a link to this post and demand them to explain why this revolutionary farce is so far behind in real Human Rights.
PS: the Venezuelan opposition does not fare much better, by the way. The only group that has an active pro gay rights platform is Voluntad Popular, the Leopoldo Lopez party. Just so you know.
Congratulations!! You must be so happy.
ReplyDelete"At long last" your people have been waiting for over 2000 years for this moment. Talk about oppression.
Celebrate!
Why should anyone celebrate what is not happening in their own country?Celebration makes more since after Venezuela clears up.
Deletefirepigette
Don't bother with the celebrations, at the rate Progressive societies are being overran withe Muslim immigration the 'gay revolution' is just a temporary situation.
DeleteDaniel the regime is actually very progressive. Just look at the requirement for 40% women candidates (said facetiously). Honestly, as someone who has lived and worked in 12 countries through the course of my career, Venezuela is the most crudely homophobic.
ReplyDeleteIs a truly magic moment here! And I am So Proud to be an American who is presently led by the Second Coming of Lincoln. Of course, it did take many, many hard steps to reach this precious day. In Venezuela there is the Leopoldo victory, which is also something to build on.
ReplyDeleteDo you realize that Obama (your second coming ... no pun intended) just three years was against gay marriage?
DeleteOf course of course you knew he was lying then just to get elected.
Wonderful stupendous day, no doubt you are enjoying your second coming.
Anon, four years ago I was uncertain of gay-marriage. Things happened very quickly in surprising ways. The politicians were left in the dust on this issue and have been playing catch up. The Supremes voted the way they did because the court can't get to far from public opinion. See Plessy v. Ferguson for a flip side.
DeleteDaniel the regime is actually very progressive. Just look at the requirement for 40% women candidates (said facetiously). Honestly, as someone who has lived and worked in 12 countries through the course of my career, Venezuela is the most crudely homophobic.
ReplyDeleteDaniel, Venezuela is a LOOOOONG way from accepting gay marriage.
ReplyDeleteHere are the results of an ongoing pol on the front page of Noticiero Digital
¿Está de acuerdo con legalizar el matrimonio gay en Venezuela?
No 71.41% (617 votes)
Sí 24.54% (212 votes)
No sé 4.05% (35 votes)
Total Votes: 864
Very sad to see.
The process was shut down in the US. In every state that had referendums the no won. The majority of the people, when the votes count, is against this stupidity but leftist judges overturned the will of the majority every single time.
DeleteThe media in the US is as solidly leftist as it is in Venezuela, on TV there is just a single outlet that hasn't completely sold out yet and they hate it and go after it with a vengeance just like they used to do it with Globovision, no difference. You see gays portrayed like model citizens but never ever ever like the gay pride freaks they are. In every sitcom, in every talk show the crowds cheer whenever someone is "courageous" to come out. This situation creates the impression that there is a majority in favor but it is through a relentless brain washing campaign.
The decision you cheer has zero basis on constitutionality. The three woman in the US Supreme Court would find themselves at home in the Supreme Court of Venezuela, they always vote whatever fits their leftist political agenda.
This is what readers in this blog always criticize of Venezuela judicial situation.
Bottom line, a leftist is just someone that wants to win no matter what. Leftists will be leftists that's all.
Polls show a shift no doubt, but it is because people are tired. In California we voted three times and each time a single liberal judge overturned the results.
So go ahead and cheer, but it makes you no different that the Chavistas,
What does being left or right have to do with gay rights. Nobody should be opposed unless they follow some stupid religion and if they are dumb enough to believe that crab then who should value their opinion. I know people who are gay and absolute great people, is just how they feel, they do no wrong to anyone else. Unlike haters of Gay rights I am comfortable with my sexuality.
DeleteAnonymous 5:41
DeleteThere is enough bitter resentemenr and latent homophobia in your comment that I declare you henceforth honorary chavista.
Times have changed Anon. The change was sudden and I am still unsure of some aspects of this societal change, but all in all what other decision could be made?
DeleteNow as some of you know I am a knuckle dragging rethuglican and enjoy all aspects of rethuglican party animal life, so I will leave you with this.
So I could marry Robert E. Lee, but no CSA party favors?
Half
DeleteNope. Not Lee. He was not avaliable. However I think that another of the confederates was more inclined this way, I forgot if it was Stonewall or Beauregard.
;)
Mr. Daniel, so you detect latent homophobia in my comments Now I wonder? coming from a guy that likes to perform sexually with other men, which is worse? I take my condition over yours any day.
DeleteWhat bitterness and homophobia. Get over it, it's a done deal. Every single age group in the US supports gay marriage, except for 65+ age group. For people under 30, more than 70% support gay marriage. I'm 33, the only people I know my age or younger that are against gay marriage are either Mormons or evangelicals.
DeleteAs for these "leftist" judges, most of them were appointed by such lefties like Reagan, Bush, or Bush jr.
One reason why public opinion changed so quickly was that as people became more comfortable taking the risk and coming out, all the people who knew were forced to re-evaluate or reflect on their thoughts on homosexuality. Very good, honest, moral people I knew growing up, in college, and in the military later came out. That certainly had an affect on my thinking. Hopefully in the next generation good people like these won't be too scared to come out until they are well in to adulthood.
I am very happy for my gay brothers and sisters.
@Anonymous: We don't put fundamental rights up to a popular vote. That's why they're called fundamental. They are not subject to the tyranny of the majority. The US Constitution was written to specifically protect the rights of minorities from the oppression of the maddening crowd. Your statement shows that you have little understanding of how our Constitution works, and even less of what's is actually written in it. Turn off Fox "News" and try reading a book sometime. You are woefully misinformed.
DeleteOne reason why public opinion changed so quickly was that as people became more comfortable taking the risk and coming out, all the people who knew were forced to re-evaluate or reflect on their thoughts on homosexuality. Very good, honest, moral people I knew growing up, in college, and in the military later came out. That certainly had an affect on my thinking. Hopefully in the next generation good people like these won't be too scared to come out until they are well in to adulthooD
Delete---------------------------------------
Exactly! These situations forced me to think.
"The process was shut down in the US. In every state that had referendums the no won. "
DeleteThat is untrue of Minnesota, in which the people not only popularly voted against a gay marriage ban, but the legislature itself subsequently enacted a law legalizing same sex marriage.
@ Rich: Who decides what is and what is not fundamental rights? I remember many times in the 60's many marches for freedom from the African Americans who shed blood, sweat, and tears in the streets for many years before a Bill of Rights was introduced and made law by Congress. Although I am ot against gays being able to marry I am against the way this was handled.
DeleteWhy is the opinion of 5 SCOTUS judges more valid than that of millions of Americans who have voted time and again against this? This sets a dangerous precedence IMO and sends the wrong message that the SCOTUS can over rule the will of the people at any given time for any given reason they see as "just".
Public opinion is expressed at the poles where time and again the great majority voted against this. Like it or not that is the way a Democracy is supposed to work. Gay rights are NOT more nor less important than anyone else's rights. The LGBT community can organize and present their own Bill of Rights to Congress same as other minority groups have done in the past. What SCOTUS did was infringe upon the Legislative branch and again sets a dangerous precedence.
Felicitations! Planet Cavernicola is slowly evolving..
ReplyDeleteP.G.T. Beauregard, yeah I can see it. Too easy tho, but yes outrageous,, deceptive with a fine sense of the theatrical. He damn near won the war for the CSA twice ( a sure thing if his troops had time for breakfast before Shiloh). Point taken.
ReplyDeleteSee, I know ALL aspects of US history :-)
DeleteComing from the first country that opened marriage for everyone (The Netherlands), I cannot be happier for the LGBT community in the USA. I saw my uncles getting married after being together more than 25 years: true love never fails.
ReplyDeleteHow different is the situation in Venezuela. I have some gay friends there and it's horrible to see how they are treated :(. Don't think that'll chance anytime soon, but I sure wish it would. My wife and I are avid supporters of equal rights, for any couple really in love.
The SCOTUS decision last Friday was indeed a great historical moment and one that surprisingly made me and my friends feel beyond joyous. I've been "legally" married to my husband in California since 2008 when it was briefly allowed before Proposition 8 was passed. In 2012 it was reaffirmed by the SCOTUS Windsor decision and now it has been firmly recognized by this Friday's events. Having been together (and originally married by a rogue catholic priest) for 37 years this victory for civil and human rights feels specially sweet. I wasn't afforded the federal rights that heterosexual friends of mine were afforded when dealing with immigration, health, insurance and other legal matters. We spent several hundred thousand dollars over the years just dealing with the myriad of legal documents and attorney fees just to have a small semblance of a legal framework for our relationship. Luckily we live in a progressive part of California which made things less horrendous than if we had lived in my husband's birth state of Ohio or some other conservative state of the union. Yet it saddens me that it would be a long time before our relationship would be recognized or at least treated fairly by my birth country Venezuela and it further saddens me that my lesbian sister and her partner cannot have their relationship acknowledged by Venezuela. I am definitely not a fan of Chavismo but I was hoping they would make progress in this area. Homophobia is indeed a big scourge in Venezuela but it is just another one of the many great problems the Venezuelan people have.
ReplyDeleteWaaaaaay off topic: Was watch yesterday's time-trial from Utretch yesterday and caught a glimpse of a red and white checkered rocket like the one on your desk. Maybe it's a new addition to the tour circus?
ReplyDeleteAny chance of getting power of attorney in Venezuela?
ReplyDelete