Sea Bass and Gay Marriage

A Chilean Senator is going to sponsor a gay marriage bill:

"This is a project that I will present ... and I am also calling on the Church to be more welcoming, and I say that as part of the Church," the senator said, responding to remarks from Chilean Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz who described the same-sex weddings in Argentina as "an aberration."

Sweet.

Gays Aren't People?

I hate it when people are treated as something less because of who they are. Stories like this really piss me off:

A judge in Malawi has imposed a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison with hard labour on a gay couple convicted of gross indecency and unnatural acts.

Unbelievable:

The case has sparked international condemnation and a debate about homosexuality in the country.

The British government, Malawi's largest donor, expressed its "dismay" at the sentences, but has not withdrawn aid.

The US state department, meanwhile, said the case was "a step backwards in the protection of human rights in Malawi".

Here's what this judge had to say:

Handing down sentence in the commercial capital, Blantyre, Judge Nyakwawa Usiwa-Usiwa told the pair: "I will give you a scaring sentence so that the public be protected from people like you, so that we are not tempted to emulate this horrendous example."

"We are sitting here to represent the Malawi society, which I do not believe is ready at this point in time to see its sons getting married to other sons or conducting engagement ceremonies," said the judge.

And outside the courtroom:

There were shouts of "You got what you deserve!" and "Fourteen years is not enough, they should get 50!"

I really have nothing to say. I'm not dismayed. It's beyond that. Somethings that happen on a day to day basis give you hope. Others, like this, make you shake your head, bury your head in your hands, and reflect about what is it about society that perpetuates these outlooks. In much of the western world, I believe we are moving beyond biases against race, creed, sexual orientation, or, at the very least, making a concerted effort to make progress. We must not leave our other brothers behind.

Obama Does It Right

There's no doubt that I have been critical of President Obama since this blog's inception, but I think he got this one right. Obama extended hospital visitation rights to same-sex partners:

President Obama mandated Thursday that nearly all hospitals extend visitation rights to the partners of gay men and lesbians and respect patients' choices about who may make critical health-care decisions for them, perhaps the most significant step so far in his efforts to expand the rights of gay Americans.

While I don't know how successful his repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the armed services has been, I think that this will be successful in bridging the gap for the civil rights of the gay and lesbian community or at least make it an issue that needs to be settled. I do, however, wonder if this will bring up a bigger issue over gay marriage. Critics of the decision are saying that it undermines the definition of marriage. Gays aren't allowed to marry though. Marriage shouldn't be an exclusive right. I'm not sure how the mandate was worded, but it could open up a can of worms in regards to who is designated as a visitor or what qualifies that right.

Regardless, I think it is a positive step because it will allow gays to have visitation rights. I still approach it with caution though because there is a much bigger issue lurking in the grassy knoll.