<VV> Canada legalizes 'gay marriage'; conservatives say it will impact U.S.

[Harry Yarnell]

Um, this does NOT belong here!!!

Harry Yarnell
perryman garage and orphanage
perryman, MD
hyarnell1 at earthlink.net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Oxford" <seoxford at att.net>
To: "VirtualVairs" <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 7:08 PM
Subject: <VV> Canada legalizes 'gay marriage';conservatives say it will
impact U.S.


> I have no idea what effect Canada's legalization of gay marriage will have
on the US, so I'll not even comment on the info in the following article.  I
just thought some of you might be interested in what others thought about
the activities of our Northern border brothers/Steve O
> =====================================
>
> Canada legalizes 'gay marriage'; conservatives say it will impact U.S.
> By Michael Foust 7/21/05
>
> OTTAWA (BP)--Canada legalized "gay marriage," July 20, becoming the fourth
nation in the world to redefine marriage and issue licenses to homosexual
couples.
>
> A bill passed by Parliament became law when the Canadian Supreme Court
justice signed the bill on behalf of the governor general, who is ailing.
The governor general is the representative of Queen Elizabeth II, and the
signature -- known as "royal assent" -- usually is a mere formality. But
evangelicals had written to Queen Elizabeth, asking her to step in and
prevent the bill from becoming law.
>
> The bill passed the Senate July 19 and the House of Commons June 28.
>
> Practically, the new law doesn't change much; courts in eight of 10
provinces and one of three territories previously had legalized "gay
marriage," and a ninth province, Prince Edward Island, also was moving
toward legalization in the wake of a lawsuit. (Ontario was first, legalizing
it in 2003.) But the law forces "gay marriage" on the rest of the country -- 
Alberta, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories -- and provides homosexual
activists in America with a significant moral boost in their push to
redefine marriage in the United States.
>
> "There's a lot of Canadians that will move to the United States, and some
of [them] will want to have these different states ... recognize their
Canadian same-sex marriage licenses," Mat Staver, president of the
conservative legal group Liberty Counsel, told Baptist Press. "That's why
it's so critical that we move forward with a federal Marriage Protect
Amendment to amend our U.S. Constitution to preserve marriage as between one
man and one woman."
>
> The new law also allows homosexual couples in America to "marry" in Canada
and sue back home for recognition of the license. Canada's marriage laws do
not require residency. Even though Massachusetts recognizes "gay marriage,"
it has a law that prevents out-of-staters from "marrying" if their home
state would not recognize it. The law is being challenged in state court.
>
> "Canadian policy and the policy in other countries has an effect on what
America does -- unfortunately -- and we can't just shrug it off and try to
insulate ourselves," Dale Schowengerdt, an attorney with the conservative
group Alliance Defense Fund, told BP. "... It's just right across the
border. It strikes too close to home."
>
> Canada is the first North American country as well as the first
non-European country to legalize "gay marriage." The Netherlands took the
lead in 2001, followed by Belgium and most recently Spain. Canada is the
largest country geographically to legalize "gay marriage," Spain the most
populous.
>
> Canada's governing Liberal Party -- led by Prime Minister Paul Martin -- 
led the charge for legalization. Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper
has vowed to try and reverse the law if his party comes to power in the next
election, which is expected to be within a year. The current "marriages"
would be converted into civil unions, he said.
>
> Homosexual couples in conservative Alberta wasted little time in taking
advantage of the new law, as two homosexual men applied for a license in
Edmonton. Government officials there changed the words on the license from
"bride" and "groom" to "partner 1" and "partner 2."
>
> Most recent polls have shown a slight majority of Canadians favoring the
new law, although some polls have shown an even split. Homosexual activists
in Canada, though, were celebrating.
>
> "This is a proud and exciting time to be a Canadian," Alex Munter,
national coordinator for the homosexual activist group Canadians for Equal
Marriage, said in a statement. "Today, we made history. Today, we affirmed
once again our worldwide reputation as a country that is open, inclusive and
welcoming."
>
> But evangelicals and social conservatives were saddened. For several years
Canadian conservatives had been fighting against the legalization of "gay
marriage." Bruce Clemenger, president of the Evangelical Fellowship of
Canada, said despite the government's effort, marriage remains the "union of
one man and one woman" and an institution "ordained by God."
>
> "The unique, distinct nature of heterosexual marriage is no longer
recognized in our law and public policy, but we will continue to promote and
teach the biblical understanding of marriage in our families and churches,"
Clemenger said in a statement.
>
> Matt Daniels, president of the conservative U.S. group Alliance for
Marriage, said Canadian developments are further proof that America needs a
constitutional marriage amendment. AFM was the first group to promote the
amendment.
>
> "Federal lawsuits to exploit developments in Canada mean that only AFM's
Marriage Protection Amendment will allow the American people to determine
the future of marriage in America," he said. "... This historic national
debate will come down to a race between AFM's Marriage Protection Amendment
and the American courts. Today's news from Canada makes it all the more
clear that AFM's Marriage Protection Amendment is the only hope for the
deeply-held values of the vast majority of all Americans to be protected
under our laws."
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