Tuesday, June 19, 2007

New York State and Cuba Consider Marriage Rights


In an interesting twist, both New York State and Cuba are considering legislation that would grant gays marriage rights or some equivalent thereto. For the New York legislation, 365gay.com has a story: http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/061907nymar.htm. Another story appears in the Gay City News and reports in part as follows:

In a straight party-line vote, the Judiciary Committee of the New York State Assembly this afternoon approved the marriage equality bill introduced by Democratic Governor Eliot Spitzer in April and sponsored by Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell and Senator Tom Duane.The favorable vote out of Judiciary is a strong predictor that the full Assembly will approve the measure later this week.

In a straight party-line vote, the Judiciary Committee of the New York State Assembly this afternoon approved the marriage equality bill introduced by Democratic Governor Eliot Spitzer in April and sponsored by Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell and Senator Tom Duane.The favorable vote out of Judiciary is a strong predictor that the full Assembly will approve the measure later this week.

Meanwhile, Cuba of all places is considering legislation that would give gays the same rights as married heterosexual couples:

HAVANA, Cuba, June 18, 2007 - Cuba could become the first Caribbean island nation to recognise the civil and inheritance rights of gay and lesbian couples, if a proposed reform of the Family Code is approved.

The proposal would give homosexual couples the same civil and inheritance rights as heterosexual couples. However, it does not mention gay marriage, because a change of that magnitude would require a lengthy process of reforming the constitution, which was last amended in 1992.

The complete article on the proposed legislation can be found at: http://www.caribbean360.com/News/Caribbean/Stories/2007/06/18/NEWS0000004516.html
It will be a sad day if Castro's Cuba ends up being more progressive than the State of Virginia, which continues to hold to its pre-Loving v. Virginia Christianist mentality.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe Castro will reconsider being the only nation on earth in quarantine of people with AIDS, too.

Governor Spitzer had advanced marriage equality upon assuming office; who has stopped the process? Not that Hilary's antagonism should affect how the State solves equality, but is she being the "barrier?"

Anonymous said...

Gay marriage is creeping over the world like the sunrise, filtering into the common sense shadows of politicians mind. Unfortunately America has put up a very big sun shade...

Michael-in-Norfolk said...

I think it is a sad state of affairs when the USA, the self described "land of liberty" and freedom is behind what are often considered second world countries in affording equality.

Combine that with the current administration's torture policies and the USA look like a banana republic.