Until I saw this dKos entry, I hadn’t realized that there was an anti-gay marriage initiative coming up in Kansas in a few weeks. I’m not quite as surprised as the poster about the way the polling is going — there’s a pretty strong mind-your-own-business streak in most of the Kansans I’m familiar with.
The ACLU is trying to get Maryland to show that hater state next door how it’s done. Hopefully we give them the correct lesson…
From Sunday’s Post: Virginia’s New Jim Crow:
In the Marriage Affirmation Act, Virginia appears to abridge gay individuals’ right to enter into private contracts with each other. On its face, the law could interfere with wills, medical directives, powers of attorney, child custody and property arrangements, even perhaps joint bank accounts.
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It is by entering into contracts that we bind ourselves to each other. Without the right of contract, participation in economic and social life is impossible; thus is that right enshrined in Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution. Slaves could not enter into contracts because they were the property of others rather than themselves; nor could children, who were wards of their parents. To be barred from contract, the founders understood, is to lose ownership of oneself.
To abridge the right of contract for same-sex partners, then, is to deny not just gay coupledom, in the law’s eyes, but gay personhood. It disenfranchises gay people as individuals. It makes us nonpersons, subcitizens. By stripping us of our bonds to each other, it strips us even of ownership of ourselves.
Virginia is for Haters is calling for a boycott of Virgina to protest HB 751, which I’ve mentioned before. I plan on supporting this boycott, and urge all my metro DC area readers to do the same. (And yes, the bumper sticker has been ordered…)
Since I live in the area, you’d think I’d have heard about this before now: Virginia Passes Anti-Gay Civil Unions Bill. The extent of the hatred in this legislation is breathtaking. Not only does the bill outlaw civil unions in Virginia, it contains “no benefits of marriage” language, much like the proposed federal Constitutional amendment. So, not only no civil unions, but gay couples that have been able to assemble some of the benefits of marriage by piecing together powers of attorney and other kludges, will no longer be allowed to. No more “second parent” adoptions. No more power of attorney to grant your significant other the right to make medical decisions when you’re incapacitated. No more leaving money or property to your significant other in your will. No more “domestic partner” coverage in health care.
The Democratic governor tried to send the bill back, with amendments to remove some of the worst provisions. The amendments were defeated, and the bill is on its way to becoming law. If you live in Virginia, this would be a good time to contact your elected representative to let them know how you feel about this bill.
