Proposition 8, the law that bans same-sex marriage in California, has been ruled unconstitutional by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
The announcement, made just before 10am PT today, is another nail in the coffin of marriage inequality in the US. The fight for LGBT equality is still far from over, however. According to Andrew Gumbel in The Guardian (UK), the ruling “will not put an end to the argument about the rights of same-sex couples in the United States, but it will be a vital stepping stone toward the inevitable final showdown in the Supreme Court in Washington.”
Speaking as neither a resident nor a citizen of the US, I find it bizarre that a nation that makes so much of its commitment to freedom of expression should have such a problem granting so many of its citizens the right to make one of the most beautiful human expressions of all. Here’s to more victories in a battle whose final outcome I think we all, despite the pains and frustrations of the wait, can predict.
The National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexual is no longer offering continuing education to therapists in the state of California, according to SFGate blogger Susan Davis.
Although some activists had tried to have NARTH‘s rights to provide continuing education revoked on the basis of its homophobic, pseudoscientific beliefs and practices, Davis reports the actual reason is unpaid fees to the California Board for Behavioral Science. In the article, she reveals, surprisingly, that the CBBS doesn’t have the ability to remove an organization from membership for erroneous scientific claims:
As it stands now, the BBS can’t reject a continuing education provider due to its philosophy or even the validity of its scientific claims, executive officer Kim Madsen says, and “that’s been a challenge.” Instead, as long as the provider “meets the requirements as set forth in current law, we have to accept them.” (Those requirements include providing direct or indirect patient care, having qualified instructors and submitting the appropriate applications and fees.)
At its September meeting, however, the BBS will be reviewing those laws and requirements and having a discussion about what Madsen describes as “long-identified deficiencies in the continuing education model.”
The California Senate approved a bill to end a law passed in 1950 that classifies gays as sexual deviants and potential child molesters. The 60-year-old piece of legislation requires the Department of Mental Health to research the causes and potential cures for homosexuality. The bill, AB2199, was carried by Sen. Roy Ashburn, a Republican from Bakersfield. Ashburn came out as gay earlier this year after he was cited for driving drunk while leaving a gay bar.
The measure passed 36-0 without debate.
PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays) objected to the bill, and reportedly called the repeal effort “offensive.”
Recent Comments