Feature Archives

4/19 Update: Joseph Ratzinger was chosen to be the next Pope and will be called Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope John Paul II's death has left billions of people around the world mourning and anticipating what the next pontiff's priorities will be. Call To Action, a church reform group, stated, "We are hoping for a pope who forcefully spreads the message of peace and non-violence throughout the world in these troubled times as did Pope John Paul II." The organization sees issues related to human sexuality as very important- "He may also need to distance himself from some of the positions taken by Pope John Paul II in order to deal with the important issues facing the institution...We hope that the new pope recognizes the necessity of lifting the mandatory celibacy ban."

Call to Action has also called for creativity and academic feedom, and a new way to deal with the sexual abuse crisis. Call to Action Statement Some remember Pope John Paul II for his role in "saving" Europe from communism, while others blame him for replacing totalitarianism with homosexuality as the world's most threatening evil. Some feel that he could have done more to take action on issues that he spoke about, such as his opposition to the US-led war on Iraq.

Many people think that the next Pope should be from Africa. They say that this would help the Roman Catholic church's position with the world's poor — a signal that the Vatican means to fight against inequality and disease, offering a "hope of salvation in this world as well as the next." Last year, former South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu loudly criticized the Roman Catholic church's position against the use of condoms to help stop the spread of HIV. He said, “It is irresponsible to say sex education and the supply of condoms encourages promiscuity." The late Pope's position that "abstinence and fidelity within marriage, and not condoms, were the best way to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS" seems unrealistic to many.

Some progressives have called for rallies to counter the "pope propaganda"- some have called the late Karol Wojtyla, a.k.a. Pope John Paul II, a reactionary. 365gay.com notes that the next pope is likely to have similar politics to Wojtyla. It is believed that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a German, has a wide base of support. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was John Paul's deputy for theology, wrote the 2003 Vatican directive to priests around the world calling for a proactive stand to stop governments from legalizing same-sex marriage and for a repeal of those those already on the books that give rights, including adoption, to gay couples. The document called on Catholic bishops and lawmakers to oppose the legalization of same-sex unions. Ratzinger opposes contraception and the use of condoms to combat HIV/AIDS.Read more about Ratzinger

Some papal history | Matt Foreman of NGLTF on the Pope's Death | George Carlin on Religion | Story about the North American Pontifical College | Seniornude perspective | Indybay's Story About Papal Policy and Women

3/14/2005: Richard Kramer, who is a judge in the San Francisco County Superior Court, ruled today that it is unconstitutional for the state of California to limit the right to marriage to only a man and a woman. The National Center for Lesbian Rights filed this case last year on behalf of 12 same-sex couples, the Our Family Coalition, and Equality California. NCLR statement An appeal of today's decision is likely. If the ruling is upheld, it would set California on a course to allowing marriage licenses to be granted to same-sex couples throughout the state. In February of 2004, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered SF City Hall to issue licenses to same-sex couples. "It appears that no rational purpose exists for limiting marriage in this state to opposite-sex partners," Kramer wrote. Read more

Celebrations were scheduled for locations all over the state:
In San Francisco, gathered at Harvey Milk Plaza marched past the SF LGBT Center, and held a rally at San Francisco City Hall at 6pm.
In Santa Cruz, the GLBT Alliance held a rally at the Town Clock Photos & Audio
In Bakersfield, people gathered at the Liberty Bell. Photos
More Celebration locations

Marriage Equality California | Equality California | Our Family Coalition

Postcards from Buster is a television show on the PBS network. The show is a spinoff of the popular, long-running show Arthur, which is about a young aardvark, his family, and their friends, who are all different kinds of animals. In "Postcards," Buster Baxter travels around the country with his dad and his video camera, and sends video postcards of his adventures to his mom (his parents are divorced). The videos are live-action, but Buster is a cartoon character. Each week, the 8 year-old bunny and his dad go to a different place, where Buster meets non-animated people, who introduce him to the local scene and to people from varying cultural backgrounds.

Controversy has been brewing this year, since the news came out that in one episode, called "Sugartime!," Buster goes to Vermont and learns about making maple syrup. Buster is visiting Karen, who used to work with his mom. Karen's partner is a woman named Gillian, and they have kids. In most of the show, Buster plays with the kids and watches syrup being made (and eaten). Margaret Spellings, the new U.S. Secretary of Education, wrote a letter on her second day on the job to PBS CEO Pat Mitchell to state her "strong and very serious concerns" about the episode. One commentator said of the episode, "There's no making out on the couch, no stolen kisses while Buster's not looking. Other than Buster's comment about having a lot of moms, the kids don't even mention their parents."

The show has been broadcast, despite the decision by PBS and the majority of public TV stations that it would intrude into "parents' prerogative to supervise the moral instruction of their children." Pat Mitchell announced this week that she would not seek another term in her position. Last week PBS announced that there will be a review of program and content policies. The process, which was recommended by Mitchell, will include a "review of the editorial standards that guide PBS in its programming and content development decisions."

Read more Postcards from Buster Buster's Blog

February 12th is the one-year anniversary of when Mayor Gavin Newsom and the City of San Francisco began to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Marriage Equality San Francisco says, "February is Freedom to Marry Month... a great time to focus on increasing awareness and understanding of the importance of civil marriage rights for everyone regardless of gender. Take action, write letters, come out to more people as lgbt or as an ally on this issue, speak from the heart whenever possible, donate money, call in your Valentine dedication on radio shows, get the bumper sticker on your car or T-shirt on your back, publicly celebrate your anniversary, host a fundraiser, do whatever you can …."

There will be several events in San Francisco on February 12th, including a screening of "One Wedding and a..." and fundraising events. Newsom supporters are already using this anniversary to try to fundraise to get him re-elected, as if pro-LGBT politics on the subject of marriage were the only thing needed to be considered a good mayor of a city that faces extreme wealth disparities. On February 14th, couples in counties throughout the state of California will protest marriage discrimination by requesting marriage licenses to honor their same-sex relationships. People will meet outside the Alameda County Clerk-Recorder’s Office near downtown Oakland by noon on Valentine’s Day. Organizers say, "If no one asks, it seems no one is being denied." Many religious congregations will hold services about marriage equality on Sunday, February 13th.

The Campaign for Children and Families has called for an a Valentine's Day Marriage Rally to show opposition to AB 19 and same-sex marriage on Monday, Feb. 14th at 12 noon at the State Capitol in Sacramento. CCF has produced a marriage rally flyer to distribute this week in churches and other locations. They say, "If you don’t show up, the media and politicians won’t know that you care about protecting the sacred institution of marriage." In contrast, same-sex couples will be requesting marriage licenses at the office of Freddie Oakley, Yolo County Clerk-Recorder, 625 Court Street, Room 105, in Woodland that day, also at 12 noon.

More February events related to same-sex marriage, during the Get Engaged Tour | Equality California website

Queer law student groups from UC Berkeley, Golden Gate University, UC Hastings, New College, Santa Clara and the University of San Francisco, terming themselves the Coalition of Queer Law Student Associations (CQLSA), are protesting the military recruitment at the 21st Annual Northern California Public Interest/Public Sector (PI/PS) Legal Careers Day. The event, an all-day career fair for public interest oriented law students hosted by the Public Interest Clearinghouse and nine Northern California law schools, is scheduled for Saturday, February 12th at UC Hasting College of the Law. The protest challenges the decision of organizers of PI/PS day to allow the military to recruit at the event despite the recent Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in Fair v. Rumsfeld that universities have a First Amendment right to bar military recruiters from their campuses to protest the Defense Department's policy of excluding gay people from military service
The protest will be held February 12th, 2005 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. at UC Hastings College of the Law on February 12, 205. Members of all local queer law student groups will participate. CQLSA is also forming a joint action plan to eliminate military recruitment at PI/PS Day and are garnering statements of support for their efforts from local bar associations, LGBT organizations and public interest law firms.
Read More | Law Schools vs. Defense Department | ACLU | More Indybay News About Military Recruiting

A New York State court ruled on Friday, February 4th that same-sex couples must be allowed to marry. State Supreme Court Justice Doris Ling-Cohan said in the decision that the basic freedoms that are granted to same-sex loving people under the State Constitution were violated when same-sex couples were not given the right to marry in New York State. The ruling said the Constitution requires same-sex couples to have equal access to marriage, and that the plaintiffs in the case must be given marriage licenses. Lambda Legal had filed the lawsuit in 2004 on behalf of five couples who wanted to get marriage licenses in New York City.

Justice Ling-Cohan stayed the ruling for 30 days in case there is an appeal. Because the New York State Supreme Court is a trial-level court, the City of New York could appeal the ruling to a higher court. Thus, the legality of gay marriage in New York is likely to be decided by the Court of Appeals, which is the state's highest court. On Thursday, a judge in an Albany court had reinstated charges that New Paltz Mayor Jason West had not lived up to his oath of office to uphold the law when he had issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples last year.

Lambda Legal is currently litigating cases seeking marriage for same-sex couples in New Jersey, California (with NCLR and ACLU) and Washington State (with NWLC). The Washington State Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in that lawsuit on March 8, and a decision is pending from the trial court in the California case. Meanwhile, some same-sex couples in Massachusetts had already filed for divorce by the end of 2004, which was the first year in which they were allowed to marry in that state.

Past Indybay Coverage of the same-sex marriage struggle in New York State

January 31, 2005: Alameda County's Board of Supervisors last week voted 4-0 to pass a resolution that prohibits gender identity discrimination in county employment, county services, and county contracting. This includes use of facilities such as restrooms in county buildings. It forbids discrimination based on a person's "gender-related" identity, appearance or behavior, "whether or not stereotypically associated with a person's assigned sex at birth."

Board President Keith Carson and his staff wrote the resolution, and he was reportedly supported by community activists such as Patricia Kevena Fili and Jamison Green. Conservative groups have protested the resolution, saying that conflicts between transgendered people and the public at large would occur as a result of it.

Transgender Law Center | People in Search of Safe Restrooms | Meeting Notes from 1/25/05 Alameda County Board of Supervisors Meeting