Focus on the Positive

Ok, the last post was depressing, so to stay focused on the positive, I went searching for info on all the gains the GLBT community has made. Most of it I already knew in bits and pieces, but here's a compilation of what I found. ************************************************************** Same-sex marriage is currently legal in: * Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, and Spain. * Massachusetts. ** Update: I had read that gay marriage was legal in South Africa, but apparently South Africa's Constitutional Court has ordered the parliament to change the current laws to recognize marriage as a "union between two persons." Parliament has until December 2, 2006 to make this change. Thanks to Leon for providing this update! Civil Unions, with variations in the extent of the rights granted, are legal in: * Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland. * The Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. * The Argentinian states of Rio Negro and Buenos Aires. * New Zealand, Western Australia and Tasmania. * Vermont and Connecticut. Domestic Partnerships are offered in: * California, Maine, New Jersey, and Washinton, D.C. Discussions are under way to legalize full gay marriage in France and Sweden, both of which already offer civil unions. In addition to the status of gay marriage, there are innumerable organizations that advocate for gay rights on an international, national, and state level. A partial list includes: International Gay Rights Organizations International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission International Lesbian and Gay Association US National Gay Rights Organizations Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network (thanks Chris Tuttle!) Human Rights Coalition Lambda Legal Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays National Gay and Lesbian Task Force State organizations in virtually every US state. There are dozens of queer magazines, including the Advocate, Out, Instinct, Genre, and tons of local GLBT magazines and newspapers. The GLBT movement has so much support, there's no way anyone can continue repress us. ************************************************************** After this little research project, I have no doubt that progress toward full equality for GLBT folk will be much faster than any civil rights movement in history. But yesterday, in a restaurant in Southwest Florida, I let one ignorant bigot temporarily erase from my mind the memory of all the positive forces at work on this planet. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.