Now that the topic is being given shameful attention in the U.S. by an gutless pandering administration that cares nothing for civil liberties, I thought I'd bring to the attention a hopeful story from your friends next door...
TORONTO -- It promises to be a grand June wedding, two scarlet-coated officers of the famed Royal Canadian Mounted Police standing before a justice of the peace with an escort of similarly spiffy Mounties observing the nuptials on the eve of Canada Day, a national holiday.
The difference in Canada is that the conservative minority government is so worried about being "extremist" -- it has a policy to not even mention this event.
Harper and his government have made it a platform issue to roll-back gay marriage in Canada, but so far, they don't want to take any political fallout from what is an unpopular policy in Canada.
Harper has not spoken publicly about the upcoming wedding and has ordered his party members to shut up about the matter, an attempt to silence lawmakers that has served to draw more attention to the issue while sparking complaints about the prime minister's heavy-handedness.
In Canada, the National Parliament allowed Gay marriages in 2003. The public, for the most part, have no problem with it whatsoever. I have barely heard mention of any strong movement against this policy in Canada since the bill was passed in 3 years ago.
"If they speak about gay rights, same-sex marriage, abortion, the risk is the Conservative Party will be portrayed as extremist," said David Rayside, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto and director of the Center for Sexual Diversity Studies. "In the United States, they would not pass as extremists. But in Canada, they would. There is a gap between Canadian and American attitudes."
The U.S. military, for example, does not officially permit gay relationships. In Canada, two servicemen were married on an air force base last June, and the RCMP says it has no objection to the upcoming ceremony.
"There's a law in this country, and this ought to be considered a regular event," said Sgt. Frank Skidmore, a spokesman for the Nova Scotia RCMP detachments.
"Just look at the last 10 years to see how far we have come in Canada," said Tree. "I'm hoping some day soon that this will die down."
If those of you down south feel a bit depressed at how backwards things have become -- don't worry.
Us Canucks will keep that progressive back-porch light on for you.
- source: The Washington Post