Witness Our Welcome 2003 ecumenical gathering

August 16, 2003 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Witness our Welcome is an ecumenical gathering of sexually and gender inclusive Christians from Canada and the United States. There are two opportunities to attend an August 16 workshop we are conducting, based on our book Just Married: Gay Marriage and the Expansion of Human Rights. Canadian dollars are accepted at par.

Liberals for Layton: MP Mills betrays Liberal values

August 11, 2003 - Same-sex marriage advocates, environ-mentalists and former Liberal members in the federal riding of Toronto-Danforth have announced the establishment of a group called Liberals for Layton. They are calling for Member of Parliament Dennis Mills' immediate resignation and will work to defeat the "homophobic gadfly" in the next election. The group supports the election of NDP leader Jack Layton.

Canadian Quakers support same-sex marriage

August 10, 2003 - Canadian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) issued a statement on August 8 which supports "the right of same-sex couples to a civil marriage and the extension of the legal definition of marriage to include same-sex couples." The Friends have a long history of supporting human rights and witnessing against injustice. We appreciate having their contribution in this debate.

Equality Scorecard: votes for same-sex marriage

August 9, 2003 - Clayton Chrusch is tracking the free vote for same-sex marriage so that all of us may hold our politicians accountable. Know who stands for equality and justice. See who plans to vote in favour of hijacking Charter rights from gay and lesbian couples. "Any MPs who join the gay-bashing gang are going to suffer in the next election ...", says The Globe and Mail (August 9). Keep involved - make calls, write letters and vote!

Cleaning House - Free vote on same-sex marriage

August 8, 2003 - A free vote on same-sex marriage is causing a shakedown in the Liberal party. Many of their members are unworthy of calling themselves liberal and are better suited for the ignoramuses collected under the banner of the Alliance party. A purge of the Liberal party would serve Canada well. The issue of gay marriage will drive the bigots masking as liberals into the open where we can get a better look at them.

Vancouver shows its pride for same-sex marriage

August 7, 2003 - Lloyd Thornhill writes, "This year's Pride week in Vancouver had special meaning for the litigants in the equal marriage challenge. We knew from the beginning that we were setting sail on a course that would likely change the history of Canada ... I don't think any of the couples ever imagined that we would be taking on the Vatican, Gerry Falwell, and all of the bigotry and hate ..."

Vatican collaboration with the Nazis

August 6, 2003 - "Germany in the 1920's was a very enlightened place. Berlin was just as free as Toronto is now. There was a flourishing homosexual culture there ... Gays and Lesbians began to feel fully accepted in society and after a decade of liberation no-one took the political warnings seriously." Lawyer Bruce Walker's essay reveals what history teaches us about attacks on freedom & same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage at Montréal Divers/Cité 2003

August 5, 2003 - Although there was no official theme for the parade at Montréal Divers/Cité, same-sex marriage was the main attraction for many people watching or participating in the parade. Thanks to local advocates Michael Hendricks and René LeBeouf, and because of the venomous attacks of the Vatican, the issue dominated this city, and spread throughout the country thanks to local and national media coverage.

Bryden's bigotry: hiding behind children

August 1, 2003 - Liberal M.P. John Bryden published an editorial today, using children to flame fears in his constituents, stating the new definition of marriage "compromises the ability of the courts to consider the gender relationship of parents in child custody and adoption cases." We spoke to him about this misinformation last year, but he persists in using children as fodder for his campaign against same-sex marriage.

The Inquisition targets same-sex marriage

July 31, 2003 - The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, formerly known as the Inquisition, released a hate-filled document telling Catholic politicians to act according to Church policy rather than adhere to state laws, when it comes to deciding on the issue of same-sex marriage: a "legalization of evil". Homosexuality is depicted as "a serious depravity", "intrinsically disordered", "gravely immoral" and "deviant".

Ontario Court of Appeal accused of bias

July 30, 2003 - The Ontario Court of Appeal has been accused of bias in their handling of our same-sex marriage case. Darrel Reid (Focus on the Family) cites this web site's coverage of a Pride event, hosted by the Law Society of Upper Canada, as proof that the court's judgement is corrupted. "This is the sleaziest move yet by these people," responds Douglas Elliott, the lawyer representing our marriage case in court.

Saint John Pride 2003 - A triumphant first parade

July 29, 2003 - Saint John, New Brunswick, held its first pride parade on July 26. Participants and onlookers were primed, following the intolerant comments about same-sex marriage by local M.P. Elsie Wayne. The city came together to overcome the image of prejudice projected by the disgraced Wayne. "This city is open to all people," declared the Mayor, foretelling the triumphant procession of pride in the streets. An amazing day.

Spiritual abuse by the Catholic Church

July 24, 2003 - Following our victory in court and the federal government's decision to legislate same-sex marriage, Canadian Catholic bishops renewed a call to their faithful, urging them to speak out against equality for gay and lesbian couples who seek their Canadian Charter right to marriage. The bishops are abusing the spirituality of their faithful by using religion to turn congregants against homosexuals.

Toronto same-sex marriage licence statistics

July 23, 2003 - Same-sex marriage licences issued by Toronto City Hall continue to increase in numbers. Check out the latest statistics to see the total number of same-sex licences issued, broken down by male and female couples, as well as a breakdown of Toronto, Ontario, Canadian, American, and international place of origin. Statistics also include a per centage comparison to licences issued to opposite sex couples.

Halifax Pride 2003: their biggest yet (thanks Elsie)

July 22, 2003 - We had a fabulous time attending festivities at this year's Halifax Pride as co-grand marshalls in the parade. Organizers were honouring same-sex marriage and the tremendous strides that were made this year for full equality. Nicky and Sue Perkins were our co-grand marshalls, in honour of their pioneering work for relationship recognition as one of the province's first couples to register domestic partnerships.

Just Married: Recent Reviews and News

Read the latest reviews of our book Just Married: Gay Marriage and the Expansion of Human Rights. News updates and a schedule of our appearances, readings, book signings, and other activities are listed here.