July (Web-only) 2003

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One of these days, Weblog will be able to highlight an item that has absolutely nothing to do with homosexuality. But what's news is news …

British Columbia court joins Ontario in allowing same-sex marriage
"And now the regular book says the man and woman may kiss," United Church minister Tim Stevenson, a homosexual member of the Vancouver City Council, said during the marriage of Tom Graff and Antony Porcino. "The two men may kiss."

Within an hour of the British Columbia Court of Appeal's decision yesterday to lift a ban on same-sex marriages, churches in the province were concluding their ceremonies.

In May the British Columbia court had ruled that banning same-sex marriages was unconstitutional, and ordered the Canadian government to change the definition of marriage to the union of "two persons to the exclusion of all others." However, it gave the government until July 12, 2004, to change its laws, and put a moratorium on gay weddings in the meantime.

The Ontario Court of Appeal's ruling last month that immediately changed that province's definition of marriage means the suspension was no longer necessary, and in fact harmful, the court ruled yesterday. "It is … apparent that any further delay in implementing the remedies will result in an unequal application of the law between Ontario and British Columbia," it said.

"That's two provinces down, and may they all fall quickly like dominoes now," Jane Hamilton, one of the lesbians involved in the B.C. lawsuit, told The Globe and Mail of Toronto.

That's precisely what conservative religious groups in Canada are worried about. Upset that the government will not appeal the Ontario Court of Appeal's decision, two coalitions have asked the Supreme Court to hear the case.

"We believe ...