Senate Homosexuality: the Thread

Well, the West Coast isn't even really there. Washington is the only state that really has it, what with California being California still. That lag in several states has been somewhat surprising. Hawaii and Oregon also come to mind in states that I'd expect to have same-sex marriage soon, but doesn't seem on radar.

 

Yeah, that's what I meant.

I'm sure Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Pennsylvania will come around soon. But it makes sense that it won't happen until the remaining states on the West Coast and in the Northeast pass it first... like Rhode Island, Delaware, New Jersey, and Oregon.

I'm not really sure what Oregon and Hawaii's problem is either.

 

Hawaii had a bill that allowed for Civil Unions but their Republican Gov. as one of her last acts vetoed it.

They recently passed a new Civil Union bill which their current Democratic Gov. signed in 2012. Hawaii is one of the states that has a constitutional ban on full gay marriage.

 

Rhode Island's Senate is finally allowed to vote on Gay Marriage... and it passed, 26 to 12!
(Paiva Weed, the Senate leader, had been preventing a vote on it for years)

All Republicans voted in support of gay marriage.

It now moves back to the House, who already voted for an earlier version of it overwhelmingly a couple months ago.

http://news.providencejournal.com/b...x-marriage-bill---how-the-senators-voted.html

Should go into effect this summer.

 

Wow, every single no vote came from the Democrats? That seems, surprising, even with only 5 Republicans. Is there something else at work here, or is this simply that with the Democrats dominating the state that heavily, the party is actually broad enough to have a significant portion of conservative Democrats?

I've been trying to look up the House vote, but can't find how it broke down by party.

 

Y'know this might be how the GOP will revitalize that "compassionate conservative" campaign they started playing with a few years ago. Haven't heard much about it lately, but if more and more Republicans start distancing themselves from social issues that aren't even really issues they're likely to start gaining credibility, especially among younger voters. Just a thought, I am by no means an expert.

 

Edit: Double post.

 

I doubt that it will. The culture of Rhode Island is a lot more liberal than the culture of say...Alabama. So it wouldn't be too surprising to see Rhode Island Republicans support gay marriage because...that's just how it is. That and they know their asses are likely on the chopping block if they go against popular opinion.

 

It's not that big of a surprise. Since you basically have to be a Democrat to get elected here (unless you run for Governor), there are a lot of conservatives who run as Democrats that would have run as Republicans if there wasn't such a stigma attached to it. I'm thinking the Republicans in RI want to re-brand themselves as more libertarian, principled, and progressive so they may one day have a chance at regaining power (which they basically haven't since the Bloodless Revolution in 1934/1935).

As for the RI House vote, there's another one coming next week (the Senate version is slightly different), so we'll be able to see what the partisan breakdown is there. But I know it passed by a rather large margin back in January/February.

 

Ok, that's what I was wondering about. With Republicans marginalized, it makes sense that you just get more variation in the one party that is present. The House vote will be interesting to see if that shows a similar pattern. Also, I do hope that means the Republican party is starting to do the calculations to see that they're going to be on the wrong side of things with the way momentum is going, and start deciding this isn't something that they want to be remembered for taking a stand on. The more that calculation is carried out, the better it will be, imo, for getting same-sex marriages on the books in more states.

 

I feel Ohio & Pennsylvania (and possibly Michigan) will take longer than others.

The Democratic coalition in PA is Pittsburgh and Philly with the remaining part of the state largely rural and conservative. While the black community is finally coming around to supporting SSM, they still don't support it in large enough numbers (as far as I'm aware) or at least wouldn't turn out to the polls high enough to give it the same edge that Democratic Presidential nominees usually have. And the state legislature it stands almost no chance of passing with gerrymandering.

 

NBA star Jason Collins has come out in Sports Illustrated... the first openly gay professional male athlete in a major sport in America. The overall response to this has been positive, so far.

So much change... it hasn't even been 12 months yet since Biden and Obama began to publically support gay marriage.

 

I remember the debate we had on the temp boards about whether there would be an openly gay male athlete from one of the major professional teams. I think my opinion was that I didn't think there would be one, or at the least at the time, maybe a sport like Baseball and years away at that.

I am more than happy to be wrong today.

 

I wasn't expecting an out athlete for at least another couple of years. I, too, am happy to be wrong.

 

Openly gay vs touching each other's bums after a touchdown = crucial distinction.

 

This gay nonsense is strictly generational... When all the old farts running the country die the younger generations who look at gays as nothing more than people will be running the show...

The changing of the guard is one of the most important things humans do.. Old fart people stuck in their past generation are doing nothing but hurting the countries well being, time they move to the side and let the next crop have their shot at it..

 

Collins is actually a free agent so we'll have to wait and see what happens and if he remains in the NBA. He's a pretty marginal player.

 

Well he's said he still wants to play, so I guess it's up to NBA teams to see if one wants to sign him.

 

Well Ray Lewis has made it known there are no room for "fa**" in the NFL...

This is also an uneducated thug who murdered people and got away with it, so taking his word is like listening to something down the evolutionary ladder.. This moron is also a "man of god" he's one of those violent religious god loving idiots.

 

Oh you mean there's no smoking in the NFL?

PS LandoThe CapeCalrissian: I think you have to star that particular F-word out if your using it to refer to gay people.

 

Well its not what im calling them but how Lewis refers to them. That's why I put quotes on it...

 

I think this thread should be re-titled "Gays of the Week".

 

You know, if you have nothing constructive to say on the topic then why don't you leave and just not post in this thread.

 

I thought it would've been a hockey player, since the NHL tends to be more gay-friendly, believe it or not. Yay for Collins! Boo for Lewis, you stupid puke. DIAF. You suck.

 

There actually was an openly gay kicker trying to be drafted by the NFL during the NFL Draft. Sadly, he went undrafted and unsigned.