Spain joined Canada as the third and fourth of now nine nations who have civil marriage rights....from which all other rights and privileges of citizenship emanate.

Think of it.....fascist Spain until 1975 imprisoned our brothers and raped our sisters. In 2005, after a few decades of democracy after Franco's death....same sex marriage was passed by the Socialist government. Franco the Fascist had the Roman Catholic Church as the Established and Only Church permitted in Spain.

The Roman Catholic Church lost this battle in Spain. In 1936, they fought on the side of the Fascists. The Vatican love Fascists worldwide, and maintained it longest in the Spanish-speaking world.
When the Spanish parliament yesterday took its historic vote legalizing both gay marriage and adoption of children by gay couples, Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who put the full prestige of his office and party behind passage of the gay human rights legislation -- made probably the most remarkable speech in favor of full equality for those with same-sex hearts ever delivered by a head of government anywhere, in which he quoted two of the most illustrious gay poets in history. Here are excerpts from Zapatero's speech:

"We are not legislating, honorable members, for people far away and not known by us. We are enlarging the opportunity for happiness to our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends and our families: at the same time we are making a more decent society, because a decent society is one that does not humiliate its members.

"In the poem 'The Family,' our [gay] poet Luis Cernuda was sorry because, 'How does man live in denial in vain / by giving rules that prohibit and condemn?'

Today, the Spanish society answers to a group of people who, during many years have, been humiliated, whose rights have been ignored, whose dignity has been offended, their identity denied, and their liberty oppressed. Today the Spanish society grants them the respect they deserve, recognizes their rights, restores their dignity, affirms their identity, and restores their liberty.

"It is true that they are only a minority, but their triumph is everyone's triumph. It is also the triumph of those who oppose this law, even though they do not know this yet: because it is the triumph of Liberty. Their victory makes all of us (even those who oppose the law) better people, it makes our society better. Honorable members, There is no damage to marriage or to the concept of family in allowing two people of the same sex to get married. To the contrary, what happens is this class of Spanish citizens get the potential to organize their lives with the rights and privileges of marriage and family. There is no danger to the institution of marriage, but precisely the opposite: this law enhances and respects marriage.

"Today, conscious that some people and institutions are in a profound disagreement with this change in our civil law, I wish to express that, like other reforms to the marriage code that preceded this one, this law will generate no evil, that its only consequence will be the avoiding of senseless suffering of decent human beings. A society that avoids senseless suffering of decent human beings is a better society.

"With the approval of this Bill, our country takes another step in the path of liberty and tolerance that was begun by the democratic change of government. Our children will look at us incredulously if we tell them that many years ago, our mothers had less rights than our fathers, or if we tell them that people had to stay married against their will even though they were unable to share their lives. Today we can offer them a beautiful lesson: every right gained, each access to liberty has been the result of the struggle and sacrifice of many people that deserve our recognition and praise.

"Today we demonstrate with this Bill that societies can better themselves and can cross barriers and create tolerance by putting a stop to the unhappiness and humiliation of some of our citizens. Today, for many of our countrymen, comes the day predicted by Kavafis [the great Greek gay poet] one century ago:

'Later 'twas said of the most perfect society / someone else, made like me / certainly will come out and act freely.' "

If you aren't crying.....you are not gay or an ally.....and if you want more ., try this www.soulforce.org and get the video by Ray Boltz  DON'T YOU TELL ME WHO TO LOVE.....

Words from the mouth of Pope John Paul II in 1996 led me to walk away from the Catholic church & join the United Church of Christ.  It is my prerogative to be in a church that affirms my personal beliefs, not one that denounces everyone. 

Let's face it: no one is perfect enough to 100% fit the mold that we're told is "correct."  Even those people who consider themselves above criticism are  flawed.  Those in glass houses..., right?

Raymond, I know that someday the light will go on & people will understand that love & acceptance for all was the true message of Christ, not hate, discrimination, exclusion & persecution.

Yes, 1996, even we, the Mother Church of the English Reformation, took notice with our Via Media approach.....half said yes, and the other half, like me, were appalled.

Josef Cardinal Ratzinger, speaking for his predecessor, Pope JP II, issued his infamous " Halloween Letter describing " homosexuals" as " intrinsically disordered " - a departure from the moral neutrality of the orientation and only describing the "behavior" as mortally sinful. Both positions, Lisa, would have made me leave the Roman Church.

You know, considering the rumours about him, you would have thought that choosing October 31 or Halloween would have been a clue to all....code that there are those who got dressed as the self-loathing "female royals" they are. ROFL

Lisa....I was raised in the United Church of Christ....and any denomination with that witness to Christ has always made me proud....the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas was once MCC....and so is Dr. Wright in Chicago. He was railroaded by the Religious Right.

If Obama had wanted to engage in some personal redemption from the man who officiated at his marriage, brought him to Christianity and baptized his daughters, he missed an opportunity. 

I told the DNC to lose my email because I had lost respect and trust in the man. He will have to prove himself and I think that he will do nothing but maybe give us "dessert" rather than" meat with the main course." I do not personally care what the sexual orientation of the SECNAV or Labor Secretary or sub-level are.

Hi Raymond - my husband was raised in the UCC which was how I found my way there.  I "wandered" without church for a while before he brought me there.  It was refreshing to find a place where all "makes & models" of people were celebrated & embraced.  Although I haven't found a church to worship "at" since moving to Vegas, I still consider myself UCC

Yeah, there were too many things said about sexuality (homo or hetero) that left a very sour taste in my mouth.

Lisa -

Your husband and I were both lucky. I left the UCC for ECUSA when I was in college. Today, I wonder if I would have left for the Mother Church of the English Reformation and remained where my Yankee Mayflower ancestors cradled me....the Congregational Church, UCC.

Sexual theology is the basis of Roman moral theology. Their scandals suggest their hypocrisy in maintaining their celibacy issues and their ability to dissect orientation and behavior...for both straight and gay couples....

Where you and I both are.....we have grace without the guilt. In decades of gay ministry, the "walking wounded" - especially the Catholics - is greater than their significant numbers. Their vitriol is sometimes more virulent than the homophobes.

After the Vatican refused to sign the UN statement I announced to my family that I'm no longer Catholioc and now Agnostic.

Sean - my Roman priest friends all tell me the same thing. They are mostly over the age of retirement, and regardless of age, they are unable to meet their pastoral obligations on a personal basis initiated by them.

More truthfully, the gay priests, active or celibate, have an inordinate fear of suspension or deposition. The older guys, who are close to retirement, and over the age of retirement, are aware that they could be destitute if the issue for a lay person to leave their Church was "homosexuality a la Benedict XVI". All Roman priests are "contract laborers" and therefore since the Canons actualized in 1988, the Church only voluntarily provides pensions and medical care. Silence is bought at a price.

If I were Roman, priest or layman, I would be gone forever and I would be in a gay-affirming sacramental body. There are many of them in SAN.

It's odd that the U.S, where the U.N is located, keeps refusing to sign these U.N acts.

Growing up Gay During Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945   What would be the severity of the psychological effects caused to a boy who grew to be gay living in Germany during the time of Hitler’s Nazi regime? We know the severe psychological harm and for many, the physical abuse caused to children who grow up to be gay under the influence of harsh antigay social and religious norms. This type of pervasive harm is portrayed in the characters of the movie “Brokeback Mountain,” Jack and Ennis, and including the accepted social approval to commit and remain silent about the severity of this kind of inhuman treatment taken against other human beings, just because they are homosexuals.    The Hitler Youth: Sons of the Fuhrer   Is it possible to even imagine to what degree of severity the traumatic psychological effects would be to a boy's early childhood psychological developmental years, who grew up to be gay during the time of the Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945? During the Nazi regime, homosexuals were continually being publically defamed and falsely accused for the major social problems of that time. This was done purposely, to incite massive public hatred and hostility to be taken against homosexuals. The facts are that the Nazis publically charged homosexuals, as being a threat to nation, accursed for the nation declining birth rate, and called them an infection that if not eradicated could become an epidemic especially to the youth (Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945). Homosexuals were used, as human medical experiments, brutally tortured, physically mutilated, and exterminated in Nazi Death camps. These atrocities have devastating psychological effects not only for the children who grew up to gay, but for all of society.   Would this child, now as an adult, in a severe dissociative state of mind from his own homosexual feelings, unconsciously, perpetuate the terrifying horror of the insensitivity he had experienced, at 4 and 5 years of age growing to be gay? Would this child, as an adult, if he found himself in a position of authority, recreate the same social and political environment of violence and terror towards homosexuals "gays" that he experienced, as a child growing up be gay, during the Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945?    UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM http://www.ushmm.org Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945
EARLY CHILDHOOD PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT GROWING UP GAY
 by Fr. Marty Kurylowicz http://fathermartykurylowicz.blogspot.com/

So the pope came out opposing decriminalization of homosexuality.  No matter what the VatiFurher says, he is, out of the other side of his mouth supporting the hanging of gay kids in Iran, throwing gays into some stinkhole jail for even being together in some african countries.  And I'll bet he was on the same side as those who gave us 9/11 on this question.

The history of the catholic church is filled with mayhem and murder. The crusades where 50 million Muslims died, no wonder they hate us.  The bburning of a million women as witches, in a display of nothing but male dominance, by a church totally controlled by males.  The torture and murder of tens of thousands who dared question the popes beliefs, eg the earth was flat, according to God.  And of course the hatred of the Jews for a millenia, which culminated as the lever hitler (born a catholic) used to give the world 50 million deaths.  And then the church collaborated after the war, issuing passports so some nazis so they could escape to argentina.

And now it is the gays who these medieval barrons want to throw in their pot of boiling oil.  Anything at all to protect their power and money.  Using mankinds greatest failing, hatred, no matter how it is expressed

And this isn't just about the Roman CAtholic Church - it is about their similar pals, including the Southern Baptists, and similar, and all the way to the ultra orthodox Jews, who seem to have forgotten that when their cousins of an earlier age went up hitlers smokestacks, they shared their fate with the gays of Germany, another group that maniac thought were less then human.