The Althingi, Iceland’s parliament, has just voted unanimously for same-sex marriage. Unanimously. This makes me happy. In case you’ve forgotten, Iceland is the only country with an out head of state, Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir.
The New York Times ran an editorial in favour of same-sex marriage:
After a nearly three-week trial in January, and a lengthy hiatus while lawyers fought over documents, closing arguments are scheduled for Wednesday in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage. No one expects the ruling from Judge Vaughn Walker in Federal District Court to be the last word. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, will have its say, and so, eventually, may the Supreme Court.
The testimony made abundantly clear that excluding same-sex couples from marriage exacts a grievous toll on gay people and their families. Domestic partnerships are a woefully inadequate substitute.
Over at Sterling Editing we have our usual weekly roundup of links of interest to writers, including the New Yorker’s look at the current taste for dystopian YA, and a toe-curlingly true video of what it’s like for some writers when they venture into publicity.
And yesterday in Seattle we had sunshine–actual yellow feel-it-on-your-face-it’s-not-a-dream *sunshine*. I was so amazed that I forgot to take photos. The weather people are promising more–more more more–of the same for the weekend. Woo-hoo! I’ll be planting a little herb garden on the back deck and perhaps I’ll remember to take photos of the heretofore mythical summer. I hope you have fantastic weather wherever you are, and that you laze about in it a bit. I am now going to spend some time fondling inappropriately the .jpg on my screen:
Nicola Griffith 
Please let it be true about the weather! Glad to see the NY Times is supportive. My friends Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis are super busy this week in SF. And it's no surprise to me about any Scandinavian “type” country being homo-friendly- gotta love those cold weather countries! I think it's their saunas that started it all.
No one expects the ruling from Judge Vaughn Walker in Federal District Court to be the last word. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, will have its say, and so, eventually, may the Supreme Court.
—>>>The district of the Ninth Circuit is so huge that I'll be surprised if this ever happens while I'm still alive to witness it.
***
The testimony made abundantly clear that excluding same-sex couples from marriage exacts a grievous toll on gay people and their families. Domestic partnerships are a woefully inadequate substitute.
—>>>Yes I agree even for those brave souls who live completely OUT. The toll is taken on the families long before any help comes in the form of law. I think it might be harder on some families to take the brunt of the teasing and chiding, name calling etc. than it sometimes is for the person/s coming out. Or the people who are percieved as homo/whateversexual.
For me it was illness that drove me back inside and the older I got the worse the illness became.
I just couldn't concieve of anyone even remotely wanting to be with someone as sick as I've been for several years. Where on earth would you find somebody like that anyway? I'm not good looking enough to attract someone by that method and once an attraction happens well then the illness becomes apparent.
The people who appreciate me for who I am have never met me in person. There are a couple of people who love me as I am in my life but they're friends. What's that old saying, “Irony, irony stay away from my door and don't cha come back here anymore.”
Anyway back on topic, the Ninth Circuit is the biggest in the country and I think will be slow to get to the backlog let alone new cases.
Sly
Well I didn't mean for my first post to sound like such a downer but it's hard not to say how I feel. I really, really do hope that Prop 8 can be abolished it was always a nasty bit of legislation.
Sly home alone all the caregivers are off doing something else thank goodness for them. Laura is home in Sitka, Krisi is at one of her horsy events but will be back to give me the second and final shot of the day and I'm going to read.
Have a lovely day, Sly
Miko, could be true about those saunas :)
Sly, I am having a lovely day so far, thank you. I've planted sweet basil, thyme, dill, and chives. We already have lavender, oregano and rosemary growing well year round in the front garden. It's been a long time since I attempted to grow things, so we'll see how it goes. But right now, in the sun, it smells delicious.