Yay Canada!
With the stroke of a vice-regal pen Canada becomes the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
The federal government's gay marriage legislation passed its final hurdle shortly before midnight following a raucous, emotional debate in the Senate.
The final word in the debate came from Ione Christensen, the 71-year-old Liberal senator from the Yukon. To a hushed chamber Chistensen read an e-mail from a constituent.
"You have no idea what a difference it makes to the human spirit to know that you are treated equally under the law,'' the e-mail said.
With that, members of the upper chamber were called in for a three-minute vote that came after about three years of political and legal battles.
The Senate voted 47-21 to pass the bill that allows civil marriage for same-sex couples. Three senators abstained. There are currently 95 sitting senators and 10 vacancies in the appointed upper house.
When the vote was tallied the chamber erupted in a loud cheer.
"When the vote was tallied the chamber erupted in a loud cheer." Yes, Canada is certainly not the United States. Freedom is optional when you want to be an empire, and I'd be shocked if any of the self-proclaimed moral leadership of the USA would cheer for anything other than repression.
(link to the 365gay.com article via Bruce Garrett)