Author: Ann

Historic week for gay marriage and equal rights

Crowds line up for gay marriage cases. Photo by David Lloyd

Crowds line up for gay marriage cases. Photo by David Lloyd

Today the Supreme Court of the United States will hear the first of two cases for same-sex marriage.  Opponents will argue that legalizing these unions will destroy the traditional definition of marriage since marriage is about “responsible procreation and child-rearing” (tell that to couples who choose not to have children or the elderly couple who have found happiness again).  This is a simple question of equal rights. Why shouldn’t gays, who pay taxes and participate in society just like anyone else, be able to marry?  Churches will still be able to decide which couples can be married within the church; this will not impact them.  It will be interesting to see which Justices support the Separation of Church and State and which ones are still living in the pre-Loving v. Virginia era.

White smoke, new pope

The wait (and excessive media coverage- but that’s another post) is over.  Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina has been elected pope.  This BBC profile of the new pope describes him as “orthodox on sexual matters but strong on social justice”.  I see that as a big contradiction.  Women’s economic status, especially in poor countries, is affected by the lack of access to contraceptives and their position in society.WomenEconomicInequalitySM