viu;
S
jurai ?fl, ?nm
'mews
ame-sex couples began getting mar
ried June 10 in Toronto. Married-
married. Under the regular marriage
laws.
B lame C anada
Ontario court legalizes gay marriage
The weddings began hours after
the province of O ntario’s highest court, the
Court of Appeal, ruled that the federal gov
ernment’s definition of marriage was uncon
stitutional and ordered the Toronto city clerk
to issue marriage licenses immediately to sev
eral gay couples who had sued for the right to
marry.
Toronto City Hall and other municipalities
responded that they would issue a marriage
license to any same-sex couple who otherwise
met the license criteria. And the first full same-
sex marriages in North America began.
Kevin Bourassa and Joe Vamell and Elaine
and Anne Vautour were married in 2001 by a
Metropolitan Community Church minister, but
the province refused to register their unions.
They were married via the ancient Christian
tradition of “publishing the banns of marriage”
(asking in church on three Sundays if anyone
objects to the marriage), which is a legal alter-
G a y F o r e ig n e r s
.C a n M a r r y in O n t a r i o
ou do not have to be Canadian to get mar
ried in Ontario, the Toronto City Clerk and
the provincial Registrar General said June. 11.
Now that the Ontario Court of Appeal has
opened marriage to same-sex couples, there is
nothing to stop U .S. gay couples from hopping
across the border and getting married— full,
real marriage.
Here are the details from the Ontario Min-
Y
I|23
by R e x W ockn er
native in Ontario to obtaining a marriage
license from the city.
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien announced
June 17 that the federal government would not
appeal the ruling and would rewrite the mar
riage laws to include same-sex couples within
two weeks.
“We’ll be proposing legislation that will pro
tect the right of churches and religious organiza
tions to sanctify marriage as they define it,” he
said. “We want to...deal with it as quickly as
possible, and as soon as we have the reference
[on constitutionality from the Supreme Court]
then the House of Commons will vote."
A court in Quebec and British Columbia’s
highest court also recently declared the opposite-
sex definition of marriage unconstitutional, but
both courts gave the federal gov
ernment more than a year to
change the law before having it
forcibly changed by the court.
The Ontario ruling left no such
gap-
A different mood has
emerged in conservative A l
berta. Premier Ralph Klein Michael Stark (left) and Michael Leshner wasted no time in
said the province will not getting hitched after the ruling was announced June 10, tying
conduct gay marriages or rec the knot that afternoon in Toronto
ognize gay marriages from
elsewhere.
allows provinces to enact temporary laws that
It is unlikely Alberta has the power to carry
contradict the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
through on Klein’s threat. He promised to
Such laws, however, cannot usurp federal
invoke a rarely used section of the constitution
power— and the definition of marriage is a fed
called “the notwithstanding clause,” which
eral matter in Canada. j n
istry of Consumer and Business Services: “A
marriage license can be obtained from the clerk
o f most cities, townships, towns or villages....
The marriage license is valid anywhere in
Ontario for three months from the date of pur
chase. The bride or groom (or both) apply in
person to the Marriage License Issuer to obtain
a license. They will need to bring identifica
tion, such as a birth certificate (along with any
change of name certificates), current passport,
Record of Immigrant Landing or Canadian cit
izenship card, along with photo identification,
for both the bride and the groom ....
“The person who performed the marriage
must forward documentation to the [provin
cial] Office of the Registrar General for regis
tration. Allow approximately 12 weeks from
the date o f marriage before applying for your
marriage certificate."
So, if you’ve been waiting to get hitched, is
now the time to rush to Toronto and find out
whether the United States will recognize the
marriage?
“Inevitably some will litigate to defend their
families and secure their rights," says Evan
V
I
Wolfson,
executive director of the U .S. organi-
M IL G A R D
REPLACEMENT
WINDOWS
Clearly the best
zation Freedom to Marry. “ I urge people...to
make decisions about litigation very carefully
in consultation with groups like the G ay &
Lesbian Advocates (St Defenders in Boston,
Lambda Legal and the National Center for Les
bian Rights. T his is a civil rights struggle, and
it’s not going to be won just because we rush
into court one day .... Couples need to make
careful decisions about whether to marry, about
the legal uncertainty they may face and the
consequences o f litigating— not just for them
selves but for all o f us.”
~~RW
Refinance Now!
Lowest refinance rates in years!
F ir s t tim e b u y e r s
O a n d lo w d o w n p a y m e n t o p tio n s
C a l l m e fo r a free c o n s u lta tio n
R ussell Leggroan • 5 0 3 -2 4 9 -0 8 4 3 • northstarmortgage@ qwest.net
Mortgage G alleria (FKA Northstar Mortgage) • 4 3 2 0 N E Halsey, Suite 123
We are a Certified Milgard Dealer
and have been selling and installing
Milgard windows for over 25 years in
the Portland area.
*
Milgard windows are manufactured right here in Oregon.
An Oregon window made for Oregon weather with lifetime
service direct from the manufacturing plant in Tualatin.
Their guarantee is the best in the business, as we know from 25
years experience.
Ju s t r T T S l hits
the stands the first and third fridays of every month! Enjoy!
The Finest Collision Repair.
If you would like to have Milgard Windows installed in your
home at a reasonable price, please call anytime for a courteous
in-home proposal.
w w w .in s u la te d w in d o w c o rp .c o m
INSULATED WINDOW
CORPORATION
Garland Horner
Owner
CCB#19095
8124 N. Denver
Collision Repair
Problems Solved
503 - 232-3600
2454 E. Burnside • Portland, O R 9 7 2 1 4
www.fergusonauto.com
Family Owned & Operated Since 1952
Wheel Alignment
Tires
Oil Changes
Break-in Repairs