Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Faggots!


Apparently, some truly stupid people have been blogging lately about same-sex marriage in Saskatchewan, whining about how marriage commissioners who refuse to perform same-sex marriages were totally blindsided by the relatively recent change in Canada's marriage laws that legalized such marriages and therefore they shouldn't have to perform them. For those truly stupid people, I humbly submit reality (all subsequent emphasis tail-waggingly added):

The Marriage Act, 1995 sets out the procedures that must be followed for a legally binding marriage in Saskatchewan. The Marriage Unit provides support to retailers authorized to sell marriage licences and those appointed to perform marriages. The Provincial Government (Marriage Unit) has exclusive jurisdiction to pass laws pertaining to "The Solemnization of Marriage in the Province." The Federal Government has the sole power to determine issues of capacity to marry, such as who can marry whom and age of consent.

In other words, those marriage commissioners have known since at least 1995 that it was the federal government that made up the rules and defined who could and couldn't get married, and that those rules could change at any time. I'd ask whether we were finally done here but, sadly, when truly stupid people are involved, we're never done.

P.S. And for those truly stupid people who keep whining that Saskatchewan's homophobic bigots simply want their day in court, I give you:

A tribunal set up by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission ruled that [Orville] Nichols did not have the right to refuse service based on his personal beliefs, and ordered him to pay M.J. $2,500 in compensation.

Nichols appealed that ruling, arguing that his religious beliefs should be protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

But in a 39-page decision dated July 17, Court of Queen's Bench Justice Janet McMurty dismissed Nichols' argument, concluding that the human rights tribunal was "correct in its finding that the commission had established discrimination and that accommodation of Mr. Nichols' religious beliefs was not required."

In short, Nichols went to the HRC, and lost. He then appealed, and lost again. He is now on his third attempt. One can say a number of things about the whiny and pathetically homophobic Orville Nichols, but one can't say that he hasn't had more than enough opportunity to make his case.

In closing, then, shut the fuck up.

P.S. Apparently, Canada's gay-bashing wankers suddenly care very deeply about Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. When the hell did that happen?

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